Chelsea
Didier Drogba beats Zlatan Ibrahimovic as best Ligue 1 striker in last two decades
Former Marseille and Guingamp star Didier Drogba has been crowned Ligue 1’s greatest striker of the past 20 years, ahead of PSG legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Drogba was recognised by Ligue 1 on Saturday after collecting 51 per cent of the 40,094 votes cast by fans on social media. He spent two-and-a-half years in the French top-flight and played for Guingamp between 2001 and 2003 before moving to Marseille where he spent a season. The two-time African Player of the Year scored 39 goals in 81 Ligue 1 games – 20 goals at Guingamp and 19 efforts at Marseille while Ibrahimovic scored 113 goals in 122 Ligue 1 matches between 2012 and 2016 at PSG. On his run to the final stage, Drogba saw off competition from Fernando Morientes, Alexander Frei, Karim Benzema and Pauleta. The former Ivory Coast forw...
Real Madrid star set to shun a move to Chelsea
Real Madrid star Lucas Vazquez is set to snub a move to Chelsea as he aimed to remain at Santiago Bernabeu despite lack of regular action under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane. The 28-year-old star has struggled for regular action this season having just started just six La Liga matches and contributing to just three goals in all competitions. Chelsea is keen on signing the former Real Madrid academy product and the winger is also keen on a move to Premier League and Real Madrid has made him available for transfer this summer. However, the report in Mundo Deportivo, the attacker could stay in Madrid this summer. The report claims that Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane is an admirer of the club’s academy product, who has made over 200 appearances for his current side in all competitions. Vaz...
Another Premier League player tests positive for novel coronavirus
A third first-team player from Brighton & Hove Albion tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Premier League club’s chief executive Paul Barber has confirmed. Two Brighton players had contracted the novel coronavirus in March and April and the latest positive result could cast doubts on the Premier League’s plans to resume the season that has been suspended due to the pandemic. Clubs are due to meet on Monday to further discuss “Project Restart” which envisages a return to play in June once given the green light from government, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues. “It is a concern. Unfortunately we’ve had a third player test positive yesterday,” Barber told Sky Sports on Sunday. “So despite all of the measures that we’ve been taking over the ...
Jesper Gronkjaer: Hakim Ziyech will succeed in Premier League with Chelsea
Jesper Gronkjaer is backing Hakim Ziyech to succeed after his £37 million ($43m) move from Ajax to Chelsea. The Blues completed a deal in late February and the 27-year-old is set to link up with his new team-mates on July 1, with the Eredivisie season cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak. Ziyech will join a group including Filipe Luis, Bertrand Traore, Mario Melchiot, Winston Bogarde and Gronkjaer himself in making the switch to Stamford Bridge having played at the Amsterdam ArenA. Moving to the Premier League will prove a step up for Ziyech and Gronkjaer believes he is the star player from the Dutch side’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018. “Ziyech was the one who has caught my eye over the past two seasons even though he wasn’t produced by Ajax’s academy,” Gronkjaer told...
Report: Chelsea open talks to sign 23-yr-old, star keen on a move to London
Chelsea are looking to improve their defensive options this summer and the Blues are keen on Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell. Ben Chilwell is one of the best left-backs in the league and he would be a tremendous addition to Frank Lampard’s side. The 23-year-old is yet to reach his peak and he will only get better with experience. Signing him now would sort out Chelsea’s left-back position for years to come. As per reports (via Express), Chelsea have already opened negotiations with Leicester for the player. It will be interesting to see if the two clubs can come to an agreement soon. Apparently, Chilwell has asked his agent to sort out a move to London this summer. The left-back is a key player for Brendan Rodgers and the Foxes will not want to let him leave for cheap. If they are forced int...
Report: Chelsea told to splash the cash – big target will not come cheaply
Chelsea have been told that they will not sign Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana on the cheap this summer. Onana has been a standout performer for Ajax, keeping 74 clean sheets in 178 appearances in all competitions. The 24-year-old has an agreement in place to leave the Dutch giants, sparking talk of moves to some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Blues have been heavily linked with Onana, with current goalie Kepa Arrizabalaga failing to impress since his big money move to Stamford Bridge. However, Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar has insisted that Onana’s potential suitors can forget about securing a cut-price deal for the goalie. “Last year, we made verbal agreements with Onana, (Nicolas) Tagliafico, (Donny) Van de Beek to stay another season. “We then we look to help each other and find t...
