Your Chelsea morning digest on Thursday, November 3rd.
USMNT Pulisic hint
Gregg Berhalter, manager of the United States of America's men's national football team (USMNT), has praised Christian Pulisic ahead of the World Cup and given a hint on the winger's future.
Pulisic fell massively out of favour under Thomas Tuchel but has been given a lifeline by Graham Potter, though he is still being used as a wingback more often than not. It comes after a summer in which he was widely expected to leave the club but no move materialised.
The 24-year-old will be a key part of Berhalter's World Cup ambitions in Qatar though, and he told The Times: "I’ve seen his transformation as a person and as a player and it’s been really fun to watch.
READ MORE: Graham Potter handed double Chelsea injury blow ahead of Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal
"It’s difficult when you’re at a club like Chelsea and in any given summer they can bring in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of players and he keeps fighting to get his place." He added. "I’ve got a lot of respect for Christian and I think he’s done a fantastic job."
Read the full story, here.
Chelsea World Cup windfall
Graham Potter may have a watchful eye on the World Cup for business reasons as well as enjoyment. The 47-year-old is set to be without a large portion of his first-team squad during the six-week Premier League break and must find a way to prepare those he does have for the fixtures upon the return for Chelsea on December 27 against Bournemouth.
Outside of this though, the tournament is a perfect shop window for the January transfer window which is right around the corner. For Chelsea, they will be hoping to boost the prices of certain players that may well end up on the market.
Outside of the current squad, with there not being any outstanding players at the tournament that are expected to leave other than Pulisic, Romelu Lukaku is one to watch. The Belgian will be playing for Belgium - he is the all-time top scorer for his country - and could help Boehly get a return on his £97m investment from last summer.
Read the full story, here.
Zakaria impresses despite knock
Denis Zakaria was brought off for Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the second half of Chelsea's clash with Dinamo Zagreb. The 25-year-old midfielder had enjoyed a superb debut under the lights at Stamford Bridge which was unfortunately brought to a premature end.
He was seen perching himself down on the floor after seemingly feeling discomfort in his right leg. Upon being hoisted up by the Blues' medical team, the Switzerland international clutched the side of his upper thigh.
After walking around the pitch with little to no aid from the medical staff, Zakaria beelined to the dressing room hinting that a knock is a reason for his substitution. The Swiss' injury comes as a huge blow as Chelsea are hit with another cruel injury ahead of the blockbuster bout with Arsenal on Sunday.
Read the full story, here.
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