Enzo Fernandez spotted in Chelsea training ahead of potential £106.8m debut against Fulham

Enzo Fernandez could make his Chelsea debut on Friday night against Fulham after taking part in his first training session at the club’s Cobham base.

The 22-year-old signed for Chelsea earlier this week for £106.8 million from Benfica until June 2031 and is in contention to face Fulham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

He signed a long-term contract after pushing through a move on deadline day, which came to the delight of the Argentina, head coach Graham Potter and the club’s owners.

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“I’m really happy with the opportunity that Chelsea has given me and I will give everything to achieve the club’s goals,” Fernandez told the club’s in-house media.

He added: “It’s a big club, it’s a club that is always fighting and has won the Champions League and we will look to achieve everything that the club wants and take it to the next level.”

Potter was asked about his deadline day arrival ahead of their clash versus Fulham, stating: “I’m very pleased because we’ve got a fantastic player and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

However, the Chelsea head coach was coy over whether or not Fernandez would be available for selection against Fulham, hinting that the Argentine was yet to be granted a work permit.

He added: “We’ll see (if he’s available). We’ve got to go through the paperwork and he needs to get clearance and all that.”

But following the press conference on Thursday afternoon at Cobham, images started to emerge from Chelsea’s morning training session, but there was no sighting of Fernandez until eagle eyed social media users picked out Fernandez due to his distinct tattoo on his hand.

It remains unclear if Fernandez’s work permit has come in time for the west London derby on Friday night, with claims suggesting he is in Potter’s squad to face Marco Silva’s high-flying Cottagers.

Noni Madueke is also yet to make his debut for Chelsea since joining from PSV Eindhoven, while Mykhailo Mudryk is in line to make his home and full debut after featuring in the second half against Liverpool last month.