Press conference Monday

Doesn't worry me one bit.

Rumoured to be 4 year £120,000 per week contract

How much does that work out to be per second?

And Ballack is a good player. Too bad he'll be playing for a team like Chelsea.

:D Aiming for the treble next year :D Just wonder where he'll fit in...

Check these salaries out

sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/salaries?team=nyy

He's ok. Chelski are sniffing round Shevchenko too.

I think they should try working with what they've got. All Chelsea need is a decent 25 goal a year striker. They can keep burning Roman's money all they like, but you can only play 11 players at once at the end of the day.

Chelsea should have been worried by their two losses at the end of the season: With that amount of depth even their second 11 should win, they've no excuse.

He's ok. Chelski are sniffing round Shevchenko too.

I think they should try working with what they've got. All Chelsea need is a decent 25 goal a year striker. They can keep burning Roman's money all they like, but you can only play 11 players at once at the end of the day.

Chelsea should have been worried by their two losses at the end of the season: With that amount of depth even their second 11 should win, they've no excuse.

They should buy Ruud Van Nistelrooy! Also Ronaldo of Madrid has been mentioned as apparently Madrid will have a clear out in the summer.

I think Ronaldo would form an all Brazilian strike partnership with Adriano at Inter.

Ballack will push Essien out of the team. Chelsea usually play a 4-3-2-1 with 3 in the centre, 2 on the wing, and 1 up front. I wonde what formation changes Mourinho will make.

As for next season, its likely that the Premiership will be welcoming Shevchenko, Ballack, Torres, Diarra, Mascherano, and maybe Joaquin to name a few.

As a connoisseur of German football I can tell you that Ballack blows. He's a total pussy so I give him 18 months before he tries to go back to Germany.

Yeah he might be the best player in the Bundesliga, but the Bundesliga is shite compared to the Premiership, Spanish League 1 or Serie A. Poor man's Gerrard.

People only know about him because he's Germany's best player, pretty and cheeky.

fuck chelsea, fuck them right in the ass. i hope united get shevchenko as a replacement for van nistelrooy to even it out a bit, and i hope ruud goes anywhere but chelsea.

ballack's ok, but pretty overrated - his all round game really isn't a match for gerrard or essien in my opinion. he should score loads tho. fuck, chelsea will have goals coming out of their armpits next season, and if they sign shevchenko it's already game over.

SE9, who's gonna sign torres then? he's a player i've heard loads about but never seen. joaquin is a player i'd love to see in the premiership. he'd fit right in at newcastle or man u, or arsenal.

kampflamm - what's your expert assessment of herr hargreaves? there's not an awful lot said about him in england so he's something of an unknown quantity here, despite consistently winning a place in the national squad.

I don't even think he's one of Bayern's better players so I have no clue why he's constantly playing for England.

Ballack appears to be a good player but i remember him doing the saddest dive agianst chelsea in the champions league a couple of years ago. Chelsea went through though so maybe its all forgotten. Wonder whos going to be left out then?

i hear Gallas is leaving, he is a brilliant player and he will be missed if hes allowed to leave. A bigger player than who they have coming in anyway.

Crespo's going to leave because he isnt comfortable living in England, maybe there will be a kind of trade between Milan for Shevchenko, even though i think hes overated.

Stupid move.

I honestly cant believe it. Why apart from the money would he want to play for Chelsea? No sports club in the world can match the money that Abramovitch is willing to spend but he really should have stayed here.

Man utd wont buy Shevchenko, not for £40m anyway. Torres and Diarra are more likely targets and will cost Utd about £50m

SE9, who's gonna sign torres then? he's a player i've heard loads about but never seen. joaquin is a player i'd love to see in the premiership. he'd fit right in at newcastle or man u, or arsenal.

Its most likely that Arsenal sign Torres. His mentor and idol at the club left months ago, and there's been constant speculation regarding a move to the Premiership (Gunners being his preferred choice). His agent has also stated that there's nothing holding him back from leaving Ath. Madrid this summer.

Furthermore, Cesc Fabregas has gone public to the media about his desire for Torres to play at the Emirates Std. Torres is also good friends with Jose Antonio Reyes.

Liverpool is an outside bet. He may be inticed by the Spanish contingent and manager, and silverware the club has been winning recently.

Shevchenko will be going to Chelsea, not to Man Utd. I expect Carlos Tevez (I've been tracking him from a young age) to move to the Bridge, as Mourinho went to view him play personally in Brazil just after the Premier League ended.

As for Man Utd, I expect them to sign Diarra or Mascherano for the holding central midfield role.
Ferguson has regularly flown to Lyon to view Diarra (and possibly Fred) play this season, and is his number 1 target. Mascherano is a strong Argentinial player who won a call-up to the World Cup squad. Also eariler in the season, Mascherano's agent spoke to the Man Utd board on a possible summer move.

