Carlo Ancelotti: We Aren't Ready For The New Premier League Season

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has confessed that his team is not fit for the start of the Premier League campaign.

The defending champions lost their third straight pre-season match, losing to Hamburg 2-1 on Wednesday.

Ancelotti admits that his returning World Cup stars are fighting to be fully prepared to face West Bromwich Albion in their August 14 Premier League opener.

"Some players are in good condition but others need more time,” Ancelotti told The Sun.

"The 10 players that only came back to us on July 26 need to have another two weeks of work.

"After just eight days of training it is impossible to be fit.

"We are all disappointed because we have lost three games consecutively so it's not a good start for us.

"Now we have to hope we can come back with a win against Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday."

Goals from Mladen Petric and Heung-Min Son in the second half, led the Bundesliga side past the Blues, who lost the previous two pre-season games to Ajax and Eintracht Frankfurt as well.

Michael Essien helped Chelsea take the lead, stealing the ball from Jonathan Pitripa and feeding Frank Lampard, who was left with a simple tap-in to make the score 1-0 for the Blues.

However, Petric took advantage of a terrible backpass from Yuri Zhirkov to score the equalizer, and with just three minutes remaining Son rounded Ricardo Carvalho and beat goalkeeper Ross Turnbull to give the German club a 2-1 victory.

Ancelotti insists that the defence must improve if Chelsea are going to repeat as Premier League champions this season.

"In the past the defence has given out a lot of confidence - but now we are losing some concentration.

"We have made mistakes and now we have to show more character.

"But even if some of our players are not fit, they still have a good presence on the pitch.

"Maybe it's not so important that Lampard and Terry are 100 per cent fit at the start of the season because they have that presence and they will do better. They just need more time playing."

Yury Zhirkov Lined Up By Zenit St Petersburg For £21m Swoop

Zenit St Petersburg are considering a £21million bid to take Chelsea defender Yury Zhirkov back to Russia.

The 26-year-old endured a torrid first season at Stamford Bridge, struggling with injuries in both knees and making just 10 Premier League starts following an £18.6m move from CSKA Moscow.

Chelsea agreed to sign Zhirkov before Carlo Ancelotti arrived and the Russia international has struggled to fit into his manager’s plans.

He has mostly been used as Ashley Cole’s understudy, despite forging a reputation at CSKA as an attacking left winger.

Runaway Russian Premier League leaders Zenit would give Zhirkov a prominent role as they build a side for the Champions League and are also on the brink of signing Porto captain Bruno Alves for £18.2m.

Zhirkov refused to comment, saying he was only focused on being fit for the new season with Chelsea.

‘I can say that I am a Chelsea player and it’s a great honour to play for the club,’ he said.

‘The knee is not a worry. The competition in our club for places is great. But I really want to play and will do everything I can to break into the team.’

Ramires Explains Chelsea Switch

Benfica and Brazil midfielder Ramires has urged his current club's supporters to understand why he has chosen to leave Lisbon to join Chelsea.

The 23-year-old is poised to complete a big-money switch to Stamford Bridge, with a fee of around £18million having been agreed between the two clubs.

Ramires told A Bola after opting to leave the Portuguese champions: "I hope everyone understands this decision. This is football and this outcome is good for the club and for me.

"I love this club. I took Benfica into my heart. I am very happy. I will never forget how I got here, where I was a champion, where I improved and I was very happy. It was a wonderful year.

"I hope that everyone understands that it was a very good opportunity for me on a personal, sporting and financial level."

France Under-19 Skipper Gueida Fofana Urges Chelsea & Liverpool To Bid For Him

France under-19 skipper Gueida Fofana has urged Chelsea and Liverpool to snap him up from Le Havre.

The defensive midfielder was at the heart of Les Blues victory in last weekend's U19 European Championship Final victory against Spain. After inspiring his team-mates to victory, the Premier League pair and Barcelona have been linked with sweeping him up from the Ligue 2 outfit where he has just one year to run on his contract.

Speaking to skysports.com, Fofana declared he was ready to try his hand at a major European heavyweight.

He said: "I am feeling great after winning the Euros, we played really well and deserved to win.

"I have heard that there are teams interested in me, but nothing concrete has come out as yet.

"If I have to leave here [Le Havre], I want to make sure it is on good terms."

Bertrand Makes Forest Loan Switch

Championship outfit Nottingham Forest has signed highly-rated young Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand on a six-month loan deal.

Bertrand, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, is widely regarded as one of the game's top young prospects.

He is renowned for his attacking ability having been converted from an orthodox winger.

Bertrand has been at Chelsea for five years following an initial £125,000 move from Gillingham.

In 2006 he signed professional forms at Stamford Bridge and has gathered Football League experience during loan spells at Bournemouth, Oldham, Norwich and Reading, where he was a regular in the side last season.

Killie Swoop For Young Blues Star

Kilmarnock have completed their second signing of the summer after Chelsea agreed to loan out their young left-back Ben Gordon until January.

Gordon, 19, follows in the footsteps of Portuguese winger David Silva, who joined on a two-year deal.

A statement released by the Ayrshire club said: "Kilmarnock Football Club is delighted to announce that Chelsea reserve team player Ben Gordon has signed a short-term loan with the club.

"Ben is an England U17 international [and] has been under contract with Chelsea since 2007.

"Everyone at the club extends a warm welcome to Ben and wishes him every success during his time at Rugby Park."

Anelka Recalls Domenech Row

Nicolas Anelka has described what happened during his infamous row with Raymond Domenech and said the former France manager was wrong to play him out of position.

Les Bleus endured a shambolic World Cup campaign, not only making an early exit after failing to win any of their group games but also struggling to stay unified off the field.

Anelka was sent home following a dressing room bust-up with Domenech at half-time during the 2-0 defeat to Mexico, with reports suggesting he had launched a foul-mouthed tirade at the coach.

The striker never denied ranting at Domenech but took French sports daily L'Equipe to court for libel after it printed details of the altercation, accusing the newspaper of distorting his words.

"I'd like to see Domenech confessing to the world that I didn't use those words," Anelka said.

"I wish he had the honesty to say it, and to say it to his mum too."

Anelka believes Domenech, who has since been replaced by Laurent Blanc, 'should be ashamed' after making a 'casting mistake'.

The Chelsea man was disappointed at being told to stay in the penalty area when he feels one of his main strengths is to drop deep.

"My biggest regret is that I was not given the chance to play in my best position," said Anelka.

"If the coach wanted to take a player which stays in the box, he shouldn't have picked me. He made a casting mistake."

In an interview with France Soir, Anelka went into more detail about what happened at half-time of the Mexico clash.

He said: "We returned to the dressing room and, for five minutes, the players talked. The coach arrived and said to me: 'Damn, Nico, I've told you to stop dropping back and stay up front'.

"I told him if I stay there, I do not get a touch of the ball, and said: 'Stop telling me to stay up front. I won't stay up front'.

"It carried on, but at that moment my head was gone. I wasn't even listening to what he said."

Domenech's immediate reaction, Anelka claims, was to dismiss him from the squad despite the efforts of captain Patrice Evra to pacify both parties.

"He said: 'Go, its fine, leave' and asked one of his assistants to get Dede (Andre-Pierre Gignac) ready," Anelka continued.

"I said: 'No problem, deal with your team'.

"Pat (Evra) and Franck (Ribery) were next to me and they said: 'Stop, Nico, calm down. Let it go, shut up!'

"Then Pat asked me to put my jersey back on and said to the coach that these things happen all the time, that he should not react on a whim and make me leave.

"Again, the coach didn't listen and made his changes."

Chelsea In New Partnership With Singha Beer

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Singha Beer as the club's official beer sponsor.

The four-year deal will see the Thai beer company become a platinum partner of the club, following the most successful season in our history that saw us win both the Premier League title and the FA Cup in May.

Singha Beer is produced by Boonrawd Brewery and was the first beer to be brewed by a Thai. The premium lager is a full-bodied, 100 percent barley malt beer with strong hop characteristics and a rich taste. It was introduced internationally in the 1970s and has been synonymous worldwide with Thailand since. It is now available in nearly 50 countries.

Singha Beer will be sold exclusively across the Stamford Bridge venue including stadium kiosks, bars, restaurants and hotels from the start of the 2010/11 season.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: 'We are excited to welcome Singha Beer as our official beer partner for the club.

