Vesper

here is one of Governor Pete Ricketts' biggest supporters in the Nebraska Senate this is the type of madness that family supports

Cesar Azpilicueta's 'Chelsea contract is EXTENDED after he trigged a clause on appearances in his deal', ending fears he could walk away for nothing while the club is sanctioned - but the Blues captain COULD still leave with Barcelona keen on him Cesar Azpilicueta's Chelsea contract was due to expire at the end of the season But a one-year extension kicked in after he played a certain number of games This occurred just before sanctions were imposed on ex-owner Abramovich However, captain Azpilicueta could still leave the club amid Barcelona interest https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10663529/Cesar-Azpilicueta-Chelsea-contract-extended-Roman-Abramovich-sanctions-Barcelona-keen.html

EXCLUSIVE: Barcelona to open contract talks with Ousmane Dembele after his return to form under Xavi - which could impact on Catalans' attempt to sign Leeds winger Raphinha Barcelona have contemplating a move for Leeds winger Raphinha Ousmane Dembele has found form after being strongly linked with an exit The Spanish club are now ready to enter talks over a new contract https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10666003/Barcelona-open-talks-revitalised-Ousmane-Dembele-new-deal-despite-Raphinha.html

erm............5 years removed from winning the world Series in 2016: 2nd to dead last in their division

ffs, this cannot be happening, arrrrrfffff The Athletic: Group handling Chelsea sale want to sell them to unpopular party (the Ricketts) https://www.Chelsea-news.co/2022/03/athletic-group-handling-Chelsea-sale-want-to-sell-them-to-unpopular-party/ As we now sit here impatiently waiting for yet another deadline before even being close to finding out who the new owners of Chelsea FC will be, more gloomy news comes out about one of the parties. Chelsea fans have been making themselves heard in recent weeks on social media, putting their options across on all parties bidding on the club. But there has been one party who have largely been very unpopular amongst the Chelsea fan base for many reasons, The Ricketts Family. However, despite this, Raine Group, the ones handling the sale of the club, want to sell to The Ricketts Family, according to The Athletic today. The report believes that the Ricketts family ticks every box: they are rich, they are backed by somebody in Ken Griffin who is even richer, they have experience of running a big sports team from a major city, they have developed that team’s historic home and created an entertainment district adjacent to the stadium, and they have enjoyed sporting success. Luckily though, the decision does not solely rest with Raine Group, and we can remain hopeful that the others read the room here.

Borussia Dortmund are interested in Chelsea forward Timo Werner https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2022/03/transfer-news-borussia-dortmund-Chelsea-forward-timo-werner/ According to 90min (h/t Football.London), Borussia Dortmund are seemingly interested in Chelsea attacker Timo Werner. The German club has also recognized Anthony Martial as a prospective target before the start of next season. The 26-year-old has largely struggled to make his mark at Stamford Bridge since his arrival. His performances have blown hot and cold throughout his time at Chelsea and his on-field output has left the fans asking for more on several occasions. Werner has only bagged seven goals and clocked four assists in 28 matches across all competitions for the Blues this campaign. The Bundesliga club have been known to revitalise players and develop young prospective talent at the same time. They have become a transitory place for top products such as Robert Lewandowski, Jadon Sancho with their new crop of players like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham being touted for big things in the future. The West Londoners have struggled to open up opposing defences on several instances but Kai Havertz has provided Thomas Tuchel a dependable outlet up top in recent memory. This along with the 26-year-old German international’s lack of clinical finishing has seen him go down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Sweden crashed out of the WC ffs 😿 lost 2 nil to Poland we lost our last 3 games Isak has regressed so much he is shit atm Lindelöf is SHIT and our keeper was shit too

Christian Eriksen scores on emotional return to Parken Stadium where he collapsed https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-game/300553452/christian-eriksen-scores-on-emotional-return-to-parken-stadium-where-he-collapsed

Real Madrid see Dortmund's Jude Bellingham as Luka Modric replacement https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-transfer-talk/story/4627020/live-transfer-talk-real-madrid-see-dortmunds-jude-bellingham-as-luka-modric-replacement Real Madrid have identified Jude Bellingham as a target in 2023, according to Bild. The 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund star is seen as an ideal replacement for the 36-year-old Luka Modric as Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti looks to re-structure the midfield. It is reported that any deal could cost in the region of €100 million if the LaLiga side are to sign Bellingham, though they could risk the deal by waiting, with Liverpool recently linked with a potential move for the England international. Bellingham has remained a key player for BVB this season with three goals and seven assists in 25 Bundesliga appearances, and he is contracted at Signal Iduna Park until 2025.

