Martin Odegaard says "something special" is happening at Arsenal after they extended their winning run to five matches at the expense of Leicester City.

The Gunners regained fourth place in the Premier League by beating Brendan Rodgers' side 2-0 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, courtesy of Thomas Partey's header and an Alexandre Lacazette penalty.

Arsenal are a point better off than fifth-placed Manchester United with three games in hand as they strive to secure a Champions League spot.

Norway midfielder Odegaard is excited by the progress the London club are making under Mikel Arteta.

He told TV2: "There is clearly something special going on here now. You feel it in the whole club.

"We are building something special. It's a group of players who like each other, and who enjoy playing football together.”

He added "It's fun to play on that team here. We are a group that knows each other well.

"We are getting better and better and the system is getting better and better. It's flowing very well now. It's fun to play.

"We understand each other better, and the team works very well. Then it's easier to look good for me too."

Manchester City's search for a permanent striker appears to be ramping up, with a deal for Erling Haaland reportedly in the works.

City have not been able to properly replace Sergio Aguero despite leading the Premier League, and Haaland looks to be their primary target.

Details and discussion of the deal already appear to be in advanced stages, and City look to be best placed to sign the Norwegian.


TOP STORY – HAALAND SET FOR MAN CITY SWITCH

According to the Daily Mail, Haaland is set to move to Manchester City at the end of season, with personal terms already discussed and the framework for the deal already green-lit by City decision makers.

Haaland's father Alf-Inge played for the club but more importantly, City appear willing to meet Borussia Dortmund's release clause of £63million (€75.1million). 

The 21-year-old's agent, Mino Raiola, would also be set to earn a significant portion of the transfer fee per reports, meaning the total outlay will reach nine figures.

Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have shown keen interest in the Norwegian striker, but the Premier League leaders look to be in pole position.

ROUND-UP

- Barcelona are looking at Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak as an alternative in the event they don't manage to sign Haaland from Dortmund . According to El Nacional, Xavi is an admirer of the 22-year-old Swedish striker, but they would face competition from the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal .

- Milan are set to make an offer for Mamadou Coulibaly from Monaco. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports Rossoneri scout Geoffrey Moncada is particularly keen on the 17-year-old, who will be leaving Monaco at the end of the season.

- According to reports from Calciomercato, Napoli will look to begin talks with Sassuolo for talented attacker Hamed Junior Traore soon. Following the expiry of Juventus' right of first refusal clause, reports also say the Partenopei will want to move quickly.

- Real Madrid are close to confirming a contract extension for Luka Modric, per Marca reports, but are unwavering in their plans to offload Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Isco at the end of the season.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed 21-goal winger Riyad Mahrez, whom he says "reads the game perfectly".

The Algerian has been a key part of City's Premier League title push, netting eight goals in their past 10 league games, for a season total of 10.

Mahrez has been influential in Europe as well with six Champions League goals for City, who are into the quarter-finals. Across all competitions this season, he already has 21 goals to his name.

The 31-year-old contributed 14, 13 and 12 goals over the previous three seasons, with his increase in production prompting praise from Guardiola – 21 is already a personal best.

"He's an exceptional player,” Guardiola said at the news conference prior to Monday's league game with Crystal Palace. "He's a player that many teams would like to have.

"He's scored a lot of goals, penalties, assists and everything and part of that is the quality. He reads the game perfectly when he has to attack or give an extra pass."

The Spaniard added: "I try to push him a lot. We struggle together because I know the quality he has and he's a player I admire for the fact he handles the pressure.

"He likes to play on the biggest stages. It's difficult to find that and players like him. Not just me, the whole club has an incredibly high opinion of him and his quality, no doubt about that."

Despite never before scoring as many goals as in 2021-22, Guardiola refused to label it a career-best season.

"I will not say it’s his best season or not because he’s played in the Premier League for many seasons at a high level. Last season, for example, he was exceptional," Guardiola said.

"The final quarter of the season until the end he was so important and playing really well."

Mahrez's 10 Premier League goals mean he is the club's joint-top scorer in the top flight this term along with Raheem Sterling. Kevin De Bruyne is just behind them on nine.

Andriy Yarmolenko said he was grateful for the support being shown to himself and the Ukrainian people after scoring West Ham's opener in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

The winger, who is second to Andriy Shevchenko (48) in Ukraine's all-time goalscoring charts after netting 44 goals for his country, poked into the bottom corner on 70 minutes to set the Hammers on their way to victory at the London Stadium.

