The Chelsea Daily Drivel - Ramires deal done?

The Chelsea Daily Drivel is a daily update of all the stories concerning our club, the rumours, the opinions and more....

So here is the latest from around the web on Tuesday 3rd August 2010 including: Ramires £18m deal almost done?, Kakuta's award, Redknapp tips Chelsea to do even better this season, Kalou's opinion on Manchester City and Iker Casillas clings onto hope at Real Madrid.

First to news today that the deal for Benfica's defensive midfielder Ramires is almost complete. The deal is reported at 22m Euro's (£18m) and Benfica have resigned themselves to preparing for life without him. So much so, he was rested for the friendly against Aston Villa last night as a precaution to ensure he didn't pick up any injuries. It is believed that Benfica will give Chelsea permission to speak with the player to discuss personal terms shortly.

Great news for us. We have missed the Makelele type figure in the middle of the park ever since he left. Don't get me wrong Mikel does the job well with the ball at his feet but doesn't have the same influence defensively as Maka and Ramires will bring that to our midfield.

Now to great news for our promising youngster Gael Kakuta. As you all know he has had his fair share of media coverage earlier in his career but now he has put all that behind him and is beginning to show everyone just how good he is. So much so, he has been awarded UEFA's Golden Player Award for his performances in the UEFA U19's European Championships as he helped France win the competition.

Its a fantastic achievement for Kakuta and a sign that there could be much more first team involvement from him this season. You never know by the end of the season he could possibly force his way into the side. Watch out for Kakuta in my eyes a natural replacement for Joe Cole.

Now to Harry Redknapp and speaking ahead of the start of the new season he is tipping Chelsea to do even better than last season's history making Double Winning team. He said:

“I think they will win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League this season”

Let's hope so Arry'!

Now to Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou. He was interviewed the other day after the Frankfurt game and was asked about our chances this season and of the threat that Manchester City now pose after their spending continued once more this season. He said:

"Manchester City did the same thing last summer, I don't know if they'll be stronger, I'm not sure. Just because you bring in 10 new players, it doesn't mean you're going to be on top of the table.

There are still teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool who will always be at the top. Manchester City can do well because they have brought good players in this year but the reality is on the pitch. You can have 10 new players and it doesn't guarantee you anything.

It's good to keep the same team. This is the squad that won the league and FA Cup double last season. We know how to win. We'll try to bring some youth players through and they will show their quality. From there, we will have a good squad ready for the Premier League and Champions League.

We are still the team to beat, we are the champions. But everyone will come hard to try to beat us. Since I've joined Chelsea [in 2006], we always fight with Manchester for the title. This year, we will be fighting with four good teams – Manchester, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Everything is possible. Last year, we won the double and went out of the Champions League to the winners, and so it's possible we can win the lot this season. We have the squad and the players to do it."

Now finally today to Iker Casillas and Real Madrid. You will remember earlier in the summer Casillas tipped Ashley Cole to join him at Madrid and even after Carlo Ancelotti's statement about Cole yesterday, he is still talking up the move along with a move for Steven Gerrard. He said:

“Mourinho is fully aware of their quality, having managed in the Premier League, My understanding is that Mourinho is doing everything he can to bring them both in before the start of the season. They are our two main transfer targets and Jose will move mountains to sign the two of them.

I can understand Liverpool and Chelsea’s reluctance to sell but that does not mean Jose and the board won’t do everything they can to try and get both signatures. The senior players are really confident that both will arrive.”

Remember to stay tuned for Breaking News as it happens throughout the Summer.

CAREFREE & KTBFFH EVERYONE!