According to reports, Manchester City are looking to activate the 29-year-old winger’s £14.1million buyout clause to sign him this summer.
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Tag: Chelsea
Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City: Super Sergio sinks sloppy Blues to devastating effect
Sergio Agüero flexed his big-game muscles and netted a well-taken hat-trick as the Citizens strolled to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge against a sloppy Chelsea side.
Morale continues to rise within City camp
As a result, Manuel Pellegrini‘s men climb a place into third – with Arsenal set to face Crystal Palace in tomorrow afternoon’s clash from the Emirates. For a side that has struggled with consistency and faltered upon multiple occasions already this season, the sky Blues’ progression into the Champions League semi-finals has certainly rejuvenated the first-team squad: there is clear harmony between players and they’ve all been linking up together well in recent weeks.
Chelsea complete £3.5m signing of Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga
The Blues took to their official club website to announce a winter acquisition – a talented young American centre-back, hoping to embrace the step-up in quality.
Matt Miazga has today officially joined the Premier League‘s reigning champions Chelsea, for a reported fee of £3.5million pounds – according to talkSPORT.
The talented 20-year-old defender, who flourished in the MLS with the New York Red Bulls, has been a keen admirer of European football for quite some time and his consistent displays helped him emerge as a rising talent in America – following his debut across the Atlantic shortly after his 18th birthday.
Miazga delighted to have completed switch
The Polish-American, who has joined on a four-and-a-half year deal, said he is “very happy” to have joined a “world-famous club” in the “best league in the world”.
He was also frank in the way he spoke about his youth, describing himself as someone still “at the beginning” of their career, but feels as though the Premier League is “the place to develop”, where he’ll learn from some of the world’s best players.
Continue reading “Chelsea complete £3.5m signing of Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga”
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea: Costa sinks Gunners after Mertesacker’s costly dismissal
Arsenal missed the opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League – with Diego Costa netting the only goal of the game after Per Mertesacker’s costly dismissal in the first-half.
Arsenal, oh Arsenal. Arséne Wenger‘s side had the perfect opportunity to leapfrog their rivals back to the summit of the Premier League this evening – but instead, are left scratching their heads at what could’ve been.
Something that typifies their respective title charges of recent seasons, and how they’ve failed to sustain a proper challenge since last lifting the title itself, a decade ago.
Costa haunts Gunners once more
Diego Costa, who passed a late fitness test to start today, broke the deadlock with a well-taken strike at the near post in the 23rd minute, after intelligent movement allowed the Spaniard to weave past three Arsenal markers and fire home from Branislav Ivanovic‘s delivery in the area.
Continue reading “Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea: Costa sinks Gunners after Mertesacker’s costly dismissal”
Arsenal vs Chelsea preview: Must-win fixture for Gunners against London rivals
Despite the visitors’ faltering form in the Premier League this season, the Gunners will know to avoid underestimating them – it’s a must-win fixture for Arsenal regardless of which Chelsea side turns up at the Emirates.
They’ll be eager to record only their second victory over the Blues since their unpredictable 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge back in the 2011/12 campaign, where Robin van Persie fired Arséne Wenger‘s side to a thrilling three points away from home.
Continue reading “Arsenal vs Chelsea preview: Must-win fixture for Gunners against London rivals”
Patrick Bamford: What’s going wrong?
Having scored 19 goals and helping fire Middlesbrough to the play-off’s last term, the 22-year-old is facing a tricky predicament in south London – on loan from struggling Premier League champions Chelsea.
Admittedly, Boro cruelly fell at the last hurdle in the final at Wembley, but they’ll be strong favourites to eventually secure their place amongst the top sides in England this term – and they’ll be collectively stronger for the experience.
A talented youngster on-show
After impressing for Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup, Chelsea were excited by the then-teenager, and didn’t hesitate to snap him up into their own ranks. So in 2012, for £1.5million pounds, Bamford was officially a Chelsea player. Signing a five-year contract, he initially started well within the reserve setup, before earning a loan spell to various clubs in search of competitive football.
The idea has always been, for the most part, to give young players the adequate experience they need to return to their parent clubs with the hunger and ability to establish first-team credentials. In a star-studded team such as Chelsea’s, you have to be immensely talented for even scouts, staff and respective coaches to look at you, let alone being able to sign professional terms.
