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Sreenidhi FC, the Telangana-based group, has drawn out a long-term plan to build a sustainable football club and target a place in the I-League in the near future.

The club & academy, owned by the region's well known Sreenidhi Educational Group, has taken an interest in Indian football since 2016. The group already had a fully-fledged cricket ground and infrastructure for other sports but they waited and observed before delving into the tricky world of football in India. 

Chairman of the group Dr. KT Mahi, who is also the chairman of the Telangana Football Association (TFA) and Sreenidhi's director Abhijit Rao brought the academy to life. The focus early on was to work out a plan to improve the grassroots and infrastructure and in 2018, the club stepped up their efforts as they brought in UEFA B-Licensed coach Fabio Ferreira as the Technical Director.

It was a step in the right direction or a club that wanted to be professional in what they are trying to achieve. And two years later, they are one of the three clubs to have picked up the bid document to gain entry into the I-League. 

"It is not about bidding for I-League and just creating a first-team, that is why we waited for five years before going ahead," club director Abhijit Rao told Goal.

"We have been observing Indian football for a few years now. One thing we knew for sure of is that we want a sustainable model. it is not about putting everything into the first team. We feel that we have built a foundation and felt it is the right time to take the opportunity. We are waiting to hear from the AIFF."

Running a football academy in India, without a solid source fo revenue, is a challenging task. Sreenidhi also has had to take it one step at a time. Now, with several years of functioning as a regular in the age-category leagues in India, the club looks ready for the next step.

"It is important to plan well. We could have tried to get accredited with the AIFF when we started. We wanted to plan properly and the most important thing is the long term project, even if we play in the I -League. We are not going to invest heavily on foreign players. we want a balanced approach.

"We are not going to go for the championship in the first year. Whoever we appoint as a head coach, we are going to give them a three-year contract. We want to invest more and give more gametime to Indian players. There are so many positions which Indian players don't play - the striker, for example. How are they going to improve if they don't play in that position? We don't want to keep on pumping money, it is a long-term project," Rao shared his thoughts. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected Sreenidhi's plans to an extent. They had a residential academy coming up but that will now only be looked at next year. Their grassroots level programs had to be stopped for obvious reasons and the team is currently looking to kickstart online coaching and fitness sessions to keep the players engaged. 

"Everything you do at a club should be to achieve sustainability. The idea is to build a good team and when we get guys with expertise in, the idea is also to educate other Indian coaches. It is not only about developing our club, the TFA is very open to working with us to try and develop an ecosystem here. Only when we make an ecosystem, we can make a significant impact. 

"Another focus is to try and give our players more gametime, Apart from the youth leagues, we are trying to send players for tournaments. The main objective is to at least vie our young players at least 20 matches per year. The TFA is taking a serious look into it."

All this is good news for the footballer levers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a region that boasted of world-class India national team players and achieved a lot of success in the 1950s and 60s. 

Abhijit added, "We want to give back to football in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. We recruit locally as much as possible. We will definitely be encouraging local talents regardless of whether we play in the I League or not."

Thus the project is definitely rolling, I-League or no I-League. 
 

East Bengal were given a major boost in their preparations for the upcoming season after Quess Corp agreed to a mutual termination of a joint venture, Quess East Bengal FC (QEBFC), between the two entities.

The termination also meant the club re-obtained the sporting rights required to field a team in any recognised competition . This significant development lifted a huge cloud of doubt that was hanging over the club's immediate future, given that they were at an impasse with Quess for a few months over the issue.

However, along with the sporting rights, East Bengal have also taken on a set of responsibilities and liabilities.

When Quess and East Bengal entered into an initial three-year-long joint venture back in 2018, the agreement was that Quess would hold 70 per cent of stakes in the same and would take care of the operational cost of running the club. East Bengal, naturally, held only 30 per cent of the stakes.

As a result, Quess were responsible for the contracts executed between players and QEBFC during the two years the association lasted.

However, Quess decided to disinvest from QEBFC at the end of May 2020, ie the end of the 2019-20 season, and senior officials from the Bengaluru-based firm had stated that they will not be financially liable for any operation post that deadline.

"QEBFC, as we told, that the 31st May of this year is the last day, our contract with the club terminates. We have no financial liability post that. But meanwhile what we have been trying and that we also in the discussions with a couple of investment bankers to get a suitor so that we can divest. So we will be trying our best to do that. Hopefully, we'll get somebody to offload our share. And if nothing happens, but -- 31st May, post that, we have no financial liability. That is the last point," stated Quess Group CEO & Executive Director Subrata Nag back in February. 

Now, with the termination concluded, all the liabilities fall back to East Bengal. And that includes all contracts and clauses entered into with a player by QEBFC.

