Chelsea manager Graham Potter has admitted he is still unclear whether £107 million signing Enzo Fernandez will be able to make his debut against Fulham on Friday.
The 22-year-old Argentine completed his British-record move from Benfica to at Stamford Bridge on deadline day and having the option to bring in the World Cup-winning midfielder would boost a Chelsea midfield currently missing Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Denis Zakaria through injury.
However, in his pre-match press conference, Potter admitted Fernandez is not currently cleared to play but refused to rule him out completely,
“We'll see,” Potter said of Fernandez's possible involvement at home to their West London rivals on Friday. “We've got to go through the paperwork and get the clearance and all that.”
Chelsea signed eight players in total in January, bringing new owner Todd Boehly’s spending spree since taking over last summer to more than £550m.
And Potter must decide by 11pm on Thursday which three of those he will include in his Champions League squad. The former Brighton coach admitted there will be “awkward conversations” to be had, with problems over selection from his bloated squad inevitably spilling over into the club’s Premier League campaign, with 33 first-team players on the books.
“Challenge is the right word,” said Potter. “I’m certainly not complaining about it. It’s exciting. It’s a test for me, of course, and for the staff, but it’s an exciting one.
“We’ve got a lot of really good players. We have to create an environment where there’s healthy competition and they can push each other, but at the same time understand that there’s going to be frustration at times, because only 11 can play. That’s how it is.
“We’ve got a lot of important games, and we need to improve our results. It’s about playing, about supporting the team and being ready to play.”
Potter’s first test will come when he submits his selection for the Champions League knockout stages. Players are allowed to have featured for another side in Europe during the season, meaning Fernandez and fellow new signing Joao Felix are eligible for inclusion. Chelsea play Borussia Dortmund in the last-16 first leg on February 15.
“We’re aware of who we need to speak to,” Potter added. “There’s going to be a few awkward conversations. That’s the reality of where we are. Only 11 can play, only a certain amount can be in the squad.
“There’s always going to be players who are disappointed. It’s about being as honest, open, respectful and transparent as you can.
“You have to create an environment where you respect the fact that people want to play and compete and help the team, but they have to be patient.
“If you spend money, the external noise goes up. I understand that.
Fulham 2 Chelsea 1: Player ratings
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FULHAM RATINGS: Bernd Leno - 8, Made great saves from Lewis Hall’s deflected shot and Joao Felix’s powerful strike, but there was nothing he could do for Kalidou Koulibaly’s goal. Rushed out to stop Kai Havertz’s dinked shot, then impressively stopped his compatriot’s late strike. Booked for time wasting. AFP -
Kenny Tete - 7, While a poor pass put his team in an awkward situation, he often defended well and provided a nice cross for a Carlos Vinicius opportunity. Did well in the latter stages as Fulham saw out the win. Reuters -
Tosin Adarabioyo - 6, Blocked Kai Havertz’s shot in the early stages and had other good moments, but was lucky to get away with letting Havertz in behind him. Did well to stop Lewis Hall’s cross attempt. Booked for time wasting. AFP -
Tim Ream - 7, After an awkward start in which he was nutmegged by Felix, the American put in a solid display, notably cutting out Havertz’s cutback then blocking Cesar Azpilicueta’s shot. AFP -
Antonee Robinson - 6, Had some poor moments, including fouling Felix for the yellow that will see him miss the Newcastle match and letting Havertz go outside him. Did get forward well and deliver some nice crosses. Reuters -
Joao Palhinha - 7, Was brilliant defensively, winning the ball back when Felix tried to nutmeg him. Played a lot of good passes but there were also some needlessly sloppy ones. Reuters -
Harrison Reed - 7, Lacked quality on the ball on a couple of occasions, having a shot blocked and playing a poor pass that resulted in a chance for Felix, but put in a lot of selfless defensive work. AFP -
Bobby Reid - 7, Having smashed the crossbar from a promising opportunity, he did well to win the ball back and deliver the cross that ended in Willian scoring the opener. Showed a willingness to work for the team. PA -
Andreas Pereira - 8, Put in a lot of good work on and off the ball, pressing brilliantly, although he got himself booked for a foul on Felix. Provided some great set-piece deliveries and a moment of entertainment with his stepovers, then the superb cross for Vinicius’ goal. Reuters -
Willian - 8, Gave Azpilicueta a tough time and worked space from his former teammate to score the opener. Also provided some lovely flicks at times in an impressive overall attacking display. AP -
Carlos Vinicius - 8, Was very busy throughout and put in a lot of good work for the team, selflessly teeing up Reid for his big chance. Struck wide on the turn and saw a header saved, but then got his reward with a headed goal. AP -
