Vesper

serial winner 11 topflight trophies, including a career quintuple (a league title, the major domestic cup, the EL, the CL, and the WC) the only thing he is missing is the Euros trophy (thought he would get that this year), the Super Cup, and the FWCC (if he stayed he could have gotten the last two) Honours Montpellier Ligue 1: 2011–12 Arsenal FA Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17 FA Community Shield: 2014, 2015, 2017 Chelsea FA Cup: 2017–18 UEFA Champions League: 2020–21 UEFA Europa League: 2018–19 France FIFA World Cup: 2018 Individual UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2011–12 UEFA European Championship Bronze Boot: 2016 FIFA Puskás Award: 2017 UEFA Europa League top scorer: 2018–19 (11 goals) UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19 Orders Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2018

Milan News: Milan reach agreement with Chelsea over Giroud – operation will cost €8-9m in total (edited to add that figure includes Giroud's salary, so it was bang on) https://sempremilan.com/mn-milan-reach-agreement-with-Chelsea-over-giroud-operation-will-cost-e8-9m-in-total AC Milan have reached an agreement with both Chelsea and Olivier Giroud over the transfer of the striker to Italy, a report claims. It has been well documented that the Rossoneri are in the market for a new striker who can be the deputy to Zlatan Ibrahimovic given the Swede will turn 40 before the end of the year and has struggled with injury problems. According to what is being reported by MilanNews, Milan have reached an agreement with Chelsea for Giroud. The Rossoneri will pay Chelsea a figure of €1m plus €1m in bonuses given that they renewed his contract until 2022, meaning they were able to command a fee. A two-year contract worth €3.5m net per year plus bonuses is ready for the French centre-forward. Only medical examinations, and signatures are missing and then the former Arsenal man is ready to become a new Milan player and try Serie A for the first time.

Chelsea boss Tuchel might finally be able to sign 'very strong' player whom he wanted at PSG https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/Chelsea-boss-tuchel-might-finally-be-able-to-sign-very-strong-player-whom-he-wanted-at-psg/ Thomas Tuchel has previously admitted that he would love to have “strong” Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in his Paris Saint-Germain team — and now he might have the opportunity to sign him at Chelsea. The 18-year-old whose contract at Rennes expires next summer (in 2022) sensation is reportedly set for a summer move to another club. According to Le Parisien journalist Julien Laurens, Chelsea are one of the four clubs currently in the transfer race for the young midfielder. The French journalist also claims that the Blues have also been in contact with Camavinga’s agent, Jonathan Barnett. Obviously, despite his talent, many would still question whether Chelsea really need him, especially at given his reported €40-50million price tag. Bear in mind, they have recently sent Billy Gilmour, who is arguably as talented, on loan to Norwich City. But if it was down to Tuchel, he would likely not hesitate to pull the trigger — at least if he has not changed his mind. Back in September 2020, just a few months prior to his arrival at Chelsea, he already had his say about the France international. “Would I like to have him on my team? Yes, of course,” Tuchel said about the rumours about Camavinga’s potentially joining PSG last summer (via Goal). “But I can’t talk about other players, who are not from my team. “He’s one of the best players in Ligue 1. “He’s a great player, very strong, with a great future. But he also plays in a great team which plays in the Champions League. “But that’s not how it goes, it’s not Monopoly! “I’m not going to say not to recruit him, but that’s not how it goes.”

he is still around occasionally, but he changed his profile pic from that superb photo of Cruyff smoking a fag whilst managing Barca 😿

Former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos reveals why he joined PSG amid Chelsea transfer links Sergio Ramos has officially completed his move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, meaning Chelsea's hopes of signing the experienced defender are over https://www.football.london/Chelsea-fc/transfer-news/sergio-ramos-transfer-Chelsea-psg-21004080 I can sum it up the article is bullshit

