Everton boss David Moyes is optimistic the club will soon reach agreement with Marouane Fellaini over a new contract.

The Toffees broke their transfer record when they signed Fellaini for an initial £15million from Standard Liege on a five-year deal in 2008, and he has since developed into a cult figure at Goodison Park.

Moyes revealed in April that talks had begun with the 23-year-old Belgium international about extending his stay on Merseyside and the manager believes negotiations are now nearing conclusion.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Everton's Carling Cup fourth-round tie at home to Chelsea on Wednesday night, Moyes said: "I think it is very close to getting done.

"I think the chairman and the chief executive have been working on it for a while.

"I've been waiting on the good news and hopefully it's not too far away.

"He has been a really good player for us over the last few seasons and if we can keep him it will be really good.''
Everton's visitors Chelsea go into Wednesday night's game at the centre of controversy following their 1-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at QPR on Sunday.

The Football Association have charged the Blues over the behaviour of their players during the contest at Loftus Road, and confirmed they have written to Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas asking for an explanation of his post-match comments about referee Chris Foy and his assistants.

Meanwhile, police are assessing allegations Blues captain John Terry racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand after a complaint from a member of the public.

Foy sent off Chelsea pair Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba in the first half - and all Moyes knows is that Villas-Boas' side played well from there despite being two men down.

"I think Chelsea are going into most games at this present time playing well and looking as if they can win most of them,'' Moyes said.

"I thought QPR did well, they got ahead and the sending-offs altered it. But I thought Chelsea played really well with nine men and you have to give them a lot of credit for that.''

Everton were beaten 3-1 at Chelsea in the league 10 days ago, although Villas-Boas is set to field a considerably altered line-up on Wednesday.

"I've no idea if he (Villas-Boas) will make changes or not - I don't know where on the priority list this cup competition comes for him,'' Moyes said.

"But there aren't that many trophies to win and you don't want to give up any too easily.''

Moyes indicated that he would make some adjustments from his team's 3-1 victory at Fulham at the weekend - with Tim Cahill and Louis Saha poised for recalls - but not sweeping changes.

Asked if he saw it as an opportunity to give some of his younger players a run out, Moyes said: "It will be - we have the chance if we want to do that.

"But we want to try to progress as well. We will be working with roughly the same 18 or 19 players.

"We have got a few knocks going into the match, and we will just need to assess them beforehand.''

Chelsea youngsters and fringe players such as Romelu Lukaku, Josh McEachran, Oriol Romeu, Ryan Bertrand, Salomon Kalou, Florent Malouda, Alex and Paulo Ferreira will all be expecting to feature at Goodison Park after starting in the previous round against Fulham.

Drogba, Bosingwa and Ashley Cole are all suspended and Raul Meireles cup-tied, while everyone else who started Sunday's controversial Premier League defeat at QPR could be rested completely or on the bench.

Chelsea boss Villas-Boas elected not to appeal Bosingwa's controversial sending-off for a last-man challenge, with the right-back's one-match ban ruling him out of the Carling Cup tie.

Villas-Boas, whose side host Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, said: "It might have put us in trouble for the Arsenal game, appealing Bosingwa's red card, and we weren't going to use him in the Carling Cup anyway.''

Drogba will serve a three-match ban for his two-footed tackle on Adel Taarabt, while Cole is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season.

Despite his side racking up a further six yellow cards at Loftus Road, as well as their fourth red of the campaign, Villas-Boas denied Chelsea had a discipline problem.

"It's not indiscipline, it's not aggressiveness,'' he said.

"There might be tactical fouls, that you have to allow. You have to respect.

"We didn't ever lose our discipline. We committed fouls because we were exposed, but that's not indiscipline.''


Match

I wish chelsea all the best. However i am worried about the FA charge on chelsea and the manager .
Read more on http://mylatestfootballnews..com

Line up

22 Turnbull
02 Ivanovic
04 David Luiz
33 Alex
34 Bertrand
06 Romeu
15 Malouda
20 McEachran
18 Lukaku
21 Kalou
39 Anelka

Luiz shoulda been benched. . .

Glad to see Lukaku , Bertrand, Romeu and Josh all getting chances. , . . Its gona be tight! we should make it into the quarters though!

Game on!

Seems like theres no TV coverage for this match!. . . BS!

any streaming link for this match?

No TV coverage anywhere. . .

How can bloody skysports be showing Aldershot V UTD and wolves man city??. . . when CFC plays Everton . . . Are they crazy ni lol

Josh just won a penalty and Dud Anelka missed it! great!

lalaboi:

Seems like theres no TV coverage for this match!. . . BS!

It was the same thing y'day for our game. . . .Sky don collect bribe.

imagine na on BBC radio i dey follow the match. no video links.

Pls any link to watch the match online?

Chelsea goal. . . .

According to Gillet soccer special. . . . "an howler by mucha" the Everton keeper

kalou scores

Chelsea 1 Everton 0

BBC update

Chelsea goal: It's an utter calamity from Everton goalkeeper Jan Mucha to gift Chelsea the lead as Salomon Kalou's tame lob towards goal somehow finds the net through the fumbled grasp of the Slovakian.

walahi to follow footy on radio no be small job.

Second half starts!

my radio tell me the game is very much an open one.

Why is anelka still playing penalties?? apparently he's lost his last 3. We should be 2 up.



Man city scores 5 again! lol. these guyz are not smiling

Anelka dey mess up ooo. Missed 2 chances now,

Anelka gets a chance. . . should have squared to lukaku but he shoots weak and misses the chance. . . .

so i heard!

11 mins into the second half.

Everton 0 - 1 Chelsea

Turnbull gives away a penalty and gets a red card. . . .

RED CARD - Ross Turnbull

Penalty to Everton

Another red card. . .  I think the whole CFC need to shut up about refs lol

Another Chelski red card? Indiscipline at Chelski goes on.

Lukaku off. . . Cech on!

debosky:

Another Chelski red card? Indiscipline at Chelski goes on.

what do you expect?