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Michael Essien suffered an injury to his right knee during training this week.
He will undergo tests over the next few days to determine the extent of that injury. Until we have the full results of those tests we will not be commenting further.
Following injury to his right knee in training last week Michael Essien had surgery today to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.
The surgery was successful and Michael's full recovery could take up to six months.
Andre Villas-Boas said: 'Everyone at Chelsea wishes Michael well for his recovery. His team-mates and all the staff and I look forward to helping him return to playing as soon as possible.'
jusme wrote:DAMN!
Sky Sports sources understand Chelsea have increased their bid for Tottenham's Luka Modric to £27million.
Last season's Premier League runners-up have been expected to make an improved offer for the Croatia international since failing with a £22m approach in mid-June.
Having lost Michael Essien for up to six months due to knee surgery, Chelsea, under the management of Andre Villas-Boas, have now made their latest approach with a £5m increase on their original offer.
Modric has said he may request a transfer in order to move to Stamford Bridge, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has already made it clear that the 2008 signing from Dynamo Zagreb will not be sold.
It therefore seems unlikely that the £27m will be accepted and earlier on Monday evening Spurs manager Harry Redknapp described the previous £22m offer as a 'joke'.
Modric offer a joke
Redknapp, though, has acknowledged that Levy makes the final decisions regarding transfers and the White Hart Lane boss has also admitted the need to sell in order to bring new players into his squad after the failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Speculation has suggested that Lyon's £9m-rated Bosnian, Miralem Pjanic, is being considered as a potential replacement, but it was also reported over the weekend that Tottenham were preparing a new £80,000-a-week five-year contract offer for Modric.
The deal would make the 25-year-old Tottenham's highest-paid star, but the player's threat to request a transfer means it appears impossible for Levy to convince him he has a future at White Hart Lane.
Modric, who could potentially earn £120,000-a-week at Chelsea, has already claimed that Levy has betrayed a gentleman's agreement which was struck when he signed a new six-year contract worth £50,000-a-week in May 2010.
Levy insists no such agreement exists, but Modric believes there was an understanding that Tottenham would listen to offers from perceivably bigger clubs.
MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 3 WYCOMBE WANDERERS 0
Twenty-three Chelsea players experienced their first match action of the pre-season programme as Wycombe Wanderers were beaten at Cobham on Tuesday evening.
Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and 22-year-old centre-back Slobodan Rajkovic, who spent last season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, found the net in a 'behind-closed-doors' encounter against the League One side. As is frequently the case in the opening match at this stage of the preparations, no Chelsea player was asked to play for longer than 45 minutes.
There was a mixture of senior and younger players in both the first half and second half selections. Hilario began the game in goal and made two straightforward saves in the opening minutes, his busiest period, before Benayoun juggled in the opener with only four minutes on the clock.
The Israeli controlled a dropping ball inside the area and kept it airborne with two further touches, the second over the goalkeeper who tried to claw it back out with a despairing dive but not before it had crossed the line.
Scott Rendell missed a chance for Wycombe after the experienced Gareth Ainsworth played a good ball over the top of the Chelsea defence. It turned out to be the visitors' best opening of the first half.
Benayoun would have added a second goal on 17 minutes had he put more height on his chip after Didier Drogba played him through. Instead keeper Nikki Bull caught and moments later he denied Chelsea again with his legs when Drogba was given a one-on-one chance by Florent Malouda's pass. A mid-season Didier would have scored.
Chelsea were in control and beginning to link up well with passes on the deck. On 29 minutes, John Terry, taking the ball off the toes of Malouda, shot just wide.
The Blues were causing Wycombe problems down their left, with Malouda worming past the full-back on one occasion, and then Jose Bosingwa hitting the inside of the far post when he drilled the ball hard into the box towards Drogba.
At the other end, Van Aanholt defended strongly when Kevin Betsy tried to burst past the Dutch Under 21 international down the flank.
