The central defender has been without a club since leaving Championship (second-tier) side Aston Villa following their playoff defeat by Fulham at Wembley Stadium last season.
After Manchester took top billing in the Champions league on Tuesday it was London's turn on Wednesday when Chelsea and Arsenal recorded impressive, though contrasting, victories as the Premier League again flexed its muscles.
Stamford Bridge erupted in celebration on Sunday as departing Chelsea captain John Terry lifted the Premier League trophy in Antonio Conte's record-breaking first season in charge, but the carnival atmosphere had a bitter-sweet edge.
Chelsea and Manchester City tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League title race on Saturday, recording victories over struggling clubs to stretch further clear of their increasingly forlorn pursuers.
Andre Villas-Boas could emulate Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal by remaining Chelsea's manager for 10 or 15 years, club chairman Bruce Buck said on Thursday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Didier Drogba cemented his name in Chelsea folklore with his 150th goal for the club on Saturday but it was not enough to prevent a 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Second-tier Reading booked an FA Cup semi-final meeting with holders Arsenal.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, restricted to a brief substitute appearance in the 1-1 home draw with neighbours Fulham in the Premier League on December 26, is looking to chalk up his 150th goal for the London club on Saturday.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, restricted to a brief substitute appearance in the 1-1 home draw with neighbours Fulham in the Premier League on December 26, is looking to chalk up his 150th goal for the London club on Saturday.
Andre Villas-Boas knows comparisons with Jose Mourinho are inevitable but he was quick to distance himself from his former boss during his first news conference as Chelsea manager on Wednesday.
Chelsea's faltering title challenge suffered another blow when they were held to a 1-1 draw by neighbours Fulham in Monday's early kickoff at Stamford Bridge to register their third successive draw in the Premier League.
Chelsea have been accused of being boring but they will not mind one bit if they beat Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday to win the Premier League title for the first time in five years.
Tottenham moved up to seventh place with 36 points from 22 games
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association on Thursday for comments about referee Martin Atkinson after his side's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea this week.
James Rodriguez netted twice and Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the first Everton player to score in the opening four matches of a Premier League season as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 on Saturday to stay top of the table with a maximum 12 points.
Jose Mourinho signed a pre-contract in February to take over as manager of Manchester United in place of Louis van Gaal at the end of the season, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the Portuguese.
Liverpool will play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge twice in just over a week after the two Premier League teams were drawn to face each other in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup on Saturday.
Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel has become the latest big name player to join the Chinese Super League gold rush after leaving Chelsea for Tianjin Teda.
As Leicester City celebrates its Premier League triumph, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com salutes the man behind it.
Barcelona snatched a place in the Champions League final in dramatic fashion on Wednesday when a last-gasp goal from Andres Iniesta earned a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and victory on away goals.
Bristol City, from English football's second-tier, pulled off a sensation in the League Cup quarter-finals as they knocked out the holders Manchester United 2-1 amid late and wholly improbable drama at their Ashton Gate home on Wednesday.
The long-running feud between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho shows no sign of healing after another high-profile falling out on Sunday, this time the result of a dispute over territory.
The club anthem Blue is the Colour resounded around a joyful Stamford Bridge and champagne flowed as Chelsea clinched their first Premier League title for five years with a typically stubborn 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Manchester United 2-1 thanks to Frank Lampard's 79th-minute penalty at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday and put the brakes on the visitors' charge towards the Premier League title.
Chelsea blew the title race wide open when they came from behind to beat Premier league leaders Manchester United 2-1 thanks to Frank Lampard's controversial 79th-minute penalty at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas must continue to sharpen the defensive side of his game to earn a place in Chelsea's starting line-up, manager Antonio Conte has said.
La Liga leaders Barcelona beat Real Madrid 1-0 to all but knock their rivals out of the title race on Saturday, while second-placed Atletico Madrid stayed seven points behind the Catalans with a 2-0 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti still has no idea whether he should be calling a removal van after the club stayed silent amid fervent speculation over his future.
Liverpool ruined Fernando Torres's much-heralded Chelsea debut on Sunday when they won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to spoil the champions' hopes of taking advantage of Manchester United's first defeat of the season.
United down Newcastle after Saints stun Chelsea on a dramatic night in the English Premier League.
Arsenal defender Gabriel has had his claim of wrongful dismissal in the feisty local derby against Chelsea upheld by the FA, but Chelsea's Diego Costa has been banned for three matches with immediate effect.
Fortress Old Trafford, Chelsea's flat form and a welter of statistics point to Manchester United advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions League Tuesday -- yet one goal changes the whole tie.
Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager looked increasingly uncertain after Liverpool beat them 3-1 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
After Tuesday's 11-goal fireworks the matches are likely to be tighter in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first legs as Chelsea entertain Manchester United and Barcelona host Shakhtar Donetsk.
Leicester City's remarkable Premier League triumph after starting the season as 5,000-1 outsiders transcends sport and might never be repeated, according to the league's executive chairman Richard Scudamore. Leicester, who were on the brink of relegation last campaign, clinched the English league title for the first time in their 132-year history on Monday after second-placed Tottenham Hotspur drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino's men trail the Foxes by seven points with two games left to play. "We've had our peaks before. This one, though, is bigger than sport. It has much more human interest in it," Scudamore told The Times. "It's a life-affirming story, which is why it's attracted more interest than you'd normally get.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was given a five-match touchline ban by the Football Association on Wednesday for comments he made about referee Martin Atkinson after his side's defeat at Chelsea this month.
Chelsea is now reportedly planning to make a 50 million pound summer swoop for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
Chelsea missed the chance to effectively seal the Premier League runners-up spot after a late Steven Taylor header secured Newcastle United a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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