Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca.placeholder image
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca. | Getty Images
Chelsea may look to make one or two further additions before the end of the transfer window
Chelsea have no doubt had a positive transfer window but there may still be time to make further adjustments as we approach the final weeks of August, with the Premier League season set to kick off this weekend.
The Blues have been tipped by some as dark horses to mount a title challenge this season. This would be a tough task in just Enzo Maresca’s second season at the club, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility if everything falls perfectly into place.
Chelsea ‘still working’ on Xavi Simons deal
Reporting on his YouTube channel, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Blues are still negotiating with RB Leipzig over a deal for playmaker Xavi Simons. A deal has not yet been reached, amidst rumours that Manchester City are considering hijacking a move for the Netherlands international.
Romano said: “I’m told the situation with Xavi Simons is not changing! Chelsea are working on the deal, but there is still no agreement. I can guarantee they are still negotiating for Simons but have not agreed, so let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Enzo Maresca speaks ahead of new season
Speaking on the club website, Maresca described the atmosphere around Cobham ahead of the start of the new campaign.
“I can see that the mood is different, or much better. When you finish the season the way we finished – getting the top five, winning the Conference League and then the Club World Cup – I think it is going to give the players more energy, a boost.
“But we need to see how we manage this kind of situation that is new for everyone. The focus was just to allow them to recover because we played 64 games, and they didn’t stop playing for more than a year in a row. That is something that has never happened before, so the main focus was just to allow the players to recover. Then they came back here and now we try to do our best. We will see game by game.
“We need to be ready in any case, so it’s important to start again in the way we finished last season, knowing that it was a strange end. It’s something that has happened for the first time, and we need to see how we adapt, but for sure we need to be ready. I’m curious because Palace started the day after we finished in the USA. We had three weeks off, started four days ago, and we have two friendly games. Then we will go into the Premier League. So, we will see game by game, day by day, how we are.”
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