Didier Drogba has backed Fernando Torres to lead the Chelsea attack next season, after confirming that he will be leaving the west London club.

The Ivory Coast international scored the equaliser in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich last Saturday, before slotting home the winning penalty in the shoot-out to see Roberto Di Matteo’s men as European champions.

However, with his contract expiring Drogba has confirmed he will be leaving Stamford Bridge, but feels Torres will be a worthy successor.

“It’s been difficult for him, but he has showed he is the man,” Drogba told reporters, published by Sky Sports.

“Next season is going to be his season and I will try to speak to him. We have a good relationship. We don’t understand why we didn’t play together more, but that’s the past. Torres is the future.”

The African marksman went on to admit that he is happy to have won everything there is to win with Chelsea and will leave on a high.

“I think winning the game was the key. Not me scoring the penalty. Winning the game was the turning point, that’s why I have decided to say goodbye.

“We made the story together and I want people to remember that. This is the best time to move on.

“Yes, there’s a chance that if the result was different, maybe I would be here.

“We were talking for many weeks, but the turning point was based on the fact I won everything I could and scored in most of the finals we have played, trying to make a difference. I hope everyone will understand. Everything I did was for the fans and I hope they understand,” he concluded.

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Drogba is expected to move to big-spending Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, but as yet this has not been confirmed.

By Gareth McKnight

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Liverpool return to Wembley for the 3rd time this season as Kenny Dalglish’s men looking to complete the domestic cup, should they be able to beat Chelsea this coming weekend. Gary McAllister believes that Steven Gerrard could be the key behind them achieving a result, given his influence over the rest of the team.

“Well, obviously I am a bit biased, but I think the influence that Steven Gerrard has on the game is always big for Liverpool. Generally, when he plays well and is influential then Liverpool win. I think he is very key to Liverpool. He has helped win an FA Cup final for them in the past, against West Ham in 2006.

“So Gerrard is very big for Liverpool, but their maverick forward Luis Suarez is very exciting. He is a player who can frustrate at times, as he can give the ball away too easily, but then at other times he is sublime. When it’s a cup-tie football and it’s tight, you just need someone with that little bit of inspiration and magic, and he can produce that.

“Defensively I don’t think Liverpool have had much of a problem this season. Their goals against is as good as anybody in the league. But they have had a problem scoring goals.

“I’ve been at Anfield a few times this season, and I have watched a lot of draws there against lesser teams. Against the bigger teams motivation hasn’t been a problem, they can always raise their game. But the problem has been against the so-called lesser teams. I think in perhaps three of the five draws I have seen at Anfield this season the opposition goalkeeper has won Man of the Match, so that tells you something right away.”

For more insight from Gary McAllister and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

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Michael Laudrup is thought to be the frontrunner for the vacant Swansea manager’s job, and will be unveiled later this week according to Sky Sports.

The Welsh side are looking for a new boss after Brendan Rodgers departed the Liberty Stadium to take over at Liverpool.

Wigan assistant Graeme Jones was initially the favourite to get the job, but talks with the Latics man broke down.

Since then the likes of Gus Poyet and Ian Holloway have been speculated as potential candidates, whilst it is believed that Marcel Desailly turned the job down.

However, Laudrup has met with the Premier League side and is now thought to be closing in on the role, with no other real contenders in the mix.

The Dane, who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid in an illustrious playing career, has coached Getafe and Mallorca in La Liga and is set to be named Swans boss this week.

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By Gareth McKnight

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With English football in a state of reflection after yet another unconvincing tournament, a lot has been said within the press that this country should perhaps look to the German set-up as a blueprint to go forward.

Dietmar Hamann believes that 2004 was the turning point for German football in giving youth the chance in the national team for the greater good in building a team for the future:

“I think they changed a lot with the youth development; they put centres of excellence in place where they observed the best players from every region and I believe it was a highly successful structure to have. As a result we produced a host of younger players over the coming years that are still playing today and are the spine of the team. I think this was definitely a change for the better which put German football back on the map.”

Hamann does wonder if there is enough experience in the squad in order to go all the way, but feels only time will tell:

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“Yes, I think so. There are only one or two players in the squad that are over 30 years old and they are forwards, such as Miroslav Klose and you need that mix in a team. Having said that a lot of players come from Bayern Munich and they’ve played in Champions League final, World Cup Semi final and European Championship finals so they are very experienced. Nevertheless you do wonder if it comes to the semi final/final whether they have enough experienced players to change the result from two and four years ago. There have been a few near misses in recent tournaments and psychologically that can play on your mind.”

