Todd Boehly SIGNS £4.25bn agreement to buy Chelsea, Blues ‘frustrated’ in Haaland transfer, Wolves DRAW reaction

Villas-Boas new job

Ex-Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is a candidate to take over the Morocco job, according to reports.

Viilas-Boas has been out of work since last year, when he was sacked by Marseille.

According to beIN Sports MENA, the Portuguese tactician is the No1 candidate for the role.

Laurent Blanc and Hervé Renard are also said to be in the frame for the African country who have qualified for World Cup 2022.

Ownership focus not blame, says Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has revealed that all takeover talk of the club wasn’t a distraction, as Chelsea were held 2-2 at home to Wolves.

Speaking after the game, the German coach said: “I don’t think the ownership is a reason for a lack of focus. I don’t think there is a lack of focus. We showed focus during the situation when it began. I wouldn’t consider this as an advantage now for the match against Leeds. It doesn’t change much for us as the sanctions haven’t been lifted and the season goes on.

“It seems like the situation has been resolved but it’s not. We’ve got our own things to address, which we haven’t done as a team so far.

“I heard the news today in the morning when I was in the middle of preparing for the match. There has been no difference to what I do which is the best preparation for the match, no matter what’s happening on the outside. I have my routine and I have enough to do. It doesn’t affect me, but the news is positive and we need it to be resolved.”

Rudiger talks affecting players

Thomas Tuchel believes Antonio Rudiger’s potential exit is affecting Chelsea’s stars.

The German defender looks set to leave Stamford Bridge, with talks over a new deal stalling.

And Tuchel revealed: “It surely affects the team, but I cannot tell you to which degree. The longer the situation goes (on), now it has a huge affect because Toni leaves us in the middle the process where we are sanctioned and could not even fight, could not do another offer, could not be in negotiations.”

“It clearly has an affect, and it makes not so much sense to deny it; we lose now one of our key players. This decision has an effect on the dressing room because Toni is not isolating when he’s here at Cobham and does not talk to anyone, so he is a huge part; he is a leader, and, of course, the situation is like that.”

Tuchel blasts Pulisic’s dad

Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is not concerned if his players’ father don’t love him, as he hit back at the Twitter comments of Christian Pulisic’s dad.

The Chelsea boss fielded questions over the American after his father spoke out over his “sad situation”.

The Blues manager has insisted the critical comments do not affect him as he pulled cold water over the row.

Tuchel said: “I am not concerned if the player’s father says he does not love me [on Twitter].

“It’s a normal thing [for a player to be frustrated]. We have our reasons to go for players in the first XI.

“You will never see happy faces from players who are not selected. With me and Christian, there is zero problem. In some matches he has a huge impact from the bench. I didn’t even know [about his dad’s tweet]. It has nothing to do with it.

“The players are responsible for being in the team and staying in the team. Am I always right? For sure, not. Is it always fair? For sure, not. The reaction from Christian has been the opposite, he’s very strong, very positive in the last weeks.”

Chelsea stat

Chelsea’s draw at home to Wolves, after blowing a two-goal lead was a first in nearly two years.

This is the first time the Blues have failed to win a Premier League game in which they were 2+ goals ahead since October 2020 vs Southampton (3-3), having won 24 consecutive such matches prior to today.

Lukaku’s a ‘big lump’

Wolves assistant coach Tony Roberts called Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku a “big lump” after he won a controversial penalty in their 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Roberts spoke on behalf of manager Bruno Lage, who was absent after testing positive for Covid.

Questioning the decision, Roberts said: ‘He’s a big lump, isn’t he? So, for him to go down, I’m not sure.”

Silva’s son

Thiago Silva may have made his name in football as defender, but son Iago might fancy his chances of playing further up the pitch.

The Chelsea star’s wife Belle, 35, caught the youngster on camera working on his free-kicks in the back garden.

Look at that technique.

