Chelsea will be hoping to secure another Premier League victory against a fellow big six rival this weekend when they face Manchester City. The Blues beat Tottenham 4-1 in a London derby earlier this week with Mauricio Pochettino returning to his former club and leaving with three points in the bag.
Ahead of the fixture at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino has been given an unfortunate Enzo Fernandez injury update after he was hit with a strong challenge by Cristian Romero against Tottenham. On the bright side, a positive Christopher Nkunku update has emerged with a number of Chelsea stars sending a warning ahead of his expected return after the November international break.
Elsewhere, Brentford striker Ivan Toney has sent a message to his interested suitors ahead of the January transfer window with a new training video.
With that said, football.london has got you covered for all the latest Chelsea team news and transfer rumours with regular updates to come throughout the day!
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Chelsea's very-own Bellingham
Chelsea could have their own Jude Bellingham in their ranks, according to journalist Suleyman Ozturk.
Speaking to Voetbal Zone, Ozturk has claimed that Kendry Paez is the greatest talent in South America. “He is next level. I’ve really rarely seen that. Kendry Páez, and he has been signed by Chelsea. And that is the greatest talent in South America. I went to take a look at them to see who Chelsea actually signed.
“I just didn’t know what I saw. You have Bellingham, you have Zaire-Emery, but that Páez… He is next level. I really rarely have that. I once had it with Mbappé, during his Monaco days.
“And I have that with Páez too. That’s really not normal. You’ll just have to remember that name. These are boys who are 16, but they could also have been 26.
“You had that at Bellingham too. He was already a starter for England at the age of 17, and we thought that was normal at the time. But that is not entirely normal for a seventeen-year-old boy to be the boss in midfield. And that also applies to Páez, for example.”
Wonderkid battle
Liverpool are said to have joined the battle to sign Corinthians star Gabriel Moscardo. The wonderkid has been linked with a move to Chelsea and Arsenal in recent months.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are prepared to go to battle with Barcelona and Chelsea for the Brazilian.
Southgate denies Sterling feud
England boss Gareth Southgate has denied claims that his relationship with Chelsea star Raheem Sterling has broken down after continuing not to pick the forward.
Despite impressing for the Blues this season, Sterling was overlooked for November's international break. The 28-year-old has been a constant figure in the Three Lions' success under Southgate but has lost his place to the likes of Bowen, Foden and Saka.
"The door is 100 per cent open not only for Raheem but also other players who aren’t in this squad.' He said. 'We don’t need to know about his quality, his personality. He is a crucial part of the journey we’ve been on.
"It’s an area of the pitch where we have as much competition as anywhere. Bowen has started the season well. Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer are doing well. It’s a changing landscape there.
"We used to not have wingers, that’s why we used wing-backs in Russia. We have a lot of depth in those areas now, that’s what people need to understand."
Sterling ban
Chelsea could be dealt a major blow ahead of their clash against Manchester City this weekend.
The Blues could be without Raheem Sterling, who's started all but one of 10 English top-flight fixtures this season. The 28-year-old appeared to throw a missile back into the crowd during Chelsea's dramatic victory on Monday night.
The incident occurred moments after Cole Palmer had equalised for the west Londoners from the penalty spot in the first-half after Cristian Romero's red card for a dangerously reckless lunge on Enzo Fernandez. The former City midfielder, who joined Chelsea in the summer, celebrated by putting his finger to his lips in front of Tottenham supporters.
Palmer was quickly joined by his teammates. As the Blues celebrated, a video posted on Chelsea's own TikTok account shows an object being thrown from the Spurs stand and striking the England Under-21 international's leg.
Terry message
John Terry has refused to backdown online after a tit-for-tat exchange with Tottenham midfielder James Maddison. The pair were involved in a mini social media spat in the aftermath of Monday's 4-1 win for Chelsea in north London and the ex-Blues and England defender isn't letting it go just yet.
In a post including several videos from the crowd and around the ground on the Blues' Instagram page, Terry commented: "F****** love it [laughing face emoji, three blue heart emojis]."
