Premier League

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH demanded two World Cup winners as his first signings after buying Chelsea.The Russian oligarch purchased the club in 2003 under the advice of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who insisted he would have a better chance of success than with Tottenham.
Roman Abramovich made some huge demands to Claudio RanieriCredit: Alamy
Chelsea was in a mess at the time with no full-time doctor and the first team were kicked off the university pitches they trained on by students.
But Abramovich wasted no time in trying to sign the best players to help transform the Blues into a serial trophy-winning machine.
However, then-manager Claudio Ranieri had to stand up to the billionaire and lower his expectations.
Ranieri said: “I was travelling from Rome to London for pre-season.
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“The Chelsea sporting director called me the new Russian owners have arrived and warned us two would be the first to go out.
“Abramovich told me, ‘Claudio I want to get this team to the top of the world.’
“I believed him.
“Abramovich wanted to buy Francesco Totti or Alessandro Nesta.
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“But I told him it’s not possible because it’s August and the season has started everywhere, no team can sell these kinds of players.
“‘It’s difficult. We have to choose the right players who can improve our team and other teams want to sell because Nesta and Totti are not possible.’
“I see Abramovich like a boy in a toy market, he wanted to buy the best.”
Roma legend Totti and AC Milan hero Nesta, who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy, were simply unfeasible options.
But the new owner did spend big in that first summer transfer window – approximately £110million.
That included some big names from abroad – £16m on Claude Makelele, £16.8m on Hernan Crespo and £15.8m on Adrian Mutu.
But there were plenty of ‘safer’ signings, too, as Glen Johnson, Wayne Bridge, Damien Duff and Joe Cole joined the club.
Ranieri led Chelsea to second in the Premier League in that 2003-04 season, second to unbeaten Arsenal, and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
But the Italian was sacked at the end of the campaign – with the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho arriving straight off the back of leading Porto to glory in Europe.
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The Portuguese convinced Abramovich to stump up more cash for Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Arjen Robben, Paulo Ferreira, Mateja Kezman, Tiago and Ricardo Carvalho in 2004 – and reaped the rewards by winning back-to-back league titles.
Ranieri would eventually win the Premier League, steering 5,000-1 Leicester to their miraculous success in 2016.
Abramovich wanted Alessandro Nesta and Francesco TottiCredit: Getty
The likes of Glen Johnson, Damien Duff and Wayne Bridge arrived in 2003Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More

JAMIE CARRAGHER aimed a savage dig at Erik ten Hag after Manchester United fell 1-0 to West Ham last night.The Red Devils lost at the London Stadium after Said Benrahma’s tame shot somehow squirmed through David de Gea and in.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville disagreed over Man United’s defeat to West HamCredit: Alamy
Erik ten Hag’s side lost 1-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday eveningCredit: Getty
Gary Neville tweeted immediately after the match, laying the blame on the Glazer family.
But Carragher wasn’t having any of it.
Following the 1-0 defeat, Neville, 48, tweeted: “United so poor in this game.
“ETH seeing more of the players in these situations is a positive. Allows him to sort out who he wants on the bus.
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“The real disgrace are the Glazers. Are they waiting for the last game at OT to pass??? It would be typical of them.
“Weak and shirking accountability and responsibility to the end!
“Members of staff on and off the pitch are in an uncertain position waiting for new owners! Let alone recruitment and what budget their is going to be!
“This should have been done! Classless to the end!”
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Neville blamed the Glazer family for United’s shortcomingsCredit: AFP
Just 11 minutes later, Carragher quote-tweeted Neville’s post, sarcastically writing: “Yeah the Glazers decided to play Weghorst as a 10, spend 90M on Antony & 70M on Casemiro (31) on a 5 yr deal!!”
Neville then hit back: “Come on know your subject. They told ETH (when he needed a striker with CR7 going) he couldn’t spend any money.
“They sanctioned those other two deals after Brentford 4-0 to save their backsides as they were under pressure.
“They sign the cheques and take responsibility for everything post SAF! They’re a shambles!”
Man United have been up for sale since last year, but the Glazer family are still yet to accept a bid amid fan fears that they could still stay on.
Ten Hag, 53, tasted Carabao Cup glory in February and has guided the Red Devils to the FA Cup final in his debut campaign in charge.
They sit fourth in the Premier League table, a point above Liverpool with a game in hand.