Tchouameni to choose between Real Madrid and PSG https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2022/03/29/62430a8546163f3f7e8b45d5.html Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are involved in another transfer tussle, this time over Aurelien Tchouameni. A move to the Premier League should be ruled out for the Monaco midfielder, as Chelsea are facing a crisis after the UK government's sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich, while Manchester City are interested in him but don't consider the Frenchman as a priority target. Meanwhile, L'Equipe reported a few days ago that Monaco president Dimitri Rybolovlev is not satisfied with the club's management and he is contemplating a revolution by parting ways with vice-president Oleg Petrov, sporting director Paul Mitchell and even the coach Philippe Clement. Monaco would be willing to cash in on the youngster, whose services they acquired from Bordeaux in exchange for 18 million euros back in 2020. This has sparked a race to sign the talented 22-year-old midfielder. Another Camavinga case The French defensive midfielder, who is considered as one of the most talented prodigies in his position, will be asked to decide whether he wants to stay in his country or try his luck elsewhere by joining Real Madrid. Los Blancos and PSG were both interested in signing Eduardo Camavinga last summer, but the French club didn't make a move and he joined Real Madrid on deadline day. Real Madrid's head scout Juni Calafat travelled to Monaco last January to meet with Tchouameni's representatives, but, in the event the LaLiga Santander giants move for both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, they may not have 60 million euros to sign him. Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps already considers him as a starter alongside Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante in midfield and people at Real Madrid believe that the club should move for him in the summer, considering Tchouameni as the perfect long-term replacement for Casemiro. PSG's position on Tchouameni With the futures of Mauricio Pochettino and Leonardo up in the air, Nasser Al-Khelaifi is contemplating making changes in summer, with Zinedine Zidane the favourite to take over at PSG. Their intention is to strengthen their midfield, with Pogba an option, as his contract with Manchester United is coming to an end. However, PSG have also made their moves in their bid to attract Tchouameni's attention. His agent denies an agreement Tchouameni's agent Jonathan Kebe has stayed discreetly in the background, aware that time is on his side. The man who also represents Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde denied last week that there is already an agreement with Real Madrid.

tbf of the top 7 CF's in terms of valuation only Kane and Lukaku are nearing 30 (both are 28 atm, Lukaku turns 30yo right at next season's end, and Kane turns 30yo two months and two weeks later, before the season after the coming one starts) the others are all 21yo to 24yo atm of course the other two of the 'Big 9' (or Big 8 if you remove Mbappe as a CF) are Lewa (turns 34yo this August) and Benz (turns 35yo this December) Big Nine Big 8

Chelsea player wants to leave club on good terms, won't force exit, club could have to pay for him https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/report-Chelsea-player-wants-to-leave-club-on-good-terms-wont-force-exit-club-could-have-to-pay-for-him/ Cesar Azpilicueta will reportedly not push to leave Chelsea despite clear interest from Barcelona. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Spaniard is keen to part ways with the European champions on the best possible terms once his contract does finally expire. What is happening with Azpiliuceta? Azpilicueta was approaching the end of the road with the Blues, before the chain of command apparently activated a clause that unilaterally extended his stay for another year. Before then, he would’ve been able to leave South West London as a free agent. This almost played into Barca’s hands, as they look to snap up as many players on a free transfer as possible. They could potentially still sign him this summer, but for a fee rather than for free. Andreas Christensen seems to be on the verge of joining the La Liga side, as his fading contract has not yet been renewed by Chelsea. He probably won’t be followed by his current club captain until at least the following campaign. A true Blue Whilst Mundo Deportivo claim Azpilicueta views the option of moving to the Camp Nou very favourably, they also state he wants to see out the rest of his time at Stamford Bridge in the correct manner. Fans wouldn’t expect anything less from the skipper, who has been an extremely loyal servant for a decade. There isn’t a major honour the defender hasn’t got his hands on yet as a Chelsea player. His trophy cabinet could easily add a few more items before the term ends. Thomas Tuchel’s team are still in the Champions League and FA Cup, as well as mathematically maintaining hope of winning the Premier League. The gap between themselves and Manchester City is only 11 points, with Pep Guardiola’s men having played a game more than the chasing pack. Although it is probably out of reach this season, winning the league would be the perfect send-off for Azpi.

