Chelsea Offer Former Barcelona Official Begiristain Role As New Sporting Director

According to Spanish daily 'Sport', Chelsea has submitted an offer to secure the services of former Barcelona technical secretary Txiki Begiristain.

The 45-year-old is a former Barcelona player and Spanish international. He was brought into the Nou Camp as technical secretary in 2003 in order to end a barren four seasons without a trophy and has since helped bring incredible success for the Catalans.

Begiristain has overseen the transfers of influential stars such as Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o during his time at the Nou Camp.

His last contribution to the club was the summer signing of David Villa. Begiristain left the Nou Camp following the end of Joan Laporta's term as president.

Now, 'Sport' reports that Begiristain has received "a significant offer" from Premier League champions Chelsea to become the club's sporting director.

Chelsea is desperate to capture the Champions League and would hope that Begiristain can help Carlo Ancelotti strengthen his squad in order to do so. The Stamford Bridge club reportedly wants an answer from Begiristain by September.

Mancienne Seeks Stability

Michael Mancienne is keen to put down roots, and accepts he may need to leave Chelsea in order to do so.

The former England Under-21 international remains on the Blues' books despite spending the last two seasons on loan at Wolves.

The versatile 22-year-old has been forced to look elsewhere after finding his route to the first-team at Stamford Bridge blocked.

He now faces a tough choice at a crucial stage of his career, with it unclear where he figures in Carlo Ancelotti's plans.

Mancienne knows that in order to produce his best he needs to feel settled and comfortable in his surroundings.

That is not the case at Chelsea at present and he accepts that a summer switch may now be his best option.

Wolves, who have been impressed by him over recent years, are reported to be keen to strike a deal and Mancienne has hinted that he would be open to such a move.

"I've been at Chelsea since I was a kid and I'd love to break into the first-team, but it's hard for any young player knowing how much quality they've got," he told the Daily Express.

"I've had two seasons on loan at Wolves and had regular games and really enjoyed it. Now I want to be settled at one club."

While Mancienne has opened the door to a move, he could yet be offered an opportunity to prove his worth under Ancelotti.

Chelsea are set to be without Brazilian centre-half Alex for the start of the new season, while Ricardo Carvalho has expressed a desire to join Real Madrid, leaving a vacancy alongside John Terry at the heart of the back four.

Mancienne Seeks Stability

Michael Mancienne is keen to put down roots, and accepts he may need to leave Chelsea in order to do so.

The former England Under-21 international remains on the Blues' books despite spending the last two seasons on loan at Wolves.

The versatile 22-year-old has been forced to look elsewhere after finding his route to the first-team at Stamford Bridge blocked.

He now faces a tough choice at a crucial stage of his career, with it unclear where he figures in Carlo Ancelotti's plans.

Mancienne knows that in order to produce his best he needs to feel settled and comfortable in his surroundings.

That is not the case at Chelsea at present and he accepts that a summer switch may now be his best option.

Wolves, who have been impressed by him over recent years, are reported to be keen to strike a deal and Mancienne has hinted that he would be open to such a move.

"I've been at Chelsea since I was a kid and I'd love to break into the first-team, but it's hard for any young player knowing how much quality they've got," he told the Daily Express.

"I've had two seasons on loan at Wolves and had regular games and really enjoyed it. Now I want to be settled at one club."

While Mancienne has opened the door to a move, he could yet be offered an opportunity to prove his worth under Ancelotti.

Chelsea are set to be without Brazilian centre-half Alex for the start of the new season, while Ricardo Carvalho has expressed a desire to join Real Madrid, leaving a vacancy alongside John Terry at the heart of the back four.

Carvalho Claims Blues Release Clause

Ricardo Carvalho has revealed he has an agreement with Chelsea which will see him quit the club this summer and is keen on joining Real Madrid.

Carvalho followed new Real coach Jose Mourinho to Chelsea in 2004, after winning the Champions League with him at Porto.

The Portugal defender was repeatedly linked with a move to Inter Milan during Mourinho's two years in charge at the San Siro and is now desperate to be reunited with him in Madrid.

