Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi is on the radar of Merseyside club Everton who are planning a shock move for the experienced midfielder in January.
Super Eagles Talisman, Victor Moses is set to make his 200th appearance in the English Premier League Today
Chelsea will take on La Liga side Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League, while Real Madrid picked up a tricky tie against Paris Saint Germain.
The UCL group stage has ended with a number of surprises and teams are gearing up to know their fate in the knockout stages.
Antonio Conte has surprisingly conceded defeat in the race for the Premier League title after Chelsea’s shock defeat to West Ham on Saturday.
The Blues looked a shadow of their usual self and were unable to break down a stubborn Hammers side who went ahead inside 10 minutes through Marko Arnautovic.
The 1-0 loss leaves Chelsea still 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and Conte now believes the margin is too big to claw back.
“To lose four games in 16 games, it means you are not in the title race,” Conte said. “My experience of this is if you want to stay in the race for the title, in the first part of the season you can lose once or twice.”
Particularly galling for Conte was the fact that three of the four defeats have come against clubs which would normally be considered relatively easy opposition for Chelsea – Burnley on the opening day of the season, Crystal Palace and now West Ham.
Chelsea also lost at home to Manchester City, who visit Manchester United on Sunday.
The champions were left to rue some poor finishing against West Ham in the closing stages as Alvaro Morata blazed wide when he finally found some space and Eden Hazard wasted a chance moments later.
Chelsea struggled for much of the match to find a way through a West Ham defence that did not concede a goal for the first time since September.
West Ham manager Moyes praised his side for a “completely disciplined, organised performance” which had revolved around giving Chelsea little room on the ball and catching them on the break through Arnautovic and Michail Antonio.
“The game plan we set up worked, everything we went about we knew how to engage, and we were very close at Manchester City as well,” he said, referring to last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to the leaders.
Despite the improvement since Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as coach in November, West Ham remain in the relegation zone.
Chelsea’s Conte said his players looked tired after a mid-week draw in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid and he again hinted at his frustration that his squad of players were not strong enough to challenge for domestic and European honours this season.
The Italian reportedly disagreed with the club’s top officials in the close season about signings for this campaign.
“I think it is better to talk to people in the club and then give my opinion,” he said when asked if he wanted to sign more
players in the January transfer window.
Conte added: “The last decision was with the club. I can give my opinion but the decision is of the club.”
Chelsea goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois has dropped a hint at himself making a likely return to the La Liga in future.
Chelsea could face Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16 but Antonio Conte insisted no one would be happy to play his side in the knockout round.
Michael Emenalo is confident there should be no concerns over Antonio Conte’s future at Chelsea, despite ongoing rumours surrounding his job.
Victor Moses was in top form on his first premier League start since October 14, providing his side’s second and forcing a penalty for the third as Chelsea brushed aside Newcastle 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
The Nigeria international took his place in the Blues starting XI that faced Swansea last time out, replacing Davide Zappacosta and put in a telling contribution as Antonio Conte’s men roared back from falling behind.
The Magpies drew first blood in the encounter following a defensive mishap from their opponents, Dwight Gayle stealing into the box to prod home after Chelsea failed to deal with a loose ball in the box as early as the 12th minute.
But Chelsea were level nine minutes later, Eden Hazard pouncing on a failed clearance from Florian Lejeune to stab home the equaliser.
Moses took centre stage for the third goal of the game, turning out Matt Richie before placing a delightful cross on a platter for Alvaro Morata to nod in and make it 2-1 just three minutes past the half-hour mark.
Richie would yet fall prey of the Nigerian trickery, sliding into the wingback with a badly timed challenge to concede a penalty which Hazard coolly chipped in to notch his brace and wrap up the three points as well.
The Nigerian was in action for the entirety of the game, going close to scoring on a couple of occasions while tracking back to help out defensively.
Chelsea remain in third with 32 points with their latest win while Newcastle stay in 12th with 15 points from fifteen matches.