Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The latest centre-back to roll off the Cobham production line is Tayo Subuloye.

Levi Colwill and Josh Acheampong are in Xabi Alonso's first-team squad while Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori and Trevoh Chalobah are among the former Chelsea academy products to be excelling elsewhere.

Now Subuloye, 18, is knocking on the door of the first team, having trained in Alonso's group before the 3-0 defeat to Brentford.

Subuloye featured heavily in a pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, getting 179 minutes of game time.

The 6ft 5in defender played in front of 80,000 fans against Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney and completed 90 minutes in Malaysia in a fiercely contested 3-3 draw with local champions Johor Darul Ta'zim.

It was his reward for captaining Chelsea's Under-18s to the southern and national titles, while also featuring for the title-winning Under-21s after becoming captain of the club's senior academy age group at the start of the 2026-27 season.

The Sussex native began his football journey by playing at youth level for non-league side Eastbourne Borough, alongside elite academy All Stars.

He attracted interest from academies including Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham, but opted for a more local move to Brighton at Under-10 level.

Two years later, at Under-12 level, Chelsea showed interest again and Subuloye decided to make the switch.

He started out as a midfielder but Chelsea converted him into a defender - and that sort of versatility is often associated with the successful graduates of the club's academy.

During pre-season, the vocal youngster played across the back line.

An England youth international, he is also eligible to represent Nigeria through his parentage. Academy staff have also been impressed by his work off the pitch, with the defender achieving an A* in business studies alongside a successful season.

In a recent club interview, Subuloye said of his involvement with the first team: "It was good exposure for me - because that's where I ultimately want to be."

Under contract until 2030, Subuloye has internal backing as he targets his competitive Chelsea debut, following on from fellow academy graduates Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Reggie Walsh, who also heavily featured in pre-season.

It could well be that this season a loan move helps him make the step to Chelsea's first team, as it did with Colwill, Chalobah and Tomori before him.

Image source, Handout

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on whether Chelsea are too easy to play against - and if so, who should be starting instead for the Blues.

Here are some of your comments:

Mathew: Chelsea have the attacking power, but they don't have the defending power. It is still leaky and I strongly believe Chelsea need an experienced defender to lead. I am pleased that they brought in Emiliano Martinez, but to have clean sheets the defence needs improving. The attackers need to help the defence too. Once everyone is working together, everything will click. I believe in Xabi Alonso, I truly think he will win trophies, but the board needs to see that players are still needed.

Gillian: We certainly need improvements in defence. I'd like to see Josh Acheampong in the line-up as he seems to be more clued-up than some. Also, I would like to see more of Estevao, or I can see him leaving.

Osman: I still believe Maxence Lacroix isn't that good. When you start buying players from small clubs you end up with a comical defence.

Vinny: As much as I like to see youth players like Levi Colwill coming through, sadly he has never shown any consistency and always looks to have a couple of mistakes in him per match. Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, Malo Gusto and Romeo Latvia are too inconsistent/injury prone and have had enough opportunities to make positions their own without impressing. We need a proper left-footed centre-back, two holding midfielders, a new right-back and some leaders in the John Terry mould before we'll be back challenging.

James: Chelsea are too easy to play against from a defensive aspect. We know the strength in attack, but that gets cancelled out by those at the back. Whilst the blame can't solely be placed on Martinez, I thought he was going to be an upgrade on Robert Sanchez - but so far this hasn't been the case. That said, those in front of him have not helped the cause. This makes selling Trevoh Chalobah all the more puzzling.

Chelsea's Xabi Alonso as well as Roberto de Zerbi of Tottenham are in an "impossible position" this season, believes The Observer's Rory Smith.

The managers took charge of their clubs in the spring and oversaw a lot of activity in the transfer window, with Chelsea and Spurs ending the summer as the second and third-highest spenders respectively.

Smith says the changes to their squads is why Alonso and De Zerbi need time to build coherence in their sides.

"We're kind of asking them to do something impossible," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"The Premier League spends July and August pumping three-and-a-half billion pounds around Europe to buy all of these players and then on 1 September it's like 'right, we want to see coherent football teams immediately'. It doesn't work like that.

