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CHELSEA TOLD EMANUEL EMEGHA CAN TRANSFORM SQUAD AND DELIVER GOALS

Chelsea-bound Emanuel Emegha earns his first Netherlands call-up after scoring 6 goals for Strasbourg. The 22-year-old striker, tipped to be a "huge hit," is set to join the Blues in 2026 to solve their striker issues.

Chelsea Told Emanuel Emegha Can Transform Squad And Deliver Goals
Chelsea Signing Emanuel Emegha Dubbed ‘Next Zlatan’ - COURTESY/PHOTO

Following his first senior call-up to the Netherlands, future Chelsea star Emanuel Emegha has been predicted to be a huge hit.

To finally solve Stamford Bridge's obvious striker problem, the 22-year-old will join the Blues from sister club Strasbourg in 2026.

Joao Pedro is better suited for a No. 10 position, while Enzo Maresca is still looking for a frontman to be the centre of his assault.

Before scoring in back-to-back Premier League games in November, the Brazilian had gone ten games without scoring.

Liam Delap, his main rival, was sent off against Wolves last month and has not scored since returning from a two-month injury.

Despite having a hamstring problem to begin the season, Emegha has continued to play well under Liam Rosenior.

In his first eight games of the season, the Dutchman has scored six goals and provided two assists for Strasbourg, including a double in Sunday's thrilling 2-0 victory over Lille.

Ronald Koeman, the manager of the Netherlands, has therefore called up Emegha for World Cup qualifying matches against Poland and Lithuania.

Andy Brassell, a European football specialist, told talkSPORT.com that Emegha's situation is coming together at the ideal moment.

"Emegha will be the starting forward for the Netherlands at Euro 2028 if he makes it to the Premier League in 2026 and performs well," he stated.

Of course, he is still young. He has a respectable amount of French football experience, nevertheless, considering his age.

"I believe he is a talented line leader. He runs well. He is powerful. He finishes things well.

Emegha was called the "next Zlatan."


Maresca recently made headlines when he harshly criticised Delap for receiving a "stupid" and "embarrassing" red card upon his return.

Nevertheless, Emegha has kept up his reputation as the "next Zlatan" by scoring goals despite taunts from his own supporters.

Brassell went on: "Since he decided to transfer to Chelsea, he has received a lot of criticism that some of his friends and family feel is excessively harsh.

Since Chelsea has first dibs because it is Strasbourg and he is a very good player, everyone knew when he started playing well for them that he would eventually finish up there.

However, I believe that some Strasbourg supporters are offended because he was named captain and then, a few weeks later, was seen standing at Stamford Bridge wearing a Chelsea shirt.

"I completely understand. I get it, but he was clearly a little offended when some Strasbourg ultras displayed a banner claiming he was merely a pawn of BlueCo [after a 1-0 league victory against Le Havre].

"He made a big show of it and everything else after he scored at Paris FC, taking off his jersey and pointing to the back.

Since then, he has been excluded from the team, which has led to some marginalisation. Joaquin Panichelli entered the game and performed admirably.

"The Argentine centre-forward has become the leading scorer in Ligue 1. He gave a great performance.

"Liam Rosenior remarked that Panichelli's two goals at PSG were the best centre-forward performance he had ever witnessed in person.

It was fascinating to note that he had been such a strong supporter of Emegha; it seemed as though they had somewhat moved on from him.

For Chelsea, Emegha will be a huge hit.

"However, he rejoins the club, dons the captain's armband once more, and scores twice as they defeated Lille over the weekend."

"Olivier Giroud, who has not scored in the league since August, scored the second goal after a terrible back ball.

Actually, I believe that highlights not only Emegha's qualities but also his attitude and self-belief.

That gives me the impression that he will succeed greatly in the Premier League. Because he has the guts to stand up and say, "Yeah, yeah, this is what I am made of," whether he is being scrutinised or marginalised.

According to Sam Matterface, Estevao of Chelsea will one day win the Ballon d'Or!

And he consistently demonstrates it, which is really amazing. He has a lot more to say this season as a result.

"Keep in mind that I do not think it really matters if he and Panichelli play together because I believe Strasbourg will advance far in the Conference League.

