Huge boost for Chelsea as injured defender could return in time for Tottenham derby

Chelsea star Ben Chilwell expected to make return from injury against Tottenham Hotspur in January

According to The Express, Chelsea ace, Ben Chilwell could make his return from injury against Tottenham Hotspur when the two sides meet on the 23rd of January.

The Blues have been labouring in several areas on the pitch due to injuries and Covid-19 concerns. However, the poor form started as soon as Chilwell limped off the turf in the victory against Juventus last month. It was later confirmed that he had picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Since his injury, the London club has only kept two clean sheets in seven games. His absence has also created gaps in our attacking play, with Marcos Alonso playing a far more cautious game than the Englishman. To add to the injury, the recently turned 25-year-old also contracted the Covid-19 disease a week ago.

However, after the victory against Brentford on Wednesday night, Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the full-back has returned a negative test. However, he will not be available to face Aston Villa, which is understandable given the extent of his injury. Although he will miss out on the trip to Villa Park on the weekend, he could be fit to face Tottenham on the 23rd of next month.

This is because the defender has responded well to physiotherapy. An anterior cruciate ligament injury normally requires surgery and can take over a year to recover. But because the medical department went another way, he could be in line to make his return in the London derby next month.

Need him back as soon as possible

The Blues were on a roll and were cruising towards the league title until last month. Several health and fitness issues have slightly derailed our campaign, but it could now be time to make up for that. The games against Villa and Brighton in the next week are crucial before we go up against Liverpool in the all-important tie at Stamford Bridge.

Post that, we also have Man City to face before hosting Spurs at home. Thus, we need to make sure that our form has recovered before the full-back returns and not force him back into a chaotic environment. Rushing his return could aggravate his injury. 

The West London outfit has also been linked with a move for Lucas Digne in January but could scrap those if our English left-back makes the return. One could yet argue that Alonso could be replaced by Digne, but that is a completely different conversation. It remains to be seen if our interest in Digne has been real, and if so, are we ready to pursue him if Chilwell returns soon?

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For now, Tuchel needs the boys to maintain their form on the pitch and ease Chilwell back into action. After all, once he is fit, he could change our fortunes mid-season. His runs down the left-hand side are an important part of our attack and it was evident what kind of a crisis we were down that side when we had to see Saul Niguez play in that position against Zenit in the 3-3 UCL draw.