Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Chelsea not making Jadon Sancho's loan move permanent and what you made of his time in blue.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: What's the point of g Sancho when you can go abroad and sign a complete unknown for double the money with no Premier League experience? Unbelievable decision!

Eduardo: I think it's sad as he has been an important player for us this season. He is extremely talented and would have been a great permanent addition. We should have made it permanent.

David: Good decision. Wages too high and, with Neto and Sterling, we are overloaded out wide when we need a striker.

George: A club paying £5m to send the loanee back to the parent club says a lot. Not surprised Chelsea are sending him back. A player that flatters to deceive at best, completely absent and uninspiring at worst. Nowhere near the England set-up. The guy needs a reality check.

Nigel: It seems that once he became comfortable, he stopped really trying both to create opportunities for his team-mates and to score himself. The right decision has been made.

Dean: Sancho would be a squad player at Chelsea. If he couldn't accept the club's wage structure then so be it. It's a bit of a shame, but not a big deal. Not sure it's the best decision for him, but maybe there's a way back at Manchester United? Good luck to him.

Garry: He was a last-minute loan g and it just hasn't worked out for him at Chelsea. Going back to United under a new manager might be good for him as we don't want him!

Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

After years of major turnover in every summer at Chelsea, this should be a relatively quiet one at last.

Enzo Maresca will be the first manager to stay in place for a second year for the first time since Thomas Tuchel (who himself only had one full season in charge). There will be some alterations to the playing staff, but they will be tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

Liam Delap will add depth up front, while a central defender and a right-footed left winger are likely to be the most notable first-team additions. Cover at left-back would also be very handy.

The fact Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez have already been signed to arrive this summer means there will be a major upgrade in of depth, even before any new names are added to the list.

There will be departures to make room for the new arrivals - and the likes of Raheem Sterling, who has been out of sight and out of mind, will once again have to try to find a permanent new home.

The addition of Sarr and potentially another, more senior central defender, will mean there are guaranteed to be several sales at the back too.

With all that considered, the changes most fans would like to see would be around the style of play.

As the young group increase in age and experience, and as Maresca gets into his second season in charge, the expectations and demands for Chelsea's performances will increase. Their results against the top teams also need to be improved next season.

So while it is going to be a quiet summer by Chelsea's standards, there is a lot going on, starting with the Club World Cup in just a couple of weeks.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have expressed their interest to AC Milan in g goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The 29-year-old has been a regular for Milan since ing them on a five-year contract from Lille in 2021.

He has also been first choice for since Hugo Lloris retired from international football in January 2023.

Chelsea have learned that doing a deal for Maignan is a possibility, because the goalkeeper would be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge.

Blues have struggled to find a long-term option in goal since buying Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018 for £71m, which remains the world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

Two years later they brought in Edouard Mendy, who left for Al-Ahli in 2023, while Kepa has spent the past two seasons on loan at Real Madrid and then Bournemouth.

In the past two years the Blues have also signed Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen but the club appears unconvinced by all three.

Petrovic spent last term on loan at Strasbourg while Sanchez and Jorgensen both had spells in the Chelsea team.

With the news that Chelsea have opted not to sign winger Jadon Sancho on a permanent basis and will instead pay a £5m penalty to send the player back to Manchester United, we want to know what you make of the decision.

The 25-year-old began his loan spell strongly with an assist on his Premier League debut away at Bournemouth, followed by assisting again in his next two appearances.

He then scored in successive victories over Southampton and Tottenham in December, making it five goal involvements in nine league games as the Blues sat in second.

Sancho also finished the season with a medal after scoring a goal off the bench in the Conference League final.

However, he struggled in periods and went 18 games without a goal, and with only one assist and two shots on target in all competitions, at the start of 2025.

So, what do you make of the decision? And how do you reflect on Sancho's time in west London?

Let us know here.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...

Football games are 90 minutes long. They have been for more than 150 years.

So, what if they weren't? What if only the first 45 minutes mattered?

Some teams like to lead from the front, come out the blocks flying and try and get the job done before half-time.

