Chelsea Must Keep Stars, Says John Terry

John Terry has urged Chelsea to keep hold of their top stars.

The Blues skipper admits it's just as important that Carlo Ancelotti keeps the squad together as it is bringing in new recruits.

Last season Terry named David Villa and Franck Ribery as potential buys - transfers which never became a reality. But this season he is being more coy about naming possible targets.

“I’m definitely not going to get caught up in that one again!" he said.

“Honestly, when I signed my deal last year I stressed that it was important that Didier (Drogba) and Lamps and these kind of people stay here. I think it’s really important once again.

“And I stress it again - that Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka’s contracts are on the verge of being up - Nico has got a year left, and Joe is up in the summer.

“It’d be nice if we can keep these players. We’re linked with a lot of players because we are a big club.

"I think that the bottom half of the Premier League has closed the gap on the big four, and it’s time for all of us to spend."

Young Internationals Star On European Stage

The club football season may have ended, but whilst the World Cup looms large in the foreground, the UEFA Under-17 and Under-19 ranks are in action as well. As usual, Chelsea are well represented at the business end of things.


In Liechtenstein, Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah are with John Peacock’s England team as they seek to win the European Under-17 Championships. Many people’s favourites for the tournament, they started with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic last week. After going 1-0 down, Everton’s Ross Barkley equalised, with McEachran adding a second and Arsenal’s Benik Afobe a third immediately afterwards. Josh was Man of the Match and was involved in everything England did going forwards, capping his performance with a sumptuous goal which you can watch here.

Chalobah, the youngest player in the tournament by almost 100 days (from Portugal’s Bruma, an apparent Chelsea target), played alongside Andre Wisdom at centre-back and was by far the more accomplished performer, doing his job well defensively and striding forward into midfield with confidence. The Blues pair both started again in Friday’s 1-0 win over Greece to seal a place in the Semi Finals, but were then given a rest on Monday night for the final group fixture with Turkey. A 2-1 win secured a final four match against France on Thursday, when both Josh and Nathaniel will be back in the team, looking to secure a maiden trophy at this level.

One age group up, meanwhile, and the Under-19 generations are competing in the Elite Round of qualifying to try and seal one of eight berths in France this July. One of the first teams to join the hosts was Croatia, who were backstopped by Matej Delač. Despite being a regular at Under-21 level and an occasional senior team squad member, Delač dropped down to give the Croatians a strong chance of making it through. Three wins from three sealed the deal, but Matej played just nineteen minutes of football. A nasty head injury inflicted whilst dealing with a free kick temporarily knocked him unconscious but despite suffering a mild concussion, he is none the worse for wear and should keep goal this summer ahead of potentially joining up with Chelsea in late August, after he turns 18.

Also heading to France are Italians Fabio Borini and Jacopo Sala, who featured in all three group matches against the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Russia. Captain Borini, another regular Under-21 player, grabbed the second goal in a 2-0 win over the Czechs with a finish from the edge of the area, and helped as a Mattia Destro brace secured their qualification in a 3-2 win over Northern Ireland. The Azzurrini lost their last match 3-1 to Russia as our man scored another in consolation, whilst Sala’s three appearances saw one assist in outings where he was twice replaced at half time and once with a quarter of an hour remaining.

The trio will be joined by either Jacob Mellis or Conor Clifford, who are competing for the Group 3 winner’s spot along with the Ukraine and Bosnia. England and Ireland kicked things off in Kyiv earlier today with Noel Blake’s boys taking a 1-0 victory through Dean Parrett’s free kick. However, Ireland were comfortably the better side and will hope the remainder of this week’s fixtures take them through to the finals. Mellis had a decent game in direct competition with his team-mate, as the duo shared a number of tackles, and was replaced with fifteen minutes to go.

Looking forward to the Finals, with Holland and Portugal both also confirmed, there is a chance that Jeffrey Bruma and Kaby may increase club representation but with neither featuring on the road to France, it would be unlikely.

Barcelona Want Chelsea To Pay £25m For Midfielder Yaya Toure

Barcelona are demanding that Chelsea pay £25 million if they want to buy midfielder Yaya Toure this summer.

The Ivory Coast international could be set to leave the La Liga champions as his agent has mentioned the Blues as the ideal team for the defensive midfielder.

Chelsea initially bid about £17m for the 27-year-old, but that offer was reportedly turned down by the Catalan giants, who are seeking £25-30m for the Ivorian, according to The Mirror.

Toure signed a new contract with Barcelona last season, but with manager Pep Guardiola unable to guarantee the midfielder a regular place in his starting XI next season.

Guardiola would like to keep Toure at Camp Nou, but because of the player's desire for regular for first-team football, Barcelona could let him leave if the right offer surfaces.

