Chelsea

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

'If I was a young player why would I sign for Chelsea?'

Those were the words of former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports after Chelsea's dismal home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Monday.

He was revisiting the claim he made almost two years ago in the summer of 2024 that "players have got to stop signings for Chelsea", after another chaotic transfer window in which the Blues signed 12 players for around £230m - including the fee eventually paid to Manchester United to avoid making the loan signing of Jadon Sancho permanent.

What, if anything, has changed since then?

"My point is, if you're continually buying and selling players you can never create a connection as a team," Carragher said on Monday.

"They buy two wingers every year, so the two they buy the year before - how do they feel?

"How can they build a connection between supporters, players and staff? It's not there."

Last summer in the 2025 summer window, a year on from Carragher's initial claim, the Blues spent around £293m on 10 new additions - including the loan fee paid for Facundo Buonanotte who departed in January.

They actually signed three new wingers; Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian.

It is hard to see Esevao as anything other than a successful investment with the teenager displaying his clear superstar potential in fits and starts during his debut campaign.

Garnacho and Gittens however, despite the latter being out with a hamstring injury since late January, have drawn criticism for their performances, with Garnacho in particular repeatedly linked with a move away already.

Blues fan Charlie Patrick told BBC Sport in January that the duo are "not good enough for Chelsea".

The graphics below show the Premier League minutes played by last summer's signings, excluding the aforementioned Buonanotte, Kendry Paez who was loaned back to Independiente and Mamadou Sarr who was loaned back to Strasbourg and recalled in January.

The fees exclude potentially substantial add-ons and are out of a potential of 3150 minutes.

Joao Pedro has unquestionably been a success, Estevao has shown his huge potential, and more recently Jorrel Hato has stood out in a struggling side, but it is hard to make a case for any of the other additions having even close to the impact that would have been hoped of them.

While at many clubs a second season would be where a signing's impact and fit is fully assessed, there is nothing currently to suggest Chelsea's owners are slowing down in their relentless pursuit of top young talent.

Therefore, none of these players will be confident that their already limited minutes will increase.

Not only is the connection referenced by Carragher not being established, negative crowd reactions, in particular recently to Garnacho and Delap, are actively damaging relations between squad and supporters.

Considering the already low hit rate, with Pedro Neto the only addition from the 2024 summer window established in the first team and still splitting opinion himself, Carragher's concern over why young players sign for Chelsea appears to be valid.

While long-term contracts with guaranteed wages hold an appeal, surely the lack of success stories will heed caution when the most ambitious talents are looking for their next destination.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

The race for sixth place and European football continues to excite almost as much as the battle at the bottom between West Ham and Tottenham.

Like many people, I thought Nottingham Forest were close to disrespecting the competition by sending out a shadow team against Chelsea. That said, Chelsea right now are a ghostly outline of their former selves, and just about as easy to score against and play through as a spectre.

I am trying hard not to write about Chelsea again, but it is difficult to ignore what looks like an entire football club that has become dysfunctional. The painful thing is not that it was easy to see some of the problems emanating from the upper echelons of the club, it is the fact that I will be amazed if the correct decisions are made to rectify them, no matter how much of a "period of reflection" they decide to have.

Turkeys as they say, don't tend to vote heavily in favour of Christmas.

Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is under consideration by Chelsea to be their next manager. (Independent, external)

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Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The defeat for Chelsea on Monday against Nottingham Forest should not have surprised anyone. The Blues had lost their past five league games, and a sixth being added to that list always felt likely.

The win over Leeds at Wembley the week before gave supporters a shred of hope, but those who have been watching this team for the past two months always knew it was going to take much bigger changes than one somewhat fortunate win to stop this total collapse.

A winning culture at the club has become a losing culture.

There doesn't seem to be a player in the squad capable of holding their team-mates to a higher standard. The petulance they constantly show towards referees and opposition players is all the more embarrassing given how little effort they're willing to make when the ball is in play.

They go into games resigned that they might lose, without any fear of the consequences of those defeats. None of them fight for each other, or even for their personal pride.

The messages about working hard and "addressing problems" we hear in every news conference from manager after manager sound so hollow to us that we can only imagine how empty they sound to the players.

