Chelsea Seal Yossi Deal

Chelsea has completed the signing of winger Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool.

The Israel international, who is viewed as a direct replacement for Joe Cole, has signed a three-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million.

"I am very excited to come to a club like Chelsea, it is a big club and I think it is a dream for every player," Benayoun told Chelsea's official website. "Hopefully we will be successful."

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti feels he has got his hands on a classy recruit.

"We are happy to have this new player," the Italian said. "Yossi has a lot of quality in midfield and can play in lots of positions. I like his behavior on the pitch and he will do a great job for us next season."

Agent: "I Can Confirm There Is Interest In Eljero"

Sport.co.uk understands Dutchman Eljero Elia is attracting interest from a number of Europe’s elite clubs with Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur all reportedly monitoring the player’s impressive performances at the World Cup.

Elia, 23, joined German club Hamburg in 2009 for a fee of 8.9 million euros after winning the 'Johan Cruyff Award’ given to the best young player in Dutch football that year. The talented winger was being closely monitored by Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi and Chelsea Director of Football Frank Arnesen before moving to Germany, and now reports suggest the Premier League pair are impressed with his World Cup performances, while Everton and Tottenham Hotspur have also reportedly joined the list of Elia’s admirers.

Sport.co.uk can confirm there is intense interest in the Dutch winger, however Elia’s representative Mr. S.Vink informed us that Hamburg were only interested in keeping the pacey winger, rather than entertaining offers for the talented forward.

Mr. S.Vink told Sport.co.uk: “The situation at the moment is that whenever a player is performing well they are attracting interest, and I can confirm that there is interest in Eljero (Elia). But the player is contracted to Hamburg, so at this point in time he is still with Hamburg.

Elia’s representative was then asked if the Premier League clubs in question were tracking the Dutch winger. He said:

“Clubs are interested but I can’t say too much at this moment in time. You never know in football what happens next, things can move quickly. If Eljero (Elia) has a good game for Holland you never know what will happen.

“People must remember that it is not only Eljero (Elia), there are three parties involved in a transfer. If his club doesn’t want to let him go he will stay at Hamburg this summer. It is simple, as all three parties need to agree or he cannot leave his club.

“He is happy at Hamburg, but you know how football is, sometimes transfers move fast.”

Bale Wants Joe Cole At Spurs

Gareth Bale has urged Tottenham to do everything they can to bring Joe Cole to White Hart Lane.

Arsenal and Spurs are thought to be the front-runners in the race for the England midfielder after his contract with Chelsea expired.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been quiet in the transfer market this summer although he has made no secret of his desire to sign Cole, who he brought through the youth ranks at West Ham.

And Bale believes the 28-year-old would be a fantastic addition as Spurs embark on their first Champions League campaign.

"I think he is a great player and would be a great signing for us," said Bale.

"If he did come obviously we would welcome him with open arms and he would be an important asset to the squad.

"His Champions League experience would be an important asset for us. The more experience we have the better.

"A few of our guys have been in the Champions League before but for most of us it will be a new experience that we are looking forward to and if he can bring us more experience then that would be handy."

Bale has been linked with a move away from Spurs this summer, with Serie A winners Inter Milan, their rivals AC Milan, and La Liga champions Barcelona linked with the 20-year-old.

He signed a new four-year contract in May, though, and insists he is not thinking about leaving White Hart Lane.

"I am absolutely committed to Tottenham," he said.

"I have just signed a new deal. I don't know anything about the rumours, to be honest. It's just paper talk."

Bale is excited at the prospect of playing in next season's Champions League and has targeted the knockout stages.

"I think we're definitely good enough to get into the knockout stages," he said.

"You don't want to there and fall at the first hurdle. We want to get as far as we can.

We know it will be difficult but we will be ready for it.

"It's a massive stepping stone that has made us a bigger club. If we can qualify and play at the highest level then the whole team will improve."

World Cup Ace Hints At Blues Move

Chelsea are being linked with a move for Mesut Ozil and the Germany World Cup ace has hinted at a move to England.

The 21-year-old has been one of the star performers at the World Cup so far as Germany have progressed to the quarter-finals and it comes as no surprise to see him being linked with a move away from Werder Bremen.

Chelsea are thought to be in the hunt and the midfielder admits he would be tempted at a move to Stamford Bridge once Germany's participation in the tournament is over.

"The World Cup is all that matters at the moment," he revealed. "When I get back we can think about my future, but for now it's not something I want to give a lot of thought to. To the top players the Premier League is attractive.

"You look at what Manchester United and Chelsea have achieved over the last five years and you see it would be easy to be successful at two clubs like that.

"I see what Michael Ballack achieved at Chelsea and the quality of players he played with and the temptation becomes obvious. Trophies are what matters to me. There are two teams in England always at the top and of course that's attractive. But the same is true for La Liga.

"They're the strongest leagues in the world."

Peterborough Swoop For Chelsea Free Transfer

Peterborough have claimed a major scoop with the capture of young defender Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi from Chelsea on a free transfer.

The 20-year-old attracted a host of suitors having, but Gary Johnson came out on top and persuaded the youngster to pen a three-year deal at London Road.

The Posh boss told the club's official website: "He is a strong lad, a quality player and is a fantastic inclusion to our squad. He has a good future ahead of him.

