Chelsea Banter Mobile

05 Apr 2026 08:33:58
Always good to bang 7 and that second half performance was decent but first half we looked so nervous, the boys were lacking confidence and some of the passing was more sunday league than Premier League and the atmosphere was just drained bar the vale supporters who were brilliant.

The decision to give Palmer the captaincy was a bit like being back at school where the best player gets in over others who might just do a better job but that was fine, the stand out players were the 3 boys from Brazil, we must hang on to them next season with others likely on their way, Hato as well looks more and more comfortable on that left side and after a tricky start to his chelsea career is starting to look a real gem of a find.

And then to get home and watch Aresnal do a Spursy was a lovely bonus.

Happy Easter fellow posters, moaners and ED's.

05 Apr 2026 08:50:56
Greenaway, I'm sure this is not a reflection of all fans at the Bridge yesterday. My mate said pre-match, in the surrounding bars, the atmosphere was borderline toxic. At half-time and at full-time, he said that some fans sounded miffed they didn't have anything to moan about, continually saying "it was only Port Vale.".

05 Apr 2026 09:53:35
Yom

That performance yesterday would have meant at best a draw against Premier League opposition.

The few times Vale threatened, our backline looked dodgy.

05 Apr 2026 10:03:03
Bill, I'm sorry, mate, I have no idea what that win equates to in terms of comparison.

We are through to a semi at Wembley, is all I know.

05 Apr 2026 10:27:15
Atmosphere where I was in West Stand Lower Block 4 Row 13 was ok yesterday, mainly as the win looked pretty certain within 2 minutes. Neto was the player who impressed me most in the first half, partly as he was below me, and his performance was skilful and incisive for the most part, though his runs were quite often missed by midfielders. Palmer played one great pass that set him away. I was a bit miffed that Estevao played on the left for the whole of the first half, though his increasingly good performance in the second half was at some distance from me.

Agree about Hato, who is looking more consistent and confident, and has good speed when needed. Santos is also looking good. Pedro's skill set is wonderful, though Delap, when on again as replacement, again failed to impress, likewise much of Garnacho when on for Neto, though he netted that late penalty, but after I'd already headed home cos train to catch.



But yes, our defence still looked fragile in the first half, and we will never be given so much room in the opposition penalty box v EPL opposition as we were yesterday. Port Vale are bottom of League 1 for a reason.

Shame that the Port Vale fans were tremendous and loved their singing after we'd gone 5-0 up of "You're going to Wembley, We're going to York" (reference to a future fixture they have v York City). They also sang "You're nothing special, we lose every week".

All told, a nice enough day out, and one in which some of our players had a reasonable confidence-regaining run out, but hardly a test of how we will perform in the rest of the season's fixtures. But we are going to Wembley, and if we avoid City in the semis - great that Arsenal exited - with a good chance of being in another cup final.

05 Apr 2026 11:03:35
We will take the win, guys, and happily move on. Hopefully a nice confidence booster for the team, and Arsenal dumped out. Beat City is the big task now if we get them in the final or semi.

04 Apr 2026 20:59:29
Gittens out with yet another hamstring injury. I assume he will now miss the remainder of the season.
This is a lad I rate highly, but he hasn’t started his Chelsea career well. Let’s hope he makes a positive impression next season.

05 Apr 2026 07:36:50
Unfortunate. I haven't seen anything of him this season to make me think he has a bright future, but very hard to judge as he hasn't had a consistent run of games.

Hopefully you're right about him and he can come back stronger next season.

05 Apr 2026 08:46:45
Melbourne, there were some who criticised the SDs over the Hato signing, but those who had seen him play knew he could play a bit. In my opinion, it’s the same with Gittens. He is a good player who, in my opinion, just had one issue (too often plays with his head down), and that is something he can work on with the coaches.

It sometimes takes time for players to settle into a club and the Premiership.

05 Apr 2026 09:57:22
Hopefully he will have a full pre-season and come back stronger next season.

03 Apr 2026 16:10:06
Paul Merson has slammed Liam Rosenior's decision to drop midfielder Enzo Fernandez for the next two games following comments made regarding his future and links to Real Madrid.

Rosenior said that "a line was crossed" when Fernandez refused to rule out a move to the Spanish capital when speaking to Argentine media. As a result, he will miss the FA Cup tie with Port Vale and the following Premier League clash with Manchester City.

Marc Cucurella remains available despite his public criticisms of the club's transfer policy and questioned the departure of former boss Enzo Maresca, and Merson believes that Rosenior is making a mistake punishing Fernandez.



