Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Before Chelsea's first match at the Club World Cup against Los Angeles FC on Monday, we put your questions to our football news reporter out in the US, Nizaar Kinsella.

Here are some of his answers on how the competition could help the Blues.

Rob asked: Will this help Chelsea at all in regard to next season or will players be burnt out even before the season starts?

Nizaar: Chelsea would add 23% more revenue to the profit and loss account if they won the tournament with £97m in TV revenue earned. It would give Chelsea a super 'have' to the rest of the Premier League's 'have nots'. They would have £311m in revenue compared to around £246m for Champions League only clubs. The non-European clubs are down at £130m in TV money terms. Uefa's squad cost controls are stricter in terms of the loss limits and don't allow the sale of hotels or the women's team to be included and it is expected Chelsea will fall foul of those regulations and pay a fine.

Joshua asked: What is your prediction for Chelsea at the Club World Cup and do you think their squad depth could make them contenders after such a long season?

Nizaar: I think they are contenders to win it but not favourites. I know from several sources that Real Madrid are taking this competition very seriously as highlighted by the signings of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen before travelling to the United States. Manchester City have spent very big, Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League and are rightly considered one of the best teams in the world and Bayern Munich are among the other favourites.

Check back in a couple of hours for the next part of the Q&A.

The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.

Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.

So if you can sell one player who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?

Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.

Send your selections

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Before Chelsea's first match at the Club World Cup against Los Angeles FC on Monday, we put your questions to our football news reporter out in the US, Nizaar Kinsella.

Here are some of his answers on how the tournament will impact pre-season:

Ash asked: The last few pre-seasons Chelsea have been poor and resulted in some significant long term injuries, are you worried that players may be encouraged to push themselves a bit too hard?

Nizaar: This is an interesting question. I think from my experience and from talking to people at Chelsea and other clubs, there are two kinds of injuries to worry about. There are muscle injuries which often relate to player workload as well as conditioning and other factors. Then there are just certain kinds of injuries, resulting in uncontrollable incidents like bad tackles, that are judged differently by medical departments. There will be a concern that if the players aren't managed right through this tournament and into next season that the former type of muscle injuries could increase. It will be on Chelsea's backroom to get this right as this Club World Cup is unchartered territory and could result in the club, who have played 57 matches already, playing another seven matches to extend the season into mid-July.

Conor: How will pre-season work given this competition runs through to mid-July?

Nizaar: There are reports emerging that Chelsea will play a pre-season game against AC Milan in Dublin on 10 August. We have been told that Chelsea are not looking at leaving Europe this summer after already playing a certain number of games in the US at the Club World Cup. They will have to be reactive to an extent with planning given they don't know when they will exit the competition. I do think it will be slightly difficult to handle as players will deserve at least 10 days off after this and it will have to be factored in but it will eat into pre-season preparation.

Check back in a couple of hours for the next part of the Q&A.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter, in Atlanta

Image source, Getty Images

Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris admits Chelsea are at a "different level" and that his side are the minnows of the group at the Club World Cup.

The former Tottenham captain, now 38, will face English opposition again at the tournament in the United States at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

When asked about LAFC's prospects, after they won a play-off match against Mexican side Club America, he said: "We have nothing to lose, especially against an opponent like Chelsea. It will be hard, European clubs can do everything quicker.

"We come here with a lot of humility. We just take it game by game. I cannot hide that the standard of the other opponents are higher than ours. Especially Chelsea, then Flamengo and Tunis is a competitive club in Africa.

"Listen, we just want to come here to enjoy the competition, try to get the best result we can but we also have to be realistic, to compare an MLS game and a Club World Cup game is really hard."

The former World Cup-winning goalkeeper with France added it isn't just European clubs that have player workload concerns with the addition of another competition, adding: "To be honest with you, when I came to the MLS, I expected a rhythm of games less intense than in Europe but then you realise you travel a lot.

"Everywhere is the same, there are a lot of competitions and players have to adapt to the schedule.

"For us, as soon as we finish the tournament, we have to go back to a routine of the MLS games which is not easy either. I am not here to question the schedule. I am just here to tell you we are enjoying being here and to do our best."