"Football's about connections and relationships and understanding and the reason none of those teams have any is because they're constantly full of new players. It seems really obvious.

"It strikes me the managers are in an impossible position because as soon as the results don't come, the easy thing to do is sack them, but the real problem is we're asking them to build coherent sides instantly out of all of these random resources."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

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Chelsea fan Savage Dan believes Xabi Alonso has a lot of work to do over the international break to improve this Blues side.

After their 3-0 defeat by Brentford on Friday, Dan said: "There are some players that I never, ever, ever want to see in a Chelsea shirt again.

"Xabi Alonso, what on earth was that? What was I watching out there? That team is not a Chelsea team.

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Some players over the years have shown you - [Wesley] Fofana has six clean sheets."

"You need to do 70 hours of work this week.

"We are so easy to play against."

Are Chelsea too easy to play against? If so, why? And who do you think should be in the starting line up?

Get in touch with your views here

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Newcastle defender Tino Livramento have pulled out of England's squad for forthcoming Nations League matches.

Everton midfielder James Garner and Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White have been called up by manager Thomas Tuchel and will join the squad on Tuesday.

Tuchel said on Friday that 26-year-old Gibbs-White, who has six international caps, was close to being included in the initial squad.

Palmer had been recalled by Tuchel after being controversially left out of England's World Cup squad, but has withdrawn with a minor injury.

Mainoo and Rashford were assessed by their club after being taken off in the closing stages of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham.

Rice, who played the full game for Arsenal in their 3-0 defeat by Brighton, will also be unavailable to Tuchel, along with Livramento, who has been limited to three substitute appearances for Newcastl this season.

Like Gibbs-White, Garner - who made both his two senior England appearances in March - comes in after not being selected for the 2026 World Cup.

Chelsea are competing to sign 15-year-old Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel, who wants to leave Old Trafford and has been linked with a move to Real MadridandBarcelona.

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League game between Brentford and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Campbell: Fantastic win; Damsgaard outstanding, Keane Lewis-Potter was also very good. Took on and beat Chelsea in midfield and never reverted to a low block; a clear sign of the development of the team under Andrews.

Vivek: Brilliant game from the Bees. I think that we had conviction and shut down Chelsea really well and when we did, we found gaps and space for counters which is a strong point for us. Brilliant game and evening if you're a Brentford fan and I hope we see more.

Conor: Wow, wow, wow, just wow!! What a beautiful game of football. Schade on form is massive to see, Thiago's first league goal, incredible and Carvalho. Who says Brentford are the only team yet to get to Europe? The season is only getting started. My blood pressure has shot through the roof.

Sampson: Absolutely incredible performance last night. A deserved win, with most players having a great game, especially Damsgaard, Schade and Schuster. Bring on Villa!

Chelsea fans

Richard: All I have heard of the last three years is about the process, fed up with it tbh. When is this going to be sorted? We need to be braver going forward, and not be bullied like we were in the second half. I couldn't believe that second-half performance, so many players weren't at it. We had a decent first half to be fair. It needs to be sorted, and that's down to the management to get it right - no more excuses.

Alan: This was just about the worst match I've seen this season. The defence was a total unorganised mess with no leader. Lacroix was hopeless and Colwill ran circles round himself. As for Martinez, you can see why he was cheap to buy. Henderson played well for his first game back after injury, but where was James? It was a poor night for Palmer. He will need to be better than this to keep his England place. If we are going to win anything, a major sort out at the back is needed.

David: Chelsea were shown on the night the difference between a team of players that play with heart and a desire to win and a team of so-called skilful individuals who were second best and bullied off every ball. We are easy to beat.

Ash: So poor and zero cutting edge. The fact we are playing old men showed and these should be subs, not starters. Alonso needs to get a grip on the defence as they are easily the worst in the Premier League. The break actually helps somewhat as something needs to change and they can work on it.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea signed a striker from Brighton for the second successive summer, bringing in Danny Welbeck to reunite him with Joao Pedro and provide support in attack.

Welbeck, 35, was tidy in possession but, with little service, managed only 17 touches before being substituted in the 71st minute.

Unlike Joao Pedro, who is capable of creating chances for himself, Welbeck found it difficult to influence the game in the same way.

