Tag: England

Emmanuel Adebayor shares opinion on Aubameyang-Arsenal row

Emmanuel Adebayor has slammed his former club Arsenal for “never learning” amid the issues surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been ostracised from the Arsenal squad after a reported disciplinary issue which was later revealed to be the striker returning a day late from a sanctioned trip abroad to visit his sick mother.

As a result, Aubameyang – who had already been reprimanded by the club for a prior disciplinary issue – was ostracised from the squad and forced to train alone. The 32-year-old striker hoped to find his form again playing in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon but COVID prevented him from being fielded until he was sent back to North London to recover.

Now back at Arsenal, it is the same story all over again for the former Borussia Dortmund man. Aubameyang’s Arsenal days are numbered and there appears to be now way out for him.

Emmanuel Adebayor, who himself had a big issue with the club in his playing days leading to the Premier League’s most infamous celebration, has weighed in on the issue.

Adebayor left the North London club for Manchester City in 2009 in an unceremonious manner. In his first game against Arsenal after he left, he scored and ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in a gloating manner in front of the visiting Arsenal fans.

Former Togo striker Adebayor, who also went on to join Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham, said to Sky on the Aubameyang issue: “I know he’s going to go through a lot because that’s Arsenal for you. They never learn, they never know how to forgive so I know he’s going through a lot

“But he’s a good player, he’s a strong player and a fantastic player so I wish him all the best.

“I’ve sent him a message already and I wish him well and hope that he bounces back because, whether we like it or not, he’s our African brother and we want to keep representing African football the way he was doing before the problem.”

No way back for Aubameyang at Arsenal, Adebayor claims

Aubameyang, 32, is Arsenal’s top earner on £350,000-a-week and has already been placed on the transfer list. Two lucrative offers are reportedly on the table from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Paris Saint-Germain, but the Gunners hierarchy are yet to make any moves on these reported offers.

This could mean Aubameyang will remain in the squad as an outcast if he doesn’t leave in the January window. When asked whether there was a way back for the Gabonese striker, Adebayor said: “At Arsenal, I don’t think so. This is what I knew.

“It happened to me also. Not in the same way. But in Arsenal way back. I would be surprised but let’s see what happens. He’s a great player so let’s see how it ends up.”

Arsenal are currently struggling for goals and with their most prolific striker now a stranger, are looking for reinforcements. Key target Dusan Vlahovic has reportedly refused the chance to play in North London, and now they have set their sights on Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak.

Anthony Martial to leave Manchester United for Sevilla on loan

Sevilla have finally succeeded in snapping up Anthony Martial on loan from Manchester United.

After initially blocking the Frenchman’s move to Sevilla earlier in the January transfer window, Manchester United have now come to an agreement with the Andalusian club that will see Anthony Martial move to Spain for the rest of the 2021/22 season.

The Frenchman had made his decision on his United future clear as early as December and Sevilla were the first club to make contact. However, the unwillingness of the Spanish side to take on the 26-year-old’s full wages led to the move being blocked and Martial suffering a little more in the background at Old Trafford.

In that time, an unlikely report about a swap deal with Barcelona for Ousmane Dembele started making the rounds as well as news about a few other clubs inquiring about the former AS Monaco striker. Martial now has his move completed, as he seeks more playing time ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this December.

Martial will now join the LaLiga side – who will pay his wages in full in exchange for paying no loan fee to United – until the end of the season.

Martial will fly to Seville from Paris on Tuesday to undergo a medical at Sevilla, with a view of making his LaLiga debut after the international break.

Ronaldo’s arrival the final nail in Martial’s United career coffin

Martial became the world’s most expensive teenager when he joined United from AS Monaco in 2015. He had a blistering start to life at Old Trafford, making the Ballon d’Or clause inserted in his contract look like a stroke of genius from his former club.

The Frenchman has since slowed down astronomically due to injuries, problems with staff, and coaches preferring other players in his position. Now Martial, who has 79 goals in 269 total appearances for the club to date, has completely fallen out of favour.

This is due to the signings of Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, as well as the emergence of Mason Greenwood last season. Martial has started just four games for United this season.

