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Chelsea have paid out more than £26m over the sacking of Antonio Conte. The Premier League club's latest accounts show they paid a total of £26.6m in compensation to former head coach Conte and his backroom staff and legal costs. Conte was sacked by Chelsea in July 2018 after two years in charge, and was later replaced by Maurizio Sarri. Former Italy midfielder Conte steered Chelsea to the 2017 Premier League title but was dismissed a year later with 12 months left on his contract as the team finished fifth and failed to qualify for the Champions League. Conte, who is currently in charge of Inter Milan, also led Chelsea to victory in the 2018 FA Cup, with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final. "Exceptional items in the current year of £26.6m relate to changes in respect of the men's team management and coaching staff, together with associated legal costs," read Chelsea's latest set of published accounts, for the year ending June 30, 2019.

Frank Lampard heaped praise on Tammy Abraham after his contribution to a 5-2 win against Wolves in the Premier League. Lampard has integrated youth players into his squad as he was faced with a transfer ban when taking over as manager, and they have repaid his faith in the opening five games of the season On Saturday, Tammy Abraham scored a hat-trick at Molineux - having scored twice in each of his previous two league games - with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori adding to the tally And Lampard was thrilled with their efforts, telling Sky Sports : "I'm delighted to see that [youngsters taking their chances] because it's not easy.   "Tammy is [looking the part] and that's work, having gone out on loan and scoring a lot of goals in the Championship, having a year in the Premier League and now I think he feels the responsibility of the Chelsea shirt as he should. The last three games speak for themselves. "The only challenge for Tammy now is c...

  After a disappointing 2-2 home draw in the last match against Sheffield United at home, Chelsea have registered a thrashing 5-2 away victory against Wolves at Molineux Stadium on Saturday. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard had a few surprises in his starting XI. After the inclusion of the German international Antonio Rudiger and the exclusion of the Italian left-back Emerson because of the injury, Lampard switched his squad to a 3-5-2-1 formation. Marcos Alonso made his name in the starting line-up as expected for the first time in this season. Apart from that, Willian also was chosen ahead of the American sensation Christian Pulisic. Kurt Zouma was left out following his poor recent form. So, the 21-year-old youngster Fikayo Tomori was promoted to the starting XI.      On the other hand, the home side manager Nuno Espirito Santo made four changes from their 3-2 away defeat against Everton in the last game. Jesus Vallejo and Romain Saiss were promo...

Real Madrid duo Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois have reportedly told friends they’re eager for their new club to raid their former team Chelsea for the transfer of N’Golo Kante. The Belgian pair were key figures at Stamford Bridge, but goalkeeper Courtois left the Blues for Madrid last summer and Hazard followed him with the same move this year. Could Kante be next? According to the Athletic , the pair would love to see manager Zinedine Zidane make the France international a priority to strengthen their squad. The former Leicester City man is undoubtedly one of the finest players in the world in his position, so it makes sense that Hazard and Courtois would want to see him follow them to the Bernabeu. Still, Chelsea fans won’t take too kindly to becoming Real Madrid’s feeder club with a third player moving from west London to Madrid in quick succession. It remains to be seen if Real will definitely go after Kante, but it could be a move that makes sense as he’d...

Jorginho says he has improved as a player since his move to Chelsea FC. The Italy international has established himself as a key part of the Blues team since his £57m move to Chelsea FC from Napoli in 2018. Jorginho was signed by Maurizio Sarri after the Italian head coach brought the playmaker from his former club Napoli to the west London outfit. The Brazilian-born player has scored two goals in 37 games in the Premier League last term to help Chelsea FC finish in third place in the table. Jorginho’s future was left in doubt after Sarri quit Chelsea FC to take over the reins of Serie A giants Juventus in the summer. However, new Chelsea FC boss Frank Lampard has kept faith in Jorginho in the current campaign. Jorginho believes he has grown as a player over the past 12 months at the Stamford Bridge outfit. “I think I had a fantastic first season and it was fundamental for my growth process. I am stronger in defence now, I go into challenges with more determinat...

  Chelsea FC have suffered a second injury setback during the international break with defender Emerson suffering a thigh muscle strain while playing for Italy against Finland. Emerson has transformed his club career under the guidance of Frank Lampard this term and he has been ever-present for the Blues on the left side of the defence ahead of Marcos Alonso. This has helped him to become a regular with the national team as well but the same may have come at a price after he sustained a muscular problem during the opening 10 minutes of the European qualifier tonight. Nizaar Kinsella ✔ @NizaarKinsella Emerson just got injured on Italy duty. Muscle strain. # CFC 1,045 11:56 - 8 Sep 2019   A clear return date has yet to be determined but it would certainly come as a surprise, if the Italian is able to recover from the setback ahead of th...

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has says that he's a keen admirer of Chelsea duo Ross Barkley and Mason Mount. The Blues' pair are both included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo where they'll be playing alongside the Liverpool man. Oxlade-Chamberlain was speaking about the players who he admires in the number eight position, and said that Barkley and Mount are among the best in that role at present. He told The Times : "There are a lot. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a good goal against Man City in the Champions League and I’ve watched that clip a lot! "Hendo [Jordan Henderson] has stepped forward into a more advanced role [at Liverpool] and he’s doing it really well. It has brought a sense of life out of him, a sort of energetic pulse. "[Andrés] Iniesta, historically, would be in the eight [role] picking up the ball, running, picking passes and sco...

