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      Roman Abramovich refused to make any transfers with Tottenham, as Carlton Cole revealed he blocked move

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      ROMAN ABRAMOVICH refused to sell any of his former Chelsea stars to rivals Tottenham – and even blocked Carlton Cole’s switch.The former Blues striker revealed the Russian oligarch – who bought the West Londoners in 2003 – would not sanction any deal with Spurs.
      Chelsea”s former owner Roman Abramovich refused to do business with SpursCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Carlton Cole, second left, in his Chelsea heyday, had agreed a move to Spurs but ex-Blues owner Roman Abramovich rejected itCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Cole, speaking on talkSPORT, said: “I almost joined Spurs. I went and did my medical and everything.
      “Roman Abramovich found out and he said ‘you’ve got to come back, you’re not joining them’.
      “He said ‘you can’t go to Spurs, I don’t do business with them’.”
      The only Chelsea player in the Abramovich era to join Tottenham was Carlo Cudicini, with the reserve keeper allowed to leave on a free transfer in 2009.
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      Cole revealed that Abramovich tried to get him to move to Russia instead.
      He continued: “‘I’ve got an alternative for you’ [said Abramovich]. I drive back to Stamford Bridge with my uncle and my dad.
      “He had his interpreter with him. Roman Abramovich was there, we were talking. I was saying ‘where am I going?’
      “He said, ‘I will give you a new contract but you’ve got to go to CSKA Moscow. His other team.
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      “I was trying to get into the England team. Those days you could not go abroad. If you go abroad you don’t get in the England team.
      “So I said to him, ‘I ain’t going to CSKA Moscow, pal.”
      Spurs and Chelsea have had a bitter rivalry on and off the pitch.
      Feelings escalated on the pitch, resulting in the Battle of the Bridge in 2016 when several players from both sides clashed.
      Abramovich was close to buying Spurs before he took over at the Blues.
      He was thought to have picked Chelsea only when they qualified for the Champions League in the 2002-03 season under Claudio Ranieri.
      It started an obsession with the English Premier League which after two decades resulted in multiple top-flight crowns and two Champions League titles.
      But the party ended for Roman, who was forced to sell up last year.

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      Cole, who came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge, eventually left the club in 2006 to join West Ham.
      He has previously revealed he left after a lack of first-team opportunities at Chelsea.
      Cole left Chelsea in 2006 to join West Ham, where he scored 68 goals in 293 gamesCredit: Getty More

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      I shared a Premier League dressing-room at Watford – players had disgraceful attitudes and the manager was miserable

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      DAN GOSLING has launched a scathing attack on Watford’s relegation season, hitting out at the “disgraceful attitudes” of the “worst dressing room” he has been in and a “miserable” Claudio Ranieri.The Hornets finished 15 points clear of safety last season and worked their way through THREE managers.
      Dan Gosling has hit out at the bad attitudes in Watford’s dressing room last seasonCredit: Rex
      Gosling has also slammed Claudio Ranieri for his role in Watford’s relegationCredit: Reuters
      Gosling started the season under Xisco Munoz, who was replaced by Ranieri before Roy Hodgson took the club back down to the Championship.
      The midfielder was axed from the club’s 25-man squad by Ranieri and said the Italian’s spell was the worst time of his career.
      Gosling was reinstated after Ashley Fletcher left the club but hit out at players who didn’t care for or fight for Watford as they dropped back to the second tier.
      He said: “We had players walking into training saying they’d had enough now.
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      “The team was down and we had players that knew they’d be leaving. Players were saying ‘well I’ve played 20 games, the team is down, I’m done here and someone else can have a go’.
      “I thought that attitude was a disgrace. There were a lot of disgraceful attitudes here last season and that’s ultimately the reason we went down.
      “It wasn’t a question of ability. Maybe some players didn’t always hit the levels they are capable of, but it was the attitude of individuals that did for us.
      “It was a real disgrace, easily the worst dressing room I’ve ever been a part of. So now that we’re clearing the decks and trying to build something new is refreshing.”
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      Under Ranieri, Watford lost 11 of his 14 games in charge, winning just twice.
      Speaking to the Watford Observer, Gosling said: “That time with Ranieri was just really unenjoyable.
      “The training we did, the spirit they created, the staff that came with him – the whole thing was just miserable. They were miserable, and it made it miserable.
      “I was surprised they lasted four months to be honest. I have been in football a long time, and so have a few boys in the squad, and that time was as bad as it can get.”
      ROY METHODS OUTDATED
      The Italian was then replaced by Hodgson, who came out of retirement with long-time assistant Ray Lewington in a bid to keep them up.
      Gosling acknowledges that the ex-England boss was an upgrade on Ranieri but felt his methods too were outdated and that the veteran checked out before the end of the season.
      He said: “To be fair to Roy, what he did in training was very repetitive, but at least it was game-like situations. You do need to freshen it up a bit though. This is 2022.
      “Roy and Ray gave it a good go at the start, but after a while they seemed to give up as well. When you see that, and you see and hear arguments – well, what chance have you got?” More