"If there was a possibility to sign for Madrid, I would go there right now swimming or running," Carvalho told Spanish sports newspaper AS.

"Chelsea have a commitment with me to let me go this summer, for reasons which those responsible at the club and I know.

"It would be a dream to be able to play for Madrid, which for me is the best club in the world, and to do so under the orders of the best coach in the history of football.

"With Mourinho I experienced two marvellous periods at Porto and Chelsea. To have the opportunity to win another Champions League with him at Real Madrid would be something tremendous."

After helping Chelsea to three Premier League titles and three FA Cups, Carvalho believes his time at Stamford Bridge has come to an end.

The 32-year-old has not played for Chelsea since March after picking up an ankle injury - from which he recovered in time for the World Cup - but insists that despite his advancing years he is in the prime of his career.

"I find myself in the best moment of my career, because physically I am at the top and moreover I have a great experience," continued Carvalho.

"I spent six spectacular years at Chelsea and I had the opportunity to experience a glorious period of this club, but I repeat that to sign for Madrid would be a dream.

"I'm very grateful to Roman Abramovich for signing me and making me part of the Chelsea project for six years. He was a very important person for English football and Chelsea, who became one of the best teams in the world."

Reports suggest Chelsea would agree to release Carvalho for a cut-price 6million euros (£5million).

Borini Hoping For Bright Future

Fabio Borini plans to concentrate on fighting for a place in the starting lineup at Chelsea FC after Italy's UEFA European Under-19 Championship challenge was ended by Spain. Italy forward Fabio Borini revealed that, although his team's exit from the UEFA European Under-19 Championship was difficult to take, he still has high hopes on the international stage.

Despite collecting just one point from their opening Group B games with Portugal and Croatia, the Azzurrini's chance of reaching the semi-finals remained intact prior to Saturday's encounter with Spain at the Stade du Hazé in Flers. Following two defensive lapses in the space of six first-half minutes, however, Massimo Piscedda's side were 2-0 down, Rúben Rochina and Daniel Pacheco taking full advantage of their opponents' slips. "We came up against a fantastic team in Spain and we just have to take our hats off to them; they played really well," Borini told UEFA.com. "We have to say that at the moment they are too good for us."

An Ezequiel Calvente penalty in the second half compounded the 2003 winner's misery but it was a tournament the Chelsea FC striker felt never got going for Italy. "We're really disappointed with the result and of course for not achieving qualification for the [FIFA U-20] World Cup," Borini said. "In our first [defeat] to Portugal we lost our composure a bit; we really felt we dropped three points there. In the draw against Croatia we did our best to play our game but it's not easy trying with ten players for half an hour.

"I did my job as I always do as a professional player," added the Italy captain, who scored twice in three qualifying appearances but failed to find the net in the finals. "I tried to push the team to the maximum level but it's a difficult time for us as it's just the beginning of the season. We're not as fit as we would be in the middle of the season."

Borini – who began his career with Italian side Bologna FC – made his Premier League and UEFA Champions League debuts for Chelsea last season and the 19-year-old is now planning to focus on winning a regular place in Carlo Ancelotti's side. "I'm hoping for the best with Chelsea, where I want to win a spot in the first team and of course to score goals. I would also love to be involved in the World Cup with Italy in four years, which would be something incredible. I want to achieve everything I can and to win trophies."

Sturridge: Goal No Satisfaction

His finish for Chelsea's only goal in Amsterdam was the highlight of the team performance and his manager complimented young players' efforts against experienced opponents, but Daniel Sturridge remained troubled by the friendly game defeat.

The 20-year-old didn't hesitate when the ball came his way after Josh McEachran was tackled, lashing it past World Cup finalist Maarten Stekelenburg from outside the area for his first goal of the pre-season program.

It was a first-half equalizer but two minutes later Ajax scored again and then last season's Dutch runners-up made it 3-1 in the final moments of the game at the Amsterdam ArenA.

'I was upset not to score in the last game [at Crystal Palace] and in this game it was good to score but I am devastated the team didn't get to win because whatever I am playing in I want to win,' insisted Sturridge following the game.

