Chelsea has several key defenders. Reece James and Wesley Fofana are expected to make their first appearances for the club against Bournemouth later this month.
Chelsea will resume their Premier League campaign on December 27, hoping to put a bad run of form prior to the World Cup behind them.
“I’ll go with Arsenal or Chelsea,” the Golden Boy winner of a career-defining moment says
Graham Potter will be overjoyed with James and Fofana’s return to the squad following a total setback prior to the World Cup break.
Consecutive losses to Brighton, Arsenal, and Newcastle put Potter under intense scrutiny just two months after succeeding Thomas Tuchel as head coach.
The new Chelsea manager refused to blame a string of key player injuries on
The new Chelsea manager refused to blame his team’s poor run on a string of injuries to key players, but the absences of several automatic starters were felt keenly.
James, without a doubt Chelsea’s player of the season thus far, suffered a knee injury in October, which cost him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
However, the 22-year-old has returned to training this week and, according to The Atleticoi james, is expected to return later this month.
Meanwhile, a week before James’ injury, Fofana suffered a more serious knee injury against Milan.
The 21-year-old had only made five appearances for his new club since joining from Leicester City for £70 million, but he is expected to play more.
The 21-year-old had only made five appearances for his new club since joining from Leicester City for £70 million, but he is expected to return to help a defense that struggled against Potter’s former club in particular.
Ben Chilwell, who suffered a serious hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb last month during a Champions League match for Chelsea, is also unlikely to return until January, despite having made significant progress in his recovery in the last week.
N’Golo Kante, the club’s midfield mainstay, is set to miss more time with a groin injury and is unlikely to return until March at the earliest.
Chelsea spent a lot of money in the summer to strengthen their defense, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella costing nearly as much.
Chelsea spent heavily in the summer to strengthen their defense, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella costing nearly £100 million in total transfer fees.
