President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump criticizes supposed second whistleblower North Korea missile test raises fears of new capabilities Window narrows for Trump trade deals MORE has ordered a significant staff cut at the White House National Security Council (NSC), Bloomberg reported late Friday, citing five people familiar with the matter.

Some of the individuals reportedly said the move was part of an effort under new national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who told officials of the reduction alongside acting White House chief of staff Mick MulvaneyJohn (Mick) Michael MulvaneyIntel Dem: No reason for White House to defy subpoena unless Trump is ‘guilty’ Trump rails against whistleblower, impeachment inquiry Trump has ordered national security staff cut: report MORE this week.

Two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the change was due to O’Brien’s leadership and Trump’s wish to increase agency efficiency. The news outlet noted the NSC grew under former President Obama and that about 310 people work there now.

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However, Bloomberg noted that the changes also come as Trump faces scrutiny over a whistleblower complaint regarding his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which has sparked an impeachment inquiry in the House.

The whistleblower said that a transcript of Trump’s call with the Ukrainian leader was stored in a computer system managed by the NSC. The White House later reportedly confirmed that a partial transcript of the call was moved to the highly classified server at the direction of White House lawyers.

The New York Times reported that the whistleblower was a CIA officer who had been assigned to work at the White House at some point. Trump on Friday night retweeted a claim that the person was a CIA official who was at the NSC under Obama, although evidence was not provided to support this allegation. 

Trump named O’Brien as his new national security adviser last month. He replaced John BoltonJohn BoltonTrump has ordered national security staff cut: report The Memo: Polling points to warning signs for GOP on Trump Giuliani rips ex-Trump official who criticized him MORE, with whom Trump had a sometimes contentious relationship. 

The whistleblower complaint and impeachment inquiry focus primarily on the Trump-Zelensky call in which the U.S. president asked the Ukrainian leader to look into Democratic presidential candidate Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump criticizes supposed second whistleblower North Korea missile test raises fears of new capabilities Trump told House Republicans that he made Ukraine call because of Perry: Report MORE.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

PayPal has dropped out of Facebook’s cryptocurrency network, which would be managed by the Swiss nonprofit Libra Association.

“PayPal has made the decision to forgo further participation in the Libra Association at this time and to continue to focus on advancing our existing mission and business priorities as we strive to democratize access to financial services for underserved populations,” a PayPay spokesperson told The Hill in a statement on Saturday. 

“We remain supportive of Libra’s aspirations and look forward to continued dialogue on ways to work together in the future. Facebook has been a longstanding and valued strategic partner to PayPal, and we will continue to partner with and support Facebook in various capacities,” the spokesperson added.

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Libra project leader David Marcus is the former president of PayPal. 

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, directing The Hill to the Libra Association.

“It requires a certain boldness and fortitude to take on an endeavor as ambitious as Libra – a generational opportunity to get things right and improve financial inclusion,” Dante Disparte, the Libra Association’s head of policy and communications, said in a statement. 

“The type of change that will reconfigure the financial system to be tilted towards people, not the institutions serving them, will be hard. Commitment to that mission is more important to us than anything else,” Disparte added. “We’re better off knowing about this lack of commitment now, rather than later.”

Some lawmakers have expressed skepticism of Project Libra, which is being backed by more than two dozen companies. 

“If Facebook’s plans come to fruition, the company and its partners will yield immense economic power,” House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine WatersMaxine Moore WatersPayPal drops out of Facebook cryptocurrency network Hillicon Valley: Iranian hacking operation targeted campaign, government accounts | House panel pushes Zuckerberg to testify on Libra | Trump officials step up attacks on Facebook encryption On The Money: Economy adds 136K jobs in September | Jobless rate at 50-year low | Treasury IG to probe handling of Trump tax returns request | House presses Zuckerberg to testify on digital currency MORE (D-Calif.) said at a July hearing on the matter.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Visa, Mastercard and others were reconsidering their participation in the network.

Members of the House Financial Services Committee want Facebook executives to return to Washington to testify on Libra, CNBC reported Friday.

Updated: 10:50 a.m.

