Chelsea

The Blues ran out comfortable 3-1 winners over Udinese thanks to goals from N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and an account-opening strike from new signing Raheem ...

However, we can only go with what we have seen so far and, so far, it all points towards Koulibaly being one of the best in the league. Of course, we have to reiterate that it was a pre-season friendly and the new man can only truly be judged by a jury of his Premier League peers. Brilliant. Chelsea may have landed one of the signings of the summer in Koulibaly.

Mateo Kovacic captains the team and Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic also start. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Armando Broja play ...

For the latest features and the best user experience on The 5th Stand app, download the latest version from the App Store or Google Play. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Armando Broja play their first pre-season games for Thomas Tuchel’s side this summer. Download the latest version of The 5th Stand

Kepa speaking to Tuchel after a game. Kepa could follow Timo Werner in a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer. (Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC ...

Napoli, like others, would not be able to afford his wages for the season and so Kepa would have to take a pay cut, something that he is willing to do in order to revive his first choice career. Italian club Napoli are looking for a new keeper and have put Chelsea's stopper on their four man shortlist, says CalcioMercato. Alongside Keylor Navas, Neto and Kevin Trapp, Kepa is an experienced option for the Serie A side, though a move is not likely to happen urgently as they explore their options. Although the £72million signing has had a resurgence in form under Tuchel it is not enough to fetch back even half of his massive transfer fee in 2018, therefore making a permanent deal tough to find.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has commented on his meeting and relationship with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly.

And it just so happens that some of the players they wanted, we did also. “He is a very successful businessman. Interestingly, prior to the conclusions of these transfer sagas, Chelsea controlling owner Boehly had a meeting with Laporta in a restaurant in Spain in early July.

Chelsea ended their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 win over Udinese at the Dacia Arena thanks to goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech.

There were a couple of flashes of his quality in the opening period – one excellent cross should've been converted by Broja – and after the break, but not enough for a player of Ziyech's undoubted quality. The American was on the periphery of the game throughout and was reluctant to drive at his opposition defender. The academy graduate was quieter after the interval and is unlikely to usurp Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic in the midfield pecking order. The Croatian wasn't as influential after the break but offered a reassuring presence and constant outlet when the Blues had possession. The academy graduate was used at right wing-back and had been quiet in the opening period until he opened the scoring with a deft lob over Daniele Padelli. Back in northern Italy after his season-long loan at Venezia last term, Ampadu played in the centre of the Chelsea backline and was always willing to try to move the Blues up the pitch quickly.

During the first cooling break, the cameras cut to Thomas Tuchel having an intense conversation with RLC, who had a monster of a game after that point.

“We have a good relationship [with Chelsea and] Todd Boehly is an extraordinary person. We have had this necessity to be active in the transfer market in order ...

But perhaps the balance sheet trickerations have run their course and even the token fees we’re demanding — respectfully, to be sure — not to mention wages and such are just a step too far for them at this point. Those players wanted to come to Barcelona because they believe in our project, our history, our style of playing and our coach. We have had this necessity to be active in the transfer market in order to improve our squad.

Barcelona chief Joan Laporta has admitted that he and Xavi are huge admirers of Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, who have been widely tipped to ...

Azpilicueta's long-term future at Chelsea was called into question towards the end of last season, with his current deal in west London set to expire next summer. It seems as though Laporta could now be looking to hit Chelsea with another demoralising blow by launching a raid for Azpilicueta and Alonso after revealing his interest in the pair in an interview with CBS Sports. Barcelona chief Joan Laporta has admitted that he and Xavi are huge admirers of Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, who have been widely tipped to join the Catalan heavyweights over the course of this summer.

A Chelsea XI made light work of a second-string Udinese side in a behind-closed- ...

Broja would see a handful of other great chances to go waste in the first 45. Vale moved into an attacking role, with Hudson-Odoi switching over to wing-back. A Chelsea XI made light work of a second-string Udinese side in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday, securing a routine 2-0 victory.

Chelsea ended their trip to Italy with another win over Udinese thanks to a 2-0 victory at the Dacia Arena in Udine on Saturday morning.

The second came just after the half hour mark when he beat Padelli to the ball and tried to lob him into an empty net, but the ball landed above the crossbar. Loftus-Cheek bagged an assists in the 56th minute after Ziyech made it 2-0. They countered and it fell to Sandi Lovric inside the box, but he could only blast his effort off target.

Chelsea's pre-season campaign concluded with a comfortable victory against an Udinese XI, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech finding the net either side of ...

Loftus-Cheek continued to impress from right wing-back, setting up further chances for Ziyech and Chilwell around the hour mark. A flowing Chelsea move ended with Chilwell picking out Gallagher, who spun on the edge of the box and curled towards the top left-hand corner. Broja fired at Padelli’s legs after yet another enterprising foray forward from Kovacic, who eventually got the assist his performance deserved in time added on at the end of the first half. Chilwell had a good sight of goal in the second minute, only for his shot to be blocked, and Gallagher fired over from a Ziyech pass. The hosts broke, and Sandi Lovric shot straight at Kepa with his second good opportunity of the morning. From a Gallagher corner, Broja headed goalwards and Bram Nuytinck just about diverted it onto the post and out.

