Two of Chelsea’s Under-21 attacking midfielders have secured loan moves for the coming season today, with Amin Affane joining Roda JC and Thorgan Hazard moving to Zulte-Waregem. Swedish Under-18 international Affane, who is in the last year of his contract, has spent a week training in the Netherlands with Roda, who today have finalised a loan deal for him and secured the rights to negotiate with him first as a…
Is Kakuta Vitesse-bound?
Gael Kakuta has been angling for a move away from Stamford Bridge all summer. The recently-turned 21 year-old playmaker finished last season on loan at Dijon in the French league and spoke of his desire to have a concrete future going into the 2012-13 season. He spent pre-season with the Chelsea first team but with a number of high-profile attacking players signed by Roberto Di Matteo, it’s obvious that he…
NextGen Series: Chelsea 1-2 CSKA Moscow
Chelsea’s debut in the NextGenSeries didn’t quite go according to plan as although they dominated large parts of their Group C opener against CSKA Moscow, they went down by the odd goal in three. Patrick Bamford’s early goal had promised much but after a quickfire double salvo from the visitors, the young Blues faced a hard task to get themselves back into the game, and despite recording a number of…
The Loan Report: August 20-26
Archange Nkumu this week joined Yeovil Town on a month-long loan to become Chelsea’s eighteen player out on a temporary deal in 2012-13. The weekly Loan Report is therefore liable to a long and detailed one, and whilst Nkumu didn’t manage to debut away to Scunthorpe United this weekend, he and fellow Blues defender Rohan Ince should have a decent role to play for the Glovers, who sit top of…
We Need To Talk About Romelu
There’s scarcely been a better or more appropriate time to discuss Romelu Lukaku. Following a frustrating first season at Chelsea, the Belgian returned for the new campaign determined to prove himself and, following some rather terse words towards his permanent employers after departing on loan to West Bromwich Albion, he’s started pretty well, with a goal for his country against Holland and another for the Baggies against Liverpool. To suggest…
The Loan Report: August 12-19
Here we go again then. Another season of loan news gets underway here at TheChels.net, and with over a dozen faces already having departed, there will be no shortage of news each and every week. Some of Chelsea’s youngsters have returned to familiar climbs after impressive spells in 2011-12, whilst others have new homes or are embarking upon a much-needed move after a frustrating campaign last time out. That brings…
Under-18s: Chelsea 6-1 Manchester City
There may have been no goals in last night’s Under-21 clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, but their respective Under-18s served up plenty on Saturday morning. The Blues ran out 6-1 winners in emphatic style, with six different players finding the back of the net. Reece Mitchell, Jordan Houghton, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jeremie Boga, Charlie Colkett and Fankaty Dabo all got themselves in on the act on a wonderful morning for…
Premier League Predictions & Travel Tips
Ah, glorious August, when football fans up and down the country are filled with what usually turns out to be misplaced optimism about the fate of their teams over the coming nine months. And speaking of misplaced optimism, TheChels.Net has asked their resident Old Crone to look into her crystal ball and see what might lie ahead. Please note that these predictions may contain a hefty dose of bias and/or…
Under-21s: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
A new era in English youth football began on Friday night without a goal on the pitch but with many more ahead of them on and off the field. Chelsea and Manchester City both drew blanks in the seaaon’s first Under-21 fixture, with the new competition throwing up a marquee clash on opening night. It was a match high on quality throughout and one which promises much for the season…
Under-21 & Youth Team Season Preview – Part Four: The Blues
Having previewed Chelsea’s opponents in Under-18 and Under-21 competition ahead of the coming season, and taken a look at those competitions themselves in some depth, all that remains is to preview the Blues themselves ahead of 2012-13. Nearly twenty new first-year scholars and promoted schoolboys join a group of players which has won both the Reserve League and FA Youth Cup crowns in recent years and bring additional quality and…