Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has indicated he would love to have Andriy Shevchenko back in the red and black shirt. Speculation over Shevchenko’s future continues to roar in the aftermath of Chelsea’s 1 - 0 win over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge last night. Chelsea’s goal was the result of a scuffed shot by Sheva which was then buried by Didier Drogba. Both players had unexpectedly started from the bench.

The story that started with Shevchenko admitting that Mourinho’s system did not suit him, and the Chelsea coach responding by suggesting that the forward was not untouchable and needed to do more, has had another page added to it with the Milan supremo opening the San Siro doors publicly. “If it were my call, I would bring Shevchenko back immediately,” said Berlusconi. “We must not forget that he wanted to leave. Even I could not stop him. But I would welcome him back with open arms.”

However, he did admit that it looked unlikely at the moment, with Chelsea reluctant to let him go: “To be honest, it looks difficult right now, because I don’t think Chelsea want to let him go. We must wait and watch.”
From: Goal.com

Sheva flopped back into the realms of anonymity at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as Chelsea were held to a one each draw by Arsenal.This leaves the Blues 8 points behind Man Utd, who disposed of their City neighbours by 3 goals to one.

In a match more memorable for the booking of returning Ashley Cole and piece of theatrics between Didier Drogba and Jens Lehman, it looked as though Sheva’s return to form with a goal in the Champiuons League was to prove an isolated incident. To make matters worse for Shevchenko, his substitution proved to be a turning point for Chelsea as Arjen Robben came on and immediately started things going for the Blues. Arsenal went one up through Flamini after good work by Hleb but the Gunners didn’t stay in front too long. After a mere 6 minutes, Essien picked the ball up in the midfield from a stray Lampard pass and fired in a sweet 25 metre shot that left Lehman grasping for air.

Any more performances from Sheva similar to this one, and who knows? Maybe Abramovic will listen to offers from anyone - the latest bizarre rumour being that Inter may be ready to move for the unsettled Ukranian in return for Alvaro Recoba and a significant cash payment. This would further embarras city rivals AC Milan, who faltered once more in drawing at home with Torino, even finding time for Alberto Gilardino to miss a penalty. What would THEY give for Sheva to be back?

Original article by Natty

The claim that Chelsea would never release Sheva, despite all the rumours surrounding his future, was made today from a Ukranian source. This contradicts the fact that Chelsea boss Mourinho is being widely quoted in the British press that Shevchenko was not one of nine “untouchable” players on his team. The stuttering striker has scored just three Premier League goals but managed to open his Champions League account this week.

The notion that Shevchenko, unhappy with his surroundings or unable to meet expectations, might return to Milan or even go back to Dynamo Kiev has generated great speculation in Ukraine.Chelsea said quotes attributed to the striker in a Russian magazine interview, in which he said he could not please Mourinho, had been mistranslated.Ukrainian coaches and players said the idea of cutting Shevchenko loose was out of the question.”It’s sheer nonsense. Why should Andriy leave Chelsea? Is he really playing so very badly?” Serhiy Rebrov, Shevchenko’s long-time strike partner at Dynamo Kiev and the Ukrainian national team, told the daily Sport-Express. Maybe he’s not scoring 20 goals per season like in Milan but let’s be clear, he’s working more for the good of the whole team now … It seems to me Shevchenko’s team mates like him.”

Rebrov, who returned to Kiev last year after a troubled five-year spell in English football, acknowledged that Shevchenko’s “adaptation has been a long one. In Italy he fitted in, learned the language, became an idol. England has a different way of life. But he will manage.” Dynamo Kiev coach Anatoly Demyanenko said he doubted Mourinho would ever let the Ukrainian go. “I have practically no doubts that Shevchenko will stay with Chelsea. Even if he passionately made the case for leaving, it’s not altogether certain they would let him go,” he said. “Mourinho would not act against his own interests. In London, Shevchenko has had to become more of a team player. And it clearly is working.”