'It is the leading beer brand in Thailand and will help us to reach out to our rapidly growing fan base in Asia-Pacific. We are certain that Singha Beer will be an excellent partner for the club.'

Santi Bhirom Bhakdee, chief executive of Boonrawd Brewery added: 'It is a glorious leap forward for Singha Corporation to join hand in hand with Chelsea Football Club, a club that thirsts for victory and accomplishment.

'We are certain that this strategic alliance will propel both organizations to new levels of prosperity.'

The deal represents another addition to Chelsea's successful platinum level partners which includes Thomas Cook, EA Sports and 188BET.

Bringing Happiness To Hamburg

As part of the squad's visit to Hamburg this week, they met with a group of 15 children from the city's Center for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Prior to the game at the Imtech Arena on Wednesday, the group of children, all of who have had heart surgery, arrived at the team hotel to meet their heroes for a signing session, and were each treated to a Blues goodie bag to take away as a souvenir of the day.

There may have been a few more Hamburg shirts than Chelsea ones, but that didn't stop the enjoyment from both players and kids alike.

Blues Still In The Market

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he will look to complete two more signings before the close of the transfer window as Chelsea close in on the signing of Benfica midfielder Ramires.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has reined in his spending in recent times but, with Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Juliano Belletti all leaving the club on free transfers this summer, Ancelotti feels replacements for all three are a necessity.

"We are not in any hurry," he told Sportske Novosti. "We have the whole of August to complete deals. The strategy of the club is clear. Compared to last season, we have lost Belletti, Ballack and Joe Cole, so we will add three players in these positions. So far, we've brought in [Yossi] Benayoun from Liverpool."

With the departure of right-back Belletti, Chelsea have been linked with a move for Shakthar Donetsk and Croatia defender Darijo Srna, 28, to fill the gap.

Asked if Srna was among his targets, Ancelotti said: "I understand your curiosity as a journalist, but I must stress that I cannot give you the names of players Chelsea are interested in signing."

Asked if he wished Sportske Novosti to issue a denial that Chelsea want Srna, he said: "No - I don't want to deny that we are tracking an interesting player."

Chelsea Aim To Push Through £18m Signing Of Brazil Midfielder Ramires

Chelsea have agreed a fee of £18m (€22m) with Benfica to buy the Brazil midfielder Ramires and they intend to push him through a medical at the club before confirming his signing by the end of the week.

But there remains some concern at Stamford Bridge over whether the 23-year-old will qualify for a work permit at the first time of asking. The regulations state a player must have appeared in 75% of his country's internationals over the past two years, and Ramires falls short of this requirement.

Chelsea may have to appeal to obtain a permit under the special-circumstances ruling. Ramires appeared for Brazil at the World Cup finals in South Africa, catching the eye in the last-16 victory over Chile, and he is rated as one the continent's most promising young players.

His arrival would mean Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, has to get rid of one of the 17 senior overseas players in his squad to comply with the Premier League's new rules. The odd man out is likely to be the midfielder Deco, who is tipped to move to Fluminense in his native Brazil.

It is unlikely Ramires will be a Chelsea player in time for Sunday's Community Shield against Manchester United and Ancelotti said his first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech will not be fit for the fixture at Wembley. The Czech international will not have recovered from a torn calf muscle. Ancelotti added that Cech will not be available for the Czech Republic's friendly against Latvia next week.

Ancelotti hopes Cech will be ready for the opening game of the Premier League season, at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday week, but he will have to play either Henrique Hilário or Ross Turnbull against United, both of whom have looked shaky in pre-season. The defender Alex, who also has a calf injury, should be fit for West Brom.

Didier Drogba is set to play his first minutes of the pre-season against Hamburg, following his return to training after a minor operation on a groin. The Ivory Coast international carried the problem, which has been referred to as a "sportsman's hernia", in the final matches of last season. Ancelotti intends to play his Community Shield line-up against Hamburg.

Carlo Ancelotti Left Dazzled By His Rising Stars

Chelsea are expected to field a near full-strength team against Hamburg in Germany as manager Carlo Ancelotti turns his pre-season preparations up a notch.

The Double winners take on Manchester United on Sunday in the Community Shield and the names gracing Wembley should be the ones that Stamford Bridge regulars are used to. John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba should all feature in the Imtech Arena and then against Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

Yet, Ancelotti is more excited about the youngsters he will have sitting on the bench. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has accepted partial blame today for the failure of the England team at the World Cup. “We want the England manager to be spoilt for choice,” he said when referring to the lack of talent that coach Fabio Capello had at his disposal this summer.

But while Academies at clubs in the Premier League are not producing young English talent at a rate fast enough to keep the critics off Capello's back, his fellow Italian Ancelotti could not be happier with the production line at Cobham.

Jeffrey Bruma, Josh McEachran and Billy Clifford all appeared in the team that won the FA Youth Cup last season and have all had big roles to play in Chelsea's pre-season.

All started in the defeat by Ajax and Bruma and McEacharan have been joined on the current two-match tour of Germany by three other academy products, Patrick van Aanholt, Gael Kakuta and Fabio Borini.

New rules this season stipulate each club must nominate a squad list of a maximum 25 players for Premier League action, eight of which must be home grown' — that is someone who has been registered for any club in England or Wales for a period of three years while under 21. This number can be supplemented by any registered players under the age of 21.

So far Yossi Benayoun is the only new face through the door and Brazilian Ramires — work permit providing — will join him, with Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti and Joe Cole all having left the club.

That will put the emphasis on Ancelotti's youngsters but the manager is not worried.

“It is the same thing as in the Champions League so we are not surprised about this and this rule can improve the Academies in the clubs,” he said.

“I don't think we have a difficulty to put a squad in. We have the right number of foreign players.

“I am happy because it is important for our Academy — they are very good players, they need to stay with us and will have more chances this year.

“I know them very well. We followed them for the last year and it is the time for them to be involved in the squad. I don't know how many games they can play this season but we need to have these young players in our squad.”

The dilemma for Capello is the wording of the new rules which mean any Academy products do not have to be English. While McEachran (Oxford) and Clifford (Slough) are local enough, Bruma (Holland), Van Aanholt (Holland), Kakuta (French) and Borini (Italy) only demonstrate how good Chelsea's scouting network now is across Europe.

There is more hope, though, in that 12 out of 23 players listed on the club's website as being in Chelsea's Academy for this season are English.

One young player expected to make the grade at Chelsea is 17-year-old midfielder Josh McEachran.

A regular youth international, McEachran played a key role in England's Under-17 European Championship triumph this summer, scoring in the group stages against Czech Republic and impressing against Spain in the Final.

Comfortable on the left or in the middle, McEachran was one of the Chelsea's finest performers in their FA Youth Cup Final win against Aston Villa last season.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti is a confirmed admirer and handed McEachran, who joined the club as an eight-year-old, a squad number last January (51) and invited him to travel with the first team for last season's Carling Cup tie at Blackburn.

He has continued progressing during pre-season and has been involved in all three Chelsea games so far as they build towards the new campaign and their defence of the Premier League title.

McEachran started alongside established first-team players Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel against Crystal Palace last month and again against Dutch giants Ajax in Amsterdam. He also replaced Florent Malouda after 58 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

There is genuine belief at Stamford Bridge that the talented teenager can make the next step and become a regular first-team squad member.

Ferreira Hopes For Chelsea Chance

Chelsea defender Paulo Ferreira says he is looking forward to getting more games under his belt ahead of the new season.

The Blues launch the defence of their Premier League title next Saturday but first face arch rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday.

Ferreira has been on extended leave following his involvement in the World Cup finals for Portugal and Wednesday's friendly against Hamburg represents only his second outing of pre-season.

And despite the first competitive match of the season on the horizon, Ferreira says he would rather be on the pitch in an attempt to regain full fitness.

"It is important that we get to play against Hamburg, we want to start the season well," Ferreira explained to the club's official website. "And after this game we still have a few days to work really well for Manchester United on Sunday.

"It is another important game and we want to be in good shape. The group is like it always is, everybody is happy and we are doing a good pre-season so far.

"I am feeling much better, us players who came from the World Cup started after the others but we have worked hard to catch up and after one week of work you begin to feel much better."

The 31-year-old's involvement in the World Cup means time off has been scarce for the right-back, who helped the Blues to the Premier League title last season.

But Ferreira says he is grateful to have had a holiday while his colleagues were reporting back for pre-season training early.

