Chelsea

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off game against Servette (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Captain Reece James will not be fit to face Servette, while new signing Joao Felix will have to wait until Sunday's game at Wolves to be eligible to play.

• Maresca confirmed right-back James is the club's captain, but they "have three or four more options after him" and he is "thinking of one or two more to nominate to give more responsibility".

• On why they signed Portugal international Felix, Maresca said: "He is a good player, he is a talent. The club already knows him from two years ago. He can play different positions with us - inside, as a nine, outside."

• He said Conor Gallagher's exit was "not something new" but that it "is very sad" to sell players like him and added: "In his moment things are different because you have to sell academy players for profit. It is the situation and the rules are there and we need to respect the rules."

• After confirming Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are training away from the first-team squad, Maresca said he did not feel he was being "brutal", just "honest".

• He added: "I spoke with Raheem before the Manchester City game, I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is why he was out of the squad. With Chilwell, I said he is a lovely guy but, because of his position with us, he is going to struggle. If you define this as brutal that is for you to decide, I say this is honesty."

• On if he will struggle to keep players happy: "Almost impossible to keep them all content. I just try to be honest with all of them. The noise is all outside, I am working with 21-22 players, I'm not working with 42 players. We are 42-43 players, but more than 15 players are training apart."

• He added: "It is not about if they are Chelsea players, they are not working with me. It is not a mess like it looks from outside, absolutely not."

• On difficulties with the length of contracts of some players: "This is not my problem. I just have to think about who is best for us. If they have six-year or 20-year contracts, I'm just here to make best decisions for the team. The contracts are not my job."

Follow all of Wednesday's football news here

You have been sending us your reaction to Chelsea selling Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, after the England international said his 18-year stay at the club made his "dreams come true".

Here are some of your thoughts:

Harvey: Our owners are sadly clueless. Before them, we were extremely well run and we were champions. Now we have wasted over £1bn with no clear plan or structure. The player numbers are out of control and we have a manager who has knelt at the feet of Pep Guardiola. Selling Conor Gallagher is like selling Frank Lampard - and that obviously didn't happen! Go home Todd.

Tom: It is just awful. Last season it was Mount, now it is Gallagher and Chalobah is likely to follow! We are just numbers on a spreadsheet that needs balancing for Todd Boehly - and I'm not sure he is even good at that! I know football is a business, but it is also about keeping the players that understand what it means to represent the club.

Peter: He had to be sold so the deal could be done for Joao Felix. He refused a new contract. The only way we could get a fee for him was to buy Joao Felix from Atletico, therefore making it possible for them to buy Gallagher from us. Conor always gave 100% but he lacked a finish or often lost the ball along the way. I wish him the best of luck for the future.

Rod: Chelsea should hang their heads in shame. Another loyal and homegrown player sold. I have been a Chelsea supporter for 66 years, but I'm beginning to question their policies because it seems to me that the club is going backwards.

Fossie: Another good academy product lost. When are these owners going to understand that you cannot buy success? The spine of any team must come from those who are the heart and soul of the club - the academy players. These owners are wasting money on heartless players who owe the club nothing but still pick up a wage. Something has got to change.

Bernie: I'm glad to see the back of him. He keeps saying that playing for Chelsea was "a dream come true" yet, after multiple contract offers and being made captain (albeit a stand-in), he decides to leave. The constant rumours of him moving on can now, thankfully, end.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's new signing Joao Felix says he's "really happy to be back" and always wanted to return to the Premier League after previously spending time on loan at the club.

Speaking to the club's official website, external the Portuguese said: "I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can’t wait to get started, I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice.

"I loved my time here before and I told my friends and family that I’d love to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling and I’m excited to be back."

The 24-year-old scored four times for the Blues in 20 appearances during his previous loan spell at the club in the 2022-23 season.

England playmaker Cole Palmer says individual awards are "nice" but he wants to win trophies with Chelsea after receiving the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Image source, Getty Images

Conor Gallagher says playing for Chelsea made his "dreams come true" after the midfielder completed his move to Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £33m.

