Reece James drops early Chelsea team news hint as John Terry makes bold Virgil van Dijk claim
Enzo Maresca will be eager to see Chelsea pick up from where they left off this weekend. Before the international break, the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge, dropping the curtain on a five-match winning streak.
The West Londoners Londoners, who remain unbeaten in the Premier League since losing to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season, will be hoping to extend their streak when they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. While Arne Slot's side may have a spring in their step, Chelsea have made great progress under Maresca.
And, fortunately for the Blues boss, he could have Reece James at his disposal. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up the latest Chelsea news and transfer gossip.
Terry argues Van Dijk claim
John Terry has argued why he was a better centre-back than Virgil van Dijk. The former Chelsea captain is widely considered as one of, if not, the greatest Premier League defenders of all time following his brilliant tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Not only did Terry win five English top flight titles, but he also played a crucial role in Jose Mourinho's side when the Blues conceded fewer goals in a season than any other team the competition's in history. Nevertheless, ahead of Chelsea's clash against Liverpool on Sunday, SPORTbible hosted a fan debate.
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The two fans argued who the better centre-back is when picking an all-time Liverpool and Chelsea XI. SPORTbible posted the debate on Instagram, to which Terry commented: "Goals… Clean Sheets… Prems… Individual awards… FA Cups… Shall I keep going [three crying with laughter emojis]? I love VVD but…"
football.london says: "Virgil van Dijk will go down as one of the Premier League's all-time greats, but John Terry edges it for me. The Dutchman's my number two, though."
James drops team news hint
Reece James has dropped an early team news hint ahead of Chelsea's clash against Liverpool. The 24-year-old defender, who as recently returned to first-team training, missed the start of the season due to suspension; he was shown a red card during the penultimate game of last term.
Then, just as he looked set to return, James picked up another knock. The England international has been really unfortunate with injuries lately, but he's back on the grass now and awaiting a maiden appearance under Enzo Maresca.
Taking to Instagram on Friday night, James uploaded a picture of himself celebrating in training. He captioned the post with a clock emoji, suggesting he's eyeing his first game back after injury.
football.london says: "I'd like to see Reece James come off the bench against Liverpool on Sunday. A few minutes in the tank won't go a-miss. Chelsea's (not so) secret weapon."
Chelsea to tackle debt
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, Keith Wyness has claimed Chelsea have received a £190m injection from their owners. The former Everton chief said: "It’s pretty clear to me what the £190million is for. From my calculations, they owe about £530million in unpaid transfer fees going forward.
"That’s a big, big number. There’s about £270million due in the next year – that shows you the kind of spending spree we’re talking about. There is no doubt in my mind that this £190million investment is going towards these fees, that’s where it has got to go.
"It’s a cashflow issue as much as anything else, but they’ve got the deep pockets to do it. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that before with a club owing quite that much."
football.london says: "Contrary to popular belief, I think the new owners have actually done a decent job since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge. Of course, it hasn't been plane sailing with lots of hiccups along the way. But, when taking control of Chelsea's size and in the manner of which the club was sold, it could've gone a lot worse."