Wolves Ponder £4m Swoop For Chelsea Youngster Michael Mancienne

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy is readying a bid for Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, according to a report from The Sun.

The 22-year-old impressed during his second loan spell at Molineux last season, occupying a holding midfield role for much of the campaign as Wolves ensured their Premier League survival.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has expressed an interest in making a permanent move for the player and is reported to be pondering a £4 million offer.

Chelsea now seem ready to offload the player, who has been an England Under-21 regular since 2007 and was also called up to the senior England squad for the friendly with Germany in 2008.

Bayern Munich To Hand Thomas Mueller Pay Rise To Stave Off Manchester United And Chelsea Interest

Bayern Munich's sporting director has declared Thomas Mueller will be handed a pay rise to stop Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea from snatching him up.

Mueller, 20, has been one of the stars of World Cup 2010 after grabbing four goals for Germany on their route through the tournament. Such has been his influence, his absence through suspension for the semi-final contributed to Joachim Loew's side's 1-0 defeat to Euro 2008 winners Spain.

These performances had not gone unnoticed by Europe's top clubs, and the English pair were reportedly prepared to test Bayern's resolve. After a £25 million fee was slapped on Mueller's head, Christian Nerlinger has also insisted the attacker will receive a boost to his deal, which runs until 2013, to keep him at the Champions League runners-up.

"We are going to give Thomas Mueller a raise, Bayern Munich is known as a club that will always come up with a reaction when there have been impressive performances," Nerlinger told Sport BILD.

"I am still very fine on that; we have not extended the contract of Thomas Mueller for no reason.

"Thus far we have not received any concrete bid for the player, we do not intend to sell him."

Chelsea Linked With Move For £8m England Under-21 International

Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in making a move for Southampton’s highly rated England Under 21 international Adam Lallana. Carlo Ancelotti has been looking to bring in new British talent to help fulfill the new ‘homegrown’ ruling quota for the new season and has been linked with a move for the pint sized attacking midfielder.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has also been linked with a move for the St Albans born playmaker and the League One side face a tough fight to keep hold of the extremely talented youngster.

For the past two seasons Lallana has been a fixture in the Saints set up and had an excellent run of form last term where he netted 20 goals from the midfield and has attracted interest from a host of Premier League sides.

Valued at around £8m he would hardly dent the Stamford Bridge budget and whilst Lallana wouldn’t be Premier League ready from the outset but has a great deal of potential and could be turned into a very attractive prospect if given the chance.

Laurent Blanc Will Not Discard Nicolas Anelka From France Plans

Nicolas Anelka may have been sent home in disgrace from the 2010 World Cup, but France coach Laurent Blanc has indicated that he will start his reign with a clean slate for all players and will not necessarily discard the player once known as the ‘Incredible Sulk’.

A dressing room bust-up with former trainer Raymond Domenech at half-time of les Bleus’ 2-0 defeat against Mexico proved to be the spark for a dramatic collapse in the French side, with widespread allegations in the press that ‘Nico’ had seriously insulted the coach. Despite this murky history, Blanc has not moved to distance himself too much from the Chelsea forward.

Speaking to TF1 on Thursday evening, Blanc stated that Anelka’s actions at the World Cup were “intolerable”, though he also noted that the striker can still win a place in the squad provided he “demonstrates that he is the best in his position, reflects my philosophy of play and changes his behaviour”.

Additionally, ‘Le President’ indicated his first object in charge of the side. “[I want to] find a core group of four, five or six players with experience, a sufficient level of talent, of course, but above all a state of mind which is similar to mine and of everyone who loves football,” Blanc indicated.

Les Bleus' first friendly under Blanc comes in early August away to Norway.

Michael Essien Is Crucial For Ghana; They'd Have Made Semi-Final With Him

Former Ghana coach Claude Le Roy believes the Black Stars could have made it to the World Cup semi-final with midfielder Michael Essien.

He said the Chelsea ace is of a class of his own and would have made a difference to the team but was full of praise for his former side despite losing to Uruguay.

“If Michael Essien had been there, I’m certain Ghana would have reached the semis,” Le Roy said to FIFA.com as one of the experts analyzing the African teams.

