The latest news and views on the Blues in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
Chelsea Daily: Fernandez’s apology, Injury updates pre-City
Flora Snelson
BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 16:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Enzo Fernandez, who Rosenior handed a two-match ban for comments the midfielder made about his future, has apologised - but the ban stands and Fernandez will miss the City game.
Rosenior said: "I've not been questioning his character, or who he is as a person. I believe people make mistakes."
He added: "There are certain values and cultures that I believe in that make the team stronger if you get them right."
Trevoh Chalobah is back on the pitch, Levi Colwill is in full training and Reece James has been running - but none of them will be available against City.
After the international break, Rosenior says that "a magician" would have struggled to make the team he wants with the time he's had, noting that it's the first time he's had two clear training days consecutively since taking charge.
Before Moises Caicedo's 100th appearance, Rosenior said he is "one of the best - if not the best - defensive midfield player in world football".
He praised Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "Pep has influenced everyone in football. He's an unbelievable coach, who's had an unbelievable career - but I want my team to show what they're capable of on Sunday."
Rosenior said that he watched Chelsea's draw at City at the airport as he prepared to fly to London to consider the Blues' managerial vacancy.
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea beat Port Vale 7-0 in their last match but lost their last league game 3-0 at Everton
Chelsea and Liam Rosenior find themselves in a delicate position as the season draws to a close.
There will be several themes feeding into this afternoon's media conference at Cobham at 13:30 BST, most notably the pressure and potential consequences of failing to qualify for the Champions League via a strong Premier League finish.
Making matters more difficult is the visit of Manchester City, title contenders, to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
It forms part of a challenging run of seven fixtures, which also includes matches against Manchester United and Liverpool.
However, with Chelsea sixth in the Premier League, facing those sides above them means qualification remains in their own hands and a top five finish is now good enough to assure a return to Europe's top table.
There is also the issue of Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah's ongoing fitness problems, while Enzo Fernandez is serving a two-match internal suspension, with his agent having publicly called for it to be reduced in time to face City.
In terms of pressure and tension, there is also a protest planned with supporters for next week's home game against United.
All of these topics are likely to be addressed in Rosenior's conference, as he prepares to face one of his coaching idols, Pep Guardiola, for the first time.
Enzo Fernandez and his agent have apologised to Chelsea for comments the 25-year-old midfielder made while on international duty in Argentina about a potential move to Real Madrid. (Sky Sports, external)
RB Leipzig and Castello Lukeba are in agreement that the France defender will leave the club this summer, with Chelsea along with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all assessing the 23-year-old. (Teamtalk, external)
Meanwhile Aston Villa and England midfielder Morgan Rogers looks likely to be at the centre of a transfer tug of war this summer after Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United renewed their interest in the 23-year-old. (Times - subscription required, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
The Premier League's return this weekend brings trepidation for some and excitement for others.
Football's emotional rollercoaster becomes intense at this time of year, unless of course mid-table mediocrity has taken a grip of things in recent months.
So how are you feeling as an Chelsea fan with just a handful of weeks left to go?
The league form reads: DDLWLL
The next three league fixtures are: Man City (h), Man Utd (a) and Brighton (h)
Chelsea have no intention of selling Josh Acheampong in the summer transfer window despite his limited game time for the Blues. (Express, external)
River Plate head coach Eduardo Coudet has personally reached out to Alejandro Garnacho over a one-year loan move. (TyC via Football London, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesEnzo Fernandez is understood to remain keen on a move to Real Madrid, despite avoiding explicit references to the club - who want to recruit a midfielder this summer.
Fernandez's agent, former PSG and Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore, described his punishment as "completely unfair" when speaking to the Athletic.
A wide‑ranging interview from Fernandez's camp also claimed he "deserves much more than he is currently earning", while further reports in Argentina have suggested attempts were made this week to have the suspension reduced.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has also indicated a number of players are set to sign contract renewals before the end of the season. However, Fernandez's agent Pastore has suggested talks regarding his client will be paused until after the World Cup, where Argentina will bid to defend their title.
It appears Fernandez is unlikely to back down unless he secures a new contract on significantly improved terms or is sold.
However, facilitating an exit will be extremely difficult. Chelsea are well protected from a negotiating standpoint, with Fernandez under contract for a further six years until 2032. The club are also expected to hold out for at least the £107m they paid Benfica to sign him in 2023 - a British transfer record at the time.
The situation also highlights how Chelsea's incentive‑based contracts, which include bonuses linked to goals, assists and Champions League qualification, can deliver value for the club but also prove frustrating for high‑profile players tied into lengthy deals.