Chelsea won a corner just before the interval when a Malouda shot was deflected just wide and although Drogba rose well to Kakuta's deadball delivery, he powered a header just over.
It was all change for the second half and Chelsea's new keeper, Ross Turnbull was tested early by Kadeem Harris's shot.
Nicolas Anelka was sharp in playing a ball through a small gap on 51 minutes but Torres's first time shot was stopped by Bull who spread himself well, but a minute later the same combination did come up with the goods, the Spaniard sweeping Anelka's pass into the net with aplomb from inside the area to make it 2-0.
The third goal came four minutes later after young midfielder Billy Clifford, back from the knee operation that ended his Youth Cup campaign early last season, played a part in winning a corner. It was delivered deep from the right by Yury Zhirkov and was sweetly volleyed home by Rajkovic who was playing his first Chelsea game after a series of loans.
Anelka saw his header from another Zhirkov corner headed over on the hour and Cole made one of his famous lung-busting runs forward to take over a move from Anelka and Kalou, but the ball was bundled out of play.
With 20 minutes to go Cole and Torres combined down the left, the England man taking a return pass but shooting wide of the far post, and then when the ball broke well for Anelka moments later, his shot from just inside the area was tipped wide.
Anelka shot wide of his own accord with 10 minutes left on the clock after exchanging passes with Torres, Chelsea's interchange and movement continuing to work well, and five minutes later Kalou deserved a goal after taking a McEachran pass and neatly sidestepping a challenge, only for his curled shot to rebound back off an upright.
Torres was denied another goal on 89 minutes when a defender slid across to block a fierce drive. The striker had been fed by Jacob Mellis who shared the second half with Clifford. That was the last incident of the game.
With goals, a clean sheet and a clean bill of health coming out of the game, an important step in Andre Villas-Boas's build-up to his first season in charge had been made.
Chelsea are next in action on Saturday away to Portsmouth, a game that kicks-off at 3pm and will be screened live and exclusive by Chelsea TV (build-up [2.30pm-3pm] will be free to all Sky Digital customers.)
Chelsea (first-half): Hilario; Bosingwa, Kalas, Terry (c), Van Aanholt; Malouda, Kaby, Mikel, Kakuta; Benayoun, Drogba.
Chelsea (second-half): Turnbull; Ferreira (c), Ivanovic, Rajkovic, Cole; B. Clifford (Mellis 65), McEachran, Zhirkov, Kalou; Anelka, Torres.
Wycombe (first-half): Bull; Foster, Sandell (Dunne), Winfield, Tunnicliffe (Stewart); Halls, Lewis, Betsy; Ainsworth, Grant, Rendell.
Wycombe (second-half): Bull (Arnold), McCoy, Sandell, Johnson, Tunnicliffe; Harris, Donnelly, Bloomfield, McClure (Ibe); Beavon, Strevens.
MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 3 WYCOMBE WANDERERS 0
Twenty-three Chelsea players experienced their first match action of the pre-season programme as Wycombe Wanderers were beaten at Cobham on Tuesday evening.
Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and 22-year-old centre-back Slobodan Rajkovic, who spent last season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, found the net in a 'behind-closed-doors' encounter against the League One side. As is frequently the case in the opening match at this stage of the preparations, no Chelsea player was asked to play for longer than 45 minutes.
There was a mixture of senior and younger players in both the first half and second half selections. Hilario began the game in goal and made two straightforward saves in the opening minutes, his busiest period, before Benayoun juggled in the opener with only four minutes on the clock.
The Israeli controlled a dropping ball inside the area and kept it airborne with two further touches, the second over the goalkeeper who tried to claw it back out with a despairing dive but not before it had crossed the line.
Scott Rendell missed a chance for Wycombe after the experienced Gareth Ainsworth played a good ball over the top of the Chelsea defence. It turned out to be the visitors' best opening of the first half.