“I think more’s gone on than that. I think Enzo has sat down with him and told him "I want to leave," he claimed on Soccer Special.

"I’ve seen Cucurella have a meeting with him. But Enzo has gone in and said I want to leave."

“One thing you have to do as a manager is never chop your nose off to spite your face. Let the fans look after that situation. Not you. The fans will let you know if they are unhappy with Enzo. But play him on the pitch. He is one of Chelsea’s best players. It’s disappointing as a Chelsea fans, and it’s only good news for Man City.”

03 Apr 2026 17:03:45
Tend to agree somewhat.

Liam said we have plans for the summer to add "emotional stable" players (guy can't help himself), and then we go and drop a player because he said he would love to live in a specific city that reminds him of Buenos Aires.

Players hinting at moves is nothing new in football, and it does seem a bit like the club is acting like a teenager who saw their crush look at someone else.

Some would say it was an emotional response.

If Enzo came out and said he wants to leave the club and go to Madrid, while we have things to play for, I would agree that that is crossing a line. He seems to be dancing around it, as well as all the Madrid lovers do.

03 Apr 2026 17:23:36
Dangerous times for the CFC project. Not a bad sign if LR was not able to talk to EF, and at least get an agreement for EF not to speak out like this again in public. If EF is refusing to be reasonable, then LR may have had to try and assert himself in this way.

Problem is that EF certainly has been one of our best players, one of the few leaders in the team, and not to have him on the pitch v City seems stupid. LR may be shooting his own career prospects at CFC in the foot.

03 Apr 2026 17:38:55
This has now come out.

Enzo Fernández's agent Javier Pastore: "The punishment is completely unfair", told @TheAthleticFC.

"Enzo didn't understand the situation. He did not mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it".

"He only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he'd like to live in one day, and he said Madrid

but at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London".

It looks to me that Liam is yet again making a total tool of himself, he is trying to big himself up, stamp his feet as if he is prime Sir Alex and play the big boss, I remember AVB doing the same years ago and he too was so far out of his depth. The press will have a field day with this and if it turns ugly tomorrow I can hear chants of "ole Enzo Fernandez" ringing around the bridge.

03 Apr 2026 18:02:44
Does look as though Liam Rosenior is shooting himself and the club in the foot.

Though, perhaps, an interview given by Enzo Fernandez's agent is not the most reliable source of objective truth about this spat.



In an earlier post, I had meant to write 'not a good sign', but seem to have written 'not a bad sign'. Perhaps cos hard to see much good right now?!

03 Apr 2026 18:36:32
I'm not sure how anyone can work out that "Liam has made a total fool of himself?"

We have no idea what has been said in the meeting between the manager and the
player, but I guess if a fan wants the manager sacked, the agent's supposed defence of his client is predictable.



From what we know as fact, I wouldn't play Enzo for a lot more than two games, and I'm a fan of his.

{Ed025's Note - i want to know why flock head was not in the same dock Tom?..

03 Apr 2026 19:03:11
You could have given a one match ban, against Port Vale, obviously symbolic in nature, but at least you can say it was addressed and now we move on. The ban for the City game just offers up another potential stick with which he can be beaten with.



I don't have a major issue with selling Fernandez, it will be for decent money, and I think there are better options for our midfield on the market. I don't think this has been handled well, though, not well at all.

04 Apr 2026 00:56:18
You're right that we don't know what was said in the meeting, Tom, however, the club didn't say this ban was related to the meeting. Liam explicitly said he was receiving this ban because of what was said in the interview and that the club and Liam came to the decision together.

I agree with J, as I'm sure many fans do, that I don't have a big issue with Enzo being sold. His form has been patchy since his arrival, with very few dominating performances. Granted he has played well this season, but not enough to help us avoid the form we've had.

I personally don't have a high opinion of him as a human, haven't since the video came out and have a deeper understanding of Argentinian mentality than most, so don't chalk it down to a silly song and a mistake. However, I don't think he has done much wrong here outside of looking to either get improved terms while contract negotiations are ongoing, or looking to get a move to Madrid, a club that very few could argue is the biggest in world football and has a particular draw for South American players that speak Spanish.

Yet the club, and Liam, have once again decided to paint a target, give the media something to talk about and ostracize a player while letting another player who said much more damning remarks walk free. If we beat Citeh I expect the noise disappears. If we lose another of Liam's decisions gets scrutinized when there was no need for it. Most expected us to lose to Citeh, so why add pressure onto a team/manager that has repeatedly crumbled under the weight of small set backs?

04 Apr 2026 08:55:54
Ok, for starters, this is not the first time Enzo Fernandez has batted his eye lids at 'Spain' and 'Madrid'.

