Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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It feels inevitable that Ryan Kavuma-McQueen will soon debut for Chelsea.

Having turned 17 in January, the winger has already been namechecked by both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior this season, and was an unused substitute against Ajax in October.

He also travelled with Chelsea's squad to face Wrexham and has trained with the first team under Rosenior, whose staff includes promoted youth coach Calum McFarlane.

His 19 goals and five assists in 29 games across various age groups for club and country have already attracted attention, especially after his four goals against Germany's under-17 side in September.

Those close to him say he found facing players his own age easier than taking on opponents several years older at Chelsea that day.

Kavuma-McQueen, who was born at Hammersmith Hospital and grew up in Shepherd's Bush, a stone's throw from Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road, has been competing against older boys for most of his life.

He began playing at the age of five, showing the same natural shooting and dribbling ability, and started with the Little Foxes Club before being spotted by Chelsea scout Brian Mustill while with grassroots side Shooting Stars at seven.

Raised by his mother and father in a family with two older sisters and one younger, Kavuma-McQueen progressed through Chelsea's age groups, almost exclusively playing in attacking roles despite coaches often rotating players into different positions.

As a child, he grew up watching Cristiano Ronaldo and the Brazilian Ronaldo - both of whom shared his strengths in one‑versus‑one dribbling and goalscoring - while coaches are now working on his off‑the‑ball movement.

It is his mentality that sets him apart. When watched live, Kavuma-McQueen is vocal and determined, despite being known as a joker away from football. He has sought out conversations with former captain John Terry and current skipper Reece James.

Multiple sources have suggested Chelsea worked hard to keep him, effectively preventing another major academy loss like Rio Ngumoha's move to Liverpool in 2024, and secured his first professional deal in January.

Even with competition from Estevao Willian, Kavuma-McQueen is continuing to grow at Chelsea - and his debut may not be far away.

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Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

It seems to be the race that nobody wants to win.

Even with an additional Champions League spot all but secured for the Premier League for a second consecutive season, two of those teams hoping to benefit from that fifth place are struggling to string the results together to take control of it.

Defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea before the international break mean the Reds currently occupy the position, but the Blues are just one point adrift.

Both clubs would have hoped to be in a more comfortable position in the top four by now, but poor form is slowly reducing their chances - now five and six points off fourth respectively - and leaving them in a battle for the extra Champions League spot.

Who is mostly like to win that race is hard to predict - and it is no longer between just those two sides either, with Brentford,Everton and others getting themselves into the mix.

With just seven games left, who has the tougher run-in is always up for debate as so many factors come into play - relegation and European battles of opposition, plus distractions of possible chances of silverware elsewhere.

One way to get a feel of how things could possibly play out is by looking at what happened in the reverse fixtures of the remaining games earlier in the campaign.

When looking at how these games played out, and if the result was to be matched again - though, of course, home advantage can make a difference - Liam Rosenior's side would pick up three wins and a draw.

They picked up 10 points from those seven matches and adding that to their current Premier League total of 48 would take them to 58 points.

If that was to be compared to the same formula for Liverpool, who would pick up seven points from their seven fixtures based on the reverse results, it would mean Chelsea sneak in ahead of the Reds by two points.

Lessons can always be learned, though, and the question will be whether the Blues can do just that for these crucial final seven games and turn their recent poor form around.

With the fixtures left, how many points do you think Chelsea will get? Do you think Rosenior's side have enough to get a Champions League spot?

Get in touch with your views here

Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are monitoring Crystal Palace's 25-year-old France defender Maxence Lacroix. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, Blues defender Malo Gusto says Liam Rosenior is a "top manager" despite criticism following their recent poor form. (ESPN), external

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

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In the third and final part of Friday's Chelsea Q&A, we delve into what the Blues would deem a successful season and the Stamford Bridge redevelopment plans.

Dan asked: Once again we find ourselves at a bit of a disconnect with the club after recent performances and our unceremonious exit from Europe. How is this season currently being viewed by the board, as surely even if we scrape Champions League football it can't be deemed a success?

Nizaar answered: If you asked those in charge - from the ownership to the sporting directors to the former manager - what success looks like, they would say competing for trophies and securing a top-four or top-five finish to qualify for the Champions League.

