Why isn’t Cole Palmer playing for Chelsea against Brighton in the Premier League today?

Cole Palmer has been ruled out of Chelsea’s Premier League trip to face Brighton on Tuesday due to “tightness in his hamstring,” Blues boss Liam Rosenior revealed in the build-up to kickoff.

Palmer has started every Premier League game since Jan. 31 and had been expected to feature at the Amex Stadium. However, Chelsea have opted not to risk the forward with an FA Cup semifinal against Leeds on Sunday on the horizon.

“Cole’s had some tightness in his hamstring which he’s been carrying for a while so he’s going to be out for this game and we’ll see how he moves on for this FA Cup semifinal,” Rosenior told Sky Sports.

Attacking issues pile up for Chelsea

Chelsea will also be without fellow attackers João Pedro, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens, as well as club captain Reece James against Brighton. All four are also dealing with hamstring issues.

It leaves Chelsea significantly short of attacking options for a tricky away trip, with rotation and precaution clearly taking priority at this stage of the season.

Palmer’s influence remains clear

Palmer has been one of the Premier League’s standout players since moving from Manchester City to Chelsea in the summer of 2023, although his first season in London remains comfortably his best to date.

In 2023-24, the England international registered 27 goals and 15 assists in 48 games in all competitions, performances that earned him both the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year awards.

Palmer has not quite hit the same heights since but still managed 18 goals and 14 assists in 52 appearances last season. He has 10 goals and three assists in 28 games in 2025-26, a campaign in which he has already missed 20 matches through injury.

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