A top coach could change the psychology of the group for the better. But no top coach is going to take the job. There is a real possibility that Chelsea lose all of their remaining four games this season. The psychological damage is hard to overestimate.

There is a lot of talk about this being a "crucial" summer, but even the best-case scenario only really gets Chelsea back to where we were a year ago.

The glory days are long gone, and the players seem to have accepted that reality already.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney says top players at Chelsea like Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella are "letting themselves down" with their lack of leadership.

A second-string Nottingham Forest side inflicted Chelsea's sixth consecutive league defeat on Monday in their first Premier League match since Liam Rosenior was sacked.

"It was weird watching the second half of that game and the fans have left the stadium," he told the Wayne Rooney podcast.

"It almost looked like the fans didn't know who to have a go at.

"There wasn't a manager there to blame. It was clear they weren't having Liam Rosenior from the start which is a shame because he got judged way too early.

"It was quiet in Stamford Bridge and those players need to look at themselves. That's Marc Cucurella, that's Enzo Fernandez. It's alright coming out and being vocal about the manager but then go and perform. You have to perform.

"They are both top players but they are letting themselves down. They should be the leaders. They are the ones who have won the World Cup and European Championships with their countries so go and be a leader. But, they are not leading that team and being examples."

Since the current ownership took control in 2022, Chelsea have spent around £1.5bn on players, focusing on securing a raft of younger players on long-term contracts. However, the Blues are set to finish outside of the Champions League places for the third time in four full seasons.

"If you're 24 and getting an eight or nine year contract it's absolutely crazy," Rooney added.

"The money they spend and how they try and operate is absolutely crazy. For a player, you don't want to be tying yourself in for that long at that club. It's madness.

"Experience is key to any successful team and they have very young players who can be world class but when it's tough you need to draw on your reserves and when you have been in those moments before, a lot of those players haven't been through that and they have no experienced players to guide them through.

"With the owners, I'd put a bet on that they don't know too much about football. They are very good business people but there's no one there to give them guidance on football."

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We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest:

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans:

Rob: Another terrible performance by inept players. No heart, no spirit, no desire, no effort, players just picking up wages with no consideration for the fans, the history, not even the pride of the club or badge. How have we sunk so low?

Phil: Atrocious, and that's a compliment. We had a week to prepare and Forest rested players but we did not turn up. No fight, no desire, simply the worst performance. The new manager will have a lot of work to do

Ben: Poor, insipid, uninspiring, toothless, flimsy, unacceptable, hopeless, tactically short-sighted and incompetent.

Marco: Disgraceful and shambolic - this club is rotten to the core. What is more shocking is that the players appear to have accepted mid-table mediocrity long before the fans did.

Paul: Absolute dross, no heart, no desire, no experience and lacking basic footballing knowledge. Owners should be ashamed of themselves. Football as I know and loved is dead, finished!

Tony: They don't deserve to be in Europe because they aren't good enough. The management of the club should come under massive scrutiny. They've had good managers and wouldn't listen to them.

Nottingham Forest fans:

Kris: Forest showing other teams how resting players should be done - praise be Big T and Jesus! Got to think we're safe now, and our thoughts can turn to getting the job done on Thursday. Sad to see Derry's game ended that way, hope he has a speedy recovery.

Steve: Another magic away day for Forest. Manager was bold with the team selection and it paid off. Everyone stepped up a gear. It's 10 unbeaten now. Bring on the Villa.

John: Superb performance. The team sheet looked as though Pereira was taking a bit of a chance but the team worked as a unit. Great credit to him and the players that this really is a squad club now.

Mossy: If only Nottingham Forest could keep this group of players together for another season. Chelsea were contained for 80 minutes until cramp and exhaustion took its toll, but they will be ready again on Thursday against Villa. Vitor will make sure of that.

Andy: A wonderful display. There's some poetry to this as our second string were pretty poor earlier in the season. Forest have found unbelievable form at just the right time.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Whoever Chelsea appoint as their next head coach - with former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and Fulham's Marco Silva among those in contention - will have to navigate the forthcoming transfer window astutely.

