Chelsea's shocking Premier League season continued on Saturday afternoon as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

How did Frank Lampard's second spell in charge of Chelsea begin?

Frank Lampard, who was appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season earlier in the week, was perhaps never likely to inspire a revolution in the Blues side – and it was the same old problems that haunted Chelsea in their defeat.

Although Matheus Nunes' goal was worthy of winning any football match, Chelsea did little to respond, mustering just one shot on target in what was another woeful attacking display in the Midlands.

With Real Madrid to come on Wednesday, Lampard will need a miracle if he is going to steer the Blues through to the next round, as Saturday marked the third successive game without a goal for the west London side.

The 44-year-old manager will have a lot to think about ahead of the trip to face the European champions, but he can take solace in the fact that Reece James was superb at right-back, despite the defeat at Molineux.

How did Reece James play against Wolves?

Having played against Aston Villa as a centre-back and faced Liverpool as a wing-back, the England international took on his third different position of the week against Wolves, featuring at right-back in their 4-3-3 setup.

As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old would earn an impressive 7.9/10 rating, which was the best of any player to feature in the game from both sides, as he enjoyed 99 touches of the ball.

During the 90 minutes, the former Wigan Athletic loanee was dominant from an attacking and defensive perspective, registering three tackles and three clearances, while he also won 10/14 duels.

Considering he has averaged just two tackles and 0.7 clearances per game in the Premier League this season, it is clear that he raised his game at Molineux, although it is perhaps worrying from Chelsea's perspective that he was so busy.

James also managed an impressive five key passes, four dribbles and completed 95% of his passes, which again were significant increases on his seasonal averages of 1.4 key passes, 1.5 dribbles and a 90.7% pass success rate.

The versatile defender, who was previously dubbed "phenomenal" by Ally McCoist, shouldn't be relied upon as the main source of creativity in this Chelsea side, but he is one of few players that can escape with any credit after another dour display at Molineux.

Although Chelsea's chances are slim, Lampard will be relying on James to be on top form again in midweek for the crunch Champions League clash in Madrid.

استأنف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك مرانه، اليوم الإثنين، على ملعب عبد اللطيف أبو رجيلة، بمقر القلعة البيضاء، بميت عقبة، استعدادًا للفترة المُقبلة.

وفي بداية المران، عقد أحمد سليمان، المشرف العام على الكرة، وعبد الواحد السيد مدير الفريق، جلسة مع اللاعبين.

وحرص أحمد سليمان على الحديث مع اللاعبين على أهمية استغلال فترة التوقف والاستعداد بجدية للمرحلة القادمة، خاصة وأن الزمالك سيعود للمنافسة في أكثر من بطولة على المستوى المحلي والقاري، وشدد على ضرورة التركيز وبذل أقصى جهد.

وأكد المشرف العام على الكرة للاعبين، أن الإدارة تعمل على توفير كافة متطلبات الفريق وتهيئة المناخ المناسب لهم من أجل المنافسة على كافة البطولات.

ومن جانبه، طالب عبد الواحد السيد اللاعبين بضرورة بذل أقصى جهد في الفترة الحالية، واستغلال فترة توقف الدوري بالشكل الأنسب.

طالع أيضًا | حازم إمام: جماهير الزمالك لن تشعر بالاستقرار الآن.. وهناك ناشئ في مركزي ينتظره مستقبل كبير فقرة بدنية

خصص الجهاز الفني للفريق بقيادة معتمد جمال، فقرة بدنية خاصة للاعبين، وتولى علاء رجب مُخطط الأحمال، الإشراف عليها، من أجل تجهيزهم بالشكل الأمثل.

