Chelsea

Boulahrouz set to leave Chelsea
Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz is set to leave Stamford Bridge after failing to join the club's pre-season tour of the United States. Holland international Boulahrouz, 25, joined Chelsea last summer for around £7m but fell out of favour and has played only four times since January. Uefa Cup holders Sevilla are among the clubs interested in signing him. "Discussions are ongoing with several clubs," read a statement from Chelsea's official website. Boulahrouz was expected to provide cover across the Chelsea defence but boss Jose Mourinho often fielded the likes of Geremi or Lassana Diarra, both midfielders by trade, at right-back. Glen Johnson has also returned from last season's loan spell at Portsmouth to bolster numbers, Tal Ben Haim has also arrived and Alex may be available after a loan spell at PSV Eindhoven, if his work permit problems are resolved. Boulahrouz has not travelled with the Blues squad for the pre-season tour of the United States. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Petr Cech is set to continue wearing the protective head guard he used when he returned to action last season after fracturing his skull against Reading. Cech told Czech newspaper Sport: "The doctors recommended that I also wear it next season. "It would be better if they said that I could take it off but on the other hand there is no sense in risking it. I have no problem with it, I got used to it very quickly."

Chelsea rocked by Bridge injury
Chelsea may be without England left-back Wayne Bridge for the start of the new season. The 26-year-old pulled out of a training session in the United States on Friday and newspaper reports suggest he has had surgery on his pelvis. Fellow left-back Ashley Cole has an ankle injury, leaving the Stamford Bridge side short of defensive options. Boss Jose Mourinho said: "Without Bridge and Cole for a few more weeks, Tal Ben Haim is my left-back option." If Bridge has undergone an operation he could be on the sidelines for up to three months. The former Southampton star was thought to be struggling with a hip injury but is believed to have seen a specialist in Colorado on Saturday. He is set to fly back to England to continue his rehabilitation.

Terry signs new Chelsea contract
Chelsea and England captain John Terry has signed a new five-year deal. The 26-year-old centre-half had two years to run on his current contract but the new deal means he will be staying at Stamford Bridge until 2012. Terry told the club's website: "I'm really happy this has been concluded. There has been a lot of speculation but these things take time. "I never had any doubts that I wanted to stay at Chelsea and that the club wanted me to stay." Terry and England team-mate Frank Lampard have been discussing long-term contracts with the Stamford Bridge club for several months. The England duo were said to be delaying because they were unhappy that last season's big summer signings Andriy Shevcheno and Michael Ballack were on bigger wages. But Terry, who last season guided the Londoners to victory in both domestic cup competitions, always insisted he had no intention of leaving. He added: "I hope that the fans can see that we are all trying to build something special here, both for now and for the future, and I want to be a part of that. "I have been at Chelsea all my career and have the privilege of being captain. Now it's time to look forward to the new season, which we are all very confident about." Chief executive Peter Kenyon added: "This is an important day for Chelsea. This was the right deal for us and John. We are committed to try and keep our players together on long-term deals. "As captain John is clearly a key player for Chelsea and also a great symbol of the club so naturally we are pleased this has been agreed."

Rangers sink Chelsea in Glasgow
Nacho Novo and Filip Sebo cracked in late goals to give Rangers a 2-0 win over Chelsea in their Ibrox friendly. The runners-up from Scotland and England last season put on an entertaining show, full of good chances and a few crunching tackles. Novo found the net via a post on 86 minutes with wonderful strike from 20 yards after good work from Chris Burke. A minute later, Sebo made up for an earlier glaring miss with a deflected strike from similar range. The win sets Rangers up perfectly for the first leg of their Champions League second-round qualifier against FK Zeta on Tuesday. Both sides made eight substitutions during the game but the game managed to flow more than most pre-season games. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba flashed a header across the face of goal and past the upright and his new team-mate Florent Malouda tried his luck with a long range strike in the first half Sebo, a much-maligned figure last season, somehow then managed to mis-kick in front of goal from eight yards. Rangers defender Carlos Cuellar did well to block a point-blank shot from Claudio Pizarro on the line before the new Chelsea recruit tested Roy Carroll with a stinging effort. Rangers finished strongly and a surging run from Burke set up Novo for his impressive strike. Sebo then sent Ibrox into raptures with a thunderous effort, albeit one which took a big deflection.

Chelsea tie Sinclair to new deal
Chelsea have committed exciting teenage winger Scott Sinclair to a new, long-term contract. The 18-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Stamford Bridge for four years. Sinclair, who impressed during a loan spell at Championship side Plymouth last season, joined Chelsea from Bristol Rovers in 2005. Blues boss Jose Mourinho has added the youngster to Chelsea's first-team squad this season.