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      Chelsea star Loftus-Cheek was bossed off pitch by Dele Alli in youth football but showboating put top clubs off

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      DELE ALLI once fought for a starting place in the centre of England’s midfield with Ruben Loftus-Cheek… but at schoolboy level there was no contest, according to his former coach.When the Spurs star was playing youth football at MK Dons, he came up against the giant Chelsea prospect when the pair were just young teens.
      Dan Micciche was Dele Alli’s coach and mentor at MK Dons
      Dele Alli joins in the celebrations as England beat TunisiaCredit: Alamy Live News
      Alli, who hasn’t played for England since 2019, and his team mates bossed Loftus-Cheek & Co in an exciting 3- 3 draw, according to his former coach and mentor Dan Micciche and the playmaker continued to rise to any challenges put in front of him ever since.
      Micciche, 43, took the talented youngster under his wing when he was 12 years old and witnessed Alli’s meteoric rise to the top.
      The former Head of Academy coach at the Bucks club, who is now assistant manager at Crawley Town, told SunSport in 2018 how he encouraged Alli to be a free spirit on the pitch.
      Micciche also revealed that top clubs snubbed the playmaker, currently struggling on loan at Besiktas from Everton, when he was a youngster because they thought he was flash and showboated too much.
      Dele Alli has struggled to get into the England team since 2019
      As a fresh-faced 13-year-old, Dele Alli had big dreams of becoming a pro
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      “The bigger the club we played, the better he performed,” Micciche said.
      “You could go to tough places away from home and he’d have no fear at all.
      “I saw him go to Aston Villa, at a time when they were in various FA Youth Cup finals and had a decent side.
      “They had England Youth international Dan Crowley, but Dele was better.
      “We played Tottenham in front of 5,000 people and Dele was up against the very talented Harry Winks and Josh Onomah, but Dele got the better of them and was instrumental in a 4 – 1 win.
      As a precocious talent, Dele Alli (front row, third from right) was the jewel of MK Dons youth team
      “And even Chelsea away, against his England rival Ruben, he completely bossed the game.
      “He just loved a challenge where he could prove he was better than others at higher profile clubs.”
      Micciche, who also worked with the likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Phil Foden at England Under-16 level, was well aware he had a special talent on his hands, believing Alli’s raw skill had to be handled accordingly.
      That’s why the English coach, born to Italian migrants, let his star pupil play how he wanted to.
      “He was very different to most academy kids at that age.
      Playing with freedom at MK Dons allowed Alli thriveCredit: Richard Parkes
      Karl Robinson handed Dele Alli his first team break at MK DonsCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “Dele was more of a street player, very skilful, tried things which other kids wouldn’t attempt to try.
      “His thinking was very advanced, in terms of his awareness and creativity. He had very good feet and was always good in tight areas.
      “Ironically, the first game I saw him play was against Tottenham’s Under-12s. He caught my eye straight away, nutmegging people and he was very confident – scooping the ball over people’s heads, using the outside of his foot.
      “A lot of coaches might’ve thought he showboated too much and was flash.
      “But they were the sort of things that would get me off my seat and excite me as a coach, so I was very accepting of that and didn’t want to take that part out of his game.
      Dele Alli’s career has hit the skids since falling out of formCredit: Getty
      Ruben Loftus-Cheek stars for England at the 2018 World CupCredit: AFP or licensors
