Chelsea

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal and Chelsea meet on Saturday having each won both of their opening matches.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Sunday's meeting at Emirates Stadium (16:30 BST).

Arsenal will aim to continue a strong start to their title defence by winning their opening three Premier League matches for only the second time in the past 21 seasons.

The Gunners have begun 2026-27 in comfortable fashion both on and off the pitch. Effective recruitment this summer means that Mikel Arteta's side were not involved in the scramble of deadline day, with the £51m purchase of Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa on 21 August proving to be Arsenal's final signing of the summer window.

Konsa made his debut as a late substitute against his former employers during the 1-0 win at Villa Park on Monday night and reinforcing an already formidable defence with an England international has underlined Arsenal's strongest suit.

So far this season, they have faced the fewest shots (11) and shots on target (one) and have allowed opponents the lowest collective expected goals tally (0.54) of any side. They are yet to concede a goal in three games, including the 3-0 Community Shield win against Manchester City.

Chelsea's start to the season has been of a different ilk entirely, so too the nature of their transfer business.

Deadline day saw midfielder Enzo Fernandez depart for City in a move which matched the British transfer record fee of £125m that Liverpool paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak's services last summer.

In total, 14 players have left Stamford Bridge in the transfer window, with 13 coming in, at a trading profit of more than £45m.

Chelsea's frenetic transfer activity has been matched by events on the pitch, with their two Premier League games so far featuring 12 goals in wins against Fulham and Brighton.

They could become the first side to see their opening three games of a top-flight season each feature five or more goals since Arsenal themselves in 1988.

Midfielder Cole Palmer was back to his best in helping Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 last weekend, scoring what proved to be the winner in the 74th minute.

The England international has scored 49 goals in 98 Premier League games for Chelsea since joining from Manchester City for £40m in 2023.

Should he score against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Palmer will become only the third Chelsea player to reach a half-century of Premier League goals in fewer than 100 games.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso appeared to speak with genuine conviction when discussing his satisfaction with the club's summer business.

However, his comments came just days after Chelsea missed out on signing a midfielder on transfer deadline day, largely because Monaco opted against sanctioning Lamine Camara's move to Stamford Bridge.

Yet Alonso, as he often does, focused on the options already at his disposal, highlighting Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson, Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco.

He also described this as only "phase one" which teases the potential to conduct more business to shape the squad into his vision come January.

The Chelsea head coach effectively confirmed Henderson remains unavailable but declined to provide an update on Caicedo after the midfielder lasted only 11 minutes as a substitute against Brighton on Sunday.

Ironically, his reluctance to discuss team news mirrors that of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, whom he will face at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Meanwhile, new goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez inherited the number one shirt after Robert Sanchez joined Como 1907 on loan on transfer deadline day.

The Argentina international has also offered to sign shirts for supporters who purchased his number 26 jersey through official club channels following his move from Aston Villa last week.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium (16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Alonso gave an update on Moises Caicedo's fitness: "We will check tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last decision for the squad on Sunday." He added that summer signing Jordan Henderson is "getting closer and closer to playing time".

• On Enzo Fernandez's deadline-day move to Manchester City: "We take all the decisions together. We work together with big ones, small ones. We knew, ultimately, the goal is to have the best for the team. We want to build a good spirit, a good team."

• On the circumstances surrounding Fernandez's exit: "In football, many things happen. With Enzo, we have had conversations and always with respect. What he has done for the club has been great, but now it's time to move forward. We have players with quality in every position and now we are ready to go."

• Alonso was also asked about a late move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara collapsing: "I think that we are prepared and happy with the squad and the depth we have. It's a good balance of players from different stages. We need to build that energy during the week to perform at the weekends. So far, it has been a good start and now we know who is in the building. It's good to have that certainty."

• On Chelsea's summer business as a whole: "We can be very happy with the whole transfer window. What we starting talking about in May and early June - many things we have. It is a very balanced phase one we have made in this transfer window. Phase one is completed - it's a good one for now and for the future."

• On summer signing Morgan Rogers, who had previously been heavily linked with a move to Sunday's opponents: "For sure, Morgan was a big, big one to get a player of his stature - in the present and future. He will be a key player for the next six, seven years. He's had a great impact."

• On his midfield options: "Valentin [Barco] is young but he has a great energy. Hendo [Henderson] has the composure and the mentality. Hendo knows what is going on in the game, he's getting closer and closer to playing time. Reece [James] as well, Malo [Gusto]. [Reggie] Watson and Mahdi [Nicoll-Jazuli] from the academy. We have options, quality and competitiveness."

Listen to full live commentary of Arsenal v Chelsea on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

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Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will speak to the media on Friday for the first time since his side's failed attempt to sign a midfielder before the transfer deadline.

