Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas confirmed in his press conference this afternoon in Hong Kong that Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu is set to undergo a medical with Blues medical staff after a deal was struck with Barcelona. Newly-appointed chief physician Paco Biosca has travelled to Colombia to put Romeu through a series of tests ahead of finalising his move to London. The player is currently with the Spanish team for the…
Getting Better As We Go
Chelsea began the quest for a second Premier League Asia Trophy by beating their local opponents Kitchee by 4-0 to set up the final against Aston Villa. Frank Lampard opened the scoring the again; then an own goal (again!) doubled the lead before goals from Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge rounded off another satisfying night for the Blues. The Premier League Asia trophy was one of the first tournaments that…
We Are Getting There…
Chelsea stepped up a gear in their preparations for the new season after a much improved second-half performance against Thailand All Stars meant the Blues eventually cruised to a 4-0 win. The first half display was again of tireless hard work, without much reward, but the introduction of fresh legs on the hour mark made the final thirty minutes look like a stroll in the park. Another jam-packed stadium was…
In The News: Transfer Madness, Modric & Fan Favouritism
With pre-season now under way, footballers have returned from their summer sojourns, managers are again in gainful employment, and journos are pumping out their usual ill informed rubbish. Well, part from those who used to work for the News of the World at least. So we find ourselves raking over the news wires looking to see what changes may be afoot in the coming weeks as Villas Boas starts to imprint his…
What To Make Of Rajkovic
One of the more eye-catching names on the fringes of Chelsea’s squad this pre-season is that of Serbian defender Slobodan Rajkovic. A Blues player since 2005, he has thus far been precluded from playing in England because he doesn’t meet work permit criteria. Aside from a debut against the Chinese Under-23 team for the Reserves at Brentford shortly after signing, sightings of him on domestic shores have been limited. Instead,…
Another Step Taken, Or Not?
Chelsea continued their pre-season preparations with another win under some tough conditions, as the Blues started their Asian quest with a 1-0 win in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. A controversial own-goal from a Didier Drogba free-kick was the only goal of the game with the under-strength Malaysians giving a hard fight to the Blues. The Bukit-Jalil stadium, having capacity of 90,000, was almost full, creating a great atmosphere…
Chelsea In For Another Barcelona Youngster?
Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo are this afternoon reporting that Chelsea are close to finalising a deal for young midfielder Oriol Romeu. The 19 year-old, who made his senior debut for the European champions late last season, is reported to be the subject of a €5m bid from The Blues. Barcelona are believed to want a clause in the deal allowing them to re-sign the player in two seasons, but this…
Sky Wrong On Terry & Modric
With the current situation engulfing NewsCorp, you’d think Murdoch’s empire would be taking a little more care in their reporting. Sadly not, it would seem. Earlier today it was widely reported, with the source being Sky Sports, that John Terry had claimed Luka Modric has been ‘disrespectful’ towards Tottenham in trying to engineer a move to Chelsea. These quotes quickly spread like wildfire and have been repeated ad nauseum across…
Ben-Haim Blooper Gifts Blues Win
After a long break, Chelsea returned back to playing as a large crowd greeted them at Fratton Park in their first friendly in public eye, with the Blues securing a 1-0 win. This was also the first chance for the Chelsea fans to see the new boss, André Villas-Boas, in action after the first match against Wycombe Wanderers was played behind doors. On a day when three different Chelsea sides…
Hutchinson Returns, But For How Long?
As many of you will know by now, Sam Hutchinson played 45 minutes for Chelsea’s Reserve team at Crawley Town yesterday afternoon. It came as quite a surprise given that the young defender announced his retirement from the game last summer as he battled a chronic knee problem. The question now being asked, of course, is whether he is attempting a return on a full time basis or if he…