Cole Palmer Suffers Freak Toe Injury, Ruled Out of Barcelona Clash

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has been dealt another injury setback after breaking a toe in a freak accident at home, ruling him out of the Blues’ upcoming matches against Burnley, Barcelona and Arsenal.

The England international, who has been sidelined since September with a groin injury, was on the verge of returning before stubbing his little toe on his left foot against a door.

READ ALSO: 2025/26 GPL Preview MW11: Medeama, Hearts of Oak and Kotoko brace for defining weekend.

The impact led to a fracture that will now delay his comeback.Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed the unfortunate development, revealing that Palmer will miss at least the next week.

Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe but it is nothing important - but he won't be back in the next week,

Maresca said.

When pressed on the extent of the damage, the Blues boss added:

We don't know. [His toe] It's fractured. The only thing we know: he is not available for this week and next week.

Maresca explained that while Palmer is walking with minimal discomfort, wearing football boots remains the biggest challenge.

The last time I saw him was [Thursday] morning and he was without socks, without flip-flops, without nothing. He wasn't limping too much,

he said.

He was walking OK but the problem is the small toe. The contact with the boot can be a bit painful.

READ ALSO: Super Eagles and NFF settle bonus dispute ahead of crucial Gabon World Cup Play-Off

Palmer had resumed training at Cobham ahead of what was expected to be his much-anticipated return. His groin injury has limited him to just three Premier League appearances this season, with his last outing ending after just 21 minutes against Manchester United.Despite Palmer’s absence, Chelsea have managed 4 wins and 2 defeats in the league, leaving them third in the Premier League table with 6 points behind leaders Arsenal.Maresca acknowledged the importance of the forward, saying:

The team prefer it when Cole is playing, I feel much better with Cole on the pitch but when he is not we need to find solutions. The team is doing fantastic, really well. For any manager, it's nice when you miss a player but the team still plays in the way you want it to.

READ ALSO: Super Eagles boycott training over unpaid allowances ahead of Gabon clash

Another Setback as Key Fixtures Approach
The incident adds to Chelsea’s season-long injury frustrations. With high-profile matches against Barcelona and Arsenal looming, the timing could not be worse. Palmer, who has impressed for both club and country, is also battling for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup, a competition with fierce selection competition. While Chelsea have shown they can win without their star man, “there is no doubt they would rather have their talisman.”