Chelsea

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Before England's final Euro 2024 group game against Slovenia, BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering readers' questions on all things England.

Gareth: Before the tournament, Gareth Southgate said he was going to copy a tactic from the playbook of England's former rugby union coach Eddie Jones - where he would seek to use the wider quality in his squad by using impact subs he called "finishers" to either bring something different to the attack (like Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon) or to bring control to midfield (Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton). But his substitutions have been poor and not impactful.

Why do you think this is and do you think he'll seek to better leverage the depth of talent in his squad as the tournament progresses?

Phil answered: He tried that when he made those three changes after 69 minutes against Denmark, replacing his whole forward line of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden with Eberechi Eze, Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen.

By that time, however, all the momentum had got away from England and the fact he made those three substitutions at the same time showed what a mess they had become.

It was all very like-for-like and did not work. There is still time, however, for Gordon and Palmer to make their mark.

Read more of the Q&A with McNulty, plus the rest of the day's football news

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei will wait to talk with new manager Enzo Maresca before deciding his future.

The 21-year-old is reportedly available for sale this summer but boasts a good relationship with his fellow Italian, who was announced as the Blues' new manager earlier this month, because of his loan spell at Leicester last season.

Casadei is ready to fight for his future at Stamford Bridge unless he is told by Maresca that his future would be best suited away from west London.

There are believed to be several players in similar situations at the club - as the Blues decide whether to sell, loan or include players in their first-team squad.

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Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has questioned whether he spent too much time "searching" for improvement when he was in charge of the side.

The club's all-time record goalscorer first became head coach in 2019, when the club were under a transfer embargo, and he took them to fourth place in the Premier League and an FA Cup final in his first season.

The Blues had a strong start the following campaign, but a difficult run of results saw Lampard sacked in January 2021.

"Certainly at times in Chelsea towards the end of my first spell there, I was searching to try to get improvements in a short period," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It felt like a month of football and in that month I was searching a lot.

"When I finished there I was like 'OK, did I need to search that much?' What energy are you giving off if you are searching so hard in your head at home and then you are going into the training ground saying 'hey lads' but you can carry that energy on? That was something I took on board.

"When you get in the job, you are so emotional and you want to affect so much. Every defeat hurts so much because you think of the reaction outside and inside the club."

The 46-year-old returned for a second spell at Chelsea as interim manager in April 2023 following Graham Potter's exit, but struggled to reignite the side's form and won just one of his 11 games in charge.

He added: "Once the dust settles, you understand that they are all experiences and, however you want to dress them up, if you can take the benefits of the experiences to maybe deal with things slightly better next time, or understand a bit better, then keeping that life balance is a huge point."

Listen to the exclusive interview on BBC Sounds

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Reports suggest that Conor Gallagher will replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England's midfield against Slovenia on Tuesday.

According to Opta, no player created more chances (three) or played more line-breaking passes in the final third (five) for England against Denmark than Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold, despite him being substituted in the 54th minute.

However, at the end of 2023 (as per Opta) Chelsea's Gallagher was the only player in Europe's big five leagues with 20+ shots, 20+ chances created, 20+ dribbles completed, 20+ touches in the opposition box, 20+ duels won, 20+ tackles and 20+ interceptions.

Will England benefit from the switch?

We asked for your views on highly-rated 17-year-old Brazilian Estevao Willian, who is set to join Chelsea next summer.

Here is a selection of your responses:

Paul: I can't wait to see him play for us. He sounds beyond amazing. Let's hope that he lives up to the hype.

Kevin: I'm getting fed up with Chelsea's transfer policies to be honest. We need to sign experienced players, especially a striker. We keep getting kids in and it isn't good enough! Do our owners want us to struggle? They bang on about becoming a top-four team - well it won't happen unless we sign older players.

JJ: Hopefully we have finally struck gold with Estevao Willian.

Ollie: The same was said for Enzo Fernandez and we are still waiting for him to show up. It has been hard to get excited over Chelsea in recent times. It is just a game of whether the players can last longer than the managers it seems.

Jan: Excited? No. Chelsea has a history of buying talented youngsters only to loan them out and eventually sell them to a rival club where they become stars. Expect similar under these clueless owners and their "rookie" manager.

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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice says Chelsea's Conor Gallagher makes you feel "safe and secure" when you play with him.

The Blues midfielder is likely to come into the England starting XI in place of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold for their final Euro 2024 group game against Slovenia on Tuesday.

Gallagher has made two substitute appearances so far in his first major tournament with the Three Lions and could partner Rice, who was also in the Chelsea academy with the 24-year-old, in the centre of the pitch.

