Scolari’s First Game: The Old Boys Done Good!

So, Scolari’s taken charge of his first game for Chelsea, albeit against the weaker opposition of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical and chalked up a fairly comfortable 4-0 win.

The new Chelsea boss put out a strong side, making use of new signing Deco alongside Lampard, who graced the Chelsea side with his presence for the whole game. Notable absentee’s were Joe Cole and Andriy Shevchenko through injury, Didier Drogba who we already know didn’t make the trip, and Michael Ballack who is currently on honeymoon.

Kalou got Chelsea off the mark after 20 minutes after a Frank Lampard assist although Michael Essien was denied following a brilliant save from the Guangzhou keeper and Anelka, who has apparently remembered the content of his job description, hit the woodwork.  Lampard made it  2-0 after the break, lobbing the keeper from distance, Franco Di Santo added a third and Shaun Wright-Phillips completed the 4-0 score-line.

Scolari certainly didn’t shy away from ringing the changes for his first match in charge, with the immediate introduction of our new signings. The new boss also introduced a different formation, with the old 4-3-3 discarded in favour of a more attacking 4-1-3-2.

Chelsea clearly have a wealth of midfield talent and the new formation takes full advantage of that, pushing Essien, Lampard and Deco forward, with John Obi Mikel given the task of filling the Makelele role. Where exactly this set-up leaves Michael Ballack, we’ve yet to see although I for one hope the answer isn’t ‘out in the cold’ after last season’s return to form for the German. But the abundance of midfielders clearly isn’t a concern for Scolari, because, on first impression’s that’s the whole point.

Scolari’s midfield is about power and pace, forcing the opposition to retreat and opening up space for creative players whilst retaining that midfield ‘general’ to watch their backs. And whilst some might question both the apparent excess of midfielders plus their ability to go the distant with the sort of pace demanded, maybe that’s the general idea? Because whilst players like Essien would certainly have boundless energy to see out an entire season in the Premier League, Deco’s fitness level is slightly more questionable. But when you consider we still have players like Ballack, Joe Cole and maybe even another young midfielder to come, then swapping like-for-like becomes a handy option to have. Of course, it’s not a long-term solution, but Rome didn’t spring up overnight either, and it’ll certainly do away with flogging players to death Mourinho style anyway.

Another benefit of Scolari’s formation choice has to be the use of two men up front. The old 4-3-3 saw us rely far too heavily on Drogba, and the result of him not firing on all cylinders became all too apparent with United’s far superior goal difference over us last season. Unlike his predecessor, Scolari chose to play Anelka ‘in’ position, to his obvious delight, although he had to defer to his strike partner on this occasion when it came to the end product. Not so for young Argentine, Franco Di Santo, who’s introduction from the bench produced plenty of threat and a much deserved goal.

So, all in all, a pretty positive start and if the creativity and attacking play is a sign of things to come, then we’ll all be a lot happier this season than we were last. Of course there’ll be much stronger opposition to face once the season kicks off proper, but it wasn’t a bad start as pre-season’s go and the new Chelsea boss looked satisfied if not exactly over-excited on his first trip out with the lads.

Kalou gets a head-rush 20 mins in

Bosingwa gets a look at Lampard’s payslip

“Look what I can do for the money”

“Get your hands off and respect your elders son”

Franco Di Santo: “watch and learn old men”

Scolari thinks we’ve got the X-Factor

Are Chelsea Giving In To Frank Lampard?

Either I’m psychic or I’ve just been supporting Chelsea too long, because a mere 24 hours ago, on this blog, I predicted the club would give in to Frank Lampard’s ridiculous demands. With new deals hurriedly arranged and the club confident Lampard would be staying, even with him continuing to refuse the offer on the table, it just seemed inevitable that despite the previous ‘take it or leave it’ stance, this turnaround was always on the cards.

So, when The Telegraph ran a story last night suggesting Chelsea had indeed offered Lampard an obscene amount of money, which would not only see him become the highest paid player in Britain, but also the biggest piss-taker, I read it with the sort of resigned disappointment the club induce in me all too often these days.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Lampard has made a significant contribution to Chelsea over the past seven years and I’m sure the club feel their efforts to keep him are in the best interests of both the team and supporters, the problem I have with it, is the message it sends out. Whatever happened to nobody being bigger than the club?

