It is an open secret that the Blues are now looking for replacements in the market for Antonio Rudiger.
Rumors suggest that the German manager is now looking for possible replacements for Rudiger and the one of the candidates that standout for him is Eder Militao of Real Madrid.
Chelsea eye summer move for Real Madrid defender, Eder Militao, upon request of Thomas Tuchel.
– @diarioas https://t.co/BLgFkhNeOA pic.twitter.com/aTzSIy1Pby
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) February 2, 2022
The reason for this is painfully obvious. Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen are all set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of this season, as it is unlikely the trio will renew further.
To avoid a potential backline crisis come next season, the club has been scouting various options ranging from Jules Kounde Matthijs de Ligt and Niklas Sule as well as Eder Militao now.
The Brazilian national has amassed a total of 50 La Liga appearances for the Royal Whites, and has become utterly indispensable to Carlo Ancelloti’s team.
Real Madrid coach Ancelloti has backed Militao to match Sergio Ramos’ level at the club
The defender truly came into his own once veteran center back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane left Santiago Bernabeu last season, leaving the keys to the defense to the former FC Porto man.
And his Brazil teammate Thiago Silva gave his approval to Eder Militao to fill the big boots left behind by club legend Sergio Ramos, who left for Paris Saint Germain.
Chelsea are reportedly eager to sign Real Madrid defender Eder Militao this summerpic.twitter.com/Tznwrq2i16
— The Sun – Chelsea (@SunChelsea) February 3, 2022
Managing Madrid reported him saying “I’m sure that he will be one of the core players for Real Madrid from now on, after Sergio Ramos’ departure.
“I told him to keep going because he was completing a very good season. I told him to keep going because that way we will be playing for our national team for many years to come.
“Militao trusts his speed a lot. He’s a very quick guy and sometimes he loses his position a bit because he knows he will track back successfully.
Militao and Silva are both likely to make Brazil’s Qatar World Cup squad
“That’s something I learned when I got to Milan and it’s something I try to tell and teach him.”
As it looks, Militao may cost the English in excess of $50 million as this is the price Real Madrid paid for him back in 2019, possibly much higher than this price tag.
Since leaving Chelsea for Roma last season, Tammy Abraham’s form in front of goal has lit up. The striker has been one of the best players under ex Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho’s disposal.
The Roman side currently 6th on the Serie A table, after recovering from a dip in form recently. This seems to also be the story of Chelsea academy graduate’s trajectory in Italy so far.
Tammy Abraham is doing well at Roma. So pleased for him. pic.twitter.com/aNPjKSdn56
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) January 28, 2022
The striker was in hot form when the season kicked, before eventually his formed slowed down, and then again firing on all cylinders.
This is all not just empty praise either, by the way. The striker has bagged himself 17 goals across all competitions in 30 appearances this season, with 13 goals coming in his last 16 games.
Another strike who made the switch the other way from Italy to London may have to start taking notes soon.
Tammy Abraham has scored 12 goals in his last 12 games with Roma 😍
Since early November, only Lewandowski has scored more goals than him 😱 pic.twitter.com/dkZms81Nro
— PurelyFootball®️ (@PurelyFootball) January 27, 2022
This may also cause Chelsea to consider buying back Tammy Abraham, as they themselves lack a striker in form currently. However, amid all the speculation of the Englishman returning, AS Roma Pinto said this.
“It’s true, that clause does exist, but we are not worried.”
“It’s true, that clause does exist, but we are not worried. It’s only valid from 2023, but I am not concerned. I am happy because he is playing well and can get even better.” He said after confirming that Chelsea do have a buyback clause.
Regardless, he didn’t quote a price but we can assume it is higher than €40 million Chelsea sold him to Roma for. Some sources have quoted a price around £80m, which could be likely.
Romelu Lukaku scores twice v Wolves: Chelsea welcomed Wolverhampton Wanderers to Stamford Bridge tonight in a contest where they were hopeful of reversing their poor run of form to guarantee themselves a Champions League berth.
Despite the Blues receiving two goal scoring opportunities in the first-half of the game, it still ended in a stalemate. However, as the second-half commenced, Romelu Lukaku stepped up to strike twice in quick succession to put Chelsea on a trajectory toward what appeared to be a deserved victory at that time.
Lukaku’s goal tally for Chelsea this season has totalled up to 14 now, causing him to become the highest goal scorer for the Blues, just a goal ahead of Kai Havertz. His performance tonight underlines his renewed confidence as he looks to be approaching the sort of form that had deserted him for most of the season.
Romelu Lukaku hadn’t scored in the Premier League since December 29th.
129 days later and he's got a brace in 3 minutes ⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/FzZx49vvHw
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 7, 2022
Watch how Romelu Lukaku scores twice in quick succession to give Chelsea’s scoreline an uplift:
The first goal came in response to a VAR call for a foul committed by Saiss on Romelu Lukaku as both players were caught up in a tangle on the edge of the penalty area.
Watch Lukaku’s left-footed penalty here:
The second goal was a Pulisic interception that found Lukaku who then completed the play with an emphatic low finish from the edge of the box with his weaker right foot.
Romelu Lukaku gets his brace with an assist from Christian Pulisic!
(via @NBCSportsSoccer)
— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) May 7, 2022
Lukaku wasn’t able to register himself on the scoresheet for Chelsea ever since the start of year 2022 – a daunting prospect for such an expensive striker – however, that record has been laid to rest today as his goals v Wolves have certainly managed to make a statement of his intent.
It’s a shame that a subpar defensive performance from his side overshadowed his monumental return to form. Chelsea were stripped to bone with comeback goals from Wolves that added misery to Chelsea’s hopes of securing a victory. The game ended in an unanticipated 2-2 draw.
