UEFA’s Proposed Regulations Will Keep Chelsea In The Clear

UEFA’s proposed rules regarding clubs finances will not adversely affect Chelsea Football Club. UEFA have stated clubs can’t spend more on transfer fees and wages then they earn through Television rights, gate receipt and merchandising. Clubs can spend unlimited amounts on youth development and ‘infrastructure’, such as stadium and training facilities.

At the end of 2009 Chelsea Football Club plc released their financial figures for the year. Chelsea FC has virtually converted all its outstanding debt into equity and the company is practically debt free. Roman Abramovich was the man who turned £350 million of Chelsea’s debt into equity, making the club debt free. Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck seemed to be expecting these rules back in 2009. He said: “The reduction will also enable the club to comply with any regulations on debt levels which are being discussed by the football community.”

Other clubs aren’t so lucky with their owners. The Glazer Family has racked up debts of over £700 million, which reside with Manchester United’s parent company Red Football Joint Venture. The Glazer’s involvement has impacted majorly on the fans at United. There has been a huge increase in ticket prices and the average price of a season ticket has gone from £487 pounds to £722. With things looking bleak the fans have stepped in.

The green and gold anti-Glazer scarves have begun to dominate the fans at Old Trafford and new ownership is on the cards. The Red Knights, a group of well off Manchester United fans, may make a bid for the club before next season and there has been talk of the fans buying a stake in the club.

Although Chelsea seems to be in the clear regarding UEFA’s proposed rulings, fellow Premier League managers aren’t so impressed by Chelsea’s finances, particularly Arsene Wenger. In an interview early this year Wenger said Chelsea were “half cheating” with their debt situation. He said that Christmas was “a time for magicians” with regard to Chelsea’s debt being written of by owner Abramovich.

With so many clubs in the Premier League with million pounds worth of money owing it’s not surprising that the debt of this English league creates 56% of the total debt across Europe. Fifa president Sepp Blatter has criticised the league’s debt: “They have two clubs in the Premier League who are not in debt. Why, because they have two sponsors and they have taken away the debt.

“Why are they in debt? Because they pay too high salaries and they spend money they don’t have.” The truth is he’s right, footballers’ wages and transfer fees have grown and grown over the last few years. A pay cap may be the answer, the Chairman of the Football League Brian Mawhinney thinks so. He said that it is inevitable that salary capping will occur because the current business model of England’s professional football league cannot be sustained without change.

No one can know the impact it could have on English football but with the debt growing something will have to be done.

Joe Cole Slams Critics Of His Playing Style

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has hit back at the "lazy" critics who claim he's just a work-shy star full of fancy tricks.

Cole's cheeky back-heel goal against Manchester United last Saturday set Chelsea up for a potentially vital 2-1 victory over their Premier League title rivals.

It was a typical piece of impudence from the 28-year-old England international but such moments of individual flair have led to criticism of his overall game in recent years.

Cole's silky skills have grabbed all the attention throughout his career but those moments of class have given others the wrong impression of his commitment to a team ethic.

But Cole insists he works as hard as any winger in the game and the label of being a 'flair' player is simply unfair.

"I have steel. I've got some balls," he said. "People who market me as just a flair player are a bit lazy. Come and watch me for five or six games. I don't think there is a winger or an attacking midfielder who works as hard as me.

"I want to help my team. Sometimes I probably do it too much, maybe I should be a bit more clever, but now is not the time for that.

"Now is the time for everyone at Chelsea to do their jobs with no mistakes. If we don't make any more mistakes we could win a double."

The midfielder is still in the midst of contract negotiations with the club and many argue his future lies away from Stamford Bridge next season.

But Cole continues to insist he is happy at Chelsea and is reaping the benefits of long struggle to regain his fitness.

His battle began 15 months ago when he sustained a serious knee ligament injury against Southend in the FA Cup but since he returned to action last September, his progress has been hampered by a host of niggling setbacks.

