Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Cardiff City are not expected to get permission to play loanee attacker Omari Kellyman against his parent club Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

The Welsh club made a tentative verbal request but have not had written permission from Chelsea, as they prepare to host the Blues in the quarter-finals next month.

The two clubs continue to have a positive working relationship and there is an understanding that it is not standard for loanees in British football to be able to face their parent clubs.

However, clubs could grant players special dispensation via written permission to play in such circumstances, which happened for Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori in 2018 when they were allowed to play for Derby County against Chelsea.

Yet the Blues also denied a similar request from Crystal Palace to allow Conor Gallagher to play against them in 2022.

Kellyman missed almost the whole of last season, barring four academy matches, through a series of hamstring injuries after his £19m move from Aston Villa.

After corrective hamstring surgery in March, Kellyman has stayed fit but has been carefully managed in Wales as he begins to reach full fitness.

All parties are pleased with Kellyman's progress at Cardiff thus far.

After a series of substitute appearances, he started against Exeter City but came off after 36 minutes, sparking fears he had picked up another injury.

However, with five substitutions available across English football, this was part of the plan to gradually build his minutes.

Kellyman's last 76-minute outing against Blackpool was his longest appearance to date, and his first goal came against Reading last month.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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Enzo Maresca has been criticised a lot for his team selections in the past few weeks. Both his decisions to change his side almost entirely for midweek games and his constant swapping out of his central defenders have been called out, especially after last week where his much-altered team drew in a crucial away trip to Qarabag in the Champions League.

The manager was forced to defend himself in news conferences following the match, but it is hard to argue with his logic. His players cannot physically cope with playing twice a week, especially after a summer that saw many of his stars playing until deep into July and, then given just a few weeks of holiday.

Meanwhile in defence, injuries have prevented him picking a stable pair much of the time. But this weekend's win over Wolves showed promising signs that Maresca has finally established some order. It feels like he has really got his first team nailed down now.

Liam Delap is back and fit to lead the line. That, in turn, allows Joao Pedro to play in the hole as a number 10. Alejandro Garnacho has established himself on the left wing. Wesley Fofana is healthy and building a solid centre-back partnership with Trevoh Chalobah. Estevao Willian is proving effective as a second-half sub.

Add that to the players who were established favourites from last season, and Chelsea finally have a team coming together.

Of course, there will be more questions to answer soon when Cole Palmer and Benoit Badiashile return to fitness, but for now Maresca seems to know his best team.

Chelsea can only benefit from that stability.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Bayern Munich have no interest in cutting short Nicolas Jackson's loan move from Chelsea but it is unlikely the Bundesliga side will buy the striker at the end of the season. (Bild - in German), external

Meanwhile, the Blues have contacted Italian club Como about the availability of 21-year-old Argentina playmaker Nicolas Paz. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Manchester City might have made a statement of intent in the title race with their 3-0 win against reigning champions Liverpool last night and moved four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal before the international break.

But they are still some way off catching the Gunners, according to Opta's Premier League predictions.

The Opta supercomputer's latest update has Pep Guardiola's City finishing about seven points behind Arsenal at the end of the season.

Opta still gives Arsenal 63.6% chance of winning the title this season with City only having a 22.9% chance of becoming champions in the latest set of simulations.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have only a 7% probability of defending their title with Chelsea marked at 2.75%.

Predicted points after 38 games:

Arsenal - 80.19

Man City - 73.50

Liverpool - 68.23

Chelsea - 63.34

Aston Villa - 60.76

Crystal Palace - 59.32

Man Utd - 56.37

Bournemouth - 56.31

Brighton - 55.93

Tottenham - 54.97

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Mark: Still not good enough with teams which lie deep. Estevao Willian is consistently dangerous so he needs to start. Enzo Maresca needs to decide his strongest team and rotate just a few players every game, not half the team.

Tristan: In the first half, I was bemused as to how we didn't score and that concerned me. But luckily for the Blues, we got the win.

Lee: Typical game from this Chelsea team. Played for 45 minutes against a definite relegation side and eventually broke them down. Good three points, but it plasters over cracks.

