Chelsea

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Bournemouth are still unbeaten this season, even if their win at Everton was fortunate - they had a good five minutes, but that was it... which is a bit like the way my career went.

I really don't know what to expect from Chelsea though, or if Cole Palmer is going to be fit enough to play. Because of that, I am going to sit on the fence and go for a draw.

Koleoso's prediction: 2-1

I am going with Bournemouth here - this is a tough fixture.

Ogunjobi prediction: 1-2

We are are leaky defensively but I still think we will win.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been pleased with what he has seen from "perfect" new signing Jadon Sancho.

The England international joined the Blues from Manchester United on a deadline loan, with the deal including an obligation to buy next summer.

“I don’t consider Jadon a risk," Maresca said. “He’s a player who can help us. Whatever’s happened with Erik [ten Hag], I have no idea. I can only judge the player on the weeks he’s been with us. He’s been perfect."

Sancho fell out with United boss Ten Hag last season and was made to train away from the first team before rejoining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.

“With Jadon and Joao [Felix] when they joined the club, I had a chat with them. One of my messages to them is if you come here and don’t work properly then you’re not going to play. Before they arrived, the message for them was clear," Maresca said.

“If they perform during the week, they’ll have a chance; if they don’t work properly, they won’t play.

“The only way to do the best for the team is to give chances to the players who really work and deserve.

“Jadon’s working well since he arrived and he can help us in the way he plays."

After training at Chelsea’s Cobham training complex during the international break, Sancho is in contention to face Bournemouth on Saturday.

“The reason we have Jadon here is because I love him, otherwise he’d not be here.

“We need more accuracy, more quality and passion - he’s that sort of player."

John Southall
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator

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Enzo Maresca knew what was coming. As soon as he sat down he joked about there being no questions about the owners.

Question five was the ownership one. Predictably, he stressed he was just concentrating on preparing his team for Bournemouth on Saturday - but he did say he couldn't spend his energy thinking about the ownership struggle. He also admitted he has spoken with both owners over the past few weeks.

The other main talking point was the short-term future of Ben Chilwell. It appears there is a possible way back for him to at least train with the squad.

This was Maresca's take on the current impasse: "We will sit with him and find solutions. He is probably going to be back with us [training]. We will see. At the moment, he is not training with us.

"The reason why he was training apart is because the idea was for him to leave. We didn’t find solutions and he is here. I saw him this morning - he's OK."

So I think we can now expect Chilwell to return to first-team training after the club's failure to sell or loan him out.

On the injury front, Malo Gusto will be missing at Bournemouth and Reece James still needs more time because of his hamstring injury. But Romeo Lavia is close to a return and he will possibly be ready for the West Ham game on 21 September.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana has completed his loan move to Goztepe.

The 21-year-old Ivorian has travelled to Turkey and completed an initial season-long move which could be made permanent for £20m.

The move comes after AEK Athens saw a similar move collapse and it also includes a break clause in January when the transfer window across the big five European leagues reopens.

Fofana has played just four matches for Chelsea since his £8.4m from Molde in January 2023, but had two loan spells at Union Berlin and Burnley.

The move will help manager Enzo Maresca reduce his bloated squad in west London, with 30 senior players now on the books.

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he has "no idea if something will happen" amid reports of a rift among the club's ownership.

Minority investor Todd Boehly, who has a 12.8% stake in the Blues, and co-founder of private equity firm Clearlake - the company which owns a majority 61.5% stake in the club - Behdad Eghbali, want to buy each other out.

"If I spend my energy on something different then it's not worth it. My focus is on tomorrow's game, to be honest," Maresca said in his news conference before Saturday's trip to Bournemouth.

"In the last week I've done the same thing: focus on the game and how to prepare in the best way.

"The other things are things I cannot control. I spoke with Todd when we played City and Behdad just days ago. I'm speaking with both. There are no problems at all. I'm focused on the pitch.

"The players are professional [enough] to understand that these things are things we can't control, so the focus is the pitch and the way we need to improve.

"I don't know if something will happen, I have no idea.

"There are no problems at all. I just focus on what is on the pitch because that is all I can control."

On the pitch, Chelsea have four points after three games and Maresca says he has been working over the international break to try a new approach.

"We used the international break to try something new for the future that we can use," he added.

"We did some defensive work to try and find some balance. It doesn't mean we aren't defending well."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez won't be punished by the FA for his controversial video, which is alleged to have included racist and homophobic while on international duty with Argentina.

The incident was considered part of Fifa and CONMEBOL's remit as it happened at the Copa America.

It effectively means that Fernandez will avoid a six to 12 match ban that is stipulated for discriminatory behaviour or language under FA rules.

Fifa continue to investigate the video which Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana described as "uninhibited racism".

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Marseca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Bournemouth (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Romeo Lavia is "very close" to a return but Malo Gusto and Reece James will not be available for the trip to Vitality Stadium.

• On reports there are problems between Chelsea's co-owners, Maresca said: If I spent my energy [thinking] about something different [the ownership situation] I think it's not worth it. I spoke with Todd when we played Manchester City. I spoke with Beghdad a few days ago. There are no problems at all. I just focus on what is on the pitch because that is all I can control.”

