Chelsea

Potential new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was seen on the pitch talking to Chelsea players after their penultimate Premier League game on Sunday.

Despite naturally wanting the sale done as soon as possible, no formal deadline before May 31 has been established and I am told (again) things remains on track. Despite naturally wanting the sale done as soon as possible, no formal deadline before May 31 has been established and I am told (again) things remains on track. After the game, Boehly was seen speaking to Cesar Azpilicueta and a number of Chelsea players - which could suggest the takeover could be completed soon.

Chelsea 2-1 Watford: Kai Havertz's early tap-in had Chelsea in control until Dan Gosling headed home with two minutes left before Barkley's winner.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. That spurred the Blues into action to seek the win, and Barkley delivered, to cap a difficult campaign in at least victorious fashion. Kenedy sent Havertz through again in the last move of the half, and the 22-year-old angled an effort against the bar. Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta might just yet join Christensen at the Catalan giants, and after a decade with the Blues, the least the 32-year-old deserved was for this match to end in a home win. The 26-year-old still has a year to run on his Chelsea deal, but his solid hour’s work here could yet prove his last appearance in blue. Stamford Bridge played host to a last-day-of-term affair, with Watford already relegated and Chelsea only requiring to go through the motions to seal third spot.

Chelsea fans unfurled a huge tifo banner in the Shed End at Stamford Bridge ahead of their final game of the season against Watford on Sunday.The giga.

And the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho is celebrating Chelsea’s famous 2-0 win at Anfield, which prevented the Reds from winning the league in 2014. Surrounding them were the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Peter Osgood and Eden Hazard – some of the club’s greatest attackers. At the centre of the image, of course, were John Terry and Frank Lampard.

Barkley and Kai Kavertz were on target in a 2-1 home win against Watford, who had equalised through Dan Gosling.

There was a rare start in midfield for Saúl Ñíguez, whose loan from Atlético Madrid has not worked out, and even more astonishingly there was an appearance for Kenedy, who had gone so long without playing in the league for Chelsea that Watford seemed utterly thrown by his presence at left wing-back. Barkley headed home and Boehly had finally seen Chelsea win a game in the flesh. This may well have been César Azpilicueta’s final appearance in a blue shirt and there is no doubt that losing Antonio Rüdiger on a free transfer to Real Madrid was not part of the plan. Rüdiger was given a huge ovation after being substituted in the second half and he will not be the only defender to depart Chelsea this summer. In the visiting dugout Roy Hodgson, who has endured a miserable second farewell tour, experienced brief elation when Gosling equalised and crushing disappointment when Watford’s inability to hold out for a point underlined why they have been relegated. “I thought we’d do it again – a draw at home,” said Tuchel, who has spent much of the campaign bemoaning his team’s shoddy finishing.

The Blues end the season as we started it, with a home win in the sun. Kai Havertz scored his 14th goal of the season with substitute Ross Barkley netting a ...

The start to the second half was not good from a Blues perspective. It was Havertz, found by Kenedy again, but although he did well to get a shot away under pressure and from a tight angle, it hit the crossbar. Saul had a shot deflected wide in amongst plenty of early goalmouth action and it was no surprise to see the lead come with 11 minutes on the clock – Havertz able to convert from close range having been played onside by a static Hornets back-line. Mendy had to save a firm shot from Kiko Femenia. That was the one time our opponents properly threatened before the break. At the end of the game there was the pleasing sight of Chilwell brought on for the closing moments. Kai Havertz scored his 14th goal of the season with substitute Ross Barkley netting a late winner on his 100th appearance for the club.

Chelsea's final home game of the season has an end-of-an-era feel to it. With the Todd Boelhy takeover now entering its final stages, Sunday's visit of ...

For Chelsea vs Watford, you may wish to choose 'US' for Peacock TV. The show won't be available on-demand as soon as the programme finishes its live broadcast. talkSPORT is the only commercial radio broadcaster with live Premier League football rights. Even if you've subscribed to the relevant Chelsea vs Watford live stream service, you won't be able to access it when you're outside your home country. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. If you're not happy with the service, you can cancel at any time within the first 30 days with no penalties at all. Follow our guide on how to watch a Chelsea vs Watford live stream from wherever you are in the world. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted. The teams are in and Chelsea ring the changes for their final game of the season. We recommend ExpressVPN as it's reliable and comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Watford, meanwhile, will be looking to end a tough campaign on a positive as manager Roy Hodgson takes charge of his final match before retiring. Chelsea's final home game of the season has an end-of-an-era feel to it.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has hinted at strengthening his attacking options when the club's takeover goes through.

