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Trump Fires Off Over 160 Truth Social Posts in Frenetic, Late-Night Blitz https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-fires-off-over-160-truth-social-posts-in-frenetic-late-night-blitz/ President Donald Trump unleashed a frenetic, late-night posting binge on Monday, flooding Truth Social with more than 160 posts in less than five hours, in a wild spectacle that saw him teeing off on political opponents and policies. From 7 p.m. to nearly midnight (ET), the president reposted an endless stream of clips, some of which were duplicated in what appeared to be an automatic loop, amplifying MAGA-friendly pundits and conspiracy theories. The torrent swung between nostalgia – including a ‘Make Christmas Great Again’ video featuring Trump’s cameo in Home Alone 2 – and a parade of attacks on his usual Democratic targets, from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and former President Barack Obama. Among them was a clip of Alex Jones, featuring Bed, Bath and Beyond founder Patrick Byrne, whose video carried the bizarre caption: “Michelle Obama may have used Biden’s autopen in the final days of his disastrous administration to pardon key individuals.” Other posts lauded his vow to nullify all of Biden’s Autopen orders. He also posted what appeared to be an AI-generated video of Elon Musk discussing Trump’s vow to “immediately” revoke temporary protections for Somali migrants. Even Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) was branded a “traitor” — again — in one of the few posts that the president authored himself as Trump rounded on the Democrat and his colleagues who featured in the now-infamous “illegal orders” video of encouraging military personnel to disobey him. He also demanded the release of disgraced Colorado election official Tina Peters, who is serving a nine-year sentence, writing: “Colorado, FREE TINA PETERS, NOW.” The spree veered into other theatrics, with clips of users complaining about TikTok strikes and a repost of the moment he called a journalist “stupid.” Despite the late night, the president was awake by 5:48 a.m. Tuesday to proclaim: “TRUTH SOCIAL IS THE BEST! There is nothing even close!!!”

