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They aren't good even as subs. What a waste of 100m.

The way you’re talking, it sounds like LR completely rotated the team, but look at who actually played: Sánchez, Cucurella, Chalobah, Fofana, Santos, Enzo, Caicedo, and João Pedro. There’s already a solid base there, and it’s completely normal to rotate players in these competitions, even in the later stages. It’s not “giving up” or “not trying,” it’s smart squad management to keep everyone fresh and competitive.

We know that winning the CL is more important than winning the Carabao Cup. That’s obvious. What I’m pointing out is that we should be trying to win the Carabao Cup regardless… we should be going for The League title not just accepting top 4. Especially after the money spent to assemble this farcical squad. We should be going for every single trophy available. There should be no compromise even spoken of, let alone actually acted upon which is what appears to be happening at this club with the evidence of resting key players for important games in specific competitions. We aren’t just making this shit up.. it’s literally being briefed to us by the club through their mouth pieces, the dodgy twat on Sky Sports News, Ben Jacobs, Fabrizio, Matt Law and Ornstein. They aren’t journalists, they are literally paid to spout the nonsense that is fed to them by the clubs who pay them.

That’s not what I’m saying at all. Of course fans care about trophies — but let’s not pretend every trophy has the same importance, because they don’t. The Champions League isn’t just about transfers, it’s the highest level of competition and the foundation for winning the biggest trophies again. Prioritising UCL qualification over the Carabao Cup isn’t “the game being gone”, it’s just understanding what actually matters most in today’s football. Wanting Top 4 doesn’t mean trophies don’t matter — it means some objectives are bigger than others.

Maybe if Quenda becomes like Estevao then all is well and Gittens and Garnacho become subs.

That's the thing. End of the day trophy is a trophy. We were never the lot to look down on this and always we'd try to win. Having got to 6 Wembley finals or whatever it is and losing them all its a chance to put it right! We used to laugh at Arsenal and that for never winning or competing and now its us. Do think double..worse case treble..urghhhhhh.

100% agree

I’m well aware of how modern football works.. the average fan cares more about what ability the club has to acquire players in transfer windows rather than winning trophies. The game has well and truly gone.

What really needs to happen in the summer are things we 100% won’t do and that’s to get rid of Garnacho & Gittens and sign an actual top class LW. Someone who can be as good on that side of the pitch as Estevão is on the other. But there’s zero chance these guys admit those were massive mistakes after only 1 season.

Top players or not, it doesn’t matter. Champions League football makes every target easier to get. Any player, big or small, is more likely to join a club with UCL football than without. That’s just how modern football works.

Top players? Which top players does this club go for??

Thing is this is what we used to laugh at Arsenal for..ooooo they're celebrating top 4 but won sod all or competed for sod all! How quickly things have changed!

People are acting like prioritising Top 4 is some kind of loser mentality, but it’s just reality in modern football. Even under Roman, after 2017/2018 we’ve basically been fighting for Top 4 more than anything else. The club hasn’t been consistently challenging for the league, and we’ve been stuck in rebuild cycles. That’s the truth. Everyone knows what Champions League qualification means today: More money Better financial stability More prestige Easier to attract top players A sustainable platform to actually build a competitive squad again That’s how the game works now. You don’t rebuild a top club without UCL football. If we were talking about the FA Cup, fine — there’s a real debate there. But the Carabao Cup? Come on. It’s not nothing, but it’s nowhere near as important as getting back into the Champions League. Only people who don’t understand how football works in 2026 still pretend that qualifying for the UCL isn’t the priority. A serious club needs to be back at that level first — trophies come after.

I hear you but the rebuild will be slow and the important part of the season is top 5 and keeping the CL money going. Without that, we are going to be hamstrung in the window again.

So the brief from the board is we are a defender, midfielder and attacker short after being in charge of the last seven transfer windows

Lol I know I'm pointing out the obvious but it doesn’t mean I have to accept it. It’s hard to watch whats happening to Chelsea.

I can’t believe there are fans actually saying shit like this. We haven’t won a domestic trophy since 2018 i believe. Another few more years and it’s more than a decade. Then how long after? How long before we become a Spurs? You would never hear this talk under Roman.. NEVER! Every trophy must be won… every trophy is worth winning. Not only that but we had the chance to stop Arsenal from winning it and possible a double, treble or quadruple. You do realise how bad it’s going to be if Arsenal achieve any of that, don’t you?

and we can blame them?? top 4 is much more important than a carabao cuop rather be in ucl next year than won this shit competition

Lol does the Pope shit in his hat ? The Biggest McDonalds here in London is the Olympic Park one. We're a franchise too. Sooner people realise this the better.

