Here is your Chelsea morning digest for Thursday, November 12.
Marina Granovskaia told £7.2m Chelsea transfer is being blocked despite player request
The proposed transfer of Anel Ahmedhodzic to Chelsea is being blocked, according to the player’s father.
The defender is currently plying his trade with Swedish outfit Malmo and is the latest player to be linked with bolstering Frank Lampard’s first-team squad.
The deal would likely take Chelsea’s spending spree for the season past the £220m mark, with the Swedish outlet Expressen reporting that Chelsea are set to offer Malmo £7.2million.
The player’s father has revealed his son is keen to leave Malmo at the end of the season, but he has accused his agent, Markus Rosenberg, of blocking a move to Chelsea.
"He’s [Rosenberg] not doing his job. He has told Marina [Granovskaia] at Chelsea that Anel is not going there,” Mirsad Ahmedhodzic told Sportbladet, as per TeamTalk.
"He [Anel] wants to go abroad after the season finishes."
Mirsad Ahmedhodzic has also urged Rosenborg to work with Italian agent Fredrico Pastorello in order to do what is best for his son.
"Markus hasn’t arranged this, he doesn’t have the contacts," he added. "I have tried to inform Markus that Pastorello wants to cooperate with him."
Why pitting Mason Mount vs Jack Grealish in fight for England place is unfair on Chelsea star
The notion of division in the England squad is nothing new.
Gary Neville has spoken of the prevalent cliques during his own time as part of the Three Lions squad, and it seems like the national team is never far away from drama.
The latest discussion involves Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and their battle for a space in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI, and Alan Smith has written about why pitting the pair against each other is unfair on Mount.
The two attackers are both highly regarded, with Grealish in fine form for Villa at present. It has seen some speculate about who should be the first-choice for England as Grealish looks to cement his place as a senior international.
Mount himself has been to create distance between himself and Grealish when it comes to comparisons, believing they are vastly different players, with Mount believing is more of a number eight.
Troy Deeney predicts Chelsea’s Premier League hopes
Troy Deeney has predicted Chelsea to finish in the top-four this season but stopped short of backing the Blues to win the title come May.
The out-spoken Watford striker has never been afraid of sharing his opinion in public, and has in the past landed himself in hot water with comments about Arsenal’s lack of ‘cojones’.
The Blues are aiming for a spot in the Champions League qualification places as a minimum, and Deeney believes they will achieve that goal.
“I still think Liverpool will win it,” he mused, but he was less certain about the other Champions League teams.
“I think the top four, personally, will have Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and City, not in that order. It’s a toss up between Spurs and Chelsea [behind City and Liverpool].”