The main 16 (15 if you remove Raphinha) winger options (Chiesa is off the list due to his bad knee injury, he wont be ready to even try to buy until summer 2023, same for Florian Wirtz) some are AMF/Winger or CF/SS/Winger hybrid types Raphinha Christopher Nkunku (Insane production at AMF/winger, over 40 goals produced already) Serge Gnabry (if he doesn't renew with Bayern) Ousmane Dembélé Jarrod Bowen Mikel Oyarzabal Moussa Diaby Carlos Soler (AMF/CMF/Winger combo) Karim Adeyemi (more of a CF/SS, but can play winger, he is very young, just tuned 20) Arnaut Danjuma Cody Gakpo Allan Saint-Maximin Pedro Neto Ismaïla Sarr Charles De Ketelaere (AMF/SS/winger type, similar to Havertz, 21yo, 1.92m) Kamaldeen Sulemana I left Dybala off, as he only wants Atletico Madrid (on a free)

Ajax want £40m, which is too steep for me. That is one reason Barca backed off him and went for Raphinha.

Raphinha has already agreed to a 5 year contract with Barca, they are just waiting to see if Leeds get relegated (£25m if they do, £75m if they don't, or some crazy swaps, they (Leeds) are talking about wanting a 4 for 1. IF they stay up, Leeds wants Riqui Puig, Neto (backup keeper), Martin Braithwaite, and CB Óscar Mingueza, which is a great deal for Barca IF Leeds are not relegated. Those 4 added together are nowhere near £50m in worth IMHO, let alone £75m) I have a bad feeling that Dembele may re-sign, not sure IF he doesn't we should make a move

Broja is the way to go, as Osimhen is not going to happen atm, if ever I do not rate any of the other possible CF's out there who are remotely doable IF Lewa or Benz on a free, sure, BUT neither is in the cards this summer (both their contracts expire in 2023, but both may re-sign, not sure) after the big 9 (the top 7 CF's in valuation, IF you count Mbappe as a CF, plus add in Benz and Lewa) look the drop off: it is crazy (even more so if no Jota, see below) in order, starting at number 8 overall in TM valuation (I removed all Chels and Chels loanees) so many (the 10 in bold) are not even pure CFs (no clue why Jota is listed as a CF, when he is clearly a winger or a false nine, amd also, not related to that, he is BY far the best player atm out of these 40, Pool's winger/SS recruitment is insanely good) other than Adeyemi, hardly any of these interest me atm, for various reasons Diogo Jota Jonathan David Amine Gouiri (I do need to scout him more) Richarlison Gabriel Jesus Tammy Abraham Memphis Depay Dominic Calvert-Lewin Darwin Núñez Alexander Isak Patrik Schick Gerard Moreno André Silva Roberto Firmino Karim Adeyemi (was a teenager just 9 weeks ago) Youssef En-Nesyri Ollie Watkins Ivan Toney Matheus Cunha Gianluca Scamacca Sébastien Haller Álvaro Morata Ciro Immobile Duván Zapata Giacomo Raspadori Moise Kean Anthony Martial Andrea Belotti Wissam Ben Yedder Mauro Icardi Donyell Malen Gabriel Barbosa Iñaki Williams Sardar Azmoun Julián Álvarez Sasa Kalajdzic Patson Daka Raúl Jiménez Danny Ings Luis Muriel