Demanding such a fee is likely to deter potential suitors. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been linked but are considered unlikely to move under those conditions, while reports connecting Fernandez with PSG are understood to be wide of the mark.
Rosenior has continued to extract strong performances from Fernandez and has spoken positively about their working relationship.
Ultimately, it is expected that only financial resolution - in one form or another - will bring this situation to a close.
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesEnzo Fernandez has presented Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior with the first major internal disciplinary issue of his tenure at Stamford Bridge by casting doubt on his Blues future.
Rosenior and Chelsea's hierarchy responded by issuing Fernandez with a two‑match internal suspension for "crossing a line". The ban ruled him out of the FA Cup tie against Port Vale and Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City.
The decision was made by Rosenior alongside co‑sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with the backing of influential ownership figures including Behdad Eghbali.
Rosenior has sought to offer Fernandez an olive branch and a route forward following the punishment.
The midfielder has continued to train with the first‑team squad and, at present, there has been no indication he will be stripped of his leadership role.
After the Port Vale game - which Fernandez watched from behind the Chelsea bench - Rosenior said things are "not what people think" between the two of them.
The former Strasbourg, Hull City and Derby County boss has also chosen not to respond publicly to Fernandez's representatives, who have since insisted their client never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London, nor referenced Real by name.
The scrutiny is unlikely to ease and will add another layer of pressure to Fernandez's performances when he returns against Manchester United next weekend.
It is a blow for Chelsea, who are also without Reece James through injury, leaving Andrey Santos or Romeo Lavia likely to step up against City.
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second straight year.
The extra place was confirmed on Tuesday as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Uefa awards an additional place to the two leagues with the best overall performance across the three European competitions.
The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.
Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.
Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).
If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.
The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.
If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.
Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez is preparing to submit a transfer request to pave the way for a summer move to Real Madrid. (El Chiringuito, via Goal, external)
Tottenham and Chelsea are both looking at signing Sporting midfielder Maxi Araujo. The 26-year-old can play as a left winger or wing-back and is a regular for Uruguay. (CaughtOffside, external)
Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to bring former Brighton defender Valentin Barco from their sister club Strasbourg this summer. The 21-year-old only made six Premier League appearances for Albion but has been capped by Argentina. (FourFourTwo, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAs things stand, Chelsea will go into one of their most challenging, and potentially pivotal, matches of the Premier League season so far without one of their key players.
Enzo Fernandez's comments about his future at the club over the international break "crossed a line" according to Liam Rosenior, and the £107m midfielder will sit out Sunday's visit of Manchester City after also missing the FA Cup victory against Port Vale.
Chelsea's vice-captain has only missed one Premier League game all season - against Nottingham Forest in October with a knee problem - and has started in all but one of his 30 appearances.
The 25-year-old has scored eight goals and registered three assists in the league and, as recently as January, Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella wrote about how he "has established himself as one of, if not the, most important players in Chelsea's attack".
Several key metrics illustrate how much the Blues rely on his comfort in possession.
Fernandez has made more passes that have broken the opposition's defensive line than any player in the Premier League this season (41) and has also completed the most successful lay-offs (73).
His 36 line-breaking passes into the opposition's penalty area is a joint-high with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, while the Portuguese playmaker is the only player in the division (33) to make more than the Chelsea man's 21 through balls.
He is also in the top six in the Premier League for passes ending in the final third (595), passes in the opposition half (1,048), and chances created including assists (51).
Should there be no reversal of the decision to leave Fernandez out of the match, it would remove a key cog in Chelsea's creativity both in build-up and in the final third and leave a significant hole for Rosenior to fill, against a City team which appears brimming with confidence.
Last weekend's 7-0 demolition of Port Vale has shown the Blues can create in Fernandez's absence, but nobody is in any doubt that City will provide an entirely different challenge.
All stats provided by Opta.
Will Faulks
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesWhen results are bad and morale is worse, there is not much more you can hope for than a 7-0 win - especially one with seven different goalscorers.
The victory over Port Vale gives Chelsea a huge injection of positive emotions at a crucial time, relieving pressure on Liam Rosenior and distracting from the mess off the field. It should bring a better mood to training this week and some smiles back to a group that felt at breaking point.
But all of that good energy will dissipate very quickly against Manchester City on Sunday if the Blues are not competitive. Things will return to the gloom of the past few weeks instantly if they do not at least put up a strong fight against Pep Guardiola's side.
Stamford Bridge will be in full voice backing their team - but if they put in a performance similar to those against Everton and Newcastle in recent games, that support will turn on them quickly.
There are reasons to be positive - Estevao is back, there is finally some depth in midfield and Cole Palmer is looking better physically. But there are also reasons to be very afraid - the defence looks even more ragged without Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, and City could really tear them apart.