Lloris also said the match has no special significance as a former Spurs player but that he still "follows the news" about the club, and saw that manager Ange Postecoglou was sacked despite winning the Europa League and was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank last week.

He added: "Nothing surprises me in football. But I don't know what happened inside the club so it really hard for me to judge. If they made this decision it is because they believe there is another option which is better for the future of the club.

"Thomas Frank did amazing job at Brentford. But Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit, the players as well, it is not easy to win that kind of competition

"What Ange Postecoglou did was just remarkable. He brought this Europa League trophy, he brought a lot of joy to the Spurs community, a lot of pride as well and we all have to be thankful for that."

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Club World Cup game against LAFC (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca spoke highly of summer signing Liam Delap: "I don't have any doubt that he can be in the future England's number nine."

• On their time together at Manchester City, he added: "We know each other already from years ago, so I know what Liam can give us, he knows what we can give to him to improve and to become a better player."

• When asked if Delap or Nicolas Jackson will be the club's starting striker: "I never say to a player you will be a first choice, the message is always the same, you arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other number nine [and you can be]."

• Maresca isn't ruling out a "very difficult" Club World Cup opener against LAFC: "I'm never confident, I don't know if it's something good or something bad, but I think because of the technology today, any game can be difficult. They can watch many games about us, we can watch many games about them, so every game becomes very complicated."

• The Chelsea boss confirmed they hope to sign a left winger this summer as Jadon Sancho's loan deal ends.

• Brazilian winger Estevao, who is joining to Chelsea in the summer, impressed in Palmeiras' Club World Cup match against Porto, but Maresca insisted the club are still looking to sign a wide player: "If Estevao is doing well we are happy, but he is doing well for another team. Hopefully he can do well when he joins us."

Follow today's football news on our daily live page

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Monday marks the start of the transfer window re-opening, so teams can now do business until 1900 BST on 1 September.

Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens is known to be a major target after Chelsea's £42m bid was rejected on the first transfer deadline day.

The Blues will go away and regroup but are likely to bid again as they need a right-footed left winger in the squad. In terms of outgoings, take your pick.

Chelsea will be busy selling this summer and have to offload Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Djordje Petrovic, Renato Veiga, Christopher Nkunku and many more.

They may also look to add a goalkeeper, if the right opportunity presents itself, after showing interest in AC Milan's Mike Maignan, and a central defensive signing could be made should players such as Trevoh Chalobah be sold.

Read more from around the clubs on the transfer window

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca says his team are "here to win" ahead of their first match at the Club World Cup.

The Blues take on Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on Monday, and are one of two Premier League teams taking part in the tournament alongside Manchester City.

Speaking to the club website,, external Maresca said: "When you are the Chelsea head coach or if you are a Chelsea player, you must always try to win. It doesn't matter if it's the Club World Cup or another competition – that is what is expected.

"At this moment [in the year], the players are normally away enjoying their holiday and recovering energy. That is not the case because we are here to try to win. We can rest after the Club World Cup.

"I feel proud [to lead Chelsea into the Club World Cup]. It is the first and everything is new for us. So we must adapt as quickly as possible to make sure we are ready."

After their match against LAFC, Chelsea will take on Brazillian side Flamengo before rounding off their group stage against Tunisian champions ES Tunis.

Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham are all keeping tabs on Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, after the Argentine was told to find a new club. (Mail), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Only time will tell the impact this Club World Cup will have on players.

Has welfare been looked at? Possibly not. These players have played a lot of games and will now be going from one season straight into international fixtures and then straight into competitive football again.

The prize money is the attraction, isn't it? For clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, it is a real draw for them to go out there and play. They have both taken strong squads.

When it got announced, much was said about whether they might just choose some of their younger players and not take it as seriously but looking at their squads, both are certainly going there to win it.

For players, you would much rather have a competitive pre-season, so they may be looking at it as a mini pre-season and then will have a couple of weeks off when they get back before they go again. It is a lot easier to be motivated for competitive action than it is for doing all the runs in pre-season and the friendly fixtures.

However, in the long term, it is difficult to know how tired they are going to be, especially off the back of a long season. You have to ask how much will it impact them in the league or even further down the line, for instance what about in the World Cup next summer?

From the physical side, there is the risk of fatigue, and injury possibilities are heightened. That will have to be managed.

