Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Saturday, November 28.
Alaba sheds doubt on long-term position
Reported Chelsea target David Alaba has shed doubt on his long-term position, despite consistently starting at centre-back for the past year and a half.
The 28-year-old, who, per BILD, is set to leave Bayern Munich next summer when his current contract expires, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. But, with Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell in the squad, it remains to be seen which position he would play in, having excelled in midfield, left-back, and centre-back.
And Alaba cast doubt on whether centre-back is his long-term role. “We’ll see,” he told Kicker earlier this year when asked whether centre-back is his permanent home. “I’ve played it now a few times.
“It works very well for the team, because we have the ball very often and play high up the pitch. That suits me well.”
Chelsea interested in Atletico Madrid star
Chelsea are interested in Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez, per reports. Centre-back was a presumed position of need in the summer, but despite spending more than £200million, the Blues only signed Thiago Silva on a free transfer to bolster the heart of their defence.
As such, further investment at the position is expected, with Gimenez named as the key target for Frank Lampard’s side.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Chelsea have been monitoring Gimenez as a potential target in upcoming transfer windows.
Gimenez signed a five-year contract with Atletico in 2018, but, per Bleacher Report, a £106m release clause was inserted into the deal.
Abraham pushed himself back to the front
Tim Sherwood says that he is impressed with how Tammy Abraham has pushed his way back into the Chelsea team after the signings of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz left him worried about the number of opportunities the 23-year-old would be given.
Abraham scored 18 goals in all competitions last season and has continued that good form this campaign, much to Sherwood’s happy surprise.
“Tammy Abraham’s come back in having proved that he can score goals last year,” he told Premier League Productions. “It looked like when they brought in Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, it looked like we were going to see the end of him [Abraham].
“[Christian] Pulisic was brilliant towards the end of last season, it looked like Tammy might have been pushed to the side, but he’s pushed himself back to the front. ‘I’m pleased to see that because he really is effective.”
