COLE PALMER'S RETURN: CHELSEA STAR CLEARED FOR LEEDS COMEBACK
Chelsea, six points behind Arsenal, welcomes back Cole Palmer for a crucial match. Enzo Fernandez insists the team is still in the title race alongside Liverpool and both Manchester clubs.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer is set to return to action against Leeds this week after being out for two months, says manager Enzo Maresca. Palmer hasn't played since the loss to Manchester United on September 20. Though he was on the bench against Arsenal this past weekend, he didn't play, as the team is easing him back in.
Palmer's Comeback
Palmer's been out due to an injury since the United game, but made it back to the bench for the Arsenal match. Even though Moises Caicedo's red card might have stopped Palmer from playing, he’s now expected to play against Leeds on Wednesday. His return from a groin problem was planned for last week, but he broke his toe in a strange accident at home, pushing his comeback back. But now, Maresca has confirmed he’s ready for the Elland Road game.
Maresca Speaks
Maresca told reporters that Palmer is ready to play, mentioning that he was on the bench last game. He noted that Palmer needs to get back into shape and that the plan is to slowly increase his playing time until he can play a full 90 minutes.
Maresca also mentioned that he has a tough call to make about Reece James's selection, saying he'd like to start him but needs to make the right decision.
When asked if James could play in the midfield, Maresca said he thought James could play in both positions, as he spent his career as a full-back but also played in the midfield. The decision depends on the game plan and whether they need more strength in the middle.
Chelsea's Title Chase
Chelsea and Manchester City are close behind Arsenal in the Premier League, and they managed a 1-1 draw against the leaders this weekend, even with Caicedo's red card.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez thinks they're in the title race, telling GiveMeSport that there are many teams in the running, like Liverpool and both Manchester clubs.
He added that the Premier League is competitive, especially with Arsenal doing well and Liverpool being a great team. He thinks the Champions League will be tough, but the team will aim for the final.
Fernandez also talked about why he joined Chelsea, saying he wanted to move to the Premier League and didn't hesitate when Chelsea made an offer.
What's Next?
Chelsea will play Leeds this week and is six points behind Arsenal before this week's games. They also play Bournemouth this weekend, hoping to close the gap.
Arsenal faces Brentford this week in a London derby and then plays Aston Villa this weekend. Arsenal also has a game against Club Brugge a few days after the Villa match, whereas Chelsea plays Atalanta on Tuesday.
DID LIAM ROSENIOR’S PAST AS A PUNDIT INFLUENCE HIS DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AT ARSENAL?
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hits back at critics after a defensive approach saw the Blues exit the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Liam Rosenior stood by his cautious approach after Chelsea couldn’t overturn their first-leg deficit against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Down 3-2 from the first match, Chelsea never really put Arsenal under pressure at the Emirates. In the end, Kai Havertz—of all people—put the game to bed in stoppage time, scoring against his old club.
Rosenior switched things up, going with a back three and playing it safe. He wanted to keep the game close and try to push hard late on. He brought on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the 60th minute, hoping for a spark, but Chelsea still couldn’t carve out real chances. Arsenal just wouldn’t budge.
Pundits didn’t love Rosenior’s tactics and let him know it. He brushed it off. “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight,” he said. “If I go all-out and press high, we could give away two early goals, and then everyone asks what I’m thinking. That’s just how it is. Lose, and you’re hammered. Win, and you’re a genius. Usually, it’s somewhere in the middle.”
Chelsea were up against the league leaders, and with both Reece James and Pedro Neto missing due to minor injuries, Rosenior planned to hang in there and try to frustrate Arsenal—and maybe turn the mood in the stadium.
“That was the idea. You saw it,” he said. “I thought the psychological side of the tie mattered, and you could feel it in the stadium too. At 60 minutes, I brought on Cole and Estevao, and suddenly we had some moments around the box. I think people sensed this game could flip.”
It didn’t happen, though. Rosenior said he couldn’t fault his players for their effort, and in the end, Arsenal’s clinching goal came while Chelsea were throwing everything forward, desperate to turn things around.
IS JOãO PEDRO ACTUALLY BETTER THAN LIVERPOOL’S £79M HUGO EKITIKé? THE STATS REVEAL ALL
Liam Rosenior makes history as Chelsea win three in a row! Discover why João Pedro is the Premier League's best summer signing.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in 2022, they've been anything but quiet in the transfer market. In just three and a half years, they've signed 54 new senior players and spent well over £1 billion.
Some of these signings haven’t even made it onto the pitch for the first team—guys like Gaga Słonina, Ângelo Gabriel, Omari Kellyman, and Caleb Wiley, just to name a few. But others have really made their mark. Think Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and, of course, Cole Palmer. Now, the question is, has one of Chelsea’s latest summer signings done enough to join that group? Is he about to become one of the Premier League’s signings of the season?
Let’s talk about Chelsea’s summer addition and what he’s bringing to the table. It’s been a great week for Liam Rosenior’s squad. On Saturday night, they were 2-0 down at halftime to West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Somehow, they turned it around and won 3-2, with Enzo Fernández scoring in stoppage time to seal it.
That win made it three league victories in a row for Rosenior. He’s now only the fourth English manager to start his Premier League career with three straight wins—joining Bobby Gould, Sam Allardyce, and Craig Shakespeare. Not bad company at all.
Just three days earlier, Chelsea booked their spot in the Champions League round of 16 after a wild 3-2 win away at Napoli. Down 2-1, João Pedro scored twice in the second half to turn the game around. The Brazilian’s goal at the weekend kicked off Chelsea’s comeback, bringing his total to 15 goals for the club—including three at the Club World Cup. So, how does he stack up against other strikers who switched clubs last summer?
Looking at the numbers, here’s how the new strikers have done since moving in the summer of 2025:
Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool, £79m): 15 goals (10 PL, 2 UCL)
João Pedro (Chelsea, £60m): 12 goals (9 PL, 3 UCL)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal, £54.8m): 11 goals (6 PL, 4 UCL)
Nick Woltemade (Man United, £69m): 9 goals (7 PL, 1 UCL)
Benjamin Šeško (Man City, £66.3m): 6 goals (5 PL)
Alexander Isak (Newcastle, £125m): 3 goals (2 PL)
Liam Delap (Spurs, £30m): 2 goals (1 PL, 1 UCL)
Only Ekitiké has scored more than João Pedro across all competitions, but Liverpool paid about £20m more for him than Chelsea paid for Pedro. In the whole Premier League, only Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Antoine Semenyo, and Ekitiké have more league goals than Pedro’s nine.
But stats aside, Chelsea just look more dangerous with Pedro leading the attack. Their last league defeat? He started that one on the bench at Craven Cottage. Since Rosenior took over, Pedro has started and scored in every match.
Chelsea have brought in plenty of players from Brighton during the BlueCo era, but with the way things are going, João Pedro might end up being the best of the bunch.