European football expert Tom Williams spoke to Sky Sports Transfer Talk podcast about why Martial has been unable to hold down a first-team place at Old Trafford. He opines that Ronaldo’s signing affected his United chances the most.

“There are various reasons for him not having hit the heights that United would have hoped. There’s been a lot of instability since he came to the club. He’s played under four different managers, not all of whom have been his biggest fans – you think notoriously of Jose Mourinho.

“There’s obviously competition for places at United. I think one of the things that perhaps gets overlooked a bit is how unfortunate Marcus Rashford’s emergence has been for Martial, because they’re such similar players. But also you’ve got Mason Greenwood, you’ve got (Edinson) Cavani and now Cristiano Ronaldo.

“He obviously needs to move. Ronaldo arriving was probably the death knell for his United career as the first-choice centre-forward. You suspect that, for both parties, the best thing is for him to move on.”

Liverpool need to keep winning to catch Man City, Klopp says

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is choosing to focus on his team’s games and making sure they win every remaining game in the league as they chase defending champions and table toppers Manchester City.

Jürgen Klopp’s team currently sit in second place with a game in hand on 48 points, nine away from Manchester City. Their latest 3-1 win away to Crystal Palace, although controversial, saw their goal tally rise to 58, making them the team who have scored the most goals in the league this season, three ahead of City who have 55.

This shows that they’re no slouches in front of goal with or without their top scorer Mohamed Salah, who is currently away in Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations with Egypt. However, their defending needs some more work as they have conceded more than City to earn them three extra draws more than the defending champions.

Meanwhile, City is currently on a 13-game unbeaten streak to keep their lead at the top of the table and like the Sky Blues’ boss, Klopp wants his team to keep winning.

The current situation at the top of the table has led to talks of the title race being blown wide open again after Liverpool reduced the gap, but Klopp insisted to journalists who asked for his opinion on the issue that they are taking things one game at a time.

He said: “No. The distance is too far to talk about it but we don’t have to. We just need to win football matches.

“Each Premier League game is difficult like we saw today. We made it more exciting than necessary! We will see what happens in the final few months.”

Liverpool cannot control what City do, says Klopp

Pep Guardiola has always maintained that all Manchester City can do is to remain focused on each game and not lose their heads. He has also, like Klopp, previously stated that his side cannot think of Liverpool’s chase of their top spot.

The German manager reiterated his Spanish counterpart in a pre-match interview with Sky Sports just before the Palace game, stating expressly that Liverpool cannot control what City does.

“The problem is not the situation, the problem is that you ask about it to be honest. What is our situation? It’s 11 points with one game in hand?

“I could sit here and say ‘I can swear we’ll get them’. That would be really crazy, yeah? But if I would sit here and say that we don’t even try, it would be crazy as well.

“The only thing we can do is winning football games. We cannot wait for a slip, we cannot really influence a slip of City. The only thing we can do is influence our performance. So I thought it’s a good idea to do exactly that. So just win as many as you can.

“This group did it, two or three years ago, we won the last 15 games. It was never easy. We needed last-second goals, we needed all these kind of things. At Newcastle, Divock’s shoulder and that’s what we needed then.

“Nobody knows what will happen but we will try and win as many football games as possible. That’s very necessary because one spot will become champion. Three more qualify for the Champions League.

“We have to win anyway, an awful lot of football games and that is exactly what we’ll try. And then we will see where we end up.”

Newcastle United transfer update: Magpies uninterested in purported target

A report from Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has claimed that Newcastle United’s chase of Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata is only in the media.

The Magpies were acquired earlier in the season by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium and have since then, been very active in the transfer window looking for players who will begin their new project.

They were quick to sign Kieran Trippier from Atlético de Madrid and Chris Wood from Burnley, but the noveau-riche club is not backing down from the window just yet as they are ready to match any financial obligations for the players in their radar.

Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata, 30, is one of their top attacking targets and the club have made a €30 million bid for the Colombian to Atalanta which was rejected according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.

Calciomercato also reports that Newcastle will be presenting an improved offer of €40 million in the coming days for the Colombian, which could initiate talks between both clubs.

Should Zapata sign, Newcastle is willing to offer him a salary of €6.5 million, triple of his current salary at the Bergamo club.

