Mourinho spotted in london

Jose Mourinho appeared to be back in London on Monday morning and was spotted by some eagle-eyed Chelsea supporters.

The Portuguese manager was seen at 9.30am in Imperial Wharf, Chelsea Harbour, walking along the riverbank with two other men - less than one mile away from Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea fan Laith Al-Hashimi, with parents Sarra and Kussay, was having coffee on their balcony when they spotted him.

The manager went to Wembley to watch the Play-off Final between Crystal Palace and Watford, presumably to watch Chelsea youngster Nathaniel Chalobah, who plays for the Hornets on loan.

Sarra took the photo and Kussay called out to the former and future Blues boss.

They said that Mourinho looked up and waved back, but by the time Laith and Sarra went downstairs he had gone.

The area is very popular with Chelsea players and both Michael Essien and Andriy Shevchenko lived there.

Laith said: 'We saw him walking along just below our apartment and we knew it was Jose.

'My mum actually took the photo but it was definitely him. We ran down the stairs to try and say hello but by that point he'd gone.'

Kussay added: 'I'm a big Chelsea fan and have been for years so I knew it was him. He looked very casual as he walked along.

'I waved and called out to him, "Jose, welcome home!" and he looked up and waved back at us.'

Hello again: Mourinho could face Real Madrid in the summer with Chelsea

Mourinho is on collision course with Real Madrid as Chelsea could face the Spanish team in the summer.

The Portuguese manager, who has agreed a four-year deal worth more than £2.1m after tax each season, will move to his former side from the La Liga outfit in June.

Chelsea will play in an American tournament featuring Madrid in July.

It could prove to be a fractious match-up, given that Mourinho's tenure in Spain has ended in bitter acrimony, with verbal shots being fired both by him and club president Florentino Perez and many of his players turning against him.

Along with AC Milan, Inter, Everton, Valencia, Juventus and LA Galaxy and Madrid, Chelsea will participate in the Guinness International Champions Cup.

The Sun Life Stadium in Miami will feature two double-headers, the first of which is on July 27.

The fixtures are yet to be arranged to Mourinho could dodge his old charges if he is lucky.

Chelsea played a pair of post-season friendlies against Premier League opponents Man City in St Louis and New York last week.

Both were high-scoring and entertaining affairs, which the Blues lost 4-3 and 5-3 respectively.

David Luiz said he was excited about the arrival of the Special One. He said: ‘Everyone in football knows him. Many people say he’s great to work with.

'I follow football history and I know the history of Mourinho. He has huge credibility across the world and, of course, I’m excited when you are about to work with a very good coach.’

Demba Ba, like Luiz, did not play under Mourinho the first time the Portuguese was in charge at Chelsea but he, too, cannot wait for the experience to start.

‘I don’t know him but you see the way people talk about him, what he has achieved and the way he can turn a good player into a world-class player.

'If you work hard he helps you as your manager and gives you confidence. As a footballer that’s one of the most important things to have — confidence from everybody around you, and especially the manager. I guess he is one of those who can do this.

Mourinho spotted in london

Jose Mourinho appeared to be back in London on Monday morning and was spotted by some eagle-eyed Chelsea supporters.

The Portuguese manager was seen at 9.30am in Imperial Wharf, Chelsea Harbour, walking along the riverbank with two other men - less than one mile away from Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea fan Laith Al-Hashimi, with parents Sarra and Kussay, was having coffee on their balcony when they spotted him.

The manager went to Wembley to watch the Play-off Final between Crystal Palace and Watford, presumably to watch Chelsea youngster Nathaniel Chalobah, who plays for the Hornets on loan.

Sarra took the photo and Kussay called out to the former and future Blues boss.

They said that Mourinho looked up and waved back, but by the time Laith and Sarra went downstairs he had gone.

The area is very popular with Chelsea players and both Michael Essien and Andriy Shevchenko lived there.

Laith said: 'We saw him walking along just below our apartment and we knew it was Jose.

'My mum actually took the photo but it was definitely him. We ran down the stairs to try and say hello but by that point he'd gone.'

Kussay added: 'I'm a big Chelsea fan and have been for years so I knew it was him. He looked very casual as he walked along.

'I waved and called out to him, "Jose, welcome home!" and he looked up and waved back at us.'

Hello again: Mourinho could face Real Madrid in the summer with Chelsea

Mourinho is on collision course with Real Madrid as Chelsea could face the Spanish team in the summer.

The Portuguese manager, who has agreed a four-year deal worth more than £2.1m after tax each season, will move to his former side from the La Liga outfit in June.

Chelsea will play in an American tournament featuring Madrid in July.

It could prove to be a fractious match-up, given that Mourinho's tenure in Spain has ended in bitter acrimony, with verbal shots being fired both by him and club president Florentino Perez and many of his players turning against him.

Along with AC Milan, Inter, Everton, Valencia, Juventus and LA Galaxy and Madrid, Chelsea will participate in the Guinness International Champions Cup.

The Sun Life Stadium in Miami will feature two double-headers, the first of which is on July 27.