      “He’s more of a team player now and more disciplined in and out of possession. But when he was younger, he was more of an individual.
      “I didn’t make him a better technical player, he didn’t need that from me.
      “He needed to develop his strengths into super strengths and be put in an environment where he continued to love the club, practice and the game.
      “To sum it up, Dele needed to be put in an environment which would stimulate him to improve.”
      Dele Alli learned tactical awareness, had love and support and was challenged by coach Dan Micciche
      To keep his star man on his toes, Micciche often played Alli against opposition players that were three, four-years older than him.
      The pioneering trainer also tested his apprentice in matches starting with just ten men and playing on different size pitches.
      Nothing fazed the boy at all. But despite his advanced ability, a lot of big clubs were cautious of taking a punt on him before Tottenham eventually stepped in.
      “When I first went to MK Dons in 2007, I read Dele’s report that the previous coach had written,” Micciche told SunSport.
      In his younger years, Dele Alli had a tendency to over dribbleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “It said, ‘Needs to learn when to dribble, when to pass.’ What they were basically saying was he dribbled too much.
      “But I was never going to restrict his touches. I just had to find other ways for him to share the ball more and be a better team player over time, as development is a long term process.
      “But I didn’t want to take away his individual ability.
      “I think you’d lose him, his quality and his motivation for the game by doing that anyway.
      “But that’s why he didn’t have clubs or England youth scouts queuing up for him.
      Because he tended to showboat, Dele Alli put off a lot of big clubs in his youth days
      “How Dele played, dependant on what day you saw him play, could’ve put scouts off him.
      “Dele would do a Cruyff turn, get tackled and the other team might score or nearly score. Scouts might put in their report, ‘Takes too many risks’ or ‘Tries to do the wrong things in the wrong areas’.
      “Whereas, I wouldn’t have discouraged him from those things. For me, there is no right or wrong part of the pitch to do a Cruyff turn, it’s whether it works or not and you have to help him find solutions with his thinking that can work in the future.
      “Managing mistakes effectively becomes key and you have to consistently embrace and demand creativity.”
      Dele Alli has often credited Dan Micciche for his role in his development
      Alli’s temperament has been called into question on the pitch before – his spiky attitude often landing him in trouble with Premier League referees.
      That was a part of his game Micciche admitted he had to carefully manage.
      “Dele was a doer,” he said.
      “Some kids at youth level will ask a lot of questions, there’s a lot of dialogue and they can take longer taking things on board.
      Dele Alli didn’t ask many questions as a rising talent, he was “a doer”, according to his former coachCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Dele Alli celebrates gaining promotion to the Championship with MK Dons in 2015Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      “But with Dele, his learning style was, ‘Quickly tell me what you want to do, so I can play longer.’ And that’s what he likes.
      “He could take a bit of tough love too due to our close connection and trust. I’d stick him in sin bins and that could be perceived as being harsh on him.
      “But it was with the thought of putting in some boundaries and telling him you wouldn’t get away with it at first team level.
      “I think where you get his respect is you adopt that approach with all the players. There was never any favouritism towards him, so he was aware of that.”
      Deli Alli during the 2018 World CupCredit: Getty Images
      Dele Alli in action against Tunisia in the 2018 World CupCredit: Reuters
