Maresca will get a new defenderplaceholder image
Maresca will get a new defender | Getty Images
All the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Chelsea as they prepare to return for training.
Chelsea are now just a day away from returning to Cobham for pre-season training, with the players due back on Monday. The Blues have just two pre-season friendlies on the docket, with the FIFA Club World Cup action accounting for much of pre-season.
Enzo Maresca will want more new signings before the new season starts, but he and the club are going to have to offload some players first. Here we round up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.
Hato pens Chelsea deal
Jorrel Hato put pen-to-paper on a seven-year deal with Chelsea on Saturday, with Fabrizio Romano reporting: “Jorrel Hato completed his medical and signs a seven year deal at Chelsea today.”
Hato is joining on a deal worth around £34million, and he strengthens Chelsea’s back line, with Maresca coming into the summer wanting to add another starting-calibre centre-back to his ranks. Hato is just 19 years of age and he has already been a first-team regular at Ajax.
Simons skips Leipzig training
Chelsea are also said to be keen on the signing of RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, but they need to sell some players first if they want to pull off the £60million deal.
According to Romano, Simons has now skipped Leipzig training, and he is fully focused on landing his move. Romano posted on X: “EXCL: Xavi Simons did not train with RB Leipzig group on Friday… and he’s not expected to be part of the squad today. His decision is clearly oriented to Chelsea move, after deleting Leipzig from Instagram bio. Negotiations at advanced stages between Chelsea and Leipzig.” Simons will have to be patient, though, with Chelsea needing to balance their spending.
Terry recalls emergency goalkeeper role
John Terry has been speaking about the time he had to go in goal for Chelsea when Petr Cech suffered his serious head injury in a clash with Reading, while number two keeper Carlo Cudicini went on to suffer a head injury of his own, leaving Terry the only option to go between the sticks.
"I was really nervous! It followed on from a really bad injury to Petr Cech, then Carlo Cudicini got knocked unconscious,” Terry recalled in an interview with FourFourTwo. “But it was always going to be me. Jose asked us early on in his Chelsea days, “If anything ever happens to both of my goalkeepers and we don’t have any subs, who will step up?”
“I told him I’d do it. That tells you so much about Jose because, from then on, I would go in goal at the end of training sessions, to prepare for that day if it ever came. I even had my own pair of gloves brought to every match by the kit man, just in case I needed them. Jose left nothing to chance.
“Two years after that first conversation, I was called upon, but I was so nervous that I didn’t even back myself to take a proper dropkick, on the half-volley. I just bounced it twice and hoofed it upfield on the full volley, which I got a lot of stick for!”
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