He added: "It was a short summer, but for the ones not involved in the World Cup it was a long break. But we cannot complain, we had 25 days of holiday, it is not bad.

"I had wonderful holidays and tried to enjoy them as much as I could, and now I am ready to start again.

"I went to the south of France and home to Portugal, and I did nothing, I just wanted to enjoy it after the Premiere League and World Cup.

"When you have a break you want to relax and be with the family, the kids, and enjoy it until the last day. Now it is time for work again."

And following his recuperation, the former Porto man is eager to be a regular fixture in Carlo Ancelotti's starting line-up.

"I will work hard all season and try to enjoy every match that I get," said Ferreira. "Of course I would like to play more than last season, and help the team to win trophies."

Chelsea Youngster Scott Sinclair Set To Make Blackpool Loan Switch

Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair is set to stay in the Premier League and make a loan switch to newly promoted Blackpool, according to the Daily Mail.

The 21-year-old has made just one top flight start in five years at Stamford Bridge and spent last season at Wigan Athletic.

With no sign of a breakthrough into the Blues' first-team, he had courted interest from Championship outfits Ipswich Town and Swansea City.

The England youth international is expected to spurn the chance to drop down a division and return to the north west of England.

The switch is believed to be partly inspired by his girlfriend - Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan - working in Manchester.

Carlo Ancelotti Explains Joe Cole's Exit

Carlo Ancelotti has said Yossi Benayoun's arrival will compensate for England winger Joe Cole's departure.

Cole signed for Liverpool after being released by Chelsea following the breakdown of talks, with Benayoun having already moved the opposite way.

"Joe Cole at Chelsea had a fantastic career but this year is another story," Chelsea boss Ancelotti stated.

"We are happy to have Yossi here. Joe was quicker, with respect to Yossi, but tactically I think Yossi is better."

Cole was a popular figure at Chelsea throughout seven largely successful years at Stamford Bridge.

The England international struggled with injury last season following knee surgery, but during the campaign Ancelotti labelled him "a genius" and said he was 100% sure that the 28-year-old's future was with the London club.

But talks broke down over a new deal, with Cole citing "political rather than footballing reasons", and the former West Ham star was allowed to leave on a free transfer.

However, Ancelotti said the capture of Israeli international Benayoun, 30, will add an extra dimension to Chelsea's midfield.

"He's an intelligent player, tactically he knows everything very well," Ancelotti added. "I tried to put him as a right midfielder in this pre-season and he can also play in his usual position as a winger.

"He has to train, to improve his condition but I think for us he is a good player."

Benayoun spent three years at Anfield after signing from West Ham, scoring 29 goals in 134 games from midfield.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti also insisted the Premier League's new rules which require clubs to register a squad of up to 25 players, including at least eight home-grown players will have no effect on Chelsea.

While home-grown players must have been registered to the Football Association or Welsh FA for three years prior to their 21st birthday there is no requirement for them to be English and Chelsea have promising youngsters Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick van Aanholt, Gael Kakuta, and Fabio Borini, along with the English Josh McEachran, in their ranks.

"It is the same thing as in the Champions League so we are not surprised about this, and this rule can improve the academies in the clubs," said Ancelotti, who is hoping to add Brazil midfielder Ramires to his squad from Benfica for £17m.

"I don't think we have a difficulty to put a squad in. We have the right number of foreign players.

"I am happy because it is important for our academy - they are very good players, they need to stay with us and will have more chances this year.

"I know them very well. We followed them for the last year and it is the time for them to be involved in the squad. I don't know how many games they can play this season but we need to have these young players in our squad."

Chelsea Do Not Need A Star Signing To Be Favourites For The Big Prizes Again

Carlo Ancelotti is a man of his word. Back in April, when Chelsea were still greedily eyeing the Premier League and FA Cup trophies, the coach told the world that rather than going on the sort of transfer rampage that characterized the early part of the Roman Abramovich era, he would merely be tweaking his existing squad by inducting a handful of young players.

He believed in his existing players back then, pre-Double win, and he was proved right. Many worried that the Italian would struggle to impose himself in the transfer market at Stamford Bridge, having employed a relatively hands-off approach in his previous post at Milan and having been constricted by Silvio Berlusconi's belt-tightening. Yet few considered that he might not actually need to invest.

Chelsea, popular wisdom had decreed, were a ticking time bomb with the lynchpins at the heart of the squad - Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry - growing old together and demanding imminent replacement. The Premier League, popularized worldwide by its frenetic pace & energy, is a more age-obsessed arena than most, and ever since the early days of Jose Mourinho, the Blues have been defined by their ability to grind down and overpower opposition.

That Drogba and Lampard, both 32, drove Chelsea to silverware last season has forced a reassessment of previously undisputed truths. Here were two 30-somethings who weren't just hanging in there but augmenting their already sky-high standards. Both enjoyed career-high goalscoring seasons (29 and 22 Premier League goals respectively) to top it off.

In this context, Ancelotti's reluctance to make big changes is unsurprising. He put his faith in stability, in the tried and tested, while at San Siro, and has a better, leaner, more hungry set of players now than he did in his final years in Serie A.

The parallels between the coach's transfer market approach in Italy and England are hard to ignore. It is hard to believe that the powers that be at Stamford Bridge were not attracted by Ancelotti's ability to regalvanise and motivate existing, heavily-decorated players. As a club, Chelsea have talked about their aim to be self-sufficient for several years, but because their first two Premier League titles were inextricably linked to large-scale spending, many found it hard to take seriously.

The Blues' image as a ruthless money machine (and a plentiful source of transfer speculation for media) will not go away. A huge list of names were linked post-season - David Villa, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Franck Ribery - but the club let it be known that they were not prepared to do business at 'above the market rate.' In other words, they wouldn't be competing with Manchester City and would only do business for big names at relative bargain prices.

Ancelotti and the board know well that to improve such a stellar squad is a mightily expensive business. Yury Zhirkov, a relatively low-profile arrival, set them back £18 million last summer, and a similar figure will be spent on Brazilian midfielder Ramires in the days to come.

Ramires is a very 'Chelsea type' of player, certainly more so than the likes of Kaka or even Ribery. The 23-year-old hardly leaves a trail of stardust in his wake, but will be greatly appreciated at Stamford Bridge; an unflashy, dedicated performer who relentlessly eats up the turf in midfield. The other arrival, Yossi Benayoun - an experienced, industrious Premier League player - is similarly a typical signing.

With the Premier League's newly-introduced 25-member squad rule (of which eight must be 'home-grown,' or have been at the club for three whole seasons leading up to their 21st birthdays) a coach of Carletto's sobriety is a boon. He made it clear that he considers the five or so academy players that he will promote to the first-team squad this season as his new signings. Having seen one of them, Gael Kakuta, dominate with such elan at the recent European Under-19 Championships, it's difficult to argue.

Contextually, Chelsea are in a good position to play it low-key, as reigning champions and with funds tight at Manchester United, Liverpool and (as always) Arsenal too. The great dichotomy of the Blues' 21st century success has been their nouveau riche image set against their industry and collective strength. Ancelotti is too shrewd to remove the foundations on which that success has been built.

Benayoun The Blue

Yossi Benayoun believes he's at the perfect age to join Chelsea, although he expects to be part of a rotation system initially.

The 30-year-old, who signed from Liverpool this summer, knows the competition he'll face to break into the first team but is looking forward to the challenge.

'It's the perfect age to be at a big club,' explained the Israeli international. 'Let's not forget that for the last three years I have been at a big club.

'I have left a big club, I have come to a big club, so for me it is the same and I believe I can prove myself here.'

Benayoun, who captains his national side, is certainly experienced in the workings of the Barclays Premier League, having worn the colours of West Ham before heading north to Liverpool.

During his career he's played in several roles, which is why he's ready to work for a place no matter what position he may end up.

'I will play in any system,' explained our new number 10. 'I will try to do my best and be involved in the team.

'If I am not then I will try harder and prove myself, because there are enough big players here to play any system. I just want to be on the pitch, anywhere.

'I am intelligent enough to understand this is a big club and you can sit on the bench. There is a big squad with a lot of players but I have a lot of patience.

'At Liverpool I was sat on the bench a lot but when I had the chance I proved myself and deserved to play. This is my ambition here also.'

It's been over eight years since Benayoun last won a trophy, following consecutive league titles with Maccabi Haifa back in Israel under the guidance of Avram Grant.