He has also been criticised by club coach Carlo Ancelotti and England boss Fabio Capello but still harbours hopes of earning himself a place in England's World Cup final squad this summer. However, if he fails, Cole certainly knows how to bounce back.

"I've had the broadest spectrum of ups and downs a footballer can have," he said. "I've captained a side to relegation (West Ham in 2003), I've won titles (Chelsea 2005, and 2006), I've missed out on playing in a major tournament (unused squad player Euro 2004) and also started a World Cup, where I scored an amazing goal (Sweden 2006).

"I've had all the highs and lows, which is a rich thing because life is about experiences. I just keep coming back, coming back stronger."

Ancelotti Anticipates April Returns

The league and cup double that is in Chelsea sights would make club history and also personal history for our manager.

Carlo Ancelotti won the Champions League and the Italian Cup during his eight years at AC Milan, in 2003 to be precise, but never the Serie A title and the Cup in the same season. However if Chelsea maintain recent form then the English equivalent is a possibility. We would take a place alongside six clubs who have recorded the feat.

'Our aim after the defeat against Inter was this, to win the Double,' Ancelotti says as he faces games in the FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League in the next five days.

'We are very close but nothing is decided. Every game will be very difficult because we are at the end of the season and every team has an aim to reach.'

Unlike some of our rivals, Ancelotti is looking at an improving injury picture for the run-in.

Branislav Ivanovic trained on Thursday and could feature on the substitutes' bench for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

Ancelotti is planning an unchanged defence and midfield against Aston Villa but has decisions to make over the goalkeeper and his three-man attack.

Hilario started the previous four FA Cup games but has been affected by a groin problem this week. He will be assessed on Saturday. Didier Drogba will start but who out of Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda plays out wide is not yet known.

Looking further ahead, Ancelotti reports:

'Ashley Cole needs some more days training but we hope he can play in the game against Stoke on 25th April. He is doing very well and so is Michael Essien. Maybe he will be one week later with respect to Cole.'

With the 7-1 home league win over Saturday's opponents still fresh in the mind, one of the Italian's main tasks this week is not so much building confidence as keeping feet firmly on the ground.

'Aston Villa want to have a good reaction to that defeat. They played well and won at Bolton last weekend,' he warns.

'Martin O'Neill is a very good psychologist and a very good coach and they will play differently.

'They have players with experience and strength and it is the semi-final of an important competition. We must forget that last game, we played very well but Saturday will be different. We have to play a strong match against a strong team.'

Malouda Wins Barclays Player Of The Month

Florent Malouda has been named Barclays Player of the Month for March, after a series of outstanding performances helped us bounce back from European disappointment in style.

The French international netted an impressive five goals in four Barclays Premier League fixtures, taking his season's tally to 13, as well as laying on another three for his team-mates.

Malouda's fine month began with a goal and two assists in our 4-1 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge and continued with a brace of strikes as we inflicted a 5-0 defeat on Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

The best was to follow, however, as the in-form winger netted a further two goals and made another for Frank Lampard in our emphatic 7-1 home win over Aston Villa.

This is the first time that Malouda, who has 51 France caps, has won the Player of the Month award since joining from Lyon in the summer of 2007.

The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.

United Going Out Is Bad For Us, Says Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti today admitted he is devastated Manchester United and Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League this week because he fears it will put Chelsea's title hopes at greater risk.

Chelsea lead United and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League by just two and three points respectively and Ancelotti hoped their rivals would continue to be distracted by playing in Europe.

But Arsenal were thrashed 4-1 by Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-final, while United crashed out on away goals to Bayern Munich thanks to a strike from former Blues winger Arjen Robben.

Ancelotti feels both clubs will be even more determined to ensure their season's don't end in failure and said: "I think it is not good news for us. The Champions League is a very important competition and you have to use a lot of energy to play.

"But both teams can now focus on the Premier League. It is the only competition they can play. We have to pay attention because they're very close to us and we need to run quickly to arrive in first place.