Benayoun would have added a second goal on 17 minutes had he put more height on his chip after Didier Drogba played him through. Instead keeper Nikki Bull caught and moments later he denied Chelsea again with his legs when Drogba was given a one-on-one chance by Florent Malouda's pass. A mid-season Didier would have scored.
Chelsea were in control and beginning to link up well with passes on the deck. On 29 minutes, John Terry, taking the ball off the toes of Malouda, shot just wide.
The Blues were causing Wycombe problems down their left, with Malouda worming past the full-back on one occasion, and then Jose Bosingwa hitting the inside of the far post when he drilled the ball hard into the box towards Drogba.
At the other end, Van Aanholt defended strongly when Kevin Betsy tried to burst past the Dutch Under 21 international down the flank.
Chelsea won a corner just before the interval when a Malouda shot was deflected just wide and although Drogba rose well to Kakuta's deadball delivery, he powered a header just over.
It was all change for the second half and Chelsea's new keeper, Ross Turnbull was tested early by Kadeem Harris's shot.
Nicolas Anelka was sharp in playing a ball through a small gap on 51 minutes but Torres's first time shot was stopped by Bull who spread himself well, but a minute later the same combination did come up with the goods, the Spaniard sweeping Anelka's pass into the net with aplomb from inside the area to make it 2-0.
The third goal came four minutes later after young midfielder Billy Clifford, back from the knee operation that ended his Youth Cup campaign early last season, played a part in winning a corner. It was delivered deep from the right by Yury Zhirkov and was sweetly volleyed home by Rajkovic who was playing his first Chelsea game after a series of loans.
Anelka saw his header from another Zhirkov corner headed over on the hour and Cole made one of his famous lung-busting runs forward to take over a move from Anelka and Kalou, but the ball was bundled out of play.
With 20 minutes to go Cole and Torres combined down the left, the England man taking a return pass but shooting wide of the far post, and then when the ball broke well for Anelka moments later, his shot from just inside the area was tipped wide.
Anelka shot wide of his own accord with 10 minutes left on the clock after exchanging passes with Torres, Chelsea's interchange and movement continuing to work well, and five minutes later Kalou deserved a goal after taking a McEachran pass and neatly sidestepping a challenge, only for his curled shot to rebound back off an upright.
Torres was denied another goal on 89 minutes when a defender slid across to block a fierce drive. The striker had been fed by Jacob Mellis who shared the second half with Clifford. That was the last incident of the game.
With goals, a clean sheet and a clean bill of health coming out of the game, an important step in Andre Villas-Boas's build-up to his first season in charge had been made.
Chelsea are next in action on Saturday away to Portsmouth, a game that kicks-off at 3pm and will be screened live and exclusive by Chelsea TV (build-up [2.30pm-3pm] will be free to all Sky Digital customers.)
Chelsea (first-half): Hilario; Bosingwa, Kalas, Terry (c), Van Aanholt; Malouda, Kaby, Mikel, Kakuta; Benayoun, Drogba.
Chelsea (second-half): Turnbull; Ferreira (c), Ivanovic, Rajkovic, Cole; B. Clifford (Mellis 65), McEachran, Zhirkov, Kalou; Anelka, Torres.
Wycombe (first-half): Bull; Foster, Sandell (Dunne), Winfield, Tunnicliffe (Stewart); Halls, Lewis, Betsy; Ainsworth, Grant, Rendell.
Wycombe (second-half): Bull (Arnold), McCoy, Sandell, Johnson, Tunnicliffe; Harris, Donnelly, Bloomfield, McClure (Ibe); Beavon, Strevens.
SUMMARY
Chelsea produced a strong performance in Bangkok to sweep aside a Thai Premier League representative side at the Rajamangala National Stadium.
In an entertaining encounter there were plenty of chances at both ends, particularly in a second half that produced three Chelsea goals and a hat-trick of world-class saves by substitute goalkeeper Hilario.