The 24-year-old has joined the La Liga club on a five-year-deal and it brings to an end an 18-year association with the Blues after he joined the club's academy at the age of six.

Gallagher made 95 first-team appearances, scoring 10 goals, and captained Chelsea on a number of occasions in the absence of Reece James.

He also won the Europa League in 2019 and, as part of the youth set-up, two FA Youth Cup trophies.

"To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true," the England international said in a post on social media., external

"It's been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions. I loved every moment. These memories will last forever.

"I appreciate all the love and support from the fans. Hearing the chant of my name at the Bridge is a special feeling, and the banner you displayed meant the world to me. Thank you for everything.

"I wish the club all the best for the future, and I hope to see you all soon at Stamford Bridge!"

Chelsea fans - do you have a favourite moment from Gallagher's time at the club?

Let us know here, external

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

I got the long straw this weekend - being sent to the Chelsea v Manchester City with BBC Radio 5 Live. Sadly the game didn't live up to our high expectations.

The better team won, even if City were far from their best. Chelsea weren't awful, they were just a bit dull and lacking imagination, inspiration and creativity. Or to put it another way, Cole Palmer had a quiet game.

Their over-reliance on the young star was clear, but then they have bought the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Pedro Neto to share the load this season.

City will improve when the big players are fully match fit, while Chelsea still haven't settled into a rhythm two years and over a billion pounds into the project.

It is often a good question to ask yourself in these circumstances, who would City take from the current Chelsea side? Maybe Malo Gusto as a back-up defender and, of course, Palmer - but that looks about it.

City felt they had to let Palmer go last season but I'm convinced Pep Guardiola didn't want to lose him. That was clear by their bromance, initiated by Pep, at the end of the match.

The breaking story was Raheem Sterling being omitted from the squad and immediately sending out a press statement.

From Sterling's perspective, he will have watched Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, among others, being ruthlessly cut from the squad.

It is more likely that his own deselection is opening salvos in the next heartless piece of precision elimination from the squad, rather than the technical decision suggested by manager Enzo Maresca.

This might be one way to trim the bloated squad, but it doesn't make the group feel together and it can engender a fearful and toxic culture.

Can you really feel part of the club when you know you are one tap on an accountant's spreadsheet away from being unceremoniously dumped?

If that is the fate of Gallagher - last season's captain - what hope did Sterling, a decorated England international, and Chalobah, who joined the club at the age of eight, have of sticking around?

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The PFA's Premier League Team of the Year - as voted for by players - was largely dominated by Manchester City and Arsenal once again this season.

Premier League champions Manchester City's stars included Kyle Walker, Rodri, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, meanwhile David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard all featured for the Gunners.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins were also included in the ultimate 11-player line-up, but PFA Young Player of the Year Cole Palmer didn't make the cut.

Palmer racked up 25 goals and registered 15 assists in 45 appearances during his first season with Chelsea.

Other notable omissions included Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's Cole Palmer says he used a photo of the PFA Players' Player of the Year trophy as his phone wallpaper last season as a reminder "everyday of something to work towards".

Palmer, 22, won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2023-24 after scoring 22 goals and registering 11 assists in 34 Premier League appearances in his first season for the Blues after moving from Manchester City last summer.

"It is really special [to win the award] and I just want to say thank you to all of the players for recognising me," Palmer said at the awards ceremony in his home city of Manchester on Tuesday evening.

"[The picture] was on my phone as a reminder every day of something to work towards so to win this award is nice.

"I have never really done anything like that before but it is a special award and it was a reminder to keep going no matter what. It was something I wanted to win."

Palmer became just the third Chelsea player to claim the Young Player of the Year award in its 50-year history after Scott Parker and Eden Hazard and joins a list of previous winners including prodigious names like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane.

"The list [of former winners] is full of amazing players so to be on that list is really good," he added.

"I want to win trophies with Chelsea, that is the main thing, and then the individual awards are nice.

"Life is great, I can’t complain. The whole season was a great season personally and hopefully, we can kick on this season.

"Everyone is excited. The squad is full of young players, we have a great manager and great staff so hopefully, we can have a good season."

