One Final Bid For Kaka

The Blues will make one last attempt to sign Kaka from AC Milan in a record breaking £80million deal before the transfer window closes on Monday night, according to the Daily Mail.
This summer the Stamford Bridge hierarchy were left believing they may have to wait a further 12 months before securing the services of the Brazilian superstar.
But now Andriy Shevchenko has gone on loan to AC Milan improving relations between the two clubs and Chelsea now understand that Kaka is even more keen to leave the San Siro.
He has been left stunned by a transfer policy that has seen players like the Ukrainian striker and Arsenal's Philippe Senderos arrive, but is even more unhappy with the recruitment of Ronaldinho.
Kaka is a devout Christian who does not approve of Ronaldinho's notoriously hedonistic lifestyle and is concerned with the direction Milan are taking.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's appointment at Stamford Bridge has also convinced Kaka that Chelsea would represent a worthwhile career move for him and it is now down to Roman Abramovich and his backroom staff to make the deal happen.
Abramovich and his manager, who gave the midfielder his Brazil debut in 2002, are united in wanting Kaka, so much so that if they fail to conclude the deal in this transfer window they will make a further attempt in January.
Milan missing out on Champions League football this season means Kaka would still be eligible for the knockout stages of the competition if he moved next year.
Scolari sees Kaka as the final piece of the jigsaw (sounds like Liverpool's yearly drone) when it comes to assembling a Chelsea team will also include Real Madrid's Robinho once that £25m deal has been completed in the next few days.
It would give Scolari amazing strength in depth in attack and having already lured Deco to the club, help him implement a flavour of the samba style he wants.
Discussions over Kaka's signing could take place this week in Monaco, where Chelsea and Milan will be represented for Champions League and UEFA Cup draws.
But Adriano Galliani, Milan's vice-president, insists no agreement was reached as part of the Shevchenko deal, which was completed on Monday.
He said: 'With Shevchenko we never, never talked about Kaka, so fans should stay calm.'

Sheva Thanks Everyone

Andriy Shevchenko left Chelsea on Monday night with a final expression of gratitude towards Roman Abramovich for the "help and encouragement" that got him through his nightmare spell in west London.
The Ukrainian passed a medical at AC Milan's Milanello training complex on Monday to put the finishing touch to his return to the club.
"I would like to thank Chelsea Football Club - the fans, staff, players and management - for all the support you gave me during my time at the club," he told www.chelseafc.com. "I would also like to express my gratitude to Roman Abramovich for all his help and encouragement."
He added: "It was unfortunate I suffered a number of injuries during my time here but I always gave my all, whatever the circumstances.
"I really have enjoyed playing in England and have made many friendships that will stay with me forever. I will always look back with fond memories of my time at this really great club. Thank you."
The striker arrived in Italy late on Sunday night after Chelsea agreed terms with the Serie A side on a deal to take Shevchenko back to Milan - the club he represented for seven seasons between 1999 and 2006.
Shevchenko's delight to be back in Milan has been shared by Rossoneri playing staff and directors alike.
Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf and Kakha Kaladze have all spoken of their glee at the move, while star player Kaka revealed he was "extra happy that Sheva has returned".

City And Everton In For Shaun?

Manchester City and Everton could go head to head in a bid for out-of-favour Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The England international has failed to become a regular under three different managers at Stamford Bridge and has now been told his first-team chances are limited under new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Although he has always stressed he wants to stay with at the Bridge, at 26 he realises his chances of fulfilling his potential and forcing his way back into the England team may require him to move on.
In theory, a move back to City, where he made his name before his £21million transfer to The Blues, would be ideal.
However Wright-Phillips, a product of City's highly-rated academy system, is known to have reservations about rejoining them.
Former City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson failed to tempt Wright-Phillips back to Eastlands on loan last summer but now it seems Mark Hughes is ready to try again.
However, Everton are also interested, with David Moyes realising he needs to strengthen his squad if the Toffeemen are to stand a chance of matching last term's fifth-placed finish.
Everton can offer a guaranteed place in Europe, something City are unable to do at present given they will start the away leg of their UEFA Cup qualifier with FC Midtjylland one goal down on Thursday.
If City do progress, it could just swing the deal, which is rated as a better chance of going ahead than one for Craig Bellamy, which has also been rumoured.

