This week offered something approaching calm at Chelsea with much of the squad scattered across various coastlines pretending, however briefly, that football does not exist. In the absence of chaos we did what all reasonable observers do in quieter moments and speculated.

We began with an assessment of Rosenior and what, if anything, can be meaningfully concluded at this stage. Early impressions tend to be either wildly optimistic or needlessly fatalistic, so we attempted something unfashionable in modern discourse which is restraint. There are encouraging signs, certainly, though encouragement at Chelsea is often a provisional state.

From there we turned to the likely return of Nicolas Jackson this summer, a subject that inspires equal parts intrigue and exasperation. Is he the answer, a useful component, or simply another chapter in a recruitment strategy that prefers potential to certainty. Raheem Sterling’s move to Feyenoord also came under review, a transfer that feels less like a headline and more like a footnote to a broader reshuffling.

More positively, the return of Reece James and Cole Palmer restores a measure of credibility to the enterprise. Finally we looked ahead to Saturday where a struggling yet persistently awkward Burnley await. League position offers little comfort in such fixtures. Chelsea will need more than good intentions to leave with the appropriate result.

Apologies for the terrible connection on my end - rural wifi is still an issue in 2026 it seems!

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