Chelsea

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Chelsea defender Pep Chavarria has described Blues boss Xabi Alonso is "one of the best coaches in the world right now" and said the Stamford Bridge side need to return to consistently winning silverware.

Alonso's reign began with back-to-back Premier League victories, but his side have taken just one point from their past three matches and performed poorly in the 3-0 defeat by Brentford in their final game before the extended international break.

Chavarria, a £16m summer signing from Rayo Vallecano, has featured in all seven of Chelsea's games so far this season but started for the first time at the Gtech Community Stadium.

"I want to win trophies," the 28-year-old told club media. "This is my goal, and I would like to qualify for the Champions League."

The Blues have not been Premier League champions since the 2016-17 season and since winning the Champions League in 2021 have only won the Conference League and newly expanded Club World Cup in 2025.

"Chelsea is one of the best clubs in the world and always needs to win one trophy per year and play in the Champions League," Chavarria added.

"Xabi is one of the best coaches in the world right now. I am learning a lot, and I know that he wants to help me. I am learning and my adaptation is very good. I can do more and I can improve."

• The late-bloomer left-back joining Chelsea for £16m

Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are all monitoring England defender Jarell Quansah as the 23-year-old continues to impress for Bayer Leverkusen. (Caught Offside), external

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Former Chelsea forward Pedro has announced his retirement from football aged 39.

Pedro joined the Blues as a 28-year-old in 2015, having won three Champions Leagues and five La Liga titles during an extraordinary, trophy-laden seven years with Barcelona.

His winning mentality was clear to see during his five years at Stamford Bridge, where he won the 2016-17 Premier League, the FA Cup in 2018, and the Europa League in 2019.

A tenacious and technically impressive winger, Pedro scored 43 goals and provided 26 assists in 206 Chelsea appearances, including some that will be remembered by Blues fans for many years.

During the Premier League-winning campaign under Antonio Conte, he scored after 30 seconds in a 4-0 win over a Jose Mourinho-led Manchester United, a fine equaliser against Tottenham in a 2-1 comeback win, and another long-range curler against Everton which all but sealed the title.

Pedro also found the net in the 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final.

He left to join Roma in 2020, before becoming the first player since 1985 to move between the two Rome rivals when he signed for Lazio in the following year, remaining there until his decision to retire.

Pedro ends his playing career as one of the most decorated players in modern football, having also won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championships with Spain.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club by mutual consent in the near future.

The 40-year-old leaves on excellent terms to pursue other opportunities in a move that is internally seen as related to the "tweak of the (recruitment) model" that influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali spoke about at the end of last season.

Stewart has spent nearly four years at Chelsea under the BlueCo ownership, but many of his responsibilities will be absorbed into the roles of Joe Shields and Sam Jewell.

Shields and Jewell work closely with influential sporting director Paul Winstanley on player identification, negotiations and squad planning.

Winstanley also oversees a host of other areas, including medical, player support and other internal operations.

Meanwhile, Dave Fallows is part of the sporting leadership in a flexible advisory capacity rather than working within a fixed remit on a day-to-day basis.

It is part of the structure around Xabi Alonso, whose arrival sparked further conversations about how to improve both the squad and the way the club operates behind the scenes.

The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager has spoken about wanting to be heavily involved in transfer decisions, including playing a role in the decision to sign players aged over 30 such as Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and Emiliano Martinez.

There will also be investment in data staff below director level to add capacity and support the leadership team.

Sources say changes are unrelated to Todd Boehly and Mark Walter selling their stakes in Chelsea for £475m each last month.

Bournemouth have no intention of selling England midfielder Alex Scott, 23, in January despite interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid. (Talksport), external

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A number of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be hit with both "retrospective punishments" and sanctions for the future for their mass financial rule-breaking, sources have told BBC Sport.

An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

City have appealed against the verdict, while the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is poised to look at the findings to see if there may be any suggestions of potential misconduct.

However, there is said to be a consensus among a group of top-flight club executives that if City's appeal is unsuccessful, the sanctions should make reparations for the period when they broke the rules, while also limiting their powers in future.