Dynamo president Ihor Surkis dismissed any notion that Shevchenko was failing to perform for Chelsea. “Andriy is playing in a stable fashion and doing what he is supposed to do - score,” he continued. “Could he come back to Kiev? I don’t think that’s realistic, but if Abramovich agreed to loan Shevchenko to another club, I would not rule out talks. Why should others lay claim to Andriy and not us?”

From Reuters

Andriy Shevchenko revealed doubts about his Chelsea future today saying that he would be ready to leave Chelsea if Jose Mourinho decides he does not fit into his plans. The Ukraine star has scored just three league goals since his £30.8m summer move and has been linked with a return to AC Milan and Newcastle.

“I feel at home here at Chelsea and it’s felt like my team for a long time but unfortunately my game doesn’t suit Mourinho. Roman Abramovich is my friend but all he could do was insist on a loan deal instead of me being sold,” he said.

An interesting claim indeed, and one would have to wonder if Abramovic were forced to choose, whose side would his hat come down on. It is an open secret that ultra ambitious Mourinho will not be shackled by any club owner. A Mourinho on the open job market would be a sore temptation to any aspiring club.

Sheva, who scored his first European goal for Chelsea in Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over Levski Sofia, said he had not discussed his future with the club. However, he added, “But if it happens, I am ready to pack my bags. I’m a completely self-confident person. If I don’t suit somebody then I’ll go back to Italy and prove how good I can still be. I’m not finished as a player. On the other hand I have nothing to prove. Everybody knows what Andriy Shevchenko is capable of.” For any other mere mortal it may smack of sounding off, but when it’s someone of Shevcenko’s character, it may be prudent to listen.

Abramovich lured the forward to Stamford Bridge on a four-year contract in May in the belief that he would provide the goals to win the Champions League and to be fair, he looked more comfortable against, albeit pretty poor, Eurpoean opposition. He is still considered a hero by most AC Milan fans after he helped them win European club football’s greatest prize in 2003. Milan’s own domestic predicament would not preclude any interest in their former player as they have been nothing short of woeful recently.

Adapted by Natty from BBC Sport

Shevchenko proved last night to be the peerless Euro star as Blues of Chelsea cruise past the ineffectual Levski Sofia into the last sixteen of the Champions League.
If not quite a landmark game, or even a landmark moment, it was most important to Andriy Shevchenko who was given the chance to notch his 57th goal in European competition and in doing so becoming the second-highest goalscorer in its history. This puts the erstwhile faltering (at least in the Premiership) Ukranian ahead of Raul and Eusebio and just five behind Gerd Müller’s record of 62. Who would bet against him out-doing the barrel chested German before the end of the season, especially if Chelsea keep on disposing of teams with a maximum of efficiency, though somewhat lower in the spectacle stakes?

It was also Shaun Wright-Phillips moment as he notched up his first-ever goal for Chelsea (this in his 52nd appearance) and it may well have been his last goal for the club he joined for £21m two summers ago given the probability of his leaving in the January transfer window. Beside SRF, Sheva’s total might start looking respectable.

Shevchenko’s fee, however, dwarfs that of Wright-Phillips, and Chelsea’s return on their £30.8m signing is still to be reaped but this first Champions’ League goal in blue may prove to be the start of something more dramatic. The aplomb with which he took his first-half opportunity, flicking the ball in with the outside of his right boot, was vintage Sheva and bodes well. The Stamford Bridge crowd afforded him a most generous of ovations when he was substituted - how fortunes change when you think back to his substitution at Old Trafford 10 days ago.

“Hopefully in the knock-out stages he has some more to make us go further,” chimed Mourinho afterwards. Probably not just the wish of thousands of Chelsea fans, but surely of one Andriy Shevchenko as well.

From Independent Sport

Chelsea finished top of their Champions League and Andriy Shevchenko got back on target, becoming the second highest scorer in European competition.Shevchenko finished superbly with the outside of his right boot to open the scoring on 27 minutes.Shaun Wright-Phillips smashed home from outside the area late on for the Blues’ second.