If that had been the case this season and it all came down to that first half showing, then it would not have been Liverpool lifting the trophy, but in fact Arsenal winning their first league title in over 20 years.

With 20 wins, 13 draws and five defeats, the Gunners were the kings of the first half.

Four points behind them were Manchester City - a team that has for so long been able to control games from start to finish, but during their difficult spell with injuries and results, this was something they seemed to lack.

If the league really came down to this metric, Brentford fans would be planning for a Champions League adventure. While the Bees were fast starters this campaign, being able to back that up across the 90 minutes was their Achilles heel (ranking 14th in the second half).

And what about this year's Premier League champions? Arsenal may have had the number when it came to first halves, but Liverpool well and truly led the way in the second...

What if the season was all about the second 45 minutes?

While some prefer to get their nose in front, others prefer a half-time reset or back themselves to get the job done later in the game.

One of those teams was Arne Slot's Reds.

They won 24 of their 38 second-halves, drew nine and lost just five. If it was this 45 minutes alone that counted, they would have had 81 points and - just like in the actual season - been runaway winners.

Another club that enjoyed success after half time was Chelsea.

Ranking seventh in the first-half table, the Blues were often in a position where they needed to turn things around or dig out a result in the second 45 and, despite the young age of the team, managed 17 wins in second halves.

A side deserving an honourable mention here is Crystal Palace.

They may have finished 12th in the 2024-25 league table after a underwhelming start, but when it came to getting a result in the second half, with 16 wins,12 draws and 10 defeats, they were up there alongside some of the best in the league.

*Table data from Football365

Chelsea are considering a move for Everton and England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, 22, while Tottenham could rival the Blues for his signature this summer. (Teamtalk), external

The Blues are also weighing up a move for Borussia Dortmund's 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens, who could cost about £50m. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha has given us his insight and opinion every fortnight on your Premier League club throughout this season.

But this week, he's in the hotseat for your questions.

Maybe ask him who should be on your club's radar this summer, or where a rumoured target or new g might fit into the team.

Perhaps see what he thinks about how successful a new recruit might be, who it is vital to keep, or what is needed to make next season a success.

Send in your questions here and we'll put a selection to him

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have officially announced the g of midfielder Dario Essugo in an £18m deal from Sporting.

The transfer was agreed in March, alongside the g of winger Geovany Quenda, who will move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Essugo, 20, has been on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas this season.

He will Chelsea for the Club World Cup and is expected to back up Moises Caicedo.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Delap is set to become Chelsea's striker - and while that move is good news for Blues ers, it is bad news for England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley.

The Young Lions boss had named Delap in his squad for the U21 European Championships in Slovakia.

The tournament starts next week but Chelsea are involved in the Fifa Club World Cup.

Once Delap signs for the Stamford Bridge club, they are likely to want him to play in that competition. Unfortunately for Carsley, the Club World Cup has precedence.

"First and foremost we have to the age of the players. Obviously, they are adult professional players as they are over 18, but they still need a lot of ," Carsley said.

"We're ing all of the players. We have room within our schedule to make sure they get a chance if they need to have a medical or they need to speak to a club. We them with that.

"Liam is one of two or three players we are ing with that at the moment.

"Ideally, I want them here - of course I do. You want your strongest squad but we have to put the players first and that is definitely what we are doing."

When asked about what Delap will bring to Chelsea, Carsley was reluctant to go into detail until a transfer was complete, but he did highlight the 22-year-old's strengths.

"Liam has done really well in the Premier League. He has shown what a capable player he is.

"The good thing about Liam is he still has a lot of developing to do. He still has a lot of improvement to do in his all round game so it is exciting times for him."

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has been answering your questions on the summer transfer window.

Will asked: Working out the sanity of Chelsea's transfer policy is impossible, but can anyone explain why when a goalkeeper like Kelleher is available for as little as £18m (less than Sanchez cost) Chelsea refuse to upgrade an area they are clearly crying out for?