In their recently published 2024-25 accounts, Chelsea reported a Premier League‑record £262m pre‑tax loss despite bringing in £490.9m in revenue - the club's second highest ever.

Following their triumph in last year's Club World Cup and a now rare season in the Champions League, Chelsea are predicting revenues will increase to £700m in next year's accounts.

However, forward Cole Palmer said in an interview this month that "everything changes" without Champions League football.

Chelsea earned approximately £78.9m in prize money for reaching the last 16 of European club football's premier competition this season compared to about £15m for winning the Conference League in 2025.

A conservative estimate would suggest those Champions League earnings rise beyond £100m when ticketing, hospitality and sponsorship revenue are included.

Accounts from parent company 22 Holdco Limited show transfer activity is a major factor behind the substantial losses, and the success of the men's team is a "clear driver" of revenues - while Chelsea are reliant on owner funding and loans to subsidise the club, which has long-term implications.

In the short term, Chelsea are bound by their Uefa settlement agreement after breaching their football earnings and squad cost rules in 2023-24.

The regulations stipulate Chelsea cannot record losses of more than than £52.2m once certain Uefa allowances are applied when filing their accounts at the end of June.

Any loss beyond that threshold would result in a fine of up to £17.4m, while losses exceeding £69.7m would trigger a one‑season ban from European competition, provided they qualify within three seasons following the breach.

That pressure continues into the 2028-29 season, with Uefa constantly monitoring Chelsea's situation.

• Read more: What does missing out on Champions League mean?

Chelsea are interested in Club Brugge's 22-year-old Ecuador defender Joel Ordonez, who was previously linked with a £43m move to Liverpool in January. (Teamtalk, external)

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

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A near-unprecedented run of six consecutive defeats has left a top-five finish - seen as the minimum pre-season target - impossible.

Chelsea are now part of a congested mid-table group that includes Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Everton and Sunderland, all competing for Europa League or Conference League qualification.

They can finish no higher than sixth. That position could yet be enough to secure Champions League football, but only if Aston Villa win the Europa League and end the season fifth, creating an additional qualification place.

Ultimately, Chelsea do not deserve to be in the Champions League on the basis of their recent performances. This six-match losing run is their longest since 1993 and only the fourth time in the club's history they have lost as many consecutive games.

It is therefore understandable that Chelsea's home supporters - witnessing a fourth successive home league defeat for only the second time - booed their side at full-time and chanted against the ownership.

As former manager Mauricio Pochettino said last week, there is a disconnect between the fans, the players and the club. A lack of managerial stability has compounded the issue, leaving Chelsea looking devoid of cohesion.

It would have been unthinkable a few years ago for Nottingham Forest to rest key players for an upcoming European fixture but still dominate Chelsea's strongest available starting XI in a Premier League match.

Yet that is precisely what happened. Chelsea lost any hope of a first clean sheet since mid-January after just two minutes and waited until the 93rd minute to score.

Indeed, it would be possible to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy between Chelsea's previous league goal - at Aston Villa in early March - and their latest strike in this defeat, which were more than 550 playing minutes apart.

Chelsea remain in contention for silverware by reaching the FA Cup final, but their players looked crestfallen at full-time. Many joined the club with the expectation of regular Champions League football, yet on current form they may struggle to qualify for Europe at all.

Chelsea interim boss Callum McFarlane, speaking to BBC MOTD: "Massively disappointing - we know we are a lot better than what we showed today. I don't think we ever got to our level so very disappointing."

On Jesse Derry: "All signs are positive at the moment, so we're hopeful he's in a good condition and from what we've heard it's positive.

"Gutted for Jesse, I thought he did well in the game. He gave us a threat - a massive moment for him that has ended sadly."

On Robert Sanchez: "Robert positive as well. I hope the Forest players are in stable and good condition too."

On Joao Pedro: "Great finish, unlucky with the offside goal too, so good for him to get the goal, but it doesn't really mean anything right now.

"I've said it before, but we just need to improve on this performance and be ready for another game in five days."

Chelsea forward Joao Pedro, speaking to Sky Sports: "From the beginning, we conceded too early and against Forest it's difficult to change the game. I think we should do better.