When you see those comments, it obviously refers to Real Madrid.

Apart from the two game ban, I would have also taken away the vice captaincy from him, and said you can leave if somebody comes up with %150mil all upfront.

I wonder if Real Madrid would still be interested.

The other thing is that his attitude is annoying other team players, which equates to being a bad apple.



Now to Liam Rosenior, are we seriously thinking that the ban is his doing? He is only the messenger for the owners/SD's. The coach is under severe pressure to get results; why would he drop one of his most consistent players?

Now to the media, we were damned if we did, and damned if we didn't. The media are saying why would you drop one of your best players; however, if we hadn't, they would be saying players can do what they want at our club.

04 Apr 2026 09:23:22
Whoever made the decision, it is pointless to drop a player for two matches; purely symbolic. I see LR has further enraged Strasbourg supporters by stating that they should be proud that he has gone on to coach Chelsea. What an absolute plank.

04 Apr 2026 09:31:23
Yep, should have slung him and Cucarella out for the season, and then sell them both in the summer unless a full apology is forthcoming.

04 Apr 2026 09:37:17
Jose Mourinho on Liam Rosenior Suspending Enzo Fernandes: "You say Madrid is beautiful. Of course it is beautiful. Paris is beautiful. London is beautiful. But beauty does not win you titles. Mentality wins you titles." "When I was at Chelsea, my players did not speak about other clubs.

Why? Because they were too busy winning." "You want Real Madrid? Real Madrid is not a holiday destination. It is pressure. It is history. It is responsibility."
Fair enough, Jose.

04 Apr 2026 10:12:28
I personally think he was suspended, not because of saying he liked Madrid as a city or any of the other quotes. It was because he said "Under Enzo Maresca we had an identity." I think that's the part Liam and/or the sporting directors didn't like.

There is no evidence he is a bad apple in the dressing room, and I like his fiery temperament and wish others had the same.

04 Apr 2026 11:38:53
What do you do with him if Madrid doesn't come up with the 150m? Does this situation strengthen or weaken our position as a club trying to sell an asset?

Gone are the days of Roman sinking millions with no financial expectation. We've been fined this season and await another, as well as having a suspended transfer ban.



Bench him for Port Vale, speak in private, and sell him in the summer.

We're trying to get CL football, and Enzo can play a role in that. Liam is upset Enzo and Cucu aired their frustrations in public, and yet he does the same, and weakens our position to sell a player that is, frankly, already hugely overvalued.

04 Apr 2026 12:12:01
I agree, Melbourne. Sadly, Liam has not handled this well at all, and he looked a right tool in his presser talking about it.
I don't think I have ever seen a Chelsea gaffer look so out of his depth as this bloke, and we have had a few over the years.

04 Apr 2026 12:45:35
I agree with the position the club, and I assume the manager, has taken on Enzo. My surprise is, from the outside, Cucarella seems to have got away with it.

I also think LR did well in his press conference and answered the questions competently.

04 Apr 2026 13:34:45
Perception is a strange thing, Tom.

I can't watch an interview anymore without seeing him making a fool of himself in some way. Certainly, there must be some level of bias.

I didn't want him, gave him a chance (not much I guess you could argue), felt like things were looking good post the West Ham second half, and felt the players wanted to play for him.

Since then, I have seen the opposite and watched him talk about respecting the ball, etc.

Whatever happens for the rest of the season and the summer, let's just hope it's what's best for the club and next season progress is made.

04 Apr 2026 14:15:57
Melbourne, I certainly didn't want LR as our manager, but I think he deserves until the end of the season.

I'm happy to wait and see how it looks in June. I can't see what difference it makes if we wait until then.

03 Apr 2026 09:44:53
Do the comment from Cucurella demonstrate the dressing room leadership that many have been calling out for?

Plenty in the press have been saying things like he should ‘keep in his lane’ or ‘stay in his box’, but he’s stepped forward and spoke out for the team, speaking out for the talented, but less experienced, players. No one can question what he said was the truth. He put pressure on the club, doing it on behalf of a squad who want help to compete at the top.

That, for me, demonstrates leadership.

Lots of reports that he signed a new deal, which wasn’t announced at the time, last summer. Could he sign for Barcelona? Yes, but he’ll be the most expensive option for them at LB. Equally Palmer could sign for Man Utd and Fernandez could sign for Real, but they’d both be the most expensive options, by some distance, for both them clubs too. I think it’s highly likely more than one of those deals happen this summer.

