Sports News
Chelsea door opens for Levi Colwill after “really bad” scenario despite transfer solution
Chelsea could have a future star on their hands in Levi Colwill but the defender wants regular minutes after his Brighton loan spell and could fill the void left by the injured Wesley Fofana
Levi Colwill must be getting some mixed messages at Cobham as he looks to establish himself as a Chelsea player.
The defender just helped Brighton, who had him on loan, complete the double and finish above his parent club. Colwill is the latest in a long line of Chelsea academy graduates, but like so many before him, a route to the first-team could be blocked by a desire to recruit from outside.
For years the Blues have lost out on talent who they had on their books, only to watch them thrive elsewhere. They are determined not to let Colwill join the list but that will largely depend on Mauricio Pochettino, whose success with young players in the past will breed confidence.
Colwill though has made his objectives clear recently, claiming he has “got to play” after a breakthrough year with the Seagulls, who have seen a bid to sign him rejected, and success with England’s U21s at the European Championships.
Pochettino’s challenge
All that points towards a promotion into the Chelsea first-team, or at least some regular minutes. Pochettino has seen several defenders leave Stamford Bridge, making Colwill’s transition all the more simpler, yet he’s warned him of the challenges that lie ahead.
The Argentine has said: “With Levi, we were also talking. It was a nice talk. Of course, it was private like with other players but it is important that they need to know us, know what we think, to see that the competition will be tough but to challenge for that and know they can be in the starting XI. Because football is about competing.”
Chelsea have a real mix-and-match defence with Thiago Silva, who is nearing 40, still putting in performances regularly. He has been utilised frequently in recent years, but it remains to be seen what combination Pochettino goes with. A back four or a back three could also limited the game time for the centre-halves.
Blues fans have seen Trevoh Chalobah improve since being handed his debut several years ago whilst big things are expected from the highly-rated Beniot Badiashile, who arrived from Monaco in January as the west Londoners continued to splash the cash.
Wesley Fofana was an A-List signing last summer after it took £70m to convince Leicester to sell-up. Injury restricted the young Frenchman to a hand full of appearances and it appears lightning has struck twice after suffering after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, which could keep him out for the season.
Colwill not the solution?
Every cloud though has a silver lining – or so Colwill would hope. Whilst Fofana exits stage left to undergo surgery and begin his rehab the young Englishman can fill in, potentially making the position his own if recent displays are anything to go by. The 20-year-old would be more than capable of performing the role Fofana otherwise would have.
Very comfortable at playing out from the back, a strong physical presence with top-flight experience. It would appear an obvious fix to play Colwill throughout pre-season leading into the Premier League opener against Liverpool.
Pochettino though has hinted at other plans. Rather than getting the best from a bad situation, which could allow Colwill to slot straight in, playing alongside a veteran Silva whom he can learn from, it seems as though Chelsea are weighing up a move in the market.
The Blues boss said: “It’s really sad, really bad news. We feel all so sad. All we can do is help him. After that, because he is a player that is important for the team and the squad. Of course we now need to think and see if we keep as we are, or if we need to work to maybe add some players.”
That solution could prove problematic for Colwill, at least in the short-term. Chelsea may consider the fact that a defender who is still very much developing is not the ideal fit for their current situation. The Blues need to push for the top four once more as they prepare for a rare season without the Champions League.
Colwill needs to find out, sooner rather than later, if his direction of travel can align itself with what Chelsea want to do, both short-term and long-term. Many players have fell by the wayside after being told they were part of a team’s long-term thinking and that patience was key.
Football has become an increasingly selfish profession and there are plenty of top clubs, Liverpool among them, who would be prepared to take Colwill right now and offer him what he wants. Chelsea do not seem keen on another loan spell away, which suggests they want him at Stamford Bridge for the here and now – the question is for what purpose.
Sports News
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
Sports News
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
Sports News
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