"He can play right-back, left-back, in midfield, at centre-half - even though he is not the biggest - and I think he is a player for all positions."

Former Chelsea Midfielder Joe Cole Likely To Remain In England

Joe Cole's agent, David Giess, has poured cold water on a potential move to AC Milan, maintaining that he is still trying to work out a way in which his client can play for a Premier League club.

The midfielder has been linked with a number of moves having become a free agent after running his contract down at Chelsea, and there had been speculation that the Italian club were in line to offer him the chance to perform in Serie A.

However, the 28-year-old's representative has labelled that as "pure press speculation" while conceding that it is unlikely that the former West Ham United player would move away from England.

In the meantime, however, Giess has maintained that Cole's priority is to join a club that will compete in the Champions League next season.

"Football is the most important thing to Joe and continuing to play in the Champions League is high on his priorities," he told ESPNSoccernet.

Demichelis Has A Dig At Terry

Defender Martin Demichelis claims he would not be able to return to Argentina if he plays as badly against Germany as John Terry did last weekend.

Argentina and Germany are preparing to meet in the quarter-finals of the World Cup having eliminated Mexico and the Three Lions, respectively.

Germany cruised past England after a 4-1 win over Fabio Capello's side and Terry has come in for criticism following his unimpressive defensive performance.

Argentina and Germany have been exchanging fierce words ahead of Saturday's match but they have also both been taking swipes at England, and Demichelis has ripped into Terry.

The Argentina centre-back said of the Chelsea captain: "Seeing the way Terry played against Germany, if I was Terry I wouldn't be able to go back to my country.

"I'm strong but I'm not a masochist so I don't read every criticism about me.

"I know that when the team is playing well there are always people who look for a weakness, for example me, but I know I can overcome this bad moment."

Rumours Of Rift Between Steven Gerrard & John Terry Within England's World Cup 2010 Camp Ruled Out

England stars Steven Gerrard and John Terry did not have a falling out over issues relating to their private lives at the World Cup, according to several newspaper reports.

Internet rumours have spread in the wake of the Three Lions' exit from the World Cup that the pair headed opposing factions in the England camp at the tournament.

Terry's public expression of unhappiness at a press conference during the campaign was reported to have angered Gerrard and his Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher, with rumours of a wider split between Liverpool and Chelsea players also appearing.

There was apparently a confrontation between the two relating to remarks later made by Gerrard about Terry's comments at the press conference undermining team morale.

Gerrard is also believed to have been unhappy at what he perceived as Terry's attempts to undermine him as skipper.

However, according to a number of tabloid newspapers, the issue did not relate to the private lives of the players and they have subsequently spoken about the situation and are keen to dismiss the rumours as mere speculation.

My Favourite Games: John Terry

The latest in our series of player memories sees the captain recall two of Chelsea's most famous European nights, one in which he starred and the other which he watched as a starry-eyed youth team member.

Favourite game played:

John Terry scored the final goal in his favourite game played but that probably isn't the only reason he ranks the fixture so high on his list of greats.

When Chelsea hosted Barcelona in the Champions League second leg back in 2005, a fixture of truly epic proportions unfolded in front of the home fans.

It all began with the Blues securing a three-goal lead over one of the greatest sides in world football, a side who boasted names including Ronaldhino, Samuel Eto'o, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes and the eventual Blue Juliano Belletti.

Eidur Gudjohnsen struck first, Frank Lampard added the second and Damien Duff made it three, all inside the opening 20 minutes, but before half-time arrived, Ronaldhino returned twice for the visitors.

The first was a penalty, the second was a phenomenal flick from the edge of the box, but it was all the Catalan club could muster and when Terry headed home a Duff corner in the second half, our place in the semi-finals was sealed.

'Beating Barcelona 4-2 in the Champions League five years ago really stands out,' explains the Chelsea captain.

'We played some brilliant football and ripped them apart at times, then to score the winner was a special one, but it was just a great team performance.'

Favourite game watched:

Around 20,000 fans travelled to Sweden to see the match Terry considers top of his list for favourite games watched.

After FA Cup domination during the 1996/97 season, which ended with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the final, Chelsea made our way to the Cup Winners' Cup Final the following season.

It took a 4-0 thumping of Slovan Bratislava, followed by a 9-4 win over Tromso and a 5-2 triumph over Real Betis in the quarter-finals to get there.

The final game before the meeting with Stuttgart was a 3-2 win over Vincenza, while the German side won their place in the final with a 3-1 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow.

By the time Chelsea reached the tournament's ultimate game, the feeling inside the Chelsea camp was one of excitement.

And why not? Think of the line up. There was Ed de Goey in goal and Dan Petrescu, Frank Leboeuf and Steve Clarke were just three of the names in defence.

The Chelsea midfield boasted Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo and Gustavo Poyet while Tore Andre Flo and Gianluca Vialli headed the attack.

It was always going to be a great game from Chelsea's perspective, and the above names don't even include the winning goalscorer, Gianfranco Zola.

In fact, Zola didn't come on until the 71st minute and scored with what was practically his first touch, feeding off a Wise through ball to seal Chelsea's first European trophy since 1971.

For a young Terry, who watched from the sidelines as an Academy player, the memories are still strong.

'The Cup Winners' Cup Final in 1998, when Zola scored the winner, was great,' says Terry. 'I was there as part of the youth team and remember it well.'