"We need to find a way to try to not do these mistakes every game. We need to start to win games. This is the Premier League and if you concede too early after that it's very difficult to come back.

"Everyone needs to look at themselves - me included. We need to find a way to do better. I feel sorry for the fans - tomorrow we will see what has gone wrong.

"It's difficult because I don't think it's about the coach. It's about the players, and it's on us to step up, me included. It's difficult to say something."

On whether Chelsea players realise they need to step up: "Yes, of course. We support the leaders [in the team]. We always talk to each other to find a way to win games. Last week we won against Leeds. This week it didn't happen, we need to find a way to win.

"The motivation is always there - today if we won we would be able to be in the Champions League. Now it will be more difficult, but we need to still fight for every game and for every point and see what we can achieve."

Did you know?

• Chelsea have lost six consecutive league games for the fourth time in their history, and for the first time since October/November 1993.

• João Pedro's goal – his 20th of the season in all competitions – ended Chelsea's run of 565 minutes without scoring in the Premier League. The Brazilian had also netted their last goal in the competition, at Aston Villa in March.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have released the following statement after Jesse Derry was substituted in the first half against Nottingham Forest after clashing heads with Forest's Zach Abbott:

"Chelsea FC can confirm Jesse Derry has been taken to hospital as a precaution following his first-half substitution during today's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.

"Jesse is conscious, talking and undergoing precautionary checks. We wish him a speedy recovery and thank the medical staff for their swift response."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies

Jesse Derry makes his first professional start in place of the absent Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho, neither of which are named in the squad.

Cole Palmer also starts after missing the last match and being benched for the previous two fixtures because of tightness in his hamstring.

Chelsea defenders Levi Colwill and Reece James return to the bench following spells out injured, with James sidelined since the Club World Cup final at the end of last season.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Derry, Fernandez, Joao Pedro

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Colwill, Hato, James, Fofana, Acheampong, Essugo, Andrey Santos, Delap

Vitor Pereira makes eight changes for a match which is sandwiched between Nottingham Forest's Europa League two-legged semi-final.

James McAtee, Zach Abbott and Luca Netz are among those selected.

On the bench are star players such as Chris Wood, Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. Two changes are enforced in terms of Ola Aina and Ibrahim Sangare.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Abbott, Morato, Jair Cunha, Netz, Yates, McAtee, Dominguez, Bakwa, Igor Jesus, Awoniyi

Substitutes: Ortega, Williams, Milenkovic, Anderson, Moreira, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Lucca, Wood

There are two games in the Premier League on Monday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Nottingham Forest (15:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Manchester City (20:00)

Kick-off times BST

Follow live text and radio commentary of the game at Stamford Bridge here

And go here for coverage of Everton v Man City at Hill Dickinson Stadium

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentary on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Nottingham Forest".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth have claimed the edge in the battle for sixth place in the Premier League - and what could be the strangest Champions League spot yet.

The in-form Cherries' 3-0 win over Crystal Palace helped them overtake Brentford into that position.

Sixth will earn a Europa League place at the very least, with some of the contenders having never qualified for Europe before.

However, both elements needed for sixth place to become a Champions League spot seem quite plausible.

Aston Villa would need to finish in fifth, exactly where they currently reside, and win the Europa League. They trail Nottingham Forest 1-0 after the semi-final first leg, but they are at home for Thursday's return leg.

This scenario will only play out if Villa finish fifth - and not in the top four or below fifth - because of a quirk in Uefa's rules.

The Premier League landed a fifth Champions League place because of the English teams' performances in Europe - something called the European Performance Spot (EPS).

So if Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, that EPS spot would be passed down to the team in sixth, who would qualify for the Champions League.

However if Villa finish in the top four, winning the Europa League would make no difference to any other English team and the sixth-placed finisher would qualify for the Europa League.

With Aston Villa six points clear in fifth, sixth place appears to be the highest any of the other teams could finish.

At the moment, Bournemouth are on 52 points - one point clear of Brentford, who are one point above Brighton.

The Cherries and the Bees have never played in European competition before, while the Seagulls' only Uefa campaign was in the 2023-24 Europa League.