UEFA releases possible dates for Champions League games
UEFA’s plan to complete the Champions League and Europa League continues. The plan says that they will be played throughout the month of August once the leagues are done in July. UEFA have an idea which is to end the season by the end of August. Therefore, the domestic leagues need to be completed by the end of July. The proposal is for the remaining last 16 games to be played in the first week of the month. On 26th and 29th August, Gdansk and Istanbul will host the Europa League and Champions League finals respectively. ‘Marca’ says that they will try and stick to that instead of playing both the finals at the same venue. There are 17 Champions League and 27 Europa League matches left to play. Confirmation of the new calendar depends first on leagues getting back underway and then on the ...
West Ham United clear on their stance for Declan Rice amid Chelsea interest: report
According to ClaretandHugh, West Ham United have no plans of selling midfielder Declan Rice for a knockdown price amid the interest from London rivals Chelsea. The 21-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the Hammers since his debut in 2017 and he is currently regarded as one of the undisputed starters in the club’s midfield. Earlier last month, it was revealed that the Blues are interested in signing their former graduate but they won’t get him on the cheap with the Hammers reluctant to accept anything less than £70m for his sale. A ‘highly-placed’ source from the east London outfit has now told ClaretandHugh that there have been no approaches for the player while the club have no plans of lowering the asking price due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve ...
Yaya Toure backs Didier Drogba’s bid for Ivorian FA presidency
Getty Images Yaya Toure is backing former Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba’s bid to become president of the Ivorian Football Association (FIF). The Chelsea legend announced he would be running for the post in September 2019, though his campaign took a major hit at the end of April. In a recent vote between former Ivory Coast players, 11 of the 14 votes went to current incumbent Sory Diabate. Drogba and current vice president Idriss Diallo won zero votes between them, with three former players withdrawing from the vote. “It’s time for change in our football. It needs modernity,” said Toure. “When I say I support Drogba, it’s also for the good of the country, to have a former player of his kind investing himself in Africa.” Drogba represented his country 105 times and announced his intent...
25-year-old Chelsea midfielder is keen on a move to the Serie A – Fabrizio Romano
Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is understood to be keen on a reunion with AC Milan during the next transfer window, Calciomercato’s Fabrizio Romano has revealed. The Frenchman joined the Blues from Monaco during the summer of 2017 and he had an average debut season where he struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League. As a result, he was loaned out to the Rossoneri last term and he was one of their consistent performers after initially struggling to break into the starting lineup under manager Gennaro Gattuso. Still, the Rossoneri missed out on Champions League qualification by the solitary point and that contributed to the departure of Gattuso while the club could not afford to sign Bakayoko permanently. At the start of the current campaign, Bakayoko returned to AS Monaco on...
Will Premier League with no fans be worth the wait?
The Premier League is adamant that it can overcome huge logistical challenges to get players back on the pitch during the coronavirus crisis but has long since accepted there will be no fans in the stadiums. English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke became the latest senior figure to admit this week that social-distancing guidelines make it impossible for supporters to congregate in stadiums “any time soon”. The drive behind the Premier League’s “Project Restart” is the attempt to avoid having to pay back millions in TV revenue. Clubs could reportedly miss out on £762 million ($946 million) for failing to complete this season alone. According to UEFA’s latest European Club Footballing Landscape report, just 13 percent of the Premier League’s revenue comes from gate receipts. Englan...
Inter ask Chelsea to drop asking price for Victor Moses
Inter Milan have reportedly asked Chelsea to drop their asking price for Nigerian utility player Victor Moses. According to Calcio Mercato, the Italian club are unwilling to match Chelsea’s €12 million price tag. Inter head coach Antonio Conte remains eager to sign Moses on a permanent deal at the end of his loan spell with the club. The Nezarrurri though will require Chelsea to drop their evaluation of the player if he is to complete a permanent switch to the San Siro at the culmination of the 2019-20 season. Moses spent the first half of the current campaign on-loan at Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce, but left the Istanbul-based club almost exactly a year after joining the them on an 18-month loan deal. The 29-year-old has made seven appearances for Inter across all competitions this s...
