CHELSEA DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL TO SEAL THIS TOP CLASS TRANSFER BEFORE JANUARY

CHELSEA DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL TO SEAL THIS TOP CLASS TRANSFER BEFORE JANUARY

It’s been a long night of celebration for the Chelsea fans dancing on the pool tables in the Transfer Tavern, having watched their side record a 10th straight win. 

Sitting pretty atop the Premier League, the Blues have completely turned their season around ever since THAT loss to Arsenal at the Emirates in September.

Life under Antonio Conte has been pretty sweet of late and the west London locals have been further delighted by reports from the Daily Mail.

They claim the Stamford Bridge titans are ready to act on their interest in Hoffenheim defender Nicklas Sule in January, following his impressive performances in the Bundesliga.

Conte has plugged the leaky backline in SW6 with a solid 3-4-3 formation, though is said to be keen on the German despite his team’s good form.

Michael Emenalo has reportedly identified the 21-year-old as a man who can operate in the Italian’s three-man defence following his rise to fame in Germany.

Hoffenheim have been a revelation in the Bundesliga this term and are not thought to be under any pressure to sell their Olympic silver medalist, though Chelsea are said to be lining up a £30m move.

Would Sule improve the Blues? Let us know below…

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Deal Done: Liverpool set to sign this world class forward by making him the team’s highest paid player

Jurgen Klopp's side are closing in on signing World Cup winning superstar Mario Gotze, with The Daily Express confirming that the new incoming Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti has already sanctioned the 23-year-old superstar's move away from the Allianz Arena.

The Reds have been tagged as the favorites to sign the former Borussia Dortmund man, who is on top of Klopp's wish list for this summer.

The report further adds that Gotze had also made enquiries about life at the Merseyside, which could be a clear hin that he is planning to join the Premier League giants in the near future. However, the most important part is that the club want to make him one of their highest paid stars, if he does decide to make the move.

After confirming the signing of Grujic and Matip, Gotze could become Klopp’s 3rd signing, with the German boss quite keen on strengthening his current squad prior to the start of the new campaign.As per how things stand now, it seems that a deal could go through prior to the start of the Euros. Gotze has just 12 months remaining on his current contract after he had signed a 4-year deal when he made the move from Dortmund in 2013. He will be available for a fee of around £20m, with the Bundesliga champions looking to cash in on him.

Gotze was not played much by Pep Guardiola, which has made him quite unhappy and he wishes to leave. It will be interesting to see whether the Kop boss can now take advantage of that or not.

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BLOW FOR LIVERPOOL,LIVERPOOL TRANSFER TARGET SAYS HE WILL LIKE TO JOIN MANCHESTER UNITED

Ron-Robert Zieler open to rejoining Manchester United

Former Manchester United keeper Ron-Robert Zieler has claimed that he is open to the idea of playing for the Old Trafford outfit once again.
The 27-year-old German international was a Manchester United academy graduate and is linked with a move away from the Bundesliga this summer.
Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in the reliable German, but it is clear that he prefers a return to Old Trafford.

Manchester United star David De Gea has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer and if he decides to leave, Zieler could be a useful addition to Louis Van Gaal’s side.
Zieler wants to leave his current club Hannover 96 after they were relegated from the Bundesliga this season.
“The time at United helped me a lot in my development, personally and as a football player,” he said.
“Today I can say for sure: I would always decide to go there again.
“Nothing has been decided yet [on his future]. There are several offers. I will listen to all of them and then decide.”
Although Manchester United have Sergio Romero, Zieler would be a much better addition to the club. The German is comfortably better than Romero and would be available at a fairly reasonable price as well.

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MANCHESTER UNITED TO PLAY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL NEXT SEASON

MANCHESTER UNITED TO PLAY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL NEXT SEASON?
The first day of February was a particularly bad one for Manchester United supporters this year as Pep Guardiola was announced as the next manager for their rivals Manchester City.
At the time, the Citizens were second in the table, just three points behind Leicester, and favourites to win the league.