In making Frank Lampard the highest paid player inside the club, never mind the country, what does that say to the other players? Is he really the most important player at the club? Is he so spectacular that at 30 years of age he warrants guaranteed earnings to the tune of £150,000 a week? And what about the other players? What about the likes of Cech and Essien, both absolutely vital to the team and yet it looks as if the club pulled a fast one, getting them to sign long-term contracts (for what we know is significantly less than Lampard) before Frank’s offer goes public. Add to that the knock on effect in the transfer market and is it any wonder we result to bringing in even more 30 year olds when any young prospects available out there are going to put their own value considerably higher than an ageing midfielder when it comes to negotiations?

The fact is, Frank Lampard dug the club a hole and they jumped in without even looking.

Reports suggest that after offering the £140,000 four year ‘take it or leave it’ deal, which resulted in much stamping of feet but not a lot else, Lampard was told he would be expected to see out the final year of his contract before joining Mourinho at Inter. According to the player’s ‘friends’, this went down like a lead balloon, with the midfielder more determined than ever to walk away from ‘his people’ and the club he ‘loves’.  

However, it now appears the club are so desperate to keep him away from his former boss, they’ve given in to Lampard’s outrageous demands and are waiting anxiously to see if he’ll put pen to paper.

The question is, will he sign?

 

Ferguson Doesn’t Fancy Chelsea’s Chances

Alex Ferguson has said that he doesn’t expect much progress from Chelsea this season as they are a team ‘in their 30’s’. The Manchester United boss doesn’t believe that an ‘ageing’ Chelsea squad will provide much of a challenge to his team’s Premier League crown. Before you ask – no I haven’t made this up and yes, the mind games between Ferguson and Scolari have commenced. Over to you Big Phil.

Instead of being wary of Chelsea’s threat, Ferguson has stated that Liverpool and Arsenal concern him more. That’s right, the teams that finished eleven points and four points behind the leaders respectively concern him more than a team that finished just two points behind. When you consider that Arsenal have lost three key midfielders and that Liverpool can’t seem to take the next step in the league, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that these are rather ludicrous comments from Fergie.

I don’t begrudge the fact that he believes Liverpool and Arsenal have a chance – but to write Chelsea off completely? That’s just nonsense. I’m not sure mind games work when it is blatantly obvious that the comments you make are purely intended to wind up the opposition. Scolari is a wise man and will know that these comments mean very little and that Ferguson will indeed be concerned about Chelsea’s threat this season. He has to be.

To say that he ‘isn’t sure how far that team has to go’ with reference to Chelsea baffles me. Which team is he talking about? Mourinho’s team? Grant’s team? No. This is Scolari’s team and he will operate a style of play that will be unique to any previous Chelsea side. This is a fresh start for Chelsea, not a ‘plateau’ as Mr Ferguson calls it.

Taking on board Fergusons comments – just for a second – let’s look at the players he may be referring to when he called the Chelsea squad ageing.

Michael Ballack – 31 years old: Still a world class performer and was influential in defeating Manchester United 2-1 back in April.

Didier Drogba – 30 years old: When he is fit, there is no doubting that he is one of the most influential strikers in football. Perhaps Fergie prefers 29-year-old Louis Saha.

Andrei Shevchenko – 31 years old: Unlikely to figure much in terms of a starting place, but still, not a bad player to have on the bench is he?

Frank Lampard – 30 years old: Presuming he is staying at Stamford Bridge, he will be a key part of the team’s success once again. Three years younger than Paul Scholes.

These are the main players that I presume Ferguson is referring too. They, with the possible exception of Shev, are all still world class players who can light up the biggest of stages with their performances. Since when has 30-years-old been over the hill anyway? A lot of Chelsea’s players are at their or reaching their peak right about now. That’s a good thing by the way Fergie.

