The Blues started to compete for Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles, challenging the Gunners’ position as the strongest team in the city.However, that hasn’t stopped the clubs from negotiating with each other.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Jorginho‘s move to Arsenal from Chelsea is all but done. Therefore, the Italy international midfielder would join the list of stars that have played for both London rivals in recent years.

Cesc Fabregas

Watching Cesc Fabregas join Chelsea in 2014 may have been one of the most painful experiences for Arsenal fans in a transfer window. Though the Spanish star didn’t join the Blues directly from north London—he spent three seasons at Barcelona in between—the Gooners still felt betrayed by an academy productthey adored during his years at Highbury and the Emirates (2003-2011).

Petr Cech

One of the most shocking moves in Premier League history, Chelsea legend Petr Cech took everyone by surprise when he joined Arsenal in the summer of 2015. The veteran goalkeeper didn’t hesitate to suit up for the city rivals despite everything he had achieved with the Blues between 2004 and 2015. His stint at Arsenal wasn’t as successful, but he still won silverware before calling it a career.

Olivier Giroud

Relegated to the bench at Arsenal, Chelsea seized the opportunity to snatch Olivier Giroud from the Gunners in January 2018. The Frenchmanproved to be a smart signing for the Blues, since his contribution turned out to be key for Championsand Europa League titles.

David Luiz

Arsenal made a bold decision in 2019 by goingafter veteran defender David Luiz. Chelsea didn’t have any problem in letting him go, since the Brazilian’s form was in decline. Luiz returned to Stamford Bridge in 2016 after a successful stint between 2011 and 2014, but his second tenure left much to be desired. Things didn’t go so well at Arsenal either and he ended up returning to his homeland in 2021 as a free agent.

Willian

Even after the David Luiz experiment proved to be a mistake, Arsenalset their sights on another Chelsea veteran only a year later. Willian moved to north Londonas a free agent in 2020 after seven successful years at Stamford Bridge, but was a shell of himself at the Emirates. In 2021, he rescinded his contract with the Gunners.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a sensational start to life at Arsenal after joining the club in February 2018. Eventually, he signed a contract extension and was named captain. However, things took a huge twist in December 2022, whenAuba was separated from the squad and stripped of the captaincy after a disciplinary breach. The Gabonese star left the club by mutual consent to sign for Barcelona in the winter transfer window, but only a few months later, Auba was transferred to Chelsea.

But the focus was on what was happening off the field and the forced sale of the club.Roman Abramovichwas sanctioned by the British government due to his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine. Chelsea were purchased by Todd Boehly. According to reports out of The Sun, Boehly is set to invest in his new club but not at the rate Abramovich had done over the years.

However, there are plenty of rumors that several players will leave Chelsea. Antonio Rudiger will join Real Madrid; Andreas Christensen will join Barcelona. But it is also believed that the midfielders of the team will leave, and everything seems to indicate that Thomas Tuchel has already thought of the ideal replacement.

Chelsea could sign Casemiro to replace Jorginho and Kanté

Jorginho has commanded Chelsea’s midfield since arriving from Napoliin 2018. However, the Italian is out of contract in 2023 leaving the Blues with a decision to make over the next 12 months. Tuchel wants the player to remain at the club, but if a contract is not arranged the player may eventually leave.

The situation is the same with N’Golo Kanté. The French midfielder is an enigma for the coming months. Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United are seeking him, and he has only 12 months left on his contract. That’s why Tuchel has been looking for the perfect replacement, and it seems he has found it.

Chelsea’s target is Casemiro. The Brazilian midfielder has been at Real Madrid since 2013 and, in the last years, has become a key player for the Spanish club. The 30-year-old is under contract with El Merengue until 2025, and his market value is €50,000,000, according to Transfermarkt.

However, as reported byThe Mirror, Casemiro is looking for a pay rise (he earns 9,200,000 euros per year), and if he doesn’t get it at Real Madrid, he would be willing to change team.