Chelsea are four points behind Bournemouth, but they have a game in hand against Forest.

Fulham are level on points with Chelsea. Everton, who have a game in hand against Manchester City, and Sunderland are on 47 points - so they are just about in the race.

Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds could still mathematically - but not so realistically - qualify for the Champions League.

Read the full article here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea are aiming to end a run of five consecutive league defeats against Nottingham Forest.

A season in which Chelsea have got rid of two managers could yet be bookended with silverware.

Having picked up the World Club Cup last summer, the Blues could add the FA Cup after reaching the final by beating Leeds United at Wembley last weekend.

Before that, they need to build some momentum after a woeful run of league form.

Chelsea were fifth after winning 4-1 at Aston Villa at the beginning of March, but since then they have lost five successive Premier League matches for the first time since 1993.

Worse, it's the first time they have lost five successive league matches without scoring since 1912.

Since the first game of those five - a 1-0 defeat at home by Newcastle on 14 March - 15 Chelsea players have attempted a shot at goal but none have scored.

Despite having the highest expected goals total (29.4) and xG per shot value (0.15) in the Premier League in 2026, Chelsea have the worst differential between goals and xG (-8.4).

Chelsea looked a different side in the semi-final last weekend – fans will hope that is enough to stop the rot. If not, they could lose six league matches in a row for the first time since November 1993, and they have never lost six in succession without scoring in their league history.

Forest may have European silverware on their mind but there's no sign of them taking their eye off the Premier League ball.

The Reds are unbeaten in their past six league matches and have scored nine goals in their past two, timely form in their quest to secure Premier League safety.

Last time out at Sunderland, they were 4-0 up by half-time and went on to win 5-0 - their biggest away win in the top flight since beating Sheffield Wednesday 7-1 in 1995.

That result at the Stadium of Light meant back-to-back Premier League wins for only the second time this season, and for the first time under Vitor Pereira. Another victory at Chelsea would mean a third in a row for the first time since the heady days of last season, when they were Champions League contenders for much of the latter half of the campaign.

One of the key protagonists in their recent good form has been Morgan Gibbs-White, who has scored seven league goals since the start of March, three more than any other player.

His 16 Premier League goal involvements (13 goals and three assists) is already his best return in a top-flight campaign. Twelve of those 16 have come since the turn of the year.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane says Levi Colwill looks "brilliant" and he is "really hopeful" the defender will play a part in the final five games of the season.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined since August after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season, but returned to full first‑team training more than a month ago and has played twice for the under‑21s.

There is a chance Colwill could return for Nottingham Forest's visit to Stamford Bridge on Monday, although McFarlane said his comeback will need to be carefully managed.

"When someone's had an injury for that long, you have to be patient," McFarlane said. "We just need to manage his minutes, not push him too much.

"We don't want to risk re‑injuring him, but he looks brilliant and he is in a really good place. We are really hopeful we will see him before the end of the season."

Meanwhile, Cole Palmer could make his first start since a minor hamstring setback that led to him missing the 3-0 defeat by Brighton that ended Liam Rosenior's less than four-month spell as head coach.

The 23-year-old forward was only fit enough for the bench in Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds United.

"It has been a difficult period for him," McFarlane said, amid increasing pressure for Palmer to rediscover his form before England manager Thomas Tuchel names his World Cup squad. "It is the first injury he has pretty much ever had in his career.

"There are obviously games he can impact more, but there have also been plenty of occasions where he has created good chances for others. He can't control whether those chances are finished - he can only put the ball where it needs to be.

"He's had some really good games over the past three months. It is just a case of building consistency, so overall I'm really pleased with him.

"He is still a top, top player - one of the best in the world. I've got no concerns about him being ready to impact games from now until the end of the season, and hopefully in the World Cup in the big moments for England."

Real Madrid will look to retain Brazil forward Endrick, 19, in the summer, despite interest from Chelsea and Arsenal. (TeamTalk, external)

Crystal Palace view Andoni Iraola as the top target to become their next manager after the Spaniard announced he would be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season - but Chelsea are also interested. (Football Insider, external)

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

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