After racking up underwhelming results from their recent run-ins, Chelsea are looking a lot less comfortable in the rough and tumble of Premier League’s top-four now. With the fourth-placed Arsenal and fifth-placed Tottenham breathing down Chelsea’s neck, their margin for error has now decreased to just two points, especially after having picked up only 5 points from a possible 15.
Chelsea released an official statement in the early hours of Saturday morning confirming that the terms have been agreed with the LA Dodgers’ part-owner Todd Boehly’s consortium to complete the £4.25bn takeover of the club though the acquisition is yet to be approved by the Premier League authorities as well as the UK government.
The statement read:
‘Chelsea Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club’.
Club Statement.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 7, 2022
🚨🔵 Official. Chelsea statement now confirms that “terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club”. #CFC
It’s the end of Roman Abramovich era. pic.twitter.com/fTw5EMdd8p
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 7, 2022
Last week, it was revealed that Todd Boehly & Co were Raine Group’s preferred choice to succeed Roman Abramovich following which the group were given one-week window of exclusive negotiations with the club to finalise the takeover. The deal had appeared in doubt due to late interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, however, those fears were dissipated as the Ratcliffe bid was later dismissed on account of his inability to complete the sale process by May 31st – the date when Chelsea’s current license expires.
Although the group is fronted by Todd Boehly, private equity firm Clearlake Capital is the one providing the majority of the financial firepower to it. The consortium also includes Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, Boehly’s fellow LA Dodgers’ owner Mark Walter and the British property developer Jonathan Goldstein.
As per Chelsea’s official statement, the £4.25bn headline sum includes the £2.5bn cost required to secure shares in Chelsea – which will go into a frozen UK bank account for the purpose of releasing 100 per cent of the proceeds to charitable causes – the remaining £1.75bn is the amount the group have committed to invest in the club’s future, covering costs regarding redevelopment projects and ensuring there are sufficient funds in place for operational use.
‘The proposed new owners will commit £1.75bn in further investment for the benefit of the Club. This includes investments in Stamford Bridge, the Academy, the Women’s Team and Kingsmeadow and continued funding for the Chelsea Foundation’.
The Clause also placed a limit on the debt the new owners can place on the club.
It also made sure the group pledged £1.75B to be invested in Chelsea's male and female teams, the academy, stadium, and the Chelsea Foundation.
Roman Abramovich secured Chelsea for at least 10yrs. pic.twitter.com/RhZ985Vuxq
— SportsDokita (Odogwu ☝️) (@Sports_Doctor2) May 7, 2022
Few final, obligatory steps remain in the official transfer of ownership of Chelsea Football Club to Todd Boehly’s consortium, one of which requires all group members to complete the Premier League Owners’ and Directors’ Test. Furthermore, Chelsea will have to apply for the amended license from the UK government that would upgrade the club’s operational capacity in addition to allowing the transaction to go ahead. The preparations are underway as the Raine Group wants the sale process to reach its completion as soon as possible.
Chelsea team news v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Chelsea welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Stamford Bridge on Saturday where they will be looking to reverse their poor run of form to guarantee themselves a Champions League berth. There are four player absentees that have been confirmed so far by head coach, Thomas Tuchel, in today’s pre-match conference.
After racking up underwhelming results from their recent run-ins, Chelsea are looking a lot less comfortable in the rough and tumble of Premier League’s top-four now. With the fourth-placed Arsenal and fifth-placed Tottenham breathing down Chelsea’s neck, their margin for error has now decreased to just three points, especially after having picked up only 4 points from a possible 12.
Chelsea team news v Wolverhampton Wanderers: The central midfield duo N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are ruled out of action for tomorrow’s clash as reported by Thomas Tuchel at a press briefing today.
Additionally, the long-term absentees Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell also remain restricted to the sidelines, despite returning to light training.
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed #Chelsea will be without quartet Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Callum Hudson-Odoi against Wolves.https://t.co/WfBnda02YO
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) May 6, 2022
N’Golo Kante had sustained a knock in the game against Manchester United, consequently missing last weekend’s trip to Everton where his fellow midfielder Jorginho was taken off the pitch at interval.
‘For N’Golo it comes too early. Jorginho is out as well, these two are missing. Callum and Ben Chilwell are still out,’ said the Blues boss.
The duo’s unavailability will give way to introducing Kovačić and most likely RLC in their stead as the latter is currently enjoying an upturn in form.
Mateo Kovačić returned to action as a half-time substitute last weekend after missing a couple games on account of nursing an ankle injury. He stands the highest chance of featuring a start in tomorrow’s game v Wolves.
There is a growing feeling that Tuchel might give Romelu Lukaku a start tomorrow, considering his substitute Kai Havertz is also struggling to find the form that has recently deserted him.
Thomas Tuchel has expressed optimism regarding Lukaku’s reaction in training this week. The Blues boss said;
‘I want him to be an important part of the squad, right now he is very important. There is no recruitment and no players are about to leave because it’s simply not possible,’
‘We need to adapt all the time, to contractual situations and also individual situations, to what we and the players want.
‘We signed a big player, he is a big player. He didn’t come on [at Everton] as we had only three changes, and unfortunately we used one at half-time with Jorginho. Otherwise there was a huge chance we had the same changes as against West Ham, with Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech,’
‘He trained very well, maybe he starts tomorrow, we’ll see.’
🗣️ "Maybe starts tomorrow, let's see." 👀
Thomas Tuchel says he wants Romelu Lukaku to be an important part of the squad next season and discusses why he wasn't played against Everton 🔵 pic.twitter.com/n8Lf0sEvRP
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 6, 2022
