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Chelsea FC | 2022/23 Season

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Peter Drury 🗣️: "Graham Potter's Chelsea is playing a new kind of pressing football, called 'Depressing'"</p>— SPORTbible (@sportbible) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportbible/status/1591512530429612033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Despite spending so heavily in the summer Chelsea are collapsing. Either they will sack their manager or spend another £500 million in January. Throwing money and sacking managers is the only solution they ever have. They sacked Thomas Tuchel too soon like they usually do their managers.
 
Graham Potter is a really good coach, but he has never managed at an elite club before Chelsea, which is a club that is full of egos and superstars who have won premier leagues and champions leagues. Chelsea players are looking at Potter thinking "who is this guy and what has he won?" I don't they are buying into his philosophy. I reckon Potter doesn't survive until the end of the season.
 
Chelsea are close to completing the signing of France forward Christopher Nkunku, 25, from RB Leipzig on a long-term deal, which is worth more than 60m euros. (Fabrizio Romano)
 
Chelsea will pay 70m euros (£60m) to sign France striker Christopher Nkunku, 25, from RB Leipzig in July on a contract until 2028. (Nicolo Schira)
 
Reports say Chelsea have signed RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku on a long-term deal from July 2023 for a fee in excess of £53m
 
More on Benoît Badiashile deal. Talks are well advanced also on player side as French centre back is open to join Chelsea in January, long term deal has been discussed.

Chelsea are working to get deal sealed with AS Monaco as soon as possible.
 
Chelsea are considering making a move for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix which could see the 23-year-old arrive on loan in January with an option or obligation to buy the Portugal international in the summer. (Telegraph)
 
Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he has his "fingers crossed" that Reece James' latest knee injury is not serious.

James was withdrawn in the 53rd minute of the Blues' 2-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Tuesday.

It was the 23-year-old's first game since his return from the knee injury that ruled him out of England's World Cup squad.
 
Chelsea defender Reece James is set to miss three to four weeks with a knee injury suffered during Tuesday's 2-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth.

England international James, who missed the World Cup with an injury to the same knee, had to come off in the 53rd minute.

It was his first game since his return from that injury.

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old posted on Twitter that 2022 had been "the toughest year to date".

Immediately after Tuesday's game, Chelsea manager Graham Potter said of the injury: "We hope it's not as bad as it was and he can have a speedy recovery."

Meanwhile, Chelsea have announced they have an agreement to sign Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana from Norwegian club Molde on 1 January.

Fofana, 20, scored 15 goals in 24 league games for Molde in 2022.
 
<b>Chelsea have agreed a £35m deal to sign Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile and he will undergo a medical on Monday.</b>

Sky Sports News reported in late December that the West London club were in advanced talks over a deal for the 21-year-old France international.

Badiashile is considered one of the best young left-footed centre-backs in Europe and this has been a profile of player Chelsea have wanted since the summer.

Chelsea also gave a medical to 18-year-old Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos on Saturday.

Since Todd Boehly took control of Chelsea in May 2022, the club have pursued a strategy of signing talented young players. Wesley Fofana (21), Carney Chukwuemeka (19), Cesare Casadei (19), David Datro Fofana (20) and Gabriel Slonina (18) have all signed for the club.

— Sky Sports
 
Potter is out of his depth at Chelsea but the Chelsea team is quite average despite spending so much money in the summer. In hindsight, sacking Tuchel was a wrong decision.
 
I don’t think it is Potter’s fault particularly. This is just not a very good Chelsea team and they’re not the force that they once were.

Chelsea have already lost more away games in 22/23 than they did for the whole of last season, including to Brighton, Leeds and Southampton; they could have easily lost to Forest yesterday; and they are dropping points all over the place.

Some of these results happened under Tuchel before his departure. It’s just the same average team that Potter has inherited. The players by and large look mentally soft to me. Koulibaly and Cucurella are defensively vulnerable and have both been disappointing signings so far.

The thinking with transfers at Chelsea is also highly reactionary and odd. Without stubbornness from Everton, Anthony Gordon would have gone to Chelsea for £50 million in August & he is basically just an unproven young forward player who has had a few good performances.
 
Dont be surprised if Boehly sacks Potter and appoint himself as the manager.
 
WengerOut said:
Dont be surprised if Boehly sacks Potter and appoint himself as the manager.
Click to expand...

With Brentford's win over Liverpool, that's Chelsea shunted down to 9th prior to their meeting with Man City. Won't be surprised if he gets sacked, what kind of appointment was Potter?
 
Potter isn’t the issue. This is the same team that Tuchel was also failing with. Chelsea is a club with no long term strategy that is run chaotically from the inside. The players also don’t look to have strong relationships with each other. Sack Potter and they still won’t get into the top four.
 
Chelsea are continuing talks with Benfica about signing Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The 21-year-old World Cup winner, who joined the Portuguese club in August, has a release clause of about £106m.

