Thursday 1 June
Magda and Pernille signed for Bayern München. It wasn’t the biggest secret in the women’s game and we wish them all the best. Bayern get the pair on three-year deals.
Lauren James signed her own new deal that keeps her a Blue until 2027. Lauren arrived from Manchester United in 2021 has started to mature into an influential attack and a deadly goalscorer.
Saturday 3 June
Manchester City beat Manchester United in the Cup final. Bagging at the same time the fastest goal in Cup Final history, bringing he record down to 12 seconds. It makes Roberto di Matteo’s 43 seconds look tardy.
In a classic final, Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the women’s Champions League. 2-0 down in the first half, Barça roared back in the second with two goals in two minutes from Patricia Guijarro and a late winner from Fridolina Rolfö. Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh both played for Barcelona and will head to the World Cup with England on a high.
Celtic won the Scottish cup, beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while in Berlin, RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0. Timo Werner limped out but Christopher Nkunku scored a deflected opener.
Sunday 5 June
Maren Mjelde signed a one-year contract extension. The Norwegian has been with us for six and a half years already and has written herself into our history; it was her penalty that levelled the tie against Lyon.
Monday 5 June
Th summer always brings transfer speculation and this one is no different. Manuel Ugarte is on his way to PSG after the French club offered better personal terms.
Having missed one target, the club were happy to announce signing Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador. Paez has been making waves as a 16-year-old and is described as a ‘generational talent’, although generational talents come and go and don’t all turn into Pele. The youngster will join us two years from now, remaining with his current club on loan until then.
Tuesday 6 June
Spurs confirmed the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, the former Celtic boss, as their new manager. He also takes control on July 1st. Tottenham fans seem delighted to finally have a new manager.
Wednesday 7 June
West Ham United beat Fiorentina 2-1, after a nervous period of injury time to win the Europa Conference League. “Nobody under 50 has ever experienced this”. BT Sport kept repeating that West Ham had not won a major trophy for 58 years… perhaps the FA Cup isn’t now quite as glamorous as it once was but that wasn’t true in 1975, or in 1980.
It wouldn’t be a West Ham game without an object hitting the opposing captain and gashing the back of his head. Cristiano Biraghi needed eight stitches.
It is comforting that in an ever-changing world: after the match the cuddly east enders fought battles with Czech riot police.
Thursdayb8 June
The owners have published a mea culpa. But Todd popped up in Saudi Arabia at the same time talking to Al-Hilal, The Saudi club has just been sold to the Public Investment Fund. PIF are investors in Clearlake Capital and owners of Newcastle United. The extent of their involvement in Clearlake has not been made public but if they can order Todd to Saudi to meet and greet with the Al Hilal chairman, perhaps we should be told.
If only to reassure fans that Chelsea are entering an era where they are looking to form a multi-club model not being inducted into an existing one.
In the public statement, the owners drone on about being custodians of the club, how they are relentlessly driving us forward, despite disappointment, yada. The fans advisory board – not the fan on the board that was promised – will meet for the first time this summer… twelve months after fan representation was promised.
The whole statement reads like insincere bullshit. It was signed, not by one of the public faces of the ownership but more coldly by ‘the ownership group’.
Honestly after a disappoint season under Abramovich and he said nothing.
Obviously, only used to speaking to middle-managers, the ‘ownership group’ appear to have learnt nothing from their first year in charge: “We know the huge potential we must grow to develop Chelsea FC and it is a role we take seriously.” Really.
We have no new players, look like losing the crown jewels while retaining all of the poor choices and the promise is being dynamically-led towards and relentlessly focused on fucking up.
It is like having hippy squatters, they “look forward to welcoming you back to the Bridge in August”. This is our home and they are right to say that the club needs its fans but do the fans need the owners?
Friday 9 June
Catarina Macario is a Chelsea player. While the men’s team sleep, the women are hiring. Posing in last year’s shirt, still, the American signs a three-year deal after leaving Lyon.
Saturday 10 June
If Romelu Lukaku had buried that header, or his other chance, Internazionale would have been European Champions for all time. As it is, Manchester City will get to call themselves champions until the result of the financial investigations.
