Chelsea have been one of the most active clubs in Europe in the transfer window, and have a chance to get their first points of the Premier League season against Wolves on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in their first game of the league season, but travel to Molineux on Sunday. The club have made huge changes this summer, including 11 signings and on Friday still had a squad of around 40 players. Some have been informed they are surplus to requirements, with Raheem Sterling training alone at home and Ben Chilwell also looking elsewhere.
The Chelsea fans expressed their displeasure with some aspects of the squad, notably the selling of home-grown talent Conor Gallagher, when they beat Servette 2-0 on Thursday in a Europa League Conference qualifier. Follow all the live action from Wolves vs Chelsea in the blog below
Wolves vs Chelsea LIVE
-
Wolves face Chelsea at Molineux with kick off at 2pm
-
Enzo Maresca shuffles his side after defeat to Manchester City last week
-
Wolves were beaten by Arsenal in their opening game of the season
-
Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Lemina, Gomes; Cunha, Larsen, Hwang.
-
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC – Chelsea FC
Chelsea could still raise a fortune this summer
13:07 , Karl Matchett
Joao Felix is in the door, Conor Gallagher has gone – but there’s still plenty more transfer business which could be done by Chelsea yet, particularly with regards to outgoing links.
There are a handful here of which still could get done before deadline day…
Ten players Chelsea could sell to fund summer spending spree
Wolves vs Chelsea
12:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Enzo Maresca heavily praised Noni Madueke after that Conference League play-off first leg win, so a start always felt a possibility here. More of a surprise, though, is the inclusion of Mykhailo Mudryk – for all of his natural gifts, the Ukraine winger continues to struggle for consistency.
“We’re going to try to help him to change,” said Maresca of Mudryk on Thursday. “We’re going to bring him the ball in the last third, and when he’s there he has to take the right decisions.
“The mistakes he makes are not technical, they are about choices. It’s about decision making. Hopefully we can help him and we can improve that.”
Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay at Chelsea after goal against Servette
Wolves vs Chelsea team news
12:51 , Harry Latham-Coyle
There is no Romeo Lavia in the Chelsea squad, which is presumably related to injury given the midfielder was one of their best against Manchester City.
Team news – Chelsea
12:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, rewards Noni Madueke with a start after his goalscoring cameo against Servette. Mykhailo Mudryk also earns an opportunity on the wing with Cole Palmer, it would seem, moving into a central role.
Joao Felix is on the bench.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Team news – Wolves
12:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Let’s start with the hosts’ line-up, though, as Gary O’Neil makes a single change to his Wolves side – Matheus Cunha is promoted after featuring off the bench against Arsenal.
Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Lemina, Gomes; Cunha, Larsen, Hwang.
Wolves vs Chelsea
12:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil insisted on Friday it was “pretty much impossible” to predict the Chelsea line-up they will face this afternoon.
Chelsea have brought in 10 new players since new boss Enzo Maresca walked through the door at Stamford Bridge, including former Wolves talisman Pedro Neto.
Neto faces a quick return to Molineux on Sunday when he revisits Wolves with his new club after making his Premier League debut in their defeat to Manchester City last week.
O’Neil was interested to see whether Neto would be included to play in front of the fans that used to sing his name after he also appeared in Chelsea Europa Conference League qualifying victory over Servette on Thursday night.
He told a press conference: “It’ll be interesting to see what they do with him.
“Obviously he played yesterday, we’ll see whether he can go again on the weekend and start again on the Sunday.
“It’s pretty much impossible for me to predict the Chelsea line-up but, there are so many there.
“We know some that definitely won’t be in the team but figuring out what they’re going to do will be tough.
“We will try and give the best account of ourselves and try start the Premier League season at home with a win, which will be huge for us.”
New signing Joao Felix is ‘player that will help us’ says Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
12:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Enzo Maresca tells Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell to leave or ‘struggle’ at Chelsea
12:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Enzo Maresca has advised Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell that they will have to leave Chelsea to play regular football, but insisted that his bloated squad was “not a mess”.
The London club secured their latest summer signing on Wednesday as Joao Felix sealed a return to Stamford Bridge, with Conor Gallagher completing a move the other way to Atletico Madrid.
It now leaves the club looking to offload perhaps as many as a dozen players before the end of the transfer window as they try to whittle down their senior playing group.
Enzo Maresca tells Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell to leave or ‘struggle’ at Chelsea
Raheem Sterling training at home amid bitter Chelsea fallout – as Pedro Neto takes shirt number
12:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle
One player who will not be involved today is Raheem Sterling, who has been training on his own since last week after Chelsea made it clear that the England international is not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans.
Chelsea have already left Sterling out of their two matchday squads this year.
Sterling training at home amid bitter Chelsea fallout – as Neto takes shirt number
Wolves vs Chelsea – early team news
12:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gary O’Neil confirmed on Friday that Wolves have no fresh injury concerns, with Matheus Cunha ready for “more minutes” after appearing off the bench against Arsenal. Nelson Semedo featured for the club’s U21s on Friday as he builds up his fitness while suspended.
Enzo Maresca made nine changes for the Conference League play-off win over Servette, but is likely to return to a similar side to the one beaten by Manchester City. Reece James remains suspended and is also dealing with a hamstring issue; Ben Chiwell and Raheem Sterling are among those training away from the first-team squad having been told they are surplus to requirements.
Wolves vs Chelsea
Friday 23 August 2024 15:36 , Sonia Twigg
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live build up and coverage of Wolves vs Chelsea.
The Blues are still looking to get off the mark in the Premier League following an opening-day defeat to Manchester City, while some of their fans remain aggrieved at the signing of home favourites like Conor Gallagher.
Enzo Maresca is still finalising his first-team squad, but some players, including Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have already been told they are not part of the new manager’s plans this season.
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post