Chelsea
Match preview: Chelsea vs Southampton
Chelsea host Southampton today and will look to continue from where they stopped prior to the international break. The Blues handed Crystal Palace a 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last time out, but the Saints are a different side after securing back-to-back Premier League victories and clean sheets over Burnley and West Bromwich Albion. Those wins came following a poor start to 2020-21 that saw them lose against Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea will have to be on top of their game if they are to pick up all three points at the expense of Southampton. Frank Lampard’s side are also looking to secure their third league win of the season having drawn against West Brom and lost to Liverpool after their victory on the opening weekend over Brighton and Hove Albion. They will have...
Transitioning Teams and Europe
Why the failure to qualify for Europe for a transitioning team could be a blessing in disguise. European qualification in many footballing leagues and cultures is considered one of the more realistic targets at the start of a season. While the league title is there to be taken by an elusive team, there are six to seven teams that get to play in the European competitions namely, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The fans of every team with a decent top-10 caliber squad expect their teams to be in the mix to achieve the said target. The traditional ‘Top’ teams are by nature expected to have that level of consistency every season they grace the pitch. This very expectation and excitement turn into rage and criticism when their respective teams can’t manage to ch...
£33m Chelsea signing could finally make his debut this weekend against Southampton
According to The Athletic reporter Simon Johnson, the new summer signing Hakim Ziyech could make his Chelsea debut when the Blues host Southampton in the Premier League this Saturday. The 27-year-old, who joined the Blues from Ajax in the summer as part of a deal that was agreed at the turn of the new year, is yet to feature for Chelsea after picking up an injury during pre-season. But it is believed that the Moroccan international is now approaching full fitness for the West London side. Ziyech, however, has been gradually settling into life at Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard’s side will get back to Premier League action this weekend as they host Southampton at Stamford Bridge and the Blues will look to make it back to back wins for the first time this season. Johnson, Chelsea ...
Kurt Zouma opens up on his relationship with Chelsea new signing
Kurt Zouma, who played alongside Thiago Silva as a central defender in the Chelsea side that defeated Crystal Palace 4-0 before the international break, has opened up on the immediate impact of the former Paris Saint-Germain man on the team. Speaking to the official Chelsea FC website, Zouma said: “You can see straight away, as soon as he [Thiago Silva] walked through the door at Cobham, he gives advice to the players around him, he’s really good with people and you can definitely see he has very good leadership skills. “Everyone has welcomed Thiago into the group and we are all happy he’s with us at Chelsea. “I’m very excited to work with Thiago,’ he added on a personal note, ‘but I don’t think I’m the only one, a lot of the guys here at Chelsea feel exactly the same. We are all exc...
Chelsea suffer blow as new signing picks up injury on international duty
New Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has suffered an injury during a training session with Senegal’s national team. The former Rennes goalkeeper had been training with Senegal after being called up for international friendlies against Morocco on Friday and Mauritania next Tuesday but has been forced to return to Stamford Bridge after sustaining a thigh injury, which will now be assessed by Chelsea’s medical team. The Senegalese Football Federation confirmed the news via an official statement, which reads: “The Senegalese Football Federation announces the withdrawal of national goalkeeper Edouard Mendy following an injury to the right thigh that occurred during the training session on Wednesday October 07, 2020 and after a medical examination at the hospital in Rabat. “Edouard Mendy has lef...
‘I was in constant contact’: Int’l boss reveals Spurs target tried everything to leave club
Germany boss Joachim Low has revealed that Antonio Rudiger tried everything to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window. The 27-year-old defender has fallen out of favour under Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Rudiger was linked with a move away before Monday’s transfer deadline, with Tottenham, Roma and AC Milan all showing an interest. However, the move did not come off and Rudiger now remains a Chelsea player. Germany boss Joachim Low has conceded Rudiger will look to depart again in January. ‘I was in constant contact with Toni Rudiger, he was keeping me in the loop,’ Low said. ‘He had three or four options over the weekend but unfortunately, nothing materialised – he can try ...
