Live Blog
- 31 Jul 2020, 23:55
- Updated: 31 Jul 2020, 23:59
CHELSEA face Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday looking to lift the famous old trophy for the first second time in three years.
Off the pitch, the Blues are waiting on a decision from Dean Henderson, and have reportedly made an offer to Barcelona’s Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Get all the latest news and transfer gossip from Stamford Bridge here…
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Ian Tuckey
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‘I FEEL SORRY FOR FANS, NOT ME’
Frank Lampard Sr added: “Even if I watched with them, I wouldn’t be comfortable. Even if Chelsea could get me in at Wembley, it wouldn’t feel right.
“It’s the supporters I feel sorry for — football is their lives and they are missing it badly.
“I watched Frank play home and away and always went on my own. Pals would say ‘we’ll come for the ride with you’ but it never happened, I didn’t want it.
“I’m just thinking about the game all the way there and back. When he was playing I got far more nervous than when I played.
“I went to virtually every match he played for Chelsea, Manchester City and when he started off managing at Derby.
“Even when Frank played in the States (for New York City FC), I’d fly over, stay one night then fly home.”
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LAMPARD Sr TO WATCH FINAL ALONE AT HOME
An FA Cup final at Wembley is usually a joyous occasion for the Lampard family.
Between them, the Chelsea manager and his father have a record of played six, won six.
Yet today will be different.
When his son’s side take on Arsenal, Frank Lampard Sr — who rarely missed a match his son had been involved in prior to lockdown — will be sitting alone ‘like a miserable b*d’ at his Romford house.
Lampard Sr, 71, runs The Nightingale pub in Wanstead, where he has ensured drinkers can watch the big match on a screen outside in the sunshine.
But following his boy’s progress has become a solitary experience for Lampard Sr, since the death of his wife, Pat, 12 years ago.
He said: “The punters in the pub are ringing up asking ‘have you got the game on?’
“There will be a screen outside but I won’t be there. I get nervous.
“My daughter lives round the corner but they’ll watch it at theirs and I’ll sit here on my own like a miserable b*****d.
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WE KEEPER GOOD RELATIONSHIP
Argentine keeper Willy Caballero added or his Chelsea rival Kepa: “We have a great relationship – first of all because we speak the same language.
“We work together well in training. It was the second time that Frank left him out, but in terms of our relationship he has been very good.
“He has been behind me, helped me with everything in the games that I have played.”
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CABALLERO BACKS KEPA
Willy Caballero has launched a staunch defence of his under-fire Chelsea team-mate Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Spaniard was dropped for last weekend’s top-four clinching win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge – as well as the recent FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
And having been statistically the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League this season, Kepa is rumoured to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.
But Caballero, who is likely to start Saturday’s FA Cup final against Arsenal at Kepa’s expense, has defended his blunder-prone fellow keeper.
The 38-year-old told the Express: “Of course I hope he stays.
“I have known him for two years. Last season was very good for him. This season there were some other things happening, but last year was fantastic.
“He is still the No1 goalkeeper for Spain, and is a great goalkeeper.”
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YOUNG TRAFFORD
Man Utd have the best scoring record for players 26 and under – based on these stats.
But there is one anomaly in the figures regarding Spurs and their England skipper Harry Kane…
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OZIL SHOCK
Mesut Ozil is reportedly OUT of tomorrow’s FA Cup final clash with Chelsea after spending time in Turkey.
The German hasn’t even featured on the Gunners’ bench since the 2-0 victory over Southampton on June 25.
And there will be no return to action against the Blues at Wembley.
According to Gooner Talk’s Chris Wheatley, Ozil has spent “the last few days” in Turkey and is out of contention entirely.
A back issue is the official reason for the 31-year-old’s absences of late.
Prior to English football’s restart, Ozil had started every single Premier League match under Mikel Arteta.
But the German World Cup winner has found himself frozen out since.
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ROMAN GOLD
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will make £400milion by selling his 40 per cent stake in a gold company.
That cash could soften the blow of his net worth plummeting by £2.4BILLION so far this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It could also give Chelsea fans renewed hope on two fronts.
The first is that Abramovich might plough money into boss Frank Lampard’s summer war-chest.
After a solid first season in charge with the Blues finishing fourth, next season they have a Champions League campaign to set out on.
There will also be hopes of a Premier League title challenge.
And the second concerns the stadium.
Last month SunSport reported how the club were given an extension of planning permission by the government.
The club’s previous agreement to extend their ground’s capacity to 60,000 seats expired during lockdown, with it unclear on what the future holds for the stadium.