Chelsea may make a late approach to sign 24-year-old Manchester United and England forward Jadon Sancho. (Athletic - subscription required), external

The Blues are preparing for a clearout which could land them a £200m transfer windfall, with eight players set to leave Stamford Bridge. (Mirror), external

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

Former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen believes Conor Gallagher's expected move to Atletico Madrid "is a fantastic move for him" which would benefit his chances of starting for England.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Christiansen said: "If [Enzo] Maresca gets to do what he wants to at Chelsea, I don't think Conor Gallagher fits in that.

"I think it's a fantastic move for him, to go and play in a different league, in a different country and hopefully better his chances at getting a starting place for England in the near future."

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

Will Faulks
Fan writer

It was typical of Chelsea to have their first scandal of the new season before a ball had even been kicked.

Of course, there had already been major issues behind the scenes issues all summer - from racist songs to 'bomb squads' and collapsed transfers.

However, to have dressing-room dirty laundry aired in the hour between the teamsheets being announced for the fixture against Manchester City and kick-off was impressive - even by Chelsea's standards.

Raheem Sterling's statement that he was surprised about being left out rings true. He went on the pre-season tour, played regularly and looked set to at least compete to feature in Enzo Maresca's team.

I'm sure most top-class footballers never expect to the be odd one out in these situations, but the game of musical chairs being played by Chelsea's sporting directors was guaranteed to cause unhappiness and awkwardness at some point - and it did not take long.

Maresca had an impossible situation, not of his own making.

He had Pedro Neto, his most exciting and expensive summer signing, Mykhailo Mudryk, an £87m asset with the best part of a decade left on his contract, and Sterling, one of his top earners and most experienced players, to choose from.

He could pick, at best, two of them in his squad.

It is a nasty situation for a manager to be in, but also an inevitable one anyone could have predicted as they watched this squad coming together.

The next few weeks - and to some degree the rest of this season - are going to involve a lot more plate-spinning like this as Maresca attempts to balance keeping his players, his bosses, the fans and the balance sheets all happy at the same time.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

We asked you for your thoughts on the imminent arrival of Joao Felix at Chelsea.

There was mixed opinion among the fan base - here are some of the comments from supporters who are positive about the signing:

Mathew: Great signing. It's great to see him back at Chelsea. It's awful to see that our own fans want Gallagher over Felix. Felix loved being at Chelsea, you could tell that when he was on loan in 22-23. It's a shame to see Gallagher leaving, but, if you reject three contract offers, you need to leave. Overall, really happy with this.

Rod: Hooray! We have bought a forward. I liked Felix when he came to us on loan and hoped we would buy him. He will give us, with Palmer, another unpredictable player to worry defences.

Mike: It's a great signing. A proper number 10 to link play and speed up transition. He'll go straight into the starting line-up and allow Caicedo and Lavia to win the ball and feed him.

Martin: Felix is definitely an improvement to Chelsea's first-team squad. An excellent creative player at the front end of the pitch and a big goal threat!

Joe: To build a great team you need depth, look at how City have constantly strengthened to maintain dominance. I'm not complaining about us trying to add quality depth and strengthen when we previously signed players like Saul, Bakayoko and Drinkwater to try to keep us competitive. Sell a few before end of the window and the squad will look fine.

We asked you for your thoughts on the imminent arrival of Joao Felix at Chelsea.

There was mixed opinion among the fan base - here are some of the comments from supporters who are against the signing:

Graham: Ridiculous - no logic to the scatter gun approach. Replace a captain and best player from last season with someone who contributed nothing last time. The owners are ripping this club apart. Players locked out and more and more money wasted.

Chris: Felix is another ridiculous move. In his last spell he flattered to deceive. He looked decent in his first game, then got himself sent off, then did nothing, unable to handle either the pace or the physicality of the Premier League. In 60 years of supporting Chelsea, I've never felt so low as now. An utter shambles.

Tom: Awful move. He was an underwhelming loan the first time - such an overrated player and the fact that we're getting rid of Gallagher as part of the "bargain" makes it a bitter pill to swallow. I'm sure we'll make worse moves before the window closes as well!

