Yossi Benayoun has taken a significant step towards leaving Liverpool for Chelsea by agreeing in principle a four-year contract with the Barclays Premier League champions.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have been warned that they must put their egos to one side if England are to enjoy a successful World Cup.

Joe Cole sits down at a table where a laptop has been left open in front of him. We have decided to show him a clip of Spain’s glorious second goal against Poland the night before — a beguiling ten-pass move between Pedro Rodríquez, Andrés Iniesta and David Silva — and, as he takes it in, he produces precisely the...

Michael Ballack outlined his determination to prove Chelsea wrong last night and blamed Roman Abramovich for the club’s decision to release him.

To read Gabriele Marcotti's group-by-group guide to the World Cup, plus features and analysis from our writers, click here

To read Gabriele Marcotti's group-by-group guide to the World Cup, plus features and analysis from our writers, click here

John Terry has admitted that the loss of Rio Ferdinand through injury is a “devastating blow” but hopes that the long-term understanding he has with Ledley King will help England to overcome the absence of their captain from the World Cup finals.

NIGERIA’S John Mikel Obi will miss the World Cup after suffering from what his country’s FA described as an ankle injury. Mikel, who had been recovering from the knee surgery he underwent last month, becomes the fourth high-profile Chelsea player to be ruled out of the tournament with injury after Jose Bosingwa, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack. Their club colleague...

Frank Lampard confirmed on Saturday that he was England’s new vice-captain.

Chelsea’s players must be wondering if there is some kind of Curse of Stamford Bridge hanging over them after Didier Drogba became the latest member of their Double-winning squad to have his participation in the World Cup put in doubt.

José Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, has become Real Madrid’s ninth coach in six years after replacing Manuel Pellegrini.

Fabio Capello has confirmed that Frank Lampard will be England’s first-choice penalty-taker at this summer’s World Cup, despite failing from the spot yesterday for the second time in succession.

The last legal obstacle preventing José Mourinho from becoming coach of Real Madrid was removed yesterday afternoon. The former Chelsea manager is expected to sign his new contract on Monday morning and be presented at the Bernabéu at 1pm local time.

Manchester United are planning a shock move to sign Joe Cole on a free transfer next month as Chelsea prepare to let him leave for nothing at the end of his contract.

Jose Mourinho has offered a clear indication that he will attempt to sign Ashley Cole when he eventually takes over at Real Madrid.

Joe Cole’s chances of going to the World Cup hang in the balance after he was not guaranteed to start against Japan on Saturday in England’s final warm-up game before the tournament.

United States DaMarcus Beasley, the Rangers winger, looked back to his best on the eve of decision day. Bob Bradley, the USA coach, could name his final 23 later today after giving his fringe players a 45-minute run-out in the 4-2 defeat by the Czech Republic in Connecticut last night and Beasley, the one-time Manchester City loanee, impressed, while Maurice...

Two words will have come back to haunt Roman Abramovich as he watched José Mourinho parade around the Bernabéu with his arms raised and fingers pointing towards the Castilian clouds: “What if?”

Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has apologised to Michael Ballack for the challenge which ruled the Germany captain out of the World Cup.

Michael Ballack will miss next month’s World Cup because of an ankle injury sustained in the FA Cup Final on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti has urged Chelsea’s board to build on his side’s historic Double by offering him a new contract to secure his long-term future.

At the end of a season that at times has resembled a Dickensian class drama, there were no prizes for guessing that the aristocrats of Chelsea should surpass even their own great expectations while the paupers of Portsmouth were left to face up to unremittingly hard times ahead.

Tens of thousands of Chelsea supporters flooded into the streets of West London to celebrate the club’s Premier League and FA Cup Double today. Carlo Ancelotti led the celebrations with an impromptu sing-a-long with fans as the open-top bus parade snaked its way from Stamford Bridge, where it began at 1pm, down the King's Road to Eel Brook Common in...

