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      Fans spot spooky omen that shows why Pochettino would be great choice as next Chelsea manager

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      FANS have spotted a spooky omen which shows why Mauricio Pochettino would be a great choice as Chelsea’s next manager. The Argentine has been out of work since being sacked by French giants PSG at the end of the 2022 season.
      Thomas Tuchel celebrates after guiding Chelsea to the 2021 Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
      Carlo Ancelotti has lifted the Champions League twice since leaving PSGCredit: EPA
      Unai Emery has also enjoyed European success since leaving PSGCredit: Reuters
      Pochettino, 51, has emerged as the leading candidate to take over the managerial vacancy at Chelsea following the withdrawal of front runner Julian Nagelsmann yesterday.
      According to The Telegraph Pochettino now tops a three man shortlist which surprisingly also contains Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and an unnamed candidate who is reportedly liked and respected by Chelsea.
      Whilst the identity of the unnamed candidate hasn’t been revealed Feyenoord’s Arne Slot is a coach the Blues have conducted thorough research on.
      The 51-year-old has held more than one round of talks with the Chelsea hierarchy and was interviewed in September before the club opted for Graham Potter instead.
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      The report adds that the Blues are hoping to agree a new managerial appointment within the next 10 days.
      The former Southampton manager reached the Champions League final with Tottenham during his five year spell at the club.
      The Argentine won the Ligue 1 title by 15 points in his only full season in charge of the Parisians as well as lifting the French Cup.
      The Blues will be aware of what managers have gone on to achieve after been sacked by PSG having witnessed Thomas Tuchel’s success at Stamford Bridge as he delivered Chelsea’s second Champions League triumph.
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      Tuchel isn’t the only coach who has gone on to achieve success after managing PSG.
      Former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti has won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid since being sacked by the French giants.
      Unai Emery has also achieved European success since leaving the French capital as he guided Villareal to Europa League glory and is now flying with Aston Villa on his return to the Premier League.
      The report adds that it’s not seen as an issue that the 51 year old hasn’t won a trophy in England and Chelsea feel this could act as extra motivation if he were to accept the job.
      Chelsea are next in action on Wednesday night against Brentford at Stamford Bridge with Frank Lampard looking for his first win since returning as caretaker manager. More

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      Criminally under-rated Olivier Giroud is proving that it’s madness to pension off footballers as soon as they hit 30

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      WATCHING Olivier Giroud score the goal which sent AC Milan into the Champions League semi-final this week, got me thinking a couple of things.Why are we so desperate to pension off footballers when they get into  their 30s?
      Olivier Giroud celebrates the goal that put AC Milan in the Champions League last four after a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Serie A leaders NapoliCredit: Rex
      At 36, Giroud still has the mobility as well as technical ability to shineCredit: Rex
      And was there ever a more under-rated Premier League footballer than Giroud, who is now 36 and playing as well as ever?
      With the age thing, I’m finding it myself. At 34, it feels like the young people want to retire me but despite some injuries this year — which I don’t really put down to age — I feel I can keep on playing for some time to come.
      Everyone looks after themselves  better these days. You can’t be a professional player without being in peak physical condition.
      We see so many players excelling in their mid to late 30s, from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to James Milner and Giroud — and yet players get disrespected more than ever as they get older.
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      The best way to describe recovering from a game of professional football when you’re in your 30s is by likening it to having a hangover.
      When you’re in your 20s, the hangovers aren’t as bad and you’re ready to go again the next night.
      But as you get older, you might think ‘I’ll have a few light beers on Friday, a session on Saturday and then sleep it off on Sunday’.
      “I’m not saying I drink like this, by the way, I’m just giving you an analogy!
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      Older pros train differently — like a boxer, you are trying to peak at the weekend. You can’t go full pelt on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
      Recovery sessions are more likely to be on the bike or in the pool rather than running out on the grass because you have to protect your joints, your knees especially.
      But the older you get, the more know-how you have. And if you have the right individually-tailored training programme, there’s no doubt you can go on playing late into your 30s,  perhaps even longer.
      Giroud is certainly looking after  himself — and what a couple of seasons he is having.
      After winning Serie A with Milan last year, he reached his second World Cup final in Qatar and he’s now got  a great chance of playing in the  Champions League final, with a semi-final derby against Inter to come.
      I mentioned before England played France in the World Cup quarter-final that I feared Giroud’s physicality — and he ended up heading their winner.
      We underestimate him badly in this country. Five years ago now, people were trying to pension him off when he was at Arsenal.We underestimated his pace, technical ability, strength and his finishing.
      His reputation seemed to suffer when Arsenal went through some difficult years — the same happened with Danny Welbeck, who is still tearing it up at Brighton, aged 32.
      But Giroud ended up playing a big part in Chelsea’s run to the Champions League in 2021 and now he’s having more success at Milan.
      Just look at his roll of honour — two World Cup finals and one win, a Champions League, a Europa League, four FA Cups, league titles in France and Italy and a Puskas Award for the best goal in world football in 2017.
      He’s good looking but not just a pretty face! His team-mates rated him very highly, as a player and a man. And his opponents too.
      You watch that goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace and tell  me he isn’t supremely technically gifted and deceptively quick.
      As Arsenal break, he plays a brilliant back-heeled pass in his own half, out-sprints the Palace defence and scores with a flying back-heeled ‘scorpion kick’ at the near post.
      He’s a good looking lad, Olivier, but he’s not just a pretty face!
      Giroud often seemed to be derided in England and I never understood it.
      His team-mates certainly rated him very highly, as a player and a man.
      And his opponents, too. I still have his shirts he swapped with me after I played for Watford against both Arsenal and Chelsea.
      He is just a lovely geezer. He is into arts and culture, has done Hugo Boss adverts and he’s one of life’s good guys.
      A lot of people thought Olivier was on his way out when he left Arsenal in 2018 — that’s five years ago now.
      It seems to me that kids who play Fifa want to bin off any player over 30 who can’t do every trick on their video games.
      Of course we all love to see exciting young players emerging.