Last term was Bamford’s best…
The 2014/15 campaign was a breakout season for Bamford in terms of his overall development. He still doesn’t look the finished article yet, but the signs of progression were there: agility, strength, intelligent movement in-behind defences, flashes of flair as well as most importantly, the goals to show for it.
So you could excuse Patrick’s probable reaction to the news that José Mourinho had signed Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan deal from AS Monaco. Injuries have seen the Colombian forward’s confidence drop, and his performances have suffered for it.
After a forgettable season at Louis van Gaal‘s transitional Manchester United side, Mourinho vowed to try and help Falcao restore his world-class ability, which was infamously quiet for large parts of the previous season.
…But now he’s not getting many chances
Bamford was consequently loaned out to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, in east London. Upon the surface, this deal didn’t look like a particularly bad decision given the circumstances – but at the same time, just a few months into it, the cracks are gradually starting to appear.
With plenty of viable attacking options at Alan Pardew‘s disposal, you’d be naïve to expect Bamford would be consistently starting just on merit from his success at the Riverside. Potentially three or four forwards ahead of him in the pecking order, he would have been told, it wouldn’t be easy.
It hasn’t been. So far this term, Bamford has been restricted to a mere 56 minutes of Premier League football. Regularly being named in the matchday squad, he can rarely seem to get his opportunity off the substitutes’ bench, and it’s understandably hurting his confidence too.
“It has been a frustrating time for me – I am not the same person when I am not playing football all the time. I would say this has been one of the most upsetting times since I have been playing football.”
Chelsea are struggling, Patrick is too
Seeing his parent club Chelsea, struggling quite remarkably, will feel bittersweet for Bamford. On the one hand, he’ll feel frustrated that he has not been given his chance centre-stage yet, but also, he’ll take positives from the fact that when he does eventually return from his spell, he’ll get his opportunity.
After all, their options are looking increasingly bare at the moment. The talented attacking trio of Dominic Solanke, Isaiah Brown and Islam Feruz are all out on respective loan spells elsewhere away from Stamford Bridge – but they are expected to lead the club in the not-too-distant future.
That’s not to mention the likes of Tammy Abraham, Charly Musonda and Iké Ugbo, who are all showing signs of individual brilliance to suggest they’re all gems in a never-ending production line in west London.
If you see the direction I’m heading towards, you’ll recognise the aforementioned six players are relatively young, even in comparison to Bamford. The oldest, is 19. Bamford turned 22 back in September. The point is, he needs to be patient and keep working hard but also be quietly weary of the competition he has to battle with for a starting berth in the future.
“I have been doing all I can to get in the team and, hopefully, with the work I have been doing over the last few weeks I might get a few more chances.”
As Tim Notke once said, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
Quotes’ via the Evening Standard
Petr Čech’s importance to Arsenal is understated
When rumours surfaced regarding Petr Čech’s impending departure from Chelsea it was unsurprising, and genuinely sad.
The manner was unfortunate given the circumstances, especially because a player of his quality should be playing week in, week out.
But with the emergence of Thibaut Courtois as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, being ten years his junior, Petr was always eventually going to be displaced in the pecking order as first-choice in west London.
Not particularly because his performance level dipped: he remained consistent and professional, even staying a year after he admitted considering leaving the club. But, ultimately, he needed to be playing regular football at a competitive level and Chelsea could no longer guarantee him that.
When he was linked with Arsenal, I was surprised. Not only because he’s such a good goalkeeper, but also given the fact that the two clubs are such fierce rivals.
Naturally, a player of his stature and thanks to the legacy he’s created for himself at Stamford Bridge, it was fitting that he was able to dictate where he wanted to go.
A respectful, but also a costly decision made on Chelsea’s behalf at the end of the campaign. Refusing to believe the media hype until he’d been pictured with the shirt and a beaming smile, it actually started to settle into my mind that he was an Arsenal player during the pre-season tour of Asia.
Even though the fixtures were not competitive, you could tell he was already oozing confidence out of a side heavily criticised for their struggles defensively over the past few years.
You could also argue that we’ve not had a world-class goalkeeper since the legendary figure of Jens Lehmann departed in 2008. Manuel Almunia, Vito Mannone, Lukasz Fabianski and David Ospina have all tried to stake their claim for the number one jersey on a permanent basis but to no avail.
The closest to doing so, has been Wojciech Szczesny. The 25-year-old is currently on-loan at Serie A side Roma, and even though he is undoubtedly a good goalkeeper, he has a frustrating tendency to make mistakes, that he really shouldn’t be making if he’s to justify his inclusion in the team every week.