But I also think that a mental break is a lot more important often that a physical one. These players are not really going to get time to switch off. That will be the difficulty.

That is why we probably need to look further forward to understand the Club World Cup's impact rather than just looking at the now.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's new midfielder Dario Essugo knows what is in store for him at Stamford Bridge.

The 20-year-old signed for £18.5million from Sporting in March but was officially unveiled as a Blues player last week.

In discussion with the club's media channels, he highlighted how he is a similar style of "aggressive" defensive midfield player to Moises Caicedo and also picked the reigning winner of both of Chelsea's player of the season awards, as the person is he most looking forward to playing alongside.

However, he also recognise that he will mostly be lining up with the Ecaudorian in training rather than in matches and will operate as his understudy.

Essugo, a Portugal Under-21s international, could not be more similar to Caicedo in terms of style, operating as a mobile and powerful ball-winning option in midfield.

After all, Chelsea ran the risk of breaking Caicedo last season when he started all 38 Premier League matches. He also started six further cup matches, although that was helped by Chelsea's heavy rotation in most Conference League games, and early exits from both domestic cups. Caicedo was also only substituted in four league matches.

No-one played more minutes than the 3,815 played by Caicedo at Chelsea last season and, with Champions League qualification secured for next season, he needs a reliable deputy.

Who is Essugo?

In the midfielder's own words, he is also a "chill" character away from the pitch. He grew up in the Odivelas suburb of Lisbon, was a multi-sport athlete in his youth but took to football in the school playground.

He first suffered a rejection from his mother's handball club at CAC da Pontinha Club but soon impressed UD Santa Maria Club, before ultimately ending up in Sporting's academy.

Essugo achieved his goal of emulating his idol William Carvalho, now at Betis, by lining up for Sporting in midfield, aged just 16 and six days old.

After becoming the youngest player to play for Sporting, he became the youngest Portuguese player to play in the Champions League, playing in a competition that other idols, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kante and Toni Kroos, all excelled in.

Those idols showed Essugo looked towards La Liga and, after a loan spell at Portuguese second division Chaves, he played in Spain's top flight last season with Las Palmas.

Although relegated, Essugo played well enough to attract Chelsea and said of the spell at the island nation on his Instagram account: "It's been a season of personal growth, with highs and lows, but at all times I tried to leave it all on the field."

But his post when leaving Sporting was more emotional, despite only making 25 appearances in the first team, he wrote: "I believe I left something worth keeping - a piece of my childhood, my youth, my soul."

Essugo targets "playing as much as he can" despite being Caicedo's understudy in a competitive midfield space, featuring Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - and returning loanee Andrey Santos.

He said: "I want to win as much as possible, as many titles as possible. Obviously, I want to win the Champions League, but also the Premier League because it's very difficult. I want to win titles, play as much as possible at Chelsea and be part of the club's history."

The first time we will see Essugo is at the Club World Cup and he could make his debut for Chelsea against LAFC on Monday evening. Longer term, he will relieve the pressure on Caciedo as Chelsea embark of their return to the demanding Champions League after three seasons away.

Ross Mooring
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

We are stepping into a bit of the unknown. Supporters, players and management would usually expect to be on the beach this month instead of focusing on a full-blown club tournament.

Combine concerns over player fitness with the feeling the Club World Cup does not rank as highly as Fifa might wish - at least not yet - and one might not be surprised fans are not as excited as they are when in the hunt for traditional trophies.

That is certainly not the case in the United States, however, where Chelsea have a huge, fanatical fanbase spread across dozens of supporters' clubs, all of whom are preparing for the Blues' first competitive fixtures on the continent.

Should Chelsea progress to the latter stages, supporters everywhere else are sure to catch up. A trophy is a trophy after all - and as former winners, there is pride to play for.

A large squad will certainly help and it will be interesting to see how strongly Enzo Maresca goes with his selections, a la his approach to the Conference League.

In terms of chances of success, failing to negotiate final fees for Jamie Gittens and especially Mike Maignan to join in time has not helped.

However, the arrival of Liam Delap does and this will take some pressure off Nicolas Jackson. Midfielder Andrey Santos, who was a revelation on loan at Strasbourg, feels like a new signing too and could see Maresca test his depth in the position early.

