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Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has slammed his former club, predicting them to draw 2-2 against Everton. The two sides are set to face each other in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge later tonight.
The Blues have struggled for form this season and are languishing ninth in the table with just 44 points from 30 games, 19 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with three games in hand. Moreover, they failed to win the Carabao Cup, losing the final 0-1 to Liverpool back in February.
Chelsea have also won just two out of their past five league games. On the other hand, Everton will be aiming to complete their first league double over the Blues since 1978-79, having won the reverse fixture 2-0 at home earlier this season.
Leboeuf made his prediction (via Daily Mirror):
"As a former player, I think it's kind of a disgrace to see what we are seeing. The talent is there in the squad but you don’t have many leaders or players you can rely on, that’s the biggest problem Pochettino has."
"To be expecting something from this Chelsea team would be stupid. You cannot rely on them at all because they can just go missing for 10 minutes at a time. That's what it is when you have young players and they have to learn."
He added:
"It’s okay to have one or two in the side but not when you have 11 players acting the same way. They are at times capable of playing like Manchester City, we saw that when they played at the Etihad.
"We know the talent is there but the consistency doesn’t exist. Chelsea could go and smash Everton 4-0 but they probably don’t have the ability to concentrate for a full game. I think it will end up being 2-2."
Leboeuf's Prediction: 2-2
Chelsea ready to offer £51 million for Serie A midfielder: Reports
According to SportsMediaSet (via The Chelsea Chronicle), Mauricio Pochettino and company are ready to pay £51 million to sign Atalanta attacking midfielder Teun Koopmeiners in the summer transfer window.
Koopmeiners started his senior career at Jong AZ, before making a name for himself at AZ Alkmaar between 2017 and 2021. Since then, the Dutchman has plied for his trade for Atalanta and has had a stellar 2023-24 campaign, registering 13 goals and four assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.
With the likes of Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka having their game time limited due to injury, the Blues will be looking to rejuvenate their midfield with some fresh legs at the end of the season. Koopmeiners would be an ideal candidate, impressing for Atalanta in their recent 3-0 win against Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
