Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca reveals how Cole Palmer reacted after he told the attacker ‘in one week, you’ll be back’ from injury

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has revealed the reaction of star midfielder Cole Palmer to a comment he made about his return from injury. The England international is out injured, having been struggling with a groin problem since the start of the 2025-26 season. Maresca spoke at his traditional pre-match press conference ahead of his side's meeting with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. The former Leicester City boss provided an update on injured talisman Palmer, admitting that there is no timeline for his return to action. "I just met him in the canteen for breakfast and I said to him, in one week 'you will be back' and he was laughing. We are still waiting", he said (via football.london). Chelsea have been without their 23-year-old star Cole Palmer for majority of the season thus far due to a persistent groin problem. He has appeared only four times this season, completing 90 minutes in only half of those appearances. The former Manchester City man has scored two goals, one each in the league and UEFA Champions League. Palmer's most recent setback took place as the Blues lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford back in September, as he played for just 21 minutes before he had to come off. He has missed eight games since then, and the timeline for his recovery remains yet to be ascertained due to the nature of his injury. Chelsea boss clarifies Liam Delap comments Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has clarified that his comments on Liam Delap in the aftermath of his sending off against Wolves may have been taken out of context. The 22-year-old received a red card after coming on for his first appearance for the Blues since August, instantly earning the wrath of the man on the sidelines. Maresca told reporters on Friday that some of his context was lost in translation when he spoke about the young striker after the Wolves game. He pointed out that he knows the Englishman better than most of his other players, and is aware of the quality he will bring to the squad. "I'm not from England, so sometimes when I try to translate from Italian to English, it's a bit different. When Liam is on the pitch, he is more focused to try his battle with the defender. That's what I was trying to say. There are three players in this team that I know better than the rest, Lavia, Palmer and Delap because I knew them from City U21s. I know Liam will be a fantastic player for us, but there are some things he can improve", he said (via football.london).Liam Delap joined Chelsea for £30 million after a fine season with Ipswich Town and helped them to win the FIFA Club World Cup in July. He suffered a serious hamstring injury in August and has only returned to action, but will now miss the game against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend through suspension.