Chelsea

A shocking stat reveals just how off the pace Chelsea were against Nottingham Forest as they limped to a 1-1 draw in their opening fixture of 2023.

Chelsea registered just one shot in the whole of the second half in their uninspiring 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest. The Blues now face Manchester City twice in quick succession. Fulham and Chelsea currently sit on the same points, but the Blues have played a game less than their west London rivals.

Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement with Monaco to sign Benoit Badiashile, with the Frenchman now set to complete a £34 million move.

[GOAL understands that Chelsea are also close](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/chelsea-near-deal-to-sign-brazilian-wonderkid-andrey-santos-from-vasco-da-gama/blta1f824bb25beb86e) to finalising a £12m deal with Vasco da Gama for Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos. Badiashile will sign a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge subject to those fitness checks being completed, with the Blues set to fork out around €38m for his services. Currently sitting in ninth in the Premier League after 15 games, the Blues will be hoping that Badiashile, along with other January signings, can give them fresh hope in the race for Champions League football.

Chelsea had to settle for a point in a game of two very different halves on our first Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest for nearly 24 years.

It was a composed strike to end his wait for a Premier League goal, having not found the net in that competition since the end of August. A busy start to the year means Chelsea are back in action in a mouthwatering double header in four days' time. Pulisic did well to play a quick one-two and beat his man with skill out on the left to make space to deliver a cross towards Havertz at the near post. As Morgan Gibbs-White lifted the ball over our defence on the halfway line, it allowed Brennan Johnson’s pace to take him clear between Thiago Silva and Cucurella. The Blues seemed eager to make up for lost time as we started on the front foot, with Mount smartly bringing down a ball over the top from Kalidou Koulibaly, but he couldn’t find the target with his powerful shot. However, things were very different after the break, as Nottingham Forest came out for the second half looking like a completely different team and determined to find an equaliser.

Chelsea dropped more points in their quest to climb back up the Premier League standings as Serge Aurier earned Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Graham ...

"We're in control of our destiny and we have to keep building." They nearly broke the deadlock in just the second minute as Mason Mount fired over from a good position. The second half we didn't control it well enough."

After the anomaly of a mid-season 'pre-season', new Chelsea manager Graham Potter can now shape the Blues squad in his image during the January transfer ...

However, a sharp downturn in form before the World Cup break means Potter and new owner Todd Boehly probably have more work on their hands than they bargained for - especially after the lavish summer outlay on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana. Having already had the unusual benefit of a six-week period to work closely with those players who were not involved in the World Cup in Qatar, away from scrutiny and the public eye, recently-appointed Chelsea manager Graham Potter now has an opportune transfer window to fine tune his squad.

Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for Chelsea before Serge Aurier put Nottingham Forest back on level terms as the Blues struggled to a draw in the Premier ...

Hakim Ziyech - Produced a brilliant ball with 10 minutes remaining on the clock to hand Pierre-Emerick Aubameayng an opportunity but the former Gabon international could not take advantage. Christian Pulisic - The US international started back to back Premier League games for the first time this season and played his role in getting the ball into the box ahead of Sterling's opening goal in the game. Raheem Sterling - Had flattered to deceive in the opening 15 minutes but found an impact when he lashed the ball in from close range after it rebounded off of the bar. Another hour that will keep him in contention for a place in the XI however. Denis Zakaria - The Swiss international has rarely put a foot wrong when handed an opportunity and produced a decent first half performance before Chelsea were left under pressure in the second period. The midfielder was stifled of possession of his own however. Marc Cucurella - Was noticeably the paciest member of Chelsea's backline and made use of it to help Chelsea recover as Forest broke. 5. Fortunate not to receive a first half yellow card and may have to do more to keep Trevoh Chalobah out of the team much longer. Had moments of struggle but mostly did what was necessary. Cesar Azpilicueta - Chelsea's captain was once again given the difficult task of replacing Reece James and will always be tested in doing so. Kepa Arrizabalaga - The Spanish goalkeeper stood up well to Nottingham Forest's first chances to deny Brennan Johnson after the forward left Chelsea's defenders flat-footed.

Chelsea news: The latest Blues headlines and updates as they happen with stories on Enzo Fernandez, Joao Felix and Jude Bellingham.

It won't stop Todd Boehly from going all-out to make the deal a reality though, [with 21-year-old Enzo Fernandez being heavily pursued despite his massive £105m release clause.](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/transfer-news/chelsea-transfer-fernandez-benfica-contract-25846694) The Blues may look to add his experience to the squad with Graham Potter in need of defensive recruitments. Fofana cost around £10m but the rest of Chelsea's action promises to be more expensive than that. Having continued an aggressive drive to recruit young players there is a chance now to reconsider the short-term futures of players. Chelsea are edging closer to completing the signing of Brazilian talent Andrey Santos. The Italian joined as one of the most admired young midfielders in Europe but hasn't made a first team breakthrough yet. Badiashile is set to become the third January signing for the Blues after David Datro Fofana completed a move, with Andrey Santos also expected to sign in the coming days. Brighton have not yet received any contact from any club over buying Mac Allister in January, according to The Athletic, and there is no release clause in his contract. Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Badiashile on long-term contract and his medical is in process of being scheduled. The Blues have been strongly linked with a big-money move for the Argentina World Cup hero. Graham Potter on Kai Havertz: "With the period that we've had, we've had to adapt a few things. There'll be updates on the bid to buy him and more on Jude Bellingham as well.

