Chelsea Transfers

[Mhsc 1,098]

20 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

We won’t be signing a player of that age on a 7 year deal though. Not a chance. 4 or 5 year deal maybe.

Would rather give that guy £88m in wages over 5 years and know we might get some actual bang for our buck in the present than persist with guys like Jackson and potentially Delap or Tel in the hope they might do something in 2/3 years.

 

That was the rationale for many of our woeful big money forward signings though. They all hampered us for years afterwards and were very difficult situations to get out of.

At the risk of going through this entire debate again, it is very possible (perhaps even probable) we will just end up with a very expensive player who doesn't do a lot for us, and end up in an even worse situation than we're in now. And then we will look back and condemn the sporting directors for blowing everything on a player with one elite season in his career, persistent injury problems, and who's main motivation is openly and transparently exclusively about maximising his wealth.

I think the argument for someone like Delap is not that they might be able to do it in 2-3 years but that a guy who scores 12 PL goals (so far) for Ipswich, massively outperforming his xG scoring from basically nothing, if placed in a team that creates way more opportunities he maybe can already do a 20 PL goal season. And at a much lower risk to our ability to succeed over the next few years if it goes wrong.

From the expensive options, Isak would be my pick, at least he has shown he can do it in PL and there is something to be said for the strategy of aggressively going after elite PL players as they emerge no matter the cost (a strategy that back in time did Man Utd very well, and more recently Man City did really well).

[Vesper 30,212]

6 hours ago, TheHulk said:

 

and this is from an owner who signed off (with the Dodgers), along with the other owners, on a 10 year contract for 700m usd for one player (Ohtani) who turned 30 years old 6 months later

(the largest total contract in sports (all sports) history at the time, and the only one now larger is only 65 million usd more, (Juan Soto with the New York Mets), BUT it is for 15 years, so far less per season)

Edited April 9 by Vesper

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

2 hours ago, Mhsc said:

That was the rationale for many of our woeful big money forward signings though. They all hampered us for years afterwards and were very difficult situations to get out of.

At the risk of going through this entire debate again, it is very possible (perhaps even probable) we will just end up with a very expensive player who doesn't do a lot for us, and end up in an even worse situation than we're in now. And then we will look back and condemn the sporting directors for blowing everything on a player with one elite season in his career, persistent injury problems, and who's main motivation is openly and transparently exclusively about maximising his wealth.

I think the argument for someone like Delap is not that they might be able to do it in 2-3 years but that a guy who scores 12 PL goals (so far) for Ipswich, massively outperforming his xG scoring from basically nothing, if placed in a team that creates way more opportunities he maybe can already do a 20 PL goal season. And at a much lower risk to our ability to succeed over the next few years if it goes wrong.

From the expensive options, Isak would be my pick, at least he has shown he can do it in PL and there is something to be said for the strategy of aggressively going after elite PL players as they emerge no matter the cost (a strategy that back in time did Man Utd very well, and more recently Man City did really well).

It was but I think now it is abundantly clear we have to go for this type of forward signing as opposed to a Delap or Jackson profile of player - young, bit of potential, needing room to grow yet.

Same with a CB and a GK. Maybe even a left winger… If that means we have to spend a bit more on salary and risk it, then we have to do that. We need some guys who are proven and going to deliver from day 1.  They genuinely tend to want bigger salaries and the very good one’s have plenty of options so if we want to get players of this ilk and ever become a top top team, then we need to bite the bullet eventually. Just look at that DailyMail article above this post, this is going to be the case for every elite player/elite youngster when we have real competition for them.

Agree on Isak but generally think he will be waiting for a Real Madrid/Barcelona. Unless Liverpool throw a fortune at Newcastle in the summer if they sell Nunez to Saudi.

This project 2030 and transfer approach from BlueCo is going to continue to kill this clubs chance of ever becoming a regular trophy winning side again IMO. 

Edited April 9 by OneMoSalah

[Pizy 18,941]

Our hierarchy are probably now looking to current PSG as our blueprint. Sold or let go of all their huge name superstars and brought in a bunch of young, hungry talents who are all blossoming into a world class unit together. A team that can grow together over a long period. 

We can almost 100% rule out signing the like of Osimhen because we still won’t go near his wage demands. Or anyone else in that upper echelon. We simply won’t be a club that goes for ready made stars any longer. What we WILL and have already done is spend insane money on teenaged talents in hopes that some will turn into the next world class superstar. 

We may not like the strategy but it IS a strategy. The issue I and most of us have is that we desperately need to supplement these young talents with proven quality in specific positions which this board has refused to do.

