Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says January has been "a disaster" because of ongoing speculation around his players.

He believes the transfer window, a notorious time of year for rumours and hearsay, has affected the focus of some of his players and negatively impacted their results.

Earlier this week, defender Renato Veiga was rumoured to be in discussions with Borussia Dortmund and there have been questions over the future of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall too.

Elsewhere, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei have all been told they can find new clubs this month.

"On the pitch, for sure I would like to win more games, but I'm OK," said Maresca. "Off the pitch it's a disaster because [there are] so many noises that I don't think help us, but I don't think they help any club.

"It's for every club [and] every manager. When there is any noise about some player, it's not easy, because even if you think the player can be focused on us, in the end they are human beings.

"So if there is any noise about some different clubs, probably [the player] is not focused 100 per cent, so it doesn't help."

Sarah Rendell
BBC Sport journalist

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

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca said Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia did not train on Friday.

• On top scorer Palmer: "In the first half [of the game against Bournemouth on Tuesday], they kicked him so he didn't train today. We don't know if he will train tomorrow."

• On the fitness of captain Reece James: "For Reece, it is not about if he scores goals or how many minutes, it's just to manage him. We are going to see. If he plays 45 minutes, he can be ready but we don't want to risk [him]. We don't want him to get injured again."

• On the improving form of Enzo Fernandez: "He understands the game much better than the start of the season. That's normal when you start a new process and also because the way we want him to play is a bit different. We were sure he was going to score goals and give us clear chances. I think by being more clinical, he could."

• On recalling defender Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace: "It is quite an easy process [getting him back]. We have quite a few injuries and we were looking for a solution so we called back Trev. First of all, we know him very well - second we are sure he can [impress]."

• On transfer rumours potentially distracting players: "When there is noise about any player, it is not easy because even if you are sure the player can be focused on us, he is a human being. If there is noise about a different club, [he is] probably not focused 100%. It's not [helpful]."

• On opponents Wolves and if he took any lessons from their 6-2 win over them earlier this season: "They changed their manager. Now, it not the same idea. I don't think the last game can be [relevant] for us or for them. It is a new game with a new manager and a different way to attack and defend. We can be ready the way we were for the past few games to get the three points."

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

Chelsea are in talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign 22-year-old Germany forward Karim Adeyemi this summer. (Bild, via Christian Falk), external

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Deportivo La Coruna have turned down an offer from Chelsea for 22-year-old Spanish winger Yeremay Hernandez. (Metro), external

Chelsea are unlikely to sign England defender Marc Guehi, 24, from Crystal Palace this month after recalling Trevoh Chalobah, 25, from a loan spell at Selhurst Park. (Mail), external

Brighton have expressed an interest in English centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, 27, who joined Chelsea in July. (Mail), external

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Watch highlights and analysis from eight midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool

• Everton 0-1 Aston Villa

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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A simple trend is emerging in the first 18 months of Nicolas Jackson's Chelsea career.

The 23-year-old striker has gone through boom-and-bust cycles every few months since his £32m move from Villarreal in 2023.

His total output is currently a creditable 26 goals and 10 assists in 65 Chelsea matches but look closer and see the streaks.

Take last season:

• At the start of his Chelsea career, Jackson scored just one goal in seven matches

• He then scored six goals in eight matches, including his only Chelsea hat-trick, away at Tottenham

• After that, came a run of one goal in nine games before the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024

• Upon his return, he hit four goals in eight matches

• One goal in seven games, preceded four in three as he finished the season strongly

This season, he got off to an excellent start and his best goalscoring form at Chelsea with nine goals in the opening 16 games.

Now though, it is five without.

The issue is not his quality, as demonstrated by his long-range shot and assist for Cole Palmer during the first half of the draw with Bournemouth.

But Jackson appears to carry baggage when on these barren runs, having had seven shots without scoring against Bournemouth, the most by a Chelsea player without scoring, since Diego Costa (nine) against Crystal Palace in April 2017.

Those misses carried an expected goals rating of 1.11 and were part of the reason they failed to beat an injury-stricken Bournemouth side.

Adding reliability, which players like Palmer, Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak have in abundance, will be crucial in taking the Senegal international's game to the next level.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka, Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have three pertinent things in common: they all signed for Chelsea in the past two-and-a-half years, they have all been linked with moves away from the club this month, and they have all started fewer than five Premier League games for the Blues.