Report: Hammers had agreed deal, England intl changed his mind 10 mins to deadline
According to The Sun, West Ham United and Chelsea had agreed to terms of a loan move for England international centre-back Fikayo Tomori last night, but he changed his mind 10 minutes to the transfer deadline. The London clubs agreed to a loan fee and the division of wages, and the deal was on the brink of going through. However, the 22-year-old decided against leaving Chelsea for West Ham on a temporary basis, and will now look to force his way into manager Frank Lampard’s plans. It dealt a huge blow on the Hammers transfer plans as it was too late to move for another centre-back in the EPL or outside of England by the time Tomori had a sudden change of heart. Manager David Moyes wants a centre-back, and West Ham have only been able to sign a right-back thus far this summer, bringing in V...
‘Delighted to have signed for Spurs’ – Defender confirms move after Chelsea departure
Former Chelsea youth player Marcel Lavinier has joined Tottenham Hotspur following his release by the Stamford Bridge outfit, and he has taken to Twitter to confirm the move: Delighted to have signed for @spursofficial in the next step of my career. Very big club with very high ambitions. Grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started !🔥 #COYS🤍🤍 pic.twitter.com/3s0vde5Vkm — Marcel Lavinier (@MarcelLavinier_) October 5, 2020 Spurs were keen to bring in Antonio Rudiger from the Blues on a season-long loan, but Chelsea weren’t interested in strengthening a direct rival. The North Londoners are getting a rookie defender in Lavinier instead and will hope that he turns out good after he impressed during a trial. The 19-year-old has been given a one-year con...
Report: Southampton have made their decision on Chelsea player
Southampton will not sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Premier League rivals Chelsea on summer transfer deadline day, according to The Sun (Transfer Live blog, 9:17am, October 5, 2020). It has been reported that the Saints hope to sign one or two players on loan today, but Loftus-Cheek will not move to St. Mary’s Stadium. That’s because the wages of the 24-year-old England international is too much for Southampton, who have also signed Ibrahima Diallo for £12.7 million, according to the report in the British tabloid. Leaving Chelsea out on loan Loftus-Cheek is a very good and dynamic box-to-box player who can only get better if he plays regularly. It is hard to see the 24-year-old get much playing time at Chelsea this season, and it would make sense for him to find a new club. The England inter...
Report: Chelsea player’s stance on West Ham United transfer
Chelsea central defender Antonio Rudiger does not want to join West Ham United in the summer transfer window, according to The Telegraph. It has been reported that Chelsea are willing to include the 27-year-old centre-back in a deal to sign Declan Rice from Premier League rivals West Ham before the window closes on Monday. Rice is a very talented and promising young player who can operate as a defensive midfielder or as a defender. However, according to the report, the Germany international does not want to join West Ham. Step down True, West Ham are a massive club and are well established in the Premier League, but last season, David Moyes’s side narrowly avoided the dreaded drop to the Championship. Rudiger has done well for Chelsea and has shown that he can hold his own in the Premier L...
‘Love it’ – Andy Robertson reacts to what £50m Chelsea man did against Palace
Chelsea secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Stamford Bridge yesterday, with summer arrival Ben Chilwell impressing on his Premier League debut for the Blues. The former Leicester City star joined Frank Lampard’s side for £50 million in August, and he showed exactly why they parted with such a fee with a man of the match performance against the Eagles. Chilwell opened the scoring for Chelsea before providing an assist for Kurt Zouma’s goal, and he also played a huge role in helping the side keep their first clean sheet of the new campaign. The 23-year-old took to Instagram to express how delighted he was with his debut, and fellow left-back and Liverpool star Andy Robertson reacted thus: The Reds full-back knows what it means to put in such a performance, and it’s not e...
Report: Tottenham have asked about signing 27-yr-old Premier League ace
Are interested in signing the Chelsea centre back Antonio Rudiger. The 27 year old German international seems to have fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and he could do with a move away from the club this summer. Chelsea have signed Sarr, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell to improve their back four so far. Tottenham need to add more depth to their defensive unit and root eagle should prove to be a quality addition. According to Nicolo Schira, Tottenham have asked about a potential loan deal and it will be interesting to see if Chelsea are willing to accept such an offer. AC Milan are keen on signing the German defender as well. If Chelsea decide to loan him out, it would be a superb bit of business from Tottenham who will be able to sign an established Premier League defender wit...
