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How Chelsea's summer has been shaping up

Chelsea line up during pre-season

We end our US Tour with our toughest test so far this summer in the form of Chelsea, who have seen plenty of upheaval on and off the pitch since the curtain came down on last term.

Both teams will be aiming to finish their trips by lifting the Florida Cup, and build a little momentum to add to the growing optimism brewing in both north and west London ahead of the Premier League kick-off.

With that in mind, here is a refresher of how things have changed for the Blues in recent weeks.

How did last season go?

Chelsea lift the World Club Championship

It was all relatively smooth sailing up until the turn of the year for Chelsea, who claimed the UEFA Super Cup and then the FIFA World Club Championship before Christmas. However, the British government’s sanctions on Roman Abramovich caused turmoil behind the scenes with the club forced to swiftly seek new owners.

On the pitch, a run of one win in seven straddling 2021 and 2022 saw their title challenge hit the buffers before eventually finishing third, five points ahead of us. Two domestic cup final defeats on penalties to Liverpool also stung, while a Karim Benzema-inspired Real Madrid put pay to their hopes of retaining the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

How has this summer been?

Todd Boehly

The ownership situation was resolved at the end of May when a consortium fronted by LA Lakers and LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly completed its takeover of the club, in a deal worth £4.25 billion - the most expensive purchase of a sports team in history. 

The end of Abramovich’s 19-year tenure has also seen long-serving chairman Bruce Buck and CEO Marina Granovskaia leave their posts, while a man who served both us and Chelsea with distinction, Petr Cech, has also departed as Technical and Performance Advisor.

On the pitch, the Blues opened their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 win against Club America in Las Vegas with goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount, before they took on MLS new boys Charlotte FC on Wednesday 

What new faces will we see?

Raheem Sterling

Boehly has also shaken things up on the field by splashing out £47.5 million to bring in Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, who has signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and gives Thomas Tuchel a new option in attack.

That arrival was soon followed by Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined from Napoli for £33 million. The 31-year-old centre-back has been capped 62 times by Senegal, while returning loanees Conor Gallagher, Ethan Ampadu, Michy Batshuayi, Emerson and Levi Colwill have all made it to the USA.

Who won’t we see?

Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan

Some big names have departed west London this summer, the biggest of all being Romelu Lukaku who rejoined Inter Milan on a season-long loan deal having struggled upon his return to Stamford Bridge.

Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen departed on free transfers for El Clasico rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, while N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek haven’t travelled after failing to meet entry requirements.

How can I watch the game?

All the action will be streamed live on Arsenal.com and our official app - find out how to purchase your match pass.

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