Liam Rosenior reveals Cole Palmer fitness talks amid management of his gametime - as he unveils plan to unlock Chelsea star

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior revealed he has had a personal sit-down with Cole Palmer and explained why it would be 'crazy' to risk re-injuring him.

Palmer has struggled for form and fitness this season, playing 11 times in the Premier League , and he has only completed 90 minutes once since returning from almost three months out at the start of December.

Those early withdrawals have frustrated Blues fans, with boos heard when Palmer was taken off against Bournemouth , while the 23-year-old expressed his frustration after being substituted against Aston Villa .

When asked whether he will be forced to continually manage Palmer's fitness ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal , Rosenior said: 'I've had a really good in-depth conversation with Cole today.

'I've had a really good in-depth conversation with the medical team. We're at a stage of the season where we've got another eight games in three weeks.

'So it would be crazy for me to risk any player in this phase of the season.

Liam Rosenior revealed he has had a personal sit-down with Cole Palmer as Chelsea continue to manage the attacking midfielder's minutes upon his return from injury

Palmer has completed 90 minutes just once since returning from almost three months out

'I've got real faith in this group and they showed that. I made, I think, eight changes (at Charlton), and we had a good performance. I'll make more changes for Wednesday, I'll make more changes for Saturday.

'But to risk a player's health in January is a crazy thing to do if you have the ambition that you want to be strong at the end of the season.'

Palmer was left out of Chelsea's squad for their FA Cup win at Charlton at the weekend as the Blues manage his minutes and Rosenior said he would make a late call on the 23-year-old's fitness for the Arsenal tie.

Palmer scored only six Premier League goals in 2025 amid a dip in form but Rosenior also insisted he had no concerns and is relishing the chance to work with the England star.

He added: 'Cole is a special talent, as is Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Estevao. My job is to get to know him, to connect with him, to understand what gets the best out of him and that takes time.

'I'm not here to talk about form or how we played under previous managers. I'm just super excited to work with him. The scary thing with Cole is he's already got world class ability, he's 23, and he's got so much more.

'I can't wait to work with him on a regular basis. He's got undoubted potential and ability and that is pretty scary.'

Pressed on how he plans to use Palmer, Rosenior said: 'Good players can play anywhere. I've seen Cole play as a false nine, off the right, off the left. I've seen him play as a 10.

'He’s just a world class player. And my job, it's not just about him, it's the functionality of the team and where other players fit around him. But I want to give him the licence to go and do what he loves to do which is creating and scoring goals.'