The reality is that Chelsea need Champions League football to strengthen their financial position, particularly with a sub-par stadium. The club arguably face greater prestige-related pressure to qualify than Manchester United or Liverpool, particularly when it comes to attracting signings and sponsors.

They certainly wanted to either win a trophy or to come very close. Chelsea remain in the FA Cup and have Port Vale at home in the quarter-final.

However, the mid-season departure of Enzo Maresca and the appointment of Liam Rosenior was always viewed with some trepidation, as the club knew they might have to take one step back to take two forward, after being pushed into a managerial change they had hoped to avoid.

In my educated guess, I suspect that a top-four finish and an FA Cup semi-final would be considered a positive enough season to build on next year, when Rosenior has had a full pre-season to implement his ideas.

Dean asked: What's the latest on redeveloping Stamford Bridge or finding a new location? Things have gone very quiet and this was meant to be a priority for the owners. Chelsea are being left way behind other clubs and this is also hurting revenue.

Nizaar answered: You're right that Chelsea are lagging behind other clubs in terms of revenue and stadium capacity - and the ground remains a major issue.

There is still some hope that the club could move to the Earl's Court development site, which is only a stone's throw from Stamford Bridge. There may be an opportunity, whether through political lobbying or financial incentives, to secure a plot of land on the wider site and build a stadium there.

Those in control of the development deny this is possible, but Chelsea's position is essentially to wait and see.

It isn't an ideal time to build a major stadium in England, given the interest rates and the rising cost of materials, particularly in one of the most expensive areas of London, so I have some sympathy for the lack of progress.

But it is also fair to say that delivering a new stadium was front and centre of the 2022 takeover bid.

Scroll down this page for parts one and two of Nizaar's Q&A.

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Nizaar Kinsella has been answering some of the questions you have sent in about Chelsea during the international break.

Jacob asked: With the speculation that Enzo Fernandez is being eyed up by the likes of Real Madrid, how big a loss would he be and who would be a suitable replacement for such a key player?

Nizaar answered: First of all, I am inclined to say he will stay at Chelsea, particularly if they qualify for the Champions League next season.

Enzo Fernandez would be a significant loss, given he is almost always available and is behind only Joao Pedro for goal involvements in all competitions this season. His ability to operate as both a number six and a number 10 underlines how difficult he would be to replace.

There are likely to be several midfielders on the market this summer, potentially including England internationals Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton.

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Lorne asked: At what stage of the project under this ownership group do Chelsea target to compete and win the Premier League?

Nizaar answered: I suspect Chelsea's ownership would have hoped to be much closer to winning the Premier League by now, having owned the club for almost four years since their 2022 takeover. That would suggest they have been less successful than they expected.

However, when you speak to those involved, they genuinely believe they will compete for the Premier League title in time, even if they recognise that other clubs hold advantages and that closing the gap has proved difficult.

Come back to this page later for the final part of our Chelsea Q&A

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We asked you to put some questions to our Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella during the international break.

In the first part of Friday's Q&A, the focus is on Chelsea's academy prospects.

Chris asked: A few years ago it seemed like we had a good bunch of academy players coming through, especially when Frank Lampard was somewhat forced to utilise them. Are there any exciting prospects coming through? The youth we're currently buying seem so far from the standard we require.

Nizaar answered: It is worth looking at forwards Shim Mheuka and Jesse Derry, who have scored 23 and 12 goals in 30 and 29 games respectively.

Also, 17-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen has been outstanding in under-18s football and he still looks like one of the strongest attacking players at under-21 level.

Reggie Walsh, who was "loved" by former boss Enzo Maresca, continues to perform well. Mahdi Nicoll Jazuli, who is 16 years old, also looks highly promising - and keep an eye on 16-year-old Reggie Watson.

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Shaun asked: Is there any possibility that the performance of the sporting directors is under review?

Nizaar answered: It is something I've looked into before, but there has never been any indication they would be reviewed for what fans increasingly see as underperformance.

They would argue that they have reduced the wage bill, balanced the books and still won a couple of trophies last season.