'I am upset that we lost even if it is a friendly. I am gutted but the next game is coming soon so hopefully we can go out there and play better next time.'

Despite his unhappiness with the display, Sturridge didn't lose focus on the principal reason for the fixture, especially as he was one of three Chelsea players to last the full match.

'The only positive is that we have come away with more fitness. It was a very hard game and we all worked hard out there. Everyone coming off that pitch will feel a lot fitter from playing such a game.

'Of course it felt a lot more of a test than the previous game. You could see the difference out there in the way Ajax passed the ball and the movement they had out there.

'I think they had played five more games than us, this was only our second game, so they were a lot fitter, but we tried to play as we can. Obviously it would have been a lot better if we could have won the game.

'I played three different roles,' he explained.

'I played up front with Franco [Di Santo] first half and then I played on the right second half and then I went to centre-forward and I was up front on my own towards the end.

'You have to do these things to have some versatility in your game and to be a better player, and to be on the pitch for 90 minutes is what I enjoy doing.'

We're Not Just A Business

As we celebrate the launch of our Foundation, various figures from around the club have had their say on the importance of our charity work.

Present at the launch were our first team goalkeepers, chairman Bruce Buck, Foundation coaches from our various soccer schools, and around 40 youngsters from our Mini Kickz, Mini Kickers and disabled programs. They were joined by four of the Foundation's trustees, Chris Alexander, John Devine, Alan Shaw and Emma Wilkinson.

Bruce Buck, club chairman:

'Generally speaking the world doesn't appreciate how much football clubs give back to their communities in the way of charitable activities, and I think what Chelsea does is a lot for a business our size. It's something the club recognizes as a responsibility, and we are doing it.

'It's certainly important to pick your projects carefully and not just do anything and everything. The fact we have a dedicated social responsibility team means we are looking into every project before we fund it or engage in it. That's obviously the right thing to do

'We've been doing charity work for a long, long time, but we think it was important to put it all under one umbrella.

'Football clubs are not just businesses, we have a responsibility to our communities and we recognize and support that.'

Petr Cech, first team goalkeeper:

'I think the kids are the most important. If you want to bring somebody to play football you start with the kids, you don't start with the teenagers or the adults. Kids are the most gracious people on the planet, so you can see the smile and the happiness on their face and that makes your day as well.

'I think as the motto says, the charity should be in safe hands and that's why they have us three keepers here so I hope it is going to be. It's always great to be part of a good charity which includes every kind of charity you can imagine all in one, which I think will make for a lot of good work.'

Casey Stoney, Chelsea Foundation coach and captain of Chelsea Ladies:

'It's a dream come true for a kid to come along and have a kick around at the training ground of one of the best teams in the world and meet some of the best goalkeepers in the world. I didn't have many opportunities as a girl and the more chances we can provide to children at younger ages the better.'

Rob Seale, Chelsea Foundation football and development officer:

'It is such an honour to not only be working with disabled kids and adults every day of the week, but to have things going on on the weekends and evenings as well, it is difficult to tear yourself away.

'It is a very special feeling, and these specific kids don't always get these opportunities so to see these smiles is fantastic. For them to come in here and meet some Chelsea players don’t just make their day, it is so important for them.'

Chelsea Gets Ramires In £20M Deal

Benfica midfielder Ramires will join Chelsea this week in a £20million deal.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti wants the defensive midfield player having lost two experienced stars this summer in Joe Cole and Michael Ballack.

Deco is expected to follow – with only Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun coming in.

Ramires, 23, is heading for Stamford Bridge with the deal expected to be finalized in the next few days.

The Brazilian was one of the big successes of his country’s World Cup campaign as they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.

Dunga, who was ousted as coach after Brazil’s exit, stressed that Ramires was badly missed after suspension ruled him out of the 2-1 defeat by Netherlands. Ramires is also wanted by Manchester City, who are ready to outbid Chelsea, but a source said: “He has opted to go to Chelsea, and the deal can be done in the next couple of days, certainly by next week.”

Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira has met with representatives from Chelsea and Manchester City. But the player has chosen to move to the reigning Premier League champions.