03 Apr 2026 11:28:48
J, this is probably just me. My problem with these players making comments is more about why tell the fans/media. If you have a problem, go and talk to the manager/owner. This seems to be a common occurrence with players from all clubs giving their views about their respective clubs/managers while on international duty.
As I've said before, shut the f*** up.

03 Apr 2026 11:37:03
Well said Tom.

03 Apr 2026 11:41:18
How do we know they haven't spoken internally and been ignored? I have far more issues with Fernandez's.

03 Apr 2026 12:26:29
J, that's a good point. They may well have spoken to senior people within the club, but I still can't have them blasting their views to the media. I understand that Enzo has been dropped from the squad for at least two games, and I think Cucarella will probably get a similar so called punishment.

Let's also remember that Enzo is reported to be negotiating a new contract with the club. My guess is those negotiations haven't gone well and may now be closed.

03 Apr 2026 12:31:17
J, have you seen the latest presser?

Boss Liam Rosenior on Enzo Fernandez:

"I spoke with Enzo an hour ago. We've made a decision - he won't be available for tomorrow's game and he won't be available for Manchester City.

"It's disappointing to speak in that way.

What I will say about Enzo is that, in terms of him as a person, I've got no bad words to say.

"But a line was crossed in terms of our culture. We had to make a sanction."

That is the end of the matter, as Enzo will now leave. Liam stamping his foot.

03 Apr 2026 13:09:37
I think Rodri joins Real from City, which may leave Fernandez in a bit of an awkward situation. I don't see all this helping Rosenior's situation.

03 Apr 2026 13:18:04
If Rodri goes to RM, expect EF to go to City.

03 Apr 2026 13:18:21
J, the buzz earlier in the week was RM had pulled away from any Rodri deal, and are now only interested in Enzo.
That rumour coming out in the media nearly coincided with Enzo opening his mouth.

03 Apr 2026 13:51:56
Rodri hasn't been at his best since his return from injury and will be 30 in June. I doubt Real Madrid will take the risk.

03 Apr 2026 13:54:16
Tom, you are right about Rodri not going to Madrid. The deal is done for Enzo.

03 Apr 2026 15:11:08
Interestingly, when asked if Enzo was committed to Chelsea, he said he couldn't speak for the player. However, he openly said Cucu wants to stay here, and is very committed to the project.

All but confirms Enzo's exit.

04 Apr 2026 12:49:58
Melbourne, apparently Enzo and his agent are or were trying to negotiate a new Chelsea contract. I think this is all about those negotiations. He hasn't accepted any improved deal, so his agent suggests bringing up Madrid. It's also rumoured that Cucarella had already signed a new improved contract, (not sure I believe it), and has therefore "committed" himself to the club.

02 Apr 2026 14:30:41
I see we spent £65 million on agents fees, nearly twice as much as the next highest spend. Doesn’t look like good value to me considering last summer’s signings. No wonder RA tried to keep certain payments off the books.


A number of Japanese supporters brought bin bags to Wembley to clear up rubbish after the game - class - should have put most of the England players in their bags as well.

02 Apr 2026 15:02:24
The RA method worked out well.

02 Apr 2026 15:23:34
Yes, it did. At least we signed Hazard. Not bad for £10 million, compared to Gittens, Garnacho and Hato, amongst others.

02 Apr 2026 15:32:45
Sorry, thought you were talking about Agents fees and how to hide them. Silly me!!

02 Apr 2026 16:02:50
You know very well what I was referring to: the ridiculous amount we have spent on agents' fees, which is clearly money not well spent.

02 Apr 2026 16:14:55
As opposed to the amount we spent on fees, and then, for some strange reason, tried to hide them.

All agents' fees, in my opinion, are wasted money.

02 Apr 2026 16:21:33
Jimbo, the money spent on agent fees is fully in line with what the other big clubs have spent in percentage terms. The reason ours is so high is due to the fact we are the lead sellers of players in the Premier League.

Agents fees can be paid by clubs to both sell and facilitate loan moves, as well as purchasing new players, of which we purchase a lot. It does not mean we just decide to double what we pay an agent.

02 Apr 2026 16:21:44
My memory isn't that good, but I seem to remember the Hazard transfer fee to Chelsea being between £30-£35m. Mind you, I'm probably wrong!!

What a player. He was certainly able to get fans out of their seats.

02 Apr 2026 16:36:03
Tom, it was £32 million, as I recall, but don't forget the huge amount we eventually got for him. As I said, he was the gift that kept giving.

02 Apr 2026 16:44:44
He was a wonderful player, but over the Ra years, we also signed some very poor players and sold one or two we shouldn't have. The transfer market has no guarantees.