Frank Lampard had opened the scoring late in the first half with a typical low drive from outside the box, before two in two minutes at the start of the second moved the result of the Coca-Cola Super Cup beyond doubt - those courtesy of a Jose Bosingwa cross and a Branislav Ivanovic breakaway, before Florent Malouda completed the scoring late on, having been one of 11 second-half substitutes.
BEST MOMENT
Hilario's saves deserve a mention but Ivanovic takes the prize having won possession deep in his own half and proceeded upfield, eventually exchanging passes in opposition territory with Josh McEachran before stroking home into the bottom corner.
TEAM NEWS
Andre Villas-Boas had intimated in the build-up that he would be giving some players longer than the 45 minutes he had restricted his sides to in the three previous pre-season games.
He was able to call on Petr Cech for the first time as the goalkeeper was declared fit for action following a minor injury, and there was a more senior feel to the Chelsea side than in previous outings, featuring an experienced backline marshalled by John Terry, Frank Lampard in midfield with Josh McEachran ahead of John Mikel Obi, and Fernando Torres flanked by Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge in attack.
After an hour it was pretty much all change, with the manager making eight changes after replacing Cech with Hilario at the break.
FIRST HALF
Aside from a couple of early Chelsea corners there was little to report in the opening stages, Jose Bosingwa attempting the game's first shot in the 10th minute, a long range left-footed drive the Thai goalkeeper was able to pad down with ease.
At the other end Cech and Terry got themselves into bother when they overplayed some simple passes, but the goalkeeper could easily claim Therdsak Chaiman's cross on his goal line.
Sturridge, playing down the left, then got on the end of a clearance and bore down on goal but dragged the game's first real chance wide, a frustrating moment for a player who has been so eager to impress during training.
Branislav Ivanovic also gave the ball away cheaply and was forced into conceding a corner, before a Thai player was allowed a free header inside the Chelsea box. Fortunately the chance was not taken but Villas-Boas must have wondered what had happened to the concentration of a unit yet to concede in pre-season.
Torres and Anelka were showing signs of an understanding, earning a couple of corners with their interplay without troubling the Thai goal.
Terry did get the ball in the net after 25 minutes but it was chalked off as Anelka had been offside when receiving to cross.
On the break, the hosts were dangerous, frequently having runners from deep to burst through the Chelsea offside trap, though poor crossing limited the effectiveness of their hard work. Cech had to beat away a low drive from Frank Opoku Acheampong and Pipob Onmo headed over after a rare cross from the right had reached its target.
Back on the attack Patrick van Aanholt volleyed over when well placed and Torres scuffed an opening into a defender before Lampard netted the game's first goal after 37 minutes.
It was typical of the midfielder, receiving the ball in space just outside the area, opening up his body and firing low and hard into the bottom corner. It was the first goal scored by a Chelsea man since Slobodan Rajkovic had scored against Wycombe more than two games previously - wins against Portsmouth and Malaysia had come after own goals.
SECOND HALF
Just one half-time change saw Hilario replace Cech, but within four minutes the lead was doubled, more by luck than judgment.
Bosingwa, who had been looking to get forward regularly, found himself in a good crossing position on the right flank, but sent the ball over seemingly too close to the goalkeeper. Nobody had expected the flap that followed though, the result being a goal in off the post.
Two minutes later it was three as Chelsea beat the Thais at their own game, Ivanovic breaking from deep, exchanging passes with McEachran, who seems always capable of pulling off the unexpected, and slotting calmly past the goalkeeper.
As a contest the game was surely now over within just a couple of minutes, but the All Stars came back at Chelsea and should have pulled one back after a raft of substitutions, their forward skewing his half-volley wide after the ball had dropped loose inside the box.
Hilario produced the save of the game on the hour, transferring himself from left to right and reaching down low to prevent Wuttchai Tatong snatching a consolation, and within half a minute he was in action again to palm away Leandro Dos Santos's low drive.
A minute later Chelsea made eight changes, switching the entire outfield, but the goalkeeper remained in place and produced another wonder save to keep out a bouncing free-kick that had fizzed goalwards off a greasy playing surface. The veteran's form in the past few friendlies has been superb.