The mentality of this group has been questioned, even by their manager, who pointed out in his press conference last week that one of his priorities for the summer was to buy players who were "emotionally stable" and able to cope when things go wrong.
If they fold with the same ease on Sunday as they have in their recent defeats, the reasons for that priority will become even more obvious.
Their Champions League hopes may be reduced to almost nothing, but these players need to play for pride and for their future in this project before another busy summer.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external
Borussia Dortmund are interested in Strasbourg and Belgium's Diego Moreira, 21, but Chelsea have a buy-back clause for the left-sided player. (Florian Plettenberg, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup game between Chelsea and Port Vale.
Here are some of your comments:
Kenny: Great performance, sloppy in the first half and sharper in the second half. Been a turbulent few weeks for Liam Rosenior and needed this victory more. Job done and onto the next against Manchester City.
Andrew: Outstanding display from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Great credit to Port Vale on their great FA Cup run from League One.
David: 7-0 is a good scoreline but this slow-paced football is so depressing to watch. Every player seems to decide a good ball is going backwards. The players offer so much but lack the motivation to attack.
Richard: A much better game from Palmer in his best position and without Fernandez getting in the way all the time.
Chris: Every time I hear a post-match interview from Liam Rosenior, I still can't believe he's been watching the same game as me! He keeps saying how "outstanding" the players were, when they weren't. We need a bit of honesty from this man!
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea have held talks over the signing of forward N'Sira Safi from the Right to Dream Academy.
The 17‑year‑old was called up by the Ivory Coast for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which was cancelled at short notice last month.
Safi had a trial with Chelsea in the summer of 2025 and impressed manager Sonia Bompastor.
No agreement has yet been reached and Right to Dream, a multi‑club organisation with a strong record of developing African talent, also has the option of placing Safi at one of its affiliated clubs after her 18th birthday.
The group includes Nordsjaelland in Denmark and San Diego FC in the United States.
BlueCo, which owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, has an extensive scouting network in Africa that has supported recruitment across their men's teams in England and France.
They have also hired a women's sporting director, Phil Radley, who has a decade's experience at Nordsjaelland.
Because of the Football Association's complex Governing Body Endorsement regulations regarding signing non-British players, recruiting young Africans into women's football in England is generally more difficult.
Clubs in the United States face fewer restrictions and therefore dominate recruitment from the continent.
Those same rules mean that if Safi joined Chelsea, an initial loan move may be required to aid her development while she builds the international caps needed to secure a full work permit for the reigning Women's Super League champions.
The 2026 summer transfer window opens on 15 June and closes on 31 August.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Telegraph's Luke Edwards says Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final demolition of Port Vale was the "perfect result" for Liam Rosenior, but that Chelsea "may well have a problem this summer with some of their senior players wanting to leave".
Vice-captain Enzo Fernandez was left out of the squad on Saturday by Rosenior and will also miss next Sunday's match with Manchester City after "crossing the line" with recent comments casting uncertainty over his future.
"I'm impressed with that, it's strong," Edwards told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"There will be some who think it's maybe still not strong enough and that Fernandez shouldn't play again until he apologises but I doubt very much that is going to happen.
"Liam Rosenior has had a difficult spell, as he was always going to when going into that job with the unbalanced squad they have got in terms of too many young players and not enough experience.
"It was a perfect result for him, it gives them an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to which is positive and much-needed. I like what he's done with Fernandez but I think the wider issue here is that Chelsea may well have a problem this summer with some of their senior players wanting to leave."
Fernandez's comments came in the same week another senior figure, Marc Cucurella, gave an interview in which he questioned the clubs' hierarchy in making the decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca.
"Cucurella has voiced his displeasure at some of the things that have happened there this season," Edwards added.
"Fernandez is fluttering his eyelashes at Madrid in the hope they come in for him.
"There's constant noise which I suspect will get louder about Cole Palmer wanting out as well. This is the problem Chelsea and BlueCo have when they run it like a business. They've recruited all these players on long-term contracts but it's a short career.
"These players might not see that they're going to win the big prizes at Chelsea so they might want out.
"It's going to be another intriguing summer because they do need to overhaul that squad but they won't want to lose their senior and most experienced players. But, that's easily what could happen."
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Chelsea are among the clubs who have been contacted about the potential availability of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, 25. (Teamtalk), external
Chelsea could turn to Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs, 23, to replace incumbent number one Robert Sanchez. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesThe draw for the FA Cup semi-finals has been made.
Leeds United will play Chelsea after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years.
Last year's finalists Manchester City will take on Championship side Southampton in the other semi-final.
The games will be played at Wembley on the weekend of 25-26 April.
Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup
