The Spoiler

Didier Drogba in AC Milan swap deal, Malouda’s new contract and Carly Zucker


Also appearing on a computer near you…

NFL star Terrell Owens finds swimsuit model Joanna Krupa a pleasure to work with
[WithLeather]

Danijel Pranjic pays €700,000 of his own money to join Bayern Munich
[Dirty Tackle]

Chelsea may swap Didier Drogba for webcam fan Pat
[The Telegraph]

Joe Cole’s wife Carly Zucker defends her right to not contribute to society
[Kickette]

Florent Malouda signs a new contract
[Goal.com]

An Aussie rules player has been suspended for whipping his junk out live on TV
[SportsByBrooks]

Despite coming into contact with Paris Hilton, Cristiano Ronaldo has passed his Real Madrid medical
[The Guardian]

2 CommentsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 by Ryan Bailey

Ancelotti agrees to three-year Chelsea deal, targets £20m Arsenal striker


Reports claim Milan boss has already named his transfer targets

Carlo Ancelotti

AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to take charge of Chelsea in the summer, on the condition that he is given £50 million to revamp the squad, according to the Daily Telegraph:

An agreement has now been reached with the AC Milan coach, who is understood to have finally made a commitment to leave the San Siro and join Chelsea on a three-year contract.

As part of the negotiations the Italian has been promised the funds to land four high-profile players. The significant spending spree will, also, reaffirm owner Roman Abramovich’s commitment after another season of upheaval.

The newspaper claims that Emmanuel Adebayor, who AC Milan tried to sign last summer, Yuri Zhirkov and

Read more

1 CommentTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: April 17th, 2009 by Ryan Bailey

Premier League sides cure international break boredom with a training ground match


West Ham fans miss their first win over Chelsea in six years

The Spoiler can’t stand the monotony of international breaks where nothing ever happens in the week building up to the game and it looks like Chelsea and West Ham feel the same way.

Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke took a group of players who aren’t off gallivanting with their national teams - including Luis Boa Morte, Kieron Dyer and Savio - to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground to have a kickaround with the likes of Alex, Florent Malouda and Ricardo Quaresma.

The Hammers were 4-2 victors thanks largely to youngster Junior Stanislas but any sense of achievement in beating the Blues for the first time since 2003 was tempered by the fact Ray Wilkins was managing the opposition.

Add CommentTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: March 27th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn

Chelsea transfer news: Florent Malouda out, £25m Brazilian sensation in


That’ll be Dani Alves, not Robinho

Dani Alves

In August 2007, Chelsea attempted to acquire the services of Brazilian defender Daniel Alves from Seville. The Spanish club were insulted by the Blues’ low offer (£13.5m), and Alves made a €29m move to Barcelona the following summer, becoming the world’s most expensive right back.

The Mirror today claim the West London club are chasing the Brazilian once again, but The Spoiler has detected three obstacles for the deal: Barcelona do not need to sell, he has a whopping £90m price clause in his four-year contract, and Manchester City are also said to be sniffing around.

Meanwhile, reports are surfacing concerning the future of Florent Malouda. According to The Sun, Juventus have made contact with the Frenchman’s representatives, and are preparing an £11m summer bid.

Spoiler bonus:
Check out some Dani Alves video highlights after the jump…

Read more

2 CommentsTags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted: March 17th, 2009 by Ryan Bailey

Who will come and go in Chelsea’s summer clear-out?


Chairman Peter Buck plans departures and up to five new arrivals

Bruce Buck

Roman Abramovich’s wallet doesn’t open quite as often as it used to, but that won’t stop Chelsea playing a major role in the transfer market in the summer. Blues chairman Bruce Buck has today said the club will sign up to five new players for 2009/10, preferably using “internally generated cash”. Said cash will be generated by offloading some of their current stars:

We haven’t properly got together to talk about summer transfers yet, but I think that we could expect that several players will leave and that several players will come in.”"I don’t know whether that is three, four or five, but something in that kind of neighbourhood, so we can expect a handful to leave.

With Buck’s comments in mind, The Spoiler has compiled a list of the five players we expect Chelsea to part with, and five fresh faces that could soon call Stamford Bridge home…

OUT

Florent Malouda
Most Chelsea fans hate the Frenchman, and he has said he will move if he doesn’t regain his place. He has also expressed an interest in joining Juventus.

Branislav Ivanovic
The defender has made just six league starts in almost fourteen months and the emergence of Michael Mancienne means Chelsea have four other centre-backs to choose from.

Michael Ballack
The German is out of contract in the summer and could struggle

Read more

5 CommentsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: March 3rd, 2009 by Ryan Bailey

Phil Scolari reveals his unhappiness at Chelsea, criticises Drogba and Malouda


Brazilian admits he had no rapport with players

Big Phil Scolari

The folks at France Football magazine has a knack of extracting unusually honest quotes from those in the world of football, and they have excelled themselves in their latest interview with Big Phil Scolari.

The former Chelsea boss opened up to the French mag before he was sacked, admitting that he had no relationship with players off the field:

“In Brazil (as a club manager) it was also easier. I knew everything about the players. Here, I don’t have a family relation with the players. Everything is on the pitch. Outside, there is nothing.”

The Brazilian manager also expressed his disappointment at the club’s failure to capture Robinho:

“In the past (Arjen) Robben was at Chelsea and he could make the difference. But now there is no-one.

“Robinho could have been this player. He is not afraid to dribble, to take a risk, As a Brazilian, I like this.

“My team isn’t Brazilian enough. It is a ‘bureaucratic’ team.

Read more

2 CommentsTags: , , , , , ,

Posted: February 13th, 2009 by Ryan Bailey

Is Big Phil Scolari facing a dressing room revolt?


Chelsea gaffer reportedly facing pressure from his players

Luiz Felipe Scolari

After winning just one game on the last four, Chelsea fans are starting to turn on their World Cup winning leader, and today The Times are reporting that Big Phil is also beginning to lose the confidence of his players.

The newspaper claims players have questioned Scolari’s tactics throughout the season: for example, they sarcastically asked him if he knew Chelsea were chasing the game against Arsenal last month when he brought on Florent Malouda and inexperienced Miroslav Stoch. Criticism was also levelled at the Brazilian last weekend, when

Read more

3 CommentsTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: December 17th, 2008 by Ryan Bailey

The Spoiler’s top ten Premier League scapegoats


The men who have shouldered the blame this season

Scapegoat

On matchday, Premier League football fans need three things to sustain their interest in the beautiful game: an overpriced ticket for a flimsy plastic seat, a weak pint (to be consumed away from the playing surface, Mr Ashley) and a good scapegoat on which to blame the entire team’s shortcomings.

Here’s the top ten players and managers who have been made to bear the brunt of their club’s collective sins in 2008/09 thus far…


Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal)

The Spoiler’s Arsenal correspondent claims that Bendtner has overtaken Emmanuel Eboue in the Emirates scapegoat stakes, being vilified to such an extent on Saturday that Emmanuel Adebayor received a hero’s reception when he was brought off the bench to offer some firepower.

Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)
Heurelho Gomes has put in a sturdy challenge in recent weeks but he still has a fair way to go before toppling Jenas, who has been the main subject of clenched fists and growling at White Hart Lane for a few years now.

Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
Apparently being the midfielder who has provided the most assists in the Premier League this season isn’t enough to save you from abuse when you occasionally misplace a pass or have the audacity to have a shot saved.

Luis Boa Morte (West Ham)
Holds the dubious honour of being one of the only players in the world

Read more

1 CommentTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted: November 19th, 2008 by Ryan Bailey