"I would have liked United to win against Bayern and to stay in the Champions League, for us it would have been easier."

United's next League game is at Blackburn, which is where Chelsea dropped two crucial points last month after they were knocked out of the Champions League themselves by Inter Milan.

But Ancelotti is convinced United will bounce back at Ewood Park even though they have been beaten by Chelsea and Bayern Munich in their first leg over the last two weeks.

He added: "They had a bad week. They lost a quarter-final, lost against us, but now they have a possibility to come back to win and to play well. They have experience to change their state of mind, to stay focused. United have experience and quality."

Carlo Ancelotti Told Not To Go For Pato

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has been told to forget about making a summer raid for Brazil star Pato.

The Premier League leaders face Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday chasing the League and Cup Double and will want to strengthen in the summer to keep alive their dream of European glory.

Ancelotti signed the 20-year-old Pato for Milan in 2007 from South American team Internacional.

The striker has netted 36 goals in 74 games in Italy and Real Madrid are also keen. But Pato’s agent Gilmar Veloz insisted the player was going nowhere.

He said: “Chelsea and Real? These are only market rumours.

“There is nothing true. He has a deal with Milan and he feels good in Milan.”

Pato – whose name means duck – is under contract at Milan for another four years.

Capello Issues Cole Warning

Fabio Capello has warned Ashley Cole he will only pick him for England if he proves his fitness between now and the end of the season.

The Chelsea left-back has been sidelined since February after breaking his ankle and is facing a race against time to be fit for South Africa.

He has been pencilled in to return for Chelsea's home game with Stoke on 25th April and he will do so with Capello's words ringing in his ears.

"I know not all the players will be in the same shape. Some will have played the whole season, some will have played only half the season," he told Four Four Two magazine.

"If, for example, Ashley Cole is only half-fit, that's not enough. He needs to play too. After three months of being injured he will need games."

Capello went on to explain he is not a fan of playing players out of position and that he plans to use specialists at the World Cup.

Working on a marking system out of ten, the Italian concedes he has plenty of thinking to do before finalising his squad.

He added: "I think to myself: the value of this player is 10, another is nine, another is eight and a half. And I choose (the players with the) most (points).

"Everyone has different qualities. For some positions, one characteristic is more important than the other one.

"It depends on the position, it depends on different moments in the game, it depends on the opponents.

"I prefer the specialist. I think that 11 specialists win against 11 players who can play in different positions. It is nice to see players who can play in different positions though. There will be times when you have to do this."

Ancelotti: Premier League Still Best Despite Champions League Failure

Carlo Ancelotti today insisted England's Champion League failure was "a blip" and not a long-term trend.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti admitted he would have preferred to see Arsenal and Manchester United overcome Barcelona and Bayern Munich rather than be eliminated, for purely selfish reasons.

But the Italian, whose side were put out in the last round by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's Inter, dismissed fears that English football was now going backwards.

Ancelotti said: "Nothing has changed. The Premier League is a very competitive championship. It's a case that can happen that sometimes.

"The English teams have very good strength. This year was a blip. Nothing more.

"I still think the Premier League is the best league in Europe, despite what has happened.

"It is, not only for the players and strength of the teams but the atmosphere. The quality of the teams is very competitive.

"I'm not only talking about the big four clubs but also Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham, who can stay at the highest level of this championship."

Ancelotti Is Living Proof That Nice Guys Can Come First

If awards were given for dignity, then Carlo Ancelotti would be the runaway winner. No question.

In both defeat and victory, the Italian has the same demeanour. It was impossible to miss his victory celebration at Old Trafford because, by the standards set by Jose Mourinho and others, there was no charge down the touchline when his Chelsea team secured what could be a defining victory in the Premier League title.

No. Ancelotti contented himself with a joyous clenching of both fists and then shook hands with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Unlike Mourinho at Old Trafford on that famous occasion when he was in charge at Porto, his trousers will not need a visit to the dry cleaners after a slide down the touchline.