A bipartisan group of senators on Friday sent a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to avoid weakening the country’s children’s online privacy rules as the agency works to update them.

The senators, including leading voices on children’s privacy such as Sen. Ed MarkeyEdward (Ed) John MarkeyHillicon Valley: Iranian hacking operation targeted campaign, government accounts | House panel pushes Zuckerberg to testify on Libra | Trump officials step up attacks on Facebook encryption Bipartisan senators warn against efforts to weaken children’s online privacy law Joe Kennedy agrees to debate on climate with Markey MORE (D-Mass.), urged the FTC to prioritize the interests of children as the agency updates the rules to enforce the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). 

The FTC is asking for public comment as the consumer protection agency reviews the “effectiveness” of the rule and whether it requires “additional changes” to keep up with the rapidly advancing technology sector.

“We write to strongly caution you against undertaking a process that ultimately weakens children’s privacy instead of improving it,” the senators wrote on Friday.

The letter’s signatories include Sens. Markey, Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyHillicon Valley: Iranian hacking operation targeted campaign, government accounts | House panel pushes Zuckerberg to testify on Libra | Trump officials step up attacks on Facebook encryption Bipartisan senators warn against efforts to weaken children’s online privacy law Second GOP senator to oppose Trump judicial pick MORE (R-Mo.), Marsha BlackburnMarsha BlackburnHillicon Valley: Iranian hacking operation targeted campaign, government accounts | House panel pushes Zuckerberg to testify on Libra | Trump officials step up attacks on Facebook encryption Bipartisan senators warn against efforts to weaken children’s online privacy law Taylor Swift ‘obsessed’ with politics, says she’s cautious about celebrity support backfiring for Democrats MORE (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn). 

Just last month, Google settled with the FTC for $170 million over charges that it has made millions of dollars from violating COPPA. Though it was a record fine under the 1998 law, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill slammed the FTC for failing to impose a harsher penalty on a company with a revenue of $136.8 billion in 2018 alone. 

“Recent events create concern that the FTC is at risk of favoring the interests of giant tech companies over the interests of parents and children,” the senators wrote on Friday. “We agree that the Rule warrants updating, but we are concerned that the FTC is choosing to update the rule at a time when the Commission appears insufficiently appreciative of the threat some giant tech companies pose to children and parents.” 

The FTC has asked the public to respond to a series of questions about COPPA and how it has been enforced, including its “application to the educational technology sector” and “to voice-enabled connected devices.”

Under COPPA, which went into effect about 20 years ago, websites must obtain parental consent before collecting data on children under 13.

“Your agency’s obligation is to put consumers’ interests first and enforce the law,” the senators wrote. “Therefore, should the FTC move forward with this review and new rule making, we strongly urge you to exercise sound regulatory judgement and to pursue only those changes that prioritize children’s privacy and well-being.” 

The FTC will hold a workshop on COPPA on Monday. 

In March, Markey and Hawley introduced legislation to update COPPA that would address loopholes brought on by the digital era. “COPPA 2.0,” as the senators have dubbed the bill, would prevent internet companies from targeting ads to children and require the companies to provide more insight into how they collect and use children’s data.  

Markey has reintroduced versions of the bill since 2011, but some have speculated it could have legs this session amid heightened concerns about tech companies sucking up vast amounts of data on all users, including children.

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Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperNorth Korea missile test raises fears of new capabilities Trump defense head says US has stepped up attacks on Taliban since talks broke down Defense chief on Ukraine: ‘My aim is to keep the department apolitical’ MORE has said that U.S. has increased its attacks on the Taliban since peace talks were canceled last month. 

“We did step up our attacks on the Taliban since the talks broke down.  You know, the president spoke about this publicly,” Esper told reporters. “We did pick up the pace considerably.” 

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He declined to quantify how significantly attacks had increased, but said this included both air attacks U.S. assisted Afghan ground operations. 

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“We did pick up the pace of attacks…with regard to both air and ground,” Esper said. 

Trump said last month that he had canceled negotiations with leaders of the Taliban and Afghanistan’s president after the insurgent group claimed an attack in Kabul that killed a U.S. service member and 11 others. 