If Chelsea agreed to that amount it would eclipse their existing record fee of £98m paid for Romelu Lukaku and add to the record total of about £270m spent by the new ownership last summer.

Discussions are ongoing about the size of the fee and structure of the deal.

Chelsea's interest in Fernandez continues a recent policy of buying young players in the hope their value will be maintained over the course of long contracts.

Under new chairman Todd Boehly the club bought Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, 19, for £20m in the summer and last month agreed a pre-contract agreement with 20-year-old Molde FK forward David Datro Fofana.

But paying more than £100m for the former River Plate player would be a huge outlay for Boehly, who is still involved in negotiations but has been helped by new technical director Christopher Vivell.

The move for Fernandez is being made with the contracts of 31-year-old midfielders Jorginho and N'Golo Kante coming to an end this season.

Kante has only made two appearances this season because of injury but while it is believed the France midfielder has a good chance of earning a new deal, the future of Italy's Jorginho is less clear.

Chelsea are eighth in the Premier League, seven points outside the Champions League places and with one win in their last five games in all competitions. They are winless in their last five Premier League away matches.

BBC
 
James said:
Potter isn’t the issue. This is the same team that Tuchel was also failing with. Chelsea is a club with no long term strategy that is run chaotically from the inside. The players also don’t look to have strong relationships with each other. Sack Potter and they still won’t get into the top four.
Click to expand...

It's the manager that ultimately carries the can, at least with Tuchel, they won the Champions League and finished top 4 in the league. Here, they're languishing in mid table and in danger of missing top 4.
 
Kroll said:
It's the manager that ultimately carries the can, at least with Tuchel, they won the Champions League and finished top 4 in the league. Here, they're languishing in mid table and in danger of missing top 4.
Click to expand...

They’d already lost to Leeds, Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb this season under Tuchel, and along with his bizarre public outburst at Antonio Conte, reports of dressing room unrest & falling out with the new owners he got the sack.

Potter has sort of continued the rot, although more quietly. Chelsea are just generally having a bad season. I do think Potter might be made a scapegoat soon though.
 
Benfica have rejected Chelsea's first offer for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Blues want to pay £112m across three years, but the Portuguese club want the 21-year-old's £106m release clause paid in full. (Mail)
 
Chelsea have signed defender Benoit Badiashile from Monaco on a seven-and-a-half-year contract.

Badiashile, 21, has spent five seasons in Ligue 1 and made 135 league appearances for Monaco.

The central defender, who made his senior debut for France in September against Austria, has joined Chelsea on a reported £35m deal.

"I'm very happy to be here at Chelsea. I'm so excited to start playing for this club," said Badiashile.

"I can't wait to see the fans and start playing in the best league in the world."

BBC
 
^^signed too late to stop the big ogre aka Haaland tonight but lets see how the Chelsea defence stack up against Erling and co.
 
Graham Potter to Sky Sports: "Our challenge is to create chances. We haven't functioned as well as we would have liked as a team, and as well as we think we can.

"Instability doesn't help with that. Brighton was a process, we're four months in and we lost the players for six of those weeks so the time isn't that big, but we acknowledge that we have create more chances, build our attacks better and have more pressure.

"We know we need to do a lot of things better. That is the honest answer."
 
They’re having a rotten run of injuries at the moment.

Reece James already out.
Mason Mount now injured also.
Sterling and Pulisic gone off in this game already.

Very unlucky.
 
So many injuries this season.

2 more players injured tonight - Sterling and Pulisic.

Played well in the first half but faded in the second half.
 
You can see why Arteta wanted to get rid of Aubameyang. He is finished at this level and Chelsea should look to sell him in this window.
 
Chelsea played quite well in that game to be honest. They weren’t far off getting something out of it, maybe a bit unlucky not to nick a draw. They are just ravaged by injuries to key players and (like most teams) cannot cope with 90 minutes of City. Being able to bring on Grealish, Mahrez, Phillips and Akanji (£220M combined cost) as your second half subs is ridiculous. Nobody in England, and few in the world, can compete with this level of strength in depth really.
 
Former Chelsea striker and manager Gianluca Vialli has died at the age 58.

Vialli was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 but after saying in April 2020 that he had been given the all-clear, he was re-diagnosed in 2021.

He announced a temporary leave from his role with Italy's national team in December to focus on his health.

Vialli played 59 times for Italy and won the Champions League with Juventus before joining Chelsea in 1996 and becoming player-manager in 1998.

He had joined Juventus in 1992 for a then world record £12m after winning the Serie A title and the European Cup Winners' Cup during eight seasons with Sampdoria.

Vialli was the first Italian to manage a Premier League side, taking over from the sacked Ruud Gullit late in the season, and went on to lead the Blues to victory in the League Cup, Uefa Cup Winners' Cup and Uefa Super Cup.

He also guided Chelsea to victory in the 2000 FA Cup final and Charity Shield but was sacked early in the following season after a poor start.

