Chelsea's 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo has had an operation on a thigh injury and could be out for a minimum of 12 weeks. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Football Association has charged Chelsea with 74 breaches of rules related to payments to agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players.
The governing body says the offences took place between 2009 and 2022.
Chelsea reported themselves to the FA and "all relevant regulators" and have pointed out the club's transparency in a statement.
The club said: "During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules.
"Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.
"The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club's files and historical data."
Chelsea have until 19 September to respond to the FA.
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea are set to seal the signing of winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen on a long-term contract.
The 16-year-old is ready to commit to Chelsea on his 17th birthday and sign his first professional contract despite interest from other top clubs.
The Blues are expected to avoid a repeat of the situation that saw Rio Ngumoha join Liverpool from Chelsea in 2024.
Kavuma-McQueen is regarded as potentially the top attacking talent at Chelsea. He is currently playing against players many years his senior in the Under-21s league this season and has taken part in multiple first-team training sessions.
The youngster also made headlines by scoring four goals in England Under-17s 7-5 win over Germany during the international break.
He is part of an exciting generation of teenage footballers that Chelsea's academy technical director Glenn van der Kraan and head of academy recruitment Delroy Ebanks are looking to tie down to new contracts.
While they have been active in the transfer market, Chelsea believe that they have shown youngsters there is a pathway into the first team with flagship talents Reece James, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and now Josh Acheampong having substantial roles under manager Enzo Maresca.
Maresca gave a club-record eight debuts to academy players last season.
Liverpool and Newcastle are the latest clubs to join the race to sign England and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, 21, with Chelsea and Manchester United also among interested parties. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea midfielder Dario Essugo has undergone surgery on his thigh, the club have confirmed.
The 20-year-old picked up the injury while on international duty with Portugal's under-21s.
In a statement, Chelsea said the operation was "successful" and that Essugo will "now begin his recovery at Cobham, supported by the club's medical department".
Essugo officially joined the Blues for £18m from Sporting in June having agreed a deal in March.
He is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League but made his debut for Chelsea in the Club World Cup in June, featuring on three occasions.
Will Faulks
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea have two wins and a draw from their opening three games. It is a good start in terms of points, and there is plenty of justified optimism.
The defence has been extremely solid so far, and the physicality of the side has gone up a level with the additions made in the summer. Set-pieces have turned from a weakness to a strength, and there is more quality depth in the squad than a year ago.
However, there are asterisks besides all the results so far. Chelsea drew with a good team, beat a very bad team and then squeezed past a decent team in a game that hinged on a single VAR decision in their favour.
Being able to score from set-pieces is a strength - but it will only take you so far. More attacking fluency is needed to beat better teams.
Given the Club World Cup's disruption of pre-season, getting through these first few months of the season and just putting points on the board is what matters to the Blues.
On that front, it is so far so good. Things should now come together gradually in attack as the new players settle and the squad digests the latest influx of new faces.
But nobody should be getting ahead of themselves yet. There are bigger games to come, and when the Champions League gets rolling, we will see Chelsea's depth being tested.
Maresca has shown many strengths as a coach, but this is a new challenge for him.
It will be very interesting to see how quickly he can integrate the new players and get effective attacking patterns functioning against top-tier opposition.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external
Chelsea remain interested in 30-year-old AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, despite failing to agree a deal for the France international this summer, and are excited by the opportunity to land him on a free transfer in 2026. (TBR Football), external
Tottenham made a late move to sign Paris St-Germain's Senny Mayulu before the transfer window shut, with Chelsea and Manchester City also keen on the 19-year-old French midfielder. (Teamtalk), external
Lyon's 20-year-old Belgium winger Malick Fofana attracted interest from Chelsea and Liverpool during the summer transfer window. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesAxel Disasi is expected to train separately from the core first-team group - at least initially - but is ready if called upon by Chelsea.
The 27-year-old joined in a £38.5m move from Monaco in 2023 but the Blues tried to sell him or send him out on loan this summer.
However, despite Premier League interest from the likes of Bournemouth and West Ham, the defender has ended up stranded in Chelsea's remaining so-called 'bomb squad'.
There are question marks over what happens next.
Disasi, a France international, plans to remain professional and committed, and is willing to play for the club again if asked.
He remains available and hopes to prove himself - albeit most likely from a separate building for now - but with a view to impress and get back into head coach Enzo Maresca's thinking.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe dust has just about settled on a busy transfer window for Chelsea.
In total, the Blues brought in 10 players for a total of about £278.8m based on reported initial fees.
