Your Chelsea transfer round-up on Friday, November, 25.
Potter 'keen' on Leeds 'keeper
Chelsea have reportedly taken a closer look at Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier with the view of making him the first signing of the Graham Potter era.
The 22-year-old has caught the eye of several top clubs in the Premier League and around Europe with his mature and impressive performances for Leeds since their promotion in 2020.
Potter has a positive track record of placing his faith and trust into young players and has often favoured the signings of players with potential over ready-made ability. This certainly applies to Meslier, who is not yet the finished product but has everything in place to become a world class No. 1.
READ MORE: How Chelsea star Christian Pulisic performed for USA vs England in World Cup stalemate
Chelsea have struggled with their goalkeeping situation ever since Thibaut Courtois left Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid in 2018.
The Blues broke the transfer record for a goalkeeper when they paid Athletic Bilbao the £72million release clause for Kepa Arrizabalaga, whose unreliability saw him displaced by Edouard Mendy in 2020.
However, in a Potter system, distribution and confidence with your feet is key for the team’s build-up play, something Mendy lacks, resulting in Kepa regaining the role of first choice and going someway in explaining the club’s keen interest in Meslier, who is noted for his distribution as well as his impressive shot stopping.
Chalobah speaks after new contract
Trevoh Chalobah saw his recent form rewarded with a bumper new deal at his boyhood club, a deal that lasts until 2028 with an option to extend an extra year, making him the club’s longest contracted player.
Chalobah, who has been at Chelsea since 2007, broke into the first team set-up under former manager Thomas Tuchel, following three different loan spells away across three different seasons.
He made an instant impact, breathing freshness into a stale defence, but then towards the end of last term and at the start of this campaign saw game time limited once more.
It was only after the appointment of Graham Potter in September that Chalobah re-established his spot in the heart of the Blues defence and he hasn’t looked back since.
Read the full story here
Chelsea urged to pursue Rafael Leao transfer
One of the more popular names on Chelsea’s transfer shortlist is AC Milan dynamic attacker Rafael Leao, and for good reason.
With the scores tied at 1-1, Leao came off the bench in Portugal’s Group H opener against Ghana. His impact was instant and glorious, a first-time finish from a tight angle that nestled in the far bottom corner extended Portugal’s lead just three minutes after his introduction.
Leao, since making the move to AC Milan from his boyhood club of Sporting in 2019, has grown into a world-beater and it is no surprise that he is the subject of interest from Europe’s elite.
Although he won’t be cheap, Chelsea fans are adamant in adding the rising Portuguese star to their already glamorous attacking ranks.
Read the full story here
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