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Chelsea's Cech set for Arsenal medical

The north Londoners have been locked in negotiations for the goalkeeper and are nearing an agreement, with the Czech ready to end his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge

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By Greg Stobart     Follow on Twitter

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Petr Cech will undergo a medical on Friday before completing a move to Arsenal next week after the Gunners agreed a fee with Chelsea for the veteran goalkeeper.

The Czech Republic international has already agreed personal terms with the north Londoners and is on the verge of ending his 11-year association with the Blues.

Despite having just one year left on his contract, Chelsea hope to receive as much as £15 million (€21m) for the 33-year-old, who was desperate for first-team football after being usurped by Thibaut Courtois.

Goal first revealed that Cech had asked to join Arsenal at the start of June, with the veteran goalkeeper not only keen to re-establish himself as No.1 but also wary of uprooting his young family.



Jose Mourinho was publicly against the idea of allowing Cech to join a rival, but the final decision lay with Roman Abramovich who sanctioned the move due to his friendship with the keeper and out of respect for his long and successful career at Stamford Bridge.

Cech has won the Premier League four times with the Blues since joining from Rennes in 2004, also lifting the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League.

His departure leaves Chelsea in need of a new No.2, and the club have already identified Stoke City's wantaway shot-stopper Asmir Begovic as a possible target.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could now offload David Ospina despite his strong form in the second half of the season, with rumoured interest from Fenerbahce, while Wojciech Szczesny is seen as a more capable deputy to Cech

SPORT: What must the Buhari government do for Nigerian football?

The Super Eagles’ 2-0 win over Chad last weekend in President Muhammadu Buhari’s native Kaduna State ushered in a new era for Nigerian football. Not only was it the first senior competitive international under the administration of the new Head of State, it also coincided simultaneously with the campaigns of the Flying Eagles and the Super Falcons in New Zealand and Canada respectively.

So what does the future hold for Nigerian football and what should the new government do for the good of the nation’s sport?

The pervading notion of Nigeria as the ‘Giant of Africa’ is undermined by the fact that basic structures that aid the growth of football are not very solid.

For a start, grassroots football is not well promoted and this needs to be addressed in order to continue producing potential talents for the future.

The Nigerian Premier League needs to be revamped as Nigerian clubs are not doing well enough in continental showpieces and have been overtaken by teams from other countries.

Two-time African champions Enyimba have been nowhere to be found on the continent since their CAF Champions League triumph in 2003 and 2004. Shooting Stars, who were the first Nigerian club to win a continental trophy back in 1995, have found themselves in the Second Division in recent times. Nigerian clubs have what it takes to match other African sides that have dominated in recent times such as Al-Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Raja Casablanca, Esperance and Etoile du Sahel among others. After all, Nigerians such as Michael Eneramo, William Okpara, Julius Aghahowa all performed well while plying their trade for some of these teams.

The government of Buhari should do more to encourage private ownership of clubs rather than state ownership. There should also be increased sponsorship in the league. Mediums such as SuperSport and Goal Nigeria have done a tremendous job in delivering excellent coverage of the league, but more can be done to encourage fans to flock stadiums each weekend.

Stadia across the country also need serious upgrades. Prominent players should be able to return home at the climax of their careers rather than going to USA, Australia, China and elsewhere.

Could the likes of Yakubu ever be tempted to end their careers in Nigeria?

South Africa star Benni McCarthy ended his career at home with Orlando Pirates in 2013 after spending 14 trophy-laden years in Europe.

Others include Cameroon centre back Raymond Kalla who called it a day with Union Douala as well as Tunisian defender Khaled Badra who returned to Esperance late in his career.

The NFF has projected a bad image of Nigerian football over the years with internal conflicts which invoke the wrath of Fifa. Never again must the Nigerian game be brought into disrepute by Fifa threatening sanctions following misdemeanours by the game’s administrators.

The Super Eagles are the pride of Nigerian football, and they must be remunerated when due.

It’s wrong not to be able to compensate players who have sacrificed themselves for their beloved country. Refusal to pay bonuses shouldn’t be an issue for the NFF. Nigeria is not like Cameroon, Togo, Benin among other countries that face an uphill task to remunerate their star players. The administration needs to remove all the bad eggs that turn funds meant for the development of the Super Eagles-and Nigerian football as a whole-into their private pockets.

Nigeria deserves to be on top of the food chain of African football. The likes of South Africa and the North African countries as well as some of Nigeria’s West African neighbours should not be the ones taking the lead.

