Chelsea

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Chelsea defender Levi Colwill says he and Wesley Fofana "complement each other really well" and are close on and off the pitch.

The pair have been Enzo Maresca's starting centre-back partnership in all three of our Premier League matches so far.

"Fofana's a really good player and I really enjoy playing with him," said Colwill to the Blues' club website, external. "He’s so aggressive and I think we complement each other really well.

"Behind the scenes he’s such a great lad. I get on really well with him and I think everyone in the team gets on really well with him.

"We’ve created loads of chances by building from the back. You can see the way the gaffer wants us to play and there's definitely loads of positives to take. We are building. We've only had a few games with the new gaffer, but it's really exciting.

"All the players are excited for it and I think the fans should be too."

Who has made the most Premier League appearances for Chelsea?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

The joy and despair of football.

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Just the despair.

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Some things you wait for.

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And others never take long to arrive.

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There are awkward moments.

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There are planned moments.

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Chaotic moments.

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Sometimes there are moments of genius.

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And, occasionally, the moment just calls for romance.

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We asked you for your views on how Chelsea have started the season - and where you thought they might finish.

Almost half of all respondents believe the Blues will finish between 6th-10th and your comments suggest supporters are split on the current state of the club.

Here's a snapshot:

Amer: Enzo Maresca oozing authority in press conferences, and being honest? That's all good. Lack of finishing against Crystal Palace? Not so good. An OK start though should see us kick on into the top four by the end of the season. There is no doubt we have the talent in the squad to do so.

John: We are headed for yet another season of mediocrity. No club has the right to compete. However, with the money at the clubs disposal, we should be. A terrible transfer policy from owners who apparently won't learn or listen spells the end of 20+ years of competing at the top.

Shappers: With yet another unnecessary summer of turmoil, it feels like the beginning of last season. Chelsea will be inconsistent until next year when hopefully they’ll put a good run together. Before ripping it up and starting again next season.

Phil: Was initially concerned about the manager having a single tactic and not changing. We are still learning but at times we look really good. Attacking we have quality and should score. Defensive pairing is getting stronger so hopefully will tighten up. Midfield needs to be resolved with Enzo Fernandez the weak link.

Richard: Chelsea will draw or lose too many games that they should win, chiefly due to poor execution in the final third of the pitch. After five games in total, there has been just one good performance, at Wolves. Chelsea might not finish in the top six of the Premier League this season and still require a reliable goalscorer.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca gave his players the day off after facing Crystal Palace but this week will be like another pre-season for those left at Cobham.

The Italian has said he feels his players are ahead of where he expected them to be at this stage of the season as he imparts his extensive tactical ideas which involve detailed patterns of play, possession hoarding and a defensive approach where cutting out counter-attacks is the key.

Although ahead of schedule, there is plenty of work to do after two wins, a draw and two defeats in the first five matches highlighted issues.

New signing Jadon Sancho is among those training at Cobham and has arrived in good shape and will be working alongside Marcus Bettinelli, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Cesare Casadei, Marcu Guiu and Christopher Nkunku.

Chelsea have played well in the league but not the Conference League which shows that those on the fringes are not adapting as quickly to Maresca as the regular starters.

Also, the Blues will hope to have all of Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto back at the end of the break for the trip to Bournemouth when the Premier League restarts.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek has left Stamford Bridge after just over one year in the post.

Jurasek, who oversaw the business side of the club, was unpopular with some members of Chelsea’s fan groups over price rises and will initially be replaced internally by chief operating officer Jason Gannon.

He had already replaced former president of business Tom Glick who lasted less than a year in west London, with Jurasek becoming chief executive in May 2023 after moving from Clearlake Capital, the private equity firm with majority ownership of the club.

Part of the role including oversight of liaison with supporters, ticketing, sponsorships and, increasingly, the stadium redevelopment project alongside Gannon.

It is unclear whether a new chief executive will come in but, if they did, it would be the third such figure to run the business operation in three seasons under the Boehly/Clearlake ownership.

A host of other senior executives hold significant sway behind the scenes including chief revenue officer Casper Stylsvig, head of business operations James Murray and head of legal James Bonnington.

Todd Kline will join from Tottenham once he completes his gardening leave alongside former Manchester United employee Phil Lynch to complete Chelsea's new management committee.

The football side of the operation will continue to be run by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, alongside hands-on input from co-owner Behdad Eghbali.

In a statement, fan group Chelsea Supporters' Trust said: "This is a positive change that the club should use to rebuild the trust and confidence of supporters."

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Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has said it will be a proud moment for his family if the 22-year-old makes his senior international debut in one of England's upcoming Nations League matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Madueke moved to PSV Eindhoven as a teenager and began his senior career in the Netherlands before joining Chelsea in January 2023.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "My mum and my dad have been an amazing support system all through my career. My mum came out with me to Holland - I was with my little sister as well - that probably made it easier for me to adjust.

"And my dad has been there as well, always giving me advice, always supporting me. I couldn't thank them enough."