Chelsea Transfer DealSheet: What to expect in 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6836202/2025/12/02/Chelsea-transfer-latest-2026-dealsheet/ Chelsea were the busiest club in the last transfer window (incomings and outgoings combined), so naturally, there will be a lot of focus on what they will do next year. The club have a UEFA punishment to adhere to for the next four years (more of that later), so it makes planning for 2026 all the more important. 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, The Athletic previews their plans for next year’s January and summer windows. Who will make key decisions over the two windows? It is a collaborative effort led by five sporting directors with the backing of club ownership. Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart head up the team of sporting directors, which also includes Joe Shields (scouting and talent), Sam Jewell (global recruiting) and Dave Fallows (football development). What positions will they be looking at in 2026? Chelsea are not planning to add to the first-team squad in January, with the focus being more on the summer. The club could still put a deal in place for a young player in the new year (or the summer), in view of them joining in future seasons as they have done in the past. The onus is on adding to the squad depth, and the possibilities (in terms of what areas of the pitch) will continue to be assessed. It obviously also depends on who goes. One of the areas Chelsea readers regularly ask about is the goalkeeper position. Chelsea are happy with their current options in Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders (who is currently on loan at Strasbourg). That means a move for Milan’s Mike Maignan, to give just one example, will not be revisited, having held negotiations with the Serie A club in June. Chelsea are also content for the time being with their centre-back options, especially with Levi Colwill returning from a knee injury next year and the prospect of Mamadou Sarr coming back from a season-long loan at Strasbourg. Are there any players they are already looking at? Chelsea’s strategy is geared towards finding a rising talent rather than a finished article. This means that their long-standing interest in Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has cooled, and he has signed a new long-term deal at Villa Park in any case. Chelsea continue to be linked with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, but he does not fit the profile of what they are looking for either. Besides, they are well stocked in wide areas. The club have held a long-standing interest in Nottingham Forest defender Murillo, but he is considered at the starter level, so again is not on their radar. The focus is more on succession planning and players for the future. Chelsea had a long-standing interest in RogersMichael Regan/Getty Images Who will they be looking to sell? In terms of January, defender Axel Disasi is one of the exits they will be looking to get done. The France international has not played for Chelsea this season and has not even been named in a matchday squad. Disasi has begun training again with the first team recently and also played for the under-21s against Reading in November. This is all to ensure he is fully fit to make a move. Raheem Sterling is in a similar situation, and both parties are keen to part ways if the deal suits both sides. Tyrique George had a transfer to Fulham collapse on deadline day (September 1). There are more teams showing an interest in the academy graduate now than in the summer due to how he has responded (three goals and one assist for Chelsea in 10 appearances, plus his first two goals for England Under-21s). Chelsea have not made a decision on whether to sell him, but clubs may try to lure him away with the promise of more first-team minutes. The attacker’s contract situation is another factor — it expires in 2027, although there is an option in place to extend for another 12 months. As for the summer, striker Nicolas Jackson will be one they try to sell, even if Bayern Munich decide against buying him permanently after his loan there. What moves have they made already? Chelsea have two first-team players already lined up to join the squad next season. They bought winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP for £40m in March, and he is part of their plans for 2026-27. The same goes for striker Emanuel Emegha, who agreed to join Chelsea from Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee in September. Both players have remained at their respective clubs for the current campaigns. Forward Dastan Satpayev (FC Kairat) and left back Denner Evangelista (Corinthians) will be able to complete their moves in the summer as they are both turning 18. Defender Deinner Ordonez will do likewise from Independiente del Valle in January 2028. Others currently away on loan, like Aaron Anselmino (Borussia Dortmund) and Penders (Strasbourg) will continue to be monitored. A decision on whether they are going to be involved will be taken next summer. Which players’ contracts are expiring? Who will they renew? Facundo Buonanotte, who is on a season-long loan from Brighton, is the only member of the current squad whose contract with the club expires at the end of the season. There is no option or obligation in place to make it permanent. Sterling’s agreement ends in 2027, but there is obviously no intent on either side to extend it. Chelsea’s general stance on discussions over new deals is to hold them in the off-season so that everyone can focus on the football. What is their PSR position? What sort of budget do they have? There will be funds available to spend, but no set sum is in place yet, partly because it depends on exits. Chelsea have been consistently very good in this department, as they showed in the last window when they became the first Premier League side to raise over £300m in sales in a window. There are no concerns over complying with profit and sustainability regulations in what is the final season of its use. However, Chelsea were fined €31m by UEFA in July for breaking their football earnings rule and squad cost rule. As part of a settlement agreement, it could go up by another €60m if they fail to comply over the next four years. UEFA’s squad cost ratio (percentage of a club’s income spent on the first-team squad) is 70 per cent this season. For this season and next, Chelsea must maintain a positive transfer balance (the cost of players added must not exceed those being removed) for any new players to be registered for their squads in European competition. What will be the manager’s priority? While head coach Enzo Maresca is involved in conversations over targets, his role is primarily to coach the team. The recruitment team named above are in charge of the overall strategy. By Simon Johnson Chelsea Correspondent

Sanchez, Gusto, Trev, Fofana, Cucu, James, Santos, Enzo, Neto, Estevao, Pedro

Problematic cuz I see only nico jacksonas a easy sale

🔴For this season and next, Chelsea must maintain a positive transfer balance [the cost of players added must not exceed those being removed] for any new players to be registered for their squads in European competition. (@TheAthletic)

Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Santos, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Delap

Pre/Post Match Discussion, Live Chat & Analysis Wednseday Dec 2nd, 2025 Elland Road 8:15 PM UK

Palmer “can start” against Leeds on Wednesday for Chelsea, Maresca confirmed at his press conference on this morning.

Brave sniper brags about killing children and unarmed civilians

Again your bringing your point of view. Which I agree. But the powers up want the oil ir seems like and a lot of Venezuela people I talked prefer that.