Nigeria is endowed with enormous resources that should put it at the top.

Failure of the Buhari government to enhance the development of football in Nigeria by a greater margin might see the country falling down the order in the food chain of African football while those that shouldn’t be a match from the proclaimed ‘Giants of Africa’ might seize the limelight

SPORT: Africa billionaire Aliko Dangote insists on Arsenal takeover

The billionaire who failed in a bid to buy the Gunners in 2010 says he is ready to do all it takes to ensure he owns the north London outfit
Nigerian  billionaire Aliko Dangote says he is still keen on buying English Premier League side Arsenal.

The 58-year-old, who is Africa’s richest man having amassed a fortune in the region of $18.4 billion (£12.2 billion), is currently the 67th richest man in the world.

Dangote, who has made his fortune through various operations including cement manufacturing, sugar supply and oil investments, says that he will concentrate on getting the refinery on track before giving all it takes to get Arsenal.

“When we get this refinery on track, I will have enough time and enough resources to pay what they are asking for,” he told the BBC Hausa service.

“There were a couple of us who were rushing to buy, and we thought with the prices then, the people who were interested in selling were trying to go for a kill.

“We backtracked, because we were very busy doing other things, especially our industrialisation."

The Kano-born billionaire and Arsenal fan gave a not too polite verdict on the Gunners and why he wants to take it over.

“They are doing well, but they need another strategic direction,” he added. “They need more direction than the current situation, where they just develop players and sell them,” he concluded.

Stan Kroenke is Arsenal’s majority shareholder, with the American owning 66.64 per cent of the club’s parent company, Arsenal Holdings Plc.

Dangote has criticised Arsene Wenger, claiming that the 65-year-old "needs to change his style a bit" and warning that the club "need new direction" in order to become more successful.

SPORT: Messi the best club player ever and Barcelona's the greatest season in history

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Jun 7, 2015 09:20:00

COMMENT: Luis Enrique's side have eclipsed even Pep Guardiola's great team of 2009, with their star man a more complete footballer than ever before

By Ben Hayward at the Olympiastadion

Luis Enrique could have had the last laugh. Face to face with many of his fiercest critics from earlier on in the season, the Barcelona coach spoke seriously and almost without emotion after leading the Catalan club to a historic treble that culminated with the Champions League crown in Berlin on Saturday.

The Asturian coach led Barca to La Liga after edging out rivals Real Madrid by two points, before seeing his side claim the Copa del Rey by beating Athletic Club at Camp Nou last weekend and add Europe's elite trophy to their haul as they overcame Juventus in a hard-fought final on Saturday.

But there was no grinning, no gloating and no milking the moment from the Barca boss. Asked how he would define his side's season, the 44-year-old said: "We have played 60 games, won 50, drawn four and lost six. Those are the best numbers of any season in the history of the club."

And not only that. En route to the treble, Barca beat the best teams around. Champions League success came after eliminating the champions of England (Manchester City), France (Paris Saint-Germain), Germany (Bayern Munich) and Italy (Juventus). The Catalans, without doubt, were worthy winners of Europe's premier club competition.

Last season's Primera Division champions Atletico were also swept aside on four occasions in Liga and Copa, while Barca defeated Real Madrid at Camp Nou in March after losing to Carlo Ancelotti's side at the Bernabeu back in October.


So Luis Enrique was right. As he said, Barca's season in 2014-15 was the finest in the team's history. But it is in fact the greatest club campaign of all time. No side can boast better numbers than this Blaugrana outfit and it is hard to imagine any of the previous treble winners (including Bayern in 2012-13, Inter in 2009-10 or Manchester United in 1998-99) coming close to the Catalans' current crop.

Barca become the first team in history to achieve a treble twice. Pep Guardiola's great side won all three titles in 2008-09 and there have been constant comparisons between the two teams in the build-up to this final.

"Don't compare me with Pep," Luis Enrique joked at his Barca unveiling last summer, before adding: "I suppose if you compare me with Pep, it will mean I am doing something right."

Little did he know. As Madrid led La Liga in the winter months, Lionel Messi began 2015 on the bench after an argument with his coach and performances remained unconvincing. A treble triumph looked a million miles away, but through it all Luis Enrique stuck to his guns.

Behind the scenes, his staff said the team would be stronger in the second part of the season. A fitness freak and obsessive when it comes to conditioning, the Barca boss and his colleagues tailored a programme that would see the players finish the season strongly as their rivals faded.

