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Adarabioyo: Man United was never my option

In his first interview since the defender’s pending arrival was confirmed, Tosin Adarabioyo gives Blues fans a flavour of what to expect, his footballing journey and his relentless desire to win.

Having been taken on a tour of Chelsea’s state-of-the-art training ground following the completion of his medical, centre-back Tosin is clearly beaming at the prospect of what lies ahead.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fruitful career so far and despite not yet donning the famous Blue shirt of Chelsea, the club is intertwined with his footballing story.

Born at St. Mary’s Hospital just three miles away from Stamford Bridge, Tosin described this moment as his life coming ‘full circle’ as he sits surrounded by the echoes of epic victories and the promise of much more to come.

Tosin opened: ‘Growing up, Chelsea has always been a club that have performed well and one that have had great players and teams to watch. Chelsea have won big trophies and long may it continue.

‘I’m here to win. I want to win. It’s as simple as that really. I just want to keep working and pushing the team and the club in the direction we want to go in. I’m excited to get going.’

Moving to Manchester at a young age, Tosin joined Manchester City at the age of five, captaining their youth sides throughout his journey up the ranks, while also meeting the Blues on several occasions, including in back-to-back FA Youth Cup finals at Stamford Bridge.

More recently, Tosin made his professional debut in 2016 against Chelsea during an FA Cup quarter-final clash at the Bridge and, although he was on the losing side, the towering centre-half was praised for his performance.

‘If you can’t beat them, join them!’ Tosin laughed. ‘‘Chelsea have always had a best-in-class reputation, so I know what this club is all about.

‘I came up against a full-strength Chelsea squad that day – it was amazing! A tough game but to make my debut against the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian was a great experience.

‘‘I played quite well and was named Man City’s player of the match which was nice.’

It was during this time at the Etihad that he met current Blues players Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling, and also trained alongside new Chelsea coach with Willy Caballero.

‘I spent two or three years with Raz and Willy, and I spent most of my youth journey with Cole,’ he explained.

‘Before confirming the move, I gave Raz and Cole a call and they had nothing but positive things to say about the club and the project, and how excited they were that I was coming to the club.

‘Cole is younger than me but I remember him from younger days alongside a few of the other boys that I’ve met along the way like Ben Chilwell – Chilly and I were both captains in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals. I also know Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja because he spent time at Fulham.’

Since then, Tosin has established himself as a reliable, commanding and composed defender across two loan spells at West Brom and Blackburn Rovers, and then at our West London neighbours Fulham.

‘I’ve developed leaps and bounds,’ he continued. ‘I’ve become a man and established myself as a top Premier League centre-half. That’s why I’ve joined Chelsea.

‘Being a leader comes to me naturally. It’s something that is required of a centre-half. It’s an important responsibility. I want to come here and push the boys on as much as we can.’

Looking to the future, Tosin is eager to finally play at the Bridge as part of the home side and is relishing the chance to work under the tutelage of new head coach Enzo Maresca.

‘I’m looking forward to starting work with Enzo and I’m sure the boys are too,’ he added.

‘It’s going to be exciting. We’re going to play good football and win a lot of games. There are top players in this squad and I’m eager to play with them all.’

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Chelsea Potential 2025 Club World Cup Opponents

Since Chelsea booked their place in the inaugural edition of this summer’s Club World Cup by winning the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League, there has been plenty of change at the west London outfit.

The Blues have cycled through six different head coaches, spent £1.2bn on transfers and finished 12th in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, Chelsea will be one of 32 teams involved in this week’s draw to decide the eight groups of four for the global jamboree in Miami. Based upon FIFA’s convoluted – and entirely arbitrary – seeding system, Enzo Maresca’s side are in Pot 2, leaving themselves open to a daunting slate of potential opponents.

No group can feature two clubs from the same association, so Chelsea would never be able to come up against Pot 1’s Manchester City. However, FIFA have split the European and South American top seeds to keep the big names apart until the semi-final.

That finger on the scale ensures that Chelsea can only come up against three Brazilian Copa Libertadores champions or Argentine giants River Plate, the highest-ranked South American club which haven’t won a continental title in the last four years.