Inter more than matched City, in a game many thought a walkover.. The Italians can be proud of their team and their fans.
Sunday 11 June
If you wanted to know how Mauricio is spending his summer he coached the Rest of the World to victory over Harry Redknapp and Emma Hayes’ England, in the annual Soccer Aid.
Ethan Ampadu scored his first goal of his career and clipped the crossbar with a second effort but Spezia were relegated after losing to Hellas Verona 3-1.
Monday 12 June
Levi Colwill has been called up to the England squad from the U21s. The youngster, who looked the best defender in the league during his loan at Brighton is taking big steps every day.
If Colwill is no part of Pochettino’s plans he might as well quit before he starts.
Tuesday 13 June
A Spurs fan has been given a football banning order for mocking Hillsborough – be told.
At a match against Liverpool in April the Spurs fan implied, repeatedly and after being asked to stop, that Liverpool fans turning up late, without tickets were responsible for the disaster. Despite the near miss Spurs fans had when they spilled out of the Leppings Lane pens in 1981 during a semi-final against Wolves.
Two public enquiries and the weight of experience of those of us who were in crushes in the 70s, 80s and 90s should be enough to silence those who continue to abuse Liverpool fans.
Wednesday 14 June
John Hollins 1946-2023
John Hollins has left us at the age of 76. John was an iconic figure at the club in the 1960s and 70s. He made nearly 600 appearances as an almost ever-present.
He returned after his playing career ended with spells at Arsenal and QPR to become a popular player coach under the John Neal renaissance of the early 1980s.
A lovely guy, a great footballer and a Chelsea legend. Our thoughts are with his family.
Widespread coverage of a £40m offer from Manchester United for Mason Mount. United must have coughed just as they said the amount because £40m doesn’t get you through the door. Declan Rice is £100m, Harry Kane is £100 plus and Jude Bellingham is £115. Mount has more caps and is more important to England and more effective than Rice. Both have a year left on their contract.
United are also still for sale, a process now entering its seventh month, so what would Mount or Kane be joining?
Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill both made the squad for the U21 Euros this summer. Colwill stepped up to train with the main squad but will step back down for the competition in Romania and Georgia. Lewis Hall misses out.
Finally, we will see England women at the World Cup in Australia after ITV and the BBC did a last-minute deal with Fifa. Jonny Baby – Gianni Infantino – played an immoral game of brinkmanship with European broadcasters, threatening a blackout. Having undervalued the women’s game for generations, Fifa’s sudden conversion to the cash value of the women’s game is startling.
Thursday 15 June
Fixtures.
Weirdly England games in the 22/23 season have not yet finished but fixtures for Pochettino first Chelsea season have been released.
We start at home to Liverpool, Fulham away, in the season’s first of many west London derbies is at the end of September.
Wolves away and Palace at home either side of Christmas. Bournemouth at home on the final day.
Rumours that Stake.com are in negotiations to be Chelsea shirt sponsors for one season really put the new ownership in a bad light. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust rushed an opinion poll of members that showed a massive majority against a gambling sponsor at all. More would be against the Australian crypto and gambling site if they knew what Stake get up to.
Betting sponsorship is blighting the game, fans lives and is set to be banned from 2024/25 so why we would besmirch the front of our shirts with this filth on the eve of a ban?
Having acted in a cavalier, cloth-eared, incompetent manner in their first season, it seems the owners keep on making mistakes.
Friday 16 June
Malta 0:4 England
Plenty of noise about Trent Alexander-Arnold playing a midfield role, Marc Guehi played at the back and Eberechi Eze made his debut. But we couldn’t watch any of it because of multiple technical faults.
Always a sad day as the released and retained lists have been published. The following players are leaving: Derrick Abu, Prince Adegoke, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Nathan Baxter, Juan Castillo, Bryan Fiabema, Joe Haigh, Henry Lawrence, Sam McClelland, Dujon Sterling, Silko Thomas, Otieno Amari, Ethan Wady and Jayden Wareham.