They felt they were making progress under Maresca, but his decision to effectively walk away left them taking a backward step before they could move forward again.

People inside Chelsea believe they have recruited well in many areas, with some wastage inevitable at a big club.

As for the sporting directors, I know a section of the fanbase is frustrated with certain signings and with the club not pursuing some big-name targets. However, Chelsea are now extremely disciplined on wages and remain satisfied with the people in charge.

Keep across this page on Friday for parts two and three of Nizaar's Q&A, which will focus on subjects such as Enzo Fernandez's future and stadium plans.

Helena Calil
BBC Sport

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In and out of the team after making his Chelsea debut on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season, Estevao's big moment came against Liverpool in October.

On as a 75th-minute substitute, he scored a last-minute winner to beat the champions. Even Enzo Maresca ran to embrace him.

"A classic moment. He comes on and scores a goal like that, it shows a lot of personality," said Juninho.

More big moments followed. Arguably the biggest yet came in a Champions League tie against Barcelona - and Lamine Yamal - just one month later.

It was billed as the battle of the two teenage wonderkids - and for once it was the Spain winger who found himself overshadowed, cast out of the spotlight.

Collecting a pass from Reece James, Estevao cut inside, turned Alejandro Balde inside out and then sent a rasping drive into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

But it was so much more than just the goal - Estevao played as if it were nothing more than a children's kickabout.

That lightness comes from his upbringing.

"His father always told him that, to become a professional, he would have to give up a lot of things. His childhood, in the end, took place on the pitch," said Serginho.

"He has always been passionate about playing in a full stadium. For him it has always felt very natural. Why? Because he is happy. He plays with happiness, he plays smiling.

His father's advice was simple: responsibility with joy.

Estevao's talent has been attracting attention since very early on.

"The fence around the pitch would be packed with people just to watch him train. On matchdays, people came from outside the region. Since he was little, he drew a crowd," says Juninho.

Before his move to Chelsea, the academy was even overrun.

"He walked in while we were training and people from outside started coming in, faces I had never seen in my life," added youth team coach Juninho.

"We had to take him into the office and close the door because there were so many people inside."

Read the full story of Estevao's journey to the top

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

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Cesar Azpilicueta will forever be remembered as an all-time Chelsea great by the club's supporters.

Making over 500 appearances and winning nine major honours in his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard transitioned from being a back-up right-back to one of the club's most successful players - all with the help of a sleep coach.

Dr Vinay Menon was brought to Chelsea by former owner Roman Abramovich and spent nearly 14 years leading a recovery revolution at the club's Cobham training facility.

"Vinay, I will always be grateful for because he was a big part in my career, 100%," Azpilicueta told BBC Sport.

Although the Spaniard was among the main beneficiaries of Menon's work, it was three years prior to his £7m arrival where Indian sleep guru Menon first made his breakthrough.

"When I came into the football world Didier Drogba gave me the chance," Menon said.

"I still remember when we were having lunch, he asked me 'what you do?' and that he wanted to try. After that training, I never looked back. He was always a leader and he's a great guy, he supported me.

"Initially when I was doing it people were thinking: 'is Vinay doing some voodoo or something? People are coming to me and they are sleeping.'"

By the time Azpilicueta arrived from Marseille, fellow Spaniard Juan Mata had already spent a year working with Menon. Joe Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard and current Blues captain Reece James have all worked with Menon to improve their sleep and mental recovery.

"I used to have regular players who would come, sometimes as a group, but regular one-to-one sessions," Menon explained.

"They played much better with clarity and less injuries."

Read more here

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Newcastle United should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-0 win at Chelsea on 14 March, but it did not reach the threshold for a VAR intervention.

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel voted 4:1 that referee Paul Tierney should have pointed to the spot after Reece James held back Malick Thiaw.

However, it unanimously said that the VAR, Michael Salisbury, was right not to step in and tell the referee he had made a clear and obvious error.

The incident happened in the 34th minute with Newcastle already in the lead.

The KMI Panel noted that "James gets caught the wrong side and maintains contact".

It added that while both players were holding, "on balance the action of James was non-footballing and impactful".

