Chelsea Season 2011/12

[smithy]

Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas looks set to join Chelsea following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti in May.

The 33-year-old Villas-Boas guided Porto to the Europa League title last season.

The Portuguese has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave Porto should another club offer £13.2m for his services.

In a statement, Porto said they had yet to receive an offer that activated the release clause.

"So far this club has not received any communication that this clause has been exercised, nor of the agreement of the coach that is desired," the statement read.

Chelsea said they hope to make an announcement about their new manager in the next few days.

Porto president Pinto da Costa said the club could not prevent Villas-Boas leaving should certain financial conditions be met.

"Villas-Boas has a contract and a clause of 15m euros," he confirmed. "If someone deposits 15m euros into our account and he wants to go, we can not do anything because it is something that is contractually specified."

A Chelsea statement said: "We hope to be able to make an announcement regarding the new manager in the next few days or so, but until then we will not be commenting further on the speculation surrounding that appointment."

Porto also clinched a domestic double under Villas-Boas last season, winning the league and the league cup.

Guus Hiddink has also been linked with a return to Chelsea, where he won the FA Cup as a caretaker manager in 2009.

Villas-Boas, who speaks fluent English, was a scout for Mourinho at both Chelsea and at Inter Milan.

He also worked with Sir Bobby Robson during the former England manager's spell in charge of Porto.

Porto ended last season unbeaten in league with 27 wins in 30 matches, becoming only the second Portuguese club to finish a league season unbeaten, after Benfica in 1972-73.

Ancelotti was sacked by Chelsea following a season without any silverware, with the London club finishing runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League.

Numerous candidates have been touted as possible replacements for the Italian, among them Turkey boss Hiddink, Villas-Boas and former Fulham, Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes.

[Jim05]

Andre Villas-Boas confirmed as new manager

[RoosterMarty]

Pretty decent signing but he better win a trophy or 3 in his first season or he will be gone.

Interesting in that he is 33 years old and the same age as Drogba and Lampard.

[Bully]

or doesnt win every game in the first 6 months

[johntheclaret]

Pretty decent signing but he better win a trophy or 3 in his first season or he will be gone.

Interesting in that he is 33 years old and the same age as Drogba and Lampard.

He won't get 3 seasons Marty, If he doesn't win a trophy in his 1st year he's gone. If he doesn't win the CL withing 3 years he's gone.
Roman is obsessed with winning the CL.

[Jim05]

Michael Essien down with a knee injury at first day of training.
Early reports are not good, cruciate ligament and could miss a fair chunk of this season

[Bully]

time for a new manager already??

[Jim05]

Wont win the league as long as that dud Torres starts ahead of Anelka and Drogba. Drogba is the best striker in the EPL and he is sitting on the pine so that Roman can feed his own ego

[Bully]

Wont win the league as long as that dud Torres starts ahead of Anelka and Drogba. Drogba is the best striker in the EPL and he is sitting on the pine so that Roman can feed his own ego

try replacing some of the team more so then torres...like cole for a start, and terry.same old team with no new faces wont go anywhere

[devilsadvocate]

Wont win the league as long as that dud Torres starts ahead of Anelka and Drogba. Drogba is the best striker in the EPL and he is sitting on the pine so that Roman can feed his own ego

try replacing some of the team more so then torres...like cole for a start, and terry.same old team with no new faces wont go anywhere

Replace Cole?????

With who???

As much as he's a tosser, he's still one of the best fullbacks in the world and isamazing bombing forward.

Agree that Terry is past it and while Frank will still cover the ground, that'll just be his guts...

Chavski are falling off the pace IMO. Will still beat Spurs though

[Il Duce]

I just love how the media have been trying to say frank lampard is finished, well its simple AVB have been insisting that would be squad rotation and Frank Lampard 4 goals 2 games...yep he is finished..

[devilsadvocate]

I just love how the media have been trying to say frank lampard is finished, well its simple AVB have been insisting that would be squad rotation and Frank Lampard 4 goals 2 games...yep he is finished..

To be fair though, Bolton are a complete shambles and would probably get pasted by shamrock Rovers at the moment!

[Il Duce]

True but Valencia is actually quite a good team and he did well against them and the goal just topped it off, so i would say it didn't matter who we played on the weekend frank had the bit in between his teeth and played well and the 3 goals wasn't a tap in, he got himself into the right positions so i would frank proved some people wrong.

[johntheclaret]

Chelsea are trying to buy back shares held by fans in preparation for a new stadium

[Jim05]

True but Valencia is actually quite a good team and he did well against them and the goal just topped it off, so i would say it didn't matter who we played on the weekend frank had the bit in between his teeth and played well and the 3 goals wasn't a tap in, he got himself into the right positions so i would frank proved some people wrong.

Had Fat Frank in my Fantasy team at start of the season and he was bloody useless so i got rid of him. Now he decides to start scoring for fun

[Il Duce]

Chelsea are trying to buy back shares held by fans in preparation for a new stadium

Yeah however an agreement is there that if the Chelsea Pitch Owners says yes no move untill 2020...unless within a 3 mile radius of stamford bridge. I hear the earl's court sight has been bought up looking at a 55,000 to 75,000 seated stadium, will no doubt be top of the range etc, chelsea village to move with it as well. and the CPO people will have first option to by the houses that would go on stamford bridge.

[johntheclaret]

Why on earth would CFC want to build a 55k - 75k seater stadium. They don't fill what they have most of the time

[Jim05]

Why on earth would CFC want to build a 55k - 75k seater stadium. They don't fill what they have most of the time

Yeah, the last time i was over there it was a piece of cake to get tickets to a Chelsea match.

[devilsadvocate]

Why on earth would CFC want to build a 55k - 75k seater stadium. They don't fill what they have most of the time

So true!

It's bloody easy to gt a ticket to Chavski.

Funny thing happened to a mate who went to Stamford Bridge. It was a rare sellout (Chavs v bindippers in 2008) and my mate bought a ticket from a tout for 200 quid.

The ticket actually got him into the ground, but the section printed on the ticket didn't actually exist, so he couldn't find his seat. He ended up asking a steward, who immediately twigged it was a counterfeit copy and kicked him out! LOL.

[Il Duce]

Why on earth would CFC want to build a 55k - 75k seater stadium. They don't fill what they have most of the time

no idea ask mr abrovich and his counterparts, Chelsea do get sell outs but only for derbys, man utd, liverpool and post group stage matches of the champions league. I dont believe we need a stadium that big, i dont think we need to move either but this is what the plan is, oh well we will see what happens, i dont see any movement happening for a while though.