Chelsea star 'refuses to report for pre-season' as he seeks permanent Stamford Bridge exit Brazilian Kenedy will not return to Chelsea until his future is agreed https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1460132/Chelsea-transfer-news-Kenedy-Thomas-Tuchel-preseason-training-Premier-League-news Bruno Spindel, executive director of Flamengo, last week confirmed their interest in Kenedy. He told Extra: "He's a very interesting athlete. He had a great season, we would really like to have him, "Because of the financial situation and everything that happened to him, it is a very difficult negotiation," said the executive. The 25-year-old has been on loan at Spanish side Granada and impressed last season, making 44 appearances, and scoring eight goals. Flamengo want him on loan, however apparently no such negotiations have so far taken place with Chelsea. Flamenco’s director concedes it could be a difficult acquisition, as Kenedy is still contracted to the Blues, and would also command a high salary. According to Extra, the player is currently residing in Brazil, rather than reporting back for Thomas Tuchel’s pre-season training camp. Kenedy has not had many chances at Chelsea since joining in 2015 for around £6.2million. Since then, he’s made just 27 appearances for the Blues, and only scored three times. Instead, Chelsea managers have chosen to send the Brazilian out on loan, and he has so far had spells at Watford, Newcastle United, Getafe, and most recently Granada. It would appear he has grown more and more frustrated at Chelsea, which is unsurprising given the number of chances he’s been given. The winger’s apparent decision to not return to England will not go down well in Tuchel’s books. By trying to drag out quite an unnecessary saga with Chelsea, the issue is likely only to become prolonged and tiresome for all parties involved. Competition in Tuchel’s squad has only increased after last season’s emphatic Champions League win. Everyone will be wanting to prove to the German boss that they belong, and deserve, a place in his team. A return to Brazil could settle Kenedy, and at only 25 years old, he could rediscover the form that got him his big move six years ago. However, the future doesn’t look bright for Kenedy if he continues to cause Chelsea problems. It could just be a sign of the player finally wanting out, but the way he’s gone about it will burn bridges in England and give him a reputation that will become hard to come back from. Kenedy’s frustration seems to have now hit boiling point, and only time will tell when and how it is resolved.

