“I’d love to be a fly on the wall there” – Mark Lawrenson offers prediction ahead of Chelsea vs Fulham after Blues’ transfer splurge

Mark Lawrenson recently shared his prediction for the upcoming Premier League clash between Chelsea and Fulham. The Blues will enter the contest with a massively revamped squad after their spending splurge in the January transfer window.

The Blues signed seven players on a permanent basis last month. David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badishile, Mukhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, and Enzo Fernandez all joined the club. Joao Felix also arrived at the club on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Lawrenson believes it will be a tough job for Graham Potter to choose a starting XI from so many players. However, Lawrenson is confident that the west Londoners will manage to pick up a win when they take on Fulham. He wrote:

"I’d love to be a fly on the wall there at Chelsea because how many players have they got to pick from? I don’t think they’ll play too many of the new ones who have only just signed up but I think they’ll win. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with them going forward. Chelsea 2-0 Fulham."

The Blues are currently tenth in the Premier League table with 29 points on the board from 20 games. Fulham, meanwhile, are seventh with 31 points on the board from 21 games. The previous Premier League encounter between the two teams ended in a 2-1 win for the Cottagers.

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Chelsea manager Graham Potter reacted to Enzo Fernandez's arrival

Graham Potter - Premier League

After their prolonged pursuit, Chelsea finally managed to register Enzo Fernandez for the team with a British record transfer fee of €121 million. Graham Potter lauded Fernandez's character after the Argentine midfielder's arrival, saying (via the Blues' official website):

"He’s still young, coming to this country you have to adapt, you have adapt to the club, so it doesn’t matter what the fee is, that still has to happen, but we will help him with that, And his personality is one that makes you think you have no concerns with him."

"He’s a fighter. He understands how fortunate he is. He fights for the team, he’s not afraid, he’s got courage, he’s open-minded, he wants to improve."

Potter further added:

"If you can play in the six for Argentina, and play in the big games he has, at his age, and with the quality he has shown, it’s not straightforward."

Fernandez was named the Young Player of the Tournament at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.