Chelsea's Essugo made available on loanpublished at 15:20 BST 21 August
15:20 BST 21 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea have made midfielder Dario Essugo available to leave on a season-long loan deal.
The 21-year-old signed from Portuguese club Sporting for £18m in 2025 and is now expected to leave on a temporary basis and a move to Strasbourg is the prominent possibility.
However, the French club, who share the same American ownership as Chelsea, can only take one more player from Stamford Bridge and are likely to keep that place open until the final days of the transfer window.
Chelsea have also proposed a move to the Ligue 1 club for Mykhailo Mudryk.
Both Essugo and Mudryk are exploring loan opportunities, including potential moves within the Premier League, as they seek regular game time away from Xabi Alonso's squad.
Essugo spent last season at Chelsea but only made six appearances as he needed surgery on a quadriceps injury.
Why Joao Pedro's contract has been extendedpublished at 11:53 BST 21 August
11:53 BST 21 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro is set to sign a new contract with the club until 2032, with the option of two further years.
When he signed for the club, his original contract was announced as running until 2033.
However, that deal actually ran until 2032 with an option for one further year.
Chelsea typically include those club options when stating the length of a player's contract in official announcements.
Therefore, when Joao Pedro's new contract is confirmed, it will likely announce him as being under contract until 2034, despite the deal itself running until 2032 with a further two-year option.
In reality, Chelsea have extended his contract on improved terms rather than reducing it.
Disasi closes in on Palace loanpublished at 11:48 BST 21 August
11:48 BST 21 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea defender Axel Disasi has been given permission to visit Crystal Palace for a medical as talks progress over a season-long loan move.
Palace have emerged as the leading contenders to sign the France centre-back, 28, with all parties open to completing a deal.
Negotiations are continuing over the size of the loan fee.
For Palace, Disasi would become the club's seventh signing of the summer under new manager Pierre Sage as he reshapes the squad.
Sage begins his reign with a trip to Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are aiming to reduce their squad size from about 40 players to closer to 25 during the final 10 days of the transfer window.
Alongside Disasi, Omari Kellyman and Deivid Washington are nearing moves to partner club Strasbourg, while Benoit Badiashile has had a medical with Napoli.
Disasi spent last season on loan at West Ham, who were interested in making the deal permanent. However, an agreement could not be reached after the Hammers were relegated to the Championship.
Chelsea's numbers last seasonpublished at 09:12 BST 21 August
09:12 BST 21 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea finished a disappointing 10th last season but the fact that they had the fourth-best expected goal difference shows that things maybe weren't quite as bleak as the table suggests.
While five teams had more shots than the Blues, only Brentford and Crystal Palace created better chances (even if you exclude penalties), meaning only Manchester City had a higher expected goals figure.
The problem was taking their chances. Despite only five teams having a better shot-conversion rate, Chelsea actually scored eight goals fewer than expected given the chances they had, with only Crystal Palace and Wolves worse (or unluckier) in front of goal.
The opposite was true at the back. Only the top two faced fewer shots but Chelsea gave up the best chances in the league, so it's no surprise that only relegated Wolves conceded a higher percentage of their opponents' shots.
Only two teams underperformed their xG numbers by more than Chelsea last season, so while there's a lot for new manager Xabi Alonso to work on, there's a lot for him to work with as well.
Why was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26?published at 08:14 BST 21 August
08:14 BST 21 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
In the Premier League last season, 13 of the 20 teams finished with between 40 and 60 points - the most in an English top-flight campaign since 2003-04 (also 13).
Was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26 because the quality of the 'lesser' teams got better or the top teams got worse? It is hard to know for sure.
Given how savvy clubs like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth are, the vast amounts of money that enable even bottom-half sides to sign the best talent from abroad and the Premier League's current dominance of the Europa League and Conference League, it would seem to be the former.
However, the fact that promoted play-off winners Sunderland were able to finish above 13 teams in their first season back suggests the league was maybe not as strong as we think.
What we do know is that whether because they got worse or their opponents got better, four of the sides that finished in the top seven in 2024-25 - champions Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest - took 79 points fewer between them last season.
While Forest's decline was perhaps expected given their incredible seventh-place finish in 2024-25 and their journey to the Europa League semi-finals last season, the others were far more surprising.
