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Complete guide to the Blues' pre-season preparations, including friendlies and training camps, ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Enzo Maresca is set to embark on his season as Chelsea head coach, aiming to instill his tactical philosophy and rejuvenate the squad ahead of the 2025–26 campaign.

After a mixed season, Maresca will be eager to build momentum and consistency. The upcoming pre-season tour offers a prime opportunity to integrate new signings, refine strategies, and prepare for the challenges ahead.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Chelsea's pre-season plans for the 2025–26 season.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Chelsea 2025 pre-season tour fixtures & results

  Chelsea have confirmed a few of their pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2025-26 season. They had the Club World Cup fixtures to deal with in June 2025.

  The Blues faced Los Angeles, Flamengo and ES Tunis in the group stage of the Club World Cup before going on to reach the final. They beat PSG 3-0 in the final to lift the trophy.

  Chelsea are set to host the 2025 VisitMalta Weekender at Stamford Bridge in August, welcoming European giants AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen for a two-day pre-season tournament. The action kicks off on Friday, August 8, when Chelsea face Bundesliga runners-up Bayer Leverkusen, led by their new manager Erik ten Hag, fresh from a summer tour in Brazil.

  The Blues will then take on AC Milan on Sunday, August 10 at 3 pm, with the Rossoneri returning under the leadership of Massimiliano Allegri, who has rejoined the club after 11 years. These two fixtures will follow Chelsea’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, offering fans a final glimpse of the squad in action before the 2025/26 season begins. The club has confirmed that they won't be going on a pre-season tour this year.

  Date	Match	KO time	Venue
  August 8	Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen	7pm BST	Stamford Bridge
  August 10	Chelsea vs AC Milan	3pm BST	Stamford Bridge

  See Chelsea's full fixture list

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• Chelsea 2025 pre-season tour tickets

  Get tickets to Chelsea's 2025 pre-season tourGet tickets

  Fans can buy tickets to see Chelsea's pre-season games through Stub Hub or the club's official website.

• How to watch Chelsea pre-season games on TV & livestream online

  Chelsea's pre-season matches will be available to fans through various platforms. Supporters can stream matches live on Chelsea TV. Extended highlights and full-match replays will also be accessible post-match.

  Select matches may be shown on platforms such as Fubo, Sling, DirecTV Stream, and USA Network in the US.

  Watch this space to know how to watch Chelsea's pre-season games on TV or online when that information is confirmed.

  Useful links

  • Soccer on US TV this week
  • Football on UK TV this week

• When does the 2025-26 season start for Chelsea?

  Chelsea will kickstart their 2025-26 Premier League season with a home game against Crystal Palace. The full list of the Blues fixtures is available here.

  August 17, 2025, will be the opening day of the league season. Chelsea will be hoping to start the campaign on a winning note.

Last summer, Arsenal needed to sign a new centre-forward. Benjamin Sesko was in their crosshairs but he ultimately ended up signing a new contract with current employers, RB Leipzig.

In the end, the Gunners went without. The only signing to bolster the forward line was Raheem Sterling.

The Chelsea loanee promised we’d see the best of him. That did not happen.

In January, Mikel Arteta was crying out for a striker again but it wasn’t forthcoming. What happened next? Kai Havertz sustained a nasty hamstring injury during a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

Arsenal’s Premier League form suffered drastically and it ultimately tripped them up in Paris when they exited the Champions League at the semi-final stages.

So, a year on from when a new centre-forward first should have arrived, Arteta and Co are back at square one, chasing Sesko again.

Arsenal moving closer to signing a new centre forward

When you end the campaign with Mikel Merino up top, you know something has gone drastically wrong.

In all fairness, Merino was fine. Fine being the key word. He wasn’t exceptional, he wasn’t the spearhead you need to win a Premier League or continental title but he did score six goals in 12 outings as a striker.

That’s not bad at all, but it’s not the 54-goal tally Viktor Gyokeres scored. It’s not the 27 goals Alexander Isak scored. It’s not the 21 goals Sesko scored either.

All three of those players would be excellent signings, but it’s Sesko who looks the most likely to arrive at the moment.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

That’s according to German publication BILD, via Sport Witness. They report on Wednesday that a deal is beginning to move on the player side.

Indeed, BILD states that Arsenal have ‘reached an agreement’ on personal terms between them and the striker.

While that doesn’t mean anything is wrapped up with Leipzig, the report does note that Arsenal have signalled to the Bundesliga club that they are set to made a bid that will not fall below their expectations financially.