You do not invade and murder people because you want their resources. The US Empire will crumble one day, all empires do. Every one in history, Thats whats missing in todays World - morals. It seems even so called 'christians' dont have any...

Well what you got to support your view? Where's your Venezuelan representative? As well NPR states something similar Yet most Venezuelans despise Maduro and voted against him in last year's presidential election that was considered by many — including the U.S. government — to have been stolen by his regime. One Venezuelan analyst, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety, said that most Venezuelans would support U.S. military action to remove Maduro. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/27/nx-s1-5620605/trump-venezuela-maduro

Who said that? I have not read that? Maga? Yes they are crazy I don't argue that.

I love Gary Cahill. Always loved watching him as a player and despite the fact he used to…View the full article

Large survey then 😅-and guaranteed they were hand picked -less than 0.0001%

Maresca succeeding after embracing Chelsea heritage and abandoning Pep-ball says journalist https://Chelsea.news/2025/12/maresca-embracing-Chelsea-heritage/ The Athletic’s Michael Cox has just done a really good piece about Chelsea’s draw with Arsenal over the weekend, and what it says about the manager’s progress at the club. He wrote that Sunday was the day where it really felt like Maresca had become a proper Chelsea manager, and how did it happen? In large part because the Blues moved away from what the coach had tried to introduce initially, and had come towards what is in the club’s “DNA” and what the fans want to see. Robert Sanchez is no longer playing ever goal kick short, just as an example. Chelsea “thrive” in sticky situation and go back to their old ways The red card to Moises Caicedo, put them in a bad position, but they love being in those positions and do well – at least they have in the past. “For all their successes over the years, Chelsea have always thrived when being in this situation: their opponents with the ball, themselves as the spoilsports. They’ve won titles when criticised for being defensive. They’ve won European Cups as the clear underdogs against more vaunted opposition.” It’s a really interesting take, and while some would argue that there are fingerprints of the Italian all over this team, there’s no denying this is less like what we were seeing in preseason in the summer of 2024. It shouldn’t be seen as a knock on Maresca either. He’s been feeling the situation out in his first 18 months, and now seems to be getting to something that works consistently. Let’s not forget that Mikel Arteta’s first year at Arsenal was pretty horrendous (far worse than Maresca’s first season at Chelsea) and it was only when he moved away from the style he had been trying to play that he found success. He now has Arsenal top of the league and favourites in the Champions League. Who knows where Maresca will have us in a few years time. In other news… Malo Gusto also spoke after the game and he was super positive about the way his team had played with ten men, especially considering the standard of their superb opposition. Joao Pedro noted that Robert Sanchez had had a really good game for the Blues in goal, and had a major hand in the draw (which did feel like a win, in the circumstances).

Who is Souza? Expert Brazilian opinion on wonderkid wanted by Chelsea and Barcelona https://www.transfermarkt.com/who-is-souza-expert-brazilian-opinion-on-wonderkid-wanted-by-Chelsea-and-barcelona/view/news/446536

Always the same excuse - ''you need to replace your socialist dictator with a right wing one that we like that will have death squads at their disposal, your people want this'' What a crock of shit

Maresca seems like an obsessed football nerd and I can't fault him for the work he's done with the squad he's been given. High level coaching is all about chasing marginal gains and Maresca has been largely good at setting up this team. All this while dealing with an injury-hit squad and a freak run of red cards.

Again Maresca was right from the beginning about his role... He is a beast midfielder.