      But there is a lot to be said for experience, on the pitch and in the dressing room.
      There’s still life in the old dogs yet — and Giroud is an  inspiration to all of us. More

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      Former Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink believed 2009 Champions League semi-final vs Barcelona could have been ‘fixed’

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      GUUS HIDDINK thought Chelsea’s 2009 Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona might have been fixed – even though the referee owned up to making mistakes.The Blues were denied a spot in the final after the official Tom Henning Ovrebo made a series of blunders.
      Guus Hiddink had to hold back a furious Didier Drogba after the 2009 tieCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Hiddink, manager of Chelsea at the time, branded the officiating as ‘the worst refereeing I have ever seen’.
      He told Ziggo Sport in 2020: “The referee performance surprised me, because in the past he’d had perfect performances.
      “Is it the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen? I think so.”
      The Dutchman alleged: “This is the only time I thought a match could’ve been fixed.”
      Barca went on to beat Manchester United in the final with the Blues waiting until 2012 to claim their maiden crown – a tally they doubled in 2021.
      Hiddink claims football chiefs would not have wanted a repeat of the all-English final between Chelsea and United the year before, won by the Red Devils on spot-kicks.
      But in an interview with SunSport in February 2018, Norwegian whistler Ovrebo admitted to making genuine mistakes during the match.
      Ovrebo, who works as a psychologist in Oslo now, turned down FOUR Blues’ penalty claims before Chelsea were cruelly eliminated by Andres Iniesta’s 94th-minute strike for Barca which put them through on away goals.
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      Death threats were made after the game, while straight after the match Blues striker Didier Drogba verbally attacked the ref, and later received a five-match ban.
      Ovrebo said: “I was happy with 95 per cent of my decisions. But there were some decisions that were not dealt with in the correct manner.
      “One handball earlier in the game should have been a penalty. People will always have different opinions about the game.
      “But everyone agrees the refereeing that night was not optimal. And I am the first to agree with them.”
      At the time Uefa dismissed the conspiracy theories around the game.
      Uefa general secretary David Taylor said: “If anything it’s a media conspiracy against Uefa.
      “It does make me angry. It really annoys me because it’s a load of rubbish.” More

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      Five-time Champions League winner celebrates birthday unemployed despite being just 31 and in peak condition

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      REAL MADRID star Isco celebrated his 31st birthday as an unemployed player.The former Spanish international won a fifth Champions League with Los Blancos last season, despite not featuring in any of their European matches.
      Isco, pictured with wife Sara Salamo, has been a free agent since being released by Sevilla in JanuaryCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon
      He won five Champions Leagues during his nine-year stint at Real MadridCredit: Reuters
      His nine-year spell at the Bernabeu eventually ended in the summer, before he joined fellow LaLiga side Sevilla.
      But Isco’s contract was ripped up after just four months, with club chief Monchi stating it had been “a mistake” to sign him and “it would have been a further mistake to continue with the error”.
      On Friday, the forward turned 31 as the Royal Spanish Football Federation tweeted a post dedicated to him.
      They said: “🥳 We hope you have a great day and many more to come.”
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      It remains to be seen where Isco – who is keeping in shape by employing a personal trainer – will end up following offers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain.
      He looked set to join Union Berlin in the January window, before the deal collapsed.
      It is quite a fall from grace for the ex-Malaga protege, who joined Real in 2013 as Carlo Ancelotti’s first signing.
      The playmaker hit the ground running and went on to win four Champions League titles, while his performances earned interest from Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and Barcelona.
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      That led to a new deal in 2017, which included a release clause worth a whopping £619million.
      However, Isco quickly fell out of favour as Real stopped playing him.
      It all started when Santiago Solari took over from Julen Lopetegui in 2018.
      Solari preferred to use young players like Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde instead of stars with big contracts, such as Isco.
      The Spaniard had a public fallout with Solari, who then excluded him from his plans.
      Things didn’t improve upon Zinedine Zidane’s return and the situation remained the same when Ancelotti came back.
      Real tried to get his high salary off the payroll with a move to AC Milan in 2021, but the player wasn’t happy with the wage cut.
      That led him to Sevilla under Lopetegui, who urged the club to sign him despite transfer guru Monchi’s disapproval.
      However, the Spanish tactician was sacked and joined Wolves, while his successor Jorge Sampaoli quickly realised Isco didn’t fit the team, leading to his deal being terminated.
      Former Spain international Isco turned 31 on FridayCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon More

