Chelsea's 'best player' Palmer fit to face Arsenal

Cole Palmer is fit to play for Chelsea against London rivals Arsenal in Sunday's Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old forward fractured his toe when stubbing it on a door last week and subsequently missed the wins over Burnley and Barcelona.

The England international has struggled with injury this season and featured only five times across all competitions.

"He is available to start," said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

"Everyone is happy, the team-mates are happy, we are all happy and the most important thing is Cole is happy because a footballer wants to play games and make the sessions every day.

"He is our best player, we are happy he is back. We need to give him time to be 100% fit. He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do very good for this club in the future."

Last week Maresca suggested that this Sunday's game, which kicks off at 16:30 GMT might come too soon for Palmer.

His absence would have been a major blow for the Blues who are second behind the Gunners and will close the gap at the top to three points with a win.

Palmer last featured in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on 20 September, with Chelsea playing 13 games since across all competitions since then, winning 10, losing two and drawing the other.

He joined from Manchester City for an initial £40m in September 2023 and has topped Chelsea's scoring charts in each of the past two Premier League campaigns - scoring 22 goals in his debut season and adding a further 15 last term.

Summer signing Estevao Willian has shone in Palmer's absence - with five goals across all competitions - and Maresca suggested the pair could play together.

"[It] depends on the game plan," Maresca said.

"For sure they are exciting. Fans excited. We also are excited. We need always balance between two."

Palmer's return does spark a selection headache for in-form Chelsea and gives visiting Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta another concern before the top-of-the-table match.

Despite being declared fit, there is still a question over whether Palmer should start. Chelsea have shown it's no longer appropriate to call them "Cole Palmer FC", winning 10 of their 13 matches while he has been on the sidelines.

Estevao and Pedro Neto are in scintillating form, while fellow wingers Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho continue to improve. Enzo Fernandez leads Chelsea's tally for combined goals and assists.

The most exciting front four might be Joao Pedro up front, Neto on the left, Palmer as a number 10 and Estevao on the right flank. Yet Maresca may opt to show respect to Arsenal and leave Palmer and Estevao on the bench, selecting Pedro, Garnacho, Fernandez and Neto as his attacking quartet.