Chelsea
Chelsea agree to sell duo for combined €17.5m, readying fresh Jules Kounde bid – report
Chelsea have sanctioned the departures of Ike Ugbo and Davide Zappacosta to Genk and Atalanta respectively, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano claims. The Blues have made just one high-profile signing this summer in Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian returned to the club from Inter Milan for a record €115 million fee. They are eyeing an elite centre-back before the transfer deadline next week, and it is widely known that they are negotiating a deal for Sevilla’s Jules Kounde. The Blues are keen to recoup funds for the Frenchman, and the progress has already started with Ugbo and Zappacosta leaving on permanent deals. Ugbo had an impressive 2020/21 season with Cercle Brugge in Belgium, registering 17 goals. He looks set to return to the Jupiler Pro League with heavyweights Genk. Genk have agre...
Aubameyang and Saka return, Predicted Arsenal line-up (3-4-3) vs Chelsea
Arsenal take on London rivals Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners had a horrendous start to the new campaign with a 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Brentford. They were without seven first-team stars for the derby due to injuries and COVID-19. Among those absentees, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Willian stand the possibility of facing the Blues. The Gunners will also be without Martin Odegaard, who has not received a work permit after rejoining the club. Mikel Arteta’s side are far from full strength and appear underdogs for the London derby. They can take heart from the fact that their recent record against the Blues has been good. The club have won three of the last five meetings. They did the double last season. Formation: 3-4-3 Predicted Line-...
Lukaku starts, Chalobah keeps his place: Predicted Chelsea line-up (3-4-1-2) vs Arsenal
Chelsea travel to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday’s Premier League derby against Arsenal. The Blues made a terrific start to the new league campaign last weekend with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. They should fancy their prospects of securing successive wins as the Gunners could be without eight first-team players for different reasons. Their recent record against their London counterparts is not great, with just one win in five league outings. They will be aiming to make amends tomorrow. Formation: 3-4-1-2 Predicted Line-up: Edouard Mendy has been the Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper in the league since he arrived from Rennes last summer. He is expected to start ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Trevoh Chalobah has made himself difficult to be dropped on the b...
Leeds handed major selection boost, Leicester star recovers from injury
The second round of fixtures in the Premier League features some intriguing matches across the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the games. The action is already underway, with Liverpool defeating Burnley 2-0 at Anfield – Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane got the goals. Manchester City romped to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City – Tim Krul (OG), Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez were on the scoresheet. Danny Ings and Anwar El-Ghazi were on target as Aston Villa ran out 2-0 winners at home to Newcastle United. Crystal Palace fought out a goalless draw with Brentford, while Leeds United drew 2-2 with Everton. Title hopefuls Man United and Chelsea are on the road on Sunday as they bid t...
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Chelsea still want £68m La Liga defender despite Chalobah performances [Report]
Chelsea are still interested in signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla. Having secured a club-record £97.5 million deal for Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan, the Champions League holders now want to bolster their defence. According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are still tracking Kounde despite Trevoh Chalobah’s promising performances. The 22-year-old was due to go out on loan, but manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted on keeping him at Stamford Bridge. Chalobah delivered impressive performances against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup and Crystal Palace in the Premier League. He will be hoping to keep his place against Arsenal on Sunday, and Chelsea will likely extend his contract. However, the London club are still eyeing a top-class centre back. Tuchel has admired Kounde for a long tim...
Mikel Arteta provides fresh Arsenal team news plus update on transfer plans
In a press conference ahead of the Chelsea game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an update on player availability and the club’s transfer plans. The Gunners recently confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Runarsson and Willian missed the season opener due to COVID-19. Out of those, Aubameyang and Willian have tested negative, but Arteta acknowledged that he has no idea whether they will be able to train in the lead-up to the derby. He said: “It’s still very uncertain. I cannot give you any answer today because I don’t know if they are going to be able to train in a few hours – if they can compete at the weekend, I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Saka was only a second-half substitute in the curtain-raiser at Brentford. Arteta hinted that he could be fit enough to...