Rangers could bank a record fee for Emmanuel Fernandez this summer with the 24-year-old attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. (TeamTalk), external

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Helena Calil
BBC Sport

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Having established himself in Palmeiras' first team, Estevao continued to attract attention - now from far beyond the borders of Brazil.

At the end of the 2024 Brazilian league season, after a match against Fluminense, he met Thiago Silva.

Fresh from ending a four-year spell at Chelsea, Silva told BBC Sport about their conversation - and the message he decided to give him.

"The experience of playing for Chelsea and living in London will be unforgettable for me and for my family," he said.

"I told Estevao that the club likes to work with and develop young players and that he could use that to make the most of the opportunity."

Estevao and his family felt the club genuinely wanted him, believed in his potential and were offering a clear pathway for his development - something especially important for a player so young.

"I kept telling him that English football is one of the most competitive there is," said owner of his first youth team Serginho. "Estevao does not back down. I knew he would adapt."

Phelipe Leal, who coached Estevao with Brazil's youth national teams and gave him his first under-17 call-up, agrees: "The natural route is usually Barcelona or Real Madrid. But Chelsea had a clear project based on signing young players.

"It was the perfect match."

In June 2024 Chelsea announced the signing of Estevao - but he would stay in Brazil for another season before making his move.

The year between agreeing that move and completing it was not without its bumps. At the start of 2025, Estevao missed a decisive penalty against Corinthians, Palmeiras' biggest rivals.

The moment hit him hard.

Writing for The Players' Tribune, he revealed that after the game he received a message on Instagram from Neymar, his childhood idol, who told him to keep his confidence, that he would miss many more penalties in his career, that it was part of the game - and that what really matters is how he reacts.

Neymar finished by telling him that he would be "the next genius of Brazil".

Read the full story of Estevao's journey to the top

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, 24, says he has no intention of leaving the club after the Ecuador international was linked with Real Madrid. (El Chiringuito TV, via Standard), external

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We want you to send in your questions on the Blues for our Chelsea reporter.

Use the link below and we'll put them to Nizaar Kinsella.

Come back to the page on Friday to find his replies.

Get in touch with your question here

Helena Calil
BBC Sport

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One of Estevao's first chapters began on a dirt pitch in the interior of Brazil, about 250 miles (400km) from Sao Paulo.

In the city of Franca, a three-year-old Estevao was already trying to join a local football school.

The problem was that the youngest age group started at five. His father, Ivo Goncalves, asked the owner for a chance - and that was how Sergio Freitas, known as Serginho, gave Estevao the first football opportunity of his life.

Chelsea fans have been saying much the same ever since Estevao, now 18, arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

From the start, Estevao attracted attention - and discomfort.

"Stop being a coward and take Estevao off, it's not fair," rival parents would complain.

"He was far superior to the others. So we took him off so it didn't look bad for the other children. Then we moved him up an age group, under-nine, under-11, and he stood out just the same," said Adair Junior, one of his first coaches and better known as Juninho.

Self-imposed pressure has always been part of who he is. After training, he stayed behind working on fundamentals with his father, a former goalkeeper for a local team.

"Ivo was a goalkeeper, but he always struck the ball really well and demanded the same from Estevao," recalled Serginho.

"And Estevao has always been a perfectionist. They'd hang a bib in the top corner of the goal and tell him he had five shots to knock it down. Until he did, he wouldn't stop, even if we asked him to."

The 'terrao' - essentially a dirt pitch - where he grew up completed his football education.

His tight control was a skill also shaped against the first 'defender' he ever faced - a rottweiler.

"Estevao would play with the ball, the dog tried to get it, and he'd keep dribbling past the dog," said Serginho.

"Try playing with a dog - it'll take the ball off your feet."

Read the full story of Estevao's journey to the top

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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After a fourth defeat in a row, Liam Rosenior said this international break had arrived at a good time for his players. It is easy to see why.

The group look exhausted, bereft of confidence and reeling like a punch drunk boxer. They can't get any worse, so a brief pause can only do them good.

Even the most reliable players in the team are at their limit or beyond it - Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah injured, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez physically spent, Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer struggling for anything near their usual influence in games.