“They lacked a player of his calibre as he’s one of the most complete players in the world. He’s not only capable of doing everything, he does it all well.”

Le Roy, who took over Ghana after their first World Cup appearance in 2006, said midfielder Anthony Annan and Richard Kingson stood out among their peers.

“I was dazzled by Anthony Annan. I found him at Hearts of Oak when he was playing as a right winger and as soon as I moved him into defensive midfield, I felt he could be great.

“He’s an extremely intelligent player.”

The Frenchman, who quit the West African side in 2008, said the team has grown with maturity and demonstrated great balance in the tournament.

“I’m extremely sad for them. I called the players right at the end of the game and told them they could be proud. It must be a terrible feeling to come so close to a World Cup semi-final and miss out.

“The team demonstrated plenty of maturity and were very well balanced. They played the kind of football that was expected of them. The defence was very satisfying and Richard Kingson was top quality; he’s an underrated goalkeeper.

“They need to continue working and keep pushing themselves to avoid resting on their laurels. The goal now is to win the next Africa Cup of Nations,” he noted.

Ancelotti Looks Back On 2009/10

With the World Cup finals, in South Africa, slowly but surely drawing to a close, we can all start to turn our attention back to domestic football soon enough. Even though the world tournament has played it's part in helping us through the barren summer months, it'll come as no surprise to hear that we're positively gagging for the 2010/11 campaign to kick off next month.

For Carlo Ancelotti, 2009/10 is going to prove incredibly difficult to surpass; in his first season in English football, the Italian secured a league and Cup double at Stamford Bridge, an unprecedented achievement in the club's history. However, like all great football managers, he'll be eager to come again for the top prizes this year. Yet, before all attention turned to the preparations for the new season, Ancelotti was keen to relive some of the highlights of his first twelve months in West London.

'I know how important an achievement the Double is in English football and so we are obviously very happy for this,' he started, in an interview in the latest edition of the club's official magazine.

'It was a fantastic season,' he declared.

The former AC Milan boss' incredible first-season success in SW6 is probably made all the more impressive when you consider he took the unique decision to leave his backroom team at the San Siro behind, and inherit the staff already in place at the Bridge. Commonly, particularly for foreign managers new to a country, there will be legions of staff in hot pursuit, however Carlo felt little need for what he calls 'an entourage'.

'Bruno (Demichelis, the one backroom staff member he did bring from Milan) is my entourage!,' he joked. 'As you can see he's not small, he's a big man. No, at the beginning the club proposed to me that I have a look at the staff who were already here before I made my decision about it. I was very happy with everything here because there is a very good organization at Chelsea. I had fantastic support from everyone so I didn't need new support.'

On the subject of support, Ancelotti spoke about how his blossoming relationship with the Chelsea fans grew over the course of the campaign as well.

'At the beginning it was not easy for me, as a new manager, to have a good relationship immediately,' he said.

'But after that, the supporters here learned to know me as the season went on and our relationship got better and better and now I feel a real connection, especially when we were celebrating our trophies.'

It wasn't all celebrations though,

'We missed the Champions League,' Ancelotti went on. 'We were upset, but we were able to change our focus and after that we were more focused on the Premier League. I think that defeat helped us to stay focused on the league and improve our condition physically, because we did very well at the end of the season with a team of fit players until the last game.'

With the title wrapped up in flamboyant style at home to Wigan, it was off to Wembley to secure part two of an historic Double-winning season. However, despite the match-up of top-vs-bottom of the league, it was one of those strange ninety minutes that football tends to throw up every so often.

'I was nervous in the first half,' admitted Ancelotti, 'because I think that we played a good game and yet we didn't score. I know football very well and, sometimes, when you are not able to score with a lot of chances, you can lose the game in the end. To hit the post five times in one half and not score, that's never happened to me before.'

However, Didier Drogba's 59th-minute free kick, coupled with Kevin Prince Boateng's spot-kick miss, meant Ancelotti's Blues were victorious in the end, on what was a special day for all concerned.

