Vesper

IDF declares famine-hit Gaza City a combat zone, ending ‘tactical pauses’ that allowed limited food delivery The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has declared Gaza City “a dangerous combat zone” as the military prepares for an assault on the shattered remains of Gaza’s largest city. In a post on X, the IDF wrote:

https://scoutedftbl.com/alejandro-garnacho-makes-good-attack-great/ While Alejandro Garnacho provided great promise at Manchester United, things turned sour in the months following Ruben Amorim’s appointment. The 21-year-old’s perceived personality issues – or at least those of his brother – didn’t make for the best PR, and Garnacho was eventually frozen out and put up for sale. Issues with dribbling and consistency didn’t help him either, and the collective optimism around him has faded. But how much of what ails Garnacho at United comes down to his skillset? And to what extent would his predicament change at a better-performing side? I’d argue Garnacho’s toolbox is likely to thrive at greener pastures - he’s the kind of player who can turn good attacks into great attacks. Let’s break it down. United's stagnant attack and player skillsets It’s no secret that Manchester United’s attack has severe issues, even with the change in managers. Since Amorim took charge, United have scored just 37 goals in the Premier League, the sixth-lowest total when excluding teams promoted for the 2025-26 season. Two particular issues impacted Garnacho’s individual performances. First, ball progression is United’s primary challenge. As we discussed last week, United are effectively a mid-table side when it comes to moving the ball into the final third. Plus, when United do get into the final third, the player with the ball encounters an underpopulated penalty area. In Amorim’s version of the 3-4-3, United don’t commit many players to the box by elite-club standards… …unless they’re down a goal or two. What did this mean for Garnacho? Firstly, he had to carry a larger ball progression load than he would in a better side. Secondly, having fewer passing options in advanced areas limited his creativity. Thirdly, floating around in an undermanned box without the ball became less effective because the opposition defence had fewer bodies to deal with. As a result, United’s individual attackers - including Garnacho - weren’t placed to make a good attack great, but asked to lift a stagnant attack to merely passable. In other words, rather than raising United’s ceiling, the priority is raising United’s floor. This brings us back to the concept of ‘scalability’, a topic we’ve discussed at length before. Different skills help sides to different extents based on the quality of the team, as established in NBA analytics. A ball-to-feet dribbler who can move the ball up the pitch and unsettle defences may help a middling attack while offering diminishing returns to a great attack, while a great off-ball mover can offer increasing returns at an elite side. A couple of United’s recent moves make sense when you consider scalability, even if they don’t represent the best use of the club’s wallet. Both Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha had impressive spells at mid-table Premier League clubs, raising Brentford’s and Wolves’ floors respectively by consistently dragging the ball up the pitch and contributing to a bunch of shots, making things happen out of nowhere. Similarly, while the level of his goalscoring potential is up for debate, Benjamin Šeško dropped deeper to stimulate ball progression in Leipzig’s struggling attack last season and created space for his teammates with his physical engagement without the ball. While all three moves are cases of overspending on players unsustainably overperforming their underlying numbers, they stylistically make sense for United because they raise the floor. Back to Garnacho. With United’s attacking deficiencies and scalability in mind, let’s take a look at what exactly his performances meant within the context of his team. How Alejandro Garnacho raises United’s floor As we’ve established, different skills have different effects based on team context. Let’s take a look at how Garnacho presents value to a team of United’s level. For starters, an easy-to-spot way in which Garnacho helped raise United’s floor is by moving the ball into dangerous areas. After receiving in the attacking third, Garnacho regularly surged into the box with the ball at his feet, creating threatening situations. Last season, Garnacho carried the ball into the box 2.74 times p90, in the 90th percentile for Premier League forwards. Despite lower progressive passing numbers, Garnacho even moved the ball into the attacking third from deeper areas often, too, with 2.95 carries into the final third p90 (94th percentile). However, this