Buy all the young talents you want everywhere else, but at striker, CB, and keeper we HAVE to bring in proven players who are 25+ if we have even a prayer of taking a big step forward next season.

[Vesper 30,212]

5 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Our hierarchy are probably now looking to current PSG as our blueprint. Sold or let go of all their huge name superstars and brought in a bunch of young, hungry talents who are all blossoming into a world class unit together.

they bought players who were clearly going to be world class (for the most part) or already were (at least IMHO) or at minimum were rock solid

It is why I said PSG was the death of Vesper's wish list

examples:  

Gianluigi Donnarumma (signed on a free when he was 22yo)
Matvey Safonov (would be our best GKer if we had him atm)
Willian Pacho 
Nuno Mendes 
Achraf Hakimi  
Joao Neves  
Vitinha  
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 
Bradley Barcola 
Désiré Doué 
Ousmane Dembélé  

Gabriel Moscardo (out on loan atm)

 

Hugo Ekitiké (has exploded in value at Frankfurt, the one stupid sale they did lately)

Xavi Simons (from PSV by way of Barca, sold to RB Leipzig for a huge profit)

 

Warren Zaïre-Emery is a PSG youth product

 

 

[mkh 601]

🟡João Felix has been offered to Galatasaray the player will leave AC Milan at the end of the season and has already been linked with Galstasaray in the past.

Joao Felix has also been following Galatasaray on Instagram for some time, so he at least seems to have sympathy for the club.

(via@_samiyenhaber)

🔵According to journalist Christian Falk:

Chelsea are interested in Konstantinos Karetsas and are already in contact with his advisor.

Chelsea are also prepared to pay the €40 million demanded by GENK to secure the "wonderkid" Konstantinos Karetsas.

Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Bologna, Udinese, Dortmund and Bayern have been scouting the Greek international for some time.

🔴Chelsea handed Jamie Gittens transfer green light as 'movement' made for Borussia Dortmund star.

Chelsea have received an update on Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens amid reports of a potential return to Stamford Bridge.

The forward attended academies at Chelsea FC Reading and Manchester City and has risen to prominence in 2024/25, mainly through his performances in the Champions League. Gittens scored his first two goals in Dortmund's 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in September.

Gittens has been with the
German club for nearly five years
since leaving Manchester City's
academy in September 2020.

After spending time in
Dortmund's youth system,
Gittens has gone on to reach
a century of competitive
appearances for the senior side,
contributing G/A 17/12.

(via@Bild)

[Strike 7,492]

10 hours ago, TheHulk said:

 

Seems like Delap is also going off the table. Something like Gyokeres to Arsenal, Delap to Man U, Isak to Liverpool and Jonathan David to Chelsea could happen 

[mkh 601]

Chelsea target Dean Huijsen on his future:

"I have a contract until 2030 and I have an exit clause. 

"How much is my exit clause? The truth is, I don't really understand it myself," Huijsen laughed.

"Do a lot of teams want me? I don't know," Huijsen said before being pushed directly on interest from Madrid.

"Madrid is a big team, and every player wants to play as much as possible. Do I want to play for Real Madrid? I don't know. We'll see. A friend called me and said, 'Go to Real Madrid'. I laughed. 'What am I supposed to say?'. Another friend is also pushing Barcelona."

[Special Juan 28,141]

He's off to Madrid, the moment they started uttering their name it's over

[mkh 601]

Chelsea are leading the race to sign Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham (19) ahead of many clubs, such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Brighton, and Crystal Palace.

(FrazFletcher)

 

🔴The window could be a disaster for us!!!

Delap is good but is he the striker to win us titles....🤔

Kelleher no thanks.

Balde from Sevilla and Marc Guehi😒

Gittens totally not what we need and isn't pulling up trees at BVB either.

Werner,Havertz,Nkunku,Sancho they have all dominated and put up numbers in the Bundesliga Gittens has not!!!!

Jobe Bellingham the last thing we need now is the hyped brother of Jude!!!

Edited April 10 by mkh

[mkh 601]

According to the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" 
Cesc Fàbregas is a hot coaching candidate at RB Leipzig.

"Fabregas is an innovative coach with great ambitions and is loved by his team.
team, describes Jatin Dietl, Area Manager Italy at Transfermarkt.

has many fresh ideas and is highly appreciated by the club and the fans.

In the otherwise results-oriented Italian soccer, it is not easy for a coach to play in a team that is coach to play risky attacking football in a team that is fighting to avoid relegation to play risky attacking football".

