Chelsea boss provides vital Cole Palmer fitness update ahead of Villa game

Thankfully for Chelsea supporters and FPL fans, Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino has provided a much-needed fitness update on Cole Palmer ahead of the Aston Villa game at the weekend. There is also fresh information on the respective statuses of Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku via football.london. Will the defender or attacker feature versus the Villans on Saturday? In addition to covering that topic, The Pride of London offer a verdict on the west Londoners’ collapse against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

Where to start?! The now infamous sign held by the young Chelsea fan is a good place. This is because the notice surely encapsulates the general feeling of the Blues faithful. The cardboard cut-out read: ‘I don’t want your shirt!! ‘I want you to want to fight for ours. UTC (an initialism meaning ‘Up the Chelsea’).

Incidentally, and coincidentally, Mauricio Pochettino accused his men of ‘giving up’ in the all-capital clash in north London. Meanwhile Conor Gallagher – one of the few totally committed and interested Chels’ stars this season – was asked about the sign, which circulated on social media. The midfielder assured the CFC fan base that he and his teammates are ‘definitely putting the effort in’.

We all know that Palmer was missing in more ways than one against the Gunners. His absence was certainly felt. I don’t believe that the former Manchester City man’s presence would have inspired Chelsea to actually obtain points on Tuesday night. However, Palmer would have added a spark which was missing in attack.

Pochettino was questioned regarding the 21-year-old during his post-match interviews. The Argentine gave BBC Sport the latest on his star, after asking his team to perform without Palmer.

‘Poch’ said that he is presently unsure if the forward will be available on Saturday against Villa. The squad will be assessed on Wednesday, including the Premier League’s joint top goalscorer. The Ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager declared that they must ‘deal with’ their injury situation.

Gusto is another player that is missed in the CFC starting lineup; the Frenchman has sustained a knee ligament issue. Pochettino was not certain of the extent of the problem or when the 20-year-old shall return.

Nkunku would add that je ne sais quoi to the Blue side, too. The France international might perhaps return from his hamstring trouble in May.