"I've played against him when he was at Crystal Palace and Chelsea, and I've played with him in the academy team. He is player I would love to have in my team," Rice told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He works his socks off. You feel so safe and secure in there with him. He has surprised so many people this year with his ability on the ball. How he breaks forward with it, how he gets into the box and scores goals.

"He is a really positive player and he has come on so much over the past few years and you can really see that within himself with how confident he is.

"Every time I get to play with Conor, and it hasn't been much, I really enjoy it because I know him really well as a guy, I know his family really well, he is a lovely boy and it is another great chance to stamp our mark."

Listen to the full Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Tottenham have begun talks with the representatives of Lille's 24-year-old Canada forward Jonathan David, who is also linked with a move to Chelsea. (Football Insider), external

Chelsea have opened talks with Barcelona over a deal for 18-year-old Spanish forward Marc Guiu. (ESPN), external,

And the Blues lead Bayern Munich in the race to sign Guiu. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Napoli will consider offers in the region of 100m euros (£85m) for 25-year-old Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, with Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku a potential replacement. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Aston Villa have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Hoffenheim's 21-year-old Germany forward Maximilian Beier. (Sky Sport Germany), external

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

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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BBC Sport understands that Conor Gallagher is likely to come into the England starting XI for Tuesday's final Euro 2024 group game against Slovenia, ahead of other alternative midfield options such as Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton.

Chelsea's Gallagher has been a second-half substitute in both England's games so far, replacing Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold on both occasions.

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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Everton, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle fans might have woken up on Saturday and mistakenly thought it was transfer deadline day.

Lesser-known academy products Tim Iroegbunam and Lewis Dobbin were exchanged in separate deals between Everton and Villa for a reported £9m each. Then BBC Sport reported Villa were close to selling another academy youngster - teenager Omari Kellyman - to Chelsea for a reported £19m.

Next, there was confirmation that going the other way is Chelsea's homegrown Dutch defender Ian Maatsen for £37.5m, in another separate transaction.

Everton meanwhile, were also said to be interested in Newcastle United's highly rated Gambian teenager Yankuba Minteh. At the same time, Newcastle were closing in on a deal to sign striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton.

But it wasn't 1 September, it was a normal Saturday in June. And one thing all four of these busy clubs have in common? Concerns over their Premier League 'Profit and Sustainability' (PSR) position as they approach the 30 June accounting deadline.

This flurry of transfer activity immediately drew scepticism, but has also annoyed some rival clubs.

And BBC Sport knows of at least one club that is so concerned it intends to raise the matter with the Premier League.

No-one is breaking the rules, but questions have been raised over valuations, the use of young players, and whether this has highlighted a loophole in the league's PSR system which can be used to limit losses.

Read more here

Marcus Alves
BBC Sport journalist

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Abel Ferreira hesitated for a second, insisted he would not say what he had in his mind, but then - in a rare moment of full disclosure when it comes to young talents - he opened up.

"This player is different from everything I've ever seen," the Palmeiras coach said in a press conference in early May, following a 2-1 win over Botafogo-SP in the Brazilian Cup.

The two-time Libertadores champion is not particularly known for letting himself get carried away too easily, especially in front of the cameras. But that night, he allowed himself to speak freely because he could not believe his eyes - 17-year-old Estevao Willian had just scored the winner in the final minutes and put on a spectacular show once more.

Such is the impact the left-footed winger has had this season that Ferreira tried, in vain, to convince the club board not to sell him. That was too late, though.

Chelsea have beaten the competition of clubs such as Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain and Manchester City to sign the Palmeiras teenager in a deal that could eventually be worth £52m and that will see him arrive at Stamford Bridge after Fifa's new Club World Cup in July 2025.

Other Brazilian teenagers such as Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo left for Europe at the same age for huge fees. They have both proved themselves already on the big stages since then. But none of them were as hyped as Estevao when they first moved abroad.

There is a feeling in Brazil that the boy from the countryside of Sao Paulo may be something else, the kind of player that comes along once a decade and seems destined to the very top.

"Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love," the head of Palmeiras' academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport.

"He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That's what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level."

Chelsea may have struck gold with their new signing.

Read more from Marcus on the young Brazil talent

How do you feel about Estevao's impending arrival, Blues fans?

Let us know here, external

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Chelsea's newest signing Estevao Willian dropped Cole Palmer's trademark "cold" celebration after scoring in Palmeiras' 3-1 victory over Juventude on Sunday.

The 17-year-old is set to join Chelsea when he turns 18 next summer.

Estevao added a picture of his celebration on Instagram, external, captioning the post: "Another amazing night. Victory, goal, congratulations to the whole team. We continue. God knows about all things."