Robinho Deal Close

Robinho's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, says he is on the verge of signing for Chelsea. Despite Real's hopes of retaining the player, Chelsea have been tracking the 24-year-old for the majority of the summer and it now seems that a deal is close to being agreed.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Ribeiro said: "The deal is about to be reached. Robinho's cycle in Spain has come to an end and he is looking forward to a new project."
Robinho will arrive in London later this week to discuss personal terms ahead of a speculated £28 million move.
The Premier League transfer deadline closes on Monday 1st September.

Wigan 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea maintained their 100 percent start to the season when a stunning free-kick from new signing Deco was enough to give them a 1-0 Premier League win at Wigan Athletic on Sunday.
Deco, who also scored on his league debut in last week's 4-0 win over Portsmouth, struck with a beautifully executed free-kick in the fourth minute after Wigan's Lee Cattermole handled the ball just outside the penalty area.

The win took Chelsea, who were far from their best, to the top of the table with six points, the same as Liverpool who have also won their opening two games although Chelsea have a better goal difference.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told Setanta Sports: “The result was far more important than the performance today. Wigan have a very good squad, good organization and are very athletic but my players fought hard and you must come to places like Wigan and win if you want to be involved in the title race.”

Winger Moves To Blues On Loan

Fabio Paim has described his imminent loan move to The Blues as ‘unbelievable’ and is now hoping to make it permanent.
The 20-year-old is poised to us and new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari until the end of the 2008-2009 season and says he is surprised by Chelsea’s inteest.
Having been on loan spells to Trofense and Pacos Ferreira last season, making seven league appearances with Pacos, a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs will present a welcome challenge for the highly-rated winger and it is one he is keen to rise to.
“It is a surprise, I was not expecting anything,” Paim told Maisfutebol.
“I have no words to describe it. It is an unbelievable thing, it is a very important step and undoubtedly the greatest of my career.
“Beyond my year loan, they have an option to buy and of course, they have to observe me.”

Robinho Deal Done?

Chelsea were close to completing the signing of Robinho for £25million last night, says the Daily Mail after Peter Kenyon arrived in Madrid to tie up the deal.
The Brazilian forward deemed a transfer to Chelsea as his 'dream move' earlier in the summer but Real Madrid's failure to tempt Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United had put the transfer on hold.
Now it seems the deal is back on and Luiz Felipe Scolari will be delighted to add his countryman to The Blues' other recent signings that include Deco and Jose Bosingwa.
Robinho's arrival will herald the departure of Andriy Shevchenko to AC Milan on a one-year loan after failing to find his previous form in the Barclays Premier League.
Chelsea are taking a massive financial hit on the deal, by subsidising his wages at Milan.
Shevchenko, 31, is expected to return to the San Siro in the next 48 hours, two years after he joined Chelsea for £30m.
Roman Abramovich met Milan counterpart Silvio Berlusconi to discuss the deal in Sardinia last week, and Silvano Ramaccioni, a director of the Italian club, confirmed: 'There really isn't much more to be done. We are close to the end of the deal.'

JT Expected Rio To Get Captaincy

Fabio Capello has insisted the choice of John Terry as England captain was his alone, says The Sporting Life.
Capello made his announcement to the England squad after training on Tuesday, just an hour before the rest of the world found out.
Not even his coaches were aware of the Italian's decision, which is just the way Capello likes it.
"I always speak with my staff and ask different questions," he said.
"I had a chat with Stuart Pearce and Ray Clemence because I prefer to see both sides of everything.
"But the last decision is mine, always."
Capello denied Terry, who pipped Rio Ferdinand to the role he was first handed under Steve McClaren, was undroppable.
And he defended the decision to name four different captains - Terry, Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham - for his first four games in charge before reaching his verdict ahead of Wednesday night's friendly with the Czech Republic.
"I could only choose once I knew all the players, so it was very important to let people try," said Capello.
"One player might be good, another might be not so good. I had to look for myself."
Even Terry admitted he expected Ferdinand to be handed the task of steering the Three Lions through a tough-looking World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 27-year-old quickly recovered his composure to tell of his pride at being asked to fill the role, pledging to learn lessons from the failed attempt to reach Euro 2008.
And he put Ferdinand forward as the example his team-mates must follow.
"You hear little whispers and given the form Rio has been in and what Manchester United have achieved, I did think he would get it," admitted Terry.
"It was a bit nerve-wracking and I was actually standing next to Rio when Fabio told us all after training.
"The first thing he did was turn to me and shake my hand. That is a measure of the kind of guy he is.
"He is an unbelievable player and provides the sort of an example we can all learn from that."
Capello confirmed the number one factor in plumping for Terry was the Chelsea man's strength of character.
Just seven days after his Champions League nightmare, Terry excelled during his one audition as England skipper under Capello, scoring a goal as well to end any doubts about his mental state.
"To bounce back like I did after that huge disappointment; maybe showed the manager what kind of character I am. Maybe that persuaded him," said Terry.

Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s reign as the Chelsea boss has started in an impressive fashion as the Blues defeated FA Cup holders Portsmouth 4-0 in their 2008-09 Premiership opener at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Brazilian’s side looked well organised with new signings Deco and Jose Bosingwa fitting in effortlessly and going on to have a successful debut in the English top-flight.
Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka scored in the 13th and 26th minute respectively as the west-Londoners dominated the proceedings right from the start. Frank Lampard scored from a penalty kick at the stroke of the half time. Deco completed the scoreline with a fantastic strike in the last stages of the game.
Michael Ballack picked out Joe Cole with a superb through ball and the England international timing his run to perfection, put a low finish from the right side of the penalty area to beat David James.
Anelka outjumped Glen Johnson at the goalmouth to head home the second after Bosingwa made a fine cross from right that was kept in by Deco coming in from the opposite flank.
The Blues suffered a blow as Germany captain Ballack seemingly picked up a knock to be replaced by Florent Malouda in 38th minute.
Pompey threatened briefly, but Petr Cech had no major problems in thwarting Niko Kranjcar and new-signing Peter Crouch.
The home side increased their lead to 3-0 when Lampard scored from the spot after Sylvain Distin was deemed to have intentionally handled the ball in the penalty area.
In the second half, France ace Anelka blazed over on two occasions in quick succession, while Joe Cole, after breaking into space in the rival territory, placed his grounder touch wide of the goal.
Pompey enjoyed a brief period putting some pressure on their rivals around the hour mark, but the attempts from Crouch and Kranjcar failed to get past the strong Blues defence. Carvalho and Ashley Cole were particularly impressive in their tackles.
There was a brief glimpse of what the Crouch and Jermain Defoe partnership was all about when a long ball was headed on by the former for the latter to pounce upon with his pacy movement. However, Defoe’s prod was not on target.
Portuguese international Deco, who joined from Barcelona, completed his fine debut with a sweetly-taken long-range shot that James could only parry into the net in the closing stages of the game.

Mutu Ordered To Pay Chelsea £13.68m

The Blues last night said it was 'an important decision for football' after FIFA ordered Adrian Mutu to pay the club £13.68million in compensation after being tested positive for cocaine while at Chelsea.
Mutu, 29, failed a drug test in 2004 and was banned for seven months before moving to Juventus and Fiorentina after getting sacked.
Mutu's lawyer, Cristian Sarbu, claimed earlier in this year that his client was told to pay £9.6million by FIFA and that the Romanian striker would be contesting the ruling.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport had ordered FIFA to make a ruling and the case was referred to the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the world governing body.
'Chelsea can confirm that it has received the decision from FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) on the claim made against Adrian Mutu,' read a statement from Chelsea.
'Chelsea is delighted with the DRC's decision to award the club £13.68million in compensation.'
Mutu was signed in 2003 soon after Roman Abramovich's became owner of the club and had a promising start at Stamford Bridge before a loss of form. After his dismissal, Chelsea began proceedings to claim damages from the player, who was signed from Parma.
Their statement added: 'This is an important decision for football. Not only did the DRC make us a very significant monetary award, the decision also recognised the damaging effect incidents involving drugs has on football and the responsibilities we all have in this area.
'Chelsea will now be following the process laid out in the DRC's decision to claim the money from Mutu.'

Frank Signs For Another 5 Years

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has finally ended speculation about his future by signing a new five-year contract.
The England star had been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge for more than a year as negotiations over a new deal continued without a successful conclusion.
However, the 30-year-old has committed himself effectively for the remainder of his top-level career by signing a new five-year deal today.