After a mere 68 seconds, Shevchenko won the ball near the half-way line and played in Arjen Robben, who eventually cut the ball back to the Ukraine striker but Shevchenko’s shot was well saved by keeper Zhivko Milanov.When the goal did come, it was unsurprising that it was from Sheva on the left flank - as both he and Robben had enjoyed success on that side.The Dutch winger switched the play from right, via Lampard, Shevchenko provided the finish from the left-hand side of the box.

As Chelsea dominated, Ricardo Carvalho had a shot cleared off the line and Levski managed only one effort of not on the Chelsea goal. Chelsea finish top of the group with Barcelona, who were inspired by Ronaldinho tonight in the Nou Camp, in second place.

From BBC Sport

‘All this Shevchenko talk is pure fantasy’ said Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder, dismissing talk that he could possibly land Sheva on loan after newspapers suggested the move was a possibility over the weekend.

The Ukrainian striker continues to struggle, but talk of a move to the Magpies appears to be nonsensical, at least according to Roeder.

He said: “Shevchenko is a wonderful player and a player any club would love to have. But I have not contacted Chelsea about him and I will not be contacting them.

“I am afraid some of the transfer talk over the weekend is pure fantasy.”

Meanwhile, another main player in the Sheva saga, Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani, was very busy denying the club will be making a move for either Andriy Shevchenko or Ronaldinho in the January transfer window.

Despite these denials however, rumours of Shevchenko’s possible return to the San Siro refuse to go away. Galliani said: “Shevchenko was sold because he wanted to be and it is not plausible that Chelsea, having made an important investment, can give him back six months later.

From Goal.com

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has denied holding talks with Chelsea about a January transfer window return to San Siro for Sheva.

The Ukraine striker has been struggling to make an impact with the Blues this season following his £30m transfer in the summer. He has scored just three league goals and is yet to find the net in the Champions League.

“At this time there have not been any negotiations with Chelsea, regarding Andriy Shevchenko’s return to our club,” said Galliani, who, even if he did want him, would have to sell another non-EU player to make room for the 30-year-old in Milan’s squad under Italian rules.

Shevchenko, meanwhile, took time after last night’s 1-0 Premiership win at Bolton to reiterate his commitment to the English champions. “I give 100% all the time. I am committed and hungry for success with Chelsea,” he said. “I have total respect for the club and fans as well as for football in England and the culture of the country. There are always good and bad moments in sport, that’s normal. If that means there is criticism then I respect that.”

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists there is a clear improvement in Shevchenko’s game. “The most difficult position to play is striker. They live on statistics, how many goals, how many assists,” he said. “Thierry Henry, I am told, scored one goal in 12 matches when he moved to Arsenal from Juventus. It is not easy to adapt. Italian football is different to English football even though we play much the same system as AC Milan.

“Shevchenko is making a clear improvement. He is very alive on the field as he showed against Bolton. He is making penetrating moves and runs. He is also becoming more adept at pressing opponents when the team loses the ball. To be honest I do not care about goals, I judge players on other items. He knows the way I think about football. I will support him the maximum I can. I cannot wait for the future when we will see the best of Shevchenko.”

From Guardian Unlimited

Today it seems as though Chelsea could look to Dump Sheva for David Villa of Valencia.

It should have been the deal of the century but right now it looks as though the highest paid player in the EPL could be at the end of the road. The rise of Andriy Shevchenko through the ranks of superstardom in England may be heading for a premature end, at least according to today’s Sun. They claim that Jose Mourinho is looking to replace the tired and tiring Ukrainian with Valencia’s David Villa during the January transfer window.

According to the English red-top (never the most trustworthy of organs at the best of times), the Spanish club have already turned down an initial 20 million euro approach, but it now seems that Abramovic and co are willing to up the ante to 30 million – a figure Valencia would find hard to ignore.

