ROMAN ABRAMOVICH has reportedly made contact with Thomas Tuchel and Max Allegri as Frank Lampard feels the heat.
The two out-of-work bosses are said to be part of a five-man shortlist the Russian has drawn up of possible new Chelsea managers.
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- Joe Miles
NEW START
Chelsea would prefer Fikayo Tomori NOT to join an English club on loan this month.
Newcastle are among a list of teams that interested in signing the 23-year-old.
But Football Insider report that Chelsea would prefer to send Tomori abroad.
The Blues are prepared to offload him as he has fallen down the pecking order.
He has made just ONE appearance in the Premier League this season.
- sstreet
FIVE STARS
Roman Abramovich has come up with a five-man shortlist to replace Frank Lampard, according to reports.
Bild Head of Football Christian Falk claims Thomas Tuchel, Max Allegri, Brendan Rodgers, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Julia Nagelsmann are all under consideration as potential Lampard replacements.
And ominously for the current Blues boss, Falk adds that Tuchel and Allegri's representatives have already been contacted by Abramovich.
- Joe Miles
PAUL OVER
Paul Merson has urged Chelsea to give Frank Lampard 'a chance' to prove himself.
Writing for Sky Sports, he said: "Lampard did a great job last year, and it's the first time he has worked with world-class players.
"Give him a chance."
As things stand, the Blues are ninth in the Premier League table after 17 games.
Credit: Reuters
- Joe Miles
KURT IN THE MIDDLE
Kurt Zouma has revealed the key factors behind his impressive spell of form for Chelsea.
Speaking on the club website, he revealed: "Training, and my team-mates.
"They help me out a lot with technical stuff and giving me advice."
Zouma has secured his spot in Frank Lampard's starting line-up this season.
- Joe Miles
HUNGRY FOR RICE
Chelsea will complete a deal this summer for Declan Rice if he has his wish, according to Rio Ferdinand.
Pundit Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel: "I don’t think he goes this window, I think he stays there for the remainder of the season.
"I don’t think he’s the kind of kid who is going to push to leave right now."
Before he added: "Good luck to him. I think it’s inevitable he will go but I think – if I’m being realistic – he will go in the summer and I think it would be to Chelsea if he had his wish."
Credit: Getty Images – Getty - Joe Miles
WHAT A DON
Charlie Brown claimed he is 'over the moon' to have joined MK Dons from Chelsea.
After the deal was confirmed, the 21-year-old said: “I’m over the moon to be here.
“This is an opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I can’t wait to get on the pitch and show the fans what I can do.
“The Gaffer has got a really strong plan for the team and I’m really excited to be a part of that and have the opportunity to help the Club get to where it wants to be.”
- Joe Miles
ABIDE WITH THE RULES
All clubs left in the FA Cup have been warned they will face penalties for breaching Covid regulations.
Wembley beaks moved to draft the letter to the 33 teams that currently remain in the competition after a series of weekend incidents during the third round.
The letter was said to “strongly reiterate the importance of complete compliance” with Covid protocols and Government legislation.
Premier League and EFL bosses will send out similar letters to their individual members as football braces against calls for a shutdown if regulations are not followed.
- Joe Miles
DONE DEAL
MK Dons have completed the permanent signing of Chelsea striker Charlie Brown.
Brown, 21, made the move to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town in 2016.
He scored 53 goals and provided 12 assists in 108 appearances for Chelsea's Under-23s, Under-19s and Under-18s.
- Joe Miles
FUL OF HOPE
Reece James could make his return against Fulham on Saturday.
The defender has missed Chelsea's last three games through injury.
But he is back in first-team training ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage.
Credit: Reuters
- Joe Miles
BEING FRANK
Roman Abramovich is considering bringing Avram Grant back to the Bridge to work with Frank Lampard.
Sky Sports claim the Chelsea owner believes Grant's managerial experience would help the club.
The 65-year-old managed the Blues from 2007 until 2008 before he joined Portsmouth.
But he has not coached for several years since leaving Indian side NorthEast United in 2018.
- Joe Miles
BLUES CLUES
Here's who rakes in the big bucks at Stamford Bridge.
Kai Havertz – who has made 15 Prem appearances this season – tops the pile.
- Joe Miles
KURT HIM UP
Kurt Zouma has claimed he is 'catching up' with John Terry's goal tally at Chelsea.
The 26-year-old has scored four goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season.
He told the club website: "I'm catching him up, slowly, slowly, but you have to keep doing it.
"I don't have a target for goals this season, honestly.
"I just want to win as many games as I can and get a trophy, because Chelsea is there to win trophies."
- Joe Miles
SILVA LINING
Kurt Zouma has revealed what he has learned from veteran defender Thiago Silva.
The 26-year-old told Chelsea's website: "He's a very calm guy. He has got experience. He knows the game very well.
"He has won a lot of trophies. His positioning is always good defensively when we don't have the ball, and with the ball he can find passes.
"He is also a leader in the team, so there are many things to learn off him."
Credit: Getty Images – Getty - Joe Miles
THE RAUL DEAL
Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Raul Moro from Lazio.
The Blues are 'considerably' interested in the 18-year-old, according to La Lazio Siamo Noi as cited by Team Talk.
But Frank Lampard's side will reportedly face competition from other Premier League clubs.
A 'top club' in Italy are also believed to be eyeing a move for the talented young Spaniard.
Moro spent a brief spell with Barcelona's academy before he me made the move to Lazio in 2019.
