Graham Potter reveals whether Enzo Fernandez will play against Fulham
By Tom Gott
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has admitted he does not yet know whether Enzo Fernandez will be able to make his debut against Fulham on Friday.
Fernandez arrived in England on Wednesday after joining from Benfica on Deadline Day in a deal worth £106m move, and Blues fans have been crying out for Potter to put him straight into the starting lineup and help a midfield which is 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 out a change in the situation soon.
"We'll see," Potter said of Fernandez's possible involvement. "We've got to go through the paperwork and get the clearance and all that."
Potter admitted he was just as clueless as everyone else on Deadline Day as Chelsea negotiated with Benfica late into the night, revealing he did not know whether a deal was going to get through.
"I'm the head coach so I don't get too involved in the nitty gritty of Deadline Day," he explained. "I am focused on the next day's training and preparing the team for Fulham.
"I've been involved too long to know that there are some things you can't control and I couldn't do anything at that point to change things. I found out when it was done and I'm very pleased, because [Fernandez] is a fantastic player.
"My Spanish isn't great and his English isn't great, but we'll get there. He is an impressive young man and we're looking forward to working with him."