Chelsea transfer news LIVE: Alaba LATEST, Rudiger denies Lampard betrayal, Barnsley build-up

LONDON CALLING

Hakim Ziyech has lifted the lid on how he thinks tonight's clash against Spurs will go.

He told the club's website: "I think you will see a Chelsea that attacks more and controls the game more.

"That’s what we’ve tried to do in the last two games, to play with possession and from there try to attack a lot.

"When we played them last time, it was against a team that really played on the counter with quick people on the sides but really staying compact so there was not a lot of space for us.

"It then is the job to keep the ball and let the ball do the work, move it quick and in the end spaces will come."

NO MAR OF THAT

Neymar has hinted that the Premier League does not interest him - having been turned off by the game's physicality.

He told the Mail: "I do not get to watch a lot of the Premier League.

"But I have heard that there's a lot of physical contact involved in the game.

"But the French league also has too much physical contact!"

HAK TRICK

Hakim Ziyech has given an update on his fitness ahead of tonight's clash against Tottenham tonight.

Thomas Tuchel excluded the wideman from the 2-0 win over Burnley to give him a rest after being overloaded but he could be recalled to face former Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.

Ziyech told the club’s website: “I’m feeling good.

“I’m fit and of course I’m hungry as well. It wasn’t really an injury, more like game and training overloading.

“Sometimes you have to be smart and let the body relax. The coach did well, we spoke about it and we did that so now I’m ready."

PAT ON THE BACK

Patrick Vieira has joined the race to become the new Bournemouth manager.

The former Gunners midfielder is being linked with the role, while ex-Chelsea pair John Terry and Frank Lampard are also being talked up as potential candidates, according to The Mail.

SARRI TO BOTHER YOU

Former Chelsea and Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has reportedly rejected the chance to take over from Andre Villas-Boas at Marseille.

The French club are in turmoil after sacking another old Stamford Bridge boss in Villas-Boas on Tuesday.

Portuguese gaffer Villas-Boas - who also coached Spurs - publicly offered his resignation after criticising the Ligue 1 outfit for signing Celtic's Olivier Ntcham.

The 43-year-old let it be known that he didn't want to bring in the midfielder but the club signed him anyway.

And Marseille quickly released a statement relieving him of his duties.

They also did not mess around when it came to sourcing a replacement with club chiefs keen on Sarri, 62, according to Sky Sports News, but he is said to have rejected the advances.

SEASON STATS

A reminder how things have gone for the Blues so far this season...two managers used already, of course.

HAZARD SIGNAL

Jose Mourinho predicted Eden Hazard's injury hell in 2015 after demanding more protection from referees while they were at Chelsea.

The Belgian picked up ANOTHER knock at the start of February which is the same as the one he suffered in November only now in his left leg, not right.

In 2016 it was revealed Hazard was the most fouled player in the Premier League.

A year beforehand, while Mourinho worked with the winger, the ex-Chelsea boss warned Hazard's career could be cut short due to constant fouls.

He said: "People [are] in love with football in this country; people must be in love with Eden Hazard.

"The way, match after match, he's being punished by opponents and he's not being protected by referees, maybe one day we won't have Eden Hazard.

"It's one, two, three, four, five, ten aggressive fouls against him. They kick and kick and kick, and the kid resists. He's a very honest guy in the way he plays, but that's another problem."

EXPECTATION VS REALITY

Here's how the Premier League table would look based on expected points.

The xG Premier League table is based on a complicated mathematical formula, taking into consideration things such as quality of chances created by teams each game.

BLUE-KING GOOD

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly planning a Bundesliga raid this summer as he looks to stamp his mark on Chelsea.

And SunSport has explored how the Blues could lineup if the German is granted all his transfer wishes.

Erling Haaland and Dayot Upamecano are just two of the big money arrivals that could land at Stamford Bridge.

HAK ATTACK

Hakim Ziyech has announced that he is '100 per cent ready' to star against Tottenham tonight after being axed from the Chelsea squad against Burnley.

Thomas Tuchel excluded the wideman to give him a rest after being overloaded but he could be recalled to face former Blues boss Jose Mourinho's Spurs.

Ziyech previously revealed he wants to play centrally and told the club's website: "It is a position where I love to play.

“Without the ball having your responsibility but with the ball being free and trying to find space and trying to play football. That is what I like the most."