Chelsea and Napoli are close to reaching a full agreement on a potential loan deal for out-of-favour goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to Gianluca di ...

Chelsea reportedly want two bonuses of €1.5million (£1.25m) in the deal. Napoli would have to pay loan fees, obviously, and the two clubs have yet to agree on bonuses. Report: Chelsea agree to pay majority of player's salary to send him on loan

Premier League club Chelsea are reportedly willing to let Kepa and Timo Werner leave on loan in the summer transfer window.

The two clubs are currently negotiating a loan transfer and a deal is getting ‘closer’. Now 27 years old, Kepa should be aiming to be a club’s No. 1 goalkeeper, and it is not a great look for Chelsea to have a £72m player warm the bench every matchday. Chelsea are reportedly willing to let Kepa Arrizabalaga and Timo Werner leave the club on loan this summer.

Chelsea won their final known pre-season game 2-0 behind closed doors against Udinese in Italy on Saturday morning.

While there is still work to be done, the progress will come as a relief to both the boss and the fans. The lack of priority in the transfer window to add to the midfield further demonstrates the strength Tuchel believes he has in this area of the pitch. A lot of improvement is needed if he wants to be fighting for a starting place next season. Chelsea were dominant in the middle of the park and largely took control of this game, Kovacic was superb. The match certainly had a slower feel to it and although Udinese put up a good fight, the west London outfit were able to control the game at their own pace. He both opened the scoring and won the penalty for the Blues’ other goal of the game.

Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea transfer news and rumours on Saturday.

Combined, the trio have played 1,887 official club games. In a week's time, Chelsea begin their 2022/23 top-flight campaign. As a result, Thomas Tuchel is yet to lose in normal time to Jurgen Klopp. Given the length of the Jules Kounde transfer saga, which spanned more than 12-months, it feels like a long time since Chelsea's original interest in De Ligt surfaced. Chalobah was part of a defensive unit that improved as the game progressed and will be pushing for a start against Everton in a week's time. The senior member of the Chelsea back three given his 30 appearances last term, Chalobah was confident in possession and ready to step into midfield to help the Blues overload the Italian side. That is less true of Chelsea, although there is no doubting the quality of their coach and their squad." But we are here as well, we don’t want to rest on what we achieved or not achieved in the last years, we are ready for the new challenge and that’s all." That’s got to have some sort of substance." Elsewhere, work continues off the pitch as Todd Boehly navigates a crucial first transfer window as Chelsea co-owner. that’s a weird one to just make up. They have a second game this morning at 10 AM which we will keep you up to date with.

Black Ferns rugby star is set for a special match on Sunday. And just how is she going not having her husband as coach this year?

We like to, especially in the FPC, have a couple of beers after the game just to debrief a bit. And then that got axed, so I got penalised a few times for that. A beautiful mind crunching all the player stats. If quality local sport journalism is important to you, become a Stuff supporter today. You need journalists close enough to smell the liniment. But I think what he managed to do in the last few years for Waikato was amazing. So it’s a good change for us. I think everyone who goes from coaching men to coaching women says that it is quite different. Yeah, I was meant to get my 50th in the final last year. Mostly because women, we want to know every single detail, like quite over the top. I don’t even know if he means to be funny, he just is. Man, everyone is just putting their hands up and everyone’s the fittest they’ve ever been, and playing good rugby.

Chelsea have submitted their first offer for Inter Milan talent Cesare Casadei after an unsuccessful enquiry during talks for Romelu Lukaku's loan deal, ...

Italian side Torino are also keen on the goalscoring midfielder. Chelsea have submitted their first offer for Inter Milan talent Cesare Casadei after an unsuccessful enquiry during talks for Romelu Lukaku’s loan deal, according to Sky Italia. Report: Club unlikely to accept Chelsea's offer for goalscoring midfield talent

Chelsea currently have the most expensive goalkeeper in world football and he isn't even a starter. The Blues signed the Spaniard from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 ...

- ‘Not Appealing to Him’ - Pundit on Why Everton Can Sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher - ‘He Won’t Be Happy’ - Pundit on Kepa Arrizabalaga Joining Napoli Due to his lack of game, the Spaniard is wanting to leave Stamford Bridge and one side seems the keenest on bringing him in this summer.

Young Armando Broja was guilty of missing three wonderful opportunities all by himself, but eventually we made our pressure, quality, and superiority count in ...