We have to be fast and smart as soon as the sanctions are lifted... We will ask that question," Tuchel said. "We are late because other clubs can take players.

Thomas Tuchel is hoping to build a competitive Chelsea side to challenge for the Premier League title next season after delivering a positive takeover ...

I hope it will be and I think it will then feel more like a new era when things get started and the new season kicks in." Tuchel added: "I think it will sink in over the next few days that it was like this (the end of the Roman Abramovich era). I struggle to adapt to the new situation. We want to build a competitive team for next season."

As the Premier League season drew to a close, the Chelsea squad and staff gave an appreciative lap of honour to the fans at Stamford Bridge, ...

Chelsea finished third in a mixed campaign and will be hoping to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title in 2022-23. “I was very happy. As the Premier League season drew to a close, the Chelsea squad and staff gave an appreciative lap of honour to the fans at Stamford Bridge, who then showed their adoration for manager Thomas Tuchel.

When Fikayo Tomori left Chelsea for AC Milan last season, many fans were critical of his decision to do so with the young centre-back being out of the ...

But since his exit from Stamford Bridge, the 24-year-old has gone from a centre-back looking for game time to an important cog in a Serie A winning side. Tomori has been linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Arsenal, Manchester United and even a return to Chelsea being mentioned on a few occasions. He became unhappy with the lack of playing time, with the centre-back also being unhappy that he was told to work harder in training by Lampard, he would eventually seek a move away.

MARINA GRANOVSKAIA will be getting to work on preparing for next season after Chelsea finished third in the Premier League.

Harvey Vale, Lewis Hall and Jude Soonsup-Bell could be the next generation, but none have featured in the Premier League this season. There have been signs that Lukaku is slowly finding his best form again after three goals in as many games, but his return to Stamford Bridge has been disappointing on the whole. A large part of the Roman Abramovich legacy is what the Russian invested in the Cobham legacy. Quite simply, Chelsea are definitely losing two key defenders and that is likely to become three if Cesar Azpilicueta, as expected, waves goodbye to a decade of being a Chelsea player. Granovskaia has negotiated huge deals in the past with contrasting fortunes, from the £72million capture of Kai Havertz to the club-record deal for Romelu Lukaku that cost £97.5m last summer. The Canadian-Russian director is set to stay in her role for the time being once Todd Boehly’s takeover goes through due to her strong relationship with Thomas Tuchel and Petr Cech.

Roy Hodgson's final game in charge of Watford ended in narrow defeat, as 2020/21 European champions Chelsea edged a tightly-contested final-day clash 2-1 at ...

The Chelsea head coach was speaking after his side finished their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win over Watford at Stamford Bridge.

You have to convince the player, you have to speak to other clubs and convince yourself this is the player, so there is normally a lot of work and it will be the same to be competitive next season, while, like everybody else, tries to close the gap to us, while the two top teams are what they are. "We have to be quick and fast to adapt the qualities, the personalities of these new guys. It's no problem to adapt and find solutions, but the problem is we are forced to be passive and it's what we don't like and we are not used to it. There is no need to make excuses now, it is just the situation we are in and we have to be as quick as possible. We want to stay in the race and Liverpool and Man City do everything to make their squads bigger and they set the standard so high. There is a lack of force that he can simply bring and the tests showed he lacked mobility and the force to be on the pitch. It is there and it is close, in theory, but it is not. The first days I will be here anyway and around because my children are in school, so it will start with a bit of a delay to the holidays. So let's see, when, finally, we will have the chance to act and make up, because the disadvantage in terms of timing for the rebuild is big. "It will not get easier to close this gap, because while we are forced to be passive they are improving their squads. It's a mood changer I have to say and we're happy to end it with a win. The level of consistency from City and Liverpool was too much for us, it was too high.

Rudiger will officially depart Chelsea at the end of next month when his contract expires. Yet the reality is as of this morning, his Blues career is over. Real Madrid will be the 29-year-old's next destination; it is a glamour move for the centre-back ...