It’s likely to take an offer between £68m-£85m to convince them to sell.

How Sesko could replicate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal

It’s safe to say that since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal behind, Arteta has lacked a real potent centre-forward.

That’s not to say it was a mistake to let him go. After all, the Gabonese striker departed in controversial circumstances, stripped of the captaincy (video below) and then flying out to Barcelona on a trip that wasn’t sanctioned by the club.

Despite his flaws, Aubameyang was a mighty fine player for the club and was a key reason behind Arteta’s only trophy as a manager so far, the FA Cup in 2019/20.

Given Arsenal’s recent progress, it’s remarkable that they’re currently in the middle of a five-year trophy drought, but it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re yet to win any major honours since Auba departed.

His record with the Gunners was exceptional, scoring 92 goals in 163 outings, most notably winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19.

He was one of the meanest forwards in the whole of English football during his time at the Emirates Stadium and even deservedly found his way into the PFA Team of the Year for 2019/20.

Aubameyang was relentless, netting 31 goals in 51 games throughout 2018/19 and then the following term, he bagged 29 in 44 matches.

Well, if Sesko did arrive then he’d certainly have a lot to live up to but there are similarities in the way they play the game.

Described as “the new Haaland” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Slovenian possesses a tall frame, standing at 6 foot 5. In contrast, the former Arsenal forward stands at 6 foot 2.

There is a slight difference there but what their height allows is for a longer and more powerful stride pattern. They can burst beyond the last line of the defence and surge towards goal in a similarly explosive fashion.

Rather than relying on intricate build-up play, they’re also very clever with their movement and rely on their instinctive finishing ability. In essence, they’re both mighty fine poachers. More often than not, they’re always in the right place at the right time.

Comparing one of Aubameyang’s best seasons at Arsenal with Sesko’s latest campaign, we can see see alike the pair are.

They took a near identical number of touches and completed a near identical rate of successful passes per 90 minutes, suggesting their actions in the build-up are very similar.

Likewise, they come out very closely for key passes and shot-creating actions, underlining how often they make something happen in the final third of the pitch.

Aged just 22, Sesko clearly has a lot of development left to do but if Arteta could extract that in north London, the Spaniard may well have the next Aubameyang on his hands, just without the excess baggage. That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

He's shades of Nwaneri: Berta holds talks to sign £40m star for Arsenal

Arsenal are looking at signing one of Europe’s best young prospects this summer.

By
Matt Dawson

Jun 18, 2025

Newcastle United are thought to be interested in completing the signing of an “exceptional” Premier League player in the summer transfer window.

Who are Newcastle being linked with this summer?

The Magpies continue to push for new signings all over the pitch, as Eddie Howe prepares for an exciting season back in the Champions League in 2025/26.

Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi is a long-time target and Newcastle are said to be among the favourites to snap him up this summer, with a move away from the Eagles arguably feeling more likely than ever.

Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford has also emerged as an audacious summer target, as the Magpies battle the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona for his signature. It feels highly likely that he will leave Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim not considering him an important part of his plans.

Bryan Mbeumo has constantly been mentioned as the leading choice to bolster Newcastle’s right-hand side, but it looks as though the Brentford ace could be off to United or Tottenham instead. For that reason, Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert is reportedly being lined up as an alternative option.

Newcastle keen on "exceptional" Liverpool attacker Jota

According to a new claim that has emerged from Anfield Index, Newcastle are interested in signing Liverpool striker Diogo Jota this summer.

The Portuguese is considered a “potential attacking target” for the Magpies, with his future at Anfield up in the air, not least because the Reds have been linked with Alexander Isak, even holding talks with him over a move and remain in contact with the Newcastle star.

On £140,000-a-week, Jota is a top-quality player when fit and firing, with Jurgen Klopp making it clear what he thought of him during their time working together.

“Exceptional player, exceptional boy. He has everything that a Liverpool player in this squad needs. He has the technical skills, he has the physical skills and he is very smart and can learn all the tactical stuff pretty quick. On top of that, he can play all three positions; in a 4-2-3-1 he could play as the 10. So, it is very helpful. He has the speed, has the desire to finish situations off really good. I think his goalscoring record is pretty impressive.”

If Jota is potentially being seen as a replacement for Isak, though, it would be very risky, considering the Portugal international is an injury-prone player who was limited to only 14 starts in the Premier League last season.

