ENZO MARESCA BOOST: COLE PALMER CLEARED TO PLAY EVERTON, FOFANA "COMPLETELY FINE."
Chelsea receives a major boost as Enzo Maresca confirms Cole Palmer is available for the Everton clash despite a fractured toe and groin concerns. Wesley Fofana is also cleared to play.
As it stands, Cole Palmer should be ready for Chelsea’s game against Everton. Enzo Maresca gave a somewhat uncertain update on the Blues' key player.
Palmer recently came back after being out for over two months with a groin injury, but then he fractured a toe. The club wants to watch his playing time closely to avoid further issues.
Ahead of Friday afternoon’s final practice, Maresca said that Palmer had mixed feelings after Thursday's practice, though he seems okay.
Maresca, who was named Premier League Manager of the Month for November, said, “He [Palmer] is OK. He is better. Right now, he can play.
“We have one more practice this afternoon. Yesterday, he finished practice with mixed feelings, but he is okay.”
Wesley Fofana will be able to play against Everton. He was subbed in for Trevoh Chalobah against Atalanta at halftime, but then had to be taken out 30 minutes later for Tosin Adarabioyo after getting kicked in the eye.
“He’s available,” Maresca said about Fofana on Friday. “He’s fine. He did practice yesterday. He is completely fine.”
Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez will both be ready for the weekend since they were taken out against Atalanta to manage their playing time.
Liam Delap will not play against Everton. He hurt his shoulder during the first half of last weekend’s 0-0 tie at Bournemouth.
Maresca thinks the striker could be out for up to a month. He joins Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill on the long-term injury list.
Dario Essugo is still recovering from thigh surgery. Moises Caicedo will miss his third and final domestic game due to a suspension after being sent off in the 1-1 tie with Arsenal.
When asked how long Delap might be out, the Chelsea coach said before the Everton game, “We don’t know. It could be two, three, or four weeks.”
CHELSEA OPEN TALKS WITH JORGE MENDES FOR DORTMUND’S VERSATILE FORWARD KARIM ADEYEMI
Chelsea contact Jorge Mendes for Karim Adeyemi. See why Man United and Newcastle could hijack the €70m deal.
Chelsea reached out to Jorge Mendes, the well-known agent, hoping to land Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund. But things aren’t simple. Manchester United and Newcastle United are also circling, and Chelsea might just miss out.
Adeyemi joined Dortmund in 2022, and he’s locked in there until 2027. Since then, he’s really made a name for himself in the Bundesliga, showing off his versatility as both a winger and a forward. This season, he’s mostly played as a second striker, netting 10 goals and providing five assists over 37 matches across all competitions.
Chelsea seems pretty impressed. They’ve already connected with Mendes to talk about a deal for the 24-year-old, and reports say they’re keeping talks pretty active. But it’s not just them; Man United have apparently made Adeyemi their top transfer target, and Newcastle are interested too.
Dortmund actually want to keep Adeyemi and has put a new contract on the table, but there’s a snag: his agents want a release clause worth €80 million (£69.7m). Dortmund aren’t willing to go that high. Instead, they’re open to selling for a bit less, around €65-70 million, or up to £61 million, in the summer.
That’s a price Chelsea can handle, but the German reports think it’s more likely Adeyemi ends up with Manchester United or Newcastle for a slightly lower fee, maybe €60-65 million (up to £56.6m). Mendes is also exploring backup options and could float Adeyemi’s name to Bayern or PSG.
Then there’s the whole Champions League angle. Chelsea’s status is in doubt for next season, and questions are swirling around manager Liam Rosenior’s future. That uncertainty doesn’t help their pitch. Meanwhile, United look set to finish high in the Premier League and secure Champions League football, which probably makes them a more appealing landing spot for Adeyemi right now.
CHELSEA TEENAGER ESTEVAO "DEVASTATED" AND IN TEARS FOLLOWING EARLY HAMSTRING WITHDRAWAL
Chelsea lost 1-0 to Manchester United. Estevao is injured, and the Blues are now scoreless in four straight games.
Liam Rosenior said Chelsea’s Estevao was “devastated” and in tears after getting injured during Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester United. Estevao, just 18, started well but had to come off after only 16 minutes.
It looked like he hurt his hamstring while pushing forward against United. Rosenior put on Alejandro Garnacho to replace him, but Garnacho struggled too, going up against his old team.
After the match, Rosenior talked about Estevao, who’s desperate to make the World Cup squad this summer. “He was devastated; he was crying at half-time,” Rosenior explained.
“It looks like his hamstring. He was running through on goal and pulled it right then.”
Now Estevao’s future, even for Tuesday’s match at Brighton, looks uncertain. Enzo Fernandez, who left late in the game, is also in doubt, but Rosenior sounded more hopeful about him. “I think it was his calf,” he said. “I’m hoping it was just a cramp. We need him for Tuesday.”
Chelsea’s defeat is their fourth straight Premier League loss without finding the net. By the end of the weekend, they could be seven points away from the Champions League spots. United only needed one shot on target; Matheus Cunha scored in the first half, and that was enough.
“It’s so tough,” Rosenior said afterwards. “They had one shot on target when we were down to ten men.
“We just kept coming at them and hit the woodwork four times. I don’t want the players to get stuck thinking the world’s against us. We have to keep fighting.”
He went on: “We need to defend those moments better. We’re making small errors, and every time, the ball ends up in our net. That has to stop.
“It all comes down to results, and we should’ve won today. Every little thing adds up, but we’ll keep working hard.”
After Brighton, Chelsea go up against Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final next Sunday.
