Chelsea

  • Koulibaly not distracted by €100m Chelse...

    Kalidou Koulibaly is not letting talk regarding his future affect his preparations for Senegal's crucial Group H meeting against Colombia in Samara on Thursday. The Napoli centre-back held negotiations with Chelsea two years ago and, as former boss Maurizio Sarri continues to be...

    Koulibaly not distracted by €100m Chelsea transfer reports

    Kalidou Koulibaly is not letting talk regarding his future affect his preparations for Senegal's crucial Group H meeting against Colombia in Samara on Thursday. The Napoli centre-back held negotiations with Chelsea two years ago and, as former boss Maurizio Sarri continues to be linked with taking over from Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge, rumours around a possible Premier League switch for Koulibaly have begun to resurface. Senegal need just a point to secure their progress to the last 16, following an opening 2-1 win over Poland and a subsequent 2-2 draw against Japan. In a media conference on Wednesday, Koulibaly was asked how it felt to be regarded as a €100 million (£88m) player, and whether such transfer speculation was clouding his focus amid a World Cup campaign. "€100m, if you tell my parents this figure I think they'll have a good laugh!" he joked. "This price is what the market dictates, I don't think about it, I just try and do my best on the pitch. "I don't think for a minute about my future because we've worked for three years to be here and if something may confuse me during the World Cup I will leave it aside because I want to be 100 per cent focused on the World Cup. "We've worked a great deal, we're very committed and we want to be in the last 16. As for the rest, we'll see later and all my team-mates should trust me and each other so I don't give a minute to my future right now." Senegal are the only African nation who remain in with a chance of reaching the second round and Koulibaly is relishing the support of an entire continent. "It is something positive rather then pressure," he said. "We know the whole African continent is backing us so it's highly positive as I see it. We are football players, we have the whole Senegalese people and the African continent behind us. "We have to end this with flying colours and we'll do our utmost to get to the round of 16. I think we have everything to do it and it's very positive to have the whole continent behind us."

  • Hazard urged by Fabregas to shun Real Ma...

    Eden Hazard has been urged by Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas to shun interest from Real Madrid and become “a club legend” at Stamford Bridge. Transfer talk around the Belgium international is nothing new, with his future having been called into question for some time. Speculat...

    Hazard urged by Fabregas to shun Real Madrid and become a Chelsea 'legend'

    Eden Hazard has been urged by Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas to shun interest from Real Madrid and become “a club legend” at Stamford Bridge. Transfer talk around the Belgium international is nothing new, with his future having been called into question for some time. Speculation has, however, built steadily again over recent weeks, with the 27-year-old doing little to curb the rumours as he continues to leave the door open for a summer exit. Fabregas hopes a long-running saga will eventually be brought to a close which proves beneficial to Chelsea, with a man to have been billed as a potential Ballon d’Or winner of the future still having plenty to achieve in west London. The Spanish midfielder told The Telegraph: “Eden Hazard has the qualities to be the best, especially now Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Leo [Messi] are getting older. “He can also be a club legend for Chelsea if he stays. “All I say to him is it’s up to him how far he wants to get because he has all the attributes and he is still at the age where he can be the best with the likes of Neymar and maybe [Kylian] Mbappe. “Talent-wise he is up there, I have no doubt about it. He’s strong, he’s quick, he can dribble. “But I think Eden can score more goals than what he thinks he can. I believe in him more than he does!” Hazard is currently away on international duty with Belgium at Russia 2018, with it possible that more eye-catching displays in a global shop window will draw further interest from afar. Fabregas, though, believes that a future call rests solely with the player himself, with it up to him to decide what he wants to do next. He added: “The World Cup won’t decide Eden’s future, I don’t think. “Scouts follow you everywhere and he has done more than enough for clubs to see his talent, but I really hope he can stay at Chelsea for many years and become one of the biggest legends in the club’s history. “He has all the attributes and the only piece missing is the Champions League. “If he won that with Chelsea, then he would have everything at club level. “If he stays, I’m sure he will be, if not the best, one of the best players Chelsea has ever had and will ever have.”

  • 'He's too expensive!' - Dortmund rule ou...

    Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc says Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata is too expensive for the club, as they continue to search for a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Dortmund sold Aubameyang to Arsenal in January, and are focusing their efforts on recrui...

    'He's too expensive!' - Dortmund rule out Morata bid

    Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc says Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata is too expensive for the club, as they continue to search for a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Dortmund sold Aubameyang to Arsenal in January, and are focusing their efforts on recruiting another centre-forward this summer. Morata endured a difficult debut season at Chelsea following his move from Juventus, scoring 15 goals in all competitions in 48 appearances. Zorc believes it will be incredibly hard for Dortmund to extract the Spaniard from Stamford Bridge after he cost an initial £58 million ($76.8m) last summer. "I would say that Morata is too expensive - without knowing exact sums," he told Bild. His statement on Morata feeds into a wider frustration regarding the state of the current transfer market, with fees as inflated as they have ever been. And Zorc admits that he and Dortmund would have rather kept Aubameyang than be forced to find a replacement. "Of course, we have candidates in mind," he said, when asked about replacing the Gabon international. "But the position of a true centre-forward is currently the most difficult to fill in European football. That's why we've resisted selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a very long time because he guaranteed us goals.  "At the moment I have the impression that the transfer market - not only in the case of strikers - is a bit out of touch with the realities.  "Very high prices are called. We have to act with caution and not do crazy things. Especially as we have players in our squad who also have this position in their portfolio."

  • Christensen knows pressure is on Denmark...

    Andreas Christensen is aware the pressure will be on Denmark for their final group game against France following a controversial draw with Australia. Denmark had started the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Peru and took the lead in their second fixture against Australia through Ch...

    Christensen knows pressure is on Denmark after controversial Australia draw

    Andreas Christensen is aware the pressure will be on Denmark for their final group game against France following a controversial draw with Australia. Denmark had started the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Peru and took the lead in their second fixture against Australia through Christian Eriksen’s stunning early strike. However, Australia equalised through Mile Jedinak’s penalty after a controversial VAR incident saw the spot-kick awarded, and the match finished 1-1. It means that Denmark must secure a point against already-qualified France to be certain of reaching the last 16, with Australia needing to beat Peru in their final Group C fixture to have a chance of denying Christensen’s side. Chelsea defender Christensen has performed well in both his side’s first two games and, after being left disappointed by the draw with Australia, knows the pressure is on him and his team-mates to deliver against France in Moscow next Tuesday. “Obviously, if you told us that today we would have four points from two games then it wouldn’t be too bad,” said Christensen in Samara’s Cosmos Stadium. “Especially depending how the other games go. “But I think after we won the first one we just really wanted to go into this game and win, to make it look even better than it does now. To make it feel like a little less pressure against France in the last game. “We are a little bit disappointed by that but in total having four points from two games, things could be worse. After the first game, we said we can play much better than this, but again we were happy that we scored. “Today we couldn’t get a better start but we know we can play better. Hopefully at one point in this World Cup, we will find in our best form.” The 22-year-old is playing at his first major tournament for Denmark after enjoying his breakthrough season at Chelsea this year and he is proud to have hit another career landmark. He added: “It means a lot [to play at the World Cup for Denmark]. “Every time I represent my country it is something big and it is something I dreamed about when I was growing up playing football so it is a massive achievement.”

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