Yes, in five years time, the Chelsea team will look very different. That’s inevitable. However, as for the next few months, the current Chelsea squad will be going head to head with Manchester United in all competitions once again. They are without doubt Manchester United’s biggest threat, regardless of what Fergie has to say. Like I have said before, I don’t believe he believes what he is saying anyway.

If I was to bet on the Premier League right now, the top two would almost certainly be led by Scolari and Ferguson. The latter said he doesn’t foresee ‘outstanding improvement’ from Chelsea. Well, my final thought on this is that considering Manchester United only won the league by two points and the Champions League on penalties – it wouldn’t exactly take ‘outstanding’ improvement for Chelsea to overcome them would it?

 

Thomas Rooney – Freelance Sports Journalist

Lampard The Key To New Chelsea Contracts?

Following the agreement of a new four year deal for Wayne Bridge last week, it would appear Chelsea are keen to settle the futures of several other key players.

Whilst there’s a slow trickle of last season’s bench warmers heading out of Stamford Bridge, there also appears to be a steady stream heading towards the queue marked ‘new contracts’.

Steve Sidwell, after a year’s sabbatical at Chelsea thanked us very much before settling himself into Aston Villa recently, where he hopes to at least catch sight of the ball. Khalid Boulahrouz, having picked up yellow and red cards more than the ball during his time at Stamford Bridge is now going to inflict his challenges on the German’s with a move to Stuttgart. Then there’s Tal Ben Haim, just 13 appearances last season and he still managed to get himself fined two weeks wages for making his feelings about the boss public. At the time, the defender stated he wanted out of Stamford Bridge and it looks like he could be about to get what he wants with a possible move to Manchester City on the cards. Juliano Belletti looks increasingly likely to part company with Chelsea, following both an up and down year and the signing of Jose Bosingwa, and his agent suggests Benfica could be his destination. The absence of Claudio Pizarro on tour is looking pretty ominous for his future at the club and he’s rumoured to be all set to join the recently departed Claude Makelele at PSG, whilst Florent Malouda, who has gone on tour with the rest of lads, is rumoured to be wanted on a loan deal by Roma.

So, with the odd bit of financial trimming going on, it would seem Chelsea have decided to make some longer term investments with the players they have left. Having somehow persuaded Wayne Bridge it’s not all that bad playing second fiddle to Ashley Cole and getting him to sign up for four years, Chelsea have set about sorting out improved deals for some of our other key players.

The new five-year deal announced for Petr Cech, sees the 26 year old keeper at the club until 2013. Despite the odd bad day on his goal-line (or off it as the case may be) last season, let’s not forget he’s still one of the world’s top keepers. Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2004, Cech has kept 90 clean sheets in 166 appearances. In fact, in his first season, he was awarded the Barclays Premiership Golden Gloves for a new top flight record of both not conceding a goal in 1,024 minutes and the most clean sheets (21) in a single season. Add to that his attitude and sheer determination to play, and you’d have to say we’ve got ourselves a right good deal there.

Another player given better terms this week is Michael Essien. Already on a contract with us until 2012, recent reports suggest Chelsea have taken the decision not only to give the influential midfielder a pay rise, but also to add an extra year to his current deal, keeping him at the club until 2013. Considering we’d already had Inter’s new manager and Chelsea’s former boss, Jose Mourinho, sniffing round the Ghanaian earlier this summer, this has to be regarded as another smart move on Chelsea’s part. And with new terms for Ricardo Carvalho also rumoured to be on the agenda, the club definitely seem to be making a real effort to settle things inside the club after all last year’s uncertainties.

But is there more to it than that?

I have my suspicions that there’s two reasons why there might be a hidden agenda behind the club’s apparent generosity, and those reasons are Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Call me a cynic, but with both of them playing silly buggers this summer, not to mention Kenyon’s altogether far too smug interviews regarding the negotiations, it’s hard not to look at the motives. Did Essien, for example, who already had a contract until 2012 really need it re-negotiated now? Or was it a timely gesture on Chelsea’s part?

You see, with Chelsea appearing supremely confident that both Drogba and Lampard will be staying at the club, despite Lampard still refusing to sign what to any other 30 year old is an incredibly generous deal, and Drogba not only continuing to surround his Chelsea future in uncertainty but also having picked up some mysterious injury, by sheer coincidence ruling him out of the pre-season tour, you have to wonder exactly where that confidence comes from.