may be an example of statistical quantity not necessarily representing a player’s skill as much as it reflects their role within a team. Garnacho’s progressive carrying numbers aren’t because of his dribbling but despite it. The 21-year-old possesses clear shortcomings in beating defenders one-on-one and holding onto the ball under pressure, with an inconsistent touch and a shallow bag of dribbling moves. His other dribbling stats attest to this, too. Last season, Garnacho only completed 29.2% of his take-ons – in the 9th percentile – and mis-controlled the ball 2.62 times p90. Instead, as we discussed earlier, United’s poor ball progression placed a larger ball-carrying load on the Argentine. Even if Garnacho managed to push the ball up the pitch consistently, carrying through large spaces well, heavy ball-carrying duties aren’t his cup of tea, and his ball progression numbers represented United’s attacking struggles rather than Garnacho’s strengths. Plus, his off-ball movement created passing options for United when their setup otherwise rarely allows for players in and around the box. As discussed earlier, while movement may be a skill that ‘scales up’ well, it also presents immense value to a side that doesn’t have much happening front of the ball. Garnacho’s sheer pace and dynamism, constantly providing an option in behind, is an obvious upside, but he’s developed guile in and around the box, too. He has a wide range of off-ball moves for a variety of situations. His constant repositioning in response to circumstances changing around him are yet another sign of a box crashing superstar-in-waiting. All this leads to underlying numbers especially promising for a player in a struggling attack. Garnacho posted an xG p90 of 0.3 last season, in the 79th percentile, but the fact he racked up tons of involvements in the box, with 7.2 touches in the box p90 (94th percentile), is especially intriguing. He continued to find ways to get his foot on the ball in the box, despite playing for a side allergic to moving the ball up the pitch. In other words, That being said, a look at his shot map brings some of Garnacho’s attacking flaws into the picture. As you can see, in addition to a fair number of shots in the central areas of the box, Garnacho took a bunch of them from deep, wide areas, which are unlikely to go in. Plus, all the purple dots represent blocked shots, which reflect issues in where and when he chose to shoot. A clear-cut flaw of Garnacho’s decision-making this captures is his tendency to go for the shot over the pass very often. The Argentine has received a fair amount of criticism for this from United’s fanbase, and some of his shots may carry opportunity costs for United’s attack. Secondly, Garnacho’s wide and deep shots reflect ****his poor one-on-one skill, which prevents him from creating space for himself in the central parts of the box on the dribble, forcing him to take shots from wider and more crowded areas. This resulted in 34.5% of his shots being blocked. At the same time, some of Garnacho’s shooting tendencies also reflect United’s mediocre attack. When an attack doesn’t seem likely to generate a good chance at the end of a passing move – as is usually the case with United, because of their lack of ball progression and box occupation – many attackers end up settling for low-quality shots in an attempt to create something out of nothing. Rather than choosing between a long shot and a pass to set up a goal, Garnacho usually chooses between a long shot and a turnover. All in all, in an attack that had little going right, Garnacho relentlessly made things happen. It lead to all sorts of results, from failed dribbles to skied shots, but his skillset posed obvious value to United. It may offer more to someone else. Alejandro Garnacho’s ceiling-raising potential Let’s get back to one of my other pet scouting concepts. In Max Odenheimer’s categorisation, ‘shot-makers’ independently create shots for themselves with their on-ball skillset, while ‘shot-takers’ use their off-ball guile to get on the end of shots closer to goal. In United’s setup, Garnacho is often forced to be a shot-maker, but this isn’t the best fit for his skillset. When Garnacho attempts to create shots by himself on the dribble, it usually results in failed dribbles and blocks. But as we know from his off-ball skillset, Garnacho is destined to be a prolific shot-taker. While independent shot creation may be especially beneficial to weaker attacks, carving out shots with off-ball movement fits better attacks with more creative quality. It’s tempting to think of movement-based attackers as ‘dependent’ on creative service, but chance creation is also a skill dependent on passing options around the ball-carrier. When a skilled off-ball attacker joins forces with better creators