Chelsea are ‘shattered’ with Cole Palmer and his fellow stars suffering from burnout, according to the PFA chief executive Maheta Molango, who wants the footballing calendar eased.
Molango used Palmer as an example of why the game’s biggest names are being overworked, highlighting how he is facing a third successive summer without rest. After representing England at the 2024 Euros, and winning the 2025 Club World Cup with Chelsea, he may now head to the 2026 World Cup if selected by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.
Palmer registered 33 Premier League goal involvements in 2023-24, and 23 in 2024-25. This season, he has yet to reach double figures, having struggled with injuries which have seen him appear in only 19 of Chelsea’s 42 games in all competitions.
Molango revealed at the FT Business of Football Summit event in London on Thursday how he had visited Chelsea’s training ground after the Club World Cup, and saw first-hand how they were struggling. ‘I was at the training camp of Chelsea when they came back (from the Club World Cup),’ Molango said. ‘They were shattered. This is just the reality.
‘You wonder whether this is what we wanted as an industry. I’m not sure. I think sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves and understand that sometimes less is more.’
Chelsea were left ‘shattered’ after the Club World Cup, says PFA chief Maheta Molango
PFA boss Maheta Molanga warned that players can only give 60-70 per cent of themselves
Having already referenced Palmer’s schedule, Molango continued: ‘People say he is a millionaire. Yeah, he is, but it doesn’t give you an extra lung or an extra leg.
‘Come to a stage where, you know, “I want to see Cole Palmer on the pitch because he’s the one who makes me dream”. The reality is that the fans pay right now 100 per cent of the ticket and a lot of time they get 70 per cent if they’re lucky of the show or 60 because players start regulating themselves.
‘The Premier League is the best product in terms of football. They make north of £4billion for 38 games. Surely there’s an element of valuing the scarcity.’
Molango added: ‘When I look at the last international window and I see (Jude) Bellingham out, Lamine Yamal out on the one side, Lucy Bronze out. Is this the football we want to see? Because frankly, people didn’t want to spend money just to watch someone like me play.’