From the official Premier League channel:

Konstantinos Karetsas, the winger adored by Europe’s largest clubs: ‘You see he is a special one, hey?’ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6833406/2025/12/01/konstantinos-karetsas-interview-transfer/ Konstantinos Karetsas does not have the ball, but he is still streaking down the right wing like a wind-up mouse. It is Greece’s November World Cup qualifier against Scotland, and though the hosts can no longer qualify, Athenians have packed the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in pursuit of one player. Veering infield as Greece’s counter-attack begins to slow, Karetsas picks out a bubble of space on the edge of the area between four Scotland defenders. He holds out both arms, imploringly, and the cut-back is perfectly delivered onto his left foot. In the Scotland goal, Craig Gordon appears to be expecting Karetsas to shoot back across his body, taking a small shuffle-step to his left. Instead, the Greek winger whips it with his instep, beating a crumpled Gordon at his near post. It is ball-striking of this purity that has made Karetsas a rare diamond. Having only turned 18 in the middle of last month, the Genk teenager is one of the most promising talents in world football. “You just have to do whatever comes into your mind,” says Karetsas, speaking to The Athletic in the first in-depth interview of his career, two days before that month’s 3-2 win over Scotland. “You can’t be robotic. When you have a one-vs-one, take your man on — have a shot, get an assist, make a cross. Play a one-two. This is what beautiful football is to me.” On his debut, eight months earlier, against the same opposition, Karetsas produced arguably an even better finish, opening up his body to curl a left-footed shot high into the roof of the net. “There ought already to be a blue plaque at Hampden (Park) to mark where Diego Maradona scored his first international goal,” wrote The Scotsman’s chief reporter that night. “Might another ‘I was there’ moment have occurred here when Karetsas curled into the corner first time past a goalkeeper 25 years older than him?” So, the fact file on Karetsas so far: a right-winger, born in Belgium, who stands just 5ft 7in (170cm) and has a left foot that is cinnamon sweet. Technique is his strongest arrow, and though his compulsion to dribble may appear a throwback to the 1990s, several other traits are highly modern. He is a dynamo without the ball as well — in November’s game against Scotland, he threw himself in front of an open goal, twice, to block Che Adams’ shot and keep the score 1-0. The teenager has already been the subject of an international tug of war — having grown up in Belgium, representing the nation’s youth teams, he switched his allegiance to Greece in the spring — and it is moments like these that mean he is already adored by some of Europe’s largest clubs. Karetsas celebrating his goal against Scotland in their November World Cup qualifierAngelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images One former academy director of a continental giant texts mid-game: “You see he is a special one, hey?” Karetsas understands the expectations — and the reality that he may soon be leaving Genk, his hometown club where he became the youngest scorer in the history of Belgian professional football. “With my dad, we exactly planned out my trajectory,” he explains. “To first break through in Belgium, and then to go to a team either this year or next year, we’ll see. But it’s going as planned.” Any league in particular? “I don’t have a preference,” he replies. “I think with the right mindset, I can handle anything. If I would have to choose, I would prefer La Liga — but I would go anywhere, to any top club. It just depends on what choice is there at that moment.” Before speaking, he had recorded six assists in his past four games, numbers made possible, he says, by a significant shift in psychology over recent months. Having burst into the Genk team as a 15-year-old, he was briefly restored to the bench last season. “I just changed my mindset,” he explains. “From being OK with being average to wanting to be the best. It feels like a big change. I talked a lot with my parents, and also Devon Maes (Genk’s head of performance) and (assistant manager) Michel Ribeiro at the club. He’s a technical coach, but he’s more than that. I’ve known him my whole life. They can speak from experience of difficult moments — of doing everything to get out of that. “There’s always so much noise around a player coming up, especially if you’re young like this. So you just have to block off that noise and focus on what you want to become as a player and to help the team, which is the most important thing. I’ve been inspired by Michael Jordan. I’m not saying I will achieve what he did, because it’s almost impossible. But it’s about trying to be a better version of yourself every day. Doing everything for your job. I’m obsessed with it.” Breaking through as a teenager takes more than footballing ability. Listening to Karetsas, the emotional resilience is also clear. “I think in football you will have maybe 60 per cent bad moments and maybe 40 per cent good moments,” he says at one point. “But the good moments are incomparable to the bad. That’s why in the bad moments, you just have to keep going.” Later, another thought occurred about the importance of balance in a young player’s life. “I try to separate my life with football. Obviously, I’ll watch the top games like El Clasico or