Cole Palmer and Wesley Fofana are available for Chelsea’s home Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday, but Liam Delap faces two to four weeks on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury, manager Enzo Maresca told reporters.
Chelsea, looking for its first win in the English top-flight since last month’s trip to Burnley, is aiming to shake off a midweek Champions League loss at Atalanta where centre-back Fofana was forced off with an eye injury.
Attacking midfielder Palmer, recently back from a six-week absence due to groin issues and a broken toe, was left out of the trip to Atalanta as part of his recovery process.
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“(Palmer) is okay. He’s better. He is, at the moment, available… yesterday he finished the session with us with mixed feelings. But overall he’s fine,” Maresca said on Friday.
“Wesley is fine. He completed the session yesterday.”
Maresca said striker Delap, who hurt his shoulder during last weekend’s goalless draw at Bournemouth, needs more time to heal.
“It can be two, three or four weeks. We don’t know exactly how many days he needs,” he said.
Chelsea, winless in its last four matches, is struggling to recapture its form from earlier this season, when it won nine of its 11 matches in all competitions between late September and November, including a 3-0 victory over Barcelona.
Maresca said consistency was the “next step” for Chelsea as it sits fifth in the Premier League.
“How do we do that, it’s just one week, it’s not a long time, but for sure when something happens, the next game you are more prepared and you can avoid that,” he said.
“In terms of human beings, it’s impossible to be at the same level for the whole season but we need to learn things for the future.”
Published on Dec 12, 2025
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