From a soccer standpoint, Chelsea have had an irregular season. The Blues are third in the Premier League standings with 67 points but have not yet secured their participation in the 2022-2023 Champions League.

In addition, the team was champion of the last UCL, and in the 2021-2022 edition was eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. Chelsea’s only chance left this season is to win the FA Cup, where it will play against Liverpool on May 14.After Boehly’s arrival, several players are expected to leave the club.

11 players who could leave Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga

In 2018, the Spaniard joined Chelsea after a transfer that turned him into the most expensive goalkeeper in history. The Blues paid Athletic Club 80,000,000 euros to acquire him. But his level of performance never convinced the coaches.

The club sought a replacement two years later and bought in Edouard Mendy, who has retained the No 1 spot. Kepa has made only 124 appearances since joining the club four years ago. According to ESPN, Chelsea are keen to offload him whilst recouping as much of his £71.4m fees as possible.

Andreas Christensen,Antonio Rudiger, andCésar Azpilicueta

Both Christensen and Rudiger will leave for free at the end of the season. Neither of them wanted to renew their contracts. The Danish player is set to sign a contract with Barcelona for five seasons until 2027. While the German will join Real Madrid for four seasons.

Azpilicueta intends to leave Chelsea and Barcelona are his chosen destination. According to As, the defender has already agreed on a deal with The Cules for the next two seasons with an option for a further year.

Jorginho,Saul Niguez, andRoss Barkley

Jorginho has commanded Chelsea’s midfield since arriving from Napoli in 2018. However, the Italian is out of contract in 2023 leaving the Blues with a decision to make over the next 12 months. Tuchel wants the player to remain at the club, but if a contract is not arranged the player may eventually leave.

Saúl is on loan at Chelsea from Atlético Madrid. The Spaniard is due to stay until June 2022 and everything seems to indicate that he will then return to El Colchonero. At Chelsea, he only participated in 22 games.

Barkley never quite fit into the team. Last year he was loaned out to Aston Villa such was his lack of minutes, with Tuchel at the helm Barkley has been used more but only played 12 games in the entire season. It seems as if both parties may benefit from a parting of ways.

Romelu Lukaku,Christian Pulisic,Callum Hudson-Odoi, andTimo Werner

Chelsea have not had much luck when it comes to signing strikers. Lukaku came from being Inter‘s star player, but he arrived at Chelsea, and the opposite happened. The Belgian has had problems with supporters and Tuchel, who has often left him out of the starting XI. The player wants to leave the club, but Chelsea do not want to lose all the money they have spent on him.

Pulisic did not have many chances to show his great potential. Pulisic is rumored to be unhappy with his lack of playing time, and after three years and up and down form and injuries, the American’s time at Chelsea could be all but over. The American though insists he is relaxed about his future.

Hudson-Odoi has had his chances this season, playing 27 games. The 21-year-old player was a victim of the amount of attacking talent in the Chelsea squad, and it is believed that the best for him and the club is to look for a new destination.

Adaptation was the biggest problem for Werner. The German has been able to have an impact, but his level is still not absolutely good. Furthermore, before the sanctions, Chelsea were open to his departure.

According to The Sun, Jorginho is among the Chelsea players who are in Florida during the Premier League break, and the midfielder left his girlfriend and baby son back in London to enjoy some time off. The profile on Raya is pretty specific as it shows pictures of Jorginho playing for Italy and Chelsea and a topless picture of the player at a pool.

Jorginho won’t be able to explain that he created the app to find friends in Miami as the “just here for friends” option was not activated. The Sun was able to get a quote from a Chelsea supporter in Miami who saw the profile and matched with the Soccer player.

User matches with Jorginho on dating app Raya

The user told The Sun, “I was shocked because I know he has a girlfriend from what I’d read before. His profile’s full of pictures of him playing for Chelsea or Italy. There is another shot of him topless in a pool. Our profiles matched but I didn’t speak to him because I knew he was with someone.”

While it is not uncommon for fake profiles to be created and even pass through all the apps verification filters, the fact that Jorginho’s Instagram profile is attached to the Raya profile doesn’t help his cause back home.

Not long ago, a leak went viral on social media suggesting thatBayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski had gathered the most votes over the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, another leak shortly after that had the PSG star atop the list.

The Ballon d’Or gossip continued when Portuguese outlet RTP went even further by claiming that Messi had been told by France Football he would receive his seventh Golden Ball, an ideathat didn’t please Patrice Evra.

Patrice Evra firesshot at Lionel Messi over 2021 Ballon d’Or, claims N’Golo Kante deserves it more

For a long time, the Ballon d’Or battle seemed to be reduced to Messi and Ronaldo. But, over the last few years things have changed, with new names making their way into the best player of the year conversation.

Everyone in world soccer weighs in on this matter, and recently it was the turn for Patrice Evra. The French legend admitted toJournal du Dimanchethat he’s tired ofseeing Messi winthe Ballon d’Or and that he doesn’t deserve it this year.“In my opinion, this Ballon d’Or is for N’Golo Kante or Jorginho, they deserve it! I don’t understand why people say: ‘He’s just a midfielder.’ They have woneverything,” he said.

Evra added that if any of them doesn’t receive the award, it would be unfair. “What did he(Messi)won this year? Right, the Copa America. But what did he accomplishwith Barcelona?” the former France internationalcontinued.

Thierry Henry also weighs in on Ballon d’Or discussion

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has also spoken about this subject. While he wasn’t as harsh on Messi as Evra, the iconic striker believes Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has given reasons to win the prize.

“Let’s be realistic, I hopeit willbe him, Benzema. Lewandowski would have been chosen in 2020 if the award hadn’t been canceled. We can also talk about Jorginho because he won it all. And there’s Messi, who conqueredthe Copa America,” Henry said, as quoted by As.

As the ceremony was canceled last year, it’s normal that the expectations areeven higher now. Whether Messi will get his seventh Ballon d’Or or it will be the turn for another player is something that remains to be seen. We’ll know on November 29 if any of the previous leaks were correct.

Instead, UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea have two of theirs in the race for the prize, while runners-up Manchester City are also represented with the third nominee.

We wouldn’t be lying if we describe Barcelona and Juventus‘ campaigns asdisappointing to say the least. Instead, all the spotlight was on the aforementioned Premier League clubs, who reached the grand final that both Messi and Cristiano would have liked to play.

Three nominees to the 2020/21 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year

The final three nominees to the award werevoted by a jury composed of 24 coaches of the Euro 2020 national teams, 80 coaches of the teams that played in 2020/21 UCL and Europa League group stages, and 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media group, onefrom each of UEFA’s member associations.

Chelsea midfield duoN’Golo Kante, who played a pivotal role in the Blues’ road to success winning MOTM awards in both semi-final legs and the final, and Jorginho, who has not only been crucial under Thomas Tuchel but also helped Italy in their continental success, finished in the top three.

Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne is the other candidate, following a fantastic campaign in which Pep Guardiola‘s side was crowned in the Premier League and reached the UCL final for the first time.

2020/21 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year: Cristiano and Messi out of the shortlist

Lionel Messi and Cristiano aren’t among the nominees for the 2020/21 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awardbecause they didn’t receive enough votes to be in the top-three shortlist.

They did finish in the top 10, but only the Argentine seemed close to being nominated, having earned 148 points. It would have made sense, as he shone despite Barca’s problems on the field and then won the long-awaited Copa America with Argentina. But, to be fair, the three final candidates are deservedly in contention.

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo has only received 16 points from the jury. Individually, hedidn’t have a bad season at all, amassing 36 goals in 44games. But Juve were out of the UCL race early and had a sour finish to the Serie A season. Cristiano seemed to be as good as always, but unfortunately, he was overshadowed.