These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

Ex-Blues assistant makes Haaland claim

Former Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris has claimed the Blues were interested in signing Borrusia Dortmund star Erling Haaland during his time at the club.

Morris was assistant to Frank Lampard and admits interest from the Blues for the Norwegian striker has been there for a number of years.

The 21-year-old forward is constantly being linked with a move away from Dortmund and Morris believes Chelsea may reignite their interest in him.

In a report by the Metro, the story highlights Morris's belief that Chelsea will face Premier League competition for his signature.

‘It is not always the one that looks like the perfect fit that gets it over the line. They [Manchester United] will face competition from Manchester City, I think Chelsea will be involved,' said Morris of Haaland.

‘I know Chelsea was interested in him previously. I know he was speaking to Frank, when he was manager of Chelsea.

‘I think he is a boy that knows he is in demand, and he won’t rush any decision and he hasn’t so far.

‘The position he is in is a strong one but like I said, there will be seven or eight of the biggest clubs in the world after him. It will take something special to get it over the line.’

Pushed on whether he believes he’ll come to the Premier League, Morris added: ‘I know he had options before he joined Dortmund and he made a decision that was the best he thought was for his career and at the moment it looks like a really good one.

‘He is in a fantastic position and there will be no shortages of decent contracts and top clubs after him.’

Gilmour talks fresh mood and attitude at Norwich

Billy Gilmour has admitted that the shift in mood at Norwich City can have a huge impact on transforming both his and the Canaries’ season.

The on-loan Chelsea star struggled for game time during Daniel Farke’s final few months in charge at Carrow Road but since ex-Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has come in, he has started both games.

Speaking to the Daily Record, Gilmour believes he has seen a change in training which has helped them gain four points from their last two games.

‘He’s come in and been ruthless with us, how we train, the intensity, in the games you can see there’s a massive difference, it feels like it as well,’ said the Scotsman.

‘He comes in and there’s a real buzz about the place and wanting to do well.

‘He’s just come in and said we need to be more aggressive.

‘You can see that we’re playing higher up and more aggressively, attacking a lot more and getting after teams.

‘We belong in this league, and we need to prove it. We could have taken a couple of our chances but it wasn’t to be.’

Crooks hails ‘world-class’ Rudiger

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been named in Garth Crooks's Team of the Week for a second week running.

It was another solid display from the German on the left-hand side of a back three in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United, and he could have snatched the winner in the dying moments of the match.

In his weekly BBC column, Crooks praised the physicality of Rudiger’s game and how his strong start to the season has been key to Chelsea's success.

‘He made a fabulous tackle in the first half which set the tone for his entire contribution to the match,' wrote Crooks. 'Rudiger loves a battle and the fixtures against Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are made for the likes of him.

‘There are times, of course, when Rudiger is actually looking for confrontations even when they aren't there - in which case he will create his own. He's not averse to scoring the odd goal every now and then either, provided it's on his head and he's attacking the opposition's goal.

‘He was presented with a glorious chance during the closing minutes of the game against Manchester United and blasted the ball high, wide and handsome.

‘Virgil van Dijk had a similar chance against Southampton and buried it. Two world-class defenders and both make my team of the week.’