Anelka set for Chelsea Exit

Nicolas Anelka is set to leave Chelsea in January and sign a mega-money deal to play in China, according to French newspaper L'Equipe. The 32-year-old ex-Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton and Manchester City frontman is out of contract at the end of the season after failing to agree a new deal with the Blues. But he is set to quit Stamford Bridge in January and finish his career in the booming Chinese Super League where he will reportedly be paid £9.16m a year by Shanghai Shenhua. The Frenchman has scored just once this season in 14 appearances, including only six starts, and with Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku champing at the bit to play, will not be missed by Andre Villas-Boas. Anelka has been approached by three MLS clubs and two of the biggest spenders in European football - PSG and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala while AC Milan were also interested in signing him on a six-month loan.

Big Spending Russian's Target Anelka

Big spending Anzhi Makhachkala are now targeting Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, having already shown an interest in Frank Lampard.Player-coach Roberto Carlos claims the club's Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov is determined to bring in more household names despite making Samuel Eto's the highest-paid player in the world football this summer.Eto's is being paid in excess of £250,000-a-week to play his football for Anzhi but Kerimov's spending hasn't finished yet as he looks to turn them into a team to be reckoned with on the European stage.England coach Fabio Capello is being eyed to manage the team once while Steven Gerrard and Robin van Persie are other top Premier League stars being considered.Carlos, a former Brazilian international, has revealed that the club's interest in Anelka is for real although he is just one of a dozen on their radar. He told TV show Canal Football Club: "Anelka is not the only player. Nene from PSG and Van Persie from Arsenal are players we are following."Neymar? I talked to him. If Real, Barca or Man United cannot pay the transfer fee, we will pay it. Suleyman Kerimov can offer what he wants."

Match Report: Stoke 0 Chelsea 0

Stoke held Chelsea to a frustrating goalless draw as their resolute defensive performance kept the visitors' attacking talents at bay. Fernando Torres was Chelsea's sharpest player during a quiet first half as Stoke were limited to set-piece scraps. The Blues improved in the second half and John Obi Mikel went close before substitute Nicolas Anelka's shot was tipped onto the bar by Asmir Begovic. In a game of few chances, Chelsea will also point to three penalty appeals. Marc Wilson's trip on Frank Lampard was the most credible of those but they were a long way short of their form from the beginning of last season, when they began the campaign with two 6-0 wins. The result will also call into question Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas's decision to start with Torres instead of Didier Drogba. For periods of the game, however, there were instances when it looked like the confidence had returned to the Spaniard's game and he was certainly among the better performers. The striker's link-up play was sharp, plus he was willing to make intelligent runs into space to receive the ball, and his growing influence was underlined when Ryan Shawcross hacked down the 27-year-old for a deserved booking. But there were only glimpses of any urgency from Torres's team-mates as Stoke, who handed a Premier League debut to Jonathan Woodgate, defended stoically. Jose Bosingwa went close with what looked like a cross which was heading for the top corner, but Villas-Boas appeared agitated on the sidelines, not only by his side's lack of penetration but also Stoke's muscular threat from Rory Delap's long throw-ins. Ramires tried to inject some energy from midfield when he burst into the box but his cross whistled across the six-yard line, and Torres made a weaving run before a timely Shawcross tackle prevented him from shooting. The former Liverpool striker had a penalty shout at the start of the second half when Shawcross appeared to trip him on the edge of the box and it began a period in which Chelsea began to impose themselves at last. First, Torres failed to connect following John Terry's header from a corner, Lampard had another penalty shout when he appeared to be brought down, and Mikel almost scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea when his dipping strike was tipped over. Florent Malouda was replaced by Anelka and his rising shot was expertly tipped onto the bar by Begovic, while Salomon Kalou had a header saved from Torres's cross. Drogba was then introduced, to cheers from the Chelsea fans, and fired a dangerous free-kick at goal. Yet as Stoke held firm, the visitors appeared to become frustrated as the game entered the final stages, with Lampard picking up an uncharacteristic booking. Potters boss Tony Pulis cautioned before the game that expectations may be too high at the Britannia this season, but on this evidence they will once again be one of the Premier League's tougher opponents. His only worry was the shoulder injury to Matthew Etherington, who was taken off after an hour. Pulis said the winger would go for an x-ray.