So, could it be that the ‘confidence’ is more a ‘hands off’ warning to potential bidders? Or even a ‘you’ll have to do better than that’? And that all these new deals, in the face of losing two really influential players, is the club’s attempt to prevent the same thing happening with other key players in the near future?

On the other hand though, if I’m going to be really cynical I could even ask the question – are Chelsea sorting out all these improved deals because what they’re actually planning is to get all the key players to sign on the dotted line before they drop the bombshell – in spite of everything they’ve said, they’re going to back down and give Frank ‘I’m more important than anyone else’ Lampard exactly what he’s asked for?

Chelsea Surprised At Eto’o Bid

With Didier Drogba’s future at Chelsea the subject of much debate even before his antics in last season’s Champions League, it’s hardly surprising Samuel Eto’o has been linked with Chelsea pretty much throughout the summer so far.

So, the recent speculation in the press, seemingly initiated by the man himself, might not have seemed as questionable as that of Abramovich taking Kaka for a day out on the yacht in an effort to twist his arm. Strangely enough though, whilst the reports seemed plausible on the face of it, particularly with the Barcelona striker stating he had received “a few important offers,” naming Chelsea amongst the bidders, this appears to have come as a surprise to the money men inside Stamford Bridge. With the squad currently in China as part of their pre-season tour, Chelsea sources have categorically stated “We deny making a bid or any offer for Eto’o”.

The Cameroon international’s agent, Jose Maria Mesalles has also apparently refused to rule out the possibility of the 27 year old remaining at the Nou Camp. However, having already been told he can leave Barcelona this summer – and going as far as Uzbekistan in search of a new deal – could it be that Eto’o and his agent are being a little economical with the truth?

Sorry Jose, Essien’s Staying!

He’d already made it clear he was staying at Chelsea when Mourinho came calling and yesterday Michael Essien confirmed that with the agreement of a new deal keeping him at the club for a further year. The 25 year old midfielder, who signed from Lyon in a £24.4million transfer in 2005, has agreed an improved deal with a year’s extension, which will hopefully see him at Chelsea until 2013.

The ‘Bison’ made his official debut for Chelsea on 21^st August 2005 against Arsenal, and has since become one our more influential players. His competitiveness and formidable presence not only strengthens the Chelsea midfield but his versatility has also seen him utilised just about everywhere on the pitch.

On the down side, he’s been known to go in a little harder than the opposition might like and this has previously been to our cost. The 2-match ban for his over-enthusiastic tackle on Hamann back in December 2005, for example, resulted in a suspension from the 2^nd round Champions League tie against Barcelona, which we subsequently lost 3-2 on aggregate. However, whilst this sort of challenge appears to have resulted in some pretty negative opinions of him, Essien is very clear that although he’s quite happy to be regarded as a player who’ll ‘unsettle’ anyone without the required amount of backbone, this doesn’t equate to any malicious intent in his game. And to be fair to him, he did apologise for the challenge on Hamann and I don’t exactly recall the same sort of public outcry when Essien himself was on the receiving end of a pretty poor challenge from Reo-Coker, which saw the Ghanaian sidelined for three weeks.

The pluses definitely outweigh the odd minus with a player like Essien though – and there have been plenty of positives since he arrived at Chelsea. Reputation aside, Essien’s had his fair share of positive accolades during his time at Chelsea as well. He was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2005, 2006 and 2007; voted the 3^rd best African Footballer of the Year in 2005 and 2006 and nominated again in 2007, coming second that year to Kanoute; nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2005, 2006 and 2007; won the 2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year award; and in the 2006-2007 season, Essien was voted Chelsea’s Player of the Year, making him the first African to receive the honour.

Carrying on that positive note, he might only have scored ten goals in the 91 games played for us, but Michael Essien certainly knows how to make people sit up when he hits the back of the net. His curling equaliser at home to Arsenal in December 2006 has to be his most memorable goal for most, although for me personally, his stand-out goal has to be the dramatic late winner away to Valencia in the Champions League quarter final the same year. Despite having just come back from several weeks out with a knee injury, Essien flew down the wing from his position at right-back, smashing the ball past Canizares to seal a 1-2 victory on the night and a 2-3 win on aggregate. Bloody awesome!

