Chelsea News Roundup: Serie A club keen on three Blues stars in January, Chelsea defender nominated for individual award, and more — 6th November 2020
After a relatively shaky start to the campaign, Chelsea have returned to a good vein of form, particularly after sorting out their defensive issues. The Blues' porous backline was a major talking point at the beginning of the campaign having conceded a number of poor goals, having recorded two 3-3 draws.
However, they've managed two successive clean sheets in the Premier League and five of them across all competitions, making it the first time they've accomplished this in ten years. Petr Cech was their last goalkeeper who managed five successive shutouts. As they prepare to host Sheffield United in the league on Saturday, here, we take a look at some of the latest Chelsea news.
Inter Milan eye three Chelsea stars
After being linked with these players for some time now, it has been reported that Inter Milan are reportedly set to rekindle their interest in Chelsea trio Emerson, Marcos Alonso, and Olivier Giroud come January. All three players have been well-documented targets for Serie A clubs, particularly Antonio Conte's Inter, and appear likely to be on the brink of an exit from Stamford Bridge.
Inter's CEO, Beppe Marotta, has already confirmed that he would like to sign at least two players in the winter window. With star man Romelu Lukaku currently out injured, it has been reported that Conte wants to sign Giroud as a deputy for him. The Italian coach has already worked with Alonso and Emerson at Chelsea and would like to reunite with the pair in Serie A.
Former Chelsea defender raves about Mendy's impact
Despite bringing in several superstars for a combined fee of over £200m in the summer, Scott Minto believes that Chelsea's last signing, Edouard Mendy, has been the real difference maker for the club.
This is quite an interesting claim to make, given that the Blues signed the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz in the same window. However, Minto's comments are more than justifiable, given that Mendy's inclusion in the first XI has almost directly led to a remarkable defensive resilience in the side.
Speaking on Mendy, the former Chelsea left-back explained;
"If you had said to me at the end of last season that Chelsea could only make one signing – and obviously they have made quite a lot and spent a good amount of money – I would have said it would be in goal."
"I'm surprised it took this long to get Edouard Mendy in – only the hierarchy at Chelsea know why. Even when Kepa has had chances this season, I think he has looked shaky and he has made mistakes."
The 49-year-old continued,
"I can tell you as a full-back that when you have got a really strong, confident goalkeeper who will come out and make good saves, it gives you confidence yourself."
"I would say so far, and I love the look of Ziyech as well, that Edouard Mendy – with five clean sheets in six games – has been the star signing at the moment. The confidence he gives is what Chelsea needed. They needed clean sheets, that is what they are getting at the moment, and now they can concentrate on going forward because they have got so much talent there."
Chelsea star Thiago Silva nominated for award
Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva has been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month award. The Brazilian's surreal performances in October have been recognized after Silva, along with Kurt Zouma, formed an impenetrable partnership at the heart of Chelsea's backline.
The 36-year-old helped Chelsea keep a clean sheet in all three of the games that he has started. All in all, Chelsea collected seven points out of a possible nine during his run in the team, with their draw at Old Trafford being the only fixture during which they dropped points.
The former PSG captain joins Che Adams, Conor Coady, Pablo Fornals, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, and Son Heung-Min as part of the eight-man shortlist for the award.
Also read: Chelsea boss Frank Lampard chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo