Chelsea Transfers

[nyikolajevics 2,605]

5 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Chelsea make approach for Huijsen after "direct contact" from Maresca

The website and journalist Fermin de la Calle reports Chelsea have approached Bournemouth over signing Huijsen, as have PSG, Man United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Maresca has done serious homework on the player.

The Blues boss has strong connections to the defender through Malaga, and he's been in "direct contact" with Huijsen's representatives "for years".

 

If he has been so much aware why didn't he recommend Huijsen last Summer when Juve made him available? Was too busy pushing Dewsbury-Hall ibto the club?

[gdlk 275]

Maresca cant take us to the "next level" with his slow passing pointless football! The football philosophy changed and now a days even Spain and Guardiola doesnt play such awfull football.. 

[mkh 385]

🚨🔵 Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba is being scouted by top clubs, including Chelsea.

(@alex_crook)

 

🔴AFC Bournemouth puts the price tags on the players: (Milos Kerkez - £45m)
(Antoine Semenyo - £75m)
(Dean Huijsen - £50m release clause) 
(Ilya Zabarnyi - £50m)
for transfers in the summer of 2025.

(The Times)

[MoroccanBlue 5,322]

36 minutes ago, mkh said:

🚨🔵 Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba is being scouted by top clubs, including Chelsea.

(@alex_crook)

 

🔴AFC Bournemouth puts the price tags on the players: (Milos Kerkez - £45m)
(Antoine Semenyo - £75m)
(Dean Huijsen - £50m release clause) 
(Ilya Zabarnyi - £50m)
for transfers in the summer of 2025.

(The Times)

I’d just get Kerkez. Need an experienced head at CB

[Vesper 29,387]

32 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I’d just get Kerkez. Need an experienced head at CB

with Alphonso Davies ripping up his knee, and Nuno Mendes just renewing with PSG (as did RB Hakimi, those 2 are the best fullback duo on the planet by far atm), that leaves only 7 LBs who truly interest me (and are available). Theo Hernandez turns 28yo at the beginning and is weak defensively.

Milos Kerkez 

Antonee Robinson (his age is the only issue, I rate the hell out of him)

Andrea Cambiaso

Rayan Aït-Nouri

Jorrel Hato

Miguel Gutiérrez

El Hadji Malick Diouf

 

[Vesper 29,387]

Portuguese coaches are 'super high' on Geovany Quenda

Chelsea's new 17-year-old signing getting rave reviews

https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-portuguese-coaches-are-super

 

[mkh 385]

Liam Delap has a release clause in the region of £40million if Ipswich are relegated from the Premier League. Manchester United have held discussions internally but will face competition from Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City who have a buyback option.

(via@ChrisWheelerDM)

[TheHulk 2,034]

Class player.

[TheHulk 2,034]

 

[TheHulk 2,034]

 

[Vesper 29,387]

Are Chelsea the first Premier League club whose fans have become bored of transfers?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6244215/2025/04/01/Chelsea-transfers-bored-latest/

The next time news breaks that Chelsea have made a signing — which, statistically speaking, is more likely to be sooner than later — you might find it interesting to check out the comments.

Below the line, you can still find varying degrees of excitement, the default emotional reaction that powers much of the transfer industry. Football supporters have traditionally been hard-wired to receive a dopamine hit whenever they learn their club is signing a new player. Whether you are searching for a saviour or hoping to strengthen your supremacy, the novelty of an acquisition rarely fails to be compelling.

You will also find plenty of trolling from fans of rival clubs. Chelsea’s vast and seemingly relentless transfer spending tends to provoke strong feelings among those not personally invested in the club’s success, from mockery to resentment and anything in between. Sometimes it is funny, often it is tedious, but it is far from new.

These days, though, the trolling is not limited to rival supporters. A growing number of Chelsea supporters in The Athletic’s comment section and on social media react to the news of their club making a new signing with bored indifference or even anger. “Can he play in goal?… Make it stop… Stockpile FC at it again… It’s getting ridiculous… Please save us from ourselves and give us a transfer ban.”