Yarmolenko was making his first appearance since being granted a period of leave by West Ham boss David Moyes after Russia invaded his homeland last month and was welcomed with a standing ovation when introduced from the bench in the second half.

After marking the occasion in the perfect manner with his goal, the winger expressed gratitude for the support he has received in an emotional post-match interview.

"What happened today, it was so emotional for me," the 32-year-old told West Ham's media channels.

"You know the situation in my country, it's so difficult for me, at this moment, to think about football because every day in my country, Russia's army kills Ukrainian people. So, it was so emotional.

"To be honest I don't know what to say, it's just so emotional. I just want to say thank you to my team-mates, who support me all the time, every day.

"To the West Ham fans, who support me, who support the Ukrainian people, I also want to say thank you.

"I want to say thank you to all British people, because we feel that you support us.

"For me it's really important to feel support from the manager, from team-mates, and from the fans. When I feel it, I give everything for the fans and for the club."

A supremely busy Premier League Sunday may not have included either of the top two, but there was certainly no shortage of talking points.

There was particular focus towards the bottom of the table, with Norwich City and Everton losing yet again, while in the top-four race, Arsenal took another step towards sealing the final Champions League spot.

Chaos continues to engulf Chelsea, but they carry on winning, claiming a dramatic 1-0 win over Newcastle United, who were reminded again what it is like to lose following an impressive unbeaten run.

Without any further ado, Stats Perform looks at the key Opta facts from some of the day's games…

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United: Havertz decisive again

It was a particularly strange day at Stamford Bridge, with much of the pre-match noise focused on the two clubs' owners and fans.

But once the game started it was quickly remembered that this was going to give the clearest indication of the true extent of Newcastle's recent improvement.

As it happened, Chelsea clinched a late winner through Kai Havertz, who appeared to channel Dennis Bergkamp as he brought down Jorginho's pass and prodded home almost in one action.

That was the German's sixth goal involvement in five league games and saw him net in three successive top-flight matches for the club, with the former Bayer Leverkusen talent well and truly establishing himself as one of the competition's standout attackers.

It brought Newcastle's nine-match unbeaten run in the league to an end, with it also the first time since December that the Magpies have failed to score in the competition, though it was another encouraging performance from Eddie Howe's team.

Arsenal 2-0 Leicester City: Gunners finding their groove

Everything's looking rather rosy right now at Arsenal, with the Gunners making a pretty convincing case for the top four – this victory puts them a point clear of Manchester United, with Mikel Arteta's men crucially having three games in hand.

Leicester never looked like interrupting Arsenal's flow here, with the hosts in fine shape and playing eye-catching football.

This was their fifth successive league win, with Arsenal the only team outside of the top three to achieve that feat this season.

Their home form has proven a major help. They have lost just once at the Emirates Stadium since losing to Chelsea in their season opener, winning 10 of those 13 games.

Martin Odegaard in particular seems to have found another level lately, and he was excellent again, creating six chances. Five of those came in the first 45, making it the most by an Arsenal player in the first half of a game since October 2017 (Mesut Ozil, six).

Leeds United 2-1 Norwich City: Marsch madness twist leaves Canaries looking doomed

Leeds fans were devoted to Marcelo Bielsa. His replacement, Jesse Marsch, has been received well, but the jury is out on him.

A first win will surely aid his hopes of inspiring a bit of Marsch madness in the fanbase, and it came in dramatic circumstances too.

Joe Gelhardt scored a 90th-minute winner, making him the youngest player (19 years 313 days) to score a last-minute decider in the Premier League since February 2017 (Gabriel Jesus, 19y 308d) – the drama appeared to floor Marsch, who went tumbling to the ground amid the jubilant celebrations.

The joy on the Leeds bench was juxtaposed by the despair among the Norwich players and staff.

That was the Canaries' 20th Premier League defeat of the season in 29 games – never before in a league campaign have they reached 20 losses in fewer games.

Everton 0-1 Wolves: Lage's men continue exceptional 2022 form

What a season this is turning out to be for Wolves. When Nuno Espirito Santo left, there were certainly those who feared for the club's Premier League status given the stability that had served them well for several years was about to be truly tested.

Yet, they needn't have worried. Here we are in March and Wolves are challenging for European football and are one of the two form teams in the league in 2022.

