Vesper

Rachel Reeves threatens to sue Roman Abramovich over Chelsea FC sale proceeds https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rachel-reeves-threatens-sue-roman-213900093.html The chancellor and foreign secretary are threatening to take Roman Abramovich to court to seize the proceeds of his Chelsea FC sale. The Russian oligarch, who is sanctioned by the UK government over his alleged links to Vladimir Putin, sold Chelsea for £2.5bn to an American consortium in 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Those funds remain in a frozen UK bank account but are meant to be used for humanitarian causes linked to the Ukraine war. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have now said they are "deeply frustrated" an agreement cannot be reached with the oligarch and will take him to court if it cannot be dealt with soon. In a joint statement, they said: "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion. "We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far. "While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible." Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea - which he bought for a reported £140m - after 19 years of ownership, after being sanctioned by the government over his alleged close ties to the Russian president - something he denies. The sale was made under the supervision of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, under the proviso the proceeds go to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the office. In March, the Foreign Office said officials were in talks with Abramovich's representatives, but multiple sources told the BBC there had been no meetings between any Labour ministers and members of the foundation set up to oversee the funds since last July's general election. They said there was a deadlock and a political decision by a minister is needed to negotiate and sign off an agreement. It is not known if there has been meetings in the three months since then. The £2.5bn - and interest accrued - would make up for some of the reduction in the aid budget, announced in February.

ahhhh thanks

those guides are a joke jus sayin'

CL

Jacob Steinberg - Spoke to a source on Gittens… The reply: ‘Gittens is liked but we are speaking to so many players right now.’ Personally, I remember reporting here about a month or so ago that Gittens was the most likely new winger to arrive. However, with his price going up, I’m really not sure that Chelsea will be as keen to bring him. But let’s just see what happens and if Dortmund would be willing to negotiate it down. Guessing something might be done with Carney Chukwuemeka, which was what I was hearing all along.

Sky Germany is not 'Tier 3'

yes, if you are talking the Saudi league

Lamine Yamal or Mbappe lolol

In the first half of the season, Jamie Gittens was the bright spot in an otherwise immensely disappointing BVB team, but since the coaching change, the Englishman hasn't been doing well at all. Recently, the attacker has been more conspicuous off the pitch than on it, and his discontent is reflected week after week in his unfortunate performances. A sobering development for Borussia Dortmund – also from a financial perspective. When Jamie Gittens stepped onto the pitch at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday evening, the game was already decided. With the score at 3-1 in Borussia Dortmund 's home match against Mainz 05, the 20-year-old came on for Karim Adeyemi as injury time approached. In the sport.de individual review, Gittens' brief appearance was summarized as follows: "He had no more ball action. It's bitter for him how little his qualities are in demand at the moment." In fact, the sporting decline of the England U21 international, who is said to be being chased by almost all top Premier League teams, in the second half of the season is as remarkable as it is alarming. Jamie Gittens no longer a factor at BVB under Kovac Under Nuri Sahin, Gittens scored eleven goals and provided four assists in 27 competitive matches, and repeatedly boosted Borussia's attacking play. At just 20 years old, he became a one-man showman. A few months later, he seems lonely and hardly talks to anyone anymore. His personal crisis has taken a noticeable toll on him, something Sebastian Kehl hasn't missed. "You can tell he's frustrated right now," the sporting director was recently quoted as saying by Bild. A look at the statistics reveals: Since Niko Kovac took office, Gittens hasn't scored a single point in eleven appearances. He was allowed to start six times, but seemed completely out of sorts when he had the chance to prove himself in the starting eleven. Gittens' performance data since the coaching change Competition Missions Starting eleven Goals Templates Playing minutes Bundesliga 7 3 0 0 252 Champions League 4 3 0 0 188 Or to put it in the words of BVB legend Kevin Großkreutz in his podcast: "If he has a good day, he's a world-class player; if not, he can play for us in the Westphalia League." Skirmishes on and off the pitch Significantly, instead of throwing himself into duels on the pitch, the London-born player, who moved from Manchester City's youth team to Dortmund in 2020, has recently become entangled in skirmishes several times. During the embarrassing 0-2 defeat in the local derby against VfL Bochum, Gittens got into a fight with his own fans, shouting "Shut up" at them. After the 0-0 draw against Sporting CP in the Champions League intermediate round second leg, in which the youngster was substituted at half-time (Kovac: "He played unluckily"), he disappeared from the stadium catacombs with a grim expression around ten minutes after the final whistle. And to make matters worse, Gittens also got into a minor dispute with his former teammate Marius Wolf during the 1-0 defeat to FC Augsburg. While such moments may occur every matchday, the scene speaks for itself and fits the picture of the past few weeks. Three-digit million transfer fee hoped for Gittens's slump is likely to have caused a few new concerns among Borussia Dortmund's management. After all, the Englishman is part of the Black and Yellows' sparsely-accrued silverware, and they reportedly promised a transfer fee in excess of €100 million in the event of a transfer . Since BVB can't expect the usual Champions League millions for the coming season, sales are automatically becoming a priority. In the first half of the season, Gittens was still considered the hottest asset, and his market value exploded in line with his form. But the hype has died down, and at the moment it seems difficult to imagine that an interested party ( FC Bayern Munich was also mentioned ) could be prepared to invest in the three-digit million range in the summer for the left winger, who is tied to the contract until 2028. Gittens "one of the losers of the coaching change" Perhaps Gittens simply "overperformed" last fall, as Kovac himself speculated at the beginning of the month ( video below ). So far, Sahin's successor hasn't managed to get the problem child back on track. His penchant for daring one-on-one duels doesn't fit with the new tactical approach, which is geared toward security by minimizing turnovers. René Langhoff, BVB expert for RTL , sees Gittens in a difficult position. "He's one of the losers of the coaching change. At the moment, it's very, very little," he summarized his recent impressions of the winger. While the 20-year-old's performance fluctuations must be allowed, partly due to his age, the dream of a three-digit million-euro transfer fee is currently "utopian" given his current form. Furthermore, he doesn't believe Gittens will be a "factor" as a starting eleven player in the final stretch of the season. So far, the right-footer, who is clearly lacking self-confidence, has simply experienced a "second half of the season to forget." A sentiment that many in Dortmund likely share. Gittens's decline is real – and there's no improvement in sight for the time being.

