Callum Hudson-Odoi has recovered from his illness-related absence. This week, the winger on loan from Chelsea returned to training with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Furthermore, head coach Xabi Alonso did not say if the winger will play in the impending Rhenish derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday evening.
Callum Hudson-Odoi did not play in Bayer Leverkusen’s friendly match against FC Copenhagen on 15th January.
The 22-year-old has made nine appearances and assisted one for Bayer Leverkusen in the Germany Bundesliga this season. He joined the Bundesliga club on On 30 August 2022 from Premier League club Chelsea on loan.
He scored his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-2 away draw at Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on 26 October.
The Wandsworth-born winger is likely to move to another club this summer permanently according to reports in Germany. Bayer 04 Leverkusen will evaluate his performance and make a decision at the end of the season.
Mykhaylo Mudryk will probably play his first Premier League game for Chelsea against Liverpool on Saturday, according to Graham Potter.
In the race to get the Ukraine international, the Blues outspent London rivals Arsenal by spending an estimated £89 million (€100 million).
How Potter will integrate Mudryk into a top-heavy team at Stamford Bridge, where he joins players like Kai Havertz, Joao Felix, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has been a subject of discussion.
While that is uncertain, Chelsea supporters will get to see Mudryk play for the first time at Anfield after Potter announced he will make his debut there.
“He is a young and exciting player. We have to help him adapt to us and the Premier League. He hasn’t played so much football recently but has been training well, so we will have to assess him,” Potter said.
“There’s a chance [he could make his debut]. There is probably a role for him at some stage in the game.
“We’ve got to help him and everybody [must] understand that he is coming from a different country and league and has to adapt.
“He is a young player who has a lot of potential and at the same time he has had good experiences already and he is an exciting player.
“He’s trained very well and is very happy to be here. He is looking forward to his career here and is excited to get started.”
Chelsea’s work in the transfer market is seemingly not yet complete, with PSV winger Noni Madueke closing in on a move to west London, while Brighton and Hove Albion reportedly rejected a £55m bid from the Blues for midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Although it may seem there is no end in sight for Chelsea’s spending under Todd Boehly, Potter does not anticipate an influx of new additions at the backend of the mid-season transfer window.
“I don’t think there’ll be too many to be honest. I’ve no complaints about the squad. January is very complex. You might want A, B and C, but they are not available in terms of positional need,” he added.
“You are always looking to strengthen your squad and we have done that. When players come back, we have an exciting squad of players.
“You’ve got to analyse the squad and analyse where it’s at. Sometimes it is adding and sometimes it’s moving out players. That is on a case-by-case basis and we’ll look at it as and when.”
Graham Potter is confident Chelsea have turned a corner ahead of Saturday’s crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The Blues travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s side, also recently out of form, with both clubs hovering in mid-table and facing a tall order to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football.
Victory against Crystal Palace last Sunday brought an end to a three-game losing streak across all competitions for Chelsea and represented only their second Premier League win since mid-October.
The club have continued to spend heavily in the transfer market in a bid to improve their position and head coach Potter feels better times are on the horizon, though they need to make an impression on their trip to Merseyside.
“The win has been important for us, but it’s just a win. We have to go to Liverpool next and back it up,” Potter said.
“I’m confident, but I respect Liverpool and Anfield. It’s a tough place to go at any point, a fantastic football club. Jurgen [Klopp] is a top manager and [they are] a top team, but we’ve come through a tough spell.
“Players are coming back, new players are arriving. There is a buzz at the training ground.”
With the Blues having suffered an early exit from the FA Cup, Potter will have a fortnight after the Liverpool game to work with his squad ahead of their next fixture against Fulham, which he feels can make a big difference.
“We have two weeks, it’s an important period for us when you consider we have new faces and players coming back from injury,” Potter said. “It’s an important period. We’ll use the time as best as we can.”
Manchester United and Chelsea are ready to battle it out with Tottenham to sign Brentford keeper David Raya at the end of the season.
The Bees are currently eighth in the Premier League and the ever-present Raya, 27, has kept six clean sheets in 19 appearances.
Spurs had hoped to lure him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the long-term successor to Hugo Lloris but their pulling power is set to be tested by United and big-spending Chelsea, according to The Telegraph.
Raya is in the final 18 months of his deal and could be available for a cut-price fee this summer.
Chelsea’s late swoop to hijack Arsenal’s deal for Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk was one of the most eye-catching transfers of recent times.
The Ukrainian winger, 22, became one of the club’s most expensive signings when he arrived at Stamford Bridge for an initial £62million, which could rise to a whopping £89m.
Ahead of his potential debut at Liverpool on Saturday, we look at how Chelsea‘s five other most expensive buys have fared in West London.
5. Alvaro Morata (£60m from Real Madrid, 2017)
Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata was the No9 tasked with replacing Diego Costa, who had fallen out of favour under boss Antonio Conte.
But like many marksmen who had gone before him and indeed after him at Stamford Bridge, Morata struggled for consistency during his time in the Premier League.
The Spain international netted six times in his first six league games for Conte’s side but struggled to maintain that scoring touch, leaving for Atletico Madrid in January 2019 with 24 goals in 72 appearances.
4. Kepa Arrizabalaga (£71.6m from Athletic Bilbao, 2018)
After a difficult time at Chelsea, Kepa Arrizabalaga has impressed in goal this season
To say Kepa Arrizabalaga’s time at Chelsea has been mixed would be an understatement — but things are now looking more positive for the Basque No1.
The £71.6m Chelsea paid for his services from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 still stands as the world record for a goalkeeper as the Blues desperately scrambled for a replacement for Real Madrid-bound Thibaut Courtois.
He struggled to live up to that expectation having found himself out of the first-team picture multiple times due to mistakes and controversial moments — most notably when defying Maurizio Sarri’s orders for him to be substituted in the 2019 Carabao Cup final.
But having won back the No1 shirt under Graham Potter this term, the 28-year-old is now one of Chelsea’s more consistent performers in a disappointing season overall.
3. Kai Havertz (£71m from Bayer Leverkusen, 2020)
Kai Havertz was the marquee signing of the summer under Frank Lampard in 2020.
The German forward initially struggled to settle under Lampard but found form under successor Thomas Tuchel and his first season in Chelsea colours ended with him scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City.
Since then, Havertz, 23, has enjoyed periods of superb scoring form for the Blues but has failed to impress consistently enough in the centre forward position he is often deployed.
2. Wesley Fofana (£75m from Leicester, 2022)
Injuries have restricted Wesley Fofana to just six Chelsea appearances
It is too early to judge whether Wesley Fofana will be a success at the Bridge having been hampered with injuries since his big-money switch from Leicester last summer.
The 22-year-old missed the majority of his final season for the Foxes but rightly earned a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most promising defenders in his first campaign at the King Power Stadium.
There is no doubt Chelsea have a supreme talent on their hands — but with only four Premier League appearances this term, the £75m they spent on the former Saint-Etienne ace remains a gamble by owner Todd Boehly at this stage.
1. Romelu Lukaku (£97.5m from Inter Milan, 2021)
Romelu Lukaku struggled to live up to expectations at Chelsea following his £97.5m return
Romelu Lukaku was meant to be the man who would finally solve Chelsea’s age-old striker problem when they forked out £97.5m to seal his return to West London from Inter Milan in 2021.
Having just netted 24 goals in 36 appearances during the Nerazzurri’s title-winning campaign in 2020-21, there was no doubting the Belgian’s pedigree to finally make himself a hero at Stamford Bridge.
But scoring only eight league goals in his first season back, Lukaku was returned to Inter on loan, with any hopes of retrieving his Chelsea career appearing unlikely.
Rinat Akhmetov, the president of Shakhtar Donetsk, had “mixed feelings” following Mykhailo Mudryk’s Sunday sale to Chelsea for a record sum.
Premier League champions and rivals from London, Arsenal, lost out to Chelsea in the race to sign Mudryk for a rumoured sum that might reach £89 million (€100 million).
The 22-year-old signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea, earning Chelsea the largest sum ever paid to a Ukrainian team.
Although Akhmetov was sad to see the Ukrainian international leave, he is looking forward to watching Mudryk succeed at Stamford Bridge, where he saw the Blues defeat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Sunday. The Ukrainian international is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in world football.
⚒ From debut to the team leader 🧡 Thank you for everything, Mykhailo 👏
Akhmetov told the club’s official website: “I have mixed feelings. In order to win European trophies, I should invite such footballers as Mudryk to our club, to our Ukrainian league and not send them to the best championships and the best clubs in the world.
“However, I am sure that Mykhaylo will win respect, sympathy and love of all connoisseurs of world football with his speed, his technique, his impressive and beautiful play.
“Mykhaylo Mudryk is a Shakhtar graduate. The player joined the Academy of the Miners in 2016 and debuted with the senior team in the autumn of 2018 at age 17.
“Mudryk became the Ukrainian Super Cup winner (2021) together with the team. Fans recognised Mykhaylo Mudryk as Shakhtar Player of the Year twice (2021, 2022).
“FC Shakhtar thanks Mykhaylo for impressive play, good and important goals, and significant contribution to the team’s victories. We wish you success in the strongest league in the world, many trophies and personal awards, great career achievements and constant enjoyment of football.”
Mykhailo Mudryk, a longtime target of Arsenal, has been acquired by Chelsea in a spectacular transaction said to be valued over £88 million from Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 22-year-old has signed a contract with Stamford Bridge for eight and a half years and wasted no time in expressing his happiness at finally getting a Premier League move.
Mudryk stated on the team’s website: “I’m thrilled to join Chelsea. At this point in my career, this is a really alluring challenge for me because it is a huge club in an amazing league.
“I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”
The Gunners have been after the Ukrainian superstar for a number of months, and it was believed that everything had been worked out between the two sides except for the final transfer fee.
The Blues took advantage of the opportunity yesterday by sending co-owner Behdad Eghbali and director of global transfers Paul Winstanley to Turkey, where Shakhtar are presently training. Negotiations had reached a standstill.
