Chelsea are currently embarking on an intensive preseason schedule ahead of their 2023-24 campaign, meeting top European clubs such as Wrexham, Brighton, Newcastle Fulham and Borussia Dortmund stateside as part of their US tour.

The Blues are hoping for a strong warm-up ahead of their domestic season; freebetsuk and the top bookies have them at 9/1 to lift the Premier League

Chelsea kicked off their preseason tour against Wrexham at Racecourse Ground on July 19, dominating the recent League Two promotees 5-0.

From there, Chelsea travelled to Philadelphia, where they faced Brighton at Lincoln Financial Field, edging the tight contest 4-3.

Now, the Blues travel onwards to Atlanta where they’ll play Newcastle United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 26.

Chelsea will travel to Maryland and FedEx Field on July 30 for their game against Fulham before proceeding onward to Chicago for their game with Borussia Dortmund at Soldier Field on August 2.

Chelsea can use the preseason tour as an opportunity to assess new recruits and prepare for the new campaign. They’ll face various challenging opponents, giving an accurate reflection of where their squad stands before starting its inaugural campaign.

Chelsea fans will have an exciting opportunity during the preseason tour to watch their team in action and cheer them on from some of the largest stadiums worldwide. Don’t miss this chance to show your support!

Chelsea are hoping for an impressive preseason and are hoping to build momentum ahead of their title challenge and Champions League pursuit. A good preseason is vital if they wish to achieve these objectives and will give them their best chance at success.

Here is Chelsea’s full preseason schedule:

The post Busy Stateside Preseason for Blues appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Chelsea’s next manager might not have much time on their hands, even before they’re appointed.

Right now, bookies are scratching their heads trying to figure out who’s going to take over from Blues legend Frank Lampard, who’s only been given the reins until the end of the season.

There are some front-runners like Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, but a new study by Buzz Casino suggests that being Chelsea’s manager could be a tough gig. According to the study, Chelsea managers typically last a little over a year at best, which is longer than poor old Graham Potter, who only managed 206 days – but still not exactly job security.

Buzz Casino looked at the last five head coaches for each Premier League club to see how long managers tend to stick around, and Chelsea came in seventh from the bottom with an average tenure of just 489 days. The league average is 774 days, so Chelsea fall quite a bit short of that.

Chelsea fans might have hoped for some stability with Todd Boehly taking over from the notoriously indecisive Roman Abramovich, but with Potter getting the boot in his first season and Lampard brought in on a short-term caretaker basis, it looks like the managerial merry-go-round at Stamford Bridge is going to keep on spinning.

But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom for Chelsea. There are other clubs in the Premier League that have even worse job security for their managers. Everton take the crown for the least job security, with an average length of service of just 341 days – less than a year! Other clubs like Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Crystal Palace also have pretty short average tenures for their managers. So, Chelsea’s not alone in this crazy ride of managerial changes in football.

The post Time Ticking for Chelsea’s New Manager appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Derek Smethurst was the very first African to play for Chelsea when he joined them in the 70s, but it has only been in the last decade or so that Chelsea have had some of the most talented African footballers in their team. Who were some of the African footballing legends to wear the blue shirt of Chelsea? Well, below we are going to take a look at the best African footballers that have called Stamford Bridge home.

John Obi Mikel

Mikel joined Chelsea in 2006 for a fee of £16 million. In today’s market, that does not seem like an awful lot of money, but it was a considerable sum to pay back then. He went on to have a very successful time at Chelsea, helping them to win two Premier League trophies, three FA Cup trophies, one Champions League title, and one Europa League title. He stayed at Chelsea for 11 years, making close to 250 appearances for the club. On the road to Europa League glory in 2013, he scored four goals for Chelsea. To add to all his achievements with Chelsea, he was also in the 2013 Nigerian team that won the AFCON trophy that year. In 2016, he helped Nigeria to the bronze medal at the Olympics.

