Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has said that the appointment of Frank Lampard as the new manager has brought more togetherness at the club. The Blues had a mixed 2018/19 campaign under former boss Maurizio Sarri and there were periods where the manager and players had drawn criticism from the club’s supporters.

Nonetheless, they ended the previous season on a high with Europa League success and Azpilicueta believes the mood has been brightened with the recruitment of Lampard, he said:“That feeling can be massive. It is true that last season, for periods, we didn’t give the fans what they expected. Our performances were not good enough and the reason they were not happy and negative.

England international Tammy Abraham has hailed Frank Lampard as a great manager and he is excited by the prospect of working under the former Chelsea midfielder. The Blues are currently on the cusp of appointing Lampard as their next head coach with talks at an advanced stage with Championship side Derby County.

Speaking to The Sun, Abraham spoke fondly about the Blues legend, who appears set to take over the managerial hot seat. He added that he has plenty of belief in his abilities and he is determined to do well with the west London side next term, he said: “He is a great manager and it would be great if it was him who took over. I believe in myself and there is no better guy to play under: Someone you have grown up watching, been at Chelsea for ever. He knows about me as well.”

Derby County defender Ashley Cole has said that he is unsure whether he will prolong his professional career beyond the ongoing campaign. The 38-year-old joined the Rams on a free transfer at the beginning of the year and he has since made eight appearances for the team across all competitions.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Cole acknowledged that he has yet to decide about his playing career beyond the summer but definitely has plans to step into coaching after watching former England teammates in Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard among others do so, he said: “I’m not 100 percent certain on whether I’ll keep playing yet. It’s not really about me anymore, being selfish and deciding I want to keep playing.

Former Chelsea star Ashley Cole has admitted that he did not expect Mohamed Salah to hit the heights in the Premier League after watching the attacker in close quarters during their time playing together. The ex-England international played alongside the attacker at both Chelsea and AS Roma and he is currently in the ranks of Championship side Derby County.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Cole acknowledged that he did not expect Salah to turn into a ruthless performer since his return to the Premier League, he said: “To be honest, no. I saw in training the ability that he had but he seems to have become more ruthless. I don’t mean selfish in a bad way but he wants to score goals. That’s his job. He needs to score goals. Him, [Roberto] Firmino and [Sadio] Mane all play well together but I think he’s become a little bit more “it’s about me now, it’s my time. He’s had enough of the other players being in the shadow and he wants to be the main man.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that he won’t come in the way of Harry Kane, should he want to play in the Nations League finals in the summer. The England international is currently sidelined with a significant ankle ligament damage and multiple reports have indicated that he could miss the rest of the season.

Despite this, the England captain has an outside chance of making a comeback before the Nations League finals and Pochettino has indicated that he would not object the marksman’s participation in the same, he said: “You know me very well, after six years and half years working in England my will is to help the national team, I'm never going to tell the player not to go to the national team.”

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed that he has familiarised his style of play on England legend Ashley Cole. The 20-year-old made his debut for the Reds three years ago and he has since transformed into one of the Premier League’s best right-backs while racking nearly 50 appearances.

Speaking to Goal.com, Alexander-Arnold highlighted that he was a holding midfielder by trade coming through the academy but he has no concerns featuring on the right side of the defence. He added that he was fond of watching Cole, who was an attacking-minded left-back during his time at Chelsea and he has developed with the same kind of mindset.

Derby County manager Frank Lampard has expressed his delight for Ashley Cole after the veteran scoring his first-ever FA Cup goal during the Rams clash against Brighton & Hove Albion in the fifth round. The Championship side were down 2-0 heading into the final stages of the game where Cole offered the possibility of a comeback with a sublime headed goal.

However, that was eventually not sufficient to help the team to overcome the deficit but Lampard was still pleased with the effort shown from Cole at the twilight of his professional career, he said: "I am delighted for him. At 38 he could comfortably kick back already, but he has a real desire and humility and work ethic and I thought his performance was good and it will get better because of fitness. To be that high up the pitch and score with his head was a big surprise."

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole believes Andrew Robertson can be considered as the best left-back in the current Premier League campaign owing to his tireless workrate on both ends of the field. The Scotland international has only been with the Reds for the past 19 months but during this period, he has transformed into one of the most consistent defenders in the top-flight.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Cole praised the qualities of the former Hull City defender and said that the Scotsman can be regarded as the most consistent performer from the left side of the backline, he said: “He’s been brilliant. I think he’s definitely been the best left-back in the Premier League this season. His work rate, how he gets up and down and with five assists already I think he’s only going to get better.”

Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has handed a warning to West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice amid the potential prospect of switching his allegiance to England. The 19-year-old has spent his entire youth career with the Republic but he has yet to make a decision to commit to them for the long-term.

Speaking to reporters, McCarthy warned the youngster from choosing England over them, given manager Gareth Southgate has plans to play him at the heart of the defence rather than his preferred midfield position. He added that Rice would also struggle for gametime amid the competition from an extended pool and is optimistic that the teenager will choose them.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has said that England have no one to fear after shining during the group phase of the newly-formed Nations League. The Three Lions recently reached the last four of the competition after getting the better of Spain and Croatia in their final two group stage games and Kane believes the country can now go on to lift silverware when the semi-final phase begins next year.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: “You could say we’ve blown the shackles away. It’s been a long time since we reached the semi-final in a major tournament, we won a knockout game for the first time in a while, a penalty shoot-out as well [in Russia]. There were a lot of high-pressure situations where maybe in the past we wouldn’t have come through. But this team has and going on to the Nations League, beating Croatia and Spain, will only give us more belief and more experience. We have no reason to fear anyone now.”