Chelsea :: Fudbal ~ Kladionica ~ Fantasy ~ Navijaci

At a Regulatory Commission hearing today, a claim for wrongful
dismissal from Chelsea's Ashley Cole was rejected.

He will serve a one-match suspension with immediate effect.

Cole was shown a red card for the denial of an obvious goal scoring
opportunity during Chelsea's game against Aston Villa on Wednesday 26
December.

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Chelsea hope to follow the expected signing of Nicolas Anelka when the
January transfer window opens next week with the arrival of up to three
other new players in what could amount to a stunning transfer spree by the
Premier League club.

If all their targets are secured, in what is manager Avram Grant's first
foray into the transfer market, Chelsea could end up splashing out more than
?50m ? which is unlikely to be matched by any other club next month,
although Manchester City could also be big spenders.

Despite injury to John Terry and the suspension of Ricardo Carvalho, the
problematic right-back position has again been identified as a priority with
Maicon Douglas, a 26-year-old Brazilian who plays for Internazionale, the
newest name to emerge as a target. Also on that list remains Daniel Alves,
another Brazilian, and one who came close to joining Chelsea last summer
from Seville.

The problem with both players for Chelsea is that they are cup-tied for the
Champions League. Winning the European Cup is the club's main priority this
season with Grant also looking to add two more midfielders ? a creative
player and a winger ? to his squad.

Chelsea have been severely hampered by injury and suspension, and will face
further strain on their playing resources with next month's African Nations
Cup set to deprive them of Didier Drogba, if fit, Michael Essien, Salomon
Kalou and John Obi Mikel.

Chelsea are showing the strongest interest in Dynamo Zagreb's Luka Modric, a
classic No 10 who tore England apart in the European Championship
qualifiers, and who would fit the brief for a playmaker. The club's
vice-president, Zdravko Mamic, and his son, Zoran, have been in London this
week to talk to interested clubs, which are thought to include Tottenham
Hotspur and Manchester City. It is thought that Mamic, who has also met with
Roman Abramovich, wants ?20m.

The Chelsea owner has also encouraged Grant to consider Diniyar
Bilyaletdinov and Branislav Ivanovic from Lokomotiv Moscow. The pair would
cost around ?20m. Bilyaletdinov is versatile and can fit the criteria of
being a winger or a creative midfielder, while Ivanovic, a Serb, can play at
right-back and has also been watched by Manchester United.

Chelsea's prospects of prising either Maicon or Alves, both internationals,
away from their respective clubs are slim, not least because Inter and
Seville will also regard the Premier League club as one of their main rivals
for the European Cup. Maicon, in particular, is in impressive form and the
Inter coach, Roberto Mancini, recently hailed him as the best right-back in
the world. Like Alves, who came close to moving to Stamford Bridge in August
when Chelsea felt they had secured a ?21.5m deal, Maicon is more of a
wing-back.

The signing of Anelka could be one of the first deals to be completed once
the transfer window opens on Tuesday. The 28-year-old is expected to leave
Bolton Wanderers for at least ?10m.