Olympique De Marseille’s Charles Kabore Associated With Chelsea Move

Charles Kabore’s progress at Olympique de Marseille is being closely examined by English giants Chelsea, who have reportedly sent chief scout Frank Arnesen to watch the holding midfield player on several occasions in the recent past, according to France Football.

Burkina Faso international Kabore played an increasingly important role in les Phoceens’ charge to the Ligue 1 title, featuring from the start of 21 games, playing either in an anchoring midfield role or at right back. His most telling contribution was the opening goal in the home match against Olympique Lyonnais, which OM would ultimately go on to win 2-1, giving them a springboard from which to attack in the closing weeks of the campaign.

The 22-year-old Kabore has played with the Stade Velodrome club since 2008, when he signed from Libourne-Saint-Seurin, though it has only been in recent times he has made an impression in the first team.

Meanwhile, Marseille have rejected the notion that they could be ready to sell Stephane Mbia, who has been linked with Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Speaking of the destructive Cameroon midfielder, who has also practised in defence for long portions of this season, OM sporting director Jose Anigo said: “€18 million? This is not the objective; Stephane Mbia is not for sale.”

While OM have been linked with a clear-out in their offensive sector, they have pledged to try to keep their defence as untouched as possible over the forthcoming transfer window

Ancelotti Hopes To Beat AC Milan To Edin Dzeko

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly entered the race for Wolfsburg’s highly rated striker Edin Dzeko. The Stamford Bridge boss faces stiff competition from his former club AC Milan as a plethora of Europe’s elite look to snap up the 24 year old this summer.

Despite seeing his Bundesliga winning side struggle last term and only managing an eighth place finish, the Bosnian still finished top scorer in the domestic league and seems certain to leave the club despite the arrival of new boss Steve McClaren.

The Premier League champions are looking for new striking options to prepare for the long term future, which seems wise given the fact that Didier Drogba (32) and Nicolas Anelka (31) are in the autumn of their very successful careers.

The £28m rated giant forward is a lethal finisher who is as deadly on the ground as he is in the air and would be well worth the valuation placed on his shoulders by Wolfsburg.

Chelsea Is Scouting Uruguayan Striker

If you haven’t yet heard of Luis Suarez, you soon will. The 23-year-old Uruguayan forward scored the most goals in any European league this year – one more than Lionel Messi.

The mesmerizing forward scored 35 goals in the Dutch league and achieved a grand total of 49 in all competitions. As if that wasn’t enough, he was resoundingly declared Dutch Footballer of the Year. Little wonder than that he’s been watched closely by Chelsea.

But it’s just as likely that you’ll hear about him through his misdemeanours. His erratic and irritating petulance often puts him at odds with his teammates and his manager. On his international debut against Columbia, Suarez was forced to leave for an early bath after being shown a second yellow card for dissent.

Last season Suarez perplexingly opted to attempt a nonchalant chip after winning a vital penalty for his club. Unsurprisingly, his arrogance was gratefully received by the AZ Alkmar goalkeeper. His then manager, Marco Van Basten, gasped exasperatingly at his forwards unpredictability.

Suarez also has a reputation for hitting the deck. So much so that you could be forgiven that he suffers from narcolepsy. He’ll be on slide number one at the referee meetings before the World Cup.

Yet, despite his incredible ability to vex onlookers, Suarez is an impressive talent with an impressive record. He began his career at Uruguayan side Nacional, scoring 12 goals in 29 appearances and wining the Uruguayan league before FC Groningen shelled out around £700,000 to take him to the Netherlands where he scored 10 in 29 before attracting the attention of Dutch giants Ajax.

He made his big money move to the Dutch capital in 2009 following only a single season at FC Groningen. The striker exchanged hands for a sum around £6.5m.

His first contribution to the Eredivisie side, rather typically, was winning a penalty in a Champions League qualifier. On his league debut he impressed further by scoring a goal, assisting three more and again winning yet another penalty. Since then, the forward has scored 74 goals in 97 games.

Mourinho Plans £50M Blues Raid

Jose Mourinho has told Real Madrid to make a £50 million move on his old club Chelsea for Michael Essien and Ashley Cole.

Mourinho, who had talks with Real on Monday and is expected to be named as their new boss within the week, has already lined up a hitlist of summer targets with an expected £100m budget at his disposal.

His interest in Cole is well known, and a £25m bid is being prepared. But the Daily Express can reveal that Mourinho also wants powerhouse midfielder Essien.

Essien, 27, missed half the season with knee ligament problems, which he suffered on international duty with Ghana in January.