It is expected the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge could cost around £1bn.
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NOT AUBA AND OUT VS BLUES
Arsenal fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Mikel Arteta hassuggested the FA Cup final against Chelsea will NOT be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s last match for the club.
But the North Londoners are relying heavily on winning the FA Cup and more importantly, on nabbing a Europa League spot for next season to fund a major offer for Auba.
Auba has just one-year left on his deal and the North Londoners are desperate to renew their skipper’s contract.
Boss Arteta has even urged the club to get a deal done on more than one occasion in recent weeks.
However finances have often proved a stumbling block for the cash-strapped Gunners, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
If Arsenal qualified for the Europa League, it would provide a huge financial boost to Arteta’s hopes of revamping the squad and holding onto Auba.
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BEST OF FRENEMIES!
Mason Mount looked up to David Luiz for years – on Saturday he will look him straight in the eye.
Chelsea’s bright, young midfielder admits he was totally starstruck when the colourful Brazilian dropped into the nursery at his former club as the academy kids were being put through their paces.
It sparked a friendship which lasts to this day and Mount has much to thank his one-time team-mate for.
But the pair will be on opposite sides in Saturday’s FA Cup final and there is too much at stake for Mount to go easy on an old pal.
Mount, 21, said: “He was always brilliant with the younger boys coming through the academy. I’ve a picture with him when I was probably about 13.
“He would come over and watch us play and train and he was always brilliant with the younger boys. I always looked up to him
“You know David, he’s a very jokey character. He would come over and have a laugh with the younger boys. For us, seeing him come over, it was obviously someone we all look up to.
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LIKELY CHELSEA TEAM
Frank Lampard is searching for his first piece of silverware since taking the top job at Stamford Bridge last summer.
The Chelsea boss has a big selection dilemma on his hands with Kante and Willian nearing full fitness while Ruben Loftus-Cheek has suffered a knock in training.
The West Londoners are yet to triumph in an FA Cup final against their London rivals after tasting defeat in 2002 and again in 2017.
Lamps won the FA Cup four times as a player and knows he will have to pick the perfect XI to come out trumps against Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Willian was left out against Wolves last time out due to an unspecified injury but is expected to be fit for Wembley.
But the Blues boss still faces a massive selection headache over the Brazilian following a bombshell announcement by his agent.
Willian is out of contract at the end of this season and his advisor revealed the player has a concrete offer on the table from one of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals.
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IS THIS THE TEAM BLUES WILL FACE?
Mikel Arteta has insisted Arsenal’s supporters deserve the “joy” of an FA Cup win.
The Gunners – who are the most successful team in the competition’s history – will be up against Chelsea.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as Arsenal booked their spot in the final with a win over Manchester City.
The Gabon international is expected to keep his spot in the starting XI for Saturday’s trip to Wembley.
And this time he could form part of a front-three alongside Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe.
Here’s how the Gunners could turn out…
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GALLAGHER IN BLUES’ LIMBO
Conor Gallagher admits his Chelsea future is uncertain after seeing Swansea miss out on the Championship play-off final.
The 20-year-old midfielder moved to Wales in January after spending the first half of the season at Charlton.
Reflecting on his time at Swansea, Gallagher said: “I am not thinking about (the future) now. I had a great second half of the season with Swansea and I have enjoyed it so much.
“I am very thankful to the whole club and fans, I am not thinking about next season at the moment.
“I don’t know what’s happening with me. I have loved it here.
“I really enjoy working with him and he was a big part of the reason I came to Swansea and I am glad I did come.
“It is a great club and why not (come back). It is a great club that I really enjoyed but I don’t know what’s happening next season.”
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Jake Lambourne
RUD NOT TOO
Antonio Rudiger has joked about whether Kai Havertz has been linked with Chelsea, after the “agent” helped convince fellow compatriot Timo Werner to join the Blues.
The Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid has been strongly linked with Frank Lampard’s side in recent weeks – and sparked excitement when he liked Werner’s Instagram post arriving in London.
But international team-mate Antonio Rudiger has remained coy on the upcoming deal.
With a grin, he said: “Has he [Havertz] been linked with us?
“He is a great talent and he had a very good season. He is also very young and we will see what happens.”
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FREE WILLI
Chelsea winger Willian reportedly has a number of offers on the table ahead of his contract expiring.
At the end of the season, the Brazilian will have his pick of several top clubs – plus a big money deal in the States.
According to Sky Sports, Barcelona, Inter Miami, Arsenal and current club Chelsea all have deals on the table.