Chelsea and England forward Palmer reacted to the homage to him on social media by adding Willian's post to his story with the one-word caption: "Soon," alongside a winking emoji and a blue love heart.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea and Aston Villa are set to complete their separate moves that see Villa midfielder Omari Kellyman and Blues defender Ian Maatsen switch clubs.

Kellyman, 19, will move to Stamford Bridge for £19m as he signs a six-year deal with an option for an extra season on Monday.

Meanwhile, Maatsen's move is worth £37.5m and, like Kellyman, he will complete his medical on Monday.

Alex Howell
Football news reporter

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England manager Gareth Southgate has a few selection headaches going into the final group match against Slovenia on Tuesday.

The performance in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Denmark in the second group game was criticised and Southgate described Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in midfield as an "experiment".

Should he be left out, that would mean one of Conor Gallagher, who has featured in both games so far, Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton coming into midfield as Southgate looks to improve the level of control his side has during matches.

Kieran Trippier, who has been filling in at left-back for the injured Luke Shaw, missed nine games towards the end of the Premier League season and has played more during the tournament than was initially planned.

Trippier was seen to be drinking pickle juice during the first group game against Serbia as he went down with cramp and there had been hope that Shaw would be fit enough to have featured by now.

Shaw has not been on the training pitch with his team-mates for the past two sessions and has been following an individual programme, but was back on the pitch on Monday.

If Trippier is to be rested for the final group game, BBC Sport understands there is a strong possibility that Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa could come into that position.

Joe Gomez has also played in that position for his club side Liverpool and has played there in the matches leading up to the tournament for England.

Chelsea have moved to sign 21-year-old Germany forward Maximilian Beier from Hoffenheim. (Bild - in German), external

The Blues are interested in Athletic Bilbao's Spain forward Nico Williams, although the 21-year-old is among the attacking targets for Paris St-Germain after the departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. (Teamtalk), external

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

We asked for your views on Cole Palmer and the fact that the Chelsea forward is yet to play a minute for England at Euro 2024 - should he be playing and what difference would he make?

Here are some of your responses:

Martin: The best English player last season by a country mile - of course he should be playing.

Josh: Cole Palmer's qualities are similar to Hazard, he can change the dynamic of a game on his own. We are missing that with our players where one person can change a game. Perhaps Southgate's lacklustre playing style, but Palmer is a young man who has nothing to lose.

Tom: Yes he should be playing! How can you leave out a midfielder who came a close second to Haaland in the golden boot, when the team needs goals and creativity? Typical that England are sat on one of their potentially greatest ever young players and are not even fielding him when the team is playing poorly.

Geoff: Palmer was the second-highest scorer in the Premier League and he is on the bench for England, that baffles me. At least bring him on later to mix things up. He makes things happen and is very determined to push forward.

Tom: I absolutely love Cole Palmer and he should have got on, but I don't think he's the solution as a starter as he's another 10 like Bellingham who can also operate on the right like Saka - neither of which deserve to be dropped. If you play him on the left, it's another square peg in a round hole. Give Gordon a chance.

After scoring 22 goals and registering 11 assists in the Premier League last season, Chelsea's Cole Palmer is yet to make an appearance for England at Euro 2024.

With some pundits calling England's tactics "baffling and concerning", what difference would Palmer make to this side?

Should he be playing, and if so, in what position?

Have your say here, external

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Defending champions Argentina kicked off their Copa America campaign with a 2-0 win over Canada on Thursday night.

A number of Premier League stars featured in their line-up, Manchester City's Julian Alvarez opening the scoring from Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister's assist before Inter's Lautaro Martinez sealed the win late on.

Aston Villa's Emi Martinez kept a clean sheet with Cristian Romero of Tottenham and Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez in front of him.

Giovani Lo Celso also of Spurs came on for the last quarter but United's Alejandro Garnacho and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez remained unused.

Read the match report here

Fulham have revived their interest in Chelsea's 24-year-old English defender Trevoh Chalobah. (Standard), external

Meanwhile, the Blues are in talks with Boca Juniors over a deal for 19-year-old Argentinean defender Aaron Anselmino. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg are in talks to sign England Under-20 international Archie Brown from Ghent.

The Alsace club - owner almost entirely by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo - are keen to sign a left-back this summer and have identified Brown, 22, who left English football to build a career in Belgium.

Brown also has other Premier League options as Strasbourg aim to drive down his estimated £7m asking price.

The former Derby County youngster has taken an unusual development pathway, leaving English football for Ineos-owned Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland in 2021 before joining Ghent last summer.

The Blues would monitor his development in France as they seek to benefit from their fledgling multi-club model, which is partly based on the successful 11-team City Football Group, led by Premier League champions Manchester City.