Like his team, Ancelotti has more than a touch of class. He has been there, seen it and done it. A defeat at home to Inter Milan in the Champions League supposedly exposed his naivety - not an affliction common among Italian coaches it has to be said.

Quite simply, Chelsea were beaten by a better side and Ancelotti knew it. But no panic. No threats. No talk of UEFA subversion, even though his team may well have been awarded two penalties.

Ancelotti just went about re-grouping his men and switching the focus to the prizes still on offer. The response has been staggering. The thoroughly deserved win against Manchester United was the culmination of emphatic wins over Portsmouth and Aston Villa. Clearly Ancelotti has the respect of his players because a deflated, disenchanted and disillusioned team do not put seven past Villa.

But there was no triumphalism about his demeanour after the win at United. Just a clam assessment of the win and the acknowledgement that tough battles lay ahead before there can be an talk of championships.

He did stray into the realms of stating the obvious when he noted United are not the same team without Wayne Rooney, but that is hardly in controversy territory.

Let's get it right - Ancelotti is no robot. But he is an ultra-professional and a clear thinker and he has started to make jokes in English rather than use sarcastic asides like one of his predecessors. He also has the track record of being a winner in Serie A and in the Champions League.

He keeps a calm, assured perspective. He treats victory and defeat in the same manner - Rudyard Kipling, who called those eventualities "imposters", would have loved Carlo Ancelotti.

A proven winner and a gentleman. There are many who might like to take note of that.

Reserves Report: Birmingham City 0 - 1 Chelsea

A young second string created some fantastic football to overcome an experienced Birmingham side at St Andrew's on Wednesday night.

Jacob Mellis's strike deep in the second half was enough to seal the win as Chelsea played some beautiful football against a physical Birmingham side, which included seven first team regulars. Both sides ended the game with 10 men.

Maik Taylor, Gregory Vignal, Michel, Sebastian Larrson, Lee Carsley, Teemu Tanio and Chucho Benitez all started. Stuart Parnaby was meant to begin in the hosts' defence but illness forced him to miss the clash.

Meanwhile, Chelsea lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Sam Hutchinson leading from central defence. In front of him were Liam Bridcutt and Nemanja Matic.

Fabio Borini was the lone striker while Gael Kakuta, Josh McEachran and Jacob Mellis all lined up behind. Only five of our side had played first team football.

Regardless of the hosts' experience, Chelsea were first to attempt a strike. Gael Kakuta prospered from hard work by Fabio Borini on the right flank but the Frenchman's subsequent shot from the edge of the area went skimming past the post.

Continuing the offensive start, Kakuta soon produced another chance on goal while Nana Ofori-Twumasi received treatment on the sidelines for a knock on his ankle. The first 10 minutes were Chelsea's.

But as the hosts settled, the game became a more equal affair. Sam Hutchinson was called into action twice in central defence to diffuse Birmingham's attacks. Then, with 15 minutes played, Larrson forced a good save from Taylor with a freekick from 30 yards out.

Chelsea retaliated, with Van Aanholt twice delivering dangerous crosses into the box. The second was only inches away from Borini's feet before Josh McEachran nearly netted the stray ball in front of goal.

We'd claimed the best of the opening exchanges and before the half-hour mark arrived, Mellis, Kakuta and Matic had all created further chances.

Safe hands from Rhys Taylor denied Teemu Tanio's first shot of the game, a low drive towards the bottom left, before a Lee Carsley chance had the Welshman at full stretch to tip away for a corner.

The closest either side came to scoring in the first half was a Borini chance at the near post, which went spinning across the face of goal before narrowly heading wide.

As the second half got under way, there was a change made to the Chelsea defence. Conor Clifford came on for Hutchinson and took up a right-back role while Ofori-Twumasi moved into the centre.