Sheva’s sad London hypothesis continues and it makes his transfer of nearly 31 million pounds ( 50 million euro) look like the worst piece of business ever carried out. Leaving behind Milan’s Curva Sud amid protests and wailings of ingratitude so that he could ‘bring his children up in an English speaking environment’, though it is sure that the exorbitant salary to be earned had quite a bit to do with that as well. One last attempt by the Rossoneri supporters to convince their idol to stay fell on deaf ears. His bags were, apparently, already packed.

The fairy tale has not continued though and in the Chelsea jersey, Shevchenko has managed a mere 3 goals in 14 games. “Roman Abramovich would have been better off spending the money on 2.729.808 bottles of vodka”, muses The Sun, though perhaps it would take a little more than that to forget the whole sorry episode.

Many had hoped that Sunday’s match at Old Trafford would have provided the springboard for Sheva but there was nothing doing - 75 minutes of very little followed by substitution. Is this really the end for Sheva at Chelsea?

Translated from la Repubbblica.it

Andriy Shevchenko still does not look himself and the question now is how much longer Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will tolerate such mediocrity from a player whose worth has proved significantly less than the £31 million AC Milan received for him last summer.
The Ukrainian was so bad against Manchester United that even Silvio Berlusconi would have had to question whether persuading his favourite player to return to the San Siro would amount to a sound business decision. ‘He wants to come back,’ the former Italian prime minister declared with some excitement recently. Hand Chelsea back the money and the champions would be mad to stop him getting his way.
Mourinho was mad on Sunday after seeing United secure the lead and play much the better football for the opening 45 minutes. ‘We got a rollicking from the boss at half-time,’ revealed Ashley Cole. ‘It was the first time I’d seen him like that but I think our response showed we are good enough to win the title.’

But not everyone in blue did respond accordingly. Not Michael Ballack and certainly not Shevchenko, who was put out of his misery when he was replaced by Joe Cole in the 75th minute. While Ballack will probably remain in Chelsea’s side for tomorrow night’s match with Bolton - for his size and strength, if nothing else, against a physically imposing Bolton midfield that made mincemeat of Arsenal on the weekend - Mourinho should leave Shevchenko where he finished up at Old Trafford. The word at Chelsea yesterday suggested he probably would do, and if Mourinho does decide to stop indulging the 30-year-old striker he might just get the reaction his dressing-room rant so evidently failed to produce.

The former recipient of the Ballon d’Or enjoyed his finest hour at Old Trafford in 2003 when he scored the decisive penalty in the Champions League final but for an hour and a quarter on Sunday he was nothing like as potent a force. Drop Shevchenko and it might focus the attention of a player whose comrades are forever describing him as the perfect professional. Why, he might even get himself fit. Right now, he does not fit into the Chelsea team and the sooner Mourinho returns to selecting players on form rather than reputation the more chance they have of closing the gap on United and winning a third successive title.

Yesterday Chelsea players and officials again defended Shevchenko as well as the decision to pay such a vast amount of money for a player they must fear is some way past his best. Peter Kenyon insisted the purchase of Shevchenko was made for all the right reasons. Speaking at the Soccerex conference in Dubai, the Chelsea chief executive said: ‘When you look around, there are not that many players who can improve your team. There are lots who can do a job but to improve the team, that’s when the market becomes very thin. We did not take a one-year view of Shevchenko. He was identified early on as a player who could improve us. Until then, our purchasing strategy was about buying much younger players. It’s about getting the balance right between buying in and producing your own talent to create a winning team.’
Ashley Cole said: ‘For me, Sheva’s done a good job. He’s scored five goals and he’s only going to get better. He’s a nice guy. Often you find in football, the bigger the stars the nicer they are. He’s going to bang in loads of goals for Chelsea, that’s for sure.’
Maybe he will, but only after being reminded that a £30m price tag does not buy a place in the Chelsea team.

From: thisislondon.co.uk