He also turns 29 later this year, and the fact that Liverpool may be willing to sell him suggests that he could be past his peak, with his fitness woes catching up with him.

Schar upgrade: Newcastle among favourites to sign "unbelievable" £40m star

Newcastle will be looking to improve their defence this summer

By
Ross Kilvington

Jun 16, 2025

If the Reds ace is brought in as a backup option to Isak, it is easy to see it being shrewd business, given Jota’s ruthlessness in front of goal, but he may not be considered a key starter for Howe.

England legend looks set to sign all-formats deal with club, after retiring from Tests last summer

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025James Anderson looks set to make a professional comeback in Division Two of the County Championship next season, after it was revealed he is in talks with Lancashire about an all-format return that will take his career past his 43rd birthday.Anderson played his 188th and final Test against West Indies at Lord’s in July 2024. He bowed out after 21 years as an England cricketer with 704 Test wickets at 26.45, and has not featured competitively since.However, he showed he had unfinished business when he put himself forward for the IPL auction in December – where he went unsold – and has stayed fit during his role as England’s Test bowling coach, with regular stints in the nets plus work with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches.Now, according to The Telegraph, he is ready to commit to at least one final season with Lancashire – the club that first signed him as a teenager almost a quarter of a century ago, and for whom he made his first-class debut in 2002.Lancashire were relegated from the top flight of the County Championship last season, although Anderson demonstrated his enduring prowess in first-class cricket with figures of 7 for 35 in his solitary appearance against Nottinghamshire at Southport in June.He is expected to be available from the start of the 2025 season, including a return to Lord’s to face Middlesex in Lancashire’s opening match from April 4 to 7, and – assuming he continues his coaching role with England – he could feature in five matches before the Test summer begins with a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May.Anderson’s comeback would also have to be combined with his burgeoning media duties, while Lancashire would also have to pay his wages for the first time in more than a decade, now that he is no longer an ECB centrally contracted player.Lancashire’s first home match is against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford in the second round of the Championship, beginning on April 11.He could also feature in Lancashire’s white-ball teams, although he hasn’t played any form of T20 cricket for more than a decade. His last match in the format was Lancashire’s four-run loss in the T20 Blast final in 2014.

Wrexham have been warned, as they bid to become the No.1 team in Wales, that they are entering “one of the hardest leagues in world football”.

• Run of three successive promotions
• Hollywood co-owners dreaming big
• Ready for Championship challenge

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Three successive promotions, with the history books being rewritten along the way, have lifted the Red Dragons into the Championship. Dreams of one day reaching the Premier League continue to form at SToK Racecourse.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have helped to fund an ambitious project that shows no sign of slowing down. Wrexham have been busy again in the summer transfer window, with recruitment records being smashed on a regular basis.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Phil Parkinson is aware of the need to raise collective standards, despite all that he has achieved, with Wrexham now operating at a level above former top-flight performers Cardiff City and alongside Swansea.

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  WHAT PHELAN SAID

  Quizzed on whether the Red Dragons can become top dogs in Wales, former Swans defender Terry Phelan – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “When ownership come in, they have a vision. Wrexham are a big club, let’s be honest. Wrexham are a massive club. Back in the day, Wrexham were competing with everybody – Micky Thomas was playing there, Joey Jones, Brian Flynn was there.

  “You look at Wrexham, the owners have gone in there, seen the vision and put this vision together. They have gone out and splashed big money, so they are not afraid of spending. They are going in the right direction. They have a wonderful environment with the ground, the training facilities on the way, and what they want to do is attract players. You want to attract players because it’s a new project. I think they are selling the project very well.

  “Yeah, it’s a different kettle of fish now, they are going to be playing in one of the hardest leagues in world football. That is a big statement. It is a hard league and we’ll see how they go.

  “Swansea, bit of a yo-yo club. They have been there in the EPL, come down a little bit, but I think they will always be there or thereabouts. South vs North, there is a bit of distance there. The rivalry is more between Swansea and Cardiff, so I think Wrexham will just want to compete at the highest level and with the best teams.”

And what’s the record for the most consecutive Test appearances by a player against the same opposition?