Because Chelsea was willing to pay the full asking price, negotiations moved quickly, and Mudryk took the club’s private jet back to West London to do his physical last night.
Mikel Arteta will feel the pain of the transaction because a lot of time and effort was put into attempting to convince Mudryk to move to the Emirates.
The player had even been teasing a move to North London on his social media channels, liking posts from Arsenal fan accounts using the hashtag #FreeMudryk and posting videos of himself watching Arsenal matches.
Mudryk had also described Arteta as a “top coach” but will now hope to help under-fire Potter turn a disastrous season around at Stamford Bridge.
Mykhailo Mudryk has finalised his move from Shakhtar Donetsk after agreeing personal terms with the Blues. 🤝
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and the club’s co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said in a joint-statement: “We are delighted to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea.
“He’s a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come.
“He will add further depth to our attack and we know he’ll get a very warm welcome to London.”
The Blues took the unusual move of announcing the signing midway through the first half of their Premier League home game with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea fans are trolling Arsenal fans after the club successfully hijacked Arsenal’s move for Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Arsenal had been locked in negotiations with his club Shakhtar Donetsk for weeks with the North London side unwilling to meet Shakhtar’s €100m valuation of the player.
Earlier in the week, reports from credible journalists indicated that Arsenal were on the cusp of agreeing a deal for the player only for Chelsea to jump in on Saturday and quickly seal a deal.
According to Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, a member of Chelsea’s board flew to Poland where the club are on a training tour to seal the deal by meeting Shakhtar’s valuation.
Chelsea it is reported also offered more money to the player and have agreed a seven-year deal with the Ukrainian winger.
A Shakhtar statement confirming the deal reads “FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed Mykhailo Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea FC today. Parties are very close to agree on player’s transfer to the club.”
The deal has excited Chelsea fans who mocking their London rivals for missing out on yet another good player.
Chelsea fans claim they have done the double over Arsenal as they also beat the Gunners to the signing of Portuguese player, Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
Below are some comments
Mudryk (after joining Chelsea): “I was waiting, waiting for Arsenal to decide. Chelsea had shown interest but it wasn’t firm at first. I almost went to Arsenal. My agent said, ‘Chelsea just called me and they want you’. I said, ‘OK, I want to go there!’.” ????
Joao Felix had a nightmare debut for Chelsea on Thursday night, as he was sent off in a 2-1 defeat at local rivals Fulham.
The Portuguese forward had looked a lively presence and shown moments of quality on his first appearance for the Blues, before lunging into a high tackle against Cottagers full-back Kenny Tete, that saw him receive a straight red.
Graham Potter’s men were level at the time that Joao Felix was dismissed, but fell behind 15 minutes after being reduced to 10 men.
The West Londoners will now miss the diminutive playmaker for three matches, having paid a £9.7million loan fee to sign the 23-year old from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
Though it was a disastrous debut, he is far from being the only player to have made a terrible first impression. We have taken a look back at the worst Premier League debuts of all time.
Joe Cole and Laurent Koscielny (August 2010)
Joe Cole was one of two debutants sent off when Liverpool met Arsenal in 2010
Joao Felix was the first player to be sent off on his Premier League debut since Federico Fazio saw red for Tottenham against Manchester City in 2014, but going further back it has been a fairly regular occurrence.
The desire to impress a new manager, team-mates and fans, has often resulted in footballers losing their heads and doing something rash.
Perhaps the prime example was Liverpool’s 1-1 home draw with Arsenal in 2010, where two players making their Premier League debuts for new employers were sent off.
Joe Cole had just arrived at Anfield and was dismissed just before half-time, after making a terrible challenge on Laurent Koscielny.
Koscielny was also making his English top-flight debut for Arsenal and not to be outdone, somehow managed to receive two yellow cards within added time and was also sent off.
Teddy Sheringham (August 1997)
The Premier League fixture schedule threw up a mouth-watering match at Teddy Sheringham’s expense following his 1997 move from Tottenham to Manchester United.
Signed after Eric Cantona had left Old Trafford, the pressure was already on Sheringham and it only increased when it was announced that he would make his league debut at White Hart Lane.
Cantona had been United’s penalty taker, so when the Red Devils were awarded a spot-kick in the second-half with the score at 0-0, his replacement stepped up to take it. Amid a chorus of boos, Sheringham hit the post and then skied the rebound over the bar.
His blushes were spared when United managed to score two late goals to win the game and Sheringham’s time at the club would ultimately prove to be a great success.
Fernando Torres (February 2011)
Another player who made his Premier League debut against the club that he had just left was Fernando Torres.
The Spanish striker lined up for his first Chelsea match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, just days after completing a £50m switch from Anfield.
While Sheringham’s luck improved after his poor debut, Torres’ first game was a portent for his career in West London. He blazed the ball over the bar after 90 seconds and looked overawed by the occasion, before being substituted after an hour.
Liverpool would win the match 1-0 and Torres would only score 20 goals in 110 Premier League games for the Blues.
Patrice Evra (January 2006)
Patrice Evra’s Manchester United debut did not run smoothly
In retrospect, the then Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti should have waited before giving Torres his debut and Alex Ferguson probably may think the same about Patrice Evra.
The left-back was thrown into a tough away game at local rivals Manchester City within a week of joining Manchester United from Monaco.
Before the 12.45pm kick-off, Evra started throwing up, but decided against informing his new manager that he was ill.
Once the game started, Evra found himself covered in his own blood after a clash with Trevor Sinclair. United were 2-0 down at half-time and Ferguson read the riot act to the team in the dressing room, as Evra’s debut was cut short.
The French international recalls: “Ferguson was raging. ‘And you, Patrice,’ he shouted. ‘That’s enough for you. You sit down and watch now, because you have to learn about English football.’”
Ali Dia (November 2006)
The most notorious debut in Premier League history was Ali Dia’s first and last game for Southampton.
A phone call was made to the Southampton manager Graeme Souness, purporting to be from the then AC Milan striker George Weah. Whoever was pretending to be Weah, suggested that the Saints should give an opportunity to his ‘cousin’.
The cousin in this story was Dia, who Souness was told had played for Paris Saint-Germain and had 13 international caps. Given a short contract, Dia made his debut against Leeds, coming on for the injured Matt Le Tissier in the 32nd minute.
Dia was substituted himself in the 85th minute. Le Tissier summed up the debut: “He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice. It was very embarrassing to watch.”
Dia was released, two weeks into his month-long contract.
The decision by the Football Association (FA) to classify the frequent use of the chant “rent boy” directed against Chelsea fans as a violation of the rules set forth by the governing body has been appreciated by Chelsea.
Opposition supporters have occasionally been heard singing the slogan at Chelsea games over the years, but it has drawn harsh criticism for its homophobic content.
The FA has stated that clubs may now face sanctions for singing the song after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) classified it as a hate crime.
In a statement released on Friday, Chelsea said: “The ‘rent boy’ chant is intolerable and has no place in football or anywhere else.
“That opposition clubs can now face disciplinary action if their supporters engage in this discriminatory and offensive behaviour is a step in the right direction.
“Everyone who chooses to participate in this chant must know their actions have consequences.
“Alongside our No To Hate campaign, we will continue to work with the FA, the CPS, opposition clubs, and our own LGBTQI+ supporter group Chelsea Pride in the pursuit of positive change.
“There is plenty more work to be done, but we won’t rest until football is a game where everyone feels welcome.”
On his Chelsea debut, Joao Felix was dismissed after the Blues’ manager Graham Potter came under further pressure following the team’s 2-1 loss at Fulham.
The striker from Portugal, who had begun at Craven Cottage on loan from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, was sent off after just 58 minutes for a dangerous high-footed charge on Kenny Tete.
At that moment, Willian, a former Chelsea player, had scored the game’s first goal, but Kalidou Koulibaly had responded to tie the score. However, Carlos Vinicius’ header put Potter’s team in 10th place, one win away from the top four and nine games without a loss.
As a consequence of their fourth straight victory, Fulham moved up to sixth position, four points behind fourth-place Manchester United.
Felix was fast-tracked into the side and impressed throughout the first half but he will now miss three matches and join the lengthy list of unavailable players to Potter.
Felix almost had an instant impact, with some clever wide play to set up Kai Havertz and the ball fell to Lewis Hall after a rebound, but his shot was straight at Bernd Leno.
Chelsea dominated the ball in the early part of the first half but it was the home side who came closest to taking the lead, when Bobby Decordova-Reid found himself unmarked in the box and his strike rebounded off the crossbar.
Fulham broke the deadlock almost immediately afterwards when Willian, on the edge of the box, beat the defender and saw a shot deflect past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The former Chelsea player remained respectful to the club he previously represented by not celebrating only his second goal for Fulham.
Fulham kept the pressure on until the end of the first half, with Chelsea struggling to impose themselves in the same manner as they had before the goal.
Chelsea equalised early in the second half, when a Mason Mount free-kick was just bundled in by Koulibaly, with the technology confirming the ball had crossed the line before Leno was able to gather.
Felix’s debut came to a crashing end when he went flying into a challenge in the middle of the pitch, catching Tete mid-shin with his studs up and was shown the red card immediately by referee David Coote.
Fulham capitalised with the numerical advantage, when Vinicius beat the Chelsea defenders to head home an Andreas Pereira cross at the far post.
Vinicius was brought into the side in place of the suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic — who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leicester in the previous Premier League match — but made the most of his opportunity by restoring Fulham’s lead in the 73rd minute.
In an effort to turn around Chelsea’s poor form, Graham Potter met with four of his most seasoned players on Tuesday for crisis talks.
The Blues have only secured five points in their past seven Premier League games when they go to London rival Fulham today.
To make matters worse, Potter’s goal-shy team, who have only scored 20 goals in the top flight so far this season, are three points behind the seventh-placed Cottagers.