“I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” he tweeted at the time. 

Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoTrump defense head says US has stepped up attacks on Taliban since talks broke down Defense chief on Ukraine: ‘My aim is to keep the department apolitical’ Trump rails against whistleblower, impeachment inquiry MORE said in interviews that aired the next day that talks with the Taliban were dead “for the time being” and  that “applying military pressure to the Taliban is necessary” for the negotiations.

“We’ve killed over 1,000 Taliban in just the last 10 days, so it has not been the case that we’ve been negotiating with our hands tied behind our back,” he said last month. 

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Democrats claimed to find new momentum Friday in their impeachment inquiry into President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump criticizes supposed second whistleblower North Korea missile test raises fears of new capabilities Window narrows for Trump trade deals MORE after the top watchdog of the nation’s intelligence community briefed lawmakers on his investigation into allegations that Trump sought foreign help to boost his 2020 campaign.

During nearly seven hours of testimony to members of the House Intelligence Committee, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general (IG) of the intelligence community, outlined the details of his probe into the complaint from an anonymous government whistleblower at the heart of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

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The whistleblower alleged that Trump had threatened to withhold U.S. military assistance to Ukraine unless President Volodymyr Zelensky launched an anti-corruption investigation into former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump criticizes supposed second whistleblower North Korea missile test raises fears of new capabilities Trump told House Republicans that he made Ukraine call because of Perry: Report MORE, one of Trump’s chief political adversaries heading into next year’s election.

Democrats on the Intelligence panel provided few details of Atkinson’s testimony, but said it confirmed crucial — and damning — components of the July 25 Trump-Zelensky phone call, a summary of which was released last week by the White House.

“While we cannot get into the substance, we explored with the IG through documents and testimony the reasons why he found the whistleblower complaint to be both urgent and credible,” Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffTrump criticizes supposed second whistleblower Collins: Trump’s call for China to probe Biden ‘completely inappropriate’ Trump accuses Democrats of ‘interfering’ with 2020 election and ‘continuing to interfere’ with 2016 MORE (D-Calif.) said afterward in a statement. “Now that we have all seen the call record, we can see that the IG’s determination was correct in both respects.”

Rep. Jim HimesJames (Jim) Andres HimesDemocrats claim new momentum from intelligence watchdog testimony Intelligence watchdog huddles with members as impeachment push grows Five notable moments from the whistleblower complaint hearing MORE (D-Conn.), a member of the Intelligence panel, said Democrats are getting plenty of help from the president himself as they pursue their impeachment probe. He pointed to Trump’s entreaty Thursday for both Ukraine and China to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter.

“Every day that goes by the president further implicates himself. Yesterday, publicly, he asked the Chinese for help,” Himes said. “The more we learn, the more we learn that everything that was in that whistleblower’s complaint has corroboration.”

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Republicans, meanwhile, called for more details from Schiff following a New York Times report this week saying the whistleblower reached out to a member of Schiff’s staff before filing the complaint. The staffer suggested the whistleblower find a lawyer and meet with an inspector general to file a complaint.

“The only way that we will be able to get that information is from the [Intelligence Committee] majority themselves. They are fact witnesses in the same investigation that they are now running,” said Rep. John RatcliffeJohn Lee RatcliffeGOP searches for impeachment boogeyman Democrats claim new momentum from intelligence watchdog testimony Hillicon Valley: Senate passes bill to boost cyber help for agencies, businesses | Watchdog warns Energy Department failing to protect grid | FTC sues Match for allegedly conning users MORE (R-Texas), a member of the panel.

“Nowhere else in the United States of America can you be called a fact witness and the prosecutor or investigation in anything, much less the investigation to remove the president from office,” Ratcliffe said.

Schiff maintained that it is not unusual for whistleblowers to contact congressional committees and that standard procedures were followed.

He said that without those procedures, “no whistleblower could contact Congress, and no committee could conduct an investigation.”