Chelsea's left-footed trio of Ashley Cole, Yury Zhirkov and Florent Malouda linked up well and the Russian should have buried the opportunity that came his way as a result, instead shooting tamely to let the keeper get down and save.
Less than 10 minutes later Malouda would show him how to do it, his run going unnoticed by a static defence and Cole sliding the ball through into the box for the winger to slam home.
Three more changes allowed three youngsters in on the action, Jamal Blackman making a debut in goal, and Nathaniel Chalobah and Billy Clifford both adding to their first-team experience.
It was by this point all Chelsea and Didier Drogba, wearing the captain's armband, could have claimed a fifth but headed over. It would have been fitting for the man who paid his respects to Thailand's king on Friday to have found the scoresheet but it was not to be.
On the bright side however the team continued its run of clean sheets while returning emphatically to goalscoring ways. Some slick second-half football will have given the manager plenty to be pleased about, while a number of the first team have gained a significant hour of football. The rest may well expect to do the same when we fly to Hong Kong.
Thai Premier League All Stars: Tanganurat, Prakopkong, A Dos Santos (Jitsawad 89), Onmo (L Dos Santos 53), Kumbe (Tatong 43), Acheampong (Kushida 53), Chaiman (Sriha 53), Khonchan (Wangsawat 53), Siaka, Florent (Chutong 89), Iamwiroj.
Goals
Booked Florent 88
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech (Hilario h-t (Blackman 76)); Bosingwa (Ferreira 61), Ivanovic (Chalobah 76), Terry (c) (Rajkovic 61), Van Aanholt (Cole 61); McEachran (Zhirkov 61), Mikel (Clifford 76), Lampard (Benayoun 61); Anelka (Kalou 61), Torres (Drogba 61), Sturridge (Malouda 61).
Unused subs Blackman, Chalobah, B Clifford.
Goals Lampard 37, Bosingwa 49, Ivanovic 51, Malouda 72
Booked
The transfer of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to Chelsea has been finalised.
The club received his international clearance (ITC) on Tuesday afternoon (UK time) and he is now going to be loaned to Atletico Madrid.
His Chelsea contract is for five years and the Atletico Madrid loan, once finalised, will be for one year.
The 19-year-old signs from Racing Genk where he was part of the team that won the Belgian League last season, that club's first championship in nine years.The goalkeeper's contribution to the campaign earned him the accolades of Belgian Goalkeeper of the Year and Genk's Player of the Year. The team conceded 32 goals over the course of 40 league matches.
Having progressed through the youth ranks at Genk, he made his league debut in April 2009 when aged 16.
He played against Andre Villas-Boas's Porto at the start of last season. The tie was a qualifier for the Europa League which the Portuguese side went on to win. An Under 18 international, he has been named in the full Belgian national squad but has yet to play.
Speaking to the Official Chelsea Website, Courtois said:
'Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world at the moment and gave me the opportunity first to be loaned to another team and then to come back and join the first team squad and then maybe to play there, so it will be a wonderful possibility to play for one of the best teams in the world. That is the reason why I chose Chelsea.'
Courtois is 6ft 6in in height and began the path to becoming a professional goalkeeper at an early age.
'I started at Genk when I was eight years old and then from the 10/11 age group I became a goalkeeper there,' he details. 'Before that I was a left-back.
'Then at the age of 16 I played for the second team of Genk and in the midwinter break that season, two goalkeepers were gone so I could join the first team squad. Then in the April I played my first game at the age of 16 years old. That was exciting and it was something new for me to play in a stadium with 25,000 people.
'Now last season I could play because the first goalkeeper had some problems with his licence and I did well at the beginning so I could stay in the goal, and that was the season that we became champions. Two years ago Genk only finished 11th and now last year we played with the same team and we became champions so everyone was saying this was something really special.'
