One consortium withdraws bid and Tuchel talks Chelsea injuries
With the Premier League win at Southampton long forgotten for most of us now, elimination to Real Madrid still lingers in the mind. It is time Chelsea obtain some significant reward in a rather awkward season. That prize may materialise in the form of an FA Cup semifinal appearance; and, naturally, a trophy might transpire from a prospective final. Of course two pieces of silverware have already been attained this season, respectively: the 2021/22 FIFA Club World Cup, as well as the UEFA Super Cup. However, those are not the most prestigious of awards, so the club will want more this term. Not to mention aspirations being hopefully restarted under fresh ownership in the next.
Crystal Palace are the hurdle in the way of the Blues’ quest for the famous English cup. Though there is a bad omen in the shape of form for the Eagles: in the previous nine fixtures between the two London sides, CFC were victorious in each and every one. All of those meetings took place in the Premier League. On the contrary, ‘Chels’ were defeated by a rival team in a couple of most recent FA Cup derbies. They occurred in 2017 and 2020 – both against Arsenal. Sunday’s showdown should be a lively one, and Pride of London do tip Thomas Tuchel’s men for victory.
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Consortium withdraws bid and Thomas Tuchel talks Chelsea injuries
During the pre-match press conference, the German boss confirmed that Romelu Lukaku was back in full training. The Belgium international is expected to be a part of the cup squad at the weekend. To be honest, I don’t see Lukaku as having earned a place in the starting XI, at least presently. Kai Havertz in drifting fashion around that area, along with an inconsistent but very dangerous Timo Werner makes sense at the moment. Whilst we all are aware that Mason Mount’s hybrid false-nine role has arguably made the England man doubly devastating to opponent defences.
While that update is positive for the Pensioners surrounding main attacking options, unfortunately two other senior players remain unavailable. They are Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell. Hudson-Odoi should return before the campaign draws to an end; yet, as everybody knows, Chilwell won’t feature again this term. Apart from that trio, the rest of the roster is supposed to be fine, according to football.london. Which means Ross Barkley must have recovered from illness, too.
Elsewhere, there has been fairly big news about the imminent Blues takeover. It appears that the Ricketts family-backed consortium to take control of Chelsea – which was generally not approved by CFC supporters – has withdrawn from proceedings. While fan opposition apparently did not influence the decision, I would imagine the public relations task ahead was related to the bid being pulled.
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It is claimed “unusual” dynamics involved in the sales process derailed any prospective offer. A section of the fan base protested the Ricketts’ attempted involvement at Stamford Bridge recently. Guardian report that the former bidders wished the club and faithful well on their journey. Three potential suitor groups remain: Boehly’s, Sir Broughton’s and Pagliuca’s.