Goal understands that around 16 players have long term contracts with QEBFC that run till the end of the 2020-21 season and in some cases, beyond that. All the liabilities attached to these contracts now fall on the Red and Golds.

All payments related to the same, bonus and more are East Bengal's responsibility now. It must be noted it was Quess East Bengal who were handed a transfer ban and fined after irregularities in their approach to sign Sukhdev Singh from Minerva Punjab back in 2018. Though it was East Bengal who tried to sign him (just before Quess came on board), the liability fell on QEBFC back then.

In case, the players have any grievances related to non-fulfillment of their contractual terms, the club will have to answer for it in front of any official redressal forum. The termination date of QEBFC was July 17 and it is not clear who will cover the payments owed to players for the month of June and 17 days in July.

If the players have a grievance, they can only file a complaint against East Bengal with All India Football Federation (AIFF) or FIFA since Quess are no longer associated with the sport.

The club have already stated their intention to apply for the necessary club licensing procedures required to participate in national competitions for next season under the name of a new company - East Bengal Club Private Limited.

All existing liabilities of QEBFC will also now come under the aegis of East Bengal Club Private Limited.

Former Chennaiyin FC skipper Henrique Sereno believes India international Anirudh Thapa has the ability to play in Europe.

The Spanish defender who won back to back ISL title at ATK (2016) and Chennaiyin (2017-18) was all praises for his former teammates while speaking in a Live Instagram chat with Chennaiyin fan group Super Machans.

The Portuguese said, “We had so many players. Even the players who didn’t play a lot like Keenan (Almeida), (Fulganco) Cardozo, they had amazing skills but they didn’t get many chances but they were good in the training. That was the key to success.  We had many good young players as well like Anirudh Thapa. He can play in Europe. He is a very good number 10 and has very nice skills. We also had Jeje (Lalpekhlua) who is a great striker.”

When asked about the strongest Indian player in the title-winning Chennaiyin FC squad, Sereno suggested, “The strongest Indian player in the club was my captain Dhanpal Ganesh. He is very strong. Usually, Indian players are not too big. Dhanpal used to win every single ball in the midfield. He used to communicate well with the defenders.”

The Portuguese defender also paid homage to the fans at Chennaiyin FC who he felt were as passionate as any fan group in the country.

“They (Chennaiyin) have a big stadium and it was nice playing in front of the passionate fans. The fans were always behind the team. Even the training sessions used to full. It was very special.

Sereno revealed that the best player he had played with at Chennaiyin FC was Brazilian midfielder Raphael Augusto who is currently contracted to rivals Bengaluru FC.

“Raphael Augusto for me was the best Chennaiyin player. He was very skilful. He could have played for any team in Europe but he chose to play in India. For me, he was the best I had played at Chennaiyin FC.”

Mikel Arteta called for Arsenal fans to calm their criticism of owner Stan Kroenke as he insisted he has the full backing of the club's board.

Arteta has led the Gunners to the FA Cup final after arriving mid-season from Manchester City, but his side can finish no higher than eighth in the Premier League after losing at Aston Villa on Tuesday, ensuring the Gunners' worst league finish in 25 years.

Ahead of the game, a banner flown over Villa Park – seemingly from an Arsenal fan – read: "Back Arteta, Kroenke out."

Yet the head coach was adamant post-match he already had been backed as he professed his support for the unpopular Kroenke.

"No, no, no," Arteta told Sky Sports. "The Kroenkes and the board and the sporting director, I feel full backing with them.

"What we don't know is a lot of things, we need to wait a little bit of time to be there. But backing and support, 100 per cent, I believe that.

"Absolutely [stick with the club]. The fans have to believe what I'm saying. If not, I would not say that."

Arsenal had beaten both Liverpool and City last week before their momentum stalled against struggling Villa.

However, Arteta had no issue with the attitude of his players on Tuesday, accepting it will take time for the Gunners to return to a consistently high level of performance.

"I'm not disappointed about the attitude at all. It's where we are," he said. "I know where we are in certain moments and certain areas of the pitch where we need to improve more.

"We will get that, but we need a bit more time."

Explaining why such a flat performance – in which Arsenal failed to register a shot on target – could have followed two stunning wins, Arteta said: "It could be fatigue.

"Emotionally and physically, it's been a very demanding week. But at least I saw a team that wanted to win and fight until the end. They were trying their best."

Arsenal will finish up the Premier League season against Watford before turning their focus to the FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Kylian Mbappe says he will be a Paris Saint-Germain player next season "no matter what".

The World Cup winner continues to be linked with moves away from PSG, the club he joined from Monaco in 2017 on an initial loan that was followed by a €180million transfer.

Mbappe scored 30 goals in all competitions before the Ligue 1 giants saw their season suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The France forward will get the opportunity to add to that tally as the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Champions League continue in the coming weeks.

