John Terry: Winning The Double Is Our Minimum Target This Season

John Terry has challenged his Chelsea team-mates to scale new heights and says winning the Double again is the "minimum" target for the season ahead.

The Blues have come off a campaign where they lifted the Premier League and FA Cup in the same season for the first time in the club's history. Despite this success, the failure to progress past the quarter-final stage of the Champions League still caused regret.

Terry has called for a repeat performance this season and hopes to continue winning trophies with Chelsea.

He said: "Last season was great for us - no team had ever won the double for this club before and that means this group going down in Chelsea history. Now, we go again.

"We know what we are capable of and we all want to win everything in this squad.

"The winning mentality isn't just something we talk about - we hate to see any other team lifting trophies and it is up to us to make sure we don't have that feeling we had when Man United lifted the Premier League three years running.

"It is ours again now, so is the FA Cup - and retaining those trophies is the minimum aim for us this time around."

Terry added: "Manchester United beat us in the Community Shield, so we know they are going to be up for the fight - but we are champions and we have to keep it that way."

Brazil Coach Warns Neymar Off Chelsea

Brazil coach Mano Menezes has cautioned Neymar against joining Chelsea and says the teenager will benefit from continuing his education with Santos.

It is believed Chelsea have failed with a £24 million offer for the forward, who recently scored on his senior debut for the Brazilian national side. However, Neymar does have a release clause set in his contract to the value of £29.6 million.

Chelsea's pursuit of the player has angered Santos, who have threatened to report the Premier League club to FIFA for what they described as "harassment" - a charge that has been strenuously denied by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck.

It is expected that Neymar will decide this week whether he views a move to Stamford Bridge as the correct step for his career, but Menezes hopes the 18-year-old remains in his home country at present.

Menezes said: "All understand Neymar's situation and what must be going on in his mind. But thinking about Brazilian football, his remaining with Santos would be beneficial. The team is on top and it would very good for Neymar to say with them for a longer period."

Though it is understood that Chelsea will redouble their efforts to sign Neymar and that he is interested in a move to the Premier League, the forward says he will take into account the view of his national boss and does not wish to be a substitute if he does move to London.

"I don't know if I will stay or depart but I don't wish to leave a championship team like Santos to be placed on the reserve team of Chelsea or any other foreign team," Neymar said. "It would be better to stay. I will take into consideration Mano's advice before making my decision."

Chelsea Consider Swoop For £13m Rated Real Madrid Midfielder

Chelsea are planning an audacious swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart who is said to be ready to leave the La Liga giants following the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen. Carlo Ancelotti has been keen to strengthen his midfield after losing the services of Michael Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole this summer.

The fact that the Blues allowed Ricardo Carvalho to rejoin Jose Mourinho could help matters if the west London side does indeed follow up their interest in the Dutch international with a solid bid for his services. The 27 year old former Ajax and Hamburg man has struggled to get a foot hold in the Bernabeu first team but had hoped to be able to win over new boss Jose Mourinho but the signing of Ozil could be the death knell of Van der Vaart’s Real Madrid career.

There has been some talk of a potential return to the Bundesliga but it could be that he is looking for a fresh challenge and a move to the Premier League champions would be a very tempting move to consider. The attacking midfielder has also seen his lack of first team action cost him a regular spot in the Dutch national team and the former international regular only managed to play in group matches during the World Cup and lost his place to Arjen Robben when he had recovered from his injury.

Jose Mourinho will also know that he needs to trim his squad to help cut his massive wage bill and would probably consider offers of around £12-14m for the player who arrived in Spain in the summer of 2008 for a fee of £11m.

Manchester City are also said to be interested in the talented attack minded midfielder and there interest could drive the price ever upwards.

Chelsea Boss Carlo Ancelotti Hints At Interest In Everton Starlet Jack Rodwell

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is thought to have dropped a broad hint that he intends to make a move to sign Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell.

The Londoners have been seeking to lower the average age of the squad; as a consequence of this, the west London club are thought to be in the market to make signings that would put the future of the club in no doubt.

Now the Daily Mail claims that Blues boss Ancelotti has insisted that "Rodwell of Everton is a good player," dropping a broad hint that an approach could be in the offing.

The young midfielder last season signed a new five-year deal to remain at Goodison Park, while his manager David Moyes has thus far maintained that he will remain on Merseyside this summer.

Chelsea Close To Unleashing Gael Kakuta

Rarely has one player dominated the headlines to the extent that Chelsea’s Gael Kakuta grabbed the media’s attention in 2009. Twelve months on, Kakuta is ready to earn a more positive reaction. The Frenchman is still just 19 years of age, but his time in England has been nothing short of eventful since completing a switch from French side Lens in 2007.

After cutting his teeth with the Chelsea youth team, Kakuta’s world was turned upside down by controversy surrounding his transfer to Stamford Bridge. In 2009, the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber banned Chelsea from buying players during the next two transfer windows while Kakuta received a four-month ban and a fine. Though the decision was later overturned, the saga thrust Kakuta into the spotlight. But the drama around the deal has not fazed him, though there were some tough patches when the bans were announced.

His talent has been obvious to everyone at the club and in late 2009 Ancelotti raved about his young star’s potential. The Italian said: At his age, I have never seen one player with his talent. He suffered for one or two weeks about the situation but he is a very good talent. His character is good. Technically, he is fantastic.