      As well as controlling Alli’s attitude on the pitch, Micciche was keen to install tactical discipline into the promising youngster.
      A system was developed that helped Alli understand the central midfield role better.
      “What he’d end up doing was everyone’s job for them, because he didn’t trust his teammates at first.
      “I used to strip the pitch in three. I’d tell him when we had the ball he could go anywhere he wanted within those three channels.
      Dele Alli’s 16 league goals helped MK Dons go up from League OneCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “When we haven’t got the ball, you could only stay in the middle channel. I didn’t want him pressing the full-backs or pressing wingers, that wasn’t his job and it allowed him to conserve his energy to do what he did best.”
      Alli’s tough upbringing has been well-documented. Born to Nigerian father Kehinde and English mother Denise, his dad moved to the States just weeks after his birth.
      He was first raised by his mum, an alcoholic, before moving to Africa aged nine to be with his old man.
      Alli spent two years studying at an international school before returning to Milton Keynes to live with Denise.
      At Spurs, Dele Alli took on a bigger challenge but suffered with his form and was sold to EvertonCredit: AP:Associated Press
      “Football was his escape and release,” Micciche said.
      “Where I got it right with him was separating anything else from the football and actually realising the academy and the club were his safe place.
      “He could be himself there, but he probably couldn’t do that at school where there’s lots of rules and he had to conform a lot.
      “With us, we gave him a lot of freedom on the pitch, we allowed him to express himself. It was a safe, not a soft environment.
      Now living the lifestyle of a Premier League footballer, Dele Alli can afford to fly in private jetsCredit: Instagram @Dele
      Dele Alli regularly featured in advertising campaigns when he was England’s poster boyCredit: Instagram @Dele
      “He could do what he wanted and turned up when he wanted within reason and the philosophy of the academy, but at the same time, if he missed training or was late, you have to remember he’s not the one who drives the car.
      “You can’t put the blame on him. He didn’t have the support network to get there half an hour before training starts.”
      However, Alli’s saving grace came in the shape of Alan and Sally Hickford, parents of another MK Dons prospect, Harry Hickford, who England’s number 20 calls his “brother”.
      They adopted Alli when he was 13 and he’s never looked back since.
      Dele Alli is close to Harry Hickford, parents of the foster family that cared for the England star from the age of 13Credit: Instagram @harryhickford_
      Through the years, Dele Alli has often called Harry Hickford his brotherCredit: Instagram @Dele
      Micciche added: “The Hickfords were incredibly loving and supportive people who did everything to ensure Dele was safe.
      “Thanks to them, he developed into a well-mannered and educated young person.”
      Since making his debut aged just 16 for the MK Dons, Alli’s continued to impress football fans all around the globe.
      He moved to Tottenham, courtesy of high profile scout Paul Mitchell now at Red Bull Leipzig.
      Alli was once one of the most promising talents in the Premier League but suffered inconsistent form in recent years, losing his place in the England set-up.
      He failed to hit the ground running since Mauricio Pochettino left, being largely overlooked by Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo, before Antonio Conte made the decision to sell him to Everton.
      However, he has since been frozen out at Besiktas, with the Turkish side claiming he has been under-whelmed by his performances, as his career remains in limbo.
      Becoming a footballing icon, Dele Alli has his own clothing range with boohooMANCredit: Instagram @Dele
      Dele Alli has the capabilities of playing for any team in the world, according to a former MK Dons coachCredit: Getty – Contributor More

