Chelsea's Carabao Cup campaign begins at Stamford Bridge on Thursday against a Luton Town side still chasing a repeat of their sole major trophy, the 1988 League Cup.
History is firmly against the visitors: Luton have been eliminated in eight of their last nine EFL Cup ties against Premier League opposition, while Chelsea have advanced from 27 of their last 28 EFL Cup ties against sides from outside the top flight, a run stretching back to a penalty-shootout exit to Burnley in November 2008.
Luton head into the match unbeaten across three fixtures this season, coming from behind to beat Reading 4-3 on the opening weekend before a 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Notts County and a 3-0 win over Gillingham in the first round. Chelsea, by contrast, are still finding their feet under Xabi Alonso, whose competitive debut brought a 3-2 win at Fulham three days earlier. Thursday offers the new head coach an early look at squad depth before a testing run of fixtures ahead.
Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026Kick-off: 19:30 BSTVenue: Stamford BridgeReferee: Elliot BellLast meeting: Luton Town 2-3 Chelsea, Premier League, 30 December 2023
Jordan Henderson (wrist) and Emmanuel Emegha (hamstring) remain sidelined, and Wesley Fofana is suspended, serving the second of a two-match ban carried over from a red card against Sunderland last season. Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra both missed the win at Fulham after picking up injuries in training and remain doubts, with Caicedo more likely to return for the weekend. Alonso is expected to make wholesale changes and could hand full debuts to several summer signings.

#premier #fulham

Olympique de Marseille have made an enquiry about Chelsea forward Deivid Washington (21), according to a report from Foot Mercato.
Since making the move to Chelsea, Washington has failed to break into the first team. A loan move away from Stamford Bridge this summer is expected. RC Strasbourg Alsace, who share the same BlueCo owners, emerged as the clear candidate for the Brazilian's signature. There, the striker could develop, especially in the wake of Emanuel Emegha's exit and the ACL injury sustained by Joaquín Panichelli. The latter is not expected to return until the turn of the year. Foot Mercato understands that Le Racing have submitted an offer, as have Sevilla.
However, there is a new contender for his signature: Marseille. OM have made an enquiry about the Chelsea forward; Washington himself has also done research on the club and the city by speaking to compatriot and former Marseille player Luis Henrique, Foot Mercato understands.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle

#foot

RC Strasbourg Alsace aren't exactly stacked in the attacking department. Emanuel Emegha left earlier in the summer to join Chelsea, whilst David Datro Fofana also returned to Stamford Bridge following the expiry of his loan deal with the Alsace club. Joaquín Panichelli, meanwhile, remains sidelined with an ACL injury that he sustained in March. He may not return before the end of the calendar year.
The arrival of Jacobo Ortega from Real Madrid is, therefore, a relief for Strasbourg, however, he is vastly inexperienced. Despite being just 21 years old, the same can not be said of Lucas Stassin, who, according to a report from RMC Sport, has now emerged as a target for Le Racing.
The Belgium international, who is currently consigned to playing a second consecutive season in Ligue 2 with Les Verts, is attracting interest from across Europe, including from Strasbourg. Stassin could, therefore, be on the move, before the closure of the transfer window.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle

#alsace #stassin #emegha

After becoming one of the Premier League's main 'banter clubs' last season, Chelsea will head into the 2026/27 season with a point to prove.
The scattergun approach to transfer business coupled with impatience towards managers ultimately took a heavy toll on the Blues' fortunes last term.
Xabi Alonso has been appointed to steady the ship, and it will be intriguing to see if he can get Chelsea heading in the right direction again.
Without further ado, read on as we ******* s Chelsea's hopes of enjoying a productive 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
IN:Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa, £117m), Quenda (Sporting CP, £44m), Pep Chavarria (Rayo Vallecano, £16.3m), Denner (Corinthians, £8.7m), Dastan Satpaev (Kairat Almaty, £2.1m), Emmanuel Emegha (Strasbourg, undisclosed), Marco Palestra (Atalanta, undisclosed), Harrison Bettoni (Wigan Athletic, undisclosed), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace, undisclosed), Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion, undisclosed), Jordan Henderson (free agent), Valentin Barco (undisclosed),

#Chelsea

Chelsea have set an asking price of £65m for Nicolas Jackson with Aston Villa weighing up a formal approach.
Aston Villa are interested in a deal to sign Jackson, with Unai Emery open to a reunion with his former Villarreal player. The Villans have banked more than £190m from sales this summer and are contemplating an official bid for Jackson.
The Senegalese striker has returned to Chelsea from a season-long loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals in 34 games for the German double-winners.
Bayerndecided against the £70m option to make the move permanent, though Chelsea retain confidence that the club can secure a significant sum for the forward.
According toThe Athletic, Chelsea value Jackson at £65m, a fee that would represent a club-record deal for Aston Villa. He's one of several strikers expected to leave West London this summer, with Emmanuel Emegha, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu all attracting suitors.

