Chelsea defender Baba Rahman has joined Schalke on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old, who joined the Blues from Augsburg in 2015, failed to secure a first-team place at Stamford Bridge last season and has been allowed to join the Gelsenkirchen club on loan to gain first-team minutes.
Rahman made 23 appearances, 19 of them starts for Chelsea last season.
Speaking to Schalke website Rahman said:
"I spoke with the new Chelsea head coach and he told me that I would probably not to play very often in his system," "I want to be on the pitch, so I told the management in London that I wanted to transfer. I found a very good club in the form of Schalke and I'm sure that I have made the right decision."
His return to Germany reunites him with former Augsburg manager Markus Weinzierl, who took over as Schalke manager in June.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/08/baba-rahman-joins-schalke-on-loan.html

Chelsea is reportedly close to signing 17-year-old goalkeeper Marcin Bulka from FCB Escola Valcovia.

Escola Varsovia, which is the official academy of FC Barcelona in Poland, said on its official website that Chelsea has reached an agreement to sign Bulka.

The 17-year-old travelled to London yesterday to sign a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, according to Polish website Przeglad Sportowy.He had a successful trial with Chelsea's first-team in April under interim manager Guus Hiddink.

Henrique Hilario, Chelsea goalkeeping coach, has urged the club to complete his transfer at the earliest as the Blues want to take the youngster to the US for a pre-season tour.

It remains unknown whether the youngster will be sent on loan or continues his progress at the club’s youth academy.

Chelsea will face European Champion Real Madrid on Saturday 3:05pm EDT in Ann Arbor Michigan.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/chelsea-set-to-sign-marcin-bulka.html

Antonio Conte has insisted that Nemanja Matic is not for sale and the midfielder remains a "very important" player for the club.

The Serbia International has been linked with a move to Serie A champions Juventus following the arrival of N'Golo Kante from Leicester City.

'Matic is an important player for me, a very important player. In my idea of football he is an important player and he knows this," Conte told reporters in a news conference ahead of Wednesday's match against Liverpool. 'N'Golo, Nemanja, Cesc [Fabregas], Oscar, [Nathaniel] Chalobah and [John Obi] Mikel, who is in the Olympics, it is not easy to choose. I want to have this problem.'

Chelsea will face Premier League rivals Liverpool in an International Champions Cup match at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/antonio-conte-nemanja-matic-not-for-sale.html

Antonio Conte says Diego Costa is "very happy" at the club despite reports suggesting that he wants to leave Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian-born striker has been repeatedly linked with a move back to former club Atletico Madrid , with reports yesterday claiming that he had handed in a transfer request.

However, in a press conference today, the Italian emphasised the importance of Costa to the team and hinted that he would be going nowhere this summer.

‘Diego is our player. He is a fantastic player, a player with a fundamental importance and there is no problem. He stays with us, he is working very hard, he is very happy to work with his teammates and with me in the new idea of football. He is a Chelsea player.‘He is an important player, a very strong player, one of the best in the world, and I am sure when he goes into our ideas he will score a lot of goals for us.’
Costa, who joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in 2014, scored 16 goals for Chelsea last season.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/antonio-conte-diego-costa-is-very-happy.html

Chelsea have signed Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante for a fee around £30m.

After the signing of Michy Batshuayi from Olympique de Marseille, Kante becomes the second summer signing.

The French International has signed a five-year contract and is understood to be on wages of around £120,000-a-week.

Speaking to Chelsea Official Website Kante said:
‘I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s a dream come true for me.
‘The opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down.
‘My first season in English football was very special and now I hope to go on to achieve even more during my time as a Chelsea player. I am looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and helping the club achieve a lot of success.’
Chelsea's Technical director Michael Emenalo added:

‘N’Golo is a fantastic signing ahead of the new season and we are delighted to have been able to bring such a talented player to the club.
‘He is a perfect fit in terms of Antonio Conte’s philosophies and the style of football he wants to play.
‘For a player of his age he has already built up a wealth of experience and his exceptional quality will without doubt be a great addition to the team.’
Kante was the first signing Claudio Ranieri made after becoming Leicester manager last summer. He joined Leicester last summer from Caen for £5.6million.
He was named on the six-man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award - won by former team-mate Riyad Mahrez.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/chelsea-sign-kante-from-leicester-city.html

Chelsea young talent Kasey Palmer has today completed a season-long loan move to Huddersfield Town.
The 19-year-old is yet to make an appearance for Chelsea's first team but has twice been named on the substitutes' bench.
“I believe Kasey is one of the best young English talents and I think our supporters will enjoy watching him in the new Sky Bet Championship season.
“He is a very skilful player with good football intelligence and we now have the time to work hard with him in training to help him understand our identity on the pitch.
“As I said about Danny Ward recently, I believe we can help Kasey make the next step in his career and send him back to Chelsea a better player once the season is over. I would like to thank everyone at Chelsea for allowing Kasey to come to us.”