He is now close to recovery and is expected to figure for his country again in South Africa next month, where Ghana are in a group with Germany, Australia and Serbia.

Mourinho also covets Frank Lampard but knows he would not be allowed to prise him away from Stamford Bridge – nor is Lampard keen to leave. But he believes he has a chance of getting Essien, whom he signed for Chelsea from Lyon in 2005 for £26m. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti rates Essien highly but coped well enough without him last season. But, with both Michael Ballack and Joe Cole still to sign new contracts and Deco leaving, he will not want to lose any more players from midfield.

Essien is one of the players Chelsea could pick up substantial funds for if they sold him, unlike either Cole or Ballack, who would be free transfers.

Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes and Real representatives were in talks with Inter yesterday to negotiate his release from the club he led to the Champions League title on Saturday. Mourinho is expected back in Madrid today for further discussions.

Rajevac: Essien Vital To African Finals

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac insists Michael Essien's involvement in the FIFA World Cup™ is vital, not just to his country but to the tournament itself. The 27-year-old Chelsea midfielder missed a large part of last season due to knee and ankle injuries and has hardly played any competitive football since December, making him a major doubt for the trip to South Africa. But his national boss is hoping he will be fit.

"Essien is an important player, not only for Ghana but for the World Cup," Rajevac told the Ghana Football Association (GFA) website. "He is one of the best players in the world and the World Cup is an assembly of the best. Ghana wants him there, the organisers want him there and the world wants him there. Argentina is going and people want to see (Lionel) Messi, Portugal is going and people want to see (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Ghana is going and people want to see Essien."

Essien, who was due to meet officials from both club and country in London this week, will reportedly link up with the Black Stars at their French base camp on Friday. Rajevac revealed that he was expecting Essien to be fit, but insisted that he did have contingency plans.

"I am confident he can make it," he said. "But if he doesn't make it we have to do without him. There are other young and hungry players who will be equally passionate to play."

The Serbian coach is also awaiting news on defender John Mensah and striker Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who are yet to be passed 100% fit for the June 11 to July 11 competition. But he is confident, adding: "I hope all (injuries) are cleared before (the World Cup) starts. Some are experiencing injuries. But the World Cup is the best show for the best players in the world. I hope all will come. The competition gathers the best squads and the best players will be there. Once the players are fit, they will come and some would make a big mark."

Company Claims Modelling Deal With Chelsea FC Stars

Pattni Imaginations has announced that Chelsea FC have signed a deal that will see a range of Chelsea-branded football action figures hit the market, including club favourites Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Florent Malouda.

The incredibly realistic action figures have movable head, shoulders, arms, waist, legs, knees and ankles. The latest deal, says Pattni, sees Chelsea join Liverpool FC and Manchester United in the ever-expanding Pattni League.

With Chelsea having wrapped up a fantastic Premier League winning season by securing the FA Cup at Wembley, this latest deal is sure to add further appeal to the product, which is set to hit retail outlets across the UK in the autumn.

The likes of Drogba, Terry, Malouda and Drogba, four of Chelsea's biggest names, will be on show at this summer's World Cup in South Africa.

"Having the Double winners on board is excellent news and means that we now have three of world football's biggest teams signed on for this new range," says Pattni Imaginations MD Mayur Pattni. "After an incredible Premier League season the World Cup is nearly upon us so football's profile is absolutely sky high and there couldn’t be a better time to be working on this fantastic product. We expect a huge reaction when the range is launched later this year!"

Cole Begins Divorce Proceedings

Singer Cheryl Cole has begun divorce proceedings to end her marriage to Ashley Cole following allegations the footballer cheated on her with a number of women.

The Girls Aloud beauty wed the star in July 2006 but their marriage was rocked in 2008 when hairdresser Aimee Walton claimed she had spent the night with the sportsman.

Cole battled through the fallout in a desperate bid to save her marriage - but further allegations emerged in February linking her husband to four more women.

The singer subsequently walked out on her husband of four years, announcing their separation. And now Cole has begun legal proceedings to make the split official, with her lawyers filing papers at London's High Court on Tuesday, according to The Sun newspaper.

The documents cite the footballer's "unreasonable behaviour" in Cole's petition to end the marriage, and claim that when the singer "put it to him that he had been unfaithful," the sportsman "admitted it".

Cole has reportedly asked for a quick divorce, to be finalised before her estranged husband flies to South Africa next month for the start of the World Cup. She will also let her former partner keep their marital home in Surrey and not demand any financial support, according to The Sun.

A source tells publication, "She wants a completely clean break with no malice or wrangling over property or money, Cheryl will not take one penny of Ashley's money. The house means nothing to her. She only moved there because it was important to be near Ashley's training ground. Cheryl is giving the house to him."