Like the first half, the second began with a Kakuta chance from the edge of the box, an opportunity the young Frenchman sent screaming over the bar.

The first card of the game was brandished minutes later when Ofori-Twumasi slipped and handballed, stalling a Birmingham attack. Fortunately the eventual freekick from 35 yards strayed off target without ever threatening Chelsea's goal.

Van Aanholt continued to prove troublesome down the left, releasing one cross to the near post which Borini narrowly missed connecting with before the keeper gathered. Seconds later the Italian forced an acrobatic save from Maik Taylor.

Borini continuously hounded the Birmingham keeper, feeding off balls from Kakuta, Matic, van Aanholt and McEachran, but each shot was either parried away or sent over by the Italian.

But Chelsea were threatening and an away goal felt imminent. After Mellis and Ofori-Twumasi both received treatment at the same time following two separate challenges, the visitors won another freekick 25 yards out.

Van Aanholt, who'd put in a fantastic performance so far, sent a brilliant shot dipping over the wall before the keeper tipped over. McEachran took the corner, sending an awkward ball across the face of goal for Mellis to tap in with 76 minutes played.

With the lead established, Chelsea applied further pressure. Van Aanholt forced another good save from the Birmingham keeper when he smashed the ball towards the top right from 25 yards out.

But not neglecting his defensive duties, seconds later van Aanholt was back dispossessing substitute Akwasi Asante, who was at the tip of a Birmingham counter attack.

The dying minutes of the game were marred by a red card for Michel after a scuffle ensued following a Taylor save. Larrson was then shown a yellow for dissent.

Then, after some confusion, Ofori-Twumasi was also shown a second yellow, which ended his game prematurely.

The game finished 1-0, as both sides were left with 10. It was a tremendous performance from a young Chelsea side.

Cole And Essien Set To Boost Chelsea's Title Hopes

Chelsea's title hopes were boosted when they learned that injured defender Ashley Cole was likely to return for the last three games of the season.

"I think he needs some more days to train but we hope he will be ready for the game against Stoke (on April 25)," manager Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.

"He is doing very well and so is Michael Essien. Maybe he will be one week later (than) Cole."

Ghana midfielder Essien has not played for the club since injuring his hamstring in December. He then suffered a knee problem at the African Nations Cup in January.

Leaders Chelsea are two points clear of Manchester United in the Premier League, with Arsenal a further point adrift and five games remaining.

The game against Stoke City comes directly before their last two league fixtures against Liverpool and Wigan Athletic.

Cole, England manager Fabio Capello's first-choice left back, has been fighting to get fit before the end of the season with the World Cup starting in South Africa on June 11.

The 29-year-old broke his left ankle at Everton at the start of February but returned to light training last month.

Ancelotti also said Serbia international Branislav Ivanovic trained on Thursday and could be on the bench for the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday.

The defender has been out since he hurt his knee at Blackburn Rovers on March 21.

Drogba Wins Goal Of The Month

Didier Drogba has won Goal of the Month for February following his brace against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Only one of his two net-busters could win and our resident expert chose the thumping left-footed strike our number 11 took after cutting in from the right flank.

Four of the goals in this month's final five were scored by Florent Malouda, as he hit top-form against West Ham, Portsmouth and Villa.

The first goal is the Frenchman's left-footed drive against West Ham, as he calmly slotted past Robert Green from the edge of the box.

The second is Malouda's screaming shot against Portsmouth, as he collected on the left before dribbling and thumping into the top of the net.

After that, Drogba makes the selection with his expertly taken strike, also against Portsmouth, after he latched onto a fantastic long ball from Mikel.

The third goal in this month's five is our number 15's tap-in at the near post against Aston Villa before the final choice is Malouda's right-footed shot into the top of the net against the same side, as we thrashed Villa 7-1.

Pato Speculation Dismissed

Alexandre Pato's agent has rubbished reports linking the striker with a move away from AC Milan.