Errors in judgment and momentarily lapses in concentration have clouded fans and critics opinions on him. At 25 he’s still maturing as a goalkeeper, but time will tell if the club can reap the rewards.
Čech, meanwhile, is the complete package. At 33, he’s still got a few years left to perform at the highest level – considering a goalkeeper’s career span is much wider than an outfield player on average.
As well as that, he has much more experience, not least in big pressure situations too. Having made over 100 appearances in European competition for the Blues – Europa League and Champions League combined – over his ten-year spell there, he’s proven his quality on a number of occasions.
What I also find ironic, is the fact that seemingly everyone in the media was quick to launch a scathing attack on him after his League debut for the club. Admittedly, it was a forgettable way to kickstart your tenure at a new club but even so, they are more reluctant to report when he does well.
John Terry’s comments back in June, have already been proven correct. He said, matter-of-factly, that his presence alone within the squad will win Arsenal fifteen points a season.
Twelve competitive games later, he’s arguably already won the side eight points.
First, his excellent display against Liverpool. Leaving plenty of players in awe he made a series of important stops, especially in the first-half, to help his side when they needed it most during a relentless wave of counter-attacks. If not for him, they’d have certainly lost the match, but came away with a hard-fought point.
Then, he played a part in the enthralling 5-2 away victory over Leicester. Although neither of their goals were his fault, at 4-1 up, Claudio Ranieri’s men went on the charge in search of a way back into the match.
They grabbed one goal, but it could have easily been two or three more. Čech remained confident and commanded his area well, especially to keep out Riyad Mahrez and stop Jamie Vardy netting a hat-trick with his quick reactions and smart saves allowing the momentum to shift back into Arsenal’s favour.
In the build-up to the clash against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, plenty of headlines and stories were revolving around one man: Robert Lewandowski. The Polish forward has been enjoying some red-hot form of late, but even he was unable to break down Arsenal’s defence – because of Čech.
Constantly alert and aware, he was able to thwart Bayern’s best efforts, and his experience was crucial in helping the Gunners secure all three points along with a well-earned clean sheet.
Last but not least, a tough fixture against Everton. Arsenal, who love to give themselves unneeded pressure, could and probably should have sealed the victory over Roberto Martinez’ men with time to spare. But with the scoreline staying the same throughout the second-half, it allowed the visitors hope that they could actually snatch something from the match itself.
They nearly did. Lukaku’s headed effort kissed the crossbar, Barkley came close, but Gerard Deulofeu’s one-on-one opportunity should have levelled proceedings.
Čech, making himself big and closing down the angles for Deulofeu to strike, dived quickly to his left to parry away the Spaniard’s effort, which was in-line with the penalty spot and relatively close towards goal.
If Szczesny was in the same position, I wouldn’t be as confident that he’d have made the save. It’s saves like these which just reiterate how good Čech is, and how his arrival has helped improve the team.
Plenty of people have criticised Arsène Wenger for not signing any outfield players in the summer but, if he continues to make one world-class acquisition like Petr every window, I highly doubt anyone will be complaining for long.
Similar to Mesut Özil, Čech goes about his business quietly but with efficiency too. Refreshing to see, it’s no wonder Arsenal have improved defensively when they have such a towering presence as their last line of defence.
Dynamo Kyiv vs Chelsea preview: Blues await tough Ukranian test
Having lost 2-1 in their second group stage game against Porto, José Mourinho will be hoping for maximum points as they travel to Ukraine tomorrow.
Chelsea have endured an uncharacteristically poor start to the 2015/16 campaign, just months after securing the Premier League title – and it’s lead to plenty of questions. Well, why?
Failing to successfully make enough acquisitions in the summer, check. A lack of fitness coupled with poor pre-season results, check. Excuses galore and a plethora of frustrating displays over the past few months, yep.
Chelsea’s League demons have not gone away, just yet
In the Champions League group stages however, it was believed to be a refreshing release from the fire and unrelenting criticism of their domestic performances. Naturally, with a group including Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv, not to mention José Mourinho‘s former employers in Porto, it was certainly going to be intriguing.
Two games in, a third of the group’s fixtures played, and they sit in third place. Win tomorrow, they will leapfrog their hosts into second – and could top the group, if Porto draw or fail to beat Group G’s minnows from Israel.