There is also a feeling from at least four Premier League boardrooms that a "one-hit" points deduction resulting in relegation to the Championship would be an insufficient punishment given the severity of City's wrongdoing.

Read more on what rival clubs want

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea have held pre-application talks with Elmbridge Borough Council about upgrades to their training ground.

It is the first known time the Blues have taken their plans to external stakeholders, having long considered improvements aimed at bringing the facilities up to a world-class standard.

The club's base in Cobham was considered state of the art when it was built under former owner Roman Abramovich in 2004. Although it remains a high-quality facility, it has since been surpassed by many of Chelsea's elite rivals in England and abroad.

Following the 2022 takeover, the Boehly-Clearlake consortium quickly identified the need for investment int training facilities for all men's, women's and academy teams.

Former academy director Neil Bath was subsequently put in charge of the project. However, he left in July 2024 after helping secure a plot of land opposite the entrance to the training ground, expanding the club's development options beyond its existing 40-acre site.

Now, after former co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter each sold their stakes in Chelsea for £475m last month, club officials are keen to make wide-scale improvements to the infrastructure over the coming years.

The talks with the council are non-binding and remain at an exploratory phase, but would normally precede a formal planning application.

Such discussions are designed to reduce the risk of an application being rejected by identifying areas that may attract support or opposition, whether from local residents, environmental concerns or other planning considerations.

There have already been improvements ongoing to security, fencing and cosmetic features.

As well as improve the training ground, Chelsea want a long-term solution for their stadium.

The two options understood to remain under consideration are the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, which would require Chelsea to play at a temporary home, potentially Wembley Stadium, during construction, or a move to a site at Earls Court.

The Earls Court option would involve Chelsea seeking to become part of the wider redevelopment of the west London site, which was formerly home to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

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Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia believes he has not felt as good as he does currently for "a very long time".

The 22-year-old has been plauged with injury issues since his £53m from Southampton in the summer of 2023, missing 122 games for club and country in that period, and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes in a competitive match for the Blues.

However, it seems the midfielder is putting those problems behind him and has started four of Xabi Alonso's first five games in charge this season.

He will also report back for Chelsea duty before Saturday's home game against Bournemouth having appeared in each of of Belgium's four games over the extended international break.

He started both Nations League games against France, playing 85 and 87 minutes respectively, and came off the bench against Italy and Turkey.

Speaking after Mondays 4-1 defeat by France, in which he provided a fine assist for Dodi Lukebakio's opener, Lavia said: "It's been a very long time since I've felt this good, physically and mentally.

"I'm delighted. There's a lot of hard work behind it. It's a rebirth."

Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are all interested in 27-year-old Barcelona and France defender Jules Kounde, with the Spanish club willing to listen to significant offers. (Sport - in Spanish), external

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Three years before becoming Chelsea's £117m club-record signing, Morgan Rogers watched his value fall to just £1m and questioned whether he would make it at all.

For Rogers, the transition from academy football to the men's game was not as seamless as he had hoped and, in his own words, it took a series of "difficult loans" for him to break through.

In a recent interview with Chelsea's club channel, Rogers said that period taught him how to "take knocks".

Asked what his rise through the EFL had taught him, he replied: "Everything."

After a long pause, he added: "I needed that next challenge, to be taken out of my comfort zone and find the player I was going to be in professional football.

"I don't think there's such a thing as a bad loan," Rogers' first loan manager at Lincoln City, Michael Appleton, told BBC Sport.

Appleton had worked in West Brom's academy and knew Rogers was one of the most highly rated prospects there. He made it his mission to bring him to Sincil Bank in League One.

He remembers Rogers having a big personality and speaking up in team meetings despite arriving as an 18-year-old. The forward went on to score six goals and provide two assists in 28 appearances after joining shortly after lockdown.

"We played Portsmouth away and they had three or four absolute units in the team," he added. "We were setting up for set-pieces and almost running out of players to pick up these giants.

"Without any hesitation whatsoever, Morgan said: 'Make me a marker. I'll head the ball out of our box.'

"This was a teenager on his first loan."

Read more on Rogers' journey from the EFL to England international here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Cesar Azpilicueta has backed Chelsea's decision to sign experienced players this summer and believes it will help captain Reece James grow as a leader.