After last night’s match, Ten Hag refused to blame De Gea’s clanger – insisting that he wants the soon-to-be out of contract goalkeeper to pen a new deal at Old Trafford.
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He said: “We want him to stay and we want him to extend his contract. He has the most clean sheets in the Premier League. We would not be here in this position without him.
“I believe there are no concerns. It happens. As a team, you have to deal with it, show character, be resilient, bounce back and that’s what this team will do.”
David de Gea’s clanger gifted West Ham their openerCredit: Rex More

ERIK TEN HAG refused to stick the boot into calamity keeper David de Gea after his horrendous mistake condemned Manchester United to their ninth League defeat of the season.The 32-year-old Spanish international has now committed nine errors which have led directly to goals over the past two seasons – more than any other top flight keeper.
Erik ten Hag has defended goalkeeper David De GeaCredit: Getty
De Gea’s blunder against West Ham cost his side three pointsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
But boss ten Hag insisted: “We have the most clean sheets in the Premier League and we wouldn’t be in this position without him.
“Mistakes happen but he has my full belief and I have no concerns about him. We want him to stay and extend his contract.”
The result leaves United just one point ahead of firth-placed Liverpool, although they still have a game in hand on Jurgen Klopp’s men.
And ten Hag said: “Nothing changes. We could have made it easier with a result but we need three wins in four games and everything is still in our hands.
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“We started well, created chances and dictated the game but then just like at Brighton in midweek one individual mistake cost us.
“We have to learn to stay calm and composed. We had some chances but we have to create more.
“Now, for the first time since Christmas, we have a full week to reset, reload and get the energy back to keep going.
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“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. What we need is for everyone to stick together, for individuals to take responsibility and if we play as a team we will get the points we need.”
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Former United defender Rio Ferdinand said: “De Gea has made a mistake today but that’s not the area I question him. Is he good enough a footballer to play for Manchester United?”
But captain Bruno Fernandes said: “We don’t need to focus on that mistake. He’s saved us so many times.” More

JUBILANT Arsenal fans could not get enough of Ian Wright’s wild celebrations in front of Alan Shearer.The former strikers turned pundits are good pals.
Ian Wright was loving Arsenal’s win over NewcastleCredit: Twitter @premierleague
The former Gunners striker let out wild celebrationsCredit: Twitter @premierleague
Alan Shearer took it well despite his pal’s anticsCredit: Twitter @premierleague
But their friendship was put on hold when their beloved teams went head to head at St James’ Park.
And Wrighty did not hold back at all as he rejoiced in Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle as the pair covered the game for the Premier League’s Matchday Live show.
Martin Odegaard’s long-range drive fired the Gunners in front and a Fabian Schar own goal sealed the points to keep the pressure on table-toppers Manchester City.
In a brilliant video shared by the ex-Highbury hero, Wright lets out a whole host of enthusiastic whoops, cheers, shouting and fist-pumping – before shouting: “Look at Al’s face.”
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In the background, Geordie Shearer remains largely expressionless before allowing himself a wry smile.
Wright later posted the clip on Twitter, adding kissing and smiling emojis as he tagged his Match of the Day mate.
And Gunners supporters absolutely loved the antics from the second-highest goalscorer in their history.
One said: “I love him so much.”
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Another wrote: “Can we just build a statue of Ian Wright’s celebration at the Emirates stadium please. LEGEND.”
A third added: “Never thought I could love you more when you played for The Arsenal. Now you’re a fan of The Arsenal just like me. I love you more and more.”
And a final user commented: “Absolute legend. And Shearer is top drawer for taking that…”
The win – led by influential captain Odegaard – leaves Mikel Arteta’s side are one point behind City having played one game more.
And that led to Piers Morgan rallying fellow supporters to get behind the team, refusing to give up hope on an unlikely title win having checked City’s tough run-in.
Arsenal enjoyed 2-0 victory at St James’ ParkCredit: Getty More

MIKEL ARTETA showed his Arsenal players a video nasty of last year’s Newcastle meltdown to reignite their title charge.The Gunners’ battling 2-0 triumph at St James’ Park moved them to within a point of Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta inspired Arsenal to victory at Newcastle with their All or Nothing documentaryCredit: Getty
Arteta replayed his fiery team talk after Arsenal lost to Toon last seasonCredit: Amazon Prime Video
And boss Arteta warned City counterpart Pep Guardiola his stars “will not turn our backs on the prize”.