GARDEN OF EDEN

On this day four years ago...

CHIL OUT

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel warned Ben Chilwell he faces competition to remain Chelsea's No1 left-back after Marcos Alonso's searing display against Burnley.

Alonso scored a wonderful volley to secure the three points and a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge for the new manager.

Tuchel said: "It gives us a big scale of decisions and now Marcos has to work hard to push forward and stay in the squad.

"And Chilly, at the same time, is pushing to come into the squad and that’s the best situation we can have.

"We had the reason, it was not because we were unhappy with Chilwell but we opted for more size to defend set-pieces.

"Marcos is used to playing in this role, he has good timing arriving in the box.

"In the end we are very happy that he scored the second goal that finished the game."

AL OVER

Chelsea have suffered a transfer blow after it emerged target David Alaba has reportedly agreed a four-year deal with Real Madrid.

The 28-year-old’s contract with Bayern Munich expires in June and he has rejected the Bundesliga side’s offer to extend it.

Chelsea were confident they could lure Alaba to London after making Thomas Tuchel their new manager.

And the Blues were given a boost by Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last week when he insisted he knew nothing of how advanced negotiations between the Austrian and Madrid were.

However, Marca now claims that Alaba’s future has already been sorted after he passed a medical examination with Los Blancos.

And the versatile star has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement to move their this summer on a deal until 2025.

THOMAS TUCHTICS

Thomas Tuchel reiterated that he isn't afraid to turn tinkerman and play players out of position.

The new Blues boss has already shown Chelsea fans he is willing to mix things up after successfully deploying Callum Hudson-Odoi at right wing-back.

And the former Borussia Dortmund boss said: "I do it only if I see something in a player, and at the same time it’s a situation where it could help the team.

"Then I don’t hesitate to challenge or try to convince the player, but not against their will.

"If we approach them we show them pictures, we explain to them, and of course we listen to their opinion and see if they feel comfortable.

"In the end they have to feel comfortable to bring out their best in a game.

"With Callum it was a big advantage I was new and it had been one day. Which player would say no? Everybody was happy to start, and he took his chance."

TUCH HIS CHANCE

Thomas Tuchel revealed Callum Hudson-Odoi has taken his chance in the Chelsea first team but still has things to work on.

The England star, 20, has been the standout performer in Tuchel's first two Prem games against Wolves and Burnley, playing in the unfamiliar role of right wing-back.

Tuchel said: "He took his chance. There was no need to change for the second game and he did another good match.

"Maybe in some defensive duels in the air there is space to improve, but this is absolutely normal. I am very happy he was happy to be on the pitch. He has given his best and that’s what we have asked for."

PLANE SAILING

Thomas Tuchel's tactical masterstroke of using Callum Hudson-Odoi as a right wing-back came when he was on the plane over to London.

The new Chelsea boss has seen Hudson-Odoi, 20, bag back-to-back man of the match gongs in his new role in the games against Wolves and Burnley.

The former PSG manager said: "I didn’t know he hadn’t played wing-back before.

"Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t ask because maybe I would have doubted my decision!

"We just had one training session before the Wolves game. We were flying in on the same day and wondering what structure to implement to give the team a good feeling, and to have a solid block defensively but also to attack freely.

"To play with four you have to be very disciplined, and the automatisms between the line of four have to be very synchronised.

"So we opted for a back five and we didn’t want to get too defensive. We thought about trying Reece and Callum on the right side in training. Callum fitted very good and we wanted to have at least four offensive guys on the pitch from the start."

TUCH OF CLASS

Thomas Tuchel is already looking to strengthen Chelsea's defence as he eyes a summer spending spree.

The new Blues boss has drawn up a transfer wishlist which includes Niklas Sule, David Alaba and Dayot Upamecano, according to reports.

The German is looking for a long-term replacement for veteran Brazilian Thiago Silva who turns 37 this year.

Bild reports how Sule, 25, remains near the top of the list having been in and out of the first-team this season.

Alaba is out of contract in the summer and Chelsea one of the clubs battling for his signature with Real Madrid favourites.

Upamecano's agent revealed two Prem clubs were in the race for the RB Leipzig star who has a £38million release clause and Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed the sides are Chelsea and Liverpool.

BLUE HAVE IT EASY

Jose Mourinho believes that managing Chelsea is not a difficult job  — despite being sacked by them twice.