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      Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea fate revealed as flops face huge wage cuts with Boehly set to split dressing room

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      RAHEEM STERLING is one of the Chelsea players who will NOT lose a penny in Todd Boehly’s cost-cutting plans.SunSport revealed yesterday the Blues face problems in the dressing room as the co-owner slashes wages following the club’s Champions League exit.
      Raheem Sterling will not be affected by wage cutsCredit: Getty
      Todd Boehly is hoping to shave £100m from the yearly salaryCredit: AFP
      But the move does not apply to everyone in the squad.
      Sterling signed for Chelsea last July but BEFORE American Boehly insisted on all new contracts containing a 30 per cent penalty clause.
      The measure was later put in place by the club to ease the pain of failing to qualify for the lucrative competition.
      But Sterling and at least one other new player — believed to be defender Kalidou Koulibaly — will avoid taking a heavy financial hit as a result of the Blues’ poor season.
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      Chelsea lost their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday and are 17 points adrift of the top four in the Prem, necessary to play in next season’s tournament.
      They look set to play their first season with no European football since 2016, triggering a huge drop in revenue.
      The incoming pay cuts are causing significant unrest in the dressing room — with some paying the price for failure in Europe and others not.
      Sterling’s contract only underlines the current confusion at Stamford Bridge, while Boehly battles to build a sustainable long-term business model.
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      The England winger was the first major signing under the new regime which took over from Russian Roman Abramovich last May.Sterling joined on July 14 for £47.5million from Manchester City as a marquee transfer on a five-year deal.
      Koulibaly came a day later on a four-year contract for £35m. Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka were signed later.
      Boehly then brought in a further six senior first-team players in January during a record spend that added up to around £600m for the season.
      The wage bill is £300m per year. Boehly is hoping to shave £100m off that with his salary sacrifice plans.
      And the American is also looking to offload a raft of players this summer to reshape the massive squad and to stay within the rules on Financial Fair Play.
      Now the likes of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech,  Aubameyang, Mason Mount, keepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy and even Kai Havertz could be sold to help balance the books.
      Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount are two players that could be sold to cut costsCredit: Reuters More

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      I’ve knocked Man Utd out of Europe twice, ended up on the front pages over a sex act and was ran over by my own car

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      EVER BANEGA is one of the most successful players in the Europa League having won the competition three times.During his career has been able to knock out Manchester United of European football on two different occasions.
      Ever Banega has had an interesting life since moving to EuropeCredit: Getty – Contributor
      He has won the Europa League three timesCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
      The Argentine midfielder haunted the Red Devils in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2018 and in the Europa League semi-finals in 2020.
      Banega, 34, will be hoping to make it a hat-trick as Sevilla take on Man United in the Europa League quarter-finals second leg tonight at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
      The first leg ended 2-2 at Old Trafford as United threw away a two-goal lead in the last ten minutes of the game.
      However, Banega’s life has not just been full of football highs as he has hit headlines for antics off the pitch.
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      In 2008 after moving to Valencia from Boca Juniors he was caught on webcam performing a sexual act on himself, which led to him hitting the Spanish newspapers.
      He was able to move on from the incident with his form on the pitch despite the side struggling under manager Ronald Koeman.
      However, it did not take long for him to hit the headlines for the wrong reasons again after he was pulled over by police in March that year.
      The club statement at the time did not hold back on blame for the midfielder.
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      It read: “Banega committed a traffic offence last night and as a result was given an alcohol test where he gave a positive [test].
      “Until the details of the incident become clear, Valencia will not make any comment.”
      The player was then allegedly involved training ground incidents with alcohol issues which lead to him being loaned to Atletico Madrid.
      After this spell away from the club, Banega came back to a very different Valencia team that boasted the likes of Juan Mata, David Villa and David Silva.
      This allowed Banega to benefit and show his true abilities with the ball.
      He hit the headlines for his antics off the pitchCredit: AFP
      He is one of the stars of Sevilla’s teamCredit: Getty
      However, problems arose again as in 2012 he was run over by his own car.
      The incident happened at a petrol station as his car reportedly rolled back after a handbrake failure and crushed his leg leaving him needing ankle surgery and a long stint on the sidelines.
      Things never picked back up for Banega at Valencia and in 2014 he moved Sevilla and quickly found his best form.
      He won the Europa League back to back in his first two seasons, including beating Liverpool in the final in 2016.
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      After a year at Inter Milan, Banega returned to the LaLiga club and won the competition again in 2020, beating the Italian side in the final.
      It was during this run that they knocked out the Red Devils in the semis 2-1 on aggregate.
      Banega will be aiming for a fourth Europa League medal this seasonCredit: Getty More