with the ball, it usually results in a mutual benefit, with creative quality being matched with incisive runners who don’t need the ball at their feet to score goals. In other words, off-ball movement is a ceiling-raising skill, and ‘scales up’ well on better attacking sides. This bodes well for Garnacho’s future. What’s more, Garnacho’s overshooting tendencies are also likely to subside when he plays in a better side more likely to generate high-quality chances consistently. For an example of the relationship between team quality and shot locations, look how Pedro, the patron saint of ceiling-raising, movement-based wingers, settled for shots from increasingly farther away as the attacks he played for got worse and worse. On the other end of the scale, look how Luis Suarez’s gung-ho shooting approach mellowed down with more quality around him. Garnacho’s trajectory is likely to be similar. Source: Max Odenheimer’s piece at StatsBomb Garnacho’s upward scalability goes beyond goalscoring potential, too. His movement and pace leads to him generating a high number of cutbacks. Garnacho’s technique for crosses and cutbacks is decent, but his lack of dribbling skill and United’s stagnant attack didn’t create too many opportunities for him to play the final ball. Meanwhile, his in-to-out and last-line running will receive greater service in a better attacking unit, which should lead to him racking up a few more assists than he did at United. Additionally, his off-ball skill also allows him to play neat one-twos, giving him the ability to link up well with his teammates. Plus, Garnacho offers great potential in terms of pressing from the front. His pace, dynamism, and durability allows him to constantly close down passing angles and apply pressure on defenders with the ball. In 2024-25, Garnacho won the ball back 1.76 times p90, which is highly encouraging. Even if he tends to overcommit himself, he cuts off passing lanes well with curved pressing charges, and this can be refined in a more intense high-pressing unit. Lastly, transitions become increasingly common season after season at the top level. Garnacho’s ability to carry the ball swiftly through large spaces and his dynamic off-ball running can wreak havoc on the counter-attack, and his last-line threat can pin back high defensive lines and create space for his teammates. As a result, he fits the mould of the ‘ceiling-raiser’ that good attacks need to reach the next level in today’s game. The only concern is how Garnacho would fare against lower blocks. His ineffective dribbling can blunt his ball progression, limit his shooting angles, and lead to a flurry of blocked shots. His straight-line speed simply won’t matter as much with less space behind the backline. But at the same time, Garnacho’s movement to find space to attack crosses and cutbacks – finding opportune moments to trick markers, peel away into space, or crash into the back post – should help a side trying to attack ‘around’ a settled low block. Just, uh, make sure you don’t give him the ball too early. All in all, Garnacho offers a contrast to all the ball-dominant player profiles that clubs spend tons of money on, and can help make a high-quality attacking side greater than the sum of its parts with his off-ball movement, transition threat, and pressing. This should encourage Chelsea. What could’ve been at United? In any football analysis, it’s crucial to separate what a player ‘does’ from what a player ‘can do’. This is even more essential when dealing with stats, because per-90 quantities don’t necessarily imply quality. Much of figuring out this separation comes down to examining team contexts and what different skillsets look like in different environments. Garnacho’s subpar close-control may not allow him to consistently create shots by himself, but his other skills can make him an end product machine without taking too much away from his teammates. At Chelsea, he’d be surrounded by more ball-dominant creators like Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, João Pedro, Jamie Gittens, and Estêvão, and his off-ball running creates win-win scenarios for him and his teammates, while covering for less-diligent pressers when they don’t have the ball. It remains questionable whether Chelsea need three players for each attacking position, but Garnacho’s profile is perfect to make the best out of what the club already has. And at the end of the day, at a fee around £40 million, Garnacho presents an outrageous bargain, and a great opportunity to seize on United’s spotty decision-making in the transfer market. For a variety of reasons, Old Trafford has been a nightmarish environment for players to fulfil their potential over the past decade. Here’s just another headstone. RIP Alejandro Garnacho’s United career - oh, what could’ve been.

