Pride of London detail and discuss the entire Chelsea injury list, which includes a potential return date for midfielder N’Golo Kante.
Let’s not waste time talking about how vital the Frenchman is and would be to any side, at club or national level, because that fact is fully apparent. Therefore the Blues fan base have eagerly awaited news about Kante’s hamstring. Unfortunately, the update is a bad one.
At his pre-Brentford press conference, Graham Potter revealed that Kante had undergone surgery and will be out of up to four months, a significant period. So, which set of matches may the player return for? Well, CFC are set to play Southampton in the Premier League on February 18 2023, following that clash are fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United and, lastly, Leicester City.
More Chelsea fitness issues and return dates
Obviously there were other questions and answers from the Ex-Brighton & Hove Albion gaffer at the presser on Tuesday, prior to the Gtech Community Stadium visit. First of all, Denis Zakaria. If you were not aware because he hasn’t made any Chels’ appearances yet, the 25-year-old is still on loan at Stamford Bridge.
In all seriousness, most of us expected to see the talented midfielder by now, though his opportunities are clearly limited due to the squad being well-stocked in that capacity. There are rumours circulating that suggest the temporary switch may be cut short in January.
However, Potter dismissed those claims and clarified that no decision has been made in that respect. In addition to this, the boss also praised Zakaria’s character as the Swiss waits for his chance whilst continuing to train.
The No.1 goalkeeper ‘situation’ was also discussed. To me, there is nothing to discuss: the spot is now Kepa Arrizabalaga’s to lose. Until the Spaniard has a run of bad games with errors, if that scenario even occurs, he will remain first-choice between the posts. Potter wisely prefers performances to decide the matter.
Finally, Potter confirmed that no fresh problems were incurred from the victory over Aston Villa this past weekend, which is naturally an encouraging sign with plenty of stars currently sidelined. Reece James is out for around two months, for example. A time frame hasn’t seemingly been applied to Wesley Fofana as he recovers. Kante was, of course, covered earlier.