Kiev no easy side, by any means
Going into the match, plenty of skeptics will be interested by what they see on Tuesday evening. After all, another loss could virtually seal their exit from Europe’s elite, and no English supporting fan wants that..
Kiev meanwhile, have gone unbeaten in their two Champions League games. A 2-2 draw with Porto as well as an away win over Tel-Aviv reiterates the fact they are not in the competition just to make up the numbers, so to speak.
The Blues will evidently take heart from the fact that whilst they ended their winless run with a 2-0 home win over Aston Villa on Saturday, Kiev were comphrensively beaten by title rivals Shakthar Donetsk by a comfortable three-goal cushion twenty-four hours beforehand.
Team news
Sergei Rebrov‘s side have only one injury doubt ahead of kick-off; midfielder Serhiy Rybalka – who could be sidelined due to a minor muscle tear.
As for the visitors, a few more injury issues. First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is expected to make his return in December from the ligament damage he suffered in early-September. Branislav Ivanovic will be hoping his unfortunate injury sustained on international break will cool the criticism of his performances recently, where he’s looked a shadow of his former self. Full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Baba Rahman, as well as young midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, are all expected to feature from the start in the east of Europe.
Food for thought – after his surprise omission from the starting XI on Saturday, will Chelsea’s attacking talisman Eden Hazard start?
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Terry and Gerrard’s headed efforts share the spoils
Liverpool needed a victory to keep their fading hopes of Champions League qualification alive, against the newly-crowned Premier League champions Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea hosted Liverpool in the second of a Super Sunday double bill earlier today, with the Merseyside outfit needing nothing but a victory to keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive.
The newly-crowned champions went into the game at Stamford Bridge with nothing to lose, so as expected, rested some of their key stars for the big clash. Kurt Zouma, Felipe Luis, John Obi Mikel and Loic Remy were all in amongst the starting line-up for the Blues, with Player of the Year Eden Hazard becoming the first Chelsea player to make 50 appearances this season. The big news ahead of kick-off surrounded talented 19-year-old creative midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was set to make his first-team debut against the Reds for Jose Mourinho‘s men.
Liverpool surprisingly opted to start Rickie Lambert as opposed to Jordon Ibe in a more advanced attacking role in their trip to west London. Adam Lallana started on his 27th birthday, in a forward 4-3-3 role alongside Raheem Sterling and Lambert.
The match got off to a feisty start after just forty seconds on the clock, as Cesc Fábregas was given his 11th booking of the season for a crunching sliding tackle on Sterling’s ankle in midfield. The young attacking forward was treated for his injury by the Liverpool physio, but thankfully for the flow of the game, he was able to continue.
Willian delivered a teasing cross towards the box, and a team-mate was lurking to latch onto it, but for a last-ditch headed clearance over the bar by Slovakian centre-back Martin Skrtel to give the hosts an early corner-kick. Fábregas stepped up, curled his set-piece into the box, and a combination of lacklustre marking and sloppy defending all-round from the Reds gifted John Terry the time and space to head powerfully beyond goalkeeper Simon Mignolet – opening the scoring after just five minutes. That goal meant Terry was now the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history with 39 goals, and the Blues were ahead early on.
Philippe Coutinho came close to levelling the scoring a few minutes later, but his shot was deflected and hit the side netting as Brendan Rodgers‘ men attempted to get back into the match almost instantaneously after conceding. Mignolet had to be alert to rush off his line and intercept the threat posed by a through ball played into the path of Loic Remy by Fábregas, and the Belgian opened up his body before smothering the ball inside his area and denying the Frenchman from doubling the scoring.
Emre Can went on a lung-busting run from defence into attacking midfield, before looking up and spotting the run of Raheem to his left. He squared the ball to the youngster, who dribbled towards the edge of the area and unleashed a low effort goalwards, but his shot was somewhat wayward and it trickled well wide of Courtois’ far post.
Skrtel saved Mignolet’s blushes with a vital clearance after the ‘keeper’s loose touch almost set Remy through with a chance from close range – but for a robust hoof clear by the no-nonsense centre-back. Adam Lallana was booked two minutes later for a late sliding tackle on Branislav Ivanovic as tackles continued to fly in.
Chelsea continued to press for the second goal, and Skrtel was soon into the referee’s book. His booking gifted the Blues an opportunity in a dangerous position, after a cynical block to halt the run of Remy after he’d been skinned near the byline. Fábregas’ lofted ball floated above his team-mates, and the danger was cleared with a powerful punch away to safety by Mignolet who was visibly annoyed at his team’s lack of defensive shape.