Ramires said recently: “I don’t know the names of the clubs that are after me, but it would be a dream to play for a big club such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or Chelsea.”

Wolves Boss Mick McCarthy Wants To Keep Mancienne

The problems facing England’s future prospects were brought into sharp focus as Chelsea stalled over a potential £4million bid from Wolves for their talented defender Michael Mancienne.

The former England Under-21 star, tipped as the perfect international replacement for his club team-mate John Terry or the injury-jinxed Rio Ferdinand, has now reluctantly asked for a transfer to rescue his future.

He faces stagnating in Chelsea’s reserves if the Premier League champions hang on to a player they tied up on a four-year contract last summer, despite only a handful of first-team starts for them in four years.

That will continue to fuel fears that the future of English football is being stifled, because players like Mancienne are being denied the experience they need, in many cases because of the signing of ‘ready-made’ foreign stars.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, the former Ireland manager, had 22-year-old Mancienne on loan last season and would now like to make the deal permanent – giving English football a boost in the process. But Chelsea are reluctant to let Mancienne move on unless someone offers them silly money for a player who has played more games for England sides than he has for his club.

Mancienne said: “I’ve been at Chelsea since I was a kid and I’d love to break into the first team, but it’s hard for any young player knowing how much quality they’ve got. I’ve had two seasons on loan at Wolves and had regular games and really enjoyed it. Now I want to be settled at one club.”

It is a situation that former FA technical director Howard Wilkinson warns will have a bleak effect on the national team. “If you want to do well at international level you need to have a big pool of players with the necessary experience of playing at the top,” he said.

“Our young players will not get that in the Premier League if clubs keep signing foreign players at this rate.” The plight of Mancienne and England is echoed at top clubs up and down the country. Manchester United paid Fulham a reported £10m for the emerging talents of England U21 defender Chris Smalling, but will almost certainly leave him at best on the bench for the foreseeable future.

Van der Vaart Ready To Join Chelsea Or Liverpool

Rafael van der Vaart has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Premier League clubs ahead of the new season.

Van der Vaart has made just 31 league starts in two seasons at Real Madrid, and while 12 months ago he was prepared to stay and fight for his place at the Bernabeu he now wants to be playing week-in, week-out.

After losing his place in the Netherlands team due to injury after the group stage - he did not feature against Slovakia or Brazil but did come off the bench in both the semi-final and final - he knows he must return to top form at club level.

With Jose Mourinho likely to ring the changes over the next month, Van der Vaart is prepared to move on.

He told the Daily Star Sunday: "I have heard of the interest from Liverpool and Chelsea - and that is very flattering. If either of them were willing to offer me first-team football, I will be honest that it would be very hard for me to not listen to what they had to say.

"I think I have the relationship with Madrid where they understand my position and would let me hold talks. I expect the majority of transfers to be concluded in the next two weeks, and if Chelsea or Liverpool wanted to talk with me I would at the very least listen to what they have to say.

"They are both giants, and if they could offer first-team football it may prove impossible to turn down. Real Madrid is the most prestigious club in the world and I am happy here and also in Spain, but I am at the age where I have to be playing first-team football.

"I am getting to the point where I will be hitting my peak years and I need to spend those years at a club where I will be playing regularly. The boss knows how much he plans to use me, and if he is willing to listen to offers for me. I wouldn't be willing to play for any clubs in Spain out of respect for Madrid, so in my eyes the only other place to go would be the Premier League.

"It's the only league that competes with the standard of La Liga."

Chelsea Expect Ricardo Carvalho At Training Despite Him Wanting Real Madrid Move

Chelsea insist they expect defender Ricardo Carvalho to report for pre-season training as scheduled despite the Portugal international revealing his desire to link-up again with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

Carvalho told Spanish newspaper AS he was desperate to join Madrid and work under Mourinho, who mentored him at Stamford Bridge, and Porto before that.

The 32-year-old also claimed he had a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave Chelsea this summer.

Carvalho said: "If there was a possibility to sign for Madrid, I would go there right now swimming or running. Chelsea have a commitment with me to let me go this summer, for reasons which those responsible at the club and I know.

