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      Chelsea and England star reveals he was almost RELEASED from Blues academy because he was ‘one of the worst in group’

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      REECE JAMES has admitted that he was almost released from Chelsea’s youth academy.The full-back has developed into one of the London club’s most prized assets despite his frequent injury set-backs.
      Chelsea have a number of academy players who have broken into the first-team in recent yearsCredit: Getty
      And he will likely go down as one of Chelsea’s best youth academy products in the history of the club.
      But he has revealed that it all could have been so different if coaches had cut him loose as a struggling teenager.
      The 23-year-old told the England website: “I ended up staying at Chelsea the whole time once I joined [at the age of eight], but there was probably a stage where I was close to getting released around the age of 15 or 16.
      “I was probably one of the worst in the group and they were unsure of how I was going to develop.
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      “They took a gamble on me by giving me a contract and I had to work hard to prove to people that I can play and achieve what I want to achieve.”
      James was given a chance to demonstrate his ability on loan at Wigan in 2018 and he never looked back.
      He was one of the stars of the Championship season and drew rave reviews from Latics supporters for his adventurous, all-action style of play.
      James was then integrated into Chelsea’s team permanently under Frank Lampard and grew into one of the Premier League’s most impressive right-backs.
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      But injuries continue to affect the ace and he spent much of this season on the sidelines.
      So far, James has won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup while at Stamford Bridge. More

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      Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham told how much it will cost to complete David Raya transfer from Brentford this summer

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      THOMAS FRANK has slapped a price tag of “at least” £40million for goalkeeper David Raya.The Spanish goalkeeper has attracted interest from some of the Premier League’s big clubs following his impressive form for Brentford.
      David Raya is wanted by some of the Premier League’s top clubsCredit: Rex
      Thomas Frank believes Raya would cost at least £40millionCredit: Getty
      Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all considering moves for the 27-year-old.
      Raya is believed to be keen on a move as he has rejected two contract offers to stay with the Bees, with his current deal set to expire in 2024.
      However, Frank is still insistent that any interested clubs will have to pay top price for him.
      When asked if Raya will stay at the club, Frank said: “I think we need to get into the Champions League and then he would consider it.
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      “I love David as a keeper. I really believe he is one of the best in the Premier League.
      If someone wants to come and buy him, he is very expensive. He will be, for me, at least £40m-plus. No doubt about that.
      “No matter what happens, we will be able to at least contact a replacement.
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      “They don’t always want to come, but we do our best to persuade them. But of course, we are prepared for any scenario.”
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      Despite only being promoted to the Premier League last season, Brentford are in the hunt for European football.
      The Bees are only a point behind Fulham in 7th while the Champions League spots are only seven points away.
      And that is not a lot should the Bees win their two games in hand on 4th-placed Tottenham. More

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      Chelsea boss Graham Potter reveals what he is doing ‘to help him relax’ after morale-boosting Champions League win

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      GRAHAM POTTER admitted a weight has been lifted following victory in the Champions League – and turned to Elton John in relaxation. Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to progress into the quarter-finals, giving the club a much needed morale boost.
      Graham Potter admitted a weight has been lifted following victory in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
      Potter was asked if he listens to any songs to help him relax under pressure and he responded: “I’m still standing.”
      That is Sir Elton’s 1983 classic from his Too Low for Zero album.
      Chelsea travel to Leicester off the back of victory over Leeds at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
      But they remain in tenth, despite getting back to winning ways as Potter admitted a weight has been lifted with recent wins.
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      He said: “Yes, in some ways.
      “It’s not something I get too bogged down with. I am the same as every Chelsea fan. It’s better if you win.
      “It’s really difficult to just play a game of football at whatever level and just come home and everything is fine.
      “That’s not to say I am a disaster zone around the family.”
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      Chelsea are nine points off fourth-placed Tottenham and winning the Champions League could be their easiest route into next season’s competition.
      But Potter is refusing to prioritise the club’s European campaign to their dwindling league hopes.
      He said: “I understand the question, but I think it’s almost second guessing loads of things.
      “You can tie yourself in knots and ultimately football is just keep it simple. Next match, try to win.”
      Graham Potter leading a Chelsea training sessionCredit: Getty More

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      How Man Utd could look like England next season as Harry Kane leads flurry of potential Three Lions signings