It may seem like a long time without silverware, but the midfielder's proud of his achievements.

'I am happy with my career, to play for Liverpool for three years and come to Chelsea, not many players can say this and I am proud.

'I hadn't played for big clubs until I went to Liverpool, although I almost won the FA Cup with West Ham,' he added before revealing the relationship he still has with the former Chelsea manager, a man who offered some invaluable advice before Benayoun joined the Blues.

'Avram gave me a few tips,' he said. 'He told me to come with confidence and patience and believe I am good enough, so I just need to work hard and prove it.'

Philliskirk Makes Loan Move

Oxford manager Chris Wilder has boosted his attacking options by bringing in Chelsea youngster Danny Philliskirk on loan.

The 19-year-old will spend a month at the League Two side and is likely to be given a run-out in Monday's pre-season friendly against Banbury United.

Philliskirk - who can play as a second striker or in midfield - started his career at Oldham before then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho took him to Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee.

Wilder feels the former England Under-17 international will be a useful addition to the ranks and told the club's official website: "He's a young prospect I saw at Oldham as a kid and then Chelsea bought him for quite big money.

"It comes to a stage at 19 where he maybe needs to go and get involved with a senior club. He is a young boy but I think maybe people underestimate the level we are playing at now.

"We felt we needed an extra body in and he will benefit from the time here. Chelsea play three up front so he is used to playing in that. If he does well then he has a great opportunity here."

Ian Holloway Wants To Be Reunited With Chelsea Striker Scott Sinclair

Premier League new boys Blackpool are stepping up their efforts to sign Chelsea forward Scott Sinclair.

Championship duo Ipswich and Swansea have also made enquiries about the 21-year-old who has been at Stamford Bridge for five years but made just one top-flight start.

Sinclair was on loan at Wigan last season, making 22 first-team appearances but only five in the starting line-up.

The previous season he was at Birmingham and he has also been loaned to Crystal Palace, Charlton, QPR and Plymouth, where current Blackpool boss Ian Holloway was manager at the time.

Holloway, who also tried to sign Sinclair in February 2008 when he was in charge at Leicester, has been quiet in the transfer market since the Tangerines won promotion.

But he is hoping the fact that he has worked with Sinclair previously will help him to complete a deal in time for the big kick-off on Saturday week.

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers also knows Sinclair well from his time as Chelsea's reserve team boss.

Bath-born Sinclair made his debut at the age of 15 for first club Bristol Rovers and played just one more game before he was sold to the Blues in July 2005.
Ipswich boss Roy Keane sees Sinclair as the ideal player to add pace and power to the Tractor Boys' lightweight attack.

But the lure of playing in the Premier League for a manager he knows well makes Blackpool overwhelming favourites for his signature.

Another reason why he is likely to prefer to relocate to the north west is that his girlfriend, Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, is based there.

Ramires Set For Stamford Bridge Medical

Chelsea's ongoing bid to sign Brazilian midfielder Ramires for around £18 million is edging ever closer as he is set to undergo a medical at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Ramires, who played at the 2010 World Cup, claimed in July that Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti was trying to sign him and a four-year deal is reported to be in the pipeline.

However, earlier on Tuesday it was claimed that a third party holds 50% ownership of the player and that the issue was delaying the transfer as the investors want the maximum return on their asset. It is also against Premier League rules for any third party to retain an interest in a player.

"There is nothing yet," Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira was quoted as saying. "But Ramires staying doesn't depend solely on us. There is a partnership and we must respect that. If there is a good proposal, we will do everything we can to make it work for us. We are prepared for everything and have options to fill all the positions to make sure we strengthen."

Ancelotti is eager to add Ramires to his squad after releasing both Michael Ballack and Joe Cole in the summer.

Benfica Admit They Can Do Little To Keep Chelsea Target Ramires

Midfielder Ramires looks more and more likely to sign for Chelsea with Benfica admitting that they don’t wholly control the destiny of the Brazilian.

World Cup star Ramires claimed at the end of July that Carlo Ancelotti's Premier League champions had bid for his services. Ramires could be an ideal replacement for both Michael Ballack and Joe Cole after the pair left Chelsea.

The 23-year-old missed Benfica's friendly win over Aston Villa on Sunday as talks continued, with the Portuguese side admitting they only have a minimal say in his future after selling 80 per cent third-party ownership to several investors.

Club president Luis Felipe Vieira is quoted as saying in The Sun, "Ramires staying at Benfica does not depend solely on us. There is a partnership and we must respect it.

"If there is a good proposal we will do everything we can to make it work for us. We are prepared for all eventualities and have options to fill all the positions."

Ramires said earlier in July that he had set his heart on a 'dream' move to Chelsea, Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Drogba Could Play In Community Shield

Didier Drogba has given Chelsea a major Community Shield boost by coming through his first full training session.

The Ivory Coast striker had been expected to miss the start of the new season after finally undergoing his long-delayed groin surgery 10 days ago.

But Drogba has made huge progress and was able to take part in a full work-out with Carlo Ancelotti's squad in Frankfurt.

Drogba is now poised to play a part in tomorrow's friendly with Hamburg and if he emerges unscathed is set to lead the Chelsea line at Wembley on Sunday.

Ancelotti said: "Didier could play against Hamburg. He is healing very quickly."

No Guarantees For Man City - Kalou

Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou has warned Manchester City that their summer spending spree will not guarantee them the Barclays Premier League title.

City boss Roberto Mancini has spent over £70million on signing Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng, Alexander Kolarov and David Silva as he looks to wrest the league title from the Chelsea. Kalou admits he expects City to improve on their fifth place last season, but insists their new arrivals will take time to gel into a team capable of winning the championship.

"It doesn't mean because you bring in 10 new players that you will be top of the table," the 24-year-old said on chelseafc.com. "There are teams like Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal who will always be near the top."

He added: "Manchester City will do great because they have brought some good players in but at the end of the day it's what happens on the pitch, and having new players doesn't guarantee a win."

Benayoun: Enjoying Everyday

Yossi Benayoun believes he is settling well into life as a Chelsea player, and hopes to quickly prove his worth on the pitch.

The Israeli international is in Germany with the rest of the squad at present, and has already sung his initiation song, a rapidly-heckled version of Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone before switching into Hebrew.

Speaking after training on Tuesday, Benayoun outlined his desire to show his abilities in our final friendly against Hamburg on Wednesday evening.

'I feel very good. From the first moment they gave me a good feeling like I am already a long time here,' he said, speaking of his new team-mates. 'I am enjoying every day and getting closer to everyone. I am sure I will have a great time here and hopefully we will be successful.'

The 30-year-old made his Chelsea bow against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with a promising 45-minute display. He hopes to be fully operational shortly.

'I trained with the team for the first few days but had an injury with my groin, so I was resting for a week and came back only a few days ago to train. I am sure soon I will be fit enough.'

Benayoun arrives to take the number 10 jersey, made available following Joe Cole's departure and subsequent arrival at our new man's former club, Liverpool. Despite their similar playing styles, Benayoun is hopeful that obvious comparisons are not drawn.

'I don't think about it. My favourite number is 15, but it is not available!' he smiled. 'I don't like to compare myself to another player, I come here to do my best and hopefully it will be good enough. Joe is in Liverpool, I wish him the best, I think he is a great player.'

Another Cole, Ashley, is currently being linked with a move away from Chelsea, but with Carlo Ancelotti having insisted the left-back is staying, Benayoun is confident the England man will remain a team-mate.

'It is always like this in clubs, you always want your best players to stay,' he explained. 'The squad is very strong and it is normal there are offers from other teams, but we really hope Ashley will stay because he is a great player.'

Ancelotti also admitted a possibility that Brazilian midfielder Ramires could be heading to Stamford Bridge, though a deal with his club Benfica remains some way off.

'I don't know, I will speak about Ramires when Ramires will be a Chelsea player,' the manager said after Tuesday's training session. 'Until now he is not a Chelsea player, we hope, but until now nothing is decided.'

The Italian is growing closer to having his line-up for tomorrow's game against Hamburg, and Sunday's Community Shield date with Manchester United, sorted in his mind.

'It is my thought to reward the players that start the game against Manchester United and give them more minutes. It is an important game, the last one of pre-season and we want to check our position physically and tactically before the start of the season.