But as the pressure mounted, the former Brighton manager consulted club captain Cezar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic as he planned the next course of action to bring the squad back on track.
Potter, 47, said: “I spoke at length on Tuesday with Thiago, with Azpi, with Jorgi, with Kova, a really good conversation.
Jorginho was one of the players Graham Potter sat down to talk with earlier this week
“They showed their qualities as people again. They’re honest. They articulate their concerns well, they articulate their positivity, they articulate their responsibility.
“That’s why I think we are in a place where we can move forward.”
Potter, who was boosted yesterday by the arrival of Atletico Madrid and Portugal star Joao Felix on loan, added: “It is an experienced team.
“The players are honest, they want to take their responsibilities. They want to improve, they want to win. There’s a lot there we are fortunate with.
Thiago Silva is one of the experienced heads Graham Potter is relying on
“At the same time, we are in a tough moment and these are challenges that affect the players as well. They are human beings.
“I know they’re paid to do their job but they’re not robots. They’re still affected by results and the transition phase at the club, but I’ve been really impressed.”
Tonight’s clash with Fulham is followed by another crunch London derby on Sunday, with Crystal Palace the visitors to Stamford Bridge.
Graham Potter will succeed at Chelsea once the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager has access to his finest players, according to Harry Redknapp.
Chelsea has dropped six of their last eight games, and Potter is having a tough time at Stamford Bridge.
During that bad run, the Blues have only managed one victory, a 2-0 home victory over Premier League underdog Bournemouth on December 27.
The FA Cup loss to Manchester City on Sunday illustrated the gap between 10th-placed Chelsea and clubs competing for the championship, but Redknapp maintains that Potter, who took over for Thomas Tuchel in September, just needs some time to adjust.
Chelsea’s injury list is a long one, with Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Christian Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Edouard Mendy the first-team regulars out of action.
“You can’t sack the lad can you, he’s not been there 10 minutes – he’s got a million injuries you know, you’ve got injuries galore, both his full-backs, Chilwell, James, important players, Fofana came in unfit, they’ve got lots of injuries,” Redknapp told Stats Perform.
“They have still got a very, very strong squad. They’ve spent money like it’s going out of fashion but he needs time. He’s only as good as your players at the moment – it’s not rocket science. People seem to think you go in and show them how to play football. It doesn’t work like that.
“At the moment, he’s got his best players missing and they’re struggling to win. When they get back in the team, you’ll see a massive improvement.”
Chelsea have been active in the January transfer window, signing four players already, while they are also eager to land Benfica’s World Cup star Enzo Fernandez.
While that transfer appears to be on ice for now, the Blues confirmed the loan signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Redknapp does not think more signings are necessarily a silver bullet, however.
He said: “They’ve got enough players, they just need those back from injury – they need James back, they need Chilwell back. There’s no reason they can’t go on a run.”
Potter has won eight of his 18 games in charge at Chelsea (44.4 per cent), and Redknapp says it would be foolish for the club to show him the door.
“Five years – you just gave him a five-year contract, you can’t very well bring him in, give him a five-year contract and then sack him, surely to God,” Redknapp said.
“I know they’ve done it before, Chelsea, that is the way they’ve worked. Managers who’ve won the Champions League and then they’ve been sacked a couple of games later, it happens. But I don’t see that happening this time.”
Manchester United and Chelseaare reportedly considering a move for Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
According to talkSPORT, the Red Devils are on the lookout for a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who could be allowed to leave this month.
The Blues are also on the hunt for reinforcements at right-back with Reece James’ injury problems affecting their form this term.
Walker-Peters, 25, is believed to be an ideal option for both outfits to fill the gap in that position.
Erik ten Hag wants strong competition for current first choice Diogo Dalot, while the Saints man is suited to Graham Potter’s style of play having featured at wing-back on several occasions.
The natural right-sider showcased his versatility last night after playing at both left-back and right wing-back during his side’s superb 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Manchester City.
He is one of the best performers of a difficult season for lowly Saints, starting all 14 Premier League games he has been available for this term and scoring once.
The South Coast club are aware they face a battle to keep hold of the two-cap England international after talks over a new contract stalled.
Former employers Tottenham are also said to be keeping tabs on the Londoner’s situation though it is unclear whether he would be open to returning to Spurs.
Joao Felix has joined Chelsea on loan until the end of the season.
The Blues saw off interest from Premier League leaders Arsenal to land their man after Atletico Madrid made the Portuguese star available for a short-term switch worth a reported £9million.
Prior to agreeing the move, the 23-year-old attacker extended his contract with Atleti by a year, meaning his deal in the Spanish capital now runs until the summer of 2027.
After arriving in West London, he said: “Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives.
“I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge.”
Felix has looked slightly out of place since arriving at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium from Benfica for a whopping £113m in 2019.
But he gave a timely reminder of his talents with some superb performances during Portugal’s World Cup campaign in Qatar.
Sergio Agüero is now just one hat-trick away from Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League record after his treble against Arsenal last weekend.
The Argentine netted all three goals in a comfortable 3-1 victory over the Gunners to bring up his 10th Premier League hat-trick.
Agüero’s first treble came against Wigan Athletic in 2011 with his 10th coming on his 227th appearance.
A hat-trick against Chelsea on Sunday [February 10] would take him level with Shearer but who else is on the list of Premier League hat-trick heroes?
The England star already has eight hat-tricks to his name, just two behind Agüero.
Kane’s first hat-trick came against Leicester in a thrilling 4-3 victory in March 2015.
The striker also scored an incredible six trebles in 2017.
<a href=”https://dugout.com/fcbarcelona/hat-trick-heroes-luis-suarez-helps-to-clobber-cordoba”>Luis Suárez</a>: Now an FC Barcelona hero, Suárez made his name at Liverpool, scoring hat-tricks at will during his four years at the club.
Suárez made a habit of scoring against Norwich, netting three of his six hat-tricks against the Canaries.
The Uruguayan currently sits eighth in the Premier League hat-tricks standings and also has 10 hat-tricks in LaLiga for Barça.
<a href=”https://dugout.com/fcbarcelona/hat-trick-heroes-thierry-henry-haunts-valencia”>Thierry Henry</a>: Tied with Kane and Michael Owen, Theirry Henry was devastating in front of goal for Arsenal.
The Frenchman spent eight years at the Gunners, scoring eight hat-tricks and winning two league titles.
His final treble came in the last match at Highbury as Arsenal won 4-2 against Wigan in 2006.
<a href=”https://dugout.com/liverpoolfc/dream-transfers-robbie-fowler”>Robbie Fowler</a>: A cult hero at Liverpool, Robbie Fowler netted 128 Premier League goals for the Reds.
That included eight hat-tricks as well as one treble for Leeds United.
Fowler also scored 21 league goals in 80 appearances for Manchester City.
Graham Potter is optimistic Todd Boehly will not prove as trigger-happy as Roman Abramovich while Chelsea fight to save their season.
The Blues have lost their last eight Premier League games and are now 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United after their poor run of results.
As Manchester City has already eliminated them from the EFL Cup, defeated them in the league, and might do so once again on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup third round, their chances of qualifying for the Champions League are dwindling.
However, getting out of their current rut is crucial, particularly for Potter’s future as head coach. Chelsea still has a Champions League last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund to look forward to.
In a decision that had overtones of the ruthlessness of the Abramovich era, owner Boehly fired Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel in September, forcing him out of Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Chelsea has been active in the transfer market, a hint that they are willing to make significant investments to produce results, with Potter being in charge of securing the victories.
He expresses amazement at the level of attention being paid to him and claims that this is “maybe different for me for some reason,” pointing out that Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Jurgen Klopp all needed time to assemble their squads at City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, respectively.
Comparing Chelsea now to the 19-year period when Abramovich called the shots, Potter said: “There’s a completely different ownership than there was.
“This is hard for people to also get their head around because Chelsea for 20 years has been one thing, and now all of a sudden, it’s different.
“But they still think back to what previously happened for 20 years. The reason for me to take the job was because you’ve got a chance to shape a club that’s in a massive transitional period.”
Potter said Chelsea have offered “fantastic” support and quipped that billionaire Boehly was “smarter than me, that’s for sure”.
“They understand the challenges that we have, and the direction we want to go in. I’ve been here four months, and five, six weeks of that have been lost to international football,” he added.
“I think Pep was there a year before they won anything. And then obviously Mikel and Jurgen took a bit of time. But obviously it’s maybe different for me for some reason.”
Potter explained he shows anger at times and stressed he was not “some robot”, while jokingly describing some reporters’ questions as “stupid”.
Addressing those reporters, Potter added: “There’ll always be people that doubt. There will be people in here that will doubt, that’s for sure. But I’m certainly not here to convince anybody. I’m here to do my work. And then if that convinces, then that’s fine.
“I’m more confident now that we can achieve things than I was when I started the job because I understand the club and understand the players and understand what’s needed. But obviously, with the past of Chelsea and the change of management, you can see why the questions are there.”
Asked whether he recognised he was under pressure, Potter said: “I don’t know, I don’t read the newspapers, I stay away from social media.”
He knows there is flak flying around though, and that some will never see the nuance.
“We’ve had a massive transition,” Potter said. “Problems in terms of injuries don’t make it easy to be stable. But it’s sort of blah, blah, blah. You know people want to see results, and [they would say] ‘Shut up Graham, what are you talking about, we need to win’.”
Edouard Mendy, the goalie for Chelsea, underwent surgery for a fractured finger he received during training this week.
The 30-year- old’s shoulder injury sustained during Senegal’s run to the round of 16 in Qatar has prevented him from playing for Chelsea since before the World Cup.
Mendy wasn’t healthy enough to enter the Premier League game against Manchester City on Thursday as a substitute.
Prior to that match, head coach Graham Potter stated that he anticipated Mendy, who has played 11 times this season, to be fully healthy again within the following week.
However, a training-field injury has forced the former Rennes goalkeeper to spend additional time on the sidelines.
