With the exception of Belarus, South Korea and Germany, global football is currently on pause. The Premier League has been given the all clear by the government to restart sometime in June, with matches being played behind closed doors, and today brought the resumption of training, albeit in small groups only for the time being.
Still plenty of questions as Project Restart moves along, and we’ll learn more as the days go by. Until football returns, we do actually have plenty of news items to cover. So let’s take a spin through some what the Chelsea FC community is talking about in cyberspace right now.
Callum Hudson-Odoi joins Chelsea team-mates for training return days after arrest on suspicion of rape https://t.co/AaCF2MCNKg
— The Sun – Chelsea (@SunChelsea) May 19, 2020
In case you missed the news that broke in the past 36 hours or so, Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of having committed rape. He posted bail and rejoined the team, where he took part in training.
(Story via the Sun linked above) Hudson-Odoi, the first high-profile Premier League footballer to test positive for coronavirus, tested negative today and was thus allowed to participate in limited training. The next step in the legal process with CHO will take place next month.
More photos from Cobham training ground today:
Chelsea returned to training today, in small groups.
[@iF2is]#CFC #Chelsea #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/QrnMG2giwu
— The Chelsea Spot (@TheChelseaSpot) May 19, 2020
Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek trained today, and time will tell if he is able to feature this season, should it successfully restart and then run deep enough so that RLC will be fit again.
Just a little more than a year ago, he tore his Achilles in a friendly/charity fundraising match in Foxboro, Massachusetts against the New England Revolution.
Finally, some contract extension news via The Telegraph. Veteran backstop Willy Caballero, 38, is set to see his time at Stamford Bridge extended through the 2020-21 season. The club triggered the additional season clause structured into his contract.
When Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, fell out of favor with manager Frank Lampard, Caballero got the call and made six straight starts in between the sticks.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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