What We Learned yesterday against Swansea

1. Frank Lampard's performances indicate he must be given a NEW contract

2. John Terry is still one of the top defenders in the Premier League

3. Fans need to have patience with performances of Oscar

4. David Luiz has fresh legs every single game, HIGH STAMINA

5. Chelsea are more than capable of finishing in the top 4 and WIN the EUROPA LEAGUE.

Chelsea to sign £20m German within next 72 hours

Chelsea are poised to sign German international Andre Schurrle and could seal the deal by the weekend according to the Daily Mail.

The Stamford Bridge side have been scouting the impressive 21 year old Bayer Leverkusen forward for some months and are now closing in on the £20m rated youngster.

Schurrle’s representative Ingo Haspel has talked up the possibility of a deal being completed very soon stating;

‘I am waiting for information from either Leverkusen or Chelsea, but there could be some positive news by the end of this weekend.

‘It is an indication of how much Chelsea want the player that they are continuing to negotiate.’

The deal could well apparently involve Chelsea winger Kevin De Bruyne moving to the BayArena side on a loan spell, though Borussia Dortmund are also said to be interested in the Belgian international.

Roman Abramovich is no doubt keen on strengthening an attack that has been misfiring this term. The fact that the West London club’s top-scorers in the Premier League, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, are all attacking midfielders probably says it all.

Though Fernando Torres has had a nightmare season, failing to score in his last 15 top tier appearances, he is still Chelsea’s highest scoring striker with just seven Premier League goals to his name.

Schurrle has had an excellent season with Bayer Leverkusen this term, scoring regularly and providing a wealth of assists to help his side to within touching distance of a Champions League berth.

Young PREMIER LEAGUE team of the Year is out !

GK - De Gea
RB - Walker
CB - Jones
CB - Nastasic
LB - Shaw
RM - Hazard ♥
CM - Oscar ♥
CM - Wilshere
LM - Bale
ST - Lukaku ♥
ST - Benteke

Eden Hazard: 'Juan Mata has been Chelsea's best player' !

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has insisted that teammate Juan Mata has been the club's best player this season.

Both Hazard and Mata have been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, and ahead of the ceremony on Sunday evening, the Belgian international believes that his teammate has more chance of picking up the accolade than himself.

The 22-year-old told the club's official website: "Juan is also nominated and he played very well this season, scoring and making assists. For me, he has been our best player".

Both players are expected to feature when Chelsea take on Basel in Switzerland on Thursday night.

Chelsea must react, as Monaco make first move for Spanish wonderkid !

 

There has been some reports on the Daily Express website which have claimed Chelsea could lose out in the chase for Malaga sensation Isco, as Monaco have made their move to land him in the summer.

Spanish paper AS has it that Monaco have already held talks with Malaga and will lodge a bid of £24m.

However, Malaga will be unwilling to sell Isco for less than his release clause which stands at £30m.

Isco has proved to be a sharp shooter this season, having hit 11 goals in all competitions. (Daily Express)

Manchester City and Arsenal are also in the chase, but it is the blues who were winning the race for his signature and they will surely try and react to the news Monaco have made their move. 

Cole, Cahill back for Chelsea

 

Chelsea defenders Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole have both been included in the Blues' travelling squad for their Europa League semi-final first leg against Basel.

The England internationals have been absent in recent weeks, with Cahill suffering from a knee problem while Cole has been nursing a hamstring injury.

However, they handed Benitez a boost ahead of a hectic run-in by taking part in a training session at Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Wednesday and both boarded the plane to Switzerland.

It had thought the trip to Basel would comes a little too soon for Cole and it is as yet unclear whether he will feature in Thursday night's game, though he appears certain to play in this weekend's Premier League clash with Swansea.

Cahill is more likely to be involved at St Jakob Park and could make his first appearance since last month's victory over West Ham.

Oscar has also been included in Rafa Benitez's squad after shaking off a minor groin problem picked up during Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Basel coach Murat Yakin has cheekily claimed that his side are unlikely to resort to "Dracula tactics" against the Blues, in reference to Luis Suarez's well-publicised bite on Branislav Ivanovic.

"I hope Ivanovic won't be suffering from rabies when he comes over to Basel," Yakin joked. "Will we also use Dracula tactics on Chelsea?

"We have the necessary bite to do so - but I would prefer it if the match doesn't end up resembling a game of Pac-Man."

BREAKING NEWS :

Suarez has Been Banned For 10 - League Matches !

Chelsea legend to begin contract talks this summer

John Terry has confirmed he hopes to sit down and discuss terms over a new Chelsea contract this summer, according to the London Evening Standard. The Chelsea captain will open talks over a 12-month extension at the end of the season, all but ending speculation that he could be sold. The situation stands in stark contrast to that of Terry's teammate Frank Lampard. The 34-year-old is yet to be offered a new deal at Stamford Bridge, and it looks increasingly likely that his 12-year association with the club will come to an end this summer. But Terry looks set for a fresh deal, although Chelsea's over-30 policy means he'll only get a one-year extension. Terry told the Evening Standard: "People have to realise that I've got a year left at Chelsea after this. People have spoken about no new contract and this kind of thing but it's not even on the agenda at the moment." The report claims at the end of March Terry was due to sit down with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy for talks, but those discussions have been put off until the summer. Terry continued: "They may sit down with me once the season has finished and we'll start talking then. Whether it's a yes or no I'll continue to give my very best until my contract finishes." The club captain has struggled to hold down a first team place recently under Rafa Benitez. He's recovered from a niggling knee complaint, but David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic have performed well in his absence. The 32-year-old picked up the injury against Liverpool in November. While it was initially expected to keep Terry out for three weeks, the experienced defender took three months to get fully fit. He has been a first-team regular in the Europa League though, and is likely to feature against Basel in the first-leg of the semi-finals on Thursday night.

BREAKING NEWS: Suarez charged by Football Association over Ivanovic bite

The Uruguayan, who has apologised and been fined by Liverpool, bit the Chelsea defender during the 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday and faces a suspension for violent conduct

The Football Association has charged Liverpool forward Luis Suarez with violent conduct for his bite on Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

The Uruguayan sank his teeth into the defender's arm in the second half of the two sides' 2-2 draw at Anfield, later going on to seal the injury-time equaliser.

The FA confirmed in a statement on its official website that "the incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed.

"It is alleged that the conduct of Suarez constitutes violent conduct and it is the FA's contention that the standard punishment of three matches that would otherwise apply is clearly insufficient in these circumstances."

The Liverpool star has until 18.00BST on Tuesday to appeal, with an independent panel to be brought together on Wednesday to hear the charge.

Suarez has been fined by his club, who have indicated that they would accept any judgement forthcoming from the FA.

The forward's actions have prompted outrage from fans and pundits, with former PFA chairman Pat Nevin telling that the Reds man had "let down his fellow professionals".

Happy birthday David Luiz!

Chelsea rise to 4th in global kit sales

Manchester United: 1,400,000 shirts per season.
Real Madrid: 1,400,000.
Barcelona: 1,150,000.
***Chelsea: 910,000****

Bayern Munich: 880,000.
Liverpool: 810,000.
Arsenal: 800,000.
Juventus: 480,000.
Inter Milan: 425,000.
AC Milan: 350,000.