Rep. Peter WelchPeter Francis WelchDemocrats claim new momentum from intelligence watchdog testimony Intelligence watchdog huddles with members as impeachment push grows Senators call for more automakers to join emissions deal with California MORE (D-Vt.), another member of the Intelligence Committee, also pushed back against the GOP’s process criticisms — but from a different angle. The identity and credibility of the whistleblower is essentially insignificant, he argued, if the allegations the source proffered have already been confirmed by the White House’s own public summary of the Zelensky call.

“The questions that a lot of my Republican colleagues had went to the credibility of the whistleblower and a lot of the process things. But that’s all been bypassed by the fact that the White House released the readout of the … conversation,” Welch said.

“The credibility of the whistleblower and the IG report have been solidly confirmed in the readout of the discussion between our president and the president of Ukraine,” he added.

The briefing with the inspector general marked the end of a whirlwind week for the House impeachment inquiry.

It also came a day after Trump openly encouraged Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens.

“They should investigate the Bidens,” Trump said of the Ukrainian government while speaking to reporters Thursday. “Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.”

Most Republicans have remained silent or defended Trump’s public comments. But a few criticized the president, including Sens. Ben SasseBenjamin (Ben) Eric SasseCollins: Trump’s call for China to probe Biden ‘completely inappropriate’ GOP searches for impeachment boogeyman Trump slams ‘ass’ Romney for criticizing Ukraine dealings MORE (Neb.) and Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyCollins: Trump’s call for China to probe Biden ‘completely inappropriate’ Trump compares his impeachment to Clinton email server Trump calls for Romney’s impeachment MORE (Utah) and retiring Rep. Will HurdWilliam Ballard HurdDemocrats claim new momentum from intelligence watchdog testimony Romney: Trump requesting Biden investigation from China, Ukraine ‘wrong and appalling’ GOP lawmaker: ‘It is terrible’ for Trump to call on China to probe Biden MORE (Texas).

House committees have been moving aggressively in recent days to demand documents and witnesses for the impeachment inquiry.

On Monday, the House Intelligence Committee, in consultation with the Foreign Affairs and Oversight panels, issued a subpoena to Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiDefense chief on Ukraine: ‘My aim is to keep the department apolitical’ Trump slams ‘ass’ Romney for criticizing Ukraine dealings Trump lawyer Giuliani tells Fox his mission is ‘to disrupt the world’ MORE, Trump’s personal lawyer, to provide documents by Oct. 15 relating to Giuliani’s involvement in pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate Biden.

The committees also requested depositions in the next two weeks with three of Giuliani’s business associates.

And on Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoTrump defense head says US has stepped up attacks on Taliban since talks broke down Defense chief on Ukraine: ‘My aim is to keep the department apolitical’ Trump rails against whistleblower, impeachment inquiry MORE warned that officials from his agency would not appear for requested depositions due to insufficient time to prepare. That came in response to a subpoena last week for documents and requests for the witness interviews.

Kurt VolkerKurt VolkerWhite House struggles to contain Ukraine fallout Gordon Sondland expected to appear for House deposition Democrats claim new momentum from intelligence watchdog testimony MORE, who served as the special envoy to Ukraine until his resignation last week, still appeared for a 10-hour deposition on Thursday, in which he provided a series of text messages between himself, Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, Andrey Yermak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, Giuliani and William Taylor, a top official at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is scheduled to appear for a deposition with lawmakers on Oct. 11. It’s unclear when the other officials requested for depositions, including Sondland, might appear.

On Wednesday, the three committees released a draft subpoena that was formally issued Friday for the White House to hand over documents related to Trump’s calls with the Ukrainian president, efforts to conceal those calls and the discussions about withholding aid to Ukraine.

On Friday, the committees sent a letter to Vice President Pence requesting documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

Democrats seized on the text messages provided by Volker as evidence that Trump administration officials pushed Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and made it a condition for a White House visit.

“Heard from White House – assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate / ‘get to the bottom of what happened’ in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington,” Volker wrote in one message.

Later on, Taylor is shown expressing alarm over withheld U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

In an exchange on Sept. 9, Taylor said: “As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland replied that he believed Taylor was “incorrect about President Trump’s intentions.”