WTF Just Happened Today? Day 1682: "It can happen to anyone." Welcome to Day 1682. Today in one sentence: Three senior CDC leaders resigned after the White House fired Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure; the White House named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top deputy, Jim O’Neill, as acting director of the CDC; Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the clearance of a senior CIA Russia expert days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska; Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sued Trump to block what she called an “unprecedented and illegal” attempt to fire her from the Fed board; federal agents interrupted operations at the site Washington’s largest wildfire for more than three hours to conduct immigration checks and arrest two firefighters; a federal judge barred Kari Lake from firing the director of Voice of America, saying she lacked the authority without a Senate-confirmed advisory board vote, which Trump disbanded earlier this year; the U.S. Air Force will grant military funeral honors to a Jan. 6 rioter who was shot by Capitol Police while trying to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby near the House chamber; Trump proposed that Republicans hold a national convention before the 2026 midterm elections; and Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to keep the government funded. -Matt, current mood: Editor’s note: Two children were killed and 15 children and three adult parishioners were wounded when 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday. That’s about all I’m going to write on the subject for now. WTFJHT (by design!) doesn’t handle fluid, breaking news events like this. There are better publications for that. More importantly, it’s disgusting that mass shootings have become so routine in America that we’ve normalized them into, essentially, a daily weather report. Politicians elected to make society better would rather issue thoughts and prayers than, you know, do something. Nothing changes, and the cycle repeats. We deserve better. The people killed and the families destroyed by America’s unique, perverse obsession with guns deserve better. Until it ends, this bullshit will keep happening and people will keep dying. That failure is the story. So let’s turn this around because I don’t know how to process that. Do you? What single, concrete action should people in power take now to break this cycle. I’d love to hear what you’re thinking. I’ll share some select responses (anonymously) next week. — Missed an update? Previous edition — Follow WTFJHT: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Mastodon 1/ Three senior CDC leaders resigned after the White House fired Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Monarez’s lawyers said she was removed for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The resigning officials said the shake-up threatened science with Demetre Daskalakis saying “our science is going to be compromised,” while Debra Houry warned vaccine policy was being set “before we had the data,” and Daniel Jernigan accused HHS of pressing him to alter settled safety studies. Hundreds of CDC staff staged a walkout in Atlanta with signs reading “Science not conspiracy” – weeks after a gunman hostile to vaccines attacked the agency. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who cast the pivotal vote to confirm Kennedy as HHS Secretary – called for the CDC vaccine panel meeting to be delayed. Kennedy, meanwhile, dismissed the resignations, saying “some people should not be working there,” accused the CDC of a “deeply embedded malaise.” He added “There’s a lot of trouble at CDC, and it’s going to require getting rid of some people.” (Washington Post / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Politico / The Hill / CNN / Reuters / Wall Street Journal) 2/ The White House named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top deputy, Jim O’Neill, as acting director of the CDC. O’Neill, a former Silicon Valley investor and Thiel Foundation executive, is deputy secretary at HHS and a close aide to Kennedy. He was confirmed in June despite lacking a medical degree, but told senators he supported vaccines while criticizing the government’s coronavirus response. His appointment gives Kennedy direct control over the CDC as he moves to rewrite federal vaccine policy. (Washington Post / Bloomberg / The Guardian) 3/ Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the clearance of a senior CIA Russia expert days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska. Gabbard, acting on Trump’s orders, named the officer in a public list of 37 officials accused of “politicizing and manipulating intelligence,” even though she was reportedly under cover at the time. CIA