😮‍💨😮‍💨

Edited April 10 by mkh

[gdlk 286]

Maybe in few years.. Let him develope more 

[Vesper 30,212]

2 hours ago, mkh said:

Balde from Sevilla

has significant bust potential

Disasi and Badi 2.0

hell no

plus

 

 

 

[Vesper 30,212]

The Liam Delap transfer auction – featuring Chelsea, Man Utd and half the Premier League

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6266733/2025/04/10/liam-delap-manchester-united-transfer-auction/

Roll up, roll up, for what is shaping up to be one of the bigger auctions in modern years for the Premier League.

Exactly how big depends on how many of Liam Delap’s admirers are willing to turn their interest in the Ipswich Town striker into something with greater substance.

But The Athletic’s information is that more than half of the Premier League’s clubs are monitoring his availability with a view to capitalising on Ipswich’s near-guaranteed relegation to the Championship.

Chelsea and Manchester United’s interest in the 22-year-old is serious.

The west London club have committed significant time and effort into pursuing Delap, who was signed at Manchester City by their co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields and then coached by Enzo Maresca, then Pep Guardiola’s assistant and now Chelsea manager.

They are perhaps best placed for any possible deal, but Chelsea have other options when it comes to signing a striker.

Delap also features high on United’s list of summer targets and that stems from a firmly held belief at Old Trafford that he is capable of filling their centre-forward role as an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

United’s link with Delap goes back to the club’s technical director, Jason Wilcox, who was previously in charge of City’s academy and involved in signing the striker, then 16, from Derby’s youth system in 2019. Six years on, United are keen to make a deal happen. Very keen, in fact.

 

Could Delap replace either Hojlund (left) or Zirkzee at United? (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

As it stands, Liverpool and Arsenal – two of the clubs scouring the market for a new forward – are prioritising others ahead of the player whose 12 goals in the Premier League this season represent more than a third of Ipswich’s entire total.

Yet there are all sorts of other clubs in England’s top division, outside the top two, who are intrigued by the buyout clause in Delap’s contract, which will come into play as soon as his current club, 12 points behind 17th-placed Wolves, are relegated. The figure is around £30million ($38m) – a number that is affordable to many of his prospective employees.

Nor is the interest restricted to English football at a time when so many clubs throughout Europe are looking for a certain type of player — the old-fashioned goalscorer — and discovering that it has become an increasingly rare species in the modern game.

Bayern Munich is one possible destination, with head coach Vincent Kompany a fan of Delap. There is interest from Italy, specifically Milan, currently ninth in Serie A but harbouring ambitions to reinvent themselves as a title-chasing club. 

To add further intrigue, as reported by The Athletic in February, Manchester City have a buyback clause with Ipswich that means, in theory, they could pay £40million to re-sign a player who went in the other direction for half that amount last summer. That, however, seems unlikely for a number of reasons, not least because City already have Erling Haaland and another highly capable forward in the shape of Egypt international Omar Marmoush, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59m in January.

 

Delap in a rare first-team outing for Manchester City in 2022 (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Where does all this lead? As always with modern-day football, the richest and biggest clubs usually get their way.

They hold the power, for the most part, and it is fair to assume that some of Delap’s other admirers – even clubs who are in a higher league position than, say, Manchester United – may reluctantly have to let them get on with it.

Just because there is a buyout clause in place, don’t automatically assume that Delap will go for a fixed price, either. If two clubs, or more, meet the clause, it is quite possible that follow-up offers will be made and the numbers will start to go up.

It is also inevitable that wages will come into it and a significant part of Delap’s thinking will come down to which clubs are offering him the highest salary.

Yet there are other considerations, too, such as league positions, the possibility of playing in Europe, challenging for trophies, and Delap’s desire to be a mandatory first-team pick. At Bayern, for example, would he get into the team ahead of Harry Kane? Is there any benefit in staying at Ipswich (unlikely)? Or would any clubs from Saudi Arabia be able to tempt him away (unlikely again)?

At Ipswich, they talk about Delap having the self-assurance and work ethic that is almost always found in the elite forwards.

Kieran McKenna, Ipswich’s manager, has acknowledged his team are almost certainly going down. Yet McKenna is still regarded within coaching circles as one of the more impressive up-and-coming managers in the business, having previously won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich from League One, and it is clear the former Manchester United coach rates Delap among the Premier League’s outstanding forwards. That alone says something about the player in question.