"It would be a dream to be able to play for Madrid, which for me is the best club in the world, and to do so under the orders of the best coach in the history of football.

"With Mourinho I experienced two marvellous periods at Porto and Chelsea. To have the opportunity to win another Champions League with him at Real Madrid would be something tremendous."

After helping Chelsea to three Premier League titles and three FA Cups, Carvalho believes his time at Stamford Bridge has come to an end.

He has not played for Chelsea since March after picking up an ankle injury – from which he recovered in time for the World Cup – but insists that despite his advancing years he is in the prime of his career.

"I find myself in the best moment of my career, because physically I am at the top and moreover I have a great experience," continued Carvalho.

"I spent six spectacular years at Chelsea and I had the opportunity to experience a glorious period of this club, but I repeat that to sign for Madrid would be a dream.

"I'm very grateful to Roman Abramovich for signing me and making me part of the Chelsea project for six years. He was a very important person for English football and Chelsea, who became one of the best teams in the world."

Chelsea refused to comment on Carvalho's contract claims but were adamant he would be reporting next week with the rest of the club's World Cup players.

Chelsea are unlikely to allow Carvalho to leave with Brazilian defender Alex ruled out for the start of the season.

Jose Mourinho Steps Up His Pursuit Of Ashley Cole

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is refusing to take no for an answer in his pursuit of Ashley Cole.

Chelsea have stated twice in the last week their unsettled England defender is staying put at Stamford Bridge next season – despite Madrid’s £20million interest.

But the hands-off messages, delivered by boss Carlo Ancelotti and chairman Bruce Buck, have fallen on deaf ears in Spain.

New Real supremo Mourinho is desperate to rebuild the Spanish giants, starting at the back. And he views Cole, 29, as absolutely key to those plans.

Mourinho will instruct Real to make their interest in Cole official later this week with an initial £20m bid.

And, though that is likely to be rejected by the Blues board, Mourinho is confident he will soon be reunited with the left-back he controversially took from Arsenal to Chelsea for £25m in July 2006.

A source close to the Bernabeu said last night: “Jose wants Cole. End of story.

“He is certain he will get him before the August deadline.”

And Real superstar Iker Casillas, 29, said he expected to be playing alongside Cole when the season starts.

The World Cup-winning keeper, who is vice-captain at the Bernabeu, said: “It doesn’t surprise me that Chelsea is doing everything they can to try to keep Ashley Cole, I would be as well if I were in their position.

“But it comes down to the fact that it’s very hard to keep a player that doesn’t want to be there.

“If Ashley really wants to be at Real Madrid next season then I expect that it will happen.”

Mourinho’s optimism stems from the fact that, as much as Chelsea doesn’t want to do business, Cole is determined to quit the Premier League.

He returns to the club on Monday after being given an extended break following the World Cup.

And his first move will be to hold showdown talks over his future – and confirm to Ancelotti he wants out now.

Cole’s desire to leave the club has nothing to do with Chelsea but is down to the constant abuse he receives from rival fans across the country.

While he was one of England’s better performers in South Africa, he believes his popularity remains at an all-time low following his high-profile break-up with pop-star wife Cheryl.

And the ex-Arsenal ace did himself no favours earlier in the summer when a text message, in which he slagged off England, was made public and created more unwanted headlines.

Ancelotti and Chelsea are well aware of how difficult Cole is finding life on these shores and they have promised to help him beat the problem.

Buck said: “Obviously he is not happy with how his private life has become the focus of everything around him and I think we’d like to work with him so that he has a bit of a lower profile.

“We don’t think the problem will change if he went to somewhere else outside of the UK – so I think we want to work with him here to make his personal life more enjoyable.”

However, the truth is Cole’s mind is made up and he will not back down – leaving Italian coach Ancelotti little choice but to let him go to La Liga.

Ancelotti Sure Cole Will Stay

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is determined to hang on to left-back Ashley Cole. The England international has been linked with a move to Jose Mouinho's Real Madrid but Ancelotti is confident Cole wants to stay.