Man Utd will also target (a Lille player who I forget), Fabianski a superb goalkeeper, Zokora and possibly Simao, to switch wings with fellow countryman Ronaldo. There is an outside chance of them swooping for Riquelme or Aurelio.

^i'd love to see tevez in england, but not at fucking chelsea. what the hell have chelsea become? it's grotesque.

Ballack :drool:

I know :ohno:

Tevez would be frozen out of the team eventually, and another quality player would never step foot in the Premiership again.

Buying players to make a good team great is one thing, but buying them for the sake of it is completely another. If Chelsea don't need Tevez, then they shouldn't think of buying him.

It also turns out that Ballack rejected Man United, probably for the Russian's £££money£££

Its most likely that Arsenal sign Torres. His mentor and idol at the club left months ago, and there's been constant speculation regarding a move to the Premiership (Gunners being his preferred choice). His agent has also stated that there's nothing holding him back from leaving Ath. Madrid this summer.

Furthermore, Cesc Fabregas has gone public to the media about his desire for Torres to play at the Emirates Std. Torres is also good friends with Jose Antonio Reyes.

Liverpool is an outside bet. He may be inticed by the Spanish contingent and manager, and silverware the club has been winning recently.

Shevchenko will be going to Chelsea, not to Man Utd. I expect Carlos Tevez (I've been tracking him from a young age) to move to the Bridge, as Mourinho went to view him play personally in Brazil just after the Premier League ended.

As for Man Utd, I expect them to sign Diarra or Mascherano for the holding central midfield role.
Ferguson has regularly flown to Lyon to view Diarra (and possibly Fred) play this season, and is his number 1 target. Mascherano is a strong Argentinial player who won a call-up to the World Cup squad. Also eariler in the season, Mascherano's agent spoke to the Man Utd board on a possible summer move.

Man Utd will also target (a Lille player who I forget), Fabianski a superb goalkeeper, Zokora and possibly Simao, to switch wings with fellow countryman Ronaldo. There is an outside chance of them swooping for Riquelme or Aurelio.


I forgot to add Ribery, who has an outside chance of joining the Gunners. Ibrahimovic is also an outside chance, as he fell out with Vieira, the club and the Juve board (who since resigned following the scandal)

Why do players sign for Chelsea? They have already killed off Shaun Wright Philips and Carlo Cudicini. Also if Chelsea play Lampard and Ballack, what happens to Essien and Makélélé. Those types of player are not going to stay if they arnt playing week in week out. Veron(this season and last season) and Crepso(from last season are examples of that). Looks like Ruuds going so thats another else where in the League.

I dont what Ballack thinks hes on about, he recons Chelsea are better than United, work that one out? United have a very impressive history, better fans, more fans, bigger ground by miles, better known through out the world and all we need is a good midfielder we do still have Scholes. Hes back now I've seen him play twice now and hes gona give everyone a problem next year, just need that extra man to back him up like Keane did.

^^Chelsea won the league this year: history is irrelevant. I agree completely with the first paragraph though.

Why do players sign for Chelsea? They have already killed off Shaun Wright Philips and Carlo Cudicini. Also if Chelsea play Lampard and Ballack, what happens to Essien and Makélélé. Those types of player are not going to stay if they arnt playing week in week out. Veron(this season and last season) and Crepso(from last season are examples of that). Looks like Ruuds going so thats another else where in the League.

I dont what Ballack thinks hes on about, he recons Chelsea are better than United, work that one out? United have a very impressive history, better fans, more fans, bigger ground by miles, better known through out the world and all we need is a good midfielder we do still have Scholes. Hes back now I've seen him play twice now and hes gona give everyone a problem next year, just need that extra man to back him up like Keane did.

The answer is simple: money. If Chelsea are going to offer a player £130,000 a week, then who is going to match that?

The answer is simple: money. If Chelsea are going to offer a player £130,000 a week, then who is going to match that?

Real Madrid. ;)

That salary is just obscene!

Chelsea did not kill off Cuducini. He was playing the lower leagues of Italian football until Chelsea rescued him. He has chosen to stay at Chelsea down to loyalty more than anything - knowing he could easily get into Arsenal or Manchester United's first teams. Essien will be a problem, but according to the Guardian, Chelsea may change to a more diamond-like formation, with Makalele in his present position and Ballack behind two strikers - hopefully Shevchenko or Adriano.

Crespo left because he prefers Italy to Britain. Veron played badly at both Chelsea and Manchester United.

^hopefully that would make it possible for SWP to leave and go to a club where he actually plays. chelsea wouldn't need 4 wingers any more would they? especially not as they now want to sign roberto carlos (!)

Jose's considering buying winger Simao (http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=387601&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=2&title=Jose+considering+Simao+move)

Ballack:

"Manchester United came in quite early for me," declared Ballack on Sky Sports News. "But really I saw the possibilities of Chelsea being much greater."