Chelsea will be relieved their first game will be taking place indoors in Atlanta, but their other two group games will be in the Philadelphia heat, including against Brazilian side Flamengo. The pace of that game may provide an indication of how hard Maresca wishes to push his players.

Winning the tournament would be a huge boon - obviously from a prestige perspective, but also with close to £100m up for grabs in prize money.

With Uefa still to rule on Chelsea's related party transactions over the sales of the women's team and Stamford Bridge hotels, there is a chance for it to be a very memorable summer in the club's history.

How things play out after the dust has settled in the USA is another matter.

Find more from Ross Mooring at Chelsea Fancast, external

Image source, Opta

Chelsea are huge favourites to progress from Group D of Fifa's inaugural expanded Club World Cup this summer.

Enzo Maresca's side face Major League Soccer's LAFC in their opener on Monday, Brazilian side Flamengo and finally Tunisian club ES Tunis.

According to Opta's supercomputer, Chelsea have been given a 76.7% chance of topping Group D and a 16.8% chance of finishing as runner-up - a 93.5% total likelihood or progressing to the last 16.

Only Inter Milan, with 79% in Group E, have been given a higher likelihood of topping their group.

At the time of writing, according to Opta's power ranking, external, Flamengo are ranked 78th in the world, while LAFC are ranked 126th and Tunis ranked 255th.

Image source, Opta

From a financial perspective, each group-stage win will net Chelsea £1.5m, with £5.8m for reaching the last 16, £10.2m for reaching the quarter-finals, £16.3m for progressing to the semi-finals, and £31m for winning the final.

The maximum prize available is about £97m for winning all three group-stage matches and then going on to win the tournament - the biggest amount ever awarded in club football over a seven-game format.

Chelsea are judged by the Opta supercomputer to have an 8.4% chance of winning the Club World Cup, with five teams above them in terms of likelihood - Paris St-Germain, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Image source, Getty Images

Spanish football journalist Eduardo Alvarez says European teams could be subjected to a "huge upset" at the Club World Cup if they are not ready for "very enthusiastic opponents".

The newly expanded tournament starts on Saturday with Manchester City and Chelsea taking first-team squads to the United States without a break after long domestic and European campaigns.

High temperatures are also expected at many of the games, especially those played in the middle of the day for broadcast during the evening in Europe.

"They are going to need to pause for hydration," Alvarez told the BBC's World Football podcast. "The combination of the heat and the fact that this is the off-season for the European teams will have an impact.

"I tend to think that the teams who are not 100% with their head and their heart on the tournament will be eliminated pretty quickly and those who stay will be extremely motivated to win this for the first time.

"In the following rounds we will see more entertaining match-ups and this will be interesting in the end.

"For the top European clubs, obviously they have been compensated with money - but in terms of the calendar this is not ideal. They are playing probably 60 or 70 matches and this is another six or seven that are not very welcome.

"But, all the other clubs - the chance to play Bayern Munich or Real Madrid you probably only get once in a while. To them, if there's another two or three more matches - who cares?

"Some of them will bring us a huge upset. That's part of the fun of the football. It's the off-season for the European teams, some of them will be caught sleeping by a very enthusiastic opponent who say: 'This is the game of our lives, we need to play like there's no tomorrow.'

"These teams will either end up causing trouble to, or actually beating, a big household name."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele says Enzo Maresca needs to be left alone to work but needs several signings - including goalkeeper Mike Maignan - to emulate Paris St-Germain's success with a young squad.

The Blues ended last season with the youngest average age among their starting XI of any team in Premier League history but qualified for the Champions League with a win at Nottingham Forest on the final day.

They also won the Conference League with a 4-1 win over Real Betis just three days later and now embark on a campaign in the newly expanded Club World Cup, which begins this weekend.

When asked about his view of Chelsea, having left the club under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership, Makelele, a former player and coach at Stamford Bridge, said: "I think Chelsea are doing well. They are starting at the beginning [of their project], very slowly.

"In the beginning, they changed a lot of players and managers. The new manager [Enzo Maresca] made sure Chelsea finished the season in a good way. They qualified for the Champions League and won a trophy. I think this new Chelsea can be successful now.

