Snak

New signing among players to return a week early for pre-season training

New signing Tosin Adarabioyo was among the Chelsea players to have returned to pre-season training a week ahead of schedule according to journalist Nizaar Kinsella.

Adarabioyo was Chelsea’s first signing of the summer, and the 26-year-old arrived on a free transfer from rivals Fulham to bolster the club’s defensive options.

The Blues have been busy in the market and in addition to Adarabioyo they have signed Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, whilst a deal for Estevao Willian has been agreed, but the 17-year-old won’t arrive until 2025.
Adarabioyo among players to report back to training a week early

The Blues jet off to America for their pre-season tour later this month, and will play five games in five different cities as they ramp up their preparations for the new season.

Chelsea face games against Wrexham, Club America, Celtic, Manchester City and Real Madrid, in what should be good preparation for their first game of the new season against City at Stamford Bridge.

Kinsella has reported that although the formal start date for pre-season training is July 8th, some players have returned a week early, including Adarabioyo and the likes of Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah.

He adds that Enzo Maresca officially started work on Monday but training sessions are believed to have been informal fitness sessions as the Italian settles into the job.

Players that weren’t on international duty will start filtering back over this week, as preparations begin in earnest for the new season.

It’s great to see players returning a week early, especially a new signing and everyone will be looking to hit the ground running and impress Maresca with places in the starting line-up up for grabs.

Personligt er jeg (ligesom dig KO tror jeg nok) overrasket over, at man igen henter så mange spillere i et transfervindue, fremfor at bygge på med dem man har.

This interest is further corroborated by Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness, which reports that Arsenal have submitted a ‘monstrous proposal’ of €47 million for Calafiori’s services.

Despite the impressive offer, Bologna remain unconvinced and are holding out for more money. The Italian club’s starting request is around €50 million, largely because they must pay 40% of the profit from Calafiori’s sale to his former club, FC Basel. This financial obligation has made Bologna keen on maximizing the transfer fee.
Chelsea also remain keen on Riccardo Calafiori

The Gunners’ arch-rivals, Chelsea have also shown interest in Calafiori, adding another layer of competition for his signature. The Serie A outfit are pleased with the interest from both Premier League giants, hoping it will spark an auction that drives up the defender’s price. This strategic move aims to ensure Bologna meet their financial targets, especially given the significant percentage of the profit that will go to FC Basel.

Bologna have already rejected Arsenal’s initial €47 million offer, indicating they are firm on their valuation of the young centre-back. They are willing to negotiate, but only if Arsenal return with an improved bid or if Chelsea step up their pursuit. This situation puts pressure on both English clubs to either meet or exceed Bologna’s €50 million asking price to secure Calafiori’s transfer.

From absolutely nowhere, the idea that Ben Chilwell is up for sale emerged last night.

There had been no talk of this before, but suddenly it was all over the place. It’s all rather mysterious, and we’re curious what the thinking is behind this rumour.

A mystery with more twists to come

So what’s really going on? Why the sudden urge to sell Chilwell – or at least give the impression they’re selling him? There’s no pressing need to make money, nor is there a top tier target we want to make space for…. unless there is actually a top target the club are looking at behind the scenes, whose name just hasn’t yet hit the headlines.

To us, that feels like the most logical explanation for the sudden urge to sell a first team player without much warning. If concrete links to a left back start emerging in the weeks to come, the pieces will start to fall ingo place.

Or perhaps they’re just looking to get Chilwell’s £200k weekly salary off the books?

Either way, this news is an interesting twist in this summer, and one we expect to bring plenty more headlines.