Sky Sports Pundit Lauds Ancelotti's "Unnoticed" Assistant

Sports pundit Chris Kamara has praised the contribution of Chelsea FC’s assistant coach Ray Wilkins, suggesting Carlo Ancelotti’s right-hand man deserves a lot of credit for his part in helping the Blues win the Premier League.

Kamara suggests Wilkins goes relatively unnoticed by those outside of the Chelsea FC dressing room but claims the former QPR manager plays a crucial role in liaising with the players and Ancelotti.

The Sky Sports pundit praises Wilkins as “Mr. Chelsea” and suggests Ancelotti’s assistant “deserves a shower of love” for his role in the club’s successful Premier League campaign.

Kamara told Skysports.com: “I think Ray Wilkins deserves a lot of credit too.”

“He goes unnoticed but the contribution he makes at that football club is brilliant.”

“He's been through a few managers now but he's a great coach, he's Mr. Chelsea and he deserves a shower of love.”

Chelsea Won't Break Bank For Joe Cole

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has warned midfielder Joe Cole the club has a salary budget this summer with regards to new deals.

The former West Ham man along with vastly-experienced German midfielder Michael Ballack are both of contract next month and available on free transfers.

The club is keen to thrash out new terms with England international Cole, who has been at the club for the past seven years following his Upton Park switch.

Gourlay insists finalising players' futures is one of the club's top priorities, however, with their aim to be self-sufficient in mind; The Blues will not retain the 29-year-old at all costs.

"We will sit down and talk to Joe Cole at the end of the season, and he knows that," explained Gourlay.

"We will do that with a number of players, but when it comes down to salaries you have to draw the line somewhere.

"Every time we push the wage levels up higher we have somebody else knocking at the door," he continued without naming Cole.

"We've got to make a mark in the sand at some point."

Chelsea To Make £20M Raid On Tottenham For Luka Modric

Chelsea will make a £20m raid on Spurs for midfield maestro Luka Modric.

And Carlo Ancelotti has been told he can buy a £70m player like Fernando Torres if he wants.

But the Chelsea manager has targeted Croatian schemer Modric as the man he wants to add to his midfield.

As a result he would allow both Deco and Joe Cole to leave. Modric is also understood to be a target for Manchester United, but it is believed that he would prefer to stay in London and could be interested in a move to Chelsea.

Ancelotti wants to freshen up his midfield and the 24-year-old Modric is considered ideal signing because he has already had two seasons in the Premier League.

It means that Cole will be allowed to leave because Chelsea are refusing to meet his £100,000-a-week plus wage demands.

But he could easily go in the opposite direction and join up with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who he started his career with at West Ham.

Redknapp wants to keep hold of Modric but may struggle if the player wants to move to Chelsea, and Cole could be the perfect answer.

Talking about meeting Cole’s wage demands, Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: “We’re very conscious of controlling our salaries, but at the same time we’re expected to win every game we play so have to get the balance right.

“The balance is being able to bring players through from the academy to offset some of the higher costs we’ve incurred over the years.

“We will sit down and talk to Joe Cole at the end of the season, and he knows that. We will do that with a number of players, but when it comes down to salaries you have to draw a line somewhere.”

Chelsea also hope to do new deals with Michael Ballack and Nicolas Anelka, who are out of contract this summer.

But although Chelsea want to become self-sufficient and balance their books, Gourlay would not completely rule out splashing out a record £70m on a player – like Torres.

He added: “We have to get a team together to challenge for trophies.

“We have a good squad. We do not feel we will be required to spend a huge amount of money.

“It is a balancing act between trying to become self-sufficient and improving the football team. Any decision about signings will be made by Carlo.”

Chelsea And Man City Chase Torres

CHELSEA will match Manchester City in the fight for Fernando Torres.

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti has been given the go-ahead to bid for £50million-rated Liverpool striker Torres.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: "If it was good for the club then we can make an exception to buy a marquee player.

"We have to challenge for trophies. We have a good squad and don't feel we are required to spend a huge amount.

"It's a balancing act between keeping to our strategy of trying to become self sufficient and improving the team.

"However, we want to let our on-field success drive our commercial income and any decision about signings will be made by Ancelotti.

"There is a balance to be had between young players coming through from the academy and those players that we might sign."

Pato Rules Out Chelsea Move: "I Want To Stay At AC Milan"

Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato has moved swiftly to reject recent transfer rumours linking him with a summer exit from AC Milan to new Premier League champions Chelsea.

The 20-year-old told Corriere dello Sport: "I want to remain at AC Milan and win everything with them. But I am a Rossonero player and my future will be decided by the club."

All the transfer rumours have suggested Pato would be eager to join up with current Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti who managed the young starlet at AC Milan.

Pato: "He helped me grow in Italy but I am under contract until 2014 and I am happy to remain at AC Milan.”

Alexandre Pato scored 14 goals in 28 appearances for AC Milan in 2009/2010 but has not played since March due to injury.

