chelsea fc us tour squad

• Transfer News
• Match Coverage
• Club History
• Coaching Staff
• Chelsea Squad
• Training Ground
• Trophy History
• Chelsea FC Women

Chelsea confirm 29-man squad for USA pre-season tour

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has named the 29 players he wants to work with during the team’s pre-season tour in the United States.

The Chelsea players have departed for Los Angeles, where they will spend the next week for a summer training camp, on Saturday.

Among last season’s first team members (Romelu Lukaku and Saul Niguez excluded), only N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have not made the travelling squad due to their vaccination status.

Several returning loanees; Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour, Ethan Ampadu, Michy Batshuayi, Emerson, Tino Anjorin, and Levi Colwill, also made the cut.

Next stop, L.A. 🇺🇸 [via iG: benchilwell] pic.twitter.com/9MMnZeh1fb — Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) July 9, 2022

Unfortunately, Ian Maatsen and Dujon Sterling, who took part in during pre-season at Cobham, did not get picked by Tuchel.

The manager, however, has included two academy stars; young goalkeeper, Teddy Sharman-Lowe and versatile midfielder, Harvey Vale.

There were other academy players involved in pre-season in the last week, such as Charlie Webster and Lewis Hall, but were not selected but Tuchel for the tour.

Chelsea’s official website also confirms that Armando Broja is not on the plane but could join up the squad next week.

The Blues will play their first pre-season game against Club America in Las Vegas, next week, 16 July.

They will then visit Charlotte FC’s Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday, 20 July, before facing Arsenal in Camping World Stadium in Florida on Saturday, 23 July, at the end of their tour.

The full Chelsea pre-season tour squad:

Goalkeepers

Kepa Arrizabalaga Marcus Bettinelli Edouard Mendy Teddy Sharman-Lowe

Marcos Alonso Ethan Ampadu Cesar Azpilicueta Trevoh Chalobah Ben Chilwell Levi Colwill Reece James Kenedy Emerson Palmieri Malang Sarr Thiago Silva

Midfielders

Ross Barkley Conor Gallagher Billy Gilmour Jorginho Mateo Kovacic Mason Mount Harvey Vale

Forwards Tino Anjorin Michy Batshuayi Kai Havertz Callum Hudson-Odoi Christian Pulisic Timo Werner Hakim Ziyech

Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Cookie banner

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy . Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use , which became effective December 20, 2019.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Follow We Ain't Got No History online:

• Follow We Ain't Got No History on Twitter
• Follow We Ain't Got No History on Facebook

Site search

• Chelsea Women
• Transfer Rumours
• Full Archive
• DraftKings Nation
• Community Guidelines

Filed under:

• Chelsea FC: Friendlies
• Chelsea FC: Players

Chelsea confirm 29-man traveling squad for USA Tour

A few surprises

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Chelsea confirm 29-man traveling squad for USA Tour

Chelsea flew out this morning to begin the USA Tour, heading to Los Angeles for a few days of training first, then to Las Vegas for a friendly against Club América, then over to the East Coast for games against Charlotte FC in Charlotte, NC and against Arsenal in Orlando, FL.

It’s going to be a hot one, with triple-digit temperatures awaiting the Blues at just about every destination — and as high as 110°F (43°C) in Vegas, even! — so appropriately a massive squad of 29 players have traveled, with a 30th, Armando Broja set to join up next week (contrary to some reports).

There are a few surprising absentees, including young Ian Maatsen, who has stayed behind presumably with a view towards a loan (not contrary to some reports), while neither N’Golo Kanté nor Ruben Loftus-Cheek have traveled “due to their Covid vaccination status”, according to the official website . The USA allows only US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents to enter the country unvaccinated.