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      MANCHESTER UNITED appear to be finally on the right track as Erik Ten Hag closes in on a top four finish.But a 7-0 hammering at Liverpool showed there is work to be done on the transfer front for the Red Devils to be ready for Champions League football.
      Erik ten Hag will need reinforcements ahead of a likely Champions League campaign next seasonCredit: EPA
      Harry Kane is top of Man Utd’s summer wish listCredit: PA
      Man Utd’s line up could look a lot more like England next season
      Harry Kane is a top target, with United confident of a deal.
      And there is little doubt that should Kane join, he will be accompanied in a front three by Marcus Rashford.
      The local hero has yet to pen a new deal but with him already enjoying a record goal tally under Ten Hag, why would he want to be anywhere else?
      On the right, Jadon Sancho will continue to face competition from Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.
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      However, the ex-Man City youngster is expected to hold down regular place at Old Trafford for many years to come.
      Sancho’s old Dortmund team-mate Jude Bellingham is the most sought after player in Europe going into this summer’s transfer window.
      Real Madrid and Liverpool are the favourites to land the midfielder but he has been a United target since his Birmingham days.
      Should Liverpool fail to make the top four and Bellingham not fancy a move to Spain, the Red Devils will instantly move to pole position for his signature.
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      Man Utd still have an eye on Jude Bellingham despite Liverpool and Real Madrid leading the raceCredit: Getty
      Declan Rice is a player United have been interested in for a long timeCredit: Getty
      Mason Mount is available on a free transfer in 2024, so could be allowed to leave on the cheap this summerCredit: Getty
      And partnering Bellingham could be Declan Rice, who has also been a long term United target.
      The signing for Rice would also set up an intriguing battle for a place with enforcer Casemiro, who has more than lived up to his £70m price tag to become one of the team’s most impressive performers.
      However, the Red Devils will face stiff competition from London sides Arsenal and Chelsea for Rice’s signature.
      But they could get one over Chelsea by purchasing Mason Mount in a cut price deal, with his contract to expire in 2024.
      The attacking midfielder has yet to agree a new deal with the Blues and both his performances and relationship with the West London club’s hierarchy appear to be deteriorating.
      It is thought that the West Londoners would be prepared to sell for a fee of around £50m.
      Signing Mason Mount would also ramp up the pressure on Bruno Fernandes.
      The vice-captain infuriated United fans with his display at Anfield, as he was even accused of asking to be substituted.
      Aaron Wan-Bissaka has yet to impress Gareth Southgate sufficiently on the ball to earn an England cap.
      However, things are different at Old Trafford where his attitude has impressed the manager and he has muscled his way into first team contention.
      Captain Harry Maguire is also in and out of the team, and a potential candidate to leave United in the summer.
      However, he claims Erik ten Hag has told him he is a top centre-back and he may yet decide to stay and fight for his place.
      Luke Shaw has shown himself to be capable of filling it at left-centre-back when called upon, and is set to continue starting there or at left-back for the foreseeable future.
      Man Utd have used among the lowest number of English players in the Premier League this season, but that could be about to change
      Should Shaw make a more permanent switch to centre-back, United would need to decide whether or not to sign competition for Tyrell Malacia at left-back.
      Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell is far from a top Man Utd target, but he is a lifelong fan of the club.
      In goal, David de Gea is closing in on a new deal but is looking less and less a long-term option.
      That is reflected in Man Utd preparing to offer the Spaniard a reduced and incentive-based contract.
      The Sun has revealed that the 32-year-old will only be able to pick up the maximum £250,000-salary he is being offered if he plays in over 50 per cent of matches.
      England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is in no hurry to leave Everton as he has just agreed a new £150,000-a-week deal.
      However, the Toffees are 18th in the table having played a game more than the competition.
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      With Pickford’s impending new contract containing no relegation clause, it is difficult to see the Three Lions stopper playing in the Championship.
      And though Chelsea are said to be the club most keen on Pickford, with their need for a new goalkeeper greater than Man Utd’s, the Red Devils will have to purchase a new man between the sticks in the relatively near future.
      Ben Chilwell is a lifelong Man Utd fanCredit: Getty
      Jordan Pickford is at risk of being relegatedCredit: Alamy More

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      Chelsea CAN still make top four and here’s how says former star – who insists Graham Potter MUST stay