Chelsea have been linked with a host of high-profile strikers ahead of the summer transfer window, including Fernando Torres and David Villa.

Terry Hosts Tickets For Troops Dinner

John Terry and club chairman Bruce Buck last night hosted a special Tickets for Troops dinner at Stamford Bridge, where they paid tribute to Britain's Armed Services.

Terry, who lifted the Premier League trophy on Sunday, spoke at length with members of the Medical Regiment of the Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade, and also met with Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC before settling down to dinner in Marco.

'We all picked up a medal for winning the Premier League but these young men and women deserve a medal every day for the courage they show,' said Terry. 'They are inspirational to us all.'

The evening was organised and hosted by Buck, who believes it is important clubs like Chelsea show their support for such initiatives.

'This was an easy thing and an obvious thing for us to do, the real heroes are out in Afghanistan and Iraq, they're not really at Chelsea Football Club, and all of us have an obligation to do whatever we can to make their jobs easier,' he said.

'This is a way for us to help Tickets for Troops and thank the people that have been generous to them.'

Tickets for Troops chairman Lord Marland saw the evening as a fitting tribute to the Services.

'It was set up because we felt the nation as a whole wanted to show gratitude and understanding for what our troops do,' he explained. 'One of the first people I called was Bruce Buck, a very good friend of mine, and Chelsea have led the Premier League in persuading others to give us tickets and started it rolling.

'It's not just about football, troops can go to theatrical shows, rugby games, the world darts, the world snooker, concerts at the O2, loads of events, and not just in London. It is very humbling, we feel good about doing it and that's very important. All we've done is captured the mood of the moment to support our troops, and it's a wonderful thing to be involved in.'

On the night, Terry was delighted to meet with Lance Corporal Beharry VC (as pictured top), who explained how servicemen and women feel about the scheme.

'Speaking for the guys on the ground, I never received a package or a letter from anyone, every now and then someone receives a box with things in, and the whole team looks forward to it, it's similar to Tickets for Troops,' he said.

'You have access to a computer and you can go online and apply for that ticket. Knowing you are actually getting a ticket, it's all you think about, you know when you finish your tour you are going to a game, or the opera, it is something to look forward to because all day you have nothing else.'

Tickets For Troops was launched last year and the charity is dedicated to providing free tickets for the Armed Services.

Terry also posed with a giant England ticket to mark the Football Association's decision to dedicate the last friendly before the World Cup between England and Mexico on May 24 to Tickets For Troops.

Youth Report: Tottenham 3 - 0 Chelsea

A depleted Chelsea Academy side finished off an FA Youth Cup-winning season with an away defeat to Tottenham in their second game in two days.

The side, which only had two substitutes on the bench after a weekend win over Ipswich, went down to 10 men midway through the first half when Kaby Djalo (pictured) was shown red.

It's likely the spritely midfielder would have been sent off following a late tackle but when a scuffle ensued red was the only option for the referee as Djalo was sent for an early shower.

However, despite being down to 10 and tired, the side continued to compete late into the second half when the game was killed off by Tottenham's third.

It didn't take long for the hosts to take the lead once Chelsea went down to 10. It was a good piece of football that sealed the opener as the home team dazzled our defence with some direct two-touch passing.

As the move reached its final man a mistake from Aldi Haxhia between the Chelsea posts was enough for the ball to slip over the line just before the half-hour mark.

At half time youth team manager Dermot Drummy decided to use one of his two subs when he swapped George Saville for Todd Kane. The change spurred the side into action but despite producing a few decent chances, Chelsea failed to really threaten to Spurs' goal.

Then, just before the hour mark was up, Philipp Prosenik went off with an injury, forcing goalkeeper Sam Walker into a striker's role as he took up the offensive position.

Not long after, despite having two keepers on the pitch, Chelsea conceded the second when another breakdown in communication allowed the hosts to break past our defensive line before slotting home.

It would take another 20 minutes for Tottenham to increase the lead but when they netted for the third time the game died down. Chelsea continued to work hard but the recent spate of games began to show as they tired towards the end.

'The boys did well and have had a fantastic season, it was a shame we finished the season with a loss but overall it's been a brilliant campaign,' said Drummy after the game.

'They showed fantastic commitment and although our discipline went slightly, you can't argue with the overall work ethic of the side.

'We just want to congratulate the first team players and staff on winning the League and thank them for giving the boys a chance to see, at close quarters, a League-winning side.

'These are things in development that you can only learn by winning. The first team showed us that this weekend and the way they were with the boys was fantastic.'

Ancelotti Testifies In Match-Fix Case

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti testified on Tuesday in Naples at the criminal trial on the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Ancelotti, whose team won the Barclays Premier League title on Sunday, was called in as a witness by the prosecution.

Ancelotti has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Juventus general director Luciano Moggi and former referee selector Paolo Bergamo are defendants.

Ancelotti was the coach of AC Milan for eight years before leaving for Chelsea last summer.

Milan were hit with an eight-point penalty during the 2006-07 campaign for their role in the scandal.