While Flamengo and Fluminense have their qualities, the prospect of a clash with Palmeiras is particularly enticing. The Brazilian giants are spearheaded by the record-breaking talents of Estevao Willian – the 17-year-old forward who will join Chelsea after the competition’s conclusion in July 2025.

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Pep Guardiola Responds To Rumours Of Man City Fall Out With Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has rubbished suggestions of a rift with Kevin De Bruyne, insisting he is “desperate” to have the playmaker back at his best.

A number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international has not been starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump.

City have not won in seven outings in all competitions – their worst run since 2008 – with De Bruyne featuring only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury.

The latest came with a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s demoralising 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, a result which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table.

Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast it appeared “there’s some sort of rift going on” between De Bruyne and Guardiola while former England striker Gary Lineker added: “It seems like all’s not well.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he felt “something isn’t right” and fellow Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, the ex-Manchester United right-back, described the situation as “unusual, bizarre, strange”.

Guardiola, speaking at a press conference to preview his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest, responded on Tuesday.

The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play?

“The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together?

“He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he’s been five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this year).

“He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.”

De Bruyne has not started since being forced off at half-time of City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on September 18, having picked up an injury in the previous game.

Both the player and manager have spoken since of the pain he was in and the need to ease back into action, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long.

The resulting speculation has then been exacerbated because De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract but Guardiola maintains nothing untoward has occurred.

He said: “I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it to – but he is not 26 or 27 any more.

“He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. You think I’m complaining? It’s normal, it’s nature.

“He’s played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games and I know he is desperate to help us. He gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have.

“But, always I said, he himself will not solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together.

“We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”

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Lionel Messi ‘Set To Sign New Contract’ In Clearest 2026 World Cup Race

Lionel Messi looks to be on course to sign a new deal with Inter Miami, which could all but guarantee his participation in the next World Cup.

There had been hints that Messi could be ready to call time on his stay in the United States and head back to Argentina when his current deal expires. However, according to Argentinian outlet TyC Sports, Messi, whose current contract with the David Beckham co-owned club runs until the end of the 2025 season, is ready to sign on the dotted line to keep him in Florida for a little while longer.

Messi, who made the switch to the MLS in July 2023, has been a lynchpin in altering the fortunes of Miami. He helped the team win the Supporters’ Shield this season as they amassed a record breaking 74 points in the Eastern Conference.

Despite their glittering campaign, Miami crashed out in the play-offs in surprising fashion after they were beaten by Atlanta United. Despite the unceremonious end to his season, reports say that he is close to finalising a new contract that would extend his stay until after the tournament, which is set to kick off in North America come June 2026, with the US, Canada and Mexico co-hosting the World Cup.

The length of the rumored extension has now fueled speculation that the 37-year-old could make a surprise appearance in what would be his sixth World Cup. Taking to X, the Argentinian publication claimed: “Leo Messi has a contract with Inter Miami until December 2025. There is a willingness to renew it until after the 2026 World Cup. It has not yet been resolved but it is on track to be done.”

While he is viewed as an elder statesman of the Argentinian national side, Messi remains an integral part of the set-up and has helped his country to the top of the World Cup qualifying standings. Many had expected Messi to return to his homeland in the near future, but it is felt that the Argentinian hero is more than happy in America.

Messi’s compatriot, and fellow national team legend, Mario Kempes has declared that the star is enjoying life in Florida. “Messi is three times happier playing in Inter Miami than at Barcelona, he is doing things very well,” Kempes told TNT Sports.

“It’s not about coming in and having to be focused for the whole ninety minutes. He plays when he wants to.” While former team-mate and Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta also insisted Messi has found a new lease of life stateside.

“I would say he has found an environment where he feels comfortable, where he feels at ease,” Iniesta said to ESPN. “He is in a project that excites him, a project with an ambition to grow and he is surrounded by great players.”

Miami entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed after blitzing the regular standings with help from Messi. However, it was an Atlanta side that finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, a whopping 34 points behind Miami, that brought Messi’s dream of lifting the MLS Cup to a swift end.

Even though Miami fell short of winning the cup, Messi managed to score 21 goals in 22 league appearances as he looks to have cemented himself as a club legend already.