Chelsea to appoint Thomas Tuchel as Lampard's replacement - 

Chelsea will appoint Thomas Tuchel to replace Frank Lampard as manager, after two German managers rejected their advances.

Tuchel, who was sacked by Paris Saint-German last month, has been identified as the new Blues boss.

But, according to The Athletic, the 47-year-old was not the club’s first-choice.

It is claimed that former RB Leipzig chief Ralf Rangnick was offered the interim job last week for four months.

The deal would see him through until the end of the season.

The plan was for Rangnick to then move to a different role for next season, but he turned it down due to the short length of the deal.

Current Leipzig boss, Julian Nagelsmann, was also offered the role before a deal was struck with Tuchel.

However, the negotiations with Nagelsmann “hit a brick wall” and Chelsea ultimately fast-tracked their talks with Tuchel.

Tuchel only became available last after he was sacked at Paris Saint-Germain.

He won back-to-back league titles with PSG, but that was not enough to satisfy the club’s ambitious owners who replaced him with Mauricio Pochettino.

Barcelona defender, Jordi Alba, has admitted he’s one of the most hated players.

However, the Spaniard insists his off-the-field attitude is very different to his on-field persona.

Alba has made over 360 appearances for Barca since he joined from Valencia in 2012.

During that time, Alba has won LaLiga five times and a Champions League title in 2014/2015.

However, he believes that he hated by those he plays against due to his combative style.

“It is clear that if people know me through football, they would think I’m one of the most hated players in football. That is clear,” he told Movistar+.

“It’s my way of playing and it is what has led me to be the player I am today and to be where I am.

“Other people know me by how I am, as a very humble person that values everything in my life.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho, has claimed he does not think Frank Lampard wants to speak with him, just after being sacked as Chelsea boss.

Mourinho stated this after they booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round, following a 4-1 win at Wycombe.

The match came just hours after Lampard was dismissed at Stamford Bridge after 18 months in charge.

Lampard played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge from 2004-2007 and then again in 2013, winning two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield together.

Mourinho himself has been sacked twice at Chelsea.

“I don’t think Frank wants to speak to me or with anyone apart from his close circle of family and friends,” Mourinho said.

“But I am always sad when a colleague loses his job and Frank is not just a colleague. He is an important person in my career so I feel sorry he did.

“But it is the brutality of football, especially modern football, so when you become a manager, you know that sooner or later it is going to happen to you.”