Sami said: It's a good question. Chelsea have made it clear that a new goalkeeper isn't viewed as a priority for them this summer which flies in the face of some of the difficulties they have faced in that position last season.

Chelsea have another big summer ahead. They want a striker, a winger and a centre-back. That won't come cheaply. So they will have to prioritise their spending. However, if towards the end of the window a market opportunity arises to sign a goalkeeper who is a marked improvement on the options they already have, I wouldn't be shocked if they engaged.

Follow the Q&A and the rest of the day's football news here

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's ability to maintain their lavish outlay on players comes with an asterisk attached.

The Blues have already assembled a squad with a value heading north of £1.4bn and will welcome a host of new exciting talent when pre-season resumes in July, with Liam Delap set to midfielders Kendry Paez and Dario Essugo, winger Estevao Willian, goalkeeper Mike Penders and defender Mamadou Sarr.

Sporting winger Geovany Quenda, 18, is already signed on for the following year.

But further bolstering their ranks may be determined by the Premier League's response to the sale of their women's team to parent company BlueCo for £198.7m - a process that put the wider business into profit.

"If this is accepted by the Premier League, then Chelsea would have significant spending flexibility and another £200m is a possibility," said football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

"If it is excluded, then things will be far more challenging and they may have to sell before buying."

Read more about the early transfer window and what each Premier League club can spend this summer

As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...

Many of us will have been there in school.

It was not always about being the best, but about being better. Not trying to beat the others' scores or times, but about beating your own.

In sport too, it is why personal bests exist. It is a way of measuring your own improvement against what has gone before - we can't all be Usain Bolt and Florence Griffith-Joyner.

So if the Premier League season was all about how you compared to the campaign before, who would have come out on top?

Well, there is one clear winner.

With 29 points more than they had in 2023-24, Nottingham Forest would have been lifting that trophy.

They may not have finished the season quite as they hoped having spent so much time in the Champions League spots, but having narrowly avoided relegation a year ago, this shows the sheer scale of the improvement this term.

Their nearest challenger on this basis would have been Brentford.

With 56 points, they were three points short of their best ever Premier League tally, but having flirted with relegation last time out, it made for a more enjoyable season this time around.

Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham may have just missed out on European adventures in the real league, but they are also teams who can be happy with the improvements they are showing as now well-established top-flight sides.

And despite the chaotic nature of Chelsea since the new ownership came in, they too can look to steady progress.

At the other end of the scale (or table), it is a very different picture.

Many question whether the traditional 'big six' teams is still relevant, given how others have broken that mould in recent years.

But if the season was based on improvement, four of those six would have been at the bottom.

Tottenham dropped-off in the league nearly as much as Forest improved. Manchester City had a high bar to reach, but a torrid spell proved costly. Manchester United have set multiple unwanted club records, while Arsenal struggled to maintain a real challenge for the title.

They say beware the wounded tiger, and it is hard to see all these sides having the same difficulties next season, but they will not have it all their own way with those teams that are on the up.

*All data from Opta and only teams who were in the league in 2023-24

As the dust settles on this Premier League season, we asked former England international Fara Williams for her underrated XI for the season.

She selected two players who have represented Chelsea this year.

Marc Cucurella

Cucurella has gone from a player fans really didn't like when he first ed to a cult hero. He has played almost every game this season and stepped up a level in of his consistency.

His energy, desire and winning mentality have had such a positive impact on the young team around him and even at 26 he has taken responsibility as a senior player.

Because of the way he presents himself on the pitch he is very easy to dislike which is probably why he doesn't get the credit he deserves as one of the league's best full-backs.

Trevoh Chalobah

It would have been easy for Chalobah to shut off when deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea at the start of the season and shipped off to Crystal Palace on loan, but he kept his head down, worked hard, and represented the Eagles with distinction.

Then when recalled to Chelsea, he didn't fuss and was a reliable performer when selected. He is maybe not your modern-day centre-back who steps into the play, but he defends solidly and wins his duels.