Zapata joined Gian Piero Gasperini’s side in 2018 on an initial loan deal, but went on to convince the club to make his deal permanent. He has since turned into one of Serie A’s brightest attacking talents and in 152 appearances for La Dea, he has scored 78 goals and provided 38 assists.

Despite the reports from Calciomercato, Downie, however, has come out to say that the club isn’t interested in Zapata.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, the Sky Sports journalist said: “A source close to the club, close to Newcastle, is suggesting that he isn’t a player of interest.”

It remains to be seen if Downie’s comments ring true, as multiple sources along with Calciomercato keep reporting otherwise.

Magpies identify replacement for top defensive target

Newcastle United have reportedly identified Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady as a new potential alternative to top defensive target Diego Carlos.

Transfer journalist Rudy Galetti claims that Newcastle are looking at several defensive options in case their chase for Sevilla man Diego Carlos fails to materialise.

The Brazilian defender is keen to leave Sevilla in January but the Andalusian club are not studying any deals for him just yet. Newcastle looks like his potential destination but with Sevilla stalling on the deal, Conor Coady has emerged as a new alternative.

Reports also claim that an interest from Tottenham Hotspur could potentially stand in the way of the Magpies’ Diego Carlos bid.

Alongside Conor Coady, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake are other targets in case the Magpies cannot get their man.

However, it remains to be seen whether Wolves will want to release their captain in January, as they are already bracing up for the loss of Adama Traore to Tottenham this month.

Netherlands FA contact Pep Guardiola about manager position

A report from The Mirror has stated that the Netherlands Football Association, KNVB, is courting Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola about taking over the role of manager when his contract at Manchester City runs out.

The City boss harbours dreams of coaching on the international stage and it is believed he will begin to pursue this dream after his contract at City runs out.

Managing Spain is out of the question because Guardiola is a staunch supporter of Catalan independence. The Spaniard is also interested in South American football and has previously been approached by Lionel Messi’s Argentina who tried to tempt him away with the possibility of reuniting with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The 51-year-old former Barcelona manager will be free from all City responsibilities in 2023 but the hierarchy at the Etihad is working to convince Guardiola to extend his contract beyond that time. However, the KNVB are also drawing up plans to convince the Spaniard to “bring total football home” as the Netherlands national team coach.

The Mirror reports also that the KNVB have been in touch with Guardiola, who played and learnt under Dutch icon Johan Cruyff, about the position as head of their national team since before his contract extension at City which will keep him at the club until 2023.

The Dutch FA were told that the league leaders’ boss had unfinished business at the Etihad – which many speculate to be the UEFA Champions League – but were not outrightly dismissed which opens the possibility to a future link up.

Another thing that tips the scales in the favour of the KNVB is that Guardiola’s agent, his brother Pere, recently joined forces with one of the biggest Dutch football agencies SEG.

Guardiola beats Ferguson to Premier League record

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola achieved a milestone in the Premier League after his draw away to Southampton on Saturday.

Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at St. Mary’s stadium by Southampton to end their winning run at 12 matches and start their unbeaten run in the 13th game.

The single point earned by City saw Guardiola become the fastest manager to win 500 points in the Premier League, a feat the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager reached in 213 games in charge of City.

That makes him the fastest manager to achieve the record, beating Jose Mourinho (231), Jurgen Klopp (236), Sir Alex Ferguson (242), Arsene Wenger (249) and Rafa Benitez (267).

Guardiola, who is currently on track to his fourth Premier League title in his six years at Manchester City, claims that the tough draw at Southampton shows that City’s successes should not be taken for granted.

“That’s why it [Premier League] is the hardest prize to achieve every season, the most important one,” he said after the game.

“It’s so difficult, with different contenders, everyone is ready. We are the reigning champions, we have won a lot in the past, and it’s not so funny for the rest, so it’s more difficult to win and win.

“That’s why making back-to-back titles in the last 12, 13 years has happened only once, which was ourselves, and now we’re trying to do it again.

“We know how difficult it is and I don’t need to win, draw or lose today to know that we still have a lot of games to play. What we have to do is try to behave and play the way we played today.