In fact, the Italian says he does not feel the need to speak to him about his future when he returns to training in the coming week.

"Ashley is a Chelsea player and nobody wants to sell him. We want to keep him in our squad. I am 100 per cent sure he will be at Chelsea this season," said Ancelotti.

"I consider him to be the best player in his position in the world.

"I don't need to talk to him. He is happy to stay at Chelsea. He never said he wanted to go. There is no chance he will go. No way."

The Blues are having a few issues defensively at the moment, with goalkeeper Petr Cech and centre-back Alex both sidelined by injury and Ricardo Carvalho claiming he has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

He has made no secret of the fact he wants to be reunited with former Chelsea boss Mourinho, and has described his compatriot as the best manager ever.

Gonzalo Higuain: Chelsea Left-Back Ashley Cole Should Make Move To Real Madrid

Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain has promised Chelsea defender Ashley Cole that he can escape the backlash over his private life if he makes the switch to Real Madrid.

The England international has not been able to stay out of the news after his much reported divorce from pop star Cheryl Tweedy.

Higuain has urged Cole to get a new start and move to Real Madrid, where he would be re-united with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

"At Madrid, Cole's football will make all the headlines, not his private life. I think that will be a big incentive for him,” Higuain told The Sun.

"I have spoken with a couple of senior players who the club confides in and they are very confident that we will sign him in the next few weeks.

"Once players have played for Jose Mourinho, they seem to want to follow him. Jose is very much like Argentina coach Diego Maradona in the sense that he will lay down his life for his players.

"It's everybody inside the club versus the rest of the world and that protection which the coach offers is a real incentive.

"Ashley will know all about Jose's passion and love for his players and I am sure he is keen to link up with him again."

Mourinho has already secured the transfer of Cole before, luring the left-back from Arsenal to Chelsea in 2006, and Higuain believes that history will repeat itself.

"The vibe around the training ground is that the deal will be done. All the players are very excited about his arrival.

"It does not surprise me that Chelsea say he is not for sale.

"If you have a player who is the best in the world in his position then you do everything you can to try to keep him.

"But when Madrid want a player we usually get our man.

"I was speaking with Cristiano Ronaldo and he told me Cole is the toughest defender he has ever played against.

"So if Ashley Cole decides he wants to join the greatest club in the world and play for his old friend Jose Mourinho again, then I am sure the transfer will go through before the start of the season."

Chelsea Youngster Wants Playing Time

Chelsea youngster Michael Mancienne is finding it difficult to break into Carlo Ancelotti’s first team ever since returning from his loan spell at Wolverhampton. The 22-year old’s case is very similar to that of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who impressed on loan at Bolton for the second half of last season.

Both players are now seeking to feature actively in the future plans of their respective managers via means of increased playing time. For Mancienne, settling down at Chelsea also carries a personal connection, as he has been with the club ever since he was a child.

The former England Under-21 international told Express: “I’ve been at Chelsea since I was a kid and I’d love to break into the first team, but it’s hard for any young player knowing how much quality they’ve got.”

He added: “I’ve had two seasons on loan at Wolves and had regular games and really enjoyed it. Now I want to be settled at one club.”

Future Of Communities In Safe Hands

Chelsea Football Club is proud to announce the launch of our new charity to continue and expand our award-winning community, charity and social responsibility work.

Goalkeeping trio Petr Cech, Ross Turnbull and Hilario joined young people from a variety of community projects across the south-east to celebrate the occasion last week.

The Chelsea Foundation has been created as an independent charity to develop the community work established by the football club as well as the health, environmental, anti-discrimination and charitable work the club has developed over the last five years.

Over 800,000 people per year are actively engaged in the UK alone through the club's social responsibility initiatives. These include using football to rebuild communities and providing sport to young people to promote healthy lifestyles, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour as well as drug and alcohol abuse.

The domestic community work of the club has expanded in recent years to include Essex, Hampshire, Sussex as well Surrey and London. The Foundation's international work will see coaches being sent out to Spain, Hong Kong, the US, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Sardinia in the forthcoming months to establish a series of coaching, community and education programs.