"They are a stronger team and also London has its attractions, particularly as a family man, I have got my family"

Arsenal will be in for Torres, Riquelme, Yaya Toure, Zigic next season I reckon.

Only one letter from ball sack.

Chelsea did not kill off Cuducini... ...knowing he could easily get into Arsenal or Manchester United's first teams...

:rofl:

You're having a tin bath mate. Lehmann has been the best goalie in the Premiership this season without doubt, so how do you work out Cudicini would be ahead of him at Arsenal?

:rofl:

You're having a tin bath mate. Lehmann has been the best goalie in the Premiership this season without doubt, so how do you work out Cudicini would be ahead of him at Arsenal?

lehmann has impressed in europe but the top keeper in the premiership this season (without doubt!) has been shay given. not just my opinion either as the PFA named him as the top flight's best keeper too.

Lehmann has been much better this year but I still wouldnt put him in the top 5. Robinson is miles better and so was Cudicini when he used to play,

That salary is just obscene!

:speech: i am one of few people who dont seem to care about the high salary, when you consider what they do.

The likes of Ballack and all the other stars in football are payed this kind of money because they have a job to entertain (although not all do). Also they are probably constantly hassled for attention in the streets and always asked for autographs and what they also do is sell shirts, loads and loads of shirts. they are massive marketing weapons, which so many companies want to use. ballack is going to sell huge numbers of shirts and merchandise all round the world and if you compare that to some movie star like tom cruise, how many shirts does he sell, i bet that its not very many.

Also i think that these proposed signings are very un-mourinho. he doesnt usally want to sign players who are around 30 years old like Ballack and Shevchenko. Although those two players have talent i think he is more into a kind of youth buying policy. The signings you have talked about including Roberto Carlos have got to be Abramovich signings. I cant think of a team like chelsea wanting to sign a player who is past their best without influence from a guy who has power but no clue of whats going on.

The likes of Ballack and all the other stars in football are payed this kind of money because they have a job to entertain


Am I the only person who thinks that a load of crap?

Many people say 'they're paid to entertain' including some footballers themselves, but if you ask me football is a sport and the premiership et al are competitions. If people want to pay to watch then thats their perogative but if i play a friend at a sport i play to win or do my best at least, not to entertain anyone watching on the sidelines. Just cos theres 30,000 people on the sidelines doesn't mean they have a right to be entertained in my mind.

A footballers job is to help their team win competitions and keep the club in business. One way of doing this is to entertain people enough to pay to enter the ground, yes, but that shouldn't be the be all and end all of football if you ask me.

Spot on Andy C.

its a big mistake, he is popular in geramny just becouse he is German, murinh ona abromovich realy don't have taste for good choice.

Is it true that the ugly idiot from germany Ballack came on a free transfer?
& 130 000 pounds a week! thats flippin insane, we dont even know how he will cope with the Prempiership, for all we know he could be a right on flop, fine he has good quality's but he is just in it for the money, seriously, when Gerrard signed his contract last year, for 100 000 pounds a week, he said it wasnt about the money, it was about winning, now that shows the quality about a player, fine Ballack was exellent when he was at Bayern Leverkusen, never did see him play for Munich, but we will see at the community shield just how good he his. I hope Mimmo, Xabi & ol might Stevie G give him a hard time :D

he said it wasnt about the money, it was about winning, now that shows the quality about a player,

When you're making a cool 100,000 pounds a week it's easy to say that it's not about the money.

True, although not always the case. As a chairman, I wouldn't mind paying a star-player that amount, after years of faithful service.

I'm hearing that Henry's new contract is around £110,000 p/w. (Speculation)


Man Utd fans should be happy as they're on the verge of signing Kerlon (18y/o), who I rate as amazing.

When i said about they have a job to entertain i meant to say they have a job to be watched on the pitch doing thier job. I am also a person who believes that its about winning and not entertainment. I just couldnt word it very well.

When you're making a cool 100,000 pounds a week it's easy to say that it's not about the money.


You cant beat a bit of honesty though. When Bogarde was on 40k a week to sit at home or play in the reserves he admitted that of course he'd prefer to play first team football but that to do so would mean his salary reducing to less than half, and who either elects to cut their salary bu that much?

When you're making a cool 100,000 pounds a week it's easy to say that it's not about the money.
Ok you right about that, but at least his performing

True, although not always the case. As a chairman, I wouldn't mind paying a star-player that amount, after years of faithful service.

I'm hearing that Henry's new contract is around £110,000 p/w. (Speculation)


Man Utd fans should be happy as they're on the verge of signing Kerlon (18y/o), who I rate as amazing.
Yep that Kerlon lad is ment to be the next Ronaldinho.

He wont be getting a work permit for a few years tho.