A viral lie about the USWNT was amplified by right-wing media. It wasn’t the first time https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/08/a-viral-lie-about-the-uswnt-was-amplified-by-right-wing-media-it-wasnt-the-first-time The last send-off match before the US women’s national team begin their Olympic campaign was pretty standard fare for the best team in the world. The USWNT beat Mexico by 4-0 and, as is usually the case, they looked good doing it, setting themselves up as the favourites to win gold in Tokyo. It was the day after Independence Day, and a World War II veteran named Pete DuPré played the Star-Spangled Banner on a harmonica before the game. This was also usual – the USWNT have often taken opportunities to honour those who fought for their country, like when the team took time away from 2019 World Cup preparations in France to visit the site of the Normandy invasion and speak with US veterans who fought there. But the next day, when everyone presumably should’ve been talking about how strong the USWNT looked against Mexico, I received a reply to one of my tweets about the team: “Our families will never support women’s soccer until there is an apology to the 98-year-old veteran and the US military! No class to turn your back on the flag and an American hero! Shameful!” Huh? That was when I was abruptly pulled into an alternate universe – a bizarro world with its own narratives and set of facts around the USWNT, designed by right-wing propagandists and built on outrage. The claim? That the unpatriotic USWNT turned their backs on DuPré during the anthem in a show of disrespect. The reality? The players – all standing, many with their hands over their hearts – had turned to face the flag directly in a show of respect as the flag is placed at the end of Rentschler Field. Even faced with it, many propagandists refused to acknowledge reality. Sean Spicer, who is most famous for repeatedly lying on behalf of Donald Trump as White House press secretary, left up his original tweet spreading the lie without a follow-up. Another former member of the Trump administration doubled down, changing the lie every time he got fact-checked. Fox News ran a segment on it, and declared it will still be a story as protests occur at the Olympics, despite acknowledging the truth, which the right-wing network framed as a he-said, she-said. How did the USWNT end up in this strange place? The USWNT have a history of outspokenness on everything from challenging gender norms on the soccer field to fighting for better treatment off of it. They’ve ruffled feathers before. But only in 2019 after Trump tweeted at Megan Rapinoe did the disinformation-fueled bizarro world fully take shape around the USWNT. Apparently hurt by her suggestion that she wouldn’t visit the White House if the US won the World Cup, Trump scolded Rapinoe to “never disrespect our country, the White House, or our flag.” Quickly, the right-wing echo chamber followed his lead. People who had never heard of the USWNT were suddenly trying to undermine the team. People who couldn’t correctly pronounce Rapinoe’s name dredged up stories of her past protests during the national anthem, falsely claiming it was to disrespect the military and the flag. Rapinoe had already stated that she kneeled to highlight racial inequities in America, writing: “…It is because of my utmost respect for the flag and the promise it represents that I have chosen to demonstrate in this way. When I take a knee, I am facing the flag with my full body, staring straight into the heart of our country’s ultimate symbol of freedom – because I believe it is my responsibility, just as it is yours, to ensure that freedom is afforded to everyone in this country.” To anyone outside of the bizarro world, there’s an absurd irony to lies designed to paint the USWNT as lacking American values. There are few athletes who can say they have won as many trophies on behalf of the United States as the members of the USWNT. These women – who are not a monolith, have views across the political spectrum and in some ways mirror the diversity of America itself – have single-handedly done more to demonstrate America’s greatness than any of the right-wing trolls who try to discredit them. Perhaps that’s why such noise and nonsense has never bothered the USWNT much. During the World Cup in France when the players were asked about distractions, from Trump or anyone else, the players mostly shrugged it off. They talked about their ability to compartmentalize and their self-made “bubble” where they ignored outside chatter – and they simply continued to do their jobs. That’s no truer than in the case of Rapinoe. Trump made her the target of his loyal fan base, but she was unflappable – two days later she scored twice to lift the USWNT over France in the World Cup quarter–final. She would score again in the final, which the USWNT won in a story of American greatness. And that’s when I first stumbled into the USWNT bizarro world of right-wing disinformation. When Fox News Radio asked to speak with me the day after the final, I didn’t think much of it – I had recently published a book about the history of the USWNT and, in promoting it, I had done dozens of radio and podcast interviews with various outlets before and during the World Cup, all of which were fun. The Fox News producer told me they wanted to talk about the game. Turns out, he lied. The host mostly wanted to talk about how unpatriotic Megan Rapinoe was and how her teammates must be sick of her, neither of which was true and I easily debunked. The host also zeroed in on a moment where USWNT players accidentally dropped the flag while celebrating as proof of their disrespect for America – an overblown moment I had to look up after the interview because no one outside of bizarro world was talking about it. The host then pulled out a popular lie about the USWNT and women’s soccer: the men’s World Cup earns more money than the Women’s World Cup, thus the women don’t deserve more prize money. I explained that such information isn’t just wrong, it doesn’t exist: Fifa bundles revenue for all its World Cup events and doesn’t know the individual revenue generated by any of them. (Commonly cited numbers are the result of a Forbes editor misreading a chart and publishing misinformation.) The host did not care, and I could tell she was annoyed by me debunking her talking points. As soon as the World Cup ended, a new disinformation campaign emerged. The Christian Broadcasting Network interviewed Jaelene Hinkle, a USWNT prospect who refused a call-up in 2017 because she didn’t support the team’s initiative to raise money for an anti-homophobia sports organization. “Apparently, the US women’s Football team is not a very welcoming place for Christians,” the viral tweet claimed, setting off outrage among conservatives. In bizarro world, the USWNT is hostile to Christianity. In the real world, many of the players on the USWNT are Christians, and they huddle together and pray before games. Before the 2019 World Cup, for instance, Julie Ertz spoke about Bible study with her teammates, telling a Christian sports magazine: “These Bible studies really help me grow and keep me accountable. It brings me closer to my teammates – we continue to grow as players and persons.” USWNT manager Jill Ellis later explained that Hinkle ultimately didn’t keep earning call-ups because, as a one-dimensional fullback in the NWSL, she was behind the USWNT’s other defenders. “If you look across the back line, all of those players can play at least two positions,” Ellis said. It’s fitting, perhaps, that as the USWNT embark on another big tournament, this time the Olympics in Japan, the team is facing disinformation again. The more this tough, strong-willed group of women wins, the more some so-called patriots root against the United States. Just don’t expect it to affect the USWNT much – after all, they exist in the real world, where they are the best team on the planet, and there’s no outside pressure greater than what the players put on themselves. As Ellis once said: “People tend not to realize the US team lives in pressure. There is always a target on your back. The players are built for this.”

