Chelsea news and transfers recap amid Potter sack claim and Kante contract talks (2023)

Hoddle on Osimhen after the Napoli striker impressed against Frankfurt...

"It's his desire to get on that score sheet and score, he did on two or three occasions," the former Chelsea boss told BT Sport. "He's got that pace to go in behind defenders. He's also good at hold-up play as well, he can hold the ball up. He's got everything at the moment."

"He's quick off the mark as we see how he got the penalty, it was incredible. Five yards, defender had no idea he was coming. He's a top, top player. Let's hope he can just continue and end up in the Premier League. It would be lovely to see him play every other week."

Gvardiol goal! RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City...

"He is," said Ferdinand on BT Sport, when asked if Gvardiol is the 'best young centre back in the world'. "I watched him closely at the World Cup and he was magnificent.

"At the Euros he played left back, previously for Croatia and he was very good and competent there, but his composure was what stood out for me. His stature as a big and quick defender in the modern game, he’s got all the attributes that you need and his temperament is the thing that stands out for me.

"To be a top, top player you can have all the attributes, but the temperament in the big moments, he’s very calm."

Hargreaves showers Chelsea target Gvardiol with praise

"Best young centre back in the world," Owen Hargreaves said on BT Sport. "The first time I saw him I thought this guy can’t be this good.

"Technically and physically on the ball he can come out with it, he dribbles as a centre back - I know you don’t really want that but the guy has everything. Whoever’s going to get him, because you know he’s going to go somewhere, he is gonna give somebody a really special player.

"Obviously coming up against Haaland tonight, it’s almost the perfect match-up."

Chelsea denied Nkunku transfer wish as Leipzig star nears return from injury

Chelsea supporters have been denied the opportunity to see Christopher Nkunku from the offset against Manchester City in the Champions League. RB Leipzig have welcomed the Premier League champions to the Red Bull Arena as either side seeks a place in the quarter-final.

Nkunku sprained his knee in training while on international duty for France ahead of the World Cup. It was said that the 25-year-old aimed to be back in action by February and, on schedule, after a couple of months on the doctor's table he has now returned to Leipzig's matchday squad.

And, Blues fans are desperate to get a glimpse of the Frenchman ahead of his potential move to Stamford Bridge in the summer. As football.london reported in October, Chelsea appear to have won the race to sign Nkunku.

It's understood that he's signed a pre-contract agreement with the Blues and will move to west London in time for the 2023/24 season. However, a deal is not completely wrapped up yet and there are some final details that need to be arranged before the transfer is official.

Rice message

Declan Rice looks set to be one of the most coveted players in the summer transfer window as Europe's top clubs look to bolster their midfield options. The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from West Ham for some time now as he continues to impress for club and country.

While a number of Premier League sides may be monitoring Rice's situation, he's been steered towards a move to the Santiago Bernabeu instead. Speaking to OLGB, Glen Johnson claimed that the midfielder would thrive at Real Madrid.

"Declan Rice would be good for Real Madrid," the former Blues defender said. "In those big teams it is easy to play. If Declan went there, he would definitely thrive there. Real Madrid have the standard and players to support him."

Mudryk claim

Shakhtar Donetsk director Darijo Srna has, with in tongue and cheek, claimed that he will re-sign Mykhailo Mudryk once the war between Ukraine and Russia had ended.

Speaking to Football Ramble, Srna said: "The market decided the price, not me or our president. Mudryk is one of the best players in Europe in his position after Mbappe or Vincius then it’s Mudryk.

"If someone wants to buy a player from Shakhtar they must respect us. We know how to sell players and how to buy players. He’s from our academy, an amazing kid, an amazing player. "

Unfortunately, at Chelsea now he’s not in a good mood, Mykhaylo as well, but he has all the qualities to be one of the best players in the Premier League in the next couple of years."

Livramento interest...

According to Ben Jacobs of CBS, Arsenal want a right-back this summer and Ivan Fresneda is their priority. Former Chelsea star and Southampton defender Tino Livramento will also be monitored by the Gunners - and Manchester City too.

Azpilicueta recounts first memories after suffering head injury

Cesar Azpilicueta was present at Chelsea's latest training session despite suffering a nasty head injury against Southampton over the weekend in the Premier League. The Blues' captain attempted to head a loose ball clear but was then met by the boot of Sekou Mara who had attempted an overhead kick.