It is fair to say that he is treated like a bit of a celebrity when he goes back home to Nigeria to visit his family. Nigerians are mad about football, nearly as mad about it as the Indians are about their cricket. Nigerians are highly patriotic, so they will happily support any Nigerian that is making it big in the footballing world. As well as watching football, Nigerians love to bet on it. If you are Nigerian and are looking for a quality place to bet on football, check out https://www.sport-betting.ng/betting-sites/ as here you can find the best football betting sites for Nigerians as well as some fantastic football betting tips.

George Weah

Weah, who is now the President of Liberia, was coming to the end of his career when he signed for Chelsea on loan from Milan in 2000. He went on to make 15 appearances for Chelsea and scored 5 goals, helping them to lift the FA Cup in the process. However, what he will most be remembered for is scoring the winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur just 30 minutes into his debut. The feat endeared him to Chelsea fans for life. Although he only scored 5 goals for Chelsea, there is no doubt that he was a very talented footballer. In a career spanning 413 matches, he netted 194 times.

Samuel Eto’o

Many football fans around the world believe Eto’o was one of the best African footballers to grace the field, and we are certainly not going to disagree. He signed a one-year contract for Chelsea in 2013 for an undisclosed fee and he went on to make 21 appearances for the Blues, scoring 11 goals in the process. He played a very important role in helping Chelsea to reach the semi-final of the Champions League where they were knocked out by Atletico Madrid. Although he was probably past his peak when he signed for Chelsea, his career record more than speaks for itself. He played 587 club matches and scored 293 goals, so it is not hard why many consider him to be the best African player ever. He also played 118 times for his country and scored 56 goals.

Geremi

The Cameroon international might not have had the swagger that other African players had, but that is not to say that he was not a very important player for Chelsea during his time there. He signed for Chelsea in 2003 from Real Madrid for a fee of £6.9 million, and he went on to become a very versatile player for the Blues, playing at right-back, on the wings, or in central midfield. He did not always get the appreciation that he deserved from the fans, but his teammates loved the hard work that he always put in. His time at Chelsea was very successful as during his four years at Stamford Bridge he won the League Cup two times, the FA Cup once, and was part of Mourinho’s team that won the Premier League in 2005 and 2006.

Salomon Kalou

The Ivorian international joined Chelsea in 2006 for a fee believed to be £9 million, and he went on to have a glorious career at Stamford Bridge. He won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010, he won the FA Cup with them four times, the League Cup and the Community Shield once, and he topped it all off by winning the Champions League in 2012. He had to compete for playing time with the likes of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba, so he was often used as an impact player and that he definitely made an impact more often than not. During the 2006-07 season, Chelsea were trailing local rivals Spurs 3-1 in the FA Cup, but Kalou came off the bench and earned his team a replay by scoring in the 87th minute. They won the replay 2-1 and eventually lifted the trophy.

Didier Drogba

It is not an overstatement to say that no other player from Africa has ever had the same impact on the English Premier League that Didier Drogba did. He signed for Chelsea in 2004 for a fee of £24 million, and during the next eight seasons he helped Chelsea to win the Premier League title four times, the FA Cup trophy four times, the League Cup three times, two community shields, and one Champions League. In 2012, he was voted as Chelsea’s greatest player. During his time at Stamford Bridge, he scored 104 goals in 254 matches. He played for the Ivory Coast 105 times and netted an impressive 65 goals.

The post Six of the Best African Players to Wear the Famous Chelsea Shirt appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Following the end of our transfer embargo Chelsea have been very busy in the transfer window so far this summer.

Attracting stars to Stamford Bridge has never been a problem but finishing in the top four to qualify for this season’s Champions League will certainly have been of benefit after Frank Lampard’s first season in charge.

Last season saw the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham all star in their debut campaigns, whilst youngsters Billy Gilmour, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James among others were also given their first games for the club.

The squad is now filling up with talented and promising players that are more than capable of finishing in the top four once again this campaign. Betway believe this too, giving us odds of 1/2 to finish in the top four, ahead of next Monday night’s season opener away to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Our team will be tested as early as the second game when we host defending champions Liverpool. A result in that game would make a huge statement of intent as to where we’re headed, whilst games against West Bromwich Albion (away), Crystal Palace (home) and Southampton (home) immediately after give us a good opportunity to make a fast start.