Bakayoko is the most prominent name on the list, he signed from Monaco back in 2017 and won and FA Cup final under Antonio Conte. There are plenty of very talented footballers on that list, especially the goalkeepers, many who have won youth titles with Chelsea and had successful loans. We wish them all well and are confident many will have successful careers away from Cobham.
Saturday 17 June
Martin Tyler has hung up his mike and left Sky’s commentary team. He hasn’t retired but will no longer be the voice of your Sunday afternoon. A great commentator but also pegged as part of the massive overhype of Manchester United in the first fifteen years of the league. Perhaps Tyler was only following Sky’s orders.
He will be missed.
Sunday 18 June
Kepa Arrizabalaga is a Nation’s League winner as Spain beat Croatia on penalties. Mateo Kovačić played the whole match. Kepa watched his compatriot, Unai Simon make two saves in the shootout. Mateo has two second and one third place finishes in international football.
Monday 19 June
England 7:0 North Macedonia
North Macedonia were supposed to be difficult. They beat Italy and missed the World Cup only by losing to Portugal in a playoff.
What Gareth Southgate appears to be great at is forging the disparate club elements in an international squad into a team. We know, we are always calling for him to be sacked.
The speed and pressing in this side are impressive but the confidence and togetherness are more marked.
Goals from Kane, Rashford and three from Bukayo Saka made light work of the first hour.
Conor Gallagher came on but it was Calvin Philips who grabbed the last goal in a necessarily, disjointed performance after a slew of substitutions.
Old Boy watch: Thibaut Courtois walked out on Belgium. He informed the coach, Domenico Tedesco, that he did not feel respected by the squad. It appears the move stems from Courtois losing the captaincy to Romelu Lukaku – who knew he was captain material – against Austria at the weekend.
Nathan Baxter signed for Bolton Wanderers. The 24-year-old has a two-year contract with the League One side.
Bournemouth rewarded Gary O’Neil, who took over after Scott Parker was sacked and kept them in the Premier League, with the sack. The south-coast club appointed Andoni Iraola, former Rayo Vallecano boss. It might seem indifferent to O’Neil’s contribution but the club have had their eye on Iraola for some time.
Sheffield Wednesday are also looking for a new boss after sacking Darren Moore. The ingratitude is more palpable because Moore just secured a return to the Championship for the Yorkshire side. The dramatic run to the playoff final was some of the best drama of a flat season.
Overnight, Christian Pulisic was named man of the tournament after the USA won another Concacaf title by beating Canada 2-0.
Captain America proves his worth again. Probably upping his transfer value.
Tuesday 20 June
Christopher Nkunku arrives as the summer gets underway. The 26-year-old from RB Leipzig cost around £52m and is more of a 10 than a 9 according to German sources. No matter, he will have Armando Broja for him to play behind. Paying the release clause for this player is extremely good business. It feels like a significant deal ahead of the new season.
If he seems familiar, the France international was in the PSG youth team that lost the 2016 Uefa Youth League final to Chelsea
The signing also allows Kai Havertz to move.
Steve Clarke and Scotland seem to be marching toward the Euros in Germany next summer. Already winners against Spain and Norway, Scotland made it four straight at the start of a group by beating Georgia. The game was substantially delayed by rain and Georgian protests about restarting. Billy Gilmour ran the Scotland midfield.
And that is it; the 2022/23 football season has finished. It started 10-months ago.
Wednesday 21 June
N’Golo Kanté has left us for Al-Ittihad in Jeddah. You can’t really argue with wages of $80m at Kanté’s age.
N’Golo, who signed from Leicester City after guiding them to the title in 2016, has won everything but the League Cup while at Chelsea: Premier league, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup, Super Cup and, while away with France, the World Cup.
Widely regarded as the best midfielder in the world, Kanté almost single-handedly drove us toward that European Cup in 2021. His semi-final demolition of Real Madrid will b his legacy here.
Despite losing much of his time to injury in recent seasons he will be greatly missed.
Chelsea have agreed to let Mateo Kovačić join Manchester City for £25m, rising to £30m.
A bit of a divisive figure under Sarri, Kovačić grows on you as the years pass. His midfield role switched around and while no substitute for Kanté, he had his own style and impact. Another player festooned with trophies in his time with us. Selling to City, strengthening a rival, seems ill advised. But standing in the way of the player’s ambition seems wrong.
