Chelsea
Cole Palmer recommits to Chelsea as he recovers from extended groin layoff
Palmer vows to remain at Chelsea, details injury recovery and backing for the club’s project and aims
Cole Palmer has moved to silence speculation over his future, insisting he intends to remain at Chelsea as the club navigates a difficult season. The playmaker addressed persistent transfer talk and explained his focus remains on recovery and the team’s objectives.
On rumours linking him elsewhere, Palmer said: “Everyone just talks,” Palmer said abut the speculation on his future. “When I see it I just laugh. Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Maybe I’ll miss it if I don’t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there’s nothing there for me anyway.
He was clear about his immediate plans: “I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea . We’ve still got a lot to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semifinal and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need.”
The club’s project has faced scrutiny following the departure of former manager Enzo Maresca and a run of disappointing results. Senior players Enzo Fernández and Marc Cucurella publicly questioned the project and hinted at potentially leaving the club, with the former receiving a two-game internal suspension for comments alluding to a move to Real Madrid. Chelsea also dropped out of this season’s Champions League after a last-16 elimination by Paris Saint-Germain and currently sit sixth in the Premier League, four points off the Champions League places after one win in their last seven.
Palmer acknowledged the inconsistency: “It has been an inconsistent season for whatever reason,” Palmer declared. “It’s just about, in my opinion, getting the right players in to help us kick on.
He defended the process around the managerial change: “Bringing a manager in mid-season, you have no preseason, hardly have time to train. You’re just focusing on games. But the manager is good and when he has a proper preseason and gets his ideas across properly and the way he wants to play he’s a top coach.
Palmer also laid out the impact of a prolonged groin problem on his form. “I didn’t know how long I was going to be out for,” Palmer revealed. “I went to see a specialist and he said 10 to 12 weeks. Then I was playing when I was injured because I was out for 12 weeks and it was still not better.
“I’ve never been injured like this before. I’m sat there on the side for over three months. I came back in early December, Leeds away. I came on for 30 minutes, and I couldn’t even sprint. But I wanted to play so much. I was trying to play and it was just too strange. I didn’t know how to manage it.
“I’m all right now. It’s just about finding rhythm and performing again. It’s not just going to disappear. I’ve not lost all my ability. I’ve been injured.”
Since joining Chelsea from Man City in the summer of 2023, Palmer has committed long term to the club with a contract running until 2033. He said talks with ownership, and discussions alongside key team-mates such as Reece James, leave him optimistic that targeted summer additions could return Chelsea to serious trophy contention.
“It’s something we’re working on together [with ownership],” Palmer said. “We’re on the same page. We want to win now and I think if we add right in the summer we can compete for serious trophies next season. I don’t think we’re far off.
“If you sign the right players in the right positions and the right characters and profiles, I think we have more than enough quality to compete and be more consistent than we’ve shown over this season.
“We spoke to the owners and they’re sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece [James] won’t sign a six-year contract if he’s not spoken to the owners and the directors. Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn’t sign a new contract if he didn’t know what was going on.”
Arsenal
October Premier League award nominees announced
Premier League October award nominees include standout performers and managers across the division.
The Premier League has named the contenders for its October 2026 Player and Manager of the Month awards, with eight players and six managers included on the respective shortlists.
Bournemouth forward Evanilson enjoyed a productive month, finishing October with four goals and one assist from four appearances as his team beat Sunderland, Manchester United and Leeds United after a slow opening to the season.
Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson also reached four goals in the month. The former Chelsea player scored twice in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and also found the net in draws against Brentford and Fulham.
Arsenal are represented by Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice after a perfect month. Konsa impressed in defence while William Saliba was absent, keeping two clean sheets in three outings and scoring his first goal for the club. Rice contributed two important assists at the other end.
Jack Rudoni’s form has helped Coventry City. The newly promoted side took two wins from four matches in October, with Rudoni scoring three times as they moved further away from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur also had an unbeaten month, and Jan Paul van Hecke played a key role in wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutch defender last month.