I, like most Blues fans, am well pleased.

Chelsea To Up Robinho Bid?

The possible transfer of Robinho to Chelsea still persists with reports appearing that Chelsea will now up their original bid to just under £25M. Real Madrid are rumoured to want around 40M euros which makes the new Chelsea bid 10M euros short but it's doubtful that we’ll go that high.
The deadline for the Champions League players squads is midnight on 31st August, 2 ½ weeks away. That leaves plenty of time for more twists and turns although as time goes on Real Madrid risk holding on to a player who says he doesn’t want to stay and sees his future "to become the best player in the world” at Chelsea.
Robinho is making quite a show of discontent with a general lack of enthusiasm for training, Spanish media reports claim.
Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon painted himself into a corner by saying he was prepared to involve Robinho as a make-weight in the proposed Ronaldo deal causing the young Brazilian to be totally miffed.
With the Ronaldo deal off for at least a year Calderon left himself in an embarrassing position with one of his star players.
Furthermore, with regards to the Ronaldo deal, Calderon made a great show of professing how wrong it is to prevent a player from leaving who wants to go, comparing the situation to slavery, a controversial comment which was embarassingly backed up by his mate Sepp Blatter.
It was thought that he couldn't have caused more of a furore.
But he then authorised Robinho a new deal which only significantly increased his salary after the first two years within a five year deal, when its quite obvious they will have to sell him next summer anyway to help raise the money for Ronaldo, so he'd never actually get the increase.

12,000 At Open Day

Chelsea held their annual 'Open Day' yesterday when supporters are allowed access to see the first team squad training on the hallowed Stamford Bridge turf. The event was open to anybody, so it was no surprise that a record crowd of approximately 12,000 turned up. In fact the club seemed to be caught by surprise.
Originally, only been the West Stand Lower Tier was to be opened with the Shed lower on standby in case numbers exceeded expectations.
Eventually, with crowds queuing as far back as Fulham Broadway tube station, the East Lower Tier and the Matthew Harding Lower were also opened. Indeed, my son and I sat in the East Lower for the first time since ceased to house the Family Section and made a contrast to our usual seats in the West Stand Lower.
Deco and Luiz Felipe Scolari received a great reception.
Didier Drogba and Michael Essien were both missing through injury and Salomon Kalou is on Olympic Games duty.
Chelsea deserve a round of applause for continuing with this event which allows the local children to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

Robinho Bid About £5 Million Short

Chelsea announced on their website on Thursday night that they had ' made an offer to Real Madrid for the transfer of Robinho.'

It's understood that the bid is £19.75m and their unusual decision to go public with their approach would indicate they are confident of getting their man.
However, according to The Independent, 'Chelsea's negotiations with Madrid could be protracted with Wagner Ribeiro, Robinho's agent, understood to be holding out for a fee closer to £25 million.'
Real are also under pressure from their fans not to sell Robinho after their unsuccessful attempt to prise Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United's grasp. But by offering Robinho in part-exchange for Ronaldo, the club have alienated the player and the 24-year-old has welcomed Chelsea's interest.

"It would be a dream for me to work with Scolari, who is one of the best coaches in the world," he said. "I have always spoken highly of him and he has always spoken highly of me, since well before he was at Chelsea."

Robinho Tries To Force Real's Hand

Robinho is desperately trying to force Real Madrid to let him join Chelsea, says The Sun.
The Brazilian is a £25million Blues target but Madrid want to secure a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo before they let him leave.
Robinho, 24, said: “I don’t know where I am going to continue my career. The season is starting now and I have offers from other clubs — one of them is Chelsea. But nothing is certain. We’re in talks.”
Real refused to let him play in the Olympics.
He said “It’s very bad for me to have to watch Brazil’s Olympic team on TV.
“My will was to be with the rest of the group but Madrid did not allow me. I am very sad.”
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon seems content to wait until the end of the window.
He seems confident of the deal going through even though Madrid are reluctant to sell as the Ronaldo saga drags on.
They have turned down Chelsea’s £18m bid and publicly insisted they will have to pay a £100m get-out clause.
But it is understood the Spaniards will let him go for around £25m althoughThe Blues may have to wait until August 31.