There is a trickle-down impact too as parents of talented players in Chelsea's Under-14s and Under-15s – and further down the age groups – will be watching first-team developments carefully. Instead, he handed minutes to senior pros who have spent the campaign – or the majority of it – with the first-team squad but have not enjoyed regular game time. If the likes of Lewis Hall and Harvey Vale can't make the bench for a dead rubber against Watford, what chance they do for a Premier League game when there are crucial points at stake? So I'm happy they could show up and take a deserved win," Tuchel said, and his loyalty to those players is admirable. So it felt like the ideal opportunity for Tuchel to involve a few players from the Blues' academy. However, after the 25-year-old returned to first-team training at the start of the week, Tuchel decided to take a risk. He named Chilwell in the match-day squad to face Watford; the wing-back was among the substitutes. "I've had a week of training with the boys and I've come on in the last game of the season. "Toni wanted that [moment] and we gave it to him because he deserved to have that moment and this is what you get if you deliver," Thomas Tuchel admitted after the game. It's impossible to know how Chelsea's season would have panned out had Ben Chilwell been available for the entirety of it. "I can understand all the disappointment [with the decision to leave] and everything, but to still come out and give me this reception....thank you very much< I really appreciate it." As Rudiger left the pitch, he did so to a standing ovation.

The Blues boss - set to lose Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen - wants replacements in once Chelsea 's transfer embargo ends and ...

“We have clear ideas for the profiles and characteristics of the players we want. “It was on me to show my respect and appreciation. We want to stay in the race as Liverpool and Man City will do everything to make their squads bigger and they set the standard so high.

Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been linked with a move to Chelsea.

Blues fans will get a first glimpse of the post Roman Abramovich era and Boehly will be keen to show that the club can continue to compete with Europe’s elite in the transfer market. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are both in their 30s and their respective deals at Stamford Bridge expire next summer. This summer is sure to be one of the most important periods in Chelsea’s modern history.

Daniel Storey reflects on the campaign just gone and looks at the challenges ahead as part of The Score's season reviews for all 20 Premier League clubs.

He certainly pushed for the signing of Romelu Lukaku for almost £100m and yet never really used him in the way Conte had at Inter to great effect. Having been top at the beginning of December, they then took 11 points from a run of nine league matches and that was that. The league season may have been affected by the takeover uncertainty, but Chelsea were out of the running well before that. The freezing of bank accounts, the limitations on spending and the rush of gossip over who would succeed Abramovich as owner have not helped Chelsea on the pitch – how could it? Chelsea exist, as they have since winning the title in 2016-17, in an odd hinterland where they do not possess the consistent ruthlessness to challenge for the title but are significantly better (aided by supreme cup performance) than those directly below them. This was the season that changed Chelsea forever.

CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen to strengthen in three areas of the pitch this summer.

We have ideas, but we also need to find out what the ideas of the new owners are. With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving at the end of their contracts, and Cesar Azpilicueta also potentially on his way, recruiting in defence is a necessity. But Tuchel is already clear in what he thinks needs to be done this summer.

The likes of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and several others are all set to leave Chelsea this summer, leaving the Blues with gaps to fill especially in ...

It's no problem to adapt and find solutions, but the problem is we are forced to be passive and it's what we don't like and we are not used to it. I think the structure suits our players very well with the players you mentioned, but also with Thiago Silva, our midfielders, Reece James and Ben Chilwell because they have more freedom to attack on both sides. It's not the plan to change it but maybe we are forced to.

Ross Barkley's late winner in the 2-1 victory over Watford in Chelsea's season finale on Sunday ensured Thomas Tuchel's side set a new club record as he ...

Chelsea’s Player of the Season Mason Mount scored 13 goals to go along with his 16 assists while Timo Werner was the only Blue to score in all four main competitions in which we competed as he finished the campaign with 11 goals. The previous club record of 20 different scorers in a season was set in 2015/16 and matched last month when Ruben Loftus-Cheek bagged his first Chelsea goal in nearly three years to break the deadlock in our FA Cup semi-final victory over Crystal Palace. Ross Barkley’s late winner in the 2-1 victory over Watford in Chelsea’s season finale on Sunday ensured Thomas Tuchel’s side set a new club record as he became the 21st player to score for the Blues in a competitive match in the 2021/22 season.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, put the reigning European champions up for sale.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, put the reigning European champions up for sale. Abramovich has agreed to donate the entire figure to charity for the victims of the war in Ukraine. $3 billion investment promise from the new owners to invest in the club.