Welcome to our football.london Chelsea media watch piece. Maybe not the first, we've definitely done transfer round-ups before, and European round-ups, so I guess in some ways it's not that new at all. Anyway, we thought we would enter the world of football in a broad and roundabout manner for you and have some fun with some of the stories and captions doing the daily rounds.
Havertz opens up about Tuchel
Kai Havertz has opened up about his admiration for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel claiming that he's been left amazed by how the German has been able to turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who joined the west Londoners last summer for £71 million from Bayer Leverkusen, continued, by showering his manager with praise.
"He’s a very special coach,” he told Frankfurter Rundschau. “It’s impressive how he’s managed to turn things around in half a year at the club. He always gives us options.
“We always know what to do. Every player knows what the person next to him is doing. That’s always half the battle in football. He takes us all very far. Me personally, too.”
Saul hailed by Neville
Saul Niguez joined Chelsea on an initial loan deal with an option to buy from Atletico Madrid on deadline day in the closing minutes.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who has warranted a €5 million (£4.3m) loan fee and a €40 million (£34.3m) price tag for his permanent services, has been tipped to lead Chelsea to the Premier League title by Gary Neville.
The former Manchester United defender spoke on Sky Sports about the Spaniard's arrival highlighting Saul's incredible experience at club and international level.
"Saul is just another excellent player," said Neville. "He’s got massive experience at the top of La Liga, massive experience in the Champions League and at international level.
"That’s Chelsea’s model and you look at what they’ve done in the transfer window, it’s been another exemplary performance from them."
Neville added, claiming he believes that Saul's arrival is a strong signal of intent: "That is a really good team. A team that is ready to win more."
Ziyech set to miss AFCON
Hakim Ziyech could be set to miss the Africa Cup of Nations after his Morocco national team manager publicly jousted him before the Blues winger fired back on Instagram.
Vahid Halilhodzic, the Morocco head coach, declared that the 28-year-old winger feigned an injury in an attempt to avoid playing when asking about Ziyech's omission from the side.
"His behaviour in the last two matches, especially the last one, was not that of a national team player who as a leader in the team has to be a positive role model," said Halilhodzic, in a press conference. "He arrived late and after that, he even refused to work."
"For the first time in my coaching career, I have seen behaviour that disappoints me," he added. "A player who refuses to play a game, admittedly a friendly, on the pretext that he is injured.
“The medical staff made several examinations and said he could play. He then refused to warm up in the second half because he was disappointed to be a substitute. For me, that type of behaviour is unacceptable. You can't cheat with the national team. You are 100% there or you are not."
Ziyech posted a reply via his Instagram, alluding to the breakout of comments made by Halilhodzic: "Next time you speak, speak the truth then."
Should Ziyech clear the air with the Morocco boss, he would become unavailable for Chelsea from January into February along with Edouard Mendy, who will likely feature between the sticks for Senegal at the tournament.
However, with tensions reaching boiling point, Ziyech could burn his bridges on the international stage but in turn become an instrumental figure for Tuchel over the winter period.
Kounde furious with Chelsea move
Jules Kounde was reportedly left furious by the breakdown in talks between Chelsea and Sevilla regarding the permanent transfer of his services, according to The Daily Express via Spanish Football Podcast.
The Spanish side had broken their verbal agreement with the Blues, according to The Athletic, and upped the asking price by an additional €15 million (around £12.8 million).
The decision came following Chelsea's £29.8 million sale of Kurt Zouma to West Ham, which was in place to facilitate the Kounde's arrival.
The pressure was then pilled on the Blues to meet Sevilla's new demands but despite the club's admiration for the 22-year-old, Chelsea decided to halt their pursuit leaving Kounde deeply unhappy.