The two weeks to take a breath should help, but there are downsides too. The rising wave of criticism of Rosenior reached a frenzy after the capitulation against Everton on Saturday and it now has a fortnight to soak in.

It is a football truism that you want to go into these international windows on a high. Going into them after four damaging defeats with largely terrible performances is the exact opposite.

Following the Everton game, the manager spoke about how he and his staff would be spending the time without games working on analysing what has gone wrong. That is all well and good - the problem is that it feels likely that their conclusions about the problems this team has are going to need solutions far bigger than those they can provide in a short period.

They can't fix the fact they have two bad goalkeepers, no elite central defenders, an exhausted midfield and an erratic attack in a few training sessions next week. Nor can they undo years of misguided squad building. They might think up some tweaks that helps the team improve, but it will likely be too little, too late for Champions League qualification in any case.

A season that started with real promise has quickly turned as sour as any in recent memory.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

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We asked for your views on whether the international break will help or hinder Chelsea's chances of getting their season back on track after a poor run of form.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: I feel the break has come at the perfect time for Rosenior. Hopefully he will take the time to decide what is the best XI he can field at present and stick with it to the end of the season, barring injuries, to try to secure a Champions League spot. Not too much tinkering or rotation, let's get a settled side and stop these dreadful performances of late!

Peter: Neither. Only the academy players and those not called up will be available to train. Internationals will be away on duty, the manager has no real opportunity to address the obvious issues and enforce his methods, if he of course knows what they are. Maybe the break will allow the manager to re-watch all the games he has been in charge of and understand that rotating your defence during a 90-minute game, coupled with rotating weekly, brings no stability. If we are going to settle we have to play a settled backline because, even if we lose games, they will finally gel. Your defence is the bedrock of the family.

James: The issues at the club run far deeper than anything an international break can fix. Yes it affords Rosenior time to work with those players not away but it is clear to see that what he is trying to implement just isn't working.

Ste: This international break is arguably the most important fortnight of our season. Rosenior and his backroom team need to nail their plans on how to address our immediate issues - finishing chances more clinically and defending set-pieces. Resolving those problem areas should give us the momentum we need to convert what is actually a promising position (one point off a probable Champions League place and an FA Cup quarter-final) into a decent season.

Keith: He needs to get the defensive problems sorted out quick, that's done with a settled one and not chopping and changing every match.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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I will admit to being spoiled rotten at the weekend. I was co-commentating at the Everton v Chelsea game on radio, but I was also there as a guest in the Everton boardroom pre-match and post-match.

Everton are a very classy club that treats their former players with stunning kindness and respect. Tim Cahill and Yakubu were also at that sumptuous dining table, though they did not have my split loyalties and were both delighted with Everton's rout of Chelsea. We did share our surprise, however, at Chelsea's performance - or lack of!

Last week, I wrote about the lack of experienced leaders in the Chelsea side and this was a comment repeated by just about every ex-player I met. I was down at Stamford Bridge for the 3-0 (8-2 on aggregate) hammering by Paris St-Germain during the week and another bunch of former stars voiced their concerns about the same problem. When there is a lack of team spirit, desire and cohesion, you need leaders.

That may not be the entire problem though - you do not know for sure unless you are in the dressing room. It could simply be exhaustion because of too many games and facing an Everton side who had not faced the European champions during the week, or indeed anyone.

There is the long-term fatigue we all predicted from playing in the Fifa Club World Cup with two tough Premier League seasons either side of it.

Some others did suggest that maybe a few of the players just were not "having" the new manager, Liam Rosenior. David Moyes' Everton certainly fought harder man for man than Liam's Chelsea, but this is little more than guesswork. Could it be just down the catalogue of injured players? That would tie in with overworked theory.

Maybe too many of those young Chelsea players bought at a huge cost and given mightily long contracts are not improving in the way they were expected to. This can, and regularly does, happen in football.

The club's fans and owners will hope and pray that the cause of their problems is not all of the above.

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Chelsea's owners will give their backing to head coach Liam Rosenior even if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League. (Mail+ - subscription required), external

However, Como boss and former Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas is among Rosenior's potential replacements should the Stamford Bridge club decide to make a managerial change. (Teamtalk), external

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