Chelsea unveiled Luiz Felipe Scolari as their manager today and he got off to a good start by speaking in english. We all know how hard it is for us english speakers to learn another language and now that translator money can go to the transfer kitty(funds). Having coached Brazil and Portugal, Big Phil says he is prepared for the pressure that the Chelsea job will bring. He said that he had met with Frank Lampard yesterday and that Lampard wants to stay with Chelsea. Steve Kutner, Lampard's agent, said his client did want to stay with Chelsea if the two sides agreed on an extension. Lampard is in the final year of his contract and has not been satisfied with any of Chelsea's previous offers. Inter Milan followed this up with a 7.95 million pound offer for the midfielder, which Chelsea rejected. Scolari is in a difficult position as Lampard is extremely popular and has played a huge role in Chelsea's recent success. Two years of negotiations have not brought them any closer as even big spenders Chelsea cannot seem to meet his wage demands. While they would love to retain his services, it would be better to sell Lampard now than let him walk away for free next summer. Chelsea will not part with the midfielder for anything less than top dollar, but look for Lamps to reunite with Mourinho soon.As if that could be the only Chelsea news for the day, AC Milan are saying that they rejected a 94 million euro bid for Kaka from the London club. Chelsea are denying the claim, but the appointment of Scolari has increased speculation that they'd make a move for the Brazilian. Kaka released a statement from Brazil where he is recovering from knee surgery thanking Milan for showing their commitment to winning by keeping him. In his press conference Big Phil said he also wanted Drogba to stay with the club, with the striker garnering heavy interest from European clubs. Milan have been very interested as their approaches for Emmanuel Adebayor have been rebuffed. Chelsea: never a dull moment.
Alexander Hleb has decided to be proactive and use his mouth to transfer him out of Arsenal. He criticized Arsene Wenger, saying that he didn't agree with how the gaffer(manager) was playing him. He also criticized teammate Cesc Fabregas for being selfish and shooting at every opportunity, unlike the generous Belarusian. Hleb tried to play down the rift, but it will difficult for the club to keep him after those comments. Gareth Barry has tried the same tactic, saying that Martin O'Neill was more interested in being a tv pundit than talking to his skipper. The result was a fine of two weeks wages and a suspension from the club's pre-training sessions. O'Neill is still holding out for his original valuation of the player, but it's a shame that Barry's time at club he has appeared in more than 300 games for has to come to such an ignominious end.One Liners
- Guiza to join Aragones at Fenerbahce, says he always preferred turkish delight to flan
- Huntelaar says everyone interested him, Ajax waiting for the phone to ring
- Barca won't release Ronaldinho for Beijing, worried about him and Chinese buffets
- Zenit want Barca to double Arshavin bid, Barca want to be a fireman when they grow up
- South Africa stadium will not be ready for Confederations Cup, nobody surprised
- Ronaldo surgery a success, fans in Madrid cheer the news
- European clubs blot Blatter's 6+5 rule