"We need to wait for Chelsea to win the Premier League again, and they are starting to build a strategy and some stability. But, for me, the most important thing is they need to leave Maresca working in a good way, like Paris St-Germain did with Luis Enrique.

"They need stability if they are to fight for a title. I am a Chelsea fan, and I was worried when I saw Chelsea struggling in the beginning [under new owners Clearlake-Boehly], but now they are on a positive path and can return to the Chelsea of the past, which was at a high level."

The former defensive midfielder saw 'the Makelele role' named after him while playing under Jose Mourinho in west London. He joked that should now be known as "the Caicedo role".

Makelele also praised the signing from Ipswich of striker Liam Delap, who will make his debut in the United States, adding: "The project is starting to come good. The future is bright. It takes a lot of young talent to try to make Chelsea successful.

"I like Nicolas Jackson. We can't criticise him. But of course, Chelsea need some better players if they are to win the Premier League, and they are also back in the Champions League.

"They needed a second striker [in Delap]. He is compatible with Jackson and adds competition. Jackson can't do it all alone. I appreciate him. He fought all season.

"He did a good job, scored a lot of goals, and got some assists, but of course another striker is welcome."

Makelele hopes the Blues will add a goalkeeper, after seeing France number one Mike Maignan strongly linked to a move to Chelsea.

He added: "Maignan is one of the best in the world right now and I think Milan won't want their best goalkeeper gone.

"But if Chelsea can take him, it's better, because to win trophies you need a good goalkeeper. You look at PSG and they had a young squad but a great goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"Chelsea need a goalkeeper, striker and maybe winger to fight for the Champions League and Premier League next season."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud feels Stamford Bridge new boy Liam Delap should relish the attention that comes with the club's number nine shirt.

Delap has taken the nine even though it has a chequered past in the Premier League era, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Torres and Radamel Falcao among the recent big names who have failed to impress.

Giroud revealed then technical director Paolo Maldini questioned his decision to take the number nine shirt at AC Milan, declaring it to be "cursed" because of the star signings, including Higuain and Torres, who had struggled wearing it.

The 38-year-old dismisses the notion a number can have a negative impact.

Ahead of his appearance for Major League Soccer outfit LAFC against Chelsea in the Club World Cup on Monday, Giroud feels £30m signing Delap needs to embrace the pressure.

"When I signed for AC Milan, Paolo Maldini asked me: 'Are you sure about the number nine because it's kind of cursed,'" said Giroud.

"I said it's not the number I have on my back which will make me good and score goals. I showed him there was no curse because I did well.

"Striker is the best position in football - but it is very demanding. You can be under the spotlight when things go really well, but you are the first on the frontline when you are not scoring goals.

"You have to show some character and strength mentality-wise. You need to be strong in your head and even in tough moments, stay confident and keep working hard.

"There are ups and downs and you need to be ready for that. If he's got a good mentality, and I think he's very talented, he'll be fine."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Olivier Giroud has praised former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for letting him join Chelsea in 2018.

Giroud spent six years at Arsenal, scoring 105 goals in 253 games, but quit in search of regular football in a move that allowed the Gunners to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

While moving was not a shock, his destination was given the Gunners' long-standing rivalry with Chelsea.

The move worked out better for Giroud than Arsenal, given Aubameyang failed to reach the heights expected and eventually had his contract cancelled. Giroud, meanwhile, won the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League with the Blues.

As he looks ahead to Monday's Club World Cup encounter between his current club, Major League Soccer outfit LAFC and Chelsea in Atlanta on Monday, Giroud expressed his gratitude to Wenger for making the deal happen.

"I'm really thankful one more time to Arsene, if he hears me, to let me go where I wanted to go," said Giroud.

"I had an amazing time at Chelsea and played with amazing players. With Eden [Hazard], Willian and Pedro around me, it was so easy.

"I knew signing for Chelsea back then was an improvement. They were one of the best teams in the league, winning the most trophies with [Manchester] City.

"It surprised a lot of people but I had to leave and it went really well for me."

The inaugural expanded Fifa Club World Cup gets under way on Sunday, with Chelsea's tournament starting on Monday, 16 June against Los Angeles FC (20:00 BST).

