Chelsea still in the hunt for more signings, says Graham Potter

The Portugal international became Chelsea’s third signing of the window on Wednesday with the club reportedly paying £9million for the six-month deal, but the manager acknowledged there could still be more players through the door if the right deals could be done.

The Premier League club were waiting to hear whether the 23-year-old was registered in time to feature against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday, as they look to cut the gap on the top four, which currently stands at 10 points.

“He’s a quality player,” Potter said. “He can make a difference in the final third of the pitch. He’s young but has still had a lot of really good experience. He’s just a quality player that gives everyone a lift.

“We’ve been aware of (him) for a while – these kinds of things don’t happen quickly. The injuries have sharpened the focus a little bit. Still it’s nice to get him here, to get him training today. That’s a positive for us.

“Then we’ll see for the game on Thursday. We’re waiting for confirmation.

“He’s a good age, the quality is there. He’s a fantastic player. His quality is in terms of playing as a second striker, playing between the lines, making things happen in the final third. So we’re looking forward to working with him.

“There’s time (for more signings). Whether we’ll find the right players or not is another thing. You have to look in this window to make the right decisions, but it’s complicated. We’re happy with what we’ve done so far.”

Chelsea are on a run of just one win in their last eight league games and supporters sang the name of former head coach Thomas Tuchel during last Sunday’s meek 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.

Potter will have striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang available for Thursday after he recovered from a back injury, but Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic are likely to be out for a couple of months.

N’Golo Kante and Reece James have returned to training alone but are not thought to be close to returning.

Fulham manager Marco Silva has “no doubts” over Chelsea’s high quality despite their recent poor form.

Silva’s side head into the match seventh in the table having won all three Premier League games since action resumed in December following the World Cup, and having already equalled the points tally from their last top-flight campaign (28), when they were relegated under Scott Parker in 2020-21.

Potter’s Blues, in contrast, are out of form and are currently dealing with a severe injury crisis, but Silva still expects them to be a force to be reckoned with.

“Even with some injuries – and you know we are not with our full squad as well for the match – they are always Chelsea,” the Portuguese said.

“And I think it is clear that two seasons ago they won the Champions League, this season they spent more than £300million, we cannot talk about all these things.

“I think it is clear the high quality they have in their squad, for me there are no doubts about it. It’s more for Potter to decide who will be in the XI and I will do the same with my squad."