The Special One welcomes his former club and their new boss Thomas Tuchel to Tottenham for a London derby on Thursday.

t will be Tuchel’s first away match since he replaced the axed Frank Lampard last month.

Mourinho won two successive Premier League titles in his first spell at Chelsea after coming to England in 2004. He then won another in 2014-15 on his return to Stamford Bridge for a second stint.

He said: “I don’t think it’s very difficult to coach at Chelsea because I was champion there three times, Carlo Ancelotti was champion, Antonio Conte was champion.

“Who else? It cannot be very, very difficult because we win titles there.

“Of course a coach needs time and needs stability and it is a very good thing to feel stability.

“I’m not saying stability helps you sleep, I’m saying that stability gives you a different way of thinking and you are not just thinking about today, you are also thinking about tomorrow, you are also thinking about the future."

A TUCH MORE RESPECT

Thomas Tuchel will make one giant leap for ‘manager-kind’ when he faces Jose Mourinho for the first time tonight.

Chelsea’s new German coach has come a long way from his days at Mainz 05 to compete against one of the world’s best across a dugout at Tottenham.

Tuchel said: “When I started my career he was so far away, like the Moon from the Earth. He could not be a role model at all.

“He is one of the best managers in the world. He creates a squad in Tottenham that is always very competitive, very strong. That will be the challenge.

“Jose is a winner and I want to implement the same in my teams.

“It’s very clear what he stands for. He builds competitive teams, he builds strong teams. He has built a Tottenham squad with characters like Sissoko and Hojbjerg who support the defence, super-competitive, disciplined hard-working guys.

“Up front normally it’s Son, Harry Kane, Bergwijn, Lamela, they have outstanding quality and speed."

EUR IN TROUBLE

Liverpool and Manchester United face a virtual grilling on Thursday over alleged involvement in plans for a breakaway European Super League.

LaLiga chief Javier Tebas’ claims that United owner Joel Glazer and Anfield’s John Henry have been colluding with Real Madrid, AC Milan and Fifa boss Gianni Infantino have struck a chord with Prem rivals.

Glazer is not expected to attend today’s virtual meeting of the 20 shareholder clubs, leaving United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in the line of fire.

Woodward has maintained he is working with Uefa to help formulate the future shape of European football.

The United boss is part of a committee, which has been convened by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin to design the new model.

Prem clubs, especially those outside the Big Six who risk being locked out of the breakaway closed-shop elite, accuse the North-West giants of playing both sides.

Plans for a formal launch of the Super League concept, worth an initial £3.5billion between the 15 “founder clubs”, have been put on hold amid issues over the structure of the proposed competition.

NO UPA LIMIT

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly already set his sights on three big summer signings.

Dayot Upamecano has attracted his interest along with Bayern Munich duo Niklas Sule and David Alaba.

That is according to SportBild, who claim one of the three players will join Chelsea in the summer.

It is suggested that Tuchel, 47, will be backed by Roman Abramovich during the transfer window.

The club owner is prepared to trust Tuchel’s judgement despite Lampard’s spending spree last summer.

Lampard splashed a whopping £228.7million in a desperate attempt to strengthen his squad.

But the club legend was sacked last month as his star-studded line-up failed to get results.

Here we take a look at the three players that Tuchel has added to his summer shopping list so far.

BLUES MECA MOVE

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed Chelsea are also interested in signing RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano.

He told Sky Germany: “The fact that Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested in him proves that he has very good qualities.

“He can replace David Alaba.”

BLUES SWEATING ON ZOUMA AND HAVERTZ

Defender Kurt Zouma and attacker Kai Havertz are struggling to make Chelsea's Premier League derby at Tottenham tomorrow night.

NO MANE UTD

Ousmane Dembele is reportedly set on staying at Barcelona, despite regular links to Manchester United.

The France winger has fallen down the pecking order following Ronald Koeman’s appointment as manager and has been linked with a move away from Catalunya.

But Sport say the former Borussia Dortmund man has no desire to leave the Spanish giants and wants to fight for his place.

GOLD BA

Didier Drogba showed how deeply Chelsea remain in his heart with a delighted and delightful reply to a "random tweet" thanking him for his role in their Premier League and FA Cup Double of 2009-10.

Ivory Coast legend Drogba, 42, won each of those competitions four times with the Blues, as well as the Champions League in 2011-12.