Chelsea fans have demanded a recall of Blues loanee Mario Pasalic as he continued his strong form by netting for Atalanta last night.

A header in the 49th minute of Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Manchester City came in the Croat’s 179th game out on loan.

Now in his second year with Serie A side Atalanta, 24-year-old Pasalic has received good reviews for his spells with Elche, Monaco, AC Milan and Spartak Moscow.

Many Chelsea fans had even forgotten he was on their books when he thumped in his leveller against City.

But viewers online called for him to finally be given a chance in the first-team when he popped up at the San Siro, report The Sun.

Twitter user Kaustubh wrote: “I bloody hope Chelsea saw that Pasalic goal. What a bullet header. It is shocking that he’s not played for Chelsea yet.”

Rasak agreed, writing: “Pasalic is a talent. Knows how to defend and also play key passes. I will campaign for this guy’s return to Chelsea. Better player than Barkley.”

Sid commented: “Mario Pasalic should be in Chelsea squad next season.”

Angelina added: “Pasalic golazoooo, still a Chelsea player somehow.”

And one fan joked: “Chelsea reject Pasalic scoring against Man City.”

After coming through Hajduk Split’s academy, the Germany born midfielder was snapped up by the Blues back in 2014.

Photo Credit: Twitter@atalanta.it

Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas has criticized the Gunners for not signing former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill or Manchester United defence ace Chris Smalling last summer.

The Unai Emery-tutored side had the chance of signing Cahill for free, but opted for his controversial teammate David Luiz.

The Brazilian completed a surprise deadline day move to the Emirates from Chelsea in an £8milllion deal.

Now, Nicholas told Sky Sports: “Arsenal don’t sign personalities.

“Sadly I have to go way back to David Dein and he would sit down with Arsene Wenger and ask what kind of character he was singing. That’s gone now.

“It’s as if Arsenal sign players because they are desperate.

“Why not – and I don’t know how much he would have cost – go and get Chris Smalling from Manchester United in the summer before he went to Roma?

“Because he’d be better than what they had. They could’ve had Gary Cahill from Chelsea and sat him in the defence.”

Reports in England state that Chelsea are preparing for a January clear-out with Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Marcos Alonso all potentially on the way out.

The two World Cup winners were left out of Frank Lampard’s squad for the rollercoaster 4-4 Champions League draw with Ajax on Tuesday, while the latter was hauled off at the break.

Giroud and Pedro are both out of contract at the end of the season, and that means the Blues could be looking to cash in when the window re-opens rather than lose them for nothing.

And The Telegraph state Chelsea may be open to bids “particularly” in the case of Giroud.

Giroud and Pedro only have just over six months remaining on their contracts and can speak to foreign clubs in January over free transfer summer moves.

But, particularly in the case of Giroud, Chelsea may be open to bids in the next transfer window when they can still demand a fee and save six months of their wages.

Giroud, who has started just one competitive game under Lampard, wants to leave in January in a bid to keep his place in the France side for next summer’s European Championships.

Photo Credit: Twitter@chelseafc.com

Chelsea have reportedly joined Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund,Inter Milan and PSG in the race to sign Brazilian wonderkid Reinier from Flamengo.

The 17-year-old is said to be the latest jewel to emerge from Brazilian football and is widely tipped to have a big future ahead of him at the top level.

But Diario AS claim Atletico Madrid are in advanced negotiations to land Brazilian U-17 forward.

Real Madrid were linked with a move for him last year, and Everton have reportedly shown a keen interest in the attacking midfielder although no move can be completed by any club until January.

Reinier is not allowed to leave Flamengo until he turns 18 in January, although his suitors are keen to agree a fee for him with the Brazilian side, so the move can be completed on his birthday on 19 January.

The teenager is under contract until 2020 and has a £62m release clause in his contract, although given he is yet to play a game for his club, he may be available for less than this.

According to Sky Sports, quoting Gazzetta dello Sport, report that Chelsea are keen to add the Brazil prodigy to Frank Lampard’s youthful side.

Reinier, who has been dubbed a “Kaka clone”, has scored three goals in 10 games.

Photo Credit: Twitter @chelseafc.com

Reece James’ dad missed his record-breaking moment against Ajax as he was masterminding Hanworth Villa to a shock 3-2 victory against Gillingham in FA Youth Cup.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Nigel James said: “There was about ten minutes to go in our game and Gillingham were pushing for an equaliser when there was a large cheer in the stands.

“I looked round and a load of our supporters were shouting to me that Reece had scored. I was so proud but I had to hold my concentration until the end.

“Thankfully, the boys held on and I left the other coaches in the dressing room to celebrate while one of the supporters allowed me to watch the end of Chelsea’s game on their iPhone.

“You could see what it meant to Reece. He’s been at Chelsea since he was six years old and when you have been with a club that long it’s like family. A lot of passion came out in that celebration.

“I spoke to him on the phone after had left the ground and he was absolutely over the moon.”

James is regarded as one of Chelsea’s brightest prospects and it’s no surprise his father was a former player with Luton and Aldershot before forging a reputation as an accomplished coach and scout.

Indeed, the whole family is steeped in football as Reece’s elder brother Joshua was at Fulham and Reading while 18-year-old sister Lauren is starring for Manchester United and is being tipped to become one of the best female players in the world.

“I’ve tried to keep them all grounded over the years,’ says Nigel. ‘I’ve always been honest with what I thought about them as it’s important with all young players to keep it real.

“Reece was disappointed that I missed his last midweek game against Manchester United as we were playing Dover Athletic in the qualifying round and won 5-0. When the draw was made for us to play Gillingham I had to tell him I’d miss Ajax too. I don’t think he was too happy but he understood.

“It’s been frustrating for him lately not getting as many minutes as he’d like and I think he’s even been a little annoyed but, as I say to him, whether you are playing 90 minutes or one minute, be thankful you have that opportunity and make sure you have influence on the game.

“He played 46 games at Wigan Athletic last year. It was a great experience for him, he trained every week and knew he’d play at the weekend if he trained well. At Chelsea, that’s not so certain so it has required him finding a different mindset.

“It’s challenging but it’s all part of his development. Not many 19-year-olds will have this experience. The club knows he is a talent so he has to have patience and keep that work ethic.”

Photo Credit: Twitter @chelseafc.com