Speculation has suggested that Real Madrid and Chelsea are both pondering summer moves for the Brazil international.

However, the 20-year-old's representative Gilmar Veloz maintains that he has no intention of leaving the San Siro, where he is under contract until 2014.

"Chelsea and Real? These are only market rumours," Veloz told calciomercato.it.

"There is nothing true. He has a deal with Milan and he feels good in Milan."

Veloz also expressed his pride at continuing to represent Pato after some reports claimed he had changed his agent.

"I'm happy this has been cleared up. I'm Pato's agent and I stay with him for several years," he added.

Pato is currently sidelined with a thigh injury but is expected to be back in action in around 10 days.

Coach Calls For Dzeko Decision

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko has been urged to make a statement regarding his future by his coach Lorenz Gunther Kostner.

Dzeko has established himself as one of the most potent goalscorers in Europe and was close to joining AC Milan last summer.

He eventually decided to stay at Wolfsburg, but has a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave in the summer if a club offered in the region of £36million before 31st May.

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City have recently been linked with bids for the Bosnia international and Kostner feels it would be beneficial for Dzeko to declare his intentions.

"Edin Dzeko will finish the season a Wolfsburg player, that's for definite, whatever happens after that is down to rumours," said Kostner ahead of the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final tie against Fulham on Thursday night.

"Edin Dzeko saying he will stay would be an absolutely huge sign for us. I can't tell you how important that would be for us, but that's neither here nor there. Right now we have to wait to see what happens in May.

"As his manager I can't have much influence on whether he stays or not. All I can say at the moment is that he is on absolute top form. He's really firing on all cylinders. He's doing fantastic."

Dzeko discussed his future last week and admitted that he has no preference about which country he wants to play his football in, only that he is playing regularly in the UEFA Champions League.

He told Sport-Bild: "I have never said I desperately want to join a club in Serie A, there are plenty of options.

"Spain is one, England is one and even Germany remains one. Still I am not going to comment on the name of any club.

"I have the intention to join a club that is playing in the UEFA Champions League every season."

Chelsea & Manchester City Scout Bari Defender Leonardo Bonucci

Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City are tracking Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci, according to reports in the Italian press.

The Rome-based newspaper Il Messaggero claims that both Manchester City and Chelsea have sent scouts to watch the highly-rated central defender.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini are believed to have been impressed with Bonucci this season.

The 6.2ft defender, who is also attracting the interest of Inter Milan and Juventus, has been part of one of the meanest defences in Serie A in 2009/2010.

Leonardo Bonucci, 22, is also co-owned by Genoa and is expected to leave Bari in the summer after impressing alongside another highly-rated young Italian defender, Andrea Ranocchia.

CSKA Moscow Winger Dzagoev Still Has Chelsea Ambitions

CSKA Moscow star Alan Dzagoev admits he still has ambitions of playing for Chelsea.

The exciting Russia winger spent time at Stamford Bridge trialling as a teenager and remains hopeful of eventually pulling on a Blues shirt.

"Before, when I was young, I trained with the Chelsea Academy," he told La Stampa. "And, of course, even today I still prefer the Blues to other teams.

"I like them mainly because of Roman Abramovich."

Chelsea Fullback Gordon Gets Tranmere Rovers Reality Check

Chelsea fullback Ben Gordon admits he's been handed a reality check on-loan at Tranmere Rovers.

The 19-year-old former Leeds United junior knows he must consider the prospect that by experiencing football in the lower divisions for the first time, he may be taking a taste of his own future.

Gordon told the Liverpool Daily Post: “This is my first loan spell and things at Tranmere are quite a bit different to the way they are at Chelsea.

“I’ve had a few days training and a few matches. It’s different and it is brilliant.

“Obviously things like the training ground and the facilities are not like they are at Chelsea and bring me down to earth.

“They show me what it is like in this division.

“Things may look like this when I’m older, so it is a good reality check.”

