Branislav Ivanovic Fans

According to Futbol Total, Atletico Madrid will have a good chance of securing the services of Cesar Azpilicueta in the summer transfer window. Chelsea might not do business with Barcelona after the Blaugrana stole a march on them in the race to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla. Cesar Azpilicueta joined Chelsea nearly a decade ago, arriving from Marseille in 2012. And the Spaniard has been a dependable performer for the west London club in the last ten years, reprising every role in the defensive unit while barely putting a foot wrong. In addition, the veteran defender has been the Chelsea captain since Gary Cahill’s departure a few years ago.

The 32-year-old has made 474 appearances thus far for Chelsea while chipping in with 17 goals and 56 assists. But Azpilicueta has entered the final year of his contract and wants to embark on a new adventure in the summer transfer window. The Spanish international has been on the radar of Barcelona for a long time, but Atletico Madrid might have a chance of signing him. The interest from Barcelona is long-standing, with Xavi Hernandez unconvinced by the displays of Sergino Dest in the second half of the 2021/22 season. Continue reading CHELSEA PREFER TO SELL AZPILICUETA TO ATLETICO MADRID THAN BARCELONA

According to Sky Sports, West Ham United are looking to test the waters at Chelsea by launching a fresh bid for Armando Broja. The young forward has been on the radar of the Londoners for quite some time now, with the club now poised to make a £30 million proposal for his services. A product of the Chelsea youth academy, Broja plied his trade for Southampton this past season. He had joined the Saints on a season-long loan deal last summer, in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the Premier League. He did not disappoint either, emerging as one of the rising stars in the English top-flight during the 2021/22 season.

Although Broja’s tally of just six goals in 32 league matches might seem underwhelming for any Premier League attacker, he has been far more impactful with his work rate and performances on the pitch. Standing at 1.91m, the young Albanian has indeed offered the physical presence in the final third while his aerial prowess makes him a useful target man inside the box. The youngster has the tactical nous to find himself in the right place at the right time, making him a lethal goalscorer. Continue reading WEST HAM INTERESTED IN CHELSEA STAR CALLED “SPECIAL” BY IVANOVIC

Romelu Lukaku has reportedly emerged as an alternative to Robert Lewandowski for Barcelona, who will look to sign the Chelsea forward on loan. According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Romelu Lukaku is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants view the Chelsea forward as an alternative to Robert Lewandowski, with a loan approach on the cards.

Romelu Lukaku rejoined Chelsea from Inter Milan last summer, hoping to address unfinished business at the west London club. But the 29-year-old has struggled to get going at Stamford Bridge, with an untimely injury and poor form hampering his progress at Chelsea. Continue reading IVANOVIC URGES LUKAKU TO STAY AT CHELSEA AMID BARCA LINKS

The stadium hosted its first game on 22 April 2017 and it’s been an eventful five years since then! Five years at the Gazprom Arena: 103 matches, 258 goals, three league titles. The first match played there was against Ural from Ekaterinburg, Zenit ran out 2-0 winners with Branislav Ivanovic scoring the first goal at the Gazprom Arena. That first goal was quite some time coming, only arriving in the 86th minute of the first game at the new Stadium. Branislav Ivanovic would go on to get a total of six goals in his Zenti career.

The third match at the Gazprom Arena saw Zenit score the team’s first “comeback” win. Having conceded first against Rubin Kazan, Zenit came back to win 2-1 thanks to a brace from Sebastian Driussi. Zenit have 11 more “comeback” wins since then, the biggest being a 4-1 win over Ural in the 2018/19 season. Continue reading RUSSIAN GIANTS ZENIT CELEBRATE FIVE YEARS OF THE GAZPROM ARENA

Russian Premier League outfit Zenit Saint Petersburg recently celebrated five years at their new stadium known as the Gazprom Arena. The Russian champions moved to the Gazprom Arena on April 22, 2017.
Serbian defender BranislavIvanovic would go down in history as the recipient of thefirst goal at the Gazprom Arena. BranislavIvanovic scored the opening goal as Zenit beat Ural from Ekaterinburg 2-0 in a league encounter. It was the first match hosted by Zenit at the Gazprom Arena. The opener from Ivanovicarrived four minutes from time and it was crucial in Zenit getting the win at the expense of Ural. BranislavIvanovic scored five more goals in his Zenit career to make it a total of six goalsuntil he left the club in the summer of 2020.

In the third game at the Gazprom Arena, Zenit were able to make their first comeback with Rubin Kazan on the receiving end. A brace from Sebastian Driussi ensured that Zenit came from behind to beat Rubin Kazan 2-1 at home in a league clash. It is the first of 12 comeback victories made by Zenit Saint Petersburg at their new stadium till date. The biggest comeback at the Gazprom Arena was the 4-1 league win over Ural during the 2018/19 season.