Steven LynchI was looking at Rory Burns’ Test stats, and noticed that his average during wins is surprisingly quite a bit lower than in defeats. Who has the biggest difference between averages in wins and defeats? asked Rahul Sompura from India

That’s a great spot because, as it turns out, England’s Rory Burns has the biggest negative difference between his batting average in Tests won (25.41) and lost (35.86). Looking at the 394 players who were part of at least ten wins and ten defeats, next comes the 19th-century Australian Harry Trott, who averaged 16.40 in wins but 25.88 in defeats, a difference of -9.44 to Burns’s current -10.45.This is a very wide-ranging list: next come Mohammad Sami of Pakistan, with 6.11 in wins and 12.87 in defeats, and the old England wicketkeeper Dick Lilley (13.38 in wins, 20.11 in defeats). The England offspinner John Emburey averaged 13.88 in wins but 20.26 in losses, while Wasim Raja managed 21.92 when Pakistan won but 28.09 when they lost.Another old Australian deserves a mention: Monty Noble averaged 26.17 in victories, and 36.73 in losses – a difference of -10.56, slightly higher than Burns – but Noble only tasted defeat on nine occasions in Tests, so doesn’t quite make our cut-off.The winner in the opposite direction is rather less surprising: Don Bradman averaged a stupendous 130.08 in Australia’s wins during his long Test career, but a more modest 43.27 in defeats, a difference of 86.81. Next comes the West Indian Frank Worrell, with a difference of 55.74 (74.15 in wins, 18.41 in losses).I think Mark Waugh played 29 successive Tests against England without missing one. What’s the record for consecutive appearances in one match-up? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

This query tested the database skills of ESPNcricinfo’s Shiva Jayaraman, who thought it was the toughest one I’d ever asked him (luckily, he enjoyed the challenge!) And the record turns out to be held by Mark Waugh’s long-time captain for Australia – Allan Border played 44 successive Tests against England between 1979-80 and 1993. He went past two other Australians in Ashes matches: Victor Trumper played 40 in a row between 1899 and 1911-12, and Monty Noble 39 between 1897-98 and 1909.Next come the first non-Ashes combatants: Sunil Gavaskar appeared in 38 successive Tests for India against England between 1971 and 1986, while Courtney Walsh played 38 in a row for West Indies against Australia between 1984-85 and 2000-01.Jaskaran Malhotra of the USA hit 16 sixes but only four fours in an ODI the other day. Was this some sort of record? asked H Sharma from the United States

That remarkable effort by Jaskaran Malhotra last week, when he hammered 173 not out – the United States’ first century in ODIs – against Papua New Guinea in Al-Amerat also included six sixes in the final over, only the second instance of six sixes in an over in ODIs after Herschelle Gibbs did it for South Africa against Netherlands in St Kitts during the 2007 World Cup.The ratio of sixes to fours wasn’t quite a record, however. For England against Afghanistan during the 2019 World Cup, England’s captain Eoin Morgan thrashed an ODI-record 17 sixes, but only four fours, in his 148 at Old Trafford.The most sixes in an ODI innings without any fours at all is six, by Paul Collingwood for England against New Zealand in Napier in 2007-08, and Jimmy Neesham (who faced only 13 balls) for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Mount Maunganui in 2018-19. For the list of the most sixes in an ODI innings, click here.Jimmy Anderson has been not out in 99 Test innings so far, 38 more than the next No. 11, Courtney Walsh•Getty ImagesAs a perennial tail-end “not-outer” myself I was interested to see that Jimmy Anderson is currently on 99 red-inkers in Tests. Is this the record? asked Robert Lewis Jones from the UK

It’s the record by a distance: Jimmy Anderson is on the verge of becoming the first man to have remained not out in 100 Test innings. Only five others – all fully paid-up members of the No. 11s union – have managed more than 50: Courtney Walsh (61), Muthiah Muralidaran (56), Bob Willis (55), Chris Martin (52) and Glenn McGrath (51). The first recognised batsman comes next: Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten in 49 innings in Tests, during which he made more than 4000 runs. Allan Border and Steve Waugh both finished not out on 44 occasions.Anderson also leads the way in all international cricket, with 145 not-outs in the three formats – but his lead there is much narrower: MS Dhoni had 142 not-out innings, Muralidaran 119, and Shaun Pollock 113.Maheesh Theekshana took a wicket with his first ball in ODIs – how many people have done this? asked Jayant Sampath from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s latest “mystery spinner”, 21-year-old Maheesh Theekshana, dismissed Janneman Malan of South Africa with his first ball in one-day internationals, in Colombo last week. His captain, Dasun Shanaka, predicted a bright future: “It’s not easy to read him because he’s now got the googly and the carrom ball, and his offspin as well. Because he’s got several variations, I don’t think it’ll be easy for any team to read him.”Theekshana was the 29th bowler – the third this year – to take a wicket with his first delivery in ODIs, a list which includes a few unexpected names.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Tom Brady has been “so impressed” with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Birmingham spend in a bid to “keep up” with Wrexham in the transfer market.

