Some words on the whistle from the Gtech Stadium on the most chastening night yet for Alonso. With the excellent @liamtharme.bsky.social 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/759...
Brentford 3 Chelsea 0: Where does this leave the Xabi Alonso rebuild?
Brentford thrashed their local rivals to record a first home league win over Chelsea since 1938 and leave Xabi Alonso with plenty to ponder
nytimes.com
The big read on Todd Boehly’s time at Chelsea, with @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social. 👇 🔓 (free to read) www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...
The story of Todd Boehly at Chelsea: Wanting Ronaldo, his bold predictions and a trophy parade with Trump (Gift Article)
The billionaire became a consortium frontman, then interim sporting director, then minority partner, and finally an investor looking to sell
nytimes.com
Chelsea are on course to score 95 league goals this season, which would be their best tally since 2009-10. An attack like that should be a guarantee of success, but it isn’t because they’re also on track to concede 86. Piece from Stamford Bridge 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...
Chelsea and Xabi Alonso’s chronic defensive problems transcend system or personnel
The new Chelsea manager has a wealth of attacking options. At the other end of the pitch is a very different story
nytimes.com
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer combined for just two Premier League goals last season. Three in the first two games under Alonso. Chelsea's two best attackers are finally clicking
A piece with Matt Pyzdrowski on why Emi Martinez is a clear upgrade on Robert Sanchez for Chelsea. 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/754...
Chelsea signing Emi Martinez is no surprise. He is a clear upgrade on Robert Sanchez
Chelsea need a goalkeeper who can rise to the big occasion and radiate confidence in hostile environments. Martinez will do just that
nytimes.com
🚨THURSDAY POD!🚨 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social are groggy after Matchday 1....here comes Matchday 2!😵💫 🦹Will Villa do a Villa v Arsenal? 🪄Will Barcola work at #LFC? ⌨️Will Ipswich recreate *that* stat at #MUFC? youtu.be/nvVC1aHaXGQ
Enzo Fernandez could make Manchester City significantly better. Keeping him risks making Chelsea meaningfully worse. The football case for selling 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...
Would Chelsea be a more balanced team without Enzo Fernandez?
The Argentina midfielder scored 10 Premier League goals last season but the team looks defensively vulnerable when he plays in the pivot
nytimes.com
Liam Delap is officially a BlueCo success story. Identified as a market opportunity at £30m last summer, sold to Forest now after a nightmare season for £45m (total package worth up to £50m). Great business by Chelsea www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...
Nottingham Forest agree club-record fee for Chelsea’s Liam Delap
The 23-year-old striker, who only moved to Stamford Bridge a year ago, is expected to sign a five-year contract at the City Ground.
nytimes.com
Cole Palmer can be the best player in the Premier League this season. Did you not watch the game? 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...
It’s time to start watching Cole Palmer play football again
A brilliant display from Palmer at Fulham, plus his combinations with Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers, augurs well for Chelsea this season
nytimes.com
A big three points to start the season 🥶 @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social will be talking about it on tomorrow's pod! Let's get your main takeaways and any questions from the 3-2 win at Fulham 💬 #CFC
Some words on the whistle with @liamtharme.bsky.social on a fun start to the Alonso era. 💵 Rogers and Lacroix playing like “ready-made starters” 🙅♂️ Palmer back in his groove 🧤 Sanchez sounding the Penders alarm 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...
Fulham 2 Chelsea 3: How did new signings and Palmer give Alonso a flying start? Is Sanchez a problem?
The major talking points dissected from Chelsea's opening week win at their local rivals
nytimes.com
It’s mailbag time. As the new season begins, what are your biggest questions about Chelsea? Let us know 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...
Xabi Alonso, lots of transfers, owners looking to sell shares: submit questions for our Chelsea mailbag now
What are the Chelsea questions that you, our beautiful subscribers, would like to see answered?
nytimes.com
You've heard us. Now you can see AND hear us! A new season, a new YouTube-friendly @SOCobhamPod. This week with added flies. Hope my re-brand of the not-bomb squad as 'Cobham Next Gone' catches on... @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social @lukebosher.bsky.social 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6c7...
Does Alonso make Chelsea genuine challengers?
YouTube video by Straight Outta Cobham
youtube.com
I’m not saying this is what’s happening but if I were Rodri and I wanted to publicly humiliate the club who totally disrespected my Ballon d’Or win in 2024, this is exactly the way I’d play it www.nytimes.com/athletic/749...
