As has seemingly been the case for well over a year now, the injury problems are mounting at Chelsea.
Mauricio Pochettino has endured a mixed start to his first few games in charge of the Blues and like both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard before him, the Argentine remains without some key players.
Summer signings Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are yet to kick a ball in anger, while Reece James hasn’t played since the opening game of the season.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the latest Chelsea injuries…
Mykhailo Mudryk
Though Mudryk is yet to catch fire as a Chelsea player, not having him available would place an even greater strain on Pochettino’s squad.
So, there was concern when the winger came off injured during Ukraine’s draw with England.
Mudryk, however, is back in training with his national team and could be in contention for Sunday’s game against Bournemouth.
Potential return date: Sunday 17 September 2023 vs Bournemouth
Armando Broja
The president of the Albanian FA says Broja could make his return from a long-term knee injury against Bournemouth this week.
Potential return date: Sunday 17 September 2023 vs Bournemouth
Reece James
Pochettino was eager to point out that club captain James would only miss a few weeks of action following his hamstring injury picked up against Liverpool.
There is hope the defender will be back in action after the international break, although it is unclear if he will be fit to feature against the Cherries.
Potential return date: September 2023
Romeo Lavia
Summer signing Lavia was not up to speed to get going right away and Standard Sport understands that an agreement was made with the Belgium national team not to call him up for their games during the break.
While the midfielder is working on his fitness, he remains a doubt for the Bournemouth game immediately after the break.
Potential return date: September 2023
Benoit Badiashile
The defender is back in training following a hamstring injury suffered before a ball was kicked in pre-season.
While that is a boost, the nature of that problem surely means Badiashile won’t be rushed back.
Potential return date: October 2023
Carney Chukwuemeka
The youngster was a regular presence in the starting eleven at the start of the season but picked up a knee injury that required surgery shortly after scoring his first Blues goal against West Ham last month.
He is now expected to be out of action until at least October.
Potential return date: October 2023
Trevoh Chalobah
There has been little clarification on Chalobah’s recovery from a hamstring injury other than the Blues describing him as “continuing to undergo rehabilitation programmes”.
Even when fit, the academy graduate seems unlikely to feature in the first-team on a regular basis.
Potential return date: October 2023
Christopher Nkunku
It will be fascinating to see what Nkunku’s arrival does to this Chelsea team, albeit that might be a while off yet.
The Frenchman had to have surgery on a knee problem suffered in pre-season and, before the loss to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea stated he was still in the “early stages” of his recovery.
A potential return after the November international break looks the most likely outcome at this stage.
Potential return date: November 2023
Wesley Fofana
It seems unlikely £75m defender Wesley Fofana will play at all this season after an ACL injury.
