Chelsea suffer Cole Palmer blow ahead of Arsenal clash, confirms Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea are likely to be without key player Cole Palmer when they take on league-toppers Arsenal at the Emirates on April 23, 2024.
Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed during a pre-match conference that Palmer is currently not in a good condition to play as the player is reportedly ill.
Palmer has been arguably Chelsea's most stand-out player this season, since joining the Blues from Manchester City last summer, for a reported transfer fee of £45 million. The 21-year-old left-footed forward has registered a combined total of 23 goals and 13 assists, across all competitions for the Blues this season.
He also featured in Chelsea's FA Cup semifinal defeat against his former side Manchester City at Wembley over the weekend.
Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Palmer will need to be assessed on Tuesday if he is to stand a chance of taking part in their PL game against Arsenal.
In his words via Metro, when asked if Palmer could feature against the Gunners, Pochettino said:
"We will see tomorrow. We will assess him in the morning. Today, no I don’t believe he can be involved but we will assess him tomorrow."
He continued:
"Even if he is good tomorrow, maybe he’s not in a condition to play. Hopefully he can recover as soon as possible."
Mauricio Pochettino provides injury update on two Chelsea stars
The Blues' head coach could be without a couple of his key players when they travel to face Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side at the Emirates.
Chelsea are already likely to be without top scorer Palmer for the clash, and could also miss vice-captain Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto. Both Chilwell and Gusto are reportedly undergoing medical assessment ahead of the game against Arsenal.
Speaking on the two players, Pochettino revealed, that Chilwell may have had a reoccurring injury, while Gusto suffered a minor ligament injury to his knee.
In his words, via Metro, Pochettino said:
"Malo suffered minor injury of the ligament on his knee. I’m not a doctor but I show respect trying to translate what is going on."
On Chilwell, Pochettino said:
"Chilly after the national team it is the same problem he suffered in the last few weeks."
It will be interesting to see how Chelsea perform against Arsenal considering their recent injury setbacks. The last time both teams met in the league, they played out a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.