“For more insight from Dietmar Hamann and other leading managers plus all the coverage of Euro 2012 go to yahoo.eurosport.com”

Brendan Rodgers’ transfer activity hasn’t quite been the immediate catalyst for a reinvigorated fan base that many thought it would be. Then again, there hasn’t been much value in the market and without shifting certain players first it seems unlikely that Liverpool will be spending big any time soon. However, one move that the former Swansea boss does appear to be keen on is Theo Walcott.

The subject of praise and scorn in equal measure, Walcott is not to everyone’s taste. Nevertheless, Liverpool fans should not dismiss the proposed move out of hand. The possibility of a transfer was mooted as far back as March when Kenny Daglish had apparently earmarked the winger as a potential signing for the summer. The Glaswegian may not have made it that far himself but the sentiment seems to have lingered at Anfield.

Walcott is a self-confessed Liverpool fan from his youth. A real one it should be added, not like Robbie Keane who simply masqueraded in a mock children’s bedroom in a Sky Sports studio like some obsessive compulsive stalker because a producer thought it might endear him to the Liverpool fans in spite of his obvious lack of talent. No, Walcott really has been a Liverpool supporter all his life, and has mentioned the appeal of one day playing for the club.

The passing football Swansea played last season may have revolved around the efforts of midfielders like Joe Allen, Leon Britton and Gylfi Sigurdsson but equally important to the success of that style of football were the performances of Nathan Dyer and Scott Sinclair.

Throughout the season Swansea used the pace of Dyer and Sinclair to stretch opposition defences. Liverpool lacks a winger in this model. Only Raheem Sterling is of a similar ilk and he is, so far, unproven at the highest level. Suarez and Downing can both play out wide yet neither possess the pace to compete with a player like Walcott.

Moreover, whilst many Liverpool fans will doubt Walcott’s ability, Rodgers may be able to bring the best out of him. He helped to develop Sinclair and Dyer in to an incredibly effective pair; between them they scored or assisted 19 goals in the Premier League last season. That equates to 43% of all of Swansea’s league goals last season. Not bad for two wingers playing for a newly promoted side.

It would be foolhardy to suggest that Rodgers would be better at nurturing talent than Wenger but it is hard to deny that Walcott may need a change of scenery in order to realise his potential. Liverpool could be the challenge that helps him grow as player, just as moving to Man City helped Clichy to develop.

You also need to look at it from Walcott’s point of view. Considering his rate of progression, Walcott could reasonably expect to be usurped by Oxlade-Chamberlain this season. It is far from a certainty but will Theo want to sign a new long-term contract when he cannot be sure that he has a starting place at Arsenal in the long term?

The squad for the 2014 World Cup will be decided over the next two seasons and if Walcott cannot guarantee a starting place at his club it seems unlikely that he would be able to for his country. He has already missed one World Cup, he will have that in the back of his mind when deciding his future at Arsenal. Should he decide to leave, Liverpool could offer him a place in the starting eleven with a manager who is known to covet players of his style.

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For now, Walcott is an Arsenal player. To suggest, however, that a move to Liverpool could be a good idea for all parties is not unreasonable. Arsenal may prefer a more consistent player, Liverpool need to inject some pace in to their squad and can be reassured by Walcott’s statistics from last season (11 goals and 12 assists) and Walcott can find the assurances on his future that he may want in light of Arsenal’s glut of forwards.

Follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Everton have jumped to the front of the queue to sign Caen prospect M’Baye Niang, according to the Guardian.

The 17-year-old striker has impressed for the French team and has been linked with a move to a raft of big European clubs.

Arsenal took the teenager on loan earlier this summer, whilst Manchester City, Tottenham and AC Milan are all thought to be keen to sign the attacker.

However, Niang is set to have a trial at the Goodison Park club and will spend a couple of days training with the Merseyside club so David Moyes can run his eye over the potential signing.

Caen are thought to be eager to recoup around £5 million for Niang, and the Toffees will reinvest some of Jack Rodwell’s transfer fee to bring the forward to England should he impress on trial.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has insisted that his squad are focussed on the Premier League season ahead and are not distracted by the ongoing transfer saga surrounding Luka Modric.