And a fast start is something that has been key to the champions in recent seasons – none less than Liverpool, who won 26 of their first 27 games last season. On average, the eventual Premier League champions have taken 24 points from the first 30 available over the past 18 years. Whilst we’re unlikely to challenge for the title this season, a fast start would certainly go a long way to make sure we finish in the top four.

Timo Werner is set to solve our problem in the striker’s role having arrived from RB Leipzig in what can be seen as a bargain in today’s market, just under £50 million.

We finally landed England left-back Ben Chilwell from Chelsea, having passed on him as a teenager and then being linked to him for the past couple of seasons. This was likely aided by Leicester City dropping out of the Champions League places in the final games of last season.

Chilwell will compete with Marcos Alonso for a starting role, which could be alongside Thiago Silva following the free acquisition of the 35-year-old after he left Paris Saint-Germain following their Champions League final defeat.

The Brazilian international should help sure up our defence that shipped more goals in a single Premier League campaign than any season since 1996-97. His experience should serve youngsters Fikayo Tomori and Andreas Christensen for the future too.

To further bolster our attack in recent days, Kai Havertz has arrived from Bayer Leverkusen. The German international can play multiple attacking positions and will likely replace Willian on the right wing following the Brazilian’s departure. Havertz arguably played his best football out wide, though was quite prolific in front of goal when playing the central striker role in the final months of this past season.

These signings link up with Hakim Ziyech, who only officially joined the club on 1 July when the transfer window opened, after agreeing the deal back in February.

There’s still another month left to sign more players too, with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy reportedly in talks with us, and West Ham United star Declan Rice strongly linked. The start of the 2020/21 season should give us a good indication of whether our new signings will lead to a title challenge or not.

The post New Chelsea Squad Faces Early Season Test appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has been sacked by Juventus, 12 months into a three-year contract he signed after leaving the Blues, also after just a year at the helm.

Despite guiding Juve to their ninth consecutive Serie A title, Sarri failed to make headway in the Champions League, his side dropping out at the last-16 stage, while his charges suffered an end-of-season slump that saw them just one point clear of Inter at the top of the table.

Club president Andrea Agnelli described the season as “bittersweet”, and took aim at Juventus’ “disappointing” European performances. Champions League success was seen as a must for the club following their acquisition of global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2018, and Sarri has paid the price for Juve’s failure to land silverware away from the domestic competition.

Blues fans will remember the 61-year-old as an eccentric figure at Stamford Bridge. He drew scorn and amusement alike for his habit of sucking unlit cigarette butts on the touchlines, due to the UK’s nationwide stadium ban on smoking.

A number of Chelsea players were reportedly unhappy with the number of cigarettes he was able to get through in training, with some reporters suggesting he should swap the cigarettes for snus instead, a smoke-free tobacco substitute that is hugely popular in Scandinavia. Indeed, a number of sites now offer snus in the UK, and have become increasingly popular with footballers and coaches alike as an alternative to smoking.

Sarri’s reign at Stamford Bridge came to an end last year after landing the Europa League for the Blues, with the club releasing him from the final two years of his contract after he expressed a desire to return to Italy to take charge of Juventus and be close to his elderly parents. It’s unclear what lies in store next for the decorated manager.

The post Former Blues Boss Sacked After Just One Season for a Second Time appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham has claimed that he studies three strikers in particular namely Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Roberto Firmino.

He said: “In my spare time I go on Youtube and watch all the best strikers in the world play in this competition, stealing their ideas and adding it to my game.

“I watch so many. Harry Kane, Aguero, Firmino, these are Premier League strikers obviously but also Lewandowski and all sorts and players who have played in this competition before.

“For many of us it is a dream come true, so we don’t want that dream to stop now. We want to keep going, keep pushing, keep doing the best we can and like I said tomorrow we have to just leave it all out on the field.

“Tomorrow is the biggest game of the season so far and you have to let that joy, that childhood dream you’ve always thought of just go for a minute and focus on the game.”

Abraham has surpassed expectations this season and proven to be a huge success at Stamford Bridge despite doubts having been raised over his potential prior to the start of this season. He will most definitely be a strong contender to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot award this season and will provide strong competition to Harry Kane for the England first-choice number nine role going forward.

