Chelsea Confidential Q&A special: Cole Palmer's injury return target and full details of his recovery, what the Blues will do in January transfer window, the truth about Reece James' England withdrawal and their plans for 'elite prospect' revealed

The international break is in full swing but there's still a lot happening at Chelsea , even with so many of their stars off playing for their countries.

Estevao Willian's euphoric last-gasp winner against Liverpool last weekend sent the Blues into the break on a high, but there are a number of issues still to be resolved - from Cole Palmer 's injury, to whether there's any player fit enough to play centre back for Enzo Maresca 's side.

We put out the call for your questions in a special edition of Chelsea Confidential , and you have answered in your droves.

Here, our Chelsea expert KIERAN GILL reveals everything you need to know.

When will Cole Palmer be back?

I’m told it will be weeks – not days, not months, but weeks – and so we are looking at November as the likeliest return for Palmer. Whether before or after the international break scheduled for that month depends on when his injury has healed.

The diagnosis is that Palmer has a strained groin, but it is not severe enough to require surgery, thankfully.

Cole Palmer has been managing a groin injury this year, and limped out of the warm-up at West Ham in August

He made a brief return, scoring Chelsea's goal at Bayern Munich in the Champions League in mid-September, but was soon on the sidelines again

Estevao Willian has stepped up to provide some attacking threat in Palmer's absence, but Chelsea will be desperate to have their talisman back fit and firing

Chelsea are giving him time to heal now but they have shown they can handle their superstar’s absence by relying on the attacking depth they have.

Estevao got his big moment in that late victory over Liverpool, while Jamie Gittens and Marc Guiu were likewise influential as substitutes as Enzo Maresca made much more positive changes from the bench.

Did Jorrel Hato jumping on Palmer aggravate his injury?

No, Hato did not aggravate Palmer’s injury.

We all saw the edited clips doing the rounds on social media after Chelsea’s win over Liverpool, but they were a tad mischievous - the full footage showed Palmer smiling with Hato afterwards.

It was an innocuous incident after a big win.

Would it be best if Palmer had surgery?

At this point, Palmer does not require surgery, which is positive news.

What’s happening with Deivid Washington?

Deivid Washington has been away with Brazil at the Under 20s World Cup, where they suffered an early exit at the weekend having failed to win any of their group games against Morocco, Mexico and Spain.

I understand the plan now is for Washington, still only 20 years old, to join up with Chelsea’s development side. So, no, he has not fallen into the abyss.

The midfielder has struggled for minutes since joining from Santos in 2023, playing only three times for his new club.

Deivid Washington has been away with Brazil at the Under 20s World Cup, where they endured an early exit at the weekend

I understand the plan now is for Washington, still only 20 years old, to join up with Chelsea’s development side

What is the plan for Emanuel Emegha next season?

He is set to stay with Chelsea once he arrives from Strasbourg next summer.

The 22-year-old, who was previously being chased by some of European football’s powerhouses, will add to the depth already at the Blues’ disposal. Other clubs may like relying upon a singular star striker, but that is a risky approach in my view.

Chelsea already have Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu, and as of next season, they will also have Emegha and the versatile Dastan Satpayev, who will arrive from Kazakhstani side Kairat when he turns 18 in August.

Strasbourg's Emanuel Emegha will join Chelsea from Strasbourg next summer to add to the club's forward line depth

Also adding to the massed ranks will be Dastan Satpayev, the Kazakhstani wonderkid

What’s the aim for this season?

As well as going on good cup runs, Chelsea’s primary target is finishing in the top four of the Premier League.

Sometimes you get clubs who go into campaigns adamant that they only want to win the title. That puts pressure on themselves.

You are unlikely to hear those declarations coming out of Chelsea, who want to set themselves up for long-term success. We will see where that takes them, both this season and in the ones that follow, with their squad improving year on year.

Will the club get a front-of-shirt sponsor in the next three years?

Yes. Todd Kline, the new president of commercial, is now leading that process.

Behind the scenes, is Robert Sanchez actually seen as this potentially world-class goalkeeper? Also, any news on Mike Maignan and Mike Penders?

Chelsea have confidence in Sanchez. That red card at Manchester United aside, he has shown his abilities in goal, including an improvement in his overall distribution.

Chelsea are not set to go back in for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, nor are they currently considering a move for any goalkeeper this January or next summer. They already have Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, while Mike Penders is only 20 years old and seen as a potentially elite prospect.

Mike Penders, who is currently on loan at Strasbourg, is seen as a potentially elite prospect

Chelsea signed Penders from Genk, the Belgian club at which they unearthed Thibaut Courtois once upon a time.

Courtois spent three years on loan at Atletico Madrid after signing for Chelsea, remember. Penders will have had two years of being a loanee after a season with Genk and another with Strasbourg.

It would be wrong to say what will happen with him next summer because that has not yet been decided. The entire goalkeeping situation will be evaluated closer to the time but clearly, there are high hopes for Penders.

Who are we looking at signing in January? A centre back?

I would not expect much movement this January. Chelsea are not considering that a window for making big changes to their existing squad, which has enough depth and quality to compete over the coming season.

That includes in defence, with some of those injured close to coming back, save for Levi Colwill, who is scheduled to miss the majority of this season.

The Blues have multiple centre-back options: Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong. Reece James filled in centrally during the win over Liverpool, but that was very much seen as a one-off.

The only central defender that Chelsea looked at signing in the summer was Dean Huijsen at Bournemouth. Otherwise, there was nobody available considered an obvious upgrade on those already within the club. Yes, Colwill’s ACL injury was a blow, a big one given how influential he had been, but the solution to every injury is not to go and sign someone else.

Maresca is set to have bodies back in central defence after this international break, with their first fixture away at Nottingham Forest.

Reece James and Jorrel Hato, who are best as full backs, formed an unlikely partnership at the heart of Chelsea's defence as they snatched victory late on against Liverpool last week

Is Reece James’ injury serious?

No, it is only a minor issue, not major. A source told Confidential that James' England withdrawal is similar to the time he pulled out of the Chelsea line-up before their Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras in July.

That was precautionary then – a sign of James listening to his own body’s warning signs after his history of hamstring issues – and this is precautionary now. In other injury news, Delap is still on course to return for the Christmas period, though he will need easing back initially.

Could Geovany Quenda join us early in January?

I’m told an early switch in January isn’t on the cards as both Chelsea and Sporting CP are waiting until the summer, as per their agreement.

The Guinea-Bissau-born Portugal Under 21s star is one of the hottest prospects in world football, and will join the Blues in a £40m deal next summer.