FOOTBALL NEWS

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...