JOSE MOURINHO last night saluted Chelsea’s achievements in returning to the summit of English football while cheekily reminding supporters that he remains “The Special One”. Carlo Ancelotti has been lauded for establishing a Premier League record of 103 goals in returning the title to Stamford Bridge for the first time since Mourinho was sacked as manager.

It often seemed during the plutocrats-and-paupers FA Cup final yesterday that Portsmouth’s most stubborn resistance was being offered by the frame of David James’s goal, which sometimes conveyed the hallucinatory impression that it had powers of elastic movement. But, after Chelsea had beaten a dispiriting tattoo on posts and crossbar in the first half, English football’s 2010 champions eventually and...

Explain this. The first half: five Chelsea efforts strike the woodwork, one possibly bounces across the line, Salomon Kalou perpetrates the Miss of the Millennium, but somehow 45 minutes finish goalless. The second period: even more demented. A player from each side wastes a penalty, Kevin- Prince Boateng fatally, more open goals are squandered, both captains might be sent off...

A second-half free kick from Didier Drogba brought Chelsea their first league and Cup double. After dominating the first half but without reward, Chelsea should have gone behind in the second when Portsmouth were awarded a penalty. But Kevin-Prince Boateng's spot-kick on 55 minutes was saved by Petr Cech and three minutes later, Drogba put his team ahead.

Chelsea will begin preparations for their Barclays Premier League title defence next week by finalising a new contract for Nicolas Anelka.

Manchester United are determined to beat Chelsea to the signature of Jack Rodwell, the Everton midfield player, in the next stage of Sir Alex Ferguson’s attempt to establish a nucleus of young British players who can represent the club’s long-term future.

For someone who seemed destined for greatness when he was a boy, Joe Cole has reached an important crossroads surprisingly early. His performances over the next two weeks could define the rest of his career.

Portsmouth take on Chelsea in the FA Cup Final today hoping to end a traumatic campaign on a high note. Four owners, two managers, a winding-up petition, forced player sales, administration, a nine-point deduction and relegation — few teams have been through so much. This is their story of the season.

Few England World Cup build-ups go smoothly and John Terry, the former captain, admitted yesterday that he thought his trip to the 2010 finals in South Africa next month might be over before it had started.

John Terry has declared himself fit for this Saturday's FA Cup Final at Wembley.

Fabio Capello revealed in a recent interview that when watching a game, he grabs his crotch out of superstition every time Wayne Rooney receives possession, a gesture that appears to be the Italian equivalent of crossing one’s fingers. The England manager will have done just that for much of the afternoon yesterday when John Terry gave him another injury scare...

John Terry has allayed fears about his fitness after a scan showed no broken bone in his right foot.

Chelsea are planning a summer clear-out to raise funds for new signings. Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Juliano Belletti and Paulo Ferreira will all be allowed to leave as the club seek to reduce their wage bill and create space in the squad for new players and emerging talent from the youth team.

Manchester City are planning to steal a march on Chelsea with moves to sign Marek Hamsik, the Napoli midfield player, and Mario Balotelli, the Inter Milan forward and “bad boy” of Italian football.

Joe Cole is one of several surprise inclusions in England's provisional squad for the World Cup. Fabio Capello, the manager, has also confounded expectations by selecting Gareth Barry, Scott Parker and Darren Bent.

Almost exactly six years ago, Chelsea officials offered a helpful hint to journalists who had been writing on the assumption that Claudio Ranieri, the popular manager who had just steered the club into second place, was about to be sacked. No such decision had been taken, we were assured; indeed a renewed contract had been under discussion. Within days, José...

John Terry called on the Chelsea board yesterday to build on the club’s Barclays Premier League title triumph by making significant additions to their squad during the summer.

John Terry has warned Roman Abramovich that Chelsea must strengthen their squad this summer if they are to consolidate their position at the top of English football.