Manchester City vs Liverpool (played a few days earlier). But I’m not going to spend my afternoon doing that. You have to think about other things; I think if you don’t do this, you will not survive, you will go crazy.” Karetsas says he learned to stay grounded from his parents, whose families moved from Greece to Belgium to work underground in the coal mines near Genk. His father began his career working in construction before working his way up to become a team manager for a company installing paper dispensers in toilet cubicles. His mother worked long hours in a desk job. “They both made a lot of sacrifices,” Karetsas says. “My father was a good player, but quit football for me and my brother, so we could have everything we needed. My mom is the heart of the house. So I had a really good childhood. I’m really, really grateful, because it’s not normal to have a good childhood. You hear a lot of stories today about kids growing up in difficult moments, and I never had that problem. I had the best parents, so I’m really grateful for that.” His little brother Yiorgos is also at Genk in the youth academy. “He’s taller, stronger, faster than I was at 12 years old, so I would say he’s better. I hope he becomes so. I would never be jealous of him.” It is also through his family that he ended up choosing to represent Greece, despite the Belgian youth set-up considering him the standout player in his age group. The Greek FA had dispatched a delegation including former internationals Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Vasilis Torosidis, and Dimitris Salpingidis to visit him in Belgium, but in truth, they need not have bothered. Despite playing for Belgium at the time, Karetsas knew his own mind. He grew up visiting his ancestral homeland each summer. And Karetsas watched every game of Greece’s Euro 2004 winning campaign, a tournament which took place three years before he was born, over the course of a few weeks with his father. “Every time I played for Belgium I felt honoured,” he explains. “But there was always a weird feeling because I knew I felt more Greek. So my decision was pure at heart. I love Greece, I travel every year. It’s like my second home. So I’m really grateful for everything Belgium did, but when it comes to the national team, I think you should choose from the heart. Nobody pushed me. It was my choice.” He is now part of a talented young group of Greek prospects, including PAOK’s Giannis Konstantelias, Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis, and Brighton pair Charalampos Kostoulas and Stefanos Tzimas. While they were too raw to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, their time will come. As a smaller player, Karetsas says one of his main targets at the moment is improving his physicality. He was a member of the Futures project in Belgium, a scheme which sees the late developers in each age group banded together into a team, still under the FA’s umbrella, in order to improve against more suitable opposition. “I wasn’t strong like everyone else, I wasn’t fast, I was still small,” he says. “But all the other guys at this age, they were already late into puberty, fully grown, and near their maximum capacity physically. So my body still had to develop and change, because every time in the duels, I would come up short. But technically, everyone knew what I could do — so the Futures project was really good for me.” Karetsas has been impressing for GenkJohan Eyckens/Belga Mag/Belga/AFP via Getty Images Another target was to improve his end product. Having managed seven assists this season, he appears on the way to meeting that goal — backed up by more advanced metrics. Compared to other high-volume dribblers in Europe’s top five leagues, Karetsas is amongst the leading players in shot-creating actions — placing him neatly between Savinho and Bukayo Saka. Shown his numbers, Karetsas pores over the numbers with intrigue. “I get a lot of joy from assisting because I feel I can make my team-mates better,” he says. “If you have a striker who is in a difficult period, you can help them. It’s good for the team, but also for the player, he feels better, and this is a great feeling. Obviously, as an attacking player, nothing beats the feeling of scoring yourself, but to me, assisting is of at least as much value.” His greatest weapon is his dribbling, holding the ability to easily beat a player one-on-one in order to take them out of the game, before finding the free man. He is determined to never lose that fearlessness. “Basically, from the time I could walk, I had a ball at the bottom of my feet,” he says. “I was in love with it. And so then my dad always encouraged the dribbling, because he knew those are the most special players, the creative players, and he knew I had that in me. I’d watch videos on YouTube of the big stars — Messi, Ronaldinho, Neymar, the Brazilian Ronaldo, and then go outside to try and be my own person. “Losing the ball was a fear I had to overcome. A lot of youth coaches told me to stop dribbling, to pass the ball, but my dad said, ‘Never stop’. And so I never did. You know, I’m not afraid to do something on the pitch. If it doesn’t work out three times, and then one time your team scores, nobody will remember the three times. It could be a turning point in the game. “Players like (Jeremy) Doku, they bring something to the squad which I love. There’s a lot of robotic play nowadays, which I can’t stand. I can’t watch it. You have to be creative. That’s what’s beautiful to see.”

