The air around Stamford Bridge feels different. Heavy, maybe. Or just weird. If you’ve been following the Chelsea news now cycle, you know the last three weeks have been a fever dream even by West London standards. We went from Enzo Maresca winning the Club World Cup to him being out of a job on New Year’s Day.
Honestly, it’s a lot to process.
Yesterday’s 2-0 win over Brentford felt like a collective exhale, but the "Maresca" chants heard outside the ground before kickoff suggest the fan base is anything but united. Liam Rosenior has stepped into a literal furnace. One minute he’s coaching at Bristol City, the next he’s trying to convince Reece James not to get booked for dissent while the fans protest the board in the 17th minute. It’s chaotic. It’s Chelsea.
The Jeremy Jacquet Deal: Why the Hold Up?
If you're refreshing your feed for "Chelsea news now" every ten minutes, you're looking for one name: Jeremy Jacquet. The 20-year-old Rennes center-back is basically the only thing everyone agrees we need. With Levi Colwill out until late April with that ACL tear and Axel Disasi seemingly frozen out of the squad, the depth at the back is paper-thin.
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Personal terms are done. That’s the easy part. The "Chelsea tax" is very real here, though. Reports suggest Rennes are holding out for a record-breaking fee for a defender of his age, especially since Bayern Munich and Arsenal started sniffing around.
The kid is a unit—6ft 3in and ranks in the top 10% for tackles and interceptions in Ligue 1. But there’s a catch. He’s already been suspended twice this season. He actually missed Rennes’ game against Le Havre this weekend because of yellow card accumulation. Considering Chelsea is currently dead last in the Premier League fair play table, adding a "hot-headed" youngster to a backline that already collects cards like Pokémon is a bold move.
The Maresca Fallout: Letters, Doctors, and Drama
We need to talk about why Enzo actually left. It wasn’t just the "one win in seven" stat, though that certainly didn't help. The real "Chelsea news now" that’s leaking out is far more soap-opera than tactical.
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Apparently, there was a massive rift over player fitness. Imagine your boss sending you a formal legal letter telling you to stop playing your best players because the doctor said so. That’s what happened. Maresca reportedly ignored medical advice on minutes for returning stars, leading to the club literally forcing the Head of Medical, Bryce Cavanagh, to sit on the bench next to him.
That’s basically like having a chaperone on a first date. It was never going to last. Now, there are wild rumors that Maresca wants to take Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid if he lands the job there. Can you imagine? Cucurella in a white shirt after everything? It sounds fake, but in 2026, nothing is too weird.
On the Pitch: The Rosenior Bounce?
The Brentford game gave us some clues about how Liam Rosenior wants to play. It was less "inverted-fullback-to-the-point-of-insanity" and a bit more pragmatic.
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- Joao Pedro looked like a man possessed. His goal in the 26th minute was clinical.
- Cole Palmer scored again (the 76th-minute sealer), but he’s clearly playing through some discomfort.
- Reece James managed to finish a game! He took a hip knock before the Arsenal League Cup tie, but he looked solid yesterday.
The atmosphere inside the Bridge was flat, though. Bobby Vincent from Football London noted that while fans don’t hate Rosenior, they hate the "model." Seeing Facundo Buonanotte head back to Brighton after his loan and Leo Castledine being sold to Middlesbrough for a quick profit has rubbed people the wrong way.
The Injury Ward: Who’s Actually Fit?
Keeping track of the Chelsea injury list is a full-time job.
- Cole Palmer: Scored yesterday but picked up a fresh "concern" late in the game. Rosenior says he should be fine for the midweek Champions League trip to face Pafos FC, but we’ve heard that before.
- Romeo Lavia: Thigh injury. We’re looking at late January.
- Malo Gusto: "Physical discomfort." He’s been touch-and-go for weeks.
- Levi Colwill: Don’t expect him before April. The ACL is a beast of a recovery.
What Happens Next?
Chelsea are currently sitting 6th in the table. We’re only two points behind Manchester United and two behind Liverpool, but the gap to Arsenal at the top (50 points) is a canyon.
The priority right now isn't the title; it's surviving the January window without the squad falling apart. We have a massive League Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal coming up soon. We’re 3-2 down after the first leg. If Rosenior can overturn that, the "Maresca" chants might finally fade.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
Keep an eye on the Tuesday training photos from Cobham. If Cole Palmer isn't in the main group, he’s almost certainly being rested for the Crystal Palace game next Sunday rather than the Pafos trip. Also, watch the Jeremy Jacquet flight trackers; if he’s not in London by Wednesday, Rennes are likely playing hardball until the deadline.