Peter Kenyon isn’t one to let stats get in the way of the truth. While most of us might consider a return of 22 goals for the princely sum of £30 million a little extravagant, there are others amongst us that are far too sensible to simply associate strikers with scoring goals. After all, there’s the bench to be warmed on a regular basis, while those Carling Cup matches against lower-league opposition need eleven men in a blue shirt to go through the motions. [Read the rest of this entry »]
It’s probably true to say that Jose Mourinho and Andriy Shevchenko aren’t on each other’s Christmas card lists. While the current Inter boss can claim all he likes that he didn’t have a single problem with the striker when the pair were at Stamford Bridge, the signs indicated that there was little love lost. [Read the rest of this entry »]
To say that Andriy Shevchenko’s stock has fallen over the past couple of seasons would be a huge understatement. The Ukrainian striker, who was rumoured to have been signed by Roman Abramovich rather than Jose Mourinho, has struggled to make an impact in a Chelsea shirt since arriving from Milan for £30 million. [Read the rest of this entry »]
With Milan sniffing around their former striker, it appears as though Andriy Shevchenko may soon be bringing an end to an unhappy two seasons at Chelsea, where he’s only been a bit-part contributor to the team. Indeed, it’s testament to the rest of the squad (albeit an expensively assembled one) that they’ve managed to challenge for the title and Champions League this season, without the Ukrainian making much of a contribution.
Indeed, it’s hard to believe that Avram Grant wants to keep the player at the club, despite The Times reporting that the Israeli states that is his intention.
Adriano Galliani, the AC Milan vice-president, plans to open talks with Chelsea about resigning Andriy Shevchenko. However, Grant said: “We want to keep the same squad for next year. I think he will stay.”
It seems likely that both Sheva and Drogba will leave the club in the summer, with the latter also linked with a move to Milan, albeit Inter instead of Milan. If this happens, Chelsea will look a little short up top, with just Nicolas Anelka, Claudio Pizarro and Salomon Kalou as striking options.
As his former team Milan prepare to line up against Arsenal in tonight’s Champions League clash, how Andriy Shevchenko must wish he too was adorning the red and black shirt of the Rossoneri, rather than sitting on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge. The Daily Mail report that the Ukrainian captain suffered further indignity yesterday evening by playing for Chelsea reserves against Reading.
While it’s important to realise that Sheva was returning from a two-month back injury, it remains to be seen whether he’ll play another first-team match for the Blues. Since signing for over £30million, the former Milan striker has failed to make any sort of impact for his team, while he’ll surely find it difficult to oust the likes of Drogba, Anelka and Kalou from the first XI.
A return to Italy surely beckons for the player in the summer…
The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea star Andriy Shevchenko was spotted with his former Ac Milan team mates when the Milanese players left the Emirates on Wednesday after drawing 0-0 with hosts Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League. The 31-year old Ukranian striker was spotted departing the stadium in the Milan bus.
This is something that Chelsea need to, and will, investigate. After all, they would like their playes to stick to their own domains and not to stray into the lairs of the other clubs, especially of the other club in question is the club that the player has played for before.
Shevchenko was signed by Chelsea from Milan in the summer of 2006 but has since failed to settle in the Premiership. He has been consistently linked with a move back to the Rossoneri and him being spotted with the Milan players in the Milan bus on Wednesday night would only increase the speculation and the wrath of the Chelsea fans.
Although Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has been performing better this season than he did last time around, the Ukrainian international have been hit by injuries at various stages of the season so far. At the moment, the former AC Milan star is another injury problem and wouldn’t feature for Chelsea in this weekend’s FA Cup tie.
But Sheva says that he wants to play in the Carling Cup final against bitter London rivals Tottenham Hotspur next week. A source close to the 31-year old says:
Andriy is ready. He has been working very hard and he is feeling good now. He has been very frustrated. He was in good form before he got injured, so it was unfortunate. He has been working very hard on his fitness. It was an awkward injury and it took longer to get right than we thought. Andriy wants to play. He wants to be a part of things at Wembley, though he knows he will almost certainly be starting on the bench. He is ready for that. He just wants a chance.
Sheva is desperate to play football again and indeed the presence of one of the greatest players of all time would certainly grace Wembley.
Ever since the middle of last season, Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has been constantly linked with a move back to Ac Milan. Every time that the transfer window opens, the Ukrainian star is reported to be on his way to Italy.
This time is no different and once again Sheva has have to come out of the blocks to deny all transfer speculation. The Times quotes the 31-year as saying;
”My life is at Chelsea now, I have served my time with Milan. I am at a big club and the team is doing well. Life is not only about the past. I am delighted with the mark I left behind at Milan and gave the best I had in seven glorious seasons. I love Milan and I love Italy, and I have always said that.”
That’s it. Please, no more about Shevchenko moving to Ac Milan. But try selling that to the person who runs the rumour mill!
What is it about Italy that foreigners love and ruminate even when they have moved across to other lands? Whatever it may be, Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko makes no mistake in underlining that he still loves Italy.
Goal.com quotes the Ukrainian international telling The Sun:
I feel nostalgic for Italy. I miss my friends and certain things about the country — the food for example. And then I miss the atmosphere and high tension of Italian games. Things are more relaxed over here.
Déjà vu? Didn’t Hernan Crespo too remark something similar to the English press before his subsequent move back to Italy? Could Sheva be towing the line? Ac Milan are already said to be interested. So is this some hint of a come-and-get-me plea? Maybe not…..
Andriy Shevchenko might have been a legend in Italy and AC Milan but in the English Premier League and Chelsea, the Ukrainian international is just anther foreigner who has failed to cut the grades. Of course, for anyone who has followed Sheva’s career from his days at Dynamo Kiev the notion that he is not world class is ridiculous, yet the harsh, naked truth is that Sheva is past his prime.
Yet the player still bleeds optimism. A Goal.com report quotes Sheva telling the Italian newspaper Corriera della Sera that he would like to get a decent stretch of matches to prove his worth. Shevchencko is pleased with his form so far this season but complains that a lack of continuity is impeding his rhythm and should he be let to feature in matches week in and week out, he would certainly exhibit his class and quality.
Shevchenko says:
In my first year I scored 14 goals. Admittedly that is not the 30 I scored at Milan, but I did not do as badly as people were making out. The real problem is that I cannot find any continuity. I was doing well this season, scoring seven goals in my last 10 matches, but then I suffered a back injury and will be on the sidelines for a month. Before I am judged I would like to enjoy a decent run in the side now that I have adapted to English football. Italian football is about tactics and logic, whereas England is different, it is all about speed and instinct.
Sheva now has one more reason to worry. January signing Nicolas Anelka is arguably getting back into his old self and with Chelsea manager Avram Grant embracing the player signed only this week from Bolton Wanderers with open arms, Andriy Shevchenko may once again find himself out in the clod among the substitutes.
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