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We are in the midst of an international break but life goes on at Cobham, even if most of Chelsea’s star players are away.
The Blues went into the break on a high after a 3-0 win over Wolves and are sitting pretty in third in the Premier League table but there are a number of issues still to be resolved – from the injuries dogging Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill to updates on stadium plans.
We put out the call for your questions in a special edition of Chelsea Confidential and you sent plenty in. Here, our Chelsea expert KIERAN GILL reveals everything you need to know.
When is Levi Colwill coming back?
Colwill injured his ACL in early August. Because of the type of injury, Chelsea assumed an approximate nine-month timeline on his recovery which would take us towards April/May.
Confidential understands Colwill’s recovery is going perfectly to plan, that he’s suffered no setbacks, that he has now been off crutches for more than a month, and he remains on target in his rehab.
We will need to wait until closer to the time for a more accurate return date, once he nears the completion of his recovery, but hopefully we will get to see Colwill back before the end of the season for Chelsea.
That might give Thomas Tuchel an interesting decision to make for the World Cup. Colwill was named in Tuchel’s first two camps as England manager.
Levi Colwill is on track to be available for Chelsea before the season is out
What is the latest on Cole Palmer?
Ideally, Palmer would be available for Barcelona in the Champions League on November 25. That is the target, not only for the club but for the player, because Palmer would love to play in such a historic showdown at Stamford Bridge.
Confidential has been told his return to team training is fairly close, but we don’t have a definitive date for when that will happen.
Naturally, Chelsea did not want to rush him back at the risk of doing further damage. He’s too important to their overall season. They’ve based their decisions on what’s best for him in the long term.
That is continuing to be the case. We will obviously ask Enzo Maresca for an update after this international break, at his pre-Burnley press conference on November 21, and we’ll have to see how much he is willing to divulge then. Hopefully, he reveals Palmer is back in training because that would be a big boost ahead of Barcelona, even if he was only fit enough to make the bench.
We’ve seen the atmospheric lift inside Stamford Bridge when Estevao Willian is introduced. Imagine the reaction when Palmer is back. Chelsea have coped well without him: 11 games, eight wins, one draw, two defeats.
Cole Palmer should feature against Barcelona in the Champions League, even if he is off the bench
What’s the latest on Mykhailo Mudryk?
On the 28th of this month, it will be one year since Mudryk last appeared for Chelsea, scoring in a 2-0 Conference League win away at Heidenheim.
Confidential would love to issue an update but we’re extremely restricted in what we are allowed to report, no matter what we may hear. I wrote a column a while back on Mudryk – you can find that here – in which I asked five questions of Chelsea Football Club, Mudryk’s representative on behalf of ProStar Football Agency, his lawyers Morgan Sports Law, and the FA.
None were at liberty to provide a comment on the record. That’s often the case with these sensitive situations. The FA charged Mudryk in June for failing a doping test and that left the Ukrainian, 24, facing up to a four-year ban. He and his representatives have long maintained his innocence.
Mykhailo Mudryk has not been seen in a Chelsea shirt for a year and there is no end in sight to his exile
When will Dario Essugo come back to help Moises Caicedo?
Essugo will still be sidelined for a while, but it is possible he could return around January, all being well.
He had surgery on his thigh in September after picking up a problem while away with Portugal’s Under 21s. The 20-year-old’s return would be welcome as he was signed to deputize for Moises Caicedo. We also reported this week that Romeo Lavia is set to be sidelined for at least a month after he hurt his quad in the Champions League draw with Qarabag.
We will start asking Maresca for further updates on Lavia in early December. I got the chance to speak with Reece James on Tuesday behind enemy lines at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground as England have been working there.
It’s coming up to a year since his last hamstring issue. James will know what Lavia is going through. You have to hope when Lavia returns in December – touch wood – that he can stay healthy like James.
In some other injury news, Enzo Fernandez has skipped international duty with Argentina, while Pedro Neto has also left the Portugal camp, both to help them recover from niggling issues. They will hopefully benefit from the break.
Dario Essugo had surgery on his thigh in September but should be back in the new year
Enzo Fernandez has skipped international duty with Argentina due to a niggling injury – but it is not thought to be serious
Any news on a front-of-shirt sponsor?
Confidential received a fair few questions on this topic, so we checked, but there isn’t anything to report on the front-of-shirt sponsor situation today.
Surely BlueCo don’t see a 40,000 stadium as acceptable?
Chelsea would love a brand spanking new stadium that matches their ambitions… and I’m sure it will happen at some stage. But we’re still waiting for official word on what is next. I don’t need to tell you what a complicated situation it is.
Will Bayern sign Nicolas Jackson this summer?
I’ve been told Jackson has little interest in returning to Chelsea despite the €65 million obligation which comes with his €16.5 million loan being difficult to achieve.
I’ve also been told Jackson hopes, even if he doesn’t meet the 40-game clause in his contract, that Bayern will commit to signing him permanently next summer regardless.
I cannot say what will definitely happen – it’s a decision which won’t be set in stone for a while yet – but at the moment, it’s feeling more unlikely than likely that Jackson will be staying at Bayern this summer.
Nicolas Jackson looks likely to return to Chelsea next summer despite wanting to stay at Bayern Munich
Why does the club need five sporting directors?
I don’t mind it. Plenty of clubs have a one-person focal point – David Sullivan is the first name that pops into my head at West Ham – whereas Chelsea have a collaborative model.
They have five sporting directors applying their expertise in individual areas and sharing accountability as a team. They are: Paul Winstanley, sporting director; Laurence Stewart, sporting director; Dave Fallows, sporting director, football development; Joe Shields, sporting director, scouting and talent; Sam Jewell, sporting director, global recruiting. All are contracted until 2031.
Will Chelsea be active in the January transfer window?
Chelsea aren’t planning on going crazy in January from what I hear. Historically it isn’t the best window for doing business in, and they’re satisfied with their squad as it stands.
Naturally they’ll be on the lookout for opportunities, but they won’t be looking to spend for the sake of it.
Everyone told the club that they needed a new center back in the summer. Those in charge didn’t see any obvious upgrades out there, save for Dean Huijsen, who decided to go to Real Madrid instead. Chelsea think they have enough options in central defense as it is. They want their defenders healthy and for Maresca to use the depth at his disposal.
Some good news: Benoit Badiashile is now back in training and may be available for selection after this international break.
Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile is now back in training and may be available for selection after this international break
What’s Axel Disasi’s situation with Chelsea now?
We were all surprised to see Disasi suddenly captaining Chelsea’s Under 21s on Saturday in a 4-1 win over Reading. We are told that the opportunity arrived after he showed his professionalism while training separately to the first team.
We are also told he’s been very good with the younger players during this period in the cold.
So he was offered the opportunity to play in a development game to build his match fitness and took it. We have been asked if there is a way back into Chelsea’s first team squad for him.
We’d never say never, because bigger surprises have happened in football, but Confidential suspects we will see a separation in January.
