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TheChels.net – All Articles

Rooney or Not Rooney – That Is The Question

July 17, 2013
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This morning saw an outbreak of consternation in the Twittersphere over reports that Chelsea had reportedly made a bid of £10 Million plus a player believed to be either David Luiz or Juan Mata in exchange for Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney. However, sanity was rapidly restored once everyone realised that it was highly unlikely that Chelsea would swap any player who is young, talented, integral part of the team such…

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Sun, Sweat & Fun At Cobham

July 17, 2013
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Being a UK based fan of Chelsea doesn’t come with many perks these days. A chance to interact with the players is rare. Even if you pay the vast sums required to attend the Player of The Year dinner, you’ll end up roped off from the players in their VIP area. There is usually an open training session at Stamford Bridge pre-season, but this comes with a stentorian warning that…

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On Style And Identity…At Chelsea And Beyond

July 14, 2013
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The recent issues displayed by England’s national youth football teams in their summer tournaments has led to much prognostication amongst pundits trying to identify ‘the problem’. A myriad of issues and potential solutions have been raised, but perhaps the most salient point brought to attention is that none of the Three Lions’ teams – even up to Roy Hodgson’s senior squad – seem to know how they want to play….

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Brighton Beaten As Under-18s Head For Austria

July 13, 2013
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Chelsea got their Under-18 pre-season slate of fixtures underway on a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Goals from Nias Butungu and Charly Musonda saw the Blues triumph, although the game was effectively a training session at this stage of the summer and featured playing time for some twenty or so youngsters, with Under-16s and trialists amongst them. Reece Mitchell played for the…

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Daniel Pappoe Set For Colchester Loan

July 12, 2013
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Chelsea’s Under-21 centre-back Daniel Pappoe is set to join League One side Colchester United on loan after featuring for the club in a pre-season friendly on Friday night. The 19 year-old, who has suffered a string of long-term injuries in recent years, played the first half of the U’s win against Sudbury and is believed to be close to finalising what is likely to be a six-month stay at the…

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A Global Chelsea Pre-Season Set To Begin

July 11, 2013
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It’s been a whirlwind seven days down at sunny Cobham as the relative tranquility and peace at Chelsea’s training ground came to an abrupt halt with the return of the Under-21 and Under-18 teams last week and the first team this past Monday. Come next Monday, however, the site will have returned to a temporary state of hush as all three teams jet off to far-flung locations to spread the…

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Chelsea Part Company With Connor Hunte?

July 10, 2013
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It appears that England Under-17 international winger Connor Hunte is no longer a member of the Chelsea academy. Hunte, who played more than thirty times as a schoolboy last season across Under-18 and Under-21 football, was building himself quite an impressive reputation for his standout performances for the Blues whilst being the subject of much transfer speculation throughout the 2012-13 season. Despite being linked with a host of suitors, he…

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Power Corrupts & Money Corrupts Absolutely

July 8, 2013
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I was doing the ironing this evening. No, don’t laugh. And whilst I iron, I usually listen to the radio. Five Live Drive is an excellent digest of the day’s events, co-hosted by one of radio’s finest voices, Peter Allen. This man is a Spurs fan. And he was thrilled when we beat Barcelona in the Champions League last year. That’s how much of a chap he is. Given Andy…

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Former Wolves and West Ham Youngsters Join Chelsea’s Academy Pre-Season

July 8, 2013
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When Chelsea’s Under-21 team depart for their pre-season trip to the United States on Tuesday, a relatively unfamiliar face will be amongst them. Jack Powell, a midfielder who had spent the last ten years at West Ham United, has been training with Dermot Drummy’s group since returning from the summer holidays and will be aboard the plan headed for New York City and Philadelphia. Born and raised in East London,…

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Kondogbia or Chalobah?

July 7, 2013
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Geoffrey Kondogbia’s name has been paired with Chelsea’s on a regular basis this summer as the transfer rumour mill does what it does best. It makes a degree of sense too. The French Under-20 midfielder is an impressive combination of athletic prowess and technical excellence, and he happens to play in a position and role which the Blues could do with one or two reinforcements. There is, however, another way…

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