Cole Palmer Could Be About to 'Cost' Chelsea Huge Sum in Nightmare Scenario

Chelsea will have to pay Cole Palmer a staggering amount of money as he continues to be sidelined by injury this season.

Since his arrival from Premier League rivals Manchester City in £42.5million deal ahead of the 2023/24 season, Palmer has established himself as Chelsea's star player.

Across 101 appearances for the London club across all competitions, the Englishman has scored 45 goals and assisted 29, with perhaps his most notable contribution being his brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final.

However, so far this season Palmer has been consistently struggling with a recurring groin injury, limiting him to just three Premier League appearances and one in the Champions League.

And it appears that this injury could be about to cost Chelsea a massive amount of money, as the 23-year-old is set for another extended spell off the pitch.

Cole Palmer is a key player for Chelsea. (Image: Getty)

After missing out on selection for Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the recent matches against Wales and Latvia, Palmer was expected to be back in action for Chelsea in the coming weeks.

But, ahead of their trip to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirmed that this would not be the case, and that he will remain absent for around six weeks.

"I was wrong [on Cole being back in November]," Maresca confirmed in a press conference.

"Unfortunately, he needs six more weeks. Yes, absolutely [no surgery]. We just try to protect Cole as much as we can. The medical team are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough."

Should the worst come true and Palmer fails to make it back onto the pitch until 2026, it would mean he would miss out on as many as 17 matches across all competitions and will cost the club up to £1.43million.

That's because Palmer's current wage at Chelsea sees him earn around £130,000 per week, according to Capology.

If Palmer were to be sidelined until the end of the year, that would be a total of 11 weeks that Chelsea would be paying his wages without getting the benefits of his talents on the pitch.

Of course, this figure could be a lot less if Palmer is able to return to action sooner.

Cole Palmer is currently struggling with a recurring groin injury. (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

What has Tuchel said about Palmer's injury?

Like Maresca, England manager Tuchel expressed concerns about Palmer's recurring injury issues when asked about the Chelsea star during the international break.

"First of all, the most important thing is that he can play without pain because the groin issue is a very dangerous one to become chronic," Tuchel said in a press conference.

"This is the most important thing."

However, the German boss appeared to implied that, once he was fit again, Palmer would be straight back into the England squad, but suggested that time is running out if the 23-year-old hopes to make it into the squad for the 2026 World Cup.

"When he’s fit and when he has rhythm and flow, he can decide matches on club level and, for sure, at international level. We know that," Tuchel added.

"There is also with him no problem at all [for me]. We clearly understand and see the potential and the quality, but there is also a reality that he was not available in five of the [last] seven camps, so right now there are two camps left before the World Cup."