Author: JB

Tuchel believes Kalidou Koulibaly is a ‘brilliant signing’ for Chelsea and says the defender will bring ‘quality and experience’ to his defence at Stamford Bridge. The Blues completed a £33million deal for Koulibaly on Saturday, with the Senegal international signing a four-year contract in west London. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Koulibaly spent almost a decade at Napoli, playing 317 games for the Italian side and establishing himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A. Tuchel was desperate to improve his defensive options after seeing Antonio Rudiger and Christensen leave at the end of the 2021-22 season. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Discussing Chelsea’s move for Koulibaly, Tuchel said: ‘He brings e...

Christian Pulisic says he is ‘exited’ by the arrival of Raheem Sterling at Chelsea and says he will ‘thrive’ off the strong competition for a place in Tuchel’s side. Chelsea completed their first summer signing this week as Sterling joined in a £47.5m deal from Manchester City.      (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pulisic, meanwhile, has been hampered by injuries since his move from Borussia Dortmund in 2019 and started just 13 matches in the Premier League last campaign. The United States international’s chances of regular playing time could be reduced after the arrival of Sterling, but the player is adamant that Chelsea’s players should expect stiff competition.      (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); When asked about the B...

Omari Hutchinson has sent a message of thanks to Arsenal and the club’s fans after deciding to leave the club and move to Chelsea. The transfer came as something of a surprise, with the 18-year-old having been tipped for a big future at the Emirates – particularly after an excellent campaign last season for the youth side.      (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); His displays saw him called up to Mikel Arteta’s Premier League team during the run-in, though he never made an appearance for the first team. Despite deciding to leave Arsenal, Hutchinson is grateful for his time at the club and penned a heartfelt message to fans after the move to Chelsea was confirmed.      (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Writing on social media, he...

Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United to continue pushing for Frenkie de Jong even if he is not signed before the new season begins, according to reports. Earlier this week, United reached an agreement with Barcelona which would see them pay €75m (£63.7m) up front plus another €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons for the Netherlands midfielder. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But, De Jong is interested in staying at Barcelona and has shown no public indication that he would be ready to join United. Reports this week have also claimed that De Jong’s agent approached Chelsea and PSG in an attempt to encourage the two teams to submit offers to Barcelona. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite De Jong’s reluctance to join Unit...

The agent of new Arsenal signing Gabriel Jesus has revealed that Chelsea made a late move to hijack the Gunners’ deal for the Brazil attacker. Arsenal completed a £45m deal with Manchester City to bringing in Mikel Arteta’s main target for the summer – Jesus. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Arteta had worked with the Brazil international while he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad and thus knows the player well. Jesus has settled in quickly to life at the Emirates, scoring twice in a pre-season friendly win over Nurnberg last week. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But things may have turned out differently had things gone the way of Chelsea, who tried to swoop in for the striker at the last minute. ‘Ch...

Former Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez believes Kalidou Koulibaly could struggle to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after his move from Napoli. The 31-year-old has spent eight years in Serie A, carving out a reputation as one of the most dominant defenders in world football, but believes the time is right to test himself in England. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Blues have been desperate for central defensive reinforcements after the high-profile departures of Rudiger and Christensen. Koulibaly is likely to replace Rudiger at the heart of Tuchel’s defensive unit, but Benitez, who managed the player at Napoli, fears the player’s adaptation process is unlikely to be a smooth one. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).pu...

Darwin Nunez is paying no attention to the haters after he was mocked by rival fans for his display in Liverpool’s 2-0 friendly win over Crystal Palace. The Uruguayan star missed a sitter in his first game for the club against Manchester United this week and once again struggled to live up to his £85m price tag in Friday’s friendly in Singapore. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Nunez was subbed on at the break as Jurgen Klopp effectively fielded two teams, though he was withdrawn after barely half an hour following an underwhelming display. A compilation of his performance went viral on social media afterwards, featuring another poor miss and some wayward passing. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Against United, Nu...

Frenkie de Jong’s agent has told Manchester United to stop trying to convince the player to move to Old Trafford even though they agreed a fee with Barcelona, according to reports. United CEO Richard Arnold as well as football director John Murtough have been in Catalunya this week to meet with their Barcelona counterparts, agreeing a fee after weeks of negotiations. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A deal worth around €85m (£72m) has been accepted by the Spanish team, with around £63m set to be paid up front and another £10m heading to Barca in various add-ons. But, the deal has remained in jeopardy due to De Jong’s reluctance to join United, with Barca’s hierarchy even meeting with the Dutchman on Thursday to ask him to accept the offer. ...

Graeme Souness has predicted who will win the Premier League next campaign and says Chelsea and Tottenham are both contenders for the league title. Manchester City clinched their fourth title in five years last season, staging a huge comeback against Aston Villa on the last day to pip Liverpool to the title by only one point. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea and Conte’s Tottenham completed the top four but were unable to keep up pace with City and Liverpool, finishing around 20 points adrift of the top-two. It appeared as though Arsenal would secure the final top-four spot for much of the campaign but Mikel Arteta’s team slipped up towards the end of the campaign to finish fifth, two points behind rivals Spurs. ...