'I think we need to have more time to be fit because we need above all for the players that came back on 26 July it is more difficult to be fit immediately, you have to take your time - a few weeks will be enough to come back to the best condition.'

Temperatures Rise In Training

The squad stayed in Frankfurt on Monday and took part in an intense training session as the sun shone on a warm afternoon.

Following Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Eintracht, the lads were given the morning off to rest before heading back to the Commerzbank Arena complex for a taxing workout on one of the surrounding pitches, joined today by Gael Kakuta who linked up with the squad following his international success with France Under 19s last week.

The first exercise involved three groups, each player having to run out and around a series of poles before running backwards, turning and sprinting to the line, then backwards back out to jump and head a high ball back into the group. If it sounds tough, just imagine what it is like having to do it!

Next up was some ball work, the group split into four teams on two pitches, the sole aim to maintain possession in your confined area.

Carlo Ancelotti then blew his whistle, marking the end of the high-octane possession exercises before beginning two-on-two attack with one group, which also tested his keeper's abilities between the posts. Meanwhile the second group got down to a game of five-a-side under the watchful gaze of Ray Wilkins.

By now there was an audience, made up of adidas competition winners, who watched the world-class players prepare for Wednesday's clash with Hamburg and another Barclays Premier League campaign.

The session also sparked interest from the locals, who lined up alongside the surrounding fences to catch a glimpse of the Blues in practice.

The manager soon incorporated a few more players in a four-on-four session, with one side defending, the other attacking, while Sam Walker performed his duties between the posts.

He was soon replaced by Hilario, whose quick reactions twice denied Didier Drogba from finding the net, before Ross Turnbull took up the position. Drogba completed the full session following an individual post-match workout yesterday.

Once the session was over the players met some of the awaiting fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures before making their way back to the team hotel.

There, 22-year-old defender Michael Mancienne discussed his pre-season progress, having had his first game involvement on Sunday afternoon following a thigh injury.

'To be honest, even though I was injured I was still doing quite a lot of work with the physios and I was already feeling quite fit and now I'm feeling good,' he said.

'It's very important to get the match sharpness and that's what pre-season does. You need to work hard and do things right. So it works well in preparing you for the season ahead.

'We've come out here to get fitness and get ready for the coming season, and so far it has been very good.'

'For me, this is a different experience to last year because we went to America and a lot of people have come back later because of the World Cup, so we're all at different levels of fitness but everyone is slowly getting there, and the young lads like Josh McEachran and Sam Walker have done well too.'

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Preview

Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea will have their eyes on the ultimate prize this season as they look to land the sole trophy to elude them in the Roman Abramovich era – the UEFA Champions League as well as retaining their status as English champions.

Last season

The 2009-10 season proved to be the most successful in the history of Chelsea FC as Carlo Ancelotti led Chelsea to the League and FA Cup double for the first time in his opening season as Head Coach. After a tense season of twists and turns with Manchester United, Chelsea wrapped up the league title on the final day of the season with a top flight record victory, 8-0 over Wigan Athletic to lift the trophy in style. Along the way, Chelsea set a Premier League record for number of goals scored – finding the net an incredible 103 times in the league.

The squad: 2010 summer transfer activity

An accusation levelled at Chelsea for the last few years is that the squad is too old. To combat this, the summer activity at Stamford Bridge has mainly seen experienced players in the twilight of their career leave through the exit door. Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Deco and sadly for most Chelsea fans, Joe Cole, all moved on to pastures new this summer. New arrivals to the club are slim to date, Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun replacing Anfield-bound Cole for a reported £6.5million the only likely first-team player to join, with future talent 17-year-old centre-back Tomas Kalas joining from Sigma Olomuc.

The Coach/manager

After seeing Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink all fail to satisfy their owners’ taste for trophies since Jose Mourinho’s exit in 2007, Carlo Ancelotti arrived from AC Milan after spending eight years as the head of the Rossoneri. With two Serie A titles and the Champions League title prominent on his CV, the Italian took the helm and led to the Blues to their first Premier League title in three seasons as well as a third FA Cup triumph in the last four years with the swagger and entertainment value so craved by Abramovich. His success in his first season in England should see an end to the revolving door policy to the management position at Stamford Bridge, as the Chelsea fans took the Italian to heart and the ghost of Mourinho finally seemed to be exorcised.

Anchorman: Michael Essien

For many observers as good as a new signing in itself, a fully fit Michael Essien will give Chelsea an extra boost for the season ahead. The Ghanaian’s return to fitness strengthens the Blues midfield, after he missed out on the climax of last season and the World Cup in South Africa. A serious knee injury ensuring he hasn’t played competitively for his club since December. Despite making just 13 league starts last season, Chelsea’s quest for domestic glory wasn’t hampered by Essien’s absence, yet it was the Champions League exit to Inter Milan where the talismanic midfielders’ loss was felt most. With his hard-hitting no-nonsense style of play and possessing a rocket of a shot in his arsenal, Essien’s return to the starting line-up will be an unwelcome one for many opponents this season.

Playmaker: Frank Lampard

Despite enduring a disappointing summer with the English national side at the World Cup, Frank Lampard returns to club football amongst the key players at Stamford Bridge. His consistent record of goal-scoring and assist play over the last five seasons in particular make him top of the team sheet on match-day. Contributing an incredible 27 goals in all competitions last season and now standing at number three in the all time top goalscorers charts for the Blues, Lampard will look to put international frustration behind him by earning silverware at club level again this season.

Hot prospect: Jeffrey Bruma

Excelling as part of Chelsea’s FA Youth Cup winning set-up, 19-year-old Jeffrey Bruma will look to force his way into Ancelotti’s first-team plans this season. On the back of making his Blues debut last season, Bruma, a confident centre back who can cover at right back and strikes a mean set-piece, has been recognized at national level after receiving the call from Netherlands Head Coach Bert Van Marwijk for this month’s international friendly in Kiev against Ukraine. With captain John Terry to learn from on the pitch, Bruma could make big moves this season, especially if Ricardo Carvalho departs to team up with former manager Mourinho at Real Madrid.

2010/11 prediction: Champions

Much of Chelsea’s success may be dependent on the fitness and form of star striker Didier Drogba, but if the Ivorian can produce to close to the frightening return of last season, the Blues will be hard to stop. Drogba banged in a stunning 29 league goals in a Golden Boot winning season as he led Chelsea to the title, supported by Lampard’s 22 goal return with Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda also scoring double figures over the season. Winning the title by a single point in 2009-10, Chelsea owed a lot to their spotless record against their supposed ‘Top 4’ competitors, overcoming Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool at home and away last season. Their rivalry with big-spending Manchester City will be renewed after finishing pointless against City last season.

Carlo Ancelotti Feels Chelsea Better Than Liverpool Even Without UCL Win

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is desperate to replicate last season's sensational show which saw Chelsea complete the double of Premier League and FA Cup for the first time in their history.

However, following England's dismal run in the WC, Chelsea's English contingents Frank Lampard, John Terry, and Ashley Cole might not have psychologically recovered to face a new challenge. Ancelotti knows the importance of this trio to his side's success in the forthcoming season.

Now Ancelotti has advised his players to put their minds back to the end of last season. And this is what you call living in the past.

Ancelotti, instead of inspiring his players, is trying to take them back to past glories. He feels that last season's taste of success is enough to inspire his team to do the same. The Chelsea boss might want to repeat last season's accomplishments.

But it will take some doing considering the improvements being made at his rival camps.

As part of a cost-cutting strategy Chelsea has been quiet in the summer transfer window. That's not the Chelsea we all know.

Extravagant spending is synonymous to Chelsea; so lack of transfer activities only suggest one thing that Chelsea does fear the proposed UEFA regulations of modulating the cash being splashed by clubs beyond their means.

The departure of Joe Cole from Chelsea underlines the same issue. Chelsea is finally trying to be within their means.

Up till now they were blindly depending on a Russian moneybag to prise their targets away from any club.

However, that had to stop now since the new UEFA rules, once implemented, would make it impossible for Chelsea to compete in the Champions League if they don't cut their costs.

Chelsea is also sweating hard to name the 25-member squad since they currently don't meet the stipulated home-grown quota. There should be 8 home-grown players in the 25-member squad but Chelsea needs three more home-grown players to complete the list.

So are they going to buy? Or are they going to name only 22 players?

If it was the old Chelsea you would straight away affirm that they will buy, buy, and buy to meet any kind of rules and regulations. But not anymore.

