All the Chelsea news as it happens in our live blog on Thursday following the Blues’ win at Lille on Wednesday
Hello and welcome to football.london's live Chelsea blog on Thursday!
It has been a chaotic few days for the Blues following the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich last week, but last night we saw the side do the business on the pitch.
Chelsea are now through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after beating Lille 2-1 on the night – 4-1 on aggregate – thanks to goals from Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta either side of half-time.
It was a nice distraction for Blues supporters, who have been learning about numerous interested parties in the past week or so as Abramovich looks to sell the club.
Well, today, we are expecting to hear plenty more on the sale of Chelsea Football Club, with Friday's deadline edging ever closer.
With that in mind, sit back and let football.london keep you up to date with all the latest from Stamford Bridge.
That's all we have time for this evening. Have a good rest of your night!
The Friday evening deadline for any Chelsea bids is fast approaching, with a number of parties interested in taking over the club from Roman Abramovich.
So, with that said, football.london brings you the latest state of play ahead of the deadline.
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According to 90Min, Thomas Tuchel is not a serious contender to become the next permanent Manchester United boss, despite rumours linking him with the job.
Instead, Erik ten Hag is said to be United's preferred option at the end of the season.
Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez has confirmed he has tested positive for Covid-19. The Spaniard missed Wednesday evening's win in the Champions League round of 16 against Lille.
The Blues loanee took to Twitter to confirm the news. Saul wrote: "Unfortunately we have tested positive for COVID. We are all fine for now, nothing serious. Now it's time to take care of ourselves and improve until we are negative."
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Thomas Tuchel has been told he has his very own Robin van Persie already at Chelsea, someone who could replace Romelu Lukaku should he leave the club at the end of the season.
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The decision to give Chelsea supporters a "golden share" or additional representation when it comes to future decision-making will likely be at the discretion of the new owner because the government is currently not planning to impose such conditions on a prospective buyer.
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Juventus chief Pavel Nedved has described Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger as "great", but has played down talk linking the German with a move to the Italian club at the end of the season.
He told Infinity (via Calcio Mercato): "I've heard them [the rumours]. He is a great player, but he is under contract with Chelsea."
Member of the House of Lords Daniel Finkelstein has announced that he will be part of Todd Boehly's and Hansjorg Wyss' consortium who will submit a bid to the Raine Group to complete Chelsea takeover by Friday.
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London investment firm Aethel Partners have reportedly made a £2billion offer to buy Chelsea Football Club.
That's according to Matt Law of the Telegraph, who says that the London-based firm would 'immediately put £50million forward' to try and help the financial strain on the club at the moment following the sanctions imposed on current owner Roman Abramovich last week.
It's also said that the bidders will offer 'full backing' to Thomas Tuchel and already have plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge on its current site.
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Gareth Southgate has praised Thomas Tuchel for his management of Chelsea's current situation and believes the club will survive due to the consistency of their supporters.
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The Premier League are said to be unlikely to block a Saudi Media bid to try and takeover Chelsea amid Boris Johnson's visit to the Middle Eastern country.
Prospective owners and consortiums are scrambling together to try and submit their last minute bids to the Raine Group before Friday's deadline, with reports stating that the process of appointing the new ownership structure could move quickly after the deadline passes. It is already well know that the likes of Todd Boehly, Nick Candy and many others are very interested in being Roman Abramovich's successor to the helm at Stamford Bridge but the biggest offer so far that is being touted around is the rumoured £2.7billion bid that Mohamed Al Khereiji's consortium are prepared to place.
GOAL's Nizaar Kinsella reports that the Saudi Media bid would encounter less opposition that was seen during the takeover of Newcastle. The lack of direct state involvement would be more clear cut than with the Public Investment Fund, who purchased the Magpies. "Saudi Media, there is absolutely no state involvement.
"There is a parent company above it called Engineer Holding Group and then that also exists within another parent group called MBS. MBS is an investment fund which is a massive media group that is dominant in the Middle East and they have a little bit of Saudi government involvement.
Read more here.
Chelsea midfielders Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher have both been named in the England squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast, and there is also a call-up for Reece James despite his recent injury issues.
Mount has established himself as a key figure in the Three Lions squad during Southgate's reign. He has won 26 caps since making his debut in 2019 and was a regular starter during last summer's European Championship.
“He is an exceptional player," Southgate said of the 23-year-old last year. "He finds space intelligently. He manipulates the ball very well. He creates chances and he scores goals."