The Arsenal manager inspired his team in their hotel with a replay of a dressing-room clip from the Amazon documentary All Or Nothing after the Magpies KO’d their Champions League hopes last season.
And goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale revealed “Last year wasn’t mentioned until the team meeting before we left the hotel.
“The manager showed us a clip of the documentary, all our faces, staff included, and how hurt we were.
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“So we had the burning desire as soon as we left the hotel that it wasn’t going to be the same today.
“It might have given us extra motivation because we are fighting Manchester City to try and do something special.
“It gave us that extra bit when we needed to dig deep. It really helped us.”
The north Londoners responded in brilliant fashion with skipper Martin Odegaard’s 14th-minute opener and Fabian Schar’s second-half own goal sealing a huge win.
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Arsenal got revenge with a 2-0 win at St James’ ParkCredit: Amazon Prime Video
It puts pressure on Guardiola’s Treble-chasers, who still have away games at Everton, Brighton and Brentford — plus Chelsea at home.
The Amazon footage was taken after last May’s crushing 2-0 defeat at St James’, which gifted bitter rivals Tottenham a Champions League spot.
In it, furious Spaniard Arteta raged: “It is f****** embarrassing. It is f****** unacceptable.”
But after yesterday’s stunning victory, Arteta revealed: “This feels like our best performance of the season. There was the desire for revenge. They had that in their bellies.
“When you have the emotions we had last year in that dressing room, you have to feel them again, realise how nasty they were. We had to put it right.”
On his video team-talk he added: “It is not enough just to talk about it.
“We have to see it in our faces and understand the emotions.
“You don’t want to be like this anymore, it is a horrible feeling.
If City slip up, hopefully we’ll be there to pick up the piecesAaron Ramsdale
 “Today we had to show a different type of competitiveness, desire and then quality.
“There was a lot of emotion from what happened last year here and in sport, when you have another opportunity, you have to show you have learned and approach it from a different way.
“I saw the fight in them to do it a different way today.”
Arsenal can still reach 90 points if they beat Brighton (H), Nottingham Forest (A) and Wolves (H) in their final three games.
Arteta had mentioned that 90-point mark — the same total Arsenal’s Invincibles of 2003-04 reached — as a potential title-winning tally back in January.
And Ramsdale warned City: “We’ll be going as hard as we can for three games. The title is not in our hands but we will be pushing as hard as we can every step of the way.
“If City slip up, hopefully we’ll be there to pick up the pieces.
“There was immense pride in the dressing room, especially after  what happened last year. To come here and impose ourselves on this game and the crowd, we’re really proud.”
You are playing for a championship. Let’s keep  digging and see what is thereMikel Arteta
Long-time Prem leaders Arsenal have reignited their title hopes alive after three successive draws were followed by a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad.
Yesterday’s victory followed the Gunners’ 3-1  win over Chelsea last Tuesday.
And Arteta said: “It feels very different to ten days ago.
“We are there and we want to keep digging. The prize is there, it is not too far.
“The only thing we can do is not turn our backs, keep going and let’s see what happens.
“We have done it for ten months and we have to keep digging every day.
“The demands are incredibly high. There are three games to go and we are still there.
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“Before the game, I felt  I would put my boots on  because the atmosphere was incredible.
“That is what you want. You are playing for a championship. Let’s keep  digging and see what is there.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED fans are convinced team-mates are sick of David de Gea’s blunders.That’s after spotting Marcus Rashford’s damning reaction to his costly mistake against West Ham.
Fans reckon Man Utd players are fed up of David de Gea’s costly mistakesCredit: Reuters
Marcus Rashford’s reaction seemed to speak a thousand wordsCredit: Sky Sports
Spanish goalie De Gea is hoping to extend his Old Trafford stay for another year with a new contract.
But he did himself no favours with a shocking howler in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat in east London.
Just weeks after messing up in United’s Europa League exit to Sevilla, De Gea was at fault again as Said Benrahma struck the only goal of the game on Sunday.
The winger fired off a scuffed effort at United’s goal after a surging dribble.
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And De Gea merely had to palm the ball away in what should have been a routine save.
But his left foot appeared to slip as he made the dive, leading to De Gea turning the ball into his own net.
It was just the latest in a string of terrible mistakes.