Such sentiments were expressed in some quarters during the rollercoaster final years of the Roman Abramovich era, so this is not an entirely new phenomenon, but its spread has noticeably accelerated since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly assumed control of Chelsea in June 2022. And while trying to pinpoint exactly what proportion of the club’s huge global fanbase feels this way is clearly a fool’s errand, the transfer cynicism is loud and widespread enough to be heard and taken seriously.

 

Chelsea have recently signed Geovany Quenda (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

So have Chelsea really become the first club to sicken their own supporters of transfers? It would make sense, purely in terms of volume. Clearlake and Boehly have signed more than 40 footballers in less than three years and sold or released almost as many. The churn has been dizzying and while the bulk of the first-team squad overhaul is done, there is every reason to believe they will continue to be aggressive buyers and sellers in the market.

Then there is the particular nature of that recruitment: prioritising potential over current pedigree and future-focused to the extent that four players (Estevao, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders and Dario Essugo) cannot represent the club until this summer at the earliest and another (Geovany Quenda) will not move to Stamford Bridge until 2026. It is understandably harder to generate excitement about the acquisition of a teenager who might help your team at some point in the relatively distant future.

Even when buying for the first team, Chelsea often target players so young and relatively unproven that many supporters have never heard of them. That is another jarring break from the Abramovich era when most signings were established senior internationals already in their prime years, many with extensive Champions League experience.

According to a CIES report in October, the average age at the point of recruitment of Chelsea’s current squad is 22.5 years, the fourth-youngest among all clubs in Europe’s big-five leagues. The three who recruit even younger than them? RB Leipzig (22.4 years), Brentford (22.3 years) and BlueCo sister club Strasbourg (21.8 years).

There is no shortage of social media accounts prepared to hype up incoming Chelsea signings, whether they seek to be club influencers or simply present themselves as possessing specific local or tactical expertise. But the nature of modern football fandom, informed by the culture war that seemingly pervades everything, dictates that while some supporters will happily get caught up in the fanfare, others will be more inclined to react against it (and them).

In these angry, polarised times, there is also a well-documented crisis of confidence in institutions, and you only need to take note of the growing frequency of protests outside stadiums across the Premier League to realise that football clubs are far from immune. Many supporters harbour a sense of disconnect that cannot be remedied by signing a gifted teenage winger to an eight-year contract and this seems to have become more widely felt since the Clearlake-Boehly takeover, an extraordinary event made possible in 2022 by rapidly shifting geopolitics.

More than anything else, though, what comes through in the negative comments is a fundamental lack of trust in the big-picture thinking at Chelsea. Why is so much money being sunk into teenage recruitment rather than addressing the obvious holes in Enzo Maresca’s senior squad? How does seemingly overloading some positions while understaffing others chime with coherent long-term squad planning? Where are the pathways to develop all of this young imported talent, either at Stamford Bridge or elsewhere?

 

Essugo (right) has also joined Chelsea (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Winning on the pitch, and performing more convincingly in the process, will no doubt shift the conversation in a more positive direction. Chelsea fans are more likely to be sceptical of the signings of Essugo and Quenda, and of all that they represent, in the immediate aftermath of a limp 1-0 defeat to rivals Arsenal.

But even if some of this transfer saturation is the mood music of recent results, is it actually a bad thing? It might be for football journalism, which has always been heavily dependent on the transfer-industrial complex for content (though fans engaging with articles out of anger or frustration are still engaging).

The health of football-fan discourse is a different matter. Transfers have always received far more attention than their on-pitch impact merits. If what is happening within the Chelsea fanbase augurs a broader change, it might be a positive development — a new era in which big clubs know their supporters are more inclined to cast a critical eye over what they are doing and less easily distracted by the latest shiny object.

[Vesper 29,387]

Arsenal’s Gyokeres interest: The impact on Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Isak and Sesko

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6244877/2025/04/01/viktor-gyokeres-arsenal-transfer-manchester-united-liverpool-Chelsea-latest/

The striker market is one of the key areas of interest for Premier League sides ahead of the summer transfer window.

Several of the biggest clubs in the English top flight want a new striker — including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Liverpool might also want to bring in a new No 9 — although they are not just targeting an elite player in that position.

