Graham Potter is hopeful Joao Felix can make a difference for out-of-form Chelsea on his return from suspension at West Ham, acknowledging his raft of new signings must gel quickly.
Joao Felix arrived on loan from Atletico Madrid last month and initially impressed on his debut at Fulham, though a rash challenge on Kenny Tete saw him sent off 58 minutes into the Blues' 2-1 defeat.
That made him the first player to be dismissed on his Premier League debut for Chelsea, and Potter's men have struggled for attacking inspiration during his subsequent three-match ban.
After beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in their next game, Chelsea laboured to goalless draws with Liverpool and Fulham – they have never drawn three successive league matches 0-0 in their history.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's short trip to face London rivals West Ham, Potter highlighted Joao Felix's positive performances in training.
"I think we all saw the impact he had in his hour before the red card," Potter recalled of his debut. "You can see his quality, we see it every day.
"He's a player that can make a difference for us. It's about helping him to get integrated into the team, but the signs are really positive."
The Portugal attacker has since been joined by more big-name arrivals at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea investing heavily to acquire Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and others.
Asked how patient he could afford to be with his new players, Potter said: "It's my job. When you're coaching players, there is a process to go through and you have to understand the context.
"I'm not stupid, at the end of the day, if the results aren't what this club should get, and if I'm the reason for it... then that's the job.
"In the meantime, I have to go through the process of working with the players, helping them improve.
"It's a complicated situation at the moment, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge that awaits us. I don't worry about the absolute timescale of it all."
Reports have suggested Chelsea could help to balance their incomings by letting Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang depart for Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles FC, but Potter says there is "nothing to report" on that front.
"He's been training with us this week, conducting himself well," Potter added. "He has been supporting his team-mates and while he is here, he is doing exactly what I expect him to do."
Potter was also asked about this week's announcement that Manchester City have been charged with breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, but he was careful to stress the champions remain innocent until proven guilty.
"I don't know anything about it, we focus on ourselves. It's something Manchester City have to deal with," he said.
"As I understand it, they're just charges. Certainly in this country, you're innocent until you're proven guilty, so it's not for me to comment on it."
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid: Vinicius, Mbappe penalties close gap on Barca
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both scored penalties as Real Madrid saw off Real Sociedad 2-0 at the Reale Arena.
Carlo Ancelotti's side moved to within a point of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who visit fifth-place Girona on Sunday.
Already without the likes of Jude Bellingham, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Madrid suffered another injury blow in the 24th minute when Brahim Diaz was forced off with a muscular issue.
After a goalless first half, the visitors broke through 13 minutes after the restart with Vinicius slotting home from 12 yards after Sergio Gomez handled Arda Guler's shot.
Vinicus was then felled for Madrid's second penalty, which was awarded following a VAR review, with Mbappe making no mistake in sealing all three points.
Data Debrief: Madrid extend unbeaten streak
Extending their unbeaten LaLiga streak to 37 matches, Madrid have now won four successive away league games against Basque opposition for the first time since a run of four such victories between 2011 and 2013.
By contrast, Sociedad have now suffered four straight home defeats in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2007.
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea: Late Nkunku strike snatches victory for Blues
Christopher Nkunku proved Chelsea's hero as his late strike secured a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The forward climbed off the bench to strike the winner five minutes from time at the Vitality Stadium, where Robert Sanchez kept out Evanilson's first-half penalty.
Bournemouth looked the more likely to take all three points in the contest, with Marcus Tavernier's long-range thunderbolt rattling the crossbar early on.
Sanchez then came to rescue on 38 minutes by denying Evanilson from 12 yards, albeit after he had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on the Brazilian.
The woodwork denied the Cherries again after the break, with Ryan Christie seeing his precise low effort hit the outside of Sanchez's right post.
However, it was Chelsea who snatched the points with five minutes remaining. Receiving the ball from Jadon Sancho, Nkunku cleverly skipped away from a couple of challenges before slotting past Mark Travers in the Bournemouth net.
Data Debrief: More happy travels for super sub Nkunku
Nkunku's piece of individual brilliance settled the contest. All four of his Premier League goals for Chelsea have come away from home as a substitute.
The Blues held out at the other end to claim their first away league clean sheet in 18 attempts, while winning four straight matches on the road for the first time since 2022.
Meanwhile, history was made at the Vitality Stadium with the referee showing a total of 14 yellow cards; the highest amount issued in a single Premier League game.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
