Chelsea are one of the clubs interested in signing 18-year-old Matthew Bondswell

According to a report by The Telegraph (h/t Mirror), Chelsea are interested in RB Leipzig’s 18-year-old left-back Matthew Bondswell.

The youngster left the Nottingham Forest U-18s and joined the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig in 2018. He is currently on loan to second-tier Dutch side FC Dordecht.

The Englishman is tipped to be a potential understudy to Chelsea’s first-choice left-back Ben Chilwell. Chelsea do have ample cover in the left-back area, but both Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri are linked with a move away from the club. (h/t Metro)

Alonso and Emerson have both been linked with a return to Italy in the upcoming transfer windows and Chelsea could have a void to fill in the left-back spot if the out-of-favor duo is to depart.

Bondswell is yet to have a taste of first-tier football, but he has done enough to gain the attention of Chelsea. However, the Blues could be joined by West Ham United and Sporting Lisbon in the race to sign Bondswell in January. (h/t Mirror)

Bondswell could prove to be a great coup by Frank Lampard if the Blues manage to land him. If Alonso and Palmieri are indeed going to leave the club soon, the homegrown Matthew Bondswell can plug the hole at the left-back spot.

Ben Chilwell, Chelsea’s first-choice left-back, is just 23 himself but Bondswell can still stand to learn a lot from the England international.

If they do manage to secure his services, Chelsea would be hoping that Bondswell follows in the footstep of Reece James, who is another young English full-back to have broken on to the scene in the past year at Chelsea.

Juventus are interested in signing Chelsea duo Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmieri

According to a report by Italian outlet Il Bianco Nero (h/t Daily Mail), Juventus are interested in bringing in Chelsea duo Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud to Turin.

Giroud has been looking for more game-time as he has not grappled well with his role as a benchwarmer at Chelsea. With the 2020 UEFA Euros starting next summer, Giroud would be even more desperate to secure starts as he vies to secure a place in the French national team. (h/t Daily Mail)

Giroud has previously expressed in an interview that his lack of game-time at Chelsea ‘is worrying’. and has since drawn interest from his ex-manager Antonio Conte at Inter Milan, and from Andrea Pirlo at Juventus. (h/t Daily Mail)

“It’s worrying. I thought I still had a role to play at Chelsea but my playing time is getting reduced a lot. It’s going to have to change or a decision must be made.”

Pirlo is reportedly interested in signing the 34-year-old striker and Italian left-back Emerson in a bid to strengthen his team and rescue his first season in charge of the club which has seen them drop to 4th in the table.

Luckily for Pirlo, signing Giroud might not be the most difficult task, considering Frank Lampard’s view that the Frenchman will not be stopped from leaving if he wants to.

“I have a very good relationship with Oli and if ever he felt that it was going to go a different way then I would happily have that conversation with him. But I want him to stay here. I’m open both ways if that ever changes but at the moment he is very important for us.”

Giroud may not have started a single league game for Chelsea this season but Lampard’s words highlight that the club still has a place for him. However, the same cannot be said for Emerson Palmieri.

The 26-year-old left-back has fallen way below the pecking order and is the club’s third-choice left-back behind Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso. He has been reduced to cameo appearances in his time at Chelsea and Juventus are one of the clubs that are reportedly interested in him. (h/t Daily Mail)

Chelsea have a reliable strike-pairing of Tammy Abraham and Werner up front and ample cover in the left-back position. Therefore, any deal that sees Giroud and Emerson leave would not be surprising.

Hakim Ziyech says he is drawing inspiration from Chelsea hero Eden Hazard

Speaking in an interview (h/t Mirror), Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has revealed his admiration for Eden Hazard and says that he has learned a lot from the ex-Blues winger.

Hakim Ziyech joined Chelsea this season after an agreement between the club and Ajax Amsterdam was reached back in February 2020.

The Moroccan winger has had a bright start to his Chelsea career. He has lit up Stamford Bridge since making his league debut for us against Southampton in October 2020.

Chelsea lacked a player that could replace the magic of Eden Hazard since the Belgian’s departure. Chelsea were not able to replace Hazard immediately as a transfer ban was placed on the club.

Despite the two players having a different playing style, comparisons have been inevitably drawn between the two, and the Blues winger has now revealed that he has learned a lot from ex-Chelsea winger Eden Hazard.

“Eden is a world-class player. You always take inspiration from that, how he plays the game and you always look at the small things, how he does stuff and I can learn a lot from him.”

Ziyech says that he is settling in well at his new club and reckons that there are better things to come from him.

“I’m happy, I feel good. I feel at home and those things are the most important when you perform on the pitch. I always know what I’m capable of doing. I always trust in myself, I’m calm in my head. Peaceful. And all the other things will come by themselves.”

Sitting third in the table, Chelsea have been touted as one of the teams capable of challenging for the Premier League title and Hakim Ziyech believes that the Blues can cross the finish line.

“It starts from believing in it and then working every day harder. But you have to believe it is possible and I think that is what we are doing. We believe it and at the end of the season we will see what we do.”

Ziyech has 1 goal and 3 assists for Chelsea in his 6 league appearances this season and would be hoping to feature against Sevilla when the Blues travel to Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Frank Lampard says that it was hard to inform Callum Hudson-Odoi that he would be benched against Tottenham

Speaking on in his pre-match press conference (h/t Daily Mail) on Tuesday before the match against Sevilla, Frank Lampard discussed the future of Callum Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea and explained that it was ‘difficult’ to bench him against Tottenham Hotspur.

Callum Hudson-Odoi had impressed since the start of the season and grabbed the opening goal against French club Stade Rennais last week in a UEFA Champions League encounter.

However, the 20-year-old youngster was the surprise exclusion when Chelsea’s matchday squad against Tottenham Hotspur was released.

Chelsea drew 0-0 against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge to remain third on the table. Hudson-Odoi was also left out of the matchday eighteen against Manchester United in the Premier League on matchday six, which was another high profile encounter for Chelsea that finished 0-0.

The call to bench Callum Hudson-Odoi against Spurs was apparently due to the return of American winger Christian Pulisic from injury.

Speaking about the decision to bench the youngster against Spurs, Lampard revealed that it was difficult to inform Hudson-Odoi that he would be benched, considering his good form and attitude.

“It was difficult to tell him that he wasn’t in the Spurs squad as his attitude has been bang on. He was bright against Rennes and Newcastle. He is getting better and is back in contention and I want him to keep that going. I want him to stay positive… He took it well but it wasn’t an easy conversation.”

Lampard mentioned the youngster’s resilience to come back from an injury so early on his career and said that he believes Hudson-Odoi has a bright future at Chelsea due to his quick development. (h/t Daily Mail)

“He got into the team and there was a lot of talk around him and he got a bad injury. Now time and work have shown that he’s back and then you have to appreciate he is developing. I have to see the bigger picture and he is hopefully going to have hundreds of games ahead of him. “

Chelsea face Sevilla on matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League group stages on Wednesday, and Callum Hudson-Odoi would be hoping that Lampard rotates the squad to include him in the starting XI.