Chelsea have been up to their old tricks again, as they splashed millions of pounds on a superstar name. Sometimes its just because they can, sometimes its because the board (or Mr R. Moneybags Abramovic) want to see the player, occasionally its because they need the player. This latest signing could just be the latter. [Read the rest of this entry »]

The Telegraph reports that Chelsea’s Big Phil Scolari has got his Brazilian (yes, he’s a Samba boy really) chum Deco to join him at Stamford Bridge. Accompanying the article is a picture of a smug-faced Peter Kenyon, looking like he’s just pipped Dick Cheney and Star Wars’ Evil Emperor to the most odious git award for the fifth year running. [Read the rest of this entry »]

Fair play to Alvaro Arbeloa, who has pulled no punches when being asked about the Cristiano Ronaldo situation at Old Trafford. [Read the rest of this entry »]

Perhaps not the most shocking story of the summer is that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will be chasing his former talisman Frank Lampard. The vice captain has always made his feelings toward the ‘Special One’ clear, and him stalling over a new contract seems to suggest he could be on his way.
[Read the rest of this entry »]

John Terry might have captained Chelsea during the managerial years of Jose Mourinho, yet [Read the rest of this entry »]

The silly season isn’t even in full flow yet, and already we have been assaulted with a trio of transfer rumours that threaten to be as boring and interminable as watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on loop… [Read the rest of this entry »]

It appears that the hunter is about to become the hunted. Chelsea might be throwing their weight around in the transfer market, making cheeky enquiries about the likes of Franck Ribery and Fernando Torres, only to be amazingly rebuffed by the clubs in question. However, [Read the rest of this entry »]

Is Michael Essien the most underrated player in the Premier League? He certainly deserves more of the credit for Chelsea’s recent success, compared to Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry. The Ghanaian will hope that his being deployed as a right-back has come to an end, now that Bosingwa is on the scene, why else would he have signed a brand new deal at Stamford Bridge?

Sky Sports report that Blues fans will be relieved that speculated Interest from new Inter boss Jose Mourinho has come to nothing, and that one of their most important players will stay put.

“I will go back to Chelsea for the next season and expect to have a great season,” he said in the Sunday Mirror.

“We have shown as a club that we can handle disappointments, and I think we will be able to bounce back next season a better side.

“Most of the guys have gone on holidays and they will put the disappointment of the last season behind them.”

With Cristiano Ronaldo umming and aahing over a move to Real Madrid, Manchester United may no longer be a one-man band next season and they’d be considerably weaker as a result. Are Chelsea the favourites to win back the Premier League and perhaps even land the Champions League with their bottomless pot of cash?

There’s a pattern emerging here. Jose Mourinho leaves Chelsea, waits in the wilderness for a bit, then signs up for Inter. All of a sudden, speculation is rife that Lampard, Drogba, Essien, Cole, Terry and Cech (but not Sheva) could all be joining the arrogant loudmouth at his new club. Next thing, Mark Hughes is given permission to speak with Manchester City and, wait for it, the Daily Mirror put 2 + 2 together to come up with the below:

Once Hughes is installed as City boss, one of his first acts will be to try to persuade England midfielder Bentley and prolific goal-scorer Santa Cruz to move with him.

City tried to sign Santa Cruz last summer but were beaten to his capture by Blackburn, while £10m-rated Bentley has emerged as one of the country’s most impressive midfield talents.

Ten out of ten for predictability guys. Although it would be ironic if Hughes was to snare Bentley, especially as he has made recent utterances regarding the winger needing to honour his contract and be loyal to the club! If I were a Blackburn fan, I would be concerned by the news that Hughes is leaving and even more so if Rovers’ two best players jump off a potentially sinking ship.

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has finally got himself a job and, as he eases himself into the Inter Milan hotseat, alarm bells should be sounding at Stamford Bridge. Word on the street is that the Special One is set to launch a raid on Chelsea, who exactly he’ll be signing depends what paper you read, but the Sun reckons that Michael Essien could be bidding adieu to playing right-back to mosey on over to Internazionale. And it doesn’t end there, The Sun says that Mourinho is to be given a “whopping” £100million to spend, and after he’s nabbed Essien he’ll try and grab loyal disciples Drogba and Essien too:

“Blues’ £24million midfielder Essien tops Mourinho’s hitlist before he turns his attention to two more Chelsea stars — Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

“The Premier League runners-up are expected to put up a fierce fight to keep their big names.

“But Mourinho wants Essien to be his midfield enforcer at the San Siro while the Ghana star would love to be reunited with his old boss.”

So if Jose does bid for all three, and all three want to leave, how easy will it be for Chelsea to keep hold of them?

