It’s no secret that Chelsea have grown reliant on the individual brilliance of Cole Palmer since his Stamford Bridge arrival at the beginning of the 2023–24 season.
An astonishing debut campaign with the Blues was followed by another stellar season of goals and assists, with the England international undoubtedly Chelsea’s talisman. While Enzo Maresca has created a more balanced side since his appointment, Palmer, who ranked a very creditable eighth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, remains the standout performer.
Unfortunately for the attacking midfielder and his Italian coach, a persistent groin injury has already limited his minutes at the start of the current term and threatens to sideline him in the upcoming days, weeks and perhaps even months.
Chelsea will be sweating over their No.10’s fitness, but just how concerned do they need to be by his potential absence?
Palmer’s Impact on Chelsea’s Results
Purely based on the numbers, Chelsea’s nerves over Palmer’s injury absence should be eased. They have won 14 of their 17 matches without him since the 23-year-old’s debut on September 2, 2023. The Blues have been victorious in all three matches they have played without him this term, beating West Ham United, Fulham and, most recently, Lincoln City.
They have only failed to win three matches without Palmer—two Premier League defeats to Arsenal and last season’s fourth round Carabao Cup loss at Newcastle United. In all three of those matches, they have failed to score.
However, the calibre of opposition Chelsea have faced without Palmer must be considered. He was omitted from the club’s Europa Conference League league phase squad last term and missed six wins against low-ranking European sides. The likes of Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers were all, rather unsurprisingly, swatted aside with ease despite Palmer’s absence.
Similar applies in the cup competitions where Palmer has missed victories over lower league opposition in the form of Morecambe, Barrow and Lincoln. 17 matches is a very small sample size.
Chelsea’s Win Percentage With and Without Palmer
Palmer has made 101 appearances for Chelsea in total and has been on the winning side 55 times. He’s endured 20 draws and 26 losses while representing the Blues, meaning his win percentage sits at 54.5%—significantly lower than Chelsea’s 82.4% when without the advanced midfielder. But context must be taken into account.
Chelsea are naturally going to have a higher win percentage against low level sides, resting Palmer for such occasions. Having played almost six times as many matches with him than without him since his debut also completely skews the numbers.
There can be no denying Chelsea remain a better side with Palmer in their starting lineup and they will find it difficult to replace his attacking output against strong opposition. They could find that out the hard way in upcoming matches with Brighton & Hove Albion, Benfica and Liverpool should their chief creator be missing.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cole Palmer: Chelsea's Record With and Without Classy No. 10.
