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Football London
Football London
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Kieran Horn

Havertz hint, Silva audition - Four things spotted in Chelsea training ahead of Fulham clash

Chelsea return to action for the first time in 13 days on Friday when they take on Fulham in a west London derby at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter has had close to two weeks working closely with his squad while Todd Boehly and Co. have been recruiting more players in the hopes of boosting their chances of a top four finish and potentially European silverware.

Focus will not be on Chelsea's last-16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund for another few weeks yet though with a huge opportunity now available for the Blues to make it three Premier League games unbeaten for the first time since mid-October.

In order to do that Chelsea must avenge their 2-1 loss to their London neighbours Fulham, who currently sit two points ahead of Chelsea having played one game more.

READ MORE : Chelsea confirm new sporting director roles after Todd Boehly's record transfer spend

Ahead of the fixture, Potter has undoubtedly been putting his players through their paces as seen by the images released of Chelsea training on Thursday. With that in mind, here's four things football.london noticed from the latest sessions at Cobham.

Havertz hint

The departure of Jorginho not only leaves a hole in midfield, that is likely to be filled by Enzo Fernandez, but also one key responsibility the Italian had on the pitch.

On his debut, Jorginho scored from the penalty spot using a run-up not seen in the Premier League before and his exit means a new penalty taker must be decided.

Mason Mount and Kai Havertz have been given the duties from 12 yards before and it looks as though the latter could be the designated taker going forward as training pictures looked to show the German practicing penalties

Silva decision

Thiago Silva's Chelsea contract expires in the summer but arguably as the club's best defender, an extension is thought to be in the works with the Brazilian also of that mindset.

Speaking to ESPN, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Silva said: "We are negotiating. It will probably happen in the next days. My plan is to continue at Chelsea and Chelsea want to continue with me. Chelsea need me with the rebuilding of the club — and here I am."

With Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in attendance, the pair were seen watching training with a great image capturing them watching Silva complete a long pass. The decision on a new deal will likely ultimately rest at the feet of the co-owners and to further affirm their decision they were perhaps keeping a close eye on the 38-year-old in training.

Ziyech morale

Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has returned to London after his deadline day move to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed at the final hour. Graham Potter has insisted though that he is focused on the task at hand.

"He's back in the country and he trained this morning. He is committed to us and is available for the squad for the game tomorrow. He'll be an important player for us for the rest of the season."

As the Blues boss said, Ziyech was part of Chelsea training and he seems intent on not letting his failed move affect him after he was pictured with a huge smile on his face by the cameras at Cobham.

Gallagher skill

In recent weeks Conor Gallagher has been more than able to showcase how effective he can be in the engine room with his tireless running and aggression in the tackle seeing the Blues reap the benefits.

As was seen in his loan spell at Crystal Palace, the midfielder can offer a significant goal threat and although that is yet to be seen since his return to Stamford Bridge, he could be looking to bring that side of his game along with another, perhaps unexpected, attribute.

Snapped by photographers at Chelsea's training ground, Gallagher is shown performing a Rabona, a skill move which involves kicking the ball with one foot from behind the other leg and Gallagher's effort seems to reach quite the height.

READ NEXT:

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