'It was special because there is a lot of passion from the fans and they were there to enjoy it,' said the manager. 'It was really special for me as well because in Italy it is totally different. I think the organisation of the competition, with having the semi final and the final at Wembley, makes it absolutely special for everyone who goes.'

A special day, at the end of a very special season indeed. A season which, finally, exorcised the ghost of José Mourinho, and saw the rising of a new special one; King Carlo.

Italian And Russian Views In New Madazine

One year ago Carlo Ancelotti and Yury Zhirkov walked into the lives of Chelsea supporters. What followed was a year like none before for their new club.

There were far more ups than downs for the manager as he steered the team towards the Double and although Yury Zhirkov did endure some injuries, his settling-in season culminated in some strong spring performances.

The latest edition of Chelsea magazine speaks to both at length about their debut season in SW6. It is suggested to Zhirkov that it all came right for him personally in March's 7-1 blistering win against Aston Villa and in the following home game when Bolton were defeated narrowly. That evening the left-back was voted man of the match having played much of the game with a heavily-bandaged head.

'I don't know, but I trust my fans,' Zhirkov responds.

'For me every game was very important and I was giving 100 per cent in each one. I don't separate the games I've played into important and unimportant, and I'm talking about both league and cup games.

'Maybe the knock on the head [in the Bolton game] gave me a system re-boot and that was why I started playing so well and got Man of the Match!'

His answers become more serious when Zhirkov discusses how he came to Chelsea's attention in the first place, and when he gives his views on the positions he plays in Ancelotti's side, but he smiles once more when last winter is discussed, the first time in his career a league season has ploughed on through the coldest months.

'At some times actually it was worse here [than Russia] because of the wind-chill factor,' he explains to the magazine.

'We have lots of cold-resistant players at Chelsea who are happy to play in the cold, like John Terry. Maybe he was actually born in Siberia!'

Ancelotti, as manager, was never going to enjoy the type of acclimatization period often afforded players who have moved to a new country. Happily he had no need for one as the team got off to a flyer in the league campaign

In this month's cover interview the Italian talks tactics with Chelsea as he explains what happened when the results eventually took a dip.

'After 10 to 15 games, the opponents knew how to play against the Christmas tree and so the space in the middle of the pitch was very closed,' Ancelotti reports. 'So from this moment we started to use wingers instead.

'We had the possibility to change a lot of players into different positions on the pitch so we made this our advantage.

'A surprise for me was Anelka in the role he played from the beginning until we changed the system in January,' he adds. 'He did very well alongside Drogba, when he did a different role, not just striker, and then he also did a good job as a striker when Didier was at the Africa Cup of Nations.

'Also Malouda was a surprise for me because after starting well he played with continuity in different positions - he played very well for all the season. For both players it was their versatility above all that surprised me, that they could perform different positions for the team.'

The manager also tells readers of Chelsea what he and the team were able to do in England that they would never have got away with had they been an Italian club. He also reflects on the day at Wembley when the Double was completed and is asked if he is relieved to have had some time away from pressure over the summer?

'The pressure is normal when you manage an important club like Chelsea. Now we have to take time to think about next season, about the future because I think this could be the beginning of a fantastic cycle. I think we can improve our play and our confidence with these victories behind us.'

In regular features, Graeme Le Saux is the subject of this month's 'A to Z' and in discussing 26 subjects, he discloses behind-the-seasons manoeuvrings prior to Chelsea's Uefa Cup match in Tel-Aviv in 2001 when six of the squad didn't travel, and discusses key figures from Chelsea past such as Ruud Gullit, John Hollins, Ken Bates and Pat Nevin.

The 'Top 10' is focuses on Pint-Sized Blues, recalling former players short in stature but not lacking in impact at the club, and the young player featured is Ben Sampayo - a full-back who played a part as a substitute in the cup run that resulted in the FA Youth Cup triumph.

Elsewhere in the August edition there are interviews with two Chelsea fans from the world of music. William Orbit, producer of albums for the likes of Madonna, Robbie Williams, Blur plus many other chart-topping act also creates his own music but football at Stamford Bridge is another big passion. He talks about how Chelsea are 'a bit of a music biz team'.