Nobody really expected Claudio Ranieri’s men to last until the end of the season, and City had a squad full of players with the experience of winning the title.
The idea of City being crowned champions again, only for Manuel Pellegrini to be replaced with the world-class Pep Guardiola, was a fairly painful one for United.
To make the situation even worse, their club was in a dreadful position. Between November 25th of the previous year and January 1st, United didn’t win a single game in any competition, and found themselves fifth in the Premier League table.
Remarkably, the tables have turned quite dramatically, and United now have the upper hand over their rivals. After beating Norwich on Saturday, and City’s draw with Arsenal on Sunday, United are now two points behind their local rivals with a game in hand.
City took the lead twice against Arsenal, only to be pegged back both times, much to the frustration of the fans.
As this was their last home game of the season, it was Pellegrini’s final opportunity to address the Etihad crowd. At the end of the game, he took to the microphone to give a speech, but embarrassingly, the stadium was three-quarters empty, with the supporters not bothering to say farewell to arguably the most successful manager in the club’s history.
United are now in the driving seat, although it’s not plain sailing, with a trip to West Ham on Tuesday to come.

 

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Transfer rumours and paper review – sunday , May 8:Daniel Sturridge to Arsenal, Tottenham wanted to sign midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate , and MORE GOSSIP

Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie, 26, and Watford midfielder Troy Deeney, 27, are wanted by Leicester in a £40m double deal. (Sun on Sunday)

Arsenal will make a £30m move for Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge, 26, when the summer transfer window opens. (Sunday Express)

Antonio Conte wants to bring Southampton forward Graziano Pelle to Chelsea and will consider an £8m move for the 30-year-old Italian. (Sun on Sunday)

Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal target Marqhuinos, 21, is frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities at Paris St-Germain and the defender will ask to leave when he holds talks with the club's board after the French Cup final with Marseille on 21 May. (Mundo Deportivo via Sunday Express)

Stoke are lining up a bid for Norwich winger Nathan Redmond, 22, as a cheaper alternative to 22-year-old West Brom forward Saido Berahino. (Sunday Mirror)

Former Newcastle forward Hatem Ben Arfa, 29, is set for a move to Barcelona, just a year after joining French club Nice following his release by the Magpies. (Sport via Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea could make a rival bid for Ben Arfa, while midfielder Oscar, 24, is in talks over a summer move to Italian champions Juventus. (La Stampa via Daily Star Sunday)

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew will sign a new contract after the south London club secured their Premier League status with a 2-1 victory over Stoke. (London Evening Standard)

Stoke City have signed a 'strategic partnership' with MLS franchise Orlando City. (Sky Sports)
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes Chelsea midfield target and Roma team-mate Radja Nainggolan, 28, is more than capable of playing in the Premier League. (FourFourTwo)

Manchester United defender Matteo Damian, 26, could miss the FA Cup final after suffering a leg injury against Norwich City on Saturday. (Manchester Evening News)

Tottenham wanted to sign midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, 26, until West Ham told them it would involve a swap deal with striker Harry Kane, 22, according to Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan. (London Evening Standard)

Newcastle midfielder Jack Colback, 26, faces a Football Association investigation over allegedly breaking betting rules. (Sun on Sunday)

Manuel Pellegrini hopes to find another job in the Premier League when he leaves Manchester City at the end of the season. (Observer)

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric says former club Tottenham's progress this season will benefit England at Euro 2016. (Mail on Sunday)

England manager Roy Hodgson intends to speak to 20-year-old Spurs midfielder Dele Alli, suspended for the final three games of the Premier League season, about his tendency to retaliate. (Sunday Mirror)

Hodgson will select 24-year-old Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere in his 23-man England squad for the tournament in France. (Sunday Telegraph)

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Rossiter is in talks over a move to Rangers, with the 19-year-old's Anfield contract set to expire this summer. (Mail on Sunday)

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Tottenham boss Pochettino slams Leicester-supporting rivals

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has slammed Premier League rivals for openly supportingLeicester City's title push.

Monday night's 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge ended Spurs' title hopes and came after Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas both backed Leicester in the run-up to the game.

Pochettino, speaking ahead of Saturday's final home game against Southampton, said: "Maybe in the next few meetings of the Premier League, the managers and also the staff, we need to say that in future we must be careful with all these comments in public.

"In football, our responsibility is to be professional. When you are professional, you do not give your personal opinion.