The largest in terms of salary is said to be David Beckham’s MLS side Miami, who joined the league this year.
That contract would run until the end of their 2023 campaign, with Barcelona also meeting the three-year minimum requirement set out by the player himself.
Willian’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, has stated that as many as five teams want to sign the 31-year-old when his contract expires.
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ON ME ‘ED
Chelsea legend Eddie Newton has guided Turkish side Trabzonspor to their first trophy in a DECADE.
Newton’s side lifted the Turkish Cup on Wednesday after beating Alanyaspor 2-0.
It was only the former Blues assistant manager’s second game in charge as caretaker boss after Huseyin Cimsir and the club “mutually agreed” to end his contract, according to reports.
Newton was given the caretaker role ahead of Trabzonspor’s last game of the Super Lig season against Kayserispor – which also ended in victory.
The 48-year-old left Stamford Bridge in February to take up the assistant coach position at the Turkish outfit.
Newton came through the youth team at Chelsea and played 165 games for them in the 1990s.
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DOUBLE DELIGHT
Frank Lampard has revealed Willian and N’Golo Kante will be in the FA Cup final squad.
He said: “Yes, Kante and Willian are in the squad and we will see if they are fit enough to be involved.”
Lampard also provided an update on the fitness of another Blues star, as he added: “Ruben Loftus-Cheek picked up a small problem.”
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WHERE THERE’S A WILL
Willian needs to talk with manager Frank Lampard before making a decision on his Chelsea future, according to Brazil legend Rivaldo.
He told Betfair: “Willian is at the end of his contract with Chelsea and Arsenal seem to be interested in signing him.
“But he’s having an excellent season and Chelsea are interesting in keeping him.
“Frank Lampard and the board need to inform the player about their plans for him next season.
“Chelsea are signing players and, if Willian will not be a first choice pick, then he probably would prefer to leave.
“Willian will have many interested clubs, but I think he would prefer to learn about Chelsea’s plans first before taking a decision about his future.”
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GABSMACKED
Man Utd are reportedly one of three clubs that have made a £27million offer for Lille star Gabriel Magalhaes.
French outlet La Voix du Nord claim that the Red Devils, Everton and Napoli have all made proposals to land the Brazilian defender.
The report adds that Lille have already lined up £7m-rated Ajax defender Sven Botman as his replacement.
Gabriel now has the power to choose which of the three clubs he wishes to join but his preference is to join Napoli.
Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with the centre-back in recent months.
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GRANTED LESS TIME
Avram Grant has claimed he would be exiled to Siberia had he matched Frank Lampard’s fourth place while Chelsea boss.
Finishing second in the league in 2007/08 season, Grant also guided the Blues to a Champions League final where they were a penalty kick away from beating Manchester United.
Goal quote Grant as telling Stats Perform News: “I think it’s a good season, especially compared to how it began, without being allowed to buy players.
“Compared to the requirement of Roman Abramovich, if I told him some years ago that fourth place would be good for him, probably he would send me to Siberia.
“But because of the situation before, I think it’s a good place. For Frank, I think it’s a big achievement.
“It’s his first year as a coach in the Premier League. Of course, he was a player with a lot of experience, but you cannot compare a player to a manager, and I think he’s managed the team very well.
“A lot of young players and he knew how to play them, how to give them a rest and when to push them. It’s a good base for the future, I was very pleased with his performance.”
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CON ARTIST
Conor Gallagher admits his Chelsea future is uncertain after seeing Swansea miss out on the Championship play-off final.
The 20-year-old midfielder moved to Wales in January after spending the first half of the season at Charlton.
Reflecting on his time at Swansea, Gallagher said: “I am not thinking about (the future) now. I had a great second half of the season with Swansea and I have enjoyed it so much.
“I am very thankful to the whole club and fans, I am not thinking about next season at the moment.
“I don’t know what’s happening with me. I have loved it here.
“I really enjoy working with him and he was a big part of the reason I came to Swansea and I am glad I did come.
“It is a great club and why not (come back). It is a great club that I really enjoyed but I don’t know what’s happening next season.”
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TO BE FRANK
Mikel Arteta has hailed the job Frank Lampard is doing at Chelsea ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final.
He said: “About Frank as a player, he was absolutely top.
“The consistency he was able to play for that many years, in the position that he played at such a big club, and doing what he did, was incredible.
“Big credit to him on that. As a manager he has shown, since he went to Derby, the kind of person and ambition that he has, and the way he encourages his team to play.
“Again this season he has done a really good job. We are both young, we are both trying to learn our positions.”
