It has been confirmed by West London outfit Chelsea boss that France international Olivier Giroud will not be leaving the club at the end of the season as earlier speculated.

Olivier Giroud has been reported to be seeking a move away from the Stamford Bridge after complaining of lack of playing time and has been linked with a number of clubs.

The striker’s contract with Chelsea expires at the end of the season but the club have agreed to activate the 12 months extension clause.

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Maurizio Sarri has now confirmed that the former Arsenal striker will not be leaving the club in the coming summer as he will remain to help the team to challenge for titles.

There are suggestions that the decision by the Italian boss is informed by the transfer ban on the club for the next two season.

Efforts have been made to appeal the ban but there has not been a result yet which means the West London players will have to remain and not move away if the club must compete for titles in the coming season.

However, manager Maurizio Sarri team will hope to secure qualification to the Champions League next season by finishing in the top-four.

Football pundit Paul Merson has been hinted that Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri might not remain at the Stamford Bridge in the coming season.

The Italian boss is no longer in the good books of the Blues’ fans owing to the poor results by the team and the inability to compete for the English Premier League title.

Sarri joined the Stamford Bridge from the Italian Serie A outfit Napoli in the last summer transfer window and the fans are already wanting him out.

Paul Merson stated that Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich will not want to have Maurizio Sarri at the club next season because he was brought in to play the expansion football, play good football as well as score more goals but that has not happened.

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However, Paul Merson suggested that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe will be the best replacement for the former Napoli boss because of his style of football which is close to what the Blues owner wants.

He stressed that Eddie Howe has a style of play which is good for winning and it is expected to work well at the top level.

Meanwhile, the Blues are more particular about winning the appeal of the transfer ban on the club so as to be able to compete next season.

After losing out of the English Premier League title, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, the West London outfit have just the Europa League to behold and the only chance to celebrate silverware this season.

The Blues team have been to see past Slavia Prague with a 5-3 aggregate in the quarter-finals and have set up a clash against German Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals before standing the opportunity of being in the final to face the winner between Arsenal and Valencia.

However, French international midfielder N’Golo Kante is very particular about the clash as he hopes to see past the Bundesliga outfit to win the Europa League finals at the end of the day.

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According to him, he wishes to make the season beautiful by winning the Europa League while admitting that they are not favourites in the competition despite having great players.

He noted that the team have got a lot to work on, especially their poor second half form but stressed that the most important thing is to qualify to the finals to stand the chance of winning at the end of the day.

However, Kante will hope his team wins the Europa League to earn them the opportunity of securing an automatic Champions League spot next season.

English Premier League outfit Chelsea are reportedly ready to reduce their asking price for Belgium international Eden Hazard as talks are reported to have started with Spanish La Liga outfit Real Madrid.

The Belgium international has since been linked with a move away from the West London outfit and has refused to sign a new deal to be able to actualize his dream to move to Real Madrid and work under his football idol and manager Zinedine Zidane in the coming season.

In order not to lose him for free, the Blues team have decided to open talks with the Spanish side and they had earlier insisted on a £100 million as the asking price to be able to land his signature.

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But the latest report claims that the Blues team are now ready to come down a little and will accept a fee of £90 million which could lead to an agreement between both sides.

The Blues have decided to look out for a replacement for the Belgium international and are reported to have identified French Ligue 1 outfit Lille striker Nicolas Pepe as the best fit for the club.

Chelsea have lacked cutting edge since the start of the season and they hope to have it corrected with new additions.

West London outfit have long been linked with a move for German Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic and they will now have a taste of his quality as both teams have been scheduled to meet in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Luka Jovic has been impressing in the Bundesliga with 17 goals so far this season while he has been able to find the net eight times in the Europa League alone to make him one of the best amongst his ranks.

The 21-year-old has therefore been on the radar of a number of top sides including Chelsea and Barcelona and this could be the best time for the Blues team to have better scouting of him when they meet.

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West London outfit boss Maurizio Sarri has hinted that Luka Jovic is a great player as he claims that the game would be a difficult one for his team, stressing that there is a need to think of the semi-final game.

The Italian boss described Luka Jovic as a wonderful striker when he claimed that the Bundesliga outfit is a great team that will give a good fight.

However, the Blues team will wait on the verdict of the transfer ban on their team to know if they will be able to make a move for him.