On a day of club agreements, Arsenal had a £65m bid accepted for Kai Havertz, personal terms are thought to be agreed. Announcement soon.
Kai has scored some important goals for us but never quite caught fire. In Germany he had a great scoring record before he signed, from Leverkusen in 2020. Since when, Havertz has had six different managers, two of them the same person, and three distinct playing styles. None of which has made his stay easier.
He will be forever in our history for scoring the goal that brought us the second European Cup.
Thursday 22 June
The Owners bought a majority stake in Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace. The French side finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season. Expect the owners to blow their budget on mediocrity, sack their respected coach and hire a clown. Then when they’ve stuffed Racing’s chances for a generation, they will alienate home grown players so much they’ll want to walk away from their boyhood club.
Or perhaps a multi-club model can work.
Strasbourg fans posted a new banner: “Boehly, not welcome”.
Kai Havertz will have his Arsenal medical at the weekend and Chelsea have demanded £65m for Mason Mount.
The draw for the EFL Trophy has been made. Chelsea U21s will play Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford United. At first sight it is a tough group but at least we’ll not be trekking to the west country.
N’Golo Kanté has been saying goodbye: “The time for me has come to open a new chapter in my career. But before that, it is so important for me to say thank you to the great and beautiful family of Chelsea.
Fans, players, managers, medical staff, board members, all those who have been with me during these last seven seasons in this legendary club.
Only good memories, great victories and memorable titles won by your side.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much, I will never forget you.”
Hear, hear.
England U21 beat Czechia 2-0 in their opening game of the U21 Euros co-hosted by Romania and Georgia.
Friday 23 June
Chelsea thought about £55m for Mason Mount but have turned it down. Manchester United were expected to cool their interest. But we have issued a come and get him deal – pay £58m with £7m add-ons.
We don’t normally report transfer rumours but this tawdry saga will define how the ownership are regarded.
Allowing Mount to get to this position is one thing but flogging him for less than Declan Rice, he has more international caps, has scored more goals… damages the reputation of the club. Tarnished not just in the incompetence of the business dealings but ruining its image among the prospects coming through the academy.
Showing no fight to keep a vital member of the squad and a home-grown player sends the wrong message.
Emma Hayes has signed Alejandra Bernabe from Atletico. The right-back will move on loan to Real Sociedad next season.
If you didn’t think Saudi money was going to ruin the game – third division Newcastle United women have turned professional. Their coach talked about being rewarded for working hard after promotion from the Northern Premier League last season. The reality is that petrodollars are distorting competition even that far down the pyramid.
Saturday 24 June
Nicolas Jackson from Villareal is the latest probable signing. The 22-year-old Senegalese international caught the eye toward the end of last season with nine goals in his last eight matches. The £30m fee is close to his release clause.
Dujuan Richards, sorry, Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards has been confirmed a Chelsea player. The pre-contract deal was announced in March and has been confirmed. The young striker joins after his 18th birthday in October.
Sunday 25 June
England U21 2:0 Israel U21
Madueke and Colwill both started as England actually progressed from their group at the U21 Euros. Madueke had the ball in the net early, to be denied by an offside flag. Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith Rowe with the goals.
The Czech beat Germany in the other match, which secures our progress from group C.
Kalidou Koulibaly is moving, after one uneven season. Al Hilal have splashed only £17m but we do get his wages off the books.
Edouard Mendy is also being linked to another Saudi club. This time Al-Ahli. Mendy was a dream come true for a club burdened by Kepa cost and contract. Only £22m, the stopper won both the Champions League and Africa Cup of Nations with us.
Behind Kepa last season Mendy clearly felt like a move.
Hakim Ziyech is also being linked to a Saudi move, this time to Al Nassr.
Monday 26 June
Craig Brown, who was Pat Nevin’s mentor at Clyde before he signed for us in 1983, has died at the age of 82. Brown also led Scotland to their last World Cup in France 1998.