This was their seventh Premier League win of the calendar year, secured by Conor Coady's goal, and leaves them with 21 points since January 1 – only Liverpool (eight wins, 25 points) have a better record than Wolves in 2022.

The reality is rather grimmer for Everton, however. Defeat here leaves them on 22 points from 26 matches, the lowest tally they have ever recorded at this stage of any league campaign (assuming a win equals three points).

This latest disappointment will likely bring fresh questions of manager Frank Lampard given only Norwich (one) have accumulated fewer points than Everton (three) since the former Chelsea boss' first game in charge.

Kai Havertz denied deliberately elbowing Newcastle United defender Dan Burn during Chelsea's 1-0 win on Sunday, insisting "this guy is eight feet tall" and he was simply jumping for the ball.

The Germany star struck a superb 89th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge as the Blues finished a difficult week with a victory that moved them to within 10 points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

With the game drifting towards a goalless draw, Havertz controlled a fine Jorginho pass before rifling beyond Martin Dubravka, giving the home fans some cheer in the wake of Roman Abramovich being disqualified as owner following the United Kingdom government's sanctions against him.

Abramovich had assets frozen and a travel ban imposed due to his ties with Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, who ordered an invasion of Ukraine last month.

Earlier in the game, Havertz escaped a red card following a VAR check after he caught Burn with a raised arm while challenging for a header, a decision that caused consternation among the Newcastle players.

However, the former Bayer Leverkusen man said he was simply trying to win the ball against the imposing centre-back, telling Sky Sports: "Sometimes, it looks like this. On the pitch, it's different.

"People know I'm not a player who does things like this. This guy is seven, eight feet tall, and I have to jump. As anyone would know, you have to use your arms to jump. When I jump, and he is two heads higher than me, sometimes there's stuff.

"I can say sorry to him because he has an injury on the head and I feel bad. But you can't tell me I did this on purpose."

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said "it could have been a red" but was far more frustrated with the decision not to award his side a penalty just before the hour mark.

Trevoh Chalobah had hold of Jacob Murphy's shirt and then seemed to trip the Newcastle midfielder after he entered the box, but neither referee David Coote nor VAR decided a foul had been committed.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe: "I can't look past the penalty," Howe said. "I'm hugely disappointed with that decision and how they've reached that decision.

"Jacob's had his shirt ripped off his back. Clear penalty. If the referee doesn't give it on the pitch I can understand that but the VAR has to at least make the referee go and review his own decision because if he does he'll realise he got it wrong."

In-form Arsenal moved back into the Premier League's top four as Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette scored in a 2-0 win over Leicester City.

Partey opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta's men following a corner, before hitting the angle of post and crossbar during a first half in which Leicester managed just three shots.

Caglar Soyuncu's handball allowed Lacazette to double the advantage from the penalty spot, sealing another win for one of the Premier League's strongest current sides.

The result lifted Arsenal back above Manchester United in the table, as they chase a first top-four finish since 2016.

After making a bright start, Arsenal took the lead in the 11th minute, exploiting Leicester's continued frailty from set-pieces when the unmarked Partey headed in Gabriel Martinelli's corner.

Spurred on by that, Arsenal twice came close to doubling their advantage in the 18th minute, with Partey curling a fantastic attempt against the goal frame after Granit Xhaka's shot was blocked at close range.

Home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was forced into his first serious save after 35 minutes, acrobatically turning away Harvey Barnes' flicked header, but Leicester struggled to create chances in a strong opening period for the hosts.

But the Gunners were awarded a penalty after a VAR review just moments later when Soyuncu handled Partey's header, allowing Lacazette to fire into the top left corner in the 59th minute.

Kieran Tierney denied Barnes with a last-ditch challenge, and Emile Smith Rowe went close from a tight angle, before the Gunners confidently saw out their ninth win in 11 league matches.

What does it mean? Arsenal in fine form at the perfect time

After seeing off the challenge of Leicester, Arsenal have taken 28 points from the last 33 available to them in the Premier League, with no team able to better their return over that period.

Arteta's men lead top-four rivals Manchester United by a single point in the table, and they also possess three games in hand over the Red Devils as they emerge as favourites for Champions League qualification.

Partey time as Arsenal exploit Foxes' weakness

Partey's early header represented the Ghana midfielder's second goal of the Premier League season, and was an all-too-familiar sight for Brendan Rodgers.

