When he rifled an unstoppable shot into Christian Baldinger’s top corner away to Basel on Matchday Five of the UEFA Youth League earlier this week, John Swift reached something of a landmark. His eighth goal of the season came in his 12th outing of the campaign. That’s a pretty good strike rate merely in isolation, but take into account that it had taken him his previous 70 appearances at Under-18/19/21…
The first club action after yet another international break saw perhaps the most productive weekend of loanee productivity so far in the 2013-14 season, with no fewer than six goals being scored at home and abroad. Romelu Lukaku, Patrick Bamford, Lucas Piazon and Gael Kakuta all made their marks in impressive individual outings and each deserve a share of the headlines. Headliners Lukaku took centre stage with the marquee game…
Since making its debut, the Chelsea Football Fancast has gained a cult following, winning a prestigious Football Blogging Award in 2012 for Best Podcast, and subsequently moving to live audio broadcast via Mixlr. This season however, the team said goodbye to their ancestral home at the Putney Station bar and took a giant leap on to the small screen, with the show now broadcast live on Sports Tonight Live HD…
In the latest of what is now an annual casting of the net far and wide across Europe in a bid to snare the finest young talent ahead of schedule, Chelsea are close to sealing a deal for 15 year-old Polish playmaker Hubert Adamczyk. A small and versatile playmaker who favours playing just behind the forward, Adamczyk has had several trial periods with the Blues’ academy throughout 2013, culminating with…
A pair of penalties from Thorgan Hazard and Christian Atsu maintained the streak of a Chelsea loanee scoring in every week of the 2013-14 season, and the duo therefore headline the latest installment of the Loan Report. Headliners We begin with Atsu and Vitesse, who finished the weekend as the Eredivisie leaders after a 3-1 win over Utrecht on Saturday night. The Ghanaian played 90 minutes in a central attacking…
The draw for the Third Round of the FA Youth Cup was made today and, like the parent competition at senior level, the big clubs enter the fray as they embark upon another campaign for the country’s most prestigious junior age group trophy. Chelsea have been drawn at home to one of four non-league clubs, with either Grays Athletic, Uxbridge, Dartford or Christchurch set to take on a team which…
Chelsea maintained their 100% record in the UEFA Youth League and booked their place in the knockout rounds early next year after beating Schalke 1-0 at Aldershot’s Electrical Services Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. In a game which lacked a great deal of quality for large chunks, it was a moment of genuine brilliance that decided things as Lewis Baker’s free kick early in the first half proved enough to take…
It was a rare quiet week on the loan front, particularly over this weekend, as our regular headline acts almost all failed to find the back of the net. The streak of a Chelsea loanee scoring in every week of the club season to date was continued in midweek however, with the reliable Thorgan Hazard weighing in with a goal and French playmaker Gael Kakuta finding the back of the…
Chelsea’s Under-21s showed resilience and a battling mentality to come from 2-0 and 3-2 behind to take a point in a 3-3 draw against West Ham United on Friday night. Goals from Pelly Ruddock and Matthias Fanimo had put the visitors two to the good before Lewis Baker reduced the deficit, and whilst John Swift had drawn things level, Blair Turgott’s late goal looked to have taken the points back…