Premier League Waits On Chelsea And Man City

The Premier League transfer market is in limbo waiting for big-hitters like Chelsea and Manchester City to begin their spending sprees, reckons Sunderland chief executive Steve Walton.

And until some of the big money starts moving around, Walton believes cash-strapped clubs are likely to keep their cheque books firmly closed.

Few deals have gone through so far this summer, and City boss Roberto Mancini indicated earlier this week that his mega-rich owners may not spend as lavishly as before when he insisted the club would not be held to ransom on fees.

Now Walton thinks supporters who are hungry for transfer news may be in for a long wait.

He said: "There is not a lot going on in the transfer market, and my personal view is that it will remain quite quiet.

"I think that Manchester City and Chelsea will do quite a lot, and what we really need for a good transfer market this summer is for some big money to be injected into the system to oil the wheels.

"Clubs are not awash with cash. It is difficult to borrow money in the wider world, and almost impossible in football.

"You are not going to your friendly bank asking for a few million pounds to buy a footballer now because it is just not happening.

"There is not much money in the system, and I don't believe there will be a huge amount of activity. We have already heard Sir Alex Ferguson say that he may bring in just one more player."

Man City are set to pay £10.5m for Hamburg and Germany defender Jerome Boateng after he revealed he had agreed a move to Eastlands.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has only added free transfer Cristian Riveros to his squad so far, and the Paraguay World Cup midfielder is expected to be joined by Belgium U21 keeper Simon Mignolet soon.

The Black Cats have shopped abroad, a policy that could spell problems for the rest of the Premier League, Walton warns.

"My fear is that the big money will go overseas," he said. "You really need some big domestic transfers to go through to help get things moving.

"When Chelsea first started spending big a few years ago they were largely buying in the UK on the likes of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

"That funded a lot of Premier League transfer activity because the money filtered down, but that wouldn't happen this summer if the money goes abroad."

Sunderland's list of targets is considerably shorter than the number of players they are trying to get out of the club right now, and Walton added: "We don't feel we need to do a massive amount.

"I don't think we will see a huge amount of activity like we did last year, when Steve set about strengthening the whole spine of the team.

"Steve is happy he has got a good nucleus now and he is looking at two or three positions."

Chelsea Withdraw Contract Offer For Joe Cole

Chelsea have given up hope of keeping Joe Cole and have withdrawn their contract offer for the England star.

Talks had been scheduled between Cole and the Premier League champions once the season was over, but none have taken place.

Instead there is no longer a deal on the table for the playmaker, who made it clear he was never going to sign the terms being offered.

Now Cole, 28, will use the World Cup in South Africa as the perfect stage to show his talents to the huge lists of clubs queuing up to offer him a free-transfer package.

Cole is not making huge demands and Starsport understands his reluctance to commit to Chelsea had nothing to do with the financial deal on offer.

Instead, he was upset they were only offering a one-year rolling contract and he also feared he would not be a regular under boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Having spent almost a year on the sidelines with a knee injury, the midfielder just wants to play football and felt he was not getting enough opportunities, with Nicolas Anelka often used out wide on the left ahead of him.

There is no shortage of willing takers, with interest both from the Premier League and abroad.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have all made contact, while Real Madrid are also contenders, under Cole’s old boss Jose Mourinho.

A decent World Cup will put Cole in a position to negotiate terms of around £75,000-a-week.

Manchester United And Chelsea Join Arsenal In Race To Sign Barcelona Centre-Back Dmytro Chygrynskiy

Arsenal face competition from Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City to land Barcelona centre back Dmytro Chygrynskiy, according to Catalunya Radio.

The giant Ukrainian is understood to have been made available for transfer after struggling to adapt to La Liga after joining from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer for £22 million. President Joan Laporta is reported to have offered the 23-year-old to Arsenal as a makeweight in the deal to sign Cesc Fabregas.

This bid has led to the Premier League trio and Bayern Munich joining the battle to secure his signature. An impasse has been reached with Barcelona about their valuation, however, as none of the sides are prepared to offer more than £12m.

Michael Essien Signs Two-Year Contract Extension To Remain At Chelsea Until 2015

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has signed a new two-year contract extension with the club that ties the Ghana captain to Stamford Bridge until 2015.

The 27-year-old was in scintillating form to start last season with the eventual Premier League and FA Cup champions, but missed almost the entire second half of the campaign through injury. That injury will also keep him out of this summer's World Cup, but that disappointment has at least given the former Olympique Lyonnais man time to sort out his club future.

"I am delighted because the club has shown a very big confidence and interest in me," Essien told the club's official website.

"I am looking forward to coming back and enjoying my football and winning more trophies with the club. That is why I am here. I think it is one of the most important contracts in my career."

The Ghanian has appeared 185 times for the Blues, scoring 22 goals. but his 2009-10 season was cut-short in December when he suffered a hamstring injury in December and then a knee injury while representing his country at the African Cup of Nations in January.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti insists that he has no long-term fears about Essien's recent injury problems, and the box-to-box midfielder is still an integral part of the west London club’s set-up.

The Italian said, "I am very happy that Michael has agreed to extend his time with us, as it means he will continue to be a very important player for Chelsea long into the future."

Essien first joined the reigning Premier League champions from Lyon in 2005 for £26 million, becoming, at the time, Chelsea’s most expensive player ever.

Ashley Cole: I Feel Stronger Than I Did Before My Ankle Injury

England defender Ashley Cole insists that the broken ankle he suffered in a clash with Everton loanee Landon Donovan has completely healed and he is ready for the World Cup.

The Chelsea left-back was kept out for two months and believes that the time off and the extensive rehabilitation he went through have helped him to return stronger than he was before his injury.

Cole returned and was a key contributor for the Premier League and FA Cup winning Chelsea side.

