Arsenal’s winter signing Pablo Mari is aiming to emulate the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla by staying put with the Gunners for an extended period of time. The Spaniard was an unknown figure during the summer of 2019 but he managed to build his reputation with a strong season with Flamengo whom he joined from Manchester City.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has heaped praise on Tammy Abraham’s performance following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The west London giants had gone into the derby with just three points from the previous five games and they faced the risk of losing the fourth spot to Spurs on goal difference.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has refused to comment on the club’s possible strategy during the forthcoming transfer window. The Blues were initially banned from signing players for two complete transfer windows starting from the summer but they have managed to reduce the punishment to a half after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
French midfielder N’Golo Kante has acknowledged that Chelsea have not made a bright start to the season but they can change their fortunes during the forthcoming games. The 28-year-old made his injury comeback during the recent 2-1 league defeat to Liverpool and he put up a strong performance which included a sublime solo goal in the second half.
Brazilian football Lucas Piazon has said that he harbours the ambition of leaving Chelsea on a permanent deal, although that has not happened to date.
The 25-year-old has experienced multiple loan spells away from the Blues and he has recently joined Portuguese side Rio Ave on a two-year loan from the west London giants.
Speaking exclusively to A Bola, Piazon said that he had the desire to leave the Blues on a permanent basis this summer but that was not the case. He added that his move to Rio Ave has certainly changed a page in his career and he is looking forward to parting ways with the Europa League holders for good.
Crystal Palace defender Gary Cahill has admitted that he had a terrible final season at Chelsea, where he was barely offered with the chance to fight for his position. Cahill managed just two league appearances for the Blues over the course of the 2018/19 campaign and he was eventually released by the club when his contract expired this summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England international acknowledged that he had a tough and forgettable campaign with the Blues last term, where he was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Maurizio Sarri, he said: “I think you never saw on the outside how tough it was, to be honest. It’s something I never want to get used to, I’ve played a heavy part in every season I’ve been at that club, so it was a freak [season].
AS Monaco midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said that Eden Hazard is perfectly suited for Real Madrid due to his free-flowing style of play. The Belgium international made the switch to Los Blancos from Chelsea in a £89m deal this summer and he has already made his bow during a friendly defeat against Bayern Munich.
Speaking to AS, Fabregas hailed the qualities of his former Chelsea teammate and said that he would fit perfectly to the plans of Real Madrid when compared to Barcelona, he quipped: “Hazard is a great player who makes the difference. He is the kind of player that was made to play at Real Madrid because he needs a lot of space to run in to, to have the ball and drive, he likes to move around the field and you can’t tell him to ‘stay there’. At Barcelona, for example, it’s a team more about positioning, for everyone to be in their place to circulate the ball. And he likes to go to the ball to have freedom and he can give Real Madrid much more than he could give to Barcelona.”
New Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is looking forward to working with the likes of Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori after helping them earn valuable experience at Derby County last season. The pair spent the previous season on loan with the Championship outfit and they were afforded regular playing time under Lampard.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Lampard said that he was impressed with the performance of the duo, who showed a good attitude on and off the field, he told: “I was fortunate enough to work with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori last year, their attitudes stood out well. The fact they came through the academy here – you could see it in how they held themselves, how they train, their manners off the pitch so that’s what I want to see, I want to work with those players.”
AS Monaco midfielder Cesc Fabregas has praised Lionel Messi by stating that the Barcelona star has found a way of reinventing himself as he has entered the backend of his professional career. The Argentina international helped the Blaugrana secure another league title last season while contributing more than 50 goals for the club across all competitions.
Speaking to Goal.com, Fabregas said that Messi has become technically clever as he has progressed in his career and he has become more of a gamechanger with his distribution from deep positions, he said: “That's the thing with Leo, he reinvents himself season after season. Maybe he is not the player who dribbles past three, four or five players and score an outstanding goal any more. Instead, now, he prefers to do 50-yard passes, leaving Jordi Alba one-versus-one with the goalkeeper. He sees one-twos around the box, he might do a chip and an assist... I think now he is more complete than ever.”
Brazil international David Luiz has said that he is so sad for the trio of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who have suffered long-term injuries during the final weeks of the campaign. The trio have played an influential role in the club’s route to the Europa League final but won’t play any part in Baku against Arsenal.
Speaking to Evening Standard, Luiz admitted disappointment over the absence of the trio and he is hopeful that the Blues can take the same as a motivation to win the Europa League title, he said: “I'm so sad for Callum and Ruben because they are in the best moments of their careers and they have injuries.