Chelsea are set to be one of the busiest Premier League sides in the January transfer window after spending close to £300million on eight new signings in ...

Slonina may be young but he has plenty of promise and could challenge both Mendy and Kepa for a starting spot in Potter's team once he returns to west London. Kepa has been Potter's first choice to start in goal with Mendy dropping to the bench after a run of poor form and injuries. Benoit Badiashile is expected to seal a move to Chelsea in the coming days as the Blues continue negotiations with Monaco. The Blues loanee has already revealed that Christian Pulisic has been messaging him since he completed his move to Chelsea with the 18-year-old being considered to be one of the most promising talents, having kept 13 clean sheets in his debut season in MLS. The young goalkeeper was signed in a £12million deal during the summer transfer window, following both Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei to Stamford Bridge as Boehly implemented a new transfer strategy. The Blues have already agreed to sign

Chelsea's spluttering Premier League campaign took a turn for the worse as Serge Aurier's equaliser gave lowly Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

It was Sterling's first league goal since August and only the sixth in all competitions for the England forward since his close-season move from Manchester City. Chelsea are languishing in eighth place after failing to win for the sixth time in their last seven league games. But Ivory Coast right-back Aurier levelled after the break and Chelsea were fortunate to escape without an embarrassing defeat after Forest dominated for long spells in the second half.

Chelsea have agreed a £35m deal to sign Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile; the 21-year-old will undergo a medical with the Blues on Monday; Badiashile has ...

I thought it may stop a little, it looks like Todd Boehly is scouting the air for players and I expect them to be busy." It seems to take me back to when Roman Abramovich first came in and I thought with him leaving the club, it might be the end of that. I wouldn't say he's as 'Premier League ready' as some of the players we've seen come from France to Premier League sides in the past.

All the latest Chelsea news and transfer gossip including updates on Benoit Badiashile's move to Stamford Bridge, Enzo Fernandez's future and all the ...

Chelsea struggled on Sunday as they only managed to scrape a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in their first Premier League game of 2023. The Primeira Liga club are therefore keen to maximise Fernandez’s price tag to ensure they are properly remunerated. Benfica star Enzo Fernandez has been heavily linked with a transfer to Chelsea in January after an impressive World Cup campaign with Argentina. [Read the full story here.](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/chelsea-nottingham-forest-potter-havertz-25875031) The French defender's medical is in process of being scheduled by the club. [Chelsea are in the market for a new striker](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/transfer-news/chelsea-january-transfer-window-barcelona-25751648), central midfielder, centre-back and back up option for Reece James, football.london understands.

It was a much more mobile set up to Chelsea's. It was moulded in the way he saw football. The current Chelsea midfield is a mixture of three or four managers ...

Players are more often than not shadowed from the blame, even though the common theme throughout seems to be them. It was moulded in the way he saw football. At Brighton Potter had power in It was a much more mobile set up to Chelsea's. The difference in the players in the Brighton midfield compared to Chelsea's are startling. Potter done well at Brighton due to the fact he had transfer windows and a great recruitment team behind him in order to build a team in the way he saw football.

Chelsea news: Injuries continue to mount for Potter as he looks for his side to bounce back from a draw against Nottingham Forest.

Fingers crossed but it is an awkward one.'' Having made quite the impression under Potter, it was a sad blow for the former Southampton loanee. It doesn’t look positive at the moment but it’s too early to say. It’s a surgery, so it’s a minimum period of four months. Having missed most of the season so far, former Leicester man Welsey Fofana's influence at the back has been somewhat felt. Expected return date: Early January He felt something there and we will have to find out the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed." Expected return date: Mid-February He has a problem with his bone [around his shoulder] that he picked up at the World Cup. The home side seemed much more likely to earn all three points come the end, but were unable to find the breakthrough as both teams settled for a point. [Chelsea ](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/graham-potter-chelsea-january-window-25875383)got their 2023 underway with a difficult away game against Nottingham Forest, who had earned 11 of their 13 points at home before the clash. We'll have to see over the next 24-48 hours.

Chelsea lost more ground in the race for the top four as they dropped points in a entertaining draw with Nottingham Forest to start 2023.

Forest showed excellent grit and determination to stay in the game, [ and drew level an hour in courtesy of a poacher's finish from Serge Aurier](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/aurier-volleys-nottingham-forest-level-against-chelsea/blt3bf8e976ce0367c1). The attacker caused Kalidou Koulibaly all sorts of problems today, however, providing a constant threat to the right hand side of Chelsea's defence. [Willy Boly scorpion kicked the ball onto his own bar for Raheem Sterling to tap in](https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/watch-sterling-tap-in-gives-chelsea-lead-nottingham-forest/blt8a8fddb030aed9c0).