OhForAGreavsie

Brighton did the same thing. Self reported on misrepresented agent fees for a 3 year period. 
They received a small fine. I’d assume we’d just get a larger fine. 
 
 

love this!!!!!!!

This is an important consideration. Not only was it possible to hide these payments from authorities at the time, they were not even discovered when the club came under heightened scrutiny because Russian owned assets were sanctioned. It's clear therefore that such payments can be hidden relatively easily.
This means there is no way to be sure that other clubs have not engaged in the same activity. Indeed, given the competitive nature of the football industry and the insatiable greed of agents, I'm guessing that many, many, clubs are guilty too. If authorities can't find these payments, but are determined to stop them, it would be counterproductive to impose heavy sporting penalties. Doing that would only make clubs all the more determined to keep their mouths shut about their own regulatory breaches.
There must be penalties but I'm guessing that these are much more likely to be financial than they are to be sporting.

that should be Olise's 2nd yellow
 

Worth exploring what the team would be like without Enzo at some point
 

JP seems to be a great addition to the squad on and off the pitch.

Exactly as I expected. Basically as near as possible to the PSG team.

I was right. 
 

On 2 September 2025, Premier League club Manchester City announced the signing of Donnarumma on a five-year deal, with an option for a further year, for a reported transfer fee of £26 million.
His salary is reportedly
£13m this season
£14m in the 2nd and 3rd year
and £15m in the 4th and 5th years  (and probably £15m the 6th year, the option year, as well)
that is £71m just in salary for 5 years, and probably £86m if they exercise the option
PLUS he can earn salary bonus of around £2.5m per season based off performance (personal and club)
that kicks it up to around a potential £101m in toto just in salary/bonuses for the full 6 years
add in the £26m tranfer fee
£127m total potential outlay for 6 years
and his agent perhaps got some pay-off as well (I admit I do not know that, nor do I know IF he himself got a signing bonus)
 
I simply cannot see our owners committing to that level of spend for a GKer, not with so many already on our books and Penders hopefully coming into our Sr team soon
 
 

far far too early to definitively rate Gittens

There are not ALL that many actually 'marquee' AND remotely available players in postions we need
 
GK  
Diogo Costa
Gregor Kobel  (not really suited to our style of play)
plus 3 older (33, 34yo next summer) ones:
Jan Oblak 
Emiliano Martinez  
Alisson  
 
LCB
Alessandro Bastoni 
Murillo 
Alessandro Buongiorno   
 
RCB (no clear perfect 'big name' targets)
Leny Yoro (probably not possible next summer, maybe never)
Bremer (but will be 29yo in March) 
Giorgio Scalvini  only IF fully recovered
Ronald Araujo  only IF he gets back to WC level, which is a big if
 
DMF
Bruno Guimarães (but turns 29yo in fall 2026)
Aurélien Tchouaméni  (probably not available)
Aleksandar Pavlovic (crazy hard pull)
Adam Wharton  
Carlos Baleba (insanely expensive)
Ruben Neves (wild card, crazy good passer and a less costly fee, a real vet and leader, I love him, but he turns 29yo in March)
 
CMF
Nicolò Barella  (but turns 30yo in march 2027)
Gavi  
Eduardo Camavinga  
Sandro Tonali 
Warren Zaïre-Emery
Frenkie de Jong  (turns 30yo at the end of next season (26/27) though)
 
AMF
Jamal Musiala  (IF recovered, and also he would cost well over £100m IF Bayern would even sell and IF he would even want to come here)
Morgan Rogers  
Fermin Lopez  (do not think he leaves Barca next summer either)
Nico Paz  (Real Mardid will exercise their buy-back though, so very unlikely)
 
Winger

Kenan Yildiz 
Rodrygo
Bradley Barcola
Rafael Leão (hard pass)
Malick Fofana  
 
CF (all 3 are likely not available, plus almost all top CFs are now locked in at new or old clubs, the 3 listed are the only ones even potentially not situated like that)

Julian Alvarez 
Lautaro Martinez  
Victor Osimhen 
 
so
 
as you can see
there are only five main targets for me that would be 'marquee' signings IMHO:
Diogo Costa (and probably not needed IF Penders is soon ready)
Bastoni (my dream CB signing for years)
Adam Wharton 
Morgan Rogers
Kenan Yıldız
 
wild card signing of a non GK vet; Ruben Neves

I don't believe that our record with marquee signings is anything to write home about. Buying names is no substitute for good judgement. Sign good players and no one will care what their name is. Sign a bad player with a big name and no one will forgive the club in a hurry.

Dreadful from Garnacho on that last Brentford goal.

I think Buonanotte will be a great surprise

Fuck the international break, hate this shit

The problem, of course, is that none of this is Sterling's fault. Many of us were furious when he was linked, and apoplectic when he was signed. He should not have been recruited. Not even as a free transfer on a trialist contract. The people, or person, who made the sporting and financial decisions is/are to blame.
The bad decisions aren't limited to the ones which were made when Raheem joined from City. No doubt there was some Club who made us an exploitative offer to take the player on loan this summer. Something like no loan fee, and Chelsea cover 80%, or more, of his wages. If it was made such an offer should have been accepted.
In the absence of any kind of move for Sterling we are stuck with implied contractual obligations to provide him with top level training facilities and opportunities. This necessarily includes professional grade players to practice with and against. If we made the emotionally satisfying decision to ban him from Cobham we'd run the risk of being sued.

I believe that Marc has told CFC  that he is not interested in returning the club.

His contract includes an obligation to keep himself football fit and therefore implies a responsibility on CFC to provide him with facilities and opportunities to do that. My reply was carefully worded.
Not only that, he will then almost certainly also be entitled to a share in any bonuses earned by the first team squad over the next two seasons. I say 'almost certainly' since specific clauses we can't know about may restrict his eligibility for bonuses. I just doubt that a player in so strong a bargaining position as to command a ridiculously large transfer fee and a monster contract would then fail to negotiate automatic inclusion in any bonus pay outs. In all probability CFC would aim to include a one-off payment in any settlement in leu of future bonus entitlement.

I blame Boehly from the start for signing him for insane money (given his age and decline) and salary
I also fully admit (always did) that we are contractually obligated to pay Sterling
but there is nothing irrational about keeping him away from the rest of the team
 

that first goal we scored was absolutely cracking

There's no better way to start the season than with a victory against presumed title rivals. Doing so completely deservedly, and without several injured starters, is a nice confidence boost. 

A bicycle tap-in

Live on SkySports Main event 
Coverage begins at 6.30pm BST for a 7.30pm BST kick off at Stamford Bridge.

JP seems to be a great addition to the squad on and off the pitch.