Chelsea transfer decision confirmed hours before Arsenal tie with 'next options' looked at

Chelsea are set to play host to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening as Liam Rosenior sees his first taste of top-flight opposition, and the club have been active behind the scenes

Chelsea have recalled Teddy Sharman-Lowe from Bolton Wanderers, just hours before taking on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

The news was announced on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the Blues walk out onto the hallowed turf of Stamford Bridge to take on their London rivals. A statement from the club read: "Teddy Sharman-Lowe has been recalled to Chelsea from his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers.

"The goalkeeper played 23 times for the League One side in the first half of the season and was recently named Bolton's Player of the Month for November. The 22-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Burton Albion in 2020, has previously spent time on loan at the Brewers, Havant and Waterlooville, Bromley and Doncaster Rovers.

"Sharman-Lowe’s performances, which included playing every minute on Doncaster’s way to the League Two title last season, saw the goalkeeper sign a new contract at Chelsea until 2028 in the summer."

According to BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella, Chelsea are now exploring "all options" for the shot-stopper going forward, including the potential for him to stay with the Blues.

Sharman-Lowe is yet to make a senior appearance for the Blues since joining six years ago, instead restricted to the U21 and UEFA U19 squads amongst his various loan stints.

And with the likes of Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Gaga Slonina all above him in the pecking order at present, it is highly unlikely that he will be utilised by Liam Rosenior should he fail to secure another temporary stint elsewhere.

It comes as Chelsea are set to face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, with kick-off slated for 8pm. Rosenior enjoyed a 5-1 win over Charlton in the FA Cup at the weekend in his first game in charge of the club.

However, a table-topping Gunners side will give him a real taste of what awaits him in the English top flight. While the clash is expected to be a highly-exciting affair, Rosenior will be without a number of players headed into it - with others touch and go for selection.

Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto all missed Saturday's trip to the Valley as a result of minor tweaks or knocks sustained against Fulham. The manager is said to be assessing each player's fitness before making a decision on whether to roll them out against Arsenal.

Elsewhere, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo will miss the match as a result of respective thigh injuries, while Levi Colwill is still a long-term absentee as a result of picking up an ACL injury in pre-season. Mykhailo Mudryk is also still provisionally suspended by the FA, and will miss the match as a result.

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has his fair share of player injuries to navigate headed into the match. Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera will miss the match, while Riccardo Calafiori is all but ruled out as a result of a muscular injury.

William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are touch and go for the encounter through fitness, each missing Arsenal's 4-1 win over Portsmouth on Sunday in the FA Cup. Teenage sensation, Max Dowman, will also miss the trip to Stamford Bridge as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.