And we’ve pinned him down for another year! Great bit of business on Chelsea’s part.

Will Robinho Really End Up At Chelsea?

Chelsea have been linked with Robinho ever since it was announced Luiz Felipe Scolari would be our new manager. In fact, rumour had it he might even be Scolari’s first signing. However, getting to the truth amid all the speculation seems to be getting harder by the day.

Early rumours indicated a little irritation on Robinho’s part at Real’s embarrassingly relentless pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo and any reports linking him to Chelsea seemed to point to us being used as a way for Robinho to get a better deal out of his current club.

This week has seen Robinho’s agent suggest Barcelona were ready to make a move for the player although they were quick to deny it. Wagner Ribeiro, however, is adamant, stating “I don’t have an offer from Barca but a director from the club called me to see how things are going with the player. I am a man and I don’t lie and the director who called me is Pepe Costa.” Quite what relevance his gender has to telling the truth I’m not sure, but no matter.

The Brazilian’s agent then goes on to claim Chelsea have made a ‘firm offer’ of £31.75million for the 24 year old. But, just to make sure any other potential bidders aim slightly higher, Ribeiro insists Ramon Calderon is determined to keep Robinho at Real and he fully expects Chelsea to fail with their initial bid and Robinho to remain at the Bernabeu.

Hang on a minute though, what about the other reports about the negotiations Ribeiro was supposed to have entered into with Chelsea already? Are they a figment of some journalists imagination? Or even the one about Kenyon contacting Real to open discussions over a possible deal? Although, with one source claiming Robinho is yet to meet anyone from the Chelsea camp and another suggesting a deal was all but agreed during a cosy chat between Roman Abramovich and the Brazilian, maybe a grovelling phone call from Kenyon is a lot more believable.

Having no doubt thoroughly enjoyed reading all this in the papers, it has now been suggested that the player himself ‘is thought to have told’ Real’s sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, he wants a move to Stamford Bridge. It is also apparently understood Robinho held discussions with Mijatovic only last week, following which, he was reported to have told Marca “I have the desire to leave Real Madrid.” Well, I have the desire to leave my job every Monday morning as well, but it doesn’t mean that’s going to happen either!

So, with the link between Robinho and Chelsea refusing to die down this summer, is there really a chance he’ll be playing his football in West London next season, or will he simply be enjoying the pleasures of an increased salary where he is?

Who Will Fill The ‘Makelele Role’ At Chelsea?

In an article earlier this month I looked at Claude Makelele’s contribution, not just to the Chelsea midfield, but to the holding midfield role in general. The 35 year old has 12 months left on his current contract and at the time of writing, I was still clinging to the hope that Chelsea could persuade him to spend that at Stamford Bridge before stepping into some kind of coaching role. Sadly, Maka doesn’t appear to fancy the career path I’d got in mind for him and his five-year spell at Chelsea, during which he has made almost 220 appearances, looks as if it will end with a move to Paris St Germain.

The Frenchman, who clearly isn’t ready to call it a day just yet, appears to have been tempted by a four year contract which would see him playing for PSG for the next two years, remaining there in a coaching capacity for the following two years. Smart move by PSG here, because not only does this mean Makelele will secure his next four years with a comfortable 5million euro contract but, with him keen to step into management when he finally hangs up his boots, the coaching role on offer adds just the right amount of sweetener to the deal.

Looking at Maka’s career, it certainly took a while for the midfielder to be fully appreciated. He didn’t establish himself with France until he was in his late 20s and struggled for acceptance at Real Madrid. In fact, despite having firmly stamped his mark on his role at Real, when he dared to ask for some equality in pay, this was accepted about as warmly as the man himself. His subsequent departure to Chelsea prompting Perez to suggest “We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and 90% of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways.”