Kasey Palmer mainly plays as a ‘number 10’, but has also been used in the wide attacking areas too.

Palmer was part of the England Under-21 side which won the Toulon Tournament in May.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/kasey-palmer-joins-huddersfield-town-on-loan.html

Chelsea youngster Tomas Kalas has joined Championship side Fulham on a season-long loan.
The Czech Republic international , who signed for Chelsea in 2011, was rumored to be making a return to Middlesborough for his third loan spell.
Speaking to Fulham Official Website, Kalas Said:
Fulham were really active trying to call me and I was happy to see that interest and that the club wanted me.
I’m happy to sign because when you see the interest, it’s one of the most important things. Middlesbrough was something different and hopefully I’ll play here too.
When I was at Boro nobody expected us to get into the playoffs and we did it, and then after the last two seasons that Fulham have had, nobody expects Fulham to get that high. But why not?
Kalas made 31 appearances for Middlesbrough last season.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/tomas-kalas-joins-fulham-on-loan.html

Chelsea’s 2015/16 Player Of The Year has signed a new four-year deal.
The 27-year-old Brazilian is extending his stay at the Bridge until 2020 following an excellent 2015/16 season in which he was voted Chelsea's best player by both fans and his team-mates.

Willian told Chelsea’s website:
‘I’m very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea. It’s a dream to continue with this club and over the next four years I will try to help the team win more trophies.
'It’s been an amazing time for me since I joined the club three years ago, I’ve won titles and last season I was named Chelsea Player of the Year.
'I hope to be able to stay at that level during the coming seasons and achieve more success.'
Chelsea's Technical director Michael Emenalo added:
‘We are very pleased to agree a new long-term deal with Willian, who has proved himself to be an important player for the team since he arrived here. We are looking forward to seeing his continued impact as we begin an exciting new campaign under first-team head coach Antonio Conte.’
The Brazilian joined Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 and has scored 19 times in 140 appearances for the English club, including 11 goals during the 2015-16 campaign.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/willian-commits-future-to-chelsea.html

Chelsea defender Ola Aina has signed a new four-year contract the club confirmed.
The 19-year-old defender, who has been with Chelsea since the U-11 age group, made his first appearance last season on the first team squad.He also played a key part in helping the U-19s win the again.
Speaking to Chelsea Tv, the England U-20 International said:
"Signing a new deal is always a blessing, especially at a big club like this. I am happy and I need to hit the ground running again.
‘As a player I think I have got better and better because of the level of coaching in the Academy and with the first team and as a person, the whole environment has helped me mature well.
‘The club is close to my heart, they have helped me a lot and I am really thankful for that. It is a good moment for me.’
The coming weeks for Aina now are all about pre-season, a part of the year he enjoys.
‘I like the feeling of getting properly fit and ready for the season,’ he said.
‘I like working hard and pushing myself and getting new kit, and seeing the boys again after holidays is a good feeling.
‘Over the next four years I want to become a much better and established player. I want to be able to play men’s football at a high level and hopefully break into Chelsea’s first team because that is the ultimate goal.’


Pre-season is set to get underway in the next couple of weeks with Chelsea traveling to Austria to face Rapid Vienna and if Aina performs in the upcoming games like he has over the years in the Academy, he might just catch the eye of Conte, as the manager looks to rebuild the Blues’ squad.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/ola-aina-signs-new-contract-with-chelsea.html

According to reports,  Chelsea has made an opening offer for Southampton striker Graziano Pelle. 

The 30-year-old striker has one year remaining on his contract at St Mary’s and he is still yet to sign an extension. According to Dailymail,  Chelsea is considering a £12million swoop for the Italian but Southampton are holding on for £16m.

Pelle scored two goals at Euro 2016 for Italy, where the Italians reached the quarter-finals. But unfortunately he missed a penalty in the sudden death shoot-out against Germany.

Last season, Pelle scored 14 goals and made seven assists in all competitions for the Saints.

http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/chelsea-transfer-news-chelsea-open-talks-for-pelle.html

Chelsea have confirmed the departures of Alexandre Pato , Radamel Falcao and Marco Amelia.

Pato was signed on loan from Corinthians in January but due to fitness issues, the Brazilian only made two appearances for Chelsea, coming off the bench and scoring a penalty against Aston Villa before making his full debut against Swansea City.

Falcao joined Chelsea on a season-long deal from Monaco last summer after a bad loan spell at Manchester United, but the 30-year-oldstruggled to make an impact with just scoring just one goal in 12 appearances as he was hampered by injury setbacks.

While Amelia,34, was signed on a short-term contract in October as a cover for then injured goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Italian made did not feature for the Blues.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/07/chelsea-release-falcao-pato-amelia.html

Nathan Ake has joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan from Chelsea, the club have confirmed.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Premier League side Watford, and enjoyed a good campaign scoring once in 32 appearances and also winning Watford's Young Player of the Year award.

Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said:

We are delighted to welcome Nathan to AFC Bournemouth
For a player of his age he already has great experience in the Premier League and we believe he will bring a lot to our squad.
He is an international player with great pedigree, so we are really excited to have him join us for the upcoming season.

Bournemouth will begin their 2016-17 campaign at home to Manchester United on August 13.

http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/06/nathan-ake-joins-bournemouth-on-loan.html

Chelsea have announced that young midfielder Lewis Baker will spend a second season out on loan at Vitesse Arnhem.
The England U-21 made 34 appearances for the Dutch outfit last season, scoring five goals - including the club's goal of the season to help the Arnhem outfit to a ninth place finish.

Baker has played just one game for Chelsea’s first team, featuring as a substitute in an FA Cup tie against Derby and has previously spent time out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons.

Baker said:
There was interest from several other clubs last summer but, together with my family and Chelsea, I have discussed the options and we all believed that another year at Vitesse was the best option.
After the season I was allowed to participate in the Toulon tournament, which was a successful tournament. I want to hold that form and take it to the next season.
I want to keep developing myself and improve to hopefully play a good season.I’m looking forward to playing under the new head coach and I hope to contribute to the success of the club.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/06/official-lewis-baker-returns-to-vitesse-on-loan.html

Chelsea has reportedly opened talks with Inter Milan for centre-back Juan Jesus, Daily Express reports.

After Chelsea's main defensive target Antonio Rudiger got a serious knee injury, Chelsea are reportedly turning their attention to Inter defender Juan Jesus.

Juan made only 19 league appearances last season for Inter dropped down the pecking order at San Siro.

According to reports, Juan was a target for Antonio Conte when the manager was in charge of Juventus and has now renewed his interest.

Reports say Inter would be ready to sell the Brazil international for a fee in the region of £8million. The Italian club is undergoing financial problems and have a £39m deficit to make up to comply with the Financial Fair Play rules.

Juan joined Inter from Internacional in 2012 and has made more than 100 Serie A appearances for the Italian giants over the last five seasons.
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/06/chelsea-transfer-news-Chelsea-wants-juan-jesus.html

After a horrible season, and pre-season is coming close. I decided to give my opinions on who Chelsea should keep or let go this summer.

Asmir Begovic: I think he was great for us when Courtois was out the side and he's a quality backup, he might not want to stay but I think the club should keep him.
Verdict: Stay

Branislav Ivanovic: Hasn't been great this year but has been rewarded with a new contract.
Verdict: Wait and See

Cesc Fabregas: Improved in the last couple of months, if Conte is going to bring in the likes of Kante, Nainggolan etc. I'd love to see Cesc play alongside them.
Verdict: Stay

Kurt Zouma: One of the shining lights of this season, still young, desperately unlucky to get injured.
Verdict: Stay

Baba Rahman: Hasn't had many chances and is behind Kenedy in the pecking order at the moment. Will probably be seeking a move in the summer.
Verdict: Go

Oscar: On his day he is world class but his day also comes once every month. I'd get rid of him if you can get good money.
Verdict: Wait and See
Eden Hazard: Wasnt himself for 90% of the season but came back to his old self.
Verdict: Stay


John Obi Mikel: Emerged as one of the first names on the team sheet under Guus Hiddink but unlikely to be when the new manager comes in.
Verdict: Go
Thibaut Courtois: Not been as good as we expect him to be but is still the first choice. Rumours saying one or two teams are interested but I want him to stay.
Verdict: Stay
Bertrand Traore: Promising talent, taken his chances well so far. Whether he gets the same chances next season, we don't know.
Verdict: Stay

Kenedy: Good player, got time on his side.
Verdict: Stay

Pedro: Hit the ground running, but then seemed to slow down a bit. Slowly Regained the form we saw at Barca and is keen to stay and fight for his place under the new manager.
Verdict: Wait and see

Nemanja Matic: Not been a regular on the team this season and has been quite poor this season. Verdict: Go

Willian: Chelsea's best player He definitely wants to stay and would be a disaster if he leaves.
Verdict: Stay

Gary Cahill: Mixed opinions about Cahill. Can be superb sometimes and can be poor the other. Verdict: Stay
John Terry: Captain, Leader, Legend.
Verdict: Stay
Cesar Azpilicueta: The most consistent and reliable defenders at the club.

Verdict: Stay

http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/03/opinion-players-chelsea-should-sell-in.html

This will be our fixture for this season! What Game are you excited about? For me its against Manchester United
Full Fixtures:
August 8 3pm West Ham United (H)

August 20 3pm Watford (A)

August 27 3pm Burnley (H)

September 10 3pm Swansea City (A)

September 17 3pm Liverpool (H)

September 24 3pm Arsenal (A)

Full list on:
http://www.chelseadiurnal.com/2016/06/Chelsea-premier-league-fixtures-2016-17.html