December 17, (THEWILL) – Chelsea’s quartet of Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell have tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest episode of increasing positive cases in the English Premier League.
The four have therefore been ruled out of the match against Everton on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz is awaiting the results of his tests and will also not feature.
Thomas Tuchel commented on Havertz’s absence this evening: “Kai feels unwell, he’s not positive yet but we’re waiting for test results and we decided to not bring him to the squad.
“We did some extra tests at 12 o’clock today to make sure who would arrive at lunch. From there we had to pick the team. Would it be the same line-up? I don’t know. The situation started yesterday with the players feeling unwell and not training.
“We had to confirm the flow tests and wait for the PCR results. The results are the results and the situation is the situation. We still have a strong squad and one we want to push forward, and that should be able to compete. Like always, we focus on the guys who are there.”
Tuchel confirmed that he had not requested a postponement of the game due to the outbreak but he has been dealing with a lot of injuries of late. Chilwell had already been ruled out due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) issue.
Earlier this week, he was able to welcome Trevoh Chalobah and N’Golo Kante back to first-team training after their respective layoffs. Chalobah had a hamstring strain, although it was not as serious as first thought.
The positive test for Chilwell is a setback for the defender. He did some modest running, albeit his injury could yet necessitate surgery.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
