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‘Next week’: Graham Potter confirms £30m Chelsea player will be unavailable vs Crystal Palace

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Graham Potter has confirmed that Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante will be unavailable to play against Crystal Palace.

Chelsea are currently preparing for Saturday afternoon’s Premier League match when they travel to Selhurst Park to face their London neighbours.

The Blues will be desperate for maximum points after a mediocre start to the campaign, which lead to the departure of Thomas Tuchel from Stamford Bridge.

As it stands, Chelsea sit seventh in the league table with 10 points from six matches.

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Kante unavailable against Crystal Palace

Potter, who will take charge of his first league game tomorrow as Chelsea’s head coach, has given an injury update about Kante in his Friday press conference.

“NG (Kante) has been on the grass. Maybe next week for him,” Potter said, as quoted by Football London.

Kante’s inclusion in first-team training this week has been confirmed on the club website.

It’s positive news that the £30million Frenchman could be back in action as early as next week.

The 31-year-old midfielder has been sidelined since August with a hamstring problem, leaving quite a sizeable gap in the centre of the park.

This update from Potter is a big relief after recent speculation. The Sun claimed this week that Kante was still “some way off” returning to action on the pitch.

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Big boost

Yes, Chelsea fans can let out a big sigh of relief.

The Blues definitely look a stronger outfit when an in-form Kante is in the side, so the fact he’s on the verge of returning is massive news.

Of course, Potter would be wise to be careful with his minutes in the next couple of weeks.

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