“Even winning today, the title race would not be over. In January, no one is champion, there are many games that must be played.”

Confirmed: Raheem Sterling wanted a move to Barcelona

Raheem Sterling was ready to leave the Etihad for Camp Nou this January according to latest reports.

The Manchester City forward struggled to pin a spot down in Pep Guardiola’s team at the beginning of the season, starting only three of City’s first ten games. In that time, different transfer speculations arose, chief of which was a move away from the Premier League for Sterling.

Barcelona was the club mentioned in those rumours, with some reports even claiming that Manchester City and Barcelona held discussions over a possible transfer for Sterling, who the Catalan club have held an interest in for a while.

However, with Sergio Aguero instead moving to the Camp Nou, Gabriel Jesus failing to convince either, and £100 million Jack Grealish struggling to replicate his Aston Villa form, Sterling slowly found his place again in the squad and is now one of the first names on the team sheet again.

But new reports from The Athletic have now revealed that Sterling was indeed ready to leave the Etihad on loan to Barcelona in January, as he sought more playing time ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this December.

Both clubs held meetings in November over possible loan transfers with Bernardo Silva, Ferran Torres, Aymeric Laporte and Sterling being the reported targets of the Catalans. Barcelona eventually acquired Ferran Torres for a whopping £55 million calling the club’s reported financial struggles into question.

This further strengthened Sterling’s place in the star-studded City squad, where he now leads the club’s Premier League goalscorer charts with seven goals, five of which came in his last eight appearances for the Premier League table-toppers.

Sterling still nursing abroad dreams

Sterling has been able to win Guardiola over again and cemented his place in the team this season, and the sale of Torres to Barcelona has also made his presence in the club very important. However, according to The Athletic, Sterling still has a desire to play abroad.

Sterling also alluded to this in an interview with the Financial Times back in October 2021. “If there was an opportunity to go somewhere else, I’d be open to it at this moment in time,” Sterling said.

“As I said, football is the most important thing to me — challenges that I have set myself from a young age and dreams as well.

“As an English player, all I know is the Premier League. I’ve always known that maybe one day, I would love to play abroad and see how I would come up against that challenge.”

Guardiola admits Barcelona could still sign more City players in the near future

Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte are still on the Catalans’ radar and both players are reportedly open to moving to Spain to play for the club. Guardiola expressed a belief that Barcelona’s pull is beyond Manchester City’s despite the Catalan club’s failures and Manchester City’s successes in recent times.

“If Barcelona are interested in any of our players, I am convinced that they can get them,” Guardiola said.

“Barca continues to be an attractive club, more than attractive. The city, the club, the history and this for the trainers, for the players always seduces a lot.

“If Barcelona interests one of our players, they will set up the machinery into operation, it is a liner.

“Barca can use their media to influence signings. That’s the thing about Barcelona; they can do what they want, good or bad.”

Hugo Lloris extends contract at Tottenham Hotspur for the next two seasons

Tottenham Hotspur can rest easy after getting captain Hugo Lloris to commit to the club for another two years as Antonio Conte continues his squad rebuild at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The World Cup winner has been top of the Italian’s priority since he took over, and has gotten the club to initiate discussions with the player who he considers a key leader in the dressing room, much like Samir Handanovic at Inter Milan.

The 35-year-old France international was into the last six months of his contract and could have left Spurs after 10 years at the club and 395 appearances in all competitions, including one UEFA Champions League final, at the end of the season. His discussions with Conte convinced him to sign for Spurs for another two years, according to The Daily Mail.

He is convinced that his trophyless ten years at Spurs could be coming to an end under th Italian, who has made a career of turning struggling sides to winners. Conte can now rest easy while he waits for more arrivals at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Conte never wavered in his belief that Lloris would sign an extension. “I think so, I think that they have started to talk,” the Italian said when asked about Lloris’ contract extension last month. “You know very well what I think about Hugo. Also previously I spoke and said that he’s our captain, he is a top goalkeeper for us, he has great experience.

“He knows very well Tottenham. He loves this shirt and this badge. For me he is an important player and I’m sure that they are going to find a solution for him to continue to play with Tottenham.