Barcelona exploring deal for Manchester City midfielder Rodri
Sources say Barca have held talks with the player’s camp over the conditions of a potential deal.
nytimes.com
Most fans know Valentín Barco as the Argentina substitute who got slapped by Jude Bellingham, but his football journey to Chelsea has been really interesting. A profile 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/749...
Who is Valentin Barco, the prickly Chelsea signing who got slapped by Jude Bellingham?
The Argentina international broke through for Boca Juniors as a 16-year-old and developed a reputation for audacity on the ball
nytimes.com
The latest on Mykhailo Mudryk's situation features in today's edition of The DealSheet 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/748...
The Transfer DealSheet: Latest on Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid and more
Welcome to The Athletic's weekly look at the latest information from across the transfer market
nytimes.com
The boycott threat is clearly a good thing in the context of Infantino’s boundless greed, but replace “FIFA competitions” with “UEFA clubs” in the below paragraph and it pretty much tells the story of where club football has gone wrong
Piece with @conor-oneill.bsky.social on what Chelsea are getting in Morgan Rogers: 🤝 Good fit with Palmer ⚽️ Scorer of great goals, not a great goalscorer (yet) ⛹️♂️ Exciting but flawed dribbler ▶️ Growing playmaker 🏃 Top athlete 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/746...
Morgan Rogers: What are Chelsea getting for their £117m?
The record signing brings attacking versatility, physicality and durability, but the bar for this deal to be a success is dizzyingly high
nytimes.com
On this weeks @socobhampod.bsky.social we went inside the Morgan Rogers deal, rounded up the rest of the #CFC transfer news, paid tribute to Ken Bates and analysed Alonso’s first press conference. Busy then! @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social and @liamtwomey.bsky.social on board pod.fo/e/478c67
Straight Outta Cobham: A show about Chelsea: Morgan Rogers: How has it happened and what will he bring?
Morgan Rogers is going to Chelsea instead of Arsenal and the Straight Outta Cobham team are here to lap it all up.Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey as the Blues set a new...
pod.fo
Given the juice he showed tonight (yes, in an unserious game, but still), Tuchel not getting Saka onto the pitch at any stage of a World Cup semi-final is the most sackable thing he did at this tournament
That looked and felt like pretty much every England tournament exit of my lifetime. Passive, fearful, exhausted. Not quite what Tuchel was hired to deliver
So it turns out Lionel Messi’s right-footed crossing is more dangerous than Ezri Konsa’s. Who knew?
My other favourite moment was Simeone Jr shoulder barging the linesman as he retrieved the ball for a throw. This is method shithousery
Very much enjoying Wayne Rooney imploring the England players to keep their discipline in the face of cynical provocation
#CFC have six strikers on the books but only Joao Pedro is assured of his place in the squad next season as things stand. So what will happen to the others? Piece from @liamtwomey.bsky.social and me (free to read): www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...
Chelsea have too many strikers on their books. So who do they move on?
Joao Pedro will remain at Stamford Bridge, but there are decisions to make over Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Emmanuel Emegha and Marc Guiu
nytimes.com
Embarrassing performance from a France side with all-time great attacking talent. Spain are a very good team with a very clear identity and they were A+ on the night, but this isn’t the 2010 vintage
Chelsea’s sale of Andrey Santos to Manchester United has echoes of Noni Madueke to Arsenal last summer. Both are unequivocal BlueCo success stories, but will Chelsea’s squad end this summer stronger or weaker? 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/743...
Selling players like Andrey Santos can be lucrative for Chelsea – but does it help them win?
Does selling some helpful, if not quite essential, players while keeping others who are less productive edge Chelsea closer to contention?
nytimes.com
On this week’s @socobhampod.bsky.social we talked through the latest #CFC transfer news and completed our squad audit with wingers and number 10’s For @theathleticfc.bsky.social with @liamtwomey.bsky.social and @reallycerys.bsky.social pod.fo/e/4446d5
Straight Outta Cobham: A show about Chelsea: Palestra in + is Fernandez really staying?
Xabi Alonso has made his first official signing as Chelsea manager and Real Madrid have got the Straight Outta Cobham team scratching their heads again.Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Liam Twomey an...
pod.fo
Wish I’d gone to bed an hour ago and set my alarm for the Switzerland-Colombia penalties