wtf

Chelsea advisers aim for April 18 deadline to present preferred bid to ministers The four remaining bidders for Chelsea FC have been told by the bank handling the sale that it plans to present a preferred bid to the government during the week of April 18, Sky News learns. https://news.sky.com/story/Chelsea-advisers-aim-for-april-18-deadline-to-present-preferred-bid-to-ministers-12576754 Ministers and the Premier League will be presented with a preferred bid for Chelsea Football Club in three weeks' time, paving the way for a change of ownership to take place by the end of next month. Sky News has learnt that a letter sent to the four remaining contenders to buy the Blues over the weekend indicates that the government will be approached to issue a licence enabling the sale during the week of April 18. The additional detail underlines the speed at which Raine Group, the merchant bank overseeing the sale process, is conducting one of the most hotly contested corporate auctions in sporting history. Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, has publicly indicated that it will examine a preferred bidder under its owners and directors test as speedily as possible, citing a previous club takeover that was approved within ten days. In recent weeks, Sky News has exclusively revealed a series of key details of the Chelsea sale process as Roman Abramovich relinquishes control of the club he has owned since 2003. At the weekend, it emerged that the quartet of bidders had been handed a deadline of April 11 - the day before the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. They have been told by Raine that they must commit at least £1bn to future investment in the club if they are to succeed in the battle to end Mr Abramovich's tenure. The additional funding must be made available for the Blues' Stamford Bridge stadium, playing squad and other areas of development. Raine's insistence on the pool of capital for investment is likely to go some way to reassuring supporters that its new owner will continue to back it with the kind of significant financial resource they have become accustomed to under the Russian-born businessman. All four of the remaining bidders have significant experience in sports stadium infrastructure, a key consideration given Chelsea's long-standing dilemma about the expansion of Stamford Bridge, which has a capacity barely half that of Manchester United's Old Trafford home. Between them, the final bidders either control or own stakes in US teams including the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Cubs, the LA Dodgers, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings. Sir Martin Broughton, the former British Airways and Liverpool FC chairman, and Lord Coe, the former British Olympian turned sports administrator and businessman, are fronting a bid that has the financial firepower of Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer, two wealthy American financiers. That consortium also includes Vivek Ranadive, an Indian-born entrepreneur, and a syndicate of other investors from around the world whose identities are expected to be confirmed in the coming days. Another of the leading contenders is headed by Todd Boehly, the LA Dodgers part-owner, and includes Jonathan Goldstein, the London-based property developer, and Clearlake Capital, a US-based investment firm. A third group comprises the Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, and the Citadel hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, with the US investment bank Lazard in talks to advise it. The other remaining contender for Chelsea is a bid spearheaded by Stephen Pagliuca, an American private equity billionaire who owns the Boston Celtics and Atalanta in Italy's Serie A. Sources have said that Raine would assess the four bids against a set of criteria including the level of equity and debt funding; price; future investment commitments; speed and certainty of execution; and the claims each party has to being an appropriate steward of a prestigious sporting brand. Among the bidders who were eliminated from the process last week were offers fronted by the London-based property developer and lifelong Chelsea fan Nick Candy; the former US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson; Centricus, an asset manager; and Saudi Media Group, whose bid is said to have been largely debt-financed. The cluster of American sports billionaires circling Chelsea underlines the extent to which the English Premier League has become a magnet for financiers from across the Atlantic, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all having been acquired by US-based businessmen. Prior to being sanctioned, Mr Abramovich had said he intended to write off a £1.5bn loan to the club and hand the net proceeds from the sale to a new charity that he would set up to benefit the victims of the war in Ukraine. Last week, the government agreed to further amend the licence allowing Chelsea to continue operating, with the club now able to resume selling tickets for away matches. The proceeds are to be retained by the Premier League and earmarked for a Ukrainian war victims charity. Chelsea can also now receive £30m from the club's parent company to ease cashflow constraints caused by the current crisis. A rapid sale is seen as essential if Chelsea is to avert the uncertainty that would trigger the break-up of one of the top flight's most valuable playing squads. The current Fifa Club World Cup-winners have been thrown into disarray by Russia's war on Ukraine, with Mr Abramovich initially proposing to place the club in the care of its foundation and then formally putting it up for sale. Mr Abramovich had initially slapped a £3bn price tag on the Stamford Bridge outfit, with the net proceeds being donated to a charitable foundation set up to benefit the victims of the war in Ukraine.

