Chelsea will be determined to extend their winning streak when they return to action this weekend. Nottingham Forest will welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s side to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon as either side hopes to climb the Premier League table.
The Blues are currently seventh after Manchester United were thrashed by Crystal Palace on Monday evening. Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are just three points adrift of the drop zone. A win over Chelsea could cement Nottingham Forest’s place in the English top flight next term, depending on how Luton Town fare against West Ham.
In other news, the summer transfer window is just around the corner and Chelsea continue to be heavily linked with some big names, like Estevao Willian. The teenage sensation appears to be closing in on a move from Palmeiras, but he won’t be able to join until next year.
Todd Boehly looks set to sanction another spending spree, Blues fans, so strap yourselves in for a busy summer. With that being said, football.london has rounded up the biggest Chelsea stories on Friday, May 10.
Rashford urged to consider Chelsea switch
Emmanuel Petit has urged Marcus Rashford to consider joining Chelsea this summer. The 26-year-old forward has been heavily linked with a move away from Manchester United following some disappointing performances this season.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the Frenchman said: “Marcus Rashford to go to Chelsea? Do you think Rashford wants to leave? I’m expecting Ten Hag to leave the club and I imagine Jim Ratcliffe will pump a huge amount of money into the club and a huge amount of players will leave the club.
“If Rashford is dedicated to the club he will stay, but I have the feeling that his story with United isn’t over yet. I know he’s not happy and he’s going through a difficult time right now, but there’s so many players who are so far away from their right level that he has lost his ambition.
“Physically, when you look at him, his mood is not happy on and off the pitch and if I am Rashford, I would listen to offers, and maybe even Chelsea, but my priority would be the club I love and what happens in the summer.”
football.london says: “If he’s available for a sensible fee, I’d love to see Chelsea take a gamble and sign Rashford. The England international has really struggled for form lately, but I’d really like to see Pochettino try and help him find his feet again. High risk, high reward in my books.”
Boehly drops Pochettino clue
Todd Boehly has hinted that Mauricio Pochettino will still be at Chelsea next season. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss has struggled to win over Blues supporters after a rocky maiden campaign.
Nevertheless, speaking at a Sportico event in Los Angeles, the American billionaire said: “We’ve seen, over the last two and a half games at least – the second half of Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham – where we played just beautiful football.
“It was so fluid. It was exactly the way we drew it up. The number of shots we had on goal in those two and a half games, you could really start to see what we were working on coming together.
“Our goal is obviously to win. And the commentary has changed over the last two and a half games. I’ve never seen anything change so quickly than prospective on how a team does.”
football.london says: “I wouldn’t mind if Chelsea persevered with Pochettino in the dugout. Firstly, the Blues need stability and I’m not too sure if there’s a worthy replacement at the market at the moment. Secondly, the players seem to be content and invested in his methods, which is huge. And finally, I genuinely think he deserves a second outing after all the injuries that he’d had to contend with.”
Chelsea outline priority signings
Chelsea appear to have begun preparations for another busy summer transfer window. According to the Evening Standard, the Blues will be targeting a striker, left-back and centre-back, with Mauricio Pochettino eager to further bolster his squad.
Plans have reportedly been put in place following the arrival of Sam Jewell, who has recently begun work after a period of gardening leave at Brighton. The Blues’ newly-appointed director of global recruitment will report to co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
Joe Shields, who helped Chelsea wrap up deals for the likes of Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer, will also be heavily involved this summer as director of recruitment and talent.
football.london says: “I understand why Chelsea may want a new left-back, but certainly I don’t think they need another striker or centre-back. In an ideal world, the Blues should’ve held on to Ian Maatsen this season, while offloading either Marc Cucurella or Ben Chilwell.
“The problem Chelsea face is that Maatsen could very well permanently leave this summer, Cucurella has suddenly become a key player, and Chilwell has struggled to impress. Now personally, I just can’t see the latter leaving… I’d love to see the Blues go all out on Theo Hernandez… what a signing that would be, eh?
“As for a striker or centre-half, Nicolas Jackson has more than proven himself as a worthy frontman and Chelsea already have enough options in the heart of defence.”