On Sunday, The Athletic’s David Ornstein and James McNicholas reported Arsenal were developing a strong interest in Viktor Gyokeres. They have done work on other strikers too, while Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Alexander Isak.

So what knock-on impact does Arsenal’s interest in Gyokeres have on the rest of the market? Is he their only option? Who will other teams go for? And who are the strikers to keep an eye on in the coming window?

The Athletic’s experts — James McNicholas, Laurie Whitwell, Simon Johnson, James Pearce and Sebastian Stafford-Bloor — have taken a look below.

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Why is Gyokeres the subject of Arsenal’s interest?

Arsenal’s need for a centre-forward is well-known — and, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus currently sidelined through injury — glaringly obvious. They have followed a number of potential targets over the past 18 months, most recently engaging with Aston Villa in talks for Ollie Watkins in January.

Their interest in Gyokeres has, until now, been somewhat lukewarm. With the arrival of Andrea Berta as sporting director, however, that appears set to change. Berta is a longstanding admirer of Gyokeres and it is expected the 26-year-old Sweden international will figure prominently among the names Arsenal consider this summer.

James McNicholas

What You Should Read Next

Would Viktor Gyokeres be a good fit for Arsenal?

Aside from the mind-boggling goal tally, the Sweden striker occupies defenders and tends to make something out of nothing single-handedly

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What about Sesko or Isak?

There is no doubt about Mikel Arteta’s preferred choice for the centre-forward position: he wants Alexander Isak. There is however an acceptance at Arsenal that reaching a deal with a reluctant Newcastle United may prove impossible.

 

Arteta is a fan of Isak (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

Sesko, 21, is another name Arsenal are strongly considering. They have followed his development closely and were interested last summer, until the Slovenian international decided to sign a new contract with RB Leipzig. Arsenal have continued to watch his progress, with a view to possibly reigniting their interest this summer, although there are reservations about his readiness to make an immediate impact in the Premier League.

With Berta now installed alongside Arteta, Arsenal’s key decision-makers must try to find a consensus on a potential new striker.

James McNicholas

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What is Manchester United’s stance given their interest in Gyokeres?

The link between Gyokeres and United is clear given Ruben Amorim’s position as head coach at Old Trafford. Amorim got Gyokeres firing in Portugal with a system that suits him.

But talk of a reunion has been tepid at United because of the cost it would take to get him from Sporting CP and then pay commensurate wages. Gyokeres is 27 in June, and United might look to go a shade younger. Other options, such as Liam Delap, are already being explored.

Laurie Whitwell

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Who might they go for instead?

As mentioned, Delap, who turned 22 in February, holds an appeal for United because of his age and the prospect of recruiting him from Ipswich Town in the event of their relegation. Technical director Jason Wilcox is a fan, having worked with Delap at Manchester City’s academy, and Delap’s record of 10 goals and two assists in the Premier League this season has strengthened his profile.

Sesko fits their profile and United have tracked him since 2018. They held talks for him in 2022, but did not feel he was ready for a starring role at Old Trafford, and then tried again last year only for him to sign a new contract.

United’s tight budget is a major factor in any options, including Victor Osimhen, whose wages would be an obstacle. Some kind of swap deal might make that deal more financially palatable, with Napoli holding an interest in Alejandro Garnacho.

Laurie Whitwell

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And what about Sesko? Are Chelsea an option?

Yes. Chelsea first became interested in Sesko three years ago and have been following his progress closely ever since.

While he was on their radar in 2022, Chelsea decided he was still a bit too raw and he already had an agreement in place to join RB Leipzig from sister club Red Bull Salzburg anyway.

Sesko then showed his commitment to RB Leipzig, and desire to continue his development in the Bundesliga, by signing a new contract last June. Chelsea went on to consider other names such as Samu Omorodion, Osimhen and Jhon Duran but the only striker who joined was teenager Marc Guiu from Barcelona for €6million.

Recruiting a centre forward is regarded as a key part of their transfer plans for the summer and the club have been working on a wishlist of possible names for months.

Chelsea believe they will have the funds available to make a major acquisition in this department, especially as they plan to sell several players who are no longer wanted at Stamford Bridge.

Simon Johnson

 

Sesko is an option for Chelsea (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

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Is he their priority this summer?