Chelsea agree deal for Belletti
Chelsea have agreed a deal to bring Barcelona right-back Juliano Belletti to Stamford Bridge. The 31-year-old Brazilian will seal a reported two-year deal once he has agreed personal terms and completed a medical in London. Belletti joined Barcelona in 2004 from Villarreal but only made 13 appearances for the Catalan club last season. The Brazilian scored the winning goal in Barcelona's Champions League win over Arsenal in 2006. However, the arrival of World Cup winner Gianluca Zambrotta squeezed Belletti out of the Barca first team. "Barcelona and Chelsea have agreed to the transfer, and the situation is now between Belletti and Chelsea," said a Barcelona official. "Chelsea are the ones who have to announce it. The player went there with an agreement between Chelsea and Barcelona." Chelsea are believed to have turned their attention to Belletti after their attempt to sign Dani Alves stalled again. Sevilla turned down two improved offers for the full-back this week, with Chelsea and Real Madrid both in the hunt. The Spanish club were understood to want £27m for Alves but Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said the club would not be forced into spending above the market price. "When we are buying players there is no doubt about it there is one price for Chelsea and one price for everyone else," Buck told 5live. "We have to do our best to fight that. "If the price of the player being requested is inappropriate then we will walk away. There are a number of transactions that we walked away from for just that very reason. "In the first summer, in retrospect, some of the players did not turn out to be as excellent a player as we thought they were but that is also part of football. "That happens to every club - that not every purchase works out. We are trying to be a little more careful going forward."

Mourinho predicts open title race
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes the Premier League title will be contested by more than the usual 'big-four' teams this season. After Chelsea's 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, Mourinho said: "It will become more normal for the big teams to lose matches and points. "The other teams outside the top four have spent lots of money and brought players in to bolster their teams. "Villa are one example but you can find a lot of other examples." He added: "It will be more difficult to play against these teams because they are better. "The league is open but it is the first weekend of September and we are only five matches into the season." And of the current top four places in the Premier League only Everton are a surprise inclusion - with Liverpool on top, Arsenal second and Chelsea in fourth. So it is unlikely that Mourinho will be hitting the panic button at this stage. He was also keen to play down the significance of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich leaving the stands shortly after Villa scored their second goal. "I think the owner leaves the stadium when he wants to leave," Mourinho said. "I went to see England-Germany the other day and I left early because I wanted to beat the traffic."

Shevchenko questions Chelsea snub
Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko said he has been left baffled as to why manager Jose Mourinho has not played him this season. The Blues claim Shevchenko, 30, is still recovering from hernia surgery despite the player having scored in a charity game in Ukraine this week. "I don't know why Mourinho isn't playing me - I don't understand it," said the Ukrainian. "But I'm not worried. I will just wait for my chance to come." The striker, who was signed from Chelsea for £30m in the summer of 2006, has failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge. During his first season, Shevchenko scored 14 goals from 51 matches before the hernia surgery meant he had to miss the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool and the FA Cup final. Meanwhile, former club Dynamo Kiev have said they are interested in taking the player on loan, while AC Milan claim they were priced out by Chelsea in their attempt to re-sign Shevchenko.

Chelsea warn Madrid off Ballack
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon insists Germany captain Michael Ballack is not for sale. Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has hinted he could try to resurrect a move for the 30-year-old midfielder if he drops his wage demands. But Kenyon said: "We should kill that one, not just for now but for January. There have been no discussions." Kenyon also insisted Ballack's absence from Chelsea's Champions League squad was solely down to the player's injury. Ballack, who underwent ankle surgery in July, admitted he was disappointed to be left out, a decision which means he cannot play in Europe before the knockout stages begin in February. But Kenyon said: "There is no confusion, absolutely no confusion. The German medical team, our medical team and the player all know what the situation is. "There's been several huge and incorrect misinterpretations going on with regards to Michael Ballack. "The situation is very clear, he's injured. He's been injured for close to five months and he's still injured. "Our only concern as Chelsea is getting him back fit to start playing, initially for Chelsea and then for Germany. "It was unclear and it is still unclear when he will be available to return to play football. "There is no misinterpretation, there is no different diagnosis and 100% agreement on his rehab. Michael is fully aware and has bought into that situation." Ballack was linked with a move to Real as soon as fellow German Schuster took over as manager in the summer. Schuster claimed talks did take place and he told Kicker magazine: "The door is not closed, but it's essentially a question of money. "His Chelsea contract is extraordinary, no Real player is paid like him and we don't want to set a precedent."

