Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard believes it is pretty much impossible to replace Eden Hazard with another individual.

Hazard starred during seven campaigns at Stamford Bridge, but made a close-season move to Real Madrid for a reported €100million (£92.7m).

The Belgium international was directly involved in 31 Premier League goals (16 goals and 15 assists) during the 2018-19 season and his departure leaves a huge hole for Chelsea to fill.

Lampard said Hazard – who won two Premier League titles and two Europa League crowns with Chelsea – could not be replaced by just one player.

I was a huge fan of Eden Hazard as a Chelsea fan, I played with him, he told a news conference ahead of his side s UEFA Super Cup clash against Liverpool on Wednesday.

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Maurizio Sarri has indicated he could retire from football at the end of his Juventus reign.

The former Chelsea boss is in his 30th year as a coach and has arguably reached the highest point of his career by taking charge of the Italian champions.

As he prepares Juventus to tackle his former team Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday, Sarri revealed he may not look for another job in the future.

Asked whether he could see himself ever returning to Napoli, the 61-year-old told reporters:  After this experience I could even quit: it depends on what energy I have left and if I think I can do well again. These aren t things I m thinking about at this moment.

But when asked again if he would not stay in coaching until the age of 70, Sarri, who signed a t…

Arsenal v Wigan

There are some slight worries for Arsenal as they have played two of the likely other top five sides and played well in both games but lost. They basically battered Manchester United at Old Trafford and ended up losing 2-1 and more than held their own at Manchester City but were on the wrong end of a 4-2 defeat.

It has been a problem for Arsenal for a few years now to turn free flowing, wonderful football into sufficient goals and points to challenge in the league. I thought this season may be different but the signs are not too promising.

Wigan had a great start under Roberto Martinez winning at Aston Villa, but then it went quickly downhill. However, after three defeats they got the train back on the tracks last week with a win over West Ham. Iâ�

Chelsea striker Demba Ba is keen on a move to the Turkish Super Lig, according to his agent.

The Senegal international has started just twice in the Premier League under manager Jose Mourinho, who has preferred to select Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto o.

Ba has been linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge, and Besiktas are reportedly among the 28-year-old s suitors.

Representative Ceylan Caliskan has suggested that Turkey is the most likely destination for Ba, whose only goal this season came against Schalke in the UEFA Champions League on November 6.

I talk closely with Demba Ba, he wants to play for a Turkish club, he said.

I can t comment on a transfer yet.

Should Ba move to Turkey, it would be the fourth different country he has plied his trad…

Mamelodi Sundowns breathed life into their faltering CAF Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Togo Port that lifted them off the floor of Group C.

Beaten 1-0 when the teams met 10 days earlier, the South African powerhouse bounced back to record their first victory in four matches.

Gaston Sirino and Sibusiso Vilakazi set the platform by putting the hosts two clear inside the opening 15 minutes and they retained that lead until Kokou Kloukpo halved the deficit in the 87th minute.

Sundowns, champions in 2016, ultimately did enough to secure a result that moves them level on five points Horoya and Wydad Casablanca, with Togo Port two points off the pace.

Snaps from: 2-1 AS Togo Port

— CAF (@CAF_Online)

The picture is cleare…

Manchester United and Chelsea fell further off the pace in the Premier League as they lost leads in disappointing draws on Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men were unable to retain their advantage as they drew 1-1 at Southampton, while Chelsea slipped from 2-0 up in a dramatic encounter with promoted Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City thumped Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0, while Liverpool will meet Burnley in the last game of the day.

Crystal Palace, Leicester City and West Ham were also winners, while Newcastle United and Watford drew 1-1.

BLADES COMEBACK STUNS CHELSEA

Frank Lampard is still waiting for his first home win as Chelsea boss after the Blues somehow failed to hold on against Sheffield United.

Kurt …

French Sports Minister Rama Yade waded into the row over the fate of national team coach Raymond Domenech on Friday, saying he deserved the boot after Les Bleus disastrous showing in Euro 2008.

We should have replaced the coach after the fiasco at Euro 2008 and judged him on those bad results, Yade told a French radio station, two days after France lost 2-0 to Spain in a friendly match.

It is a shame to see this poor style of play. We ve got some great individual players but the manager has been so far unable to shape a team.

France went into Euro 2008 as one of the favourites but suffered the embarrassment of being dumped out in the first round and finished bottom of their group.

Nevertheless, Domenech kept his job and his side scraped through their …

Holders Barcelona hope Argentine sensation Lionel Messi can continue his rich vein of goalscoring form on Wednesday against VfB Stuttgart in the second leg of the last 16 Champions League tie at Camp Nou.

Messi bagged a terrific hat-trick of solo goals in the 3-0 win over Valencia on Sunday to take his season s tally to 22 league goals and now Stuttgart must somehow find a way to nullify the Ballon D Or winner.

He (Messi) is the best in the world. What he contributes with his talent makes him stand out, said goalkeeper Victor Valdes. He could become the best player in history.

Barcelona begin as strong favourites to reach the quarter-finals after the 1-1 first leg draw in Germany but the treble winners need only look at rivals Real Madrid who were eliminated i…

Atletico to bid for Nico Gaitan

Cadena SER has learned that Atletico Madrid are readying a fresh assault on long-term target Nicolas Gaitan.

Los Colchoneros boss Diego Simeone believes the Argentine can be a perfect replacement for Arda Turan and he has already attempted to lure him to Vicente Calderon on several occasions.

And despite the fact that Gaitan is currently negotiating a new deal with Benfica, Atletico Madrid hope to make a breakthrough in the coming weeks.

Namely, the plan to take advantage of the Eagles interest in Guilherme Siqueira and at the same time negotiate a good deal for the Argentine winger.

Even though both Gaitan and Benfica are ready to part ways, the €35 million release clause has so far proved to be an obstacle to a…

Bayern Munich are unlike any other big club in Europe and do not bow to economic force , according to president Uli Hoeness.

The 64-year-old was forced to step down from the position in 2014 when he served jail time for tax evasion, but he remained a popular figure at Bayern and was re-elected last month.

While the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City are bankrolled by billionaire owners, Hoeness is proud of the structure at Bayern and wants to help retain it during his tenure.

Bayern is something completely different compared to the other big clubs in Europe, which have become real big money machines and bow to the economic force. Money is important of course but we should stay as this different football club, Hoeness told Bild.

I …