• He said it is about "finding the right opportunities" for new signing Jadon Sancho: "I said many times I decide the first XI depending on training. I see him how I expect him. Very good player, good quality in one-versus-one. He is exactly the player we knew."

• On Ben Chilwell who has been training away from the first team as the club tried to secure him a move away: "We will sit with him and find solutions. He is probably going to be back with us [training]. We will see. At the moment, he is not training with us."

• Maresca said he is "very happy" with striker Nicolas Jackson after he signed a new two-year contract extension: "He is working well on and off the ball. He is the kind of player that is always going to score goals. In the first three games, he gave us some assists and goals."

• On Carney Chukwuemeka: "I really, really like Carney. But we have so many attacking midfielders. Unfortunately, we didn't find any solutions [in the summer]. Now we can use him."

• On working with his squad over the international break: "We used the international break to try something new for the future. In this moment, we have 24 players. It's quite normal. Even at the beginning, I was working with 25-26, not 40 players."

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

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Chelsea have confirmed striker Nicolas Jackson has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club until 2033.

The Blues now have the Senegal forward tied to the club for nine years to reflect their confidence in the £32m signing from Villarreal last summer.

"I am feeling very good and am very happy to sign a new contract and stay at the club," the 23-year-old said on the extension.

"It feels great the club has confidence in me. I am working very hard. I am very happy to extend my contract and stay here for many years."

Chelsea's England defender Ben Chilwell hopes to be included in the club's 25-man Premier League squad, with the 27-year-old not expected to move on loan to Turkey. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)

Arsenal and Chelsea will keep Sporting Lisbon's Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 26, on their shortlist for next summer's transfer window. (Football Insider, external)

Former England and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is to leave his coaching role at Birmingham City to join the Football Association full time and support interim England manager Lee Carsley. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

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

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana is now close to joining Turkish top flight team Goztepe after a move to AEK Athens collapsed on the Greek deadline day.

The 22-year-old saw a move collapse over late complications over terms, but it has allowed clubs in Turkey to hold talks with Goztepe winning the race.

They will sign the Ivorian on an initial loan with an option to buy included for £20m as well as a break clause so he could possibly change clubs in January.

Datro Fofana is widely believed to be available for a permanent sale in the near future after joining Chelsea in January 2023 for £8.4m from Molde.

The Blues are keen to offload players both on a temporary and permanent basis having been accused of having an oversized squad which was at one point at 42 players but will now be cut-down to around 35, which includes some relatively inexperienced players with minimal first team experience.

French defender Wesley Fofana, 23, says he considered leaving Chelsea to join hometown club Marseille this summer. (Free Foot - in French), external

Monaco and Brazil defender Vanderson, 23, is attracting strong interest from Chelsea, while Manchester United and Tottenham are also among his admirers. (Caughtoffside), external

Chelsea and Tottenham also remain interested in Lecce's 19-year old Denmark defender Patrick Dorgu, who is valued at around 40m euros (£33.8m). (La Gazzetta dello Sport via SportWitness), external

The Blues, Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in Sunderland's 17-year-old English midfielder Chris Rigg. (Givemesport), external

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

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Chelsea Women have appointed a new chief executive with no football experience - but when you dig a bit deeper the move makes sense.

Aki Mandhar will leave her post as global sporting director and general manager of The Athletic - the sports website owned by The New York Times - to become the chief executive of Chelsea Women’s team.

The organisation has newly split to run separately from the men’s team and Mandhar will oversee the commercial development of the club.

Chelsea's owners, currently divided with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital looking to buy each other out, are aligned on the fact they feel the women’s team is poised to grow rapidly, and have slapped a $200,000,000 (£153,000,000) valuation on that part of the club.

They feel that by splitting the women’s team from the men’s team new commercial opportunities with sponsors and investors will arrive.

Part of attracting that finance will be selling the inspiring stories of the female athletes and coaches involved as the game more widely grows domestically in the UK and overseas.

Mandhar, well respected within the media industry, will have a feel for telling those stories, digital products and growing a business that is effectively a start-up.

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Bournemouth and Chelsea have scored four second-half goals in the Premier League this season, which is a joint league-high.

The Cherries' goals have all come after the 86th minutes, while all four of the Blues' came in their only away game so far - a 6-2 victory at Wolves.

Turkish giants Galatasaray are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, talks have been held about the Blues leaving Stamford Bridge and building a new stadium at Earl's Court. (Guardian), external

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

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Claude Makelele has said yes to taking the Asteras Tripolis manager role after leaving Chelsea's loan department by mutual consent last year.

The former Blues midfielder left Stamford Bridge last September after a four-year spell advising loanees on how to improve their game.

He has now opted to return to management in Greece's top flight having previously managed Bastia and Eupen in France and Belgium, alongside other coaching roles at Paris St-Germain and Swansea City.

Former Swansea and Reading manager Paul Clement will join Makelele as his assistant having spent a long-time working with Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG.

Clement was also part of Frank Lampard's backroom staff at Everton.

