Premier League

CHELSEA struggled once again as they limped to a goalless draw with Fulham.Graham Potter threw in January signings Benoit Badiashile and Mykhailo Mudryk but the standout name in the starting XI was Enzo Fernandez.
Enzo Fernandez slotted straight into the base of the Chelsea midfieldCredit: Getty
Two more new arrivals came on for the Blues but for all the £680million across the starting XI and subs, they could not buy a goal.
And the stalemate means Chelsea remain below Fulham in the table and could be 12 points off the top four by tomorrow evening.
Here’s how SunSport’s Joshua Jones rated Graham Potter’s men…
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6
The £71m goalkeeper made a flying save to prove the old money is just as important as the new money, tipping a rasping Andreas Pereira drive around the post.
A couple of nervy moments with the ball at his feet and then took a huge sigh of relief when he got back to save Alexandar Mitrovic’s effort from miles out.
Reece James – 5
Amid all the money spent, the return of Reece James at right-back could be the best news of all for Potter.
But far from his brilliant top standards – as expected – on his comeback from the knee injury that wrecked his World cup dream, although did well and had his hands full with ex-Chelsea man Willian.
Did deliver one wonderful cross but could not quite pick out his man before he was withdrawn on the hour mark.
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Kepa Arrizabalaga made a smart stop in the first halfCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Thiago Silva – 7
Ageing. Fine. Wine.
The 37-year-old once again demonstrated his sheer class with another Rolls Royce showing at the back – not for the first time in his fine career.
Caught out for pace once by Willian but helped out by his partner.
Benoit Badiashile – 7
Put his Champions League disappointment to one side to star alongside Silva – stepping up when required and looking a really dominant force.
This could be the bedrock partnership in the second half of the season to reignite the campaign.
Benoit Badiashile looked composed and dominant at the backCredit: Getty
Marc Cucurella – 3
There are still serious doubts of Marc Cucurella and tonight showed why as he was beaten time and time again defensively and at times looked lost out there.
Spent most of his evening chasing shadows, on the deck or complaining to the ref – the sight of Ben Chilwell on the Chelsea bench a welcome sight.
Conor Gallagher – 4
Forgot he was playing in a midfield three until the 55th minute when he delivered a woeful corner cleared by the first man at the near post.
His second involvement of note was a cynical late foul which earned him a yellow card. Not the kind of performance that is going to keep him in the team.
The third saw his flash a low strike against the outside of the post – many in the ground thought it was in.
Enzo Fernandez – 8
The £107m man was straight in from the start less than 72 hours after completing his British-record move – and looked right at home immediately in the Battle of the Bleached Blondes with Pereira.
Fernandez got right in the thick of his defensive duties and then started pulling the strings from deep, just as his predecessor No5 did.
Almost capped off a fine debut with a brilliant curling shot from distance that flew just past the post – that would have been some way to introduce himself in England.
Mason Mount – 4
Seemed to be far more effective as a high No8 rather than an inverted winger and would have set Kai Havertz up for the opening goal before Tim Ream’s crucial touch.
But after his first-half exploits, trailed off in the second period and went missing for large chunks so was rightly taken off.
Conor Gallagher struggled to make his markCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Graham Potter took Hakim Ziyech off after an hourCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Hakim Ziyech – 4
Thought he was going to be lining up with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe et al but Potter clearly feels he has something to offer by throwing him back into the starting XI.
However, offered very little and got his weak-foot shot all wrong… it could even have landed outside the Parc des Princes.
Kai Havertz – 4
Came closest to breaking the deadlock when Ziyech executed a superb pass but the German lobbed compatriot Bernd Leno – then saw the ball bounce back off the post as defenders raced back.
Cut an isolated and lonely figure at times – but even when he did get on the ball, he didn’t do much with it.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 3
Looked bright from the first whistle with his electric pace off the ball striking fear into the Fulham defence.
But in reality, Mudryk was never really in the game at all as he struggled to get a touch or manage a successful take-on and was subbed at half-time with no apparent sign of an injury.
Kai Havertz hit the post with his lob in the first halfCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Mykhailo Mudryk barely got a touch up against Kenny TeteCredit: Getty
SUBS
Noni Madueke (for Mudryk, HT) – 8
Came on for his debut and immediately went on the front foot with an exciting drive – fans will be hoping that’s a sign of things to come.
Would have headed in at the back post before more good Tete defending and was a constant threat, demanding the ball and taking ownership. Impressive.
Cesar Azpilicueta (for James, 60 mins) – 5
Came on for his 501st Chelsea appearance in what looked like a pre-planned change.
Raheem Sterling (for Ziyech, 60 mins) – 5
Got a point to prove with the arrival of all the new attackers in January but just overhit a simple pass for Mount, who would have been in.
