Liam Rosenior suffered defeat in his first home game as Chelsea head coach as his side were beaten 3-2 by Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Ben White and Viktor Gyokeres had put the visitor into a commanding 2-0 lead early in the first half at Stamford Bridge, before substitute Alejandro Garnacho halved the deficit for the Blues.
Midfielder Martin Zubimendi then added a third for the Gunners, but Garnacho netted his second to once again pull the Blues back into the tie.
Next up for Rosenior’s side is another London derby, this time against high-flying Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
In the meantime, however, it is emerging that Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign a former Premier League star.
TEAMtalk claims that the west London giants have been given the opportunity to sign midfielder Ruben Neves from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
Neves has been linked with a return to the Premier League (Photo: Associated Press/Alamy)
Neves, 28, joined Al Hilal from Wolves in 2023, having made more than 250 appearances for the English club across all competitions during a six-year stay at Molineux.
Since moving to Saudi Arabia, Neves has scored 16 goals and provided 27 assists in 111 games for Al Hilal across all competitions.
Chelsea’s fierce Premier League rivals, Manchester United, are also said to be interested in the Portugal international, with the Manchester giants said to be hoping to bolster their options in midfield this month following the appointment of Michael Carrick as caretaker head coach.
Neves is under contract in the Middle East until the end of the current campaign, but it appears that he could leave Saudi before the end of this month’s transfer window.
Despite this, and Neves’ willingness to return to the Premier League, the report claims that Chelsea are currently unconvied about whether or not signing Neves is a wise move.