Enzo Maresca Reveals Latest Liam Delap, Cole Palmer Injury Updates

There’s been suggestions Chelsea could bump up the arrival of a new striker.

A shoulder injury has sent Liam Delap to the sidelines. / Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Liam Delap and Cole Palmer will both miss Chelsea’s Champions League trip to Atalanta on Tuesday, but manager Enzo Maresca has assured fans of relatively positive news regarding both players.

Palmer made his long-awaited return to Chelsea’s starting lineup on Saturday in the 0–0 draw with Bournemouth, in which Delap was forced off before half-time with what looked like an ugly shoulder injury.

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It was immediately clear that Delap would require a spell on the sidelines, but Maresca revealed the diagnosis on the imposing forward’s problem was not as bad as initially expected.

“Yeah, Liam fortunately is not any fracture, so that is good news,” he told his pre-match press conference. “Now for how long he will be out, not sure to be honest.”

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Palmer Absence ‘Part of the Process’

Cole Palmer missed training in the build-up. / Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images

In line with UEFA’s rules, Chelsea held part of Monday’s training session in front of the media, with those in attendance quickly noticing Palmer’s absence. Concerns soon surfaced about a player who has already missed 16 games across all competitions through injury this season.

Fortunately, Maresca confirmed Palmer’s absence was simply a calculated decision to help ease the talismanic midfielder back into action after his extended spell on the sidelines.

“Cole is part of his process in this moment, he’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days,” Maresca stressed. “So we’ve planned that and it’s just a way to protect him.”

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Chelsea ‘Not Considering’ Early Emegha Arrival

Strasbourg’s Emmanuel Emegha will join Chelsea next summer. / Frederick Florian/AFP/Getty Images

The loss of Delap to injury during the early stages of the season saw Chelsea recall Marc Guiu from his loan with Sunderland, having originally failed to block Nicolas Jackson’s temporary switch to Bayern Munich.

This time, the speculation has revolved around Emmanuel Emegha, the Dutch international who has already agreed to swap Strasbourg for Chelsea at the end of the season. Some reports have claimed the Blues could try and bring the deal forwards to January.

The Telegraph, however, claim there are currently no plans to welcome Emegha to Stamford Bridge before next summer.

Even with Delap out injured, Chelsea appear to be well-stocked in attack. Guiu and João Pedro are obvious alternatives, while Maresca has used young Tyrique George and winger Pedro Neto as unorthodox strikers at times this season.

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