David Fofana (for Mount, 75 mins) – 7
His introduction up top saw Havertz drop deeper and almost made the perfect start when he took the ball around Leno, cut inside but then couldn’t find a way past Ream who blocked well.
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Ben Chilwell (for Cucurella, 84 mins) – 5
A welcome return for the £50m left-back whose Chelsea career has been dogged by injuries.
A major upgrade on Cucurella and the perfect tonic for James on the other side.
Noni Madueke was a bright spark for the second halfCredit: Getty
David Fofana saw his shot blocked brilliantly by Tim ReamCredit: Getty
Ben Chilwell made his welcome return for the closing minutesCredit: Alamy More

FFP is the least of Graham Potter’s worries – they had enough trouble with FFC.The expected carnival of football and goal rush to accompany Chelsea’s astonishing transfer splurge last month failed to materialise with the most expensive goalless draw in history.
Club-record signing Enzo Fernandez suffered frustration on his Chelsea bowCredit: Getty
Kai Havertz came closest for Chelsea but his effort was cleared off the lineCredit: Getty
New boy £107m Mudryk was hooked at half time by PotterCredit: Getty
After spending more than £600 million, UEFA’s financial rottweilers are watching to see if the Premier League’s biggest spenders have strayed over the line with regard to Financial Fair Play.
Chairman Todd Boehly is confident his club has not broken the rules but sitting in his VIP box at Stamford Bridge last night he must have been thinking about value for money.
More than half a billion quid for two shots on target all night – one of which was a tame, upward looping header from 38-year-old defender Thiago Silva is not what he was looking forward to.
The other was a cracking effort from £10.5 million striker Davd Fofana which was blocked from crossing the line by Fulham skipper Tim Ream.
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But it’s still not much of a return on the kind of investment that could change entire economies.
Boss Potter is now blessed with the kind of squad many managers can only dream of.
Handing a debut to the most costly signing in English football in £106m Enzo Fernandez. He was playing just behind £88m winger Mykhailo Mudryk and ahead of £35m new defender Benoit Badiashile.
Chelsea have wingers, defenders and midfielders coming out of their ears but with the exception of sub Fofana’s late charge, seem to have forgotten about strikers.
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It is also a sobering lesson that spending money is easy, spending it on the right players is the difficult part. Potter admits that himself.
Chelsea are used to getting things their own way by ransacking the transfer market.
Barely three weeks ago, despondent fans stood in the away end at Craven Cottage calling for ‘our Chelsea back’ while watching their team get beaten easily and have a player sent off.
What they meant by that is a demand for the board to go out and spend loads of money like they used to under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
Nobody can complain that Boehly hasn’t stumped up his hard-earned to try to inject some life into a flatlining squad.
Three new signings were in the return match at home to Fulham last night.
Potter was able to make seven changes to his team from when these teams met on January 12 on what became a significant low point in the club’s recent history.
Chelsea fans got used to spending their way to success and after transfer embargoes and Government sanctions, they have got their wish again.
But it is going to take time for a massive influx of new faces to settle in. This season is pretty much written off with just a faint hope of going deep into the Champions League.
Luckily for Potter one thing about this club isn’t coming back regardless of how much cash is spent. He appears to have the best bosses in the world who laugh and smile at every feeble performance and insist it is all about the long-term.
Abramovich would have had Potter out on his ear by now or at least the head coach would be worried if every day was his last in post.
Graham Potter’s men were held by Fulham at Stamford BridgeCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Of the new boys on parade, Enzo Fernandez looked most at ease. Yet even he faded in the second half aside from a shot that curled wide.
Robust with his tackling and all well-timed, the Argentinian also has an eye for a decent pass forwards and several times unhooked his attackers from their markers with weight balls, only for Ziyech or Havertz to either miss the target hopelessly or be caught offside.
Mykhailo Mudryk, relatively cheap by Chelsea standards at £88m, seems like an old hand already having played a few minutes at Liverpool a fortnight ago.
Described as speedy and devastating by his fans, he was subbed at half time having failed to get any change out of Fulham’s impressive right back Kenny Tete.
He was replaced by Noni Madueke, the latest to make his bow at a club which has more debutants than a posh finishing school.
In addition to new Chelsea faces, old ones were returning. Reece James was back in action after a nagging knee injury which has hampered most of his season.
Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell were on the bench. Sterling was on the pitch by the hour mark, along with captain Cesar Azpilicueta. Potter forced to turn to the more established players in a bid to dig something out of an underwhelming performance.
There’s a bit more to Fulham these days though. Arriving at Stamford Bridge sitting above their neighbours in the Premier League table and capable of smooth football backed up by the beast in midfield that is Palhinha.