And while certain reports have linked Mbappe with a potential move to Liverpool or Real Madrid once the current season comes to a close, he has confirmed that he will also remain at the Parc des Princes in 2020-21.

"I'm here. I am in the project for a fourth year," Mbappe told beIN SPORTS on Tuesday.

"The 50th year of the club is an important year for the club, the supporters, everyone, so I will be there no matter what.

"I will try to bring back trophies with the team and give the best of myself."

Mbappe could yet be joined in staying in Paris by another key figure, as Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Thiago Silva's future has not been settled.

PSG announced their captain would depart at the end of the campaign but later confirmed an extension to take in the remaining three competitions, while the likes of Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier opted to leave Parc des Princes immediately. 

The Braiil defender has represented PSG since 2012, racking up more than 300 appearances for the club since joining from Milan and lifting 21 pieces of silverware, including seven Ligue 1 titles.

Speaking of Silva after Tuesday's 4-0 friendly win over Celtic, Tuchel said: "He's our player, he's our captain, and we need to talk about this after the Champions League.

"Today is the time to be focused. It looks like he's going to leave, but in football, you never know."

Stefano Pioli will be staying in charge of Milan after signing a contract extension with the Serie A club.

It was expected Pioli would be replaced by Ralf Rangnick, who had been in talks with the Rossoneri about a deal that could have seen him become head coach and effectively sporting director.  

However, Rangnick's representative confirmed on Tuesday that talks had been called off because "it is not the right time at the moment and there is no momentum for working together". Marc Kosicke also pointed to "the good development and results under Pioli" as a reason for the move not taking place.

Milan later confirmed their current coach had agreed to a new contract that would keep him at San Siro until June 2022. 

"I am happy and proud of the trust I have received from AC Milan," Pioli said in a statement.

"I want to thank everyone, including our fans, who we are really missing at the stadium, but are always close and supportive. As I have said many times, our future is today: we must be focused and determined, be united and play as one. We are at the beginning of an extraordinary path. If we keep working this way, we will grow and be more and more competitive."

CEO Ivan Gazidis said: "Stefano has shown he can deliver the vision of football we have for our club - exciting, progressive and passionate.

"This is not a decision based on recent victories, but one based on how Stefano has built team spirit and unity of purpose, the way he has improved the performances of the individual players and the collective team, the way he has embraced our vision and the way he has represented himself and the club's values." 

Pioli had been publicly backed by players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as speculation continued he would be replaced by Rangnick, who was said to be keen on a dual role that would have seen technical director Paolo Maldini likely forced to leave the club. 

There are reports negotiations broke down because Rangnick, who leads Red Bull's sports and development section, was not prepared to accept a new proposal that would have seen him join as a director but with Pioli still in charge of the first team. 

Milan have enjoyed a strong run of form since the season resumed last month, their 2-1 win at Sassuolo on Tuesday making it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions.

The win lifted them to fifth in the Serie A table, a point above Roma and three above Napoli, having played a game more. 

It was also the ninth game in a row Milan had registered at least two goals, their best scoring run in the league since 1964. 

Arsenal will record their worst Premier League finish since 1995 following their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Tuesday evening in their penultimate match in the competition.

The single-goal defeat means the Gunners can now only finish between eighth and 10th position with a final league contest to come against Watford at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

In 1995, Arsenal crashed to a 12th-placed finish in a campaign that saw long-serving boss George Graham dismissed mid-season after nearly nine years in charge of the club.

With all their away fixtures now complete, the Gunners also equalled their record for their worst season on the road in 2017-18 with only four victories.

Two of Arsenal's four travelling wins have come since football's return from the coronavirus break - against Southampton and Wolves - after the club picked road success versus Newcastle and West Ham earlier in the season.

It is also the third consecutive season the Gunners have lost 10 league matches - with the club last losing that amount of matches consecutively or more over a seven-year period between 1981-88.

Arsenal's loss to Villa came courtesy of a vicious half-volley from Trezeguet in the 27th minute which speared past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez at the near post.

The result against Villa was a disappointing end to a week that saw the Gunners defeat champions Liverpool 2-1 in the league before knocking FA Cup holders Manchester City out of the competition at the semi-final stage at Wembley.

Arsenal appointed former captain Mikel Arteta as their new boss in December after deciding to part ways with Unai Emery the previous month.

The Gunners coach believes the Villa performance was the result of a full-on week for his squad but believed his players were still competing to get back in the match through the final stages.

"Congratulations to Villa because they were put under a lot of pressure and they managed to win the game," Arteta todl Sky Sports. "We were in some really good positions but we didn’t manage to deliver the ball.

"Emotionally and physically it’s been a very demanding week but I saw a team who wanted to fight until the end. I’m not disappointed about the attitude – I know where we are in certain areas and where we need to improve more. We will get that."