who is RV?

FAR better than Gittens

£14m https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66630792

because they failed for Cambiaso

Add GK Lucas Chevalier

😿

why would he leave the best team on the planet, one where he gets a lot of minutes? I screamed to buy him and Doue but of course we did not even really try most of that PSG team are players I so so wanted, many of my hard targets and despite the 'OMG, PSG spent so so much, they just bought a CL' backchat they get, they actually did NOT do crazy expensive buys at all for their current squad that played for them this season

If we had just gotten the points last season (2023/24) that we have gotten on average over the past other 5 years, we would be third, only 1.5 points behind 2nd place Citeh

our new LW will be one of these 5 in order of my preference Rodrygo Morgan Rogers Jamie Gittens Nico Williams Rafael Leão FUCK GARNACHO

Liverpool See £110m Bid for Florian Wirtz Rejected by Leverkusen https://www.givemesport.com/florian-wirtz-liverpool-update-germany-leverkusen/ Bayer Leverkusen have now rejected two offers from Liverpool for Florian Wirtz, and the two clubs are £17m apart in their valuations, according to German outlet Kicker. The Reds are pushing to secure the signature of Wirtz this summer as they aim to bring in a marquee signing for Arne Slot. After securing the Premier League title this season, the Merseyside club clearly want to kick on and take their side to the next level for the 2025/2026 campaign. The signing of Jeremie Frimpong has already been confirmed, but the Reds don't appear to be stopping there. Liverpool are also set to make a formal offer to sign Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who has already given the green light to make the move to Anfield this summer.

