BLUES PUSHED ON £80M BEN
Black Lives Matter inspires Anichebe plan to shake up game
LEICESTER’S £80million valuation on Ben Chilwell could yet be met as a bidding war beckons.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is determined to add the England leftback to his squad but Stamford Bridge officials were stunned by the Foxes’ valuation.
The Blues have suggested a much lower offer for Chilwell (above) in initial talks so far and are reluctant to bid much more.
But other top clubs in the Champions League, including Manchester United, are also monitoring the defender’s future.
Chilwell, who has 11 caps, is under contract until 2024 but has told pals he could be on the move this summer.
Chelsea remain favourites as Lampard looks to replace Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri.
Now the west London club could be forced to go higher than originally planned to get their man. Leicester have sold a main asset each summer since winning the title in 2016, following the exits of Harry Maguire, Riyad Mahrez, Danny Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante.
Chilwell, who has been at Leicester since aged 12, is set to be their next big sale.
ASTON VILLA are preparing to splash the cash again with targets including Werder Bremen winger Milot Rashica and Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. Rashica, left out of Bremen’s friendly with Eintracht Braunschweig on Sunday, is a £22million-rated star.
And boss Dean Smith also likes £20m-rated Watkins (right) from his old club Brentford – the 24-year-old scoring 26 goals and playing every league game this term. Ajeti is a happy Bhoy ALBIAN AJETI has joined Celtic in a £4.5million move from West Ham after only a season at the London Stadium. The Switzerland international striker (top) played just 12 times for the Irons, but failed to score. Ajeti, 23, arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday and agreed terms yesterday on a four-year contract.
Blades pair for Cash in SHEFFIELD UNITED hope to tempt Nottingham Forest into parting with Matty Cash by throwing in two squad players.
Blades boss Chris Wilder has seen a £6million bid for Cash (above) rejected, but will now offer £4m and the choice of up to two fringe players. Rivals West Ham could offer up to £10m.
VICTOR ANICHEBE says the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired him to try and win a seat at football’s top table.
The former Everton striker wants to improve his prospects of getting a top job by taking managerial courses, and vowed to take the BLM street protests in which he participated to the next level.
The 32-year-old reckons BAME people are severely under-represented off the pitch in sport, and is stepping up his search for knowledge and experience. Anichebe, who last played for Chinese side Beijing Enterprises in 2017, revealed: “In football, there are so many senior roles available that could be filled by black people. “It’s something
I’ve always wanted to do
– go into those positions – to have a seat at the table.
“The events of the last couple of months have prompted me to sit up and look at it more seriously.
“I went to the Black Lives Matter marches in Liverpool. It was great to see such a diverse crowd there – people from many different backgrounds and nationalities.
“But what’s the end goal now? What are we pushing towards? In society, we need to figure out ways to make systematic changes, or we’ll lose momentum.”
Anichebe, who also played for West Brom and Sunderland (left), says he is being joined on his journey by fellow former stars Joleon Lescott and James Vaughan.
He said: “We need equal opportunities for black people. I’m doing some courses focused on expanding my skills that could help me get into those roles.
“I know James and Joleon are also looking to take courses like that, too. It’s up to us to take action.”
The death of George Floyd in the US in May, which led to an escalation in BLM protests around the world, has caused Anichebe to reflect on the racism he experienced during his career.
He added: “One of the worst experiences of racism I have ever received was in an away Europa League game when I was at Everton. It
O B was terrible. We were walking around the stadium and some of the opposition supporters were spitting all over me. Some fans were throwing bananas, too.
“I scored in the match. But it’s not enough that a black player can score a goal to answer back to those people. They need to be educated if real change is going to happen.
“You think to yourself, how is this still happening in 2020? Racism needs to be called out in football games.
“Educating people is more important than banning them. But if they fail to show willingness to be educated, then ban them.”