officials were blindsided, calling her “the antithesis of a political operator,” while another warned, “If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone.” (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN) 4/ Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sued Trump to block what she called an “unprecedented and illegal” attempt to fire her from the Fed board. No president has ever tried to remove a sitting Fed governor, and her case could decide how much power the White House has over the central bank. Trump claimed Cook was “credibly accused of lying in financial documents” on 2021 mortgage applications, referring to allegations pushed by his housing chief Bill Pulte. Cook, however, hasn’t been charged and her lawyers called any discrepancy a “clerical error.” Her lawsuit said the claims were “unsubstantiated and unproven” and a pretext “to effectuate her prompt removal and vacate a seat for President Trump to fill and forward his agenda.” Cook also said she was denied due process since she received no notice or hearing before Trump announced her firing. A hearing on her request for a temporary restraining order is set for Friday. The case expected to reach the Supreme Court. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Bloomberg / Washington Post / NPR / Reuters / Associated Press / CNN / CNBC) 5/ Federal agents interrupted operations at the site Washington’s largest wildfire for more than three hours to conduct immigration checks and arrest two firefighters. Border Patrol said it acted at the request of the Bureau of Land Management after contracts with two Oregon firms were canceled, though officials gave no details about the investigation. Firefighters said they were ordered to line up, told not to film, and blocked from saying goodbye to detained coworkers. One firefighter said a federal officer told him, “You need to get the (expletive) out of here. I’m gonna make you leave.” The Bear Gulch fire has burned nearly 9,000 acres and was 13% contained as of Thursday. (Seattle Times / New York Times / Associated Press / The Guardian) 6/ A federal judge barred Kari Lake from firing the director of Voice of America, saying she lacked the authority without a Senate-confirmed advisory board vote, which Trump disbanded earlier this year. Judge Royce Lamberth issued a permanent injunction and said Trump could replace the removed board members if he wanted Michael Abramowitz out. Lake called it an “absurd ruling” and claimed, “President Trump runs the executive branch.” Lamberth said Lake was “verging on contempt of court” and ordered her to testify under oath next month. (CNN / Washington Post) 7/ The U.S. Air Force will grant military funeral honors to a Jan. 6 rioter who was shot by Capitol Police while trying to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby near the House chamber. The Biden administration had rejected the request from the family of Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, for honors, with an Air Force general saying they’d “bring discredit upon the Air Force.” In May, the Trump administration also approved a nearly $5 million settlement with Babbitt’s family in a wrongful death case. (Politico / HuffPost / The Guardian / CNN) 8/ Trump proposed that Republicans hold a national convention before the 2026 midterm elections. “It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!!” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that Republicans “won every aspect of the Presidential Election” and are “poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS.” House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed the idea, writing, “YES, Mr. President! Let’s go!!!!” Democrats are also weighing a pre-midterm convention to showcase candidates, but some leaders warned it could be too costly as the DNC lags behind Republicans in fundraising. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post) 9/ Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to keep the government funded. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune to meet next week, calling it “imperative […] to avert a painful, unnecessary lapse in government funding and to address the healthcare crisis Republicans have triggered in America.” They warned that nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and the end of Affordable Care Act subsidies would close hospitals and raise costs. They said they would not accept another March-style standoff, when Republicans forced through a partisan resolution. “It is past time you reveal your plans […] otherwise, it is clear that you have abandoned bipartisanship altogether and are preparing to shut down the government,” they wrote. (Politico / Axios / The Hill) 33 days to avoid a government shutdown – 432 days until the 2026 midterms. WTF, right?