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“The president has been crystal clear no quid pro quo’s of any kind. The president is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign,” Sondland said.

Trump, meanwhile, escalated his attacks on Schiff on Friday evening by tweeting a video that opens with an image of Pinocchio.

“LYIN’ SHIFTY SCHIFF!” Trump wrote.

The Argentine is expected to finalise his transfer shortly, but will miss the Blues’ crucial upcoming London derby

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has confirmed that the signing of Gonzalo Higuain is ‘hours away’, but that the deal will not be done in time for the striker to face Tottenham in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Higuain will cut short his loan deal at AC Milan from Juventus to sign a six-month loan deal with an option to buy for £32.5 million (€37m/$42m). 

However, the midday deadline for registering players ahead of the Blues’ crucial clash with Tottenham has passed, meaning one of Eden Hazard or Olivier Giroud will have to lead the line.

“I know they have been trying to sign the contract with him today. They are still a few hours from getting it done,” Sarri said.

“I don’t know exactly the rule here. Midday? Ah, it’s impossible [for him to play against Spurs].

“I don’t know [about the medical] because I have to speak with the doctor. I didn’t see him before. Then I have to speak to the club. For tomorrow, I think, it’s impossible.”

The Italian manager was full of praise for a man he worked with at Napoli during the 2015-16 season that saw the frontman equal a league record for goals scored in a single campaign.

“He’s a very strong striker,” he added.

“Especially in my first season in Naples. He did very well. He scored 36 goals in 35 matches in Serie A. That season he scored 39 goals. So he did very, very well. For sure, he is one of the best strikers in my career.”

The Blues tactician explained that he believes 31-year-old Higuain possesses the right combination of experience and ability to boost Chelsea’s attack, which has struggled this season, scoring the fewest Premier League goals of any ‘top six’ club.

“He played four seasons for Real Madrid, I think. I think he has the right experience to play here.

“We hope he brings goals, that he starts scoring for us. He’s also very good at other aspects, other than just goals, but that’s what we are hoping for.

“He has had some difficulties recently, but we’re hoping we can raise him back to his best form.”

Sarri believes that the club have done good business in landing the Argentine in the winter window, and defended the forward from criticism about his mentality and goal-return for AC Milan.

“I think the club agree with me when I told them my opinion about the team. It’s very difficult in January to find one of the most important strikers in the world. So the club is working very well.

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“He wants to win all the time and, in the last five years, he’s only lost his temper twice: with Napoli against Udinese, and with Milan against Juve.

“It’s only because he wants to win. As for failure, he’s still scored nine goals in a team that isn’t at the same level as Juventus.”

The defender has already stated he will not leave in January, but speculation around his future persists after Frenkie de Jong moved to Barcelona

Matthijs de Ligt says he is bored of rumours linking him with a lucrative move away from Ajax.

Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Juventus are all reportedly interested in signing the 19-year-old, who is Ajax’s captain.

De Ligt has already confirmed he will not leave Ajax – who face Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League next month – during the January transfer window.

The centre-back is in no hurry to leave, although Ajax and Netherlands team-mate Frenkie de Jong has already been tempted away to Barca in a deal worth €86m.

“Am I annoyed by the rumours? No. Bored? A little bit,” De Ligt said to ESPN.

“But it doesn’t matter to me if there’s an article about where I should go or what I should do. It doesn’t matter, at all.

“This place means a lot to me. I grew up here. I came here when I was nine years old.

“At Ajax you learn to win every game, to be at your best every game and it doesn’t matter who your opponent is. It’s in my blood.”

The club’s chief executive Edwin van der Sar himself left Ajax to forge a successful career for European giants Juventus and Manchester United.

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And the former Netherlands goalkeeper accepts it is a challenge for Ajax, who are second in the Eredivisie, to hold on to star names such as De Jong and De Ligt.

“That’s the big question of course, when you see the numbers,” Van der Sar told ESPN.

“But we are a club that’s financially very stable. We have a war chest. Our stadium is sold out every match. We have good commercial partners.

“We sold some players in the past [but] at a certain point you have to ask if you can retain players. Hakim Ziyech was a player who received some interest and we managed to keep hold of him and improve his contract.