This was the most ‘Chelsea’ Chelsea have been under Enzo Maresca https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6850345/2025/12/01/Chelsea-enzo-maresca-arsenal/ For those who remember Enzo Maresca in his playing days, it can be difficult to square the perception of Maresca the player with the perception of Maresca the coach. Now cast as a mini-Guardiola, obsessed with shape and patience and organisation, it’s worth recalling that Maresca was once a destructive box-to-box midfielder renowned for his tenacity and aggression. On a TalkSport show last summer, presenter Jeff Stelling had to apologise for repeatedly referring to Maresca as Spanish, when he is actually Italian. That maybe sums it up; a ‘Spanish’ coach in style, he was very much an Italian midfielder; and by that, we mean a Gennaro Gattuso rather than an Andrea Pirlo. And while the highlight of Maresca’s playing career was scoring twice for Sevilla in their 4-0 2006 UEFA Cup final win over Middlesbrough, back home in Italy, he’s most remembered for his contribution to a Turin derby. After scoring an unusually long-range headed late equaliser for Juventus in a 2-2 draw at city rivals Torino in 2002, Maresca ran in front of the home fans mimicking the ‘toro’ celebration that opposition striker Marco Ferrante had done earlier in the game. It threatened to cause a riot. It was Maresca the mischief-maker rather than Maresca the manager that embodied Chelsea in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal. From the outset, Chelsea were aggressive, and the better side when the game was 11 against 11. Marc Cucurella repeatedly got tight to Bukayo Saka, but Moises Caicedo literally overstepped the mark when challenging Mikel Merino, and was sent off. At that point, Arsenal seemed to have the initiative. What You Should Read Next Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1: What does this mean for title race? Was Caicedo red inevitable? Maresca positives? Our writers break down the talking points from a fiery top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge Yet somehow, this suited Chelsea. For all their successes over the years, Chelsea have always thrived when being in this situation: their opponents with the ball, themselves as the spoilsports. They’ve won titles when criticised for being defensive. They’ve won European Cups as the clear underdogs against more vaunted opposition. This has become Chelsea’s identity. It’s not as glamorous an identity as most other big clubs, but that’s entirely the point. Chelsea’s players and fans have largely acted as a counter-attacking counter-weight to the increasing emphasis upon possession football, or attacking football, or pretty football. Which isn’t to say Chelsea haven’t ever been attractive, more that they haven’t been primarily concerned with being attractive. Yesterday’s performance, then, fitted the bill. Chelsea celebrate Chalobah’s goalVince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images Chelsea stormed into tackles, and refused to let Arsenal play through midfield. At times, everything was man-to-man in the centre, no one finding any space to receive passes. Chelsea scored the opener with a header from a set piece; Arsenal are considered the Premier League’s dead-ball masters, but Chelsea have scored only one fewer than them in those situations. The man who expertly looped it in, Trevoh Chalobah, is now into double figures for Premier League goals — not bad for a centre-back who has started 80 games. At a club who once relied on a steady stream of headers from defenders such as Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry and Marcos Alonso, it’s a familiar feeling. Chelsea sat deep and, save for one moment when Merino equalised, defended the box well. Wesley Fofana won all six of his aerial duels. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, traditionally not the most reliable with high balls, largely looked comfortable with aerial balls. Chelsea brought on Liam Delap, a proper old-school No 9, who didn’t have a serious chance to score but could battle for long balls in the manner of a Didier Drogba or a Diego Costa. That meant Sanchez could hit the ball long, rather than attempting to play out, something Chelsea fans have never been too keen on, particularly in the Maurizio Sarri years. More than anything, Chelsea offered a serious counter-attacking threat, with Pedro Neto a danger down the right and Arsenal players repeatedly cautioned for stopping dangerous breaks: Martin Zubimendi for knocking over Reece James, Cristhian Mosquera for bringing down Joao Pedro, Riccardo Calafiori for pulling back James after being caught on the ball, and then Myles Lewis-Skelly — a substitute brought on to replace Calafiori because the Italian was on a booking — for yet another cynical foul on James. Arsenal constantly looked prone to Chelsea’s quick breaks. James getting three opponents booked shows the extent to which he dominated this midfield zone, despite being surrounded by three £100million players. “Today was a big statement,” James said afterwards, having been named man of the match. At a time when the Premier League has been going old-school, but when Chelsea have the youngest side in the division, this performance showed they can fight. Strange though it might seem about a club who won a European trophy last season, then followed it up by becoming world club champions, this was the day when Maresca finally felt like a proper Chelsea manager. It was the game where his side completed the fewest passes, and won the most aerial duels, from his 51 league games in charge. It won’t be like this every game, and nor should it be. But with Chelsea’s next game a trip to a physical Leeds United side on a cold December evening, some of these qualities might be needed again very soon. By Michael Cox Football Writer