Sunderland and Leeds smashed the recent run of promoted sides struggling to compete by taking 64 more points than the teams they replaced in the top flight.
As a result, this season will be a bit of an upside-down one in that Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland have European campaigns to navigate while Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle do not.
Will we therefore see a bounce-back to the more 'traditional' order in 2026-27 or are we truly entering a new, fiercely-competitive era of the Premier League?
Alonso on Fernandez, Colwill's class and a 'process' of improvementpublished at 16:38 BST 20 August
16:38 BST 20 August
Flora Snelson BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Fulham at Craven Cottage (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On Enzo Fernandez, Alonso said: "He's training really well and I see him with a good attitude and that's what we want. He's trying his best to prepare for the kick off of the Premier League."
Danny Welbeck has reduced training for a couple of days because of "a little thing" but could be available against Fulham.
He is "very happy" with the current state of his squad as the summer transfer window nears its end.
Alonso said Joao Pedro's development as a player and leader is "very noticeable every day".
On Levi Colwill: "If he's feeling OK, for me, he's one of the best centre backs in the world because of his composure, his presence, so complete, so dominant. Levi is going to be a key player for us."
He spoke of the importance of versatility of such players as Reece James: "Wherever he plays - as a right back, a midfielder - normally he makes the next thing better because of his quality, his game intelligence, his experience, his composure with the ball."
On facing his friend, Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa, in the dugout: "Of course you can have a relationship, but once you're on the pitch, no friends, no past."
He said it's too early to say whether top four is a must for his side: "The hunger to have success, the ambition to do well, to create good energy and spirit within the team, that's the first goal, because that helps you be more competitive and win games."
On the challenge of the Premier League: "We are going to be improving game by game, I am sure that the team that starts the Premier League and the one that's in November, December, will be better because it's a process, everything takes time. But we feel that we have a good start and that's so important."
Acknowledging that not competing in Europe gives his side more time to prepare for each Premier League game, Alonso said: "We need to prove that we use the time in the right way."
Asked about managing a squad of 40 senior players amid reports that potentially outgoing players are training separately, Alonso said: "We manage well, with good group dynamics, whenever we need, we have different groups, and it's not been an issue at the moment."
Delap loses shirt numberpublished at 15:52 BST 20 August
15:52 BST 20 August
Chelsea striker Liam Delap has lost the number nine shirt at the club and is one of several players now training separately to the main squad.
A number of players who could move before the transfer window closes on 1 September - including fellow forward Nicolas Jackson and winger Mykhailo Mudryk - are in a second training group at Cobham.
But club sources insist it is nothing like the "bomb squad" approach taken last season when several players were frozen out.
Chelsea are seeking £50 million for Delap and trying to reduce the size of their squad before the end of the summer transfer window, with 40 senior players on their books.
Englishman Delap joined the club in a £30m move from Ipswich Town last summer but only scored one Premier League goal in 28 Premier League appearances, 16 of which were as a substitute.
He was awarded the number nine shirt, but that has now gone to fellow forward Joao Pedro.
Where will Chelsea finish?published at 08:20 BST 20 August
08:20 BST 20 August
Last season: 10th.
This season: 4th.
I can see the raised eyebrows from here, but Xabi Alonso is smart - and enjoyed Bundesliga title success at Bayer Leverkusen. He is not alone in having then been chewed up and spat out at Real Madrid.
He must shape a squad that resembles a small commune and deal with a disaffected Enzo Fernandez - if indeed he remains at Chelsea - but there is real quality if he can fashion it into shape.
Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are outstanding additions while the surprise signings of veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck are clearly designed to police the dressing room and set the tone.
It's a bit of a punt but, without any distractions in Europe, Chelsea could do very well in the Premier League.
More points for bottom-half sides but bottom two cut adrift in 2025-26published at 08:19 BST 20 August
08:19 BST 20 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
Teams in the bottom half of the Premier League in 2025-26 finished with more points than they had in years, meaning that judging them simply by their position in the table is perhaps a little harsh.
Everton may have been underwhelmed with their 13th-place finish but it was the most points a team in that position had finished with since the Toffees themselves in 1999-2000.