The Belgian League operates a system that sees the top six teams after 30 games play-off against each other over another 10 matches. Last season it produced a cliff-hanger finish.
'Our last game was against Standard Liege (pictured above) and they had to win to be champions and we had to just draw to win it. They scored first but we made it 1-1 and in the last five minutes I had to make three good saves and this for me was the highlight of the season.
'At the beginning of the season we played against Porto in the Europa League. It was a big team that we played and at home we lost 0-3 but we could also have won because we didn't play badly. They had a penalty that I think was not really a penalty and when it was 0-1 to them we had chances that we could not score. Porto had wonderful players and they scored two more goals so it was sad because we lost 0-3 but we could say we played well against the team that won the Europa League.
'You would have to ask the Chelsea manager if I impressed him then but it was just my third European game and I did my best to play well for the team.'
Courtois names Edwin van der Sar as the keeper he studied in his youth but says that in more recent years the current Chelsea Player of the Year is the one he has looked up to.
'I am happy the other day that I could speak with Petr Cech and also I can play at the same club as him in the future because he is one of my idols.
'Now I would like to say to the Chelsea fans that I am very happy that I have this opportunity from the club to play for this wonderful team. I hope that when I come back I can help give them a nice future.'
MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 4 KITCHEE 0
Posted on: Wed 27 Jul 2011
Summary Chelsea will play Aston Villa in Saturday's final of the Barclays Asia Trophy. Frank Lampard opened the scoring for the second game in a row, this time from the penalty spot. Chelsea should have been awarded another spot kick in the first half but were handed a second goal shortly after the interval, 'own-goal' continuing as the pre-season top scorer having now contributed three times.
Didier Drogba headed in a third goal and Daniel Sturridge struck a peach to equal the scoring of the previous game. Unlike in Bangkok, none of the Chelsea keepers fielded had a save to make. Salomon Kalou and Fernando Torres both hit woodwork.
It was a very comfortable win against the Hong Kong league champions. The team chosen by Andre Villas-Boas showed the preparations are still very much about equal minutes of playing time for most in the squad.
Best moment
Yossi Benayoun's craft that had two defenders chasing his shadow, one of them fouling inside the area to set Chelsea on our way in this game. The Israel captain is enjoying an influential pre-season.
Team news
The majority of the side was the one that played the last half hour of the previous game in Thailand. Ross Turnbull, not involved that day, started. John Terry and Lampard, who did begin the game in Bangkok were also in the initial 11. The formation was a new one for pre-season starting line up, a 4-2-3-1 with Lampard and Yury Zhirkov deeper but pushing forward in turn. Most of the substitutions took place around the hour mark.
Spanish-coached Kitchee had five Spaniards in their side, three in defence, but their Hong Kong internationals were limited to short spells because of imminent duty for that team.
First half
Kitchee were fairly lively in the early minutes although the first shot was by Zhirkov, volleying wide with a difficult chance. Lampard had a ninth-minute dig towards the same bottom corner he found in the previous match but the keeper got down to save two-handed.
Chelsea, wearing the new black and blue away kit for the first time, began to take control. Lampard, ignoring the obvious pass, spotted Malouda unmarked but he too volleyed wide.
On 16 minutes came a genuine chance. Drogba initially didn't gather Benayoun's pass out wide but when he caught up, the Ivorian struck a peach of a cross to his compatriot. Kalou's header was firm enough but it bounced off the turf and up onto the crossbar. Unlucky.
Kitchee keeper Wang Zhenpeng was in turn lucky to get away with a scuffed kick a few minutes later.
Drogba was enjoying himself when moving out of the centre towards the right. He turned the Kitchee defence inside out before laying inside a pass for Lampard to shoot, a pink-shirted defender blocking.
On 34 minutes the penalty was won and it was all of Benayoun's making. Turning beautifully inside one defender with his first touch on a Ferreira pass, the Israeli who was playing in the middle behind Drogba, was tripped as he went by a second Kitchee player.
