GRAHAM POTTER is whisking his Chelsea squad away for a warm weather boot camp just up the road from the World Cup.
Those players not involved in the tournament are heading to Abu Dhabi for a ten day training trip so that new boss Potter can iron out tactical problems and get to know some of his players better.
Stars such as striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, new midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka and recovering crocks Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Ben Chilwell and maybe even N’Golo Kante are all likely to be on the plane.
A group of Chelsea’s youth players may also join the party to make it a worthwhile bonding trip too.
The plan is to leave early next month for around ten days and be back in England to coincide with the end of the World Cup, whose final is on December 18.
Chelsea are not the only Premier League team choosing to go long-haul to the Arabian peninsula for training while domestic football takes a break for six weeks.
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Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 1-0 on Sunday, Manchester United and Manchester City are also planning to combine winter sunshine and get in extra training with their non-internationals.
Boss Potter reckons his team has paid a big price for the recent congested fixture list with a series of injuries and believes getting away is a big chance to regroup his squad.
He said: “I think that’s going to help us.
“We’ll have two or three key players back and a couple of the ones on the way closer to being back, that’s just how it’s been.
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“We’ve had a bit of a perfect storm in terms of lots of games and injuries along the way but we have to deal with that and focus on how we can improve the team and as you can see from the team there is a bit of work to do.”
Chelsea will be staying in the same hotel they used for their victorious Club World Cup campaign in February under former manager Thomas Tuchel.
They do not have another home game now until their December 27 Premier League clash against Bournemouth.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