The striker also had a short spell at Watford, then in the second tier, during the 2001-02 season but was dismissed after the Hornets only finished 14th.
 
True legend. Grew up watching him play for Sampdoria, Juventus and later Chealsea.
 
Chelsea have signed Ivory Coast striker David Datro Fofana from Norwegian champions Molde for a reported £8m-10m.

The 20-year-old, who scored 24 goals in 65 appearances for Molde, has signed a six-year contract until 2029, with the option to extend it by one year.

He is Chelsea's second signing of the January transfer window, following the arrival of France defender Benoit Badiashile for £35m from Monaco.

"I'm very happy to sign for the club of my dreams," said Fofana.

Chelsea described the forward, who joined Molde in 2021 from the Ivory Coast's Amadou Diallo Football Academy, as "a prolific goalscorer and one of European football's most promising young talents".

Fofana, who has three caps, recently made his first start for the Ivory Coast.

"The Ivorian's combination of pace, skill and strength make him a versatile striker, capable of scoring goals but especially adept at holding up the ball and retaining possession under pressure," added Chelsea.

The Blues are also in talks with Benfica over a move for their Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 21, who has a £106m release clause.

Graham Potter's side are 10th in the Premier League after Thursday's 1-0 loss to Manchester City and have a mounting injury list that includes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and forward Raheem Sterling.

BBC
 
Chelsea's Edouard Mendy has had surgery on a fractured finger he suffered in training this week.

The Senegal keeper, 30, has not played for the Blues since returning from the World Cup because of a shoulder injury he suffered in Qatar where they lost in the last 16 to England.
 
Knocked out of the FA Cup

Is Graham Potter in trouble?
 
Graham Potter admitted Chelsea’s comprehensive FA Cup defeat at Manchester City was “painful” and not good enough as his four-month reign as manager suffered another setback at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea fans booed their team off at half-time and full-time and also chanted for the former manager Thomas Tuchel and the former owner Roman Abramovich as they endured a fifth defeat in seven matches.

“The first half was painful and tough for us all,” the Chelsea manager said. “We were second best to a very, very good side. We are not in a great moment and even though it was a cagey first 20 minutes we couldn’t attack the backline well enough, we couldn’t attack as well as we would like. Manchester City are very good at stopping you doing that but at the same time we struggled.

“In terms of the Premier League we have lost four matches – to Newcastle away, when we had nine players unavailable, we lost 1-0 to Arsenal, we lost on a bad day to Brighton and we lost to Manchester City. We have also drawn to Manchester United and Brentford so the results in a small space of time aren’t positive.

“You can make excuses and look for reasons or say it isn’t good enough. Both of those answers are correct. We have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we are suffering as a football club and it’s not nice at all. But that’s where we are at the moment.”

The former Brighton manager accepted the criticism and the chants that came from the away section. “You understand the supporters’ frustration, we respect that,” he said.

“There are always other opinions and negativity and criticism because the results haven’t been positive. That’s part of the job and part of the challenge.”

Potter has pleaded for time at Chelsea, comparing his situation to Guardiola’s first season at the Etihad Stadium, and the City manager insisted it had to be granted.

Guardiola said: “I would say to Todd Boehly; ‘Give him time’.

I know in the big clubs the results are important but I would say give him time. What he has done in Brighton was outstanding, but all managers need time. We needed time in my first season.

“It wasn’t the same in Barcelona because I had Messi there. That’s why I didn’t need two seasons, only one season. To play City when we are at this level is not easy. Not just for Graham or Chelsea but for every team.”

https://amp.theguardian.com/footbal...-manchester-city-painful-admits-graham-potter
 
Transfer flop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped from the Chelsea squad entirely after the Blues were encouraged to sell him.

Aubameyang featured in Thursday's defeat to Manchester City, coming on for Raheem Sterling before being substituted himself 22 minutes from time. Boss Graham Potter insisted there was no problem between himself and the striker following the defeat.

But he has now opted to leave Aubameyang out of the squad entirely for the trip to City in third round of the FA Cup. The striker did not even feature on the bench for the Blues, with Kai Havertz starting up-front.

New signing David Fofana was handed an immediate place as a substitute, despite his arrival only being confirmed on Saturday. Aubameyang's absence comes despite an attacking injury crisis hitting Potter's squad and there was no explanation offered by Potter pre-match.

Sterling and Christian Pulisic were both injured against City, leaving Potter light on options. Youngsters Lewis Hall and Bashir Humphreys both started at the Etihad Stadium, with Potter making no mention of Aubameyang before the game.
 
Potter is probably wishing he stayed beside the sea at Brighton where he was loved by the fans.

Already under pressure at Chelsea with some fans wanting Tuchel back
 
Chelsea are close to signing Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix on loan for the rest of the season.

The 23-year-old played for Portugal at the World Cup and scored one goal in five outings at the tournament.

Felix has attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester United but is understood to favour a move to Chelsea.