The only player linked with Chelsea who has got a realistic chance of completing the move is Ramires. And does he come under that home grown category? No, he doesn't. So it remains to be seen how the double-winning manager is going to sort this one out.

Meanwhile, before signing for Liverpool, the ex-Chelsea midfielder—Joe Cole—declared then that he was going to sign for the biggest club in the country.

If you take Liverpool's achievements in European Champion's League and the number of domestic League titles they won into account, he has a point there.

Although the current plight of Liverpool is awful, they still remain as one of the most successful clubs in England. Who can write off a grand comeback by Liverpool in the most dramatic fashion? Only Ancelotti.

"That is his opinion but I don’t think it is a reality. Liverpool is a fantastic club with a fantastic history and a tradition. But is normal for a player to say things like that when he joins a new club," said Ancelotti referring to Cole's comment that Liverpool is the biggest club in the country.

That was a jibe at Liverpool. He wanted to say Liverpool is nowhere near Chelsea's class but had fallen short with his twisted approach.

Even if Chelsea hasn't won any Champions League titles, Ancelotti feels his Cup and League double in his first season counts more than what Liverpool has achieved over all these years.

His arrogance makes him feel that he has achieved more than what Liverpool did in his debut season.

When other teams are persistently trying to meet the new FA governs, Ancelotti is finding joy in having a go at his rivals.

His prime concern should be Chelsea. But at the moment he seems to be overly concerned about what his rival teams and players have got to say.

In the process he may end up with a 22-man squad.

Ancelotti Rules Out Move For Real Madrid's Kaka

Carlo Ancelotti has again rejected suggestions Real Madrid star Kaka could join Chelsea this summer.

Kaka, 28, left AC Milan for Madrid last summer but, despite high expectations, he struggled for form as injury problems hindered his transition.

Reports have suggested new Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is now willing to cash in on Kaka with Mesut Ozil lined up as a replacement, but Ancelotti has again said Chelsea have no plans to make an approach.

"Kaka cannot come to Chelsea," Ancelotti told Sky Italia. "He was one player of mine and has done so much for Milan, but now he belongs to Real Madrid and he will decide about his future along with his current club.

"Certainly neither I nor Chelsea will do it (decide his future)."

Chelsea Agree Terms With Benfica Over Transfer Of Ramires

Highly rated midfielder Ramires is continually being linked with a move away from Benfica since his good performances for Brazil at the 2010 World Cup, but the reigning Portuguese champions appeared to be reluctant to let go of the 23-year-old.

The Aguias have now apparently changed their mind though, as a report in Record suggests that Benfica have reached an agreement with English powerhouse Chelsea over the transfer of the former Cruzeiro star. The Blues will reportedly pay a fee of €22 million to secure the services of the Brazil international.

Benfica recently sold 50 per cent of the player's rights to an investment group for a fee of €6m, meaning that they will only get €11m from the fee Chelsea pay. However, they only paid a reported €7m fee for Ramires to Cruzeiro a year ago and will thus still make a €10m profit on the young midfielder.

Ramires was left out of Benfica's starting XI in their 4-1 friendly win against Aston Villa on Sunday in order not to take any unnecessary risks with the upcoming transfer in the back of their minds.

Both clubs involved in the transfer have yet to confirm the transfer, but an official statement from Benfica is expected to be released on Tuesday.

Carlo Ancelotti Warns Jose Mourinho Ashley Cole Is Staying Put

Carlo Ancelotti reignited his feud with Jose Mourinho by warning him: You’ve got NO chance of signing Ashley Cole!

The bad blood between the pair spilled over again as Ancelotti told the former Chelsea boss to forget a reunion with the England left-back.

Fresh reports over the weekend suggested that Cole had told Ancelotti he wants to quit Stamford Bridge to join Mourinho at Real Madrid.

But the Italian angrily insisted Mourinho will not be getting his hands on one of his top summer targets.

Ancelotti said: “I’m not interested in the relationship one of my player’s has with other coaches.

“It’s normal that Mourinho has a good relationship with Ashley Cole.

“But nothing has changed our position. He is a Chelsea player and will remain a Chelsea player for the future. There’s no way he will leave.

“We believe he’s the best left-back in the world – and because of this, he will stay at this club.”

Former AC Milan boss Ancelotti and Mourinho have been at each others’ throats since ‘The Special One’ moved to city rivals Inter Milan in 2008.

Cole – together with fellow England World Cup flops John Terry and Frank Lampard – made his first pre-season appearance against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

But the Three Lions trio, who played 45 minutes each, could not prevent a 2-1 defeat in Germany. Terry looked a yard off the pace in his first run-out since returning from South Africa. The ex-England skipper and goalkeeper Hilario were responsible for the howler which gifted Patrick Ochs a 25th-minute opener.

Lampard equalized midway through the second half, but Halil Altintop’s late penalty won the game for the Bundesliga side.

The performance of second-choice keeper Hilario will have worried Ancelotti, with No.1 Petr Cech battling to recover from a calf injury in time for the Blues’ Premier League opener against West Brom a week on Saturday.

The Italian tried to sweep Hilario’s poor display under the carpet but is banking on Cech getting fit.

He said: “We have to maintain trust in these goalkeepers and we hope Petr Cech can recover well before the start of the season.”

Didier Drogba will train today ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Hamburg.

The Ivory Coast striker had groin surgery last week, but Ancelotti is hopeful his star striker will play some part on Wednesday.

Match Report: Eintracht Frankfurt 2 - 1 Chelsea

Chelsea suffered a second successive friendly defeat after a late penalty gave our German hosts a narrow victory.

On the balance of play it was perhaps a fair result, though it should be noted that Eintracht Frankfurt are a week ahead of the Blues in their preparations, with the Bundesliga kicking off next weekend.

It was individual slips that cost us, first Hilario made a hash of his clearance and then a shirt pull by Branislav Ivanovic handed our hosts a penalty, either side of substitute Frank Lampard's equaliser.

Results however are not the key factor in these games, and Carlo Ancelotti will have been pleased to see his World Cup players, and a couple of injury victims gaining some minutes on the pitch.

For our third pre-season fixture, the manager was boosted by the presence nine returning World Cup internationals, and the Italian opted to start with six of them.

Also available for the first time was Yossi Benayoun, whose groin injury had eased to allow him a debut, and Yury Zhirkov, who had recovered from his hamstring complaint for a first run out of 2010/11.

It was a hot day in central Germany, made all the more uncomfortable with the presence of the Commerzbank Arena's roof, shadowing a patchy-looking pitch that had hosted two American Football games the day before.

Following the pre-match meet and greets, it was the Blues who started the brighter, Nicolas Anelka squaring across the Eintracht area early on, and Jeffrey Bruma heading Florent Malouda's corner over after the initial cross was cleared behind.

Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Benayoun interlinked well after eight minutes, Kalou shooting high after some inventive touches from his team-mates, and then home goalkeeper Oka Nikolov had to rush from his line to punch clear a through ball from John Terry as Malouda closed in.

Ten minutes later though it was the Germans who were celebrating the game's first goal, as another goalkeeping blunder blighted Chelsea's pre-season campaign. Last week it was Ross Turnbull, today it was Hilario's turn.

With the ball rolling towards the custodian, Terry opted to touch the ball back with a forward bearing down. It seemed to throw the Portuguese goalkeeper who then tried to beat his man, lost possession and the ball ran loose to Patrick Ochs, who made no mistake in looping the ball over into an empty net.

It was a messy little episode for Chelsea in what had otherwise been a reasonably tidy opening, if showing signs of a little rust in the eight who had not previously featured this summer.

Just after the half-hour, Frankfurt's summer signing Theofanis Gekas almost caught Hilario out with an overhead kick after he was afforded space inside the area, but the keeper was alert enough to make the save.

A moment later another hashed clearance was almost punished, but Hilario parried well, first from Gekas and then from Ochs. There was only one side looking like scoring now, and just before the break Amanatidis nearly did, crashing a half-volley just wide.

Eight Chelsea changes followed at half-time, among them Frank Lampard, Branislav Ivanovic and Ricardo Carvalho all getting their first taste of pre-season action, and Michael Mancienne on at right-back, his first Chelsea game after a season with Wolves.

Malouda and Essien, another sub, both came close in the opening exchanges, while Gekas sent another Frankfurt effort just wide.

Chelsea's equaliser came courtesy of Lampard, who had only flown into Frankfurt on Sunday morning after illness.

