Maresca could revive Palmer by unleashing Chelsea’s £180k-p/w “phenomenon”

Chelsea warmed up for their Premier League clash against Leicester City with a victory over FC Copenhagen in their Conference League last-16 first leg on Thursday evening.

Goals from Reece James and Enzo Fernández earned a 2-1 win heading into the second leg. Before that, however, they will be looking to secure their second league win in a row against the Foxes.

Cole Palmer failed to score or grab an assist against the Danish side and Enzo Maresca will be hoping he can end his dry spell in front of goal on Sunday afternoon.

Cole Palmer’s 2025 woes

The Englishman may have registered 20 goal contributions – 14 goals and six assists – so far this season, but only two of these have come in 2025 thus far.

This drop off in form has coincided with Chelsea winning just three Premier League games since mid-December and unless he returns to form soon, they could miss out on a top-four place in the table.

Leicester have conceded 61 goals in the top flight this season, the second-worst defensive record in the division. If Palmer is provided with effective service, a goal or two against the Foxes shouldn’t be out of the question.

This would certainly give him a major confidence boost heading into the next few weeks.

Maresca, therefore, must unleash Fernandez for the Stamford Bridge side this afternoon. Not only is he finally showcasing the form that led the club to pay £106.8mbut his presence in the midfield can revive Palmer.

How Chelsea can get Palmer firing again

Fernandez came on as a second-half substitute against Copenhagen on Thursday evening, scoring the club’s second goal midway through the second period.

The £180k-per-week Argentinian has become a key player under Maresca this season as he is living up to his lavish transfer fee.

When compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Fernandez ranks in the top 11% for progressive passes (7.16), in the top 6% for shot-creating actions (4.3) and in the top 15% for touches in the opposition penalty area (2.34) per 90 over the previous 365 days.

These statistics could help give Palmer a boost in the final third. Not only will Fernandez be keen on bursting into the penalty area regularly, but his progressive passing ability will allow Palmer to receive the ball in dangerous areas against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men.

Before his big-money move to Chelsea in January 2023, football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the midfielder as a “phenomenon” for his ability to become a key player upon moving to a new club.

He may have taken a while to settle in London, but Maresca is bringing the best out of the 2022 World Cup winner. He must start against the Foxes today as he and Palmer could cause plenty of damage to the relegation-threatened side, no doubt about that.