Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues accelerate Ivan Toney pursuit; duo backed to leave Stamford Bridge, and more - September 14, 2023

Chelsea are preparing for their upcoming Premier League game against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday (September 17). Mauricio Pochettino needs a win against the Cherries to get his season rolling.

Meanwhile, the Blues have accelerated their interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Elsewhere, two players have been backed to leave Stamford Bridge in January.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on September 14, 2023.

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Chelsea accelerate Ivan Toney pursuit

Chelsea have stepped up their efforts to secure the services of Ivan Toney, according to club insider Simon Phillips.

The Brentford striker is serving a ban due to gambling offenses and will only be available to play in January. The Blues remain in the market for a new No. 9 and have found their man in Toney.

There's expected to be a rush for the player's signature once he becomes available in January. The London giants, though, are plotting to steal a march on their rivals.

Clubs can sign players whenever they want but can only register them once the transfer window opens. The Blues are planning to secure Toney's signature soon so that he could arrive at Stamford Bridge on January 1.

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Duo backed to leave Stamford Bridge

Acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reckons Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella could leave Chelsea in January.

Both players were heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge this summer but ended up staying. Recent reports have hinted that Chalobah might not feature under Pochettino this season.

However, in his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that there was no such communication from the Blues.

"In the last 24 hours, we’re also hearing reports that Chalobah is out of the picture at Chelsea.

"From what I’m hearing, although it’s true that Chelsea accepted that proposal and wanted Chalobah to go to Forest, there is no formal communication from the club that Chalobah is not going to play for them again," wrote Romano.

However, Romano admitted that a departure in January is possible for both players.

"Sources on the player side feel that the player expects to leave Chelsea in January – the feeling is that something will happen for them to part ways.

"Chalobah still wants to leave if there’s good opportunity like Bayern. But, to reiterate, there is no guarantee that Chalobah will not play for Chelsea," wrote Romano.

He continued:

“There was also something similar being reported about Marc Cucurella, but Chelsea deny players being frozen out. Again, the feeling is that both Chalobah and Cucurella are set to look for new clubs in January if they can’t play in the next months.”

Chalobah was wanted by Bayern Munich in the summer while Cucurella was close to joining Manchester United.

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John Terry heaps praise on Mauricio Pochettino

Blues legend John Terry has backed Mauricio Pochettino to excel at Stamford Bridge.

The Argentinean manager took charge of the first team this summer and invested heavily on the squad, spending nearly £450 million. However, he has overseen a shaky start to his tenure, raising uneasy questions about his suitability for the role.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Terry insisted that Pochettino is the right man for the job.

“I love Poch. I’ve met him a couple of times and had the privilege to be around him at the training ground. He works the players very hard, tactically amazing, and, I think, given time, he’s definitely the right man for the job.

"We’ve seen over the years with his experience with him and what he’s done previously. We are a young squad. They’ve literally just been thrown together, haven’t they?" said Terry.

He continued:

“There’s a lot of talent there. We’ve had a few injuries as well not go our way, so listen there is loads of football to be played this season, but hopefully exciting stuff.

"And this year, I can see it as more of a kind of blending together and then we will see where we go next season.”

Pochettino has inducted a lot of young blood into the squad over the summer. However, his new-look side have won only one of their four league games, losing twice, and are 12th in the standings, the same place where they ended last season.