Mikel commits to Chelsea

Mikel commits to Chelsea

Published Dec. 6, 2012 6:15 a.m. ET

Thiago Ribeiro scored a hat-trick as Cagliari beat Serie A rivals Pescara 4-2 in the fourth round of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday evening.

The Brazilian's early brace put the hosts in control and, although Emmanuel Cascione halved the deficit with a 33rd-minute penalty, Thiago Ribeiro completed his treble just after the hour and then substitute Mauricio Pinilla added a fourth in the 77th minute to seal matters.

Vladimir Weiss grabbed a second for the top flight's bottom team two minutes later, but they were well beaten.

Bony is reported to be on the radar of a string of clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool, AC Milan, Marseille and CSKA Moscow.

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Vitesse want to tie the 23-year-old down to a new contract and will also ask the Ivory Coast star to skip the African Nations Cup in January so that he might fire them into the Champions League.

But his agent Francis Kacou insists neither of those things will happen.

Kacou told Algemeen Dagblad: "Wilfried won't sign a new and improved deal, that's for 100% sure. And his participation of the Africa Cup won't be called off, he definitely won't do that."

Kacou expects to have everything clear within two weeks and has not ruled out the player staying at his current club, where he is under contract until 2015.

He added: "I have just talked with Wilfried. He just repeated that he wants to leave 100% for sure when a good club will come. Won't that club come then he will finish the season at Vitesse."

Injured Blues captain Terry used his programme notes for Wednesday night's Champions League game against Nordsjaelland to demand more "fight and desire" from his team-mates, who have are on a six-match winless run.

The 31-year-old declared he had never known it so bad, having watched the European champions struggle horribly in his absence.

"Let's not beat around the bush," Terry wrote. "No wins in six games is simply not good enough and, since I have been here, I have not experienced a run like this.

"We, as players, have to stand up and take responsibility - stand up and stay together.

"We demand a lot of ourselves and we have to focus on rediscovering the winning habit."

Terry was particularly upset with Chelsea's second-half capitulation in Saturday's Premier League defeat at West Ham.

"The game on Saturday was hard for me to watch," he said. "We need to be stronger than that and we know we can't let that happen again.

"Let's show some fight and desire for our club and for the shirt. Players will come and go, but what must always remain is the spirit within this club; never give up and fight for every last thing."

The 25-year-old midfielder jas committed his future to the European champions until 2017.

Mikel, who joined Chelsea in the summer of 2006 after controversially pulling out of a move to Manchester United, told the club's official website: "Chelsea seems like my home now because I have been here for over six years and I enjoy my time here.

"I come into the training ground every day to work and I value my time there. I am happy and want to keep going and win trophies for this club."

Mikel has endured a rollercoaster season and still faces punishment from the Football Association for confronting Mark Clattenburg in the referees' room after Chelsea's Premier League defeat to Manchester United in October.

Nigeria international Mikel was furious after being told he had been called a "monkey" by Clattenburg - something of which the official was last month cleared.

Mikel was a key player in Chelsea's Champions League triumph last season and has also won one Premier League title, four FA Cups and a League Cup.

However, he has not been universally appreciated among the club's fans, partly because of his lack of goals - he has scored only two - and assists.

He added: "I have basically won everything with Chelsea and those years have been really special for me, winning trophies with big names like Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard who have had very long Chelsea careers.

"Last season, to win the Champions League was even more special and I hope these next five years will bring even more success and I can win trophies with the new players we have here.

"Being 25, I think I am now hitting my peak but as a player you want to improve every day and there is still room for that.

"I want to learn from the players and the manager and I just want to keep going."

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