The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Chelsea

  • Drogba returns to Chelsea

    Drogba returns to Chelsea

    Chelsea has completed the signing of Didier Drogba on a one-year contract, Goal reports.

    The 36-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge having left in 2012 after winning the Champions League.

    Drogba, who featured for Cote d’Ivoire at the World Cup earlier this summer, scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for Chelsea and also won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups during his first stint with the club.

    “It was an easy decision,” Goal quoted Drogba as saying on club’s official website.

    “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work with Jose again. Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me.

    “My desire to win is still the same and I look forward to the opportunity to help this team. I am excited for this next chapter of my career.”

    Drogba is reunited with Jose Mourinho after working with the Portuguese for three years before his departure in September 2007.

    “He’s coming because he’s one of the best strikers in Europe,” the former Real Madrid and Inter coach said.

    “I know his personality very well and I know if he comes back he’s not protected by history or what he’s done for this club previously. He is coming with the mentality to make more history.”

     

     

  • Mikel returns to Chelsea Monday

    Mikel returns to Chelsea Monday

    Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, is expected to join the rest of the Chelsea squad for pre-season training on Monday.

    Mikel, along with Nigerian compatriot Victor Moses, were given extended breaks after their World Cup exertions, and are now set to report for club duty, according to John Shittu.

    “Mikel has been on break resting. But he is going to Austria on Monday to meet up with the rest of the team,” Shittu, who looks after Mikel’s affairs, told KickOffNigeria.com.

    “I don’t know where people got the information that he was left out of the squad. He played at the World Cup, and he got a break from the club.

    “It’s the same thing with some of the other players who got to the same stage.”

    Regarding Mikel’s immediate future, Shittu said the player will stay at Chelsea. “For now, he is not going anywhere. He will fight for his place. But this is football, and anything can happen at any time.”

  • Fabregas eyes trophies at Chelsea

    Fabregas eyes trophies at Chelsea

    Chelsea’s Cesc  Fabregas is confident he  can help the club win silverware during his first season with the club.

    The Spain international joined from Barcelona in June and returns to the Premier League after three years in La Liga.

    Former Arsenal man Fabregas won the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey while at the Camp Nou but joins a Chelsea side who failed to win a trophy last term.

    In recent seasons, Chelsea have won the Premier League, the FA Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, with Fabregas eager to bring silverware back to the club.

    ” My ambitions are to win absolutely everything,” he told Chelsea’s official website.

  • Omeruo to report to Chelsea July 28

    • Loan move to Boro not done and dusted yet

    Even though Super Eagles’ defender,Kenneth Omeruo has confirmed that he would be featuring for Championship side, Middlesbrough in another loan deal, his advisor, Chika Akujobi has disclosed that the deal is yet to be signed.

    Akujobi revealed that Omeruo would report to Chelsea first before anything can happen between the Stamford Bridge giants and Middlesbrough.

    He said Omeruo was too hasty to go to the press and reveal such sensitive matter when in actual fact anything could still happen between now and the end of the transfer season.

    “Kenneth has already revealed where he would be playing next season.

    He said he did that through Twitter but I have told him to be wary of what he discloses to the media. He is coming back to London first on July 26th and he will report to Chelsea on July 28th. It is when he arrives that the club would determine what  will become of him. Even though the body language says that Jose Mourinho does not need him for now but nobody can determine what the future holds. Something could just happen that may make Chelsea and Mourinho to change their minds,” Akujobi told SportingLife.

  • Drogba in talks over Chelsea return

    Drogba’s representatives say a decision has not yet been made and that Chelsea is one of a number of options.

    But talks are underway and the 36-year-old is likely to decide on a possible return this week.

    Drogba was part of the Ivory Coast squad at the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

    He made one start and two substitute appearances as his country were eliminated at the group stage after winning one of their three games.

    Drogba, who joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24m in July 2004, won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and a Champions League during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.

    He was on the losing side when the Blues beat Galatasaray in the last 16 of last season’s Champions League.

    Before the second leg of that tie, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said Drogba was “still one of the best strikers in the world”.

    Drogba still has close links to London and, during an interview with BBC Sport in February, said: “When you’re happy at a club, you want to stay forever.

    “But sometimes you can’t do everything you want to do. I am proud of what I achieved.

    “You don’t stay eight years in a place you don’t like, especially in football.”

  • Mikel, Moses missing in Chelsea’s squad

    SUPER Eagles aces John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses were not part of Jose Mourinho’s 26-man squad which arrived in Austria on Monday for the start of Chelsea’s two-week European training camp.

    Both players helped Nigeria to Round of 16 finish at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and are expected back in their club for pre-season activities.

    However, Mikel’s omission will no doubt fuel speculations that the former Lyn Oslo player’s eight-year stint at Stamford Bridge could be coming to an end.

    The 27-year-old started in just 11 league games last season, and recent reports in Italy claim he has been offered to a number of Serie A teams including Inter Milan for around £6million.

    Moses on the other hand is being chased by five Premier League clubs – despite failing to make an impression during his loan spell at Liverpool last season.

