Here is your Chelsea morning digest for Tuesday, November 17.
Silva question set to be answered as Chelsea face Newcastle
Chelsea’s trip to Newcastle United this weekend will likely provide answers over Thiago Silva’s ability to play regularly this season.
The 36-year-old has become an integral part of Frank Lampard’s side since his arrival on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
He has also played for his country, starting for Brazil against Venezuela on Saturday, and is expected to be involved for their clash with Uruguay.
Lampard has previously made clear his intention to avoid overusing Silva, so it will be interesting to see if he is capable of playing a full 90 minutes against Newcastle.
“When you have an experienced player and such a great professional like Thiago, that honest conversation is very easy,” the Chelsea boss said.
“If it means managing training, managing game time which we did last week with Russia, I’ll be very upfront and honest with him in terms of what we both think.
“I remember at the back-end of my career how I had to change my training programme, so I am very open to small tweaks with Thiago.”
Napoli interested in Chelsea full-back
Napoli could move to sign Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri in January, according to a report from Repubblica.
The 26-year-old was among those players linked with an exit in the summer following the arrival of Ben Chilwell from Leicester City.
Emerson has been on the fringes this season and could be offered an escape route in the near future, with Napoli said to be looking for a new left-back.
Chelsea are reportedly willing to let the Brazilian leave the club when the window reopens in six weeks' time.
Key stat highlights Zouma’s influence
Kurt Zouma has been a stand-out performer for Chelsea this season, forming a formidable partnership with summer arrival Thiago Silva.
And one statistic highlights the Frenchman’s importance in Frank Lampard’s backline.
The 26-year-old, according to the CIES Football Observatory, is at the top of a list ranking ‘'the 100 players from the 10 best European leagues who won the highest percentage of aerial defensive duels since the start of the season’.
Zouma, who has been an almost ever-present in Lampard's defence this season, has won 26 of his 27 aerial duels, which equates to an impressive 96.3%.
He could start again for the Blues on Saturday against Newcastle.