Rickie Lambert was the next man into Andre Marriner‘s book, for a pointless sliding tackle on Thibaut Courtois as the ball was trickling out of play and the talented 22-year-old goalkeeper was shielding him from winning it. It was clear to see that frustrations were boiling over from the visitors’ point of view, but the Chelsea fans were enjoying every minute of it with ironic cheers and chants galore throughout.
Simon Mignolet was lucky not to make a fatal mistake in his box as a goalmouth scramble saw the ball float in the air inches away from his goal, he flapped at the ball and luckily enough for him, it swerved out for a corner-kick. The danger was averted after some intense Chelsea pressure, which saw the ball trickle past a few team-mates before being eventually cleared away.
Unfortunately for Kurt Zouma, the talented young centre-back suffered a knock which he could not carry on playing with, so as a precautionary measure, he was brought off the pitch in place of Gary Cahill with 35 minutes on the clock. A warm round of applause was greeted by the home supporters, who appreciate just how talented and promising the French defender is.
The Blues continued their attacking impetus with Hazard, Loftus-Cheek and Willian looking dangerous going forward from midfield positions, but it was Liverpool who had the final say on the half’s action with two minutes plus stoppages left to play. A needless challenge made by Ivanovic on Lallana near the byline was met with the game’s fifth booking – the resulting free-kick was swung into the area by Jordan Henderson and Liverpool’s departing captain headed home from close range, with Courtois helpless to stop the effort as it swished in the back of the net.
The fourth official signalled for three minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first-half, and as the whistle blew, the match was evenly poised at 1-1.
As the second-half began, neither side made any alterations. Liverpool started on the front foot, with Henderson combining excellently with Lallana just a minute into the second period, before the latter’s low strike towards goal fired wide of Courtois’ far post.
Sterling used his blistering pace to his advantage, advancing towards the Chelsea goal with Filipe Luis trying to dispossess the forward of the ball. He weaved one way and pushed his way past the Brazilian, before laying off a pass for Coutinho – whose fierce shot flew into the crowd behind the goal, with ironic jeers from the home fans, despite the Reds’ coming narrowly close to taking the lead for the first time in the match.
Willian came close to giving Chelsea the lead once more on two separate occasions in the space of a few minutes. First, he drove past the Liverpool backline with his electric pace, before firing an effort across the face of goal, with Mignolet getting a touch to the ball to see out the danger. Then, he came close again, but this time his shot flicked off the side netting at the near post.
A vital sliding block by substitute Gary Cahill denied Lallana’s shot from flashing on-target, as Liverpool continued to up their own attacking intensity. Another warm round of applause reverberated around the Bridge as Loftus-Cheek, arguably surprisingly, was brought off the pitch in place of Nemanja Matic. Many Chelsea supporters were hoping the 19-year-old would stay on, and John-Obi Mikel would be taken off instead, especially after just getting a booking, but it seemed the Blues were happy to settle for a point, frustrating the Reds as much as they could going forward.
Liverpool made a double change within minutes, as young attacking duo Jerome Sinclair and Jordon Ibe were brought into the action as Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana were taken off. Chelsea were thwarted by a brave block from Skrtel, who put his body on the line in a sliding challenge to deflect a goal-scoring chance away to safety. He had to receive treatment from the physio after that, but was thankfully able to continue.
Ibe was threatening on the ball, and his darting run towards the box was cynically met by a tactical foul by Luis, who was the next player to be given a yellow card by the referee – but the Brazilian could have no real complaints. The Reds continued to press for the late winner, but Courtois was equal to all of their efforts, especially a deflected shot by Coutinho which flicked off Cahill, sending Courtois the wrong way, before he was quick to move back in the opposite direction and smother the effort.
As the referee blew his whistle to end the afternoon’s proceedings at the Bridge, both teams shared the spoils. Liverpool are six points behind Manchester United, who have virtually sealed their place in the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League qualification round, bar failing to win a single point in their final two games. Rodgers’ men can only mathematically qualify for the Champions League if they win both of their remaining matches, as well as over-ruling United on goal difference, which they just happen to be -14 away from. So, the odds are extremely stacked against them.