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      CHELSEA can still finish in the Premier League top four if they beat the teams that are above them, claims club legend Gus Poyet.The Blues are 10th in the table with a game in hand and 11 points separating them from fourth-placed Tottenham amid a turbulent season.
      Gus Poyet claims Chelsea can finish in the top four if they beat the teams that are above themCredit: Getty
      Gus Poyet insists Chelsea manager Graham Potter is the right man for the teamCredit: Getty
      Poyet admits Champions League qualification is “difficult” for his former team because it doesn’t only depend on the results they get until May.
      The Greece manager insists a lot will also go down to how the West Londoners’ rivals fare in the top flight, which is why Graham Potter’s side must win as many games as possible.
      The 55-year-old head coach is also adamant Chelsea will have to beat Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal to raise their hopes.
      Poyet told SunSport: “I think it’s difficult. But not difficult because of Chelsea, it’s because of the teams that are above Chelsea. They can do the same.
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      “I always say that it’s not only about you. When you’re up against someone next to you and you have to play against them you can say maybe it depends on us. But here, there’s too many teams ahead of Chelsea.
      “I think it’s difficult, it’s not impossible but practically they need to win every game and 100 per cent they need win against the teams that are above them. Non-negotiable.
      “The problem now is that they are in the Champions League. And the players’ mentality says, ‘We are there, who knows?’ So it’s something as well that can push one way or the other.”
      Potter has come under fire this season after losing 10 out of 28 matches, of which he has only won 11, across all competitions.
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      But Poyet has no doubt the former Brighton boss deserves more time and is the right man to lead the Premier League giants next season.
      The Uruguayan tactician is a “very big fan” of Potter and is impressed with how well he has handled the “tremendous” pressure after a recent poor run on the hot seat.
      However, the ex-midfielder admits the Chelsea boss will have to forget about the future and concentrate on the present, which has been the club’s priority since the Roman Abramovich era.
      Poyet said when asked if Potter deserves another season at Chelsea: “Yes, without a doubt. I’m a very big fan of Graham Potter.
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      “When he went to the club he knew exactly what he wanted to do, then the situation put him in a totally unexpected place in January with the new players arriving, the quantity of players he needs to coach every day, [and] not being able to pick the best team.
      “The consequences was not winning games and the pressure he’s had is tremendous. Every day was only about Graham Potter, and you need to live with that. And you need at those times the players to stand up. And they did.
      “And I’m sure today the feeling is totally different. But this is not going to stop if you don’t continue to perform. Yes, I want Graham Potter to do well. Yes, I think the young players that arrived in January they are a big part of the future. But Chelsea is today. No one at Chelsea thinks about next season.
      “Everybody is thinking what are we going to do at the weekend. Because that’s the way Abramovich and [Jose] Mourinho, [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Antonio] Conte convinced the fans what Chelsea are about. About winning trophies and winning every single game.”
      Chelsea picked up a comfortable 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals.
      Potter only started two out of the eight players he signed during a busy January transfer window that cost over £300million – those were Joao Felix and Prem record signing Enzo Fernandez.
      Poyet suggested the 47-year-old understands it is his more experienced players, rather than the most recent signings, that can push Chelsea back in the top four.
      Poyet added: “I think it was their best performance of the season or one of their best without any doubt. The desire, the togetherness, the way everybody put an extra effort on the game shows that it’s possible. We think about the starting XI, there was practically no new January players.
      “It’s the old group of the beginning of the season, which shows that Graham made a strong decision and said, ‘Okay I know the new players are good, I know the new players are the future of the club. But right now, I need the players that have the most experience’.
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      “So there was not that kind of mix of the experienced ones with the new ones that arrived in January. In this game they had to wait. Because sometimes – and I think Chelsea are one of these teams – it’s about today, it’s not about two years’ time.”
      Gus Poyet was speaking to The Sun on behalf of Neuecasinos24.com.
      Chelsea have been undergoing a turbulent season across all competitionsCredit: Alamy More

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      Mason Mount’s price tag revealed as Man Utd join Liverpool and City in transfer race for Chelsea star

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      MANCHESTER UNITED, Liverpool and Manchester City have learned how much Chelsea will demand for Mason Mount.SunSport revealed on Thursday that Erik ten Hag’s men have joined the race to sign the England international, 24.
      Mason Mount could leave Stamford Bridge in the summerCredit: Getty
      It comes amid a contract stand-off between Mount and the Blues.
      His existing deal is set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season and stalling negotiations are expected to leave the club with a decision to make.
      Mount is understood to be after a significant pay rise from his current wages of around £80,000 per week.
      And he is reluctant to sign a huge long-term deal like compatriot Reece James.
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      Chelsea’s influx of players has also left Mount pushed down the pecking order.
      He has started just one of their last four Premier League games.
      And while it remains to be seen whether he will stay or go, rival English clubs have been put on alert by reports of a £50MILLION price tag.
      Man Utd are understood to be in for Mount after recognising they are not at the front of the queue when it comes to the pursuit of Jude Bellingham.
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      Real Madrid and Liverpool are thought to be the frontrunners to sign the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
      Mount, who has contributed three goals and six assists this season, has emerged as an ideal fit for Ten Hag’s side.