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      Neymar names dream five-a-side team with PSG team-mate Lionel Messi – but picks Paul Pogba instead of a keeper

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      DREAMS do come true – or at least they do for Neymar.When asked to pick his perfect five-a-side selection in 2020 he selected Lionel Messi – who he plays alongside at PSG.

      But the Brazilian forgot to select a goalkeeper.
      Kylian Mbappe and Eden Hazard made the cut as the Brazilian insisted upon a forward thinking set-up that leaves Paul Pogba as the most defensive player.
      In fairness, any side facing such a team would probably never get the ball off them anyway.
      Another of Neymar’s former Barcelona colleagues Luis Suarez features with Mbappe also joining the winger.
      No Brazil stars were selected by the 31-year-old because he was asked not to in the chat with Red Bull.
      Neymar also selected a five-a-side team based on retired players and that too showed disregard for all things defence.
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      Four Premier League legends were called up: Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.
      Spanish playmaker legend and Barcelona boss, Xavi completed that quintet as once again a goalkeeper went missing.
      Neymar forms one part of PSG’s lethal forward trio alongside Messi and Mbappe.
      Despite being constantly linked with a return to Barcelona for the past couple of seasons, Neymar has stuck it out in Ligue 1.
      And with Barcelona now financially crippled, it seems highly unlikely the flamboyant attacker will be heading back to the Nou Camp any time soon.

      But fresh reports claim new PSG sporting director Luis Campos is ready to sell Neymar for the right price. Campos appointed Christophe Galtier as the club’s new boss.
      And before the transfer window closed in January, Neymar was said to have been offered to Premier League clubs, including Chelsea.
      However, there were no takers – possibly put off by his staggering £600,000-per-week salary. More

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      Inside Man City’s wages with £375k-a-week Erling Haaland second behind captain Kevin De Bruyne as highest-earner

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      ERLING HAALAND might be best goalscorer in English football but he is still only Manchester City’s second highest earner.The Norwegian forward has taken the league by storm since his £51million summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

      Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland are City’s top two earnersCredit: Rex
      City beat off interest from all of Europe’s elite clubs to secure Haaland’s signature on a five-year, £375,000-a-week contract.
      The 22-year-old has instantly begun repaying them, scoring 42 goals in his first 37 competitive matches for Pep Guardiola’s side.
      Only Kevin De Bruyne earns more than Haaland at the Etihad.
      The City skipper penned a four-year £400,000-a-week deal in April 2021, as per Spotrac.
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      De Bruyne, 31, is the Prem’s highest earning player – having previously only been behind axed Manchester United misfit Cristiano Ronaldo – who pocketed £500k prior to his Old Trafford departure.
      Third on the list is £100m signing Jack Grealish.
      The England international signed a £300,000-a-week deal when he left boyhood club Aston Villa for City in 2021.
      Grealish’s fellow Three Lions ace John Stones, as well as Joao Cancelo, are next, with the defenders reportedly pocketing £250,000 a week each. Although Cancelo’s wages are currently being partly paid at Bayern Munich, who he joined on loan in January.
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      Phil Foden is next on £225,000 a week, having finally penned a new deal last October.
      Midfielder Rodri takes home £220,000 a week, while summer signing Manuel Akanji is reportedly on £180,000 after his switch from Dortmund.
      Ruben Dias signed a six-year deal on £180,000 a week in August 2021.
      Riyad Mahrez and Kyle Walker reportedly pocket £160,000 a week each.
      While summer recruit Kalvin Phillips is claimed to be earning £150,000 a week at Eastlands, with Bernardo Silva pocketing the same amount.
      Last season’s final day title hero Ilkay Gundogan is on a £140,000-a-week deal – with Aymeric Laporte on £120,000.
      No1 goalkeeper Ederson reportedly makes £100,000 a week – with his deputy Stefan Ortega on £55,000.
      Nathan Ake signed a £92,308 weekly deal after his switch from Bournemouth.

      Promising World Cup-winning forward Julian Alvarez joined on a £50,000 weekly deal – with veteran reserve goalkeeper Scott Carson on £30,000.
      Academy graduate Cole Palmer is on £20,000 a-week
      Jack Grealish and John Stones are among City’s highest earnersCredit: The Times More

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      Ex-Chelsea stars who left West London and became world class, like Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and Declan Rice

