Chelsea news and transfer round-up – Double injury update, £80m plan for January, incentive for Ivan Toney

The latest Chelsea market news and gossip, including updates on Mauricio Pochettino, Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk’s post-International break plan

Mauricio Pochettino will certainly use the next two weeks wisely as the international break comes straight after the 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest.

Positives may seem hard to come by, but the return of Reece James is coming soon. Romeo Lavia is also closer to making his debut after arriving from Southampton this summer and fears over a potential absence of Levi Colwill are easing.

Despite the transfer window being closed there could still be opportunities in the free player market and with other European windows still open there could be more windfall gains for West Londoners.

So with that said, stay with us at football.london as we keep you up to date with everything you need to know as it happens LIVE from Stamford Bridge

Sterling England create chances after Grealish retires

Chelsea star Raheem Sterling will remain absent from Gareth Southgate’s England side despite Jack Grealish withdrawing from the squad through injury, according to the Mail’s Sami Mokbel.

Four Chelsea players in Badiashile’s return leg

Positive results for Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino seem hard to come by at the moment, but a major injury update will no doubt have given them a boost.
football.london understands Chelsea expect Benoît Badiashile to be eligible for selection for their Premier League clash with Bournemouth following international break.

The Frenchman suffered a serious hamstring injury towards the end of the 2022/23 season, forcing him to miss all of pre-season.

With the approximate date of Badiashile and Armando Broja’s return approaching, Pochettino shared the latest on the pair ahead of their Carabao Cup match with AFC Wimbledon.

“They won’t play tomorrow,” said Pochettino.
“We have to wait after the international break and then we’ll see.

Maybe Misha [Mykhailo Mudryk] is closer than Broja and Badiashile but we have to judge him day by day.

Badiashile’s prolonged absence therefore means Levi Colwill’s return has been thrust directly into the spotlight and Wesley Fofana has also been diagnosed with a serious injury over the summer.
After selling Kalidou Koulibaly, Chelsea signed Axel Disasi from AS Monaco and despite having plenty of attackers at his disposal, Pochettino has played both in every game alongside Thiago Silva.

In possession, Ben Chilwell is deployed on the left wing, while Colwill switches to left-back, Malo Gusto switches to right-back and Disasi and Thiago Silva play in the middle of the back line.

However, Badiashile’s expected return could be a dramatic turnaround and football.london have taken a look at how he could impact the squad with four potential players on guard.

Toney sends one-word message amid Chelsea transfer links

Ivan Toney could be at the center of a truly breathtaking transfer battle in January as his betting violation ban is set to end in the first month of 2024.
The 27-year-old was found guilty by the FA of 232 bets, his eight-month suspension ended on January 14, 2023.

Chelsea and Tottenham are two Premier League clubs already considering a move for the Brentford striker, with Arsenal and Liverpool being hinted at by Toney himself as possible targets.

“I’ve been a Liverpool fan all my life, but from an early age I loved Arsenal,” Toney told the CEO’s YouTube podcast diary.

“I enjoyed seeing Arsenal, how they play and how passionate their fans are.” According to The Independent, Chelsea and Spurs are ready to fight for the signing of Toney, who the player himself has hinted could leave the Bees very soon.

“I don’t let any of this affect me,” he said in August.
“Of course it will continue in the background, but my job is to continue to train well when I have the chance.

Keep scoring and performing well in games, but I think everyone wants to play at the top.

“Not that Brentford aren’t there, but I feel like I’m playing for a big club, fighting for trophies, that’s the kind of thing everyone wants to do.
If I had any occasion, I would be stupid not to know more.

For Chelsea, Ivan Toney is considered a potential winter window target, according to the Evening Standard. Meanwhile, Tottenham could still be in the hunt for Harry Kane’s replacement in January despite signing Brennan Johnson for £47.5million from Nottingham Forest.

With many clubs likely to start shortlisting potential targets, Toney has sent a clear message to interested teams.

Caicedo and Jackson agree on Chelsea verdict

Moises Caicedo has sent a message of defiance after his error played a key role in Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Caicedo, starting only his second Premier League game for the club, lost control of his own half with a turnover that allowed the hosts to break and score.

Nicolas Jackson also responded to Caicedo’s post with a simple message in the form of two praying hands emojis.
Both men will now play central roles in the rebuilding of Pochettino but must first focus on working with their national teams.
Toney’s transfer is being considered

Even though the transfer window closed just a few days ago, Chelsea are already lined up for their first signing in January.

The Blues welcomed a number of players to Stamford Bridge last summer but Mauricio Pochettino still seems dissatisfied with his attacking abilities.

According to the Evening Standard, Ivan Toney is considered a potential target for the winter period.

Caicedo points out Chelsea’s big transfer mistake

Chelsea have had an extremely busy summer transfer window, highlighting their determination to sign Moises Caicedo. Despite turning down a number of offers and believing Liverpool had completed an unthinkable transfer hijacking, the Blues struck a record £115million deal with Brighton to sign the midfielder in early August.
The signing was followed by a nightmarish debut against West Ham, with Caicedo coming on in the second half and missing a late penalty.
A quiet performance against Luton Town helped ease the pressure, but Caicedo was partly to blame for losing the ball in front of Nottingham Forest’s goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Nonetheless, there are still rumors that Caicedo would prove to be a great, albeit expensive, purchase for Chelsea, but his record move and former Blues star performance apparently exposed a major transfer mistake.

Huge injury update from Chelsea

According to football.london, Chelsea believe Benedict Badiashile is fit for their Premier League game against Bournemouth after the international break.

The 22-year-old defender hasn’t played since May 13 due to a serious hamstring injury but is now close to getting back to full fitness which will mean a significant boost for Mauricio Pochettino.