The Blues made their first signings aged over 30 in more than four years when they brought in Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and Emiliano Martinez from Premier League rivals Brentford, Brighton and Aston Villa respectively.

James, who succeeded Azpilicueta as captain in 2023, was handed the role at the age of 23 and admitted he initially struggled with the responsibility during an injury-hit period. Former manager Enzo Maresca also publicly challenged him to improve his leadership.

However, both internally and externally, there is a belief that James has grown into the role after avoiding any lengthy injury absences over the past year.

Asked about James' progress as captain, Azpilicueta told BBC Sport: "Reece is still developing.

"People sometimes forget how young he still is because we've known him since he came through the academy. I wasn't captain myself until I was around 28 or 29.

"Since he got into the first team, you could see he was a special player. The quality was obvious. Now he's developing the leadership side as well.

"When I look at him, I see a player who is still improving and who probably has his best years ahead of him.

"A lot of young players have arrived at the club, but there are also experienced players around him who can help him in the role, and I'm sure he'll benefit from that support."

Azpilicueta added that after joining Chelsea he was pushed "to the maximum" and "gave everything" for the club.

He has since retired and graduated from the PFA Business School with a Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship in September 2026.

The former Spain international added: "I follow every game and I hope the club comes back to where it belongs.

"I have confidence that Xabi (Alonso), the staff and the players will do good work. Hopefully they can bring a lot of happiness to the fans."

Having not returned to Stamford Bridge since leaving Chelsea for Atletico Madrid and later Sevilla, he was asked whether he would ever come back to receive a hero's welcome from supporters.

"I don't know about that," he replied modestly, before adding: "I will come back one day. I won't be putting my boots on, though."

Read more from Azpilicueta

Real Madrid are considering joining the race to sign Alex Scott after watching the Bournemouth and England midfielder, 23, closely in recent weeks. (Teamtalk), external

Chelsea are in pole position to sign Scott from Bournemouth, with Liverpool and Arsenal also interested. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Liverpool and Chelsea have joined the race to sign Nottingham Forest's Brazilian defender Murillo but the 24-year-old will not be allowed to leave the City Ground in January. (Football Insider), external

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Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea have started games strongly under Xabi Alonso, scoring five league goals without reply in the opening 15 minutes of fixtures.

That should have been the perfect platform to dictate the tempo of matches, but instead they have been drawn into open, end-to-end contests, shipping a league-high 12 goals and conceding at least twice in every game.

The Blues have also faced more shots on target than any other side and rank among the league's worst for big chances allowed and errors leading directly to goals.

Those shortcomings are being ruthlessly punished. Despite the recruitment of World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who has started the past four league games, the west Londoners have conceded three goals more than their expected goals against figure would suggest, the largest negative difference in the top flight.

Chelsea have not kept a Premier League clean sheet since January - a run of 21 matches - so defensive issues clearly predate Alonso's arrival this summer.

But while the Spaniard has quickly unlocked the attacking potential of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, he must find a way to give his side better balance.

Real Madrid are showing an interest in Bayer Leverkusen's 23-year-old England defender Jarell Quansah, who was the subject of a summer enquiry from Chelsea and a bid from Arsenal. (Bild - in German), external

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Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

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Bournemouth are not willing to entertain offers for midfielder Alex Scott during the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old made his senior England debut in Wednesday's 2-0 Nations League win away to Czechia but will be into the final 18 months of his contract come January.

The Cherries have had two contract renewal talks rejected before a summer window in which Scott pushed to leave the Vitality Stadium.

However, they remain steadfast that they have warned interested clubs that they will not welcome any contact over a move until their league objectives have either been achieved or are no longer attainable.

Similarly, Bournemouth would not entertain offers for other key players, including striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who remains sidelined through injury, and winger Rayan.

The club are competing on four fronts this season, including their first-ever European campaign in the Europa League.

Scott has performed well on the south coast and shown no signs of discontent but is known to ultimately want to join one of England's biggest clubs.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs known to hold an interest in Scott.

Manchester City and Manchester United, meanwhile, strengthened their midfield options during the summer and are not expected to revive their interest.

