Son of Chelsea

Cole Palmer has faced a week of criticism after footage showed him walking past young fans outside Stamford Bridge after the Bournemouth win. On today’s Morning Blues, I explain why I don’t blame Palmer. I cover the club’s reported instructions to players, the safety risks when crowds swarm players, and the growing distance between Premier League footballers and supporters. I also share a memory of queuing for hours to meet John Terry in 2005.

Plus Shakhtar Donetsk playing at Stamford Bridge, PSG beating Man City, Lisandro Martínez’s outburst at Man United’s sporting directors, the latest on Alex Scott and Lamine Camara, and Reece James’ fitness ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton.

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Is English football heading for a financial cliff? Today on Morning Blues, Daniel Childs dives deep into the IFR's staggering new report showing 94% of top clubs operating at a loss, surging transfer debt, and what institutional ownership really means for the average supporter. We also cover the breaking news that Bournemouth could listen to offers for Alex Scott in January, get you updated on Reece James' latest knee setback, and tee up Wednesday's writing on Cole Palmer.

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00:00 - Introduction & Today's Agenda

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Today we look at Chelsea's midfield improvement with the huge return of Moises Caicedo against Bournemouth and the partnership with Jordan Henderson. What does Xabi Alonso's new formation mean for Chelsea's shape and players moving forward?

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Today’s Morning Blues is a Loan Watch special, rating how Chelsea’s loan army has started the 2026/27 season.

We look at the big-money loans: Garnacho’s struggle for minutes at Aston Villa and what it means for his obligation to buy, Disasi playing regularly at Palace, and Badiashile’s quiet start at Napoli. He also covers Strasbourg, where Jørgensen, Antwi and Essugo are all getting European football.

There’s praise for the academy graduates thriving in the EFL, led by 17-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen at Portsmouth. There are also real concerns over Jesse Derry at Sporting, Mamadou Sarr at Real Sociedad and Shim Mheuka at Celtic, which raise a bigger question: is Chelsea sending young players to big clubs, when what they need is regular football?

Plus Lampard’s Coventry beating Newcastle 4-1, the Panorama documentary, and the one loanee Daniel would recall in January.

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Morning Blues! Today we reflect on Chelsea's brilliant 5-1 win over Bournemouth, the Jordan Henderson masterclass, new contract for Cole Palmer, also reacting to the frenzy over Man City's win at Liverpool, and transfer rumours regarding Jules Kounde.

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Reacting to Chelsea's brilliant 5-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. With a Jordan Henderson masterclass, big return for Moises Caicedo and more goals for Joao Pedro. Was this the 'complete' Xabi Alonso performance we were waiting for, and what does it say about Chelsea's structure moving forward?

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Proper football is back! Chelsea host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge and, after a long international break, Xabi Alonso has delivered a surprise injury boost with Caicedo, João Pedro, Reece James and Cole Palmer all declared fit.

In this preview I run through the team news, break down Marco Rose’s Bournemouth (the first side ever to lead in each of their first four Premier League games and not win any of them) and look at what Alonso has to fix after the Brentford defeat. Then it’s my predicted XI, including the big call: Jordan Henderson alongside Caicedo instead of Reece James.

Who would you start? Drop your predicted lineup in the comments 👇⏱️

🎧 MORNING BLUES, my new audio-only daily Chelsea show, Monday to Thursday: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LPKadQTHtJvApEyRvZDWw

🎙️ My interview with Liam Twomey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfgUlzth_M8

✍️ Substack, with free and paid written Chelsea content all season: https://sonofchelsea.substack.com/

Like and subscribe, and I’ll be back tomorrow with the post-match review.

#Chelsea #CFC #CHEBOU #PremierLeague #XabiAlonso

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Morning Blues! Back to break down the massive news that Laurence Stewart has left Chelsea, kicking off a much-needed shake-up in the club's recruitment structure. Plus, we dive into Xabi Alonso's plans for Reece James in central midfield, pay tribute to the legendary Pedro following his retirement, and give you a crucial travel warning for heading to Stamford Bridge this weekend. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a positive review!

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Daniel Childs is joined by The Athletic's Chelsea reporter Liam Twomey to breakdown recent events at Stamford Bridge. Some chuckles had at Enzo Maresca & Enzo Fernandez's expense due to Manchester City scandal.

Assessing the start under Xabi Alonso, midfield issues, Estevao future, potential January signings and the future of the stadium with CPO and Clearlake.

Follow Liam: https://x.com/liam_twomey?lang=en

Read his latest articles: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/liam-twomey/

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Good Morning Blues!

On today’s podcast, we react to the latest nonsense by Piers Morgan going after Cole Palmer for missing England for the woke nonsense of being injured. Nizaar Kinsella reports that Clearlake are exploring expanding Cobham and how this ties into the future of Stamford Bridge.

And Si Phillips reports that interest in Nottingham Forest defender Murillo is not going away.

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