Five Players Emirates manager Arsene Wenger should not have waved goodbye to?
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There’s no doubting that both clubs could do with some extra firepower ahead of next season, but which one will win the ‘race’ to sign this talented forward? [Read the rest of this entry »]
Goodness me, this would be a coup for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. United and Chelsea have been involved in a recent title race, as well as going toe-to-toe in an attempt to win the Champions League. According to Setanta, they could well be clashing horns by having a bidding war to try and land the signature of Robinho.
The Real Madrid forward has hinted that he may leave the Bernabeu in the summer and has revealed interest from the best two teams in England. Perhaps he can act as a makeweight when Cristiano Ronaldo finally decides to leave Manchester for Spain in the next few days.
Real Madrid star Robinho has revealed that he has been offered the chance to join both Chelsea and Manchester United.
The striker has told Brazilian reporters that he will leave El Santiago Bernabeu subject to a suitable offer being made by one of the Premier League giants.
There’s no doubt that the Blues need would be more pressing, especially if Deputy Drog is to leave as expected. While United have Rooney, Tevez and (if he stays) Ronaldo in their artillery, Chelsea will look desperately short, even if Anelka finds the form which has previously made him one of Europe’s most lethal marksmen.
You can always rely on Jose Mourinho to open his big mouth at the drop of a hat. He failed to steer Chelsea to a Champions League final during his three seasons at the club, something that clearly still rankles with the Portuguese fool. Why else would he jump on the anti-Avram Grant bandwagon as soon as his replacement has been cruelly axed by Abramovich, Buck and Kenyon. Reuters report that the self-styled ‘Special One’ had described Chelsea’s season as poor, despite the fact it was considerably better than his last one at Stamford Bridge.
“In my philosophy it was a very bad one because in football ‘almost’ means defeat and Chelsea almost won the Carling (League) Cup, almost won the Champions League and almost won the Premier League. Almost is nothing.
“After two titles per season for the last three years there were zero titles this season, which in my philosophy means a really bad season. Maybe in the philosophy of a loser this was a great season, which I respect,” he said in the interview published on Sunday.”
It would have been interesting to see if Jose Mourinho would fare any better against a Ronaldo-inspired Manchester United. It’s also clear that we only saw the best of Michael Ballack in a Chelsea shirt under Grant, and that everyone else performed well for the manager, with the exception of Drogba and Anelka. The bookmakers have cut their odds on JM returning to the Bridge but surely that’s a bridge too far?!
We asked yesterday whether there was a bottler or two in the Chelsea camp when it came to taking penalties and the answer appears in today’s Daily Mail. Nicolas Anelka may well have stepped up to take a spot-kick for the Blues, but he was actually on the original list of five takers, only for the Frenchman to decline the polite invitation. Despite being a striker and previous penalty-taker for Bolton and Manchester City.
Anelka said: “I did not think for a moment I was going to come on.
“I had remained sitting on the bench and suddenly they asked me to play — not even a minute after sending me to warm up.
“I do not know if that has happened before in a Champions League Final, in a match of such intensity, that a player is sent onto the pitch without having warmed up.
“When you come on you should at least be ready to make some runs.”
The penalty miss capped a disappointing 2008 for Anelka, who has struggled to make an impact since his £15million arrival in January. He has also cast doubt over his Stamford Bridge future by questioning Avram Grant’s decision to cast him as a wide player. Perhaps he’ll get the chance to play more central when Didier Drogba buggers off.
He said: “Since I arrived at Chelsea I have never been played in my position. Never as a second striker, always on the left and right. I have said nothing until now.
“When I came here they told me I would play in a 4-4-2. I did not join to play on the right or left. I no longer have any need to prove what I am worth playing in the middle.
“I could have played up front with Didier.
He wanted that as well but our partnership has never even been tried in training.
“We must have played together for half an hour.”
Goodness me, there’s having a little cry and there’s letting it all hang out in front of roughly half the world’s population. As REM sang ‘everybody hurts sometimes’ and John Terry must surely still be reliving the moment when he slipped on the Moscow turf, hit the post with his penalty and saw Chelsea’s Champions League dreams disappear into thin air.
We all know that it wasn’t Terry’s fault that the Blues lost out and he really shouldn’t be beating himself up so badly. After all, Nicolas Anelka missed from the spot and he’s a striker, not a central defender. However, it’s going to take a while for the man people call ‘JT’ to get over this miss, perhaps it’s a good job that England aren’t featuring in Euro 2008, where a shoot-out is always likely.
