Chelsea

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We asked for your views on the bloated squad at Stamford Bridge - which our Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella (17 August, 16:54 BST) says is the main issue to solve after pre-season - and what will happen between now and the end of the transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: Chelsea have done well to bring in players early in the transfer window but, as usual, have dithered over moving on those who are surplus to requirements. To avoid another 'bomb squad ', we'll end up having to accept below-value fees to move on some players or let them go on loan. This should all have been sorted much earlier in the transfer window.

Cris: I've been a supporter since the mid-60s and I agree Chelsea bought too many over-expensive players who are just not good enough. Now they can't get rid of them as they have been over-evaluated. They are in a right mess.

Dave: Don't need to sell a player every day as quite a few will find loans.

Stuart: We've bought this issue upon ourselves with our ludicrous 'supermarket sweep style' transfer business. Even this summer we've bought in 11 players of varying experience levels. Until Winstanley and Stewart stop this nonsense and just buy what we actually need we'll have this sort of farce every summer.

Gary: For me, we need to move on Delap, Jackson, Hato, Fernandez - the latter really demonstrated his lack of love to our club publicly ! The others are just a liability, collecting yellow cards consistently and performing inconsistently. Maybe Fofana has still not convinced, if honest.

George: The owners are acting like kids. Almost everyone knew last year we needed some expert and older blood in the squad. So plan B kicked in at the beginning of the window and guess what? Our owners decided to buy two of the oldest players in the Premier League and forgot about any that were between 25 and 35 years old. Now we have at least a dozen that need to go out and, while most will go out on loan, this time next year they'll be gone. We need stability. The difference between Abramovich and the current owners is that he bought wisely, except for Shevchenko, Crespo and Deco - players who only stayed a couple of years. Players now come with a view of staying a season or two. Are they buying houses in Chelsea? Are they buying houses in Cobham? With no stability, building a team is getting harder if not impossible.

James: I would expect Fernandez to move, a large amount of fans seem to have made their views clear and if he stays it could be disruptive. As for other players moving on, this is likely to be a challenge given the long contracts handed out. Could be time to accept a lower fee and move on.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Strasbourg are among the clubs in talks to sign Chelsea striker Deivid Washington before the transfer deadline.

The Brazilian, 21, is attracting interest from the Ligue 1 club, which is under the same ownership as Chelsea, although sides in Portugal and elsewhere in Europe are also interested.

A move to France is understood to appeal to Washington, who is looking to get his career back on track after struggling to break through at Chelsea since his £17m move from Santos in 2023.

The forward, who has represented Brazil at Under-20 level, also endured an unsuccessful loan spell at Santos in 2025, scoring three goals in 36 appearances.

Most of Washington's appearances since joining Chelsea have come for the club's academy sides, although he did make three senior appearances under former manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

New manager Xabi Alonso says Chelsea want the "best possible specialists" after hiring set-piece coach Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa.

The Blues agreed a compensation fee for the Scottish coach, who oversaw positive performances in attacking and defending set-pieces under Unai Emery at Villa Park.

MacPhee joined Chelsea at the end of July and has immediately taken a prominent role in Chelsea's back room staff.

In an interview with the Men In Blazers Network, Alonso spoke about MacPhee for the first time and said: "We want to have the best possible specialists in their departments.

"For sure, Austin has experience in the Premier League. For the staff, for us, it is going to be challenging to learn quick and adapt to the Premier League as well.

"So to have Austin around, Ben (Roberts), other people that were here last year with these fresh experiences from the Premier League and knowing what it takes to win games and to prepare for each game - it helps a lot.

"We are happy that Austin is now with us."

Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign away at Fulham on Monday next week.

Chelsea will challenge for the Premier League title this season, says The Athletic reporter Adam Crafton.

BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club gave their predictions for Xabi Alonso's side before the league returns on Friday, and Crafton believes Chelsea fans will be "quietly optimistic" for the campaign ahead.

"If you look at Chelsea's best starting line-up, and if they keep players fit and they don't go too far in cup competitions, I think they'd have a chance of being in contention by Spring," Crafton said.

"I'm not sure they'd win it but if you look at that starting 11, it's a team that's probably good enough but we don't know yet how they're going to set up, what the connection is going to be like between the players and coach and how patient the club will be with the coach.

"But just looking at the selection of players, I think there will be a lot of Chelsea fans quietly optimistic that they might be able to challenge, if not win, the league."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Como boss Cesc Fabregas was one of Chelsea's stars when Trevoh Chalobah was in the academy and taking part in training sessions with the first-team squad.

Fabregas has overseen Como's remarkable rise from Serie B to the Champions League in just two seasons and convinced Chalobah to join this summer, ending a near 20-year association with Chelsea, amid interest from Inter Milan.