Jack Grealish - who has been linked with Manchester United - acknowledged he is "not too sure" if he has played his final home game for Aston Villa after helping his side pick up a vital win over Arsenal on Tuesday.

Villa captain Grealish led his side to a vital 1-0 home victory over Arsenal on Tuesday, moving Dean Smith's side above Watford and out of the Premier League relegation zone. 

The game's lone goal was scored by Trezeguet, who fired home following an Aston Villa corner to seal three points that could be key to Villa's Premier League survival.

Regardless of his current club's top-flight status, though, the midfielder's future appears to be in some doubt as Grealish was somewhat non-committal when asked about his future on Tuesday.

Manchester United have been among the clubs touted as suitors for Grealish, who could not confirm he would be back in a Villa shirt at the start of next season. 

"I'm not too sure at the moment," he told Sky Sports following the win over Arsenal. "I have one aim and that's to keep this club in the Premier League. 

"This whole club, this whole stadium and fanbase knows where we belong. That's all I'm thinking about at the moment, keeping this club in the Premier League. Hopefully we can do that on Sunday." 

Trezeguet got the decisive Villa goal - his third in three matches - and Grealish still has not provided a goal or assist since the Premier League's restart. 

However, the Villa talisman felt he was back to somewhere near his best against Arsenal, including sending Keinan Davis clear for one big second-half miss. 

"It would mean everything to me [to keep Villa up]," Grealish said. "I think since we've been back, I probably haven't been as effective as I was before. 

"Truthfully, I haven't felt as fit as I did before the break, but that's no excuse. I just need to do what I know I can do. 

"I've probably done it today. I was probably unlucky not to get an assist in the end." 

Aston Villa's victory ensured that the club is now outside of the relegation zone for the first time since the 28th of February as they sit ahead of 18th-place Watford on goal difference

For their final match of the Premier League campaign, Villa will face West Ham with a chance to secure their spot in the league.

Eric Bailly is still being assessed after returning to Manchester United training on Tuesday, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

The Ivorian centre-back suffered an injury scare after clash of heads with teammate Harry Maguire during Sunday’s FA Cup loss against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

He was given oxygen and carried away in a neck brace before he was rushed to hospital for further checks and treatment.

The hit came as a worry for fans who thought the former Villarreal defender will have a long spell on the sidelines but he calmed their fears with his social media update on Monday.

Following their 3-1 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, Manchester United return to Premier League action on Wednesday against West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer provided an update on Bailly who has played four league matches this campaign and he hinted that he is unlikely to play in the game.

“Of course, he was shaken up a bit. He had a big blow to his head. We're still monitoring him,” Solskjaer told the club website.

“He stayed down in London after the game. I've not seen him this morning yet because these interviews are before the boys meet up.

“I'll see him soon and, hopefully, he'll be alright.”

Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League table with 62 points from 36 matches. They will be aiming to boost their chances of qualifying for next season's Uefa Champions League with wins against West Ham and Leicester City on Sunday.

Milan moved into fifth in Serie A after Zlatan Ibrahimovic secured a 2-1 victory away to 10-man Sassuolo on Tuesday. 

The Rossoneri edged above Roma and Napoli in the table thanks to a first-half double from their veteran striker either side of Francesco Caputo's penalty, before Mehdi Bourabia was sent off late in the first half. 

It marked the ninth league game in a row in which Milan scored at least twice and further highlighted their progress under Stefano Pioli, who could well be staying in charge for next season. 

Sassuolo were surprisingly slack with their customary passing out from the back and paid the price 19 minutes in, with Hakan Calhanoglu's exquisite cross nodded in by Ibrahimovic after Franck Kessie had won back the ball. 

Milan were dealt a double injury blow, losing Andrea Conti and Alessio Romagnoli, before Caputo levelled for Sassuolo from the penalty spot after Calhanoglu was penalised for handball following a lengthy VAR review. 

Calhanoglu and Ibrahimovic combined again to restore the lead in first-half injury time, though, the striker gathering a throughball and rounding Andrea Consigli to finish, having earlier missed another good headed chance. 

Sassuolo's hopes of another comeback were ruined when Bourabia lunged in on Ante Rebic to earn a second yellow card with seconds left in the first half. 

Ibrahimovic just failed to get a shot away after combining with Kessie, and Ismael Bennacer clipped the post as Milan sought a decisive third, although Gianluigi Donnarumma - making his 200th appearance for the club at the age of just 21 - was largely a spectator at the other end. 

By contrast, Consigli had to produce a brilliant triple save to deny Kessie and Giacomo Bonaventura twice to keep it at 2-1. 

What does it mean? Pioli efforts paying off 

Milan are a point above Roma and three ahead of Napoli in fifth place, and few would bet against them doing enough to seal a top-six finish even if their closest rivals have a game in hand. 