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      EVERY time Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah put in a Man of the Match performance, Chelsea fans are hit with a pinch of ‘what might have been’.Unfortunately for Blues supporters, those two are now undisputed world superstars.
      De Bruyne has evolved into arguably the best midfielder on the planet since leaving ChelseaCredit: AFP
      Nathan Ake stars for Man City and HollandCredit: Getty
      But, before they reached their current elite level, they were once allowed to leave Stamford Bridge as underplayed, underachieving youngsters.
      And they’re not the only two either.
      We’ve taken a look at SIX players who could have been starring in West London, if they had not failed to make the grade at Chelsea before going on to become superstars elsewhere.
      It’s enough to make you weep… if you’re a Blues fan that is.
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      NATHAN AKE
      THE Dutch defender joined Chelsea’s youth ranks from Feyenoord in 2011, before moving to the senior squad a year later.
      But Ake made just seven appearances for the Blues in the Premier League and was loaned out to Reading, Watford and Bournemouth.
      Ake eventually found a permanent home on the south coast and became a star for the Cherries.
      Bournemouth fought hard to keep Ake for three years – in which he played over 100 times in the Premier League.
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      But with Manchester United and City both knocking, the Cherries eventually cashed in to the tune of £40m following their relegation in the summer.
      Now at the Etihad, Ake has helped Guardiola’s City to two Premier League title wins.
      KEVIN DE BRUYNE
      NOW quite possibly the best midfielder on the planet, it’s barely-believable De Bruyne was a Chelsea misfit.
      Having signed from Belgian side Genk in 2011-12, the now-Manchester City star played just two Premier League games for the Blues.
      On the periphery of the first-team squad, De Bruyne was loaned to Werder Bremen, before being sold to Wolfsburg for just £16.7m.
      There, De Bruyne’s class shone through and his career took off, joining City for £55million in 2015.
      The pass-master has won three Premier League trophies at City in easily the club’s greatest era.
      MOHAMED SALAH
      SALAH joined Chelsea from Basel in 2014 – but played just 13 times in the league, scoring twice.
      In 2015 and 2016, the Egyptian was loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma – before joining the latter permanently, in a deal worth around £11m.
      After just one season in the Italian capital, Liverpool were surprise suitors, bringing Salah back to the Premier League in a deal worth £36.7m.
      In his first season at the Reds, Salah broke the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season.
      In his second campaign, he won the Champions League.
      And in his third, Salah inspired Liverpool to Premier League success.
      Salah is now easily ranked as one of the world’s best forwards – and will always be the one who got away from Chelsea.
      Salah has gone from strength to strength since leaving ChelseaCredit: AFP
      DECLAN RICE
      THE England international and his family were all huge Blues and he must have thought he was well on his way of achieving his childhood dream of playing for them when he was signed to their academy.
      But the midfielder was released by Chelsea aged 14 back in 2013.
      The determined star was not to be deterred, and after a successful trial, he was quickly snapped up by West Ham.
      Rice has not looked back since and has progressed through the ranks in East London and broke into their first-team at the end of the 2016-17 season.
      He is now the stand-out performer for the Hammers on an almost weekly basis, and one of the first names on the team sheet for England.
      Those displays caught the eye of several big boys, including Arsenal and Manchester United, but it is Chelsea who desperately want him to return.
      Declan Rice was released by Chelsea aged 14 but is now a star at West HamCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      NEMANJA MATIC
      SIGNED from now-defunct Slovak side Kosice in 2009, Matic was tipped to become an attacking midfield superstar at the Blues.
      The Serbian midfielder had played just twice in the Premier League and was loaned out to Vitesse in Holland.
      But after two years – and a switch to a more defensive role – Matic was sold to Benfica as part of the 2011 deal that saw David Luiz arrive at Stamford Bridge.
      But after starring at Benfica, Chelsea splashed out £21m – nearly 20 times what they initially bought him for – to re-sign him in 2014.
      Matic would later join Man Utd in 2017 but has now reunited with Jose Mourinho at Roma.
      Nemanja Matic left and rejoined Chelsea for nearly 20 times the original feeCredit: Getty
      TARIQ LAMPTEY
      THE full-back is another one that got away after his departure from Chelsea in 2020.
      He joined their academy aged just eight and won a host of honours alongside the likes of Tammy Abraham and Reece James on their rise through the youth ranks.
      Tariq Lamptey has suggested that he moved away from Chelsea in order to take his career to the next level.  The 22-year-old is a product of the Blues youth development system, having joined the club when he was just 8-years-old.
      Lamptey was promoted to the Blues first-team in 2019 after the arrival of Lampard in the dug-out.
      But he failed to receive as much game time as some of his other fellow academy graduates, making just one Premier League appearance for the club last season. 
      Brighton came in for Lamptey and Chelsea were happy to do business and cash-in on the youngster for £4m on deadline day.
      But since then he has blossomed for the Seagulls with a series of stunning displays, leading to speculation he could even be on the verge of a senior international call-up.
      Arsenal were linked with a swoop for the starlet, who Chelsea failed to include a buy-back option as part of his exit, but he committed his future to Brighton last year by penning a new long-term contract.