Asked what the best advice his father had given him, Madueke said: "Work as hard as you can at the things you don't like to do on the pitch, and then you don't have to worry about the things you are good at because they will just come out naturally.

"I think that is great advice."

Listen to the full interview in Thursday's episode of Football Daily on BBC Sounds

The dust has settled on the transfer window, the Premier League is well and truly back, and we are into the first international break of 2024-25.

So we want you to predict where Chelsea will finish in the Premier League this season - thinking about the start to the campaign and summer transfer business.

Submit your prediction here

And also, please tell us what is the one thing - good or bad - you have learned about the Blues so far in the campaign?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

Chelsea are open to sending 27-year-old England left-back Ben Chilwell on loan to Turkey, although they are yet to receive any offers. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Meanwhile, talks are ongoing between Chelsea and AEK Athens over the transfer of 21-year-old Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana. (Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Chelsea's newest recruit Jadon Sancho says he is "really excited" to get going at an "iconic" club, after joining Enzo Maresca's side on a season-long loan.

Speaking in his first club interview, external, Sancho said: "I'm really excited. London is where I grew up, so I'm happy to be back. It has been a bit crazy - it was the last day of the transfer window, so it was expected to be a bit crazy, but I'm happy it has finally been done.

"Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Now I have the opportunity to play for this club, it is a great feeling."

On what drew him to Chelsea, Sancho added: "I think it was the manager really. I knew him from when I was at Manchester City, when he was with Pep [Guardiola]. He spoke to me on the phone about his project and what he is building here and, for a young player like myself, it is exciting.

"I think it is his style of play [that attracted me]. When the wingers get on the ball, he just loves them to go one vs one and be direct. They play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker, so lots of combination plays.

"So that was all very attractive, especially with the style that I play."

On what the supporters can expect from him this season: "Well, hopefully goals and assists. I'm a skilful player and hopefully I can bring some excitement to Stamford Bridge.

"I want to be playing the best games at the top level, so I'm motivated to carry on and I can't wait. I definitely want to do that at Chelsea, 100%."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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The sale of Angelo to Al-Nassr is significant for Chelsea as it edges the club towards balancing the books.

The Blues will receive nearly £6m profit on the fee paid to Santos last summer, to take the overall total for player sales to £188.9m.

If money banked from loan fees and sell-on clauses were also publicly disclosed and included, the total is likely more than £200m.

That balances out the £208.5m spent on buying 11 players, not including Genk goalkeeper Mike Penders and Palmeiras winger Estavao Willian, who will join in 2025.

Although Chelsea’s approach is chaotic - as one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market every summer under this new Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership - it can be both profitable and highlight that there is indeed a plan.

That plan is to sign young players who haven’t maximised their value and either wait for them to develop into first team players or be ruthless in flipping them for a quick profit if need be.

The mere association with Chelsea is believed by many within the club to raise the value of players while they also have Strasbourg, where Angelo spent last season, as a place to send players on loan before they are sold.

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea signed Angelo, an out of form winger struggling to break into his team in Brazil in 2023, but these figures highlight the prospect of profit as a reason to sign so many young players.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Victor Osimhen is one of the most sought after strikers in Europe so just how he ended up at Galatasaray is a curious case.

Of course, by the passion and size of their support, the Istanbul club can boast as being one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Yet, despite increased investment in the league in recent season, Turkish football is never normally a consideration for the world's best players.

But this is not a normal situation and it began with a decision made in December 2023.

Osimhen wanted to leave Napoli but still opted to double his wage to well over £200,000 a week and renew his Napoli contract after winning the Scudetto as top scorer in Serie A six months earlier.

The deal included a £113m release clause which would give him a chance to leave but club president Aurelio de Laurentiis demanded that full sum was paid throughout most of the transfer window.

The cost put off the majority of Europe's biggest clubs but Chelsea were selling Romelu Lukaku to Napoli and hoped to leverage the situation.

They wanted to use Napoli's desire to sell Osimhen to force a cheaper deal, either in the form of an initial loan or a permanent deal in the final hours of deadline day.

"We wanted a player that we decide it has to be on our conditions," said manager Enzo Maresca, alluding to Chelsea reluctance to pay the wages or fee during late-night negotiations on Friday.

It left Osimhen in limbo with Lukaku joining up with Antonio Conte and has given Galatasaray a rare chance to secure one of the world's best forwards with the Turkish transfer window one of the few still open.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

You can change owners, players, sporting directors, managers, formation and strategy, but you'll still end up with the same difficulty in scoring a second goal to kill off a plucky mid-table team. That's certainly what it feels like for Chelsea fans at the moment, despairing at the changes they have seen their club make only to end up just where they were a few years ago.

The better that Enzo Maresca's team played in the first half on Sunday, the more inevitable it felt that a sucker punch was due. And when Eberechi Eze stepped inside and switched the ball onto his right foot, there was little doubt in the stadium about what was coming next.

New manager Enzo Maresca kept a cool head and plenty of perspective when looking back at the game - but then again, he's only riding this rollercoaster for the first time. Most fans are on their tenth go around.

