Welcome to football.london's live coverage of Mauricio Pochettino's pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend's clash with West Ham United.
Chelsea kicked off their Premier League campaign last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. There were plenty of positives to take from the stalemate in west London in what was Pochettino's first competitive game in charge of the Blues.
Since then, plenty has happened. Chelsea completed the British transfer record signing of Moises Caicedo earlier this week and the Ecuador international is now set to be included in the squad for the trip to the London Stadium on Sunday. They have also completed the signing of Romeo Lavia from Southampton, in a move worth around £58million.
However, there was some bad news on Thursday as we learned that Reece James has suffered yet another injury. We are set to hear more on that news from Pochettino at Cobham.
That, and much, much more, are on their way. You can stay right here – all you have to do is scroll down – for everything the Chelsea head coach has to say ahead of the Blues' second Premier League fixture of the season against West Ham.
Who gets into your starting XI vs West Ham? Pick your team below...
We will have a full transcript online soon. Stay tuned.
We need to assess them. They have been stressful weeks for Moises and Romeo. We don't need to rush with them. If they are ready tomorrow, they will be involved. If not, we will wait a few days more.
Nothing has changed at the moment. Nothing has changed. Maybe it can change in one or two hours, one day or two but at the moment there is nothing to inform.
That the competition is really tough. The tempo is amazing. It's higher than any other competition in Europe and the world. The time of recovery is completely different. It's the most difficult competition in the world.
Yes. 22, 23 players, plus three, four or five players. Yesterday we used some young players from the academy and I was very surprised and happy. Maybe we can add some players, but this number (22/23) is perfect at the moment.
It's going to be tough. We know how they are going to play. It's always going to be tough because all the Premier League games will be difficult. They have a very good team and are doing a great job.
You need to be strong like a coach, but at the same time you can be friendly, honest, tough and in the way I think we can approach today, the people, the young guys, these guys could be my kids, you know? It's important nowadays to understand the psychology of the players.
I am not happy with this (laughs)!
That is the players' decision. They decide to come here. I think it's not a competition, it's the player's decision to join us. It makes us happy and they talk very highly about our owners.
It's a hamstring. It's not a few days, a few weeks maybe.
That is a good question because we are thinking of that. We are exploring all of the situations and possibilities on the market. The club will assess all the options.
We are working of course. Seeing all of the options we can manage on the market. I think at the same time, we are keeping one or two eyes on Armando Broja. We cannot forget him, we cannot stop him. We really believe in him. He can be a really important striker for Chelsea and we need to be careful. It's a big disappointment, the situation with Christoph to help Nico Jackson to score goals but that is football and we need to accept that situation.
He is going to come back stronger than he was.
I think it's a sad moment because he's our captain, he was so excited to be the captain, full of energy. We are going to assess him day by day.
Of course the club works really hard. The owners, the sporting directors, the job was amazing. To add this kind of player, it's fantastic work from the club. It shows the work the owners and sporting directors are doing.
I think we all know him, his quality, his profile. He's the perfect player for this project. We are excited and happy to add him in the squad.
The Chelsea head coach has arrived. Updates to follow...
We're due to hear from Mauricio Pochettino very soon. The Chelsea head coach is scheduled to speak to us from 1pm (UK time).
Chelsea's co-sporting directors have expressed their collective delight at Romeo Lavia joining the club on a long-term contract.
In an interview with the Blues' official website, Stewart and Winstanley revealed that the club had been monitoring Lavia's development for a 'some time'. They said: "We are very pleased to welcome Romeo to Chelsea..."
Nottingham Forest would seek £50million for Brennan Johnson with Chelsea interested in the attacker, sources have told football.london.
The 22-year-old, who scored eight goals and provided three assists in his debut Premier League season last time out, has emerged as a possible option for Chelsea. The Blues were dealt a big blow on Thursday as Michael Olise committed his future to Crystal Palace despite the west Londoners triggering a £35million release clause in his contract at Selhurst Park.
Chelsea captain Reece James has picked up a fresh hamstring injury, according to recent reports.
Following Cesar Azpilicueta's departure to Atletico Madrid this summer, James was chosen to captain the west London club by new manager Mauricio Pochettino. The England international played during his side's Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday, a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea confirm Reece James is 'starting rehab having undergone assessments on an injury sustained in training this week'. We'll hear more from Mauricio Pochettino in around 45 minutes' time. #CFC pic.twitter.com/ojjBcPW0MF
Michael Olise has signed a new contract at Crystal Palace, club chairman Steve Parish has confirmed on social media yesterday.
Chelsea, football.london understands, paid Olise's £35million release clause earlier this week, but the 21-year-old has now seemingly agreed a new deal with the Eagles.
Club chairman Parish took to Instagram to say: "I’m absolutely delighted to announce @m.olise has decided to commit his future to Crystal Palace football club and this afternoon signed a new four year deal with the club."
In case you missed it: Romeo Lavia has offically signed for Chelsea on a seven-year contract.
After snubbing interest from Liverpool, the 19-year-old midfielder could be in the Blues squad for this weekend's game against West Ham United.
We are set to hear more from Mauricio Pochettino on Lavia very soon.
Hello and welcome to football.london's live coverage of Mauricio Pochettino's pre-match press conference ahead of West Ham United versus Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Stay tuned for live updates from Cobham as we hear from the Blues head coach on a whole variety of topics.
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