Every word Enzo Maresca said on Palmer injury, where Garnacho will play, Chelsea transfer news

Enzo Maresca during a press conference (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Enzo Maresca has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues take on their west London neighbours in the Premier League's first game of the weekend with the opportunity to move top of the table, for the time being at the very least. Here is the full transcript of Maresca's press conference from Cobham this afternoon:

Latest injury news?

Cole [Palmer] is out, Benoit [Badiashile] is out, Romeo [Lavia] is out. And the rest are okay.

Is Alejandro Garnacho having a medical today? Where do you see him fitting into the team?

I know that he's around here. I don't know exactly where he is, but he's around here. And then he's a player that is quite clear in his position. He's a winger. And I see him as a winger.

It's been reported as well that any more players to come into the club over the next few days would require some players to leave. Can we expect to see a lot of players leaving over the next couple of days?

You can expect anything. The transfer window is open, so anything can happen in and out.

And are you confident and happy with the squad you've got at the moment? Or would you be looking to bring maybe another player in?

I joined the club one year ago, saying that I was in love with the squad. And the squad, I think, is getting better and better. So my feeling is exactly the same.

Can we expect to see more of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap playing together, or was it just a reaction to Palmer's injury?

No, I think we have been the team with more changes in the entire season, last season. So I'm not looking just for two players to play always. I'm looking for a different solution. For sure they can play together, but it's the game plan that's demanding if it's one, two or both, we'll see.

How good was it to score five goals without Palmer last week?

For sure, 100%. And I will say again, we are a much, much, much better team with Cole, no doubt. But when Cole is not in the game, we need to find a different solution. Last week we found a different solution, and hopefully we can find tomorrow, again, a different solution.

Three more days to go until the window closes. What happens to those players if they're not sold or loaned out? The ones that have been training apart, what's the plan for them?

No idea at the moment. I don't know. I just, you know that they are not even with us. They are training at a different time, with a different pitch. So I don't have any idea.

But they could be reintegrated, maybe?

I don't know. We'll see. When the window closes, we'll see and we'll decide.

How good are Fulham?

They are solid, they are well organised, they play nice football. They are very strong. And it's not random that they are doing well. Last year was a record of points in the Premier League, I think, for Fulham. They show how Marco [Silva] is good. The players, they are good. So it's a game that, like always, we need to be careful.

I know it's been a bit of a whirlwind for you since the end of the Club World Cup. Are you welcoming an international break, a chance for a bit of a breather?

Yeah.

How do you plan to use it?

Especially for the players. It will be a good time for us [to have a break] also, for sure. But especially for the players, the ones that don't go with the international team, that also they need to recover.

Holidays?

No, holidays, but we're going to try to recover energy.

How long is Cole Palmer out for? And could Lavia and Badiashile be back after the international break?

Cole, we need to see day by day. And the other two, I don't think they're going to be back after the international break, but they're going to be more close.

Are you a bit worried about their fitness, or do you think they'll be back relatively soon, Benoit and Lavia?

I'm always worried, but not about just them. I'm always worried, but I think with Romeo and Benoit, because it's a long time out, it's normal that they need time, they need sessions. It's the same that we are doing with Wes [Fofana]. Wes is back; the other day he played some minutes. Hopefully we can give him more minutes, and slowly, slowly get the right condition.

If Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku leave, do you think you could sign another attacker? Do you think Chelsea might sign another one if they both leave?

I don't know.

In terms of Cole and England, was that a discussion that happened between Chelsea and England to make sure that he would be left out?

I spoke with Thomas [Tuchel] a few times, but in the end it was Thomas' decision, so he decided for that. But, again, he's not available tomorrow, so it's quite normal that he shows that he has some problems.

And do you have a time frame in mind for Romeo coming back? It's obviously still not a full 90 minutes for Chelsea. Is he going to have to be really carefully managed? A bit like how you've managed to get Reece James back playing regularly again.

Yeah, I think three years ago he didn't play any game. Last year he played some games. This season the target again is to give him more games, and hopefully in the moment that he's back he can be fit for a long time and play more minutes, more games, because he's a player that we really trust.

Are you looking at October for a return?

I don't know.

Are you confident of Chelsea progressing with that Champions League draw?

First of all, we are happy to be in the draw.

We are happy, very happy, because I think we brought this club where this club has to be, the Champions League. Now the draw, it's always a draw. The only thing I can say is that it's nice to be there, and then when we start the Champions League, we're going to start talking about that.

Are you excited to play Atalanta and Napoli, returning to Italy?

They are both fantastic teams. Napoli just won the league with Antonio [Conte], and Atalanta in the last five, six years with [Gian Piero] Gasperini, for me, has been probably the best Italian team also in Europe. So both are very good teams. Happy to come back to Italy, especially to eat some good food. And excited for the draw for the Champions League.

What should Milan fans expect from Nkunku?

Christo is a fantastic professional, first of all. With us he was very professional, training very well. The only problem with Christo has been that in his position there was another player like Cole, so it was difficult for him to get minutes. But they can expect fantastic things, first of all because he is very professional, and second because he is a very good player.