Cole Palmer's Comeback: Xabi Alonso's Vision for Chelsea

Xabi Alonso believes Chelsea will see the real Cole Palmer again – and this time without the physical baggage that dragged him down last season.

The 24-year-old forward endured a stop-start campaign, limited to 26 Premier League appearances and 10 goals, a sharp drop from the electric form of his first two years at Stamford Bridge. His season never truly settled after a groin injury in August, and the hangover from that problem seemed to linger long after he was back on the pitch.

There were games when Palmer looked like he was running with a handbrake on. His mobility dipped, his usual sharp changes of direction dulled, and the creative spark that had made him one of Chelsea’s most inventive outlets flickered rather than burned. The numbers told the story: his influence in the final third shrank just as Chelsea’s season did the same, ending in a flat 10th-place finish.

The physical issues had consequences beyond club level. Thomas Tuchel left Palmer out of England’s World Cup squad, a decision that underlined how far the forward had slipped from his previous heights. The one upside: for the first time since 2022, Palmer had a summer free from competitive football, a rare chance to reset body and mind.

Alonso, now charged with reviving Chelsea’s edge, has seen a different player in front of him.

“Cole is determined to enjoy his football,” the Chelsea manager said. “He wants to be fit. He wants to feel healthy. He wants to have a good connection with the players around him.

“I’ve said that if we have this Cole and we are able to reach him and he feels that flow in the game and that he connects well with the players, I’m sure that his level is top class, world class I would say, and that he will have a great season.”

The problems began brutally early last term. Palmer was named in the starting XI away at West Ham in August, only to be withdrawn shortly before kick-off. Chelsea went on to win 5-1 without him, but for Palmer it was the start of a long, frustrating spell.

He would make just two more league appearances before December. The groin issue refused to fully clear, and even when he returned to regular action and missed only two league games from that point, he never quite shook off the feeling of restriction. Tuchel admitted in March that Palmer had been unable to fully extend his groin, a stark illustration of how compromised the player still was.

This season, Alonso is adamant that chapter is closed.

Asked before Monday night’s Premier League opener against Fulham at Craven Cottage whether Palmer’s injury troubles were now behind him, Alonso did not hesitate.

“Yes,” he said. “I think that sometimes you need to go through a difficult moment with an injury or whatever to learn from that.

“I think that Cole has gone through a difficult period with the injury, and now he’s working really hard to have the prevention not to have to feel those symptoms.

“Since the first day, he’s been working really hard to avoid that.”

The message is clear: no more compromises, no more half-fit cameos. Alonso wants the full version of Palmer back, the one who glides between the lines, threads passes into tight spaces and finishes with conviction.

Around him, Chelsea are changing fast. The west London derby at Fulham is likely to showcase a new core, with summer signings Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra all available for debuts. Fresh faces, fresh ideas – and, if Alonso is right, a refreshed Cole Palmer ready to drive Chelsea’s season in a very different direction.