Robert Sanchez is looking like a reliable No 1 for Chelsea – he’s cut out the mistakes https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6850736/2025/12/01/robert-sanchez-Chelsea-analysis/ Perhaps this time, there will not be such an outcry if Chelsea do not sign a new goalkeeper in the transfer window. Disappointment was expressed among sections of the fanbase when a move for Milan’s Mike Maignan broke down in June. Questions were asked why the position was not strengthened because there was not much faith in No 1 Robert Sanchez. In fairness, you could understand why. Though there had been eye-catching saves following his arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion for £25million ($33m at current rates) in August 2023, there were calamitous moments, too. It made him a hard player to trust during the 90 minutes, let alone every week. Head coach Enzo Maresca dropped him for four of Chelsea’s Premier League games in February this year. That omission seems like a very distant memory now. As Sanchez showed in the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal on Sunday, he has turned things around to become one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League. There were two fine saves in each half, diving low to his right to stop an effort from Gabriel Martinelli and going the other way to prevent Mikel Merino from getting a late winner. The Spain international had to get up very quickly from the second stop to deny Viktor Gyokeres from converting the rebound, too. Robert Sanchez making a brave save against Viktor GyokeresRyan Pierse/Getty Images But crucially, Sanchez has cut out the sloppy mistakes that made him so erratic. One of the reasons Chelsea were so effective defending against Arsenal with 10 men after Moises Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute was that Sanchez kept doing the basics right. He came for crosses confidently and settled any nerves at the back, as well as in the crowd. “Robert was very good,” Maresca told reporters afterwards. “When you are with 10 players against Arsenal, you need some special performance like Robert’s. So we are very happy with Robert’s performance.” Against the same opposition in October 2023, Sanchez’s careless pass out of defence gifted Arsenal a way back into a game Chelsea had been dominating 2-0. Declan Rice took advantage to score for the visitors, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. On that occasion, Sanchez’s exploits made it feel like a defeat. In contrast, on Sunday, his contribution helped ensure the mood in the camp was much more positive, even though they still trail the league leaders by six points. No one can say Sanchez’s performance was a one-off, either. Things were improving at the end of last season as Chelsea finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League. He kept five clean sheets in Chelsea’s last nine league games. Sanchez followed that with a strong Club World Cup campaign, including probably his best Chelsea display during the 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final. His passing from the back, a major factor in that match, has become much more accurate and varied. Now, after 13 Premier League games, he shares top billing with the highly rated Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya for most clean sheets this season (seven). What You Should Read Next This was the most ‘Chelsea’ Chelsea have been under Enzo Maresca This was the day when Maresca finally felt like a proper Chelsea manager. Another indication of just how much things have changed for the better was provided by The Athletic before this fixture. As explained, Sanchez boasted the sorry statistic of making the most errors leading to a shot (including goals) last season, with 10. He went into the Arsenal fixture still waiting to get off the mark in this department for 2025-26. There was the rather clumsy challenge on Bryan Mbeumo that led to Sanchez getting sent off in the fourth minute at Manchester United in September. That transgression was more like the Sanchez of old and played a major part in Chelsea losing 2-1 at Old Trafford. But other than that, it is hard to think of another high-profile mistake. Following Chelsea’s last London derby against Tottenham Hotspur last month, Sanchez said he was in peak form, having found things difficult over the first 18 months. After impressing in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory, Sanchez told reporters: “I feel confident, I am fit and at my best. I have always felt settled because the club always told me I am No 1. “But on a personal level and my performance, I have to say yes (this is the most settled I have been at Chelsea). I have reached a very good level now. I am consistent, I have the confidence, I have the fans behind (me), so everything helps a little more.” A measure of the new esteem Chelsea fans now hold him in comes with a rather tongue-in-cheek chant that indicates the kind of journey he has been on. To the tune of Bing Crosby’s Winter Wonderland, it goes: “There’s only one Robert Sanchez, one Robert Sanchez. He used to be s***e, but now he’s all right, walking in a Sanchez wonderland.” Whether Sanchez can be dependable enough to help Chelsea win one of the Premier League or Champions League will be up for debate as long as the club do not get their hands on either trophy. You would still not put him at the same level as great predecessors Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois, who were part of five title-winning sides between them. Chelsea have high hopes for Mike Penders, out on loan at Strasbourg, to develop into one of the world’s best. But while the 20-year-old continues to learn the game, Sanchez deserves to remain first choice on this form. Put it this way — it is hard to see how Maignan could have done any better. By Simon Johnson Chelsea Correspondent