The squad includes every other senior player, including those who had yet to return to Cobham after extended international duty last month. Players strongly linked with exits, such as Marcos Alonso, César Azpilicueta, Emerson Palmieri, or Hakim Ziyech have all traveled. A ton of returning loanees are there as well, including Ethan Ampadu, Levi Colwill, Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour, Tino Anjorin, and Michy Batshuayi. Youngster Harvey Vale gets to come along as well — unfortunately he’s the only one to come up straight from the Academy, with Dujon Sterling, Lewis Hall, Charlie Webster, Mason Burstow, Dylan Williams, et al. staying behind (though they might be coming with the U21s in a couple weeks).

The full 29-man traveling squad is as follows (not yet including Broja):

GOALKEEPERS: Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Mendy, Sharman-Lowe DEFENDERS: Alonso, Ampadu, Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Chilwell, Colwill, Emerson, James, Kenedy, Sarr, Silva MIDFIELDERS: Barkley, Gallagher, Gilmour, Jorginho, Kovačić, Mount, Vale FORWARDS: Anjorin, Batshuayi, Havertz, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech

More From We Ain't Got No History

• How should Chelsea line up against Spurs on Thursday?
• The Daily Hilario: Wednesday
• Chelsea deny meeting with Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim — report
• Liverpool vs. Chelsea, Women’s Super League: Preview, team news, how to watch
• The Daily Hilario: Tuesday
• Premier League to introduce generous ‘spending cap’ as part new squad cost rules — report

Loading comments...

Sign up for the newsletter sign up for the we ain't got no history daily roundup newsletter, thanks for signing up.

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

OneFootball's home page

Chelsea tour squad departs for USA | OneFootball

Tribal Football

· 9 July 2022

Chelsea tour squad departs for USA

Chelsea have named their squad for the preseason tour of the US.

Chelsea have set off on their preseason tour to USA where they will play a friendly against Club América in Las Vegas, then head to the East Coast for games against Charlotte FC in Charlotte, NC and against Arsenal in Orlando, FL.

OneFootball Videos

And the Blues have taken a strong squad with them for their travels - although in-demand Armando Broja could still join the group depending on what happens next with his future.

CHELSEA SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Mendy, Sharman-Lowe

DEFENDERS: Alonso, Ampadu, Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Chilwell, Colwill, Emerson, James, Kenedy, Sarr, Silva

MIDFIELDERS: Barkley, Gallagher, Gilmour, Jorginho, Kovačić, Mount, Vale

FORWARDS: Anjorin, Batshuayi, Havertz, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Werner, Ziyech

Tuttosport: Chelsea chasing Motta provides threat for Milan and Juventus

SempreMilan

Chelsea midfield maestro excited for “massive” derby against Tottenham

the Chelsea News

Moises Caicedo hails Chelsea 'machine' facing uncertain future ahead of transfer window

Evening Standard

Football transfer rumours: Man Utd ready £85m bid for Barcelona star; Sterling makes Chelsea decision

Former Chelsea player claims club have been accommodating defensively to 39-year-old

Mentioned in this article

MORE STORIES

The reason why Bellingham had a poor performance vs Bayern Munich

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich engaged in a thrilling 90-minute-long battle last night in Germany for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. The fixture saw some of Europe’s...

Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid: Player ratings as Champions League semi-final evenly poised after first leg

There was no separating Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as they drew 2-2 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Bayern Munich started better but it was Real Madrid...

Manchester United will step up their interest in Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, with the Red Devils ready to open talks over an £85m deal for the Uruguayan. (CaughtOffside) Barcelona are beginning...

Chelsea FC's Traveling Squad For USA Tour 

• Share on Facebook

Chelsea FC has announced their traveling squad for their USA tour and their eventual match-up against Charlotte FC. Some notable names are American international Christian Pulisic, Euro 2020 winner Jorginho, and not listed, new signing Raheem Sterling.

The traveling squad for the USA tour! #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/MLpdtI5zA9 — Chelsea FC USA - LA 🌴 (@ChelseaFCinUSA) July 9, 2022

CLTFC VS CHELSEA FC | July 20, 2022

The Crown vs. the Blues at Bank of America Stadium. Tickets are on sale NOW.