Pessi is a massive PSG flop and VERY likely next season is his last there. His blocking of players on the Argie National Team is why it took him until the tail end of his carrier (and the weakest Copa America field since the 1970's) to finally win an international trophy. Neymar is so so often injured and he is ageing too. They are losing Mbappe. They obviously don't rate Icardi. Benz and Lewa are not going to PSG in this coming summer. Nor is Håland or Dušan Vlahović. Cristiano Ronaldo? I cannot see that, and are his legs up to CF on an 'attempting to win the CL' team? Nope. that leaves (big boy rep CF's) only a handful Harry Kane Romelu Lukaku Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen The only other one they can swoop in and fairly easily buy (via brute cash power) is Osimhen (which I would do, tbh)

PSG set sights on Romelu Lukaku after Chelsea bust-up https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-psg-set-sights-on-romelu-lukaku-after-Chelsea-bust-up/ Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku this summer, Football Insider understands. This site revealed last Sunday (20 March) that the club’s £97million record signing is “not happy” and wants to quit. A recruitment source has told Football Insider that PSG are eyeing a potential move for Lukaku as they look to rejig their attack in the upcoming window.

Chelsea 'clause' could see Blues re-sign £18m gem https://www.givemesport.com/87988592-Chelsea-clause-could-see-blues-re-sign-18m-gem Chelsea could eventually look to seal Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi’s return to Stamford Bridge thanks to a clause ‘which kicks in next summer’, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay. Guehi was only offered two senior appearances during his time on the Blues’ books, having featured on more than 100 occasions for the west Londoners at youth level, and it seems he could still have a future at Chelsea despite being allowed to leave the club last year. What’s the latest news involving Guehi? Guehi was offloaded to Palace last summer, with the Eagles willing to part with £18million in order to welcome him to Selhurst Park. The 21-year-old gem admitted to being ‘very excited’ after penning a five-year deal with Patrick Vieira’s side and there is no doubting that the move has paid off. Guehi has made 33 appearances for the Eagles, worn the captain’s armband on numerous occasions and also shown he is a threat in the opposition’s penalty area by chipping in with four goals. His impressive form has resulted in him earning a maiden call-up to the England international side, with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate revealing the Palace man has been fast-tracked into the squad. Central defender Guehi reacted to his selection by insisting he was ‘very proud’ to have been included in Southgate’s plans, while Eagles chief Vieira feels representing his country will result in the former Chelsea man growing in confidence after meeting ‘his ambition’. What has Tom Barclay said about Guehi? Barclay has confirmed that Chelsea inserted a clause into the deal which took Guehi to Palace which means they could still beat admirers to his signature further down the line. The journalist believes Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel could look to take advantage of the agreement from the summer of 2023. Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: “I don’t think they do have a buyback clause. My understanding is they have a clause, which kicks in next summer, where if another club makes a bid and it gets accepted then they have the right to match that bid and have it accepted. “His story at Chelsea might not definitely be over, but it’s not as simple as Tino Livramento, for example, where if they just offer close to £38million, they can get him back.” Are Chelsea regretting their decision to sell Guehi? It is understood that Guehi did initially feature in Tuchel’s plans ahead of Palace’s big-money offer, so it would appear the German did not want him to leave Stamford Bridge in the first place. With central defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen out-of-contract in the summer, along with right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea will now be wishing they had decided not to cash-in on their academy product. As it stands, the Blues will have six central defenders on their books next term, but that includes Ethan Ampadu, Matt Miazga and Jake Clarke-Salter, who are all currently out on loan. The sanctioning of Roman Abramovich means Chelsea are not able to put summer transfer plans into action until the Russian oligarch is replaced as owner of the club.

assuming those two are off the board, and Chiesa and Wtrz are bow too, due to injury here are our many options for Winger/AMF/SS I am listing every remotely possible option of any decent quality Serge Gnabry (if he doesn't renew with Bayern) Mikel Oyarzabal Christopher Nkunku (Insane production at AMF/winger, over 40 goals produced already) Moussa Diaby Carlos Soler (AMF/CMF/Winger combo) Karim Adeyemi (more of a CF/SS, but can play winger, he is very young, just tuned 20) Arnaut Danjuma Jarrod Bowen Paulo Dybala (on a free) Yéremy Pino Allan Saint-Maximin Pedro Neto Domenico Berardi Rafael Leão Antony Hirving Lozano Ridle Baku (can play RB as well) Dominik Szoboszlai Ismaïla Sarr Cody Gakpo Charles De Ketelaere Noa Lang Kamaldeen Sulemana Jérémy Doku Samuel Chukwueze

that is why he was not on my list 😿