"I remember how demanding he was with the younger players. So yeah, I know him really well," Chalobah explained, recalling those early sessions.

"He was a massive part. He explained what he wanted, the way he sees the club and how he sees me fitting into this club and how I can help - having a lot of experience, physicality as well, the leadership.

"It wasn't an overnight thing - it was a very thoughtful and hard decision. But I thought, as I said, the trajectory of this club and the direction it's going in, and speaking to the manager, and wanting to be part of this story.

"I'm really excited for this new chapter in my beautiful story that I've had so far."

Read more about Chalobah's new chapter

Manchester City will have to pay Chelsea more than £120m to land Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez if they try to complete a deal in the final two weeks of the transfer window. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

City, Arsenal and Tottenham are all also interested in Pedro Neto, 26, who joined Chelsea for £54m from Wolves in 2024. (Metro), external

But the Blues want close to £100m if they are to sell the Portugal winger this summer, with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal linked with a move. (Mail - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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Last season, the Premier League was arguably more competitive than it has been for years.

While the 65 points between champions Arsenal and bottom side Wolves was around the average for a 38-game season (63), a real revolution took place in mid-table.

Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, the gap between the top four and the bottom three – between what has often been the Champions League and the Championship – had been increasing as the seasons went by, with the 'bigger' clubs profiting from their European adventures and the extra money they earned by regularly finishing higher in the table.

But last season, the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' of the Premier League dropped from 44 points in 2024-25 to just 26 points – the smallest distance for 23 years (since 25 points in 2002-03).

The European places were more attainable than they had been for years. Despite taking a point fewer than when they finished seventh the season before, Aston Villa clinched Champions League qualification by finishing two places higher.

While Liverpool took the 'bonus' Champions League place by finishing fifth, their points total of 60 was the lowest by a side finishing there for 19 years and would have put them ninth in 2024-25.

Bournemouth and Sunderland also took full advantage of needing fewer points than normal by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever and for over half a century respectively.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Atletico Madrid have expressed an interest in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson this summer.

The Spanish club's interest in the 25-year-old has lasted throughout the summer but is conditional on either Julian Alvarez or Alexander Sorloth leaving.

There is also a question about whether Atletico would sign Jackson on a permanent transfer, with Chelsea's asking price publicly known to be £65m. They would be likely to seek a loan with option move.

Premier League rivals Aston Villa remain a more viable option, though alternatives continue to be considered by both Chelsea and Jackson's representatives.

The Blues signed Jackson from Villarreal for £32m in 2023 before he moved on loan to Bayern Munich last summer for a £14.3m loan fee - though the Bundesliga club's obligation to buy was never triggered because he didn't make enough appearances.

Jackson was left out of Chelsea's 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.

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Chelsea have had the positive debut of £117m club record signing Morgan Rogers and excitement around new manager Xabi Alonso, but the same old issue persists: the size of the squad.

Every summer since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club, there has been a fire sale of players which, this summer, has been made worse by the shock outcome of failing to qualify for Europe.

Chelsea have 40 players on their books and, by Tuesday, will need to sell a player every day to reduce the squad to 25, with only 15 days left to do so.

Alonso has already spoken about the need to reduce his defensive options from nine to "four or five", while Chelsea will carry only three strikers into the new season, expected to be Joao Pedro, Danny Welbeck and probably Emmanuel Emegha.

Although five players were left out of the 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday because of fitness-related issues, Chelsea also omitted Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr and Mykhailo Mudryk, all of whom had previously been involved in pre-season.

Benoit Badiashile is expected to complete a move to Napoli this week, but Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and David Datro Fofana continue to train away from the squad with no obvious suitors.

There is clearly a plan under Alonso, with a settled core of senior players, but Chelsea will not want those on the fringes to affect the atmosphere because, as former manager Jose Mourinho said in his recent docuseries, "one bad orange can spoil the rest".

What do you think will happen at Chelsea between now and the end of the transfer window?

Get in touch with your views here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea value Pedro Neto at nearly £100m amid reported interest from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.

It is a reflection of the high fees across the transfer market, including the £117m Chelsea paid to Aston Villa for Morgan Rogers and the £145m asking price from Paris St-Germain for winger Bradley Barcola.

Portugal international Neto, 26, started against Real Sociedad on Saturday when others linked with moves away were completely left out.

Manchester City are keen to sign Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, from Chelsea but face competition from Al-Hilal. (Talksport), external

Nottingham Forest have joined the race to sign Liam Delap, with the 23-year-old English striker keen to stay in the Premier League. (Talksport), external

Everton lead the chase for Delap, with Chelsea having already told him that he can leave the club this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea still have 40 senior professionals on their books, so Xabi Alonso was forced to leave out a host of players for Saturday's friendly win over Real Sociedad.

Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo and Mamadou Sarr were all omitted despite featuring in previous pre-season matches.

All are either available for transfer or attracting loan or permanent interest. Mudryk and Sarr are targeting Premier League loan moves, Jackson is available for £65m, Delap for £50m, while Tosin has interest from Benfica and Marseille.

Alonso did not hold a media conference to explain his team selection, but multiple sources said it was his decision to leave them out.

New signings Emmanuel Emegha, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, along with recalled loanee Aaron Anselmino, were also absent, potentially through injury.

Unlike the likes of Delap and Mudryk, these four were sitting near the squad just behind the bench alongside third-choice goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe.

There was further intrigue as Fernandez played, while new midfield signing Valentin Barco, who joined from Strasbourg, did not get on the pitch for his first appearance.

It remains a significant challenge for Chelsea to trim their squad, with the club still needing to offload at least 15 players and only 17 days remaining in the transfer window to get down to 25 players.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It took Morgan Rogers only seven minutes to score his first goal in a Chelsea shirt in Saturday's 3-1 friendly win over Real Sociedad as he reacted quickest after Alex Remiro saved Joao Pedro's initial header.

The £117m club record signing from Aston Villa initially looked sharp and linked well with Cole Palmer and Pedro in Chelsea's front three.

Within 10 minutes of his debut, supporters were already chanting his name.

However, it was understandable that Rogers faded as the match wore on, given he had trained for less than a week since returning from holiday before his 62-minute outing.

Beyond Rogers, Joao Pedro has been the star of Chelsea's pre-season.

In this outing he headed Chelsea back in front in the 47th minute before adding a side-footed finish 30 minutes later to seal victory after Sociedad had equalised just before half-time through Jon Mikel Aramburu's volley.

Chelsea lost control towards the end of the first half and looked vulnerable, but they were much improved after the break.

Joao Pedro has scored eight goals in seven pre-season matches and led the line with Rogers and Palmer operating behind him.

Alonso offered a glimpse of the 3-4-2-1 formation he could use at Fulham in Chelsea's Premier League opener as he took charge of a match at Stamford Bridge for the first time.

It featured Robert Sanchez as the first-choice goalkeeper, with Wesley Fofana, new signing Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill forming a back three - from right to left.

Pedro Neto operated at right wing-back and Marco Palestra on the left, while captain Reece James and Moises Caicedo lined up in midfield behind the front three.

There was also a debut from substitute wing-back Pep Chavarria, although a number of notable players were absent.

Of course, Alonso insists he won't be wedded to either a back three or four but it was this system used as Chelsea beat AC Milan 3-0 a week ago.

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Xabi Alonso managed at Stamford Bridge for the first time as Chelsea concluded their pre-season with a 3-1 over his former side Real Sociedad.

Record-breaking summer signing Morgan Rogers opened the scoring from coose range before Jon Aramburu leveled with a fine strike from the edge of the box on the stroke of half-time.

Joao Pedro put the Blues back in front just after the break with a back post header from a Reece James cross before the games' major talking point.

Substitute Enzo Fernandez was booed by sections of the crowd with Chelsea set to keep the midfielder after no club elected to reach their £120m valuation before Friday's deadline.

Pedro made the win safe late on with a fine finish across the goalkeeper after being played through by Malo Gusto.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League 10 years ago but incredibly were champions of England just a year later under new manager Antonio Conte.

After finishing in the same position last season, with no European football again and a new manager in Xabi Alonso, can the Blues repeat the feat?

Chelsea's Premier League record in 2025-26 is almost identical to when they finished mid-table under interim manager Guus Hiddink a decade ago.

With just one more goal scored and one more conceded, they finished with the same goal difference and just two points more than they did in 2015-16.

Few would have imagined back then that after finishing 31 points behind champions Leicester City and below the likes of Southampton, West Ham and Stoke, Chelsea's players would be the ones lifting the Premier League trophy the following season.

After starting the campaign playing a back four, a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in just their sixth game saw Conte switch his side to a back three. The impact was tremendous as they won their next 13 games in a row.

It's a tactical switch that the Blues could make this season as well under new manager Alonso, given that his Bayer Leverkusen side won the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2023-24 playing three at the back.

Improving the club's points tally by a whopping 43 points again is undoubtedly a huge ask for Alonso's squad, given that it is the biggest points increase that any side has achieved to win the title in Premier League history.

But they may not need to.

While Arsenal will likely mount a stronger title defence than Leicester City, the Gunners' points tally last season was the second-lowest to win the Premier League since Claudio Ranieri's side 10 years ago.

The bar to become champions has dropped in the last couple of seasons from the dizzying demands of the Guardiola-Klopp era - where even 97 points wasn't enough in 2018-19 - so Chelsea might not need to reach the 93 points they achieved under Conte.

Read the full article here