Millions of Fantasy Premier League managers will nervously await news of Chelsea‘s starting line-up against Leicester on Saturday morning, hoping that Cole Palmer will be in it.
The 22-year-old is currently given a 75 per cent chance of featuring in the Premier League’s first fixture of the weekend after withdrawing from England’s squad due to injury.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal before the international break but was seen limping after the final whistle.
The playmaker was an injury doubt before that London derby after being caught by a knee-high, studs-up challenge from Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford the previous week.
Palmer’s availability will have big ramifications in FPL in Gameweek 12 as he is the second highest-owned player in the game and currently in over 50 per cent of teams worldwide.
Here’s the latest on Palmer’s fitness:
What Enzo Maresca has said about Cole Palmer
Enzo Maresca was vague when asked about Chelsea’s availability for Leicester, only confirming that captain Reece James would miss out due to a “small” hamstring injury.
“To be honest, after we played Arsenal I left for one week [on holiday] so I don’t know about the conversations between the club and the international teams,” Maresca said on Thursday.
When pressed specifically on Palmer’s availability, he added: “As I said, some of them are better, some we will test today. But overall, for sure, they are much better.”
In more promising news, Palmer was photographed in first-team training on Thursday, seemingly running at full tilt with fellow England international Noni Madueke, as shown below.
The fact that Palmer was able to train at all should ease concerns over his chances of starting at the King Power.
How good has Palmer’s form been this season?
The wizard from Wythenshawe has continued from where he left off last season by contributing heavily to Chelsea’s encouraging form in the early stages of the Maresca era.
Palmer has started all 11 of Chelsea’s league matches to date and leads their charts for both goals (with seven) and assists (five).
Since joining the Blues in August 2023, he has contributed a phenomenal 33 goals and 18 assists in only 44 Premier League matches.
Unsurprisingly given that output, he has become a firm favourite in FPL. He was the leading scorer in the game in 2023-24 with 245 points in total and is currently second in the standings with 84, behind Mo Salah on 107.
Palmer’s 25 point haul against Brighton in Gameweek 6 is the best individual score of the season.
Five midfielders to buy
Readers of i‘s Fantasy Football coverage will already be aware that Palmer was selected in this week’s tips.
If you don’t own Palmer yet and have the cash available to make the swoop without incurring a points hit it could pay off handsomely if he plays on Saturday given Leicester have the fourth-worst defensive record in the division.
However, if you want to sell Palmer or don’t have the funds to buy him, here are some in-form alternatives to consider instead:
Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) was the top-scoring player in FPL last gameweek with a goal and two assists against Leicester earning him 17 points. Manchester United face Ipswich and Everton in their next two matches and could benefit from a new manager bounce under Ruben Amorim.
Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) also has a yellow flag, indicating a potential injury, by his name in FPL but looks set to face Everton on Saturday.
“All of them I expect to be available and ready,” said Thomas Frank on Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Ethan Pinnock. The Cameroonian has offered exceptional value for money this season; Salah and Palmer are the only midfielders with more points than him.
Luis Diaz (£7.7m) was another inclusion in this week’s tips ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Southampton.
The Colombian’s FPL returns have slowed of late but a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month offered persuasive proof that his confidence is coming back. He could be a great differential this weekend against the team currently 20th in the table.
Martin Odegaard (£8.2m) is back on the FPL radar after returning from a two-month injury lay-off. The Arsenal captain played 90 minutes on his return against Chelsea in Gameweek 11 and provided an assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal. He has produced 43 attacking returns since the start of the 2022-23 season.
Finally, Palmer’s Chelsea teammate Pedro Neto (£6.2m) could be worth a look. The Portuguese winger has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of his team’s last three league matches, registering an assist and a goal. Neto appears to have taken Jadon Sancho’s place on the left wing and could benefit from Chelsea’s promising long-term schedule.
