Things were already looking up for Chelsea, coming out of their 3-0 win against FC Barcelona in the Champions League. It was not a result that many would have predicted, especially with Cole Palmer out injured. There is now some good news on that front as well. It looks like the Englishman is officially back and available to take on Arsenal at the weekend.
Even though Palmer had already returned to training, he was not expected to be available to face Arsenal. That was understandable as he had spent months out, first with his recurring groin issue and then with a fractured toe.
Now, though, it looks like Palmer has recovered quicker than expected. And that gives Arsenal another thing to worry about this weekend.
As reported by Sky Sports, Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Palmer is fit and available to start in the game against Arsenal on Sunday. The manager said when asked about both:
"He is available for both.
"Good news for both. Everyone is happy, team-mates are happy [he is back]. The most important thing is that Cole is happy. Football players want to play games."
Cole Palmer's blockbuster Chelsea return vs Arsenal confirmed
Of course, just because Palmer is available does not been that he should be rushed back into the starting XI. That would not be the smartest thing to do with a player who has spent ten weeks out on the sidelines.
Chelsea have done so well when it comes to their load management of Reece James. They should at least keep an eye on Palmer over the next few weeks before increasing his minutes once again.
That is something that they got wrong earlier in the season, when Palmer was returning from a different spell out on the sidelines due to his groin issue. He came off the bench against Brentford and then started against Bayern Munich and Manchester United within the space of about a week. As a result, he ended up getting injured again and has spent ten weeks out as a result of it.
That is a mistake that Chelsea cannot afford to repeat. They have done quite well even without Palmer. Just having him on the bench would be a bonus for this contest. Let's stick with that instead of trying to rush him back into the starting XI and risking another recurrence of the issue that has limited him to only a handful of appearances so far this season.