The Guardian report that Terry has received some comforting words from none other than Sebastian Coe. The double Olympic gold medallist is urging the skipper to consign Wednesday night’s events into the past and look to the future, it’s only just begun apparently.
“If I could tell him one thing it would be to forget it,” Coe said. “It’s over, it’s history, and just be relieved that it happened for your club rather than in a World Cup final for England. To all Chelsea supporters the guy is a total hero and nothing will have altered because of last night. I’m just sorry it had to happen to him.”
Nevertheless, they say what goes around comes around and Terry’s previous altercation with Tevez did not exactly endear him to the hearts of neutrals. Many people with no allegiance to Manchester United appear to be deriving joy from ‘Mr Chelsea’s’ miss and Didier Drogba’s red card, with the pair both involved in many unsavoury incidents this season.
Or are you still laughing after John Terry missed from the penalty spot in Moscow last night? Although it also took a missed kick from Nicolas Anelka to ensure the spoils went to Manchester United, it was the central defender who had the opportunity to win the Champions League for Chelsea. Oh boo hoo hoo John! The Daily Telegraph report that Avram Grant is refusing to lay the blame squarely at his captain’s feet – which is fair enough as Penalties are always something of a lottery anyway.
“Terry is the main reason we are here, it is a difficult time, he is part of the team,” said Grant. “The team played excellently, I am very proud, he was great all season, great in the semi-final and this game. He is the reason they didn’t create any chances – I feel sorry for him and the team.
“John didn’t say anything – he was very sad, he cried. Whenever we need him as a captain this season he took responsibility. He slipped, it happens.”
So much for the proud warrior that is John Terry. Last night, he amounted to nothing more than a big girl’s blouse by blubbing his way through the ceremony and getting Peter Kenyon’s expensive suit even wetter than the rain had. There can be little sympathy for a team who have not always played the game in the right spirit this season and have some of the most despicable players in the Premier League.
What a contest the Champions League final promises to be. The bookmakers can’t split Manchester United and Chelsea in the betting, with both teams packed to the brim with talent. Just one moment of brilliance or madness could make all the difference in Moscow. Or maybe just the colour of a goalkeeping jersey…
The Daily Mail have revealed that Petr Cech is almost certain to wear a bright orange goalkeeping top for the contest against the Red Devils. He’s claiming it’s more likely to distract the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez when they’re bearing down on goal with the ball at their feet. Could there be anything in this?
“Studies say the orange colour spreads the most when the striker attacks, in the split of a second as he focuses,” said Cech, whose side need to get a better result at Stamford Bridge than United achieve at Wigan to win their third title in four seasons.
“This colour is like a sort of alarm or alert which really spreads and is very difficult to avoid, so this should be good for me.”
Petr, as a goalkeeper, your hands and arms should be very good for you, not the colour of your goalkeeping shirt. Apparently there’s no truth in the rumour that Edwin Van Der Sar is going to dress up as a clown for the final, squirting water out of a flower and into the eyes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. Which is a shame as we all would have liked to have seen that!
No, COS is not making fun of Deputy Drogba, nor are we laughing at Nicolas Anelka, we’re laughing with the latter who has revealed a rather humorous side to his personality. The Daily Mail lift the lid on Chelsea’s French striker (original interview with Four Four Two magazine) who has been lazily tagged ‘Le Sulk’ throughout most of his footballing career, despite his protestations that he’s always keen to smile, laugh and tell jokes. Try this one for size.
He went on to tell a joke: “A kangaroo goes into a bar and asks how much they charge for a Coke. The barman tells him £10.
“£10 for a Coke?” says the kangaroo. “That’s a bit steep But go on, I’ll have one. So the barman serves him a straw and stands back, watching the kangaroo sip his drink. After a couple of minutes the barman goes up to the kangaroo.
“Sorry to interrupt but I’m just a bit curious,” he says. “You see we don’t get many kangaroos in here.”
The kangaroo looks up over his glass and says: “At 10 quid a Coke, I’m not surprised!”
When you’ve finished sewing your sides back together over that one, Anelka continues to stress that he’s fun with a capital F and that he’s enjoying life back in England after a difficult time in Madrid a few years ago.
Anelka said: “If something’s funny I’ll laugh. People have often complained that I don’t smile on the field. I always say, I smile when there’s something to smile about, when there’s a goal or something that makes you smile.
“But I don’t go around smiling for nothing. I’m much more happy-go-lucky than people think though. It’s just that people don’t know me very well. Lots of people make me laugh.”
We can only wonder who he means? Perhaps it’s Ballack and the way he likes to give opposition players (such as Cristiano Ronaldo) a nice German bearhug in the penalty area, or perhaps he means Ashley Cole and his stories of throwing up in strange women’s bedrooms.