The Foundation will build on the groundbreaking work undertaken by Chelsea which includes:

- Award-winning work to help reduce crime through engaging young people through football. Through programs such as Kickz, Positive Futures and Goalz we identify high crime areas and target individuals through our coaching initiatives to provide positive distractions and opportunities for training, education and employment.

- Using football to help educate people of all ages about the benefits of healthy lifestyles and actively targeting older men through a series of health programs.

- Helping the long-term unemployed get motivated and find work using the power of the game to inspire and engage.

- Being the first club to sign up to the Mayor of London's Green 500 initiative and pledge to reduce our environmental impact and have created a liftshare scheme to encourage fans to share cars to games.

- Using football to provide educational initiatives to schoolchildren in English, maths, business studies, languages and IT.

- Helping to tackle racism and discrimination at Stamford Bridge and in our communities.

Importantly the Foundation will be able to accept donations, fundraise and work with a wider range of organizations and funding partners.

All profits and funding will allow the Foundation to develop new initiatives and expand programs increasing the reach of our good work and engaging even larger numbers.

Chelsea now regularly helps to raise over £1.5m for charities annually, part of a corporate social responsibility investment of more than £5.6m each season.

A new website www.chelseafc.com/foundation has been created and to mark the launch, the Foundation will be auctioning off a John Terry shirt signed by the entire Double-winning team and a shirt signed by the three first team goalkeepers.

All funds raised will be ploughed back into grass roots football initiatives.

Didier Drogba Could Miss Start Of Premier League Season

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has successfully undergone surgery on a groin injury that had troubled him last season, although his recovery and rehabilitation from the operation could make it touch-and-go whether he will be fully fit in time to help the Blues' when they commence their Premier League title defence at home to West Bromwich Albion on 14 August.

Despite the lingering injury the prolific targetman still fired the Blues to a domestic double during 2009-10, contributing 29 Premier League goals in 31 starts.

The decision to perform the operation on Friday, following his return from World Cup 2010 where he performed for the Ivory Coast, was taken in an attempt to speed up his rehabilitation.

A statement today on Chelsea's official website noted: "Didier Drogba successfully underwent minimally invasive surgery on Friday on the groin injury that had troubled him for some of last season.

"The decision to perform the procedure after his return from the World Cup was made to optimise his rehabilitation, and he is expected to return to full training in approximately three weeks."

Chelsea are due to face Manchester United in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, 8 August - a game Drogba seems sure to miss.

Chelsea Hit Back In Summer Transfer Battle With Bid For David Luiz

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is preparing to land a significant blow in his transfer battle with Manchester City.

Not satisfied with winning the race to sign Benfica midfielder Ramires in a £20million deal, Abramovich has sanctioned a second raid on the Portuguese club for their £27m-rated defender David Luiz.

The double swoop signals a return to Chelsea's big-spending days that coincided with the Russian's arrival at Stamford Bridge, and manager Carlo Ancelotti has set about reinforcing his double-winning squad with the best of Brazil's young talent.

The extravagant transfer moves are also sure to deliver a bloody nose to Manchester City, who have also been closely tracking Ramires and Luiz.

Up to now, Sheik Mansour's billions have seen City press on unopposed during the summer transfer window, with Roberto Mancini having already splashed out more than £80m on players.

But while City are likely to be challenging for honours this season following a major overhaul, it seems Chelsea's recent history of success has proved decisive in convincing 23-year-old Ramires that his future lies at Stamford Bridge.

Sportsmail exclusively revealed the details of Chelsea's £20m move for Ramires on Thursday.
And barring any last-minute hitches, his transfer will be finalised at the end of next week, after a holiday in his native Brazil following his exploits in the World Cup.

Ancelotti will doubtless be delighted to have got his man having searched for a central midfielder to replace Michael Ballack following his return to Bayer Leverkusen, while Deco is expected to join Brazilian side Fluminense.

Luiz, 23, is seen as a future star for Brazil having represented his country at Under 20 level. And he his already proved his class with Benfica, having been an ever-present last season as the Lisbon side won their first domestic title for five years.