Related Stories

How to Watch & Listen: Charlotte FC vs Portland Timbers | Saturday, May 4th at 7:30PM | Watch FREE on MLS Season Pass

The Full Time Clip: Charlotte FC Fall Late at New York City FC 

Starting XI | New York City FC vs Charlotte FC

Match Preview: Charlotte FC at New York City FC 

Dean Smith Wants to Put Things "Right" Against New York City FC

Test of Character | Ingredients of the Match

How to Watch & Listen: Charlotte FC at New York City FC | Saturday, April 27 at 7:30PM | Watch Live on MLS Season Pass

Ashley Westwood: "We’ve had a reality check"

The Full Time Clip: Charlotte FC Lose at Home for the First Time in 2024 

Starting XI | Charlotte FC vs Minnesota United FC

Chelsea USA pre-season tour 2023: Full list of games, times and how to watch on TV

Chelsea news: The Blues will once more be touring the USA over the summer when they prepare for the new season

• 16:15, 6 JUL 2023

Sign up to the free Chelsea newsletter for the latest Blues news straight to your inbox

We have more newsletters

Chelsea will again travel to the USA this month as part of their pre-season schedule. The Blues spent the summer of 2022 in the United States under Thomas Tuchel but the trip did not go to plan.

Now, under Mauricio Pochettino, the west Londoners will prepare for the 2023/24 season Stateside after recording their worst finish in the Premier League last term.

The tour last year made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. "It's quite a challenge after change already the third time the location," Tuchel said. "A lot of travelling, another time zone, a totally different feeling of temperature, huge humidity, so very demanding for first training and the players are struggling with the heat.

"We give maybe more time and space to drink – more break – but we can’t hide from the fact we’re in pre-season and we have to, somehow, put kilometres into the legs. From this point, we don’t adapt."

Here, football.london brings you up-to-date with all the information ahead of Chelsea's tour of the USA.

Full fixture list

Wrexham (Kenan Memorial Stadium) - Wednesday, July 19 at 12:30am

Brighton & Hove Albion (Lincoln Financial Field) - Saturday, July 22 at 12:00am

Newcastle United (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) - Thursday, July 27 at 1:15am

Fulham (FedEX Field) - Sunday, July 30 at 7:45pm

Borussia Dortmund (Soldier Field) - Thursday, August 3 at 12:30am

How to watch

All of Chelsea's pre-season matches in the United States will be available to stream on the 5th Stand App and the club's official website.

Supporters will be able to watch the games for free. Broadcasting for each game will start 30 minutes before kick-off. Highlights of the games will be available on the same formats within two hours of the final whistle.

• Chelsea pre-season tour
• Mauricio Pochettino
• Most Recent

Sport | Football

Chelsea send Reece James for knee scan amid injury scare as four left out of USA tour squad

Reece James has had a precautionary scan on his knee, after feeling pain ahead of the start of pre-season earlier this week.

Chelsea expect positive news, but opted to do a scan before taking their star defender on a long-haul trip to the United States.

The 23-year-old hopes to overcome an injury-hit last season, in which he missed half of Chelsea's matches.

New Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to make James integral to his plans and hopes he can build his fitness through warm-up matches against Wrexham, Brighton, Fulham and Newcastle.

James should be able to play some part in Chelsea's busy three-week tour, which will help Pochettino's slimmed-down squad be ready to face Liverpool at home on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are not expected to make the Blues' squad, after being told they did not have to train this week, with a return date now set for Monday, when the team travels.

Chelsea hope those players, along with Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is training with the Under-21s, are sold before their return dates.

Chelsea remain in dialogue with Inter Milan over Lukaku, despite their disappointment at the latest £25.7m offer, while Fulham are confident of completing a deal for Hudson-Odoi.

Mauricio Pochettino holds Chelsea academy talks as bid to change club culture continues

Lauren James interview: I want to feel how Lionesses did last summer in making history for England

Reece James and Ben Chilwell back in pre-season training for Chelsea after injury problems

Frank Lampard sets out plan for return to management after dismal Chelsea spell

Chelsea injury update: Christopher Nkunku, Reece James and Levi Colwill latest news and return dates

Chelsea bounced back to earn a respectable 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa at the weekend.