Embed from Getty Images

Abraham’s rise has been interesting

Abraham’s rise has been filled with highs and lows. His potential was first seen during the 2016/17 season whilst on loan with Bristol City as he went on to score 23 goals in the Championship from 41 games. The following season, he spent time on loan with then Premier League club Swansea but failed to make an impression as he went on to score just five goals and was unable to save the Welsh giants from relegation.

Following his struggles with the Swans, Abraham was sent back to the Championship and spent time with Aston Villa. He went on to score an impressive 25 goals from 37 second-tier appearances to help the Villains win top-flight status.

Chelsea’s two-window transfer ban has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If they were not affected by the ban, it is likely that they would have forked out millions of pounds to recruit a recognized number nine to replace Alvaro Morata who joined Atletico Madrid after a failed stint in West London

The Golden Boot race this season will be interesting

For the first time in the Premier League era, three Englishman in Kane, Jamie Vardy and Abraham will be contenders for the Golden boot this season.

The post Chelsea Striker Abraham Reveals Three Inspirational Players appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

One player who has been linked with a potential exit from Stamford Bridge this January is Pedro. The 32-year-old’s contract with the Blues is set to expire at the end of the season and he will be free to join another club on a Bosman transfer if Frank Lampard’s side do not sell him this January.

Lampard is opting to build the new-look West London side around younger talent and this has often led to him overlooking Pedro in favour of more youthful talent. With Christian Pulisic and Callum-Hudson Odoi still in their early 20’s, it is unlikely that Pedro will be able to win himself back into the key first-team plans of the club nor does it look likely that he has much of a future at the Bridge.

Embed from Getty Images

Pedro is unlikely to be short of options for a new club

Due to his versatility in terms of being able to play in a number of attacking roles, Pedro will not be short of options for a new employer. Prior to establishing himself as an important player for Chelsea, he donned the jersey of Barcelona where he established himself as one of the deadliest attackers of the La Liga. He was also part of the Golden years of Spanish football during the early part of the current decade whereby Spain won the World Cup in South Africa as well as the 2012 European Championship.

A lot of clubs from across Europe’s top five Leagues would still be able to benefit from having the experience and expertise of a household name such as Pedro.

Chelsea need to be wise. They should aim to cash in on Pedro this January rather than let him leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season. The Blues would essentially be throwing money away if they let him leave at the end of the season.

The post Chelsea Should Allow Veteran To Leave This January appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has compared young defender Ryan Sessegnon to Chelsea legend Ashley Cole.

“I think Ryan is absolutely fantastic, I have known him since a kid in Fulham,” Mourinho said as quoted by Mirror. “When he comes to the first team in the Premier League it is different to the Championship.

“I think in this moment he is a winger on the left, can also play on the right, can learn progressively and even develop physically, which he is doing.

“Even from the last time I saw him and the first time I met him when I came here he is already different physically.

“I think Ryan can play as a left-back. Probably the left-back in the last decade was Ashley Cole, in spite of him being from two enemy clubs, but he was fantastic.

“But Ryan has lots of similarities with Ashley, and he can learn how to defend.”

Sessegnon is one of the most highly-rated younsters in English football. The 19-year-old earned himself a move to Spurs during the summer from Fulham following a series of impressive displays over the years. He made his first-team debut for Fulham in 2016 when he was aged just 16 and thereafter went on to make 106 League appearances for the Cottagers prior to leaving them.

In a bonus for Spurs, Sessegnon also joined them with a fair bit of Premier League experience under his belt. He went on to make 35 appearances for the Cottagers who were relegated from the top-flight last season and even chipped in with two goals.

Embed from Getty Images

Mourinho will be hoping to get the most out of Sessegnon

Spurs appointed Mourinho to lead them recently after they rather shockingly decided to sack Mauricio Pochettino.  The Lilywhites have not won a piece of major silverware since 2008 when they claimed the League Cup and they will be hoping that Mourinho can finally bring an end to the trophy drought. The self-proclaimed special one has after all never left a club in the past without bringing it silverware.