“I think and I repeat because I am not the person that speaks to renew the contract with the players. There is the club and the people that do this. But for sure I am very confident about this situation to be positive.”

Spurs and PSG in talks over Ndombele

Elsewhere, Tottenham have begun discussions over a potential deal for Tanguy Ndombele with Paris Saint-Germain which could involve Leandro Paredes. Reports, however, have claimed that the Argentine has rejected a move to Spurs.

PSG are reportedly keen to sign the Spurs midfielder before the end of the January transfer window and have offered Paredes in exchange according to RMC Sport.

The Telegraph also reports that Antonio Conte is not interested in the Paredes swap deal but PSG are still looking at options to get Ndombele to Paris this January. An exchange deal, however, is their likeliest option to get this deal done.

Aubameyang loan offer received by Arsenal from Saudi Arabia

Arsenal have received a loan offer from Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr with an obligation to buy for £7 million for ostracised ex-captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which could help the club save £25 million in wages.

The 32-year-old striker has not played for Arsenal since early November when he was left out of the team for what the club described as indiscipline, which was later revealed to be the player returning a day later than scheduled from visiting his sick mother in France.

He got his opportunity to play senior football after almost a month away with his country at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, only for him to contract Covid-19 and suffer some minor cardiac problems leading to him returning to North London and ending his AfCON journey prematurely.

His return to Arsenal, however, has not guaranteed his reintegration into the squad and he has now been offered a way back into active football by Al Nassr. Reports claim that the Gunners hierarchy are currently considering the proposal, due to the financial benefits of the move.

The £7 million obligation-to-buy fee is a lot lesser than the club’s valuation of Aubameyang, but the loan offer will see Arsenal take off Aubameyang’s £250,000-a-week wage from their books for the rest of the season. The Gabonese striker, whose country have successfully made it to the next round of the African Cup of Nations, has 18 months left on his current Arsenal contract and an exit now would save the North London club around £25 million.

Arteta unsure of why Aubameyang returned from AfCON

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has claimed he never expected Aubameyang to be back from Cameroon, hosts of the 2021 African Cup of Nations, at this time.

Earlier in the week, Gabon national team manager Patrice Neveu claimed that he was pressured to release Aubameyang back to Arsenal, also citing their inability to carry out the necessary tests to determine his ability to continue at the tournament as a reason.

The 32-year-old striker, now back in North London, will undergo further tests to determine his fitness level but Arteta has claimed that he is unsure why the striker is back.

“He’s in London. Now he’s going through some examinations because we haven’t had any clarity from the Gabon national team about the reasons why he’s come back,” Arteta told journalists.

“It’s our obligation to make sure he’s in a good condition and there’s no issues related to that.

“He is in good condition. So far, historically, with everything we have done with the player he has never had an issue. Hopefully that is the case.

“He contracted COVID-19 and then the national team decided to bring him back here and this is where we are.

“Let’s go step by step and do the right examinations and make sure the players’ health is in the best possible condition. Then we’ll see what happens.”

Gabon coach breaks silence over Aubameyang’s return to Arsenal following COVID-19 complications

Gabon’s national team coach, Patrice Neveu has broken his silence on the issues surrounding national team captain and star striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s return to Arsenal while Gabon competes for the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Aubameyang, who is currently having a hard time with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta leading to him being ostracised from the squad for four games prior to the AfCON tournament, has been forced to depart his country’s AfCON camp and return to north London.

The 32-year-old, together with former Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina, contracted COVID-19 at his national team’s dinner hosted in Dubai to celebrate their participation in the 33rd AfCON tournament before they travelled to Cameroon to battle the rest of Africa for the title.

Since then, he has been out of action, missing two games and suffering a small heart issue which led to Arsenal’s doctors asking him to return.

This decision has not gone down well with the Gabonese national team and manager Patrice Neveu has come out to speak on it.

Neveu said he was put under pressure to release Aubameyang to return to Arsenal, as well as Lemina who was also called back to his club.

“What I know is that they’ve been Covid free for the last 72 hours,” Neveu said in a press conference. “We couldn’t arrange an MRI for them, and as a result they couldn’t train.