Brighton have two nominees in Luka Vušković and Bart Verbruggen. Three clean sheets in four matches brought recognition for the Seagulls’ defence.
On the managerial shortlist, Chelsea scored more goals than any other team in October with nine, while Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta guided his side to the top of the table. Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery, Fabian Hürzeler and Marco Rose complete the list after strong runs during the month.
Month
Player
Club
August
João Pedro
Chelsea
September
Pascal Groß
Brighton
Month
Manager
Club
August
Sergej Jakirović
Hull
September
Arsenal
Opta Supercomputer Favors Arsenal After Anfield Win Reshapes Premier League Race
Arsenal’s Anfield win has transformed Opta’s 2026/27 Premier League forecast, boosting their title odds.
Arsenal’s visit to Anfield was supposed to expose the scars of a difficult week. Instead, it produced a result that changes the feel of the 2026/27 Premier League season after only nine matches.
The Gunners arrived with the memory of their defeat at League Two Fleetwood Town still fresh, but they handled the occasion with the sort of control usually associated with champions. Kai Havertz’s early strike gave them the platform, and although Liverpool tried to respond with pressure and noise from the Kop, Arsenal refused to bend. Their victory was built on discipline, patience and defensive resistance, and it leaves the look of a collapse far behind them.
Opta’s latest supercomputer forecast now places Arsenal firmly on top of the table. They are projected to finish with 81.21 points and hold a 68.23% title chance, while Manchester City sit second on 71.98 projected points and 18.86% title odds. Brighton are third in the model, Liverpool fourth and Chelsea fifth.
Arsenal’s surge has also pushed their probability of retaining the Premier League title to 68.23%, a sharp rise after Manchester City suffered a second straight defeat. City remain the nearest challengers, though even their prospects are listed below 19%, not including any possible points deduction. Liverpool, already nine points back, have only a 3.06% title chance, despite being considered the most obvious alternative challenger.
Brighton remain one of the stories of the season after beating both of the top two, but Opta still gives them just a 6.86% chance of winning the league. Their more realistic target is Champions League qualification, where they are the only side outside Arsenal and City with better than even odds.
Further down, Manchester United’s position is bleak. Their winless run in all competitions has reached nine games, and Opta now gives them just a 1.48% chance of qualifying for the Champions League. In the relegation projection, Tottenham have moved clear of danger after three wins in a row, while United are suddenly among those with the greatest risk of dropping into the second tier.
Chelsea
Martínez details lasting damage from finger injury and jaw setback
Martínez says his finger injury is permanent and explains why a transfer collapsed after the World Cup.
Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has explained the scale of the injuries that have marked the last few months of his career, saying he will never fully close his right hand again after suffering a fractured ring finger during the 2026 World Cup period.
Martínez said the problem began in the Europa League final, when the finger detached and later proved to be broken in half. The former Aston Villa goalkeeper recalled being in tears when he saw the scan, fearing he would not make it to the World Cup. Rather than undergo surgery, he and Argentina’s medical staff chose a different route. He played with a plastic cast, heavy bandaging and a special glove made by adidas, with the finger put back into place and protected throughout the tournament.
The decision allowed him to start every match of Argentina’s run, though he admitted the injury limited him badly. Even on the eve of Argentina’s opener against Algeria, he said he was “diving like a zombie, with just one arm.” He also revealed he trained with a volleyball for most of the competition. Despite that, the finger still prevented a move to a Serie A club, believed to be Juventus, after the World Cup. Martínez said the transfer collapsed when a fresh X-ray showed the finger had broken again.
He eventually completed a move to Chelsea in the final hours of the summer window, but another setback followed soon after. Seven games into his Chelsea career, he collided with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite while attempting to claim a free kick. The impact left him with a broken jaw and concussion, and he has no memory of the incident.
“I preferred the jaw than the head to be honest,” Martínez said. “It was one of the most beautiful knockouts, in the UFC that would’ve been the knockout of the night. I saw birds flying around for many days honestly.”
Martínez required four screws in his jaw and is still unable to eat purées. Reflecting on the twin injuries, he said the finger remained the worse problem.
