John Terry will complete terms on a new Chelsea contract on half his current salary, but assistant coach Steve Holland says the former England centre-back will agree “amicably” in the near future.
Holland rejected suggestions of tension between the club and the 33-year-old veteran and intimated that the Blues are also closing in on new deals for long-serving duo Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard.
"John has had an outstanding season. We have the best defensive record in the Premier League and he's played in almost all of that and been a major part of it all," Holland said ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.
“I know that John wants to stay at Chelsea and Chelsea want John to stay, so hopefully that situation can be concluded amicably over the next few weeks.”
He said Lampard and Cole are in “the same situation”.
“We’re dealing with not just normal players, but magnificent servants for this club over a long period. Full respect will be given for those players,” Holland said.
Eden Hazard will not play today and "remains a doubt" for Chelsea's Uefa Champions League semi-final first leg trip to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
Jose Mourinho’s experience of successful trophy bids on multiple fronts could prove crucial as Chelsea chase both Premier League and Champions League crowns.
“Experience is vital in any competition and we have a good blend in our squad,” Holland said. “We have many players that haven’t been in this situation before, but also a good group that have.
“We also have a very experienced manager who has been in this situation before and it’s good to have that experience at this stage.
“We’ve got the circumstances we have – this is a club used to playing a lot of matches at this stage of the season. Last season we got to the final of the Europa League, which was 15 extra matches, the year before we had 13 for the Champions League.
“We’re in a situation we’ve been in before.”
Sunderland will be reinforced by the return of defender Ondrej Celustka, who has not made a senior appearance since the FA Cup victory over Southampton on February 15. He has recovered from a knee problem and his presence is timely, with Phil Bardsley still to complete his two-match ban.
Liam Bridcutt (personal reasons), Ki Sung-yueng (knee) and Carlos Cuellar (hamstring) are still unavailable.
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