Or does it not really matter whether a football club is prepared to bung a few extra quid in your pay packet when you’re positively rolling in it anyway? The Daily Mirror report that desperate times call for desperate measures and the Blues, fearful of a certain Portuguese football manager in charge of Internazionale, have offered Frank Lampard a whacking great salary to stay at Stamford Bridge. Will it be enough to keep a roof over the midfielder’s head?

Frank Lampard has been offered a new £130,000- a-week contract by Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge club made the offer in a desperate bid to keep the England midfielder.

The new deal would put the 29-year-old’s pay on a par with John Terry’s, although the Chelsea captain has a longer contract.

Ultimately, while money talks in some instances, Lamps might have already made his mind up to leave London and join his old chum Mourinho in Italy. He’s been at Chelsea for a good few seasons and, after winning the Premier League a couple of times and featuring in a Champions League final, a change of scenery might be required at this stage of his career.

…To nab all their players! The Times reports that the slick Portugeezer will be named manager of Inter Milan shortly, and after he rattles off some choice egg-related epigrams to the bemused Italian press, he will no doubt begin the task of bringing in some new faces to boost Inter’s already obese squad. And top of Jose’s list is none other than Mr Frank Lampard Jr, with Messrs Drogba and Carvalho also getting his juices going.

So will those three answer the call of their Footballing spiritual guide, and what will Chelsea look like with their spine ripped out?

Fabio Capello has adopted the role of generous grandfather ahead of England’s crucial and desperately important friendly against the footballing superpower that are the United States of America. The BBC report that the Italian is going to allow the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry the opportunity to open a whole can of ‘whup-ass’ on their opponents in a bid to help them forget their woes at missing out on the Carling Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League this season. What a kind-hearted old codger he is!

“I’m very happy to see Lampard in the midfield because I think he’s a very important player for us.

“For Chelsea players it is very important to play and forget the last game in Moscow.”

Meanwhile, he’s also revealed that Wayne Rooney will be getting a partner in crime up front against the States, rather than playing the Manchester United striker in a lone role. Who will be the lucky one out of Peter Crouch, Dean Ashton, Jermain Defoe or Gabriel Agbonlahor that is going to terrorise the most powerful nation in the world?

“It is very important for me to see Rooney not as the first but the second striker,” Capello told BBC Five Live.

It will be just typical of an England team that hasn’t qualified for Euro 2008 to go out all guns blazing on Wednesday night and beat USA 5-0 or something. Or will it just be the customary struggle to a 2-1 victory?

Chelsea supporters might be down and out after watching their Champions League chances “slip” away, but fear not! Like every summer, Roman is ready to wipe away your tears with a certain Barcelona star.

The Telegraph is reporting that Barca midfielder, Deco, is ready to get the heck out of the Nou Camp and move to England or Italy after learning that FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta is ready to go on without him.

“I do not want to stay at a club which shows it doesn’t count on me. I’ll go to England or Italy that’s for sure,” Deco said. (Telegraph)

After watching Jose Mourinho fail to bring the Brazilian in last season, there is talk that Avram Grant and Roman Abramovich want to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen twice. But if there is one roadblock in this dream move, it might be the Rumors coming out of Spain that Laporta would like to play everyone’s favourite game: Swap-a-midfielder.

“Still eager to sign Lampard from Chelsea and according to reports in Spain a part-exchange deal could be a possibility” (Telegraph)

The big question is: Would you part with Lampard to get Deco?

A penalty shoot-out is the sort of thing that separates the men from the boys. As a player, do you put your name forward as someone who can beat the keeper from twelve yards, or do you instead hide behind Frank Lampard and hope nobody notices you?

It appears that there were a few shirkers on Wednesday evening in the Chelsea camp. Setanta report that John Terry was not in the original list of penalty takers for the Blues and, while Drogba’s red card saw the captain shunted up the pecking order, there may have been one or two players that should have been stepping up to the plate first.

“John was not in the first five but when it comes to take them, somebody might say ‘I don’t feel well, I prefer somebody else take it’,” said Ten Cate.

“John was not in the first five to take a kick but things change during a game.

“Some people feel sick and the sending off of Drogba made us change it.

“It’s unbelievable this should happen to him though. We practiced Penalties so much all last week and he was very confident. We were all confident.”

Ballack, Belletti, Lampard and Ashley Cole were the first four spot-kick takers, before Terry smashed his shot against the post. One might have expected Saloman Kalou to have been involved before his captain, while Michael Essien is renowned for having a powerful shot. Aside from the Ghanaian, there was only Carvalho and Cech who didn’t step up to the plate, with Drogba having had his marching orders in extra-time.