Chelsea through to UEFA Conference League despite defeat at Servette

Chelsea managed a narrow win on aggregates away from home in Geneva. Enzo Maresca’s team failed to replicate their success against Wolves in the Premier League in their 2nd Leg encounter with Servette. Chelsea beat Servette 2-0 in the 1st Leg encounter at Stanford Bridge. The Swiss club was hyped to cause an upset and claim victory ahead of the Blues.

Enzo Fernández and Benoît Badiashile had the opening chances of the game but failed to covert it. Chelsea opened the scoring 14 minutes into the match after Mykhailo Mudryk won the Blues a penalty. However, a few lapses from Chelsea allowed the home side to score an equalizer and their fans to gain momentum. Jeremy Guillemenot was on target for the Swiss Club, utilizing a superb pass from Derek Kutesa in the 32nd minute.

The second forty-five was even more floppy for Enzo Maresca’s men, the changes from the bench weren’t enough to bring Chelsea back into the game. Both teams squandered promising chances to score until Servette secured a second goal in the 72nd minute of the game through Enzo Crivelli. The home side pushed for for an equalizer in the dying stages creating room for Nicolas Jackson’s equalizer. Luckily, the Senegalese goal was ruled out for a narrow offside, giving the Swiss a comfortable 2-1 victory at home, but defeat and knockout on aggregate (2-3). 

Chelsea’s victory in the qualifiers means they would grace the tournament for the first time since its inception, with an opportunity to become the first team in Europe to have won all three UEFA Club competitions.

NONI MADUEKE GETS FIRST ENGLAND SENIOR CALL-UP 

Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has earned his first call-up to represent England at the International stage. The 20-year-old is being rewarded for his brilliant performance against Wolves on Sunday, which saw him score his first senior Hat trick in the space of 15 minutes.

Interim Coach Lee Carsley took over the managerial role temporarily following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. In his first selection in charge, three Chelsea players have been included, Palmar will be joined by Maduake and Colwill for the competition in the coming international break. Noni Madueke’s inclusion in the team is not much of a surprise. He was an integral part of Carsley’s U21 team that won the 2023 European Championship in Georgia. Ex-Chelsea man Conor Gallagher was not left out of the squad following his big move to Athletico Madrid. 

Surprisingly, Arsenal’s Ben White and Spur’s James Maddison were among the big names left out of the squad. Jude Bellingham, Curtis Jones, Luke Shaw, and Jarad Branthwaite were sidelined from the list following their struggles with fitness. Kieran Trippier decided to retire from International football hours before the squad was announced.

England is set to face the Republic of Ireland and Finland at the UEFA Nations League Group B2 fixtures on Saturday 7th September and on the 17th November respectively. Below is the full List of the Confirmed England squad:

Goalkeepers: Pickford; Henderson, Pope 

Defenders: Alexander-Arnold, Colwill, Guehi, Konsa, Lewis, Livramento, Maguire, Stones 

Midfielders: Foden, Gallagher, Gibbs-White, Gomes, Mainoo, Palmer, Rice 

Forwards: Madueke, Grealish, Kane, Gordon, Eze, Bowen, Saka, Watkins

THE BLUES SECURE LOAN DEALS FOR TWO SENIOR GOALKEEPERS

The transfer deadline is fast approaching, and Chelsea are pressured to secure loan deals for their players and reduce their squad depth. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Djordje Petrovic are to leave the club on season-long loan deals to Bournemouth and Strasbourg respectively.

The signing of Mike Penders from Genk means that Chelsea has 8 senior goalkeepers. The Blues still expect potential incoming players before the end of the summer as they are yet to acquire a new central forward. They are also currently negotiating with Manchester United’s Jordan Sancho for a possible switch. This means the Blues will need to sell or loan out more players to be able to register incoming ones while keeping the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play in mind. The English Club reportedly risks major UEFA sanctions as they continue to spend big on transfers. 

Kepa Arrizabalaga transferred to Chelsea for a record-breaking £71 million in 2018. The Spaniard fell out of favor in the club and was loaned out to Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League and La Liga titles. Kepa accepted to extend his contract with the Blues for one more season but will leave on a season-long loan to Bournemouth for the 2024/25 season. Chelsea’s move to extend his contract ensures they won’t lose him on a free transfer (his original contract was set to expire at the end of this season).

AFC Bournemouth’s chief executive, Neill Blake, expressed his excitement about securing Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan. The club recognized the opportunity and opted to bring in a player of his worth and experience to help solve their defensive errors. Kepa made 20 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid last season. In his time as Chelsea’s No.1, he was popular for his heroics in penalties. At Bournemouth, Kepa will compete with club captain and current No. 1 Neto for the top choice. The Cherries are yet to lose a Premier League game this season. 

Chelsea is set to loan off 24-year-old Djordje Petrovic to Strasbourg, the club owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s parent company BlueCo. Petrovic also signed a new contract on improved terms at Stamford Bridge before this move. The Serbian featured 31 times for Mauricio Pochetino’s Chelsea while Robert Sanchez was injured. New coach Enzo Maresca’s signing of Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal will be detrimental to Petrovic’s position in the team. A loan move was a great option for Chelsea to retain his talents while he improves from getting playtime. The Blues signed Petrovic from New England Revolution for £14m last summer. 

Last summer, BlueCo acquired Ligue 1 club RC Strasbourg Alsace, and since then, the transfer between the two teams has become more consistent. Ângelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos, who joined Chelsea in January were both loaned to Les Alsaciens last season. They were joined by Caleb Wiley, another summer signing of the MLS. 

Djordje Petrovic is expected to be the No.1 option in the club upon his arrival with little competition from available goalkeepers. Matz Sels’ transfer to Nottingham Forest last January left a huge void in the position, one that the Serb is likely to fill. Petrovic is anticipated to finalize his move to the Blues club partner very soon.

ROMELU LUKAKU FINALLY PARTS WAYS WITH THE BLUES

It’s an end to the yearly buzz around the transfer and future of the Belgian striker at Chelsea. Lukaku left Chelsea for Everton in 2014 for a deal worth €35m. He then rejoined Chelsea at a then-record fee of €113 million in 2021, after an impressive season with Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan. Since his return, Lukaku spent the past two seasons on Loan to Italian clubs – Inter Milan and Roma. 

The Belgian striker is set to return to Italy to rejoin Antonio Conte at Napoli, but this time permanently. The deal was initially meant to include an offer to drive Napoli’s striker Victor Osimhen to the West London club, but the circumstances surrounding the Nigerian proved to be difficult to get a swap deal. Both teams agreed to individual deals for the strikers, with the Blues yet to reach a personal deal with the Napoli star. 

Lukaku’s arrival in Naples means the Italian Club are ready to let go of their talisman. Saudi’s Al Ahli leads the race to secure his signature after throwing in a lucrative proposal for his services.

CHELSEA’S UPCOMING GAMES

Saturday 14th September (Premier League, Bournemouth vs. Chelsea, 20:00)  

Tuesday 17th September (Carabao Cup 3rd Round, Chelsea vs. Barrow, 19:45)

Saturday 21st September (Premier League, West Ham United vs. Chelsea, 12:30)

Saturday 28th September (Premier League, Chelsea vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, 15:00)  

Saturday 5th October (Premier League, Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest, 15:00)  

Saturday 19th October (Premier League, Liverpool vs. Chelsea, 17:30, On Sky)  

Sunday 27th October (Premier League, Chelsea vs. Newcastle United, 14:00)  

Saturday 2nd November (Premier League, Manchester United vs. Chelsea, 15:00)  

Saturday 9th November (Premier League, Chelsea vs. Arsenal, 15:00)

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