Edouard Mendy has undergone an operation on a fractured finger sustained in training this week.
A statement on Chelsea’s official website on Saturday read: “Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has undergone an operation on a fractured finger sustained in training this week.
“The 30-year-old will work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation phase.”
There is no estimated time period for Mendy’s potential comeback.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, a goalkeeper for Spain, has filled in for Chelsea during the course of their last three games, during which the Blues have kept one clean sheet and allowed two goals.
Potter’s team, which is ranked 10th in the Premier League, will play City once more on Sunday in an FA Cup third-round match.
Gianluca Vialli has received tributes from many, including Antonio Conte, who called his former Juventus teammate a “lion” and “an inspiration” in an emotional social media post.
The former striker was re-diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021 after being given the all-clear the year before, and his death at age 58 was announced on Friday.
During Vialli’s four-year stay at Juventus between 1992 and 1996, Conte was a teammate and helped the Bianconeri win the Champions League in Vialli’s final season as club captain.
Conte took to Instagram on Friday to share a recent image of the pair dining together, alongside the caption: “Having dinner together in London a few months ago as we had fun remembering all our adventures and battles on the field.
“Unfortunately, in these last few years, you had to fight a great and terrible battle in life.
“I told you and wrote that you have always been an inspiration to me as my captain and for how you were proving to be strong, proud and brave, fighting like a lion against this disease.
“Always in my heart my friend. Goodbye Gianluca.”
Before joining Juventus in 1992, Vialli played for Sampdoria for the majority of his playing career. While there, he won one Scudetto, one Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Cup in addition to the Bianconeri’s 1996 European championship.
Following his departure from Juventus, Conte took over as the team’s captain. He later left for Chelsea, where he finally assumed managerial duties.
Josko Gvardiol, a World Cup champion for Croatia, was supposedly a player the Blues intended to sign but were unable to reach an agreement on a transfer fee with RB Leipzig.
Wesley Fofana, a former Leicester City defender, joined Chelsea in August for £75 million, but the player has struggled with injuries.
With 106 Ligue 1 matches for Monaco under his belt, Badiashile provides a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to a defense that also has Kalidou Koulibaly and seasoned veteran Thiago Silva.
He joins David Datro Fofana as Chelsea’s second acquisition of the summer window, while Andrey Santos, a promising Brazilian player, is also expected to sign.
“I’m very happy to be here at Chelsea,” Badiashile told the club’s official website. “I’m so excited to start playing for this club. I can’t wait to see the fans and start playing in the best league in the world.”
Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly added: “We’re delighted to welcome Benoit to Chelsea. He’s an excellent young player who has quickly established a strong reputation for himself and has a huge amount of experience for his young age.
“We are sure he will form an important part of our team in the years ahead.”
Enzo Fernandez, a midfielder for Benfica, has drawn interest from Chelsea after performing well for Argentina in Qatar.
A deal seemed likely earlier this week, but on Thursday, Benfica coach Roger Schmidt criticized Chelsea’s negotiating strategy, saying the Blues had shown disrespect in their approach.
Chelsea intends to sabotage Arsenal’s attempt to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk
The Gunners have been chasing the 21-year-old Ukrainian for months, with their latest offer of £62million still falling well short of his current club’s asking price.
Shakhtar are holding out for a deal worth closer to £80m and with no resolution appearing imminent, the Blues look poised to enter the race.
According to The Sun, Chelsea officials want to meet with Shakhtar’s sporting director Darijo Srna when he travels to London later this week for negotiations.
Blues owner Todd Boehly has shown himself more than willing to splash the cash and is desperate to back his manager Graham Potter, who has struggled since replacing Thomas Tuchel in September.
Mudryk has netted has 10 goals and eight assists in 18 appearances across all competitions this season, with his impressive exploits in the Champions League gaining him plenty of admirers.
The youngster has his heart set on a move to the Premier League leaders, having even posted pictures of himself watching Arsenal games on social media recently.
Personal terms on a five-year deal have reportedly been agreed but if talks over a fee continue to stall, the wonderkid looks likely to end up elsewhere.
In other news
Xavi wants Memphis Depay to stay put at Barcelona
Metro report that Xavi has told Memphis Depayhe has an important role to play at Barcelona amid transfer interest from Manchester United.
Brentfordare close to completing the signing of Kevin Schade, 21, from Bundesliga outfit Freiburg for a fee of £22m, according to The Times.
Tottenham will hold talks with representatives from Portuguese side Sporting today regarding a double swoop for Pedro Porro and their former academy product Marcus Edwards, say the Daily Mail.
According to Philippe Clement, Benoit Badiashile is about to leave Monaco after a contract was reached with Chelsea.
The 21-year-old defender was reportedly close to joining the Blues, according to reports on Sunday.
As Monaco trounced Brest in Ligue 1, coach Clement confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two teams, although Badiashile did not play.
Despite saying that Badiashile will proceed with the deal, Clement admitted that there had been no agreement struck between Chelsea and the defender.
“I can say that this morning, Benoit Badiashile was with us at the hotel,” he told reporters.
“At that moment, I was contacted by our directors who told me that there was an agreement between Monaco and another team, it’s a team that I know interests Benoit, but there is no agreement with him.”
Clement explained he took the decision to leave Badiashile out against Brest.
“Afterwards, our managers asked me if he could leave today or not. It was my choice. I spoke with Benoit and he wanted to be there for the team,” he added.
“But I was sometimes in situations like him. I think that when there is an agreement with the team you are interested in, you don’t have your head in the game at 200 per cent.
“With a player who has given everything for us over the last few months, seasons, for the club, who has always been positive, who has always been a fighter, who has always been there for us.
“It was a normal decision for me to say that he could go today to talk with the club, in this situation, when there is an agreement between the clubs.”
Following Sunday’s 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, Graham Potter was unable to provide an update on the Badiashile deal.
Chelsea have reportedly made Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile their top defensive target in the January transfer window.
They have been strongly linked with RB Leipzig and Croatia standout Josko Gvardiol, but Fabrizio Romano believes Chelsea will have to break the record for the most expensive transfer fee paid for a defender to get a deal done.
Instead, the Stamford Bridge club are said to have pivoted to 21-year-old Monaco powerhouse Badiashile, who stands at six-foot-four and has racked up 106 club appearances since debuting at the age of 17.
Badiashile also earned his first senior caps for France this year, playing a full 90 minutes in UEFA Nations League fixtures in September against Austria and Denmark before ultimately missing out on the World Cup squad.
With just over 18 months remaining on his contract, Monaco will need to decide if they can tie him down up long term, otherwise it may be time to cash-in.
TOP STORY – CHELSEA TARGET YOUNG MONACO TALENT
According to The Athletic, Badiashile is a player who has been on the Premier League radar for some time, noting a £22million bid from Manchester United back in 2020.
The report claims Badiashile was in no rush to leave back then as he was already a first-team regular, but he has since opened up to the idea of moving on to take the next step of his career.
Chelsea are said to be preparing a £35m offer for the man who has experience playing in a back-three, which would be less than half of the potential asking price for Gvardiol.
ROUND-UP
– Fichajes is reporting Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has no interest in retaining Argentinian World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez, and would prefer to replace him with Sevilla and Morocco star Yassine Bounou for a fee in the range of £40m.
– Chelsea are in the best position to land 23-year-old West Ham midfielder Declan Rice as he enters the final 18 months of his contract, per The Athletic.
– Journalist Nicolo Schira is reporting Atletico Madrid have agreed to personal terms with 26-year-old Leicester City centre-back Caglar Soyuncu, and he could be allowed to join the club in January despite his contract not expiring until the end of the season.
– Atletico will allow Joao Felix to join a Premier League club on loan in January if their financial demands are met, per the Mirror.
– According to Teamtalk, Liverpool and Tottenham are included in the Premier League sides prepared to offer a contract to 27-year-old Inter centre-back Milan Skriniar for when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
Édouard Mendy has reportedly snubbed a six-year contract offer from Chelsea because he feels he deserves wage parity with Kepa
WHAT HAPPENED? According to the Sun, the Blues have offered the Senegal goalkeeper a new long-term deal in a bid to keep him at the club, two-and-a-half years before his current contract ends, but he has rejected it because he feels the club is not showing him enough ‘respect’ over wages.
The 30-year-old reportedly earns £100,000 a week but he wants a sum close to his rival Kepa Arrizabalaga who is said to be earning almost double.
WHAT DID THEY SAY? “Edouard is back at Chelsea and he is ready to play,” a club insider told the Sun. “But there is a feeling that the contract situation is just going nowhere.”
“Edouard has won some huge trophies for Chelsea, but there is a sense that he is not being shown enough respect by the club over a new deal.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mendy has been at Chelsea since the summer of 2020 when he joined from Ligue 1 side Rennes, establishing himself as the club’s undisputed No1, as they won the 2020-21 Champions League and Club World Cup.
He was voted Fifa’s Best Goalkeeper of 2021 before winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal in Cameroon in February this year.
Mendy started in goal for Chelsea this season but lost his place to Kepa after suffering an injury in September and only regained it at the end of October after the latter got injured during the Blues’ 4-1 Premier League loss to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Mendy, who featured in all four matches for Senegal in their run to the World Cup round of 16, is reportedly a transfer target of Serie A champions AC Milan as well as French sides Monaco and Nice.
WHAT’S NEXT? With Mendy back to Chelsea training and Kepa fit, it will be interesting to see who coach Graham Potter selects in goal for their Premier League match against Bournemouth on December 27.
Gianluca Vialli has been urged to “stay strong and keep fighting” in his cancer battle after it emerged the Serie A great is being treated in hospital.
The 58-year-old former Italy striker has been visited at a London clinic by his mother and a brother, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Concern in Italy about Vialli’s health is shared in England, where former Chelsea defender John Terry sent a message of support.
Terry was given his Blues debut by player-manager Vialli in 1998 and went on to be a long-standing club captain.