The Blues' 28-man squad was confirmed on Tuesday and they are now preparing to travel out to the United States.

There is still some uncertainty and confusion surrounding the competition and how exactly Chelsea will approach it given it is the first iteration in this format.

BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella will be in the US following Enzo Maresca's side, so we're giving you the chance to put your Club World Cup-related questions to him.

They could be about the Blues' aims for the tournament, squad decisions, new signings, opponents, fan excitement, his own expectations... whatever's on your mind.

Get in touch with your questions here

And stay across this page on Monday for Nizaar's answers to a selection of the best

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are open to the fact that they need to sell a host of players, especially those that spent last season on loan.

The club's policy is not to carry a large group of loanees that are not expected or likely to make it into the first team.

In their 28-man Club World Cup selection, only one loanee progressed into Enzo Maresca squad from last season, midfielder Andrey Santos.

The rest, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and more - are mostly available for sale. The asking price for Kepa is known to be only £5m as he enters the last year of his contract, while Benfica are being credited with serious interest to re-sign Felix.

In Sterling's case, the winger made 12 starts on loan at North London club Arsenal last season while the Blues paid around half of his current £300,000-a-week wages.

EFL loanees like Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Zak Sturge are also exploring permanent transfers away from Stamford Bridge.

Defender Sturge, 20, is in advanced talks about making his loan move at Millwall permanent at the end of the season.

Chelsea prefer sales rather than loan moves at this stage but could relax their position later in the transfer window if they struggle to find exits for players.

Midfielders Kendry Paez and Mathis Amougou are expected to join Strasbourg on loan while goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe is in talks over a new contract and potentially joining League One club Bolton Wanderers on loan.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Chelsea's squad for the Club World Cup, and your general feelings about the tournament.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: Not one decent goalkeeper, yet Maresca is happy to 'give away' Kepa! I'm not surprised the Gooners are champing at the bit to sign him. He was better at Bournemouth last season than any of the keepers he's included in this squad! Badiashile, who he's quite happy to move on too, is included, as is Nkunku, who hates playing for us! Can't wait to see Delap, who I think could score a lot of goals for us!

Adam: I have been attending Chelsea matches since 1987 and find the concept of this tournament very interesting. Mixed messages from the club though... a great money earner but too tiring for players? Being forced to expand the squad to cater for such games will surely eradicate any financial benefits? I am sad for the fans who have been fleeced for tickets yet again. Let's see how the experiment goes.

Nick: Veiga and Felix are the two I would like to have seen in the squad. Felix in particular is a luxury player but has so much quality. I would love to try Felix and Palmer behind Delap. It remains to be seen if there is any way back for Nkunku. Excited to see how Santos gets on.

Mark: On one hand I'm excited to go up against some of the elite European teams as that should put us in better stead for the Champions League. But this tournament is at the wrong time of the season. Players need a break and we'll suffer for it before the end of the season I expect.

Joe: Not that excited about the Club World Cup, to be honest. It'll be good for Maresca to see how new players get on and try new systems, but essentially I see this as a glorified pre-season tournament. Give the players some time off and get them ready for a huge season.

Dan: Hearing Petrovic wanted to be left out is a slight blow, as is the failings of whoever to get Maignan. If we really want to push on this season we cannot have Sanchez in goal again, even if he was relatively solid in the run-in.

Image source, Chelsea club website

Chelsea have unveiled their away kit for the 2025-26 season.

"In the early 1970s and fresh from securing our first FA Cup and European trophy, Blues manager Dave Sexton, himself an artist when it came to the tactical game, introduced a Chelsea away strip coloured as a tribute to Hungary's famous 'Magnificent Magyars' side from two decades earlier, whose extravagant patterns on the pitch had so influenced his own winning football," the club said.

"Soon, the simple plain red, white and green of that kit evolved into a white shirt with a broad red and green vertical stripe, whose theme is now reimagined in a subtle form 50 years on."

The club also confirmed that the shirt will be worn in Club World cup matches against Flamengo and ES Tunis and later this month.

Tell us your thoughts on the kit here

Chelsea have put Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic up for sale, with Leeds among the clubs interested in signing the 25-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Petrovic asked to be left out of Chelsea's Club World Cup squad so he can focus on securing a move. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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

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