Doubts raised over Grant's future
Avram Grant's long-term future as Jose Mourinho's successor at Chelsea could be in doubt because he lacks the required coaching licence. Uefa and Premier League rules require anyone wishing to manage in the top flight to hold the Uefa pro licence. But Chelsea have confirmed that Grant does not have one, and he now requires special dispensation to manage the club for more than 12 weeks. The pro licence requires 240 hours of study and usually takes a year to gain. In the past the Premier League has granted extensions beyond the 12-week period of grace in a couple of exceptional cases. Glenn Roeder received an extension on health grounds while Gareth Southgate was deemed to have had restricted opportunities to gain a licence because of his international career. Martin O'Neill was also granted an exemption after undergoing a five-day refresher course. Grant has not held a manager's position for five years but won league titles when coaching in Israel.

Carvalho faces two-month absence
Chelsea's Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho could be out for up to eight weeks after injuring his back in Sunday's 1-1 home draw with Everton. Portugal national team doctor Henrique Jones examined the injury and instantly ruled him out of their Euro 2008 qualifiers with Armenia and Finland. "It was not serious but he should rest for at least eight weeks," he said. If confirmed, it will be another blow for Chelsea who already have Petr Cech, John Terry and Paulo Ferreira injured. One grain of consolation is England left-back Ashley Cole's return to fitness after an ankle problem. After Sunday's draw at Stamford Bridge, which leaves Chelsea five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, Grant conceded: "We have too many injuries. "It is not easy to play without all the back four and goalkeeper from the last few months. "This is the reason we have a big squad but it is unusual."

Ballack hopes for December return
Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack hopes to be playing for his club again before the end of the year. Ballack, 31, has not played since April after undergoing two operations on his left ankle, but he is making progress. The German said: "I started training last week and December looks good, but I am not setting a specific goal or date when I'd like to play again." Ballack has already said he will stay at the club in the wake of Avram Grant replacing Jose Mourinho as manager.

Essien appeals against red card
Chelsea's Michael Essien has made a claim for wrongful dismissal after he was sent off during Chelsea's 2-0 win at Derby on 24 November. The Ghana international, 24, was shown red for violent conduct after an incident with Rams striker Kenny Miller in second-half stoppage time. Essien is set to be suspended for the games against Sunderland, West Ham and Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Football Asssociation will consider the claim on Tuesday 27 November. Midfielder Joe Cole believes his team-mate was unlucky to have been dismissed. "We are not happy with the decision with Michael Essien, but I don't want to go shouting my mouth off because I will get into trouble," said the England international. "From what I saw, it did not look like he really got him. "He does that every day in training. It is just the way he is. He does not mean to hurt anyone. He just plays hard. We all know how strong he is and he is not a nasty player. "It is a big blow to lose him for a suspension now, because we have got a lot of tough games coming up and it is going to be tough without him."

Malouda attacks English football
Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has branded English football as "brainless" and rated players' diets as awful. The 27-year-old, who signed from Lyon for £13m in the summer, said: "Training sessions are terrifying. They are maximum intensity, and you go flat out. "During actual matches, it is as though everybody's brains are switched off. People play by instinct, how they did when they first discovered football." He is amazed players can eat "whatever you like, drink Coke or anything". "It is a good job I have come over here at the age of 27 and so have not been following the same diet as the rest of the club's players," he added. The France international has been out of action for a month with a knee injury but appears less than enthusiastic about returning for the busy Christmas fixture schedule. He said: "I have been warned about the Christmas periods in English football. They sound terrible."

Chelsea admit FA behaviour charge
Chelsea have admitted a Football Association charge of failing to control their players at the end of a win at Derby on 24 November. Chelsea skipper John Terry led players who confronted referee Andre Marriner after Michael Essien was sent off for pushing Kenny Miller in the face. Essien was suspended for three matches and will serve the last game of the ban when Chelsea play Arsenal on Sunday. Chelsea have requested a personal hearing over the matter. The Blues believe the Ghana midfielder has been harshly treated. Defender Ashley Cole said: "From what I saw, it did not look like he really got him. "He does that every day in training. It is just the way he is. He does not mean to hurt anyone. He just plays hard. We all know how strong he is and he is not a nasty player. "It is a big blow to lose him for a suspension now because we have got a lot of tough games coming up and it is going to be tough without him." The Londoners were fined £30,000, severely censured and warned as to their future conduct after admitting a similar charge following the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on 23 September. Assistant first-team coach Steve Clarke was given a suspended fine of £5,000 after he admitted a charge of using abusive and/or insulting words towards the match officials at the end of the same game Chelsea's players were angered by the sending-off of Mikel Jon Obi for a challenge on Patrice Evra.

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