He wrote on Twitter: “Stay strong and keep fighting Luca. We are all thinking of you. We are sending our love, strength and prayers.”
Vialli began his career at Cremonese, his hometown club, before going on to star in Serie A for Sampdoria and Juventus, later ending his playing career at Chelsea before going into management and coaching.
Cremonese posted a picture of a young Vialli on Tuesday, adding the message: “Always by your side.”
He scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Italy and featured in the Azzurri’s 1986 and 1990 World Cup squads.
It was announced last week Vialli would be stepping away from his role as delegation chief with the Italy team to focus on his battle with pancreatic cancer.
He has been reunited of late in the Italy set-up with head coach Roberto Mancini, his former Sampdoria strike partner, and Vialli is hoping to recover in order to resume his national team role.
Vialli announced he had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy in November 2018, having been diagnosed with cancer one year earlier.
He was initially given the all-clear in April 2020, but he announced he was fighting the disease again in December 2021.
Explaining his decision to suspend his Italy involvement, Vialli said on December 14: “The goal is to use all my psycho-physical energies to help my body overcome this phase of the disease, in order to be able to face new adventures as soon as possible and share them with all of you.”
Stay Strong and keep fighting Luca 💙
We are all thinking of you. We are sending our love, strength and prayers.@ChelseaFC 💙 pic.twitter.com/i3Ax5lX25y
The new technical director for Premier League team Chelsea is Christoper Vivell.
In October, Vivell was fired from a comparable position at Bundesliga team RB Leipzig amid rumors Chelsea was trying to sign the 36-year-old to a deal in west London.
The German has already relocated to Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea on Wednesday announced his hiring.
“Chelsea are building the most exciting project in global football and I’m extremely proud to be joining the club,” said Vivell.
“There is so much potential for the club to continue to succeed, develop and grow. Under the new ownership, Graham Potter and the broader sporting team, there is a clear and sustainable philosophy underpinned by performance analysis, data and innovation, and I am looking forward to playing a part in that.”
Chelsea FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Vivell as the club’s new technical director.
Prior to the World Cup break, Chelsea had dropped four of their previous five games, with Potter’s squad dropping three straight Premier League games during that stretch.
Due to his team’s poor performance, Potter had some allegations of pressure mounting on him, but co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly thinks Vivell will be crucial in helping to support the head coach.
“We are delighted that Christopher is taking up this important leadership role at the club,” Boehly said. “His work in Germany and Austria speaks for itself. We are confident he will continue on his impressive trajectory here at Chelsea.
“He will provide important support to Graham and the ownership group and play a vital part in advancing our overall vision for the club.”
Chelsea restart their campaign on Tuesday with a home match against Bournemouth.
The return of club football is fast approaching and a host of Chelsea starlets will be looking to make their first-team breakthrough.
The Blues’ Cobham academy has a stellar track record of producing talented youngsters, with the likes of Reece James, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher now regulars at Stamford Bridge.
Ahead of the West Londoners’ first game back against Bournemouth on December 27, we pick out five prospects who could be the next to rise from the production line.
Levi Colwill
While currently struggling to get a game on loan at Brighton, 19-year-old Levi Colwill has been tipped as a long-term candidate to lead Chelsea’s backline.
The teenage centre-back earned plenty of recognition during his first season in senior football in 2021-22, making 31 Championship appearances for Huddersfield as they went within one game of achieving an unlikely promotion through the play-offs.
And while minutes have been hard to come by in the top flight since making the switch to the Seagulls, the defender still has plenty of time to make his mark.
Having made his first Premier League start against Aston Villa in the final game before the World Cup, Colwill will hope to be more involved as he looks to bolster his first-team hopes at his parent club.
Levi Colwill made his first Premier League start for Brighton against Aston Villa
Harvey Vale
Attacking midfielder Harvey Vale has similarly been used sparingly on loan at Hull this term but that looks set to change following Liam Rosenior’s arrival as boss.
Having made just one league appearance for the Tigers in the first half of the campaign, the new manager has already spoken highly of Vale and fellow Chelsea loanee Xavier Simons.
The 38-year-old coach said: “They’ve both made an excellent impression on me. Harvey’s got some outstanding abilities and is a really good athlete, Xavi’s got everything in a midfield player that I like and he’s going to be a great player in the long term.
“I’ve had a conversation with Chelsea about those two and Nathan [Baxter], as well, and we’ve decided that come the last week in December, first week in January we’ll have another conversation on that.”
Introduced as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland last weekend, the Blues will hope their 2021-22 academy Player of the Year will now be given the chance to showcase his talents in the second tier.
Omari Hutchinson
Omari Hutchinson has been heavily involved for Chelsea in their mid-season friendlies
Excitement over Omari Hutchinson is gathering pace as the youngster edges closer to the first team.
Chelsea re-signed the teenage forward from Arsenal last July and the 19-year-old has managed an impressive five goals and four assists for Chelsea’s Under-23s this term.
It earned him a place on the bench for a handful of Premier League games prior the World Cup and he impressed manager Graham Potter during the Blues’ mid-season friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
He said: “[Hutchinson] was really good, dangerous and asked a question all the time.
“Throughout the game, he showed his quality but he wasn’t the only one.
“It was a spirited performance with a lot of young players so it was good.”
Lewis Hall
Lewis Hall’s performance was a positive from Chelsea’s Carabao Cup exit to Manchester City
Despite crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Manchester City in the third round last month, the performance of Lewis Hall in the 2-0 defeat offered an exciting glimpse into the future.
The versatile midfielder, 18, made only his second Chelsea start at the Etihad, putting in a confident showing at left wing-back as he consistently pushed his team on with his dangerous driving runs.
He even went painstakingly close to getting on the scoresheet against the Premier League champions, having been denied twice by stopper Stefan Ortega.
The display earned him his first top-flight start the following game, playing 73 minutes of a narrow 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
With the eighth-placed Blues looking to improve on their poor form and returning World Cup stars likely to be used sparingly in the first few games back, Hall could be primed for further action versus the Cherries.
Carney Chukwuemeka
Carney Chukwuemeka has made three Premier League appearances from the bench since joining Chelsea
While not a product of Chelsea’s academy, there is plenty of expectation surrounding Carney Chukwuemeka following his summer move from Aston Villa.
Landing the teenager shortly after he inspired England to glory in the European U-19 Championship, the talented midfielder is one of the country’s brightest prospects.
He has since made three league appearances for the Blues, with outings against Wolves, Brentford and Manchester United coming since Potter’s arrival.
After his Bees cameo, the Blues boss said: “Well, if you look at these attributes, he’s a big powerful boy that can run and run away from people. [He] affected the game.
“He’s a young player, but he’s got exciting attributes. We just need to help him reach his potential because his potential is exciting.”
Christopher Nkunku’s signing to Chelsea from RB Leipzig has been “confirmed” by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.
Romano reportedly gave the “here we go” signal, indicating that the Blues have everything finalized and that he is now officially a member of the Chelsea team.
Although it is still unknown when announcements will be made, it seems like only a matter of time until the club itself confirms the relocation.
Despite owner and acting sporting director Todd Boehly’s opposition, Nkunku will go to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
Despite Armando Broja’s severe injury, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the season and leave the team lacking in the offensive department.
If a chance arises, Chelsea will consider its striker alternatives in the January transfer window, but Nkunku won’t be there.
With 12 goals and two assists in just 15 Bundesliga games this season, the 25-year-old brings an impressive resume to the team.
Nkunku has also contributed to four goals in the Champions League, and his versatility as a creator and striker makes him a dangerous player to have.
He will be hopeful that his form will continue when he makes a comeback after missing the World Cup with France due to a ruptured knee ligament last month.
In an interview with French television broadcaster Telefoot earlier this season, as quoted by GFFN, the highly sought-after forward broke his silence regarding his next step: “It’s no secret. There are clubs interested in me. Yes it’s flattering, but it’s also flattering to have a club like Leipzig do everything to keep me as well.
“I’ll have to reflect well and make a decision. The World Cup is on the way and that’s another factor to take into account.”
Real Madrid held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, denying them the chance to advance to the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals.
Emma Hayes’ team, last year’s runners-up to Lyon, would have advanced out of Group A with two games remaining had they won four straight matches this season.
At Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, Guro Reiten‘s penalty, which blasted in off goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez, negated an earlier attempt from Caroline Weir, thus they were left with a draw.
After convincingly defeating Vllaznia 4-0, Paris Saint-Germain overtook Madrid to take second position in Group A, with Vllaznia’s elimination later confirmed.
When PSG and Madrid square off at Parc des Princes the following week, PSG will advance with a victory thanks to goals from Kadidiatou Diani, Ramona Bachmann, and Magnaba Folquet.
Wolfsburg, a two-time winner, is the first team to go to the quarterfinals of this season following a thrilling 4-2 victory over Roma.
Lena Lattwein and SveindIs Jonsdottir also scored, sandwiching Ewa Pajor’s brace that brought her group stage tally to six goals, making Roma’s goals from Andressa Alves Da Silva and Sophie Roman Haug mere consolation.
After St Polten lost to Slavia Praha in the other Group B match, the German team’s 11th appearance in the round of eight in as many continental campaigns was confirmed.
Kristyna Ruzickova gave the Czech team their first goal of the year, but Mateja Zver’s free kick prevents them from moving on to the knockout stage.
Chelsea are interested in signing Vasco midfielder Andrey Santos and could make an offer as soon as the January window.
WHAT’S HAPPENING? Chelsea are eager to sign the 18-year-old, whose style has been compared with Sergio Busquets. His advanced abilities for his age have prompted Vasco to demand a club-record fee for the player – the previous highest mark was €18.5 million paid by Bayer Leverkusen for Paulinho in 2018.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: It’s understood that a clause in Santos’ contract states that any English team can pay below his €40 million release clause to secure his services, though the exact figure is not known. That clause is a boost to Chelsea and Newcastle as they try to negotiate a lower fee.
