Chelsea and Todd Boehly have been spared their Frenkie de Jong blushes as key midfielder Mateo Kovacic deems himself 'ready' to return for the next Premier League game against Leicester amid N'Golo Kante injury fear.
The Blues have started off the campaign with four points from the first nine available. Even before the season started, manager Thomas Tuchel had an injury predicament on his hands. During the tour of the United States, it was clear that the 28-year-old wasn't himself.
He had his knee strapped up before the majority of those pre-season clashes and come the opening Everton game, the Croatian international was only fit enough for the bench. Having racked around only 90 minutes in total during the games across the Atlantic, Tuchel didn't believe his number 8 was fit enough to acquire any minutes, not even from the bench, against Everton, Tottenham and Leeds United respectively with him left out from the entire squad for the latter of the two games.
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"It is the same for Kova, who is injured, unfortunately. He has issues with his knee and always has a little bit of a reaction, so we decided to take a step back and increase treatment time and reduce the stress that comes from training to have no more reaction before we start again," Tuchel said ahead of Everton.
Since these comments, the German will have despaired when he learned the extent of Kante's injury that was suffered in the latter parts of the Tottenham draw. With all the injuries taken into account coupled with how the makeshift midfield fared in the Leeds United humiliation, many Chelsea supporters have since cried out for a new midfielder to sign.
Mattheus Nunes signed for Wolves whilst Frenkie de Jong looks set to stay at Barcelona. Youri Tielemans is available but the Blues have yet to make any move for the Leicester star with all focus currently on one of the Belgian's teammates.
Boehly is working around the clock trying to provide Tuchel with all of Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Anthony Gordon before the September 1 deadline and the suggestion that a midfielder may need to be signed was swatted away at the first attempt by the Chelsea manager when posed the question.
He said: "Another midfielder? We have Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, we have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic…."
With Kovacic pictured in open training on Tuesday, that was the first hint that he could be back sooner than later and his latest admission not only spares Boehly's De Jong blushes but helps Chelsea on the pitch too.
He told the 5th Stand App: "It's nice to be back on the pitch after missing two weeks. Tough to come back but it's very nice to come back with the boys on the pitch and I cannot wait for what's coming.
"I hated it [being on the sidelines] and it was tough but the injury gives you something to improve more on the other side. I Improved more in the gym a little bit and I did some extra work, so I now feel good to go."
Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka have been signed for the future but Conor Gallagher's rumoured loan exit to Newcastle could offer one of the two an early opportunity to compete with the likes of Kovacic and Co for regular starting places.
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