Veiga has one start, Chukwuemeka four; Dewsbury-Hall and Casadei none between them.

None of them can say they have had anything approaching a fair shot at showing what they can do. Yet putting them up for sale will not be seen as an admission of failure by the sporting directors. They are not being sold because they are bad - not necessarily, at least. They are being sold because there is a chance to make money by selling them, or to save money and raise their value by loaning them out.

This is the new reality that Chelsea fans have to get used to. They are no longer an institution built to win at any cost. They are still looking to win - but also keep a very firm eye on the cost.

The 'player trading' model the club has adopted is all fun and games when you are signing the South American teenagers; but it does not feel quite as glamorous when you are shuffling mediocre full-backs around every six months to scrape a sub-£10m profit.

It is important for clubs to try and spend sustainably, but the slightly grubby wheeler-dealing of trading players as 'assets' is something that will take some time for supporters to embrace.

This model also creates an atmosphere of uncertainty in the dressing room. If everyone outside the starting XI feels like they are just one profit and sustainability rules payment or one offer away from being shipped off to Dortmund or Atletico Madrid, can you forge the sort of chemistry and team spirit needed to win the biggest prizes?

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

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We asked for your views on the decision not to send David Brooks off for an incident involving Marc Cucurella during Chelsea's 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.

Here are some of your comments:

Michael: Should we expect to see more players deliberately grabbed around the face and neck off the ball now that referees have determined it to be a yellow-card offence?

Kerry: Jack Stephens was sent off for pulling Cucurella's hair at Southampton before Christmas. Brooks clotheslined him before dragging him to the ground by his hair and was booked. What's the point of VAR if it can't ensure consistency in this most unique and specific type of incidents?

Steve: Chelsea were by far the better team. Rob Jones should be ashamed of himself for not sending Brooks off. The referee was the most influential in the result - that should not happen, although we are seeing this week after week.

Mike: Call me old fashioned but I was always led to believe that flinging an opponent to the ground by their hair was serious violent foul play. Yellow card was an insult.

MG: Referee was the only person at the Bridge who did not think the assault on Cucurella was a red.

Garry: How was that not a red card? Terrible performance by the referee.

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There were mumours of disbelief from Chelsea fans in Stamford Bridge when referee Rob Jones did not send Bournemouth's David Brooks off after going to the pitchside monitor to check for a red card offence in an incident between him and Marc Cucurella.

Fans have become used to on-field reviews being a foregone conclusion with referees routinely changing their decisions when alerted to possible 'clear and obvious' errors.

With the score at 1-1 in Tuesday's 2-2 draw, the video assistant referee spotted Brooks taking out Marc Cucurella off the ball as Chelsea looked to break from a defensive corner with the Cherries winger appearing to catch the Blues defender in the face with his arm before grabbing at his hair.

Jones' decision to just issue a caution to Brooks was the first time in the Premier League that a referee has rejected a red-card review at the pitchside monitor.

Therefore, it was also the first time a red-card review for an unseen incident has resulted in a yellow card.

It is also the first time this season that the on-field referee has gone against the advice of his VAR after a video review.

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We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Bournemouth, which finished in a 2-2 draw.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Julian: Looks like we're slipping back into old habits of not killing off teams when we dominate. I thought Nicolas Jackson was incredibly unlucky tonight. Hit the post, fantastic header saved, insane bounce off a divot... We're still in a great place in the league but we need to get out of this rut.

Ash: I really like Nico Jackson, but when we signed him it was never the intention for him to be starting every game. He still has a lot to learn and keeps missing a host of chances. Chelsea would be fools to let Christopher Nkunku leave. He needs to start more games and with his finishing, we could have easily seen Bournemouth off before half-time.

Alan: I'll keep it simple. How long before Enzo Maresca realises that there is a serious problem with our back four as well as Robert Sanchez? It's just full of holes and disorganisation. Yet again, Jackson is running round like a headless chicken trying to look good. Reece James out of position - what's the point? Is it so simple that Maresca can't see the problem or is he out of his depth in this league?

