CHELSEA take on Man Utd in a massive FA Cup semi-final this weekend as both sides take a break from their Champions League pursuit.
Off the pitch the Blues are moving closer to the signing of Kai Havertz, but unlike Timo Werner he is not set to join until after the delayed European competitions are finished.
Get all the latest news and transfer gossip from Stamford Bridge here…
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GOOD MORNING CHELSEA FANS,
The Blues have been handed a huge boost after Brendan Rodgers has warned there are no guarantees Ben Chilwell will still be at Leicester City next season.
He said: “He’s not a player we want to lose. I’m quite relaxed on it. I’m not worried at all.
“We’ve got a fantastic squad that we want to keep together so I don’t worry.
“You can spin it whichever way you want. There is no intention to sell Ben Chilwell and there is absolutely no need for us to sell Ben Chilwell.
“If you want a message, the message is he’s not for sale.”
While Frank Lampard says Chelsea have to stop the best front three in English football if they are to reach the FA Cup final.
Lampard’s side meet Manchester United in the semi-final at Wembley at a time when Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are on fire.
He said: “We know they are playing well, they've got a very, very potent front three.
“It’s probably the most potent front three in the country, in terms of pure numbers anyway, in terms of goals.
“But we know that. So we have to be confident ourselves, deal with their threats, and worry about us as well.”
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SOAP AND GLORY
Chelsea kid Conor Gallagher revealed the hardest part of moving to Swansea was ‘learning how to wash up’.
He told SunSport: “It’s the first time I’ve moved away from home.
“My parents used to do a lot of stuff for me but now I’m learning how to fend for myself.
“I don’t have a dishwasher in my apartment, so it’s been a nightmare learning how to do the washing up. It’s the worst thing to do and I’m letting the dishes pile up all the time.
“When I get home from training, I think ‘Oh no, I have to do those bloody dishes.’”
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NOT A FAN
Prem clubs face a further £450m black hole after the Government confirmed next season will start without fans inside grounds.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport confirmed a series of “pilot events” with spectators this summer, including the World Snooker Championships and Glorious Goodwood.
But as SunSport revealed, turnstiles will not be routinely opened until at least October 1.
That means the first three weekends of the new campaign will be played behind closed doors, costing clubs around £90m between them in lost gate receipts, with Spurs and Manchester United missing out on more than £5 for every match played behind closed doors.
And even when the gates are opened, clubs understand that they will be allowed a maximum of 25 per cent of capacity inside, with the government confirming that “social distancing restriction” will be in place.
SunSport also revealed that clubs are set to hold ballots of season ticket holders to determine who is allowed inside.
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WISHING WELL
Chelsea have been handed a huge boost after Brendan Rodgers has warned there are no guarantees Ben Chilwell will still be at Leicester City next season.
He said: “He’s not a player we want to lose. I’m quite relaxed on it. I’m not worried at all.
“We’ve got a fantastic squad that we want to keep together so I don’t worry.
“You can spin it whichever way you want. There is no intention to sell Ben Chilwell and there is absolutely no need for us to sell Ben Chilwell.
“If you want a message, the message is he’s not for sale.”
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NOT FEELING BLUE
Michael Owen has predicted an all-Manchester FA Cup final this year.
In his Bet Victor column, he said: “With second place in the Premier League secured, City are now focusing on both the Champions League and FA Cup.
“They come in to this match on the back of a win against Bournemouth in the Premier League, albeit with an under-par performance.
“However, they will undoubtedly have had half an eye on this fixture and should be full of confidence given that they’ve beaten Arsenal in their last seven meetings.
“Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has won the FA Cup twice as a player and was part of the backroom staff at Manchester City when they listed the trophy last season.
“He will no doubt be desperate to see his Arsenal team win it in his first year at the helm.
“The Gunners will have been buoyed by their win against Liverpool last time out but with their form being somewhat inconsistent since the restart and with their recent poor record against the Citizens, I fancy City to win this one.”
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HAV A LOOK
Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri memorably lavished praise on Blues target Kai Havertz.
Speaking ahead of Juventus' clash against Bayer Leverkusen last year, as quoted by Serie A analysis: “He is a player who combines excellent physical qualities with great technical skills.
“At the moment they are using him mainly as an attacking-midfielder behind the central forward or as a winger.
“I think he is a complete player that could also play as a midfielder.
“He is a player born in 1999… with those qualities and that personality it makes you think it is certain he will become one of the most important players in Europe.”
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TALK TO FRANK
Thomas Frank has poured cold water on speculation that Chelsea have opened talks with star Brentford player Said Benrahma.
