Chelsea

The Premier League season is fast approaching and clubs are continuing their pre-season preparations.

Here's a look at which teams are in action on a busy Sunday.

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We asked for your views on the probable arrival of Pedro Neto from Wolves after Chelsea agreed a fee of £54m to sign the Portugal winger.

Here are some of your responses:

Sean: This deal in isolation is great, he's a good player and would improve any squad. The reality is we now just have too many players again. It's bad for the squad mentally and it gives Maresca too much to work on. Let the squad settle and we'll be back in business.

Dave: We seem to buy, buy, buy. How big a squad do we really need? What will be of Mudryk, Madueke, Nkunku and the many dozens of Brazilian young wingers we have signed?

Reed: A great signing for us. An established proven winger with confidence is exactly what we needed to boost our attack. His experience in the Premier League will be crucial and hopefully encourage others in the squad to be better.

Andrew: Genuinely cannot get my head around this transfer. We still have the likes of Sterling, Mudryk and Madueke in the first team, as well as players like Paez and Estevao Willian out on loan. Surely some of these players need to be moved on? Who is going to pay good money for a lot of these players when clubs know we need to sell?

Keith: At last, it appears we have signed a quality player with Premier League experience. Far too many untried, untested kids previously.

Louis: He's a great player but really, what on earth is going on? We needed a big-money move for a top centre-forward, not another winger. Feels like every day I read that we've signed four new players and aren't really addressing the problem areas.

Paul: Neto is a great player, but I don't see what he brings to the current Chelsea side other than to add to what must be a growing feeling of personal insecurity. The turmoil of the frenetic exchanges of players must leave most of these youngsters looking over their shoulder. Fear is not the best motivator.

Chris: I don't know what the board's plans are and I'm getting despondent with all the new transfers and selling of academy players. It's not the club I supported since the 1970s any more. It's like a billionaire is playing live fantasy football with the club I love and ruining it.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

After several months of speculation that Pedro Neto would be leaving Wolves this summer, it seems his next destination will be Chelsea.

The Blues are in talks to sign the Portugal winger, so what can Chelsea supporters expect from the 24-year-old if he joins?

Well, they witnessed first hand how much of an attacking threat he can be when Wolves won 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in February. Matheus Cunha's hat-trick grabbed the headlines, but Neto's pace and direct running terrified the Chelsea defence that day and he was involved in two of Wolves' four goals.

That sort of performance happened frequently against the Premier League's bigger clubs in 2023-24, as utilising Neto's speed, skill and dribbling ability on the counter attack was a key tactic for Gary O'Neil's team last season.

In his 20 league appearances last term, Neto scored two goals and assisted nine more.

A fee in the region of £54m has been agreed between the clubs and it could - perhaps would - have been more but for his recent injury record.

A serious knee injury in April 2021 kept him out for 10 months. An ankle injury in October 2022 ruled him out of the World Cup and he did not play for five months. He twice missed two months last season while recovering from hamstring problems.

Those issues have limited him to just 51 Premier League appearances for Wolves during the past three seasons.

Being a key man in Wolves' smaller squad meant if he was fit, he played. Enzo Maresca would appear to have more options at Chelsea, which would allow him to rest and rotate his attacking players, so could that approach help Neto stay injury-free?

As for Wolves fans, they probably expected this day to come sooner rather than later and, for most, Neto will depart with their blessings.

After scoring in the FA Cup win against local rivals West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in January, his place in Wolves' folklore is assured.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have agreed a fee in the region of £54m to sign Portugal winger Pedro Neto from Wolves.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to have a medical before finalising his move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans - are you happy with this deal if it goes through? And where does he fit into the Blues' attacking line-up?

Send us your thoughts here, external

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The three transfers of Conor Gallagher, Julian Alvarez and Samu Omorodion, which all involve Atletico Madrid, feel loosely tied together - and until they are finalised there will be caution around them going through.

Representatives of all three players believe their transfers are done.

• Alvarez, 24, should join Atletico Madrid from Manchester City for £81.5m.

• Gallagher, 24, is already in Spain ahead of his £34m move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid.

• And Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion is expected to complete his £34.5m move to Chelsea after the Olympics men's football gold medal match in Paris this evening.

Although the two deals involving Chelsea are not considered swap deals, if one collapses, the other likely will not go through.

That's why the clubs have stopped short of announcing any agreements with a small percentage of doubt still a cause for a small amount of concern.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Malo Gusto will begin the season at right-back as Reece James serves a three-match ban in the Premier League for a red card sustained in the penultimate match of last season.

But James and Gusto will have to co-exist and both, at times, have struggled to adapt to the demands of being a full-back for Enzo Maresca.

In Maresca's system, one full-back typically becomes inverted and steps into central midfield and the other sits back to defend as a third central defender, which turns a back four into a back three.

James should be capable of performing either role but has struggled as he also builds fitness after an injury-hit season.

Gusto has also struggled and has played a left-back three times, with Levi Colwill also tried out in the role as Marc Cucurella recovers from Euro 2024.