See what else Terry had to say HERE!
Palmer has done well, but...
Speaking to Bitcoin Casinos, former Chelsea midfielder Bolo Zenden said: "I wouldn't say Cole Palmer reminds me of De Bruyne or Juan Mata. Palmer came from a different club with a different playing philosophy – one built on individuality within the team. Palmer likes to link up and put his teammates into goal scoring positions.
"De Bruyne and Mata play much more as 10s in between the lines. I'm not saying Palmer isn't capable of playing there, but he's been playing on the right wing a lot, coming inside, making dribbles, and crossing the ball in.
"I know that Palmer has played as a 10 for Chelsea, but he hasn't done so much. He can always develop, but I wouldn't already start comparing him to De Bruyne. I don't think it's fair on him and the other players. It's nice to see him adapt so quickly to Chelsea, though, and he looks really promising."
Osimhen to Chelsea?
Speaking to Lord Ping, William Gallas said: "Victor Osimhen joining Chelsea would harm the confidence of players like Nicolas Jackson. You have to be careful and really think about bringing in a new striker. As I said before, I think Chelsea should finish the season with Jackson and see how many goals he gets.
"We also need to see how he improves. He has the quality to do so. Chelsea need to let Jackson get to work. Scoring goals will always boost the confidence of a striker, and Jackson's hat-trick against Tottenham will definitely boost him, and we'll see that confidence carry over into his next games.
"Chelsea need a striker who'll score at least 20 goals a season. I don't know if Jackson will do that, but at least he's scoring. I hope more goals come for him. I think Chelsea should stick with the squad they have. They've bought so many players, and the squad needs to get to know each other.
"It's looking like Chelsea are slowly starting to improve. I said a few months ago that the Chelsea squad isn't ready to fight for the title or qualify for the Champions League. They will, however, improve from last season. I'm sure that they'll be very strong next season and the one after."
How much is Toney worth?
Glen Johnson has insisted that Chelsea should pay no more than £80million for Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old striker was heavily linked with an exit from Brentford at the end of last season but, after receiving an eight-month ban for breaching Football Association betting rules in the summer, a transfer collapsed.
In an interview with Betfred, the former Chelsea defender said: "It’s probably a case that that’s what they’re hoping for, opposed to what they’ll actually get for Ivan.
"Brentford know that they’re only going to get one chance to sell Ivan Toney and they will want to receive as much as they possibly can for him. I don’t think his price will drop too much because of the ban because it’s not as if Ivan’s been injured for the past six months.
"If it was an injury we were talking about, then Brentford surely couldn’t demand such a fee for Ivan. Once Ivan is match fit, then there will be no problems going forward but I still believe that £80million to £100million is too much for him anyway."
Silva's future in doubt
Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt has confirmed that the Brazilian outfit are hoping to sign Thiago Silva once his contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season. The 39-year-old defender faces an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge and it remains to be seen whether or not he'll be offered an extension.
Speaking to TNT Sports earlier this month after the Brazilian side won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history, Bittencourt confirmed his desire to sign Silva.
"I continue with this desire to bring him in. For the brilliant player he is, for his high performance at his age. That he’s a great Tricolor. I’m sure that one day he could play for Fluminense again."
Redknapp rant
Speaking exclusively to BetVictor, Harry Redknapp said: "He did well at Brighton but it’s like everything, It's about good players. You need good players, good pros. Chelsea was a poisoned chalice last year for him and for Frank.
"They had too many average players getting too much money, probably too many players around the place with not great attitudes. Pochettino has gone in and had a bit of a clear out, he's a clever man.
"But Graham will come back, he'll get another opportunity to manage in the Premier League for sure. It's getting the right job where he's got potential to do well. If he takes the wrong job with no real potential to be a success and it doesn't work out, then he's going to struggle. So hopefully he'll pick the right job.”
“Frank's in the same position, he needs to come back. He needs to get a job and make a success of it because his last couple of jobs have been difficult."
