Vesper

Hazard told Como coach Fabregas to return to Chelsea: ‘The time has come’ https://football-italia.net/hazard-told-fabregas-return-Chelsea-time-come/ Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard admits he told his former Chelsea teammate Cesc Fabregas that ‘the time has come’ for him to return to Stamford Bridge, while Ju ventus striker Kenan Yildiz would suit Real Madrid. Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid star Hazard spent the last few days in Italy, where he presented the wines he produces under the label ‘Wine of the Champions’, a brand created by Italian entrepreneur Fabio Cordella. During his interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Hazard spoke about his former Chelsea teammate Fabregas, now the Como coach, revealing that he hopes to see the Spaniard in charge of the Blues soon. Hazard: Fabregas ‘destined to become one of the best coaches’ “I’ll be honest, in the summer we talked a bit. I told him he was one of the best midfielders in history and that he’s destined to become one of the best coaches as well,” Hazard said. “I explained to him that the time has come for him to return to Chelsea, and he joked about it, but I really believe it. He loves football and knows everything about this spot. I’m a Chelsea fan, and I want the best for the club. That’s why I dream of seeing Cesc on their bench, while I’ll be staying in the stands behind him, enjoying the show.” Fabregas is in his second Serie A season at Como, and the Azzurri are flying in 2025-26, sitting sixth in the standings, just four points below a Champions League spot. Juventus star Kenan Yildiz has also caught Hazard’s attention as the ex-winger believes the 20-year-old Turkey international is destined to play for Real Madrid one day. “My children are crazy about Yildiz. They want lots of his videos and hope to see him in the Premier League,” he said. “As for me, he seems more like a Real Madrid-type player.”

Brighton played him at fullback. Rosenior switched him to MF, where he has come good at a higher level.

Say it.

Top goalscorers 25/26 Top 5 leagues + national & international cup competitions (Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1) comparison:

Ex-Chelsea star announces retirement aged 33 after career ravaged by injuries Chelsea paid £8million to sign Marco van Ginkel in 2013 and ended up having him on their books for nine years, despite him only playing four times for the first-team https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/Chelsea-marco-van-ginkel-retires-36675272 Marco van Ginkel suffered a season-ending injury early in his Chelsea career(Image: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images) Former Chelsea star Marco van Ginkel has announced his retirement at the age of 33. Midfielder Van Ginkel spent nine years under contract at Stamford Bridge but only made four first-team appearances. The Dutchman's time in West London was blighted by injuries, a theme that would continue throughout his career. Van Ginkel joined Chelsea in July 2013 from Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem, who had strong links with the Blues during Roman Abramovich's reign as owner, for around £8million. Van Ginkel had been without a club for seven months and on Thursday, he announced his retirement. "After 16 years, I'm saying goodbye to professional football," the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram. "A journey filled with highs and lows, lessons learned and memories I'll cherish forever. Thanks to everyone who stood by me along the way. Proud of the past. Ready for the next chapter." On just his third appearance for Chelsea under the returning Jose Mourninho, Van Ginkel suffered a serious knee injury which would rule him out for practically the entire 2013-14 season. By the time he was fully fit, the Netherlands international had no place in Mourinho's immediate plans and was loaned out to Serie A giants AC Milan. Two separate ankle injuries stunted his progress in Italy and he was loaned out to Stoke City the following season. In February 2016, Stoke cancelled his season-long loan and he joined PSV Eindhoven until the end of the campaign. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUX697pjHOt/ That loan was extended for the 2017-18 season and despite not being contracted to PSV, he was named captain. In the summer, after lifting the title and playing the last of his eight caps for the Netherlands, Van Ginkel had surgery to reconstruct his ACL and was sidelined for much of the following campaign. After playing a crucial role in PSV's title win, Van Ginkel picked up yet another injury. After making a full recovery towards the end of the 2016, he signed a new three-year contract with Chelsea and returned to PSV for a second spell. Marco van Ginkel's final club was Boavista(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images) Although he didn't feature again until 2020, he was handed a new one-year deal by Chelsea and returned to PSV for a third loan stint which was made permanent the next summer. In January 2023, Van Ginkel returned to boyhood club Vitesse on a permanent basis. After 18 months back in Arnhem before a spell as a free agent, the two-time Eredivisie champion signed for Portuguese side Boavista. Van Ginkel was released amid their financial difficulties at the end of last season, and he's now made the decision to hang up his boots.