The Stamford Bridge club – along with West Ham and Arsenal – are interested in signing the £40million-rate winger this summer.
And reports emerged his morning that Chelsea were already negotiating terms with the player’s representatives ahead of making a formal bid.
But Brentford boss Thomas Frank – whose team are right in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League – dismissed the link as “rumour”.
He said: “I haven’t heard anything from my co-directors of sport.
“I don’t know anything and if I haven’t been told anything then I don’t think it’s true. It’s a rumour.
“He’s enjoying his football at Brentford and we’ve a big aim to go for so I think it’s easy to know this isn’t true.”
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LEEDS LIVE
Chelsea will travel to Elland Road for a league game for the first time in over a decade after Leeds United achieved promotion to the Premier League!
Huddersfield have beaten West Brom 2-1 meaning the Whites have returned to the top flight for the first time in 16 years.
You can keep up to date with all the coverage on our SunSport Live Blog HERE.
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RACE FOR TOP DRAW
Chelsea appear all set for a proper crack at the Champions League next season, already boasting sensational summer swoops in Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
But if the Blues aren't careful in the coming days, they could end up helplessly locked out of Europe's premier competition entirely…
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SUMMER SPENDING
Frank Lampard is remaining tight-lipped about continued spending this summer at Chelsea following links to Jan Oblak and Kai Havertz.
He said: “We'll see, I can't answer that one we're not there yet.
“We'll have to focua on what's in front of us.
“I wouldn't want to compare it to any other spending summer or not.
“We'll see how I feel and we feel as a club.
“If the squad needs strengthening or the balancing needs changing, if it does and we make moves great, but at the moment we don't know.”
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WHAT ZI-YECH
Frank Lampard says Hakim Ziyech has settled in ‘very well’ at Chelsea so far.
He revealed: “Yeah Hakim has been here for the week, trained a couple of days on his own and then he’s integrated a bit with the team.
“So, [he’s settled in] very well. The lads have welcomed him very well. He’s settled in, chatting and forming those new relationships in the early stages.
“And more importantly for him, he’s getting himself fit. Nice to take a bit part in training and then also get some physical work because he hasn’t trained or played for quite a while.”
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JAN PLAN
Chelsea's interest in £90million Jan Oblak has been confirmed by Atletico Madrid's assistant manager.
Diego Simeone's No 2 German Burgos said Frank Lampard is trying to seal a deal for the keeper this summer.
He was asked by Marca if there were any of his current players he would like to sign at his next club.
It was then that he confirmed Chelsea's attempts to get Oblak.
He said: “If I only quote one who I would take from Atletico Madrid, it would be bad – I have to name them all.
“Look, the Russian [Roman Abramovich] wants to take Oblak.”
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TOUCH OF CLASS
Shocking news today that Schurrle has called it quits at the age of just 29.
Still, the Blues were on hand to offer him best wishes for the future.
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FRANK DISCUSSION
THOMAS FRANK has poured cold water on speculation that Chelsea have opened talks with star Brentford player Said Benrahma.
The Stamford Bridge club – along with West Ham and Arsenal – are interested in signing the £40million-rate winger this summer.
Frank – whose team are right in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League – dismissed the linkS as “rumour”.
He said: “I haven’t heard anything from my co-directors of sport.
“I don’t know anything and if I haven’t been told anything then I don’t think it’s true. It’s a rumour.
“He’s enjoying his football at Brentford and we’ve a big aim to go for so I think it’s easy to know this isn’t true.”
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WE'RE UP FOR THE CUP
Lampard said: “At Chelsea, considering where we are, we are in a semi-final and we know what's in front of us.
“The league is huge as well but at this point you fight on two domestic fronts and we have to give everything to try and do that.
“A club like Chelsea will always want to try to win these trophies and it is what we have done pretty well, actually very well, in the modern era.
“Of course, it feels like we are in a slightly different position this year because of the circumstances of the season but we have an opportunity.
“It is up to the players, ourselves, to make the best of it on Sunday.
“We are playing a very good team, we know that they are in good form and whoever awaits us in the final will be a very good team so the work is to be done.”
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LAMPARD ON UNITED
Frank Lampard says Chelsea have to stop the best front three in English football if they are to reach the FA Cup final, reports DUNCAN WRIGHT.
Lampard’s side meet Manchester United in the semi-final at Wembley at a time when Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are on fire.
The trio have scored 43 goals between them, more than any other attacking unit in the Premier League including Liverpool’s much-vaunted Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Lampard said: “We know they are playing well, they've got a very, very potent front three.
“It’s probably the most potent front three in the country, in terms of pure numbers anyway, in terms of goals.