Gallagher is selected for England duty for just the second time. The 22-year-old, who is enjoying a fine campaign on loan at Crystal Palace, earned his first call-up in November and made his debut in the 10-0 World Cup qualifying victory over San Marino.
There remains an expectation at Chelsea that Gallagher will be incorporated into the first-team squad next season. Thomas Tuchel has been hugely impressed by the impact the academy graduate has made at Selhurst Park and has suggested the midfielder can deliver back at Stamford Bridge.
Read more here.
Five present and former players combined have made the cut from a Blues contingent.
Marc Guehi's move to Crystal Palace looks like it has finally paid off on the international scene!
Look at what football.london's Crystal Palace correspondent has posted!
It's really heating up now as the latest reports indicate.
Manchester United have installed Erik ten Hag as their favoured candidate to be the next manager at Old Trafford, though the Red Devils still refusing to 'rule out an approach' for Thomas Tuchel.
The Manchester Evening News have reported that while Man United are not ruling out an approach for Tuchel in the summer, Ajax's Erik ten Hag is the favoured candidate at Old Trafford to become fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
The report goes on to add that Mauricio Pochettino is still well in the frame, but the preference for Ten Hag is helped by the fact that very little will required in compensation to take the manager from Ajax, while Chelsea and PSG will be sure to demand hefty fees for their managers if the Red Devils were to knock on their doors.
Unless, of course, Paris Saint-Germain decide to sack the former Spurs manager amid growing unrest amongst the fan base who raided their training base recently after their shock and unexpected Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
Read the full story here.
Remember this last night- Congratulations Thomas, but it sounds as though you won't be able to have supporters at Stamford Bridge for the home leg of the quarter-final…
"Thanks for ruining my evening! I was in such a good mood, can we speak about it when it's confirmed?"
It has been confirmed…
"Let's wait for the confirmation of the confirmation. Let's see, today I'm happy that we are in the last eight. There were a lot of things to overcome, so I'm so happy and so proud. So let's see. It's the first thing I hear now.
Well maybe the German was right after all not to comment too prematurely…
Parimatch Tech is the latest sponsor to pause commercial activity with Chelsea.
In a statement, the company said it was pausing "joint marketing and brand campaigns to focus our efforts on helping Ukraine".
Parimatch confirmed they are not terminating or suspending the contract with Chelsea, however.
Chelsea icon and former Blues manager Gianluca Vialli has admitted that he is 'proud' to support Nick Candy in his bid to complete a takeover of the club amid competition from the likes of Todd Boehly's consortium, The Ricketts Family and the Saudi Media group.
The news that Vialii has joined Candy in his attempts to form the Chelsea ownership group to succeed Roman Abramovich came at a much needed time for the billionaire, whose net worth is ranked at $2billion (£1.5million). Saudi Media, Boehly and most recently the Chicago Cubs owners amongst a few others had gained momentum in this ongoing saga, so for Candy and his new partner Vialli to be back in the race spices things up another notch as Raine's Friday deadline is fast approaching with interested parties having just over 24 hours to make official offers.
The Italian is joining forces with the Chelsea fan – who was in attendance at the weekend for the Newcastle win – with Tifosy Capital & Advisory (a company set up by Vialli and a group of financiers) now working with Candy ahead of Friday's deadline for offers to buy Chelsea. Vialli represented the Blues as a player between 1996 and 1999, with part of that as player/manager. The now 57-year-old Italian managed Chelsea from 1998 until 2000 before being replaced by fellow countryman Claudio Ranieri.
He said via Si & Dan Talk Chelsea: "I am proud and feel very privileged to support Mr Candy's bid to buy Chelsea Football Club.
Read more here.
Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is Manchester United's preferred option to become their next manager, the Manchester Evening News have reported.
As it stands, Ten Hag is United's prime choice to take over in the summer but the club has not made a final decision as it continues with its process.
The Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino remains under serious consideration and United have refused to rule out an approach for Thomas Tuchel amid uncertainty at Chelsea.
Rudi as always is coy on his future whilst his manager will reportedly be open to hearing Man United's managerial pitch to him despite being happy at Chelsea.
Chelsea right-back Reece James delivered his verdict to the club's Champions League round of 16 victory over Lille.
James alongside teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi and long term absentee Ben Chilwell, watched on from afar as he witnessed his teammates having to show their mental toughness once more to ensure progression. Burak Yilmaz's penalty five minutes or so before the interval wasn't enough to lead to turbulence on the pitch from the Blues players.
