The lives of modern day footballers are scrutinised more than any other on the planet; whilst the likes of Manchester United’s Paul Scholes hold the image of a family man who rarely likes the spotlight, there is also the likes of John Terry and Ashley Cole who have all too often fallen into the public eye for all the wrong reasons. It seems that new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has effectively placed his Chelsea stars on trial as part of his new regime at the club. The Portuguese coach has made it abundantly clear that he expects his players to obtain a clean-cut image on and off the field. It can be reported that Villas-Boas outlined the code of conduct in a series of phone calls to his key players last week.

The new Chelsea boss has been keen to stamp his authority on the club with a large amount of strong personalities in the Chelsea dressing room. He knows he has to hit the ground running if he is to keep his job for longer than a season. Club owner Roman Abramovich seems to have handed him a transfer war chest for next season in order to satisfy his demand for the Champions League but there are certainly underlying issues at the club that need to be addressed. Ex-Chelsea man Claudio Pizarro famously once stated that John Terry had told him he must report to the England captain if he had any concerns, rather than the manager. This type of behaviour and player power will not be tolerated by the new boss as he attempts to build his own team at Stamford Bridge. He stated, ‘We have an open-minded approach but the players have to be social role models as well’.

Meanwhile, the club are keen to bring Marseille star Lucho Gonzalez to Stamford Bridge for a figure of around £10 million. The Argentinean is also being chased by Aston Villa and Newcastle but seems to favour a move to a team that can offer him Champions League football. Villas-Boas is a big fan of the 29-year-old but Roma are currently favourites to complete a deal. The latest news can be found at www.chelseafc.com.

Tags: Andre Villas Boas, Ashley Cole, Aston Villa, Chelsea, John Terry, Lucho Gonzalez, Man Utd, Newcastle, Paul Scholes, Roma

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