Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso speaking to Sky Sports: "We needed to play with patience. Credit to Luton, they defended with heart. They were solid. It's not easy so in half-time we spoke to be patient and keep going. We scored quite quickly in the second half and that helped a lot.

On the talent in the squad: "We want to have a complete squad in all aspects, in quality, maturity, personality, young players with experienced players. It's important that young players get help to develop and in those case the experienced players help a lot. Happy with the energy and the attitude of the players. The crowd, as well, has been great, we need them for the whole season. Now rest and we'll come back here on Sunday."

On the signing of goalkeeper Emi Martinez: "No, with the summer, there are a lot of rumours, there are a lot of talks about players, so about players who are not in my changing room, so I prefer not to talk."

On whether Martinez is the type of goalkeeper he would like to add to his squad: "I like to talk about my players."

On Enzo Fernandez: "You never know. In football, there are surprises and movements, we need to be ready. We are patient and we are prepared."

On lessons from tonight's game: "Having confidence in what we are doing. Patience to get the first goal and playing with the right tempo. Today, that was the case."

Chelsea forward Danny Welbeck speaking to Sky Sports: "It's obviously really special to score on your debut, so really pleased with that. More importantly, to get through to the next round. It's not always easy when you're facing a low block and to break teams down. I got on the end of a cross and I'm happy to get the first goal."

On playing for Chelsea: "I'm feeling really good. It's obviously a privilege to play for such a club and when opportunities come round like this, it's really difficult to turn them down. I'm really happy to be here, really excited for the project ahead. I give it everything in training and then on game days, I will give it my best, too. My availability has been really good over the last few seasons and long may that continue."

On what he brings to the squad in terms of experience: "Age! I bring the average age a little bit higher. The experience of playing games, being in good and bad dressing rooms and knowing what it takes to achieve something special and push the group in the right way."

On the message from Xabi Alonso: "We have to take it step by step. We've got so much quality in that dressing room and we've added experience. we want to help the younger boys and we've got such a great group with so many talented players in there. We can do something special this season if we achieve our goals."

On facing former club Brighton at the weekend: "I'm really excited, it will be nice to see some familiar faces as well. I had a great time at Brighton and I don't have a bad word to say about them. They helped me so much. I'm looking forward to it. I've played against loads of ex-teams in my time, so it won't be too strange."

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Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live at Stamford Bridge said: "Chelsea were always in control, Danny Welbeck with an excellent header for the first goal.

"It's another important win for Xabi Alonso, two from two.

"Leeds United will be a tougher test [in the next round] but they weren't really in much danger. They controlled the game and used the bench well.

"It's been a good start for Alonso.

"No European football for Chelsea so he knows how important it will be for him to try and win a trophy for Chelsea this season, and if he can, it will be a huge success but he has only just started."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Get in touch with your views here

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

The final two Carabao Cup second-round ties take place on Thursday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment. The winner of Chelsea v Luton will host Leeds in the next round, while the victors at Craven Cottage will travel to West Ham.

• Chelsea v Luton Town (19:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v AFC Wimbledon (20:00) - - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Kick-off times BST.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

There is also Conference League action going on, with Brighton hosting Tromso in the second leg of their play-off - follow that game here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Luton" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Fulham match".

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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After a deal was agreed with Brighton last summer, Joao Pedro left a training camp in Rio de Janeiro - under the guidance of his long-time personal trainer Rodrigo Goncalves - to join Chelsea in Miami and immediately take part in the Club World Cup.

Remarkably, he scored twice in the semi-final against former club Fluminense, just days after arriving at the club. He was also on target in a sensational 3-0 win over Paris St-Germain in the final.

The Blues endured a dismal campaign following that triumph, finishing 10th in the Premier League, ending the season without a trophy and failing to qualify for Europe.

Despite that, Joao Pedro won Chelsea's player of the season award and he is among a group of senior players convinced the project can succeed under Xabi Alonso.

He signed a new contract, like midfielder Moises Caicedo and captain Reece James, while Cole Palmer has also outlined his commitment to stay amid links to Manchester United. All four are viewed as key culture-setters at the club.

Joao Pedro, in particular, impressed staff by giving more interviews than any other player during a season in which there were few positives to discuss.

Multiple sources have previously told BBC Sport that Chelsea have a dressing-room culture problem, specifically with cliques forming along language lines.

Joao Pedro and Palmer, who count each other among their closest friends, are viewed as two of the players capable of naturally bridging those divides.

One of Alonso's main objectives is to rebuild a wayward culture, which some sources have described to BBC Sport as overly "transactional" and "cold".

After his front three, including debutant Morgan Rogers, scored against Fulham, Alonso said: "They need to take responsibility. They need to lead the rest. They need to inspire the rest because if they do great, the others will follow."

Since returning to Chelsea this summer, Joao Pedro has scored eight goals in seven pre-season matches before finding the net 31 seconds into the new campaign at Fulham.

It now appears Joao Pedro may be the one capable of finally ending talk and concern of the club's number nine curse.

Read the full article

Chelsea have lined up Bournemouth's England midfielder Alex Scott, 23, as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who might be on the move to Manchester City. (Sun, external)

Chelsea are also closing in on a £36m deal to sign Italy defender Honest Ahanor, 18, from Atalanta. (Sky Sport Italy - in Italian, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The draw for the Carabao Cup third round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

The matches will be played in the weeks commencing September 7 and September 14.

• Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough

• Manchester United v Brighton

• Manchester City v Norwich City

• Sunderland v Hull City

• Ipswich Town v Arsenal

• Coventry City v Aston Villa

• Bournemouth v Lincoln City

• Liverpool v Tottenham

• Chelsea or Luton Town v Leeds

• Millwall v Newcastle United

• Everton v Wolves

• Reading v Brentford

• West Ham v Fulham or AFC Wimbledon

Read more and see the full draw

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We asked for your views on Chelsea being in contact with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's representatives over a potential transfer.

