Chelsea coach Avram Grant remains tight-lipped over the expected arrival of Nicolas Anelka but has dismissed suggestions linking the club with Dimitar Berbatov. Bolton striker Anelka is expected to make the switch to Stamford Bridge but Grant diplomatically kept a lid on Chelsea's transfer plans as he prepared to face Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup third round. But the Chelsea coach did try to allay fears that captain John Terry could miss the rest of the season with the foot injury he sustained in the defeat to Arsenal last month. Terry has broken a number of bones in his foot but Grant says the player is on schedule to return in February. However, even the state of Terry's fitness was overshadowed by transfer speculation with Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and Mikel John Obi all leaving for the African Nations Cup after the QPR clash. Their loss will deplete Grant's already stretched squad further, particularly in attack, with Claudio Pizarro the only main available striker for the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Everton on Tuesday. Yet Grant would not be drawn on the increasing speculation over Anelka and Tottenham star Berbatov, who has been valued at £30million by his club. Grant said: "There are so many good players that we are following. I don't want to answer about Anelka, Berbatov or other players. "For the moment I know there is a lot of speculation. I understand it because we have a lot of injuries and players who are going to the African Nations Cup but there is no news at the moment." Spurs have allegedly told Chelsea to stay away from Berbatov but Grant said he was at a loss to explain the situation because they had not spoken to their London rivals about him. Grant added: "How can we stay away from a player we didn't discuss about with them? That is very strange. "I am happy with the squad and all the players who are now in the squad. They will stay in it until the end of the season." That would also suggest that Grant has no intention of letting other players leave - including Wayne Bridge, who has been linked with Liverpool. That standpoint would be understandable given that Grant's squad is looking threadbare in some places due to injury, suspension and international commitments. Terry's situation also does not appear to be causing Grant any undue concern. The England skipper has not trained in the last week after being told to take a complete rest but Grant insists there has been no setback in his recovery. He said: "Nothing has changed in the last two or three weeks. There is a lot of speculation but the situation is the same as it was. "It was minimum six weeks to eight weeks out for John and I think it will stay the same." Saturday's opponents are now even richer than Roman Abramovich-backed Chelsea following the takeover of Formula One magnates Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal. The club have made seven new signings this week and are starting to rise under coach Luigi de Canio - but they should still lack the quality to trouble Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They are currently 18th in the Coca-Cola Championship and only three points above the relegation zone. But Grant is taking nothing for granted and said: "QPR have bought a lot of players and won a lot of games. "I know their coach, he is very good tactically. It will be a tough game. "Every competition means something to me. I want to win every competition I can. The FA Cup is one of these. "If you make a mistake you are out, it is not like a league. We want to go to the next round. "Maybe we are now the second richest club in London. I know money is very important - but money alone does not bring success. "They want to prove a lot and if I was the coach of QPR and I was playing Chelsea, it would be a big day for me. It is a big day for them, I know that. "But we need to go to the next round. They will do everything they can and will fight against us. But other teams like Fulham for example were motivated, which is reasonable, and I expect the same from Rangers."
Source : www.sportinglife.com
