Enzo Maresca confirmed that Chelsea is not home to Cole Palmer for Saturday’s West London Derby, acknowledging the imminent arrival of Alejandro Garnacho.
Palmer was selected for the starting XI in last week’s 5-1 victory at West Ham, but was pulled out during the warm-up and watched from the bystanders.
He was not included in the England squad selected by Thomas Touchel on Friday, and Maresca explained why he is not available at Stamford Bridge.
“Cole is out,” the Chelsea boss said. “Also, Benoit is out and Romeo is out. Everything else is fine. Cole needs to watch every day.
Asked about the Palmer, which is omitted in England, Maresca said, “I spoke with Thomas a few times and it was ultimately Thomas’ decision and he decided that. It’s not available tomorrow, so he shows that there is a problem.”
Maresca admitted that he was weak on his part without Palmer, but emphasized the need to adapt, as he did against West Ham.
“It’s certainly 100%, we’re a much better team with Cole, definitely,” he said. “But when Cole isn’t in the game, you need to find different solutions. Last week we found different solutions. Tomorrow we can find different solutions again.”
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Estebao Willian started at Palmer’s Place at London Stadium and took part in the attack featuring Joao Pedro and Liam Dellup for the first time. Maresca suggested that similar changes would be needed for Fulham to manage his growing list of injuries.
Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiasil remain on the sidelines. “For Romeo and Benoit, it’s normal for a long time and session to be needed,” Maresca explained.
“That’s the same thing we do at Wes (Fofana). Wes came back and he played for a few minutes the other day.
Regarding Lavia’s advances, he continued: “Two years ago, he didn’t play games. Last year he played some games. This season, his target is to give him more games.
“Hopefully the moment he comes back, he’s been perfect for a long time and can play the game with more minutes, because he’s a player we really trust.”
There are also words about Chelsea’s next business, with Alejandro Garnacho currently approaching a sign from Manchester United.
“I know Garnacho is around here,” Maresca said. “It’s clear that he’s a winger in his position and I consider him a winger.”
Maresca left the door open to make it even more different before the windows closed. “You can expect anything with the transfer window open. You can come and go anything,” he said.
Chelsea will face Fulham at 12:30 on Saturday and aim to continue a bright start under Maresca, but they will have to do so without Palmer.