وأدى اللاعبون تدريبات الركض حول الملعب، بالإضافة إلى جوانب بدنية أخرى بالكرة. فقرة تأهيلية خاصة لرباعي الفريق

أدى محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا ومحمد عواد وعمرو السيسي وحمزة المثلوثي، تدريبات تأهيلية في صالة “الجيم”، وفقًا للبرنامج التأهيلي الموضوع للرباعي من قبل الجهاز الفني؛ لتجهيزهم للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية خلال الفترة المقبلة. تدريبات فنية

خاض لاعبو الزمالك تدريبات فنية خلال مران اليوم، وركز الجهاز الفني على تطبيق بعض الجوانب الخططية، وشهد التدريب غياب الثلاثي أحمد مصطفى زيزو وأحمد فتوح ومحمد صبحي، بعدما قرر الجهاز الفني منح الدوليين راحة من التدريبات قبل الانضمام لصفوف منتخب مصر، استعدادًا للمشاركة في بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية.

وخاض اللاعبون تقسيمة فنية في ختام المران، شهدت التركيز على بعض الجوانب الفنية التي تم التدريب عليها في مران اليوم.

Aston Villa are one of four Premier League sides keen on signing Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson this summer, The Daily Mail report.

What’s the latest news on Nelson and Aston Villa?

Nelson, on £38,000-a-week with the Gunners, is entering the final few months of his current contract. The right-winger is valued at €7m by Transfermarkt and spent last season on loan in the Netherlands with Feyenoord. A permanent exit looks like it could be now on the cards, with talks over a contract extension yet to be agreed upon.

The Daily Mail shared an update regarding Nelson in the last 48 hours, saying that talks with Arsenal over a new deal are ongoing.

An agreement is yet to be reached, though, resulting in his future becoming up in the air, with Villa, Brighton, Fulham and West Ham all keen to take advantage over the coming months.

What has Nelson said about Emery previously?

Nelson has worked under Unai Emery before in north London, with the Englishman making just six appearances, contributing to three goals. However, the Spaniard clearly made an impact on the forward at the Emirates, with Nelson saying this about the manager back in 2019.

“He’s very positive. He’s always telling us to express yourself, but also he’s got that fiery bit where he would tell you if you’ve done something wrong. That’s good for a coach to have two sides.

“You can have the jokey side and have the fiery bit. For me especially, it helps me a lot to improve and keep going. He helps a lot of the young players as well. There was a lot of young players that came on the pre-season tour and he was telling them to be themselves, if they make a mistake, carry on. It helps them, helps them grow and gives them a great chance.”

Described as an “explosive” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Nelson has found game time hard to come by under Mikel Arteta and is still awaiting his first Premier League start of the season.

However, he has shown his quality in the club's push for the title, playing a key role in the comeback win over AFC Bournemouth last month, registering an assist and scoring an injury-time winner.

In total, Nelson has contributed to five Premier League goals in 107 minutes during the current campaign, so he could prove to be a shrewd signing by Villa on a free transfer ahead of Emery's first full season in charge.

It may well be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, although Nelson could still yet to remain at the Emirates which would be a blow for Villa.

Crystal Palace favourite Wilfried Zaha could join another Premier League club this summer, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

Is Zaha leaving Crystal Palace?

The 30-year-old is arguably the Eagles' greatest player of the Premier League era, becoming such a talismanic figure over such a long period. He has now scored 89 goals and registered 76 assists in a total of 455 appearances for the club, so often being the man to inspire Palace to victories down the years.

Zaha is out of contract at Selhurst Park at the end of this season and there is no sign of him extending his stay in south London as things stand, with a number of contract offers rejected by the Ivorian. A summer exit looks on the cards instead, with a host of teams likely to be interested in snapping him up.

A move to Cristiano Ronaldo's current club Al-Nassr has been mooted, although it now appears as though the winger could remain in this country.

Could winger stay in the Premier League?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones failed to rule out of the idea of Zaha moving to another Premier League club ahead of next season:

"Most of the genuine options that I've heard are from Saudi Arabia, but then there are also opportunities for him, potentially, in France and in Italy.

"Obviously, the opportunity for a big payday here at this stage of his career is something that he's going to consider, but Zaha is still a serious football player and somebody that wants to be competitive.

"So I think that if the right Premier League move did open up, I do think he would consider it."

In an ideal world, Zaha will still have a late change of heart and commit his future to Palace, although in truth, it is hard to begrudge him a move elsewhere if he wants it, considering what great loyalty he has shown to the Eagles.