It also underlined Leicester's dire set-piece record. Excluding penalties, the Foxes have now conceded 15 Premier League goals from set-piece situations this season, the most of any side.

Martinelli improvement continues with assist

After swinging in the corner for Partey's opener, Martinelli has been directly involved in eight goals in 18 Premier League appearances this season, registering five goals and three assists.

That total represents two more goal improvements than he registered in his first two campaigns in the competition (six goal involvements in 28 appearances).

What's next?

The Gunners will host Liverpool in a huge Premier League clash on Wednesday, while Leicester turn their attentions to Europe the following day, travelling to Rennes for the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie.

Everton manager Frank Lampard saw his team slide deeper into Premier League relegation danger but insisted they were "the better team" in the first half against Wolves.

Conor Coady's goal shortly after the break handed a 1-0 victory to Bruno Lage's visitors at Goodison Park, as the hosts finished the game with 10 men following Jonjoe Kenny's double yellow dismissal.

With just two shots on target all game and none following the interval, Everton sit above the bottom three only on goal difference, albeit with up to three games in hand over several rivals.

Former Chelsea boss Lampard - who has won three and lost five of his first eight games in charge of Everton - stated his side played well despite walking away empty-handed again.

"I thought we were the better team in the first half," Lampard told BBC's Match of the Day. "Wolves always give you a tight game. They don’t score much, but they don’t concede much.

"We played well, not getting the goal, and then their goal changes the game in a big sense because it brought out the nervousness in us.

"We must keep our head up and the important thing now is to remain positive. There is still a long way to go. We are understanding of that.

"It’s easy to react very quickly and strongly to the way we are at. There are a lot of games where we need to keep mental strength.

"We came into a club on a bad run. You get used to losing games and that isn’t something that turns instantly.

"We must stay very balanced and make sure we stay very together and know there are a lot of games to get the points that we need."

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel promised to stay at Stamford Bridge until at least the end of the season amid ongoing uncertainty behind the scenes at the London club.

The German head coach saw his side snatch a 1-0 win against Newcastle United on Sunday thanks to a sublime 89th-minute goal from Kai Havertz.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich was one of seven Russian oligarchs to have assets frozen by the UK government on Thursday due to his native country's military invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea are now operating under a special sporting licence, barring them from negotiating new contracts or transfers and preventing them from making ticket or merchandise sales, although reports have suggested the government may permit a swift sale of the club.

Speaking at a media conference after Sunday's win, Tuchel addressed his own immediate future.

"There's no doubt I stay until the end of the season," he said. "We just have to wait day by day because everything can change.

"There are circumstances we can't influence, but that gives us the freedom to focus on the things we can influence.

"The focus is on the first team, our players and me. But Chelsea is much more than just the first team. It is a massive club with huge tradition and there are hundreds of staff. It's not just the players, and it's important we show the spirit and give them the distraction."

The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain coach enthusiastically celebrated the late winner on the sidelines, and was relieved to overcome a tricky game against Eddie Howe's resurgent Magpies.

"The Kai Havertz goal was exceptional, and we had a hard time on the pitch," Tuchel said. "They were very physical, and it was difficult to accelerate the game in the last 30 metres. It was important not to concede so that with one quality chance we could win it, and we did it."

Tuchel was also asked about arrangements for their Champions League last-16 second leg in Lille on Wednesday.

"My last information is we have a plane and we can go by plane and come back by plane. If not, we go by train; if not, by bus; if not, I will drive a seven-seater," he joked.

"If you asked me 30 years ago if I could join a Champions League match at the sideline, I'd say, 'when do I need to be there and how do I need to be there?'."

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch was delighted with his side's dramatic late 2-1 win against Norwich City as the Whites earned three vital points in the fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League on Sunday.

Leeds looked to have been denied victory by the Canaries when Kenny McLean equalised Rodrigo's first-half opener in the 90th-minute.

But deep into stoppage time, England youth international Gelhardt, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes, turned in Raphinha's cross to snatch the three points back for Marsch's men and hand the American his first win in charge at Elland Road.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, the former RB Leipzig boss spoke of his delight at finally getting off the mark after succeeding Marcelo Bielsa at the helm last month.

"I'll remember it on my deathbed," he stated. "I don't think Joffy [Gelhardt] will ever forget that either.

"We really brought the crowd into the game, and gave them something to root for and attach to. Jack [Harrison] said when people come to Elland Road, they know they will see a fight."