After going down 2-0, the Blues showed good character to score two second-half goals and had a last-minute winner ruled out after Benoit Badiashile was judged to have committed a foul in the build-up. It was an especially important result after Chelsea were thrashed 5-0 by rivals Arsenal last week.

Talisman Cole Palmer returned for the game against Villa after missing the Arsenal trouncing, and should be fit for the season run-in. Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino again had to rely on a bench full of youth players at Villa Park after 12 of his senior stars were named on the injury report.

Several players returned to first-team training last week though, and Pochettino could get some much needed reinforcements as Chelsea hope to steal the last European spot as they face Tottenham in another London derby at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Here is the latest Chelsea injury news in full and return dates...

Thiago Silva

Silva suffered a groin injury against Aston Villa and is being assessed on Monday amid fears that he may have played his final game for the club, having now announced his expected summer departure from Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino said of the veteran Brazilian defender: “We need to assess Thiago Silva and see. It is a pain in his groin, I think it is similar to his injury at Crystal Palace.”

Potential return date: Unknown, pending further assessment

Gusto has been absent with a knee ligament injury since Chelsea’s 6-0 demolition of Everton two weeks ago.

Pochettino referred to it last week as a “minor problem” and said “I hope it is not a big issue." It’s still unclear when exactly the Frenchman will return. 

Potential return date: Unknown

Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez was recently ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on an ongoing hernia issue.

The Argentine will stay at Chelsea for his rehabilitation, and may be fit enough to return for the Copa America, which starts on June 20. 

Potential return date: Summer 2024

Carney Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka has struggled with knee injuries this season, and has only featured in 12 games across all competitions. The 20-year-old was deemed fit enough to feature off the bench against Everton, Sheffield United and Manchester United, but failed to make the matchday squad against Villa at the weekend. 

Pochettino said: “Carney feels something in his knee, related to his problem before. Hopefully it's not a big issue.”

Raheem Sterling

Sterling missed the matchday squad against Aston Villa with pain in his lower back. It’s unclear when he’ll return but it doesn’t seem to be a long-term issue.

Potential return date: May 2024

Ben Chilwell

Chilwell was absent against Arsenal and Aston Villa, after coming off the bench against Man City and Everton. He has not been fully fit since starting both friendlies for England in late March. 

Pochettino said last week: “Chilly, also, after the national team – it's the same problem he suffered in the last few weeks.”

Reece James

Chelsea captain James began partial first-team training last week - the first time he’s trained since undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury in December. He’s not yet available for selection, but may feature before the end of the season.

Pochettino said before the trip to Villa: "No, they [James and Levi Colwill] are not available yet. They are close. Today and yesterday they were doing some partial training with the squad. They are close but still not available."

Levi Colwill

Colwill has missed Chelsea’s last seven Premier League fixtures with a toe injury. He first picked up the issue against Crystal Palace on February 12, but chose to play through the pain.

He was taken off against Brentford on March 2 after feeling increased pain, and he has been sidelined since. 

The 21-year-old has been participating in light training for the past few weeks, and he returned to team training last week.

Romeo Lavia

Lavia has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury. The £58million summer signing has only featured in one Premier League game this season. 

Christopher Nkunku

Nkunku has missed most of the season with knee, hip and hamstring injuries. He last featured against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on February 25. He has not made a matchday squad since. 

The Frenchman returned to partial training last week, and could potentially play before the end of the season. 

Pochettino said of Nkunku, James and Colwill potentially all returning against Tottenham: “We’ll see, it’s not sure.”

Lesley Ugochukwu

Ugochukwu is another long-term Chelsea absentee who returned to training last week. He has been absent since December with a hamstring injury. Pochettino has not yet given a specific update on the French midfielder. 