    According to reports, West Brom are leading the chase for the 23-year-old’s signature with Swansea, Newcastle, Southampton and Everton also keeping an eye on developments.

    The Blues‘ three big summer signings Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis were part of the squad that touched down early in the afternoon before heading to their hotel.

    Youngsters Patrick Bamford, Nathan Ake, Jeremie Boga, Lewis Baker, Nathaniel Chalobah and Izzy Brown were also part of the team. Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Oscar, Ramires and Andre Schurrle were omitted after their extended World Cup campaigns.

    January signing Mohamed Salah also travelled with the squad after receiving confirmation that he will not have to return to Egypt to do military service.

    Chelsea’s first game of their pre-season tour is versus Wolfsberger AC on Wednesday, followed by matches against Olimpija, Vitesse and Werder Bremen.

    Their final match will be against Ferecavros in Budapest on the 10th August.

     

    Travelling squad in full:

    Petr Cech

    Matej Delac

    Mitchell Beeney

    Mark Schwarzer

    Branislav Ivanovic

    Oriol Romeu

    Kurt Zouma

    Andreas Christensen

    John Terry

    Gary Cahill

    Nathan Ake

    Cesar Azpilicueta

    Marco van Ginkel

    Nemanja Matic

    Nathaniel Chalobah

    Mohamed Salah

    Jeremie Boga

    Lewis Baker

    John Swift

    Cesc Fabregas

    Patrick Bamford

    Fernando Torres

    Diego Costa

    Dominic Solanke

    Filipe Luis

    Isaiah Brown

  • Solanke makes Chelsea debut

    Solanke makes Chelsea debut

    Anglo Nigeria Chelsea 18-year-old forward, Dominic Solanke, made his debut for the Chelsea first team on Wednesday, as the Blues played their first pre-season game thrashing Wycombe Wanderers 5-0.

    Solanke, who finished as Chelsea’s youth team top-scorer last season, was introduced at the start of the second half and instantly became a threat to the Wycombe backline.

    Though he didn’t grab a goal, he twice came close to scoring with a shot that narrowly miss nestling in the net with Goalkeeper, Mark Ingram, beaten.

    Solanke tried to lob the goalkeeper in the 82nd minute but his effort lacked the height to beat Ingram.

    Chelsea won the game comfortably courtesy of a brace from Solanke’s youth team mate Isaiah Brown, with Patrick Bamford, Branislav Ivanoic and John Terry completing the rout.

  • I wasn’t useful at Chelsea —Cole

    New Roma signing Ashley Cole says he was “no longer useful” for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

    The veteran left-back fell behind Cesar Azpilicueta in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge last season and is now keen to push for glory in Serie A with his new club after making the switch at the end of his contract.

    Cole, who has signed a two-year deal with the Giallorossi, told reporters: “I’ve always had a good relationship with Mourinho but the years go by and I was no longer useful for his project at Chelsea.

    “At that time my agent told me about Rome and how badly they wanted me for their project [at Roma].

    “As soon as I spoke to [coach] Rudi Garcia and I saw how much they wanted me here at Roma, I jumped at the chance.

    “I came here to play in the Champions League. Roma is an ambitious club, it’s a challenge for me and I’m prepared to fight for my place. Hopefully we can do something special here next season and win Serie A.”

  • I’m disappointed Fabregas went to Chelsea — Flamini

    Mathieu Flamini says he is “disappointed” that Cesc Fabregas will be playing for Chelsea rather than Arsenal next season and admits it will be “strange” to compete against him on the pitch.

    The Blues wrapped up a £30 million deal for the Spain international last month after Arsene Wenger passed up the chance to exercise a first-option clause and bring his former captain back to the Emirates Stadium

    And Flamini – who forged a formidable midfield partnership with Fabregas before leaving Arsenal for AC Milan in the summer of 2008 – admits he would rather have seen the Spaniard return to the Gunners.

    “I had an amazing time with him at Arsenal and he stayed a very close friend of mine,” Flamini told Goal at the launch of Arsenal’s new PUMA kits.

    “I’m a bit disappointed that he’ll be playing with Chelsea rather than us, but I respect his decision.

    “That’s football, and I’m very happy for him because I’m sure that if he’s moving back it’s because he wanted it.

    “I’m also very happy that he’s coming back to London because he’s going to be my neighbour, so I’ll see him a lot!

    “It will be very strange to play against him, and it won’t be easy – we were laughing about it when I saw him a few days ago – but I’m happy because it will give me the opportunity to see him a bit more than when he was in Barcelona.”

  • Chelsea to offload Mikel, Ramires

    Chelsea to offload Mikel, Ramires

    English Premier League side, Chelsea, is prepared to sell John Mikel Obi and Brazilian international Ramires in order to raise funds for this summer transfer targets.

    The London Evening Standard reports that the Blues manager Jose Mourinho will listen to offers for the duo.

    Chelsea recently signed Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively and is looking to strengthen the squad further, kickOffNigeria.com reports.

    Reports said Chelsea had already told the Nigerian international he should find a new place to pitch his tent this summer, and with his lethargic performance in Brazil his days at Stamford Bridge may truly be numbered.