Chelsea have firmed up their interest after losing Luiz's countryman Alex to a torn thigh muscle which will rule him out for a month. In addition, if Chelsea are successful in pulling off a deal for Ruiz, who like Ramires has attracted the interest of top clubs across Europe, then it may signal the end of Ricardo Carvalho's stay at Stamford Bridge.

Carvalho's former manager, Jose Mourinho, is understood to be keen for a reunion at Real Madrid. However, Rafa Benitez is eager to have the benefit of Carvalho's experience at Inter Milan as he tries to emulate Mourinho's treble winning exploits at the San Siro.

There could be a decidedly samba rhythm to Chelsea's play next season if they are also successful with a £17m move for Santos's 18-year-old striker Neymar.

Cole Can't Wait

If any Englishman managed to escape this year’s World Cup with any amount of credibility, it was Ashley Cole. The Chelsea full-back was defensively sound and offered what he could going forward.

Yes, he could’ve done more, there’s no denying that, but as the standard of England’s play fluctuated between dreadful and awful, the defender didn’t need to excel himself to become England’s best player at the tournament.

It’s off the pitch though, where Ashley Cole will get the stick.

“I hate England and the f***ing people!” Cole vented in a personal message to friends.

Cue public outrage. The Sun proclaimed it as a ‘disgraceful’ message. The red-tops then laid into the Englishman as best they could, labeling him as ‘ungrateful’ and a ‘flop’. It’s not a breed of vitriol that would be new to Cole, but, since the revelation, England’s most reviled footballer (yet, aptly our greatest performer at this year’s World Cup) has begun receiving death threats from enraged and evidently confused fans. Well, perhaps not confused but sad may be. No. Not sad. Stupid. And it’s quite unsettling to see how many people can be whipped into a nonsensical frenzy by the press.

It’s not as though the sentiment hasn’t been uttered in anger or frustration by anyone anywhere previously. This isn’t some epiphany moment in which the truth about England’s detestable nature is revealed. In fact, there are quite a few people who didn’t like England before Cole; Jamie Carragher, for example, doesn’t like England all that much; numerous British actors find the Isles dull; even the affable French think it ugly. But, nevertheless, the papers – veins still pumping with St George fever – obviously took exception to Cole’s refreshingly honest approach and so did some jingoistic fans.

But, perhaps the most revealing aspect of the whole narrative was that the message was posted before Ashley Cole even flew out to Austria for pre-tournament training and the game against Japan. That’s well over a month ago. But obviously, in order for the story to work, to create maximum uproar, the tabloids kept the story under wraps – a devious and somewhat callous way of increasing sales after the disappointing exit.

And, look, now look! He’s laughing with Ledley King! How dare he laugh as the nation mourns; how dare he look at the bright-side and get on with life as we suffer the insufferable after being beaten at football, again. He’s on £110,000 a week for god sake, he should be a broken man, drenched in uncontrollable tears, his eyes red and raw and his face contorted with grief after England’s defeat. The cheek of it!

Anyway, fortunately for all involved, Cole can bring an end to the farce with a move to Madrid to meet up with his old manager:

“I would like to have an alternative left-back to Marcelo,” revealed Jose Mourinho.

A deal of around £25million is expected to take the Englishman to the Bernabeu. Many, including himself no doubt, can’t wait.

Chelsea Duo Ashley Cole And Didier Drogba To Remain At Stamford Bridge

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has denied any truth in the speculation linking Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba with moves away from Stamford Bridge.

England international Cole has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid ever since former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho took charge at the Bernabeu, while Drogba has been pin-pointed as a possible target for Manchester City.

However, Ancelotti is adamant that the pair are settled at Stamford Bridge and that neither has the desire to leave.

When speaking about Cole’s link with Real Madrid, Ancelotti simply said: "It is not true."

It was a phrase he repeated when asked about City's supposed interest in Drogba.

The Blues have also recently been linked with an interest in Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero, but Ancelotti has denied any interest in the Argentina striker, who won the Europa League with Atletico last season.

"No, it is not true," said Ancelotti.