“It was really annoying for them to stay in their rooms. We made the decision yesterday with the President and under pressure from the clubs too, because they’re worried so that [Aubameyang] should go back to Arsenal and Mario [Lemina] back to Nice.”

Aubameyang dismisses talks of indiscipline with Gabon

The embattled striker has faced serious backlash since his issues at Arsenal began. The AfCON tournament was supposed to be a retreat for him and a means to get back into active football.

Rumours have continued to hover around him, and some more rumours spring up after he contracted COVID-19 about his indiscipline. Both he and Lemina were rumoured to have been sent home for other reasons but the former Arsenal captain dismissed those rumours on Twitter.

He tweeted: “We have problems that are already complicated to solve, then on top of that there are rumours.

“In short, we have health to take care of first and foremost, I won’t go back on these false rumours and I sincerely hope that our team will go as far as possible.”

Lemina, on his Instagram stories, wrote: “I don’t want to feed the lies which seek to harm. I have nothing to do with it.

“I am in pain for my national team who are surrounded by liars in search of a buzz. Good luck to you to for the rest of the competition and for national team squads in the future. Far from my eyes but close to my heart.”

Neveu did concede, however, that both Arsenal and OGC Nice, who Lemina currently plays for, we’re doing what was in their best interests.

“As you know, he’s a key player for Arsenal, although he’s going through a tough period at the moment. We still have to report to clubs,” Neveu added.

“And when a player’s health is affected and as you know they are paid by the club, we have to be reasonable at some point.”

Chelsea News: Thomas Tuchel calls for patience with Lukaku; Chelsea major winners at FIFA awards

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has urged struggling striker Romelu Lukaku to find “peace on the pitch” in order to regain his scoring form, while also claiming that the club are going to do everything to help him.

The 28-year-old Belgium international was brought back to the club after a successful spell away from the Premier League to spearhead a title challenge for the Blues this season. Chelsea spent a whopping €115 million to secure his services from Inter Milan but the striker has not provided returns for that amount, scoring only five goals in 13 Premier League appearances.

Lukaku made matters worse after granting an interview to a Sky Sports Italy programme where he talked fondly about his time at Inter Milan, his distaste for the way Chelsea is currently set up, and his dream of returning to Italy. He also urged his former strike partner Lautaro Martinez to stay put at Inter Milan, which aggravated Chelsea’s fan base a lot.

Thomas Tuchel was asked about the striker’s performances after the Blues’ defeat at Manchester City, where he was a passenger in the side that turned out for the Blues.

“We do everything to help him. I think this is absolutely the wrong question because it is focusing on one player,” Tuchel replied.

“There will not be more pressure than he puts on himself and we need to find a mix between all the expectations, all the pressure and still to be relaxed enough to play your best game.

“It is not only about pushing, squeezing, not only about demands, but it is also about feeling peace and relaxed on the pitch. Things will fall in their place when we keep on working hard.”

Chelsea scoop awards at FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony

Elsewhere, Chelsea were the most represented team in FIFA’s The Best awards on Monday night. This time, however, the club had three award winners in Thomas Tuchel who bagged the award for The Best Men’s coach, Emma Hayes who bagged the award for The Best women’s coach, and Édouard Mendy who finally was recognised on the global scale with the award for The Best goalkeeper.

Four players across the club’s men’s and women’s teams also made it into the FIFPro World XI teams for both categories.

Unlike the Ballon d’Or ceremony, the awards for FIFA The Best are voted for by a journalist, club captains, fellow players, coaches and fans.

Jorginho and N’Golo Kante made it onto the FIFPro men’s team in recognition of their excellent 2021 while Magdalena Eriksson and Millie Bright made it into the Women’s 11, as voted by their fellow professionals.

Jorginho and Kanye were both key in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League run as well as their national teams’ runs to the Euro 2020 title and UEFA Nations League title respectively.

Meanwhile, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea Women side were dependent on captain Eriksson and vice-captain Bright who led the team on the pitch to three domestic trophies and the UEFA Women’s Champions League final where they lost to Barcelona Femeni, whose captain Alexia Putellas bagged the award for The Best Women’s Player of 2021.