Sterling heaps praise on Palmer
Raheem Sterling has heaped praise on Cole Palmer, who will be hoping to be named in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad ahead of the international break. The 21-year-old midfielder has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last four Premier League appearances for Chelsea, playing a starring role in Mauricio Pochettino's starting lineup.
Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Sterling said: "Cole’s always someone that I’ve got along with from my time at City. I love how he plays, how intelligent he is on the ball even for his age and he has that 'I want to show' character. He doesn’t hide behind anything. He’s a person that wants to lead on the pitch, so he’s fantastic in that sense."
"I wanted to take the responsibility, and at the end of the day he decided to take it!" @sterling7 reveals to @CarrieBrownTV the conversation he had with Cole Palmer before the youngster took the penalty against Arsenal. #beINPL #TOTCHE pic.twitter.com/H4e5Mg6MpF
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) November 6, 2023
Gallagher talks
Chelsea are preparing to 'step up' contract talks with Conor Gallagher following his strong start to the season. The 23-year-old had been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer, with Tottenham, West Ham and Liverpool all touted as interested parties.
According to 90min, Mauricio Pochettino is backing the club's plans to extend Gallagher's deal beyond 2025. Chelsea executives are hoping to tie the academy graduate down to a fresh long-term deal before the winter transfer window opens on January 1.
Read the full story HERE!
Lavia update
Romeo Lavia has posted a positive message online as the Chelsea midfielder continues to recover from an injury that has seen him not yet play for the club. Having signed from Southampton in a big-money deal over the summer, arriving in the same week as Moises Caicedo, the teenager has had a frustrating start to life in blue.
The Belgian prodigy suffered a hamstring injury last season between late August and October meaning that he could only play 29 times in the league for Saints but given that it was his first senior campaign it was still mightily impressive. He racked up over 2,200 minutes, nearly double the amount Reece James made.
Read the full story HERE!
Fernandez Chelsea injury worry ahead of Manchester City
Enzo Fernandez remains a doubt for Chelsea's next Premier League fixture against Manchester City this Saturday despite his positive update.
In a post to Instagram on Wednesday, Fernandez wrote: "Thank you all for your messages. I am good, working in my recovery to get to the weekend in the best way *blue heart emoji*." Even with this positive message, the 22-year-old was not spotted in any of the training images from Cobham.
Read the full story here
Ivan Toney transfer message
Arsenal and Chelsea transfer target Ivan Toney has been continuing to work on his game away from the Brentford training pitches ahead of the January window.
To sign the forward, Arsenal will have to make a "big sale" to be able to afford a move, according to recent reports. That could therefore leave the door open for Chelsea, with Toney sending yet another message to his interested suitors ahead of the winter window.
Read the full story here
Nkunku Chelsea return warning sent
Chelsea duo Reece James and Cole Palmer both appear to be very excited for the return from injury of Christopher Nkunku.
On Instagram, Nkunku shared a number of images that show him working hard in the gym with the caption: "Getting closer... [timer emoji and two fist emojis.]"
In the replies were a number of Chelsea stars sending a warning to the Blues' Premier League rivals with Nkunku expected to be back this month.
Read the full story here
Good morning
Hello and welcome to today's dedicated live blog on football.london for all things Chelsea. Stay with us for regular updates throughout the day ahead of the Premier League clash with Manchester City this Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino and his players have struggled at Stamford Bridge this season but the Blues will be hoping to build from ending Tottenham's unbeaten start to the season earlier this week.
However, he may be facing the task without Enzo Fernandez after a worrying injury update. Elsewhere, Christopher Nkunku is closing in on a return with the France international spotted in the gym at Cobham.
Brentford star Ivan Toney is a target for the west Londoners ahead of the January transfer window with his latest message a clear one to both Chelsea and Arsenal. Here are the latest Chelsea headlines:
- Enzo Fernandez injury update
- Christopher Nkunku return warning
- Ivan Toney message
- And much more