Following the clash, which left him unconscious, medical staff spent 10 minutes helping Azpilicueta before he eventually departed the pitch, clapping the fans as he was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

After posting a positive update on social media from hospital, the Spaniard has since been discharged and has offered fans another glimpse into how the past few days have been for him.

Read the full story here

Azpilicueta provides further injury update

Cesar Azpilicueta has provided more clarity from his perspective as to what happened before and after his nasty head injury against Southampton.

Joe Cole makes major Graham Potter Chelsea U-turn

Graham Potter's verdict on the decision to not give Chelsea a penalty against West Ham 11 says ago seem to cause more uproar than the actual incident itself with Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole particularly critical of how he handled the situation.

Cole said: "I’m not surprised because he’s always diplomatic, he’s going a fantastic job, but I think if he had someone in his staff who’s maybe been at that level, managed at that level, you need to cause a bit of an uproar because It takes the deflection from the bad elements of your performance, and it also puts it on VAR.

"It cost Chelsea a chance to win the game there, through no fault of their own. You can dissect the performance of the team Monday morning, go through it and build on that, but if I was advising him now I’d say 'look, come out and make a thing of it.'"

The former Chelsea midfielder has since changed his mind on Potter's handling of the situation.

Read the full story here

Jude Bellingham transfer destination odds

Betfair have released the latest odds on where Jude Bellingham could end up by the end of the summer transfer window.

Liverpool and Real Madrid are the firm favourites, while Chelsea can be seen as outsiders to sign the teenager.

Betfair: Jude Bellingham to sign for before September 4, 2023

Liverpool: 2/1

Real Madrid: 3/1

Man City: 3/1

Not to sign or agree a contract with any other club: 4/1

Paris St-G: 14/1

Chelsea: 14/1

Napoli president on Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia

Chelsea have identified Victor Osimhen as a potential transfer target with Manchester United also in the race for his signature. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli is also impressing at the elite level.

Enzo Fernandez on Chelsea pressure and Lionel Messi relationship

Chelsea's record signing Enzo Fernandez has insisted he is not feeling the pressure at Stamford Bridge... despite his extraordinary price-tag,

The Blues completed the £106.7million signing – a British record fee – for the Argentine midfielder in the dying moments of transfer deadline day last month. After weeks of negotiations with Benfica over a fee for Fernandez, the two clubs finally reached an agreement that would allow the 22-year-old to sign a contract in west London until the summer of 2031.

Fernandez has played four times for Chelsea since making the move, but is yet to be on the winning side. However, this is for no fault of his own, with the World Cup winner impressing in his four outings for the Blues thus far.

Read the full story here

Neymar to Chelsea transfer latest

Having spent more money than an entire continent of top footballing leagues, Todd Boehly still is not done at Chelsea. His desire, as has been clear since last summer, is to have a major marquee signing come through the door.

Last summer the option was Cristiano Ronaldo, whose agent Jorge Mendes hit up a relationship with the new Blues owner and offered the forward to Boehly/Clearlake. For new owners looking to make a real splash on the football scene it was tempting. After all, Ronaldo had just scored 18 league goals and on the face of it would be beneficial to Chelsea.

The consistency of Boehly's push for Ronaldo appeared to frustrate Thomas Tuchel. Now a similar situation has arisen. Instead of Ronaldo it is Brazilian forward Neymar that is being linked. At 31 he is far from the promising youngster that Chelsea wanted to sign in 2010 but is nevertheless still an attractive proposition.

Neymar is alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe as one of the global faces of world football. That is an extremely attractive thing for owners looking for a commercial and marketing boost. It would largely go against the youth recruitment drive in force since the summer but it is hard to move away from the incentive to new owners of a true superstar signing.

Enzo Fernandez may have become the most expensive player in Chelsea and Premier League history but his transfer is based more off potential than current marketability and quality, Neymar adds both immediately. Here, football.london rounds up the latest in a long-running transfer saga of sorts.

Read the full round up here

Rio Ferdinand explains Graham Potter's challenging Chelsea role

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Chelsea's new owners have stuck by manager Graham Potter due to a change of culture at the club. It comes amid growing pressure surrounding the future of the head coach due to a run of poor form across all competitions.

The Blues currently find themselves knocked out of both domestic competitions and currently trail 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund after the first leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League. Things in the Premier League have been far from easy either, sitting tenth in the division.

Read the full story here

Josko Gvardiol transfer audition

The final two first legs of the Champions League last-16 knockout round are upon us. Inter Milan take on Porto at San Siro, while Manchester City will aim to do what no English team has done thus far in the knockout stages by winning when they take on RB Leipzig.