In the longer term, the evidence of their improvement under Pioli becomes clearer by the game and any new deal for the coach would represent a wholly sensible move by the club. 

The only concern for Milan will be facing Atalanta next with potential injury absentees and Theo Hernandez and Bennacer suspended. 

Hakan and Zlatan weaving a pattern 

Calhanoglu's recent form has rivalled any attacking player in Serie A. Ibrahimovic is the seventh player to receive an assist this season from the Turkey playmaker, and their combination play pointed to a few more goals to come. 

Brainless from Bourabia 

Bourabia's first booking was for a poor lunge on Ibrahimovic. His second, for a reckless challenge on Rebic with seconds of the first half remaining, was probably worse. Roberto De Zerbi will have been furious.

Key Opta Facts

- The previous time Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored multiple goals during the first half of a Serie A game was March 2012 (a hat-trick against Palermo).
- Hakan Calhanoglu has delivered the joint-most assists in Serie A since the restart of the league in June (seven, alongside Alexis Sanchez).
- Milan have scored more than a goal in nine consecutive Serie A games in a single season for the first time since 1964 (10).
- Calhanoglu has delivered eight Serie A assists this term, a personal record in a single season in the top-five European leagues.
- Prior to Calhanoglu, the last player to deliver an assist in three consecutive Serie A games for Milan was Robinho, in 2012.

What's next? 

Milan host Atalanta on Friday in what could be key to their European hopes, with Sassuolo heading to Napoli on Saturday. 

The Super Eagles’ recruitment policy is one of the hot topics we explore in this week’s African Football HQ podcast, as Malek Shafei and Ed Dove assess the comments made by NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

The Nigerian football chief recently spoke—on an Instagram live—about Nigeria’s pursuit of Arsenal wonderkid Bukayo Saka, one of the revelations of the Premier League season.

Pinnick suggested that the West African giants wouldn’t be forced into begging for players to represent them, but what should Nigeria—and the continent’s other national sides—be doing to make sure the best dual-nationality players aren’t tempted to represent European teams?

One of Saka’s teammates also made headlines this weekend as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a brace as the Gunners dispatched Manchester City in the FA Cup.

The goals served to silence Auba’s critics, many of whom have questioned whether he can be a player for the big occasions or whether he is little more than a flat-track bully.

It’s a question exploded by Oluwaseye Omidiora in a recent editorial on Goal Africa, and is a key talking point in the pod, where we’re always quick to celebrate one of the continent’s big name stars.

There were also FA Cup showings—successfully and unsuccessfully—for the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Eric Bailly and Riyad Mahrez, while Odion Ighalo was only given a minimal run-out by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United succumbed to Chelsea.

Ahead of the final day of the Championship on Wednesday, we also turn our attention to the second tier, where various African players are still in with a shot of securing the second automatic promotion berth after champions Leeds United.

Semi Ajayi’s West Bromwich Albion and Said Benrahma’s Brentford both ceded the initiative during a dramatic penultimate weekend, but the Baggies will still clinch second place if they defeat Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday.

Fulham, for whom Neeskens Kebano excelled in victory over Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, can still muscle their way into the top two if they beat Wigan Athletic.

The pod assess the various promotion hopefuls’ chances of success, cast an eye over the strugglers at the bottom of the table.

Pep Guardiola was relieved to see the hunger back in his Manchester City team as they won 4-0 at Watford in the Premier League. 

Losing on Saturday to Arsenal in their FA Cup semi-final came as a major blow to City, with Guardiola unhappy with the performance, particularly the first-half showing at Wembley. 

After that game, Guardiola said it was "the way we lost" that hurt him more than the result, questioning the appetite among his players for the battle. 

He was more satisfied with the display at Watford, though, as two goals from Raheem Sterling were followed by Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte getting on the scoresheet. 

Guardiola told BBC Radio Five Live: "The minimum, we did it today." 

The City manager explained what he demands of his players, saying: "We can win and we can lose. In your career as a football player, you lose more games than you win, but also always you have to finish a game and go into a locker room and say, 'I did everything to win the game. I'm exhausted and I did everything to win the game'.

"And when this doesn't happen, we cannot be proud of ourselves."

Guardiola stressed even Sterling, after another outstanding season individually, would not be finishing the league campaign with a great sense of accomplishment. 

"He's quality. The personal achievements have always related to how we have done in the Premier League and we've finished second, far away from the champions," Guardiola said. "So that's why not even Raheem must be happy with the season we have done in the Premier League." 

Guardiola also said the Professional Footballers' Association's player of the year award must go to a Liverpool star this season, ruling out City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne as a serious contender for the honour. 

Foden, who stroked home City's third goal at Watford from close range, said: "We weren't like ourselves against Arsenal. I don't think the energy was there from minute one and we were disappointed and we wanted to be back on track today. 