Patrick Van Aanholt made a surging run down the left, and sending a pass inside which Lampard could only half reach before sub goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann, who got his legs to the ball but not enough to continue its forward momentum, allowing the midfielder to run on and smash it over the line to level things up.

There followed the type of quiet period that comes with multiple substitutions in a friendly game, but with nine minutes remaining Frankfurt were awarded a penalty after a tug inside the area, and Halil Altintop, smashed it straight down the middle and in.

Two minutes later Chelsea had Carvalho to thank for keeping the deficit down to one, as he prevented Altintop from shooting into an empty net after another Hilario clearance was charged down.

At the other end Fabio Borini beat the offside trap and should have levelled, but goalkeeper Fahrmann stayed big and saved with his legs.

It was to be the last chance of the game, and so it is two straight defeats, but several important returns for Chelsea. Next up is Hamburg on Wednesday before the big one against Manchester United later this week.

Let The Clear Out Begin

Right. As you'll be able to tell from the time this article is published, the Frankfurt friendly has just finished.

I believe it is now time for a few players to say goodbye and move from Chelsea.

Number 1? Hilario.

The only things Hilario did right were make saves after he'd created the chances for Frankfurt himself. It was as if he was saying, 'I need the practice, here you go, I give you ball, shoot.' The sheer arrogance of the player to waste time on goal kicks in the first half and to waste time on clearances which led to goals and chances for the opposition.

Carlo, I expect him gone by the start of the PL. Bring in Delac as the third keeper.

Number 2? Borini.

Some will not agree with me and perhaps its Carlo's fault that he looked awful today but you can't play him as the lone striker. 2 reasons, a) he's not good enough in that role and b) he's not good enough for Chelsea. He might be the captain of Italy U-19s but they were atrocious at the tournament that has just finished. Wasted his opportunity at the end which was an easy sideways pass for Sinclair to score.

And Number 3? Ferreira.

First game back since WC and he looks like he's got even worse. Age is not on his side anymore and we have enough youth coming through to cover for him. Along with Deco we could save some money each week by not having to pay his wages.

Carvalho: More To Come

Ricardo Carvalho came through his first 45 minutes of club football this summer on Sunday, and immediately admitted he was feeling the effects.

The Portuguese defender only returned to training last Monday after three weeks off following his World Cup exploits, where he was one of his country's outstanding performers before their second round elimination by Spain.

Against Eintracht Frankfurt yesterday, he was a half-time substitute as Carlo Ancelotti gave vital game time to each of his nine returning World Cup men. Their afternoon was made harder by a soft pitch that quickly cut up.

Asked afterwards how he was feeling, Carvalho said: 'Good, it has been a hard week with double sessions every day, so it is normal to feel a bit more tired than usual but we are getting fit.

'I think we could play much better but the pitch was a little bit difficult, you could feel it during the game, and we made a mistake with the penalty and they scored, so I think we should have had a draw at least.'

Frankfurt's Bundesliga season commences this coming weekend, and so it is to be expected that they are a yard or so sharper than our boys, whose Premier League campaign begins in 12 days' time against West Bromwich Albion, but Carvalho felt this was not the case in the Commerzbank Arena.

'I am not sure if Frankfurt were fitter, both teams played more or less at the same level, I think we could play better but so could they, and in the end they were a little bit lucky with the penalty,' he explained.

'For us now the next game is on Wednesday, and I look forward to it and improving my condition, and for the team it is time to get results, to start to win and to play better.'

Cole Desperate To Leave Chelsea

Reports suggest Ashley Cole has told Carlo Ancelotti that he is desperate to leave Chelsea and be reunited with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old England international left-back had a short discussion with Ancelotti about his future when he returned to pre-season training last week.

Cole said after the World Cup that he hated life in England and it is now believed he wants to move abroad following the break-up of his marriage to Cheryl and continued lurid stories about his personal life.

A source close to Chelsea told the News of the World: "It was a very amicable meeting, but Ashley made it clear that because of his personal situation he feels it is in his best interests to leave the club.

"He told Ancelotti that he will be very sad to leave and that it had been a privilege playing for the club during such a successful time in its history.

"Ashley was told that he would have to go and see the chairman, which he hasn't done yet and he has not handed in a formal transfer request.

"He knows Ancelotti wants him to stay, but he feels that moving abroad is the only way he can escape the attention after what happened with Cheryl and the other stories about his private life."

Real are believed to be willing to launch a £25million bid for the former Arsenal star.

Double Boost For Blues

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti expects Didier Drogba and Petr Cech to be fit for the start of the new season.

Drogba was a surprise inclusion in the Chelsea squad for their pre-season trip to Germany just one week after undergoing groin surgery.

The Ivory Coast ace was expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks following the surgery, but although he will not figure in Sunday's clash with Eintracht Frankfurt he could be involved in the midweek game with Hamburg.

Cech, who has been struggling with a calf problem, has not made the trip to Germany, but Ancelotti expects the custodian to be available for next weekend's Community Shield clash with Manchester United.

"He [Drogba] is in good condition, he has recovered well from surgery so he will be able to play the next game [against Hamburg]," Ancelotti told Sky Sports News.

"Yeah it is very good he is doing very well.

"All our squad is improving our condition and I think we will be ready for the start of the season.

"All the players in Germany will play tomorrow maybe only 45 minutes, but against Hamburg I want to put out the line-up that will play against Manchester United.

"Petr Cech is good, I think he will be fit for the game against Manchester United.

"I think that all the players will be fit against Manchester United and only [Jose] Bosingwa needs more time to be fit."

Frank Lampard has not travelled with the squad to Germany because of illness but he will link up later next week, while Daniel Sturridge is missing with a minor ankle problem.

Wigan Athletic In The Clear To Land Franco di Santo

According to reports Wigan Athletic are in pole position to sign Chelsea FC striker Franco di Santo.

The Latics were understood to be battling with Bolton Wanderers and Dutch sides Feyernoord and Twente Enschede for the youngster’s signature.

The Mirror claims Chelsea are reluctant to deal with Bolton Wanderers.

In the last few days Feyenoord chief Leo Beenhakker has revealed he would not be pursuing the Argentine.

Ozil Admits Chelsea Move Would Be A 'Dream'

In demand Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil says it "would be a dream" to play in the Premier League and admitted that the prospect of a move to Chelsea greatly excites him.

Ozil, 21, has attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs after emerging as one Germany's most impressive performers at the World Cup in South Africa. The Werder Bremen playmaker has just one year left on his contract and would represent excellent value for money for any potential suitors in an otherwise inflated transfer market.

The Bundesliga club appears resigned to cashing in on their star player now, rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer, with Chelsea reportedly among the interested parties. And if either of the Premier League giants were to swoop, Ozil believes it would be difficult to turn down a move to England.

"There are four or five clubs in Europe that you would have to say as a player would be a dream to play for," Ozil said in the Daily Star Sunday.

"When you are looking at moving clubs it's impossible not to pay attention to the Premier League and even more impossible not to pay attention to Chelsea.

"I am a winner and, when I am looking for a new club, I simply look at where I can be the most successful and where I can win the most trophies. If you look at the recent history of Chelsea then it's clear that a player can be very successful there.

"Of course clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are of huge interest and the Premier League's top two clubs are of serious interest to me when the time comes. I am under contract with Werder for another year and it is impossible for me to say if a deal will be done this summer.

"They may decide that they want to keep me for another season or they may decide to sell me this summer so they can get some money for me. That is up to the club."

Kalou Happy To Be Back

Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou is relishing being back at Chelsea following his summer break.

Kalou, who has started his pre-season preparation following three weeks off after the World Cup, joins his team-mates as they travel to Germany on Saturday.

And the 24-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2006, has enjoyed linking back up with his colleagues in training following the Blues' Premier League and FA Cup Double last season.

"We haven't been with the team for two-and-a-half months so you long to come back and catch up with the other players," Kalou told Chelsea's official website.

"After we won the Double we never really got the time to be together so we didn't have the time to enjoy more the winning so it's good to be back with the players."

Kalou believes Chelsea have a squad more than capable of challenging for the Champions League trophy this term as they look to complete their silverware collection.

He added: "I believe that it can be a great season for us again if we can keep everyone fit; we have the team to do better than last year by winning the Champions League because it's very important everyone is hoping that the club win that trophy."