If the player hailed as "outstanding" by Ally McCoist does move on, the hope is that it is to a non-Premier League side, however, given how he could strengthen them and be a threat when coming up against Palace in a future fixture.

The idea of Zaha suddenly changing his mind and remaining at Selhurst Park certainly isn't out of the question, but at 30, he will know that this summer could be his last chance to get a big move elsewhere.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has name-dropped Manchester United as a potentially interested side amid uncertainty over Ansu Fati.

What's the latest on Ansu Fati and Man United?

The 20-year-old winger has been in the news of late after his father gave a pretty explosive interview regarding his son's status at Barcelona.

Indeed, the player's parent told COPE: "As a father I am angry, yes, like any father. Because seeing Ansu play so little makes you a little angry. I tell them that we deserve much more. Ansu when he played before getting injured, there was Messi, [Luis] Suarez, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Antoine] Griezmann.

"It bothers me that they give him a minute, two minutes or three minutes. The forwards that are there are phenomenal, but we are talking about Ansu Fati, from the Spanish national team, he is not just any boy. He's a boy who left La Masia. If you don't give him that, what are you going to give him? Ansu deserves much more, we're talking about Barcelona's '10.'"

While talking about this latest drama on House of Champions: A CBS Soccer Podcast, Romano revealed that this could lead the player to a Premier League club in the future.

He then explained why the Red Devils could be in the mix, saying (20:25): "I think yes, something could happen with Premier League clubs because they always had an interest in Ansu Fati.

"It was Manchester United two years ago, other clubs one year ago asking about the situation of Ansu Fati.

"But there is one point we saw the statements from the father Bori Fati in public, but from what I understand Ansu Fati, his idea is to stay at Barcelona.

"He would love to stay at Barca. He wants to fight and stay for a place at Barcelona."

Would Fati leave Barcelona?

In fairness to Fati, he managed to show his quality this weekend and ignore all this drama to score for Barca on the weekend in La Liga.

Indeed, after netting in the 4-0 win over Elche, his manager Xavi even praised the £235k-p/w star, telling the press (via 90min): “Ferran [Torres] and Ansu made the difference. I’m very happy for them because they needed a bit of confidence. I’m very happy with Ferran and Ansu. They will score more goals for sure.

“Ansu needed that goal. Forwards change their faces when they score, you can tell. He was very tired at the end, because he worked very hard for the team in defence. The goal is the result of his hard work and individual talent.”

He certainly is a highly talented player and so if he can't break into the Barca team with any regularity, he may well be tempted to leave – after all, he has started just ten La Liga games this term, scoring four goals and claiming three assists across 1010 minutes in total.

Seeing as he's been on Man Utd's radar in the past, it would certainly make sense if they were monitoring his situation closely, perhaps ready to pounce in the summer transfer market if the right opportunity was to arise.

Manchester City have made an “official” transfer offer for Altay teenager Efe Sarikaya, according to the Turkish club’s technical director Tuna Uzumcu.

What’s the latest on Man City and Sarikaya?

City have had their eye on Sarikaya in recent months, with reports stating that they scouted the youngster prior to the New Year. Labelled a wonderkid by Turkish Football, Sarikaya is 17 years of age and is primarily a centre-back but is also capable of turning out as a left-back if needed.

The Turkey U19 international is currently valued at €425,000 by Transfermarkt and is out of contract with Altay next summer. Sarikaya already has first-team experience with his current employers, making 24 senior appearances for Altay, the majority of which have come during the current campaign, and it looks as if he has caught the eye across Europe.

Sport Witness relayed comments from Uzumcu in the last 48 hours, with the Altay director confirming that they have received “official transfer offers” from City along with La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

Uzumcu added that the teenager is “open to development”, however, none of the tabled bids have been accepted as of yet.

“Efe Sarikaya is 17 years old and a football player who is open to development. Efe went to England last week and played in the youth national teams.

“Official transfer offers from Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla clubs came for Efe Sarikaya. However, our player is open to development and we have not accepted the offers at this stage.”

Could Sarikaya be a future Man City player?