"If I support Tottenham and we play against some team which fights for the title, or to survive, then I can't give my opinion like a supporter. I need to give my opinion like a professional. It's always dangerous when something happens like that.

"Maybe in the last few weeks or months, we know the football people maybe don't behave like professionals, we need to be careful."

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Transfer rumours and paper review – Friday , May 6: ,Jose mourinho Will not wait for Manchester United, thiabaut Courtois on his way out of Stamford Bridge and MORE GOSSIP

• Jose Mourinho will not wait for Manchester United if they decide to postpone bringing him in to replace manager Louis van Gaal beyond this summer. (Daily Mail)

Dutchman Van Gaal has an £8m-a-year contract at Old Trafford, of which only £3.3m is basic salary. The club would have to pay £5m if they sacked him. (Times - subscription required)  

Chelsea's Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic, 27, will leave the club this summer after a £20m move to Italian champions Juventus was agreed. (Daily Star)

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 23, is also on his way out of  Stamford Bridge club after the Belgium international fell out with the goalkeeping coach. (Sun)

The Blues are monitoring Josh McEachran, 23, with a view to re-signing the midfielder after selling him to Championship side Brentford last summer for £750,000.(Evening Standard)

Chelsea are threatening to relegate striker Dominic Solanke, 18, to their development squad next season unless he lowers his £50,000-a-week wage demands. (Times - subscription required)

Midfielder Yaya Toure, 32, thought he was being approached by Manchester United, not Manchester City, when his agent told him of the interest during his time at Barcelona in 2010. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, 23. The France international has been dropped to the bench for key Champions League games this season. (Le 10 Sport, via TalkSport)

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Liverpool 3-0 Villarreal (agg: 3-1) player ratings: Reds face Sevilla in Europa League Final

Liverpool booked their place in the final of the Europa League with a 3-1 aggregate win over Villarreal after yet another famous turnaround under the Anfield lights. 

Villarreal held a one-goal lead heading to Merseyside but an own-goal and strikes from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana sealed the Reds’ sport in the last two with an imperious performance in the first match at Anfield since the Hillsborough inquest verdict ruled that 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed.

The visitors made two changes from the first leg after resting 10 first-team players at the weekend for a 2-0 win against Valencia which sealed qualification to next year’s Champions League, but the Spanish team were still hungry for success.

They boast the third-best defence in La Liga this season having conceded just 31 goals, while Liverpool have struggled at the back and have recorded more defensive errors than any other side across Europe’s top five leagues in 2015/16 (30).

There was no margin for slip-ups though and the hosts’ task was almost made even more difficult inside five minutes when right-back Mario tested Simon Mignolet in the Reds goal.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Roberto Soldado chested into the defender’s path inside the box, only for his deflected effort to be pushed away by Mignolet.

It would remain Villarreal’s only genuine opening of the early exchanges as Liverpool instead took the initiative to level the tie on aggregate, with the returning Emre Can pivotal in the build-up to the opening goal.

Can proved his fitness ahead of kick-off to make a miraculous recovery from an ankle ligament issue sustained in the last round against Borussia Dortmund and the German drove his side forward in a move which saw Bruno turn into his own net under pressure from Daniel Sturridge.

Roberto Firmino created three chances against Villarreal, including one assist.

Liverpool were in the driving seat and looking relatively untroubled but a warning sign put them on red alert just seconds after the half-time break, Cedric Bakambu breaking in behind only to see his effort blocked by the impressive Dejan Lovren.

It proved vital as the Reds pulled ahead for the first time in the tie when Sturridge, named in the starting line-up despite his apparent dejection against Swansea on Sunday, broke in behind to fire underneath Alphonse Areola and put Klopp’s men on the road to the final.

Despite the cushion a single Villarreal strike still would have sent the visitors through on away goals but the Yellow Submarine’s hopes quickly sunk when Victor Ruiz was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence, with Adam Lallana then making the most of the advantage to make it 3-0.

Lallana turned home from close range but it was Roberto Firmino who was the architect, bursting clear of his man on the left flank to create the opening and seal a memorable win. The Reds will now meet back-to-back Europa League champions Sevilla in the final and to see how each individual player fared tonight, click on the gallery above.

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