"I think we did that well. You could see we were pressing from the front and back to our normal selves. 

"I feel good at the moment. I'm performing quite well. I just want to keep going and improving. 

"There's still a far way to go for me to be a regular starter. I'm going to try and take it into the rest of this year and keep going from there."

Frank Lampard does not believe qualification for the Champions League is critical to Chelsea's mission to close the gap on their Wednesday night opponents Liverpool, but he admits the competition's "prestige" would help that process.

Chelsea are conducting one of their most ambitious rebuilding jobs since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. They have already signed Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for a combined fee of £84m ($105m).

The Blues remained locked in talks with Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz and have been targeting Leicester City's Ben Chilwell and West Ham's Declan Rice, although those deals looking increasingly unlikely.

Yet, the current work behind the scenes underlines the club's ambition ahead of the trip to Anfield to come, before they welcome Wolves to Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season.

Lampard, as one would expect, wants Champions League football to accompany that work off the field.

"It’s massively important for the club," Lampard told reporters on a Zoom video conference call. "Not just for the prestige. But if you are a club on the world stage like Chelsea have been you want to compete at the highest level and attract players of the highest level.

"It obviously generates money for the club, let’s make no bones about it. So you understand why there is such intense scrutiny on who finishes in the top four. It would have been unheard of a good few years ago. Now it becomes not a trophy but an accomplishment in itself.

“We want to move further than that so we look on upwards in the Premier League but getting into the Champions League has to be, even with the way this year the season has gone, it has to be an aim for us.”

Chelsea are currently in third, one point ahead of both Manchester United and Leicester in a three-way battle for two spots in next season's Champions League.

The fifth-placed team will play in the Europa League next season but Lampard was keen to further explain that it wouldn't be a catastrophe should the Blues fall short with two difficult fixtures to end their season.

"I understand the black and white judgement of the outside world and the Chelsea fans about it because it’s a clear objective to get into the Champions League," he added.

"My feeling is when you’re inside and you’re working daily and searching for improvements and signs in where you want to get to, it’s that whether you come in the top four or whether it was not to quite work out for us from some of the strides we’ve made this year, there are huge positives that I feel at the club and in what we may do going forward.

"I have a huge desire to get there but I’d still feel we’ve made huge strides. We weren’t really in too many people’s top fours at the start of the season. We’ve forced ourselves in there. I desperately hope we get there.

"But for me, it shouldn’t put this club off its stride much because there were a lot of testing moments this year. We’ve shown intentions of moving in the right direction.

"I hope I’m showing that in the way I’m working with the players and I think the players are showing that with performances like Sunday. I get that it’s black and white on the outside. I don’t think it should be on the inside."

Chelsea will give Liverpool a guard of honour on Wednesday and, regardless of the result, watch them lift the title at Anfield after the match. Jurgen Klopp's side sit 30 points ahead of the Blues and Lampard admits that their rivals have shown the formula for to achieve glory.

"I'm not sure many expected Liverpool to be so dominant in the results they had, up until the back end of the season, once they won it. I understand that we are behind them - the points and that gap doesn't lie, necessarily," the manager explained.

"We've seen the work of Liverpool in the last two or three years to understand how they get there. We have to work in our own way towards that. They've added well to their squad. They've recruited at really good time, with really important players, and they have an incredible manager who develops players.

"So in our own way we have to try and find a way how we move forward, to try and close that gap, which is, which is still pretty big. We want to close the gap. I'm not here to try to buy time.

"I'm here to try and get as quickly as we can and as fast as we can to be where we want to be. But we have to understand that there may be still a bit of a work in progress there."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could drop David de Gea for Manchester United’s game against West Ham after his mistakes against Chelsea as the United boss admitted he's not afraid to make big calls. 

The Spaniard was at fault for all three goals as United crashed out of the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday. 

Solskjaer admitted his first-choice goalkeeper should have done better for Mason Mount’s goal shortly after the break and there is mounting pressure on the United boss to drop the 29-year-old.

While the Norwegian has backed De Gea after previous mistakes this season he refused to say whether the Spaniard would be starting against West Ham at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

“I don't want to talk about it. We stick together as a group,” Solskjaer replied when asked if he could confirm De Gea would start. 

“We're going to stick together as a group and as I said he's proven before he's mentally strong. We'll stay together and we'll see the team on Wednesday night.”

And Solskjaer, who is hoping to get a step closer to securing Champions League football with a win on Wednesday night, said he is not afraid to wield the axe when it comes to team selection.

“You have to [make big calls], every position is a big one here so you've got to do what is right for the team and the club,” Solskjaer said. “We'll do that on Wednesday, we'll do that on Sunday and then when the season's finished we'll make more decisions.”

Some of those decisions, following the final game of the league season on Sunday, will be as to who United bring in during the transfer window. 