Wake up and smell the coffee. The writing is literally on the wall. ”Chelsea are not bothered about the Carabao Cup, it’s not a priority cup” ”The fitness team have the final say on team selection” (Egbhali) If you can’t see that top 4 is the principal objective and if attempting to win silverware hinders that chance then that hindrance must be mitigated, I don’t know what to say. It’s clear as day when you connect the dots. If you keep your eye on the ball you will start to see Americans are now crawling out of the woodwork warning us of how American businesses men operate in American sports. It’s all for financial gain and nothing else. They are literally stripping the club we love of all it’s gravitas and desire to win on the big stage whilst you guys have for some reason been brainwashed into thinking everything is all good and hang off every word that is said in their disgraceful PR campaign. “James didn’t pass a final fitness test” ”took a knock in training” 😂 You think if Drogba or Lampard took a ‘knock’ in training, they wouldn’t show up to s semi-final of a cup against a London rival??? They wouldn’t showing up on crutches, clutching a winner and dealing with their ‘knock’ later. I can’t see James and co sticking around with this for much longer. Time will tell.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is one of those who has consistently split opinions amongst the fan base. For…View the full article

Chelsea January window review – and what they are planning for the summer https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7016835/2026/02/04/Chelsea-transfer-window-january-review-latest/ You can always rely on there being a lot of talk around Chelsea when a transfer window is open. Even though the club did not intend to be too busy in the winter edition, Chelsea still managed to be part of the conversation throughout — whether it was about incomings or outgoings. As it turned out, not much took place in either department. But there was enough to keep people talking about them until deadline day. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Sources with knowledge of transfer dealings, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, have been spoken to before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Here’s The Athletic’s review of what took place. Was this window a success or a failure? Neither. If you go back to the first Transfer DealSheet about Chelsea, previewing this window, it was expected to be pretty quiet unless the right opportunity to do something, as far as new signings presented themselves. Chelsea have earmarked strengthening at centre back, midfield and in attack for 2026. This is still the case and will be the focus for the summer, as was kind of planned to begin with. However, fans will question why their pursuit of Jeremy Jacquet ended with the player opting to join Liverpool (more on that below). As far as outgoings are concerned, coming to an agreement with Raheem Sterling so that he can leave for good was the biggest positive. He was the highest-paid player on over £300,000 a week but has not been part of the plans since the summer of 2024. The contract still had 17 months left to run, too. Facundo Buonanotte’s season-long loan from Brighton and Hove Albion being cancelled made sense for the player. He was brought in as cover while Cole Palmer was coping with his injury issues, yet made only eight appearances. The attacking midfielder is now at Leeds United. Tyrique George has a great chance to prove himself on loan at Everton. Outcast Axel Disasi, who was frozen out like Sterling, at least gets a chance to play senior football again on loan at West Ham. The management of other loans was also a primary focus. Sterling left Chelsea in the windowEddie Keogh/Getty Images How much did they spend and how much did they bring in? Not much in either category, although Chelsea have made a profit. By getting Sterling off the books now, Chelsea feel they have made some major savings compared to if he had seen his contract out. Loan fees always generate a tidy bit of extra income. The sales of academy talent Leo Castledine and Ato Ampah, who have healthy sell-on clauses attached, improved their bank balance a little too. Who have they signed? There was only one significant addition in the end, the decision to recall centre-back Mamadou Sarr from loan at Strasbourg. The 20-year-old will compete for a first-team spot from the get-go. He is highly rated at the club and, significantly, is also admired by new head coach Liam Rosenior, who worked with him for 18 months at Strasbourg. Chelsea see him as a similar profile to Dean Huijsen, who they tried to buy from Bournemouth last summer before he opted for Real Madrid. On the academy front, Chelsea beat Manchester United to the signing of highly-rated left back Yisa Alao. The initial fee is a six-figure sum, but add-ons can take it well past the £1million mark. Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line? Chelsea wanted to buy Jacquet from Rennes but lost out to Liverpool. They were in discussions for most of the month, but the player opted to move to Anfield. The switch will be officially completed in the summer. Chelsea believe a major factor in Jacquet’s decision could have been the competition he faced from other young centre-backs at the club. This includes Josh Acheampong, who they do not want to sell, and Sarr. There are no regrets that they missed out on Jacquet because of their decision to keep Acheampong and Sarr as part of their plans. The club did make an enquiry to Juventus over a loan for Douglas Luiz, who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest. With Dario Essugo being ruled out until March, having not played all season, and Romeo Lavia being sidelined since November, they thought about adding some more depth to midfield. In the end, they decided against it, partly because Lavia is close to a first-team return and the form of Andrey Santos. After pulling out, Douglas Luiz went to Aston Villa instead. Are there still any obvious gaps in the team? As explained, Chelsea desire a centre-half (regardless of Sarr), midfielder and attacker. It should not be forgotten that a deal for Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda is already in place for him to join in the summer. A decision will also be made whether goalkeeper Mike Penders, currently on loan at Strasbourg, will increase competition in that position. Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season? Chelsea started the season aiming to qualify for the Champions League again via a top-five finish and compete in the three cup competitions they are in. The club have been able to challenge on all four fronts up until this week, at least, so what little has taken place in the window is not going to change that. Will the manager/head coach be happy? Liam Rosenior has made a point of saying how happy he is with the squad he has inherited since taking over from Enzo Maresca a month ago. Chelsea’s new head coach has revealed how often he is speaking to the recruitment team about their plans, so he is fully up to speed with what the thinking is. Being reunited with Sarr is another major plus point. After winning six games from his opening seven matches, Rosenior will be more pleased about the start his squad has made and the talent he has to work with. Rosenior will be happy to be reunited with SarrrightSebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images What will their priority be in the summer? To sign players in the three positions highlighted above. Will they have money to spend? Yes. Chelsea became the first Premier League club to make over £300million in sales last summer, and they will have more assets to sell in the next window to help fund further purchases. The fact that they were prepared to do business during January is a strong indication of where they stand financially. Do not forget Chelsea accrued in excess of £84m from winning the Club World Cup and have already brought in another £80m by progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League, with the possibility of more to come. What is their strongest XI now the window is shut? (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro. The full list of ins and outs IN Mamadou Sarr (recalled from loan at Strasbourg) Yisa Alao (Sheffield Wednesday add-ons will take fee in excess of £1m) Caleb Wiley (recalled from loan at Watford) Teddy Sharman-Lowe (recalled from loan at Bolton) Kiano Dyer (recalled from loan at Volendam) OUT Raheem Sterling (free agent) Tyrique George (loan to Everton with option to buy) Axel Disasi (loan to West Ham) Kendry Paez (recalled from loan at Strasbourg, loaned to River Plate) Aaron Anselmino (recalled from loan at Borussia Dortmund, loaned to Strasbourg) David Datro Fofana (recalled from loan at Fatih Karagumruk, loaned to Strasbourg) Facundo Buonanotte (season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion cancelled) Leo Castledine (Middlesbrough fee in excess of £1m) Ato Ampah (Stoke City undisclosed) Frankie Runham (loan to Ipswich Town) Dujuan Richards (loan to Leicester City) By Simon Johnson Chelsea Correspondent