EXCLUSIVE - Chelsea looking at Manchester United defender Leny Yoro after new scouting missions Plenty of PL scouting happening https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/exclusive-Chelsea-looking-at-manchester Chelsea have been scouting and looking at a range of young players round the world but as well as that, they are also looking at players from the Premier League. We recently bought you a report on Chelsea looking into signing Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal, but he’s not the only young PL player we are currently looking at. There are some players who have recently moved to the Premier League that Chelsea have previously had on their radar and potential transfer shortlists. And one of them is the subject of this exclusive story we have this morning. Chelsea have always had Leny Yoro on their radar and were looking at him before he moved to Manchester United from Lille in 2024. But SPTC Sources have heard over the weekend that Chelsea are now partaking in new scouting missions for Yoro whilst he’s been at United, and they continue to have ‘an admiration’ for the 20-year-old France U21 international. He has a big frame standing at 6ft 3in and despite still being a young and developing player, there is a lot to love about him. Any move to Chelsea seems massively unrealistic due to the fact he has only just moved to United and has a contract until 2029. But I guess that anything is possible in this game and Chelsea will not be looking at him for any immediate move - it would be more down the line. Chelsea would also probably look to offer some players IF they did decide to approach United for Yoro anytime in the future. Chelsea do have a handful of players that United are keen on. It’s one we can shelve for now though, but interesting all the same to hear that we are scouting him once again and still have a keen interest in the player.