As Chelsea FC shift from the Premier League competition to the League Cup, all the current team news pertains to the summer transfer window. Djorde Petrovic is on the way in, while Romelu Lukaku and Marc Cucurella could be on the way out.
We’ll cover all of these situations in a bit, but first, a refresher on the injury absentee list; which is unchanged on the moment.
EFL Cup 2nd Round FYIs
Chelsea FC at Wimbledon
Kickoff: Wed Aug 30 7:45pm, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Analysis of Chelsea’s record-breaking summer transfer window: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Blues Team News
Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), Reece James (hamstring), Christopher Nkunku (knee) Trevoh Chalobah (thigh) and Wesley Fofana (knee) remain out indefinitely.
Meanwhile Mykhalo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile (hamstring), are both doubts here.
Chelsea Transfer Talk
Petrovic comes to Stamford Bridge, from the New England Revolution, on a deal worth up to as much as £14 million ($18m)- composed of an initial £12.5m, with a further potential £1.5m in add-ons.
“It’s a big step for me and it’s always been a dream of mine to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Petrovic said in the club statement.
“Today I have achieved that goal and I’m so happy. Playing in the Premier League is something I’m really looking forward to doing and I hope to learn many things here at Chelsea. I can’t wait to meet everyone and play at Stamford Bridge.”
Moving on to Cucurella, his time at Chelsea has been short, but it looks like it may already be up soon. The former Brighton defender is widely considered a flop, and justifiably so.
According to The Guardian, Manchester United are supposedly looking into bringing Cucurella in to help solve their crisis at the left back position. Both their first choice, Luke Shaw, and their second choice, Tyrell Malacia, are out injured long-term.
Finally, the ongoing saga of Romelu Lukaku, a striker who has now ruined his career and has no one to blame but himself. There is a whole lot to get into on this, but it’s outside the scope of this post.
A potential end could be in sight, with AS Roma a possible destination. The Daily Mail has more.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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