Welcome to our football.london CareFree Chelsea daily news round-up. 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.
Thomas Tuchel has taken the blame for Romelu Lukaku form since returning from injury.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano gave the latest on the Federico Chiesa links to Chelsea.
Hungarian manager Marco Rossi says Chelsea have completed the signing of Attila Szalai.
Tuchel admits Rom mistake
It’s been a mixed return for Romelu Lukaku. Having started the season firing on all cylinders, Lukaku appeared to be the final piece in the Chelsea jigsaw which would allow the Blues to secure the Premier League title once again. However, having failed to make any kind of significant impact since returning from injury, Tuchel has admitted that playing the striker in the 3-2 defeat at West Ham was a mistake as the Belgian was not up to the required fitness.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Tuchel discussed the decision to bring Lukaku on: ‘It’s my fault. I don’t think he is ready for 45 minutes physically but still, we decided to bring him on for his height because we lost Kai.”
Although Lukaku has been returning from an injury, the striker will need to step up his game if Chelsea wants to keep up with both Man City and Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.
Our view: I really hope in the next few weeks Tuchel gets Lukaku back fit and sharp and gets the team suiting how he wants them to play and Lukaku fits in and is given opportunities to show his strong attributes that made Chelsea spend £98m on him in the summer.
Tuchel eyes Chiesa
Over the past few days, Chelsea has been linked with one of the most prominent wingers in world football. Having performed at an incredibly high standard for quite some time. Federico Chiesa only really began to receive his deserved praise after being an instrumental part of Italy’s Euros victory in the summer. Now he’s being linked with a huge move away from current club Juventus and Chelsea appear to be a keen option.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano addressed the Chiesa to Chelsea links: “The rumours started because Thomas Tuchel loves this player. He thinks Chiesa is one of the best wingers in the game. He is a modern player so Tuchel would love to have Chiesa at Chelsea. This is something true.”
Romano added: “Juventus are not planning to sell Chiesa. Juventus are not speaking to Chelsea. Chiesa’s people are not speaking to Chelsea. As of today, there is nothing.”
Chelsea fans will almost certainly be as eager as Tuchel reportedly is to bring the 24-year-old to the Bridge, but it appears the Italian international will come at a heavy price.
Our view: Chelsea should look to invest in Chiesa if an opening comes available. Not often does a player of his calibre come available to sign. Chiesa is currently valued at £63m on transfermarkt and is likely to cost a lot more than that to prize him away from Juventus.
Chelsea’s first January signing a ‘done deal’
Chelsea’s defensive situation may need addressing with the likes of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger’s respective contracts expiring at the end of the season. One man who is considered to be a ‘done deal’ for Chelsea is Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai.
Speaking to Calciomercato, Szalai’s international boss Marco Rossi was questioned on which of his Hungarian players would do well in Serie A.
Rossi replied saying: “It’s hard to name just one player, but right now I see very well Attila Szalai, who plays for Fenerbahce, but I think he is joining Chelsea.
Rossi added: “Clearly, he has been followed by important clubs in Spain, but apparently his move to Chelsea is a done deal. He would be a great player also for Italian football.”
There seems to be a growing feeling we may see more than just the one fresh face at Stamford Bridge in the coming months- watch this space!
Our view: It feels like the Hungarian manager has been reading rumours in Turkey and not asked the player and just assumed that it's true. I understand why the club is looking at defender options with Rudiger and Christensen yet to commit to long term deals with Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta but for it to be a done deal I can't see being true.
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