Chelsea And Liverpool To Enter Bidding War For Lazio's Alexander Kolarov

A number of Premier League clubs, notably Chelsea and Liverpool, are tracking the availability of Lazio full-back Alexander Kolarov with a view to making a move for him this summer.

Kolarov has been catching the eye this season with a string of good performances for the Rome club, who are thought to be looking at rebuilding their squad this summer after a poor season.

With Lazio teetering on the brink of the Serie A relegation zone, Kolarov looks almost certain to be sold to raise cash for some new signings in the summer - or to play top-flight football if his club go down.

But the Serbian international said the reports of interest from Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as Italian and Spanish table-toppers Inter Milan and Real Madrid, will not distract him.

'I find that different clubs are interested in me every day when I open the newspapers,' he told fanzine La Lazio Siamo Noi.

'The interest from Real Madrid, Liverpool and Inter cannot but flatter me.

'However, so far there has never been anything concrete.'

Ashley Cole Training Again, Could Return For Chelsea This Month

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole has resumed training and may return to first-team action against Stoke City on 25 April at Stamford Bridge.

The England defender broke his left ankle during Chelsea's defeat to Everton in February. Following surgery, Cole underwent intensive rehabilitation during a three week spell in France.

According to London's Evening Standard, the 29 year-old did some gentle running exercises at Chelsea's Cobham training ground yesterday.

The news will be welcomed by both Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti and England coach Fabio Capello, who is already without left-back Wayne Bridge, who ruled himself out of World Cup contention.

Chelsea Launch New Search For Asian Star

Chelsea’s groundbreaking Search for an Asian Soccer Star is back and this year is bigger and better.

Two of last year’s Asian Stars have now gone on to sign for professional clubs and this year Chelsea will be offering six lucky players the chance to win a week-long trial at their world famous Academy.

Once again the club has teamed up with the Asian Media Group and Kick it Out to support the tournament which will take place on the second May Bank Holiday Weekend (29-31) for players from Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi backgrounds aged 8 to 13 years old.

Participants will be judged on a series of matches and tests specifically designed and used by the Chelsea Academy to examine speed, skill and ability.

One player from each age group will be selected for a week’s training with the Chelsea Academy squads during the summer with any player meeting the required standard being offered the chance to be signed by the Blues.

The initiative is the first of its kind ever undertaken by a professional football club and is designed to give a much needed boost to Asian participation at all levels of the game.

Last year’s initiative saw 350 young people attending the Cobham training ground and the three winning players training and turning out for Chelsea teams during the summer. Two of last year’s winners have since gone to be signed by Leyton Orient and Southend. “Last year was a massive success with two of the boys going from Sunday League football to play for professional clubs,” said Simon Taylor Chelsea’s Head of CSR. “We want this year’s tournament to be bigger and better so we have doubled the amount of age groups and trials on offer. The scheme is not just about finding the next Anelka, Drogba or Lampard, it is about breaking down barriers, showing Asian players that opportunities at all levels of the game do exist and encouraging them to maximise their potential.” Chelsea will also be inviting managers, coaches and scouts from clubs at all levels of the game to identify talented youngsters and information will also be on hand for Asian players to find clubs in their area.

Kalpesh R Solanki, Group Managing Editor of Asian Media & Marketing Group (AMG) said: “Asian Media & Marketing Group (AMG) are proud to be associated with Chelsea in their search for an Asian Soccer Star. The Asian community has become involved in many fields over the years but the involvement of Asians in football is scarce and we all need to work together and encourage more involvement from the community.

Piara Powar, Director of Kick It Out added: “"We fully endorse the Search for an Asian Star initiative. The outcomes from the 2009 initiative demonstrate how a project like this can break down stereotypes, and give genuine opportunities in the professional game for talented young Asian players."

"The Chelsea scheme uses the best that the club can offer to reach out to the best talent in a way that gives other young Asians the encouragement to believe that there is a place in the game for them."