AND WHAT’S MORE: Santos recently renewed his contract with Vasco, signing on until September 2027 with the Rio de Janeiro club. In 2022, the defensive midfielder made 42 appearances for Vasco, totalling 3,402 minutes on the pitch.
WHAT NEXT FOR ANDREY SANTOS? He’ll continue his rapid development at Vasco until further notice, but it seems his eyes are set on an eventual move to Europe.
In recognition of Trevoh Chalobah’s impressive form under Graham Potter, Chelsea have extended his contract until 2028.
Since Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel in September, the 23-year-old has played in 12 of the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager’s 14 games as manager.
With a club option to extend to 2029, Chalobah is now committed to the Blues until at least June 2028.
The defender, who has been with Chelsea since the age of nine, said: “I’m over the moon to sign this contract. It’s been an honour every time I put the shirt on. I want to give my all and do anything for this club.
“As everyone knows I’ve been here from a young age and to continue here is every kid’s dream. whenever I get the chance, I’ll give my all for the club and look for the future ahead.”
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali added: “We’re delighted that Trevoh will be extending his stay with Chelsea.
“He has been with us since childhood and has grown into an exceptional young player.
“He’s an important part of our men’s first team squad and we’re excited to see what’s next for Trevoh at Chelsea.”
Goals from Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert put Chelsea on the verge of qualification from Group A of the Women’s Champions League as they beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday.
A drab contest at Kingsmeadow came to life after 67 minutes as Ingle got on the end of a Millie Bright flick from a corner to head home, before Cuthbert’s cross from the right flew straight in past the helpless Misa Rodriguez to double the hosts’ advantage just four minutes later.
The win means Chelsea maintain their100 per cent record from three games, sitting five points ahead of Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who thrashed Vllaznia 5-0 to record their first victory of the campaign.
PSG eased to the win against their Albanian opponents thanks to goals from Grace Geyoro, a Matilda Gjergji own goal, a Ramona Bachmann penalty, Sandy Baltimore and substitute Magnaba Folquet.
In Group B, Roma took an early lead against Wolfsburg through Valentina Giacinti, before Ewa Pajor equalised for the visitors – her fourth Champions League goal in three games – to share the spoils.
St. Polten won their first points of this year’s competition with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Slavia Prague, with Maria Mikolajova scoring a sensational 91st-minute winner for the Austrians.
“I decided to shoot at the very last moment,” Mikolajova said after the game. “I was thinking about passing the ball, but made the right decision. It is hard to describe how I felt when the ball went in because it’s a very important win.”
That leaves Slavia Prague bottom with zero points, three behind St. Polten, while Wolfsburg and Roma remain clear at the top with seven each at the halfway point of the group stage.
Former Chelsea and England defender Gary Cahill has announced his retirement from football.
Cahill made 22 Championship appearances for Bournemouth last season, but the last of those came in January and he was released following their promotion to the Premier League in May.
Having made his name during spells with Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers, Cahill enjoyed a successful seven-year stint with Chelsea, making 191 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
Cahill won eight major trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League – starting in Chelsea’s final win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in 2012.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Cahill wrote: “Football is a game that has given me so much enjoyment and success and as I make the decision to hang up my boots, I can honestly say I gave it everything I had.
“I’ve achieved things I once dreamt of, creating some incredible memories. From amazing highs like winning the Champions League and Premier League, to the privilege of captaining my country and Chelsea in an FA Cup-winning team.
“I’ve had time to consider my options and after much deliberation and reflection, I feel now is the time to move on to the next stage of my career.
“Football will always be part of who I am and what I love, so this is just the end of this chapter. For me, it’s important to look forwards, not backwards, as a new chapter in my life begins.”
Cahill won a total of 61 senior caps for England during his career, and appeared for the Three Lions at World Cups in 2014 and 2018, as well as at Euro 2016.
Speaking to Sky Sports after announcing his retirement, the 36-year-old revealed he received several offers to continue playing this campaign, but had opted to prioritise family matters.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough decision in some aspects but I think I just knew the journey had to come to an end at some stage – I just got the feeling that now is the right time,” Cahill said.
“I did have options. I could have played in the Premier League with one side, and I had a couple of options in the Championship which is flattering, to still get the offers.
“But at the moment, as well as my career, my kids are settled at school and it would’ve meant moving again.”
Chelseahave reunited Graham Potter with his former Brighton and Hove Albion head of recruitment in a move designed to guide the club’s future transfer dealings.
Paul Winstanley worked closely with head coach Potter at Brighton and becomes Chelsea’s director of global talent and transfers.
He spent eight years at Brighton, having joined from Derby County, and played a prominent role in assembling the talent that has propelled the Seagulls into the Premier League and kept them among the elite.
Potter left for Chelsea in September, and Winstanley arrives at a point where results have taken a nosedive, with Chelsea losing their last three Premier League matches.
There could be scope for transfer movement in January, but this appointment has been made with a long-term view.
Winstanley said on Chelsea’s website: “I’m thrilled to be joining Chelsea and to continue working with Graham Potter and his team.
“There is a real sense of excitement and momentum around the new ownership and this project. I’m looking forward to working with such an outstanding group of colleagues as the club moves into a new era.”
Chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said: “Paul is going to be a great addition to Chelsea.
“He’s highly respected and is a key senior addition as we continue to build a world-class sporting team with a huge depth of talent, ambition and commitment who will work closely with us to drive Chelsea forward.
“Paul shares our philosophy and will fit seamlessly into the organisation.”
Potter’s Chelsea side sit eight points adrift of the Premier League’s top four going into the World Cup break, albeit with a game in hand over fourth-placed Tottenham. They are level on 21 points with Brighton.
Kalidou Koulibaly implored Chelsea players “to look each other in the eye” with the Blues players the only “culprits” for the increasing pressure on Graham Potter.
Head coach Potter became the first Blues manager since Jose Mourinho in 2015 to lose three consecutive Premier League matches following a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
The tepid nature of the Chelsea showing offered more reason for concern after the Blues managed just seven touches in the opposition box, their lowest since January against Manchester City.
With Potter’s side eight points adrift of the Premier League’s top four, albeit with a game in hand over fourth-placed Tottenham, Koulibaly urged his team-mates to take responsibility for their recent form.
“It hurts, we came here to take three points,” the Senegal international told Canal Plus.
”We knew that they were in a good moment, that they are putting on the intensity and that especially at home they have their audience behind them.
“Today, Chelsea are not in their place and the only culprits are us. So we must look each other in the eye and continue to work to put Chelsea in their place.”
The World Cup break could come at a good time for Chelsea as the Premier League pauses, with the Blues not in action again until a home clash with Bournemouth on December 27.
Koulibaly will head to the Middle East with Senegal, who are in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands, though he hopes Chelsea can atone for their mistakes after the break.
He added: ”The break comes at a good time for us, we need to recharge the batteries, think about something else and come back after the World Cup with a different mentality.”
Chelsea boss Graham Potter believes Reece James and Ben Chilwell will react well to the disappointment of missing out on England’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
James sustained a knee injury in a Champions League game against Milan last month, and an estimated eight-week timescale for his recovery immediately threw his World Cup hopes into doubt.
The right-back initially vowed to do everything in his power to feature, but Gareth Southgate said there were simply “too many unknowns” concerning James’ recovery as he left him out of the Three Lions’ 26-man squad.
Fellow Blues full-back Chilwell will also miss the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury, and while Potter says the duo are understandably down, he believes they will bounce back.
“It’s a natural reaction, they’re disappointed. Reece thought he would be close and did everything he could to give himself a chance, but in the end, he fell a little bit short,” Potter said on Friday.
“Obviously, I can understand the decision and understand Reece’s frustration and disappointment. We just have to focus on the rehab on try to get them back as soon as we can.
“It’s normal, World Cups don’t come around very often and to miss them is disappointing, but they’re strong characters. They’ll be fine.”
After Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, Chelsea are not in action until they face Bournemouth in the Premier League on December 27 – having been eliminated from the EFL Cup in midweek – and Potter hopes to use that break to nurse his injured stars back to fitness.
“If you’re going to look at the positives, it’s a time to do the rehab as thoroughly as possible without a timescale hanging over them,” Potter said. “Hopefully, we have them when we restart and they’re fit, strong and well.
“I wouldn’t say I’m really looking forward to it, but we have to use it as what it is, and it’s an opportunity to take stock.
“It’s been incredibly intense, we’ve learned a lot. It’s a chance to reflect. It would be stupid of me not to use that time to rejuvenate, to recover and to improve.”
Midfielder Conor Gallagher was included in England’s squad after making 17 appearances for Chelsea this season, and Potter believes he deserves it after breaking into the Blues’ first team.
Asked if Gallagher’s selection was a surprise, Potter said: “It’s not something I really gave too much thought, to be honest; it’s just nice for us and great for Conor. He’s going to have a really positive experience, I think.
“He’s worked really hard, and he’s a fantastic person, so it’s nice. It’s a fantastic honour for him, everyone is really pleased.
“It’s a nice story, he’s been out on loan and come through the club, so to get the chance to play at the World Cup is great news for him.”
Romelu Lukaku has been included in Belgium’s 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup, despite injury concerns.
Head coach Roberto Martinez warned that Lukaku had to prove his fitness for the group stage if he was to be named in the squad, which the striker appears to have done.
Belgium’s record goalscorer Lukaku, on loan at Inter from Chelsea, made his comeback from a hamstring injury, coming off the bench to score against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on October 26.
However, that is one of just two appearances the 29-year-old has managed since August, with his last game coming on October 29 against Sampdoria.
There is no place for another forward plying his trade in Serie A, with Milan’s Divock Origi left out, though his club team-mate Charles De Ketelaere does make it.
The Premier League has plenty of representation, with three players from Leicester City, including Youri Tielemans, along with Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, Brighton and Hove Albion’s in-form winger Leandro Trossard and midfielders from Everton and Aston Villa in the form of Amadou Onana and Leander Dendoncker.
