Enzo Maresca addresses Cole Palmer's long-term Chelsea future | OneFootball

Blues star tipped to look to leave if club continue to miss out on Champions League qualification

Enzo Maresca says Chelsea do not need Champions League football to convince Cole Palmer of his future at the club - but admits missing out on the top four could impact their summer transfer business.

From second in the table as recently as mid-December, the Blues have slumped to seventh and are now entrenched in a tight race for the European places, with only seven points separating eight teams between third and tenth.

Maresca, however, insists that while returning to the top tier of European competition would boost Chelsea’s appeal to summer targets, those in his current squad are already on board with his project.

“For sure if we finish top four and we can play in the Champions League next season we can convince players to come here,” Maresca said. “But players that are already here? I don't think we need that.

“First of all we need to see how we finish. Then, in case we don't finish in the top four, we'll see if Cole is happy or not happy.

“But I don't think that Cole is worried in this moment about next year, that he wants to play in the Champions League. Cole is just focused on how he can help the team, how we can help him and how all together - as I said already many, many times this season - we can bring this club where this club has to be.”

Palmer is enduring perhaps his leanest run of form since signing for Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The 22-year-old has gone five league games without a goal, missing a glaring chance to put the Blues 2-0 up in Saturday’s eventual 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, and has not registered an assist since the reverse fixture in early December.

Chelsea were cautious with Palmer’s workload during the first half of the season, leaving him out of their Conference League group stage squad, but the Englishman has started every league game this term and completed 90 minutes in all but one of his side’s last dozen matches.

Maresca, though, insists that fatigue is not to blame for Palmer’s dip in form, revealing the playmaker proved his fitness during a training ground test last week.

“Every six, seven months we do a physical test,” he explained. “We did in pre-season and we did last week and he was the strongest one. The one that won the test.”

Asked whether he would like to rest Palmer were it not for the injury crisis that has restricted his attacking options, Maresca added: "No, to be honest, because first of all he’s always a player that can do something different.

“For sure, probably in terms of numbers, goals and assists, it is a moment where he struggles, but at the end he had the chance [against Villa]. He was there, then he missed, okay, but he was there. The problem is when you are not there.

“But it's not just about Cole. We had more chances the other day with different players but because it's Cole and everyone relies on him and everyone expects from him that he's going to score goals. When he missed a chance, everyone is watching that but for me it's okay.”