Graham Potter & Chelsea need to grasp transfer backing to kick on in Premier League and Champions League

Graham Potter received the ultimate backing in the January transfer window with Chelsea signing as many as eight players, despite the Blues languishing in 10th spot after spending a fortune in the summer window.

Now, Potter has no excuse and all the tools to succeed as Chelsea boss. In January, the Blues added Benoit Badiashile, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke among others, as well as a British record in the acquisition of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, who will eventually cost the club £106.8 million.

After the extraordinary job the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital have done off the pitch alongside the revamped recruitment team, the Englishman has it all to do to get the new and existing players biding into his system and tactics to mount a strong finish to the Premier League and Champions League run-in.

Potter‘s team is becoming unpredictable, which might not always be a great thing, considering he may not know his best line-up just yet, however that has been majorly impacted by injury absences. Now, with the necessary backing in recruitment, that could change with plenty of the new signings likely to be mainstays in the team.

Slowly, that is the direction it seems to be going in. Badiashile has kept his place in the team and formed a formidable two-man centre-back pairing with Thiago Silva, keeping back-to-back clean sheets in the league.

And with Reece James and Ben Chilwell nearing a return full fitness, the defence is starting to pick itself, which is not just based on the personnel but the results they are producing as a unit, building healthy competition for the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and the near-fit Wesley Fofana.

Chelsea are currently 10 points off Manchester United and Newcastle in third and fourth spot respectively, but with the Red Devils on an upward trajectory, it does seem unlikely that it may just be a little too late to catch them up, but the Magpies are in unfamiliar territory and could crumble under the pressure in the run-in with teams chasing down the spots they’re occupying.

Above Chelsea at the moment, are the likes of Brighton, Brentford and Fulham, who the Blues could overtake on Friday night when they meet the Cottagers in a London derby at Stamford Bridge. With the business Chelsea have done, they’re almost certain to overtake the aforementioned trio and kick-start their campaign.

In less than a fortnight, Potter’s men will also make the trip to Germany, where they’ll now be considered to be favorites against a Dortmund side who are in fourth spot in the Bundesliga. Potter took over the club when they were down and out with very little hope in the Champions League, and now there can be the belief that can see Chelsea succeed and conquer Europe again in the near future.

As Carney Chukwuemeka put before their match against Fulham: “We just have to keep believing we can get top four. Once we believe it, then we can work towards it. But if we don’t believe it then it’s not going to happen.”