Eden Hazard has started just two games for Real Madrid this season, but makes the cut among Martinez’s forwards, while club-mate Thibaut Courtois will be hoping for another fine tournament on an individual level, after he won the Golden Glove at Russia 2018.
Bryan Heynen, Alexis Saelemaekers, Dodi Lukebakio and Jason Denayer have been listed as standby players until the start of the tournament in the event of injuries.
This could be what has been dubbed the “golden generation” of Belgian football’s last chance to win a major tournament, with several of their star players now over or approaching the age of 30. They finished third in 2018, beating England in a play-off match after losing to eventual champions France in the semi-finals.
Belgium kick their tournament off against Canada on November 23, before playing Morocco and Croatia in their other Group F matches.
Belgium squad: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge); Toby Alderweireld (Royal Antwerp), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Leander Dendoncker (Aston Villa), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht); Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund); Michy Batshuayi (Fenerbahce), Charles De Ketelaere (Milan), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Romelu Lukaku (Inter), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), Lois Openda (Lens), Leandro Trossard (Brighton and Hove Albion)
Manchester United have been fined £82,000 over two separate FA charges from their Premier League games with Newcastle United and Chelsea last month.
The club faced claims they had failed to control their players surrounding flashpoint incidents in both matches, crowding match officials after a disallowed goal against the Magpies and for a penalty concession against the Blues.
Now, having admitted to both charges, United have seen punishments handed out by the FA, with a heavy combined financial sanction for their troubles.
“Manchester United has been fined £82,000 in total for breaching FA Rule E20.1 during its Premier League matches against Newcastle United on Sunday 16 October and Chelsea on Saturday 22 October,” read a statement.
“Manchester United admitted that it failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 49th minute of the Newcastle United game and the 84th minute of the Chelsea fixture.
“Independent Regulatory Commissions imposed fines of £45,000 and £37,000 for the respective breaches in the Newcastle United and Chelsea matches during separate hearings.
“The Independent Regulatory Commissions’ written reasons for these individual sanctions will be published in due course.”
United’s fine is among the latest high-profile penalties handed out by the FA for disciplinary action this season, with several other managers and clubs facing similar sanctions.
Jurgen Klopp was fined £30,000 for his actions during Liverpool’s win over Manchester City, though the FA have since appealed the original fine.
Arsenal were also hit with a £20,000 penalty for failing to control their players during October’s match against Leeds United.
England right-back Reece James admits he is “devastated” after confirming he will miss the World Cup through injury.
The Chelsea defender, 22, hurt his knee against AC Milan last month and was in a race against time to be fit for the Qatar showpiece.
Unfortunately for the Three Lions, he has now confirmed he will have to watch the side’s efforts in the Middle East from afar.
But James also appeared to suggest that boss Gareth Southgate should have taken a risk by including him in his final 26-man squad, which is due to be announced tomorrow afternoon.
The Blues ace tweeted: “Devastated. The minute I injured my knee, I knew the turnaround to make the World Cup would be tight, but I always felt it was possible.
“I’ve worked harder than I ever thought I could to give myself the best chance of going and truly believed I could help the team.
“I appreciate there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take.
“Good luck to the boys. I’ll be back soon. Stay safe and sending love.”
James joins Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell in missing out on a first appearance at a World Cup tournament, with the left-back suffering a hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb last week.
England kick off their Group B campaign against Iran on Monday before tackling the USA and Wales.
Southgate is also sweating over the fitness of Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips.
Mikel Arteta has described Arsenal as “phenomenal” after they returned to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 derby win at Chelsea.
Gabriel Magalhaes capitalised on poor Blues defending to score the only goal of the game in the second half, tapping in a Bukayo Saka corner that evaded everyone and gifted the defender a chance he could not miss.
Chelsea did not pose a threat as their 12-match unbeaten home run came to an end, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starved of service in his first match against his former club before he was hauled off in the second half.
Arsenal comfortably saw out a third consecutive win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1974, moving two points clear of Manchester City at the summit.
Gunners head coach Arteta expects another outstanding display to give his players even more belief that they can last the pace in the title race.
He told BT Sport: “We wanted to get back to the top, but the competition is so difficult in this league. The challenge for us was to come to this stage and play against a top team to perform and win the game and the boys did that.”
Asked what impressed him the most, the Spaniard replied: “I think for such a young team the maturity they showed, the composure, the resilience and the courage to play the way we wanted to play it was phenomenal. It’s easy to say it before the game but to do it against these opponents it’s a different story.
“Winning against these opponents in this stadium I think is another step for these players to keep believing that they can do it under pressure against big opponents and we have to enjoy it.”
Gabriel Jesus headed wide from close range when he was presented with a glorious opportunity to open the scoring in the first half and is now without a goal in nine games.
But Arteta felt the Brazil striker gave another demonstration of how to lead from the front.
He said: “The energy that he transmits to the team is just phenomenal, that to me is his biggest quality. His all-round play I think it was phenomenal how he competes, how he holds the ball, the movement, the anxiety and uncertainty he gives opponents.
“It is something that has taken us to a different level, we’ve said that from the beginning. He’s done it again and while he didn’t score, I thought he was outstanding.”
Chelsea boss Graham Potter admits every player with World Cup aspirations is in “a tricky position” as domestic football continues just days before teams fly to Qatar.
The Blues are waiting on news of Ben Chilwell’s hamstring injury, as he headed for a scan on Friday amid fears the muscle is torn, which would rule him out of England’s plans.
Potter understands players have concerns about suffering injuries at such an unfortunate moment, but will demand his squad hold nothing back in Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal.
Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangis poised to face his former club, and unlike many of his team-mates does not need to worry about the World Cup, which starts on November 20, having retired from international football within months of Gabon failing to qualify.
Asked about possible fear of World Cup hopefuls getting hurt, Potter said in a press conference: “I don’t think it’s fear. I just think it’s part of the challenge.
“It’s very difficult to play Premier League football or Champions League football and go at it half-hearted. That’s pretty much impossible. At the same time, there’s a World Cup a couple of weeks away, so it’s a tricky position for everybody.”
Chelsea needed to wait for swelling to reduce before sending left-back Chilwell to be assessed, and Potter did not sound positive about the defender’s England prospects.
“We all saw the nature of the injury,” Potter said. “I can’t say it looks positive, but until we get the scan it’s difficult to say. At the moment we’re just hopeful and fingers crossed, and from there we see how to get him back fit and strong. It’s disappointing, of course.”
Aubameyang’s exit from Arsenal in February, when he moved to Barcelona, came after an apparent falling-out with head coach Mikel Arteta, as the former Gunners captain lost his first-team place.
After a short stint at Barcelona, Chelsea jumped at the chance to bring Aubameyang back to England, and Potter concurred it would be “an interesting one” for the 33-year-old this weekend.
“I don’t think we should make it about him,” he added. “I think it’s about the team. He’s an important part of the team and for us to get the result we want takes everybody, not just one person.
“I understand the interest is about him because it’s Arsenal and there’s a narrative about that. But as a team and a group we have to do well ourselves.”
As for whether Aubameyang has anything to prove to Arsenal, for whom he scored 92 goals across all competitions, Potter suggested not.
“I don’t think so. I think he’s looking forward to the game, excited for it,” Potter said. “He’s been pretty normal from what I’ve seen, he’s quite a quiet guy, but I’m sure come matchday he’ll be determined.”
Potter praised Arsenal’s support for Arteta, who came under pressure in the early stages of his tenure, describing the backing the Spaniard has received as “a really good example of how success can come”.
Former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Potter is still learning the ropes at Chelsea, but he had success against Arsenal during his time with the Seagulls, winning three of his six Premier League games against the Gunners (D1 L2).
Chelsea will hope that boosts their prospects, given they have lost three of their last four league games against Arsenal, more defeats than they had experienced in their previous 17 in the rivalry.
Moreover, Arsenal have won on their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, as many victories as they achieved in their previous 16 visits.
League leaders Arsenal have not won three in a row at Stamford Bridge since April 1974, but that could change on Sunday.
Graham Potter has praised Edouard Mendy’s professionalism, with the Chelsea goalkeeper set to reclaim his starting spot against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Mendy has been kept out of the starting line-up under Potter by Kepa Arrizabalaga, having struggled with an injury following the new coach’s arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion.
With an impressive run of form since, Kepa has kept his place, restricting Mendy to no game-time until last weekend, when he replaced his injured team-mate in a 4-1 loss to Potter’s former side.
Potter, however, has been impressed by the patience Mendy has shown, and says the Senegal shot-stopper will get his chance to recover his first-choice status while Kepa is out, starting on Wednesday.
“I’ve had some good chats with him, and he’s been great,” Potter said in a press conference. “He was injured when I first arrived, so Kepa played and did well.
“He’s honest enough to know he had to be patient and support Kepa. He’s kept his standards, and now he will have his opportunity.”
Asked if an impressive Mendy performance against Zagreb would present difficult decisions going forward, Potter replied: “You’d hope so. You want as many difficult decisions as possible. That can only be beneficial.”
Potter suggested Denis Zakaria could be in line for his Chelsea debut, with the Switzerland international yet to appear for the Blues since he joined on loan from Juventus.
“I’ve mentioned him before,” Potter stated. “He’s been good, he’s trained well and supported his team-mates. He’s in the frame, so we’ll wait and see.”
Raheem Sterling is expected to feature, as the winger looks to reverse his mixed form, but Potter would not be drawn on whether it impacts the England international’s selection chances for the upcoming World Cup, with Gareth Southgate set to name his squad by November 10.
“I’ve not thought about that in terms of the World Cup,” he added. “It’s too easy to zoom in on the individual.”
Gabriel Barbosa scored the winner to help Flamengo beat 10-man Athletico Paranaense in the Copa Libertadores final in Ecuador.
