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North Wales Chronicle
4 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Enzo Maresca hopes Chelsea can improve their conversion rate to aid title hopes
The Blues have spent around £160million on attacking players, all of whom played some part in Sunday's lacklustre 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Despite a new look forward line, the difficulty the home side had in breaking down Palace bore hallmarks familiar to supporters who frequently watched their team labour to create and convert opportunities last season. 📸😁 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 20, 2025 Chelsea ranked second in last season's Premier League in terms of big chances missed and placed 11th in percentage of shots scored. Their tally of 64 league goals was beaten by Brighton and Brentford and matched by 17th-place Tottenham, whilst champions Liverpool outscored Maresca's team by 22. 'I don't know if we (now) have more capacity (to score), but for sure if we've made changes it's because we think that with changes we could improve out attacking phase,' said Maresca. 'I was quite happy last year in terms goals we scored but with the amount of chances we created, I think we were one of the best in the league.' Strikers Liam Delap and Joao Pedro have been brought in to try and revitalise an attack which relied too heavily on goals from defence and midfield during the last campaign, though both players struggled to make an impact in the draw with Palace. Nicolas Jackson was the team's only senior striker last season but suffered a goal drought which lasted almost five months between December and May, whilst teenager Marc Guiu failed to score in the league. Both players also spent significant time out injured. Neither is set to play a role at Stamford Bridge this season with Jackson having been told he can leave and Guiu currently on loan at Sunderland. 'Hopefully also this season we can be a bit more lucky in terms injury,' said Maresca. 'Don't forget last season we lost Nico and Guiu. But if we are able to create the same volume (of chances) that we created last year I'm quite happy. 'Hopefully this season we can be more clinical when we need to be.' Maresca reiterated the club's position on Jackson, who scored just 10 league goals last season, and has been made surplus to requirements following the arrivals of Delap and Pedro. The 24-year-old, who was suspended for the draw with Palace, will not play in Friday's trip to West Ham and has drawn interested from Newcastle, who are waiting for a resolution to their stand-off with Alexander Isak before deciding whether to move. 'We've brought two strikers,' said Maresca. 'The player (Jackson) is open to leave. If there is any good solution, he is going to leave. 'It's very easy. It's not complicated. I've said already that Nico is a very good player. He can be even better.' On the new arrivals, the Italian added: 'Pedro probably in the small space gives us more than Liam. Liam probably gives us a bit more in terms of physicality and runs in behind. It depends on the gameplan. 'On Sunday it was difficult for any striker, but both are good and both are going to score goals.' Chelsea have accepted a £26million offer from Villarreal for defender Renato Veiga, the PA news agency understands. The Portugal left-back's departure would take Chelsea's total player sales this summer to over £250m. The Blues are poised to make a hefty profit on the 22-year-old having paid £12m for him when he arrived from Basel in July 2024. Veiga, who signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, made just one Premier League start for them last season and six appearances off the bench. He spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Juventus, making 12 starts in Serie A. Chelsea have so far sold 10 players this summer and should Veiga complete his move, they will have recouped around £252m from 11 departures to offset the £277m they have spent on nine new players.
Glasgow Times
4 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Enzo Maresca hopes Chelsea can improve their conversion rate to aid title hopes
The Blues have spent around £160million on attacking players, all of whom played some part in Sunday's lacklustre 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Despite a new look forward line, the difficulty the home side had in breaking down Palace bore hallmarks familiar to supporters who frequently watched their team labour to create and convert opportunities last season. Chelsea ranked second in last season's Premier League in terms of big chances missed and placed 11th in percentage of shots scored. Their tally of 64 league goals was beaten by Brighton and Brentford and matched by 17th-place Tottenham, whilst champions Liverpool outscored Maresca's team by 22. 'I don't know if we (now) have more capacity (to score), but for sure if we've made changes it's because we think that with changes we could improve out attacking phase,' said Maresca. 'I was quite happy last year in terms goals we scored but with the amount of chances we created, I think we were one of the best in the league.' Strikers Liam Delap and Joao Pedro have been brought in to try and revitalise an attack which relied too heavily on goals from defence and midfield during the last campaign, though both players struggled to make an impact in the draw with Palace. Nicolas Jackson was the team's only senior striker last season but suffered a goal drought which lasted almost five months between December and May, whilst teenager Marc Guiu failed to score in the league. Both players also spent significant time out injured. Neither is set to play a role at Stamford Bridge this season with Jackson having been told he can leave and Guiu currently on loan at Sunderland. 