20 per cent of £70m is £14m add in the £6.8m (max payout if all bonuses are met) and you arrive at £20.8m, ie £21m if it is rounded up If he is sold for £50m 20 per cent of that is £10m add in the £6.8m (max payout if all bonuses are met) and you arrive at £16.8m, £17m if rounded up That is how I got to those numbers. Did I miss something? I apologise if I did.

Shortlist: World Cup U17 2025 In need of new players to add to your scouting lists? Look no further. https://pitchsideanalysis.substack.com/p/shortlist-world-cup-u17-2025 A new, revamped edition of the U17 World Cup took place in Qatar last November, including 48 countries!! That obviously opens up the possibility of getting to know tons of players, but also makes it incredibly hard to keep track of all of them. That’s what I set out to do, watching all but one of the playoff games (unavailable at FIFA’s streaming service) and a few of the group stage ones. Led by the likes of Mauro Furtado, Mateus Mide and Anísio Cabral, European champions Portugal shone once again, cementing their place as one of the most talented under-17 generations, Austria made a surprise run to the final (trashing England in the process) and African countries like Uganda and Burkina Faso took their chance to impress, ahead of powerhouses Mali and Senegal. A preliminary list with more than 100 names led me to a final one with 65 players from 22 different countries. This time, I’ve opted for making shorter descriptions, sometimes just putting some of mine translated raw notes. Let’s dive into it. snip

Just watched another full game with Honest Ahanor. He is a baller, a 17yo (18yo in 18 days) CB prodigy, helped destroy Juve (Atalanta won 3 nil) tonight in the Coppa Italia Whoever gets him is getting a young gem of a CB. Btw, the Wikipedia article on him is incorrect, he is a left-footed CB, NOT a LB as they claim (but can play there, as shown when he was with Genoa). Every game he has played with Atalanta he has played as a CB.

indeed, a really shite track record winger-wise, CF-wise (other than Pedro), and especially CB-wise Sanchez finally stepping up, Penders looking great at Strasbourg make GKer ok

So, IN THEORY, if Pool one day down the road sells Rio for big money (say £50m to £70m), we could bank, at the end of the day, around £17 to £21m in toto. Downside to all that, Pool are NOT a selling club often, BUT Luis Díaz gives me hope. They got £65.3m from cheap-arse Bayern this summer for a close to 29yo winger in Díaz, who turns 30yo in the middle of this coming season, AND, in 3 and a half seasons there at Pool, only scored 6, then 5, then 13, then 17, in ALL COMPS, only averaging 8.3 EPL goals per season, ie 29 EPL goals total, divided by 3 and a half seasons. 2024/25 was the one season at Pool he was really great overall. He is now killing it at Bayern. 12 goals, 15 assists in only 2369 minutes. Bayern, in Olise and Díaz, have probably, atm, the 2nd best starting pair of wingers on the planet, after only Barca. PSG go 3 deep, but atm, their best TWO (KK and Désiré Doué, then Barcola as the 3rd) are not the equal IMHO. Only 2 wingers on the planet, ATM, that I would take over Olise are Yamal, and IF you play him as a winger, Mbappe. Hopefully Estêvão soon gets there too.

