Chelsea players ‘are UNCONVINCED their £600m-worth of signings are up to their standards’

Chelsea players are unconvinced that the £600m-worth of signings are up to their standards and English stars are ‘concerned they’ll be sold’, according to reports.

Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are said to be aware of how unsettling their aggressive rebuilding is for everyone, the Athletic reported.

However, they reportedly remain in full support of Graham Potter and are against removing him from his position until he is able to work with a more ‘settled and coherent group’.

Potter has found himself under huge scrutiny at Stamford Bridge after their 1-0 home loss to Southampton.

The former Brighton boss has guided the team to just one win all calendar year and the Blues are struggling in mid-table. 

Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk (left), Benoit Badiashile , Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke all pitched up at Stamford Bridge last month

Chelsea signed in-demand defender Marc Cucurella for £62million from Brighton

Chelsea’s January expenditure was larger than that of every club in LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 combined.

Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke all pitched up at Stamford Bridge last month.

And the English contingent are allegedly worried about being sold in the summer in order for the West London club to balance its books.

There is also a feeling that new players with hefty price tags will be given priority in regards to game time with the view of implementing a long-term strategy.

It comes after it was reported that negotiations between Chelsea and Mason Mount over a fresh contract have been put on hold until the summer.

Mount will have 12 months left on his deal when Chelsea relaunch contract talks at the end of the season. 

Liverpool are said to be pushing hard to sign the midfielder with their interest coming amid an impasse in his ongoing contract talks. 

An anonymous source told the Athletic: ‘From what I hear or gather, I don’t get the impression Potter is saying that much to the players. He doesn’t strike me as a personable character that says a lot. 

‘There are a lot of new faces, people speaking different languages, too. Potter hasn’t been there that long himself and so it’s going to be hard for him to implement his ideas. It can’t be easy.’ 

Graham Potter has found himself under huge scrutiny at Stamford Bridge after their 1-0 home loss to Southampton

It comes after it was reported that negotiations between Chelsea and Mason Mount over a fresh contract have been put on hold until the summer

Having sacked Champions League-winning head coach Thomas Tuchel, the appointment of Potter was always with a view to implementing a long-term philosophy.     

However, Potter’s side are 10th in the Premier League table after just two wins from 14 games. 

They also suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund and could well be eliminated from the competition at the start of next month. 

Speaking after the defeat to Southampton, Potter called for the club’s new signings to be given time to settle in England.

‘We’ve invested in some young players, if you look at Enzo and Mudryk, at Madueke,’ he said. ‘They haven’t played that many games. They’re learning to play in the Premier League. We’re managing quite an injury list, we’ve got players returning from injury.

‘All these things are true. But unfortunately when you lose they’re not what people want to hear.

‘I know my quality and I know what I’ve done in my career. But I also understand that when results don’t go your way, you’re open to criticism and that’s fair.’