Chelsea remain keen to sign a midfielder after seeing a £64m bid for Scott rejected during the summer.

They also missed out on Monaco's Lamine Camara on deadline day, held talks over a move for Roma's Manu Kone and expressed an interest in Fulham's Sander Berge.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is also thought to have a positive relationship with his former player Scott. The Anfield club are known to be targeting a midfielder in future transfer windows and retain an interest in Camara.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The Premier League has opened a Pandora's box of problems which cannot be closed. However well-intentioned, however morally upright they mean to be, the way the product is perceived around the planet by fans will be negatively affected.

This looks like a gigantic mess, but could also become a bit of a joke, especially if they attempt to rewrite history, and change the winners' names on the Premier League and cup trophies over these past 15 years. I wouldn't want the engraver's job.

I believe financial rules brought in to prioritise financial sustainability were also aimed at limiting the money being spent by the clubs, especially the staggering, ever-inflating sums spent on sometimes fairly average players. It could lead to a de facto salary cap, which many fans would approve of.

The long-term problem for the league is easy to see here: if the top players are then offered significantly more money to play elsewhere, they will be off before you can say 'man on'.

I always thought the Premier League had taken a huge risk going down this regulatory road. As with Manchester City's future, nobody knows what the real long-term ramifications will be.

I have a suspicion it could end up being the greatest own goal in the sport's entire history.

The big take: If City are cast out of England's top leagues, what might the owners do – hang around the lower reaches, or find something else? Wasn't there the idea of a Super League? Keep that thought in the back of your mind.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Most of the time it is not that big a deal if you go into the international break having just lost a club game if I am honest, as teams lose games frequently.

That is just the life of a professional footballer. You have to be able to cope with disappointment as an individual and as a team.

‌Admittedly, players will sometimes say that they want another domestic game quickly, but it is almost always specifically after a 'bad' defeat as opposed to just a run-of-the-mill loss.

‌However, if the team has genuinely played terribly, or lost a game they were expected to win comfortably, you will commonly hear the phrase "we want to have a chance to get back out there and put it right quickly".

‌Players who have had a stinker, even if their team won, might also want to get out again as soon as possible to put it right in front of their fans, or 'reset'. The 'reset' argument is just current football jargon to say, "we will try to get it right next time, and we blew it this week, sorry".

‌The international break can also have the beneficial effect of taking your mind away from a bad defeat. This is not to say that you don't care, it is just that you must compartmentalise your thoughts and feelings. Footballers are among the best at this.

‌You simply cannot go to play for your national team and spend the time brooding about what happened against Brentford last week. That way lies madness and another poor performance, only this time in front of the entire nation.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

In the third and final part of Tuesday's Q&A, Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella discusses Estevao Willian's current situation and Xabo Alonso's defensive tactics.

Will asked: How much truth is there to the rumours about Estevao being unhappy at Chelsea? It seems curious that he has been afforded so few minutes given the side's recent difficulties.

Nizaar: There are strong denials from both the Brazilian's camp and Chelsea that there are any issues between him and Xabi Alonso.

I have written about the subject in detail and, since then, there has been no change, other than Estevao addressing it while on international duty.

Although the attacker would no doubt like more playing time, he appears to be handling the situation well - at least for now.

Before the season began, I wrote that this type of situation was inevitable given Chelsea's large squad and lack of European football.

If that situation continues, will he remain happy? And could a switch to a back four allow Alonso to include another attacker?

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• Dirt pitches, dodging dogs and choosing Chelsea - the making of Estevao

Mak asked: Do you think Alonso will consider reverting to a back four considering the amount of goals Chelsea are conceding?

Nizaar: It would be the reverse of Antonio Conte after his famous switch to a back three following a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in 2016. The rest is history.

It is a reasonable question to ask, and Alonso insists he is not wedded to any specific system. Interestingly, Chelsea's academy teams across the age groups are largely emulating Alonso's system. Would effectively swapping five natural defenders for four improve them?

There is no right or wrong answer. I do think some defensive players have found it hard this season, while the attackers have enjoyed it. They also need to improve in possession because they have lost the ball in dangerous areas and been poor defending set-pieces. And does the squad itself have enough aggression to battle in it?