Despite concerns over the financial climate due to Covid-19, the club are expecting to be active and bring in a couple of new faces. But for now it’s not something Solskjaer is willing to discuss.  

“There's two games left now of the season and we've been playing non-stop since the restart. We've enjoyed it. Most of players have had a chance, most of them have done well. I'm very happy with the squad,” he said. 

“It's just that feeling of we've got great momentum when we've played and we didn't get any injuries, so we've played more or less the same team and they performed really well. 

“But as a club we're always looking at promoting kids and adding players that are better than our squad anyway. Let's just focus on these next two first.”

The death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota in May 2020, sparked worldwide outrage and weeks of protests.

Video footage emerged of officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nine minutes, despite Floyd audibly saying that he could not breathe.

Chauvin was not immediately charged with second-degree murder, and protestors took to the streets in the ensuing days to voice their anger against police brutality and anti-black violence in America.

Protests against racism and police brutality have since made their way into the sports world, with several athletes showing their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and justice for Floyd by taking a knee before a match.

But what does it mean to take a knee, and what does it symbolise? Goal takes a look.

What does 'taking a knee' mean?

Historically, kneeling has been a way to show silent solidarity in support of human rights amid political turmoil – when athletes are not expected to drift away from their role and 'stick to sports'.

The action of kneeling can be dated back to the civil rights movement in the United States, where the likes of figures such as Martin Luther King Jr - along with other activists - kneeled after leading a prayer after a group of protesters were arrested during a march to the Dallas County Alabama courthouse on on February 1, 1965.

Where did 'taking a knee' start?

The first high-profile instance of an athlete protesting silently, however, happened in August 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down instead of standing up as the National Anthem was played before a game in order to silently protest against racism and police brutality across the United States.

Said Kaepernick after the game:  "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Kaepernick then took a knee during the 49ers' fourth and final preseason game as a means to pay respect to the U.S. veterans and the military while still voicing his stance against racial inequality.

His peaceful protest invited other athletes within the sport to also take a knee in solidarity.

The ripple effect of Kaepernicks' peaceful protest, however, drew criticism from NFL bosses and especially U.S. President Donald Trump, who lambasted Kaepernick for 'disrespecting' the American flag and war veterans.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out,'” Trump said at a previous political rally.

At the time, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not align himself with Kaepernick's actions. The quarterback was released by his team in 2016 and has been a free agent since, and has filed a grievance against the league, accusing them of collusion to purposely shut him out of playing.

But in June 2020, following the racial unrest due to Floyd's death at the hands of Chauvin, Goodell issued an apology but did not name Kaepernick directly: "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong... We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter... 

"The protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff. We are listening."

How has taking a knee impacted football?

U.S women's national team star Megan Rapinoe was the first soccer player to silently protest against racial inequality and follow in the footsteps of Kaepernick.

The midfielder took a knee during the national anthem before a NWSL match between the Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Reign in September 2016.

"Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties," Rapinoe said at the time .

"It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it."

Rapinoe once again kneeled while the U.S. national anthem with the national team before U.S. Soccer passed a since-revoked policy that would require players to stand. At the 2019 Women's World Cup in France and refused to sing, which prompted criticism from Trump.

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold went on to speak out against racism, vocalising his want for "meaningful change" to fight racism as he declared that "the system is broken" on Twitter.

"It can no longer just be our feet where we express ourselves. We have to use our profile, the platforms we have and the spotlight that shines on us to say, it's time for meaningful change," he wrote.

"The system is broken, it's stacked against sections of our society and we all have a responsibility to fix it.

"Black people are viewed differently. We face discrimination in actions but also in thought. It's more than just violence and abuse. Opportunity in life is restricted if you look a certain way. How can that be in 2020?"

Aston Villa climbed out of the Premier League's relegation zone with just one game remaining thanks to a 1-0 home win over Arsenal, ending the Gunners' slim hopes of a top-seven finish. 

Villa - who had been in the bottom three since before the season's March suspension - were faced with opponents invigorated by consecutive wins over Liverpool and Manchester City in the league and FA Cup respectively. 

But Dean Smith's men were boosted ahead of kick-off as City's comprehensive win at Watford significantly dented their fellow strugglers' goal difference. 

Victory by just a single goal would therefore take Villa above Watford at this crucial stage of the campaign - and Trezeguet's third strike in three matches - a rare unbeaten stretch - provided just that. 

Not until the 27th minute did either side enjoy a sight of goal, but the Villa winger took that first chance when it finally came. 

A corner skipped through the Arsenal box to reach the right boot of Trezeguet, who thumped a fine low finish past Emiliano Martinez.

Jack Grealish advanced from halfway to send a fierce effort just past the top-right corner shortly before half-time, while Arsenal openings remained scarce. 