New 3rd Kit Revealed

Here is the new 3rd kit which will be available on 28th August.
It maks a return to the away kit of the 70's.
Personally, I would rather it was the 2nd kit and ditch that horrible black thing.

Untouchables

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has been told he has no guaranteed first team place under manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
The News of the World says the new Blues boss drew up a backbone of nine ‘untouchables' for his first Premier League campaign. They are keeper Petr Cech, defenders John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa, midfielders Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Deco plus striker Didier Drogba.

AC Milan 0 Chelsea 5

Chelsea's coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, believes that Nicolas Anelka finally showed he can be his side's lethal weapon following a four-goal rampage against AC Milan.
The clinical Frenchman scored two in each half as the Blues hammered the Italians 5-0in Moscow in the pre-season Railways Cup after Frank Lampard's early opener.
A strong Chelsea side, including Michael Ballack for the first time this summer, proved too good for a weakened Milan shorn of the likes of Kaka and Alexandre Pato.
But Scolari admitted it was the new-found ruthlessness and focus shown by Anelka that pleased him most just two weeks before the start of the Barclays Premier League season.
"This game was important for Anelka but more important for us - the fans, the coach and the other players who will have more confidence in him," claimed the Brazilian on www.chelseafc.com. "Today was good not because he scored four goals but because he played more free and with more quality than in other games.
"He was playing against a big club and to get four goals against Milan, for his confidence it is fantastic and Anelka today and in the last game played more inside the penalty area than before.That is where I asked him to play and where I need him, not right and left as before, because we have one striker and that is Anelka."
With Didier Drogba ever closer to returning to training after a knee injury, Scolari admits he has some tough decisions to make before meaningful action kicks off against Portsmouth on August 17.
"Maybe I will receive good news about Drogba and we have 12 days to train and maybe we will have something I don't expect," he said.
"I have quality, competitive players and they fight for places on the pitch. I have 22 here, five at home. I have a good team."

Lokomotiv Moscow 1 Chelsea 1 (5-4 penalties)

Chelsea dominated a game they deserved to win but they lost their fifth penalty shoot-out in succession.

In the first half Chelsea give a display that was a pleasure to watch.

Forty-five minutes of intricate passing, superb ball control, exquisite movement and a superb finish to give Chelsea a deserved half time lead.

On a pitch that was far better than the one played on in Malaysia, Luiz Felipe Scolari would have been a happy man at half time as he contemplated making some changes to give a few others some match practise.

With the game played at a faster pace than the bland affair between AC Milan and Sevilla that was witnessed earlier, it took Chelsea twenty-seven minutes to take advantage.

The goal came after Ferreira had freed Deco down the right and his cross into the box was chested, expertly, into the path of Michael Essien by Nicolas Anelka. Essien took aim and thundered an eighteen yard left foot shot past the keeper, Pelizzoli.

Other chances saw Essien fire over in the ninth minute after good work involving Deco and Anelka whilst Lampard fired narrowly over from the corner of the box whilst Deco volleyed wide in a repeat of that corner attempted in the Far East.

Locomotiv's best effort came when an audacious shot, from forty yards, by Glushakov, sailed just over Petr Cech`s bar.

If the second half performance were to match the first half performance then we`re in for an interesting season. Unfortunately, Locomotiv hadn`t read the script and in the end Chelsea were left to rue some great missed opportunities.

Locomotiv started the second half at a greater tempo and pushed higher up the pitch forcing a succession of corners. It took The Blues a while to address the issue but once they did they created some great chances. Ricardo Carvalho, advancing out of defence, delivered a great cross but Anelka couldn`t quite direct his header towards goal. Wright-Phillips then saw a shot deflected wide before wasting a golden chance to finish the game off by shooting wide when bearing down on goal from the right.

With six minutes left, Essien was harshly penalised twenty-four yards out and Kambalov lashed the free kick low and hard and in off the post. Both sides went for the winner but it was to be penalties in Moscow again.

When Cech saved the first it looked as if we were in with a chance but when the Russian side then showed clinical efficiency netting their next four, you just knew the efforts of Lampard, Deco, Wright-Phillips and Essien would be in vain.

This time those unfortunate enough to miss were Bridge and Shevchenko giving Locomotiv a final against Sevilla and Chelsea a meaningless fixture against AC Milan for third or fourth place.