James Ewers, lead singer with indie band My Luminaries, is another who shares time between appearing on stage and supporting the Blues from the stands. He speaks to Chelsea too.

There is plenty more in the 86 pages including news, a 'Tactics Board' on reading the game with Mickey Thomas discussing Frank Lampard and a look back at Chelsea is the 1970s.

Chelsea - Linked With A Legend!

This Sunday Vital Chelsea enters un-chartered territory.

For the first time in our existence as a fans web site, we will be taking part in the 'Fans Football Tournament` at Cobham.

To say it’ll be an experience is probably an understatement!

If you’ve considered plying for us but still haven’t registered an interest then please get in touch and we’ll provide details of how to get there.

For the event, the participating teams are allocated an ex-Chelsea player as a team manager; we’re reliably informed that we’ve been allocated a Chelsea legend in the shape of Clive Walker

Clive, who now regularly appears on Chelsea TV, was a flying winger who appeared for Chelsea during the period 1976/77 through to 1983/84 playing 191 games and scoring 65 goals.

To those familiar with Chelsea’s history, it was Clive that scored the goal, in May 1983 up at Burnden Park that prevented the club from slipping intro the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

Others will remember the goal Clive scored against Liverpool in a memorable 4-2 FA Cup victory as his claim to immortal fame.

After leaving Chelsea, Clive went on to play for Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Whilst at Sunderland his claim to fame will always be scoring the goals that saw Sunderland overcome Chelsea in a dramatic League Cup semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Here at Vital Chelsea we look forward to meeting Clive this Sunday but we have to wonder if he seriously knows what he’s let himself in for agreeing to manage a team that might well be considered the rank under-dogs for the tournament.

Mesut Ozil Transfer Bids Expected 'From Arsenal, Spurs And Chelsea'

Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs has admitted he is expecting to receive offers from a number of clubs for in-demand playmaker Mesut Ozil - but has claimed there have been no concrete bids yet.

Bremen, who must qualify for next season's Champions League, are eager to renegotiate Ozil's contract, which expires in 12 months time.

But they look set to face a tough decision if he opts to hold out, with the three London clubs to have qualified for Europe's top competition - Spurs, Arsenal, and Chelsea - all expected to express an interest in the player.

Allofs is already playing hardball, however, saying he would rather risk losing the player on a free next summer than compromising on a price for the 21-year-old during the current transfer window.

"Now he is playing a fantastic World Cup campaign, there is definitely increasing interest," Allofs told German newspaper Bild.

"But when it comes down to concrete bids, nothing has been done. We want him to stay on and actually there is no news.

"There are no indications he does not want to see out his contract at our club."

Ozil has emerged as one of Germany's leading lights at the World Cup - pulling the strings for the national team in much the same way as he already does for his club side.

And Werder chief Allofs said he is determined to keep the current squad together to reach the lucrative group phase of the world's premiere club competition.

"We need to have success on the field, especially in Champions League qualification," he added.

"For this we need to have a good team."

Bayern Warn Chelsea Off Schweinsteiger & Muller

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned clubs they have no chance of signing the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller this summer.

Having reached the Champions League final and now the World Cup semi-finals with Germany, Schweinsteiger and Muller have been linked with big-money moves to the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea.

However, Rummenigge said: "If any club should make an approach for one of our players, it would be useless. Our reaction would always be the same - no way, absolutely no way.

"We are not eager to start any negotiation about our players. We won't sell any of these players. The quality of our team is important and we are in a very comfortable situation in that we don't have financial pressure at all."

Ballack Ousted From Team Camp

Michael Ballack has been ousted from the Germany camp after a massive rift with captain Philipp Lahm.

The crocked ex-Chelsea star faces a bleak international future after Lahm insisted he will not give up the captain's armband next season.

Boss Joachim Low, preparing his side for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Spain, revealed Ballack was asked to leave as team doctors did not have time to treat his ankle injury.

The midfielder will not be present for the showdown in Durban to decide who faces Holland in Sunday's final.

Ballack, 33, joined up with the German squad last week to act as a cheerleader.

But his presence has caused tensions in a group who have done brilliantly without him.

