Here are your Chelsea headlines for the morning of Tuesday September 8.
Chelsea injury concerns ahead of Premier League opener against Brighton
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side will start their Premier League campaign away to Brighton on September 14 and the Blues have some injury troubles to contend with.
Ben Chilwell is expected to be a doubt for the match at the Amex Stadium, with the summer signing still recovering from a heel injury he suffered towards the end of last season with Leicester City.
Hakim Ziyech, another summer signing, suffered a knock in a pre-season friendly against the same opponents, but could return for the weekend. Christian Pulisic will miss out, though, due to a hamstring injury.
Reece James, however, is expected to back for the clash against Brighton, giving Lampard another defensive option for the season opener on the south coast. Read here
Rennes goalkeeper edges closer to Chelsea move
Chelsea are close to signing Edouard Mendy from Rennes with the Stamford Bridge club prioritising the addition of a new goalkeeper.
Lampard has still to be convinced by Kepa Arrizabalaga, dropping the Spaniard for a number of high profile games towards the end of last season. Now, Chelsea appear to have moved for a replacement.
The Athletic claims the Blues have decided on Mendy on their top target and could complete a move for the 28-year-old within a matter of days.
It’s reported that Petr Cech has been a driving force behind the move for Mendy, with the Blues' goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon also believed to be a fan of the Rennes shot-stopper. Full story
Frank Lampard outlines method behind Chelsea transfer strategy
Chelsea manager Lampard has revealed some of the thinking behind the club’s transfer strategy, with the Blues making no fewer than six new additions this summer.
That has made them the busiest Premier League club ahead of the start of the 2020/21 season this weekend and Lampard has outlined some of the method behind the strategy that has seen so many signings made.
“You have to look at it in the context of the squad you have,” the Blues boss told The High Performance Podcast.
“I had a long year to look at it when I got to Chelsea because we couldn’t bring anyone in. So we had some loans that had come back, but they are normally pretty young and come from the Championship.
"So I have had a long look at it this year.
“What do I want my team to be? Do I want them to be physically great? Really technically great? Somewhere in the middle?
"Then you are obviously going to recruit players on the basis along those lines. That is what your job is as a manager, that’s why most managers will come in and go ‘can I make two or three signings along with my vision? Because it will help effect this team.” Read here