Thomas Tuchel confirms double Chelsea injury boost but Christian Pulisic ruled out
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a fitness update on three players ahead of the Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues were without N’Golo Kante (muscle injury) and Hakim Ziyech (dislocated shoulder) for the season opener against Crystal Palace. It was confirmed that the setbacks were only minor. Ziyech did not require surgery for the shoulder concern. The pair have now returned to training. In his press conference, Tuchel confirmed that the duo will have intense physical sessions tomorrow, but there are positive signs that they could be involved on Sunday. He told football.london: “Hakim and N’Golo both trained yesterday, so we need to have a more physically intense session tomorrow and decide tomorrow. “Right now, it seems very positive that both can be in th...
Chelsea enter race for 26-year-old Liverpool and Barcelona target
Chelsea are keeping an eye on Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez, according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. Saul first came to Atletico Madrid in 2008 during his youth days, earning a call up to the B team two years later. He made his debut for the first team in March 2012. Following a successful loan spell at Rayo Vallecano, the Spaniard became a regular at the Wanda Metropolitano. He has since made over 300 appearances for Los Rojiblancos in all competitions, scoring 43 goals and helping the club to a La Liga title, two Europa Leagues and a Copa del Rey. He has repeatedly been linked with moves away from the Spanish capital this summer. Earlier in the window, he looked nailed on for a move to Barcelona in exchange for Antoine Griezmann, but the deal fell through. Liverpool ha...
Arsenal face big selection problems, Chelsea sweating on key player’s fitness
The new Premier League season continues apace this weekend, with some exciting fixtures scheduled to take place. The action gets underway on Saturday lunchtime, with Liverpool welcoming Burnley to Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded a 3-0 win at Norwich City last weekend and are a banker bet to follow up against the Clarets. There are five more fixtures to follow, with the clash between Leeds United and Everton likely to be the pick of the bunch. Leeds crashed 5-1 at Manchester United on the opening weekend and will be desperate to bounce back at Elland Road. The Red Devils are in action on Sunday as they travel south to face Southampton at St Mary’s. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were hugely impressive against Leeds and should continue in the same vein in this one. The two north London cl...
Three Premier League stars nominated for UEFA Men’s POTY
The three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award has been revealed. The award is given to the player who performed the best in UEFA competitions over the last year. This includes the Champions League, Europa League, European Championships and the Nations League. There wasn’t any room on the shortlist for Ballon d’Or frontrunners Lionel Messi or Robert Lewandowski, nor for Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament winner Gianluigi Donnarumma. Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo were also among the big names to miss out on the top three. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City & Belgium He’s already scooped one huge individual prize with the PFA Player of the Year award, and now he’s back for another. De Bruyne was one of the stars of the Champions League knockout stages. He netted...
Report claims West Ham have submitted an offer of around £25m for 26-yr-old target
West Ham United have been heavily linked with a move for the Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma this summer. According to L’Equipe, the Hammers have submitted an offer of around £25 million for the centre back and discussions between the two clubs continue regarding a summer move. The 26-year-old Frenchman is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer in search of regular football and a move the West Ham could prove to be a smart decision. David Moyes is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements and Zouma is likely to get regular first-team opportunities with the Hammers. West Ham have managed to qualify for Europa League this season and the Frenchman will be able to experience European football with them. West Ham have just three centre backs at their disposal and they will need to sign a...
Thomas Tuchel makes transfer decision on Hakim Ziyech amid AC Milan interest – report
AC Milan are unlikely to land Hakim Ziyech this summer with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel deciding to keep him, Calciomercato reports. The Moroccan had a disappointing debut season with the Blues last term, and it appeared that he could be heading for the exit door this summer. The Rossoneri had planned a loan deal with an option to buy, and they are set to miss out on him after his promising pre-season with the Blues. Tuchel considers the attacker an integral part of his plans, and the Milan giants are likely to focus on landing Nikola Vlasic before the end of the month. Sportslens view: Ziyech joined the Blues with high expectations but struggled to impress in his maiden campaign with six assists and four goals from 39 outings. However, the 28-year-old shown genuine signs of returning to...
