The 2012-13 season at youth and reserve level will be considerably different for Chelsea on a number of levels. As part of the EPPP reforms, playing formats across both teams are set to change whilst the club are also set to take part in the expanded NextGen Series competition, pitting them against many of Europe’s finest. Dermot Drummy’s reserve team is to be rebranded as the ‘Under-21 squad’ and they…
It’s only mid-June and players are still away on holiday, but it’s not too early to look forward to July and the return of domestic football in the form of pre-season friendlies. Whilst the Chelsea first team will embark upon another tour of the United States, fans back in the UK looking for their fix of live action can take in one of a number of fixtures lined up for…
OK, so Thursday night’s breaking news that Chelsea were closing in on the signing of 15 year-old Anderlecht midfielder Charly Musonda Jr proved to be spot on. However, few reckoned on him being joined by his two older brothers, but both 20 year-old Lamisha and 18 year-old Tyka are also set to make the move to England after father Charly Sr demanded that the family be kept together if the…
It’s not a senior player this time but nonetheless, the Belgian contingent at Chelsea is set to increase by one this week with the reported arrival of Anderlecht’s Charly Musonda. The 15 year-old son of a former Zambian international father also named Charly has attracted attention from all of England’s biggest clubs but is apparently close to a move to West London. Belgian junior international team-mate Mathias Bossaerts, a recent…
Gael Kakuta sat down this week with Thomas Siniecki of Sports.fr – read the original interview at this link to discuss the end of the 2011-12 season at Dijon, where he spent four months on loan, and also his future as a Chelsea player. The interview has been translated into English below. Apologies for any minor inaccuracies, the content is generally as published in French. Gael, is it not annoying…
In many ways, it’s not a question you can answer with particular ease or brevity. After all, what is ‘ready’? We often see players head out on loan moves to help them refine their game and develop in order to be ‘ready’ to compete for a first team spot upon their return. It usually entails some combination of developing physically against older players, progressing mentally with points and league positions…
Friday saw the Premier League publish their official Released and Retained lists for the end of the 2011-12 season and in doing so all but confirmed the departures of five Chelsea players. Didier Drogba’s exit has already been announced and is the most high-profile free agent in the game. He’ll be joined by Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa, whilst two reserve team players will also depart at the end of…
Tuesday saw the final deadline for European Championship squads to be named, and, injuries pending, we now know there will be nine Chelsea players in Poland and the Ukraine next month. John Terry, Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Raul Meireles, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Petr Cech and Florent Malouda have been selected by their respective nations and are all set to play key roles throughout June. Lampard suffered a…
Just shy of a week ago, Chelsea youngsters Nathaniel Chalobah and Todd Kane were enjoying celebrations in Munich with the first team squad as Champions of Europe. Preston’s Deepdale Stadium may be a less glamorous place to spend their Friday evening, but both players found the back of the net for Noel Blake’s England Under-19 team as the Three Lions got their European Championship Elite Qualifying Round campaign underway. Slovenia…
To conclude our week-long review of the reserve and youth seasons, let’s take a look at some of the very best of the campaign, a celebration of all things young and blue, if you will. Youth Team: A second FA Youth Cup crown in three years leads the way, a magnificent achievement for everyone involved…Nathan Aké was named the academy’s Scholar of the Year after a superb debut campaign in…