That plan also included rotation in the first half of the season and brought criticism, yet Barca finished fresher and without as many injuries as Madrid, Bayern and others all suffered serious physical problems later in the campaign. Luis Enrique, it turned out, knew what he was doing all along.

His relationship with the players remains distant. There is no real affection like there had been in the earlier days with Guardiola, yet there is respect and positive results in the second half of the season that have helped to smooth over the problems from the first few months of the campaign.


And Messi's move back to the right - which Luis Suarez said had been a decision made initially by the players themselves on the pitch - was key to Barca's improvement as well.

Messi started slowly in 2014-15, but put World Cup disappointment behind him and ended up playing the finest football of his career this term. Some way short of the 73 goals he scored in Guardiola's last season in charge, the new version of Leo was a much more generous player, dropping deep to create chances as well as putting them away. The Argentine attacker is now more complete than ever and his role in this Barca team remains vital.

However, the new mature Messi took something of a secondary role in Barca's 3-1 over Juventus on Saturday. The 27-year-old floated a wonderful forward ball in the build-up to the first goal, while his saved shot brought about Barca's second. And that goal arrived amid a spell of Juventus dominance following their equaliser. So even though he was quieter than usual, the Argentine still intervened when it mattered most.

Perhaps fittingly, though, the three goals in Berlin were scored by Ivan Rakitic, Suarez and Neymar. Those three players were not at the club during the Guardiola era and symbolise the change in style between the two teams.

Without Pep's superb side, this treble would not have been possible, but Barca have evolved, adding set-piece strength, solidity in midfield through Rakitic and a formidable foward line to help Messi, allowing the Argentine to adopt a more selfless role in 2014-15.

When Guardiola left the club in 2012, it was hard to see how his team could get better. But this season's side sets a benchmark with the greatest season of any team ever, backed by the finest footballer in the history of club football.

SPORT: Hey Jose, forget Falcao and find the real Cuadrado

Even the most ardent Colombia supporters are beginning to agonise over Radamel Falcao. Once, they watched the player who they believed to be the very best striker in the world. He has plainly not been the same player since joining Monaco and his cruciate knee ligament injury in the run up to last year's World Cup effectively ended his prime.

Colombia fans once would once have excused anything Falcao did on the pitch. If he misplaced a pass, took a bad first touch or was bullied off the ball with his back to goal then they would think "don't worry, it's Falcao." Now, as those passes go further astray, those first touches run further from his feet and that upper body strenth betrays him, they accept the reality of the situation. Their captain is done. They'll whisper it but will admit that he scarcely deserves to start any more. Yes, he is their top scorer but Jackson Martinez appears to be a far better option these days while Carlos Bacca deserves his shot as central striking option.

Falcao, since his injury in January 2014 has scored five goals for Colombia; one each against El Salvador, Kuwait and Costa Rica and a double against Bahrain. He had one shot in 90 minutes against Venezuela on Sunday in the first match of the Copa America. Now if his most loyal fans have as good as given up on him, what is it that makes Jose Mourinho believe that he can find the best in Falcao after securing a season-long loan move to Chelsea?

That the two share a representative in Jorge Mendes is more than co-incidental and it will no small favour to the Portuguese superagent that his most high-profile client has found himself yet another high-profile club willing to take a punt despite the overwhelming evidence that his day has come.

Falcao scored only four league goals but those figures barely scratch the surface of his struggles. He was hardly on the same page as his Manchester United colleagues all season long. Balls bounced off him, he made the wrong runs. Had a youth team player come into the team and performed as Falcao did, then Louis van Gaal would be sending him straight out on loan. As it stands, Falcao has landed on his feet and secured a move to the English champions.

"It really hurts me that people in England believe that Falcao is the guy they saw at Manchester United," Mourinho told DirecTv Sports last week. "He's a player I know, one that I've followed since Atletico Madrid and if I can help Falcao arrive at his level I will do it."



Despite what he says, Mourinho has no intention of making Falcao his starting forward next season. He never plays with two strikers at Chelsea and Diego Costa, should he stay, will remain first choice. Falcao will feature as a substitute or replacement in the lower-priority matches. Mourinho will not have a lot of time, then, to find the elusive Falcao of Porto and Atletico Madrid. Nonetheless, he has made the pledge to nurture him back to form. Anyone who watched how Fernando Torres continued to flunk under the Special One would feel rightly skeptical about that one.

