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Gossip: Chelsea to step up Garnacho pursuit published at 07:41 BST 20 August
07:41 BST 20 August
Chelsea are set to increase their efforts to sign Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United but the 21-year-old will not be allowed to leave Old Trafford on the cheap. (Evening Standard, external)
Aston Villa are exploring the viability of a move to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea but the asking price needs to be lower than £60m due to the West Midlands club's financial restrictions. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)
Meanwhile Bayern Munich's move for Christopher Nkunku has stalled, delaying Chelsea's attempts to sign RB Leipzig's 22-year-old Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons. (Guardian, external)
'Nobody is panicking'published at 12:38 BST 19 August
12:38 BST 19 August
Will Faulks Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea went into Sunday's game against Crystal Palace on the back of a busy and successful summer which had built a rising tide of expectation around a team that finally looked to be coming together.
Enzo Maresca's side had played exceptionally well at times in the Club World Cup and ended up lifting the trophy. From front to back, everything was starting to click on the pitch, and so much quality had been added both to the first team and the bench. Fears about fatigue after that tournament had even been dispelled a little by bright and busy performances in the two friendly games last weekend.
One would have to look back to Thomas Tuchel's first pre-season at the club for the last time Chelsea were being taken this seriously as a contender on the eve of a new campaign.
In the end the game was a let down, with both sides struggling to put together coherent attacking moves. One would have been forgiven for thinking that Chelsea had had three months off rather than three weeks given their lack of chemistry beyond the halfway line.
The ebullient mood at Stamford Bridge before kick off gradually deflated, with pre-match trophy boasting and flag-waving enthusiasm melting in the August sunshine. The appearance of Estevao Willian gave a spike to the energy levels in the second half, but even the thrilling Brazilian could only manage a couple of moments that got fans on their feet.
Nobody is panicking after just one game against a very good team, but the disappointment hanging in the air now is a reminder that raised expectations will bring their own issues to a team that's still very young and still trying to establish itself back at the top table of European football.
Veiga agrees terms with Villarreal but negotiations ongoingpublished at 12:21 BST 19 August
12:21 BST 19 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea defender Renato Veiga has agreed personal terms with Spanish club Villarreal.
The Portugal international, 22, is ready to join the Spanish club - who have qualified for the Champions League this season - but difficult negotiations continue over the fee.
Chelsea are known to value Veiga at about £34m but the Spanish club are aiming to negotiate after Atletico Madrid failed to agree a fee last month.
There is hope in Spain that a deal can be struck for under £30m.
Veiga is deemed surplus to requirements even after a serious knee injury has ruled star defender Levi Colwill out for much of the season.
He is training with the so-called 'bomb squad' - a group of senior players away from the first team.
Veiga spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus and has played 18 games for Chelsea having joined in an £12m move from FC Basel in 2024.
Kavuma-McQueen excites in Chelsea's PL2 winpublished at 07:58 BST 19 August
07:58 BST 19 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter at Kingsmeadow
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen made a statement that he is up to under-21s level, despite still being just 16 years old, in a 3-1 Premier League 2 victory over champions Manchester City on Monday night.
The youngster initially needed 15 minutes to find his level, but then delighted with a number of actions.
City's Lakyle Samuel, 19, looked physically superior in the first few one-v-one duels, but Kavuma-McQueen eventually got the better of his marker, coming close twice when cutting inside and shooting.
Kavuma-McQueen also made a rash challenge on goalkeeper Jack Wint to pick up a booking and was substituted in the 62nd minutes for new signing Jesse Derry, who joined in the summer from Crystal Palace.
However, he impressed in his eighth appearance and third start at this level.
Kavuma-McQueen's inclusion is an example of the current academy strategy, which follows the first team and partner club Strasbourg in driving down the average age of all their sides.
New Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane's first XI had an average age of 17.7, with Kavuma-McQueen the youngest starter, having been born a few months after fellow 16-year-old Reggie Walsh.
Of course, Walsh has already made his senior debut and is the Blues' third-youngest player - and the youngest in European competition, having played in both Conference League semi-final legs against Djurgarden last season.
The real star was striker Shumaira Mheuka, who scored all three goals - two headers either side of half-time, and another on the counter-attack in the 86th minute to seal victory after Samuel had pulled one back.
It served to highlight Mheuka's readiness, not only to lead the line at academy level, but also knock on the door of Enzo Maresca's first team again, having made his debut last season.
This was an early marker of who is ready to star at this level, who can step up from the lower age groups and whether Chelsea are title contenders while under the leadership of former Manchester City academy boss Glenn van der Kraan.
Gossip: Blues will not let Nkunku leave on loanpublished at 07:03 BST 19 August
07:03 BST 19 August
Chelsea have rejected a loan offer from Bayern Munich for forward Christopher Nkunku and will only sanction a permanent transfer. (Times - subscription required, external)
Aston Villa have added Blues striker Nicolas Jackson to their shortlist of attacking options but could face competition from Bayern. (Florian Plettenberg, external)
Finally, Chelsea are open to loan offers for winger Raheem Sterling and want to move on a further eight players before the transfer window shuts. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)
Man Utd expecting Chelsea bid for Garnachopublished at 09:42 BST 18 August
09:42 BST 18 August
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester United are braced for an offer from Chelsea for Alejandro Garnacho but are determined not to let the young winger leave on the cheap.
