Sports News
Report: Chelsea gifted star Dream Of Joining Madrid; Madrid Handed Boost In Pursuit of Bayern Talent
German international Antonio Rudiger dream of playing for Real Madrid. However, the Spanish giant are keen on snapping up the Chelsea defender in the summer transfer window, according to Rudy Galettiin his column for Tribal Football.
Rudiger has turned out 196 times for Chelsea, chipping in with 12 goals and seven assists in the process. But Rudiger’s future is of grave concern for Chelsea, especially considering they cannot sign new players or hand existing stars new contracts. With the player set to become a free agent in the summer, the situation has alerted Real Madrid.
Furthermore, the Blues star has come into his own in the past year, going from a bit-part player for Chelsea to an indispensable figure under Thomas Tuchel. The 29-year-old has been one of the most reliable defenders in Europe during this period, with his compatriot bringing the best out of him.
The interest from Real Madrid stems from the inconsistencies of their defensive unit this season. While David Alaba and Eder Militao are the undisputed first-choice centre-backs for Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti does not have another quality option at his disposal to feature regularly.
Newcastle United considering move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney
Newcastle United have identified Brentford’s Ivan Toney to solve their goalscoring problems and are considering making a move for him this summer as they move on from Darwin Nunez.
Benfica striker Darwin Nunez is one of Europe’s most sought-after young strikers but is believed to be only willing to move to a club that will be playing Champions League football next season, ruling Newcastle United out of the picture. That has forced the Toon Army to start plotting alternatives to Nunez and the club has set their sights on Brentford star, Ivan Toney.
A youth product of the Northampton Town academy, Toney, 26, moved to Newcastle United in 2015 but wasn’t given a fair share of first-team chances. He managed just four appearances for the Magpies and was offloaded in 2018 by then manager Rafael Benitez.
The 26-year-old moved to Peterborough United in 2018, and after a couple of dazzling seasons in League One, he was snapped up by Brentford in the summer of 2020. Toney instantly hit the ground running with Brentford in the Championship and played a major role in getting the Bees promoted to the top-flight in the 2020/21 season.
And the centre-forward has silenced his detractors in the Premier League, scoring 12 goals in 28 appearances so far. Toney’s impressive performances have not gone unnoticed, with Newcastle United planning to re-sign him in the summer transfer window.
Newcastle to spend big in the summer?
Newcastle United have all but secured safety in the top-flight after a dreadful first half of the season. Backed by the rich owners in the January transfer window, Eddie Howe has done a brilliant job at St. James’ Park and deserves plaudits. He has revived the club’s fortunes, improved a lot of players and entertained the Geordies by making the team play an energetic, attacking brand of football—all in the span of just seven months.
Now that Newcastle are just three points off hitting the magical 40-point mark, Howe and the board have seemingly started planning for the summer transfer window. They are among a host of Premier League clubs expected to be in the market with a number of strikers potentially on the move.
Ivan Toney could be a top acquisition for the Magpies:
Ivan Toney has been recently linked with a return to Newcastle United. The 26-year-old has been a top performer for Brentford since joining in 2020 from Peterborough United and has caught the attention of many clubs with his goal-scoring exploits in the Premier League.
This season, Toney has shown that he has all it takes to thrive in the hustle and bustle of the English top-flight. With Callum Wilson injury prone and Chris Wood already 30, he could return to Newcastle and be the main man up front for Eddie Howe next season. Plus, Newcastle’s financial muscle is unlikely to hamper any potential deal for the Brentford star if they are hell-bent on signing him.
All in all, a player like Toney could become a key part of the exciting Newcastle United project under Eddie Howe that is set to kick on this summer.
Madrid Handed Boost In Pursuit of Bayernattacker
Serge Gnabry has a failed contract renewal negotiations with Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga champions are prepared to cash in on the German international in the summer transfer window, with Real Madrid pursuing him, according to a report by Spanish publication SPORT.
However, the German international has enjoyed a solid 2021/22 campaign, amassing 15 goals and ten assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. But Gnabry’s contract situation has put Bayern Munich in a spot of bother, with his deal running out in a little over a year. Such a situation has captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Serge Gnabry has transformed from an inconsistent prospect to a highly productive attacker since joining Bayern Munich several years ago. The 26-year-old has been on a steady rise in stature in the last few years, wherein he has established himself as a pivotal figure for club and country.
Furthermore, the Spanish giants are poised to sign one top-class attacker in Kylian Mbappe in the summer transfer window. But Real Madrid might need to invest in another forward ahead of the 2022/23 season, considering multiple players face an uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sports News
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
Sports News
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
Sports News
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