- Joshua Jones
GOOD MORNING BLUES FANS
Callum Hudson-Odoi claimed the FA Cup win over Morecambe was just the start of Chelsea’s bid to return to form.
He told the club’s official website: “We keep improving and keep working hard.
“This game was a good step for us, we want to go back into the right way of winning games, so hopefully this is a start of good things and we keep going and keep pushing.
“We want to keep pushing on from this game and hopefully keep winning games and get a good run.
“As I said, this game was a good step. I feel like we needed this game to show the right mentality and attitude to get the job done.
“We kept a clean sheet and scored four goals which is a good thing for us. We want to keep improving at both ends of the pitch.
“We are all going into the next game against Fulham full of confidence trying to win that game as well.”
Meanwhile on the transfer front, Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is reportedly being eyed by Italian giants AC Milan.
The 23-year-old is well down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with boss Frank Lampard prepared to let him leave on loan.
And according to Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, Milan have ‘contacted Chelsea’ and the player ‘would accept’ the move.
But Tomori is seemingly second-choice for the Rossoneri with Strasbourg’s Mohamed Simakan top of their list.
Elsewhere, Chelsea are reportedly interested in Turkey Under-21 international hotshot Ali Akman.
He is out of contract in the summer and has no plans to extend his agreement, according to the Daily Mail.
Bursaspor are reportedly willing to listen to offers this month rather than losing him for a small compensation fee in the summer.
It is claimed a bid worth around £3million is being sought.
- Joe Brophy
SAFE HANDS
Edouard Mendy is set to come back into the side following Kepa Arrizabalaga's outing in the FA Cup.
- Joe Brophy
TO BE FRANK
Callum Hudson-Odoi is determined to learn from Frank Lampard to reach his true potential.
He told the club's website: "Nobody is a perfect player. There are always flaws and you want to keep improving every day.
"I want to keep working hard and learning every day. I want to keep educating myself whether it’s at home watching clips or just learning under the manager.
"He knows what to do and he knows what is right for me and how to play so I want to keep learning under him and working hard.
"Every time I get on the pitch or in training, I want to give my best every time. I want to give 110 per cent in the match. I want to always make sure that I’m ready. The best way you train is the best way you play in a game."
- Joe Brophy
BLUE IS THE COLOUR
Callum Hudson-Odoi claimed the FA Cup win was just the start of Chelsea’s bid to return to form.
He told the club's official website: "We keep improving and keep working hard.
"This game was a good step for us, we want to go back into the right way of winning games, so hopefully this is a start of good things and we keep going and keep pushing.
"We want to keep pushing on from this game and hopefully keep winning games and get a good run.
"As I said, this game was a good step. I feel like we needed this game to show the right mentality and attitude to get the job done.
"We kept a clean sheet and scored four goals which is a good thing for us. We want to keep improving at both ends of the pitch.
"We are all going into the next game against Fulham full of confidence trying to win that game as well."
- Joe Brophy
UP FOR THE CUP
Callum Hudson-Odoi is hoping for another good run in the FA Cup after reaching last season’s final.
He told the club's website: "I’m happy with the result. I think that all the boys played well.
"We never underestimate any game that we play in, so we came into the game with the right attitude knowing that we had to get the job done and we did very well.
"I’m happy with myself, I’m happy with the team, everybody is excited. We want to be and do better every game so we are going to keep trying in training and keep working hard.
"It’s a big competition and we want to go as far as possible. We try our best in every game we play and we are delighted to go through to the next round."
- Joe Brophy
WHAT ZI-YECH
Callum Hudson-Odoi has hailed his growing relationship with Hakim Ziyech.
He told the club's website: "Hakim and I have that little partnership where we know one another’s capabilities and what one can do.
"As soon as he got the ball I made the run because I knew he can find those passes. It was a great ball by him to find me in behind."
- Joe Brophy
GOAL OF THE MONTH
The Frenchman's bullet header from an N'Golo Kante cross has been crowned Chelsea's best strike for the last month of 2020.
- Joe Brophy
ICYMI
Callum Hudson-Odoi is STILL a target for Bayern Munich, claim new reports.
The Bavarians are said by the Mail to have ‘not completely given up’ on signing the Chelsea winger.
Expect this rumour to rumble on for some time, approximately until 2083.
- Joe Brophy
EDEN FOR GREATNESS
Frank Lampard has tipped Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to shine at Stamford Bridge like Eden Hazard before them, despite their early struggles.
He told talkSPORT: "The people that question them should look at other top players that have come at a young age to this country.
"Eden Hazard is a great example… he came here and became one of our greater players ever.
"It's not an easy transition to this league. It's a hard league.
"I think people that question them should give them time because they are great lads and we signed them for now and the future.
"I understand the questions as it's the world we live in. They will prove to be big players for the club."
- Joe Brophy
THREE-YEARS LIONS
The FA now wants England to WIN a major tournament by 2024.
Nearly a decade after former Wembley chairman Greg Dyke set the 2022 World Cup as the prime target for the Three Lions, the latest official aims of the governing body show a slippage in that timeframe.
Instead, the FA believes England should be seeking to win a major tournament, by either the men’s or women’s teams, over the next THREE seasons.
That period includes two European Championships and a World Cup for the men’s team, and the delayed Euros and 2023 World Cup for the Lionesses.
- Joe Brophy
DAN THE MAN
Daniel Sturridge struggled to impose himself at Chelsea but a January switch to Liverpool made him one of the best winter transfers ever.
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