They were left furious when Monaco pulled the plug on their £47m agreement for Lamine Camara, 22, on Tuesday night.

In the aftermath, Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro delivered a media conference and said Alonso had spoken directly to the Senegal international before the Ligue 1 club decided to pull the plug on a proposed move for the midfielder.

The pursuit followed Enzo Fernandez's joint British-record £125m move to Manchester City, while Chelsea also explored deals for Roma midfielder Manu Kone and another unnamed Premier League target.

The question now is whether Alonso believes his current midfield options are sufficient, with five recognised players available in that area of the pitch.

There are also concerns over the fitness of Moises Caicedo after the Ecuador international lasted only 11 minutes as a substitute against Brighton.

At the time, Alonso expressed optimism that the midfielder had not suffered a serious injury, although there has been no further update from the club.

The news conference is likely to focus on Chelsea's midfield options and whether they can compete with rivals such as champions Arsenal, whom they face away from home on Sunday.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have had a few remarkable transfer summers since their forced sale from Roman Abramovich's control in May 2022.

Once again they were big spenders, outlaying £349m on 11 signings such as Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Emiliano Martinez.

But there was something different this time. Chelsea actually made a trading profit after selling 17 players.

Another 22 were loaned out, four of those with either sell-on options or obligations totalling more than £140m.

It meant a staggering 39 players left the club - and that is not including the four young players who were released.

And, remarkably after all that, the Chelsea website, external still lists a first-team squad on their books of 30 players.

Does this all show Chelsea's recruitment strategy, which has attracted significant criticism over the years, has finally started to deliver - at least financially?

Or has it been a sign of sorting out the transfer chaos of the first four years under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital?

For most of their tenure, the strategy centred on signing young players to long-term contracts and rapidly rebuilding a squad largely inherited from the Abramovich era - a process that initially came at considerable expense.

Spending on transfer fees has overall significantly exceeded income from player sales - and the club subsequently breached Uefa's financial controls, resulting in a fine and a settlement agreement.

Chelsea also controversially remained within Premier League financial regulations after selling assets, including two hotels and the women's team, to companies within the club's ownership structure.

Since then, they have increasingly focused on trying to balance their spending by generating significant transfer income.

Before this summer, Chelsea had already recorded sales total of £236m, £178m and £289m in successive summers.

What does that mean?

Put simply, Chelsea have spent almost £2bn across nine transfer windows, but have generated more than £1bn through player sales in this time.

Read more on Chelsea's 39 summer exits

Estevao Willian is concerned about how much first-team football he will get at Chelsea under Xabi Alonso and the forward could look to move in January depending on his situation. (ESPN Brazil), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

The 'here we go' is on hold, the 'bombas' are done and dusted and the window panes are reverberating after being forcefully closed on Tuesday night.

Now comes the moment for new arrivals to make their mark on the pitch rather than the balance sheet.

Throughout the Premier League era there have been hordes of transfer hits and misses, but today we're looking at those signings who proved game-changing for their club and the competition, the ones who really moved the needle.

I've ranked my top 10 and this is where Petr Cech's move to Chelsea placed.

Image source, Getty Images

10. Petr Cech - Rennes to Chelsea, £7m, July 2004

At number 10 on the list is Petr Cech.

Austrian goalkeeper Jurgen Macho was one of first faces through the door as the Roman Abramovich era began at Chelsea, arriving on a free transfer from Sunderland, only to tear his cruciate ligament and never play for the club.

A keeper signed the following summer would prove far more influential at Stamford Bridge.

While prising Claude Makelele from Real Madrid's Galacticos was a huge statement - likewise Hernan Crespo from Inter Milan - Petr Cech was the wall on which back-to-back titles were built.

Cech conceded only 15 goals in his debut league campaign, going on a run of 1,025 minutes without being beaten and ending the season with a record 24 clean sheets.

His Chelsea career spanned 11 seasons and included four Premier League titles and a Champions League. The Blues made back the £7m they paid - and then some.

Read Alex's top 10 game-changing transfers in Premier League history and make your own selections here

We asked for your overall assessment of Chelsea's summer transfer window, with plenty of money spent on freshening up the squad and some regular first-team names moving on.

Here are some of your replies:

Tim: A good window for Chelsea. We brought in a good mixture of youth and experience. We sold a number of our underachievers for a profit. £125m for Enzo Fernandez? He'll be off if Real Madrid come knocking again, so I'm not too sorry to see the back of him.