Well, IF we want an actual world class (proven, not potential) CF this is all there are out there. Some are simply not available. Isak has a broken leg atm and has had (besides that, a horror start at Pool, but he still is WC in my book). in order of valuation (there are only 9 atm, plus 3 ancient ones) the ones in bold are potentially doable in terms of their club selling them (but some of those, especially Kane, may not want to come here, and CR7 would want INSANE money he is making £175m a year now just in salary. Lewa probably would not come either and is our board goin gto buy a player who turns 38yo right as the season starts?) Erling Håland Kylian Mbappé Alexander Isak (IF Pool sells him) Julián Alvarez Ousmane Dembélé Lautaro Martínez Hugo Ekitiké Victor Osimhen Harry Kane and the 3 ancient ones Cristiano Ronaldo Robert Lewandowski Karim Benzema end Who would you choose? Julián Alvarez, Lautaro Martínez, and Victor Osimhen are the only 3 remotely possible options IMHO, plus maybe (IF they sell him) Isak, but that is a WILD gamble until we see how he recovers. We also would absolutely need to sell Nico Jackson for a fair price. BTW Here are the top 10 CFs (valuation-wise) who are 32yo or older (other than Kane, Córdoba, and Lewa, the oldest on my original list in my maximal CF target list post last night was 31yo) Harry Kane Romelu Lukaku Cristiano Ronaldo Jhon Córdoba Robert Lewandowski Álvaro Morata Chris Wood Niclas Füllkrug Mauro Icardi Karim Benzema end

No, It was not the summer of 2018 It was the summer of 2017 that Conte told Costa (via text, ffs) that he was not wanted anymore. see this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Costa#Club_career 2017–18 season – Antonio Conte informing Costa by text in June 2017 that he would no longer be involved with Chelsea[131] In June 2017, Costa was told by Conte that he was not part of his plans for the coming season and that he was free to move to another team via text message.[131] Although Costa was linked to potential moves to the likes of Milan, Monaco, and Everton, he stated that he would only be open to moving back to his former team Atlético Madrid. Costa attempted to find a legal solution through his lawyer in pushing for a move back to Madrid,[132] and said that Chelsea were treating him like a "criminal" by demanding a high transfer fee for his exit.[133] He was excluded from training with the first-team, but was named in the Premier League squad, yet left out of the Champions League squad.[134] On 21 September 2017, Chelsea announced that Costa would return to Atlético at the start of the next transfer window in January 2018.[135][133] On 26 September 2017, it was announced that after passing medical tests Costa signed a contract with Atlético. He was registered and became eligible to play after 1 January 2018, due to a transfer ban imposed on Atlético.[136]

Expansive CF target list (I just did this today for right-footed LWers) I do not think we are set at CF, even with Emmanuel Emegha coming in some of these are pipe dreams and some are older stopgaps, but like the other list, I want to be maximal this is simply off talent, both potential or current in order of valuation Alexander Isak (rumours are out there Pool will sell him) Julián Alvarez Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen Harry Kane Marcus Thuram Samu Aghehowa Ferran Torres Nicolas Jackson (keep him?) Moise Kean Serhou Guirassy Gonçalo Ramos Pio Esposito Ange-Yoan Bonny Vitor Roque Santiago Castro Igor Thiago Dušan Vlahović Jhon Durán Fisnik Asllani Amine Gouiri Joaquín Panichelli Charalampos Kostoulas Rayan Endrick Mikel Oyarzabal Patrik Schick Conrad Harder Christian Kofane Eli Junior Kroupi Franculino Santiago Gimenez Franjo Ivanović Ivan Toney Eliezer Mayenda Kauã Elias Francesco Camarda Ricardo Pepi Adam Hlozek George Ilenikhena Aleksandar Mitrović Luca Meirelles Kader Meïté Robinio Vaz Jhon Córdoba Ricardo Mathias Robert Lewandowski Sidiki Chérif