Here are some of your comments:

Abdul: He is exactly the signing Chelsea need. There isn't even a chance of us challenging for titles with Robert Sanchez in goal. Mike Penders is a goalkeeper for the future, but Xabi Alonso knows very well that he needs to deliver early. He needs to push the board to sign Martinez one million percent. He would bring some stability at the back.

Joe: To be fair, any goalkeeper in the league would be an upgrade on Sanchez. Martinez is prone to mistakes as well, and I wonder how long it will be until fans jump on him too...

Damian: Surely it has got to be better business than allowing Sanchez to continue. At this point, I would like to see Penders given a chance, however I know he is earmarked for the future. So if we could get Martinez in for a season or two while Penders progresses, eventually becoming number one, I think it is solid business.

Peter: No, we need to stop messing about! We should spend half of the money we'll get for Enzo Fernandez on triggering Diogo Costa's release clause.

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Chelsea are considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after making contact with the Argentina international's representatives.

Would a move for Martinez be good business for Chelsea?

Get in touch with your views

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Carabao Cup second-round game against League One side Luton Town at Stamford Bridge (19:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Alonso confirmed Moises Caicedo and new signing Marco Palestra will not return on Thursday, having missed Monday's Premier League opener at Fulham: "Hopefully Moi can make it for the weekend. We need to chek a little bit more with Marco."

• There are no new injury concerns after the win at Craven Cottage, with Cole Palmer fine after limping off in the second half.

• Alonso also confirmed Enzo Fernandez will be involved against Luton, amid continued interest from Manchester City: "He is in the squad, let's see if he has an opportunity. We will decide. He is training well. He is a great professional and he will be involved."

• Asked if Fernandez will still be at the club after the transfer deadline, Alonso said: "We want the best team possible, we know his qualities. We have to wait, but we think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop."

• Alonso was asked about any conversations he has had with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his mistake led to a goal conceded against Fulham: "Normal conversations. We have talked about how the team did well, what we need to do better. Every game is going to be important and we need to develop and make adjustments."

• On whether young goalkeeper Mike Penders could feature: "He is in the squad. We will decide and give the team tomorrow to the players. I prefer they know first."

• On Pedro Neto's best position and future, with the Portugal international linked with a move away: "Wing-back, winger, you can call it whatever you want. The main thing is the quality of the players and we have balance. I won't go into too much detail about conversations. We want to have the best possible squad and let's see what happens."

• On what team he will select on Thursday: "Knowing we have time for all competitions, every cup and every game is important. We want to have the best competitive team to face Luton with all the respect that everything deserves and Luton is going to be the first one."

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Luton on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Wednesday's Carabao Cup news conferences and the latest transfer news

Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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Dave: Why is Liam Delap worth £20m more now than one year ago after a dreadful season, is this just down to inflation of fees?

It's a fair point that there may be some inflationary impact on this. However, it will be a small one.

The main reason is that Chelsea's £30m deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich last summer was widely regarded as being below market value.

That was due to the relegation release clause in his contract being active last summer, and Delap was arguably a £45m to £50m player at the time.

Some might argue Chelsea received a good fee, given Delap scored only one Premier League goal last season. Again, that is subjective and depends on whether you believe he can rediscover his best form at Nottingham Forest this season.

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Premier League history was made before a ball was even kicked this season as a record nine clubs started the campaign with new managers.

Xabi Alonso, who is the latest with his foot in the revolving door of managers at Stamford Bridge, got his first taste of competitive action as Chelsea manager.

So how did he fare on an eventful first weekend of the 2026-27 campaign?

It wasn't a bad start to take the lead after 31 seconds and it was a satisfactory start to Alonso's reign, but there was obvious good and obvious bad in what he watched at Craven Cottage.

First, the good. The attacking triumvirate of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and newcomer Morgan Rogers hit the ground running, all scoring and combining to devastating effect.

Equally devastating to Chelsea's Premier League chances, and to the Alonso revival, could be the failure to find a better goalkeeper than the unreliable Robert Sanchez, who was at fault for both Fulham goals.

Alonso must find an answer quickly, otherwise what Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers give with one hand, Sanchez could take away with both hands.

Tactically, Alonso used a back three with Reece James operating in midfield but also dropping back into defence.

Read Phil's thoughts on how the rest of the new faces fared here

Aston Villa are on the verge of agreeing a 70m euros (£59.8m) deal to sign Chelsea and Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 25. (Foot Mercato - in French), external

Manchester City will submit a formal offer to Chelsea for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, before the end of the transfer window. (Fabrizio Romano), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

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The third-round draw for the 2026-27 Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, 26 August following the conclusion of Preston North End vs Everton.

Nine Premier League clubs taking part in European football join the 23 first-round winners from across the English Football League.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will enter the competition at this stage, as the top eight Premier League clubs from the 2025-26 season plus Crystal Palace as Conference League winners.

It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of the third round tie between Preston North End and Everton, kicking off at 20:00 BST.

Unlike the opening two rounds of the competition, the third round draw is not regionalised.

However, before the match at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw determining which of the Champions League and Europa League clubs will play at home or away in round three.

In order to avoid potential scheduling issues, the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs cannot be drawn against each other in round three.

When the draw takes place, the first eight fixtures decided are the ones involving clubs in the Champions League and Europa League. The remainder of the draw will be an open draw as usual.

Due to clashes with opening weeks of the Champions League and Europa League seasons, the third round will be played across two different weeks. They are the weeks commencing Monday, 7 and Monday, 14 September, 2026.