CFC Central

Alejandro Garnacho: Why Chelsea signed Man United's under-fire winger. The Blues' move for the Argentina international has proved divisive in the Chelsea fanbase. So why were Chelsea so keen on him? And what can fans expect?

My piece on Alejandro Garnacho's signing for Chelsea, what it means for the attack and how to get the best out of him.

Link 👉 londonisblue.beehiiv.com/p/alejandro-...

Chelsea's Tactical Issues vs Palace & What Needs Fixing. Chelsea faced a stubborn Palace side that asked some very important tactical questions. Here are a few key takeaways before the crucial London derby vs West Ham.

A tactical deep dive into Chelsea's issues against Palace & what needs fixing before the West Ham game.

londonisblue.beehiiv.com/p/chelsea-s-...

Chelsea's Tactical Issues vs Palace & What Needs Fixing. Chelsea faced a stubborn Palace side that asked some very important tactical questions. Here are a few key takeaways before the crucial London derby vs West Ham.

A tactical deep dive into Chelsea's issues against Palace & what needs fixing before the West Ham game.

londonisblue.beehiiv.com/p/chelsea-s-...

The Pot Shot Podcast: Snapshots: Noni Madueke (feat. CFC Central) Alex is joined by CFC Central to discuss Arsenal's new winger Noni Madueke - and forgets how long a Snapshot is meant to be in the process.Thanks to Central for joining us! You can find him on Twit...

💥MEGA MADUEKE DEEP DIVE💥

Snapshots: Noni Madueke (feat. CFC Central)

🎙: @alexcollings.bsky.social @cfccentral.bsky.social

🔵 Noni's development at Chelsea
🟡 Standout strengths & weaknesses
⚪️ Attitude & defensive work rate
🔴 Right vs left wing

Listen 👇
pod.fo/e/2fe629

Thanks! Let me know how you find them :)

Dark, by some distance. The Expanse and Black Sails two highly underrated picks.

YouTube video by CFC Central Andrey Santos (Chelsea | Brazil) Scouting Report 24/25

Here's my scouting report on Andrey Santos, Chelsea's Brazilian wonderkid who emerged as one of Europe's best CMs on loan at Strasbourg in 24/25.

youtu.be/GXHcE77ORp8?...

Graphic featuring a knee-sliding Hugo Ekitiké sat against a vibrant pink background. Overlayed onto it is white text that reads: 'SCOUTED - 20% off annual subscriptions to discover the future of football."

Want to find out who the next Hugo Ekitiké? If so, stick with SCOUTED. It costs just 27p per piece to have complete access to every in-depth player breakdown, analytical epic, original feature and plenty more that drops direct into your e-mail inbox.

Subscribe now at scoutedftbl.com.

Chelsea face new Gittens transfer twist as Jackson stance made clear Blues will not allow potential fresh complication to throw them off course in battle for No1 summer target

Understand Chelsea's stance on Jamie Gittens as a priority transfer target has not changed, despite Bayern Munich now entering the race. No plans to sell Nicolas Jackson at the moment. #CFC
www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba...

Liam Delap: Chelsea's new signing on emulating friend Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge New Chelsea signing Liam Delap chose a move to Stamford Bridge instead of other Premier League clubs because the project

Met Liam Delap yesterday in Philadelphia. The 22-year-old was asked the big questions about taking on Chelsea's "cursed" no9 shirt, competing with a suspended Jackson and about his involvement in Club World Cup over Under-21s Euros.

More: 👇

Thank you as always good sir!

Haha thank you! All the other stuff is dated now unfortunately

YouTube video by CFC Central Dario Essugo (Chelsea FC) - Scouting Report

Darío Essugo Scouting Report, now up on YT!
youtu.be/CXFaeyvEdDI?...

Thanks so much Dan ☺️

Thank you so much for your kind words!

With the club seemingly intent on signing every potential wonderkid over the last 3 years, @cfccentral.bsky.social has become my go-to resources for tempering expectations with signings based on his incredible scouting reports. Thanks for all your hard work!

On a lighter note: check out another great @cfccentral.bsky.social breakdown on Essugo. Clapping the ref red card 😂 😬

🚨 Dario Essugo Scouting Report [DM/CM | Sporting CP -> Chelsea] 🚨

- Essien-regen or ill-tempered wrecking ball?
- Analyzing individual strengths
- Projected ceiling & areas to improve
- Tactical fit at Las Palmas & CFC

As always, feedback & comments are warmly welcome!

If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading! If you'd like to support my work financially, please consider doing so here –
ko-fi.com/cfccentral
If you're unable to, please consider RT'ing to spread the word ☺️ Massive props to Maria for her immense help with the videos!

Predictions for 24/25 -

- Adapts quickly to pace of the PL
- learning to play in the first phase offers some struggles– perhaps even errors leading to shots/goal
- Racks up yellows quickly in the beginning
- Plays inverted RB
- Fit & available deputy to Caicedo, 1500 mins+

There are comparisons to Michael Essien – the Bison-like rampaging runs, thundering long shots & more. Essugo is some way away but certainly has the potential. A more fitting comp for him would probably be Carlos Baleba – who carries better & is offering more in the other box.

progressive pivot, like Lavia, or Caicedo himself. Essugo's physical strengths also see him defend the flanks well, track & add aerial strength (he has also played as a CB.) It wouldn't be a surprise to see him even feature as the inverted RB, freeing Caicedo from the role.

[Fit at Chelsea]
As opposed to Las Palmas, Essugo will be asked a lot more in and out of possession. Maresca likes his CMs to man-mark across the pitch, but also contribute to the 1st phase, something that is a weakness for Essugo. It will be important to pair him with a more

At 20, Essugo offers a low-risk/high reward ball-winning depth to Caicedo. He's also the first pure DM in the squad, which could allow Maresca to experiment with a 4-3-3 he tried at Leicester. There's also the option to move Caicedo to 8/10 (something Maresca tried with Ndidi.)

So why Essugo? Last season, Moisés Caicedo became the first CFC player since Cesar Azpilicueta to feature in every CFC league game in a season. His 42 starts were also the highest in 24/25. There was a need to sign depth that could at least compete with the Ecuadorian machine.

[Discipline 🟥] 3-game ban for applauding referee. Aggression in challenges can boil over; can be rash when taking on quick threats centrally. Low quantity fouls, but dangerous ones. 11 yellows and 2 reds last season. Will face sterner tests in PL

[Concentration 🟧] Prone to making errors, esp. in 1st phase. Can be casual/lackadaisical on ball. No CFC outfielder committed more errors leading to shots than his 7. Bottom 1% for errors leading to shots in T5 leagues. Must iron out, quickly.

[Prog./Long Passing 🟧] Safe passer with little propensity for risk-taking. Mostly goes backwards/sideways with some short line breaking passes. Weak foot not bad. Long passes/switches decent but tend to be loopy rather than flat.

[Take Ons 🟨] Powerful short carries. Strength helps him absorb & bulldoze through even significant contact. However, usually keeps head down when carrying, making him prone to losing possession over medium/long distances or dribbling into cul-de-sacs.

[Aerials 🟨] Good leap, powerful clearing headers, which make him important on defensive set-pieces (near post.) Control on headers inconsistent and needs work. Hasn't proved key in att. set-pieces but has the ingredients to do so.