Both look like busts atm, especially Gittens over £92m in toto likely down the shitter £52m for Gittens (MADNESS) £40m for Garnacho, AND we lose 10 per cent on the sell-on 🤬

he is a superb MFer madness to sell him for anything under £110-120m

we need to destroy this broken team NO EXCUSES

yep, he is a real plonker it seems ffs

wrong side of the pitch Quenda is a left-footed RWer we need a right-footed (or ambipedal) LWer a pretty extensive list (some are pipedreams, some are dice-rolls and some are youth) some are more AMFs than wingers (in italics), but I wanted to be as maximal as possible, and all of those types listed deffo play winger: Vinicius Junior Jamal Musiala Kenan Yıldız Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Désiré Doué Morgan Rogers Bradley Barcola Yan Diomande Fermín López Rafael Leão Nico Williams Rodrygo Anthony Gordon Dani Olmo Said El Mala Iliman Ndiaye Ibrahim Mbayee Crysencio Summerville Rodrigo Mora Malick Fofana Jesús Rodríguez Assane Diao Kevin Dan Ndoye Antonio Nusa Jean-Mattéo Bahoya Matías Fernández-Pardo Bazoumana Touré Oskar Pietuszewski Jeremy Monga Kerim Alajbegovic

https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost532 Thanks to the data exclusively produced by our partner Impect, the 532nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the ball-friendliest teams in the world. The ranking was established according to four indicators: the proximity of passes (the shorter, the better), the pace of passing during possession, the duration of possessions and the percentage of balls received in the opponent's third below knee height (on the ground)*. Of the 915 teams in the 58 leagues analysed, the highest score was recorded for Bayern Munich (Vincent Kompany). The Germans are ahead of Paris Saint-Germain (Luis Enrique), with FC Barcelona (Hansi Flick) in third place and Bayer Leverkusen in fourth (Kasper Hjulmand). Among teams outside Europe's big-5, Columbus Crew (5th overall) are ahead of Denmark's FC Nordsjælland (7th) and French second division’s AS Saint-Étienne (8th). Manchester City (6th), Celtic FC (9th) and Olympique de Marseille (10th) round up the top 10. The top 20 also notably includes Norway’s Bodø/Glimt (Kjetil Knutsen) and Spain’s Elche CF (Eder Sarabia). At the opposite end, the least ball-friendly teams out of the sample analysed are Irish sides Galway United and Drogheda United, ahead of Belgium’s Patro Eisden, Portugal’s CD Feirense, Austria’s SKU Amstetten and Czech Republic’s FC Zlín. *The data is presented as a ratio relative to the average recorded across the 915 teams analysed (current or last completed domestic league matches only). Ball-friendliest teams, 58 leagues worldwide Domestic leagues matches, current or last completed season until 30/01/2026 Proximity: proximity of passes Tempo: pace of passing during possession Duration: duration of possessions Ground: % of balls received in the opponent's third below knee height snip

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

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.”

What Mamadou Sarr will bring to Chelsea and why Liam Rosenior might have wanted him back https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7015638/2026/02/03/mamadou-sarr-Chelsea-analysis-liam-rosenior/ Speaking to British journalists in impressively fluent English during last summer’s Club World Cup, Mamadou Sarr was asked about then-Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior’s public insistence that he has “world-class” potential. “When I was a kid, I had a dream,” he replied. “It was to be the best centre-back in the world. I trust him (Rosenior), and I trust me.” It was a response that revealed so much about Sarr, and also sheds light on why Rosenior is so keen to have the 20-year-old at his disposal for the rest of this season at Stamford Bridge. The defender’s loan spell at Strasbourg was cancelled on Monday, with Sarr coming back to west London. Sarr joined Chelsea permanently last summer and was part of the squad for the Club World Cup on the back of a 2024-25 season in which he had established himself as a key contributor for Rosenior, making 27 starts in Ligue 1. His experience in the United States was positive for his development — and his medal collection — but it was clear that Enzo Maresca did not deem him ready for a big role; he played just eight minutes from the substitutes’ bench in a comfortable 3-0 group-stage win over ES Tunis. Returning to Strasbourg and Rosenior last summer was the logical choice, and it gave Sarr six months more seasoning as a regular starter in Ligue 1. But circumstances at Chelsea have now shifted considerably; Rosenior has replaced Maresca, and Levi Colwill, the left-sided centre-back who was principally blocking the Senegal international’s path to the starting XI, remains a long-term absentee as he recovers from an ACL injury. Benoit Badiashile has not managed to seize what appeared to be his best opportunity to establish himself in the heart of Chelsea’s defence in Colwill’s absence. Rosenior could be seen talking to him several times about his passing out from the back in the first half against West Ham on Saturday. The Frenchman was then substituted at the break. Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah are currently Rosenior’s favoured centre-back pairing, but neither man is particularly confident with his left foot. While technically also right-footed, Sarr is very comfortable using his left, and that matters because of the additional angles it opens up when Chelsea are attempting to play out of defence, through and around opposition pressure. During his breakthrough campaign for Strasbourg in 2024-25, Sarr marked himself out as being capable of breaking the opposition lines with passes punched through the middle of the pitch, as well as less risky balls down the left side… It was a similar story for Sarr in the first half of this Ligue 1 season, with a slight shift towards more passes angled out towards the left touchline… Sarr is also comfortable defending high up the pitch with space behind him, which should make him a good fit for Rosenior’s aggressive man-to-man approach out of possession… During their time together at Strasbourg, Rosenior encouraged Sarr to be more vocal on the pitch. It is something Sarr has also prioritised in his choice of role models. “I want to be like Virgil van Dijk,” Sarr said last summer. “He’s a leader. For a defender, it’s very important to be a leader. I love Van Dijk, but some people tell me I play like Ibrahima Konate. It’s very similar.” Chelsea’s desire for a centre-back with this particular blend of qualities was underlined by their exploration of signing Van Dijk as a free agent last summer, before he re-committed to Liverpool. It also manifested in their January pursuit of Rennes starlet Jeremy Jacquet, who ultimately decided on a move to Anfield instead. There is a world in which recalling Sarr proves to be a better football decision than paying the market rate for Jacquet, as well as being the cheaper option. For starters, he is available to help Chelsea immediately, rather than being acquired as a marquee summer signing six months ahead of time. Sarr also knows exactly what he is walking into at Cobham. He spent a very productive summer with this Chelsea squad and is particularly familiar with Malo Gusto — a former team-mate at Lyon — and Andrey Santos, who captained his Strasbourg team. Premier League football will be a big step up, but there will be no surprises in what Rosenior wants from him on the pitch. What You Should Read Next Andrey Santos: The key cog in the way Chelsea want to play under Liam Rosenior The young Brazilian is flourishing alongside Moises Caicedo in a double midfield pivot, with Rosenior having also leant on him at Strasbourg Competition for minutes in Chelsea’s defence in the second half of the season will be fierce, even if Colwill does not return. Fofana and Chalobah have developed a productive chemistry through regular starts, while Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo are seasoned professionals who will expect to be involved when fit. Then there is Josh Acheampong, nine months younger than Sarr, whose lack of opportunities in recent weeks has become a source of growing angst for some in the fanbase. But if the increased prominence of Santos since Rosenior’s arrival is anything to go by, it would not be hugely shocking if Sarr ends up being much more than squad ballast at Chelsea. By Liam Twomey and Anantaajith Raghuraman

they could win at least 7 trophies linearly (going into next season) League Cup FA Cup EPL CL UEFA Super Cup (August 12, 2026, IF they win the CL this season) Community Shield FIFA Intercontinental Cup (December 2026, IF they win the CL this season. PSG won it in 2025, Real Madrid in 2024, the first time it was played since the old IC was last played in December 2004, won by Porto on pens, under Víctor Fernández, who took over for Mou as he came here to Chels after Porto won the CL in 2004. Porto also earlier had won the UEFA Super Cup in August 2004, also under Fernández. Mou never won the IC, nor the FIFA Club World Cup nor the UEFA Super Cup, as he left after he won the CL both times, and lost the UEFA Super Cup twice, in 2003 with Porto, to AC Milan after he won 2002-2003 Europa League with Porto, and then lost it again, this time with with us in 2013, to Bayern, after Chels had won the 2012-2013 Europa League under the FSW)

agree, he is miles off it his instincts, spatial recognition, and burst moves are shot to hell the ball used to be glued to him now it gets taken away far too often

no idea very shitty reaction not at all happy with that