Five things to look for as Chelsea return to action against Leicester City

3. How will Riyad Mahrez fare?

Leicester City’s effusive winger, Riyad Mahrez, was heavily linked with a move away from the club during the summer transfer window. The player himself seemed desperate to move as European heavyweights such as Chelsea, AS Roma and Arsenal waited in the wings.

Roma saw him as the perfect replacement for the outbound Mohamed Salah, but they were unwilling to meet Leicester’s high valuation of the player. Instead they chose to invest £40m in the talented Sampdoria forward, Patrik Schick.

On deadline day, media outlets began linking Mahrez with an audacious move to Barcelona after he was spotted at the city’s airport, but the Blaugrana were quick to deny a move.

The next obvious destination was Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea allegedly looked to strengthen their front three. However, despite the emergence of multiple reports claiming a deal, a move failed to materialise and the player had to stay put at Leicester City.

This game would be a true test of Mahrez’s professionalism. It would be interesting to see whether the winger would risk miffing a potential suitor in Chelsea by leading Leicester to all three points.