Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer having some days off during the international break was "a good thing".

Palmer missed the trip to Arsenal through injury and pulled out of Thomas Tuchel's first England squad to focus on rest and recovery.

Two weeks on, Maresca confirmed in his pre-match news conference that Palmer is fit to return for Thursday's visit of rivals Tottenham.

"The reason why he was not with the international team was that the day before Arsenal, he had a muscle problem that was not a big issue but didn't allow him to play the Arsenal game and join his international team," he said.

"We always say that going with the international team is the best thing for a player, but overall, some days off for Cole and some rest was a good thing."

Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson are also fit to return against Spurs, meaning Maresca will have all the trio available for the first time since the start of February.

"It is very good [to have them back]," he added.

"We have said many times, that this is a game for the players and when they are not there for different reasons, you struggle.

"It's exactly what happened to us this season. We had six unbelievable months and then six or seven injuries in a row. Then we lost something. But it will be good to finish [the season] with all of them."

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Premier League game against Tottenham (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson "are all good" and ready to return from their respective injuries.

• He believes returning players can improve the Blues' form: "We've said many times, it is a game for players and when they are not there, you struggle. This has happened with us this season, where we had five or six unbelievable months and then had six or seven injuries in a row and we lost something. Now it is good to finish with all of them."

• However, Romeo Lavia remains a doubt: "He was doing better in terms of progress but unfortunately one or two days ago he had a small problem, so we will see in the next hours."

• The Chelsea boss also added that they "need to manage" captain Reece James' fitness: "The reason why is because you know his history probably better than me. He is a player you need to be careful with. We want him fit until the end so the idea is to manage him until the end and then we will see in the future if we can go every day."

• He said cancelling his players' day off after losing 3-0 to the club's under-21 side was "nothing": "Since I joined the club, I always demand high standards. It was not an official game. Some players were not here but it was normal for players to be a bit relaxed. It was nothing strange or nothing new. I didn't allow this so we decided to train."

• On Jadon Sancho's future: "I love all the players with us. In this moment, it is to finish well and not think about next season. What happens in the summer, we will see. I am happy with all the players here. For sure, he can do better in terms of numbers, no doubt, but it is not only about Jadon."

• On the climax to the season: "The attitude has always been top, every day, and even in the last week because they know how important it is from now on. Every game becomes important. We have nine games to go and hopefully we can finish well."

• How crucial could beating Spurs be?: "From that win, you can build momentum for the end. We need to win as many games as we can and we will see where we finish."

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After Chelsea announced a pre-tax profit of £128.4m for the year ending June 2024, Uefa have said they will assess the sale of the women's team to parent company BlueCo at the end of the season.

BBC Sport asked football finance expert Kieran Maguire for his thoughts on the accounts:

It's certainly an unprecedented level of profit, which we have not seen before. At the same time, nobody's quite certain how much a women's team is worth.

Chelsea had to submit their accounts to the Premier League by 31 December 2024. The Premier League had two weeks to review them to take things further and decided not to, so it must be satisfied.

Chelsea certainly benefit from being in a very upmarket part of London, so therefore the ability to sell those hotels as real estate assets is more beneficial to them.

There has been an enthusiasm from some club owners to outlaw this particular rule. It is not possible to sell your assets to yourself and book profits in the EFL. The rules under Uefa are complex and difficult to understand, but then again it is not guaranteed that Chelsea will be able to utilise these profits.

Uefa tends to fine clubs for breaching the financial rules as opposed to on-field penalties, so if I was a Nottingham Forest or Everton fan I suspect I would feel very aggrieved, because they have been punished severely in terms of historical points deductions for spending money, but spending far less money than Chelsea.

But the Premier League owners have decided to allow this particular feature and it does seem strange, but it is their ball and that is how they are choosing to play with it.

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Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United are keen on Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, with the 25-year-old set to leave Juventus this summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport- in Italian), external

The Blues are also considering a move worth 40m euros (£33.4m) for Villarreal's 22-year-old French striker Thierno Barry. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Finally, Brighton have put £100m price tags on 23-year-old Brazil forward Joao Pedro and 21-year-old Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba to fend off interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle. (Talksport), external

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

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Chelsea are not expecting to sign a goalkeeper in the summer. Enzo Maresca will instead allow Djordje Petrovic, who is on loan with Strasbourg, and Mike Penders, who is joining from Genk, to challenge for the spot. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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

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We asked for you tell us one thing that no one is talking about at Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Tom: The good thing that's been slightly less discussed recently is the age of the squad. Young players take time to develop consistency and that only comes from years of playing at the highest level. Our squad will be developing into a great one in a few years.