• NFL legend on the Blues' board
• A-list co-owners in North Wales
• Friendly rivalry has been forged

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Blues will believe that they are in a stronger position at present than ‘Hollywood derby’ rivals from North Wales. It was they who captured the League One title in record-breaking style last season, accumulating 111 points in the process.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  They smashed recruitment records in 2024 and have continued to splash the cash 12 months on, with notable additions at St Andrew’s placing them among the favourites for promotion out of the Championship and into the Premier League.

• WHAT BRADY SAID

  Wrexham are also hoping to be in that mix, as A-list co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney smash transfer records of their own, and Brady admits that the Blues are looking to stay one step ahead of the Red Dragons on and off the field.

  NFL legend Brady told : “We've got to [keep spending]. We've got to keep up with one another. Wrexham have, I'd say, done an incredible job. I mean, you can't be anything but excited about what they've done for that club … I'm so impressed by Wrexham. What they do on the pitch, off the pitch, and again, they're in a great position to succeed as well.”

• Amazon Prime Video
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ is about to be rivalled in the documentary stakes by ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues’, with “fun theatre” being generated. Brady added on light-hearted banter between A-list ownership groups: "We're going to talk a lot of smack in the meantime between all of us [Birmingham and Wrexham], because it's pretty fun theatre, and I think there's some little friendly side bets going on. But make no mistake, the people who are going to decide the fate of those games are the players wearing those jerseys."

Leeds United are set for a busy summer of transfer business as they look to make sure that their squad is ready to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Athletic reporter Beren Cross has reported that Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff is one of the names on the club’s shortlist of targets to improve their midfield options. He claimed that no bid has been made for the English maestro, but he is an ‘experienced’ player that they like.

Longstaff only started eight times in the Premier League during the 2024/25 campaign and Leeds could look to offer him a chance to play more regularly next term.

The Championship champions, however, are reportedly looking at another star from the top-flight who would be a way better signing than the homegrown Magpies ace.

Leeds eyeing move for Brentford midfielder

According to CaughtOffside, Leeds United are one of the teams monitoring Brentford central midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Whites, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, Everton, Wolves, Borussia Dortmund, and Napoli are all keeping tabs on the Ukraine international.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It states that the Bees are set to demand a fee of around £25m for the 21-year-old talent, and that no clubs have made any formal offers for his services as of yet.

Caught Offside adds that Brentford would prefer to keep hold of him to utilise his quality in the Premier League next term, but Leeds must now convince them to part ways with the young gem by meeting the £25m asking price.

Why Leeds should sign Yehor Yarmolyuk

Daniel Farke should push for the club to swoop for the Bees midfielder over a move for Longstaff because of his age profile and the quality that he could provide on the pitch.

He is six years younger than the Newcastle star, at the age of 21, and would arrive at Elland Road as a long-term addition to the group, whilst also being able to make an instant impact.

Yarmolyuk, who was described as a “dynamic” player by Thomas Frank, only started 15 of his 31 outings in the top-flight, but showed plenty of promise in the minutes that he did play.

If you look at his performances in comparison to Longstaff’s in the Premier League during the 2024/25 campaign, the Ukraine international appears to be the better option for Leeds on paper.

As you can see in the table above, Yarmolyuk could offer more to Farke’s team with his play both in and out of possession, particularly when it comes to progressing the ball into the attacking third whilst remaining efficient with his passes.

These statistics suggest that the Brentford ace is very similar, if not better, defensively to Longstaff, but is more effective at making things happen at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, the £25m-rated midfielder would be a significantly better signing than the Newcastle man because he can deliver more quality immediately, having outperformed him in the Premier League, whilst also offering more to the side in the long term due to his age.

He could be a terrific investment for the future, at the age of 21, whilst also being a Premier League proven star who can hit the ground running for Farke next season, which is why the Whites must seal a deal for him this summer.

The new Phillips: Leeds want to sign £15m star with "undeniable" potential

Leeds United are reportedly keen on a star who would be Daniel Farke’s own Kalvin Phillips.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 9, 2025