Director of football Txiki Begiristain is working on a move to bring Sarikaya to the Etihad, and manager Pep Guardiola has shown previously that he isn’t afraid to give teenagers a chance in the first team.

Rico Lewis is a prime recent example, with the full-back scoring on his first senior start against Sevilla in the Champions League back in November. He has been in and around Guardiola’ squad all season, turning 18 last year, so Sarikaya could look to follow in his footsteps at the Etihad.

City will first need to have an offer accepted by Altay and pip Atletico Madrid and Sevilla to his services, but in the long run, it could prove to be a smart piece of business as he already appears to be impressing on the first team stage to catch City’s attention.

Liverpool have struggled to maintain their high standards this season and a complete overhaul of the squad this summer would be a warmly welcomed endeavour by the supporters after several lacklustre performances and inconsistent form over the last nine months.

The Reds have lost out on every opportunity to add another trophy to their illustrious collection and are currently nine points adrift of the Champions League qualifying spots inside the Premier League top four with just eight games remaining, meaning that it is looking less and less likely that they will be participating in the prestigious European competition next season.

As a result of the rapid downfall at Anfield, the club's hierarchy will be feeling the pressure to invest in new additions this summer to bring the team back to life next season with several players already linked with a move to Merseyside.

However, supporters of the club will be under no illusion that their American owners will spend competitively to keep up with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, with FSG much more likely to stick to their strict budgets and only spending where absolutely vital.

Jurgen Klopp will surely be hoping there is now an opportunity to build his next generation of success at Anfield in a few weeks and could repeat this season's Stefan Bajcetic masterclass by unearthing more talent from the club's youth set-up to add depth to his squad.

One player who is on course for a breakthrough opportunity in the first team is James Balagizi, a talented midfielder who has already been in Klopp's matchday squad twice.

Who is James Balagizi?

The 19-year-old rising star joined the Reds U11s from Manchester City and has been rising through the ranks of the academy ever since featuring in the U18s, U21s and U23s.

In June 2022 was rewarded with a brand new professional contract to secure his future on the red side of Merseyside after featuring on the bench for the senior team twice in the 2021/22 season.

Balagizi earned a fantastic opportunity to join League Two side Crawley Town on loan in the first six months of this season and gave a glimpse of exactly why he would be a fantastic prospect for the future at Liverpool.

Over 14 league appearances, the Manchester-born rising star scored two goals, registered one assist and tallied up an 82% pass completion rate, as well as averaging 44.4 touches, 1.6 tackles and one clearance per game, proving he is an effective attacking midfielder who has no trouble making his presence known on the pitch.

Thanks to his keen eye for attacking opportunities, the youngster's style of play has even already been compared to that of Yaya Toure, with The Secret Scout claiming (via Liverpool Echo):

"James can operate in all three positions in midfield as a number six, eight or 10.

"He is a versatile player who can use his passing qualities to help build from the back. If used as an eight, he can drive his team forward with powerful surging runs with the ball. As a 10, he can be a huge threat in the box.

"There are similarities in his play, like Yaya Toure – even down to how his sleeves are covered over his hands while playing – and he has a languid, effortless running style. He is the kind of midfielder that we don't often see coming through in England."

With Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to leave the club due to contract expiration this summer, it could be the perfect time for Klopp to give Balagizi his opportunity to become part of the squad depth in midfield next season to ensure there is enough cover in vital roles.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to make an official proposal for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte in the summer transfer window, according to a recent report.

Will Tottenham sign Manuel Ugarte this summer?

Tottenham have been targeting Ugarte for quite some time, with it being reported they made contact with Sporting about signing the midfielder back in September, although Leicester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid were also named as potential suitors.

Interest in the 21-year-old is growing, as Aston Villa have recently joined the race for his signature, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke, while Newcastle United, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also eyeing the youngster.

As such, it may be difficult to win the race for the Uruguayan in the summer, particularly if Newcastle pip Spurs to fourth place, however he still remains a target, according to a recent report from Record. (via Sport Witness)

Spurs are reportedly set to make an official proposal for the defensive midfielder, having promised to submit a bid in the summer transfer window, and Sporting are now believed to be considering a sale.