Joao Pedro came into the weekend with the most goal involvements in the Premier League, having scored three and provided three assists in four appearances this season.

His impact extends beyond goals and assists, with the Brazilian linking well with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Against Brentford, however, Rogers arguably produced his quietest performance since arriving from Aston Villa in the summer.

Before Brentford's opener, it was a closely contested match that appeared likely to be decided by the first goal. Chelsea, however, made victory a certainty for the hosts with a dramatic collapse.

Xabi Alonso has not managed to cure Chelsea's set-piece weaknesses. They have conceded 23 goals from set-pieces since the start of last season - no Premier League side has let in more. And Anthony's simple header from a corner took this season's total to five.

Asked about Chelsea's defending from set-pieces, stand-in captain Levi Colwill told Sky Sports: "Not good enough. At times we have been bullied in the box and we definitely need to improve.

"We have full trust in our set-piece coach and are still adjusting to new ideas, but we need to improve as a team."

Like many of his predecessors, Alonso has been attempting to instil a stronger competitive edge within his squad and improve the mentality of his players.

That issue has often been linked to the relatively young age profile of the squad, but Chelsea fielded their oldest starting XI since May 2023. Jordan Henderson, in making his debut on Friday, lined up alongside fellow over-30s Welbeck and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

"I would say that we have dropped our consistency and our competitive mentality in the second half. We know that small details can be decisive," Alonso said after Brentford added two late goals.

It is also fair to say Alonso is still experimenting with systems and personnel, and has yet to settle on a style of play that gives his side control throughout a match.

"It's not about looking for excuses," the Spaniard told Sky Sports. "We need to look at each other and know that we have to work and improve because there is still a long way to go."

After the initial excitement - and victories - provided by Alonso's attacking football, Chelsea head into the international break with serious questions to answer.

Read more here

Chelsea starting XI:

Emiliano Martinez: The Argentine did not face any clear chances or difficult set-pieces in the first half. There was little he could do about Brentford's opener. 6

Wesley Fofana: The Frenchman was a physical presence at the back and dealt well enough with Brentford's long balls but was taken off for Josh Acheampong in the 72nd minute. 6

Maxence Lacroix: He coped well with Igor Thiago for most of the match, winning the majority of his duels, but he gave the ball away for Brentford's second goal and he missed a clear chance in the dying moments. 4

Levi Colwill: A quiet match by his high standards after being left out of the England squad. 6

Pedro Neto: His well-struck effort was saved in the 10th minute. He was lively throughout, linking up well in attack and stretching Brentford with his pace. 6

Jordan Henderson: There were no signs of rust. After receiving some early boos, he settled into the game and looked a vocal leader on the pitch. He also put some good corners into the box. 7

Valentin Barco: On his first Premier League start, the Argentine impressed defensively and was more ambitious with his passing than Henderson. 6

Pep Chavarria: Produced some dangerous crosses and was tidy in possession. A largely positive display despite one piece of naive defending in the first half that led to a free-kick. 7

Cole Palmer: Undoubtedly Chelsea's best player on the night, with much of their attacking play going through him. However, he was unable to produce the decisive moment he craved, with a free-kick comfortably saved and few other clear opportunities. He also worked hard defensively. 7

Danny Welbeck: On his first Premier League start for Chelsea, the 35-year-old created a chance for Neto but did not do enough to compensate for the absence of injured striker Joao Pedro. His 72nd minute withdrawal said a lot. 5

Morgan Rogers: Had a dangerous effort blocked in the penalty area just before half-time. The club-record £117m signing could also have done more to win the header at the back post for Brentford's opener. He ended the match playing up front as a striker. 5

Chelsea substitutes:

Josh Acheampong (on 72, Fofana): It was unclear why Acheampong came on when he did and, as a young defender, didn't make much impact in these circumstances. 6

Geovany Quenda (on 72, Welbeck): Impressively got on the ball often and tried to make something happen for Chelsea but without any results. 6

Estevao Willian (on 87, Neto): N/A

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (on 87, Barco): N/A

Subs not used: Penders, Gusto, Hato, Lavia, Gittens

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso speaking to MOTD: "Everything was disappointing especially the result but we can do better. We must do better. 45 minutes we were competing well, but in the second half we dropped, and conceded the three goals. You need to be very focused, and once you concede from set-pieces, it gives them an advantage and control because once you concede the second goal it becomes much harder and we lost a little bit of our discipline when we were close to the box. We have to correct, it was our mistakes."