Wesley Fofana

Fofana has been ruled out since last summer following surgery on a serious knee injury. It’s very unlikely he returns this season. 

Robert Sanchez

Sanchez has been absent since starting the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester on March 17. He returned to partial team training last week. 

Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here .

How much is Chelsea’s squad really worth?

Results on the pitch in the second full season of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership of Chelsea have continued to disappoint.

But what about their fortunes off it? The principles underpinning the divisive strategy implemented by Chelsea’s owners since January 2023 are economic as well as sporting in nature: to build a financial and footballing success story by sanctioning unprecedented transfer spending on young players committed to ultra-long contracts, effectively turning a Premier League squad into a human investment portfolio.

Advertisement

One way of tracking the trajectory of the Boehly-Clearlake experiment is through Chelsea’s financial results, which tell a worrying story; essentially, the club only mitigated heavy losses and narrowly complied with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR) in 2022-23 by effectively selling two hotels on the Stamford Bridge site to themselves for £76.5million ($96m at current rates) — and that transaction is still awaiting an official sign-off from the Premier League.

The problem with this method is that, since clubs publish their accounts almost a year after the fact, it is always looking into the recent past.

What Chelsea's latest accounts tell us about their PSR prospects

Another way of gauging Chelsea’s financial health is to assess the value of their squad, including the many players they have signed relative to the transfer fees that brought them to Stamford Bridge.

This is where the CIES Football Observatory comes in. Founded in 2005 by Dr Raffaele Poli and Dr Loic Ravenel as a research group within the International Centre for Sports Studies in Neuchatel, Switzerland, it specialises in the statistical analysis of football — and has become best known for its approach to estimating the transfer values of footballers.

Poli and Ravenel brought scientific rigour to the transfer market; their statistical model, built in 2013, comprises more than 10,000 fee-paying transfers and can be used to explain the value of transfers or estimate the transfer values of players before deals happen.

“We can explain about 85 per cent of the differences in prices paid between players,” Poli tells The Athletic . “That’s huge — 12 years ago when we started, we could explain around 70 per cent. It’s not because the market has more rationality, but because we found new variables and fine-tuned the model.

“We are still working on it but it’s quite strong and reliable.”

Player age and remaining contract length are, unsurprisingly, two of the biggest determining factors in transfer value.

“Age is a linear regression — the younger you are, the better it is, all other things being equal — while contract length is logarithmic,” Poli explains. “That means from four to three years, for example, you lose less value than from two years to one year or one year to six months.”

At the other end of the scale, players get no boost to their transfer value in the model for having longer than four years remaining on their contracts — bad news for the Boehly-Clearlake signings who are committed to Chelsea for the rest of the decade.

There are many other variables in the CIES model, including:

• A player’s experience (minutes played) in the 24 months preceding a transfer, weighted by the sporting level of the club and league
• A player’s progression in the 12 months preceding a transfer relative to the previous 12 months
• Number of goals scored in the previous 24 months, weighted by the sporting level of the club and league
• Number of assists provided in the previous 12 months, weighted by the sporting level of the club and league
• Number of accurate passes in the previous 12 months, weighted by the sporting level of the club and league
• Number of successful dribbles in the previous 12 months, weighted by the sporting level of the club and league
• A player’s full international experience since the start of their career, weighted by the level of national team represented
• The economic level of the buying club
• The average value of the 100 largest transfer fees completed on a global level during each of the previous four transfer windows (to take inflation into account).

Poli knows the CIES model cannot account for everything in a transfer market dictated by humans. “There are some residuals,” he says. “If there were no residuals, our approach would be worthless because the market would have perfect rationality.”

Residuals are factors that are not statistically quantifiable: some examples include a player’s relationship with team-mates or his coach, a club’s indebtedness or fear of relegation or, in Chelsea’s case, deciding they simply could not allow Moises Caicedo , the midfielder they had publicly pursued all of last summer, to join rivals Liverpool regardless of the cost.