Chelsea agree deal with Manchester United for signing of Alejandro Garnacho https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6540440/2025/08/28/alejandro-garnacho-Chelsea-manchester-united-transfer-latest/ By David Ornstein and Simon Johnson Chelsea have agreed a deal with Manchester United for the signing of Alejandro Garnacho. The deal consists of a £40million fixed fee and a 10 per cent sell-on clause is also included as part of the package. Garnacho is set to sign a contract through to 2032 and is expected to undergo a medical on Friday ahead of the proposed move. The Athletic reported on August 7 that Chelsea had stepped up talks with Manchester United over a move for Garnacho after the clubs had been in touch regarding the winger for some time. The 21-year-old had ruled out all options this summer, aside from joining Chelsea and staying put at United. The Athletic reported in June that Garnacho was one of five United players permitted to return to pre-season training late after reporting in May that United head coach Ruben Amorim had told the 21-year-old, in front of his team-mates, to find a new club. What You Should Read Next Ruben Amorim informs Manchester United squad he’s staying, tells Alejandro Garnacho to find new club Amorim addressed players at the club's Carrington training ground on Saturday to inform them of his own plans and of those for Garnacho. Chelsea have held a long-standing interest in Garnacho and he would be the second United winger in as many campaigns to join Chelsea after Jadon Sancho moved to Stamford Bridge on loan last season. Amorim and Garnacho have had a turbulent relationship at times. The “new club” comment followed United’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, where the Argentina international was introduced as a 71st-minute substitute. After the final, Garnacho said he would “see what happens” following a summer break and expressed his frustrations at not playing a greater role in the final. “Up until the final, I’ve played every round, and today to play 20 minutes… I don’t know,” he said. What You Should Read Next Manchester United selling Alejandro Garnacho feels inevitable, but is it right? Following the Europa League final loss on Wednesday, Ruben Amorim told Alejandro Garnacho to find a new club in a meeting with the squad United rejected an approach from Napoli for Garnacho in January and while he stayed at Old Trafford, his reaction to being substituted off against Ipswich Town the following month prompted Amorim to reveal the forward had to pay for a team dinner by means of an apology. He made 58 appearances in all competitions and provided 11 goals and 10 assists, but this was amid long-term absences for Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee and Amad, while Marcus Rashford and Antony both left United on loan deals in the January transfer window without replacements. Garnacho joined United’s academy from Atletico Madrid in October 2020 and has made 144 senior appearances for the club, scoring 26 goals. ‘Man Utd and Chelsea meet in the middle’ Analysis by The Athletic’s Manchester United Writer Laurie Whitwell Garnacho’s move to Chelsea has been telegraphed all summer. The player told friends at the end of last season his desire was to move to London and Stamford Bridge would be his ideal destination. That targeted ambition hampered United’s negotiating position, as did Ruben Amorim telling Garancho in front of teammates he would need to find a need club. Some clubs were initially told of a £70m asking price but this reduced to £60m and when talks with Chelsea began United pressed for £50m. Chelsea, according to United sources, came in at £25m. They had started offers by suggesting only players in swap deals, none of whom were palatable to United. Ultimately the two clubs have met in the middle for the 21-year-old, with United getting a guaranteed £40m plus a 10 per cent sell-on, which seems plausible to be triggered if Chelsea continue as they have been doing. The sale marks the largest for a United academy graduate, and the fourth largest in United’s history after Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria. But it still will feel lower than what many fans would regard his value. His departure will also be tinged with sadness for many, given his part in United’s FA Youth Cup winning side of 2022, his explosive overhead kick at Goodison Park, and his goal in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in 2024. He did also upset supporters with some of his social media posts, not least posing in Marcus Rashford’s Aston Villa shirt at the end of the last campaign. Garnacho revelled under the spotlight of Old Trafford and wanted to stay, but came to realise his days were numbered in Amorim’s system and the wider club ethos.