It is more likely Chelsea will try to make it work with Moises Caicedo, who has arguably been their most important player over the past two seasons, before abandoning current plans.

In the second part of Tuesday's Q&A, Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella discusses what the club's recent ownership changes mean for the potential stadium redevelopment and the impact of set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.

George asked: Where does the boardroom reshuffle and power dynamic leave the stadium development?

Nizaar: Chelsea are exploring major infrastructure improvements.

One option is the more straightforward task of upgrading the training ground at Cobham, but there is also a desire to make progress on stadium plans. Any difference of opinion between Clearlake executives such as Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly over the stadium's future has consistently been played down, even after Boehly and Mark Walter sold their stakes, external in Chelsea for £475m each.

The ownership situation may still help smooth the decision-making process. However, Chelsea are currently being delayed by external factors. For example, can they gain access to the Earl's Court development and properly present that option, which they may regard as the most attractive, to supporters?

Remaining at Stamford Bridge would be complex and expensive.

There is no perfect solution, so this era-defining decision is being taken with extreme care.

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Dylan asked: With the arrival of MacPhee from Aston Villa, I was expecting more of a threat from set-pieces, but we have looked blunt in the opposition box and poor defensively, like last season, as seen for Brentford's opener at the Gtech. Is it just a matter of time or is it the new regulations for contact?

Nizaar: Having watched a number of Chelsea training sessions and seen the team play live since pre-season, I can tell you MacPhee is an influential figure.

The Scot leads large sections of training focused on set-pieces and I would argue he has already had some success in attacking situations.

It should be noted that Chelsea ranked highly in the league for attacking set-piece expected goals last season but performed poorly defensively. That trend has continued in 2026-27 and, despite the arrival of MacPhee and 11 new signings, remains evident.

The regulations have already changed to reduce the use of blockers and certain forms of contact at set-pieces, but it may also be that this group simply needs more time to improve.

Keep across this page for the third and final part of Nizaar's Q&A, which will look at Estevao Willian's future and Xabi Alonso's defensive set-up.

We asked for your questions to put to BBC Sport's Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella. In the first of a three-part Q&A, he focuses on the Blues' midfield.

Jake asked: Are Chelsea likely to go back into the market for either Manu Kone or Lamine Camara in the coming windows?

Nizaar: I can tell you with some degree of certainty that Chelsea are open to signing a midfielder in January.

That position could change depending on whether they gain some stability in midfield when Moises Caicedo returns, or whether players such as Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Reggie Watson, both 16, are deemed ready by January to make an impact on the fringes of the first-team squad.

As for the key question of who that midfielder could be, Chelsea previously tried to sign Roma's Manu Kone, external and Monaco's Lamine Camara. However, Liverpool are believed to be interested in Camara and could join the race in the near future.

It also appears that both clubs will try to retain their players during the winter transfer window. Chelsea have also explored Premier League options, including Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Sander Berge of Fulham. Again, it seems unlikely either would be available in January.

It may be wiser to wait until the summer to add genuine quality rather than sign a short-term option. There are a lot of moving parts, though, and an injury or two could force Chelsea into the market.

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• Nizaar has his say on Chelsea breakout star Nicoll-Jazuli

John asked: Given our struggles with having a central midfielder who can control the tempo, what are your thoughts on playing Nicoll-Jazuli alongside either Caicedo (when fit) or Jordan Henderson? If they're good enough, they're old enough - for example, Max Dowman at Arsenal.

Nizaar: I see Nicoll-Jazuli as more of a box-to-box midfielder, or perhaps more of a number eight, but it is true that Chelsea have used him as a number six out of necessity when he has played.

Watson is another player who could develop into that role.

I know Chelsea regard Nicoll-Jazuli as a top-tier talent and are excited that he has committed to signing his first professional contract when he turns 17, despite attempts by several major clubs to lure him away.

Unfortunately, I do not think he is the solution to this particular problem. Caicedo's return will tell us a lot about whether this squad is fit for purpose.

Keep across this page for parts two and three of Tuesday's Q&A, which will look at subjects including Estevao Willian's game time and what Chelsea's boardroom reshuffle could mean for stadium development.