Poli and Ravenel’s work has garnered credibility within the industry; CIES player valuations are regularly used by clubs and agents for transfer and contract negotiations, and referenced in club takeovers and even in cases that reach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Findings are also regularly made public on its website.

CIES has provided The Athletic with valuations of every player in Chelsea’s first-team squad, up to date as of April 25, 2024. The valuations have been converted from euros to British pound sterling in the table below, and compared to the reported initial transfer fees for each player (with the exceptions of Cobham academy graduates, whose valuations are pure profit):

Some of these valuations may be surprising.

Enzo Fernandez has almost entirely retained a transfer value that many felt was excessive when Chelsea prised him from Benfica on the final day of the January 2023 transfer window. His performances have fluctuated and been hampered by injury in recent months. He has undergone surgery on a hernia issue and will miss the rest of the season, but he had played almost every match for his new club and been a consistent starter in a World Cup-winning Argentina side.

At 23, Fernandez’s youth also works in his favour when it comes to determining his transfer value — as is the case for many of the other Boehly-Clearlake signings.

Cole Palmer ’s value has predictably sky-rocketed in light of his spectacular Premier League breakthrough campaign . Nicolas Jackson and Axel Disasi have also seen their transfer values benefit from being in the top five for Premier League minutes played in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in the 2023-24 season. Caicedo is a different story, though that is more a reflection of his gargantuan transfer fee than his performances since joining Chelsea.

Conor Gallagher ’s value would almost certainly be significantly higher if he were not about to enter the final year of his contract. If no extension is agreed, £46.3million is in line with the level of transfer offer that would satisfy Chelsea this summer.

Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk retaining values similar to the transfer fees Chelsea paid for them is likely to be controversial given their underwhelming individual seasons but both benefit from the fact that the CIES model prices in the positional premium that favours attackers, and neither have had their availability seriously impacted by injuries.

The same cannot be said for Christopher Nkunku , Wesley Fofana , Ben Chilwell , Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka , all of whom have depreciated in value while on the treatment table. Reece James , who was emerging as one of the world’s best right-backs before enduring two injury-plagued seasons, would be worth a lot more than £25.7million if he had been playing regularly for Chelsea.

Overall, the fact that CIES’ valuations indicate this squad is worth £57.5million more than the estimated transfer outlay required to assemble it might encourage the view that, on a financial level at least, the Boehly-Clearlake strategy of investing in young talent is working.

But that is not the whole story.

More than £130million of that squad value is accounted for by Cobham academy graduates who cost nothing to acquire. If they are removed and only the CIES valuations of Chelsea’s signings are examined, the picture is very different:

According to the CIES model, there is almost £80million worth of depreciation in transfer value of Chelsea’s signings, the vast majority of which were made by the current owners. Even with notable success stories — such as Palmer, Jackson and Disasi — to persist with the investment portfolio analogy, more lines are going down than up.

This is only a snapshot in time. Chelsea are not planning to sell most of these players anytime soon, and Palmer’s stratospheric rise is a reminder that transfer values can change very quickly. It might only require better injury luck in the cases of James, Nkunku, Fofana, Chilwell, Lavia and Chukwuemeka for the overall picture to look much better in 12 months.

On the other hand, it could also look much worse if Chelsea do end up selling academy graduates Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah this summer for short-term accounting gain, and not enough of the Boehly-Clearlake signings trend upwards next season to compensate for the loss of squad value.

In any case, it is a stark illustration of the fact that Chelsea’s investment portfolio is faring no better than their football team.

Chelsea may have spent £1bn - but how much of that have they seen on the pitch?

(Top photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

Liam is a Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering Chelsea. He previously worked for Goal covering the Premier League before becoming the Chelsea correspondent for ESPN in 2015, witnessing the unravelling of Jose Mourinho, the rise and fall of Antonio Conte, the brilliance of Eden Hazard and the madness of Diego Costa. He has also contributed to The Independent and ITV Sport. Follow Liam on Twitter @ liam_twomey

• NBC Sports Staff ,

• Associated Press ,

Trending Teams

Arsenal 5-0 chelsea: gunners open up 4-point lead as blues crumble.