The Croatia international wants to leave White Hart Lane and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid all summer long, with the two clubs negotiating a transfer.

Despite the fact that Modric is yet to finalise his move to the Santiago Bernabeu, Villas-Boas has stated that his contingent are not going to be adversely effected by the situation.

“No, this is not a distraction. We set out a plan for the player and we have stuck to it,” Villas-Boas is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

“The player is training individually and he doesn’t disrupt our environment. I think we will have a conclusion in the next couple of weeks.

“We expect him here to train. He is still a Tottenham player but from what the chairman has told me talks are ongoing, they stalled a little bit two weeks ago, but they have picked up recently,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham are ready to let Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini leave the club on loan, Mirror Football state.

The White Hart Lane outfit secured a transfer deadline day deal for France international stopper Hugo Lloris, who will now battle Brad Friedel for the No.1 jersey at the north London club.

The ex-Lyon man’s signature leaves Andre Villas-Boas’ side with too many goalkeepers in their squad, and Gomes and Cudicini will be allowed to pursue first-team football elsewhere, most likely at a Championship club.

Neither Gomes or Cudicini have made appearances for Tottenham in quite some time and the pair are believed to not be part of the club’s future plans.

The Championship window for loaning players opens soon, and Villas-Boas is thought to be keen for the pair to leave temporarily with an eye on a permanent sale when the January transfer window opens at the turn of the year.

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By Gareth McKnight

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West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis hopes that his £7.5 million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers last month will help him earn an England recall, according to The Daily Mail.

The 26-year-old made his international debut during a 1-1 draw against Ghana in March 2011. However, this to date is Jarvis’ only England cap after falling out of favour.

The winger admits that he needs to be playing at consistently high levels for the Hammers first before he can consider being called up by England manager Roy Hodgson.

“You have to play well for your club and play regularly to be called up for your country and that is exactly what I want to do.”

Jarvis knows that asserting himself as a regular starter in the West Ham side isn’t going to be easy as competition on the flanks for the Hammers is stiff – with talented players such as Gary O’Neil, Matt Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te all vying for a similar position to Jarvis.

“The squad we have is very strong and everyone we have is fighting for a place in the starting eleven,” he said.

However, Jarvis says he is determined to be a success for the Premier League newcomers, “I am no different and I need to prove myself if I want to be starting week in, week out.”

The former Wolves man came off the bench in Saturday’s goalless draw at Norwich on Saturday following a thigh injury which he picked up in training, leaving the midfielder out of action for two weeks.

Jarvis says that he is now fully fit to face Sunderland on Saturday: “Unfortunately I picked up a slight thigh injury in training, which has forced me to miss the last couple of weeks, but I am fully recovered now  and I am delighted to be back in the squad and back on the pitch.”

The Hammers have made an impressive start to the campaign losing only one of their first four games and currently lie 8th in the Premier League table. Jarvis admits he is delighted with the start his new side have made to the season.

“I think the manager has got exactly what he wanted from us having a good start and hopefully we can keep the run going this weekend.”

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Jarvis replaced Matt Taylor in the 57th minute at Carrow Road on Saturday however the winger failed to make an impact in what he admits was a frustrating game for both sides.

“We had plenty of chances against Norwich and maybe we should have put one of ours away.

“It would have been nice to have got the win but it was very hot, which took it out of everyone involved. There were a lot of chances for both sides but it didn’t fall right for either one. Overall I was pleased to be involved in the game and happy to be back,” Jarvis added.

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is close to signing a new four-year contract with the Merseyside club, according to Mirror Football.

The Denmark international has become a crucial member of Brendan Rodgers’ Reds squad, but was linked with a move in the summer; Manchester City were accredited with an interest in the Scandinavian.

However, Agger is finally set to end speculation over his future by putting pen-to-paper on a new four-year deal worth £75,000 a week.

The centre-half has shown excellent performances for the Anfield outfit when fit, but has had niggling injuries blight his time in England.

The signing of Agger on a new contract would be a real boost for the Merseysiders, as Rodgers looks to continue his development at the club.

Meanwhile, impressive youngster Suso is also being lined up with a new contract also.

The young Spanish winger has broken into first-team consideration and has impressed so far in his fledgling career; however with less than a year left on his current deal Rodgers wants to tie the player down to a long-term contract.

Real Madrid have been rumoured as an interested party.

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