Likely featuring for the German side will be Josko Gvardiol has attracted interest from all across Europe following multiple star-making displays for Leipzig and Croatia. The 21-year-old, who recently spoke about his desire to play in the Premier League, helped his nation achieve a third-placed finish in Qatar after losing in the semi-finals to eventual winners Argentina.

Read the full story here

Jude Bellingham transfer update

Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham continues to be one of the most talked-about footballers on the planet as several European clubs line up a summer move. Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are the main suitors targeting a transfer but Dortmund don't appear set on just rolling over and allowing the teenager to leave without a fight.

The Blues are thought to be slightly behind Madrid and Liverpool in the race to sign Bellingham, after spending much of the January transfer window in search of a new midfielder. On deadline day Enzo Fernandez was acquired for £106million and that fee spent, along with the type of player Fernandez is, could see Chelsea first focus on other positions on the pitch that require bolstering.

Nonetheless, Chelsea could be easily swayed to put more efforts into signing Bellingham as he will be playing at Stamford Bridge in a few weeks. Dortmund drew Chelsea in the Champions League last-16 and after a 1-0 victory for the German outfit at Signal Iduna Park last Wednesday, Bellingham and co. head to west London on March 7.

Read the full story here

Neymar stance on Chelsea transfer

Neymar Jr to Chelsea has been a move often talked about in the past year, with the Brazilian superstar seemingly matching the aura of previous legends seen wearing blue at Stamford Bridge. The 31-year-old has often shown his capability since becoming one of the biggest signings in world football at PSG, but hasn't quite hit the highest of heights.

The Premier League could offer a chance for just that, with the Blues heavily linked with a switch last summer for the winger. This was only enhanced further in recent days as Le Parisien reported that Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly held "secret" meetings with the PSG hierarchy over a deal.

Any move would see the Boehly-Clearlake ownership extend their large spending that has come about since their takeover in May 2022. Over half-a-billion-pounds has been spent on a range of talents, from more experienced signings in the summer to those with bright futures in January.

Read the full story here

Graham Potter suffering from long-term Chelsea issue

There is going to be a fair amount of expected goals (xG) chat in this piece. So for those not familiar with the performance metric, I'll leave it to former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel to broadly explain.

"You can lose games in football by being unlucky and you can win games with luck and the result does very often not reflect what happened on the pitch," Tuchel said in an interview with Sky Sports last year. "So expected goals gives you a clear view: how many chances you allow, how many quality shots you allow. It's good to have that figure.

Read the full story here

Chelsea already have dream Enzo Fernandez partner

One of Chelsea's main priorities for the summer transfer window is acquiring another new midfielder.

Nkunku Chelsea injury worry

Chelsea seem set to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in the summer. Official confirmation of a deal is yet to be announced, but it appears to be a matter of time before that is the case.

The France international has a release clause in his current contract, but Todd Boehly is believed to have used a negotiation technique that will see the Blues pay over that to sign him on favourable terms. There will be hopes that Nkunku will help solve the current goal scoring woes faced by the west London outfit.

Read the full story here

Chelsea face 11 transfer decisions

All of the talk right now – very unsurprisingly – is about Graham Potter and his future at Chelsea. But as far it's understood, the Blues' board are still very supportive of Potter despite a run of just one win in 10 matches.

Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali remain appreciative of the work going on behind the scenes at Cobham and they accept a turnaround in Chelsea's fortunes on the pitch will not be made overnight. Despite the supporters' clear disgust following the full-time whistle of Chelsea's 1-0 defeat to Southampton at the weekend, Potter's future does not look to be under any immediate threat, football.london understands.

So there is plenty to think about behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge, but there are still some big decisions needing to be made before the season ends and the 2023 summer transfer window opens. Below, football.london takes a look at those decisions and the situation as we approach March.

Read the full story here

New Kante contract

N'Golo Kante appears close to signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge, with his current one expiring in the summer.

Osimhen transfer hope

Chelsea may have been handed some hope in the race to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen in the summer, having failed to rule out a possible switch.

It comes as the Blues have been linked with the Nigerian international, having struggled to add goals so far this season.

Read the full story here.

Potter sack decision explained

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Chelsea's new owners have stuck by manager Graham Potter due to a change of culture at the club.

It comes amid growing pressure surrounding the future of the head coach due to a run of poor form across all competitions.

Read the full story here.

Good morning

Hello and welcome to today's Chelsea live blog. Here's a look at the biggest stories ahead of the day.