(Getty Images)Chelsea injuries piling up15:10, George FloodChelsea’s bid to end a dreadful run of form experienced before the World Cup break is not helped by the absence of at least seven first-team players this evening. Wesley Fofana experienced a setback in his recovery from a knee injury during a friendly against Brentford, with N’Golo Kante out until at least February with his latest hamstring problem sustained back in August. There are still doubts over the likes of Ben Chilwell, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Carney Chukwuemeka and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech are unavailable after playing in the third-place play-off at the World Cup last weekend. Armando Broja has been lost for the season of course, though there is good news for Chelsea in the likely return today of star defender Reece James, absent since early October with a serious knee injury that forced him to miss the World Cup.
Having recently poached Laurence Stewart from Monaco as their new technical director, the Blues are immediately raiding the Ligue 1 side. Nizaar says the deal could be worth around £35million, with Graham Potter keen to add another left-sided defender to his squad amid the fitness doubts currently surrounding Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana. The transfer is not done yet, but Monaco will likely want to cash in on French international Badiashile, whose current contract at the Stade Louis II expires in 18 months’ time.
If you look at how the team was functioning before he got injured and after. It's not the only reason of course but Reece is a top, top player and when he is not with us it's a miss. "I am confident the more football he plays the more we will see what a fantastic footballer he really is. " (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Potter: Returning Reece James ‘in a good place'15:27, George FloodThe return of Reece James is a massive boost for Chelsea as they look to begin making up that nine-point gap to the top four. And Graham Potter does not believe the versatile right-back, arguably the Blues’ best player this season before suffering that injury against AC Milan at the San Siro, will experience any hangover from the “brutal” blow of missing the World Cup with England.
“It was a World Cup and they come around every four years. So when you’re young, the perspective is not so easy to get, ” Potter said. “You are young and you want to play. That’s really understandable. It’s the same for Reece, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante. It’s brutal really to have to deal with. “You can try to help them and give them a bit of perspective but in the end it has to come from them, their families and those people close to them. (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)“I have to say he is in a good mood, he is in a good place.
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They struggled to attract new faces after securing promotion back to the Premier League over the summer, though could now splash the cash after a completed takeover by ambitious American businessman Bill Foley and an ownership group that includes Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan. "Every club that wants to do business would rather get it done early but there are selling clubs involved as well so it's not always as easy as that, ” Gary O’Neil stressed this week. "There have, of course, been discussions around the window's approach but nothing concrete to arrive yet.
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Chelsea vs Bournemouth LIVE! Premier League match stream, latest team news, lineups, TV, prediction todayChelsea vs Bournemouth LIVE! After three straight defeats before the World Cup, Chelsea bid to kickstart a Premier League revival when they return to action against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge today. The Blues are nine points adrift of the top four as things stand and need to make up that deficit in the race for Champions League qualification. Chelsea, who are down in ninth, have not lost four Premier League games in row since 1998 and Graham Potter knows they need to hit the ground running when their season resumes following the mid-season break.
Read the story in full here (AFP via Getty Images)O’Neil confident over Bournemouth transfers15:43, George FloodWhile Chelsea are pushing hard to get early deals for January over the line amid talks over Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile - more on that in a moment - and agreed deals for Molde striker David Datro Fofana and Vasco da Gama teenager Andrey Santos, things are generally a bit tougher on that front for Bournemouth.
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Potter insists he is “more confident” of changing Chelsea’s fortunes after talks with co-owner Behdad Eghbali in California during the World Cup and he is targeting a return to winning ways against Bournemouth, who appointed Gary O’Neil as their head coach on a permanent basis earlier this month and sit three points above the relegation zone in 14th. Follow Chelsea vs Bournemouth live below, with expert analysis from Nick Purewal at the Bridge! Chelsea vs Bournemouth latest newsKick-off time: 5. 30pm GMT, Stamford BridgeHow to watch: Amazon Prime VideoChelsea team news: At least seven sidelinedBournemouth team news: Lerma availableScore prediction: Chelsea 2-0 BournemouthChelsea FC - AFC BournemouthChelsea offered Joao Felix deal16:00, George FloodOn the subject of Chelsea transfers, Standard Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella also reports this afternoon that Atletico Madrid have offered Joao Felix to the club.
He has trained with us, is training well and is a good team-mate. He has dealt with it well. “There is not too much you can say. You say it will get better with time and you have to focus on the things you can control. But there is nothing you can say to a player that will make it get better. “He is missing the World Cup. What can I say? All I can do is acknowledge that it is upsetting, that whatever he is feeling is normal and help him move forwards.
A 2-0 Chelsea win. Lerma poised for Bournemouth return15:17, George FloodBournemouth are likely to have all-action midfielder Jefferson Lerma back tonight after a minor knee issue, though David Brooks and goalkeeper Neto are both definitely out. Marcus Tavernier is a doubt, while there are late fitness tests required for the likes of Lloyd Kelly and Ryan Fredericks. After the 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat by high-flying Newcastle at St James’ Park last week, Gary O’Neil revealed that eight to 10 members of his squad had been suffering from a virus.
“It was a challenging period for him. It was a challenging period for all the players. There were another 12 that are watching their team-mates and getting injured and missing the World Cup. You have to think on some level there is an effect there. They’re only human. ”Chelsea vs Bournemouth score prediction15:18, George FloodThe Cherries struggled for form ahead of the break and come up against a Chelsea side that have finally enjoyed an extended period on the training ground under Graham Potter.
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