BBC
 
The German was relieved of his duties earlier this season following a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. It was the American's first major act having inherited Tuchel from the previous regime. Over £200m was spent on new signings but results had been inconsistent in the early part of the season.

Many saw Boehly's decision as him underlining his authority, which then allowed him to hire his own man. Graham Potter was bought in from Brighton, but results have by no means improved with the club in mid-table. Jordan has now called on the Blues owner to open up on Tuchel's sacking - insisting many would agree with his decision.

He said on talkSPORT : "There's a lot more behind the scenes of Tuchel that would make most people's eyes water as to the reasons why Todd Boehly made that decision and it wasn't just a case of losing to Dinamo Zagreb, it was case of a whole raft of other things - that's Todd Boehly's gift to tell people what that is, but it opened my eyes and I would've done exactly the same thing as Todd Boehly did which is 'you can go mate'."

Tuchel was in charge for around 18 months and delivered the Champions League soon after arriving. He also led the Blues to three domestic cup finals, falling short on each occasion. When he was axed the club put out a statement, which said: "As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition."

Read at:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/foo...sedgntp&cvid=419c3b22effa409b850a65bb05705b70
 
Joao Felix has flown to London for his Chelsea medical ahead of a loan move from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
 
Chelsea have signed Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix on loan for the rest of the season for a fee of 11 million euros (£9.7m).

Arsenal and Manchester United had been linked with the 23-year-old but he favoured a move to the Blues.

The Portugal international has also signed a one-year extension to his Atletico contract until June 2027.

"Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives," said Felix.

"I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge."

Atletico made Felix the fifth most expensive player in history when they paid Benfica £113m for the then 19-year-old in 2019.

He has gone on to score 34 goals in 131 appearances in all competitions, with 18 assists.

Felix was part of the Portugal squad at the World Cup and scored one goal in five outings at the tournament as his country reached the quarter-finals.

Since then, he has played for Atletico twice, scoring in a 2-0 win against Elche on 29 December before playing 73 minutes in a 1-0 defeat by Barcelona on Sunday.

Felix has scored five goals and provided three assists for Atletico in 20 games this season.

He follows Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos in joining Chelsea during the January transfer window, and signs with the club 10th in the Premier League - 10 points adrift of a top-four spot.

They are also out of both cup competitions after losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup third round last weekend.

— BBC Sport
 
Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic is facing months out through injury, says head coach Graham Potter.
Pulisic came off in the first half of Chelsea's 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League with a knee problem.

Potter initially said the USA international would miss a couple of weeks but, following further assessment, the time frame around Pulisic's return has shifted quite sizeably.
 
Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been speaking to BT Sport on the pitch. He's covered a range of topics:

On Gianluca Vialli: "It has a been sad time for us, a huge loss. We can talk about his footballing ability but everyone says he was a fantastic human being and that is the most poignant thing."

On Joao Felix, and why he's starting: "It's a combination of a lot of things: his training, the quality he has and the team needs a little bit of lift in terms of the ability he has. He's a confident boy and he just wants to play. He's just got to be himself. He hasn't had that much time with the players, just about expressing himself."

On Lewis Hall: "A young player. He's got no fear. He's got a really good left foot and he's got good physicality. He's played in big games and has always acquitted himself really well."

On the recent poor form and the conversations they've been having: "Yesterday was a really positive day, I think Joao coming in helped. It isn't nice having a defeat like we did, we have to have those conversations and get through it. The guys are honest, we need to get three points. Sometimes it is just good to talk, there are always things you learn and find out. There are things that are positive and things that aren't that you need to fix. We all want to win, we need to work together. We're at Chelsea and we want to win.

"There is an honesty in the players. They understand they can do better. There is a desire to do better. The job now is to try and support them. Collectively we can do better and improve."

On what he's learnt about himself: "It is a challenge of course, but you don't get these jobs if you don't expect a challenge at some stage. You have to win but you have to deal with and expect tough moments. I have to support the players and act in a good way and support the players in the best way I can. Injuries are one of those things, you don't want to speak about it anymore because it can become an excuse. You only have to list the players we've got injured, it is a challenge but we have to do it. We have to perform and get the three points tonight, that is the challenge."

On tonight: "There are good players on the pitch. There is fight in the team, they want to play well and perform. We are suffering and we're suffering with the fans, but if you come through it you come through it stronger and can move forward."

BBC
 
Joao Felix red card on debut.

Things going from bad to worse at Chelsea.
 
Saj said:
Joao Felix red card on debut.

Things going from bad to worse at Chelsea.
Click to expand...

From worse to defeat .

2-1 Fulhum.

Chelsea have played well today, 8 shots on target but the red card set them back to square 1.
 
Oh deary me, another loss for Chelsea.

So sad, NOT!
 
Felix is the first Chelsea player to be sent off on debut, and the first in the league since 2014.
 
Another loss and I wonder how long Potter will last there given Chelsea's owners aren't the most patient.