Sources: General transfer updates rounding up Ekitike, Osimhen, Gyokeres, Delap, Branthwaite, Guehi, Hato, Zabarnyi, Konsa, Gittens, Williams, Doku, Rodrygo, Eze, Rogers, Maignan, Garcia, and MORE.... https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-general-transfer-updates Just rounding up what I’ve heard over the weekend because I’ve not been on the site since Friday. I was on the Substack App chat section quite a bit, so some of this will be the same as I put on there. But I can only report what I know and if I’m not speaking on something, it means I have no new info or nothing has moved along in the story yet. Hugo Ekitike, Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, Liam Delap, and a second striker Chelsea are having talks with Hugo Ekitike’s agent this week, but it’s not the first time they have spoken with him. He’s been at a couple of games at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, and Ekitike is a striker Chelsea really like. Yes, the plan is still two strikers but again, that does not mean they definitely bring two. It’s dependent on other opportunities and Nicolas Jackson. Liverpool also still pursuing Ekitike. At the moment, Jackson is a bit unhappy at the club and could seek a move with interest coming in for him. However, we’ve also heard that there are chances he could be pushed to operate more on the left, if he stays and Chelsea bring two new strikers. Chelsea want to take Liam Delap to the Club World Cup and it’s up to them on that - We are unsure at the moment what they have decided to do and agreed with the player. Any new striker after Delap is now most likely going to be in the second summer transfer window after the CWC. Nothing has advanced for Victor Osimhen other than the internal talks putting a new move under consideration. It’s stayed as that so far. Viktor Gyokeres’ agent has been shopping him around and he has spoken with Chelsea recently, with The Blues interest being legit. However, like Osimhen, so far that hasn’t moved any further. I repeat, NO guarantee that a second striker arrives, it’s just something that they would ideally like to do if all pieces fall into place. But the work already done on Ekitike would suggest that they are still keen to bring him in as well, but have others on the list too. I’d absolutely NOT be ruling other names coming into it as well, some we have heard about, but also a completely new name from nowhere. Jarrad Branthwaite, Jorrel Hato, and defenders Chelsea want to sign Branthwaite this summer and would ideally do that before the CWC. But for now, Everton’s asking price stays too high. The player might need to push for the move, but he is more than open to it and appealed by Chelsea. Talks for Branthwaite have been ‘intensifying’ over the weekend as Chelsea push. Talks for Hato have been ongoing and he’s very much a keen option that Chelsea really like. Illia Zabarnyi of Bournemouth is still on our radar as well and I see him as being someone we might turn to if we cannot, or decide to not go for Branthwaite, or Marc Guehi, who is another top option still. Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa is another centre back Chelsea like and is on our shortlist. It’s likely that it would be two defender arrive but again, that’s dependent on outgoings. But the second defender would be an option to cover Marc Cucurella more than two out and out centre backs coming in. Chelsea would ideally like to take a new centre back to the CWC but again, they will not force anything. Nico Williams, Jamie Gittens, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, and left wingers Chelsea also ideally want to bring a new left winger for the CWC. They’ve always liked Jamie Gittens of Dortmund and he is the one we’ve seen as most likely up until a couple of weeks back. However, as reported last week, his asking price has inflated since Dortmund got Champions League football and that has put Chelsea off a bit. He’s still there though as a target. Rodrygo is just a dream target and unless something is going on there behind the scenes, I don’t see much developing here now. Chelsea would love to sign Morgan Rogers but so far Aston Villa are pricing him out of any move, they basically want more than £85m, for him. This is similar to Branthwaite, he would have to push for a move. Jeremy Doku is a new name who’s been discussed by Chelsea, as reported last week. But that would be dependent on what the player wants to do. I’ve not heard anything new on Alejandro Garnacho, but the interest has been there from Chelsea so I guess you cannot fully discount it at this stage. Eberechi Eze is basically wanted by every top club in Europe, and Chelsea are one of them. Some of these options would be more attacking midfielders than left wingers, so if any of them come in, it will be as well as an out and out winger. Again, nothing here is guaranteed and at the moment these are all just options being explored. An out and out winger for the left side is the priority, anything else will be a bonus buy and dependent on sales such as Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Goalkeepers Still hearing Mike Maignan noises but really, not much else to report on goalkeepers for now. Chelsea DO want to bring a new goalkeeper this summer, but it’s another situation they will look to move on after the CWC. Joan Garcia looks like he is going to Barcelona. But Chelsea have other targets there too. That’s all I know on everything and anything right now, I’ll always update on anything new I get as soon as I get it. Simon Phillips

Chelsea star confirms he's snubbing shock £50m Arsenal transfer: 'Now we’ll see' Chelsea sent Andrey Santos out on loan to sister club Strasbourg and could reap the benefits in the summer transfer window after the Brazilian midfielder performed brilliantly https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/Chelsea-arsenal-transfer-andrey-santos-35317090 Andrey Santos says he only has eyes for Chelsea after his sparkling form on loan at Strasbourg attracted attention from Arsenal. Santos is yet to make a single competitive appearance for Chelsea, but is already turning the heads of scouts thanks to a productive loan spell at the Blues’ French sister club. The 21-year-old midfielder racked up 11 goals and five assists in 34 appearances in all competitions for Strasbourg in 2024/25. He was signed by Chelsea for £13million back in January 2023 from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, but is still waiting for his first-team debut – something that has now been thrown into further doubt. Santos initially failed to get a work permit with Chelsea and was then loaned out to Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg to get game time. He has responded well, even captaining the French side on occasions, and there have been suggestions that Chelsea could cash in by selling the Brazilian for £50m, without him ever playing for the club. It was reported earlier this season that Arsenal were ‘working hard’ to sign Santos, while French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also interested. But Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has talked up Santos’ potential ahead of possible involvement at the Club World Cup this summer, and the player himself is keen to have a shot at success with his parent club. “Everyone knows about my love, my desire to play for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca was very sincere with me. I went to Strasbourg to get minutes. Now we’ll see how it goes at the Club World Cup,” he told the Daily Mail. “The affection from Chelsea fans is something very special as well. Ever since the news broke that I was going to Chelsea, they started sending me a lot of messages. Back when I was at Vasco, too. And I had the spell at Nottingham, where I didn’t play, but they sent me messages there too, I’d see some posts, they’d tag me on Instagram and Twitter.” He appears to have the backing of Boehly, who has hinted that Santos would play at the upcoming Club World Cup. “We are laser focused on the Club World Cup,” he said. “We have some players that are joining us [like] Andrey Santos. We are really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.“

Because I was pushing to buy him as a youth target from Reims (and got a little stck here way back when he struggled a tad at PSG) and because I do like his play I think I have some gravitas and weight to say that I am gobsmacked that Hugo Ekitike has a 100m euro price tag he is not yet, IMHO a 100m euro striker not sure IF he will ever be that it all seems a crazy expensive and massive gamble, at least to me just my tuppence..............................