“But we know that. So we have to be confident ourselves, deal with their threats, and worry about us as well.”
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PREDICTED XI
Frank Lampard will NOT be able to call upon N'Golo Kante for Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United.
Sunday's trip to Wembley comes after a number of unconvincing performances from the Blues, who are also fighting United for a place in next season's Champions League.
But the reassuring presence of the French midfielder will not be there to help shore up Lampard's side.
The manager stated in Friday's press conference: “The squad is okay but N'Golo Kante won't be fit for the match, other than that we have a few niggles.”
Big questions remain over this Chelsea team after a 1-0 win over Norwich kept them in the top-four but it was far from the clinical performance the coach would have been hoping for.
Coming off the back of a devastating three-goal defeat at Sheffield United, Lampard's attempt to squeeze more out of his side was not fully convincing.
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BREN: I'M CHIL-LED
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers says England defender Ben Chilwell is not for sale this summer.
Chilwell has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a foot injury, but Rodgers is adamant that the 23-year-old has not played his final game for the Foxes.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with a summer move for Chilwell as Blues boss Frank Lampard seeks to further strengthen his squad following the signings of Hakim Zayech and Timo Werner.
Ahead of the Foxes trip to Tottenham, Rodgers said: “He's a Leicester City player and not a player we want to lose.
“I'm quite relaxed on it. I'm not worried at all. We've got a fantastic squad, a squad we want to keep together.
“There's no intention to sell Ben Chilwell and there's absolutely no need to sell.
“So the message is he's not for sale – it's as simple as that.”
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LAMPARD ON KANTE
The Blues boss said that his squad are all available apart from Kante.
He told the media: “The squad is okay but N'Golo Kante won't be fit for the match.
“There are a few other niggles that will be checked on in the next 24 hours.”
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BREAKING: KANTE OUT OF SEMI
N'Golo Kante has lost his battle to be fit for Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
Frank Lampard has confirmed the Frenchman will miss the game at Wembley.
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IT SCHURR WAS FUN
Former Chelsea, Fulham and Dortmund star Andre Schurrle has retired aged 29.
The 2014 World Cup winner has decided to call it a day after being released by Dortmund, where he spent stints on loan at Spartak Moscow and Craven Cottage.
He told Der Spiegel: “I stop… the decision has matured in me for a long time.”
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BOJO’S FAN PLAN
Boris Johnson has announced football fans should be allowed back into stadiums by October in a huge boost for next season.
Supporters have been banned from entering grounds since football returned – with just 300 players, staff and personnel allowed inside.
But now the Prime Minister has revealed fans may be allowed back early on in the 2020-21 season, subject to trial runs.
Pilot tests will begin as early as NEXT MONTH with a view to having fans in stadiums as soon as possible.
Johnson claimed: “From 1 August we will pilot larger gatherings in venues like sports stadia with a view to a wider reopening in the autumn.
“From October we intend to bring back audiences in stadia.”
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BLUES FOR COUT?
Chelsea are favourites with the bookies to land Philipp Coutinho from Barcelona.
Here are the current odds from Coral:
10-11 Chelsea
3-1 Arsenal
5-1 Bayern Munich
6-1 Liverpool, Man Utd
8-1 Tottenham
10-1 PSG, Inter Milan
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WINDFALL
Chelsea will receive a chunk of cash from Real Madrid after they won LaLiga last night, according to reports.
A title win clause in the deal to take Eden Hazard to the Bernabeu last summer means Frank Lampard will have some extra money to add to his transfer kitty.
Real beat Villareal 2-1 at home last night to secure their first league title since 2016/17.
Barcelona lost 2-1 at home to Osasuna on the same night but Real’s win meant their result did not matter anyway.
But Los Blancos’ success will come at a price as they will now have to shell out the extra money to the Blues, according to European football expert Kristoff Terreur.
Hazard signed last June in a deal worth a maximum of £130million – the original fee was £88.5m with the rest in add-ons – one of which was triggered by Real’s win last night.
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NOT RUDI LIKELY
Antonio Rudiger’s Chelsea future has been thrown into doubt, with the club yet to offer the Germany star a new contract.
Frank Lampard’s back line is in desperate need over an overhaul after conceding 49 Premier League goals so far this season, compared to Liverpool’s miserly 29.
Rudidger, 27, has been the Blue’s stand-out defender at times the last two seasons, but his form warranted being dropped to the bench by Lampard against Watford and Crystal Palace.
According to the Mail, he is entering the last two years of his contract and there are rumblings it could cause friction between club and player.
It appears the club are holding their cards close to their chest, even though his transfer value will greatly reduce over the next year as he enters the final 12 months of his deal.
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