 

Ipswich manager McKenna rates Delap highly (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

Some people might remain sceptical about his ability to make the leap from a bottom-three club to one that has aspirations at the other end of the league table. Why, they might ask, have Liverpool and Arsenal kept their distance if Delap is really so good?

It is a valid question, but perhaps it is also worth remembering that a team in Ipswich’s position does not create anything like the number of chances as one higher up the division. On that basis, the clubs with the more serious interest in Delap are entitled to regard his 12 goals at the 31-game mark as an impressive, if not jaw-dropping, return. Only three Premier League strikers have outperformed Delap in surpassing their expected goals tally (he has an xG of 9, including penalties).

How Premier League strikers' xG differences compare

Player	Club	Goals	xG	Diff
Chris Wood	Nottm Forest	18	11	7
Alexander Isak	Newcastle	20	16.3	3.7
Jorgen Strand Larsen	Wolves	11	7.8	3.2
Liam Delap	Ipswich	12	9	3.1
Rodrigo Muniz	Fulham	8	5.5	2.5

Although he has not yet broken into the England senior squad, that is surely only a matter of time. Delap has played for his country at every level from under-16s to the under-21s. He is capable of scoring all sorts of goals — headers, penalty-box finishes, long-range shooting — and has benefited from hours on the training ground at Ipswich with the coach, Lee Grant, who specialises with the team’s attacking players and was once a team-mate of Delap’s father, Rory, at Stoke City.

Grant has worked closely with Delap on every aspect of his performance, including the right way to channel his physicality and unsettle opponents with his powerful build. He has the second-highest number of carries among strikers in the Premier League this season (72) and his average carry distance of 7.3 metres is the highest of any centre-forward in the league. Even when he does not score, his combative streak makes him such a difficult opponent that it creates space for others.

The end result is a player who has established himself as a proven Premier League forward at an age when there is still scope for considerable improvement. That, in turn, has made Delap the subject of inquiries from a cluster of clubs trying to get ahead with their summer business and understand, realistically, what chance they have of becoming his next employer.

How many exactly? Well, perhaps it is easier to point out which clubs do not appear to have him in their thoughts.

 

Bournemouth, with Evanilson leading their attack, are one. Liverpool and Arsenal seem to be looking elsewhere for the time being, whereas Leicester City and Southampton — who were interested in signing Delap last summer, and at one point had him at their Staplewood training ground — are automatically out of the picture now they, like Ipswich, are gearing up for a return to the Championship. That apart, however, Delap has admirers among all the English clubs who could realistically afford him. Many have registered that interest already.

The race is on and Delap will go into the summer as the hottest property on the market.

[Vesper 30,212]

Dean Huijsen interest? Liam Delap’s clause? – Ask Ornstein

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6269833/2025/04/10/liverpool-transfer-latest-dean-huijsen-liam-delap-manchester-united/

Today, we ran the latest edition of our subscriber-exclusive Ask Ornstein Q&A.

Once a week for an hour, The Athletic’s subscribers can ask me for my views on anything from the football world. I have pulled together some of my favourite questions and my answers below.

Got a question? Join us again next Thursday

---

Harry J. asked: Hi David, Do you know of any names of centre-backs that Liverpool are looking at for the summer?

David Ornstein: Hi, Harry. Yes, I now understand that Liverpool are among the clubs with a firm interest in Dean Huijsen. This has been reported elsewhere and is accurate. Chelsea have enquired and Arsenal are in the mix, too.

At the moment, those are perhaps the three leading contenders, but not the only ones, with Newcastle and Tottenham also keen. I believe they have all held meetings or conversations with Huijsen’s camp in the past week, but I’m not aware of offers being made just yet, so the direction of travel remains unclear.

It has been well documented that Real Madrid held great appeal for Huijsen growing up and they do like him, but I don’t know of them actively working on it and therefore — at the time of writing — it looks most probable he will join another Premier League club. I think there’s a desire on the part of Bournemouth and the player to have this situation decided as soon as possible. The £50m ($64.8m) release clause makes it a clean and potentially quick deal to do, which we’ve seen Liverpool capitalise on in the past.

Maybe their consideration is influenced by the lack of developments so far on Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation, and you imagine Huijsen would have a good chance of starting alongside Virgil van Dijk if he was signed. I guess Chelsea could say the same about starting beside Colwill, while you imagine similar amounts of game time would come his way at Newcastle and Tottenham.

Arsenal is a bit trickier with Saliba and Gabriel in situ for now, but if Kiwior was to be sold, you could envisage Huijsen playing a lot as part of their centre-back unit and, from what I hear, Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are huge fans of the Spain international.

