Chelsea injury news: Fofana, James, Loftus-Cheek, Chilwell

The Pride of London discuss the latest Chelsea injury news. This includes updates on: Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Reece James and N’golo Kante

The Premier League is on the precipice of much-needed return, in spite of how action-packed the glittering World Cup became. While some Blues supporters might perhaps not agree because of results prior to the break, having Chelsea back playing is a good thing in general.

CFC manager Graham Potter conducted a pre-match press conference before taking on Bournemouth on Tuesday, December 27. If subjective order of importance matters, having James back in contention seems absolutely vital. He completed over 60 minutes of a friendly and is ready, suggests the head coach.

Unfortunately for the west London club, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek and Chilwell all remain unavailable. Potter revealed that the centreback has suffered a setback, also sustained in the Brentford friendly.

A bonus report on Chelsea midfielder N’golo Kante

In addition to the other information given by Potter, the Blues boss spoke about the stricken Kante, as well. There was a time when the ex-Leicester City man was considered undroppable and certainly indispensable to the CFC side. If you ask me – he still is crucial to the team.

Well, if you don’t agree with the value of Kante, let me put it this way: if he had been available to Potter for the Englishman’s short tenure this season, EPL positioning would probably be a bit healthier. I’m not saying that the stalwart could have made a huge different, no, more a slight yet significant impact.

With respect to the 31-year-old’s current status, the gaffer offered details on the hamstring injury and a possible return date. Following surgery in October, the projected comeback was approximately four months, meaning sometime in February. However, there is no further positive news as we may not see Kante in a Blues shirt until March.

Let’s hope rehabilitation goes well from here for the interceptor extraordinaire. Speculation continues over Kante’s future with his contract expiring at the end of the season. Only the signing at the level of a Declan Rice or Jude Bellingham would ease the pain of losing the former.