He would win a penalty to make things comfortable (Ziyech converting), and was unlucky to not collect another assist or three before making way. Chelsea took a bit longer to get going today than yesterday, but it was an ultra-attacking lineup from Tuchel and we didn’t have to wait too long for the chances to start flowing. Unfortunately, the classic Chelsea problem of not being able to finish our chances was in full flow as well, and even when we did find the target, the goalkeeper either made a great save (different than yesterday but just as spectacular) or Udinese cleared off the line like on Ethan Ampadu’s header from a corner.

Chelsea have reportedly been told they will have to pay £17million for Cesare Casadei and include a buy-back clause in any deal after Inter Milan rejected ...

Chelsea are expected to be working hard behind the scenes next week in a bid to get some more faces through the door, with their first Premier League game of the season taking place at Everton on Saturday. However, Inter outright refused the suggestion and ended up paying a £7m fee and agreeing to cover his wages in full. Chelsea have reportedly been told they will have to pay £17million for Cesare Casadei and include a buy-back clause in any deal after Inter Milan rejected their opening offer.

The Blues could demand at least one of these five players in negotiations with the Bundesliga club reportedly growing confidence in their pursuit.

Angelino not only has Premier League experience with Man City, but his versatility could appeal to the Chelsea boss. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below! Both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta want to depart before the September 1 deadline passes. Sport Bild have even reported that Werner himself is willing to follow Romelu Lukaku's footsteps in taking a hefty pay cut to force through an exit. Since these comments came out, there have been mixed reports over the 26-year-old's future. Other than Christopher Nkunku, who would have been the most obvious option before the Frenchman decided to sign a new contract, the Croatian defender is someone who is of interest to Chelsea regardless of this Werner deal.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is closing in on a loan move to Napoli, according to reports in Italy. The 27-year-old, who moved to Stamford Bridge in ...

Chelsea are still to reach a final agreement with Napoli with the Premier League club requesting two bonus payments of €1.5m (£1.2m) as part of the deal. It’s understood that Chelsea have agreed to pay 75% of Kepa’s salary, which is in the region of £150,000 a week. Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is closing in on a loan move to Napoli, according to reports in Italy.

Current Everton manager Frank Lampard certainly knows the Chelsea squad quite well, especially those players who had come up from the Academy during his ...

One reunion that Lampard and Everton are less keen on however is with Ross Barkley, their former superstar wunderkind, whom we’ve been actively shopping around. Gilmour played 17 times for Lampard at Chelsea, including in several Premier League and Champions League games. One of those is young Billy Gilmour, who spent last season on loan at Norwich City and looks slated for another temporary assignment, having recently extended his Chelsea contract through 2024.

Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour should hear transfer rumours linking him to Everton and want to join the Merseyside club.

It’s been reported by the Daily Mail that Everton are monitoring the 21-year-old midfielder. The biggest tick in the box about Gilmour moving to Everton would have to be the presence of their manager Frank Lampard. The main problem with his Norwich loan is that he fell out of favour and ultimately didn’t get enough minutes in a side that were relegated from the Premier League. However, the adversity that he faced is going to be a brilliant learning curve for his development.

Chelsea have agreed to sign Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire for a fee of around £12 million.

Talented GK and his agent will fly to London on Sunday to complete medical and sign. Excl: Gaga Slonina to Chelsea, here we go! Chelsea have agreed a deal of around £12 million including add-ons with the MLS side for the teenager, who will return on loan to see out the campaign with the American side before returning to London on January 1st 2022.

The Gabriel Slonina transfer saga is over, and it appears the U.S. goalkeeping prospect is headed to West London. Chelsea has agreed with MLS's Chicago Fire ...

Slonina, casually known as Gaga, is second in MLS in clean sheets this season with 10 in 23 matches. Spanish giant Real Madrid appeared to be Slonina’s destination of choice throughout the summer. After a call-up to the Polish national team in May, the dual-national announced that he’d be playing his international soccer with the United States. While he doesn’t figure to be a factor in the upcoming World Cup—he has yet to make an appearance for the USMNT—Slonina is the U.S.’s top goalkeeping prospect in years.

Chelsea has a verbal agreement to sign Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina for a fee that could rise to $15m, a source confirmed to ESPN.

When Slonina made his professional debut Aug. 4, he became the youngest starting goalkeeper in league history at 17 years, 81 days. Slonina has long been considered one of the jewels of the Fire's academy, and took over the starting goalkeeper spot with the first team last season as a 17-year-old. Fabrizio Romano was first to report the news of the agreement, with The Athletic first to report the base fee.

Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri could be on the move to Lazio this summer with former head coach Maurizio Sarri keen for a reunion.

He could play in a back four, as wing-back in a back five and he could even slot in on the left side of a back three. With Champions League matches on top of the Premier League, where you can now make five substitutions in the 90 minutes, he should still have plenty of opportunities if he is chosen as a backup option for Tuchel to utilise. The case to be made for Emerson is that he has more versatility than the 31-year-old which could be vitally important for Tuchel given the lack of depth in his defence.