the post I replied to said ie €90m

no team scares me atm all have weaknesses even PSG, as we proved

many of those 'fans' are bots or morons

Manchester United agree £40m fee with Chelsea for sale of Alejandro Garnacho Winger will be club’s fourth highest-value sale ever Milan poised to sign Christopher Nkunku from Blues https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/aug/28/christopher-nkunku-milan-Chelsea Manchester United have agreed to sell Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m plus a 10% sell-on fee. The 21-year-old Argentina inter­national has been training away from the first-team squad since the start of the summer after a breakdown in his relationship with Ruben Amorim, the head coach. It is understood Chelsea offered an initial £25m before the final fixed fee was agreed. It will be United’s highest-value player sale for five years and the club’s fourth-highest-value sale ever. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di María have left United for a higher price. Due to the ­winger’s wish to leave, United view the deal as a positive step. Garnacho scored 26 goals in 144 appearances for United after joining the academy setup from Atlético Madrid in 2020 for around £400,000. While Garnacho is heading to Stamford Bridge, Christopher Nkunku is moving away, with Milan poised to sign the forward for a package worth €42m (£36.2m). The deal contains a sell-on clause for the France international, who has agreed personal terms with the Serie A club. Chelsea are also interested in ­Barcelona’s Fermín López and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons. Tottenham, however, have held talks with Leipzig over Simons, who flew to London on Wednesday, and are primed to make a bid. Spurs are determined to sign a No 10 after failing with moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze – and with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski out with long-term injuries. They hope to close a deal for Simons, who Leipzig are keen to sell as they restructure their squad. Leipzig value Simons at €70m (£60.5m), although they may accept a little less because time is tight before Monday’s deadline and they want to push ahead with a bid for Liverpool’s Harvey ­Elliott. He remains close to Jürgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, who is the head of football at Red Bull. Spurs had a conversation about Simons earlier in the summer but at the time his representatives indicated that if he left Leipzig he would only want to join Chelsea, who had made inquiries. It is understood Chelsea wanted to include one of their players in any move for Simons but this did not appeal to Leipzig, with most of them too expensive in terms of wages. Leipzig have sought to cap the basic annual salaries of their new signings at €5m, albeit they can earn more via performance-related add-ons. Simons is the club’s top earner on a basic €11m a year. Leipzig were one of the teams pushing for Nkunku, who left the Bundesliga side for £52m in 2023. The 27-year-old has struggled for form and fitness at Chelsea. He picked up a knee injury during his first pre-season ­and was unable to build momentum. He had a bit-part role under Enzo Maresca last season, although he made contributions to Chelsea winning the Club World Cup this summer. Bayern Munich held talks over Nkunku but were interested only in a loan. Chelsea wanted a permanent sale. Chelsea’s position is slightly ­different on Nicolas Jackson, who may be allowed to go on loan if the deal ­contains an obligation to buy. ­Bayern, Aston Villa, Napoli, ­Juventus and Newcastle are tracking the 24-year-old striker. Chelsea are prepared to wait to see how the Alexander Isak situation plays out at Newcastle before committing to a final decision on Jackson, who is likely to be reintegrated in Maresca’s squad if he stays. Roma, Leipzig and a host of English sides are monitoring the 19-year-old winger Tyrique George.

those Spanish sources are super unreliable Barca adjacent disinfo agents jus sayin' I am NOT predicting we get a deal for Fermin over the line now, but do not be gaslight by those Spanish 'sources' Spain is literally (FAR worse than the UK) the most disinformation-ridden sports 'media' ecosphere in Europe no other country, not even Italy, is worse

€90m for Woltemade is insane wtf

truth as can be seen in this forum I was absolutely GUTTED when we lost out to Real with the lad as I posted in another forum on here: let me choose any 2 CBs on the planet for my starting XI going forward for years and it would be I absolutely expect Real Madrid to make a hard move for Bastoni next summer Alaba looks perma wrecked and is ageing out anyway (turns 34yo right after this season ends) Rudiger looks to be perhaps on the downside and is ageing (turns 33yo this season) Raul Asencio is very meh, he is rash and prone to huge errors, do not rate him at all ATM Éder Militão also looks perma wrecked and pretty meh atm

this is correct

Vicious Rumours 🤣

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Money Ma$e perfect Manure type

Chelsea to face Lincoln City Imps in League Cup third round Chelsea having not played the Imps since 1911.

no they are not that is simply a false claim

at least they still have great whisky Glenallachie 17 Year Old 💪🏽 Masters of Wood: Mizunara and Oloroso A rare species of Japanese oak, Mizunara is seldom used for whisky maturation due to its high cost and inclination to leak. The exceptional Mizunara barrels, combined with superior Oloroso puncheons and hogsheads, have created an incredibly indulgent and complex Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Nose: Heather honey, dried orange peel and crystalised ginger, with notes of cocoa, toasted tobacco leaves and fresh vanilla pods. Taste: Baking spices, dried blood orange and grilled honeycomb, followed by bursts of rich cocoa, poached cinnamon apples and fig syrup, with pecans and demerara sugar. ABV: 50%

the bitterness of a love spurned 🤣

you simply do not have a predictive record here of necessary import that gives you the standing needed to be taken seriously in re such a definitive call #facts