In 10th place 19 points behind Arsenal.
 
Chelsea have agreed a deal worth £85m with Shakhtar Donetsk for winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
Sky Sports News has been told Mudryk is on the way to west London for a medical.
It is thought Chelsea are confident of securing the transfer on a contract to run for seven-and-a-half years.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chelsea agree an £85m deal to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk ��</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1614330839214481408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Todd Boley just throwing money at everyone and everything. No strategy in any of the transfers so far. He just seems to be spending money for the sake of spending money.
 
Chelsea just playing real life championship manager on cheat mode with unlimited money.
 
Another bizarre signing.

Potter will get the bullet eventually because the results are terrible, but it won’t solve much imo.

Absolute chaos.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Chelsea statement on Mykhaylo Mudryk deal 🔵 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFC</a> <br><br>“Chelsea are discussing terms with Shakhtar for Mudryk. Should a deal be agreed between the two clubs then the Ukrainian international will discuss personal terms with the Blues ahead of a permanent transfer”. <a href="https://t.co/mS9iTnpEeq">pic.twitter.com/mS9iTnpEeq</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1614362263078555655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Chelsea have no plan. Their entire strategy is based on doing a number on their rivals & getting players they have targeted.

I am convinced Potter never wanted Felix & Mudryk, Chelsea absolutely did not need both of them, but they beat Arsenal & United to Felix & Arsenal to Mudryk & it seems that is all they care about.

In the summer, after Felix returns to Chelsea having missed one month of football in a 6 month of loan, they will have Aubameyang, Mudryk, Pulisic, Sterling, Havertz & will add Nkuku as well & you can bet they will still struggle because you cannot fit all these players together & none of them would be happy on the bench. They have dug a huge hole for themselves.
 
Boehly is an idiot, he thinks he's building an NFL offensive XI. He wakes up every morning and chooses a new transfer target to throw ludicrous money at after scrolling Fabrizio Romano's twitter page for a few minutes. Yet he's chosen the absolute wrong manager to do it with in Potter, who's the type of coach you build a long-term project with. Good luck to them
 
Chelsea matchwinner Kai Havertz: "The last few weeks were tough. For everyone at the club, it is not easy under these circumstances. A lot of things changed this year. We have so many injuries, 10-12 injured players. Today we had five young players in the starting XI, they are doing a really good job at the moment.

"I think I was in a good spot. Hakim gave me a lot of good balls. I play in the number nine position and I take the responsibility to score more goals, we as a team need to score more goals. I will do my best to help the team."
 
A thumping header from Kai Havertz earned Chelsea a narrow victory over Crystal Palace to ease the pressure on manager Graham Potter.

Havertz met Hakim Ziyech's cross shortly after an hour as the Blues ended a run of three successive defeats in all competitions.

The Germany striker should have doubled Chelsea's advantage but could only flash a header wide from close range from Mason Mount's cross.

Palace came close to equalising late on when Cheick Doucoure's long-range volley was spectacularly tipped over by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea stay 10th despite the win, just their second in 10 Premier League games, but are now level on points with ninth-placed Liverpool.

Palace are 12th after a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions.
 
Chelsea are ready to spend more than £100m on three further signings during the January transfer window after completing a deal for Ukraine forward Mykhailo Mudryk. (Football Insider)

Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for England forward Raheem Sterling, despite the 28-year-old only moving to Stamford Bridge last summer. (Football Insider)

Barcelona want to re-sign Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 33, from Chelsea but fear they are legally unable to do so. (Telegraph)
 
Chelsea have agreed a £29m deal in principle with PSV Eindhoven to sign winger Noni Madueke. (Sky)

Chelsea have had a £55m bid for 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton. (Athletic)
 
Todd Boely is making a complete mockery of football with his endless spending. Chelsea have already spent like half a billion in the summer and winter transfer windows combined. Honestly, there should be a limit on how much a team can spend each season. This is a disgrace.
 
It's not Boehly who is doing the signings anymore, we have not had a recruitment team ever since Emenalo left and now finally do have one in place. Boehly is on record saying that they have learnt a lot of lessons from the massive spending in the summer and that encouraged the push to have a recruitment team (Vivell, Winstanley, Shields).

I see no issue with all the signings, you surely wouldn't complain if it was your club doing the signings so nor would I. With regards to Mudryk, Shakhtar are on record saying that the terms offered by Chelsea were exactly the same as those offered by Arsenal, but the difference was in the timing of the payments and the add ons included I the deal. Felix could have very easily have joined United / Arsenal but chose to came here and its only a short term loan now but if he does well then it would be amazing to get him as he's a link between midfield and attack.

Rather than the scatter gun approach of the past where key areas were neglected, at least for a change we are targeting key areas and getting the transfers in early as in later years it might prove to be difficult due to FFP considerations. I can share a very interesting article, anout the financial situation which is encouraging Chelsea to splash the cash now rather than in future years. Eventually, the ownership want to move to a multi club model similar to City Group & Red Bull so that the development of players can be globalised and done internally.