Tuesday 27 June
Mateo Kovačić is a Manchester City player after ts and is were crossed and dotted today.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is on his way to AC Milan. He joins Fikayo Tomori and Oliver Giroud as ex-Chelsea with the Rossoneri. An £18.5m fee has been agreed.
There has long been a feeling that the club has bungled the careers of several players and Ruben is one who has been let down.
A huge prospect throughout the age groups, he has been a blue since he was 8, he has had successful loans and international caps. But Chelsea have never found a place for him.
We wish him well and predict that he will thrive in Serie A.
Wednesday 28 June
Chelsea have confirmed the departure of Edouard Mendy to Al Ahli and Kai Havertz to Arsenal. The Gooners agreed a £105m deal with West Ham for Declan Rice. It makes the 24-year-old midfielder the first Cobham graduate to sell for nine figures.
England U21 beat Germany to confirm their progress at the Euro U21 championships. Madueke played and Levi Colwill stayed on the bench as the U21s beat Germany 2-0. The German – usually at least finalist – are knocked out. Israel progress after beating Czechia in the other game.
Oh, and Uefa have limited the amortization of contracts to five years. The move cannot be retroactive, nothing can, so our financial ‘wizardry’ of the last twelve months stands but future contracts will reflect the new rules. Although amortization will apply to contract extensions too, so what we are really solving is a misery wrapped in an enema.
If you don’t know what amortization is, you haven’t been paying attention recently.
Thursday 29 June
Mason Mount will join Manchester United for an initial fee of £55m. Add-ons will raise the price by another £5m. There are rumours that the add-ons are so tight United would be European champions before they pay another penny.
It is disgraceful that the owners have let this happen. United will pay Mount £250,000 per week. Easily within Chelsea’s purse and yet the owners couldn’t settle on a wage with Mount.
It is clear from the chaos and failure the owners have dragged into the club that Mount, a life-long Blue, has been driven out. And driven out at a discount rate. That we are selling our prize asset, the best player produced by the academy to a direct rival beggars belief.
There is real concern that forcing Mount out of the club in this manner, poisons the pathway for young players in the academy. The owners have introduced a new model recruiting young players but without, it seems, understanding what they already have at Cobham. Now the owners are happy to let a talisman like Mount leave, you have to wonder if Reece James and others still feel like Chelsea values them.
No good comes of this move. The ownership have blown the last of their credibility, this will be a last straw for a lot of fans. A poor start to the new season and things will get ugly.
Oh, and the club doesn’t have the guts to make an announcement on the official site. Charming.
Overnight, Dujuan Richards scored his first goal for Jamaica in a Gold Cup match against Trinidad and Tobago. The youngster, who will join us after his 18th birthday, came on as a sub running at the tiring defence and lashing in from 30-yards.
N’Golo Kanté hasn’t been sleeping after his move to Saudi. He bought Royal Excelsior Virton, a Belgian third division side. Virton is a tiny spot in Gaumais near Luxembourg. He takes over as chairman the same day he starts his new job in Saudi.
Everton unveiled their new kit, sponsored by Stake.com, today. Hopefully that means our continued delay is because we are still looking for a more suitable sponsor.
Friday 30 June
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is an AC Milan player as his £18m move is confirmed after medicals and personal terms.
As one goes out, Nicolas Jackson is officially in. The Villareal striker had his £30m release clause activated and medicals and personal terms are done. Rumours are that we paid more than the release clause. The 22-year-old joins on an eight-year contract, probably negotiated before Uefa’s announcement about amortization the day before yesterday.
Ashley Lawrence is officially a Chelsea player, joining on a free from PSG.
The Canadian attacking wing-back has been tracked by the club for a bit and Emma and Paul Green sound really excited to have her.
Charlie Webster’s loan to Heerenveen has been confirmed. The 19-year old has a season to impress in the Eredivisie. After a decade of loans to the league
Hakim Ziyech tried to leave us in January, only for faulty paperwork to scupper the move. He agreed personal terms with Al-Nassr but the move has fallen through because of a knee issue identified in his medical.
We believe Hakim has been underused and appreciated at Chelsea. Perhaps he’ll find a niche under Pochettino, perhaps he’ll find another club.