“We have our philosophy, players, city, stadium and history … we have a lot of things going on, but we play in a small league. 

“We don’t have to sell them but at a certain point for the player’s development – I’ve seen that myself as well – you think you’re ready, you want to compete against better, world-class players, and unfortunately they’re not playing in Holland.”

The Brazilian midfielder will not play against AC Milan after a week of speculation over his future, but Carlo Ancelotti does not expect a transfer

Allan has been dropped for Napoli’s Serie A clash with AC Milan on Saturday, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti insists the midfielder will not be sold to Paris Saint-Germain.

There were reports in Italy on Thursday that Ligue 1 champions PSG were close to finalising a deal for Allan that could be worth in excess of €100 million (£87m/$114m).

Ancelotti has decided to leave the 28-year-old out of his squad for the trip to San Siro given the speculation over his future in recent days.

However, he maintains Napoli have no desire to sell Allan at this stage of the season.

“Allan is not in the squad for tomorrow,” he told a news conference on Friday. “He’s had a troubled week and he’s not trained much.

“We’re keeping him here to train and for the game on Tuesday [against Milan in the Coppa Italia quarter-final].

“The only thing I know is that he is staying, fortunately. Nothing more. He’s an important player for us and will be more and more important this season.

“With Allan, we’ve always been very clear. There is no need to sell him. PSG wanted him, but then there are conditions and negotiations.

“The club would have accepted the player’s wish to move if the conditions were there, but the player is aware [this is not the case] and we won’t have any problems.”

Ancelotti did, however, confirm Napoli’s interest in Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals, who is said to have a release clause of €25m (£22m/$28m), and reiterated his admiration for PSV forward Hirving Lozano.

“The club is very attentive to what goes on in football internationally,” he said.

“Fornals is one of the players we are following with interest. Lozano is part of that list of players. He’s a great forward.”

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The Blues goalkeeper welcomed his compatriot into Stamford Bridge upon his arrival to the club and knows what makes him tick

Gonzalo Higuain has been backed to make a difference at Chelsea by Willy Caballero after the striker made his debut in the FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Argentina international Higuain was warmly welcomed at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea eased past their Championship opponents but the forward had limited opportunities or time on the ball in the 3-0 success.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is happy to have been reunited with Higuain following their prolific time at Napoli, after the Blues took over AC Milan’s loan deal with Juventus, leaving them with an option to buy him for £32 million in the summer.

Goalkeeper Caballero thinks that Higuain can make an impact at Chelsea but he believes that his team-mates need to learn to understand his compatriot’s movements.

“He has begun training well in the last couple of days and I think our team-mates have to get to know him a little bit more,” Caballero told  Goal . “For sure, Sarri and his staff know him very well.

“I also know him very well, but the rest of the team needs more time to do it. We are going to find great performances with him in our team in the future. He can do everything.

“It doesn’t matter what he did in the past with other teams, he can help Willian, [Olivier] Giroud, Eden [Hazard] or whoever plays beside him. He plays to a great level of performance.

“It is too easy to say [his arrival will help us win things] but we have to see if him, and the rest of the quality guys in attack, can make it happen. It is easy to say Higuain is going to help us or to project in the future but it is up to us to do it.

“We have to go step by step. He is happy to be here and with this we are capable of winning a lot.”

Higuain’s arrival comes as Alvaro Morata looks set to join Atletico Madrid in a similar loan-to-buy deal, after a spell at Chelsea where he has struggled to reach the heights that many had predicted for him.

Caballero revealed how he played his part in getting Higuain to move to Chelsea as the 31-year-old asked questions about what it might be like to join the FA Cup holders.

“We have been in touch [about the move] for a long time,” Caballero added. “I gave him every bit of time that a friend can give to another. Also, as a team-mate. We talked about the Premier League, this city, the club, about everything.

“When you are asked, you be honest and say the truth. Now, it is a reality. It is true and he is here. The first day is always a little bit stressful for a player and it was for him. But it is fun for me because I am over a year in the club and I am watching him as the new one in the changing room.