Not to forget that there will be a clear out of underperforming players in order to ensure that the squad remains healthy and competitive. Most definitely in the summer T. Silva will move on, Kante & Jorginho will leave due to end of contracts, Ziyech, Pulisic, Loftus Cheek & possibly Hudson Odoi will be sold so the squad size will be more normal. We still need a DM/CM (hence the interest in Enzo, Caicedo, Rice and Bissouma) and more urgently a backup RB / RWB.

Like everyone else, I'm not too convinced by Potter, there are periods where you can see the style of play and then it all fades away. He's had rotten luck with the amount of injuries but the issue has been the same as in previous years, not creating enough chances and more importantly not putting them away.
 
Chelsea manager Graham Potter is asked about the form of Marc Cucurella, who joined the club last summer having played under him at Brighton.

"Some players have dips in form and there are different solutions in games. That is sometimes the case. Lewis Hall has done well and we have to manage his games and role because he is a young player just starting out.

"Marc has had a lot to deal with. I think it's been challenging for him. He's had some things off the pitch as well family wise that have been difficult for him as well.

"There are many factors. You see a guy on the pitch and have a verdict but there are things going on in his life. I know Marc well and at his best he is a top player."

BBC
 
Chelsea are stepping up attempts to agree a new contract with England midfielder Mason Mount in the face of the growing prospect of Liverpool trying to buy the 24-year-old this summer. (Guardian)
 
Chelsea have completed the signing of England Under-21s winger Noni Madueke from PSV Eindhoven in a move worth about £30.7m.

The 20-year-old joins on a seven-and-a-half-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year.

Madueke is the club's second signing in five days, following Mykhailo Mudryk's arrival in an £89m deal.

He is their sixth January signing and Transfer market puts their spending this month at 178.50m euros (£156m).
 
Chelsea happier with draw

Chelsea's new manager Graham Potter has had a tough start to life at Stamford Bridge, with poor results coming as the club continue to embark on a remarkable transfer spree.

And this is why Potter and Chelsea will take this point, even though they will know they had chances to make it three against a Liverpool defence that continues to look vulnerable, especially without Virgil van Dijk.

"I thought the performance was good," Potter told BT Sport. "Happy with the team, the energy, what we tried to do. At Anfield, it is always tough. It is a clean sheet and a point, we move forward.

"Overall, a positive day, apart from the fact we wanted three points."

There was a big bright spot for Chelsea in the cameo from Mudryk, newly arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk but very quick - literally - to adjust to life in the Premier League when he was introduced after 55 minutes.

He provoked panic instantly in the veteran James Milner, who was clearly unable to cope with his pace and received a yellow card for a desperate foul before he was substituted.

Mudryk had a weaving run into the penalty area which ended with a shot into the side-netting and he was unlucky on two occasions when he stole in unnoticed at the far post.

Potter added: "He's not played football for a while, he's been on a mid-season break. We had to manage his minutes, but you can see his quality."

New defender Badiashile also created a good impression although he should have scored with a first-half header that was saved by Liverpool keeper Alisson.

Chelsea will regret not taking some of the opportunities they had when Liverpool's defence was stretched, but this is a time when they will accept small mercies and a point at Anfield - even with their opponents in their current reduced state - is always acceptable.
 
Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Benfica and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 22, in the January transfer window after having bids rejected at the start of the month. (Record)

Graham Potter's side may also return with an improved bid for Brighton and Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, 21, with the Seagulls looking for potential replacements. (Guardian)

Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, 26, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge but is set to finish the season in Spain. (Football.London)

Chelsea could also target 19-year-old Lyon and France U21s right-back Malo Gusto as their spending under Todd Boehly nears £500m. (Telegraph)
 
Uefa is to change its Financial Fair Play rules in response to Chelsea's recent trend of signing players on long-term contracts.

Signing players on extended contracts enables Chelsea to spread the player's transfer fee over the life of that deal when submitting their annual accounts.

That means £89m signing Mykhailo Mudryk will be valued at £11m a year over his eight-and-a-half-year deal.

Uefa is to set a five-year limit over which a transfer fee can be spread.

Clubs will still be able to offer longer deals under UK regulations but will not be able to stretch transfer fees beyond the first five years.

The change to FFP rules will come into force during the summer and will not apply retrospectively.

France defender Benoit Badiashile and Ivory Coast striker David Datro Fofana both signed six-and-a-half year deals at Chelsea earlier this month and Noni Madueke joined on a seven-and-a-half year contract following Ukraine winger Mudryk's arrival.

Defender Wesley Fofana moved to Stamford Bridge on a seven-year deal and left-back Marc Cucurella joined on a six-year contract last summer. Raheem Sterling's deal is five years.

The Madueke transfer took Chelsea's spending since last summer close to £450m, but the players' long contracts will help them comply with the regulations.