Paranaense missed an early chance when Alex Santana sent a close range shot just high, before they had Pedro Henrique sent off for a second booking.
Minutes later, Barbosa side-footed in a low cross at the far post.
Paranaense struggled to break down fellow Brazilians Flamengo as they secured a third Copa Libertadores.
Their previous victories came in 1981 and 2019.
Barbosa, who scored six goals in this season’s competition, could have had a second goal but had an effort saved when played through on goal.
Paranaense, managed by former Brazil and Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, had ex-Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho in their side but were beaten in their first Copa Libertadores final since losing to Sau Paulo in 2005.
Line-upsMatch Stats
Line-upsFlamengo
Formation 4-1-2-1-2
20Melo dos Santos Neto22de Almeida23David Luiz4Pereira16Filipe Luís8Maia Alencar7de Barros Ribeiro35Gomes da Silva14de Arrascaeta21Abreu dos Santos9Barbosa Almeida
20Melo dos Santos Neto22de Almeida23David Luiz4Pereira16Filipe LuísSubstituted forDantas de Medeirosat 20’minutes8Maia AlencarSubstituted forVidalat 71’minutes
Booked at 75mins
7de Barros Ribeiro35Gomes da Silva14de Arrascaeta
Booked at 68mins
Substituted forGomes Silvaat 84’minutes21Abreu dos Santos9Barbosa AlmeidaSubstituted forSousa Soaresat 84’minutes
Substitutes
1Alves Carreira2Pulgar5Vidal10Ribas da Cunha15Soares de Faria18Sousa Soares26Dantas de Medeiros29Gomes Silva30Nascimento Castro31Santos Costa34Franca Silva42Franca de Oliveira
Athletico Paranaense
Formation 4-1-3-2
1Krepski13Silva Oliveira34Ribeiro Gonçalves44Henrique Ferreira16da Silva Santos17Moura Arruda da Silva50Fernandinho8Frezarin Bueno38Menezes Santana27Roque Ferreira11Naum dos Santos
Substituted forSantos Nascimentoat 45’minutes27Roque FerreiraSubstituted forTeixeiraat 65’minutes11Naum dos SantosSubstituted forCardoso da Cruzat 57’minutes
Booked at 73minsSubstitutes
5Teixeira9Canobbio12Silva da Paixão18Cittadini20Terans22Hernández24Orejuela26Conrado Carvalho28Cuello35Cardoso da Cruz42Santos Nascimento48Azevedo Pereira
Referee:Patricio LoustauMatch StatsHome TeamFlamengoAway TeamAthletico ParanaensePossessionHome73%Away27%ShotsHome15Away9Shots on TargetHome4Away3CornersHome9Away2FoulsHome11Away12
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is hopeful record-signing Alexander Isak will be fit for when the Premier League resumes after the World Cup despite his injury being “longer-term” than first thought.
Isak joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in a deal potentially worth a reported £64.8million (€75m) in August, smashing the club’s previous transfer record of just under £40m (€46.3m) for Joelinton.
Newcastle had been linked with numerous strikers throughout pre-season as they looked to build on Howe’s positive start at St James’ Park last season, although the newly minted club had been put off by valuations they felt were trying to take advantage of their new-found Saudi wealth.
With the season already a few weeks old, Newcastle eventually stumped up the cash for Isak, and he made a positive start with two goals in three games, but the 23-year-old suffered a thigh injury on international duty with Sweden in late September and has not played since.
Isak had already been ruled out until after the World Cup, and although Howe revealed on Friday the injury is more severe than initially thought, Newcastle expect him to be back in training in December when the club have a mini pre-season to prepare for the Premier League’s Boxing Day return.
“Alex has been having a couple of injections into his thigh,” Howe told reporters ahead of Saturday’s visit of Aston Villa. “I believe that’s gone well, and the medical team are happy where he currently stands.
“But it is a longer-term injury, a five- or six-week injury. As I’ve said before, he won’t be back before the World Cup break.
“We’re hopeful, as we begin our second pre-season, he is ready to train.”
Newcastle’s last pre-World Cup game is on November 12 at home to Chelsea, and they return to action just over six weeks later on December 26, away to Leicester City.
The club have already confirmed plans to visit Saudi Arabia for a training camp, as they did in January.
That trip will include a friendly against Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal, scheduled for December 8.
Former Asante Kotoko midfielder Salifu Mudasiru put up an impressive display for FC Sheriff Tiraspol in their 3-0 loss to Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League.
The 25-year-old lasted the entire duration of the game at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
Portugal defender Diogo Dalot put the hosts on their way to victory with a near-post header from Christian Eriksen’s corner a minute before the break.
Substitute Marcus Rashford then headed home Luke Shaw’s left wing cross midway through the second period.
Ronaldo, who was dropped for last weekend’s trip to Chelsea as punishment for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham eight days ago, put the icing on the cake with nine minutes left to play.
The former Real Madrid forward got his head to a Bruno Fernandes cross. Sheriff keeper Maxym Koval made a low save but as the ball spilled loose, Ronaldo pounced to complete United’s biggest win of the season and extend their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions.
Mudasiru has made 19 appearances for FC Sheriff Tiraspol across all competitions this season.
Sam Kerrscored four goals as Chelsea crushed Vllaznia 8-0 in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, maintaining their perfect start in Group A.
Pernille Harder also struck a hat-trick and Katerina Svitkova headed home late on as the Blues followed up last week’s impressive win over Paris Saint-Germain with a dominant display at Kingsmeadow.
Kerr needed just an hour to hit the net four times, finishing from close range on three occasions as well as converting Guro Reiten’s corner with a towering header.
Chelsea now hold a two-point advantage at the top of their group after Real Madrid played out a lively 0-0 draw with Paris Saint-Germainat the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
In Group B, Wolfsburg recorded their second win in as many games as goals from Jule Brand and Ewa Pajor helped them to a 2-0 success against Slavia Prague.
However, the two-time Champions League winners look set to be pushed all the way by tournament debutants Roma after they triumphed 4-3 in a remarkable meeting with St. Polten.
Alessandro Spugna’s Giallorosse were 2-0 down with 15 minutes to play, but held firm after goals from Elena Linari, Valentina Giacinti, Manuela Giugliano and Paloma Lazaro turned the contest around to move onto six points.
Manchester United have been charged by the FA for the second time in a little over a week for failing to control their players.
The latest incident is in relation to their protests over a Chelsea penalty during Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw.
United were incensed by Stuart Attwell’s decision to award a spot-kick for a Scott McTominay foul on Armando Broja, which was subsequently converted by Jorginho in the 87th minute.
While Casemiro rescued a point in injury time, the reaction of United’s players when crowding the official has seen them hit with another charge from the FA for their actions.
It is United’s second breach of FA rules this month, having been accused of failing to control their players after Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed in their goalless draw with Newcastle United on October 16.
An FA statement on Wednesday read: “Manchester United FC has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following its Premier League game against Chelsea FC on Saturday 22nd October in the Premier League.
“Manchester United FC allegedly failed to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 84th minute, and the club has until Friday 28th October to provide a response.”
Chelsea have announced the arrival of Laurence Stewart from Monaco as technical director with a focus on global football, in what is seen as the first move towards a multi-club model.
Stewart, a former performance analyst for England during the 2014 World Cup, will arrive at Stamford Bridge upon the completion of his tenure with the Ligue 1 outfit.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has made little secret of his desire to move the Premier League outfit towards a multi-club model, akin to Manchester City and the City Football Group, who own teams in 11 countries.
Stewart, who has experience with such a model through Monaco, appears to be arriving to help facilitate that vision, given the emphasis his role will have on global matters.
“Laurence is an important appointment as we plan to build a deep sporting team that will collaborate closely,” Boehly said in a statement with co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali.
“[He’s] a world-class football leader who understands talent management, data and scouting, player development and performance.”
Laurence Stewart will be joining Chelsea in a new position as technical director to focus on football globally.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter praised his side for qualifying for the Champions League last-16 with a game to spare having lost their opener to Dinamo Zagreb.
The Blues booked their ticket for the knockout stages with a 2-1 away win over Salzburg, after impressive strikes from Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz in each half, either side of Junior Adamu’s goal.
Chelsea had lost their opening game of the group stage, 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb, leading to Thomas Tuchel’s dismissal, but under Potter have bounced back with 10 points from four games, including strong away wins at Milan and Salzburg, securing top spot in Group E.
“Very [satisfied]. It’s not easy to win here as you can see from the record they have and the quality of the team,” Potter told reporters.
“We had to play well and I thought we did. We created some good chances in the first half and were unlucky not to go more than 1-0 up.
“Then one action, with the quality at this level, and it’s 1-1. I thought our response was really good then, so I am delighted to go through, delighted with the performance of the players. I thought they were fantastic tonight.
“To go through with a game to spare is brilliant considering where we started the competition.”
Havertz’s 64th-minute winner was a spectacular left-foot strike that cannoned in off the crossbar.
The goal was the German’s first this season in the Champions League, and third in all competitions. It was also Havertz’s first goal away from Stamford Bridge for the Blues since April.
“His quality is there; he’s an incredibly talented player,” Potter said. “He’s been nearly there and obviously, scoring a goal like that is bound to help.
“I wouldn’t be able to score a goal like that to be fair, I can only imagine. It’s a fantastic strike and an indication of the quality he has, so I’m really pleased for him.”
Potter brushed off concerns about his side’s wastefulness in front of goal, having had 15 shots, including 11 on target, while he hinted they may rotate their squad for their final group game against Dinamo having already qualified.
The Blues take on Potter’s former club Brighton on Saturday, followed by Dinamo (November 2), Arsenal in the Premier League (November 6) and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup (November 9) in quick succession.
“We’re at home at Stamford Bridge [against Dinamo] and we’ll try our very best,” he said. “We want to win every game we play, that is the mentality we have to have.
“But clearly, we have a game at the weekend and another game the weekend after, so maybe we can rotate a little bit. But we will try our best.”
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