Senior United figures believe Garnacho is keen to move to Stamford Bridge, which is the main reason why he is still at Old Trafford nearly three months after head coach Ruben Amorim told him to find a new club.
The relationship between the two sides has deteriorated and on Sunday a picture of Garnacho close to Old Trafford was defaced.
However, the manner of his exit is hugely important as Amorim looks to reshape his squad.
As an academy graduate, the money raised will have a significant impact on United's profit and sustainability situation.
However, the negotiations - when they eventually start - will be a major test for the Old Trafford club's director of football negotiations, Matt Hargreaves, and director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell.
United know Chelsea will attempt to drive the price down for 21-year-old Garnacho.
Yet insiders at Old Trafford note the Blues' reluctance to sell one of their unwanted forwards, Christopher Nkunku, to Bayern Munich for less than £50m and feel that should guide the London club's valuation of Argentina international Garnacho, who they consider to be a better player.
Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace - the fans' verdictpublished at 08:33 BST 18 August
08:33 BST 18 August
Media caption,
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Here are some of your comments:
Chelsea fans
Richard: Underwhelming would be a kind description. Blunt in attack and vulnerable in defence. The full attack was available but could barely muster an attempt on target. Do the players work on accurate shooting in training sessions? So little creativity on display. A really disappointing start and two home points are gone already. Much more is expected, starting Friday. Fortunate in the VAR intervention that ruled out the Palace 'winner'.
Nick: After the great summer, seems like we've put the handbrake back on. Really disappointing performance. We've got great attackers - we need to set them free and then the goals will come.
James: So much for our refurbished attack - they've got to start firing. Gittens was useless on that wing, Joao Pedro seemed non-existent. Delap had a good physical presence but couldn't get a shot at goal, Estevao was looking quite positive. Looking forward to when we start firing - we will be unstoppable.
Crystal Palace fans
Robert: A great gutsy performance by the whole team amid speculation of possibly losing Guehi and Eze. I really hope they will stay in this great squad. As for the disallowed goal, it was six of one and half a dozen of the other by both players which led to Eze's disallowed goal. I think the goal should have stood. Why on earth can't the transfer window close BEFORE the season starts? It's ridiculous how it is now.
Gary: I thought it was an excellent performance against Chelsea's millions. We only spent £2m so far. We've proved once again we can compete against the 'bigger' clubs. Eze was unlucky to have his goal ruled out as otherwise it was a win. An excellent performance, especially defensively.
Corin: Promising start to the season. Well organised in defence and dangerous in attack. Wharton is such an effortlessly classy player! Two years in a row we've had a goal disallowed in the first game. Should have been a penalty when Sanchez punched Guehi just before half-time. Glasner deserves praise for what he has achieved. If Eze and or Guehi go, they go with massive thanks and will always be legends at Palace. Without them, Palace will still be a test for anyone.
Gossip: Inter reject Blues' Bastoni offerpublished at 07:02 BST 18 August
07:02 BST 18 August
Inter Milan have turned down a 50m euros (£43m) bid from Chelsea for Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni, 26. (La Gazzetta dello Sport), external
RB Leipzig and Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons, 22, has told the club he wants a transfer to Stamford Bridge, despite interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester City. (ESPN), external
Chelsea's £250m attack misfires against Crystal Palacepublished at 16:43 BST 17 August
16:43 BST 17 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea started against Crystal Palace with new signing Joao Pedro up front, Cole Palmer playing in behind, Jamie Gittens on the left and Pedro Neto on the right - and another creative influence, Enzo Fernandez, in midfield.
However, they struggled to create anything before the break and could well have been behind.
In the second half, two other new attackers - Estevao and Liam Delap - came off the bench when the hosts were pushing for a winner and Palace appeared willing to settle for a point away at a 'big-six' opponent.
The six attackers mentioned above cost Chelsea close to £250m in total - not including the £107m for midfielder Fernandez - so fans would no doubt expect the Blues to create plenty of chances.
But they mustered just three shots on target on Sunday - one fewer than Palace - and could have done with someone like former winger Eden Hazard, who was watching on in the stands.
Chelsea will feel their attack will start firing soon, but perhaps their short pre-season and addition of so many new players, once again, means they take time to settle.
This was a missed opportunity for the Blues who were in celebration mode before kick-off, which helped create one of the loudest atmospheres at Stamford Bridge since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yet the positive feelings from winning the Club World Cup and Conference League could not be translated into a statement display on the field. However, goodwill among their fanbase is still alive despite a disappointing opening result.
Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace: What Maresca saidpublished at 16:37 BST 17 August
16:37 BST 17 August
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea drew 0-0 to Crystal Palace in their opening Premier League fixture on Sunday and manager Enzo Maresca believes his team could have performed better, but not to get ahead of themselves.
