Emmanuel Emegha has returned to Chelsea training, raising hopes that the striker could finally make his competitive debut against Bournemouth on 10 October.
The Standard reports that the Dutch forward is working at Cobham and could be available when Premier League action resumes.
That would give Xabi Alonso another centre-forward option while João Pedro recovers from injury, with Danny Welbeck having started against Brentford.
When could Emegha make his Chelsea debut?
The 23-year-old joined from Strasbourg during the summer but suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season, missing Chelsea’s tour of Australia and Asia.
He had scored in friendlies against Crawley and Bromley before that setback interrupted his preparations.
According to football.london’s report, republished by AOL, Emegha was an unused substitute against Luton Town on 27 August. He has yet to turn that squad involvement into a competitive appearance.
The same report recalls Alonso’s earlier assessment of the forward: “I see him playing on the last line, where he has space; he is such a big threat.”
His progress follows Marco Palestra’s return to Chelsea training, giving Alonso two summer arrivals approaching their first competitive minutes.
A place against Bournemouth remains a possibility rather than a confirmed selection.
The Cherries’ visit begins Chelsea’s next five fixtures after the international break, with kick-off at Stamford Bridge scheduled for 3pm BST.