Sesko is certainly one of five or six options the club are looking at. The Slovenia international turns 22 in May so certainly fits right into the age bracket (18-25) Chelsea prefer to recruit in.

But he is not the only centre forward they are considering. For example, Chelsea also admire Jonathan David (whose contract is up at Lille this summer) and 22-year-old Ipswich striker Delap, who has impressed in his first full Premier League season in a struggling side.

Delap also worked under current Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca and co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields while at Manchester City’s academy.

Simon Johnson

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Liverpool would have to pay a lot for Isak, is that feasible?

It depends on the numbers involved. The club’s senior recruitment figures certainly admire Isak but it’s highly unlikely that Liverpool would agree to pay £150m for him.

Liverpool recently announced a £57m pre-tax loss for 2023-24 and although their financial situation is now much healthier following their return to the Champions League, they are expected to spread their resources around this summer rather than focus on one marquee signing.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid and they are still awaiting clarity over the futures of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who are nearing the end of their current contracts. With reinforcements needed in other departments, Liverpool aren’t just targeting an elite No 9.

James Pearce

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Would they have to move other players on to do that?

Yes, to make room in Arne Slot’s squad and generate funds. The most likely attacker to depart this summer is Darwin Nunez.

There was interest in the Uruguay international from the Saudi Pro League in January but Liverpool wouldn’t entertain a sale because they were determined to keep the squad together as they closed in on Premier League title glory.

With Nunez down the pecking order at Anfield, a move might suit all parties come the summer. If they could get between £60m-£70m from Saudi Arabia for the former Benfica man that would be a significant windfall to put towards buying a replacement.

James Pearce

What You Should Read Next

Liverpool’s No 9 transfer options: Analysing Isak, Sesko, David and more

A new striker feels key to Liverpool's prospects but what does Arne Slot want from the role and who could fit the profile?

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Who are the other strikers to keep an eye on this summer?

Lois Openda, who has played with Sesko for the past two years in Leipzig, might get a move. At 25, Openda is older and his stock is not as high — he is not as rounded as Sesko nor as formidably built. His 2024-25 season — featuring eight goals in 26 Bundesliga appearances — highlights a less-than-prolific year.

Nevertheless, his skill, speed, strength on the ball and goalscoring instinct will surely attract plenty of clubs, even if his price tag — around €80m — will be a deterrent.

Mainz’s Jonathan Burkardt (15 goals) should be on plenty of radars. Burkardt is more of a pressing forward and a real asset off the ball, but the quality of his finishing has taken him all the way to the German national team. He is a counter-puncher. Mainz subsist on speed and transition, meaning that it’s difficult to know how he might cope against a deep block, or within a side that plays at a slower pace.

 

Burkardt should be on plenty of radars (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Nick Woltemade (nine goals) from Stuttgart is lots of fun. At first glance, the 23-year-old’s size can make him seem clumsy, but while there is plenty of force to his game, there’s craft, too. He is technical and can beat defenders one-on-one, but he’s thoughtful as well and creative in what he does with the ball. Think of the way a young Harry Kane played under Mauricio Pochettino between 2014 and 2016; Woltemade may not be headed for the same level, but he is not dissimilar.

And there’s Hugo Ekitike (13 goals) from Eintracht Frankfurt too. Ekitike is outrageously gifted and an absolute menace in an Eintracht team that likes to break forward at speed and put their attacking players into space.

He has a wonderful first touch — see the sequence of play that forced Stuttgart’s Ameen Al-Dakhil into a professional foul on Saturday night — and his feet are quick enough to manufacture shooting angles under almost any circumstances. A brilliant player in the making and, as a reflection of that, he will be going nowhere for anything less than €80m this summer. So, one for the Champions League sides perhaps.

The other one worth highlighting is a bit of a wildcard: Wolfsburg’s Mohamed Amoura.

Amoura is on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, but that will become permanent this summer and he may well move again. He has been outstanding in his first season in Germany. Small, diminutive, but dynamic and absolutely brilliant at times — a goal and a creative threat, albeit probably more as a wide forward than a traditional No 9.

Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

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Are any of those ready for a Premier League breakout?

An interesting question, because they are all such different players — and you could make a case for any of them being a success in the right situation.