Leeds' first victory since January gives them a welcome boost in the battle to avoid the drop to the Championship, with the Yorkshire club maintaining a four-point lead over 18th-place Watford, who won at Southampton on Sunday.

The Whites now sit four and five points ahead of Everton (17th) and Burnley (19th) respectively after both lost this weekend, but the Toffees and the Clarets have three and two games in hand respectively.

Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko scored a dazzling goal in West Ham's 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa, sparking an emotional celebration.

Yarmolenko, who has hit 44 goals to sit second behind Andriy Shevchenko in the Ukraine national team's all-time goalscoring charts, was granted time off by West Ham boss David Moyes last month when Russia's military began to invade his homeland.

The 32-year-old made his first appearance since the war in Ukraine began during Sunday's match against Villa at the London Stadium, coming on as a substitute after 52 minutes to a standing ovation.

Yarmolenko marked the occasion in superb fashion after 70 minutes, turning on Said Benrahma's pass before poking into the bottom corner with the outside of his left boot to open the scoring.

He collapsed to his knees in an emotional celebration, being mobbed by team-mates after netting his first Premier League goal of the season.

Pablo Fornals then doubled the hosts' lead on 82 minutes, and despite Jacob Ramsey's late consolation, Yarmolenko was able to celebrate a perfect return to action.

Former England striker Gary Lineker saluted Yarmolenko's spirit.

Lineker wrote on Twitter: "A win for @WestHam and a goal for Andriy Yarmolenko. How he manages to focus and play, let alone come on and score is beyond me. Ukrainians are incredible."

Kai Havertz was the hero as Chelsea snatched a 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Sunday at the end of a difficult week at Stamford Bridge.

The European champions did not manage a shot on target for 75 minutes in a largely listless performance coming just days after Roman Abramovich was disqualified as owner after being sanctioned by the UK government following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The lack of clarity over the club's future seemed to permeate the performance, with even Chelsea's home shirts creating confusion given they carried the Three logo despite the company suspending sponsorship and asking the banding to be removed.

Havertz eventually tested Martin Dubravka with a header late in the second half but it looked as though Newcastle – whose own Saudi Arabia-backed ownership came under further scrutiny in the build-up to the match – would extend their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions.

However, Havertz's sublime control and finish from Jorginho's pass in the 89th minute gave Thomas Tuchel's men all three points, the Germany star having earlier been fortunate to escape a red card.

Newcastle largely kept Chelsea comfortably at bay in the first half, though, and Havertz – starting again in place of Romelu Lukaku – was arguably lucky not to see his game end early, a VAR check deciding no more than a yellow card was required after he caught Dan Burn with a raised arm.

Miguel Almiron almost scored a stunning opener seconds before the break, his volley from the edge of the box beaten away by Edouard Mendy.

VAR again left Newcastle fans frustrated when referee David Coote chose not to give a penalty for Trevoh Chalobah's challenge on Jacob Murphy and the decision was allowed to stand.

Havertz at last evaded centre-back Dan Burn to meet Hakim Ziyech's cross, but he could only nod the ball into Dubravka's grateful grasp.

Yet when Havertz at last evaded the attentions of Burn, he took down Jorginho's raking pass superbly before prodding high past Dubravka.

Prospective Chelsea owner Nick Candy has said he does not mind who owns the Blues, so long as the club ends up in "safe hands".

The property magnate reaffirmed his interest in buying Chelsea, of which he is a lifelong fan, in a statement released by a spokesperson on Sunday.

Having confirmed he intended to bid when Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale, the 49-year-old, who attended Chelsea's Premier League clash with Newcastle United, has pledged to install a fans' representative on the board if successful in purchasing the Blues.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Stamford Bridge outfit's game against the Magpies, Candy said he wanted Chelsea to have a worthy owner.

"I've supported Chelsea since the age of four," Candy said. "My dad was asked to play for Chelsea. I love Chelsea.

"I don't mind where it ends up, even if it's not with me, as long as it's in safe hands."

The British billionaire also reasserted his commitment to involving supporters in the day-to-day running of the club if he is able to complete a deal.

"A hundred per cent, they [the fans] should be involved in the ownership," Candy added. "Both on the board and economically."

Chelsea have won 19 major honours during the 19-year ownership of Abramovich, whose planned sale of the club has come about as a result of the Russian oligarch being hit with British government sanctions.