“It was fun to see him again and to be in the same team again, then after few minutes it becomes natural.”

As for Caballero’s own playing time, the 37-year-old has found opportunities harder to come by since Chelsea switched managers from Antonio Conte to Sarri, even though he was always signed to be a back-up keeper.

Along with the likes of David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Olivier Giroud, Caballero is one of many players whose contract expires at the end of the season. However, Caballero remains happy with life at Chelsea as he aims to keep number one goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on his toes.

“In the end, we will see what happens,” Caballero said about his future. “I am a free agent in June but no problem at all. I have experienced this before so I am really calm about this.

“I have had no conversations at all. I am really happy here. I am doing my job when I have the opportunity. I am trying to do well, trying to work very hard because now I got my chance. As a goalkeeper, you have to be ready for the whole season.

“I think we did a great job [against Sheffield Wednesday]. We saw this yesterday and also today with Tottenham going out, it is another big chance for us. We have to respect this competition in every stage. It wasn’t easy to win today.

“We wait for the draw and see who’s next. It doesn’t matter, we have to play like we did today and have the opportunity to go through again.”

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The U.S. national team coach still sees the Toronto FC man as one his best midfielders, even if some U.S. fans would prefer he look at younger options

The 23-man squad that will be in uniform for Gregg Berhalter’s debut as U.S. national team head coach on Sunday is a young one, with one notable exception being Michael Bradley.

Bradley has made 142 appearances for the USMNT in his career, which is quite a bit more than the 103 combined appearances by his 22 current teammates, and even though there are some U.S. fans who would rather see Berhalter turn to younger options, the U.S. boss does not buy into the theory that the 31-year-old midfielder is either too old or no longer good enough to be a national team option.

“It’s hard for me to understand how people gather that opinion because when I see him up close it’s clear he has quality,” Berhalter said of Bradley on Saturday.  “When you look at his quality level in this group it’s high.

“I’ve said all along it’s not about the age of the player. I think it’s about the quality of the player. If he’s good enough to perform and he can fit and execute in the roles and responsibilities that we have for the position then he should be able to play, whether that’s old or young.

“Michael is a good example of that. He’s been doing well in camp. His leadership has been good, but also his execution has been excellent.”

Though he has been USMNT captain before, Bradley hadn’t been handed the captain’s armband for the current group just yet. That is fine with the World Cup veteran, who is looking to maintain his place in the U.S. central midfield even has a growing number of younger options emerge, like the Bundesliga-based duo of Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams.

“Nothing’s being given, you can’t take anything for granted, and again that doesn’t matter whether it’s your first time in camp or your 100th time in camp,” Bradley said. “The opportunity to be here, to prove yourself day in and day out to your teammates and the coaches, that process never stops.”

Bradley had his share of struggles in 2018, due in part to him needing to spend a large chunk of the MLS season playing out of position as a central defender for a TFC side beset by injuries along the back line. What those struggles overshadowed was his role in not only helping TFC win the 2017 MLS Cup final, but also his work in central midfield to help his team reach the 2018 Concacaf Champions League final, a run that eventually earned him a place on the Concacaf Best XI for 2018.

Still, for some fans who continue to blame him for his role in the USMNT’s failed World Cup qualifying campaign in 2017, Bradley is seen as a player who should have been cast aside in favor of younger options. But as he has shown in the current camp, Bradley still has plenty left to offer the national team, including continued competition for a promising generation of midfielders who will be pushing to take his spot as the next World Cup qualifying cycle gets underway.

“He’s still one of the best players in the country in my opinion,” USMNT midfielder Wil Trapp told Goal. “His ability to lead, to make passes, to dictate tempo, to affect everyone else on the field is immense, so I think for all of us stepping into a camp with Michael is always great because he brings such a wealth of knowledge and experience.

“You can just talk to him about the game and you can learn. Not only can he teach young guys, but then when he gets on the field he performs.

“As you get to know him, he’s such a driven individual he wants to win, he’s competitive and that translates very well into this group.”

It is those qualities that Berhalter sees in Bradley that makes the 31-year-old midfielder someone he still sees having an important role heading into 2019.

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