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      Bayern Munich chief Oliver Kahn fires brutal shot at Choupo-Moting after crashing out of Champions League to Man City

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      OLIVER KAHN brutally attacked Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s performance against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter final.The Bavarians were beaten 4-1 on aggregate, only managing to score through a consolation Joshua Kimmich penalty in the 83rd minute of the second leg.
      CEO Oliver Kahn shared his thoughts on Bayern Munich’s lacklustre 1-1 drawCredit: Getty
      And he had harsh words for Eric Maxim Choupo-MotingCredit: Getty
      Germany legend and Bayern CEO Kahn ruthlessly summed up the Cameroon forward’s abilities, saying: “We saw one striker yesterday, but unfortunately he wasn’t playing for us”.
      He added, “There aren’t many #9’s like Lewandowski”, in reference to their old star striker.
      Kahn also seemed to be comparing Choupo-Moting to City goal machine Erling Haaland.
      The former Stoke City and PSG striker registered just one shot on target, with an attempted back heel from close range blocked by Ruben Dias just before half-time.
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      Bayern needed a miracle to go through after losing the first leg 3-0 – and they squandered plenty of opportunities to get back into the game.
      Yet, Haaland – who also scored in the first-leg – made them pay as he lashed home a shot into the top corner to cap off a swift counter-attack in the second half.
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      Kahn himself is reportedly set to be sacked following the disappointing quarter final exit.
      Bayern dismissed Julian Naglesmann, who was unbeaten in the Champions League this season, last month. The club has also been knocked out of the domestic cup by Freiburg.
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      As well as their cup exits, the German champions are at risk of losing out on the Bundesliga title, with Borussia Dortmund closing the gap with six games remaining.
      It was also under his leadership, that the club sold the talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski, and failed to replace him with an equivalent goal-scorer.
      The fact that Jamal Musiala is the leading scorer with eleven goals highlights the lack of strike power.
      The German giants will be in the market for a new striker in the summer, with Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen linked. More

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      How Man City could afford Jude Bellingham transfer bid by winning Champions League as prize money is broken down

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      MANCHESTER CITY could bank a staggering £117million from their Champions League run – to virtually cover the transfer cost of Jude Bellingham.Pep Guardiola’s men have already banked just short of £100m for reaching the semis.
      Jude Bellingham is a key Manchester City target this summerCredit: Getty
      Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals this weekCredit: Getty
      And a semi-final win over Real Madrid followed by becoming champions of Europe for the first time would add another huge windfall to the Etihad coffers.
      But while City are eyeing history as well as the massive earnings, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs were left staring at the black hole facing them without Champions League football next term.
      Chelsea’s last eight run was worth £73.3m before gate receipts from five matches at Stamford Bridge.
      That was significantly due to the £27m Chelsea earned from Uefa’s “historical coefficient” payment before a ball was kicked.
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      Liverpool earned £72.69m from their last 16 run, while Spurs, who had the lowest historical coefficient and “market pool” TV share, earned £57.5m.
      By contrast, Manchester United can earn a maximum of less than £35m for winning the Europa League while West Ham’s Conference League campaign will be worth less than £20m.
      City’s group stage efforts, including the coefficient and initial prize money, were worth £69.6m, with Guardiola’s team, as champions, taking a 40 per cent share of the initial £28.8m market pool fund.
      Their knock-out wins have been worth a further £20.37m.
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      Reaching the final would see City taking £9.6m of the remaining half of the market pool – as they would have played 13 of the total 39 matches involving English teams.
      And winning in Istanbul would mean a further £17.63m, taking their potential total earnings to £117.2m.
      With Borussia Dortmund wanting around £130m for England star Bellingham, it means City’s European exploits alone would almost cover the total fee – with payments actually likely to be split over the duration of any contract the midfielder signed.
      And that would see the former Birmingham midfielder reunited with Erling Haaland at the Etihad. More