#jackson #deal #emery

Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, rivalling Premier League counterparts Aston Villa, according to the Daily Mail. Xabi Alonso, Unai Emery and Roberto De Zerbi are at Stamford Bridge, Villa Park and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, respectively.
Stamford Bridge executives have placed a £65m price tag on the 25-year-old forward, who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Spurs have prioritised strengthening their attack in the closing weeks of the summer window, having already reinforced other areas. The North Londoners have now turned to Jackson despite their interest in Cody Gakpo, who is currently not for sale by Liverpool.
Spurs will face stiff competition from Aston Villa, where manager Unai Emery is leading efforts to reunite with Jackson. Emery previously coached the striker at Villarreal and values his direct running, pressing energy, and versatility as ideal qualities to strengthen Villa's forward rotation alongside Ollie Watkins. Villa have already held preliminary talks with Jackson's representatives following Morgan Rogers' departure.
From Chelsea's perspective, the Blues are open to sanctioning a deal if their £65m threshold is met. Jackson scored 11 goals in 34 matches across all competitions last season, but returns to Stamford Bridge facing intense competition for places following the arrivals of Danny Welbeck and Emegha, adding to a striker group that already includes Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and Marc Guiu. With Chelsea aiming to streamline their squad and generate transfer capital, a permanent departure remains a strong possibility.

#stamford #bridge

Chelsea will kick off their pre-season schedule on Tuesday with a clash against Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers at the Accor Stadium.
This match signals the start of a new chapter for the club, as Xabi Alonso officially takes charge as head coach. The Blues are effectively starting from scratch after a disappointing 2025/26 Premier League campaign, which saw them finish 10th. With no pre-season matches played so far, Chelsea head into this fixture short on match fitness and overall rhythm, making their Australian opener a challenging starting point.
The squad travelling to Australia is far from full strength, with several important players unavailable.
A number of key names are still recovering after international duty, including Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernández, all of whom featured in the latter stages of the World Cup.
In addition, summer signings Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have remained in London as they deal with minor injury concerns.

#head #sydney

AS Roma are readying an offer for versatile RC Strasbourg Alsace winger Diego Moreira (21), according to a report from Gianluca Di Marzio.
It is expected to be a summer of transition at Strasbourg. Following the exit of Gary O'Neil, the Alsace club remain without a manager, whilst many key players are expected to depart. Emanuel Emegha has already left to join Chelsea, whilst another Blues target, Valentin Barco, has already announced his impending exit, even if his move to Stamford Bridge has yet to be officialised.
Moreira, so key over the course of the past two seasons, is also expected to depart. Earlier this summer, Borussia Dortmund were touted as a suitor, but the Bundesliga giants are not the only interested party in the winger, who can play full-back, wing-back, and on the wing on both sides.
Di Marzio understands that Roma are now preparing to bid €30m for the Belgium international. The bid would also include a 10% sell-on clause.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The boys are back in town — or at least those boys who were not at the World Cup (or those still at the World Cup, obviously) — and we’ve also got the new gaffer taking charge of his first official training as Chelsea boss. Though it may be a bit hard to spot him: he looks like he could lace them up for real still in an actual game!
So that’s all pretty exciting, with the likes of Cole Palmer, João Pedro, and Estêvão all getting to work with the new manager from day one. That surely will be beneficial for the season ahead, as will the rare weeks off they got from football. They can channel their frustrations about the World Cup into stellar performances for the Blues!
There were some fresh faces as well, including the just announced Geovany Quenda. Striker Emmanuel Emegha was also present, as was, apparently, wonderboy Dastan Satpaev who doesn’t turn 18 for another month but was given special dispensation by FC Kairat to come train with the squad already.
Check out the gallery below for some of the day’s best images. Liking the sleeveless training shirts, but of course, as disappointingly usual, it’s not available to buy at the Megastore.