I’m not sure about other names in relation to Liverpool at the moment, but suddenly from everyone wanting a left centre-back, it’s currently the right side they’re all focusing on. In general terms (I don’t know about Liverpool), Marc Guehi will definitely be one to watch and Trevoh Chalobah as well.

---

Daniel B. asked: “Hi David, thanks for your work. I would like to ask if there is a possibility that Kai Havertz will return in May?”

Ornstein: It looks and sounds like his recovery is going well, Daniel, so perhaps they’ll try to reintegrate him before the season finishes if it is safe to do so and there is something to play for.

But let’s see — a lot of ‘ifs’ in that!

 

Havertz is currently out of action due to injury (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

---

Louis F. asked: “Hi David — would you be able to give any insight into Liam Delap’s clause?”

Ornstein: The general understanding is a £40million buy-back clause for Manchester City and a £30m release clause for any club in the event of Ipswich being relegated. I don’t think City are looking at re-signing Delap, so if he leaves Portman Road, I would expect the destination to be elsewhere.

I reported in November that Chelsea and Manchester United were considering him and that remains the case. But there are plenty of other suitors and no decisions yet, so I wouldn’t expect an outcome for some time yet.

---

Aaron A. asked: “Hello David. As you reported, Viktor Gyokeres featured more prominently on Arsenal’s striker list with the introduction of Andrea Berta, how does that affect Arsenal’s interest in Benjamin Sesko? Is he still regarded as one of the top options? Does Berta rate him?”

Ornstein: Hi, Aaron. Arsenal have done a significant amount of work on Sesko over a long period. He is clearly a super talent who is doing really well and I’m sure he will continue to flourish.

My colleague James McNicholas detailed recently that Arsenal have some reservations, so perhaps Mikel Arteta and Berta are prioritising others (we’ve reported previously about Isak/Gyokeres). That doesn’t mean to say Sesko is out of the equation, but perhaps Arsenal is not looking like his most probable destination at this moment in time.

We know Manchester United rate him highly, too… I seem to recall him being their top — or a prominent — target last summer before he decided to stay at Leipzig and sign a new contract. He is also among the names Chelsea are considering and I’m sure other top clubs are, too.

It is not a cheap deal to do, but none of these are and if/when Sesko does move, it seems whoever wins the race will be getting a gem.

---

Liam M. asked: “The talk around Arsenal and left-wingers seems particularly quiet. Do you believe this is one of their priority positions and, if so, who are some of the names the club is pursuing?”

Ornstein: A wide attacker has been on the agenda for some time and I do hear left-winger is a position they are considering this summer. We all know Nico Williams is a player Mikel Arteta admires, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.

There will be many names in the frame; for example, Arsenal are one of multiple top clubs who like Anthony Gordon. But, again, it doesn’t mean much unless something develops and we have no indications of that yet.

---

Matthew B. asked: “Hi David, any truth in the Oliver Glasner to Spurs rumours?”

Ornstein: I don’t have information on this at present, Matthew. That’s not to say they wouldn’t consider Glasner if they are to make a change — I think most clubs would given the work he is doing at Selhurst Park.

Palace are trying to renew his contract and until that happens, others may see this as an opportunity to pounce. Clearly, there is uncertainty about Postecoglou’s position amid such a disappointing season for them, although let’s see what happens in the Europa League.

Reports have suggested Spurs will look at the likes of Iraola, Silva and Frank if they are to make a change, but there would be other names, too, and if Glasner has entered — or does enter — their thinking, I don’t think that would come as a huge surprise.

 

Glasner has impressed with Crystal Palace (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

---

Jack B. asked: “Xabi Alonso and his coaching staff were reportedly at the Etihad campus today. Any news on why this is/can you confirm that he is?”

Ornstein: No idea but, irrespective, the consensus in football seems to be that if Ancelotti leaves Real Madrid, it is Alonso who is very likely to replace him.

---

Moi M. asked: “Hi David, do you have any names for possible Chelsea wingers?”

Ornstein: We’ve reported about Gittens and Garnacho since January and there will be other names under consideration, too. Equally, Chelsea won’t be the only club looking at the players they are.

So let’s see — but I am fascinated to watch what happens with Gittens, as he’s a fantastic player and looks to have a very bright future.

---

Matthew S. asked: “Who is most likely to leave Bournemouth this summer? This team gives 2010s Southampton vibes.”

Ornstein: Huijsen will go and after that, it will probably be one of Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo; I don’t think they want or need both to depart.

Their recruitment has been impressive and it looks set to continue with Eli Junior Kroupi. It will be interesting to see if they get into Europe and how they cope, but on and off the pitch (players, coach, transfers, training ground, multi-club etc), they appear to be building well and in a sustainable way.

---

Arthur M. asked: “Where do you think Evan Ferguson ends up?”

Ornstein: Great question, Arthur, and sadly one I don’t have a decent answer to. Apologies! It wouldn’t surprise me if he plays himself back into form and returns to shine for Brighton.

There’s an outstanding player there. You just hope he stays injury-free and starts to flourish again.

---

Henry H. asked: “Reality check: Are Spurs really going to be in on some of Europe’s best talent/young talent this summer? The likes of Jamie Gittens, Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap. Will they be able to attract said talent considering their league position and the likely possibility they will not be in Europe?”

Ornstein: They’ve done a pretty good job of it so far, Henry! Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Antonin Kinsky… top signings who are impacting now and will be even better in the future.

That’s strong recruitment from Spurs in that area and there’s no reason why it won’t continue.

[Vesper 30,212]

Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong praised by Enzo Maresca: ‘I’m in love with him’

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6270759/2025/04/10/josh-acheampong-Chelsea-maresca-praise/

Enzo Maresca said he is “in love” with Josh Acheampong after the Chelsea youth-team graduate produced another composed performance in the 3-0 win over Legia Warsaw.

Fellow academy graduate Tyrique George scored his first senior goal for Chelsea in the 49th minute of the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final tie in Poland’s capital, and in his post-match press conference Maresca praised the attacker’s contribution.

But the 45-year-old head coach reserved his warmest words for Acheampong, who impressed as a right-back, centre-back and deep-lying midfielder at different stages of Thursday’s game.

“I’m very happy first of all for the Chelsea academy because it’s one of our boys from the academy so very happy for him,” Maresca said of George. “He was quite good first half, taking responsibility, second half in the middle probably he was a bit better.

“But the one that I fell in love with is Josh Acheampong because for me potentially he can be fantastic player, a top player for this club, and for football in general. A good player shows you they can play in different position and do good. He was a full back, good, midfielder, good, central defender, good, so it’s not about ‘I play in that position or in that position’ — if you are a good player you can be in different positions.

“To be honest since we started I’m in love with him but (against Legia) he showed that he can be a very good player for this club.”

 

Asked if he will continue to deploy Acheampong in a variety of roles, Maresca added: “He can be good in different positions and the best thing from Josh also is that he’s open, he wants to learn; ‘Ok, full back? No problem, what do I have to do? Perfect, midfielder, what do I have to do?’

“Good players, they want to play in all positions, they want to learn and Josh is doing that since we started. We use him in the way we are using Malo Gusto since we started, (Marc) Cucurella: full back inside, central defender inside and he was very good.”

[mkh 601]

Jonathan David's current demand stands at €8 million per season (€150k/£130k per week in wages) and a signing-on fee of €10 million.

‼️ Real Betis are holding out for £35million as Chelsea step up interest in highly-rated winger Jesus Rodriguez.

(Simon Jones)

Chelsea are one of several European clubs monitoring Benfica's Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis.

{Record}

 

Edited April 11 by mkh

[Strike 7,492]

On 10/04/2025 at 07:11, Special Juan said:

He's off to Madrid, the moment they started uttering their name it's over

 

Looks like it will be a Premier League move. Madrid are not triggering the release clause this summer

[TheHulk 2,475]

2 hours ago, Strike said:

 

Looks like it will be a Premier League move. Madrid are not triggering the release clause this summer

Hard to look past Liverpool with Van Dyke in his earl and needing replacement. Newcastle also worrying if they make CL and we don't, Arsenal don't need him and wouldn't be a guaranteed starter, Tottenham only is he wants to give up on his career.

Edited April 11 by TheHulk

[mkh 601]

Maresca says he wants a copy of Nicolas Jackson as striker signing :

“My perfect number nine is exactly Nico Jackson. We already have a number nine. It's not summer now. If we can have a copy of Nico, it's okay”

Enzo Maresca on Chelsea target Liam Delap: “In terms of numbers, he’s doing fantastic. I think he’s scored 12 goals already. It’s not just in terms of his numbers. The way he plays and fights and is always ‘there’. To compare Liam with Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, it’s a bit early. But in terms of style he’s that kind of player. They are all real nines”

(@kierangill_DM)