      Explaining his decision to quit Chelsea, he said: “I had to look at where I would get the most football and how I could take my game to the next level.
      “I sat down with the coaches, family members and agents and thought about what’s best for me. It was a really tough decision.”
      Tariq Lamptey has blossomed at Brighton since his Chelsea exitCredit: Getty More

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      UFC chief Dana White claimed rapper 50 Cent kick-started negotiations for Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather

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      RAPPER 50 Cent kick-started the negotiations for Floyd Mayweather to fight UFC legend Conor McGregor.The two mavericks met in a blockbuster crossover bout in August 2017, with Money Mayweather winning by 10th round stoppage.
      50 Cent kick-started the negotiations for Floyd Mayweather to fight Conor McGregorCredit: Getty – Contributor
      UFC boss Dana White helped promote the 2017 crossover eventCredit: USA TODAY Sports
      It marked an end to months of build-up and trash-talking between the pair, with the event gripping both fighting codes.
      But UFC president Dana White revealed a chance meeting with 50 Cent – a long-time friend of Mayweather’s – was the catalyst for the super-fight taking place.
      White told ESPN: “When the demand is there. I felt the demand for McGregor vs Mayweather, felt it, I knew it would be big, so we started talking.
      “I bumped into 50 Cent in New York, and he said, ‘Floyd wants to fight your boy.’ I said, ‘My boy who?’
      “He’s like, ‘The Irish kid.’ And I’m like, ‘He’ll kill him,’ because I’m thinking MMA.
      “He said, ‘We’ll box him.’ I said, ‘You guys are crazy.’
      “He said, ‘He’s serious. I’ll call him right now.’

      “And then that’s how it all really got started. And then everywhere I went, it was all anybody asked me about.
      “Then once I started to really feel it, that’s when I started to take it serious, and I made an offer.”
      After Mayweather beat McGregor on the Irishman’s boxing debut he officially retired from the sport.
      He returned at the end of 2018 for an exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo.
      The now 46-year-old announced he was ‘coming out of retirement in 2020’ to work on a ‘spectacular event’ with White in 2021.
      UFC boss White revealed: “We both started talking. The easiest way to explain it to you is Floyd and I both feel that we add value to each other, and we’re going to figure something out.
      “Some things have to play out, and then I’m going to start talking to [Mayweather’s advisor Al] Haymon maybe this summer and then I’ll have something for Floyd in the fall.
      “We can do some crossover stuff here or we can do something in boxing.
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      “Our last experience, Floyd was actually pretty easy to deal with. Haymon is incredible to deal with.
      “Floyd and I got a handshake deal at the basketball game, and we’ll get the rest figured out.”
      However, since that claiom Mayweather has fought exhibitions against Logan Paul, Don Moore, Mikuru Asakura, Deji Olatunji and most recently Aaron Chalmers at the O2 Arena in London.
      Mayweather claimed he is coming out of retirement to work with WhiteCredit: Splash News More