The player catching the eye of Chelsea, and other top clubs, is talented young Argentine Valentin Barco, who has successfully rebuilt his career in central midfield after starting out as a left-back. The 21-year-old is improving quickly and he's one of the names high up on Chelsea's list for the future, with the Blues considering making use of their ties to the Ligue 1 side.
Former Premier League star Gary Neville has now slammed the London club for their mediocre performance against Leeds. He has further highlighted that Chelsea are likely to secure Champions League qualification, but they are not good enough to win the Premier League title. He has further explained the three main reasons why the Blues are likely to come up short. He believes that the central defenders are quite mediocre, and the goalkeeper is not of Premier League-winning standard either.
Maresca has picked the Ecuadorian midfielder in the starting line-up for 50 of his 51 Premier League matches at Chelsea. Now, though, after a red card in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal, Caicedo will miss three matches - at Leeds on Wednesday, and against Bournemouth and Everton. Speaking on Tuesday, Maresca gave Caicedo the same billing as star attacker Cole Palmer.
Chelsea have made an offer to sign Newcastle's exciting winger Harvey Barnes. That is according to the latest from Spanish outlet Fichajes, which claims that the Blues are now going head to head with Manchester United for the signature of the Newcastle star. As per the report, both Chelsea and Man United have made an offer worth 53m for the attacker. Chelsea see Barnes as the perfect long-term signing to a team full of exciting youngsters.
The race for Eduardo highlights just how highly he is valued. When he signed a new contract with Gremio earlier this year, the deal reportedly included a 60 million release clause, a figure meant to reflect both his talent and potential, and to deter a mass exit from the club's academy. Eduardo's appeal is easy to understand. Despite being still a teenager, he's already attracting attention thanks to a mixture of size, speed, and defensive composure.
All the teams chasing Arsenal have got things they need to work on - for Chelsea, their lack of discipline is something that has to change if they are going to challenge for the title. Moises Caicedo's dismissal in Sunday's 1-1 draw against the Gunners was the fourth time in 13 Premier League games that a Chelsea player has been sent off this season.
- Chelsea retain an interest in Nottingham Forest center back Murillo, according to TEAMtalk, although a deal in January is unlikely. Chelsea considered making a move for the 23-year-old in the summer window, but he signed a contract in January that runs until 2029 and that puts Forest in a strong position, with a fee of over 70 million required to sign him.
Arsenal and Chelsea are looking to build for the future, and they have identified the Polish midfielder Oskar Pietuszewski as a key target. According to a report from Team Talk, they have sent scouts to watch the Polish midfielder on multiple occasions this season. Oskar Pietuszewski is a player in demand The 17-year-old has done quite well for Jagiellonia and has attracted the attention of Manchester City as well. It will be interesting to see where the 17-year-old ends up.
It's a tough night. They are a very good, young, and fresh team. With one less player, it's easy to say the game becomes difficult. But they also did everything right with the ball: they took full advantage of the extra man and made it difficult for us both to get into their area and to defend,
"You are in the public eye - people can say whatever they want about you," he said. "But being in the stadium, and how the fans have taken to me in the stadium, is unbelievable." "The last game versus Tottenham was incredible and that gives me such a boost," Madueke said. "I play on the side of the pitch. I can feel them; I can hear them. When they are that positive about me it gives me a massive boost. Honestly, I am made up about it."