In the short term, Openda would probably be the safest bet and the player most likely to score goals immediately.

His 2024-25 has not been good, but the same is true for plenty of other Leipzig players and given that the club have just dismissed head coach Marco Rose, perhaps that poor form can be partially excused.

Over the medium or longer term, though, Eikitike is the most talented player on the list and — with the opportunity to acclimatise over a season or two — would produce a higher dividend and become more valuable.

Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

What You Should Read Next

Lois Openda interview: ‘I want to be a top player. RB Leipzig can help me get there’

Openda's career path has been well mapped out and, having joined from Lens, the Belgian has made a fine impression to date with RB Leipzig

[Vesper 29,387]

Murillo is a top 10 on the planet CB IMHO

my top 10

(listed in order of valuation)

Alessandro Bastoni
William Saliba
Gabriel Magalhães   
Ruben Dias (has been a bit meh this season)
Pau Cubarsí  (2 and a half months ago he was still 17yo, lolol)
Murillo 
Ronald Araujo (still not 100 per cent post injury)
Marquinhos
Virgil van Dijk  
Antonio Rüdiger   

 

11 & 12

Bremer   (injured)
Micky van de Ven (just came back from a long injury)

 

Dean Huijsen is already in the top 20 as a 19yo IMHO

[OneMoSalah 8,832]

5 hours ago, TheHulk said:

 

The PSR machine will sell him. Wait and see.

£20-25m and he will be forced to leave only to be replaced by another foreign player of the same age bracket for double the price and half the ability.

Dreading the summer window already because it is going to be another shitshow. I mean Baleba links already happening… ok yes looks a good player but what was the point in signing all of Caicedo, Lavia, Ugochuwku, Santos, Amougou & Essugo if we go drop another £100m+ on another more defensively minded midfielder (would be fair to say that regarding him)? Just baffling this club is littered with fucking morons making big decisions from top to bottom. 

Edited 23 hours ago by OneMoSalah

[LAM09 6,876]

6 hours ago, TheHulk said:

Class player.

Leipzig just signed him in Jan. I'm aware they haven't been doing well this season, but there surely has to be more to this.

Also, he isn't someone we need as of now with our AM options.

[mkh 385]

BREAKING: BlueCo are planning to sign Emanuel Emegha for Chelsea from Strasbourg. "It’s on the table!", @MohamedTERParis

 

🤔Jackson 2.0 
He is damn quick, very bad in the air and still misses a lot of top chances even though he has scored a lot of goals this season!!!!

[Reddish-Blue 2,424]

10 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

The PSR machine will sell him. Wait and see.

£20-25m and he will be forced to leave only to be replaced by another foreign player of the same age bracket for double the price and half the ability.

Dreading the summer window already because it is going to be another shitshow. I mean Baleba links already happening… ok yes looks a good player but what was the point in signing all of Caicedo, Lavia, Ugochuwku, Santos, Amougou & Essugo if we go drop another £100m+ on another more defensively minded midfielder (would be fair to say that regarding him)? Just baffling this club is littered with fucking morons making big decisions from top to bottom. 

You forgot to mention that we have Brighton boys making the decisions behind the scenes. 

Baleba gets the auto green tick of approval.  Same reason why Sanchez is still at the club as the #1 keeper.   

I'd be surprised if Santos' agent didn't test out the market as there will be plenty of interest in a young mid with goalscoring ability (something we sorely lack).

[mkh 385]

🟡Matt Law on Chelsea targets for number 9 position:

🎙 "Liam Delap is definitely on the radar, not just of the manager, but the club like him as well as the manager. 

You've then got Sesko, who also has a release clause. 

I think Osimhen is still a possibility as well. I don't think that's completely off the table.

They're the three that I'm certain are on a list."

🔵Penders isn't getting sold, no chance. Jorgensen isn't getting sold after one year, no chance.

So out of Petrovic and Sanchez, one of them is going to end as one of the first two goalkeepers, and one of them is getting sold.

@Matt_Law_DT

🟢Matt Law says the only way he sees Chelsea buying a GK this summer is if a ‘superstar option’ becomes available.

 

Who would be that in YOUR eyes?