Borussia Dortmund defender Julian Ryerson has suggested that Chelsea could be at a disadvantage ahead of the Champions League round of 16 clash. The German outfit will welcome the Blues to the Signal Iduna Park this evening as either side seeks European glory.
Todd Boehly will be hoping that his spending spree last month will finally pay dividends with Graham Potter's side yet to register a win since the January transfer window slammed shut. Enzo Fernandez penned a deal with Chelsea on deadline day for a club-record fee, following Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Andrey Santos, with Malo Gusto arriving in the summer.
Joao Felix also joined on loan from Atletico Madrid, with the Blues' total spend in January amounting to an eye-watering £323million. Dortmund, on the other hand, signed just two players last month being Ryerson and Julien Duranville — the latter of whom is set to be out for some time having arrived with a hamstring injury.
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So, with the Bundesliga side armed with just one January signing against Chelsea, Ryerson has claimed that the Blues could be at a disadvantage due to their spending habits. Speaking to the press ahead of round of 16 clash, the Norway international said: "That’s a challenge for them, with so many new additions. For us, there’s only me and Julien [Duranville], which could be an advantage for us."
Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic chipped in and suggested that the abundance of new signings make the Blues unpredictable. He said: "It’s not easy to analyse the whole thing.
"There was a lot of movement in this transfer window, and when [Chelsea’s squad] was announced, we were naturally very curious. You don’t know exactly what line-up they will be playing with here. We will prepare for everything."
Potter was also quizzed on the subject, claiming that there's a buzz among the group. The Chelsea boss said: "We’ve got the squad that we have.
"It’s a squad that we’re really excited about but at the same time, we know there are challenges and work we have to do. Whenever you’re forming a new group, if all of us started to work together, we’d have to take some time, understand what makes us tick, understand how we can help each other.
"That is the impression I get when I see the boys on a daily basis," Potter added. "There is a good spirit, good harmony, they’re pushing each other in a good way.
"We had a good session today and you can see the guys are working hard to support the team and each other. So while there are challenges there are lots of things to be happy about as well."
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