The forward, who netted 12 goals last season, is looking to better his scoring rate as well as establishing himself as a regular starter this term.

"I want to score more goals than last year, between 15 and 20, and I think my personal goal is to be an important player for the team like in the end of last season and to continue at that level and play well for the team," he said.

Kalou's other hope for the season is to see team-mate Jose Bosingwa return to action after being ruled out with a knee injury since last October.

"He hasn't played for so long," added Kalou.

"We want to see him back on the pitch doing his thing, and he will be like a new signing because it is such a long time since he played."

Carlo Backing World Cup Flops

Carlo Ancelotti is relying on Chelsea's World Cup washouts to conquer the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Stamford Bridge manager has set his sights on European glory after guiding the Blues to the Premier League and FA Cup titles last term.

And he believes the Chelsea players that flopped in South Africa will be eager to put that disappointment behind them and help him achieve his dream.

"All my Musketeers, including (Didier) Drogba, (Florent) Malouda, (Frank) Lampard and (John) Terry, have played in a World Cup which has lowered their profile," Ancelotti told The Sun.

"If you look at all the big nations that failed, from England to Argentina, France and Brazil, the coach was trying to get the right balance between the individuals and the organization of the team.

"In my first season with Chelsea, we won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield. But I missed out on the Champions League, so that is now my dream.

"At the moment everything here in London is good. But I know if we do not keep winning that things will soon change for me.

"So we must quickly rediscover the enthusiasm we had last season and same good football."

Milk Cup: Chelsea Break Club Duck

Chelsea celebrated their first trophy win at the Milk Cup in what was a fitting end to the tournament for them.

The young Blues had dominated the Junior Section and it was no different in the final against Cruz Azul as the boys from Stamford Bridge ran out 3-0 winners.

Victory was as good as assured at half-time with two spectacular goals from Reece Mitchell and John Swift proving the Mexicans’ undoing. Lewis Baker claimed the third by stroking home a penalty in stoppage time.

Head coach Adrian Viveash said: “It’s been a tremendous week, on and off the pitch. We’ve loved being in Ireland.

“This is a new group we’ve brought and they are worthy of the Milk Cup, this competition and its history.”

Scorer Mitchell added: “Hard work is the key to what we’ve achieved.”

Chelsea had the ideal start with Mitchell’s eye-catching goal after just three minutes. It’s not hard to see why he has been offered a scholarship at the West London club.

Swift floated a pin-perfect cross in from the right which Mitchell met with a bicycle kick and hit the far corner of the net.

It was the Chelsea striker’s fourth goal of the tournament and the best of them all.

Swift doubled Chelsea’s advantage on the stroke of half-time when the towering midfielder let fly from 25 yards with a blistering effort which fizzed past Perez and into the net.

Azul started the second period with a bit more urgency, but without threatening the Chelsea rearguard, who seemed content to protect their lead at a canter.

Baker sent Perez the wrong way from the penalty spot to claim Chelsea’s first junior crown.

King Kakuta In France

Gael Kakuta created the winning goal as France claimed the Uefa Under 19 European Championship on home soil with victory over Spain on Friday evening.

The Frenchman joins English Under-17 internationals Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah in becoming a European champion, following their success earlier in the summer when they also triumphed over the Spanish.

Kakuta played the full 90 minutes as France came from behind to win 2-1 in Caen, northern France, and it was from his cross that Alexandre Lacazette headed home the winner five minutes from time.

Spain had taken the lead early on when Liverpool forward Daniel Pacheco set up Rodrigo to finish, but Arsenal man Gilles Sunu's equalizer four minutes into the second half gave France hope of avoiding their cruel defeat to Spain in the 2008 Under 17 Final.

The Chelsea man forced Spain goalkeeper Alex into a smart save but moments later had the last laugh as he dinked in a delicate cross for Lacazette to head home.

France are the second successive hosts, following Ukraine, to lift the Under 19 title.

Benayoun Relishing Chelsea Challenge

Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun is ready for the challenge of breaking into a team which won the Premier League and FA Cup double last season.

After three years with Liverpool, the Israel international finally quit Merseyside when he joined the Blues in a £5million move in July.

A niggling groin injury halted his progress in pre-season but Benayoun is determined to make an impact for Carlo Ancelotti's side as the Blues look to defend their domestic titles.

"There are a lot of good players, big players, for me it is the beginning and I have to work hard and prove I can bring something to this club," said Benayoun.

"The only thing I can promise is I will work hard and do my best, and hopefully it will be good enough.

"I had offers from a few teams but when Chelsea came in for me it was the obvious and only thing to think about, and I am glad it came out in the end."

Benayoun made his last appearance for Liverpool against the Blues on May 2, when Chelsea took a giant step towards the league title with a 2-0 win.

"The last home game I knew it would be my last for Liverpool, I tried to do my best but Chelsea were strong," added Benayoun.

"All the years here in England, five years, Chelsea were always a difficult side to play against with big players and that's why they are always there at the top fighting for trophies. That's why I am glad to be a part of it now."

Benayoun's pedigree is second to none. As a talented youngster in Israel, he was asked to join the Ajax academy at just 15.

He began his senior career two years later with Hapoel Beer-Sheva before moving on to Maccabi Haifa in 1998.

After completing national service he left Maccabi having scored 55 goals in 130 appearances and joined Racing Santander in Spain in 2002.

But his goalscoring exploits soon brought him to the attention of English clubs and West Ham snapped him up for £2.5million three years later.

He helped the Hammers to finish ninth in the Premier League and reach the 2006 FA Cup final under then manager Alan Pardew.

He played one more season at Upton Park before making a £5million move to Anfield in 2007 where he replaced Luis Garcia, who moved back to Spain as part of the transfer deal that saw Fernando Torres join Liverpool.

His time at Liverpool was spent in and out of the side with Rafael Benitez never really appearing to treat him as a regular first-team player.

Last season he started 29 games and scored nine goals including a late one against Atletico Madrid at Anfield that looked to have put Liverpool into the Europa League final before Diego Forlan's last-gasp strike ended that dream.

Captain of the Israel national side, Benayoun has quickly felt at home after making the move back to London.

"It is a great training ground and you can see it is one of the best clubs in the world from the way the people here treat you," added Benayoun.

"It is a good challenge for me and I am ready for it."

Coach Ancelotti admitted that much of Benayoun's appeal lay in his versatility. The midfielder is equally at home on either wing and his trickery will cause plenty of problems for opposing defences.

"Yossi has a lot of quality in midfield and can play in lots of positions. I like his behaviour on the pitch," said Ancelotti.

"He will do a great job."

Is Mikel Arteta The Solution?

Recent weeks have seen us linked with just about every able bodied player on the planet.

One player that the media have missed is probably someone who should be on the forefront of plans this season. I am of course talking about Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta.

Now the Premier League is often considered devoid of true playmakers, with Fabregas being the first that springs to mind. The other, and second only to Fabregas is Arteta. Everton's player of the year in 2005/06/07/08.

Arteta has been established as Everton's greatest sun. Linked with Chelsea in the past and continuously with Arsenal this summer as Fabregas considers Barcelona's offer, at £10million he offers a bargain that could prove a steal.

A graduate of the Barcelona academy, Arteta has proved himself in the Premier League and with the constant cries of Chelsea lacking a playmaker in the truest form, it is a surprise few mention his name on the site.

Mikel Arteta began his career as a holding player in the Guardiola mould and played with his best friend Xabi Alonso in San Sebastian. A meeting with a brilliant manager by the name of David Moyes sent his career rocketing towards the sky.

Moyes realised that he is best suited further forward and since then Arteta has never looked back. Capable of playing the Ballack role deep in midfield, spraying the ball and linking up the attack, Arteta would fit seamlessly in the 4-3-3 system.

Also more than capable of playing at the so called 'tip of the diamond position' as has been made famous by valued member Lukamolski on the site.

His defensive abilities allow him to play in other positions and formations if necessary. Mikel is an amazing crosser of the ball and has excellent passes and vision in the final third. His spot-kicks, be they free-kicks, corners or penalties are simply astounding.

He may not be among the very top brass of world football, but the man who replaced Gravesen at Everton and was declared the Premier League's best midfielder in 2006/07 by SkySports but he has a lot to offer, and a move to a bigger arena may be great, for him and the club in question.

Having discussed options in the likes of City's Rejects I thought it my civic duty to raise it up a notch.