On Chelsea not creating opportunities: "First half we were around but not creating big chances. We missed the last pass, the last dribble to get shots in clear positions, but that's one part. The other part is when you need to hold, when you need to be tight, [the opponent] is trying to attack you and you need to know how to defend and stick together. Win duels and be consistent in that part."

On if defensive improvements needed after the international break: "It's everything but for sure individual and collective details will have to be better, but it's not only defensively, with the ball there are parts where we need to do better."

On the break: "It is what it is. Now we will have time with some players, but we can't change that."

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill speaking to Sky Sports: "It was tough. Firstly conceding a set piece was not the best, we tried to push and maybe overexposed ourselves, played some passes we shouldn't and they hit us on the counter, and got the second goal and the third goal hit home and hurt. Second half we weren't good enough and we have a lot to work on in the international break."

On five goals conceded from set pieces: "Not been good enough. At times we have been bullied in the box, we need to definitely improve with that. We have got all trust in our set piece coach and still adjusting to new things. We do need to improve as a team.

"I don't think spirit went down. It hurt and we tried to push for equaliser and we got hit on the counter attack. I don't think our spirit dropped.

"We still need to improve a lot. We can't rely on our front three to pull us out of danger. The rest of us have to help as much as possible. We definitely have a lot of room to improve."

Did you know?

• Chelsea's Xabi Alonso is only the sixth manager to see his side concede 2+ goals in each of his first five games as a Premier League manager, after Mick McCarthy, Sammy Lee, Terry Connor, Slavisa Jokanovic, and Scott Parker.

• Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli became the first player born in 2010 to play in the Premier League, while he was also the first 16-year-old to play for Chelsea in the competition.

• Chelsea have now lost more Premier League matches in 2026 than they did in the entirety of 2025.

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

After such a positive start to the campaign with back-to-back wins and goals aplenty, things have quickly got tricky for Chelsea.

It is now three league games without a win, seven goals conceded in that time and 12 in total this season – plus another three in the Carabao Cup.

With those defensive concerns in mind, Alonso brought in Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco to shore up the midfield, and for an hour it worked.

The pair were booed throughout by the Brentford fans, Henderson as a former Bees player and Barco for his antics with Argentina at the World Cup, but did a good job of winning their battles and looking after the ball.

But that added solidity seemed to come at the expense of the attacking verve that has been so evident early in the season.

Cole Palmer provided glimpses of his quality but the absence of the injured Joao Pedro was sorely felt, both before and after they fell behind.

For all they had Brentford penned in at 1-0, they struggled to create anything that could be considered a clear opportunity until the game was already lost while their frailties at the back resurfaced.

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

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies.

England boss Thomas Tuchel says the decision to include Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite over Chelsea's Levi Colwill in his England squad for the upcoming international break was as close as "51% on Jarrad".

Both left-footed central defenders were not included in this summer's World Cup squad after 2025-26 campaigns significantly disrupted by injury.

On Colwill, 23, who missed the entirety of the campaign with a serious knee injury but has started three of Chelsea's opening four Premier League games, Tuchel said: "He is very close. I have a very clear picture of what Levi can give to his team and to us, and about his strengths."

Branthwaite's hamstring problems limited him to just 10 Premier League appearances last season but the 24-year-old has played every minute of Everton's league games so far in 2026-27.

"I wanted to give Jarrad the chance. He was injured several times when we had the chance to call him up," Tuchel explained.

"Now he had a very good start with Everton and is also left-footed - it was just a 51% on Jarrad because I don't have a clear idea what he is about but I have a clear picture of what Levi can bring us."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia says he is finally reaping the rewards of his hard work, feeling "free" again and determined to "change the narrative" around him.

The 22-year-old is on the verge of enjoying his longest spell in the Chelsea side and, if he completes 60 minutes against Brentford on Friday, he will surpass his previous best run of 518 minutes without injury - including pre-season matches.

Such progress has been some time in the making.

Lavia made just one appearance in his first season at Stamford Bridge because of a serious hamstring injury. In his second campaign, he suffered a series of setbacks and missed 33 games - down from 42 games in his first season - before significantly improving his availability last term.

He featured in about half of Chelsea's matches in 2025-26, and has remained available throughout pre-season and the opening weeks of the new campaign.

"There is so much that goes on behind the scenes," Lavia told BBC Sport, adding that he has a checklist he likes to tick off to ensure he is in the best condition for any given match. "It is a big process, but we are doing well at the moment."

It has been about overcoming the mental toll of repeated setbacks and also avoiding becoming risk-averse.

"I've learned that you can always go further than you think you can," he said. "You can always push your limits."

Lavia's importance has only increased in Xabi Alonso's midfield, with Moises Caicedo limited to 14 minutes this season and Enzo Fernandez leaving for Manchester City.

"I really like being in my position and also being at this club," he added. "Having this responsibility isn't even pressure because it is just a privilege. I'm actually living the dream. This is what I've been training all these years for."

For Lavia, it is about ticking off milestones and enjoying the journey, both collectively and individually, after scoring his first Chelsea goal in a 4-3 win against Brighton.

"It was just a moment where I felt free," he explained.

Read the full article here

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Thomas Tuchel has named his squad for England's upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (Bournemouth).

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

Follow reaction and Tuchel's news conference here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Unbeaten Brentford host a Chelsea side struggling for consistency under manager Xabi Alonso.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into their meeting at Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night.

Brentford continued their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought Carabao Cup win at Reading on Tuesday. Next on their agenda will be a return to winning ways in the Premier League.

The Bees have turned into something of a draw specialist in the top flight, with 10 of their past 14 Premier League fixtures ending level, including three of four this season.

They have opened the scoring in all four matches before being pegged back in the past three, conceding late equalisers in 1-1 draws with both Leeds United and Sunderland.

And this fixture in particular tends to produce a stalemate. Brentford are winless in all five home London derbies against Chelsea in the Premier League, with the most recent four ending level.

If Brentford are to right that record, targeting set-pieces could be a useful strategy. Only Leeds have a higher expected goals tally from set-pieces this season, while Chelsea have the seventh-highest total against (1.57).

Chelsea's chaotic start under Xabi Alonso continued with a 2-2 draw with Hull City at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

They have let in 12 goals in five games against Premier League opposition this season, including the 6-3 EFL Cup win over Leeds, conceding at least twice in each of those matches.

Defensive issues, though, predate Alonso's arrival, with Chelsea failing to keep a clean sheet in the league since January.

The summer signing of goalkeeper Emi Martinez from Aston Villa was supposed to bring an element of calm to a vulnerable backline but only Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Coventry City have conceded more goals so far, while Chelsea are ceding clear opportunities to opposing teams.

They have faced the joint-most shots on target (26) of any top-flight side in 2026-27. Only winless Fulham have faced more big chances than Chelsea's 15, evidencing how open they can be to play against.

Like Brentford, Alonso's side have opened the scoring in all four league outings this season, so the result of this meeting may rest on who best manages going ahead.

Chelsea can take confidence from a good recent record in this fixture after going unbeaten in the past five meetings (W2, D3). They can also call on the services of the Premier League's most in-form forward to help continue that record.

Joao Pedro has scored three goals and assisted three in this season's Premier League, two more goal involvements than any other player.

Should the Brazilian falter on this occasion, Danny Welbeck is waiting in the wings. The 35-year-old has already scored three EFL Cup goals following his summer move from Brighton, but he is yet to open his account in the Premier League.

Welbeck, though, has scored in his past three Premier League meetings with the Bees.

Chelsea are free-scoring and their frontline is so dynamic, but they are leaking goals left, right and centre - and they are a bit of a rabble at the back.

I do think Chelsea will stop conceding eventually, but finding the right balance between defence and attack is Xabi Alonso's big problem at the moment. It is far too easy to create chances against his side.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has got that balance in his team. They are very dangerous on the counter-attack, so you have to think they will hurt Chelsea too.

This fixture finished in a 2-2 draw in September last year, and I can see it going the same way this time.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chelsea are keen to explore a £69m deal for Spain and Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, 24. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)

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

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