To put in seven or eight out of 10 performances every week despite difficult situations and an uncertain future is irable and he deserves his chance in Thomas Tuchel's England squad.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Ipswich and England Under-21 striker Liam Delap, 22, has completed the first part of his medical over a £30m move to Chelsea. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for you to tell us what Chelsea need to do in the summer transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Sam: I believe we need another striker (on top of Liam Delap). Preferably sign Viktor Gyokeres. We should also sign a new goalkeeper. Finally, we need to sort out the Jadon Sancho situation.

Don: Major requirements needed are top goalkeeper, if Enzo Maresca doesn't like what is already at the club. Robert Sanchez is too erratic. Also, a experienced player in a central defender role to keep the backline calm and tight. We have good youngsters in defence but maturity will help more. And then up front - a striker with 20-plus goals in him. All well and good having a young squad, but wise older heads are needed to progress and the young to flourish more.

Alex: Let go or sell Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Axel Disasi and Robert Sanchez. Looks like Liam Delap is arriving. Andrey Santos looks like he will compete in midfield. What we need is a truly world-class goalkeeper, but I doubt many are available.

Rob: We definitely need an upgrade at the back - a goalkeeper and an experienced centre-back. A proven goalscorer also needed and although Delap is a bright, young talent, someone with experience like Jonathan David or Viktor Gyokeres would be a good fit. A bit more plan B tactics from the manager, as required, would also be helpful.

Stu: For me, a top-class striker as well as Delap, if that move goes through. I would move Nicolas Jackson to left attack rather than having him up front. Also, we need to address defence as Wesley Fofana cannot be relied on. Levi Colwill has shown he can do it, so a top defender to complement him as it's clear Trevoh Chalobah will be sold. Marc Guehi would be perfect. As much as I want a new goalkeeper, we have too many already and I can see us persisting with Sanchez.

Thank you for the you submitted on the Premier League club pages.

Our aim is to contain all of the BBC's in-depth coverage of that team in one place, so it helpful to hear from you - you are who the pages are for after all.

We are going through all your responses and will take suggestions on board for next season.

Image source, Getty Images

Enzo Maresca has done a fantastic job in his first season at Chelsea.

He did well to cut his squad early, and has dealt effectively with the pressure and noise that comes with managing a club that has spent so much money.

Not long ago, there was talk about whether he would keep his job if the season ended poorly, but he has to now. He has begun to build and has tasted a little bit of success. There is no point in changing the manager.

To continue improving, though, he does need to add some experience.

There was a point earlier in the season when it appeared Chelsea could be in the title race, but Maresca came out and said the team were not ready. That certainly had a negative impact on an inexperienced squad and form dipped massively.

It felt as if the players took their foot off the pedal a little bit and realised the pressure was not on them to win the Premier League this year. That can happen with young players.

In glimpses, Chelsea have shown they can compete at a high level, but for the majority of the season, they have also shown how young they are. That is why it is important to have senior players around to get the balance right.

I know the club's transfer strategy, but sometimes plans must change if the need is so obvious.

As it stands, this young squad cannot compete to win the Premier League next season. I have to be realistic about that.

They need a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-half and a striker who score upwards of 20 goals. If they get that, there is no reason they cannot start talking about competing - but given the money spent, it is an oversight that so much more experience in key areas is needed.

Look at Arsenal these past few years trying to win the title with a young squad - it is really hard to do. There is definitely a balance to be found. To sustain a challenge, you really need at least one or two who have been in those situations before.

Maresca has shown enough to earn the trust of the hierarchy, but this is a vital summer to add the required experience to push on.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

The transfer window opens on Sunday - albeit for 10 days initially, mainly so sides competing in the Club World Cup can get early business done - before reopening for the rest of the summer on 16 June.

The Blues are debating the future of loanee Jadon Sancho and a move for Liam Delap appears close, but are there other players you are desperate for the club to sign, or is there an area of the squad that needs improving?

Or maybe holding on to a key player is your biggest priority.

And what about sales - who needs to go?

So over to you... what names need bringing in and shipping out?

Let us know here