John Terry is considered to be the last player to rise from the club’s youth system and the defender has voiced his pleasure at witnessing Kakuta’s promise. Terry stated: It’s good to see not only for the management and the players but for the fans as well. Gael’s a real exciting talent. No one’s getting too carried away - Gael still has a lot to prove - but he’s a great young talent and he’s doing really well.

The recent 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championships showcased the youngster’s all-round game. Playing on home soil, France made a fast start as Kakuta set them on the way to a 4-1 win over Holland in the group stage. He popped up again to save the day in the semi-final with the equalizer against Croatia. But he saved his most important contribution for the final against Spain. With the game locked at 1-1, Kakuta conjured up the assist for Alexandre Lacazette to strike a late winner. Having led his team to glory, Kakuta was named Golden Player for his fine displays in the tournament.

Of course, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is not short of quality options going forward, with Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard in the fold, plus Salomon Kalou and last season’s star Florent Malouda. But it will not have escaped the Italian’s notice that Kakuta is developing into a promising attacker. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson has been raving about the potential of Javier Hernandez and Federico Macheda, Chelsea coaches are said to be excited by Kakuta’s progress. Thus far, his first team appearances have been limited to one Champions League outing and a few cameos off the bench in the league and League Cup. Yet it is not a far fetched idea to think that the youngster might feature in the first team this year, especially as Drogba has had injury problems.

The departures of Joe Cole and Michael Ballack may also open up playing time for Kakuta. It is no secret that Chelsea needs some younger legs, especially when trying to unlock stubborn defences. Teams tend to opt for a 4-5-1 formation at Stamford Bridge, making it paramount that the Blues have players with the creativity to produce a moment of magic. And Ancelotti will need to shuffle his pack if Chelsea is to mount serious challenges on four fronts. While there would be benefits to be gained from allowing Kakuta to gain regular first team football out on loan, the attacker has made it clear he wants to stay and fight for playing time this season.

Chelsea are the team to beat this year after winning the Double last season, but with that comes additional pressure. And in Kakuta, they have a young star who will not be overawed by the big occasion. When the moment arrives, Kakuta will be itching to show the promise that caught Chelsea’s eye several years ago. Kakuta and Chelsea have been through some testing times together, but the Blues will soon reap the rewards. The young Frenchman could well be a key man for many years to come.

Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich Behind Vitesse Takeover

Georgian businessman Merab Jordania was said to have taken over Eredivisie outfit Vitesse earlier this week, but according to a report in Quote, it’s none other than Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich who is behind the deal.

The financial magazine claimed that Jordania is little more than a puppet for Abramovich, quoting an anonymous friend of the Russian, who reportedly stated: “De facto, it is Roman who has bought Vitesse.”

It has been suggested that players from Chelsea’s reserve and youth teams could soon be making their way to Arnhem, though young Dutchman Jeffrey Bruma will not be one of them. “He is someone who could end up starting in the future,” the source revealed.

Vitesse are a club who have been plagued by financial difficulties over the last decade and have found times tougher during the recent global economic crisis. As a result, they’ve been forced to shed many first team players and have filled the squad with a number of youngsters.

Exactly why Jordania wanted to invest in an Eredivisie club has not been made clear and has certainly made it easy to cast a shadow over his recent successful takeover of the side who finished 14th in the Netherlands’ top flight last term.

Nicolas Anelka Labels French Federation Officials ‘Clowns’ After 18-Match Ban

Slapped with an 18-match national team suspension on Tuesday, France striker Nicolas Anelka has admitted to having simply laughed at his ban, which was handed to him by the FFF’s (French FA) disciplinary committee.

Anelka was suspended after a frank exchange of words with then-coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time interval of les Bleus’ World Cup encounter against Mexico spilled over into the press, with the result that the Chelsea star was sent home from the World Cup while his team-mates sat out training as a protest.

“For me, this whole thing with the commission of whatever it is an aberration, a masquerade to make sure they don't lose face,” he declared to France Soir. “They have punished a void, as Nicolas Anelka never existed in this pitiful and colourful affair. I repeat: the page with les Bleus was turned on June 19 when I was evicted from Knysna.

“They are real clowns, these people... I am doubled up with laughter.”

Michael Essien Flies Ghanaian Kids To Chelsea

Two Ghanaian kids Bismark Mensah and Jonathan Kwofie have been flown on a three-day visit to Chelsea Football Club in London under the aegis of the Michael Essien Foundation.

The boys will participate in a three-day residential camp from August 17 to 20. They are also scheduled to be part of mini-tournaments aimed at honing their football talents along with other kids at the club.

“I am proud that we have been able to help these boys live their dream, which is what the Michael Essien Foundation is all about,” the midfield general said in a statement.

“We have been working hard behind the scenes and with the help of Chelsea Football Club we will be giving the boys hope and inspiration – a key message of the foundation.

“A very big thank you to everyone at Chelsea Football Club & Chelsea Foundation for being so kind and generous – especially everyone directly involved in this small project of giving the boys a chance to realize their dream. I am truly grateful,” he stated.

The Ghanaian youngsters will be taken on a tour of Stamford Bridge and other places of interest.