The fixtures are yet to be arranged to Mourinho could dodge his old charges if he is lucky.

Chelsea played a pair of post-season friendlies against Premier League opponents Man City in St Louis and New York last week.

Both were high-scoring and entertaining affairs, which the Blues lost 4-3 and 5-3 respectively.

David Luiz said he was excited about the arrival of the Special One. He said: ‘Everyone in football knows him. Many people say he’s great to work with.

'I follow football history and I know the history of Mourinho. He has huge credibility across the world and, of course, I’m excited when you are about to work with a very good coach.’

Demba Ba, like Luiz, did not play under Mourinho the first time the Portuguese was in charge at Chelsea but he, too, cannot wait for the experience to start.

‘I don’t know him but you see the way people talk about him, what he has achieved and the way he can turn a good player into a world-class player.

'If you work hard he helps you as your manager and gives you confidence. As a footballer that’s one of the most important things to have — confidence from everybody around you, and especially the manager. I guess he is one of those who can do this.

Frank Lampard signs new one-year contract at Chelsea

Frank Lampard has signed a new one-year contract with Chelsea.

After a season of uncertainty over the midfielder's future, the Blues confirmed on Thursday that the England midfielder will remain at Stamford Bridge next season.

Lampard joined from West Ham United in 2001 for £11m and has scored a club-record 203 goals in his 12 seasons in west London.

After months of speculation over whether he would stay or go, the deal for Lampard to continue at Chelsea for a 13th season was announced the morning after he captained the Blues in Wednesday night's Europa League final win over Benfica in Amsterdam.

Lampard, who will be 35 next month, said told Chelsea's website: "I'm absolutely delighted. Everybody knows I always maintained the dream was to stay at Chelsea.

"We've been talking for ages and even though it went on for quite a period it was always amicable. I want to thank Mr Abramovich [Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich] for everything he's done in making the dream a reality.

"I love this club, the staff, the players and especially the supporters, who have treated me fantastically since the day I arrived. The thought of helping the club to more success in the forthcoming years is all I ever wanted. I couldn't be happier."

It caps a stunning week for Lampard, who on Saturday scored twice in the Barclays Premier League win over Aston Villa to surpass Bobby Tambling's 43-year-old mark as Chelsea's record goalscorer

PS I love you! David Luiz celebrates Frank Lampard's record.. and a Playstation dream come true

Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer was regularly under the thumb of the Brazilian's joypad PLUS John Terry and Eden Hazard are Europa doubts

David Luiz remembers the days when, as a teenager, he had Frank Lampard banging in goals for him on ­Playstation.

A decade later, Luiz has come to realise that Lampard doesn’t need a control pad to pull off his feats of goalscoring brilliance.

And the Brazilian is still pinching himself at having had the chance to play alongside the greatest goalscorer in Chelsea’s history.

After seeing Lampard’s brace break Bobby Tambling’s 202-goal record at Villa Park, Luiz said: “I have played with many, many fantastic players in my life. But he is the hero at Chelsea.

“It’s a fantastic story. He has scored the most for Chelsea. It is great for him. Football gives me an opportunity to play with these players. I played with them only on the Playstation when I was young.”

Of course, the irony of Luiz’s comments is that he was himself described two years ago as performing as though he was being “controlled by a 10-year-old on Playstation” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

Yet it was Luiz’s introduction at half time that helped Chelsea to come from a goal down to seal their place in next season’s Champions League.

Had Aston Villa not misfired after Christian Benteke netted 14 minutes in, Paul Lambert's team would have pulled off a stunning upset.

Brilliant Benteke terrified the Blues with his strength and pace. And when Ramires was sent off for two bookable offences in first-half injury time, Chelsea really were staring down the barrel.

But Benteke himself picked up a second yellow card on the hour. Without him, Villa were just not the same team.

Lampard’s first – just three minutes after Benteke went off – saw him cut in from the right and lash a left-foot drive past Villa keeper Brad Guzan.

His second, two minutes from time, saw him burst into the six-yard box to despatch Juan Mata’s low ball in from the left touchline.

Explaining the secret of his success, Lamps said: “I am very fortunate in that I have had great parents. My Dad, in a football sense, put that work ethic into me. I have continued to feel fit this year. And I’ve felt a real ability to get into the box. The second goal was an example of that.

“After that I try to work hard on my finishing in training and once I put those things together and go out and play I feel confident that these things can happen.”

Yet Lampard is being made to sweat over a new deal as the Blues’ younger talents take the club forward.

He added: “I think the club are making the right decisions and I hope to stay. Simple as that.

“We’ve got two big games coming up. Nothing will happen in that period of time, but at the end of those games I hope to sit down.”

At least Lampard is in with a shout of making ­Wednesday’s Europa League Final. Skipper John Terry looks set for a second final ­heartbreak in as many seasons after twisting his ankle late in this game.

Last May he was banned from the Champions League Final win over Bayern Munich. Lampard said: “Its a huge blow. I am gutted for him because I know how difficult that was for him, missing the game last year.

