Straight Outta Cobham: The Athletic FC's Chelsea show

It’s three years since a Chelsea great passed away which means it’s only right for a Straight Outta Cobham special.

Gianluca Vialli joined Chelsea as a player in 1996 and went on to become one of the club’s most significant figures of the pre-Abramovich era.

He helped the Blues win the FA Cup in 1997, before taking over as manager the following season and winning both the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.

In this special episode, Matt Davies-Adams, Simon Johnson and Sam Parkin are joined by Luca Dal Monte, a close childhood friend of Vialli’s and author of the new book “The Gentleman: Gianluca Vialli and How He Changed English Football Forever”.

Produced by Xavi Bird.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xabi Alonso has made his first official signing as Chelsea manager and Real Madrid have got the Straight Outta Cobham team scratching their heads again.

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Liam Twomey and Cerys Jones to discuss Marco Palestra’s arrival from Atalanta. What might it mean for both Reece James and Malo Gusto?

Will Enzo Fernandez still be Palestra’s teammate at the start of the season? Real Madrid make an official statement saying they have "no intention" of trying to sign the Blues midfielder this summer, but is there still more to come?

Plus, the team go through the final element of our summer squad audit: wingers and number 10s. Will not going to the World Cup be a good thing for Cole Palmer? And is Garnacho potentially on his way out?

Produced by Xavi Bird

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enzo Maresca is officially the new Manchester City manager and, while the rest of the football community pretends to be shocked, Chelsea release a blistering statement about how disappointed they are in their “former head coach”.

Matt Davies-Adams, Cerys Jones and Sam Parkin react to another tumultuous couple of days at Stamford Bridge, and discuss where this all leaves the club now everything is fully in the open.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of transfer news with the Blues closing in on Atalanta full back Marco Palestra, whilst also having bid for Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka rejected.

All this plus the conclusion to our squad audit where the team discuss who, apart from Joao Pedro, should be playing up front for Chelsea next season.

Produced by Lucy Oliva and Xavi Bird.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s part three of the Straight Outta Cobham team’s summer squad review and it’s time to sort out who on earth’s going to be playing in midfield for the Blues next season.

Enzo Fernandez is the main name on the lips of Matt Davies-Adams, Simon Johnson and Cerys Jones. Is he off to Real Madrid? And if so, is it going to take all summer to happen?

Might a disappointing World Cup for Ecuador be a good thing for Moises Caicedo? What does the future hold for Andrey Santos and will Romeo Lavia ever complete 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt?

The team also look into the fixture schedule for next season and discuss the compensation situation that’s complicated Enzo Maresca’s inevitable switch to become Manchester City manager.

Produced by Lucy Oliva & Xavi Bird.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Cucurella is on his way to Real Madrid and he’s timed it perfectly just ahead of the Straight Outta Cobham team’s review of Chelsea’s defensive unit.

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin to discuss what the Spaniard's exit might mean for the rest of the squad. Is Jorrel Hato the main benefiter at left back?

How might Xabi Alonso get the best out of captain Reece James next season? Will it be with a back three? And might that be good news for Malo Gusto?

The team also look into the many options at centre back, who they think should stay and go, and also who they might like to see arrive in the transfer window.

Produced by Lucy Oliva and Xavi Bird

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The summer is here and it’s squad review time for the Straight Outta Cobham team.

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Liam Twomey and Cerys Jones to discuss all things goalkeepers. Has it been the weakest position during the BlueCo era? And how might they go about fixing it?

Will Robert Sanchez still be between the sticks next season or is Mike Penders the answer? It’s not going to be either Filip Jorgensen or Gaga Slonina… they’re both on their way out. Might there be incomings in their place?

The team are also joined by special guest Rupert Cane, author of “Behind the Bench: The untold stories of Chelsea’s third-choice goalkeepers”, who tells us about the unique perspective of one of football’s strangest roles.

You can buy a copy and donate to Rupert’s Kickstarter here: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/behindthebench/behind-the-bench/description

All this, plus the latest on Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez.

Produced by Xavi Bird and Lucy Oliva.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

World Cup pending...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin alongside him for our first podcast of the summer break.

And we're taking a deep-dive into the Chelsea FC representation at the 2026 World Cup - with the first game of the tournament kicking off in just a week and a half.

Plus, what about some of the high-profile Blues who won't be out in Mexico, Canada or the USA this summer? We discuss what a break will mean for the likes of Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, back at Cobham and working with new boss Xabi Alonso.

We've also got the latest transfer chat - as it's emerged that Marc Cucurella could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge - but could there be a glorious return to the fold for Nicolas Jackson? And what about an approach for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers?!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Signing off on a sorry season...

Matt Davies-Adams has got the whole SOC squad alongside him for a round up of the 2025-26 season for Chelsea Football Club.

What are the main takeaways and reflections on this crazy campaign? What does not being in Europe mean from a financial perspective? Who have been the big winners and losers in the squad? And what's top of Xabi Alonso's to-do list heading into the summer?!

We'll be with you throughout the summer with squad audits, mailbags, academy check-ins, CFC at the World Cup - and assessing the rather large job the new boss has got on his hands! 

Thanks for all your continued support and for joining us throughout the season.

Take part in our survey and let us know what you want from SOC going forward! forms.gle/S7Qdv1iPPnaemtps7

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher, Simon Johnson, Cerys Jones, Liam Twomey & Sam Parkin

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dire end to a dire season...

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Simon Johnson and Sam Parkin for a look back on the 2-1 defeat Sunderland - which condemns Chelsea to a 10th-placed finish in the Premier League.

The Blues were outplayed and outfought by their hosts - and that added to Wesley Fofana's red card sums up what a poor season it's been.

Thankfully all was not lost this weekend - with the U18's crowned winners of the Under-18 Premier League National Final after a 5-1 win over Manchester City.

We'll be back on Thursday with our full review of the 2025-26 season - and a look ahead to a defining summer for Chelsea and new manager Xabi Alonso.

Take part in our survey and tell us what you want from SOC! forms.gle/S7Qdv1iPPnaemtps7

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Sam Parkin and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Tottenham, lads...

Matt Davies-Adams has got two of The Athletic's finest - Cerys Jones and Luke Bosher - alongside him for a look back on the absolutely inevitable but pretty unconvincing 2-1 victory over Tottenham at the Bridge on Tuesday night.

Then - the end is (finally) here! The Blues make the trip to Sunderland on Sunday - with a place in either the Europa League, Conference League or nothing! - at stake.

We'll be back on Monday with a look back on the final game of another crazy season for Chelsea Football Club.

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Cerys Jones

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.