Chelsea defender Ashley Cole signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club on Wednesday.
Cole is the second Chelsea star to commit his future to Carlo Ancelotti s team recently after captain John Terry put pen to paper on an improved five-year deal on Monday.
England star Cole joined the Blues in a controversial move from London rivals Arsenal in 2006 and remains arguably the best full-back in the Premier League.
He has won the FA Cup twice and the League Cup once with Chelsea, as well as reaching the 2008 Champions League final.
Chelsea FC is delighted to confirm that Ashley Cole has signed a new four-year contract, a statement on Chelsea s website confirmed.
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Croatia are playing England at Wembley tonight. That very phrase makes your average England supporter cringe. In November 2007 a point against the Croatians at Wembley would have seen this allegedly ‘golden age’ of English footballers on the plane to Euro 2008.
Qualifying hadn’t gone brilliantly and we looked to have blown it with defeat in Russia but other results went our way and everything was going to be alright.
Inept
The only potential problem we had in getting a draw against Croatia was that England had their most inept manager at the helm for many years and I include Graham Taylor in that!
Steve McClaren was a very poor choice to replace Sven Goran Eriksson when he left the job. Everyone knew he was…
Roberto Mancini has suggested that Inter could make an offer to his former club Galatasaray for midfielder Felipe Melo.
Mancini worked with the Brazil international during the 2013-14 campaign, before returning for a second stint at Inter last season.
The former Manchester City boss came off second best in Sunday s friendly as Gala for whom Melo was not playing defeated Inter 1-0 thanks to Wesley Sneijder s goal against his former employers.
He [Melo] is a player who could bring something to Inter, but right now he has a contract with Galatasaray. We ll see what happens, Mancini told TRT Spor.
Mancini also commented on the futures of Gary Medel and Yuto Nagatomo, with the former seemingly set to remain at San Siro while Inter are open to offers for the…
Arouna Kone put his injury nightmare behind him to salvage a 2-2 draw for Everton against Premier League newcomers Watford on the opening day.
Quique Sanchez Flores side twice led at Goodison Park and turned in a composed performance despite fielding six of their 10 recruits, while Tom Cleverley was the only new face in an Everton team that played like a group of strangers for long periods.
Mexico international Miguel Layun bagged his first Watford goal inside the first quarter of an hour and that scoreline remained for over an hour of play until Ross Barkley hauled Everton level with a superb long-range strike.
Back came Watford, as Odion Ighalo stepped off the bench to restore their advantage with seven minutes to play.
But, as Watford s fans began to d…
Harry Maguire would be a good signing for Manchester United if they can lure him from Leicester City, says Wayne Rooney.
Maguire is reportedly a target for United, as well as Premier League rivals Manchester City, but the Foxes are said to value the England international at £80million, which would be a world-record fee for a defender.
Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Leicester have already turned down two offers for the England international, who missed training on Monday, although James Maddison joked on social media his team-mate s absence was due to an upset stomach.
United s need for defensive reinforcements was exacerbated on Tuesday when it was confirmed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that Eric Bailly could be out for five months after undergoing surgery on a knee …
Ilkay Gündogan was the first signing made after the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the manager, and the Catalan has no intention of letting the German leave, according to .
This stance has been prompted by recent reports by various outlets claiming Gündogan is a target for Guardiola s former club . The La Liga title holders have lost their long-serving midfielder and captain Andres Iniesta, and despite spending the vast sum of €160million to bring Philippe Coutinho in from Liverpool in January, they see Gündogan as a potential replacement for Iniesta. They are reportedly willing to pay over £50million for his services.
However, Guardiola is keen on giving Gündogan a more prominent role in the City team next season and is currently devising a way to include h…
Banned duo Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will be able to resume playing for Scotland if the new manager wants to pick them, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) signalled on Wednesday.
Ferguson, a former captain of the national team, and Rangers goalkeeper McGregor were banned for life for their behaviour before and during a World Cup qualifier against Iceland in April.
The pair were dropped after an all-night drinking session and then made V signs at photographers from the bench.
The SFA subsequently announced lifetime bans for both players but SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith indicated that the successor to George Burley, who was sacked on Monday, will be free to select whoever he wants.
The new manager will definitely have a say in who he want…
Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff admitted Friday he was relieved his side had avoided both European giants France and Portugal in their group stage draw for the 2010 World Cup finals.
Germany will open their 2010 campaign in Group D against Australia in Pretoria on June 13, then play Serbia in Rustenburg on June 19 before the pool stage final game against Ghana at Johannesburg s Soccer City on June 23.
But Bierhoff was happy to have avoided danger sides France and Portugal who qualified through the play-offs and could potentially have landed in the same group as the Germans.
We are glad we did not draw France or Portugal, but Australia, Serbia and Ghana will also not be easy, admitted former Germany striker Bierhoff.
Germany have never been beaten b…
Having scored just 13 goals in nine matches in the MLS, the Houston Dynamo exploded to life with a 4-0 win at DC United on Wednesday.
The Dynamo went top of the Eastern Conference on goal difference from the New York Red Bulls both sides on 20 points courtesy of a brace to Will Bruin, while Giles Barnes and Andrew Driver also got on the scoresheet at the RFK Stadium.
Bruin has nine goals in as many matches against DC, as he helped Houston to back-to-back away wins to got top with two games in hand on the Red Bulls.
Houston have scored four goals in only three league matches since August 2010 with each instance coming against DC.
It was the third straight game DC conceded three goals or more, and was their sixth straight loss.
Elsewhere, New York r…
AZ Alkmaar have won the 2009 edition of the Dutch Super Cup, beating SC Heerenveen 5-1 at the Amsterdam Arena.
The Alkmaar outfit didn t need long to create comfortable gap with their opponents with goals from Brett Holman (15th), Mounir El Hamdaoui (25th) and Maarten Martens (28th).
Heerenveen, who did create some chances but always found keeper Romero in their way, did pull one back through Michal Papadopoulos on the hour.
But Jeremain Lens had the final say for AZ, scoring in the 67th and 87th minutes for a 5-1 result.
It is the first time that AZ wins the Dutch Super Cup, also called Johan Cruyff Schaal . Heerenveen had never done so either.
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