Here are the Chelsea evening headlines on Friday 14th August.
Chelsea eye ex-Barça youngster
ESPN report Chelsea are one of a handful of clubs monitoring former Barcelona teenager Xavier Mbuyamba with view to a potential summer move.
The 18-year-old terminated his contract with the Catalan club earlier this year and will be available on a free transfer. However, Chelsea are not the only interested club, with a string of English and German sides vying for the Dutch youth international’s services.
Mbuyamba played a handful of times in the UEFA Youth League with Barcelona’s U-19 squad and was expected to make the step up to the B team this coming campaign. The 6ft 5in centre-back remains a free agent.
Nagelsmann drops hint on how to stop Werner
RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann celebrated his side qualifying for the last four of the UEFA Champions League this week, without already-departed top scorer Timo Werner .
Werner has joined up with his new Chelsea teammates, but that did not stop his former coach divulging information on how to stop the German striker. Speaking after Leipzig’s win over Atlético Madrid, Nagelsmann disclosed, “The opponents are probably not the best for Timo Werner because there's not a lot of space behind the defensive line and we decided to play with three offensive midfielders to create spaces between the lines and they did it very well.”
Nagelsmann suggested Werner may not be the type of striker to start with when encountering a deep block, something Frank Lampard will need to take heed of next season.
Willian talks of London switch
Former Chelsea winger Willian has spoken following his free transfer across London to city rivals Arsenal. The Brazilian, who has just turned 32, was holding out for a three-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but the club were intent on signing him to a two-year stretch instead.
Both parties swallowed hard and Willian’s seven-year stay at the Bridge came to an end. Speaking to Arsenal Digital , Willian described his excitement at playing at the Emirates’ Stadium under Mikel Arteta.
"[I like] the way they play, everything is amazing - the stadium, and I think that with Arteta, Arsenal have a great opportunity to fight again for titles in the Premier League and in Europe.”
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