“But whatever we do as a club, John is part of it. We win things together.”

Hazard and Terry are Europa Final doubts

John Terry will find out today whether he will miss his second European final in 12 months when he receives the results of a scan.

Down and out? Chelsea captain John Terry has treatment after injuring his leg

Getty

The Chelsea captain is extremely doubtful for Wednesday’s Europa League Final after colliding with Aston Villa’s Nathan Baker in the 76th minute.

Terry left Villa Park on crutches and wearing a protective boot. He said: “It is my ankle. I’m going to get it scanned. I don’t know if I’ll be fit for Wednesday at the moment.”

If he is ruled out it will be the second successive year he has missed out on a major final after being suspended for their ­Champions League success last May.

Blues boss Rafa Benitez is also expected to lose Eden Hazard, who pulled a hamstring at Villa.

Benitez said: “A hamstring injury is very difficult to overcome in just two or three days. This is bad news. That makes Hazard very doubtful.”

History Making Lampard Contract Extension

Lampard knows there are problems with his comparison between himself and Didier Drogba. This time last year Drogba scored in the Champions League final before converting the shootout penalty that gave Chelsea the greatest victory in their history with what was to be his last kick for the club.

Lampard draws inspiration from that even though he admits that Wednesday's Europa League final against Benfica cannot possibly confer the glory of last season's win in Munich. What is more, it will be difficult to emulate the Ivorian's outstanding performance from the bench, which is where Lampard is likely to start. Still, at least the uncertainty surrounding his future is similar to his old team-mate's predicament.

"Didier handled himself fantastically all last season," says Lampard. "He didn't talk about [his contract], no one knew his plans until after the match and he did his stuff and left as an absolute legend as he should have done."

So has Lampard been making plans that he will reveal in the aftermath of another European final, or perhaps following next Sunday's Premier League conclusion against Everton at Stamford Bridge? "Not particularly, no. Kind of." Is he going to get a new contract or are these really the last days of his 12-year stint as a Chelsea player? "I don't want to talk too much individually about my situation with these games to go," he replies.

"That would be wrong and it's actually not important in the big scheme of things. What's important is us getting the right results out of the games to qualify for the Champions League, which is the main importance for this club, and also to win in the final."

While Lampard acknowledges that winning "Europe's second competition" would not be as significant as qualifying for the top one, it still pains him that he may not feature prominently in Amsterdam, as Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar are the clear first-choices in attacking midfield and the interim manager, Rafael Benitez, appears to prefer David Luiz, Ramires or Jon Mikel Obi in the deeper positions. Last season Lampard went into the Champions League final as captain, so going into the Europa League showdown suspecting that a meaningful cameo role is the best he can hope for has taken some mental readjustment. "You have to be professional about it and work hard in training, it's a different mindset."

Indeed, getting his head around the fact that the club's main remaining priority for the season is a top-four finish has also been disconcerting. "I don't like fighting for the top four," says Lampard who on Saturday beat Bobby Tambling's record with his 203rd Chelsea goal after second-half strikes against Aston Villa. "That's no disrespect but I'm so used to fighting for top one or two and I loved that mentality we had for a good few years where second was a disappointing season. I don't like the idea of fourth being a celebration in a way. The competition does get harder and teams get harder, but I'd love us to be up there again fighting to win leagues."

A man who counts three Premier League titles among the 10 major honours that he has won at Chelsea is in a good position to know how close the club is to getting back to winning leagues. "Not far at all," he says. "We've got a great squad, great individual players. It's just a case of next year coming in with a mentality from pre-season where the club's going to go 'right, we've got these players, we're going to get the balance right, we're going to work hard and we're going to make a challenge to go and win the league'. One thing we've lacked in the last two or three years has been consistency league-wise. That's what we need to get back."

When he talks like that, it sounds as if Lampard fancies there is still a chance of securing a new deal this summer even though he will turn 35. But even if the man who made him Chelsea king returns to Stamford Bridge, he may not stay. "I have a great relationship with José [Mourinho] but whether that makes any difference is only something that will become clear at the end of the season."

If Chelsea do not keep him, he feels he could still serve for several seasons elsewhere and has been training to ensure longevity, adapting his routine to take account that the player who made a 164 consecutive Premier League appearances when he was in his prime has made fewer starts this season than at any time since joining Chelsea. "I'd love to do this for a few more years. I looked at Ryan Giggs when we played [Manchester United] last Sunday. He was as fit as a fiddle and had an aura around him. All the players there were looking up to him and he is the mark really … I adapt my training as I get a bit older … If I don't do extra bits I haven't got the edge in my game. Particularly when you do miss games, rotated in and out, if you don't do that then you can slip into a game and be more lethargic than if you were playing every game."

He is, then, ready for the next game and while the Europa League may not make for the dream farewell, losing it would be a nightmare. "You remember the finals you lose as much as the ones you win," he says. "Everyone's talking about Chelsea getting to a final and thinking we've almost done it but we know what a tough game's it's going to be. Celebrations are something to talk about after the event." Like contracts, perhaps.