The points of the four places below them were all the highest they have been in the Premier League for 23 years and West Ham can consider themselves unlucky to have gone down with the highest points total for an 18th-placed side since 2010-11.
However, competition has come at a cost.
One place where the Premier League has become less competitive - because it has become more fiercely-contested overall - is at the very bottom.
While it is almost expected for one side to be cut adrift long before the end of the season, nowadays two sides are getting left behind.
The average points tally of the second-bottom side in a 38-game season is 31, meaning teams that finish there have usually competed in a relegation battle for most of the season before ultimately falling short.
After the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, only two 19th-placed sides failed to reach 30 points in the first 21 seasons. But in the past decade, seven of the 10 sides to finish in that position have failed to do so.
In the past two seasons, promoted sides Ipswich and Burnley have both finished there with just 22 points - the fewest ever taken by a second-bottom side.
Relegation battles are now mostly a fight to see who takes the final spot in the bottom three, with the other two accounted for long before the final day - often by promoted sides.
But inspired by the survival of Sunderland and Leeds, promoted trio Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City will all be hoping they have what it takes to match the competitiveness of the Premier League this season.
Gossip: Adarabioyo attracting interestpublished at 06:25 BST 20 August
06:25 BST 20 August
Aston Villa are interested in signing Chelsea's defender Tosin Adarabioyo as a potential replacement for Ezri Konsa following Arsenal's deal for the 28-year-old England international. (Sky Sports), external
Benfica have also made contact with Chelsea over a potential deal for Adarabioyo. (Sun), external
Real Sociedad and Al-Hilal among clubs keen on Sarrpublished at 16:36 BST 19 August
16:36 BST 19 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr is attracting interest from Spanish side Real Sociedad and Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
They are among a long list of interested clubs, including teams in the Premier League and several competing in the Europa League or Champions League.
Some clubs, such as Sociedad, are considering a loan move, while others are interested in signing the 20-year-old Senegal international on a permanent deal.
He joined Chelsea for £12m in 2025 before returning to former club Strasbourg on loan.
Elsewhere, Teddy Sharman-Lowe is still expected to be Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper, although the presence of Gabriel Slonina in and around the squad means the situation remains fluid.
Chelsea remain open to a Championship loan move for Sharman-Lowe and are exploring both loan and permanent-transfer options for Slonina.
'Chelsea have a great opportunity this season' - Hartpublished at 08:11 BST 19 August
08:11 BST 19 August
Chris Adams BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea endured a miserable league campaign in 2025-26, with Enzo Maresca's replacement Liam Rosenior in the hot seat and lasting little more than three months.
Their 10th-place finish means there will be no European football at Stamford Bridge this season for just the third time this century.
In 2016-17, it proved to be a blessing in disguise though as Antonio Conte's side romped to the Premier League title.
"I do remember Gary Cahill talking about Antonio Conte coming into a Premier League team like Chelsea who [weren't] in Europe," said former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"He said they were so well drilled and he was so intense in what they needed. They almost had NFL playbooks and it allowed them the time to build into the season.
"So that is a massive advantage for someone like Xabi Alonso, who has obviously got his way of playing, as he will have time on the grass with his players.
"Their ceiling is, of course, to be in amongst it - and they have got a really great opportunity [this season]."
Cobham Next Gen - Chelsea ditch club name for age-group teamspublished at 16:54 BST 18 August
16:54 BST 18 August
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea have announced they will now be referring to their under-21 and under-19 teams as Cobham Next Gen, inspired by the name of the club's training ground.
The Blues believe the change better represents the level that their academy players are playing at, as many of their under-19 players were representing the under-21s last season.
The new name will be showcased in Premier League 2 and they will be known as CNG for short.
A club statement read: "The new name more accurately reflects the age profile of our leading academy side and Chelsea's long-standing heritage of developing the next generation of players for the senior game.
"While the squad competed in Premier League 2 as an under-21s side, its average age last season was closer to that of an under-18s group, with several players as young as 16 years old featuring regularly.
"Cobham Next Gen also better fits the role of the squad within the academy.
"It recognises a group of young players with momentum, taking the next step in their development – the final one in the pathway to senior football – competing at a higher level as they continue their journey through Cobham towards the men's team."
Image source, Getty Images