Lahm piled on the pain by insisting: "I won't give back the armband to Ballack. They will have to take it off me."

Chelsea Sign Czech Youngster Tomas Kalas

Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea have confirmed the transfer of promising defender Tomas Kalas from Czech Republic side Sigma Olomouc. The 17-year-old will stay in his homeland on loan next season before moving to Stamford Bridge.

Details about the transfer fee paid and the length of the young defender's contract with Chelsea have not been disclosed. However, according to a report on BBC Sport, Chelsea will pay Sigma Olomouc a fee in the region of €5.5 million for Kalas.

Kalas is considered to be one of the best players around in his age category and clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal and Milan were reportedly also keeping tabs on the centre-back.

Neil Bath, Chelsea academy manager, was very satisfied with the capture of Kalas.

"We feel there is a lot of potential in the player, and we feel at the minute it is the right time to get him," said Bath on the official club website. "But it would be good for him to stay there and get first team experience, and we look forward to him joining us next year. Obviously we will stay in touch and he will come across here when appropriate. He is a right-sided centre-half who can play right-back."

Chelsea Defender Ricardo Carvalho Set For Inter Switch

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to sanction Ricardo Carvalho's transfer to Inter as he prepares to shake up his defence, according to the Daily Star.

Carvalho, 32, has been an important part of the Blues' defence since he followed Jose Mourinho to the club six years ago. In recent seasons, however, a succession of injuries have restricted his appearances and he missed much of last season with damaged ankle ligaments.

Despite these problems, new Inter head coach Rafael Benitez is believed to be ready to bring the player to the San Siro. This transfer will see Alex becomes John Terry's partner at the heart of Chelsea's rearguard.

Keeper Out On Loan

Reserve squad goalkeeper Rhys Taylor will begin the season on loan at Crewe Alexandra.

The 20 year-old this week begins a two-month stay at the League Two club who are managed by former Chelsea coach Dario Gradi.

Last season Taylor made eight appearances for our reserves and spent six weeks on loan at Queens Park Rangers but was an unused substitute for their first team.

All In The Planning

With pre-season back underway it is a busy time at Cobham, and for none more so than fitness coach Glen Driscoll, who has been explaining the club's training regimes.

The players not on World Cup duty reported at 9am on Monday for their first day back at work, though they had been expected to be keeping in shape while enjoying their holidays, and after a series of medical tests it was out onto the field to get going.

'It starts from off-season when the players have their programs. They came in early on Monday and split into three groups where they were assessed by the medical department,' Driscoll explains.

'They go out and do the yo-yo test, which is like the bleep test, but we don't do the one that goes on until they drop, it is just to get an idea of the levels they hit in six minutes and from there we gauge how they are doing aerobically. Afterwards they will do power tests and then we're pretty much straight into the football.'

The trips of the early '80s to Aberystwyth where the local sand dunes provided a suitably gruelling regime are now consigned to history, certainly at Chelsea anyway, where our staff prefer to use footballs as early as possible in their work.

'We don't run these days, I am sure other clubs still do, but here we get them straight back into the football,' Driscoll says.

'It is more specific, and we can understand that you can get fit by the football. We have a lot of detail and planning gone into every session for the whole of pre-season.

'That came from towards the end of last season, from about March we started to meet with Carlo and all the science team, and we could tell you now including Carlo's tactical sessions, how it all adds up and gives the players their strength and aerobic qualities they will need for the season.'

That is certainly a great deal of planning, but do things get harder with the staggered return of our World Cup players?

'We have a whole group of players coming back later, which is a challenge we have,' he says, 'but having done last season with Carlo it helps to make it easier and not being on a long tour gives us a lot more control.'

With August 8 the date of our first competitive fixture, there is a month before our backroom staff know if their hard work has paid off, but having helped secure the Double last time around, there is every confidence the same can be delivered.

Run For Charity In Royal Parks Half Marathon

Chelsea's charity partners Right To Play and Help A London Child are gearing up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon which takes place on October 10.

The 13.1 mile run goes through four of the capital city's Royal Parks - Hyde Park, St. James' Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens - just as the seasons are turning and the parks are at their best.