Zenit met Russian Premier League rivals Spartak Moscow for the first time at the Gazprom Arena in August 2017 and it was a memorable one as Zenit ran out 5-1 winners.

In total, Zenit have scored 258 goals in 103 games at their new stadium and they have won 27 games by three or more goals at 26.2. The biggest win at the stadium was the 7-1 victory over Ural in the league during the 2019/20 season and they were able to match the record during the 2021/22 season.

West Brom defender Dara O’Shea has moved to laud former teammate and Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanovic for the key role he played his his development. In the grand scheme of things, West Brom’s 2020/21 campaign will not be too fondly remembered by supporters.

That being said, one positive that can be taken from the challenging season is how it helped Irishman O’Shea develop, cementing his place as a first-team regular for the Baggies after making his way through the youth ranks. And, throughout a good chunk of the season, the 23-year-old played alongside veteran defender Ivanovic, who made a return to the Premier League with the Baggies after over three years away. Continue reading O’SHEA REVEALS IVANOVIC WAS KEY TO HIS DEVELOPMENT

BranislavIvanovic has put Chelsea down as fourth favourites to win this season’s Champions League competition. Chelsea are in the hat for the quarter-final draw, which takes place this morning at 11:00am. The Blues are joined by English rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, who they could be pitted against now there are no restrictions on clubs from the same country playing each other.

In addition, Spain have three representatives in the final eight with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. Finally, German side Bayern Munich and Portuguese team Benfica complete the field. Continue reading IVANOVIC THINKS CHELSEA CAN RETAIN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic is no doubt one of the best right-backs in the Premier League era and he has gotten his deserved praise for that. He has now been hailed by another former Premier League star Darren Bent has remembered what jt was like playing against the combative defender.

The former Premier League striker was asked about the former Chelsea right-back on the day he turned 38 and labelled him a ‘tank’ who was one of the club’s best players having won everything in a nine-year spell. Arriving for £9million from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer of 2008, Ivanovic repaid that fee, and then some.
Continue reading FORMER PREMIER LEAGUE STRIKER HAILS IVANOVIC

The English Premier League has seen a lot of dominant defenders in the past couple of decades, and the right-back position is one that has given rise to some of the best in the world. There have been some legendary right-back a to have played in England for some of the biggest clubs in the country and one of them is former Chelsea star Branislav Ivanovic.

Branislav Ivanovic was so good he was virtually impossible to play against, Darren Bent has recalled. The former Premier League striker was asked about the former Chelsea right-back on the day he turned 38 and labelled him a ‘tank’ who was one of the club’s best players having won everything in a nine-year spell.

Arriving for £9million from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer of 2008, Ivanovic repaid that fee, and then some. He played 377 times for the club, scoring 34 goals, providing as many assists and in the process, won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, one Champions League and one Europa League.

Not only that, he proved to be a big game player, having scored the winner in the final of the Europa League against Benfica in 2013, and in the round-of-16 against Napoli in the Champions League in 2012.

It’s with those statistics that drew such high praise from Bent who hailed him on his birthday. According to Bent, Ivanovic was always in the connection and would link the defense nd the midfield. He said that the former Chelsea star shows how good he is by also scoring in the Eurooa League final that the Blues won some years ago, stating that he had the power, quickness, and air dominance – several attributes that a top defender must have especially if he is to thrive in the Premier League.

The Serbian may be plying his trade at Championship side West Brom, but he would always be a fan’s favorite at the Premier League Club Chelsea. Branislav Ivanovic joined Chelsea in the winter of 2008 and went on to win everything at the club. He won the Premier League three times, the FA cup thrice, the UEFA champions league, one Europa League title, and also a League cup.

Life at Chelsea wasn’t the smoothest for the rampaging right-back. The defender had to endure a difficult period with then Chelsea manager Avram Grant and was regularly outshone in training by academy players. Six months after joining the club, he was linked with a move to Italy and only stayed because Shevchenco convinced him to stay.

Things didn’t improve after Grant was sacked, as he was a part-bit player under Scolari and also Hiddink. Things finally began to bloom for the player under Ancelotti who gave him the platform to properly express himself on the pitch.

After putting those early difficulties behind him to become not only a capable right-back but also an impressive goalscorer. He scored 34 goals in 377 appearances for Chelsea, which is about a goal every ten games. That number is quite astonishing for a defender. His winning goal against Napoli was one of the reasons why Chelsea got their hands on their first European title.

Ivanovic had everything that you would want in a defender, he was tireless, good in the air, and always gave his all whenever he played. For all these, he would always be remembered as a Chelsea great. Though he is 37 now, the desire to always win is why he’s still playing at West Brom. He has helped the Albion side with 13 appearances this season as they hope to fight their way into a playoff place this season.