#chelsea-fc

#chelsea-fc

Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea for the final time tonight before Liam Rosenior takes the reins. Rosenior was yesterday confirmed as the Blues' new head coach on a six-and-a-half year contract but will take a watching brief at Craven Cottage with McFarlane on the touchline. Chelsea earned a late 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Sunday and start the night in fifth position in the Premier League table.

"We had to accept what we were on earlier on in the week and put it behind us. We came here with a gameplan. In the first half, we made a slight error for their goal. But we grew into the game in the second half and we knew a chance would come and Enzo took the chance when it came. Credit to the staff that stepped up."

It's one of the biggest jobs in football, a club that has -- as their supporters sing at every game -- won it all, but to be head coach at Chelsea, top-level experience and a proven track record are not required, so don't expect an elite managerial name to replace Enzo Maresca. If you think that makes no sense -- a view taken by many confused Chelsea fans right now -- it is the reality of the "new" Chelsea under the control of Todd Boehly

The Blues parted company with Enzo Maresca today, and it seems they're not expecting to have a new permanent successor in place by the time they take on Man City in their next competitive fixture. See below as Ben Jacobs has reported that McFarlane, who coaches the club's Under-21 side, will be given the reins for this big game at the Etihad Stadium ?

While fans may be hoping for immediate January reinforcements, reports suggest the Blues are instead taking a more measured and strategic approach. According to The Standard, Chelsea's key priorities lie further down the line, with major recruitment plans centred on 2026 rather than the upcoming winter window. The club are particularly keen to strengthen two crucial areas: central defense and central midfield.

Chelsea's plans for the January transfer window are beginning to take shape, with midfield reinforcement emerging as the club's primary objective. With Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo carrying an enormous workload in the centre of the pitch, the Blues are keen to add a dynamic, high-energy midfielder who can provide rotation, balance, and long-term value. While attacking additions are not considered urgent, several high-profile and high-potential names remain firmly on Chelsea's shortlist, sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside.

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Could Chelsea lose Josh Acheampong? Acheampong is surely good enough to be playing more often than he has been, with the 19-year-old managing just five Premier League appearances so far this term. There's always bound to be competition at a big club like Chelsea, but central defence is not even a position where Enzo Maresca is blessed with that much quality or depth. Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo have had a lot of opportunities to start for CFC,

Among the names being spoken about most confidently behind the scenes is Liam Rosenior, currently impressing at Strasbourg, a club that forms part of the BlueCo ownership group, sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside. Rosenior is viewed by many insiders as the natural heir within the wider Chelsea ecosystem. His familiarity with BlueCo's operational model, recruitment philosophy, and governance structure places him in a strong position should the need for continuity arise.

This year's period covers their participation in the Club World Cup and its aftermath. The figure, which goes some way towards vindicating Enzo Maresca's rotation and his complaints about injuries, is contained in a report published by the insurance company Howden, which puts the cost of injuries to clubs in Europe's top five leagues over the past five years at almost 3bn.

Chelsea are in danger of losing one of Enzo Marseca's key men with Atletico Madrid pushing to complete his signing. Maresca has endured a tough few weeks, with Chelsea winning just once since beating Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League. They have found themselves eight points of Premier League leaders Arsenal and 13th in the Champions League, albeit in a strong position to at least advance to the knockout play-offs.

A win for Chelsea, a much-needed once after four games without, and in many ways a routine one and yet it was also a game that highlighted the oddity of Enzo Maresca's side. He has a squad packed with extraordinary talent, capable of passages of exceptional football, but they are also wildly inconsistent, even within individual games. They won easily, could have won more easily, and also had spells when the game threatened to slip from their grasp.

The 24-year-old is a tremendous talent with a bright future, and German champions Bayern Munich are now interested in securing his signature. They are looking to add more quality in the middle of the park, and the 2022 World Cup winner would be an exceptional addition. According to a report from Fichajes, they are preparing an offer close to 120 million in order to sign the player.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca fears striker Liam Delap's shoulder injury is "quite bad" after he came off in the 0-0 draw at Bournemouth. The 22-year-old's season has gone from bad to worse after he suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder while dragging down Marcos Senesi during a corner. The incident appeared to stem from Delap engaging in a physical battle with Senesi, having clashed with the Italian off the ball and catching him with a stray hand moments earlier.

Even so, I did very well at Tottenham. They were very tough on me, and the chairman, Daniel Levy, made it crystal clear in our first meeting [that] there was absolutely no chance they would let me go. After that, I carried on as if nothing had happened. I knew it would be complicated; both clubs are in London, and there's a rivalry. I wanted to go, even though I knew it was going to be very difficult.

The Blues have done superb work with signings like Estevao Willian, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer in recent times, and they're set to continue their policy of recruiting elite young talents to long-term contracts. As first reported here for the Daily Briefing, Chelsea are now confident in their approach as Enzo Maresca's side make great progress this season, while their policy of offering players long-term deals is also expected to give them an advantage in the race for the best talents.

The son of former Chelsea and Brazil captain Thiago Silva, Isago, has signed his first professional contract with the Premier League club. The 17-year-old was promoted to Chelsea's under-18 squad in the summer. Isago and his younger brother, Iago, joined Chelsea's youth academy when their father moved to Stamford Bridge in August 2020 from Paris Saint-Germain. In a statement, Chelsea said that Isago has "developed into a versatile and reliable defender, comfortable operating at both left-back and centre-back."