Leicester to rival Chelsea for Bremer

Brendan Rodgers has stepped up plans to beef up his flimsy Foxes defence with Torino’s £40million-rated Brazilian powerhouse Gleison Bremer.

And he hopes to tempt Torino into parting with their in-demand centre-back by offering them on-loan midfielder Dennis Praet to sweeten the deal.

SunSport understands Leicester officials met with their Torino counterparts while in Italy this week – for their Europa Conference League clash with Roma – in an attempt to thrash out a double-deal which would suit both parties.

Torino want Praet to return on loan next season because they cannot afford Leicester’s £12.85million asking price for the Belgian midfielder, who turns 28 next week.

If their bid is successful, they would have stolen a march on the Blues for his services.

Boehly’s worth against rivals

Chelsea’s new proposed owner Todd Boehly and his consortium are reportedly worth a whopping combined £10.86billion.

That would make the Blues boast the sixth wealthiest owners in world football and third richest in the Premier League.

Last 15 minutes

Thomas Tuchel’s side lost two goals in the last 10 minutes against Wolves in the draw on Saturday.

Some have accused the Blues of dropping too deep, but the German boss saw it differently.

“It’s not about dropping too much, it’s about where we were losing the ball and the opponent taking a crazy approach,” he said.

“Big chances that we don’t create, the pass is missing, the dribbling is wrong.”

Tuchel’s concern

Thomas Tuchel has admitted his concern about Chelsea being dragged into the top four race.

The Blues failed to win at home against Wolves – dropping a two goal lead in a 2-2 draw.

Arsenal are four points behind them, with a game in hand, while Spurs trail the West London side by six points with a game in hand.

After the game, Tuchel revealed: “If you don’t win, of course you have to be concerned [being caught for third place].

“But you have to concentrate on your own results and the only focus is on us.”

Tuchel on Boehly

Thomas Tuchel has spoken about news Todd Boehly has become the preferred bidder for Chelsea FC.

The German manager spoke after the Blues were held at home to Wolves:

He said: “We are positive about it but we need the process to finish otherwise it does not change much in our daily routine.”

Heartbreak for Blues

The Blues threw away a 2-0 lead against Wolves to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, in front of buyer Todd Boehly.

Romelu Lukaku broke his scoring duck to net twice, before Francisco Trincao gave Wanderers a lifeline in the 79th minute.

Then, seven minutes into stoppage time Conor Coady broke Chelsea fans’ hearts with a late equaliser.

Azpilicueta’s Barcelona deal

Barcelona have agreed a two-year deal with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta, according to reports.

The Spaniard, 32, is set to leave for free after a 10 year stint at Stamford Bridge.

His contract expires at the end of the season, and due to the sanctions that the UK Government have placed on Chelsea, the club currently cannot negotiate any new deals.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Barcelona have swooped in to put a huge offer on the table, of which Azpilicueta has agreed to.

The two-year deal will see the defender earn £11million per-season.

It also includes the option of a one-year extension.

Chelsea lead

Two quickfire goals from the Blues have put them 2-0 up at home to Wolves, in front of new owner Todd Boehly.

And it’s Romelu Lukaku who has got them both – scoring from the spot and grabbing a second just two minutes later.

You can follow our live blog on the game.

Boehly baks the Blues

Chelsea buyer Todd Boehly has been pictured at Stamford Bridge to watch the the Blues take on Wolves, writes GIACOMO PISA.

The 46-year-old American heads a consortium buying the club in a deal reportedly worth around £4.25billion.

And he was pictured in the stands as Thomas Tuchel’s side returned to Premier League action.

The LA Dodgers part-owner donned a pair of aviator shades as he took his seat for the match.

He cracked a smile as he sat and watched the 3pm kick off against Bruno Lage’s Wolves.

Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek had Boehly on his feet applauding on 37 minutes after the Chelsea man bundled home from close range.

But the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check to send Boehly slumping back into his seat.

