Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have been spotted in conversation with manager Graham Potter. The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat against Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the Challenge Cup in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening.
Potter had to work with a makeshift squad for with a number of his star players either still away or taking a break after featuring at the World Cup in Qatar. Chelsea are set to fly home this morning (Monday) and then regroup at Cobham on Wednesday, along with those players who made early exits from the tournament in the Middle East.
The biggest positive is the return of Reece James from injury after the 23-year-old rejoined the group last week and is now back in team training. The match against Villa came far too soon for the England international to make his comeback, but there is hope he will be ready to take on Bournemouth when the Premier League season resumes on December 27.
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Blues fans have spotted Boehly and Eghbali speaking to Potter after the friendly against Villa, with all three seemingly in good spirits. A number of players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge ahead of the January transfer window with the American co-owner set to back his manager with new signings.
It is unclear what the trio were discussing with some supporters speculating that Boehly was showing Potter his ideal transfer targets for January, including making a move for Cristiano Ronaldo following Armando Broja's injury against Villa. Others suggested Boehly was showing the Chelsea boss his Football Manager save after Gary Neville had previously commented on the Blues' summer transfer business, claiming their American owner was acting as if he was playing a video game.
A positive sign for Chelsea fans is that there seems to be a good relationship between Potter and the two Blues owners. There are a number of areas in the squad that need addressing, with attack and central midfield likely to be a priority to strengthen in January. The futures of both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho remain uncertain, whilst the recent blow to Broja and lack of form for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be a concern for Potter.
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