SUBS: Tom Cairney (Reed, 68’) - 6, Immediately got on the ball and moved it confidently. Came agonisingly close to reaching Dan James’ cutback. EPA -
Harry Wilson (Reid, 68’) - 5, There wasn’t much conviction, as he notably floated a cross from a promising position harmlessly into Kepa's hands. EPA -
Manor Solomon (Willian, 83’) – N/R, Was weak when he tried to keep the ball near the corner. Dan James (Pereira, 93’) – N/R. Nathaniel Chalobah (Vinicius, 93’) – N/R. AFP -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5, There wasn’t much he could do about the opener but he played some passes that put his teammates in awkward positions. His save from Vinicius’ header was an unconvincing one and he then got caught out for the second. AFP -
Trevoh Chalobah - 3, Having already got away with a terrible header that resulted in Reid’s chance, he then failed to clear the Jamaica international’s cross and deflected Willian’s ensuing shot past Kepa. Completely lost Vinicus for his goal. Was booked for a lunge on Palhinha. AP -
Thiago Silva - 6, Made some superb defensive headers but couldn’t get his attempt on target at the other end. Cleared when Kepa unconvincingly saved Vinicius’ header, but he and Chalobah couldn’t deal with Vinicus for the winner. Getty -
Kalidou Koulibaly - 7, Often looked awkward on the ball and ended up needlessly losing possession in dangerous areas in the first half. However, he reacted quickly to equalise after Mount’s free-kick had hit the post and had a better second half, releasing Havertz for his late chance. Reuters -
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5, Often struggled when Willian went inside him, as was the case for the opener. Saw his shot deflected over and delivered a couple of good crosses, then headed the ball back well from Vinicius’ attempted flick. AP -
Denis Zakaria - 6, Looked strong in midfield, even if he would have been nervous following a challenge on Vinicius in his own box. Went off injured after doing well to start a Chelsea move forward. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic - 5, Did well to tee up Felix for a chance after his initial shot was blocked, but failed with his other efforts on goal with one acrobatic attempt sailing comfortably over. Nonchalantly went out to Pereira when he crossed in the ball for the winner. AFP -
Lewis Hall - 6, Had a tame shot saved early on before his deflected effort was also saved by Leno. Lost the ball to Reid in the build-up to the opener, but his positive play won the free-kick for the equaliser. Booked. Reuters -
Mason Mount - 7, Showed real quality and provided some lovely deliveries, one of which hit the post to set up Koulibaly’s goal, and was also involved in some lovely link-up play. His frustrations came out as he got booked for a late challenge on Cairney. AP -
Joao Felix - 4, Enjoyed a bright start with his runs at the Fulham backline but lacked any sort of clinical edge in front of goal with various shots going straight at Leno, then got himself sent off for a lunge on Tete. EPA -
Kai Havertz - 6, Mixed game, providing good moments such as beating Adarabioyo to tee up Felix and linking up well with Mount. However, there was also a tame shot in the early stages and wastefulness on the counter, while he had two late efforts denied. EPA -
SUBS: Jorginho (Zakaria, 56’) - 6, Immediately won the ball after his introduction and went on to move it well. AP -
Marc Cucurella (Hall, 79’) N/R, Hit his shot straight at Tete from a promising position but then provided some inviting crosses. Carney Chukwuemeka (Chalobah, 79’) N/R, Made a great burst forward. AFP -
Carney Chukwuemeka (Chalobah, 79’) N/R, Was very positive in his play and made a great burst forward, even if Havertz couldn’t control his ball through. EPA -
Conor Gallagher (Kovacic, 79’) – N/R, Wasn’t as aggressive as he has been in recent appearances, losing out in a couple of 50/50 tackles. EPA -
Hakim Ziyech (Mount, 80’) – N/R, Overhit his pass when there was a chance to play Cucurella in. EPA
“I’ve always said resources is one thing, spending money is one thing, but you need to be able to align them, you need to be able to make the right decisions, you need to be able to provide a culture, a team, an environment.
“It’s not the amount you spend that gets success. It’s more than that.”
Fulham, meanwhile, managed to sign midfielder Sasa Lukic from Torino and Cedric Soares on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season on deadline day.
“It was a busy last day for us as a football club, I know you [the media] like it, but we don’t like it so much as a football club,” said manager Marco Silva, whose team defeated Chelsea at Craven Cottage last month.
“But it’s part of the year and part of the market, it’s not easy to do even if we would like to have the players early because it is always better for us with a busy January and a lot of games as well.
“Cedric knows the football club and has played in the Premier League already and has a lot of knowledge that will help us for sure.
“Lukic is another mature player as well in a good age, another quality player who will give something different for us and create competition. I think both of them will raise the level of our team.”