Boelhy and his consortium, which includes billionaires Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss and investment firm Clearlake Capital, have signed an agreement to buy the club from Roman Abramovich.

Goal ruled out

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scores from a scrambled corner but it is given offside.

VAR decided Loftus-Cheek was off after a Lukaku touch.

Here come the two teams!

The players emerge from the tunnel on to a pristine Stamford Bridge pitch. Chelsea are in their traditional royal blue, Wolves in their orange and black strip.

Kick-off next!

Follow the game live with our SunSport blog.

Neto and Jiminez start for Wolves

Bruno Lage makes three changes from the team that lost 3-0 to Brighton last time out in the league.

Jonny comes in to replace Semedo at right-wing back after the Portugese limped off against Brighton.

In attack, Lage has opted for Jiminez and Neto, with Silva and Hwang both dropping to the bench.

Wolves XI: Sa, Jonny, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Ait-Nouri, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Jimenez, Neto.

Chelsea line up vs Wolves

Mason Mount and Kai Havertz are on the bench for today’s 3pm kick-off.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is in and Romelu Lukaku also starts.

Barca chiefs inquire over Lukaku

Barcelona’s transfer committee reportedly recently jetted off to London to discuss a number of deals for Chelsea players – including as shock move for wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku, writes CHISANGA MALATA.

Barca chiefs are said to be planning a major summer revamp of their squad, which is a whopping 15 points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid.

And according to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barca’s director of football and technical secretary – Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff – recently travelled to London to lay the foundations for summer transfers for three Blues stars.

The Catalan giants are said to have made overtures to sign Cesar Azpilcueta – who is out of contract at the end of the season – and fellow defender Marcos Alonso.

Barca have been tracking the pair for some time but have yet to make an official move for the duo.

It’s also claimed Alemany and Cruyff held discussions over a big-money move for Chelsea’s £97.5million flop Lukaku.

The Belgium international has failed to hit the ground running since his spectacular return to Stamford Bridge last summer.

Cash-strapped Barca, however, would be hard-pressed to pay the striker’s astronomical wages.

Big money takeover

Chelsea’s proposed £4.25billion takeover is set to more than DOUBLE the record for the most expensive in sporting history – and it dwarfs the fee paid for rivals Manchester United, writes DAVE FRASER.

Todd Boehly’s consortium have signed a deal to purchase the club after Roman Abramovich decided to sell up.

Chelsea confirmed £2.5bn will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate it all to charitable causes.

The remaining £1.75bn is for investment into the club including developments of Stamford Bridge and the women’s team.

Boehly was pictured outside the ground on Friday night with fellow members of his group including ex-chancellor George Osborne.

However, the mega-deal is not over the line just yet and needs to go through due processes with the Government and the Premier League but is expected to be completed by May 31.

Wrestle Mania

It was in the art of grappling where Boehly really showed his mettle, writes JON BOON.

He led the school’s wrestling team to back-to-back Interstate Athletic Conference Championships in 1990 and 1991.

And his achievements were so highly thought of at the private college, Landon named their gym the Boehly Family Wrestling Room in his honour.

Boehly returned to the school in 2014 for the grand opening of the wrestling room, where he was joined by his fellow classmates and wrestlers.

Super Boehl

Incoming Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was a college WRESTLING star as a teenager, as his school yearbook photos show, writes JON BOON.

The billionaire businessman, 46, attended the private Landon School in Maryland, where he excelled at sport as a youngster.

Boehly is leading the consortium that has agreed to buy  a consortium Chelsea for around £4.25billion – which would be the biggest sports takeover in history.

Boehly and his team, which includes billionaires Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss and investment firm Clearlake Capital, are now set to become the new Chelsea owners by the end of May.

And Boehly was clearly earmarked for big things as in his school yearbook he was named as one of the ‘Future Leaders of the US’.

A teenage Boehly juggled a budding athletics career with his studies – starring in both baseball and American football teams.