The money raised will help children that need support, love and education both in London and in the poorest countries around the world.

If you have never run before this is the run for you - with excellent training and fundraising support, plus a running vest, goody bag and free massage. You'll not even notice you've run over 13 miles!

Werder Cool Ozil Exit Rumours

Werder Bremen has denied receiving any offers for Germany World Cup star Mesut Ozil.

The 21-year-old playmaker has been one of the standout performers in Germany's impressive march to the semi-finals in South Africa.

Spanish giants Barcelona and several Premier League clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester City, are reported to be interested in signing the former under-21 international.

However, manager Klaus Allofs has denied reports that the Bundesliga club have already started to fend off official interest from suitors.

"Mesut had appeared in the focus of clubs before the World Cup had kicked off," he said. “Now he is playing a fantastic World Cup campaign, this is definitely increasing interest.

"But when it comes down to concrete bids, nothing has been done. We want him to stay on and actually there is no news. There are no indications he does not want to see out his contract at our club."

Ozil has scored one goal in five World Cup appearances for Germany in South Africa.

Spanish Report: Chelsea To Launch Kaka Bid

Following Brazil's exit from the World Cup, Chelsea will renew their interest in Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.

Kaka struggled at Real Madrid last season following his £56-million switch from AC Milan last summer. A troublesome thigh injury limited Kaka’s chances and the feeling at the Bernabeu is that he has yet to begin to pay back the hefty fee paid for him.

Reportedly, Kaka does not fancy his chances of regular first team football under new Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, and the 28-year-old would apparently welcome a reunion with his former AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea. Under Ancelotti, Kaka enjoyed a highly successful spell at the San Siro, becoming one of the world's top players.

Spanish daily 'Sport' reports that Chelsea will make a move for the Brazilian, particularly as Stamford Bridge chief Roman Abramovich "has always had a fondness" for the player, having previously attempted to sign him during his AC Milan days.

Mourinho would reportedly not stand in the way of Kaka’s sale. Meanwhile, Bernabeu chief Florentino Perez would apparently welcome a bid for from a club like Chelsea who has the means to enable him to recoup some of the fee paid out for Kaka last summer.

Linesman Saddened By Lampard Error

The linesman at the centre of England's disallowed goal storm has admitted he was caught out by the speed of Frank Lampard's shot.

Uruguayan official Mauricio Espinosa failed to spot Lampard's effort had bounced over the line after crashing down off the underside of the bar during England's 4-1 last-16 defeat to Germany in Bloemfontein.

Had the goal been given, England would have drawn level at 2-2.

Fabio Capello is convinced his side could have then gone on to win the game.

It turned out to be the last game Espinosa was involved in as FIFA did not include him on their retained list for the last eight and beyond.

He told El Pais: "It was a very fast shot that I did not see properly, even though I was located in the right place.

"We didn't see a replay in the dressing room at half-time but you could sense what had happened.

"It was only when we saw the TV that we realized what happened.

"I feel quite sad about it because we had prepared for such a long time for the World Cup.

"It could have happened to anyone, unfortunately it was us. You just have to accept it. Life goes on."

Chelsea - More Players Released

Chelsea, today, announced the departure of 5 more players.

After last week's departures of Ballack, Belletti, Cole and Nana Ofori-Twumasi; Liam Bridcutt, Nikki Ahamed, Nicolas Heimann, Aldi Haxhia and Kenny Strickland have all left Cobham.

Goalkeepers Heimann and Haxhia have been rivals for the sub goalie jersey both at youth level and reserves. With Jan Sebek, Sam Walker and Rhys Taylor all securing more playing time, both will be hoping for more opportunities at their new clubs. So far only Heimann has signed on with Red Star Salzburg of Austria.

Ahamed, Strickland and especially Bridcutt have all experienced youth and reserve team playing time. Bridcutt also turned out for Watford, Yeovil and Stockport on loan. Their next destinations are currently unknown.

This news follows the signatures of 8 academy prospects for professional contracts. Over the next season they will be hoping for solid reserve team action as well as possible trips with the first squad. Loan moves will also be distinct possibilities as they continue to develop.