Those incomings were:
Joao Pedro - Brighton (permanent)
Jamie Gittens - Borussia Dortmund (permanent)
Alejandro Garnacho - Manchester United (permanent)
Jorrel Hato - Ajax (permanent)
Liam Delap - Ipswich Town (permanent)
Estevao Willian - Palmeiras (permanent)
Dario Essugo - Sporting (permanent)
Mamadou Sarr - Strasbourg (permanent)
Kendry Paez - Independiente del Valle (permanent)
Facundo Buonanotte - Brighton (loan)
Heading the other way, Chelsea had 24 notable outgoings.
These included a loan with an obligation to buy for Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich, while there was also the permanent exits Noni Madueke to Arsenal, Christopher Nkunku to AC Milan and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Everton.
Of all the summer incomings at Stamford Bridge, who do you think will have the biggest impact?
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesUefa have cleared Chelsea over a potential sporting sanction in the Champions League after they managed to achieve a "positive transfer balance" in the summer transfer window.
In July, the Blues were fined £26.7m for not adhering to Uefa's financial controls and also risked not being able to register new signings like Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian for the Champions League had they not sold more players than they bought in the summer window.
However, on Thursday, a Uefa statement confirmed: "The squad list submitted fulfilled the criteria of the settlement agreement and it was therefore already reviewed and approved before publication on Uefa's website."
This summer, Chelsea specifically sold players who were Conference League staples, including Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga - as the Blues broke the Premier League record in player sales.
In fact, the last few days were all about sell, sell, sell for Chelsea, having added eight of ultimately nine new signings to the squad. Only Facundo Buonanotte arrived on deadline day, a season-long loan from Brighton.
However, when Liam Delap pulled up at 12:44pm on Saturday, it sent Chelsea into panic mode. In the hours before the match, AC Milan had completed a move for forward Christopher Nkunku and the club had allowed Nicolas Jackson to travel for a medical at Bayern Munich.
As the seriousness of Delap's injury became known, Chelsea reneged on the deal with Bayern, prompting an angry reaction from Jackson and his representatives.
Chelsea assessed three things: the opportunity of signing Sporting's Conrad Harder, the option of recalling Guiu, and finally a choice to bring Jackson back.
Ultimately, the club felt Guiu's return was the better choice given he has Premier League experience, unlike Harder, plus he knows the system and has the attributes to succeed.
According to Football Transfers, Chelsea's net spend is £1.5m with £285m spent on the likes of Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho. This was countered with £283.5m of sales, which included Noni Madueke, Joao Felix and Nkunku. Add-on fees also take Chelsea into a positive balance.
Chelsea also offloaded almost all of their unwanted loanees but Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi remain stranded in the 'bomb squad'. They have sold over £750m worth of players to partially balance the more than £1.6bn spent on incoming transfers over the past three years.
Image source, Getty ImagesDeparted left-back Ben Chilwell says Chelsea fans "gave me the best moments of my life" in a farewell message on social media, external.
The 28-year-old, who joined fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg on a two-year deal on transfer deadline day, wrote a goodbye message to supporters alongside a video.
Chilwell's permanent move ends a five-year spell at Stamford Bridge after joining from Leicester in 2020. During that time, he became a Champions League winner and made 107 appearances in total, scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists.
Injury stunted his progress at Chelsea and he fell out of favour under recent management, ultimately spending the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace.
"Chelsea fans, firstly thank you! We won the Champions League together, made a bond like I'd never have imagined and I met brothers for life on and off the pitch here," the England international Chilwell said.
"You helped me through the tough times, injuries, personal life, and gave me the best moments of my life.
"I'll never be able to thank you guys enough - looking forward to showing everyone my best. See you soon. Chilly."
Chelsea's England forward Raheem Sterling, 30, France defender Axel Disasi, 27, and Brazil midfielder Andrey Santos, 21, could all make moves to Saudi Arabia before the Pro League transfer window closes. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesRuben Loftus-Cheek was a casualty of the unprecedented churn of players at Chelsea between the Roman Abramovich ownership and the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era.
He was the first player to properly break through the now-revered Cobham academy under Abramovich's ownership, which made him an important figure at Stamford Bridge.
Loftus-Cheek had his best years under Thomas Tuchel, who made it one of his pet projects to allow the player he compared to Germany great Michael Ballack to realise his potential.
However, it was downhill after Tuchel was sacked by the new owners and Loftus-Cheek endured a chaotic 2022-23 season as Chelsea finished 12th.
Around this time, midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo joined for more than £100m apiece and academy players were sold for 'pure profit' to help balance the books.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has reflected on his time playing under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge after the England manager added him to his latest squad.
