CHELSEA’S unwanted stars have returned to training at Cobham to begin pre-season training.
Stars including Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Joao Felix were not included in Enzo Maresca’s squad for the Club World Cup.
Few of the group who returned to training on Monday this week have a future with the Blues, though it is a rather less messy situation than last summer.
A year ago, Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher were back in Blighty while the Blues were on a US Tour and being unceremoniously frozen out before departing.
Things this summer seem rather more clear, with most players told they can seek moves away.
RAMBLING ON
ENZO MARESCA never ducks a question – but he is unlikely to fill a book with his answers.
Chelsea’s Italian manager can be ‘concise’ in a press conference.
Particularly if he isn’t in the mood or if the theme is not something he finds particularly interesting or if it’s a bit sensitive.
So it was a bit of a contrast last week when the English media corps came up against Abel Ferreira, the head coach of Chelsea’s Club World Cup opponents Palmeiras.
Here’s a guy who loves a chat.
Ask him if he thinks it will rain today and your cup of tea will be stone cold by the time he has finished answering, if you get my drift.
So much so that after one question in particular ahead of last Friday’s quarter final with Chelsea, SunSport put the stopwatch on and the Portuguese rambled on uninterrupted for three and a half minutes without drawing much breath.
We’d say try it at home but you might turn blue and pass out.
WHAT A S-PAIN
ESTEVAO WILLIAN is thought of by most at Chelsea to be the man who will ease the pressure on Cole Palmer and go toe-to-toe with Lamine Yamal to be the best winger on the planet.
Names like Messi, Neymar, Ronaldinho and Vinicius Jr have all been thrown around in comparison after fans got a glimpse of his playing style at the Club World Cup and seeing the numbers he put up in Brazil at such a young age.
And while the hopeful future Ballon d’Or winner is more than excited to join the Blues, he seems to ALREADY be thinking about where he might like to go next after an interview with AS…
He said: “It would be incredible to have the opportunity to play in Spain one day, but right now I’m only focused on Chelsea.”
BLUE VS BLUE
ESETEVAO will help Cole Palmer on the pitch but off it he could prove to be very much a rival.
It was strange ahead of last week’s Club World Cup game between Chelsea and Palmeiras to see The Blues’ new acquisition playing for the other side – although it was his farewell performance before moving to the Premier League in the next few weeks.
What was even more weird was hearing Estevao receive a bigger cheer from the 65,000 fans in the ground than Palmer when the line ups were announced.
But of course, Estevao was in that rare position of being applauded by both sets of supporters.
The Brazilians were saying goodbye while the Chelsea fans at the stadium were welcoming him. Odd, nonetheless.
UNCLE TOSIN
TOSIN Adarabioyo may not be the first name you think of when discussing the most important players at Chelsea, but he is up there.
Since joining from Fulham for free, he’s not only proved himself as a dependable option for Enzo Maresca in central defence, but as a man who is key to squad morale and attitude.
The defender, who stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall, is known in the dressing room as ‘Uncle Tosin’ despite still only being 27-years-old, in what is a sign of this team’s youth and inexperience.
After Cole Palmer opened up his body and slotted home with his left foot against Palmeiras to give his side a crucial lead, the first player he ran to hug was Tosin on the bench – a sign of their great relationship and his importance off the pitch.
Palmer said: “That’s my boy. I’ve had a difficult time these past few months on and off the pitch, but he’s always been there for me and he’s helped me a lot”.
And Palmer isn’t the only youngster that Tosin has helped massively.
Academy wonderkid Josh Achaempong also spoke on the influence of the former Fulham star when asked who has helped him the most in terms of adapting to first-team life at Chelsea.
He said: “Tosin, I’d say. He’s the oldest in the team.
“He gives me advice if I need to ask him any questions. He’ll get me in the gym and stuff like that, so he’s good. Yeah, Uncle Tosin.”
He may not be a flashy name or have cost a fortune, but he is an experienced pro who may turn out to be one of the most astute pieces of business that the Blues have made in recent years.
‘MOROCCAN MESSI’
CHELSEA’S stockpiling of talent on the right wing sees them extremely well set up for the future in that position.
With Noni Madueke looking set for a move away from the club, it seems as though Pedro Neto and new boy Estevao Willian will fight for a starting place next season – with Cole Palmer able to play there when needed.
You may think that for an academy prospect in that position, this would be somewhat off putting, having three first team level players with elite potential in front of you – but that’s not the case for Ibrahim Rabbaj.
Thought of as one of the most promising wonderkids in football, and labelled the ‘Moroccan Messi’ by fans, Rabbaj racked up 112 goals and assists in 40 games for Chelsea’s u16 side, and has now secured his future with the Blues by signing a scholarship contract.
Those statistics are difficult to verify, but he is also playing with players in age groups above him, and even scored twice on his u18 Premier League debut in 23 minutes vs Leicester.
It’s expected that Rabbaj will become professional when he turns 17 in January 2026, and could be one earmarked for a loan to Strasbourg in the near future alongside other young BlueCo talents like Dastan Satpaev and Kendry Paez.
He signed the deal alongside Mathis Eboue, son of ex-Arsenal player Emmanuel Eboue, who is also expected to have a future at Chelsea – and in that signing the Blues may have avoided a repeat of what happened with Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise.
He’s got quick feet, a lethal left boot and buckets of confidence to go with it – just take a look at his signing photo if you don’t believe me…
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