West London outfit Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has reacted to the knock sustained by Belgium international Eden Hazard during their win against Slavia Prague on Thursday night.

Eden Hazard was down hit during the first few minutes of the game and was attended to before he returned back to the field but he was unable to go through 90 minutes as he was substituted in the 65th minute.

This has therefore raised fears that he could be unavailable for their Premier League fixture this weekend but that has been dismissed by the Italian boss who claims that he expects Eden Hazard to remain fit.

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There is no doubt about Eden Hazard’s quality and his importance to the team, especially now that his team lack cutting edge in the attack and has the Belgium international in great form to deliver goals for the team.

However, Maurizio Sarri admitted that it was a strong knock on Eden Hazard but remains hopeful that they can be able to recover him before the coming game.

Meanwhile, the West London outfit are hoping to avoid the Europa League next season and that is why they are pressing to have a top-four finish in the Premier League so as to play in the Champions League.

The West London Outfit Chelsea were able to secure a resounding win against Slavia Prague in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals to secure progress to the semi-final but defender Cesar Azpilicueta is still unhappy.

After a 1-0 win away from home in the first leg, goals from Pedro, Olivier Giroud and another own goal ensured a 3-0 win by the Blues team to be able to advance but it has been established that they were not impressive especially in the second half.

Cesar Azpilicueta noted that it has become a trend for his team to drop in their intensity during second half games as their Thursday opponent almost came back into the game which would have cost their promotion.

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He stressed that this mistake from his team have been repeating itself over time, noting that it is not the way he would love to win trophies as they might not be lucky all the time.

However, he hopes they are able to push through and win in the semi-final so they can play the finals and probably win the trophy at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, the Blues team will now face Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals.

Manager Maurizio Sarri has replied to his team’s criticisms of second-half performance by defender Cesar Azpilicueta after their win against Slavia Prague on Thursday night.

The Blues team had a perfect first half but all of the impressive performance was almost ruined in the second half as they played poorly which almost gave their opponents a lift to return back to the game.

Cesar Azpilicueta lamented that it has been a trend in the past games and it has to be stopped if they must win the Europa League title this season.

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However, manager Maurizio Sarri has noted the problem but he jokingly gave a reply by stating that he will stop going into the dressing room after the first half blow if that would bring a solution to the second half problem.

He confessed to having warned his players about it by telling them to have the same application and attention as in the first half, lamenting that he cannot understand why his players lose focus in the second half.

However, the Blues team have now secured qualification to the semi-finals and will hope they scale through to be able to stand a chance of winning the Europa League for an automatic Champions League qualification.

Former West London outfit Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has spoken on returning to management any time soon as he is almost a year out of a job.

The Italian boss was sacked last summer after winning the Premier League title in the previous year with a record of 30 wins in 38 games as well as the FA Cup in his final year as the club felt he did not do enough.

Antonio Conte has since been in a legal battle with the club as he claims compensation for sacking him at a time he was unable to speak to suitors amongst other issues which are yet to be settled.

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The former boss has now stated that he hopes to return to management but he wants to secure a job with a team that has a project that convinces him of a successful spell.

It is obvious that he is not desperate for a return as he had earlier rejected the job to move to Spanish La Liga outfit Real Madrid over claims that he does not want to go into a club that is in crisis.

However, Antonio Conte remains a world class manager who will not be short of suitors in the coming summer transfer window.

Emerging reports claim that the West London outfit Chelsea are already considering the sack of their manager Maurizio Sarri at the end of the season and might pay attention o their former player and legend Frank Lampard.

The Italian boss has fallen out of favour with the fans and they have severally called for his sack as they are unsatisfied with the performance of the team and the management are also thinking in that direction if reports are to be believed.

Joining the Stamford Bridge from the Italian Serie A outfit Napoli in the last summer, Maurizio Sarri had a flying start with his Sarri-ball style but that changed eventually which made it no longer interesting.

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However, it is reported that Frank Lampard is already being considered for the job as he is currently impressing with the Championship side Derby Couty.

The Blues management seems ready to take a clue from their English Premier League counterparts Man United by bringing in a former player who understands the style of play, the culture and the demands.

Meanwhile, it is already suggested that Derby County could be sold by the owner which could force the club to a bad state and might also have an effect on Frank Lampard, a development that can force him out.