New Chelsea striker Nic Anelka claims that the whole “Le Sulk” nickname is a complete misnomer, and he is great fun to be in a team with. Anelka said:
“Ask a player I played with in England and they won’t say a bad word about me.”
And when it comes to Chelsea, and potentially having to share the limelight with Didier Drogba, and – shock, horror – possibly having to sit on the bench once in a while, Anelka is totally accepting. Nic said:
“If I have to start on the bench, I’ll do the same. I knew this before I signed. I’m just happy to be here.
“It’s not very difficult to play with him [Drogba], he can do everything and he’s clever and can play with his back to the goal. I like this kind of striker. I can turn around him and give him some good balls to score.”
So has “Le Sulk” turned over a new leaf?…
It looked like the deal was off, but Chelsea now appear to be on the brink of signing Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wandererers, according to the BBC.
BBC Sport understands that only formalities remain and the 28-year-old will sign in time to figure in Saturday’s game against Spurs.
Bolton have confirmed terms have been agreed and Anelka will sign a four-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Is that £15 million of Abramovich’s riches well spent on the Frenchman? For Chelsea, it’s arguably the best replacement around for Didier Drogba. For Bolton fans, there could be a long hard winter ahead. Who will score goals for the Trotters with Anelka gone and El Hadji Diouf playing the African Nations Cup?
Read more premier league rumors on the premier league section.
A hefty batch of gossip this Saturday…
If Nic Anelka decides to pack his bags Ginger Mourinho Gary Megson has his eyes on Marseilles’ punk striker Djibril Cisse. (Sun)
…And Greek midfielder Stelios will not be joining Sheffield United, despite having fallen out of favour recently. (Daily Star)
Confusion reigns supreme at Goodison Park this weekend. Everton Manager David Moyes says he is in the dark over any potential move to bag ex-loanee Manuel Fernandes, who upped and left for Valencia in controversial circumstances. Fernandes’ agent sees it slightly differently, claiming that the Portuguese midfielder is currently having a medical at Goodison. And what of Valencia? They are neither confirming nor denying anything. (Various)
Both Manchester City and Wigan are after Real Madrid’s second choice ‘keeper Jerzy Dudek who is currently twiddling his thumbs in the reserves.(Daily Mirror)
…And Sven has also made a formal enquiry about Newcastle’s speed demon Obafemi Martins but faces competition from Aston Villa. (Independent)
Newcastle midfielder Emre has moved to dampen rumours linking him with a potential move to Monaco. (Setanta)
And bald right back Danny Mills wants to move his burgeoning relationship with Derby County to the next level, saying that he wants to make his loan move from Man City to the Rams a permanent one. (Daily Mirror)
Fulham are after Harry “Hara Kiri” Kewell whose antipodean brand of injury prone flounciness has set hearts racing at Anfield, and he could move to Craven Cottage for £2.5m. (Daily Mail).
Liverpool are monitoring Slovakian central defender Martin Skrtel who currently plies his trade with Russian champs Zenit St Petersburg. (Guardian)
Bolton manager Gary Megson might not be too happy when he picks up a copy of the Daily Mail today. That’s because veteran midfielder Ivan Campo has suggested that team-mate and supposed Chelsea target Nicolas Anelka should be playing for a club bigger and better than the Trotters!
“Anelka is a good boy and he has surprised me professionally,” said Campo, who also played with Anelka at Real Madrid. “He has the quality to play in a bigger team than Bolton and he should be at a large club.”
The former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Liverpool striker has notched eleven goals for Bolton already this season, but has been linked with a move to former club Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. It is thought that the latter are in pole position, especially with Didier Drogba currently on the sidelines and Blues boss Avram Grant admitting the squad are short of forwards.
Nicolas Anelka’s brace against Birmingham on Saturday continues to fuel the rumours that the French striker will be joining Chelsea in the January transfer window. According to The Observer, a Stamford Bridge source has stated that failure to sign the former Arsenal and Real Madrid forward as a replacement for Didier Drogba will effectively end the Blues’ chances of winning the Premier League.
“It’s Anelka or bust for us,” the Chelsea source said. ”Avram Grant is not interested in anyone else. There are some young players coming through, but they’re not ready yet. And with John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien also in Ghana, if we don’t sign Anelka it’s going to be a struggle.”
The Incredible Sulk took his tally to 11 goals at the weekend, scoring the second and third goals in Bolton’s 3-0 victory. If he is to depart for Stamford Bridge in the New Year, you can expect Wanderers to demand a hefty ransom for one of the best finishers in the Premier League.
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