James: The way we are playing every game in the first half is promising, but we can't keep dropping much-needed points due to poor second half performances. That needs to change if we are going to secure champions league next season. Delighted with Reece's goal and just hoping he stays fit at least for the remainder of the season.

Bournemouth fans

Gabriel: Would have loved to win the game, but I am more feeling so proud of that performance from us! That second half we were fantastic all over the pitch, especially with our pressing being extremely effective. Special shoutouts to Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook!

Paul: Outstanding display from the Cherries to extend their unbeaten run against a tough Chelsea team. The fitness levels of the Bournemouth players are incredible and need to be, with the constant high press. Definitely need that number nine to complete the line-up but until he arrives there are plenty of goals in Kluivert, Semenyo and Dango Ouattara. A joy to watch!

Wing: Having taken the lead and been the better side for much of the second half, given the context of all the injuries we have, we are still disappointed with a draw at Chelsea. We really have come a long way as a great front-footed side, and it is a pleasure to be a Cherries fan right now come what may.

Jonathon: When you have six first-team players out, including your first and second choice strikers, and you're still disappointed with a point at Stamford Bridge, you know the gaffer is doing something right. This team is punching way above its weight. Us Cherries fans were dreaming of our highest points total and league finish this season under Andoni Iraola, but none of us thought we'd be genuine contenders for a European spot. Who knows what is possible? Little old Bournemouth, eh?

Chelsea will want a £65m fee for striker Christopher Nkunku amid interest from Bayern Munich, with the France international unhappy at Stamford Bridge. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

Centre-back Axel Disasi is the latest player who could be heading out of Chelsea because of a lack of game time. (Mirror, external)

The Blues are keen on Nurnberg striker Stefanos Tzimas, 19, with the Greek forward potentially available for about £20m and also attracting interest from Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa. (Sky - in German, external)

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "I think first half we completely deserved to win the game. We should have scored three goals. When we conceded in the second half, we dropped. We deserved to win the game when we created so many chances.

"It was one of the best parts of the season in the first half. We were aggressive and the chances we created. We are a bit unlucky in scoring goals. We miss and then we concede. We need to continue. The bad thing, as I said, is that after the penalty, we drop and there is no reason we need to do that.

"The game was completely in our control and it's something we need to improve.

"I have concerns always even when we are winning matches. This is the Premier League, when you don't create chances and don't score then you have to be more concerned."

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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Reece James was the headline maker at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

The Chelsea captain marked his Premier League return from injury by scoring a 95th-minute equaliser against Bournemouth with a pin-point free-kick.

The full-back has missed 21 games with hamstring injuries this season and has managed just five Premier League outings all campaign.

He looked elated after his brilliant free-kick hit the net, punching the air and roaring with delight while England manager Thomas Tuchel watched on from the stands.

Since he was made Chelsea captain at the start of last campaign, the 25-year-old has started just eight top-flight games.

His last league match before Bournemouth had been an eight minute cameo against Arsenal in November.

His last goal had been against AC Milan in October, 2022.

"He deserved it, those moments are difficult for every player," said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

"Now, the target for him is to be fit until the end and he will help us in the way we want to play."

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Chelsea's Cole Palmer has been directly involved in 53 goals (36 goals, 17 assists) in his 50 Premier League starts for Chelsea - only Erling Haaland (64 for Manchester City) and Andrew Cole (57 for Newcastle United) have ever registered more goals and assists in their first 50 starts in the competition for one club.

The midfielder has also scored 14 goals and assisted six in the league this season, after 33 goal involvements in 2023-24, he is the first Blues player to register 20 or more goals and assists in consecutive campaigns since Eden Hazard did so across three between 2012-13 and 2014-15.

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Chelsea captain Reece James, speaking to TNT Sports: "I knew it was a good distance and that side of the goal was open. There was a period where I was scoring quite frequently and I haven't had that feeling for quite a long time.

"I think we had a few clear-cut chances that we should have taken in the first half and put the game to bed. It's across football globally, if you have chances and you don't take them then it can come back and hurt you.

On David Brooks potential red card: "When the referee takes a look at the monitor then it's never a good sign.

"There are positives to take away from the game but there are negatives as well. It's mixed emotions."

On England boss Thomas Tuchel on attendance: "I worked under him, he knows my capabilities."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back to this page on Wednesday to find a selection of your replies