Maresca has admitted that some of his unusual team selections have come as he looks to "experiment" in pre-season, but left-back Ben Chilwell has played just 64 minutes and in two matches from the bench, raising new questions about whether he could be sold.

The addition of new goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal is also interesting as the Blues wanted a specialist at playing out from the back to compete with Robert Sanchez, but it has left Djordje Petrovic likely to be pushed out of the club, at least in the short-term on loan.

The atmosphere around the squad seemed broadly positive under Maresca but such is the pace of signings, representatives around several players admit uncertainty around their futures left them feeling insecure.

Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain are looking at Chelsea's highly-rated 18-year-old defender Josh Acheampong as a potential option at right-back. The Englishman is a graduate of Chelsea's academy. (Independent), external

Valencia sporting director Miguel Angel Corona says Atletico Madrid tried to cancel their move for 24-year-old Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher in order to prioritise a deal for his club's 21-year-old midfielder Javi Guerra. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Right now, brinkmanship is the name of the game. There have been times when some clubs sorted their transfer business early in the window and everyone wondered why so few others followed their lead. Put simply, it isn't in the selling clubs' financial interest, and it usually isn't in the moving player's financial interest either, to go early.

A selling club wants a bidding war to up the price and they don't mind a bit of panic buying when the window is creaking ever nearer the sill. If you still haven't signed that star player who you think, hope or maybe even actually believe, will make all the difference, clubs can get twitchy and make rash costly decisions.

I have watched it happen from within. Good intentions and a willingness to stick to a pre-arranged budget, suddenly evaporates when clubs are bounced into making these calls. There is also a bit of pride in there too. "We aren't losing out on our first choice to that lot!" is a common refrain, especially when it's to one of your close rivals.

As for the moving player, or more specifically his agent, last-minute brinkmanship is the dream scenario. Playing two or three suitors off against each other (and you don't even have to tell the truth of what you are being offered elsewhere) means you can exaggerate as much as you like to up the ante.

So that is why the deals go to the wire, and why they are so lucrative. It is also why I never have too much sympathy for a player, when a huge deal falls through at the last moment. Greed can push it too far in the end and it can all come crashing down, which is why they call it brinkmanship! If you dance on the edge of a volcano you might just fall in.

Image source, Getty Images

A quarter of the managers in the Premier League will be taking charge of an English top-flight game for the first time on the opening weekend of the season.

They are Arne Slot at Liverpool, Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, Russell Martin at Southampton, Kieran McKenna at Ipswich and Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton.

So, what can you expect from the quintet?

Slot led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title, and the Dutch Cup last season. Reds midfielder Harvey Elliott says his playing philosophy is a typically "elegant" Dutch style - compared to Jurgen Klopp's 'heavy metal football'.

Maresca prefers a heavy possession-based style - which is how he has started his reign at Chelsea too - and was sometimes criticised for his reluctance to make substitutions while at Leicester City.

It is possession-based football that Martin has brought to Southampton too but fans and local media have warned he will need to be smarter with style this season.

McKenna is considered one of the top managerial prospects around. His expansive brand of football saw Ipswich gain promotion with successive second-placed finishes, scoring 101 goals in League One and 92 in the Championship.

Hurzeler, who joined Brighton from German second-tier side St Pauli, is the least known name in England of the managers on this list. He is known for his passionate side line antics and his teams dominating games on the ball.

Read more on what each manager has to offer here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have begun finding loan options for goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who is deemed surplus to requirements following the signing of Filip Jorgensen.

The Serb, 24, was effectively Chelsea's number one last season after making 31 appearances in his debut campaign having joined in a £12.5m deal from New England Revolution.

But new manager Enzo Maresca has signed a goalkeeper with different attributes.

Fiorentina and Strasbourg, the latter of which shares the same Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership group as Chelsea, are both interested in signing Petrovic on loan.

But the situation is complicated by Petrovic's confusion at his development plan at Stamford Bridge, while he is cautious about dropping down to a lesser level or becoming a back-up option elsewhere.

Internally, Strasbourg have highlighted Petrovic as their perfect option to be a number one on a season-long loan deal.

They are ready to add a third and final loanee from Chelsea, which is the maximum allowed in Fifa's rules, having already re-signed midfielder Andrey Santos on loan from Chelsea and with Caleb Wiley's loan deal to the Alsace club is expected to be announced tomorrow.

Yet, Strasbourg have also sounded out Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, aware that Petrovic could opt to sit on the second year of his six-year contract at Stamford Bridge until a bigger club comes along.

Robert Sanchez and Jorgensen, who was signed in a £20.7m deal, will battle for the goalkeeper's spot at Stamford Bridge this season, with Marcus Bettinelli to back them up.

Meanwhile, Kepa Arrizabalaga, who remains the world's most expensive goalkeeper after his £71m move in 2018, is also deemed surplus to requirements and in the last year of his contract.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Christopher Nkunku has played 398 minutes, more than any other player during Chelsea's pre-season tour and looks set to have a starring role this season - if he can stay fit.