James: Bit on the slow side first half but second 45 much better. Will do Joao Pedro the world of good to get a goal and the international break arrives at a good time for anyone injured to hopefully recover. Clean sheet was a nice bonus too.

Wolves fans

Simon: Really hard to watch. There seems to be a disconnect between the team and this is showing with the amount of goals we are letting in and the attempted shots on goal. It is going to be a tough number for the next manager, but we still have a tiny bit of time to turn it around.

Rick: They were just going through the motions. No threat. Mistakes. Sloppy. Once again, it was like watching two teams from different leagues. Particularly frustrated to see Hwang Hee-chan and Jorgen Strand Larsen given yet more chances. Tolu Arokodare is quicker, more skilful and can score. Staggering.

Steve: In the first half we dug in and showed some fight, but created nothing. Once the first goal went in, you knew that was it. Even Pep Guardiola or Arne Slot wouldn't keep this lot up. Good luck to the next coach, be it Rob Edwards or whoever. Let's get behind him and the team and at least go down fighting.

Kieron: The players cannot hide behind Vitor Pereira with that performance. They showed little fight and even less attacking threat! Too many players strolling around, jogging instead of sprinting. I can accept losing but performances like that boil my blood! Embarrassing and shameful.

Jason: Lack of quality and lack of strategy. They would struggle in the Championship. Dismal.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Alejandro Garnacho was ridiculed by supporters of League One side Lincoln City on his first start for Chelsea, lasting just 59 minutes during a poor display in the Carabao Cup.

The winger has been eased in at Stamford Bridge, without completing a match until playing the full 90 minutes in the win against Wolves.

It was an impressive performance, featuring fantastic link-up play with his compatriot Enzo Fernandez.

Garnacho won a free-kick with his first action of the game and Fernandez's resulting shot was saved.

Midfielder Fernandez, captaining the team in the absence of regular skipper Reece James, later clipped a pass into Garnacho, whose shot was saved from close range and was the best attempt during the first half.

In the second half, Garnacho's in-swinging cross was headed in by unlikely scorer Malo Gusto to break the deadlock and ease pressure on a team who had been booed off at half-time.

Garnacho sprinted into space to set up Pedro Neto's goal that sealed victory.

The assists came after Garnacho spared Chelsea's blushes with an equaliser against Azerbaijani side Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday, after he came on as a half-time substitute when his team were trailing.

Garnacho also performed strongly in the 1-0 win at Tottenham a week ago, having scored his first goal in a defeat at home to Sunderland two weeks ago.

Maresca's best attack for the biggest matches now tends to feature Garnacho ahead of rival left-winger Jamie Gittens.

There remain further questions for Garnacho in his Chelsea career though.

His goals last season for United came against Southampton, Brentford and Leicester, and in a heavy defeat to Newcastle.

To take the next step, he must also score big match-winning goals for Chelsea if he is going to prove his detractors wrong.

You can read more on Garnacho and Estevao here

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca looked shocked when Malo Gusto scored with a header, and his team-mates laughed while celebrating.

His lack of goals had become a running joke at the club, the France defender even mentioning it in interviews.

But he finally scored by simply using his running ability to get into space at the far post and head in from Garnacho, who himself has been improving in recent weeks.

"Finally! We like to attack with full-backs, sometimes it's [Marc] Cucurella," Maresca told Sky Sports after the game.

"Last season Cucurella scored six or seven goals - hopefully Malo can score more goals this season. Malo is one of our main players because he allows us to be versatile."

A run of 165 games without a goal is remarkable. Stats website Transfermarkt lists him among Europe's top seven players for the longest droughts since their professional debuts.

Chelsea lack a striker like Erling Haaland, who can score consistently on his own, and Maresca has stressed the squad must contribute goals as a group.

The manager has been drumming into his players that he needs goals from multiple sources this season to achieve the goal of Champions League qualification.

"Our mood is good," Maresca added. "It's the noise from outside because you drop points against a team that are doing well. People expect Chelsea to win all the games but the reality is it's not like this."

