It would be an understatement to say that Cole Palmer is enduring a disappointing season. Most of it is down to his fitness issues, as he has had to spend multiple spells out on the sidelines and appears to be under a load management strategy at Chelsea right now, similar to the one that has helped Reece James stay fit after years of constant injuries.
Palmer has been dealing with a persistent groin issue that seems to still be bothering him. It has clearly had an effect on his performance levels.
He scored a spot kick against Brentford, but his overall performance on the day was nowhere near his standards. There was no 'Cold Palmer' celebration either, which has raised concerns about him potentially being unhappy at Chelsea.
Unfortunately, the lack of celebration was not the only worrying moment involving coming out of the game against Brentford. As reported by football.london, Palmer was spotted on the floor at full-time, moments after the final whistle, feeling his heavily-strapped groin. He didn't look particularly comfortable.
Chelsea handed fresh Cole Palmer injury concern after Brentford game
Considering the number of fitness issues Palmer has dealt with recently, this will be taken as a worrying sign by most fans. One can only hope that it was the midfielder feeling the effects of playing a full game, something he has rarely done this season, rather than a fresh groin injury.
It must be questioned how smart it was on the part of Liam Rosenior to play Palmer the full game, considering he was not even fit enough to feature against Arsenal. For now, let's just hope that he is fine and we are worried about nothing significant.
In the long run, Chelsea need to find a solution to Palmer's groin issue. Clearly, it has not healed completely and keeps cropping back up. If surgery is the answer, that has to be seriously considered. It certainly helped with James' issues.