Considering that a number of important Spurs first-team players are expected to depart next summer, Mourinho will have to focus on getting Sessegnon to be a vital cog for the side as he is very much the future. If Sessegnon does indeed end up developing into a Cole type player, it will be a major bonus for English football in general.

The one thing which has eluded the England national team for nearly sixty years now is a piece of silverware. Gareth Southgate has developed the Three Lions into a quality unit though their defence is still questionable. A Cole like player would do it a world of wonders.

The post Jose Mourinho Compares Ryan Sessegnon to Chelsea Legend appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has said that his release from Chelsea helped him to develop into the player that he is today. The 20-year-old was with the Blues from 2006 until being released from the club in 2014 after being deemed surplus to requirements.

Chelsea have been hasty in terms of releasing a lot of youth products. In addition to Rice, other now quality players whom they parted ways with prematurely include Mohamed Salah, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.

As quoted by West Ham’s website, Rice said: “For me, it was really tough because Chelsea was all I knew and all my family knew. I didn’t know what would happen, how West Ham would take to me, what the new house would be like that I was moving into, and being away from my family

“There were so many different things that were a part of me moving to West Ham that have shaped me into the person I am now. Looking back, it was tough and I hated being away from home, but I got through it in the end.

“I had a strong mentality and I wanted to succeed and it’s made me into the man I am today.”

Embed from Getty Images

Rice has developed into one of the best English defensive midfielders

After being integrated into the Hammers first-team back in 2015, Rice went on to become a first-team regular for the club during the 2017/18 season. After initially representing the Republic of Ireland at youth level and even at senior level in non-competitive games, he opted to switch his international allegiance and represent England from last year.

He is of high probability to be part of the England team which will compete at the 2020 European Championships and could even be in line to be used as Gareth Southgate’s first-choice defensive midfielder barring a massive rise in form of Tottenham’s Eric Dier.

Rice should look to leave West Ham during the near future

West Ham look like they will be more or less consigned to being a mid-table club for the near future. Due to structural issues, the club are unable to really launch a challenge for a top six place on the standings. Rice is a player who should look to play Champions League football in the near future. It would thus make complete sense for him to look to leave the Hammers during the near future in order to join a strong club from one of Europe’s top five Leagues.

The London Stadium has been a good place for him to up his craft but he will have to leave.

The post Declan Rice Speaks On Chelsea Exit appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.

N’Golo Kante picked up an injury in the warm-up before France defeated Iceland 1-0 in the European Championship Qualifying 2020 in Reykjavik.

The midfielder suffered from a muscle injury and was immediately replaced in the starting XI by Moussa Sissoko. His fellow Chelsea player, Olivier Giroud lifted the Frenchmen after he converted a penalty kick to give them the 1-0 victory. The goal was Giroud’s 37^th in the international set-up.

Kante has suffered from various fitness issues already this season, and the recent incident will give Chelsea boss Frank Lampard something to worry about. Kante was seen limping off the field while warming up ahead of their game Friday night.

The France international has only featured four times for the Blues eight Premier League games. He scored against Liverpool last month and was part of the 4-1 victory over Southampton.

Earlier Lampard called up France manager, Didier Deschamps regarding the selection of Kante in the French national team. Deschamps, a former Chelsea player himself took a little bit of a swipe at Lampard and said, “Lampard had asked me not to pick Kante at the last break,” Deschamps told a press conference.

“If that is still the way I am going to call him later to tell him it would be nice if you play Olivier Giroud a little bit!”

Lampard also addressed this issue after Chelsea won over Brighton.

“My feeling is that he has played a lot and that’s because he has been so successful and so important to the teams he has been in,” he said.

“At the minute, he has injuries.

“This little niggle he had is a small, small injury. We just need to get it right. We are just careful and it is my duty to work with him. The medical team are working so hard with him.” Lampard added.

France remains in the second position in Group H, and are six points ahead of Iceland who sits in third. Turkey beat Albania 1-0 and are the leader in the group.

The post Chelsea Midfielder Suffers Injury Before France Win appeared first on Latest Chelsea Football News.