The hardest thing to swallow from last night is we simply didn't have a go but were happy to just pass the ball around, contain and not really do much.

yes, he and Neto both failed see this: https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/Chelsea-fc-injury-update-james-neto-rosenior-b1269492.html Liam Rosenior has provided an injury update on Reece James and Pedro Neto after they missed the Carabao Cup decider against Arsenal. Neto and James both failed late fitness checks on Tuesday morning and neither was involved as Chelsea fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium. The result means Arsenal have progressed to the Carabao Cup final at the expense of their London rivals who failed to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first-leg last month. Before the second leg, Rosenior revealed Neto and James had not been passed fit but said he was optimistic they could be involved against Wolves on Saturday, which is Chelsea’s next game. The Chelsea head coach also revealed he usually names the starting line-up the day before the game but waited until Tuesday to pick his team against Arsenal to see if either could be available. “Pedro and Reece had small knocks,” Rosenior said after the Arsenal match. “They were just in too much pain for tonight. “They're giving everything. They would always put their hand up to play. Reece is an incredible captain and leader. I know Pedro is an outstanding professional and a great player. "We've had a lot to contend with the last couple of days, a couple of fitness tests this morning. Normally I name the team the day before. I named the team this afternoon when I had the full details of who was available." Rosenior continued: "I have to give the players so much credit. Our schedule has been incredible. So for them, to put in the energy, the fight, the spirit was there. “Estevao, I have to say, for him, 18 years old, to go through something very personal for him, to fly to Brazil and fly back in two days to make sure he could play in this game, says everything about the character and spirit I want for this team.” Estevao had missed the 3-2 win over West Ham on Saturday after being granted compassionate leave to see to a personal matter back home in Brazil. Cole Palmer started on the bench against Arsenal and only came on in the 60th minute along with Estevao. “In terms of Cole [Palmer], Cole gave us an incredible 90-minute performance, the reason we fought back against West Ham,” Rosenior said. “We have to take care of him. He's a gem. “We have to take care of him and make sure he's right for the whole season. But when he came on, his moments were top. “So, all in all, [I am] disappointed not to go through against what will be a very, very good team, but we can't let this setback affect our future.”

It was reported he failed a fitness test?