Loftus-Cheek - who now plays for AC Milan - was a favourite of Tuchel during his 20-month spell in charge of the Blues between 2021 and 2022 and played in several positions under the German.
It is over six years since the 29-year-old earned his last call-up under Gareth Southgate in March 2019.
"I played many positions under him - he values my physicality," Loftus-Cheek said.
"I played at six, eight and at centre-back all in one game!
"When he [Tuchel] came to Chelsea, he spoke to me about playing right wing-back. I said: 'No! No! No!' But I played there anyway.
"I had never played in that wide position before and Tuchel suggested that I am a powerful runner and have the pace and physicality to get up and down at speed.
"I ended up playing there a lot in that season. I was happy to play but it was just the shock of the suggestion which was the funny thing. I started to do quite well there and feel the position, and it became comfortable for me."
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea recalled Marc Guiu as their top option to address striker Liam Delap's injury.
Guiu, 19, was deemed the best loanee to lead the attack at Stamford Bridge by the Chelsea hierarchy, given his Premier League experience and understanding of manager Enzo Maresca's style of play.
There had been a period of uncertainty around Chelsea's activity after Delap suffered a serious-looking hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham.
A ripple effect across the transfer market followed, including blocking Nicolas Jackson from undergoing a medical examination at Bayern Munich and an inquiry to Sporting about striker Conrad Harder.
However, concerns about the Denmark Under-21 forward's ability to make a difference at Chelsea made him an opportunity not worth pursuing, especially as he ultimately joined RB Leipzig.
Instead, Guiu, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona in 2024 for £5m, was seen as deserving the opportunity created by Delap's injury, and his pathway should not be blocked by a new signing.
There was no recall clause in Guiu's loan agreement with Sunderland, but the two clubs' positive relationship enabled them to reach a deal, aided by a penalty clause if the young striker did not play sufficient minutes.
Chelsea also factored in Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha when making the decision.
The 22-year-old, who now captains the French club in their Ligue 1 and Conference League campaigns, is seen internally as a future Netherlands international and player capable of featuring for Chelsea or in the Premier League soon.
The decision not to sign Harder and to work with Guiu was also made with Emegha's future development in mind.
Will Faulks
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesIt was a very solid transfer window for Chelsea, but one which just fell short of being really exceptional.
Unlike last year, where it was hard to identify where the team had really improved over the summer, the Blues added first team quality and depth through the squad.
Sales were also always going to be important this summer, and on that front things went even better, starting with an unexpected windfall for Joao Felix from Saudi Arabia. The club were able to cash in on some of their successful buy low, sell high gambles from years past: Renato Veiga and Noni Madueke were both flipped for serious profit. That created the headroom necessary for another major shakeup of the first XI.
Joao Pedro has hit the ground running up front and looks to finally have brought a consistent goalscorer to Stamford Bridge. The most hyped transfer was one arranged more than a year ago - Estevao Willian is probably the most exciting attacking signing at Chelsea since Eden Hazard. But less glamorous additions like Jorrel Hato and the return of Andrey Santos will be just as important in a long season competing on four fronts.
Moves for Facundo Buonanotte and Alejandro Garnacho feel like gambles - but ones the club can afford to take after such a strong summer of selling.
Of course it wasn't a perfect window - Robert Sanchez is still the first choice goalkeeper, and there does feel a risk in relying on the injury prone Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile as important defensive options in a season we know Levi Colwill is going to miss.
Nicolas Jackson's departure to Bayern Munich was a deal too good to miss - but it's a gamble and it will only take a couple of injuries up front for it to backfire.
I would rate this window an 8/10.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external
Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent
Chelsea have been strong on set-pieces in the opening three games of the season - getting good shots off following corners in particular.
Analysing Joao Pedro's goal in the win over Fulham highlights the interesting manner in which they have been troubling opposition goalkeepers.
Pedro found space from Calvin Bassey as the Fulham man defended zonally. The Brazilian striker didn't move just to get room but also to trouble the goalkeeper directly.
After moving away from Bassey, he applied physical pressure to Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno - being the 'blocker' Chelsea have used Delap as. It prevents the goalkeeper stepping up and frees space for team-mates.
But against Fulham, the 'blocker' stepped back into space to head the ball home himself. Leno was preoccupied with trying to deal with the physical contact and by the time the header came, he couldn't react quickly enough.
Chelsea's improved corner routines - and the use of certain players on the opposition goalkeeper - is a trend to look out for in coming weeks.
Joao Pedro finds separation from the Fulham defence to apply pressure to the keeper before dropping back to head the ball goalward
Raheem Sterling looks set to stay at Chelsea with no interest the forward from clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia or the United States, even though their transfer windows closes later. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