The 17-year-old Chelsea talent with the world at his feet
Stats and data correct to the 7th of March, 2015:
Chelsea have an abundance of attacking riches in their squad, with the likes of Oscar, Eden Hazard, Willian, Loic Remy, Diego Costa and their January addition Juan Cuadrado all to add into the mix. However, they have many youth startlets closer to home, waiting for their chance to shine in the first-team.
One of those, is 17-year-old forward Dominic Solanke. Born in Reading, Berkshire, with Nigerian heritage, the youngster has flourished and developed significantly over the past two seasons in the Chelsea youth set-up. So much so, that he was named England Men’s Youth Player of The Year for 2014 at the start of 2015, and has represented England at U-16, 17 and U-18 level thus far.
His knack for goal-scoring
During the 2013-14 season, Solanke managed to score 20 goals in 25 matches for the Chelsea U-18’s, an impressive feat. In doing so, he prompted youth coaches to stand up and take notice, earning a call-up to the U-21’s side where he currently showcases his ability on a weekly basis consistently. In all competitions, he has scored 15 goals and created six assists, in just 18 matches played this season.
STAT: Currently, he is the top scorer in the UEFA Youth League with eight goals in the competition, at the quarter-final stage.
STAT: He is the joint fourth top goalscorer in the U21 Premier League with Newcastle’s Adam Armstrong, having scored seven goals in 11 appearances this season. Ryan Seager, Adil Nabi, Chuba Akpom are the only players who have scored MORE goals than him, but ironically, they’ve all played more matches also.
Attacking flair and blistering pace
As a player, especially developing into a world-class one, you tend to have one or two strengths that you hold in high regard, as opposed to the rest of your game. For Solanke, as well as his goal-scoring ability, he has blistering pace to run rings around the defender, as well as attacking flair which adds an unpredictable edge to his bow; you are unsure of what he is going to do next, which he always delivers to devastating effect.
Chance to shine, when will it come?
In a star-studded team such as Chelsea’s, it is often hard for players to get the first-team opportunities they need to prove themselves at the highest level. Andre Schurrle, Kevin de Bruyne and even more recently, Mohamed Salah are three prime examples of this; they’ve gone onto pastures new and flourished with the prospect of playing regular football spurring them on to success at their respective clubs (AS and KDB, Wolfsburg; Salah at Fiorentina).
Jose Mourinho named Solanke as a first-team player towards the start of this season, but he is so far yet to start a competitive match for the senior team, something he’ll be eager and raring to do in the coming months. He has been on the substitutes’ bench on numerous occasions, which will do wonders for his confidence and help him experience the rigours of the Premier League, but the collective feeling is that Solanke needs minutes under his belt, whether that be for Chelsea or another club in Europe.
The most feasible option at the moment? Solanke has to be patient it seems, especially with Mourinho’s attacking headache at the moment, the youngster may find chances hard to come by, but his potential and obvious talent are too blatant not to look out for.
Explored: Chelsea’s talented youth system and the problems attached to it
Stats, data – all correct to January 9, 2015:
Chelsea’s youth set-up is full of potential, with wonderkids ready to break through into the first-team. So why are most of them being loaned out? Will they get their chance? Read below, for my opinion on the intriguing situation which is currently unfolding at Chelsea.
You could argue that The Blues have an interesting situation on their hands. They have many good young players amongst the U-18’s, U-21’s and other age groups, with some of those players having the potential to force their way into the first-team.
With that being said, Chelsea’s team is strong. They have strength in depth, and unlike most of their title rivals in the league, do not have to make many signings or additions to the squad in respective transfer windows. Obviously, this means that most players will not get as many minutes as they would like; unfortunate for a team in a league trying to pride themselves on having homegrown talent, especially given the criticism of recent years over the sufficient lack of world-class English players.
There have been many different young players that have joined Chelsea, and gone on to flourish elsewhere, with a prime example being Wolfsburg‘s creative midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian is still relatively young at age 23, but only made 9 appearances for the first-team, with the majority of them being cameo appearances.
Chelsea signed him back in 2012 from Belgian side Genk, where he was being heralded as a player with potential to be special in the future. They sent him on loan, back to Belgium as well as to Werder Bremen – missing out on his talent.
STAT: De Bruyne has already created 10 assists in the Bundesliga alone so far this season, more than almost every player in the top five European leagues currently, apart from Cesc Fabregas, who has 14 at Chelsea – ironically enough.
