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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.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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