Pundits Alan Shearer and Theo Walcott join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 2-0 Fulham

• West Ham 3-2 Burnley

• Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, Garnacho, Delap.

Subs: Jorgensen, Tosin, Hato, Acheampong, James, Andrey Santos, Gittens, Estevao, Guiu.

Wolves XI: Johnstone, Tchatchoua, Bueno, Krejci, Toti, Bueno, Andre, Gomes, Bellegarde, Hwang, Strand Larsen

Subs: Sa, Munetsi, Arias, Wolfe, Arokodare, Mosquera, Chirewa, However, Mane.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said after Wednesday's draw with Qarabag that he is rotating his team so much because the Club World Cup is taking its toll on his squad.

That must be a factor in their inconsistency, but I don't think it will matter here because Wolves have been such a rabble recently.

He has gone now but after last weekend's 3-0 defeat by Fulham, their former boss Vitor Pereira said that technically, tactically and physically they were not at the required level, and I don't expect anything to change at Stamford Bridge.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Manchester United (12:30)

• Everton v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Wolves (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Fulham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Noel Sliney
Senior journalist

Chelsea seek a return to the top four when they host winless and managerless Wolves on Saturday night (20:00 GMT). BBC Sport explores some key themes surrounding the fixture.

Chelsea always under scrutiny

Six wins in eight games across all competitions should be cause for optimism, yet Chelsea seem to be always one misstep from negative scrutiny.

Questions about defensive lapses and team selection have been heightened by Wednesday's failure to beat Qarabag, an Azerbaijani side who have spent less than £7m on transfers since 2020 – in stark contrast to Chelsea's £1.8bn outlay over the same period.

Chelsea were vulnerable once more at the back throughout that 2-2 draw, with summer signing Jorrel Hato culpable for both Qarabag goals but not helped by his team-mates. Head coach Enzo Maresca described them as "silly goals". A week earlier, defensive errors meant they nearly blew a three-goal lead away to Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

It's a trend that has afflicted them all season. The Blues have lost possession in their defensive third on 47 occasions in the Premier League, one short of Aston Villa's league-high tally. In all competitions, Chelsea have made the most errors leading to goals among English top-flight sides, ahead of Wolves, while only Spurs have faced more shots as a result of their own mistakes.

By way of mitigation, Maresca said in midweek that playing in the summer Club World Cup has affected his team selections as he seeks to manage the players' workloads. Chelsea's 3-0 win over PSG in the final of that tournament came just five weeks before the start of the 2025-26 season; the 85 changes subsequently made to their starting XI in all competitions is by far the most of any Premier League side.

Expect plenty more on Saturday, with the squad only arriving back in London at 06:00 on Thursday after a 5,000-mile round trip.

Wolves seeking great escape

This will be Wolves' first match since Vitor Pereira was sacked as head coach in the wake of a 3-0 defeat by Fulham which left them eight points adrift of safety.

They are the first English side in history to start consecutive seasons without a victory in their opening 10 top-flight matches. Wolves achieved a near-miraculous escape from relegation last season after having only three points at the same stage. They're a point worse off this time – only two sides have ever preserved their top-flight status after making such a poor start: Stoke City in 1951-52 and Leicester City in 1983-84.

Wolves don't appear close to naming a replacement for Pereira, whose departure was swiftly followed by that of director of football Domenico Teti after just four-and-a-half months at the club. Gary O'Neil, who was sacked last December, has opted against a potential return after initial talks, while Middlesbrough have turned down an approach for their manager Rob Edwards.

Whoever they appoint, Wolves can twice point to recent successful managerial changes made while they were in the relegation zone. Pereira comfortably kept them up last season, as Julen Lopetegui had done after arriving midway through 2022-23.

