Deadline Day Deals
It was a busy Deadline Day for Chelsea, as they completed the double signing of Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater. Zappacosta arrives from Serie A side Torino and is set to compete with Victor Moses for a wing-back spot. Drinkwater joins the Blues from fellow Premier League side Leicester and becomes the side’s fourth central midfield option. However, deals for Fernando Llorente and Ross Barkley were not completed. The Spaniard moved to Tottenham, and Barkley will decide his future in January. Loic Remy was the only major departure out of Chelsea on Deadline Day, as the Frenchman completed a move to Spanish side Las Palmas.
Costa Omitted
Unsurprisingly, Diego Costa was left out of Chelsea’s squad for the 2017/18 Champions League. The striker, who is currently on self-imposed exile in Brazil missed out on a return to Atletico Madrid in this summer’s transfer window. A return to Stamford Bridge doesn’t look likely either, with Antonio Conte seemingly unwilling to use the Spaniard in his squad. A January move to Atletico could be on the cards for Costa, as the Spanish side are currently under a transfer ban until the new year.
International Round-up
As it’s the international break, not much is going on back in West London this week. Despite this, a number of Chelsea players have been impressing for the respective national sides. Belgium booked their spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with Eden Hazard playing the final 20 minutes in their 2-1 win over Greece. Thibaut Courtois was in goal for the Belgian side. Deadline Day signing Davide Zappacosta was called up to the Italian side, as they play Israel later today. Gary Cahill played 90 minutes as England came from behind to beat Slovakia 2-1 at Wembley on Monday night. Alvaro Morata was on the scoresheet as Spain convincingly beat Italy 3-0.