Chelsea Rumours 2

27 May 2026 18:24:41
You might get your wish, Tom. Reports that Gusto has asked to leave. Apparently he wants to be first choice RB and feels James is blocking that pathway at Chelsea. If that is the case, it’s another rat jumping overboard. Wonder if they’ll be disappointed when they realise the ship wasn’t sinking quite as fast as they thought.

27 May 2026 18:56:26
J, That would be good news but he will probably prove me wrong and be brilliant at another club.

Sell Fofana and I'm a happy old bunny!!

27 May 2026 19:59:28
Sell? Buy Gusto and you get Fofana free, is what I was thinking.

26 May 2026 07:45:58
ED01, any truth in the rumour that Oracle will be the new Chelsea FOS sponsor from next season? Thankyou for any information you may have.

{Ed001's Note - it is not really my area, but I was told the new shirt would be launched soon with Oracle on the front. So it does seem to be true, but, like I said, it is not really my area and it might simply have been that my friend saw a mock up to try and attract an advertiser, rather than the final design.}

26 May 2026 10:22:19
That would be good news. A long term deal would be better than the two partial season sponsors and the in-house deal. 🤞

26 May 2026 12:48:44
Absolutely agree, Tom.

26 May 2026 13:16:26
Also, I wouldn't have a problem with the Stadium being branded "The Oracle Stadium."

26 May 2026 15:53:08
Let's not get carried away, Tom, we have to get a FOS first.

26 May 2026 07:24:40
Woke up this morning with two messages about players leaving.
Apparently Cucarella is going to Athletico Madrid (no shock) and Pedro will be sold for offers above €120m.

If that is the case, maybe Alonso is ok with Jackson and the lad we have signed from Strasbourg.

It's all just a bit fun. I love the rumours.

26 May 2026 17:43:27
Pedro is better than both.

21 May 2026 12:55:21
Rumour: City have been informed of the sanctions that will start for the 26/27 season.

1) A substantial points deduction.
2) A massive fine.
3) A transfer ban (not sure about this).

21 May 2026 13:26:23
It's a pity they weren't done for spying, Tom; the sanctions would probably have been much worse.

16 May 2026 18:24:21
If rumours are true my might has a massive payout due from the bookmakers. Apparently Alonso all agreed, four year contract.

I wasn't my first choice but I am happy with him as our new manager, if that makes sense.

I have some scouser mates who will be pi@@ed off. Strangely that makes me happy. 😇🤣.

16 May 2026 19:42:43
Tom

He was not my choice, and I would have had Iraola over him, but if he comes I will get behind him.

It will be interesting to see who he wants to get on and let go.

We need somebody who is consistent in scoring, and we definitely need creativity, not to mention a no1 GK and experienced CB to play alongside Levi.

16 May 2026 20:24:25
I honestly don't recall him buying success at Bl. He got one hell of a lot out of his players.

He generally played with three at the back, so that doesn't make me happy, but his team pressed as a unit and worked very hard without the ball.

16 May 2026 20:29:42
The way this season has gone, Tom, we can only hope for better.

17 May 2026 12:55:18
Forgot to say, Tom, congratulations to your mate for calling it.

Nice to see Alonso will be the manager and not a coach.

I did not agree with Maresca, but I wonder why they did not do the same for him.

17 May 2026 13:09:17
Bill, having a say in transfers, and I, personally, think Maresca was involved, doesn't mean a manager always gets what he wants.

My mate can now afford a round or two of drinks, and I won a couple of quid from him, as he said Alonso would be unveiled at Wembley.

16 May 2026 12:59:28
Xabi Alonso agrees terms!

I retire in 1 month so the slog of early mornings won't be as rough. Very excited to see who he wants signed and how we play.

16 May 2026 23:16:27
Congrats on retirement, mate! You mentioned you were in China. Is a return to aus back on the cards?

17 May 2026 00:15:12
It isn't, Standard. Retirement is only possible because of how well my wife's business is doing, and China is the key for that.

We will be traveling quite a bit, so will owe a few beers whenever we make it to London.

17 May 2026 10:37:42
Fair enough. Enjoy!

15 May 2026 09:13:28
Is this old news? Both Barcelona and Liverpool have asked about the availability of Neto.

15 May 2026 13:16:13
Tom

I dint think Liverpool would pay what we would want, and Barca certainly can't.

15 May 2026 13:25:06
Barca have a strange habit of getting the players they want, even though they can't afford them!

15 May 2026 14:14:46
Bet they wouldn't if clubs said to them, 'You have to pay the full amount upfront'.

08 May 2026 10:32:24
This from Matt Law and others.

Chelsea would like a CB to challenge Chalobah for the spot next to Colwill.
And would love to sell Fofana this summer.

A figure of £120m to even start a conversation around the sale of Palmer.

Chelsea looking at restructuring the midfield area.

Alonso, Iraola and Silva again mentioned as the 3 main candidates for next coach.

After missing out on Champions League qualification, the squad is set to lose significant bonuses next season.

Contracts include heavy UCL incentives:

Players on £200k/week could lose up to £2 million each annually.



A player on £100k/week stands to lose around £1 million.

Total squad impact: potentially over £50 million in reduced wage commitments which was very sensible to put in place and negates any financial issues over not qualifying for the Champions League but players will not be happy.

This comes amid a dismal season following the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Growing speculation of a major summer clearout.

I thought I would share.

08 May 2026 14:24:12
Thank you for your update, RPD.

08 May 2026 16:04:26
RPD, thanks as always mate.

08 May 2026 07:23:14
The Iraola to Palace rumours are growing, although some quarters in the press have moved to pour cold water over them. These have coincided with reports that Chelsea are showing willingness to meet some of Xabi Alonso's demands.

It would appear we're pressing on with Alonso as our preferred choice. If Iraola were to be confirmed as taking the Palace job, that would equally confirm that we're advancing in a different direction - likely an Alonso shaped direction. Although nothing Iraola related will be confirmed till the end of Bournemouth's season.

07 May 2026 16:43:24
I'm in Spain and out the blue I get a call from a season ticket mate telling me that Cucarella is leaving and we have asked Newcastle about taking back Lewis Hall. Apparently we had a sell on clause that effectively means we would get a discount.


I was gutted when we sold him as I saw him as a player who could play in two positions. He would have been brilliant as in inverted FB.

07 May 2026 17:05:13
I will believe Cucurella leaving when it's official, but my question is why would Hall come back.

07 May 2026 17:14:32
I guess if Cucarella leaves, he would be certain to get games.
I think if I was him, I would come back, but then I'm a tad biased.

It's only a rumour, along with all the others that will do the rounds. Some bloke called Sangare is also being mentioned. Apparently a very solid DM.

I love the rumours.

07 May 2026 18:06:25
Yep, never should have sold Hall, or the plethora of other talent we've sold off.

07 May 2026 18:18:37
Standard, I have virtually not wanted us to sell any of our academy players. Some have turned out to be poor sales, but some have proved to be the correct decision.

It's very easy with hindsight, and it's very easy for me to say "sell none of them", but not practical.

08 May 2026 09:26:23
We would be a better team if we sold none of them and bought 1 player a season instead. We'd be a lot richer too, with money to build a stadium or grow in another way. That's all been thrown down the toilet.

08 May 2026 16:11:29
Standard, mistakes have been made and been acknowledged.
I made my observations on the owners and the process years ago. I was happy enough with our progress last season, and at the time it seemed like the majority of fans were as well.


This season has been very disappointing, but we might still win a pot. That will only paper over my disappointment, but I think, with the correct manager in place, we can be challenging for titles yet again.