With England’s World Cup opener against Donovan’s USA team eight days away, Cole is healthy and ready to help lead the Three Lions go far in South Africa.

“I do feel fitter than before, actually,” Cole told Daily Mail.

“I feel sharper than before I got injured and am happy with the rehab.

“The physios were brilliant with me and I have come back very strong.

“At the time I was devastated because I felt I was playing well, I scored a few goals and I wanted to help the team.”

After the accidental clash with Donovan, Cole was worried that he might miss the World Cup but the Blues defender credits his rehab program with his fast recovery.

“I was getting up at seven in the morning and finishing at six at night. I had an hour’s break for lunch and that was it. Basically all day I was getting my rehab in the gym and it was the same when I came back to the training ground.

“I felt I was letting down the team not being there but in the end it turned out well.

“I was supposed to be out for three months and I made it back in two months so I was happy.”

I Did Everything I Could To Be Fit For Ghana - Chelsea Midfielder Michael Essien

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has revealed he did everything he could to play for Ghana at the World Cup.

Essien ruptured medial knee ligaments in January's African Nations Cup and was unable to shake off the injury to play in South Africa. Although named in the provisional 30-man squad, he was unable to get fit in time for the tournament.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Essien said: "Since my injury in January I had been working hard to come back for Chelsea and Ghana, but it wasn't to be.

"I did everything I could but eventually I succumbed to the injury and had to accept the fact that the body takes its own time to heal and you cannot rush things.

"I had my last assessment over a week ago with the Chelsea and Ghana doctors present.

"It took place at the hotel where all the Ghanaian players were staying and coming out of that meeting was very emotional for me.

"I spoke to Stephen Appiah, the captain, and all the other guys about my inability to join them and you could tell how disappointed they were.

"I have to admit no-one was more disappointed than me but that's life and I have to move on.

"I would like to wish the Black Stars the best of luck in South Africa. They need our support and all Ghanaians should get behind them."

Joe Cole Will Decide Future After The World Cup

Soccernet understands that no decision will be made on Joe Cole's future until the end of the World Cup finals, despite reports that he has already agreed a move to Arsenal.

Cole will officially become a free agent on July 1 when his contract with Chelsea expires and the playmaker, who has been included in England's World Cup squad, has attracted attention from rival clubs.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham are all believed to be interested in signing Cole on a free transfer but it is Arsenal who appears to be favourites to recruit the 28-year-old at present.

It was even reported that Cole, who grew up in North London, had agreed a three-year deal with Arsenal and that the transfer would be announced prior to the start of England's World Cup campaign.

But Soccernet understands Cole's main focus at present is the finals in South Africa and that no decision on his club future will be taken until England's campaign has drawn to a close.

If Cole does join Arsenal he will become the fourth player in recent seasons to cross the Arsenal-Chelsea divide. William Gallas and Ashley Cole swapped clubs in 2006 and Arsenal signed Lassana Diarra from Stamford Bridge 12 months later.

Drogba Suffers Arm Fracture

Didier Drogba has fractured a bone in his right arm, during Ivory Coast's friendly against Japan on Friday.

The forward, 32, picked up the injury after a clash with Japanese defender Marcos Tulio Tanaka in the first half of Les Elephants' 2-0 win.

Drogba had flicked the ball over the defender's head before he was caught by a high boot. The striker refused a stretcher but left the field immediately.

Moments earlier he had opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick. Salomon Kalou also played, staying on for the entire 90 minutes.

Drogba is a major doubt for the World Cup, which kicks off in South Africa a week today.

Team spokesman Eric Kacou said that Drogba's fracture was confirmed by doctors after he left the field.

'It is a fracture in his right arm,' Kacou said. 'The doctor hasn't said yet whether he can play in the World Cup.'

'He had a lot of pain,' said Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. 'Of course I'm worried. He's captain and one of the world's best players. It was unlucky. It wasn't bad or stupid. He (Tanaka) didn't want to hurt anyone. Football is a game of contact.'

Summary Of A Season: Ashley Cole

It was another season of unfaltering consistency for arguably the best left-back in the world, the only negative to his season being the two months he spent sidelined with a broken ankle between February and April.

It was a season of records as he earned a sixth FA Cup winner's medal, no man has as many, and won his second Double, along with Nicolas Anelka the first man to do so with two different clubs.

On a personal level, he scored a record four times in the same season, including the Chelsea Goal of the Season against Sunderland in January, a deft flick after controlling John Terry's long pass expertly and cutting inside his man.

Carlo Ancelotti's tactics certainly helped Cole's natural game, allowing him to get forward as often as possible down the left flank to support attacks, a narrow midfield, particularly in the first half of the season, creating the space needed.

He supplied goals against Stoke and Tottenham, while finding the score sheet in explosive fashion against Burnley, and then Spurs, before twice claiming assists at former club Arsenal in November.

He was as dependable on the back foot as he was offensive on the front, his pace and ability to read the game making it difficult for opposition forwards and wingers, the only blip being an ill-timed challenge inside the penalty area on West Ham's Jack Collison just before Christmas - though a Frank Lampard penalty would later even up the scores.

After fracturing his ankle in a challenge with Everton's Landon Donovan in February, it was thought he could miss the rest of the season, yet dedication and a fast-healing body helped him back before the end of April for the 7-0 win against Stoke ,and he found the net one more time against Wigan on the final day of the league season.

His disappointment will have been being absent for the Champions League games with Inter, yet his recovery will have cheered England fans everywhere ahead of the World Cup, particularly when looking at the possible left-back alternatives.

Ashley's consistency, together with those around him, helped us to 18 league clean sheets during 2009/10, as well as a club record goals tally at the other end, 103 in the league, making it a season to remember for the 29-year-old.