Instead of flogging the dead horse that is Falcao, Mourinho would do well to pay attention to the Toothless Tiger's compatriot, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. To watch the winger in action for Colombia is a joy. He would have fitted seamlessly into the carefree attacking Colombian unit which boasted Freddy Rincon, Faustino Asprilla and Carlos Valderrama in the 1990s, widely seen as the best Colombia of all time.

He feints, shimmies and dribbles but it is all done with a purpose. He goes by defenders, drawing "olés" from his adoring support like you'd expect at a bullfight when the Matador dodges the bull with his cape. It is not superfluous. It is done with the express intention to find the right place to cross the ball in or play a through pass. Purposeful elegance.

Cuadrado has played this type of electrifying football for as long as Falcao has been inefficient. For Colombia and Fiorentina, that is, because under Mourinho his club football has regressed. There has even been talk about him moving back to Italy with Inter barely six months after joining from la Viola.

"Cuadrado is not going anywhere this summer," Mourinho has said of the 27-year-old. "People don't know Cuadrado yet, I have seen him many times when we were both in Italy, me at Inter and him at Udinese.

"Because of that I have a lot of hopes for him for next season. I hope in the Copa America he can regain his self-esteem, his ego and that he has that joy of playing."

The fact of the matter is he has contributed one assist in his time at Chelsea and has, at best, appeared to be a time-wasting substitute for Mourinho and no more. He is in danger of being marginalised. He is in danger of having his career stand still.

Vincenzo Montella built his formidable attacking unit at Fiorentina around the considerable talents of Cuadrado. To extract the best from him, he needs to be a focal point, as he is for Colombia and was for Fiorentina. Watch Colombia's Copa America defeat to Venezuela again and you will see quite clearly that Cuadrado was the only attacker worth his reputation.

That is the sort of performance that Mourinho must coax from him next season. To neglect him would be deterimental to Chelsea's chances of taking the Premier League title again; to do so in favour of finding Falcao, the man that isn't there, would be downright foolish.

NEWS:The Blues have the luxury of approaching the market from a position of strength but boss Jose Mourinho requires greater depth if his side are to retain the Premier League

Chelsea's No.1 priority this summer is signing a third striker to fill the void left by departed legend Didier Drogba and provide quality cover for Diego Costa and Loic Remy, who both displayed muscular fragilities last season.

Radamel Falcao has significant long-standing injury problems of his own, having looked a shadow of his predatory former self throughout a dispiriting season on loan at Manchester United.

But Mourinho believes he can re-ignite Falcao and the fact that manager and player share the same super-agent in Jorge Mendes should make negotiations easier - provided the Colombian accepts he will not be earning the superstar money he has enjoyed in Monaco and Manchester during the past two years.

If Falcao does prove too pricey a proposition, the likeliest alternative is Aston Villa star Christian Benteke. The powerful Belgian's resurgence under Tim Sherwood has re-established him as a viable option for the Premier League's biggest clubs and Liverpool have also been widely linked, though Chelsea would be confident of seeing off the Merseysiders in any battle for his signature.

Mourinho also wants a midfielder and a defender to bolster his options in all areas of the pitch. The dream signing would of course be Juventus' boy wonder Paul Pogba, but the sensational Frenchman will have his pick of Europe's top clubs this summer and a big-money move to Real Madrid or Barcelona appears a more likely outcome should he leave Turin.

Elsewhere in Spain, Atletico Madrid are bracing themselves for another Chelsea raid. Antoine Griezmann has enjoyed a brilliant debut season at the Vicente Calderon and his £43.5 million buyout clause is well within the reach of the Premier League champions should Mourinho decide he needs another a versatile and high-calibre attacking option.

Toby Alderweireld's positional flexibility is also highly regarded at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian has already proved himself in the Premier League at the heart of a formidable Southampton defence and looks infinitely more attainable this summer than Real Madrid starlet Raphael Varane, despite Mourinho's avowed admiration.

Finally, a new back-up goalkeeper will be required if, as expected, Petr Cech departs. The emphasis is on a cheap but experienced operator, with QPR's Rob Green and Getafe's Vicente Guaita both mooted.
 

PLAYERS WHO COULD LEAVE

Cech is not prepared to spend another season as the world's best No.2 goalkeeper and, as revealed by Goal last week, is ready to ask for a move to London rivals Arsenal.

Mourinho has already made it clear that such a scenario would be against his wishes but Cech's family are settled in the capital and after 11 years of exemplary service, the suggestion is that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will allow the departing club legend the privilege of picking his next move.

