Thomas Tuchel suggested Armando Broja will remain a Chelsea player amid transfer speculation, while the Blues head coach still wants a "couple more" arrivals at Stamford Bridge.
West Ham, Everton and Newcastle United are reportedly interested in Broja, who scored six goals in 32 Premier League appearances on loan at Southampton last season.
With Romelu Lukaku loaned back to Inter, the future of Timo Werner somewhat uncertain and Kai Havertz arguably more suited to a deeper role, the 2022-23 campaign could be a breakthrough one for Broja at Chelsea.
While Tuchel's preference seems to remain with Havertz as a false nine, the Blues boss outlined his expectations that Broja will stay with his side for the upcoming campaign.
"I don't expect him to leave," Tuchel told a news conference. "We are aware of interest and offers, which just tells us there is a lot of potential, and the owners and me will take this decision together in the end, also with the player.
"Right now when he arrived, it's clear he's trying to impress and is just trying to become a Chelsea player as soon as possible.
"After his loan at Southampton, the situation was very clear for him to make the next step, to show his improvement and make an impression in pre-season.
"Unfortunately he injured himself and of course there is a lot of noise going on because there are offers and interest in him. Let's see how this goes but I'm pretty calm about it because we know the situation and we have a contract."
Tuchel has already brought in the experienced Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly from Manchester City and Napoli respectively, but lost Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Lukaku.
The Chelsea coach previously stated his top target was Sterling, who scored 17 goals in all competitions for City last season, a tally bettered by only Riyad Mahrez (24) and Kevin De Bruyne (19).
But Tuchel acknowledged he would now like a couple more signings, with Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde among those linked with the Premier League side.
"I have a figure and I think we need a couple more players in to improve the squad," he added. "We were third last season and there was a gap between us, Manchester City and Liverpool.
"In general if you want to fight, even for the same position, you need to improve. You can never stand still because if you stand still then other teams will overtake you.
"Given the situation that we even lost players, it's common sense for me that we need to bring new quality to the team to maintain our level.
"It's always the dream of every manager that you find players in the same league and who can adapt maybe quicker than other players, but it's also a very individual process.
"Of course we see that Raheem knows many players from the national team and he is very familiar with the habits of English clubs so this is very nice to see.
"For Kalidou, it's a big help that we have some French guys, that we have Edou [Mendy] his team-mate in the national team and of course Jorginho who is a big help from Napoli to make this process faster.
"Both of them should be huge players for us and that's why we need to speed things up."
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feels 'surreal', says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feel surreal, says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
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