Mikel Arteta's men needed three points to maintain an unlikely bid for European qualification through the league, so a response after the restart seemed inevitable. 

However, there was little improvement in the visiting ranks as Villa instead passed up a huge opportunity to double their advantage, substitute Keinan Davis wastefully lashing wide. 

Eddie Nketiah sought to punish that miss and came agonisingly close to a leveller, heading against the post before the ball dropped into Pepe Reina's arms. 

Arsenal ultimately would not muster a single shot on target, only Martinez's save denying John McGinn as Villa put their top-flight status into their own hands heading into Sunday's final day.

What does it mean? Agony to ecstasy - and vice versa 

The concession of a late equaliser to Everton's ex-Arsenal man Theo Walcott felt a mammoth blow to Villa last Thursday, but they maintained an upturn in form here and thoroughly deserved a vital win. 

Arsenal, by contrast, came back down to earth with a bump after two surprising results in their favour. The FA Cup now offers their only route into the Europa League. 

Villa's unlikely hero 

Grealish was widely expected to be the man most likely to pull Villa clear of danger when the season resumed, but he has not recorded a single goal or assist since. 

Thankfully for Villa, Trezeguet has suddenly come to the fore. The Egyptian now has as many goals in his past three Premier League games as in his previous 30. 

More set-piece woe 

Arsenal have now conceded a remarkable 21 of their 46 Premier League goals against this season from set-piece situations. They looked nervy each time Conor Hourihane stood over a corner. 

The goal was especially sloppy as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang switched off and was beaten to a near-post flick by Tyrone Mings before Trezeguet netted. 

What's next? 

Villa may yet need a result at West Ham on the final day. They will certainly hope Arsenal are much improved as the Gunners host Watford. 

Chiamaka Nnadozie made her long-awaited Paris FC debut in Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly match.

After a superb outing at the Women's World Cup last year, the Nigeria international joined the French top-flight outfit on an 18-month deal from Nigerian Women's Premier League side Rivers Angels.

Since her move in January, the 19-year-old has waited patiently for her maiden appearance, which was hampered by the coronavirus outbreak that forced the cancellation of the 2019-20 season.

However, she ended her wait on Tuesday as coach Sandrine Soubeyrand brought her on as a second-half substitute for Camille Pecharman.

Despite featuring in the second half, she could do little as her team bowed to the city rivals, who were preparing for the final stages of the Uefa Women's Champions League in Orly.

Paris made a bright start to the game and almost gained the lead through captain Gaetane Thiney but her well-struck free-kick was denied by the PSG goalkeeper in the 10th minute.

Five minutes later, Paris were close to finding another breakthrough but Daphné Corboz's brilliant shot came off the crossbar.

However, Olivier Echouafni's team broke the deadlock in the 29th minute to claim a narrow first-half lead against Paris in the closed-door encounter at the ADP-Paris FC Training Centre Group.

At the break, Soubeyrand made seven changes to the starting line-up, introducing Nnadozie but PSG grabbed the second goal of the match 10 minutes from the spot after the restart of the match.

In the 75th minute, Julie Soyer deflected into her side's net to gift PSG the third goal and Clara Mateo's fine attempt to reduce the deficit was denied against by the goalkeeper four minutes later.

The breakthrough for the hosts finally came when Coumba Sow headed in a corner kick from Théa Gréboval in the 80th minute but the visitors netted a minute from time to seal a morale-boosting win.

Following the friendly defeat to PSG, they will look to avoid a repeat in the reserve fixture in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on July 27.

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper said there will be transfer talks with Andre Ayew at the end of the season to decide his future.

Ayew joined the Swans on a three-year deal from West Ham United in 2018, and he is in the final year of his contract at the club.

Ahead of their final game of the season on Wednesday, Cooper disclosed the Ghana international is focused on helping Swansea City make the play-offs as they target victory against Reading first before discussing his future.

"I'm sure we'll have that conversation again, but now it's just about Wednesday,” Cooper was quoted as saying by Wales Online.

"He's fully focused on that and I'm fully focused on that. Let's not let any thoughts interfere with getting it right on Wednesday."

Aside from his leadership role, Ayew has been a key figure in Cooper's side this season with his attacking presence that's seen him return 15 goals and six assists in 43 Championship outings.

The Welsh tactician lauded the qualities of the 30-year-old and his professionalism.

"I can't speak highly enough of him. He's not on his own, with Nathan [Dyer], Wayne [Routledge], Kyle [Naughton], Erwin [Mulder]," he added.

"The older players are a real credit to themselves and the football club.

"Andre's been really great hasn't he? You've all seen him on the pitch and the contribution he's made and the energy levels that he gives. He leads by example when he's playing and when he's training.

"He's a very good person and a really good professional. It's been brilliant to see how a top player operates, so I can't speak highly enough of him. I just hope he does the business again on Wednesday.”