Big spending Chelsea to fall on Friday night
The January transfer window was completely dominated by Chelsea, with the club spending more on players than the other four top European leagues combined. That puts immediate pressure on Graham Potter to get his army of new recruits to perform immediately if the current season is going to be remembered for anything good on the pitch. On Friday night, they face a Fulham side above them in the Premier League table at Stamford Bridge, and that could be the case for a while to come. Read our preview here:
Boeh-ling for soup
Far from tightening the purse strings since taking over last summer, owner Todd Boehly has allowed the recruitment team to roll the dice in spectacular fashion, breaking the British transfer record on deadline day in order to purchase World Cup winning Enzo Fernández from Benfica in a deal north of £100,000,000. The versatile Argentinian midfielder could be in the XI straight away, especially given the number of injuries afflicting a now hopelessly bloated squad. Full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell are back in training however. João Félix continues to serve his suspension, which ought to mean a first start for Mykhailo Mudryk on the left of the attacking midfield. Hakim Ziyech's move to PSG collapsed at the last minute, throwing massive doubt over his future inclusions in matchdays this season.
Soares spot
Whilst their London rivals knocked over the chess board to get who they were after, Marco Silva and his assistants secured the temporary services of Cédric Soares, with the right-back area the only obvious position to improve. The Arsenal loanee will challenge current incumbent Kenny Tete for the berth, and with only Neeskens Kebano ruled out of the game, the head coach can name practically a full strength XI. Aleksandar Mitrović will need to win his individual battle with Thiago Silva if the Cottagers are to make hay from crosses and set pieces, and it ought to be a fascinating duel.
Betting tip
Whilst it's now a season of huge transition for Chelsea, their opponents could continue to profit from that, including Fulham. betway have odds of 5.50 for an away win.