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Chelsea came closest to scoring when Hakim Ziyech played a clipped ball forwards for Havertz to race onto and lob keeper Bernd Leno, only for his shot to hit the post and rebound out.
The point means Chelsea climb above Liverpool into ninth place and have now won only once in their last seven games in all competitions. More

IT must be crazy to be a Chelsea player right now — absolute lunacy.Imagine being at a club where they have spent more than half a billion pounds in seven months since billionaire Todd Boehly took over.
Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez for a British record transfer feeCredit: Reuters
Mykhailo Mudryk was signed for £98mCredit: Reuters
Graham Potter could have a problem keeping so many world class players happyCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
A club where there are not just two or three quality players for every position but five or six.
Some long-serving Chelsea players might be feeling despondent — certainly concerned about their futures.
Two players come in and you think, ‘That’s good, we’re strengthening’. Then it’s eight players and you’re worried.
If you’re at Nottingham Forest and they have brought in 30 players, you must be feeling dizzy.
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For Chelsea to make eight signings in January, for almost £330million, having spent around £275m in the summer is a hell of a statement.
It also makes for confusion in the dressing room.
But sometimes a club which looks completely mental from the outside can be successful.
There was a lot of noise around Watford after we won promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
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The club brought in 16 players that summer and we had 25 different nationalities in our first-team squad.
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But it worked — we never even looked like being relegated that season.
And that wasn’t our maddest transfer window, which came when the Pozzo family took over in 2012.
I’d just come out of jail and on my first day back, we had FORTY FOUR senior players at the training ground.
There was a full-scale 11 v 11 game going on and 11 more working on team shape with the manager, Gianfranco Zola, and several others who were injured or recovering.
I reckon I shared dressing rooms with 250 players during a decade at Watford and played for 14 managers.
I was club captain for a lot of that time but, some of those players, I couldn’t tell you their names.
Not because I am forgetful but because I never knew them in the first place.
Recently, I was watching Brighton on the telly and their left-back was having a good game.
“Hang on,” I thought, “I played with that bloke in a friendly once.”
It was Pervis Estupinan, the  Ecuadorian World Cup player.
I Googled him and realised he had been a Watford player for four years while I was there — but he’d never made a single competitive appearance for the club.
I met him once and he looked a good player but he couldn’t speak English and we never conversed.
He’d been on loan at four different Spanish clubs then they’d sold him to Villarreal for £15m.
At Watford, you’d often be in the gym and look up and see some random new player and just nod or ask them who the hell he was!
The Pozzos owned a few clubs, such as Udinese in Italy and Granada in Spain, so that first season or so, Watford might have 15 players on loan from those clubs before Ian Holloway went mad about it and they changed the rules.
Towards the end of my time there, I asked the club secretary who this ‘Cucho’ bloke was at training.
“I never saw him being announced on social media,” I said.
He told me: “That’s Cucho Hernandez, we announced him four years ago when we signed him. He’s been on loan ever since.”
I’m not saying this with disrespect to Estupinan or Hernandez, both really good players, or any other team-mates who passed like ships in the night.
It’s just reality at certain clubs.
And by winning promotion to the Premier League, staying up for five seasons and reaching an FA Cup final, we enjoyed one of the most successful spells in the club’s history — despite the apparent chaos.
Importantly, there was a core of long-serving players who held it together and gave the team an identity. Chelsea had that during the Roman Abramovich years.
Not just British players like John Terry and Frank Lampard but imports like Didier Drogba and Petr Cech too.
If you have that spine of a team, then you still have a ‘soul’.
And that is what Chelsea need to be careful of conserving now.
All of their January arrivals are quality players.
Enzo Fernandez has just won the World Cup and Mykhailo Mudryk is extremely exciting.
The concern is Chelsea may end up selling the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, who’ve come through the youth system and then may struggle for identity.
The team won’t have roots.
Also, I’d be worried about the seven and eight-year contracts the club are dishing out, so they can spread out the cost of huge transfer fees over several seasons to comply with Financial Fair Play.
I’m not sure what Graham Potter thinks of it but if I was a manager, I’d want players on three-year deals, ideally. Then after 18 months, you’re already looking to renegotiate.
Long-term contracts can take away a player’s hunger. They know they are made for life and don’t need to prove themselves.
To me that’s not healthy and Chelsea may end up with some very expensive players hanging around for years, not playing.
Also, Potter will be looking at his bench and seeing nine world-class players staring back, all demanding game time, while knowing he can only use five.
It’s a good problem to have and when you sign enough good players you usually end up successful.
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But first things first.
Potter needs to get them all together — and make sure they all know each other’s names. More