The Portuguese side need to raise funds before bringing in new signings of their own, and the starlet has a release clause of €60m, (£53m), making him one of their most prized assets.

Having previously dealt with Tottenham in negotiations for Pedro Porro, which dragged out across the whole January window, Sporting would want to avoid a similar situation in the summer.

Would Manuel Ugarte be a good signing for Tottenham?

The Uruguayan is excelling in the Portuguese league, particularly in a defensive sense, ranking in the 99th percentile for tackles completed per 90 in the past year, while he is also in the 99th percentile for his pass-completion rate.

Hailed as an "animal" by members of the media, the maestro was remarkable for Sporting in their Europa League triumph against Arsenal last month, winning a total of 13 ground duels, seven more than any of his teammates, also completing four successful dribbles.

A performance of that standard against the Premier League leaders highlights that the eight-time Uruguay international is more than ready to make the step up to the English top flight, and Spurs should undoubtedly make an offer this summer.

Given his age, Ugarte could run the Tottenham midfield for a decade to come, and while he is already putting in some top-level performances, he is only going to improve.

كشف مصدر داخل النادي الأهلي، عن آخر تطورات صفقة انتقال عمر كمال عبد الواحد لاعب مودرن فيوتشر، للقلعة الحمراء، خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية المُقبلة.

ويهتم الأهلي بضم عمر كمال عبد الواحد خلال الميركاتو الشتوي، وأكد ذلك المهندس عدلي القيعي رئيس شركة الكرة، وأيضًا الدكتور وليد دعبس رئيس نادي مودرن فيوتشر.

وصرح وليد دعبس من قبل في وسائل الإعلام، أن ملف عمر كمال عبد الواحد بشكل خاص، هو فقط من يتحدث فيه مع مسؤولي الأهلي، وأن هناك مفاوضات متقدمة بالفعل بين الطرفين.

طالع أيضًا | خالد بيبو: تعجبت من استبعاد منتخب مصر لثلاثي الأهلي.. ومخرجو المباريات لا يركضون خلفي

وأكد المصدر لـ”بطولات”، أن نادي مودرن فيوتشر طلب ضم ثنائي الأهلي صلاح محسن وأحمد عبد القادر، بالإضافة إلى لاعب من فريق الشباب، مُقابل انتقال عمر كمال عبد الواحد للقلعة الحمراء.

وأوضح أن النادي الأهلي ينتظر رد الثنائي صلاح محسن وأحمد عبد القادر على الانضمام لـ مودرن فيوتشر خلال الفترة القادمة.

يذكر، أن الأهلي فاز على مودرن فيوتشر في نهائي بطولة كأس السوبر المصري للأبطال، برباعية مُقابل هدفين.

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has won even more fans after he took BT Sport to task with a funny online post ahead of the club’s recent match.

What’s the latest Wrexham news?

The Red Dragons managed to secure promotion back into the Football League tonight when they managed to Boreham Wood 3-1.

Opposition player Lee Ndlovu scored inside the first minute but Elliot Lee managed to equalise for Wrexham before Paul Mullin scored twice to secure the 3-1 win.

Ahead of the game, however, BT Sport shared a tweet which showed McElhenney and fellow co-owner and Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds in prominent positions.

Evidently not wanting to take any of the credit away from his players, McElhenney playfully scolded BT for not putting all the focus on the likes of Luke Young, Ollie Palmer, Ben Foster and Mullin.

Indeed, he replied with an edited image to include the four Wrexham stars as he wrote: “Fixed it for you.”

​​​​It seems the club has never been far from the drama in recent times and this was well summed up in their draw away at Barnet last week.

Indeed, defender Callum McFadzean and manager Phil Parkinson were both sent off – which drew plenty of reaction from fans online.

That 0-0 draw left them one point closer to promotion and they completed their task with three points against Boreham Wood tonight.

Regardless of what happened, though, it seems as if their owners are doing things the right way and this was brilliantly summed up by McElhenney’s recent post.

Supporters on Twitter certainly seemed to agree. Here are some of the best reactions…

The praise didn’t stop there…