Gary: The out-and-out wingers ploy is not working. Play James, Fofana and Colwill in a back three then get width from Gusto and Cucurella.

Carl: The amazing women's team aren't given the credit they are due.

Nicholas: Levi Colwill. He has all the ingredients to become a top defender. Obviously injuries play a part and he needs a settled partner. My issue is players aren't improving under Maresca and some are going backwards. This is very concerning.

Marty: The thing that the powers at Chelsea don't seem to be talking about is the lack of a potent striker. We create so much yet it feels like decades since we had a 4-0 or 5-0 Premier League win. We used to have them regularly in the golden days. We need Osimhen!

Bill: What about the possibility of Cole Palmer being sold?

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Premier League clubs have agreed the dates for the summer transfer window.

The window will open early, between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the Fifa Club World Cup.

It will then reopen on Monday 16 June and close on Monday 1 September.

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Earlier this week, BBC Sport asked its fan writers to detail a player who really needs to step up to the plate as the season closes out. Chelsea fan Will picked Levi Colwill, stating "his form has been somewhat disappointing" despite being a regular for Enzo Maresca.

I haven't heard many Chelsea fans speaking about the 'inconsistency' of Colwill and in the games that I have watched him in, he has done fine.

But fine is not representative of having a great season.

He has played week-in week-out and that is only going to be good for him and his development when it is only his second full season at Chelsea. As a left-footed centre half, I do see him growing into that position and being around the England set-up will only help his drive to be successful.

If he can go to the World Cup in 2026 then that would be massive for him.

I can see the argument for fans wanting him to be more consistent because they can see his potential, but as a 22-year-old he is the youngest of Chelsea's back four.

Most players would also like consistency in their pairing at the back and a lot of people have enjoyed him playing alongside Wesley Foffana but Enzo Maresca tends to pick that place depending on the game rather than having a set-two.

He might not be reaching his full potential now but that will come with game time and there are some big games coming up for Chelsea. They have the chance to win a European competition as well as earning a place in the Champions League.

The more exposure Colwill has to these big games, the more he will be able to elevate his game.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

There have been many standout free-kicks in the FA Cup over the years, so BBC Sport has wound back the years and selected a few to celebrate all over again.

And of course, two Chelsea legends feature in Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Lampard's "absolute screamer" from 35-yards out against Tottenham on 15 April 2012 was too good not to see again, but so was Drogba's cup final strike against Portsmouth in 2010 which helped the Blues to achieve their first league and FA Cup double.

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Thursday's newspaper back pages hone in on how Manchester City and Chelsea could earn up to £97m in prize money from this year's Club World Cup.

The two sides qualified because of their recent Champions League wins and could earn the biggest prize money ever awarded in club football over a seven-game format this summer.

It comes amid ongoing talks of the gap between Championship and Premier League teams and the financial differences between many of the top-flight teams.

The expanded Club World Cup, featuring 32 clubs, will take place in the United States from 15 June to 13 July.

Chelsea have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign 19-year-old Dutch-born Spain defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth this summer.(Sport - in Spanish), external

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, currently on loan at Chelsea, is keen to return to the Bundesliga - re-joining Borussia Dortmund is his "dream" - but Bayer Leverkusen are also interested in the 25-year-old Englishman. (Bild - in German), external

Chelsea, who have an obligation to buy Sancho from Manchester United, are considering whether to sign the England international permanently, before immediately selling him. (Football Insider), external

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

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The winner of the newly expanded Club World Cup will secure up to $125m (£97m) in prize money, Fifa has announced.

The overall prize pot, shared between all 32 teams based on different factors, will be $1bn, with about half that figure divided between all participating clubs and $475m awarded on a performance-related basis.

As a result, Manchester City and Chelsea - the two Premier League sides in the competition because of their recent Champions League wins - could pocket the biggest prize money ever awarded in club football over a seven-game format.

In a statement, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: "Fifa will neither retain any funding for this tournament, as all revenues will be distributed to club football, nor will it touch Fifa's reserves, which are set aside for global football development through the 211 Fifa Member Associations."

Despite Chelsea not being in fantastic form, it could still be an exciting end to the season for Blues fans.

Enzo Maresca's side are fourth in the Premier League and have the potential of silverware still to play for with Legia Warsaw awaiting in the quarter-finals of the Conference League.

But you know your club best, so tell us what's slipping under the radar? What's the one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about in relation to Chelsea?

Let us know here