"There will be a lot of games for them to play. However, I do think he would be a huge success for Chelsea.

"LIKE MANAGER, LIKE TEAM": WHY ENZO MARESCA IS ACTUALLY HAPPY WITH CHELSEA'S RED CARDS

Enzo Maresca defends Chelsea's seven red cards this season, claiming the squad's aggressive personality mirrors his own.

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Maresca defends Chelsea’s discipline ahead of Villa clash

Despite Chelsea's discipline problems, coach Enzo Maresca is happy if the team mirrors his personality.

The Blues got seven red cards this season. One was for Maresca, who's getting his second touchline ban against Aston Villa on Saturday because of yellow cards piling up.

Some dismissals really hurt, like Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez in losses to Brighton and Manchester United. Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Liam Delap also got suspended.

Moises Caicedo's three-game ban after getting sent off against Arsenal in November hit Chelsea hard. Their midfield really missed who you could say was their best player this season.

The team's trouble with discipline didn't stop in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Saturday. Sanchez got a yellow card just seven minutes in for arguing about a call, and Maresca picked up his third warning of the season, leading to his ban.

The Italian coach has been really defending his squad during a tough month.

The club showed me a media comment today that said the team is like the manager, he said. I'm happy about that because of how the team is playing. We're the youngest squad in the league. We have to let them make some mistakes as they grow.

Yeah, we have yellow cards and some red cards, but I like to look at each situation differently.

Villa, Chelsea's opponents, have won 11 of their last 12 league games and 10 straight in all competitions. They've climbed to third place and are now seen as consistent after a rough start.

Unai Emery's team didn't win any of their first five league matches, and it took until the 67th minute of their fifth game at Sunderland for them to score. But they've been great since then.

Chelsea, on the other hand, has been up and down. They impressed in wins against Liverpool and Barcelona, but lost at home to Sunderland and fell apart at Leeds.

"(Being consistent) is what we need to work on," Maresca said. Winning 10 in a row in the league is really tough.

Maresca said he has a good relationship with Captain Reece James, pointing to the Christmas gift his captain sent.

You always remember the last thing. Reece sent me a great bottle of wine (on Tuesday).

Still, the England player has a way to go before being as respected as Maresca's favourite player he's coached.

"I really think Jamie Vardy is one of the best strikers in England," said Maresca, who coached Vardy for a season at Leicester. I think Jamie is a great player and a great guy. He's got a lot of heart.

THE "90-MINUTE" SECRET: ENZO MARESCA’S HIDDEN STRATEGY FOR COLE PALMER’S BIG RETURN AGAINST ASTON VILLA

Enzo Maresca confirms Cole Palmer is finally ready for 90 minutes. Can the Chelsea star outshine Morgan Rogers this weekend?

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Cole Palmer is Ready for a Full Match.

Cole Palmer's injuries have really messed with Chelsea's game this year. He's back in shape now, but the club's being extra careful not to rush him. They did that before, and he got hurt again, so playing it safe makes sense.

Still, Chelsea needs their star player out there as much as they can, especially for the important matches. The one coming up against Aston Villa is definitely a biggie.

Right now, Aston Villa is on fire in the Premier League. If Chelsea wants to win this weekend, they need Palmer to play great. We've seen parts of that, but it's no shock he hasn't been at his best all the time since this season has been a pain for him.

Here's some good news about Palmer's health! It sounds like he can now play a full game. Enzo Maresca said, based on a story in the Independent:

I reckon he (Palmer) can go for 90 minutes.

Usually, players work up to that: 45 minutes, then one hour, then 70.

He already played an hour against Everton and over 70 against Newcastle, so he's getting there.

Great news about Cole Palmer before Chelsea plays Aston Villa!

Of course, just because Palmer can play 90 minutes doesn't mean he should go back to playing full games all the time like before. They still need to watch his playing time.

It's also good to remember that Palmer's groin has been a problem on and off. If he pushes too hard, he could end up injured again for the third time this season, and that's something Chelsea really doesn't need.

Fingers crossed that Palmer shows what he's got against Aston Villa! Some people are saying that Morgan Rogers is better than him now. Maybe it's time for Palmer to remind everyone how good he can be when he's at his best.

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