Thankfully for the Blues, Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta ensured that fans in the top corner of the stadium coupled with the ones who watched on elsewhere didn't have to endure a nervy second-half. "We are all competitors and I always experienced from day one, once I was part of the family, a very competitive spirit and a very competitive club," Thomas Tuchel stated after the game.
"I think Chelsea are so clear as a club about what they demand of every employee and every player: play your role, play to the limit, and take responsibility. This is what Chelsea is about and it sharpens your mentality and brings out the best of you.
Read what James had to say here.
Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole have agreed that Chelsea's dream outcome for the quarter-final draw in the Champions League would see Man City being drawn against Liverpool. Meanwhile, the Blues would receive one of Benfica or Villarreal.
Thomas Tuchel's side secured their place in the final eight for the second consecutive season in a row as the manager broke Zinedine Zidane's winning record in style on Wednesday night courtesy of Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta's strikes in France. Their English competitors for the crown Man City and Liverpool swept aside their respective opposition in different fashion. After both dispatched Sporting Lisbon and Inter Milan in the first legs of their ties over two weeks or so ago, the pair couldn't pick up the second leg victories but did enough to progress still.
Elsewhere, the likes of Benfica and Villarreal overcame so-called superior opposition in the form of Ajax and Group H winners Juventus. But who do Chelsea want? And where do they rank amongst the last eight?
Ferdinand delivered his dream quarter-final on BT Sport: "I'd go Liverpool vs Man City. I think there’s a league game between that and there would be three games in the space of a week. It would suit Chelsea too!"
Read more here.
'Optimistic is the key word here!
Christian Pulisic joined Chelsea with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Swapping the Signal Iduna Park for Stamford Bridge in 2020, he brought a ticket into a growing market of interest.
The then 20-year-old starlet arrived the summer that Chelsea legend Eden Hazard made way and, despite denying a passing of the torch, Pulisic took the number ten. The USMNT captain touched down in west London as someone who was very marketable and would unlock the Blues some pin money overseas, but his status was and still is, purely a bonus, not an incentive.
Pulisic, who Lionel Messi gave the stamp of approval after just a year at Chelsea, has shown glimpses of excellence, but a series of injuries have hampered his ability to fulfil the expectations that a £57.6m price tag warrants. He's a very talented individual but being the 'main man' across the Atlantic is a different kettle of fish compared to being the focal point of the USMNT.
Read more here from the fan brands team.
Rio Ferdinand has admitted it is "confusing" by how much Chelsea as a football club are being impacted by Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK government.
Last week, the Blues owner was added to the UK government's sanction list just days after he had put the club up for sale. This has had a huge impact on Chelsea as a club, with their spend on away travel being reduced, and the ability to sell tickets for matches.
The latest news, that broke earlier today (Wednesday), is that Chelsea will not be allowed to sell tickets to any UEFA Champions League matches that are played at Stamford Bridge. The Blues take on Lille in the second-leg of the Round of 16 this evening in France.
Ferdinand, when speaking on BT Sport, has admitted he has been left confused by what has happened at the club over recent days. He said: "It's confusing for me. Yes, the government and EU want to put sanctions on Roman Abramovich.
Read more here.
The Ricketts family, Todd Boehly and Robert 'Woody' Johnson have reportedly been handed the advantage in the race to purchase Chelsea Football Club.
According to the Evening Standard, prospective buyers of Chelsea with experience in running a sports team will be given preference in their bids to take over the west London club.
All three parties are said to be going head-to-head to buy the Blues from Roman Abramovich amid the Russian billionaire being sanctioned by the UK government.
READ MORE HERE
President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe has joined Martin Broughton's consortium to buy Chelsea.
The Olympic gold medallist has endorsed the former Liverpool chairman's bid, citing his lifelong Chelsea fan credentials in addition to his business track record.
PA reports that Lord Coe would have a seat on Chelsea's board should the consortium be successful.
The former middle-distance runner has previously enjoyed roles encompassing a Conservative MP, chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and chairman of the British Olympic Association.
Chelsea got the job done in France last night after beating Lille 2-1 despite going a goal down in the first-half.
It was by no means the best performance from Thomas Tuchel's side, but there were a few standouts as the Blues progress into the last eight of the UEFA Champions League.
Below, you can read football.london reporter Adam Newson's player ratings from the win in Lille.
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