Like last summer, the Frenchman again excelled in pre-season and netted three goals in five matches on tour, playing in several different positions, including as a striker and central midfielder.

Last summer, Nkunku suffered a knee injury in the final match, which began a chain of different injuries to limit him to just two starts last season.

Nkunku said he wants to stay fit first and see where his football takes him, admitting that he is still "not 100%".

But Enzo Maresca clearly likes the versatile star and said: “Christopher was injured for almost all of last season but I knew from Germany how good he is. He has surprised me but it is not a big [surprise]."

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have announced the signing of defender Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors on a seven-year deal.

The 19-year-old will spend the 2024-25 campaign back on loan at the Argentine giants.

Anselmino joined Boca at the age of 12 and signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2023 before making his first-team debut on the same day.

He has gone on to make nine appearances, scoring one goal.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are set to implement a new, slower and possession-based style of football under Enzo Maresca.

This has already been apparent in the club's pre-season tour of the US and it demands players adapt to the manager's approach, rather than him adapt to his players.

It has meant teams on tour, like Manchester City and Celtic, have been able to force mistakes as players struggle to adapt to high-risk moves playing out from the back.

In fact, half of the 12 goals conceded in pre-season were from mistakes playing out from the back, including three of the four against City.

There are also problems with the players naturally defaulting to a high defensive line without pressing well or with intensity, a feature of the play Maresca blames on "habit from last year".

Other features of the tactics are underlapping full-backs, man-to-man marking and two very high number eights occupying spaces in a five-man attack.

The high risk, high reward style carries the same core principles evident in the Italian's Championship title-winning Leicester team last season.

Interestingly, these principles are supposed to be implemented across the club and into BlueCo with RC Strasbourg - maintained even if there is a need to change the manager again in the future.

One of the reasons Mauricio Pochettino left by mutual consent was due to a difference in opinion on the club's long-term tactical identity.

Chelsea have agreed a £35m deal with Atletico Madrid to sign Spanish forward Samu Omorodion, and the 20-year-old is set to have a medical. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Chelsea and Albania striker Armando Broja will hold talks with manager Enzo Maresca to figure out his future. Everton and Wolves are among those interested in the 22-year-old. (Mail), external

West Ham are interested in Chelsea's defender Trevoh Chalobah, 26. (Sky Sports), external

Crystal Palace are also eyeing a move for the Englishman. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Chelsea have been contacted by Rangers over a potential loan for 19-year-old academy midfielder Leo Castledine. Aberdeen are also interested in the Englishman. (FootballScotland), external

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez is set to be appointed one of Chelsea's vice-captains despite upsetting some of his team-mates by singing a derogatory song about black players. (Times - subscription), external

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

We asked for your thoughts after Chelsea's pre-season defeat by Real Madrid.

Here are some of your comments:

Justice: The leaky defence from last season continues. Might take signing a new solid centre-back and some tactical drills to fix it. Chelsea also need a top striker like Osimhen. Nothing yet to say for or against the coach from what I have seen so far. But it will take at least the first 10 games to gel the team and get them playing well from the back.

Jefferson: So disappointed, I was looking forward to seeing a different approach with Maresca in charge. Seems like we're headed for more mediocrity in the Premier League once again.

David: The reality is that Chelsea are not the team they were and having a Championship manager says it all. It's going to be a long hard season.

Darryl: I have been a Chelsea supporter for 70 years and apart from when we were relegated, I cannot think of a worst time than what we are going through. One win out of five in pre-season friendlies does not bode well for this coming season. Nobody seems to know how to fix this awful problem. Is the new manager the man to do it? Who knows.

Paul: Chelsea are far to easy to unpick at the back. If they lose the first few games of the season, which on present form seems likely, then confidence amongst this young and inexperienced team will plummet. I think their success or failure stands on a knife's edge. What will the owners do if we fail to qualify for Europe, or win any trophies?

John: I can't believe Maresca is trying to blame previous managers for the defensive frailties and high line. He picks the players and dictates the tactics!

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have not lost confidence in their youth-first approach despite two underwhelming years under the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake ownership, which has seen them fail to qualify for Europe in the first season, and only qualify for the Uefa Conference League in a second, improved season.

The Blues have spent about £115m on eight players with an average age of under 21 - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Estevao Willian, Marc Guiu, Filip Jorgensen, Renato Veiga, Omari Kellyman and Caleb Wiley.

That average could go even younger as Chelsea are expected to sign 18-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders from Genk and 20-year-old striker Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid.

In terms of big-name signings, there is also interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who could be involved in a swap arrangement with Romelu Lukaku.

Social media graphics of their 45-man senior squad, external - which includes seven registered goalkeepers - have gained traction this week.

But there remains a belief inside Chelsea that - despite widespread criticism of the club's transfer activity - this approach will ultimately reap rewards for Chelsea, BlueCo as a whole, and RC Strasbourg who are part of the multi-club group.

Read more of Nizaar's seven Chelsea talking points here