Nonetheless, recent Premier League history does not reflect kindly in general on a club's decision to change the manager while stuck in the relegation zone. Across the previous 10 seasons, 37 managers have parted ways with a club in the bottom three – only 13 of those sides stayed up.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the fitness of Romeo Lavia and Pedro Neto: "We don't have an update at the moment [on Lavia]. We have to wait a couple of hours to do the checks, but for sure, he is injured. It's painful. Pedro had a session yesterday with the physio outside on the pitch - it was good. And today he will try with us, and then we will take the final decision."

• On Lavia's inability to string together a run of games: "A shame because we are trying to minimise minutes for him, but even with that, it is an injury again. We need to insist until we find another solution."

• Maresca on Wayne Rooney's comments about rotation: "We are in a moment, in an era, when anyone can say what they want. I completely respect that. I also said after the Qarabag game that, since I joined the club, it's also my view to rotate players, and no-one complained. And the moment that you don't win games, I can understand no-one is agreeing. I think that when the rotation is Andrey Santos - Brazil international player - Jorrel Hato - Holland international player - Estevao - Brazil international player - it's not about rotation. They are good, talented and young. For sure, when they are young, you have to give them the chance to make some mistakes to be better."

• The Spaniard expanded on his decision to rotate his squad, pointing to the "physicality and intensity" of the modern game, adding that "it is impossible to play" every match in the season with the same group of players". Maresca also likened the campaign to a "marathon", noting that by the time March and April arrive, "it will be a different conversation".

• Maresca on whether defensive inconsistencies are down to rotation: "At the beginning of the season, with Levi [Colwill's] injury, we lost, in my view and in the way we want to play, our best defenders. From there, we tried to find solutions and solve problems. Last year, after 12 Premier League games, we had two clean sheets. This season, after 10 games, we have four."

• Maresca believes Estevao is "ready to start," but admitted the young Brazilian is still adapting to life in England, even joking that he recently complained it was "too cold".

• On facing managerless Wolves: "It's difficult for this reason. It is also difficult because we played on Wednesday night. The players were off yesterday, we have a small session today and a game tomorrow. So the gameplan is also different, but we need to adapt."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

How to follow the Premier League on the BBC this weekend

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England boss Thomas Tuchel has named his 25-man squad for the final time this year ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

The Three Lions have already secured qualification.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

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In the build-up to Thursday's final of The Celebrity Traitors (no spoilers!), we asked you which Chelsea player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Stuart: Gianfranco Zola would be a great traitor. Nobody would believe it was possible.

George: Traitor - Jose Mourniho! Who else? Clever, charming, good with people and an out-and-out winner. Faithful - Zola.. the little magician, and a player who got clapped at away games by home crowds. Just a true, gentle Chelsea legend.

Johnny: Faithful - Trevoh Chalobah. Cast aside by the club he has served since boyhood until injuries necessitated a recall from Crystal Palace. Never once did he grumble to the media, instead doing his talking in the pitch. Surely the definition of faithful? Traitor - William Gallas. Alleged by the club to have threatened to score an own goal or get sent off in his desperation to engineer a move to Arsenal. All that was missing was the traitors' hood!

Aaron: Mason Mount - biggest traitor in Chelsea history! John Terry will always be the most faithful.

If you don't yet know how The Celebrity Traitors final unfolded - then you can watch it back on BBC iPlayer here

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Manchester United great Wayne Rooney says Chelsea's senior players should "question" Enzo Maresca's team selections.

The Italian made seven changes for the 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.

It was the fifth consecutive match that Maresca has made at least seven changes to his starting line-up. They have made 85 changes in 16 matches this season - by far the most of any Premier League team.

"The players want to play, they want to build relationships," the former England captain said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

"When you keep chopping and changing then the players won't be happy. That will come back to bite them.

"If they are getting results all the time then you can't question it, but if they're not, there has to be questions asked."

Rooney believes it is up to captain Reece James and other experienced players in the Chelsea squad to address the issue with Maresca.

"Most clubs now have a leadership group and as a group you have to go and question the manager," he added.

"You hear people talk about 'player power' but this isn't player power.

"I'd be concerned if the team kept changing. If I was in that [leadership] group, I'd be speaking to my team-mates saying: 'Look, I'm not happy with this.'"

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds