Same substance Anna Kournikova was found guilty of taking and was banned from tennis for 15 months. CFC standing by Mudryk, player says he did not take it ‘knowingly’. (Simon Johnson)

This is really bad and also bad timing too.

Just glad it wasn’t after a Chelsea game, trusting Mudryk’s claim of innocence and hopefully this is resolved soon.

🚨 Mykhailo Mudryk has hired the law firm responsible for helping Paul Pogba to have his doping ban reduced from four years to 18 months. #CFC

[telegraph]

Look who's here... 🥰

Chelsea have ended doubts over the future of Josh Acheampong by tying their young talent to a new and improved long-term contract.

Acheampong’s previous agreement was set to expire in June 2026 but following an uncertain period, he has signed a fresh five-year deal.

It sees the promising defender, 18, commit to Stamford Bridge until 2029 and is a timely development for the west London club.

[davidornstein - The Athletic]

#CFC #Chelsea #ChelseaFC

𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: Josh Acheampong has signed a new contract at Chelsea until June 2029. ✍️

Josh joined the Blues’ development centre programme as an Under-8 and has since worked his way through the youth ranks at Cobham.

He made his Under-18s debut on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign and became a regular in the side the following season.

Comfortable in multiple positions across the backline, Josh also made his mark on the international stage, featuring for England at the Under-17 European Championships in the summer of 2023 and the Under-17 World Cup the following November.

The 2023/24 campaign proved an important one for Josh.

He signed his first professional contract, helped the Under-18s win the Premier League southern title, stepped up to Under-21s football, and was handed a memorable first-team debut against Tottenham Hotspur.

Having celebrated his 18th birthday in May, Josh was then part of the senior squad that travelled to the United States for our summer tour. He then made his second senior outing against Barrow in September.

A full debut arrived last week as Josh started in the Europa Conference League victory over Astana in Kazakhstan. He was also named among the substitutes for the victory over Brentford on Sunday.

[@chelseafc]

Congratulations, @joshkofi2! 🔵👏

#CFC #Chelsea #ChelseaFC #JoshAcheampong #Acheampong #Transfers

Enzo Maresca has arrived for his pre-Shamrock Rovers press conference.

Enzo Maresca on Mykhailo Mudryk:

"Now the situation is a bit more clear. We have a statement from the club, who have already said what we need to say. So there is not anything to add. All the players inside the training ground support and trust Misha."

"It's general. Misha is a #Chelsea player. For sure, he is one of the players involved in the squad, so it's my duty to be in contact with him. Me, the club, his team-mates, we are all there."

Enzo Maresca on Mykhailo Mudryk:

"Not yet [no timeline of situation]."

Enzo Maresca:

"We are all upset, sad and we are there to support Misha. At the moment he can't train. We are waiting. The club is there to support the players in all the aspects. To be honest, I don't know [when the results happened]."

Enzo Maresca:

"These kind of things happen with players of experience, not just Misha. It's my duty since I start that I have a close relationship with players, so even with Misha it's exactly the same. It's normal in this moment he will need help. We are all there to support."

Enzo Maresca:

"We all believe that [Mudryk] is innocent. I think he is going to come back, but we don't know when - that's the only doubt."

Enzo Maresca:

"We [me and the players] had all the same feeling. The teammates were all surprised because Misha at the beginning was ill, then this happened. At the same time, they were sad."

Enzo Maresca on Mykhailo Mudryk:

"With us, he was improving a lot. He started to understand the positions he needs to stay. In the last two-three games, we were very happy with him."

Enzo Maresca:

"Just to try to convince the players that the only side we can decide is the pitch. Everything that happens around the pitch we cannot control. To convince them if we need to solve outside the pitch, it's my job to do it. They have to be focused."

Enzo Maresca on Josh Acheampong:

"Very, very happy [new deal]. With Josh it has been quite clear, he was with us in pre-season. After two, three days he really impressed me. Since pre-season, I was trying to understand the situation. Now finally the club found an agreement."

Enzo Maresca on Josh Acheampong:

"We are all convinced that Josh can be a great player for this club. My personal opinion is that he has to stay close to us [rather than a loan]."

Enzo Maresca on Omari Kellyman:

"The main plan was for him is to recover, then step by step, slowly, to get minutes. In January, we see the best decision for him [if he goes out on loan]."

Enzo Maresca on Shamrock Rovers:

"We are going to try to approach in the same way: do our best to win the game. It's difficult to find teams who don't have strengths. They are a good team. They have some good players. I'm quite convinced all the games are difficult."

Enzo Maresca:

"Could be, could be [youngsters playing against Shamrock Rovers]. We try to change players since we start. Tomorrow it's probably one more option."