Chelsea handed boost as transfer target has asked to leave current club in the January transfer window: Reports

According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea's pursuit of Mathys Tel has received a boost after the French teenager asked to leave Bayern Munich in January. The Blues have been linked with a move for the 19-year-old, but the striker was intent on staying in Bavaria until recently.

Tel joined the Bavarian giants from Stade Rennais in 2022 for a reported €20 million fee, but he has struggled for minutes since his arrival. Despite scoring 16 goals and providing seven assists in 82 appearances, the forward has played just 2402 minutes for the side.

The Bavarian club will consider their options and assess the best move for themselves and the player before the window closes. Chelsea will likely face competition from other European clubs for the forward's services, but they will be pleased that he is available.

Tel is contracted to Bayern until the summer of 2029, giving the Bundesliga giants full leverage in any negotiations with potential suitors for the young Frenchman.

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"Your job is to f***ing score the goals, that’s why you were brought to the football club" - Chelsea legend laments poor finishing in loss to Manchester City

Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has lamented Nicholas Jackson's poor finishing in the West London club's loss to Manchester City. The Blues opened the scoring but fell to a 3-1 defeat against the reigning Premier League Champions on January 25.

The west Londoners had a chance to go 2-0 up in the first half, but the Senegalese striker failed to convert the opportunity in what proved to be a consequential miss. Discussing the match on his podcast, the Obi One Podcast, the Nigerian said via the Nation newspaper:

“Not the score line we all wanted, is it? I’m a bit gutted. We started well with the goal and then we thought, ‘Let’s kick on from here’. This has been what has happened for the last three or four games. We got 1-0 up or 2-0 up and then we don’t kill the game, we don’t finish the game and we end up paying for it. Again, we went 1-0 up and we had that chance to go 2-0 up with Nicolas Jackson."

“Some people are saying that the pass from Cole Palmer is a little bit… no, it’s not. You’re a striker, just put your foot through it. If you miss it, it’s fine. But attempt to score. What did he do? Just controlled the ball and then came back. Your job is to f***ing score the goals, that’s why you were brought to the football club. Put the ball in the back of the net and try to score. He didn’t do that.”

Jackson has recorded nine goals and five assists in 23 games across competitions this season.

Chelsea's next face West Ham United on February 3 at Stamford Bridge. Former Blues boss Graham Potter manages the Hammers, and both sides will head into the London derby keen to leave with something at the final whistle.