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

Hard work during lockdown pays off for Pulisic

Christian Pulisic says the confidence he gained from scoring in Chelsea’s first game after the resumption of play has been a big factor in his excellent form for the Blues during the past month.

In a radio interview with Sirius XM FC, as reported by Yahoo.com, the American spoke about his determination to come back strongly after being sidelined for six months as a result of an adductor injury and the stoppage in play resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

‘I was finally healthy, and just put in the work,’ said the American, who suffered the injury during our 1-1 draw at Brighton on New Year’s Day.

‘I wanted to be on that field in that first game back. I wanted to be just more ready than everyone else, and that was really my mindset going into it.’

While he didn’t start in our first game back at Aston Villa, Pulisic had a big impact when he came off the bench and equalised five minutes after coming on to spark a 2-1 comeback victory.

‘First game back I got a goal, and my confidence was just going up from there,’ he added.

‘Confidence is just a huge thing for me. Having confidence from your coach, from your teammates, from everyone around you, it does help. And I’m definitely feeling that right now, and I think that’s part of why I’ve seen a bit of success here recently.’

Drogba suffers blow in presidential bid

Reuters reports Didier Drogba’s hopes of becoming the next president of Ivory Coast’s football federation have suffered a serious setback after he failed to gain the support of the players’ union.

The Chelsea legend is standing for election as president of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) in September but he has yet to win the endorsement of any of the five special interest groups needed to get onto the ballot.

The latest blow to his election hopes came after the Association of Ivorian Footballers issued a statement which announced their backing for Idriss Diallo, one of two other candidates for the position.

Diallo had also received the backing of the local coaches’ association while the referees and association of former professionals are backing the other candidate, Sory Diabate.

Drogba need to receive the endorsement of the association of football medical practitioners in order to be able to stand in the election on September 5. Their decision is expected in the coming weeks.

Bellingham set to join Dortmund

Chelsea appear to have missed out on midfielder Jude Bellingham with Sky Sports reporting the teenager is set to join Borussia Dortmund after successfully completing his medical with the German club.

The 17-year-old has been linked with several big clubs including the Blues, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but opted to sign for the Bundesliga side for a reported transfer fee in excess of £26m.

‘Bellingham left Birmingham airport on Thursday morning on a private jet to fly to Germany, and was not required to quarantine because of the travel corridor between the UK and Germany,’ states the report.

‘The Bundesliga club have courted the midfielder, who turned 17 in June, for more than two years, amid stiff competition from most of Europe's top teams, including Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

‘Despite Thursday's developments, it is understood Bellingham will still feature in Birmingham's vital final two games of the season against Preston on Saturday and then versus Derby on July 22.

‘He posted on social media on Thursday evening indicating his intention to see out Birmingham's remaining Championship matches.’