• Andy Edwards ,
• Joe Prince-Wright ,
• Joe Prince-Wright

Arsenal were back to their very best on Tuesday, as Mikel Arteta’s side made light work of London rivals Chelsea in a 5-0 victory at Emirates Stadium.

[ MORE: Upcoming Premier League schedule | Live PL table ]

The victory sends the Gunners (77 points) four points clear of three-time defending Premier League champions Manchester City, who have now played two fewer games and still have six remaining. The five-goal margin of victory was perhaps significant, as Arsenal now lead the all-important tiebreaker by 12 goals. Man City win the title if they win out, but one draw while Arsenal win out would (likely) mean the ribbons are red and white at season’s end.

After suffering back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich last Sunday and Wednesday, Arsenal have since responded with two wins (and two clean sheets) in the span of four days to revive those title hopes just under a month from Championship Sunday.

Chelsea crumble in 2nd half as each Arsenal goal seemingly easier than the last

It takes a whole team effort for Chelsea to lose 5-0, and everyone in blue undeniably did their part in this one. There were signs of life as Chelsea created a few chances midway through the first half when Mauricio Pochettino’s side was still only 1-0 down (Leandro Trossard in the 4th minute), but once the second goal went in, it was quitting time for the lads.

Ben White made it 2-0 in the 52nd; it was 3-0 by the 57th and 4-0 in the 65th (both from Kai Havertz, against his former team); and White scored the Accidental Goal of the Season in the 70th. From 1-0, to 5-0, in 18 minutes. Each time Chelsea lost the ball, all it took was one or two passes to split the defense open and walk the ball into the penalty area (all five goals scored from 12 yards or in). Pochettino was forced to change three of four defenders from the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday, with Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto all ruled out by injuries.

On the flip side, Arsenal more than played their part in the result as well. Martin Odegaard delivered one of the passes of the season to set up goal no. 3, restoring a bit of the lost swagger and proving emphatically that the Gunners are still standing for one last go at the PL title. Anytime you out-shoot a squad that costs roughly $1.2 billion to assemble, by a margin of 26-7, it was a day you can be proud of.

What’s next?

Arsenal will continue their title chase in the north London derby on Sunday (9 am ET), when they visit nearby rivals and top-four hopefuls Tottenham. Chelsea will take on the other half of the top-four race, Aston Villa, at Villa Park on Saturday (3 pm ET).

Player ratings - Arsenal vs Chelsea

FotMob.co m

Arsenal vs Chelsea highlights, updates, final score: 5-0

Goalscorers: Leandro Trossard (4'), Ben White (52', 70'), Kai Havertz (57', 65')

GOAL - Ben White floats a cross into the top corner to make it Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea (70')

Goal - kai havertz bags a brace against his former club (65'), goal - kai havertz finishes after martin odegaard’s brilliant through ball (57'), goal - ben white passes home arsenal’s second amid constant pressure (52'), no red (or yellow) card - nicolas jackson avoids being booked for challenge on takehiro tomiyasu (8').

Only a couple minutes after going a goal behind, Chelsea were perhaps fortunate to not also be a man down after Nicolas Jackson went over the top of the ball and landing on the inside of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s right ankle. Tomiyasu was also fortunate to remain in the game after the ugly challenge.

Nicolas Jackson escaped a card after this challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu. 👀 pic.twitter.com/OH1eGzZLDg — NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 23, 2024

GOAL - Leandro Trossard puts Arsenal ahead early with finish from a tight angle (4')

Declan Rice charged forward through the left channel and laid the ball off to Leandro Trossard making the overlapping run. One touch to control, one touch to smash it under Djordje Petrovic for the opening goal.

TEAM NEWS - Cole Palmer out due to illness; Thomas Partey makes a rare start

Chelsea will be without their Player of the Season, Cole Palmer (20 goals, 9 assists in 27 PL appearances), after the 21-year-old came down with an illness in the last few days. Mykhailo Mudryk starts in his place.

