Failed Chelsea policy deals £30m FFP blow as summer striker plan revealed

Chelsea showed on Saturday evening that they are not willing to allow their season to fizzle out after a brilliant 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.

The victory moved the Blues level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle heading into the final two matches of what has been a tumultuous campaign. With the season heading into its final days, the focus is beginning to turn to the summer transfer window and what this could mean for Chelsea.

As we take a look at the headlines this Monday morning, it is fair to say Mauricio Pochettino could find himself busy again as he attempts to prep his side for a top-four push.

Elliott reveals Chelsea disappointment

Speaking to The Reds Roundtable, Liverpool attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott has opened up on the moment he realised he was being released by Chelsea as a child. The reason given for his release was that he was not tall enough to make it professional football.

After leaving Stamford Bridge, he joined the Fulham set-up and he would eventually be sold for £1.5m. Elliott explained: "I was at Chelsea when I was a kid, and they released me because they said I was too small.

"And then I was just playing with my friends for a year, like Sunday League, [when I was] 11, 12. I was at Fulham, like a pre-academy thing, like you go sometimes, once a week, twice a week, to train, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

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"But then Fulham contacted my father and said ‘look, I hear he hasn’t got a club, does he want to come for a trial?’. Then I went for a trial at Fulham when I was 13 and then [was there] up until 16 when I left."

football.london says: Hopefully Chelsea have learnt that ruling a player out at such a young age because of his height is not a reasonable recruitment practice. This decision has particularly haunted the Blues considering Elliott is now worth an approximate £30m [according to transfermarkt] thanks to his contributions to Liverpool this season. That sort of money would be particularly handy at the moment considering Chelsea's Financial Fair Play concerns - especially considering the pure profit boost academy graduates can offer. When you hear stories about players being released for their size, it always reminds us of Lionel Messi being given hormone treatment by Barcelona to ensure his talent did not go to waste. If the player has talent, they shouldn't be ruled out automatically for something that could easily change in the future.

Fofana reveals his plans

David Datro Fofana's season ended in disappointment on Saturday as his loan club Burnley were relegated from the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. After the game, the 21-year-old told Capital Football that he is planning on returning to Chelsea for pre-season.

"I haven’t thought about [returning to Chelsea] yet. I think I’ll go back and why not do the pre-season with Chelsea?" He explained.

"[In January], I wanted to stay but some things happened… but for sure I have nothing to envy Nicolas Jackson, who is [also] my friend."

football.london says: Fofana's two loan stints this season have failed to show much in the way of proving the Ivorian could challenge Nicolas Jackson next term. The 21-year-old is under contract until 2029 and at this stage, it does not seem likely that any club will be able to offer the money to buy him out of his deal at Stamford Bridge. Perhaps another loan spell, maybe into the Championship, could boost the forward's confidence and set him up for a run at the first team in the 2025/26 season.