'Hopefully also this season we can be a bit more lucky in terms injury,' said Maresca. 'Don't forget last season we lost Nico and Guiu. But if we are able to create the same volume (of chances) that we created last year I'm quite happy. Liam Delap, left, and Joao Pedro have bolstered Chelsea's attacking options (John Walton/PA) 'Hopefully this season we can be more clinical when we need to be.' Maresca reiterated the club's position on Jackson, who scored just 10 league goals last season, and has been made surplus to requirements following the arrivals of Delap and Pedro. The 24-year-old, who was suspended for the draw with Palace, will not play in Friday's trip to West Ham and has drawn interested from Newcastle, who are waiting for a resolution to their stand-off with Alexander Isak before deciding whether to move. 'We've brought two strikers,' said Maresca. 'The player (Jackson) is open to leave. If there is any good solution, he is going to leave. Nicolas Jackson will not play when Chelsea visit West Ham (Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA) 'It's very easy. It's not complicated. I've said already that Nico is a very good player. He can be even better.' On the new arrivals, the Italian added: 'Pedro probably in the small space gives us more than Liam. Liam probably gives us a bit more in terms of physicality and runs in behind. It depends on the gameplan. 'On Sunday it was difficult for any striker, but both are good and both are going to score goals.' Chelsea have accepted a £26million offer from Villarreal for defender Renato Veiga, the PA news agency understands. The Portugal left-back's departure would take Chelsea's total player sales this summer to over £250m. Renato Veiga is set to leave Chelsea for Villarreal (Adam Davy/PA) The Blues are poised to make a hefty profit on the 22-year-old having paid £12m for him when he arrived from Basel in July 2024. Veiga, who signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, made just one Premier League start for them last season and six appearances off the bench. He spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Juventus, making 12 starts in Serie A. Chelsea have so far sold 10 players this summer and should Veiga complete his move, they will have recouped around £252m from 11 departures to offset the £277m they have spent on nine new players.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Man Utd to be 'offered' former transfer target in £17m cut-price deal
Manchester United are set to be offered the chance to sign former target Adrien Rabiot after he was transfer-listed by Marseille, according to reports. Rabiot came close to joining United last summer after leaving Juventus, but instead returned to his homeland with Marseille. The French international proved a key cog in Roberto De Zerbi's side, recording nine goals and four assists in 29 league games as Marseille finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain. However, the 30-year-old has now been made available for sale along with teammate Jonathan Rowe after the pair were involved in a violent dressing room bust-up following their opening league game against Rennes. Describing the incident, Marseille president Pablo Longoria told AFP: 'What happened was extremely serious and extremely violent, something I've never encountered before. Metro's weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. 'We had to take a decision because what happened went way beyond what is acceptable in a football club, as it would be in any organisation.' An experienced midfielder and five-time Ligue 1 winner with PSG, Rabiot is unlikely to be short of offers in the final few weeks of the window. And Fabrizio Romano reports that United will be one of the clubs offered the chance to sign Rabiot for a cut-price deal of €15-20m (£13-17m). 'Many of those who are close to Adrien Rabiot's camp are proposing the opportunity to offer Rabiot to clubs, for example, also to Manchester United,' the Italian journalist said on his YouTube channel. 'He's a player who was a target for Man United many years ago, and in recent years was never close. At the moment, I'm not hearing anything concrete on Manchester United in negotiations for Rabiot. 'He is going to be offered to Manchester United and many other clubs as an opportunity for €15-20 million. But at the moment, it's still an open situation.' More Trending United have made clear their desire to sign a central midfielder before the end of the window, although the Red Devils were knocked back in their pursuit of Brighton's Carlos Baleba. Ruben Amorim may have his work cut out to convince Rabiot to make the move to Old Trafford, though, with the Frenchman suggesting only last year that United were still 'in a bit of a hole'. 'Last year as well, when I was free, they came back in again. I had good talks with them again. But it's true that it was a bit tricky,' he told The Athletic when asked about United's approach to sign him last summer. 'The situation they're in at the moment… I felt a bit of reticence about whether United were going to be able to go on and achieve great things. Because they're in a bit of a hole at the moment.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Gary Neville highlights the 'big question' that could cost Arsenal the Premier League title MORE: Manchester United sent transfer message by £40m target: 'I'm happy with my choice' MORE: Paul Merson says Chelsea are making £65m transfer mistake that could 'come back to haunt them' Your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it's an open goal.