Emma: Felix will not improve the team. This is a pure waste of funds. He did not improve the team in his first loan. He did not improve Barcelona. This will be another failed season for Chelsea because they failed to address their major need. Chelsea need an established striker.

Terrence: Things are getting more ridiculous by the day. Buying back Felix, an ineffectual player when he was at Chelsea before, and Gallagher leaving is hard to understand. The problem is not having a proven goalscorer. At the moment, Chelsea could play a match first team v second team and it would be a 0-0 draw. Surely the manager/coach should be the boss.

Stuart: The club is an absolute shambles - Felix did nothing in his first spell, who is to say he will do anything this time? Chilwell, Gallagher and Sterling out, there will be no senior players left. Reece and Enzo have hot heads to be captain, I'm worried about the future of the club, too many players - who needs six goalkeepers?

Daniel Storey feels the impending move of Joao Felix to Chelsea "doesn't make sense" and will result in more frustration for his team-mates in the squad.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, the Independent's chief football writer said a player such as summer signing Marc Guiu may already have questions about his move two months after joining.

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

BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club has been discussing Raheem Sterling's statement before Chelsea's defeat by Manchester City on Sunday.

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton criticised the winger and argued that his exclusion from the matchday squad could have been "handled privately".

Sutton added: "We are talking about the response from Sterling. Could this have been handled differently? I think it could have been.

"If he had handled it privately with the club and the manager, this wouldn't have been an issue. Most players, in this respect, would have handled it privately.

"Raheem Sterling was in control of this situation and he must have known that this was all going to blow up as soon as he was asking for 'clarity' on the situation.

"I suspect somewhere down the line he will regret how he has handled this."

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

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling has been the subject of an enquiry from Juventus, amid uncertainty over his future. (Mail), external

Brentford expect England striker Ivan Toney to join Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, but Chelsea could be tempted into making a late move for the 28-year-old. (Sun), external

Newcastle United are considering a move for Blues centre-back Trevoh Chalobah if they are unable to land Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. (i Sport), external

Chelsea have informed Napoli they want at least 40m euros (£34m) for striker Romelu Lukaku, with the Blues set to reject a loan offer with a 30m euro (£25.6m) obligation to buy from the Italian club. (Ben Jacobs), external

Blues defender Bashir Humphreys is set to join Championship side Burnley on a loan. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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

As Chelsea look set to add another player to their already sizeable squad after agreeing a fee in principle for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, we want to know your thoughts on the latest potential signing and the Blues' transfer business this summer.

Will Felix improve the team? Where might he fit into Maresca's ever-growing side? And will the new boss be able to manage the squad in the wake of Raheem Sterling's statement after being left out of Sunday's matchday squad?

Let us know here, external

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's starting XI for their defeat by Manchester City showed they have good players - but the issue is they have over 30 more whose futures need resolving.

Before kick-off was a statement delivered by Raheem Sterling, who was not in the matchday squad, through his representatives saying: "We look forward to gaining clarity on the situation."

Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic got the goals, but Chelsea left Stamford Bridge feeling they at least deserved a draw and possibly even a win over the champions.

Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana all looked in impressive shape after injury-ruined seasons.

Cole Palmer was quiet but remains a brilliant option as new boss Enzo Maresca tries to balance his midfield alongside £100m men Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.

Having fixed the defensive issues that dogged pre-season, Maresca was left - like so many previous Blues managers - bemoaning poor finishing.

Chelsea are continuing talks to sign forwards Joao Felix and Victor Osimhen, but the urgent need seems to be to offload players.

Having effectively put Ben Chilwell's future in doubt before kick-off, Maresca did the same with Sterling on Sunday - and, after the match, said Carney Chukwuemeka might also need to seek a move.

A host of others - including Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Armando Broja, David Datro Fofana, Cesare Casadei and Angelo Gabriel - are also expected to leave before the 30 August deadline.

If not, Maresca will be left in the tricky position of trying to keep a glut of high-profile players happy.

Sunday's performance was positive, but Maresca's teamsheet created some new issues to resolve behind the scenes.