And pictures showed teammate Rashford staring at boss Erik ten Hag while holding his hands on his head.
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De Gea’s terrible error handed West Ham a 1-0 win over the Red DevilsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
United fans now believe Rashford and Co are fed up of seeing De Gea cost them matches.
One said: “It’s demoralising to players when keepers make a mess of what appears to be a routine save.”
Another declared: “He’s looking at the gaffer like we need a new goalkeeper.”
One noted: “Man’s looking at the manager like ‘did you see that’, actually hilarious.”
Another added: “The way Rashford and Ten Hag are looking at each other.”
Meanwhile, Ten Hag refused to stick the boot into De Gea, explaining: “We have the most clean sheets in the Premier League and we wouldn’t be in this position without him.
We want De Gea to stay and extend his contractErik ten Hag
“Mistakes happen but he has my full belief and I have no concerns about him. We want him to stay and extend his contract.
“Nothing changes. We could have made it easier with a result but we need three wins in four games and everything is still in our hands.
“We started well, created chances and dictated the game but then just like at Brighton in midweek one individual mistake cost us.
“We have to learn to stay calm and composed. We had some chances but we have to create more.
“Now, for the first time since Christmas, we have a full week to reset, reload and get the energy back to keep going.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. What we need is for everyone to stick together, for individuals to take responsibility and if we play as a team we will get the points we need.”
Read More on The Sun
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand said after the game: “De Gea has made a mistake today but that’s not the area I question him. Is he good enough a footballer to play for Manchester United?”
But captain Bruno Fernandes said: “We don’t need to focus on that mistake. He’s saved us so many times.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED blew the top four race wide open as they crashed to defeat at West Ham.David de Gea’s horror mistake allowed Hammers star Said Benrahma to score the only goal of the game.
David de Gea’s mistake saw West Ham beat Man Utd 1-0Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
United were once again unable to take their chances in the box while struggling to defend their own.
And they will now be looking nervously over their shoulder after Liverpool won yet again yesterday.
But who was United’s best player today? And did anyone have a game to forget?
Here, SunSport’s Anthony Chapman delivers his Man Utd player ratings…
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DAVID DE GEA – 2
Shocking error saw West Ham take lead through Said Benrahma’s hopeful shot from distance.
Goalie cost his side the result, having also been at fault in Europa League exit, and has left fans swearing over Champions League football next season.
AARON WAN-BISSAKA – 7
Ran his heart out for side yet again and saved team’s skin with tactical yellow on Michail Antonio.
But didn’t show enough going forward down the right.
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VICTOR LINDELOF – 6
Resurgence continues with another decent display at the back.
However, he lacks extra killer instinct like Lisandro Martinez and wasn’t sharp enough closing down.
LUKE SHAW – 5
Hard to be continually impressive when played out of position.
Still looked to be suffering after late Brighton win and didn’t look comfortable.
TYRELL MALACIA – 5
Starting to make a case that he may be too lightweight for Prem.
Work rate isn’t in doubt but lacked the quality to make a difference.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was United’s best player on the pitchCredit: EPA
CASEMIRO – 6
Midfield general quiet by his usual standards.
Threw himself about but could not initiate any attacks like usual.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN – 5
Still progressing after his lengthy injury layoff.
Kept the ball quite well yet final pass was always lacking.
ANTONY – 6
Some nice dribbles and feints by the speedy Brazilian today.
Looked like United’s main threat for most of the match.
WOUT WEGHORST – 4
Deployed as a No10 to get amongst West Ham’s midfield duo of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
But offered nothing in the deep role and did his chances of staying at United permanently little good.
Wout Weghorst was poor in his No10 roleCredit: Getty
BRUNO FERNANDES – 5
Looked to pull the strings from a wide position as he set up on the left flank.
However, he struggled to find teammates and looked generally uncomfortable cutting inside.
MARCUS RASHFORD – 6
Given the role of central speedster in order to play off the shoulders of Nayef Aguerd and Angelo Ogbonna.
Dragged the defence around on several occasions but was never able to get foot through ball.
SUBS
Anthony Martial (for Weghorst, 57’) – 5
Made very little difference when he came on.
Antony (for Sancho, 75’) – N/A
Marcel Sabitzer (for Eriksen, 75’) – N/A
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Diogo Dalot (for Wan-Bissaka, 88’) – N/A
Fred (for Malacia, 88’) – N/A More