Chelsea chasing Pato

Chelsea are trailing AC Milan’s Alexandre Pato according  with a cash-plus-player deal being mooted. Manager Andre Villas-Boas is set to try and persuade Blues owner Roman Abramovich to try and sign the Brazilian forward. A £30 million-player-plus-cash deal is in the pipeline for the player who has been tracked by Chelsea for the last three years. Villas-Boas see’s the striker as the perfect foil for Fernando Torres and believes their partnership could fire the club to Champions League success. Chelsea are understood to be willing to offer £20 million plus either Nicolas Anelka or Salomon Kalou in exchange for Pato’s services. It’s thought that Milan are prepared to let the Brazilian go if they can secure the signature of Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli. However they may ask Chelsea for more money if they do go ahead with a move for Balotelli who has admitted he wants a move away from City. Pato scored 14 goals in 25 appearances last season at the San Siro despite being afflicted by minor injures all year losing his place in the national team to Neymar in the process. However the 21-year-old has plenty of Champions League experience for a player of his age and fits the profile of the type of player Villas-Boas wants at Stamford Bridge.

Anelka considering MLS move

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has offers from America and the Middle-East as well as one from PSG, according to reports in France.Anelka, whose future at Chelsea is unclear following the arrival of new manager Andre Villas-Boas, is one of PSG's top summer targets.The Ligue 1 side have been bought out by Qatar-based businessmen who are ready to spend big to re-establish the side as a major force in Europe.
The France international has already had two spells at the Parc des Princes and was thought to be edging towards a third.But now sources in France have revealed that MLS sides LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls, where former France team-mate Thierry Henry is currently playing, have also offered him the chance to move across the Atlantic.The 32-year-old is also believed to be attracting interest from clubs in the United Arab Emirates. who are ready to hand him the chance to finish his career in the country's burgeoning UAE Football League.

Chelsea 0 - 0 FC Copenhagen (agg 2 - 0)

Chelsea cruised through to the last eight of the Champions League for the sixth time in eight seasons despite being held at home by Copenhagen.
Yuri Zhirkov shot wide and Nicolas Anelka had an effort saved as Chelsea failed to add to a 2-0 first-leg lead.
The home side were give a scare when Dame N'Doye's free-kick hit the post.
The chances flowed for Chelsea but Jon Mikel Obi's header hit the Copenhagen crossbar and substitute Fernando Torres had a shot deflected wide.
Torres, who came on after 68 minutes, also burst past a defender before having a poked effort saved as he went six outings without scoring for Chelsea since his £50m January move from Liverpool.
A goal was all a Chelsea side, with the striking riches of Anelka and Didier Drogba also in their ranks, lacked on a night when they showed some glimpses of eye-catching football.
It was the type of performance which gives notice they are almost back to the kind of form which helped them to a domestic double of league and FA Cup last season.
Apart from N'Doye's rare chance for the visitors, an upset never appeared on the cards for a Chelsea side who have now lost only once at home in 26 Champions League games.
Instead, with the home side in such a commanding position from the first leg, the spotlight of match threatened to fall on whether Torres could break his goalscoring duck.
But Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti resisted placing such a focus on the Spaniard as he started with him on the bench, although Torres must have been looking on longingly as Chelsea relished their two-goal cushion by playing with freedom and fluency.
The roving runs of left-back Ashley Cole were an early feature of the Stamford Bridge side's play and he firstly laid the ball across for Frank Lampard to shoot wide before finding the side-netting with an angled shot after two well-worked moves.
Anelka was wrongly ruled offside when a simple pass for Lampard to tap in awaited, before Drogba's backheel and Cole's lay-off gave Zhirkov a strike at goal which the Russian sent just wide.