Sunday, August 23, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
Exclusive: Chelsea makes stunning £100m double swoop for Paul Pogba and John Stones
The Blues will sign midfield superstar Paul Pogba from Juventus if the Italians are prepared to let him go for £60m.
And Jose Mourinho's champions are also set to splash out £40m in a third attempt to land Evertoncentre-back John Stones.
With the arrival this week of £21m Pedro from Barcelona and Baba Rahman, from Augsburg, on a similar fee, plus £8m keeper Asmir Begovic and striker Radamel Falcao, Roman Abramovich's spending could hit a massive £150m in this window.
The Russian has acted fast after a dismal start to the season for the west Londoners, which has seen them lose the Community Shield to Arsenal and ship five goals in the league with a 2-2 draw against Swansea and a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Abramovich has set a £60m limit on 22-year-old Pogba, which would top the club record fee of £50m paid to Liverpool for striker Fernando Torres in 2011.
Juve are keen to take Colombian misfit Juan Cuadrado and the winger could prove a bargaining tool in negotiations.
It is understood the Turin side are also interested in Brazilian midfielder Oscar and he could feature in talks.
Winger Pedro, 28, trained with the Blues squad yesterday after Chelsea stepped in to sign him from Barcelona, despite strong interest from Manchester United.
But it is the potential signing of France international Pogba which will excite fans.
Compared to a young Patrick Vieira, his arrival would add power, pace and drive to Chelsea's midfield.
Starsport understands that despite the mega-offer Juve are extremely reluctant to let the ex-Manchester United youth academy player leave.
They have just given him the iconic No.10 shirt worn previously by Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidance and Alessandro Del Pierro.
Pedro's signing came as a shock with United looking in pole position to land him after their executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward flew to Catalonia on Monday to seal the deal.
But Chelsea stepped in and yesterday Pedro said: "I am very happy to be here. I am very excited to start my adventure at Chelsea and I am here to keep winning titles.
"Thanks to the club and supporters for giving me the opportunity to put the blue shirt on."
Pedro's arrival clears the way for Chelsea winger Victor Moses to move to Tottenham for around £5m.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Official Pedro to Chelsea
Pedro just posted this on his official Instagram account
And Chelsea official twitter account comfirmed that Pedro is Blue !
Saturday, August 15, 2015
1. Eden Hazard – 89
FIFA 15 FUT Rating – 88
After being voted the best player in the country by his peers, Eden Hazard is now the actual real deal. His ability to twist and turn on the ball bamboozles defenders, and he’s added more goals to his game too.
Hazard was the most important player to Chelsea’s title win last season. It was the Belgian who so often came up with the goods to turn nothing into a point, or one point into three.
FIFA may recognise this by giving his already inflated rating another boost to 89 – and solidifying his status as the best player in the FUT PL overall.
Does Hazard deserve an 89 card? Do you think any other Chelsea players should be rated higher? Let us know with your comments!
2. Diego Costa – 87
FIFA 15 FUT Rating – 85
Diego Costa is a true handful. He is the perfect striker for the way Chelsea play and his first season in England was fantastic.
The Brazilian-turned-Spanish international received a winter upgrade within FUT, but given his struggles with injury in the second half of last season he may not be able to improve upon it. 87 is still bloomin’ good, though.
3. Thibaut Courtois – 86
FIFA 15 FUT Rating – 86
Young Belgian Thibaut Courtois is already one of the world’s best goalkeepers. He is so assured in his game and showed exactly why Mourinho chose to go with him over Petr Cech in goal.
The spotlight is firmly on the former Atletico man now though, in the wake of Cech’s sale to Arsenal. 86 still seems at around his level.
4. Cesc Fabregas – 85
FIFA 15 FUT Rating – 85 (Updated card)
Cesc Fabregas received an upgraded card in the winter after a superlative start to his career at Chelsea.
Though his productivity tailed off in the second half of the season, the Spaniard is still such a critical part of this side. He should stay at the same level as his recent upgrade for the new game, with an 85 rating.