Tripolis have won one, drawn one and lost one of their first three matches this season, sitting fifth in the Super League Greece table.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It has been a strange and difficult couple of years to be a Chelsea fan - and it has been even more challenging to write about the club in that period.

There is an understandable desire for more positive coverage of what is going on at Stamford Bridge, but the fanbase has long been divided into those determined to see the best in the new era under the new ownership and those who consider it a travesty.

But even the supporters who vehemently insisted that this painful period was a necessary evil are starting to question their stance now.

The idea that everything is going to plan is hard to defend, especially now it has become clear that even those at the very top of the ownership do not believe it.

The claim that there is a bigger picture and a grand strategy, which mere mortals on the ground cannot fully comprehend, is proving ridiculous. We now know for sure that those steering the ship are fighting over the rudder.

When doubts are cast over the competence of those in charge, one has usually been pointed in the direction of their vast piles of cash and their success in other areas as a riposte.

But, as some people have pointed out since the start of this whole affair, not all skills are transferable. In fact, the belief that you know better than everybody else is a major disadvantage, particularly when it encourages you to sit down and bet the house on a game you do not yet fully understand.

Even if Chelsea do end up restored to their former glory in years to come, the notion that everything has gone to plan - and even that the plan was a good one - has already been dismantled.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

New York Times journalist Rory Smith has called Chelsea's current ownership situation "extremely strange", amid reports that the club's co-owners are looking buy each other out after a rift formed at board level.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Smith said: "Todd Boehly thinks that Clearlake are a little bit too quick to act and are maybe a little bit obsessive over trading players. Clearlake feel that those allegations aren't true and they would maybe like to remove Boehly from the equation entirely.

"The whole thing is extremely strange. Everything that has happened with Chelsea, from the point that Todd Boehly and Clearlake took over, is really odd.

"They have got all these players on long contracts. They keep signing players, even when it's obvious they have too many.

"They have loaned Raheem Sterling to Arsenal and are paying him to play for one of their rivals. Then they just signed Jadon Sancho on loan and it was really hard to work out why.

"It's like they are saying to players: 'Just come here. There is probably a spot in the gym you can use - you'll be alright. There is a peg you can use - you'll be OK' - so it is really hard to assume anyone at Chelsea knows what they are doing."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Leicester City defender Conor Coady says Enzo Maresca is the "ultimate head coach" but believes the current situation at Chelsea won't be "ideal" for the Italian manager.

Coady worked with Maresca during the Foxes' 2023-24 Championship winning campaign.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Coady said: "Knowing Enzo from last year and the hands-on approach he brings to any football club, he is the ultimate head coach.

"He does absolutely everything on the pitch. He does everything with his squad. So the fact that he has loads of players - and I know he has come out in the past and said he is only working with 21 or 22 of those players - I can't imagine that is ideal for him.

"The big thing for me is just the supporters. They won't know whether they are coming or going. They don't know what is going on at Chelsea one day to the next.

"If I was in that dressing room, of course I would be talking about it. You are asking questions in terms of what is going on and why are we signing all of these players.

"I would want to know what's happening with one of my mates who has been kicked out of the dressing room and is having to train on his own.

"It just doesn't feel right, does it?"

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Chelsea are hoping to offload 21-year-old Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana to Greek club AEK Athens - the transfer window in Greece is open until Wednesday. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

Tensions between the owners at Chelsea may raise major question marks on the club's ability to do business in the January transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Former Chelsea and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to be confirmed as the new USA manager after a meeting with US soccer chiefs. (Mail), external

Sporting and Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres is unlikely to move in the January window, despite interest from Chelsea and Arsenal, as he is settled in Portugal. (Football Insider), external

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel tried to convince Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen to join the Blues, before his summer loan switch from Napoli to Galatasaray. (Talksport), external

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

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No club in European football has spent more on transfers than Chelsea since 2015.

That's according to data delivered by the highly-respected CIES Football Observatory., external

In its monthly report, the organisation says the Blues have spent 2.78bn euros since 2015 - around £2.35bn. Manchester City are second on the list, on 1.96bn euros, with Manchester United third on 1.95bn euros (around £1.65bn).

The figures form part of a spending-heavy culture in the Premier League. England's top flight has committed over 23bn euros (£19.42bn) to transfers since 2014, with Italy's Serie A second on 10.84bn euros (£9.1bn).

The Premier League's net spend is over 11.5bn euros - around £9.7bn, a stark contrast to Portugal's Primeira Liga, which has made a net profit of over 2.34bn euros since 2015.

Drilling into the data more, Manchester United have made a net spend in every year across the 10-year period. Benfica, by contrast have made a net profit in nine of the 10 seasons on transfers. United's consistent buying means they are the club with the biggest net spend in Europe since 2015 as Chelsea have recouped over half of their spend through player sales.

In its report, the CIES says: "From a club point of view, Chelsea stands out clearly with €2.78 billion invested on transfer fees over the last decade, 42% more than the second biggest spenders: Manchester City and Manchester United. The latter club has the most negative net transfer spending (€1.30 billion), while SL Benfica has the most positive one (+€816 million)."