You can only consider Real’s loss to have been Chelsea’s gain because these days, Maka’s very much regarded as the perfect example of the holding midfielder.  The midfield engine, making the decisions, anticipating the play with a vigilance that sees him neutralising potential risk to the Chelsea defence, and whatever Perez might suggest, Maka knows exactly how to seek out space, providing the pass for players to move forward.  His fellow players definitely appreciate the work he does, with Zinedine Zidane summing him up as ‘the engine in the sports car’.

Whilst I’ve no doubt Chelsea have appreciated Makelele during his time at the club – and it’s good to see them doing the right thing by letting him go on a free transfer despite there being a further 12 months on his contract – I wonder how confident they are of filling the gap he leaves behind? His work-rate and contribution to Chelsea, although often un-noted, has been nothing short of phenomenal.  He’s been a loyal servant, who has served out his time with dignity and respect and whilst his leaving will pass almost unnoticed by the majority of neutrals, what won’t go unnoticed is the role left behind to be filled.

Of course, we have the formidable Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel to step in, but do either of them read the game as effectively as Makelele? As good as they are, they’d both need to be in full uniform, complete with German Shepherds to convince me of their total security over the Chelsea defence. In fact, if there’s one quote that sums it up nicely for me, it has to be one I read recently which says “It needed many years for Makelele to come into his prime but it may take longer still to replace him.”

Sam Bethell Charge: How Will Chelsea Handle It?

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell are both up on charges for their part in the scuffle that kicked off as United’s players warmed down on the Stamford Bridge pitch after our ‘controversial’ win over the reds in April.

Evra, Paul Scholes, John O’Shea, Gary Neville and Gerard Pique were warming down when they were asked to move by Chelsea groundstaff. From the footage, United did seem to be doing some of that warm-down in the box, against PL rules, however there are ways and means to go about pointing it out. Anyway, we’ve yet to determine what really happened next, although what we do know is, whatever it was, it wasn’t exactly a group hug. Now, call me a cynic, but firstly, are our groundstaff really that keen that they needed to be out there working immediately after a game or did the fact we’d just beaten United give them a little extra energy?

Anyway, Evra has been charged with improper conduct, whilst Bethell faces the same charge in addition to a charge of using abusive language aggravated by reference to nationality/race.

Chelsea have appeared quick to defend Bethell, issuing a statement saying “We believe there is no foundation whatsoever to claims that the incident involved comments based on nationality or race. Chelsea FC condemn all forms of discrimination in football and society. Such allegations against our club are extremely serious.”

Obviously, the club would want to distance themselves from anything as vile as racism, and quite rightly so. But bearing in mind Bethell returned to his job immediately after the event, how are the club going to react if the charges are proved?

The whole incident, including Bethell lunging at Evra before being pulled off by security staff, was caught on CCTV. And whilst Bethell later brushed it off as “handbags”, several witness statements, presumably including that of Tevez, Neville and Phelan suggest a racist remark was directed at the left-back.

According to Chelsea, Evra threw the first punch, although Tevez counters that by suggesting Chelsea started it. Tevez stated “During our post-match work, Evra received an insult from a Chelsea worker and my teammates merely demanded an explanation. This was the problem and from that moment these men just wanted to attack Patrice. Obviously it’s normal that we defend our teammate but within a few seconds all the United players were surrounded by stewards. I think the security cameras will show the provocation we received. I have never seen anything like this in my two years in England. We will happily give our version of what happened.”

Following the brawl, The Sun, in its usual subtle way, suggested the 23 year old Millwall supporter “lists drinking and books about hooliganism” among his favourite pastimes. And whilst I’ve always believed in ‘innocent until proven guilty’, what I’d like to know is whether Chelsea will have the courage of their conviction if it’s the latter?

 

 

 

Kaka On His Way To Chelsea?

I wouldn’t mind betting there were a fair few Chelsea supporters almost wetting themselves with excitement to read how close we are to signing Kaka. Great stuff eh?

While one source announced we’d made a world-record bid of £79.3million for the Brazilian playmaker, another went as far as to say discussions have already taken place this week and both clubs are ‘keen for a deal to go through’. Apparently, so keen are AC Milan to let Kaka go all of a sudden, that once Chelsea had sent their representative over with a deal, a Milan delegation returned the favour by turning up at Stamford Bridge to continue the negotiations.