The Blues have to adhere to two sets of regulations - the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules and, as they regularly play in European competition, Uefa's FFP regulations.

Under Uefa's current rules, clubs can spend up to 5m euros (£4.4m) more than they earn over a three-year period. They can exceed this level to a limit of 30m euros (£26.6m) if it is entirely covered by the club's owner.

The governing body has a wide list of potential punishments for clubs that break these rules, ranging from warnings to fines and even the loss of European titles.

However, new Uefa rules introduced last June limit clubs' spending on wages, transfers and agents' fees to 70% of their revenue, although permitted losses over a three-year period have risen to 60m euros (£49.96m).

A gradual implementation of the regulations has been agreed, with the percentage set at 90% of revenue in 2023-24 and 80% in 2024-25 before reducing to 70% in 2025-26.

The Premier League's separate rules allow for total losses of £105m over a three-year period. Any club that posts losses in excess of that figure could face penalties, including large fines or even a points deduction.

Read more at

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64383217
 
Last edited:
Brighton are demanding £100 million from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo, according to reports.

Chelsea are looking to bolster Graham Potter’s options even further before the end of the January transfer window but have yet to recruit a new central midfielder.

Talks with Benfica over a deal for Enzo Fernandez restarted this week but the Portuguese club are adamant that Argentina’s World Cup winner will not leave unless his €120m (£105.6m) release clause is met.

According to The Times, Chelsea have been in talks with Brighton for Caicedo this month but a bid of around £50m was rejected last week.

Brighton are understood to be holding out for a fee in the region of £100m for the Ecuador international, and the report claims that Potter has been the one driving Chelsea’s interest.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/fif...sedgntp&cvid=d3f15c439fb04820ed9bd566fa0f9e1e
 
Chelsea have signed 19-year-old French right-back Malo Gusto from Lyon for 35m euro (£30.7m).

Gusto has signed a deal with the Blues until summer 2030 but will complete the current season at Lyon.

Lyon said the deal includes 5m euro (£4.4m) in add-ons.

"The defender will now continue his impressive progress on loan [at Lyon] before joining up with the Blues in the summer ahead of the new campaign," Chelsea said in a statement.

Gusto came through the ranks at Lyon before making his first team debut in January 2021.

He has made 15 appearances this season for the French club, who are ninth in Ligue 1.

Lyon said the club "regrets not having been able to keep one of its great hopes trained at the academy" but that they are "happy" Gusto would stay with them for the rest of the 2022-23 season.

Chelsea have signed Noni Madueke,Mykhailo Mudryk,David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and Benoit Badiashile on permanent deals in January and have brought in Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

The fees for all those deals amount to about £160m and could rise depending on add-ons.
 
Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea not giving up on signing Benfica midfielder before January transfer window closes on Tuesday

Chelsea have not given up on trying to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez before the January transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Chelsea have been in talks to sign the Argentine throughout this month but Benfica have so far refused to do business unless the Blues pay the €120m (£105.4m) release clause.

Chelsea have offered players on loan and on permanent deals but the Portuguese side have so far refused to accept anything except the release clause.

If Chelsea do meet Benfica's valuation, the transfer for Fernandez would surpass the £100m Man City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago, making him the most expensive Premier League signing ever.

The 22-year-old wants to move to Chelsea but he has been training and playing since he was dropped for one game for going on an unauthorised trip home to Argentina for a New Year's Eve party.

Fernandez, who won the Best Young Player award at the 2022 World Cup with winners Argentina, played in Saturday's 3-0 league win at Santa Clara.

The west London side have also tried to sign other midfielders this month, including Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Everton's Amadou Onana.

Chelsea's search for a midfielder comes amid question marks over the long-term futures of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante - whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

Benfica boss Roger Schmidt criticised Chelsea's behaviour in their bid to sign Fernandez earlier this month, saying: "There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause.

"It's disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica. They're driving the player crazy. They pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate."

The 22-year-old is in line for a big pay rise if he moves, but Benfica have been trying to get him to sign a new contract as they anticipate clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona will try to sign him in the summer.

Although Chelsea can afford to pay Fernandez's £105.4m release clause, doing so would impact their ability to comply with Premier League and UEFA financial fair play rules.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ore-january-transfer-window-closes-on-tuesday
 
Chelsea have bid 120m euros (£105.6m) for Benfica's Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a move that would make him the British transfer record signing.

So far there is no indication whether the Blues' offer, thought to include instalments, will be accepted.

But if the deal goes through, it would eclipse the £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021.

Fernandez was named young player of the tournament during Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar.

Benfica have previously accused Chelsea of trying to unsettle the midfielder, with the Portuguese side's manager Roger Schmidt declaring their pursuit "closed".

However, it is not thought the Premier League club would have made a fresh offer without being given some indication it might be accepted.

