"A real sticky patch" - Superior manager backed to come out victorious in Chelsea vs Bournemouth clash

Chelsea have been backed to win their clash on Tuesday against Bournemouth as the Premier League makes its return after the World Cup break. According to former Manchester City and England centre-back Joleon Lescott, the Blues have the better manager in Graham Potter and should thus come out winners. He also predicted a 3-1 scoreline in their favour.

Writing in a column for LiveScore, he said:

Chelsea had hit a real sticky patch before the break but this feels like a game they should be winning.

I was pleased to see Gary O’Neil given the Bournemouth job on a permanent basis — he deserves this opportunity after what he did as interim boss.

That said, Graham Potter is a superior manager at this time and hopefully he'll have used the extra time well to implement his philosophy.

The Blues have endured a poor start to the campaign, losing their last three Premier League games and managing just two points from their last five. They are currently eighth in the table and are looking to change their fortunes in the league. Bournemouth, on the other hand, are one of the promoted sides this season and are currently 14th, just three points away from the bottom three.

Setting our sights on #CheBou. https://t.co/ekFTG9Wg7Z

Both teams sacked their manager mid-season as Chelsea moved on from Thomas Tuchel shockingly in September following a loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, while Bournemouth fired manager Scott Parker just four games into the season. Gary O'Neil was initially appointed as interim manager before securing the permanent job as the Cherries look to survive relegation.

Chelsea looking to complete deal for 21-year-old centre-back

Chelsea are expected to complete the signing of Benoit Badiashile.

Chelsea are in negotiations with Ligue 1 club AS Monaco to complete the signing of 21-year-old centre-back Benoit Badiashile, according to sources. The Blues have been targetting a left-sided centre-back and Badiashile has emerged as an option.

🚨 EXCL: Chelsea working to sign left centre-back. Current priority Benoit Badiashile. Talks with Monaco over ~€35m deal. Other options for Jan/summer include Gvardiol (personals agreed last window but price too high), Ndicka, Hincapie @TheAthleticFC #CFC theathletic.com/4023732/2022/1…

According to The Athletic, the clubs are yet to finalise an agreement, but a payout of around €35 million could be enough for the London outfit to secure the player's services.

While they have also shown an interest in RB Leipzig and Croatia star Josko Gvardiol and even agreed personal terms with him over the summer, a deal for the player over the January transfer window is considered unlikely due to his high price tag and thus, the Blues are looking to sign Badiashile.

With players like Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva nearing the end of their careers, the addition of young players like Badiashile and Gvardiol could prove to be helpful in the long run.