"Tough game, we expected a tough game. Apart from the first half free-kick, we didn't concede any chances but they are a very good team," Maresca told BBC Match of the Day.
"We could have counter attacked better, we could have defended better but it is only the first game of the season.
On a limited pre season: "They [Palace] played about eight games, we played just two so we tried our best. We didn't lose a clean sheet."
On how the new signings performed: "Some of them are ready, some of them need to adapt a little bit but overall very happy with all of them."
On Eberechi Eze's free-kick: "When they scored, I didn't see that but when they reviewed it, I saw that it was a foul."
On signing a central defender: "You like to talk about central defenders? I already spoke. Thank you very much."
Sutton's predictions: Chelsea v Crystal Palacepublished at 11:06 BST 17 August
11:06 BST 17 August
There is real excitement about Chelsea at the moment.
They have just won the Club World Cup but the Premier League is the one they want and I bet one or two of their fans are thinking they have got half a chance this season.
This game might be a reminder of how hard that is going to be, because Crystal Palace are such a well-balanced and dangerous side under Oliver Glasner.
I still think Chelsea will win though. They have a few options up front now and some versatile attackers too, so they can try to break Palace down in different ways.
Chelsea v Crystal Palace: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:57 BST 16 August
13:57 BST 16 August
Tom McCoy BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea and Crystal Palace have both won two trophies each since the end of the last domestic season and will hope to carry that momentum into the first London derby of the new Premier League campaign.
Palace claimed the first major honour in their history by winning the FA Cup final and also beat Liverpool on penalties last weekend to lift the Community Shield.
Chelsea, meanwhile, claimed silverware in the Conference League and the newly expanded Club World Cup.
But their summers have otherwise followed very different paths.
Chelsea's relentless turnover of players has continued apace, with over £230m spent on incomings and more than £190m recouped in sales.
New signings, such as Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Jorrel Hato and Estevao Willian, could make their league debuts for the Blues on Sunday, as could the in-form Joao Pedro. The Brazilian scored three goals in two starts at the Club World Cup and also netted in pre-season wins over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.
Palace, meanwhile, have spent just £2m - the second lowest figure in the top flight prior to the weekend - adding some squad depth with the recruitment of full-back Borna Sosa and goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
Despite unprecedented success on the field, it has been a testing period for chairman Steve Parish. On Monday, Palace lost their appeal against demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport backing Uefa's decision that they were in breach of multi-club ownership rules.
The club are also braced for bids for Marc Guehi, who has entered the final year of his contract, and Eberechi Eze, who has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham.
Losing Eze would be a real blow, particularly this late in the transfer window.
He has improved his total number of goals and assists in each of the past three seasons and either scored or created 26 goals in all competitions last term, the highest figure of his career.
Will Chelsea's youthful approach pay off?published at 12:02 BST 16 August
12:02 BST 16 August
We have looked into the age profile of Chelsea's players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.
For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.
The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.
While the approach may at times have seemed chaotic, a clear vision for Chelsea since the arrival of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022 has been a focus on young players.
Last season, there was no player over the age of 30 in their Premier League squad as they put all their faith in youth.
Now, with more players heading into the peak category, the Conference League and Club World Cup success last campaign suggests the approach may finally be bearing fruit.
Judging by this summer's business, the owners look determined to stick with the transfer gameplan, with all the latest signings also fitting in that youth category.
Now, it is up to the Blues' blossoming squad to challenge those at the very top of the league this time around.
Who will be Chelsea's breakout player this season? published at 10:09 BST 16 August
10:09 BST 16 August
Image source, Getty Images
Let's have a look at who BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators have picked as the Chelsea player to watch out for in the next few months.
Estevao Willian
Age: 18 Position: Winger Country: Brazil
Conor McNamara: I commentated on Estevao's debut for Chelsea against Bayer Leverkusen and the kid is a star.
He showed an excellent poachers' instinct to score his first goal in Chelsea blue, reacting well after Cole Palmer's shot had come back off the crossbar - but Estevao's game is all about running with the ball at high speed.
He only turned 18 in April, but the Brazilian looks the real deal.
It's early days of course, but he already seems to have a telepathy with Palmer - when the England international backheeled the ball on the edge of the area against Leverkusen, Estevao knew it was coming and got his shot away.
Mark Scott: I'm commentating at the Bridge on Sunday and Estevao is the player I'm most excited about seeing.
Regarded by many as the biggest talent to come out of Brazil since Vinicius Junior, he gave Chelsea fans a taste of his ability with a cracker against them at the Club World Cup, and has since impressed in a blue shirt with a sparkling showing in the friendly win over Leverkusen.
That electric performance showcased the abilities that have led to all the hype - immense quality on the ball and extreme confidence and flair driving at defenders with it.
Estevao is versatile as well, able to play on either flank or as a number 10. Chelsea's plan was to ease him in gradually, but they might have to re-think that.