Denis: An almost perfect window spiked by the two Enzos. Manchester City end up stronger and we end up weaker. I've got major concerns over the continued fitness of Romeo Lavia, Reece James and Moises Caicedo. It means that what may have been a title challenge will almost certainly now be a battle for top four or five. We could've pulled out of the Fernandez deal, but with no Champions League money that was never going to happen.

Colin: Chelsea stabbed themselves in the back waiting for Fernandez to go before getting a replacement in. They should've paid the money a few weeks ago and got Alex Scott in, knowing that Fernandez was going, or even given him a new deal to keep him.

Reg: A fantastic window. The squad looks more balanced and suited to Xabi Alonso's needs, instead of being full of young prospects with no focus. Swapping one-paced Enzo Fernandez for Morgan Rogers plus £8m will prove to be remarkable business. Missing out on Lamine Camara gives some of our talented players an opportunity to demonstrate their worth. Lavia, Valentin Barco, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Reggie Watson are all capable of stepping up. Exciting times!

Chelsea have contacted Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, 35, about joining the club on a free transfer. The former Liverpool man left Saudi Pro-League club Al-Ettifaq earlier this summer. (Foot Mercato - in French, external)

Everton rejected a late £65m bid from Chelsea for English midfielder James Garner, 25, because it came too late in the transfer window. (Talksport, external)

Meanwhile, the Blues will face competition from Liverpool for Monaco's Lamine Camara should they revive their interest in the 22-year-old Senegal midfielder after a deadline-day move to Stamford Bridge collapsed. (Talksport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Steve Sutcliffe, Emlyn Begley and Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalists

Premier League clubs have broke their all-time summer transfer record with spending reaching £3.49bn.

A total of £506.5m was spent on deadline day itself, up from £391m last year.

The total amount spent during the window considerably dwarfs the £1.13bn spent by clubs just five years ago and underlines the power top English clubs have to attract talent, according to figures provided to BBC Sport by Paul Macdonald, founder of FootballTransfers.com.

Three of the 10 most expensive signings in the history of football have happened this summer – with all of them being Premier League signings. In fact, this summer window featured four of the top flight's five most expensive ever deals.

So maybe it is not surprising then that of the 20 most expensive transfers completed, only six were not to clubs in the English top flight.

Indeed, newly-promoted Ipswich have spent more on new signings than the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and reigning European champions PSG.

Premier League clubs as a whole were willing to dip deep into their pockets this summer, as 11 of the 20 clubs broke their transfer records, six of them on more than one occasion.

Coventry, promoted to the Premier League alongside Ipswich and Hull, have done so four times over.

Read more on the Premier League's record-breaking transfer spending

Arsenal have started the new Premier League season with two wins as the transfer window closes, looking in ominous shape to retain the crown they won for the first time in 22 years last season.

Have their main rivals done enough to prevent Mikel Arteta's side winning a second successive title?

And what are the other big issues as the Premier League's transfer business was concluded until January?

Chelsea may have lost Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for £125m in the final hours of the window, but the business done this summer will still delight new manager Xabi Alonso.

Alonso opened with two Premier League wins, but goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's display in the opening victory at Fulham persuaded him to finally solve a long-standing problem by signing Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa.

The list of incomings and outgoings are - as usual - almost too numerous to mention, but Morgan Rogers - a £117m signing from Aston Villa - has already formed a devastating trio in attack with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, while Maxence Lacroix is a quality defensive addition.

And in a shift in strategy, veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck were brought in to add experience and their consummate professionalism to the Chelsea dressing room.

Chelsea were in the market in the final hours as well, but were bitterly disappointed when Monaco pulled the plug on their move for highly-regarded midfielder Lamine Camara as Fernandez departed.

A huge squad has no European football to offer a distraction, which is why Chelsea and Alonso could well believe they have the quality to also run close - although they remain outsiders.

Image source, Getty Images

Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro has explained why Chelsea's Deadline Day move for Lamine Camera collapsed, and how it was affected by Everton's failed move for team-mate Folarin Balogun.

The Ligue 1 side had made it clear keeping the midfielder was "our priority" despite approaches by "several clubs" over the summer and Chelsea, "always testing and trying".

However, the Blues' interest stepped up after they agreed to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.

"I've been speaking to them for the last 10 days," explained Scuro.

"Around 16:00 yesterday we got contact from Chelsea - 'OK, we sold a player in this position. Deal done. Is there any possibility Monaco are open to selling Lamine?'

"The answer was the same: no."

However, reports then began to emerge of issues in Balogun's Everton medical and Chelsea "saw an opportunity" as Monaco needed a sale.

"It's fair to play this game," said Scuro. "There is no problem.

"Chelsea called us and said, 'maybe we can be the solution'.

"At that moment, we had to open the door to discussions. I contacted the player directly myself. I called him. I informed his agent, as we always do. We were very open.

