Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has delivered a worrying update on the fitness of star man Cole Palmer, casting significant doubt over his availability for Tuesday's massive London derby against Arsenal.
The revelation came after Palmer was conspicuously absent from first-team training on Monday, sending a wave of concern through the Chelsea fanbase and causing chaos for millions of Fantasy Premier League managers who own the league's most in-form player.
Pochettino's Concerning Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Pochettino confirmed the England international is struggling with an issue. "We need to assess him tomorrow," the manager stated, providing little reassurance. "We will see if he can be involved or not."
This vague prognosis will do little to calm nerves at Stamford Bridge, where Palmer has been the undisputed talisman this season. His potential absence would represent a catastrophic blow to Chelsea's chances of upsetting the title-chasing Gunners.
Fantasy Football Fallout
The timing couldn't be worse for the over 4.5 million FPL managers who currently have Palmer in their squads. As the most transferred-in player ahead of the Gameweek 34 deadline, his potential absence would force a last-minute scramble for alternatives.
Palmer isn't just any fantasy asset; he's the league's joint-top scorer with 20 goals and sits second only to Erling Haaland in total FPL points. His possible omission from the squad would create captaincy chaos and likely see millions of managers take points hits to replace him.
What This Means for Chelsea
Should Palmer fail to recover in time, Chelsea face a monumental task against Mikel Arteta's side. The 21-year-old has been directly involved in over 47% of Chelsea's Premier League goals since his debut, making him virtually irreplaceable.
Pochettino may be forced to turn to alternative options like Raheem Sterling or Mykhailo Mudryk to fill the creative void, but neither has shown the consistency or clinical edge that Palmer has provided throughout this campaign.
All eyes will be on Chelsea's final training session ahead of the match for any indication of Palmer's fitness. For Chelsea's top-four hopes and FPL managers' rankings, the outcome of this late fitness test could be decisive.
