The Premier League have offered Chelsea a hint over the availability of Joao Felix for Chelsea's next match against Fulham, on Thursday. The Blues announced the signing of the Portuguese forward on a six month loan from Atletico Madrid as Graham Potter seeks for attacking reinforcements.
The manager confirmed that both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic would miss the west London derby at Craven Cottage with the latter set to be out for several months. There is hope that Sterling will be back before that but given Armando Broja is sidelined until next season Chelsea were in need of more options.
Felix, 23, has struggled for minutes this season after his relationship with Diego Simeone continued to sour in Spain. He is now tasked with improving the creative nature of Potter's forward line, one that has scored fewer goals than Erling Haaland so far this season.
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Against Fulham, Potter has a chance to record just a second win in nine games. The hosts, who will start the game ahead of their neighbours, will be without their own talisman as Aleksandar Mitrovic is forced to sit the game out with a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
As for Felix and his potential debut, Chelsea are waiting nervously to find out if he is available for the game. Premier League rules state that a player must be signed before 12pm on the day before a game. Chelsea's announcement for Felix came at 12:17pm on social media - though when they completed the necessary paperwork with the Premier League remains to be seen.
When asked about it before the match Potter said: "We’re still waiting for that, still waiting for the confirmation he can play. But he was around today."
The manager then explained his desired impact, adding: "He's a quality player, can make a difference in the final third of the pitch, young but has obviously had a lot of really good experience. He's a quality player that gives everyone a lift.
"We’ve been aware of it a while. These things don’t happen quickly. Obviously, the injuries have maybe sharpened the focus a little bit but it’s nice to get him in and training today. That is positive for us. We’ll see for the game tomorrow."
As fans await confirmation the Premier League itself has hinted at his availability with his addition to the Chelsea squad on their website.
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