"We had discussions about the conditions for Lamine to go to Chelsea. At the same time, the medical discussions regarding Balogun were ongoing."

But, there was time for another twist, despite Camara completing a medical in France and Chelsea expecting the deal to go through.

"What happened was that around 20:00 our time, maybe a bit earlier, Everton realised there was no issue and decided they were ready to sign the contract," added Scuri.

"As soon as we received that information, we came back to Chelsea and said there was no deal. Because that's also fair. It's part of the game."

Chelsea were left furious when the club say they were informed by Monaco in writing that a deal for Camara would not go ahead but Scuro insisted the Ligue 1 side did nothing untoward.

"There is no reason these discussions, which are always dynamic on deadline day, should suddenly make Monaco the bad guys in the room," he said.

"Everyone in football is trying to find solutions with the clock ticking. Monaco are not doing anything different."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Under Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez helped the club win the 2025 Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup later that summer but noises emerged at the start of this year about him wanting to leave.

It began once Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January and two months later, following Chelsea's Champions League exit, Fernandez said he did not know whether he would be at the club next season.

His first choice was to join Real Madrid but the La Liga giants never came in with an offer, feeling the Premier League midfielder was overpriced.

New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso spoke to Fernandez this summer in an attempt to try and change his mind and for him to stay, but the player's heart was set on leaving.

Having been jeered by his own supporters during the home pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad, there was only one direction of travel thereafter and that exit was seemingly rubberstamped after being left out of the wins over Luton and Brighton.

A deal with Manchester City was finally struck with just hours remaining in the transfer window, but which club will feel they came out on top?

Chelsea had set an arbitrary deadline of 14 August for clubs to match their £120m valuation of the player - which passed without any offers coming in - and they were understood to be holding out for £135m on Monday.

City had indicated they would walk away from the deal at the price, instead offering £125m the following day, which was subsequently accepted.

City got their man, while Chelsea received £5m more than what they initially asked for.

Chelsea have now raised more than £425m through player sales, including add-ons this summer and fees from loan deals are expected to take that figure closer to £500m.

Club sources initially indicated they would bank the cash and not bring in a direct replacement but, with time running out on deadline day, they performed an extraordinary pivot by agreeing a £47m deal to sign Monaco's Lamine Camara.

But there was one final twist at 23:00 BST as the window closed, with the Ligue 1 side reneging on the written agreement after renegotiating a deal to sell USA striker Folarin Balogun to Everton.

It left Chelsea with the Fernandez cash in their pocket but without a replacement and, though they could have pulled the plug on the deal, the Blues decided to honour their word and allowed him to join City.

Read more on the deadline day drama

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea fully expected their move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara to go through, and had already sanctioned Enzo Fernandez's £125m switch to Manchester City in anticipation of the Senegal international joining.

Having previously struggled to agree a deal for the 22-year-old, the Blues made a breakthrough when Monaco striker Folarin Balogun's move to Everton came into renewed doubt.

But Chelsea were left furious and say they were informed by Monaco in writing that a deal for Camara would not go ahead.

Sources in France had stated Monaco needed to make a major sale this summer and preferred to sell Balogun. A source at the Ligue 1 club had previously indicated it would take a "substantial fee" to secure Camara's departure.

Camara featured in Monaco's 2-0 win over Marseille on Sunday evening, while Balogun was left out of the squad.

Yet, when doubts emerged over Balogun's proposed move, Monaco's asking price for Camara appeared to fall, making a move to Stamford Bridge more achievable at £47m.

Once Balogun's transfer seemed to be back on track, Monaco appeared to renege on their decision to sell Camara. BBC Sport has contacted the Ligue 1 club for comment.

But then Everton's move for Balogun collapsed after the striker changed his mind over the move following a medical at the club's Finch Farm training base.

Issues with the medical meant Everton and Monaco renegotiated the initial £40m deal for the 25-year-old striker.

The United States international and both clubs signed a deal sheet before the transfer window closed at 23:00 BST on Tuesday - only for Balogun to have a change of heart and walk away.

How much of a blow is the Camara deal falling through for Chelsea? And what's your assessment overall of the Blues' transfer window?

Send us your views here

Chelsea made a late attempt to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, 23, to replace Enzo Fernandez, but the Cherries had no interest in selling this summer. (Mirror), external

Meanwhile, Arsenal also rejected an enquiry from the Blues for 27-year-old Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi. (Sun), external

Liverpool tried to sign right-back Malo Gusto on deadline day, but the loan move did not materialise as Chelsea wanted a permanent transfer. (Fabrice Hawkins), external

Celtic are hoping to finalise a loan deal for Chelsea left-back Landon Emenalo. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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