      Man Utd are targeting a number of high-profile players in the summer, the biggest of which is Tottenham talisman Harry Kane.
      But in order to sign several new stars, Ten Hag is also required to offload unwanted individuals.
      They are set to include captain Harry Maguire, forward Anthony Martial and midfielder Scott McTominay. More

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      Tottenham facing battle to persuade Thomas Tuchel to become new manager – despite ex-Chelsea boss being Spurs fan

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      TOTTENHAM are facing a battle to persuade Thomas Tuchel to be their new manager.Ex-Chelsea boss Tuchel and former Spurs chief Mauricio Pochettino are the top candidates to succeed Antonio Conte.
      Ex-PSG and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he was a Tottenham Hotspur fan as a kid because of their ‘adventurous’ nameCredit: Getty
      Mauricio Pochettino is rated the main rival to Tuchel for the Spurs job and his return wold be popular with supportersCredit: Getty
      It is now a matter of when, not if, Conte departs after a week from hell in which  the club crashed out of both the FA Cup and Champions League.
      His deal expires in the summer and Spurs will NOT extend it.
      Chairman Daniel Levy is understood to have reservations about bringing back fans’ favourite Pochettino.
      But if he plumps for Tuchel, he needs to convince the German coach he can give him the tools to make Tottenham serious trophy challengers.
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      Conte, 53, admitted he feared the sack after Wednesday’s Champions League KO to AC Milan.
      Spurs have no immediate plans to get rid of the Italian, who has just recovered from emergency gallbladder surgery.
      But the board could change tack if they feel Tottenham’s chances of finishing in the top four are under threat.
      Tuchel, 49, has been a free agent since his shock Stamford Bridge axing by Chelsea’s billionaire owner Todd Boehly in September.
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      The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss insists he was a Spurs fan growing up and was fascinated by their “adventurous” Tottenham Hotspur name.
      He is thought to be keen on a return to England.
      But having managed Paris Saint-Germain to a Champions League final in 2020, before winning the competition a year later with Chelsea, Tuchel has been waiting for a vacancy at an elite club.
      However, some fans may object to the prospect of a FIFTH ex-Blues boss being hired by Levy, who has previously appointed Glenn Hoddle, Andre Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho and Conte.
      A return for Poch would be a crowd-pleaser, given how loved he was   in five years in charge of Spurs.
      The Argentine took them to the 2019 Champions League final and his name was chanted by supporters during Wednesday’s 0-0 last-16 second leg draw with Milan, which sent the Italian giants through 1-0 on aggregate.
      Others in the frame for Conte’s job include ex- Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, Brighton chief Roberto De Zerbi  and Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner.
      The situation is further complicated by the club awaiting the fate of director of football Fabio Paratici, who has a big say  on managerial appointments.
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      Paratici is set to discover within a month if his appeal against  a 2½-year ban from Italian  football is successful.
      If not, the suspension for his part in alleged financial irregularities at former club Juventus could be extended worldwide, in which case his role at Spurs would surely become untenable.
      Even if Antonio Conte survives until the summer, Spurs will not extend his dealCredit: Rex More

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      Callum Hudson-Odoi’s Chelsea career ‘is OVER’ with winger set to be in limbo after Bayer Leverkusen loan transfer

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      CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI’S Chelsea is career is reportedly at an end.And there’s no future for him at loan side Bayer Leverkusen either.
      Callum Hudson-Odoi is set to be sold by Chelsea this summerCredit: Getty
      Sky Sports Germany claims Hudson-Odoi faces a “bleak future” after failing to make an impression in the Bundesliga.
      Despite initially looking like a bright prospect, the winger has fallen out of Xabi Alonso’s plans.
      He has just one strike in all competitions for Leverkusen.
      And club chiefs have no intention of making Hudson-Odoi’s stay permanent come the summer.
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      It means the forward will return to Stamford Bridge where he faces huge competition for a place.
      But it’s reckoned Hudson-Odoi, linked with Arsenal, is out of Graham Potter’s plans too.
      There are numerous stars competing for attacking places at Chelsea.
      And there could be even more joining this summer alongside RB Leizpig’s Christopher Nkunku.
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      Hudson-Odoi’s Blues deal expires in 2024.
      And Todd Boehly is reportedly planning to cash in as soon as possible.
      It will bring a swift end to Hudson-Odoi’s Chelsea career, having burst onto the scene in the 2017/18 season.
      The three-time England international became a regular starter a year later under Maurizio Sarri.
      And Chelsea were forced to hand him a lucrative contract to ward off interest from Bayern Munich.
      But despite playing 72 times in total for Chelsea, Hudson-Odoi has ended up with just four league goals.
      And with Potter looking to reinvigorate his attack, Hudson-Odoi is no longer needed. More