Atletico Madrid are hopeful of re-signing Filipe Luis after an indifferent season at Stamford Bridge that saw him make just 26 appearances in all competitions and fail to unseat Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, but the Brazilian has publicly insisted that he is happy to stay and fight for his place again next term.

Didier Drogba has already departed in search of one last run of first-team football before he hangs up his boots, though a Marca report of Diego Costa's apparent desire to return to Atletico was swiftly shot down by Mourinho. Juan Cuadrado will also be given a full season to impress despite an underwhelming start to his Chelsea career.

Fundamentally, Mourinho knows he has a squad of champions and wants as little upheaval as possible this summer, whether incomings or outgoings. Continuity is key.
 

THE MANAGER

Mourinho is the first Chelsea manager to be granted a third season by Abramovich since, well, Mourinho. Both sides have made all the right noises about forging a long-term relationship this time around and while a long-term contract extension first reported in May remains unsigned, there is little doubt that it will get done.

Unlike his first spell, Mourinho is working within the political structures of Stamford Bridge rather than fighting against them, and bringing the Premier League trophy back to west London has re-assured everyone involved that the current arrangement is leading things in the right direction.

Only time will tell if football's ultimate short-term manager can go on to build a lasting dynasty at one of football's most short-term clubs, but Mourinho will not be leaving Chelsea anytime soon.
 

HOW THEY COULD LINE UP

Few would expect Mourinho to deviate much from the fluid but disciplined 4-2-3-1 that saw off all challengers in the Premier League last season but if Chelsea manage to secure three marquee targets this summer, the Special One may be able to make his starting XI even more intimidating.

With Falcao providing support for Costa from the bench, Griezmann would provide a much greater attacking threat on the right flank than the tireless but limited Willian, while having Pogba alongside Nemanja Matic at the base of midfield would allow Cesc Fabregas even greater freedom to do what he does best when working between the opposition lines.

It's hard to improve what was the best defence in the Premier League last season but if Varane could be prised away from Real Madrid, his pace and covering instincts would make him the ideal foil for Terry.

NEWS: Make mine a hero: Messi vs Tevez set for showdown in Berlin

London, Paris, Rome... Berlin? Barcelona have a habit of claiming Champions Leagues in Europe's biggest cities and on Saturday, the Catalan club seek their fifth European Cup crown. Juventus, however, have other ideas.

There was a party mood in the German capital on Friday as the city filled up with fans from the two teams. Many had caught several flights, some trains, others arrived in buses or by car, with one Juventus supporter walking all the way from Turin and documenting his journey on social media.

For the die-hard supporters, it is an occasion not to be missed. Yet not all of them are here - and Gerard Pique said he valued the support of those who could not make it as he spoke to the media on the eve of the match. "Not all of them could come," he said. "But we feel their warmth and thank them for their support."

And he added: "We have a fantastic team - one of the best in the history of the club."

That is undoubtedly true and on Saturday, Barca can become the first team to win a treble of league, cup and Champions League trophies twice - having already achieved the feat under Pep Guardiola in 2008-09.

But Juventus chase a treble themselves and it is perhaps they who will have happier memories of Berlin, after Italy won the World Cup by beating France on penalties at the Olympiastadion in 2006.

NEWS: See how Keshi teaching Mikel & Ejide how to play football

The Super Eagles handler has explained why he exempted the duo from his team to face Les Sao in next week's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Kaduna

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has cleared the air on why he dropped Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and goalkeeper Austin Ejide from the squad to face Chad in June 13’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier billed for Kaduna

The ‘big boss’ in a parley with media said claims that he is having a strained relationship with the former Flying Eagles star is untrue, insisting he had talked about [his exclusion] with him.

"I decided not to bring him (Mikel) because right now I don't need him for this game. Mikel and I spoke. We talked about it and he said no problem,” Keshi told media.

"I told him we will talk for the September game.

“For Ejide, we are playing only a game now which is against Chad. So bringing in two foreign based goalkeepers is [uncalled for], I think I would rather give room to two local goalkeepers to go with captain [Vincent] Enyeama.

"If it were to be two games, I would have invited two foreign based goalkeepers. That actually informed my exclusion of Mikel and Austin Ejide.

"So with these three goalkeepers in camp it should be okay for the game. If we do not give them the room and opportunity to grow, when will they become Ejide or Vincent Enyeama or Emmanuel Okala?,” he concluded.