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Graham Potter has admitted it will be challenging to maintain dressing-room harmony after Chelsea increased the size of their squad with their frantic January transfer business
Chelsea took their spending to more than £500m under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership when they broke the British transfer record by buying Enzo Fernández from Benfica for £106.8m on deadline day.
Potter faces challenge with squad harmony
The midfielder became Chelsea’s eighth signing during January, albeit with Malo Gusto loaned back to Lyon, and Potter could struggle to keep everyone happy given that Jorginho was the only sale.
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Potter must deal with an unhappy Hakim Ziyech after the winger’s loan to Paris Saint-Germain broke down.
He will also have to leave some players disappointed and contend with Chelsea being able to register only three of the incomings in their 25-man Champions League squad.
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“There are challenges when you’ve got that many players,” Potter said. “There are challenges in terms of what role they play because most players want to play. They want to play, be on the pitch and help the team. When they are not, it is a challenge and it is a challenge for lots of reasons at this football club.
“When you go through a period of transition and the steps we’ve gone through then there are going to be periods when it is going to be tougher than you ideally want – it’s not optimal. I am not complaining about it and I have to do my best to support and manage the club. Step by step I want to put the team in a better place than when I arrived.”
Big picture for Chelsea
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League ahead of a crucial Premier League fixture against high-flying Fulham on Friday.
They have invested heavily in youth but are out of both domestic cups, limiting Potter’s opportunities to experiment.
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