GRAHAM POTTER told his struggling Chelsea stars to start ‘running through brick walls’ like their opponents.
The Blues took the lead through a bizarre Raheem Sterling strike but Serge Aurier’s tidy finish limited them to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Potter, whose side are seven points adrift of the top four in eighth, said: “Our level wasn’t good enough, we didn’t move fast enough.
“It would have been unfair if we had taken more than a point.
“They make teams suffer and we had to suffer.
“On one hand, you have players asking if they can have the players’ shirts.
“On the other, they are thinking, ‘I am going to run through a brick wall here to prove I am good enough to beat, or play for, Chelsea’.
“We have to be humble enough to know that is the challenge we face and we have to do better.”
Ivorian striker David Datro Fofana, 20, was at the City Ground to watch his new club after agreeing a £8.7million move to Stamford Bridge from Norwegians Molde.
Monaco’s France international centre-back Benoit Badiashile, 21, is scheduled for a medical ahead of his £35m move.
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And Chelsea are also on course to complete the capture of 18-year-old Vasco de Gama midfielder Andrey Santos for £11m.
But Potter’s biggest signing could be Argentina’s World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who will cost around £100m from Benfica.
Forest boss Steve Cooper believes his side deserved better as they made it six games without defeat in all competitions.
He said: “I know we didn’t win but it was a good reference point that we can play against the big teams in the league.
“We were unlucky with their goal, it hits the bar and drops on to Raheem’s right foot.
“They have world-class players all over but we were the better team over the course of the game.
“On that basis a point is the least we deserve.”
Big-spending Forest will also make moves in this month’s transfer window after Cooper revealed his side’s latest injury blow.
Jesse Lingard limped out of Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United and Cooper confirmed: “Jesse is out for a month. He has a hamstring injury.”
Meanwhile, Forest have condemned homophobic chants aimed at Chelsea fans by a section of the City Ground faithful.
They tweeted: “The club do not condone any discriminatory or offensive behaviour. The matter will be investigated.”