On the Arsenal side of things, Thomas Partey is set to make just his second start since August, having featured almost exclusively as a late-game substitute since early March, after missing four months. Gabriel Jesus is back on the bench after starting in the win over Wolves this weekend, pushing Kai Havertz from midfield up to the forward line against his former club.

Arsenal starting lineup

Raya — White, Saliva, Gabriel, Tomiyasu — Partey, Rice, Odegaard — Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Chelsea starting lineup

Petrovic — Gilchrist, Badiashile, Disasi, Cucurella — Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher — Madueke, Mudryk, Jackson

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time

Kick off : 3pm ET, Tuesday (April 23) TV Channel : USA Network Online : Watch online via NBC.com

Arsenal focus, team news

Mikel Arteta has some big decisions to make as he tries to keep his squad fresh ahead of a big week in their title bid. London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham would love to scupper their title dreams and Arteta is going to have to rotate expertly. Saka, Odegaard and Rice looked exhausted at the end of Arsenal’s win at Wolves and surely all three need a rest at some point. But can Arteta afford to do that against Chelsea? Probably not. Elsewhere, Zinchenko or Tomiyasu could start at left back, while Jorginho may come back in to midfield and Gabriel Martinelli could also start. Arsenal have options but it’s all about how Arteta plans to use the different combinations of players together over these pivotal next few games.

OUT: Jurrien Timber (knee)

Chelsea focus, team news

Pochettino will have to pick his team up from their disappointment against Man City but Chelsea aren’t playing badly. The trio of Palmer, Gallagher and Madueke underneath Jackson has been working well and Moises Caicedo has hit top form once again. Defensive injuries have not been kind to Chelsea all season long and it is likely Axel Disasi will come in for Thiago Silva in defense.

OUT: Cole Palmer (illness), Thiago Silva (undisclosed), Malo Gusto (undisclosed), Trevoh Chalobah (undisclosed), Christopher Nkunku (thigh), Levi Colwill (foot), Reece James (thigh), Romeo Lavia (hamstring - out for season), Wesley Fofana ( torn ACL - out for season ), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Robert Sanchez (illness)

Chelsea’s summer tour of the USA is underway and here we have details ahead of our first trip Stateside since 2019.

The Blues will depart for the States on Saturday 9 July and return home following our final game of the tour, on Saturday 23 July.

It will be a chance to see the likes of Thiago Silva , Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz in action again after their summer break, and we answer the key questions for you right here.

What is Chelsea’s schedule for their summer tour of the USA?

Our time in the USA will begin with a training camp in Los Angeles before the Blues move on to other parts of the country to play three games, against Club America of Mexico, local team Charlotte FC and Arsenal.

Where to watch Chelsea’s US summer tour?

We play Club America at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Charlotte FC at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and finally Arsenal at the Camping World Stadium in Florida.

When are Chelsea’s games in pre-season?

Our first match against Club America is on Saturday 16 July. We then play Charlotte on Wednesday 20 July and Arsenal on Saturday 23 July.

Where to buy tickets for Chelsea’s summer tour?

You can buy tickets to all three of Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures here .

How to watch Chelsea's US summer tour games against Club America, Charlotte FC and Arsenal?

Our three games will be broadcast in the UK live and exclusively on the Chelsea website and the 5th Stand app. You can watch for free .

The games will also be shown on our platforms for free in these countries: Europe Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine. Asia Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macao, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. For all other countries, local broadcasters will be announced by FC Series in due course.

Can I watch the Chelsea players train?

Yes! You can see Thomas Tuchel put his squad through their paces in both Las Vegas and Orlando. We will be training at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at 5pm (local time) on Friday 15 July. Book here .

The following Friday 22 July, the Blues will make the most of the Orlando FC Training Facility. That also starts at 5pm local time and you can secure your place here .

The open training sessions are free to attend but don’t hesitate in booking!