Graham Potter has a selection puzzle to solve after Chelsea’s with two very strong starting XI brilliant line-up

Graham Potter has a selection puzzle to solve after Chelsea’s with two very strong starting XI brilliant line-up

As he continues his spending binge since taking over at Chelsea, Todd Boehly has once more demonstrated that he is not afraid to break the bank.

The Blues added eight new players in January as a follow-up to their hiring in the summer, and the British record acquisition of Enzo Fernandez brought their spending for the month to an astounding £323.5 million.

Graham Potter will be happy with the new hires, who include players like Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, and Joao Felix, but it is difficult to see how everyone will fit in at Stamford Bridge.
Potter already has a problem with his Champions League roster because only three new players may be registered for the knockout stages according to UEFA rules.

Sportsmail examines Chelsea’s big roster and potential lineups under Potter.
Potter’s top eleven

According to Champions League rules, Chelsea may only sign up a total of three additional qualified players for the fixtures after their last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund.

As a result, Potter will have to omit one of Fernandez, Felix, Mudryk, and Badiashile, with the last candidate perhaps being the one to go.

Without a doubt, the World Cup winner will fit into Chelsea’s midfield after the club broke the British transfer record to buy Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez could be used across any of the middle three by Potter. He typically played on the left for Benfica, but he started in the midfield for Argentina’s World Cup triumph over France in Qatar.

If the team were at full strength, Fernandez would be paired with N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount, with Jorginho no longer an option after agreeing to a transfer to London rivals Arsenal on deadline day.

Potter will undoubtedly remain with his talisman Thiago Silva behind the midfield, who would probably be paired with a fully healthy Wesley Fofana.

The two strong defenders would undoubtedly have England internationals Ben Chilwell and Reece James, who are both close to making their comebacks, flanking them. Kepa has seized the No. 1 position from Edouard Mendy and is a lock to stay in goal.
Potter will probably feel tempted to use another recent acquisition, Mykhailo Mudryk, at the other end of the field.

Since joining Shakhtar Donetsk for £88 million, the international player from Ukraine has only made one brief cameo, but it was sufficient to demonstrate his abilities.

In actuality, after just 35 minutes of football in England, the 22-year-old became the league’s quickest player.

Mudryk is most likely going to enter from the left, and he might be paired with Kai Havertz in the middle, as well as another addition—albeit a loan one—in Joao Felix from the right.

The alternate XI for Potter

Graham Potter now has access to a full second XI thanks to Chelsea’s hiring.

Edouard Mendy serving as a backup is by no means a significant step-down, despite the fact that the Senegalese goalie will be out for some time with a fractured finger.

Despite perhaps missing out on a Champions League spot, Badiashile is not at all a horrible backup option.

The 21-year-old has had a successful first year at Stamford Bridge and might line up next to Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined from Napoli in the summer for £34 million on a four-year contract.
Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella might stand to the right and left of the powerful defensive core, respectively.

Denis Zakaria, who is on loan from Juventus, might play in a different midfield arrangement alongside Conor Gallagher and Mateo Kovacic, a former Real Madrid player.

Potter will soon have the luxury of picking from a number of great stars, including Mudryk, Felix, Mount, Sterling, Aubameyang, Ziyech, and Pulisic.

Sterling, Pulisic, and Aubameyang could be Potter’s front three in a completely different lineup.

Several well-known players could end up on the bench at Stamford Bridge due to the various team’s Harry Potter could choose.

Cesar Azpilicueta, a seasoned player, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marcus Bettinelli, Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall, David Datro Fofana, Gabriel Slonina, and Hakim Ziyech do not even make either side.

On the day before the transfer deadline, Ziyech attempted to join PSG, but the agreement fell through as it was claimed Chelsea repeatedly presented the wrong paperwork to approve the deal.

Due to Pulisic’s lack of playing time under Potter, speculation over a transfer has also been raised.

And Sterling, who moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer for £55 million, struggled to adjust to life at the club as he juggled playing in several different places before suffering an injury against his previous team, Man City.

Potter has a strong starting lineup, so it’s unclear who he will ultimately trust, but there are plenty of possibilities for him.