Chelsea pre-season 2021: Fixtures, key dates and will new signings be involved?

Chelsea have returned for pre-season training, with Thomas Tuchel’s side set to play their first friendly behind closed doors against Peterborough United on July 17.

They will subsequently face Arsenal and Tottenham in front of almost-full stadiums as part of a series of matches to raise funds for Mind, the UK's leading mental health charity, and the three club's respective foundations.

As first revealed by Goal, prior to these matches, Chelsea have planned a summer training camp in Ireland having returned to training on the week commencing July 5.

Below, we bring you all you need to know about the Blues plans for pre-season and who will be involved...

Chelsea pre-season 2021 fixtures & results

Date	Fixture	Kick-off time (UK)	TV / Stream
Jul 17	Chelsea vs Peterborough United	TBC	TBC
Aug 1	Arsenal vs Chelsea	3pm	TBC
Aug 4	Chelsea vs Tottenham	7.45pm	TBC

An announcement on whether the matches will be televised or streamed online is expected at a later date, with ticket sales having just been announced.

Furthermore, Chelsea could look to add more friendlies either behind closed doors or in front of supporters at a later date.

They have over 70 senior players on contract, so they often arrange separate friendlies for a loan team to stay match fit ahead of summer moves.

The Mind Series

Chelsea's return from Ireland is ahead of a three-game London tournament named the Mind Series.

The Blues will travel to face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, August 1. They will then host Tottenham on August 4.

Which players will be involved in Chelsea's pre-season?

Chelsea will obviously begin their preparations without a host of key men, given the Blues had more representatives at Euro 2020 than any other club, while Thiago Silva reached the Copa America final with Brazil. They will all be given extra time off to recover.

However, Christian Pulisic returned early from international duty with the United States to ensure that he has a proper pre-season.

The American attacker has been joined in west London by several other stars who did not participate in any major summer tournaments, including the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The most interesting aspect of Chelsea's pre-season squad is that it contains a host of players who spent last season out on loan. They are now training under Thomas Tuchel – who took over as manager at the tail end of January – for the first time.

Indeed, the first few sessions at Cobham featured Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Matt Miazga, Baba Rahman, Armando Broja, Malang Sarr, Davide Zappacosta, Danny Drinkwater, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Baker, Jake Clarke-Salter, Ian Maatsen, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Jamie Cumming and Ike Ugbo.

Tuchel is offering everyone a clean slate, meaning everyone included in his pre-season plans will have a chance to impress before the club decides whether to make any major moves in the transfer market.

The same goes for both Dujon Sterling and Charly Musonda, who are back with the first team having had long spells on the sidelines with injury.

Meanwhile, Andy Myers's development squad have friendlies away at Celtic, Derby County and Stoke City. They then face Portsmouth at Cobham ahead of away fixtures against senior non-league sides Woking and Boreham Wood.

The Under-23s Premier League 2 season gets underway on the weekend of August 14.

Will Chelsea's new transfer signings be present?

Chelsea have yet to make a signing and aren't thought to be close to bringing in any new faces, despite having long-held an interest in signing a world-class No.9.

Dortmund's Erling Haaland and Tottenham's Harry Kane head up the Blues' shortlist of strikers but both deals have been described as "complicated" by club sources.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea to the signing of former Inter wing-back Achraf Hakimi from Inter, after the Londoners were put off by the Morocco international's wage demands.

However, Chelsea still hold an interest in signing a central midfielder, and West Ham's Declan Rice and Rennes wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga are two possible targets.

Chelsea could also snap up a central defender but they are awaiting the outcome of contract talks with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. That's because both of their deals expire in less than a year.

Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule and Real Madrid's Raphael Varane are options that could be explored at a later date.

When does Chelsea's season start?

Chelsea's season starts earlier than most, with their UEFA Super Cup showdown with Villareal at Windsor Park in Belfast earmarked for Wednesday, August 11.

Just three days later, they welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge for their opening Premier League match.

That kicks off a difficult run of fixtures for Tuchel's side, who must face Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City in their following five games.

Chelsea's Premier League fixtures for the 2021-22 season in full