Chelsea legend Petr Cech concedes the club are living "day-to-day" amid their ongoing ownership crisis, but remains hopeful they will be able to finish the season at home and abroad.

The Blues are embroiled in a slew of sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich in relation to the Ukraine-Russia crisis by the UK government.

Chelsea are now operating under a special sporting licence, barring them from negotiating new contracts or transfers and preventing them from making ticket or merchandise sales, although reports have suggested that the government may yet permit a swift sale of the club.

Concerns remain over the club's ability to see out the season and speaking ahead of Chelsea's clash with Newcastle on Sunday, former goalkeeper Cech - who now works as a technical advisor at the club - said they remain in the dark on their future.

"We have to admit that we go day-by-day," he told Sky Sports. "We don't have this in our hands. The conversations are going on [about] whether we can operate, whether we can finish the season, because it is a difficult situation.

"I believe that, for us to be able to carry on the season, would help everybody in the Premier League."

With financial restrictions likely to be further imposed, Chelsea look almost certain to be unable to keep players such as Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen – who are both in the final months of their contracts – at the end of the campaign.

Questions are also being asked about the future of boss Thomas Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory last season.

Cech kept his cards close to his chest regarding the coach's future, but paid tribute to his success, adding: "Thomas has a contract until 2024. As it stands, we've been told that the club contracts will be valued, and in that way, we hope that we will have him as a coach.

"He's been absolutely brilliant on every level. But that's another thing. Tomorrow, the situation could change, and my answer with it."

Asked on how to pitch the club to prospective new owners, Cech offered further praise for the team's mentality in over a century as a professional team, stating: "Chelsea has 117 years of history and a lot of success.

"That success has come down to hard work and dedication of the people who have been working ever since the club was founded. It has had its own journey, its own success.

"This is not about money - it is about the hard work, the dedication of the players who sweat every day to make the club successful. We've done it all inside the rules, and all the Financial Fair Play [operations] that were in our power, and I believe that shouldn't be forgotten."

British billionaire Nick Candy remains interested in buying Chelsea and has pledged to install a fans' representative on the board if he completes a deal for the club.

Candy said he was "actively exploring" a deal after Roman Abramovich announced his intention to sell the club, before reaffirming his interest in purchasing the Blues after the Russian was hit by sanctions from the UK government in response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea are now operating under a special sporting licence, barring them from negotiating new contracts or transfers and preventing them from making ticket or merchandise sales, although reports have suggested that the government may yet permit a swift sale of the club.

Despite the uncertainty engulfing the European champions, property magnate Candy announced via a statement that he remained interested in buying the club and would look to involve a fans' representative in the running of the Stamford Bridge club if he is successful.

"We welcome the news that the sale of the club will be conducted quickly," a spokesperson for the 49-year-old said.

"This is a reassuring development for fans after a week of great uncertainty.

"Mr Candy cares hugely about the future of the club and believes that the fans and the community are central to its continued success.

"Should his bid be successful, Mr Candy would advocate for a fan representative to join the board so supporters become part of the decision-making process. 

"If the club requires money to operate in the short term, Mr Candy would be happy to help ensure it has the necessary financial resources, subject to government approval."

Meanwhile, Candy's representatives also confirmed that the lifelong Blues fan was to attend their Premier League match against Newcastle United on Sunday. 

Other bidders to have made their interest in the Stamford Bridge club known include a Swiss-American consortium led by billionaires Hansjorg Wyss and Todd Boehly. The sale of the club is being handled by the US-based Raine Group, which set a deadline of March 15 for prospective bidders, though further bids are still expected to be made.

On the pitch, Chelsea have coped well with the turmoil surrounding the club, defeating Norwich City 3-1 in their last Premier League outing ahead of their home clash with the Magpies.

Meanwhile, former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who scored 69 Premier League goals for the London club, says he is concerned about what the sanctions could mean for Chelsea's season, but hoped to see an ambitious new owner arrive shortly. 

"It is a big concern [the prospect of Chelsea not being able to finish the season]," the Dutchman told Sky Sports ahead of the Newcastle game. 

"I don't think this is very good for the Premier League. I don't think it will get to that.

"When players hear that, it will be a concern as well. You want to finish the season properly and then you can assess. 

"I do think Chelsea will be okay and will be bought by a new owner and it's an owner with the same vision that it has now."

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