He joined Wolfsburg in January 2014, and has looked a completely different player. One that plays with costlessdom and has the confidence to prove his doubters wrong, as well as Mourinho – he is a good player who should have been given a better opportunity to showcase his abilities in the first-team.
However, you could also spin the argument, and say that the fee brought in from the de Bruyne transfer shows that The Blues have an efficient way of selling on players that they know will not be able to gain first-team experience in the squad. They signed him for £7million, and sold him for £17million just two years later; a massive amount of profit which could help them in the future to ensure they keep in line with the Financial Fair Play rules and regulations.
The picture below (source: Wikipedia) just shows the sheer scale of players out on loan from Chelsea at the moment – the majority of which, are all young and under the age of 23:
Lucas Piazon, 20, has been compared to by current Chelsea first-team star Oscar amongst other Brazilian compatriots for his attacking flair, pace, skill and being a costless-kick specialist. With that being said, he has barely featured for his parent club – instead, being loaned out to the likes of Vitesse and Frankfurt. He has already admitted that he is open to staying in Germany, so what does that tell you?
Thorgan Hazard, 21 has been praised for having similiar attributes to his older brother, Eden, who is a star player in the first-team. He is currently on-loan at Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, but will he get his chance eventually following his move in 2012 or find himself on a different pathway to his sibling?
It is all well and good, to have a world-class youth system. But if you do not utilise your youth players and give them chances to shine, then what is the point? To say, that Chelsea do not give some of their talented players a chance amongst the stars in the team, is unfair. Defensive partnership Kurt Zouma and Nathan Aké have been tipped for world stardom, and have played cameos in the side following impressive spells in the youth set-up and elsewhere.
Dominic Solanke, a 17-year-old English striker of Nigerian descent, has starred for the youth squad and earned himself a call-up to their UEFA Champions League group stage squad against NK Maribor towards the end of last year.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 18, received a huge welcome onto the Champions League scene, as he played ten minutes in their 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in December.
All of these youth startlets have been tipped for glory and success in the future. It is exciting to see how they develop and excel amongst the youth ranks. But, it is important not to forget that these are just a FEW of the many amongst the current crop at Stamford Bridge who are waiting patiently for a game. Will they get it? That’s the major question.
Chelsea will regret selling Romelu Lukaku, here’s why
Everton broke their club-record transfer fee, almost doubling it to sign Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku after a successful loan spell for The Toffees in the 2013-14 campaign. It has the potential to be a very good move for both the club and Lukaku’s future, which has been uncertain ever since his move to the Premier League was confirmed – he was immediately loaned out to West Brom after his £19million move to Chelsea from Belgian club Anderlecht back in 2011.
This is what Lukaku had to say on the move: “I am really excited about rejoining Everton. I had a fantastic experience last season and a great relationship with the manager, the chairman, the staff, the players and the fans. I can’t wait to get started again and I’m looking forward to a successful season. I have a good relationship with the players – this is the place where I belong. I decided quickly I wanted to come back, here I have the trust of the staff and supporters.”
He is one of the most promising young stars in Europe today, and his unveiling as Everton’s third summer signing (after Barry and Besic) is a huge signal of intent to the rest of the league as a whole, Everton have snapped up a talent who is destined to be world-class for many years to come.
The reason Chelsea will regret selling a player of Lukaku’s class is because they have limited options in attack, and Lukaku is a long-term investment that they failed to see.
Manager Jose Mourinho has said that Lukaku left the club because he’s not willing to fight for his place, but he wanted to be assured of first-team opportunities which to be frank would not have happened if he still played for Chelsea. Diego Costa is good, at the peak of his career. If you’re lucky, they may be able to get 2 or 3 good seasons out of him, the same with Fernando Torres.
Didier Drogba has come back to the club mainly to boost morale, as well as the potential of become a player coach in the not to distant future. So he’s not exactly going to be expected to score 20+ goals a season. Lukaku can.
This will come as good news to Evertonians everywhere, after English midfield startlet Ross Barkley recently agreed a new five-year contract deal – stating that former Everton youngster Wayne Rooney’s (now of United) move away was crushing, he is not going to do the same.
The future is looking bright for Everton, they have secured European competition for the upcoming season after a solid campaign in 2013-14, finishing 5th and narrowly missing out of UEFA Champions League. They will be playing in the Europa League, which could be bad or good for them depending on their squad depth and if they keep their key players injury-free.
Mo and Sports 