There was a lot to like in his team's attacking play, and in the way he set them up to pull apart Crystal Palace. But the deflation and frustration that kicked in the moment the scores were levelled overpowered any tactical innovation and left Chelsea in the same situation they've been in so many times in recent seasons.

Maresca now has two weeks to continue his work in trying to stop this season turning into more of the same. The Italian has the energy and the ideas to do it, and he has some fantastic players too. But he shouldn't be surprised if patience is in short supply at Stamford Bridge after some pretty tortuous years for fans who can feel their club's status gradually slipping away with every mediocre result as they're told to get used to this "new Chelsea".

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Nicolas Jackson is a signing Chelsea are delighted with since he joined for £32m from Villarreal.

Although he had spells last season where he was criticised for missing chances, he has exceeded internal expectations at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have always seen the Senegal international as a long-term prospect to develop and 17 goals and six assists in 44 games last season highlighted his faster-than-expected adaptation to the Premier League.

Jackson scoring record in his first campaign at Chelsea was higher than club legend Didier Drogba's.

Like Cole Palmer, Jackson is seen as a proof of concept for Chelsea's transfer strategy, with CIES Football Observatory calculating his transfer value increasing by over £37m over a six-month period in April.

That is why he has been rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract and is now on a nine-year deal in west London.

We asked for your views on whether Nicolas Jackson is good enough to lead Chelsea's attack. The Senegalese striker scored more goals in his first campaign at Chelsea than club legend Didier Drogba.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: He's about 10% short of being a great striker. He's a real handful, he's pacy and I doubt many defenders feel comfortable playing against him. A little more composure and a lift in conversion rate and he'll be great. That will come with time and playing in a consistent system and coaching environment.

Paul: Jackson is doing enough - just. He links up with Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke reasonably well, and is bagging goals, but his attitude stinks.. The penalty incident versus Everton said it all. I fear there will be plenty more petulance and dissent as this season wears on.

Diego: Anyone not watching Jackson week in week out probably doesn't get the full picture of how much he contributes to every stage of the build-up and press. He has an excellent ability to hold the ball up and introduce other players to the attack through it. He simply needs to work on his finishing and not overthink things in front of goal.

Claude: Jackson has had opportunity after opportunity to prove he is worthy of leading the attack but, so far, has completely failed to deliver. I do not believe he has ever scored a goal when he is one on one with only the goalkeeper to beat. Hugely disappointed Chelsea did not bring in a top striker in the window. Big mistake.

Phil C: I like Jackson. There is no doubt he is wasteful but he shows great movement off the ball and some decent touches to bring others into the game. Clearly he needs to work on his finishing and I would like him to be able to hold the ball better, but overall he is good enough, especially if he continues to learn and improve.

Liam: Last season, Jackson was emblematic of problems Chelsea faced in front of goal since the change of owners. More memorable for easy chances missed in big moments. He deserves credit for his mentality, picking himself up and trying again. He had similar numbers last season to Kai Havertz, who he replaced, and clearly has ambition to improve at Chelsea.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

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After all the noise surrounding Chelsea's deadline day pursuit of Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Nicolas Jackson has quietly started his campaign in the same vein as he finished last season - both in terms of scoring goals and missing chances.

In Mauricio Pochettino's final five Premier League games in charge, Jackson scored four times and assisted once. In Enzo Maresca's first three league games in charge, he has scored twice and assisted once.

The 23-year-old did spurn opportunities to build on his goal in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, but these numbers show something Jackson has often been criticised for not being in his early Chelsea career - the art of being consistent.

His Premier League stats now stand at 16 goals and six assists in 38 games and he has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension, tying him to the club for a further nine years.

What crystallises Jackson's promise is that throughout his adjustment to Chelsea and the Premier League, and despite his rawness, he has put up very respectable numbers.

The truth is his goal tally could be much higher from the number and quality of chances he has carved out for himself - a much better problem than a forward struggling to find openings.

Jackson's 14 goals from an expected goals of 18.6 in the Premier League last season was an underperformance of 4.6. Despite perceived profligacy against Palace, he has two goals from two xG so far in the league this campaign.

He has also endeared himself to the Stamford Bridge crowd, who appreciate his work-rate, persistence and refusal to hide. Having a strong personality is a pre-requisite to be a successful Chelsea striker and fans need only look at his response to criticism from legendary midfielder Jon Obi Mikel, external to see Jackson has just that.

In his first season, Didier Drogba scored 10 Premier League goals. In his second, he got 12. The difference being, however, that he won the title in both those seasons.

Jackson has started his Blues career in better goalscoring form but is being viewed through the lens of the work in progress that is Chelsea.

This season will reveal much in regards to the level he can reach and his suitability to be the main man in west London for the nine - yes nine - years now left on his contract.

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Chelsea have moved to extend Nicolas Jackson's contract and did you know he has been involved in eight goals in his past eight Premier League appearances (six goals, two assists).

That is as many goal involvements as he managed in his previous 19 games in the competition.

Everton turned down the opportunity to sign defender Axel Disasi and forward David Datro Fofana from Chelsea in a swap deal for 27-year-old England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. (Givemesport), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column