Maresca makes WORRYING Palmer statement after Liverpool 'enquiry'

Tom Weber

Updated: 26 Apr 2025 05:29 CDT
4 min read

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has shifted the blame for Cole Palmer's disastrous form away from himself, citing 'mental' reasons as the real cause of the problem.

Article continues under the video

The Blues' golden boy has been a shadow of himself in recent months. Despite starting the campaign in a similarly red-hot form as he showed last season, Palmer has not scored a single goal since January 14.

STATS

Cole Palmer

M (C)

Chelsea

Cole Palmer

M (C)

Chelsea

32

Games
14

Goals
8

Assists

Although he has managed three assists since that date, his performances have been nowhere near the level that supporters had become accustomed to following his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer's finishing and creative output have fallen off a cliff, which has naturally impacted Chelsea's overall performances. The Blues' form has been blotchy, to say the least, since the end of 2024.

It appears as though the more head coach Enzo Maresca has managed to impress his style on the side, the worse Chelsea have become. However, the Italian does not believe that he is responsible for Palmer's slump.

Palmer struggling for 'mental' reasons

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's clash with Everton, Maresca insisted that Palmer's struggles were of a 'mental' and not 'tactical' nature. "For sure, it's mental," Maresca claimed.

"I don't think it's tactical, I don't think it's technical because Cole is still the same player that scored, this season with us, 14 goals in the Premier League in 20 games.

"Cole is the same one. The style of football we play is the same one. The manager is the same one. The club is the same one. So nothing changes around Cole, and Cole doesn't change. It's just mentally in this moment. For sure, you can see that he is a little worried because he wants to help the team."

There have been suggestions in recent months that Palmer isn't entirely happy at Chelsea and that he could even leave the club if their absence from the Champions League persists, with the Blues once again at risk of missing out on qualification.

In fact, on Friday, it was sensationally claimed that Liverpool and ex-club Man City have made enquiries about the availability of Palmer to gauge his openness for a potential transfer.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store