Lampard's penalty strike was low and down the middle, his second goal of the pre-season programme.
Drogba could have added a second very soon after but headed across the goal instead of at it, and he was certainly on target on 41 minutes with a 30-yard free-kick that the keeper made a meal of keeping out, but did.
There was a rare attack from the Hong Kong champions a minute later but Huang Yang's ambitious lob was too high to force the backpeddling Turnbull to save.
Chelsea were soon up the other end and Malouda chased a seemingly lost cause and took the ball past the keeper, only for a defender to clear off the line with what looked suspiciously like his elbow.
Second half
Drogba struck a 49th minute free kick onto the roof of the net and moments later played a big part in Chelsea's second, frightening Kitchee captain Ubay Luzardo into shinning Malouda's cross into his own net by breathing down his neck.
Goal number three was the Drogba-Malouda combination without the aid of any Kitchee player. The Frenchman volleyed a cross that was deflected on its way with the Ivorian, bravely, putting his head in where a defender's boot was to score from close range (pictured top).
Torres, Sturridge and McEachran were all introduced immediately; Ivanovic, Mikel and Hilario following them on soon after.
Ferreira, playing the full 90 minutes, delivered several good balls into the area and would have been hoping to see a low one into the six-yard box turned into the net but Torres hadn't reacted quickly enough.
Sharp however was the word to describe Sturridge's goal, when he took the ball with back to net out on the right and swivelled past one defender before pushing it wide of another, angling a drive past the keeper.
It took a fair save to prevent Kalou adding his name to the scorers, and Torres, like Sturridge before him, hit a free-kick too high.
Then, on the stroke of 90 minutes, Torres hit his best shot of the pre-season but could only watch from 30 yards out as it beat the keeper but not the post.
Aston Villa beat Blackburn 1-0 in the earlier game, Darren Bent the scorer. Chelsea continue to improve and this excellent stadium in Hong Kong will enjoy the final in three days' time.
pioneer wrote:So allyuh get ah coach yet?
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Oriol Romeu Vidal from Barcelona on a four-year-contract.
The 19-year-old will join us once his duties with Spain's U20 World Cup squad in Colombia are complete. Midfielder Romeu has so far played 90 minutes in each of Spain's two matches, a 4-1 win over Costa Rica and a 2-0 win against Ecuador.
Romeu began with Barcelona's smaller neighbours Espanyol before joining the famous Camp Nou academy in 2004, progressing through the ranks until a reserve team regular playing in Spain's second tier under Luis Enrique.
He made his La Liga debut for the senior Barça side at the end of last season, coming on as a late substitute in a 0-0 draw against Deportivo La Coruna, having also appeared at the beginning of the campaign in a Spanish Supercup loss away at Sevilla.
The 6ft Catalan can also play in central defence and is renowned for his strength and his expansive passing ability.
teems1 wrote:5m Euros for him with a 10m buyback clause seems like a bad deal for us.
If he flourishes he could be worth twice that.
Romelu Lukaku has completed his transfer from Anderlecht and will be available for selection for Saturday's game.
The new striker will wear the number 18 shirt and having signed a five-year contract, he has given an exclusive first interview to the official Chelsea website.
The 18-year-old striker has already scored twice in 10 appearances for the senior Belgium team, and was on international duty this week he played 60 minutes in their goalless away draw with Slovenia.
Since making his club debut when just 16, Lukaku, the son of a former Zaire international, Roger, has averaged nearly a goal every two games and scored 16 times in 37 league games last season.
A Chelsea supporter, he also visited Stamford Bridge on a school trip two years ago, and explains just how excited he is to pull on the blue shirt.
MATA DEAL AGREED
Posted on: Sun 21 Aug 2011
An agreement has been reached with Valencia CF for the transfer to Chelsea of midfielder Juan Manuel Mata.
The move is now subject to the player passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
drunkenscorpion wrote:yea, at least we got a boost in midfield that is needed.......we still need one more though, but its a start
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