Pre-season starts today

Last updated : 06 July 2011 By Paul Lagan

Today is a bit like the first day at school for a new headteacher.

Andre Villas-Boas will assemble his players in the gym at Cobham and give them a firm, polite welcome followed by a warning of what is going to happen to them should they fall out of line.

He will then send them out for their first lessons followed by lunch.

He will then hand them a folder each with individual training schedeules and goals they have to achieve before the big kick-off.

It's also the time when, according to Villas-Boas he will look into the eyes of the players and determine if they are going to be kept on or sold off - to find out if they are going to follow his path.

Now of course most are on long-term contracts, so that somewhat disingenuous comment at his media briefing will fall on deaf ears - but it will have put the players on alert and their agents would have told them to be on their best behaviour.

But it will be applicable to some players who are coming to the end of their carrers and are still on sheds loads of cash, which Chelsea would still like to reduce.

Of course the football board has being persuing their player objectives and some are close to completion.

Number 1 target Luka Modric will only be snatched away from Spurs if he puts in a transfer request, Spurs having alreasdy turned down an offer of £22m.

It's expected he will do so today and thus that will activate the next stage in Chelsea's persuit of the brilliantly-talented Croation.