Graham Potter said Chelsea’s new buys will need time to gel, so expectations should be watered down.
Chelsea was held to a goalless draw by Fulham at Stamford Bridge, despite fielding some of their new signings.
The Blues spent around £320 million on new players alone in the January transfer window. Following the takeover and summer buys, they have spent a staggering £600m on new players.
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Enzo Fernandez who started yesterday was brought in on transfer deadline day for around £120 million. The Argentina international showed flashes of quality, as did fellow new recruit Benoit Badiashile.
Reacting after the draw with Fulham, Potter said there were positives, but it will not be an overnight transformation.
He said, “There was a lot of excitement and positivity from the start, a good atmosphere, the spirit of the players was really good. They worked hard for each other against an organised team.”
Potter added that the Fulham team have been together for a long time and they have some form of synergy already.
“They’ve (Fulham) been together a while. We’re at a different stage of that – players coming back from injury and new players. We needed time to settle everything down. We were missing the connection, fluidity and confidence that comes from knowing each other,” he said.
Hard work will be key-Potter
The Chelsea manager feels hard work will be key to transforming the club’s fortunes at Stamford Bridge, but the foundations have been put in place due to the profile of the players that were recruited.
Potter said, “The decision we took in the window you can see the profile in terms of age. We feel we have a very strong group of players. We have to gel and become a really good team. That’s where the work is.
It’s working together. When players have been injured, they have not been on the training pitch. We have new players with us. It’s about getting ideas across and working with the group.”
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The Chelsea gaffer continued by saying, “Sometimes you have to look at the whole package. Young players, nice mix of them both. For us it’s about improving.
New players are adapting to a new country and a new league. It’s not straightforward. When the price tag is what it is questions will be asked, it’s the nature of the business.”
Potter refused to put a timeframe on when things will improve, as he said: “I can’t stand in front of you here and give a timescale, it is our job to improve – daily and weekly. That is the challenge.
“That is the coaching process. We have to settle down, we have to work with the players, the window is shut and we have to move forward,” he said.
New signing Mykhaylo Mudryk was withdrawn at half-time, but there was nothing sinister in that decision.
“He has had a heavy cold this week and felt heavy-legged at half-time. We did not want to take a chance with him, he is still in a process where we are building up his minutes,” Potter said.