Despite Kaka previously making it clear he didn’t fancy a move to Chelsea, we’re now to believe a sudden change of heart has made him see the transfer – which would eclipse the £46million paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001 – as a great idea. Not only does he really want to play for his former Brazil coach but he also genuinely believes Chelsea are ‘the most attractive destination in European football’ – er, didn’t he recently say that about United? Maybe we’re attractive in the financial sense though, seeing as it’d mean a hefty pay rise and a £10.5million signing on fee?

And AC Milan, having only last year told Real Madrid exactly what they could do with their bid of 90million euro’s for one of their biggest assets, are reported to have seen Chelsea’s £79.3million bid in a different light. “This time is different”, says Kaka’s personal assistant and closest adviser, Diogo Kotscho. “This is the first time we feel that a deal will definitely happen”. So, has he been on the sauce you might wonder? Or is it maybe Milan’s financial circumstances that have him crossing his fingers for a significant windfall of his own?

Certainly, like most of the top clubs, Milan aren’t immune from the odd financial dilemma. With their failure to qualify for the Champions League and an average age in their squad even worse than our own, the Rossoneri clearly have some adjustments to make this summer and £79.3million surely wouldn’t go amiss? So, whilst Kaka has always been off limits in the past, we’re now told that their current difficulties together with Ronaldinho’s arrival at the San Siro has made the Italian club much more open to offers.

Ronaldinho certainly generated plenty of excitement, parading round in his latest club’s colours in front of what had to be a bigger crowd than the Rossoneri pull in for most games. The result of which, has apparently convinced Milan their latest signing will be a sufficient sweetener for the fans, who might not even notice Kaka slip out the back door. As for Kaka though, despite his own public crusade to persuade Ronaldinho to join him at the San Siro in the first place, he was much less impressed with the media circus following the former Barcelona man into town – according to that reliable ‘source’ anyway.

But what are we hearing from Milan themselves on the subject? Well Adriano Galliani totally accepts running at a loss isn’t ideal and the sale of Kaka would make the bank manager smile if no-one else: “We do not have a transfer kitty stashed away here. Despite failing to qualify for the Champions League, the club is strengthening the squad and increasing the wages. This means we’ll be £35m in the red without President Silvio Berlusconi’s help.” However, Galliani clearly hasn’t had a word with the more in-the-know sources, because he goes on to say “The fans should be happy, as all we’d need to do in order to wipe out or debts is sell Kaka and Andrea Pirlo. Instead they won’t move, so if that’s not a show of love for this side, I don’t know what is.”

So where in all this is the truth?

Well, what we do know is that Milan are in the red, but how many top clubs aren’t? But, if Ronaldinho’s unveiling was anything to go by, they’ve already made a start on generating a bit more income there. He might well have cost them £18million, but his arrival saw the San Siro filled with a lot more enthusiastic onlookers than I’ve ever seen on any of my visits. Add to that the 10,000 season tickets sold in two days and the potential revenue from anything with his name on it, and the £18million outlay starts to look like a decent investment.

Would the Italian club, who let’s face it, have always been adamant they have no intention of losing one of their most creative influences go, suddenly change their mind on the strength of a player who’s just had his dodgiest season in top-flight football? Galliani suggests not: “I can confirm that Chelsea declared their interest in Kaka. But I told them that Milan were not interested in selling him and I stopped everything before they could make any offer. So, I don’t know whether they would have offered £80m.” And if that hasn’t convinced the ‘source’, maybe the club statement will: “Regarding the comments, Milan director of communications Vittorio Mentana reiterates that Kaka is absolutely not for sale.”

So, let’s be realistic here. These Kaka rumours have been doing the rounds for years and are almost as expected now as our links to Eto’o or Roberto Carlos every summer – and none of them have happened, why is this summer any different? Besides, with Kaka clearly being a man who puts a lot of faith in his mates, could anyone seriously see his former team mate and good friend Shevchenko doing much of a job when it comes to extolling the virtues of a move to Chelsea?