A couple of minutes before 7pm last night, Roman Abramovich made his way across the pitch at Stamford Bridge, struggling to circumvent the streamers and ticker-tape strewn across his path, and smiled to the few remaining Chelsea supporters in the East Stand before following the Premier League trophy to the dressing room.

Just before breaking into a primeval scream as he serenaded an ecstatic stadium yesterday evening Carlo Ancelotti praised his players for their efforts during a fantastic season, an understandable claim that tells only half the story. As the final league table indicates Chelsea have won the Premier League title by both an inch and a mile.

John Terry rubbed salt into Manchester United’s wounds last night by revealing his enjoyment at their misery at losing possession of the Barclays Premier League title.

Wayne Rooney gave Fabio Capello, the England manager, yet another World Cup scare yesterday when he suffered a recurrence of his groin injury on an afternoon when Chelsea beat Manchester United to the Barclays Premier League title.

Didier Drogba is as bright and generous as he is melodramatic and tempestuous. He is the striker you want on your team, and the player you love to hate.

Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, thinks his team thoroughly deserved to win the Premier League title.

Catch up on all the action from the final day of the season as Chelsea won the title in resounding fashion.

They looked bound to govern for years. Chelsea’s 2006 championship was the second in succession won by Jose Mourinho in domineering style. It was clinched on an April day at Stamford Bridge that seemed vivid with symbolism. Chelsea cudgelled Manchester United 3-0 and with a few minutes left in the game, Mourinho rose from his dugout and strolled over to...

Carlo Ancelotti has identified Pato, the AC Milan striker, as his main transfer target for the summer. The Chelsea manager held a meeting with senior executives before the club’s player-of-the-year dinner on Thursday night and pinpointed the Brazilian as the player he would most like to add to his squad.

On a weekend when legitimacy is the hot topic of conversation all over the country, Carlo Ancelotti has no doubts about his right to lead from the front. Using apocalyptic language that suggests he is not cut out for a career in politics, the Chelsea manager claimed yesterday that it would be “a tragedy” if his side did not win...

Didier Drogba, the Chelsea striker, has admitted that the John Terry affair came close to costing his team the Barclays Premier League title this season.

An agent was talking, as they do, about interest in his client, an up-and-coming South American player. All the top clubs in Europe were swarming around him, he said: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Manchester United — and Manchester City.

It is a good job that Sir Alex Ferguson was not at the DW Stadium. Had the Manchester United manager decided to spend his Bank Holiday watching Wigan Athletic, the team he is relying on to defeat Chelsea on the final day of the season, he might have conceded all hope of claiming the title for an unprecedented fourth successive...

Frank Lampard claimed yesterday that Chelsea have regained a swagger not seen at Stamford Bridge since the days of José Mourinho.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Manchester United are “clutching at straws” after Chelsea beat Liverpool at Anfield yesterday to remain in pole position before the final weekend of the Barclays Premier League.

In a radio interview broadcast just before kick-off at Anfield yesterday John Terry attributed the ebb and flow of this season’s Barclays Premier League title race to the improvements made by “smaller clubs such as Wigan”, an unfortunate choice of words that could return to haunt him. The pygmies of the Pennines have it in their power to deny Chelsea...

Carlo Ancelotti has never been to Anfield. Not as a manager, not as a player, not on a social or scouting trip. "This will be the first time and for this I am excited because everyone has spoken about this stadium and this atmosphere. I heard them sing You'll Never Walk Alone and every time there is a fantastic emotion,...

Everton's slim chance of gaining entry to the Europa League was extinguished by a Stoke team determined to erase the memories of last week’s thrashing at Chelsea with the sort of committed performance that has characterised another excellent season in the Premier League.

The talk at Chelsea’s training ground yesterday lunchtime was of the managers of the moment. Carlo Ancelotti found himself trumpeting José Mourinho’s tactical triumph at the Nou Camp, hailing the latest chapter of Roy Hodgson’s fairytale at Fulham, lauding Sir Alex Ferguson’s powers of endurance, even endorsing the qualities of the beleaguered Rafael Benítez.