Defending Carabao Cup champions Manchester City have been drawn away to Preston North End in the third round, while Manchester United will host Rochdale. Last season's beaten finalists Chelsea got a home tie against either Grimsby Town or Macclesfield Town, while Champions League winners Liverpool will go to MK Dons. Tottenham face a trip to Colchester United and their north London rivals Arsenal are at home to Nottingham Forest . Portsmouth will welcome rivals Southampton to Fratton Park for a south coast derby, with matches to be played in the week commencing September 23. Sunderland produced the biggest shock of Wednesday's second-round action, dumping out Premier League side Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor despite falling behind to Jay Rodriguez's first goal since re-joining the Clarets. Will Grigg equalised for the Black Cats before Tom Flanagan and George Dobson struck in the first five minutes of the second half to complete the comeback for Jack Ros...

Jamie Redknapp says Tammy Abraham needs to be more like  Diego Costa and develop a “nasty” streak. The 21-year-old opened his Chelsea FC account in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road to alleviate some pressure on the homegrown talent. Chelsea FC boss Frank Lampard has given Abraham a chance to shine in the Blues team at the start of the Premier League season after the English coach replaced Maurizio Sarri in the summer. Abraham failed to score against Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Leicester City to raise questions about the former Swansea City striker’s ability to shine in the Blues team. The England Under-21 international scored either side of half-time in Chelsea FC’s 3-2 victory over  Norwich, including the winner in the 68th minute. Former Liverpool FC midfielder Redknapp believes Abraham needs to develop a nastier streak, like  ex-Chelsea FC striker Costa. “Let’s give Frank Lampard credit for the way he secured h...

  Chelsea are planning to extend Tammy Abraham's contract, according to reports in the English press. The Telegraph UK claims that the England U21 star is in line to earn a new Chelsea contract that could more than double his £50,000-a-week wages. According to the English newspaper, Abraham will likely pen a five-year deal that will see him pocket at least £26 million (approximately N11.4 billion in Nigerian currency) over the duration of the contract. The 21-year-old's current agreement will keep him at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2021-2022 season. The Chelsea Academy was promoted to the first team this season by Frank Lampard and he has repaid his manager's faith in him after scoring 2 goals in his first three matches in the Premier League. Prior to Abraham's promotion to the first team, he was farmed out on loan to Bristol City, Swansea City and Aston Villa. The London-born striker with Nigerian background first joined Chelse...

  Since stepping into the hotseat of his beloved Chelsea, Frank Lampard has enjoyed mixed success, receiving plaudits for his style of play, but not always getting the results he craves. Indeed this current incarnation of the Blues is in its infancy, and Lampard has not been afforded the luxury of recruiting players to match his system, but early signs of aesthetically pleasing football appear positive. One of the biggest gripes about ‘Sarriball’ under predecessor Maurizio Sarri was a lack of high-octane intensity in the final third, but that certainly doesn’t appear to be a problem with Lampard at the helm. If his side have looked susceptible at the back, then the same certainly cannot be said of his frontline, with the west London club looking devastating going forward. The likes of Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic have been key to that, demonstrating a vim and a vigour that could prove invaluable this campaign. He has also been force...

  Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has opened up on the differences between Frank Lampard and Maurizio Sarri. The Croatia international impressed for the Blues in the 3-2 win over Norwich on Saturday. And Kovacic has admitted to feeling more settled at Stamford Bridge after making his loan move from Real Madrid permanent. The 25-year-old also feels like he has more freedom under Lampard and can attack more. “He gives me more freedom and I can take the ball and go forward. I feel good,” Kovacic said. “A good connection with the coach and all the team. “I am a Chelsea player now so I feel better about that. “Last year was only a loan. I feel better and more confident than last year. “I am missing some part of my game and I can improve and get better, but I think it will come for sure.” Chelsea boss Lampard has also praised Mason Mount after he scored in the win against Norwich. “I don’t want to say he’s surprised me with the way he’s taking to the Premier League ...

Arsenal defender David Luiz has received messages on Instagram from his old Chelsea team-mates after messing up in the Gunners’ 3-1 defeat away to Liverpool at the weekend. The experienced Brazil international joined Arsenal from Chelsea on deadline day in something of a surprise transfer, though it initially looked like a potentially smart deal done on the cheap by the north Londoners. Still, Luiz has long had a reputation for being something of an error-prone defender, even if he has plenty of quality on the ball, making him a decent fit for Unai Emery’s style of building from the back. Against Liverpool, however, we saw the worst of Luiz as he made two mistakes leading to two goals from Reds star Mohamed Salah. ''Life is tough and football is tough also sometimes !!! But I know one thing , I will never give up !! Was always like that my life ... I came here with a goal , and I will fight until the end for that !!! Thank u for the fans , for all the supp...