Fernandez only joined Benfica from Argentinian side River Plate in August, for a reported £10m, and has scored four goals in 29 appearances for the Primeira Liga side.

He scored once during the World Cup, netting Argentina's second goal in their 2-0 group-stage win over Mexico.

Chelsea have signed Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto on permanent deals in January and brought in Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

It comes after a summer that saw them spend a Premier League record £270m - the second-highest summer spend by any club in the world after Real Madrid (£292m) in 2019.
 
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has apologised for using a racial slur in a TikTok video posted in July 2022.

The 22-year-old, who joined the Blues in January in a £89m deal, was reciting a rap song in the now removed video.

"Mykhailo is deeply sorry for any offence caused," the Ukrainian's representative said in a statement.

"While his intention was solely to recite lyrics of a song, Mykhailo regrets his decision and wholeheartedly accepts it was not appropriate."

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has said it "condemns the use of all racial slurs irrespective of context".

"The use of this term by high-profile figures in football can only serve to alienate people from the game."
 
Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea: Blues agree Premier League record £105m transfer deal for Benfica midfielder

Chelsea have agreed a £105m deal in principle with Benfica for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea had been in talks to sign the World Cup winner throughout this month, but Benfica had refused to do business unless the Blues paid his €120m release clause.

The Premier League side have now agreed to do so, but face a race against time to register Fernandez as their player before the transfer window shuts at 11pm on Tuesday night.

Fernandez was left out of Benfica's squad for their game against Arouca on Tuesday night, with the 22-year-old undergoing a medical in Portugal ahead of his switch to Stamford Bridge.

According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, Fernandez will fly to the UK on Wednesday morning, with a private jet scheduled to leave Lisbon airport at 10.20am.

Should Fernandez's move go through without any problems, the transfer will surpass the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago, making him the most expensive Premier League signing ever.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ord-105m-transfer-deal-for-benfica-midfielder
 
Hakim Ziyech: Chelsea winger's loan move to PSG blocked

Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech's proposed loan move to Paris St-Germain has been blocked by France's governing body, the LFP.

A deal was agreed before the French deadline for the 29-year-old.

But PSG sources were critical of Chelsea's conduct, claiming required paperwork was not submitted on time.

Ziyech was in Paris expecting a deal to be confirmed, but the registration was not completed and so he will return to Chelsea for the rest of the season.

BBC Sport understands the player contacted Chelsea owner Todd Boehly directly in an effort to resolve the matter, but his pleas were ultimately unsuccessful.

The issues are thought to have involved legal agreements between the two clubs, which were in order and just needed signing.

Chelsea sent theirs back by the deadline, but due to a technical issue PSG did not receive it.

PSG requested a copy which was sent back at 23:00 GMT, by which time it was too late for Ziyech to be registered.

The LFP dismissed PSG's appeal on Wednesday morning.

Ziyech was the Blues' first signing following their transfer ban in 2020, arriving from Ajax for £33m.

However, they have signed forwards Mykhailo Mudryk, David Datro Fofana, Noni Madueke and Joao Felix this month, in addition to England's Raheem Sterling who joined last summer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64485513
 
Absolute comedy of errors from Chelsea meant deadline was missed by 3 minutes for Ziyech loan to PSG:

1.jpg
 
Graham Potter says some players will be "disappointed" when Chelsea submit their Champions League squad following the club's £289m January spending.

The Blues signed eight players during the transfer window but under Uefa rules, only three can be added to their squad for European fixtures.

Clubs must inform Uefa of their squad changes by midnight on Thursday.

However, Chelsea boss Potter said he was "excited" about the challenge his bigger squad will bring.

"There's going to be a few awkward conversations. That's the reality of where we are," he said.

"Only 11 can play and only a certain amount can be in squads so there's always going to be a certain amount who will be disappointed."

Chelsea spent £289m during the January transfer window, taking their total spend since American businessman Todd Boehly took ownership in May to more than £550m on 17 new players.

"Challenge is the right word. Certainly not complaining about it - it's exciting," said Potter.

"It's a test for me and the staff but an exciting one. We have a lot of really good players.

"We have to create an environment where there's competition - healthy competition where they can push each other - but at the same time understand that there's going to be frustration at times and only 11 can play."

Meanwhile, Potter said he was "very pleased" by the signing of midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

Chelsea completed a British record 121m euro (£107m) deal for the 22-year-old Argentine World Cup winner on Tuesday's transfer deadline day.

"I found out that we'd signed Enzo when it was all done and I'm very pleased, because he is a fantastic player," said Potter.

"My Spanish isn't great, his English isn't great, so we needed to lean on the translator but we'll get there! He is an impressive young man."

However, he is unsure if Fernandez will have clearance to play against Fulham on Friday (20:00 GMT).

BBC
 
The Enzo Fernandez deal is absolutely crazy.

£107M is ridiculous money for a lad who has only been playing international football for a few months.

He will be a great player, but is he really worth this money at the moment.
 
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