On a weekend of significant injury scares, Bukayo Saka (£9.9m) and Cole Palmer (£10.4m) were the two most high-profile casualties.
Palmer pulled out of the Chelsea XI before kick-off in the Gameweek 2 curtain-raiser, while Saka was taken off early in the second half of Arsenal’s thumping win over Leeds United.
First, in this article, the injury latest on the pair.
After that, we’ll look at when we might get more information on the premium midfielders, how close they are to falling in price – and how this double injury blow could reshape FPL squads.
We’ll detail some of the best replacements in a follow-up article.
SAKA + PALMER: INJURY REPORTS FROM THE MEDIA
The BBC reports that Saka will be out for “up to four weeks” with the hamstring injury he sustained on Saturday.
That’s nowhere near as bad as last season’s hamstring issue, which kept him out for over three months.
Nevertheless, if this new timeline is accurate, it’ll be enough to rule him out for Gameweek 3 and potentially for Gameweek 4, too. Even Gameweek 5, which takes place on September 21, would be a close-run thing.
As for Palmer, the Chelsea number 10 had a scan on Tuesday. The usually reliable Si Phillips shared the following positive news:
Cole Palmer had a scan on his groin today and the results are positive, better than he first feared.
Nothing serious or too bad showing up but Chelsea and Cole will be cautious and Fulham might come too soon. We’ll see.
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) August 26, 2025
FRIDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCES: WHAT DID THE MANAGERS SAY?
The players’ respective managers were vaguer on Friday.
“Bukayo is doing better but he will be out for a few weeks, unfortunately.
“No surgery. It is not as bad as the previous [hamstring injury]. Obviously, he’s very unfortunate to pick it up. It is on the other side.
“He felt something, so he will be out for a couple of weeks.
“I don’t know [if he will be involved after the international break]. Let’s see how he evolves in the next few days, few weeks. Repeat the scan and see where he’s at.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka
“Cole is out, Benoit out, Romeo is out. The rest, they are okay.
“Cole, we need to see day by day [how long he will be out].
“I spoke with Thomas [Tuchel] a few times but then at the end, it is Thomas’s decision [to leave Palmer out of the England squad]. So, he decided for that, but again, he’s not available tomorrow so it’s quite normal. It shows that he has some problems.” – Enzo Maresca
WORTH KEEPING EITHER PLAYER?
In truth, Arsenal’s fixtures will make many Saka owners’ decisions all the easier. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were two of the better defences last season (not that the Reds have started convincingly this time around), while even the two potential comeback games are against Manchester City and Newcastle United.
It’s time to cash in and revisit the winger in Gameweek 7.
As for Palmer, it depends on what kind of policy you’re adopting re transfers.
For the more measured, cautious, medium-term planners, if you can hang on to hear more information about Palmer, then it’s maybe worth doing so. If it’s only going to be a one-week absence, as reports suggest, there’s merit to reassessing over the international break.
For those playing more aggressively, a switch to a United/Brentford/Forest/Newcastle midfielder does appeal for Gameweek 3 in isolation.
And while Palmer’s fixtures aren’t as bad as Saka’s, the really good stuff doesn’t happen until Gameweek 9. There probably won’t be a defence as generous as West Ham United’s for a while.
There’s no team value tied up in any Palmer price rises, and he eats up over 10% of your team’s budget. Couple that with his indifferent form in 2025 (Club World Cup excepted) and a potential no-show in Gameweek 4, and he’s definitely a makeweight to consider – especially if you’re thinking about changing squad structure (see below).
PEDRO ON PENS?
Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) may have taken his Gameweek 2 penalty even if Saka had been on the pitch. But with the winger out, and fellow taker Martin Odegaard (£8.0m) also a doubt, there are fewer challengers to the Swede from 12 yards.
The big question: who deputises for Palmer on penalties if he’s out in Gameweek 3 (or longer)? Christopher Nkunku (£6.0m) did this last year but is now surplus to requirements.
Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m) has taken them before for the Blues but not since December 2023.
Could Liam Delap (£6.4m) or Joao Pedro (£7.6m) inherit the responsibility, then? Both were on spot-kicks for their respective clubs last season, with Pedro the more experienced: he has taken 19 in his career, scoring 18 of them.
A CHANGE IN FPL APPROACH: 3-5-2 OUT, 3-4-3 IN?
You’d expect Palmer, Saka and other flagged players to be towards the top of the transfers out column for Gameweek 3.
No surprise to see misfiring forwards like Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m) near the summit, either.
But the presence of Marc Guiu (£4.5m) in the below table might indicate where the Saka/Palmer funds are going.
Assuming relatively few managers are going up from Palmer/Saka to Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), any replacement is going to be cheaper. Even moving from Palmer to the pricey Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) is going to pocket you £1.5m.
And with plenty of managers rolling a transfer in Gameweek 2, there’s the option of making a second move for free.
Guiu up to Igor Thiago (£6.0m), Pedro, Richarlison (£6.7m) or Chris Wood (£7.7m) will be doable for many, then.
Alternatively, keeping someone like Guiu as bench fodder and upgrading a £5.5m midfielder in the process is another ploy. Palmer and Elliot Anderson (£5.5m) to, say, Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Brennan Johnson (£7.0m) brings more balance to the midfield, on paper.
BEST REPLACEMENTS?
We’ve already discussed some potential replacements above but if you want more transfer suggestions, our Pro Pundits have been on the case this week:
