Graham Potter has endured a tricky start to life as Chelsea manager as a result of the lack of action he’s actually overseen two weeks into the job.
By the time the Blues line up for their next Premier League game away at Crystal Palace on October 1, nearly an entire month will have gone by since their previous league fixture at home to London rivals West Ham.
At the very least, Potter has had some valuable time getting to know his players on the training pitches at Cobham before the Chelsea squad disperse for international duty with their respective national sides.
Given the Blues currently languish as low as seventh in the table after a stuttering start to the season, Potter knows he has precious little time to waste when it comes to turning the tide on Chelsea's recent fortunes.
Mirror Football has collected some of the main talking points coming out of Stamford Bridge on Thursday, September 22.
Rudiger opens up on Chelsea frustration
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Antonio Rudiger has since swapped the blue of Chelsea for the white of Real Madrid, but has still discussed the circumstances that surrounded his exit from the club.
The central defender saw out the end of his Blues contract before penning a four-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted as early as April that Rudiger was calling time on his West London stay.
It proved to be quite the coincidence that Rudiger’s final Champions League game for Chelsea came against Real Madrid and ended up being so pivotal to his immediate club future.
"There were only two options for me: "Either I stay at Chelsea or I go to Real Madrid, the 29-year-old told Sport1. “Germany was not a serious option for me. At the end of April, my options became really concrete. But before everything was clear, my brother misled me a bit.
Chelsea played against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter finals and after the first leg loss, he suddenly said to me: ‘Toni, I don't know if this will still work! In the second leg you have to prove everything to keep going.’ Those words, that I might not move, hurt me but that motivated me.”
Read Rudiger’s story in full HERE.
Potter ready to offer a second-chance
The new Chelsea manager is reportedly willing to try and reintegrate Callum Hudson-Odoi into his first-team plans - cutting short his loan to Bayer Leverkusen in the process.
The 21-year-old only just joined the Bundesliga outfit on a temporary deal until the end of the season, though there was a recall option inserted into the winger’s contract.
German outlet Bild have since claimed the Blues boss is keen on bringing Hudson-Odoi back to the bridge, having been a keen admirer of the player in the summer while Potter was still in charge of Brighton.
Whether Hudson-Odoi would be keen on that remains to be seen, he recently discussed his frustration over the way things played out for him last season under Tuchel.
Find Hudson-Odoi’s comments HERE.
Chelsea axe director within weeks
Chelsea have sacked commercial director Damian Willoughby after discovering he had sent “inappropriate messages”, allegedly to a female football agent.
According to the Telegraph, the agent involved submitted a complaint to Chelsea's president of business Tom Glick, the man who had hired Willoughby for Chelsea.
She alleged that she had had been sexually harassed before he joined the Blues and had felt threatened over the phone.
A segment of Chelsea's official statement read: "Evidence of inappropriate messages sent by Mr Willoughby, prior to his appointment at Chelsea FC earlier this month, has recently been provided to and investigated by the Club.
"While they were sent prior to his employment at the Club, such behaviour runs absolutely counter to the workplace environment and corporate culture being established by the Club’s new ownership."
Find Chelsea's full statement in response to the incident HERE.