West Ham is talking a minimum of £90-100m and they hold all the cards. They have zero reason to sell, and all the reasons in the world not to. IF they hold onto that side and do some smart upgrades (especially at CB and CF, and yes, they often do stupid buys, but not lately), they are true top 4 contenders.

Jorginho is the Sarri disciple who is making Chelsea and Italy tick. Could he win the Ballon d’Or? https://theathletic.com/2693307/2021/07/08/jorginho-is-the-sarri-disciple-who-is-making-Chelsea-and-italy-tick-could-he-win-the-ballon-dor/ Do you think Jorginho will do that little hop when he walks up to collect the Ballon d’Or? It’s a joke, but also a scenario that no longer feels entirely beyond the realm of possibility. Euro 2020 was viewed by many as N’Golo Kante’s opportunity to make his case for winning the most prestigious individual prize in football undeniable, but instead it’s his partner in the Chelsea midfield who stands on the brink of burnishing the Champions League glory of May with a key contribution to another momentous triumph. Maurizio Sarri thinks it’s on the table. “If he wins the European Championship, he is a candidate for the Ballon d’Or,” Sarri said of Jorginho in an interview with Sportitalia. “He’s a refined player and that’s why everyone doesn’t understand him. He makes everything seem easy, it’s his greatness.” That’s not surprising; Sarri is Jorginho’s biggest champion and will always be the coach most closely associated with him. But, over the past two years, Chelsea’s most divisive midfielder has successfully untethered himself from the man under whom he first made his name, bolstering his reputation by distinguishing himself in very different midfield contexts for club and country. A matter of weeks after conquering Manchester City in Porto as one half of Thomas Tuchel’s “double six”, Jorginho has shone as the deepest passer in Roberto Mancini’s dynamic three-man Italy midfield — and in the space of two potentially defining matches for his team at Euro 2020, against Belgium and Spain, he has showcased the full range of what he can bring to a winning team. Italy’s quarter-final victory over Belgium featured a trademark Jorginho performance. He touched the ball 85 times and played 72 passes, ranking behind only Marco Verratti on his team in terms of both categories, though his 98.6 per cent accuracy was the highest among all starters on both sides. Many of those passes were short, sideways or backwards offloads to help Mancini’s men maintain control, but there was also a sprinkling of more progressive distribution. In the second minute, he clips the ball first-time into the right channel for Federico Chiesa to chase, enabling the Juventus forward to put Belgium on the defensive. Later in the first half, having lulled Belgium’s attackers to sleep with a series of short passes, he slips the ball between Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku to Verratti with space to advance. Shortly after the interval, he skips out one team-mate with a sharp diagonal pass to find an unmarked Lorenzo Insigne, giving the Napoli star a chance to drive into the penalty area… … Insigne is eventually forced to check back and pass the ball out. Jorginho controls it, evades pressure from behind by the recovering Kevin De Bruyne, then picks the right moment to give the ball back to Insigne with room to attempt another threatening dribble. Midway through the second half, Jorginho pulls off his most impressive pass of the match: a first-time half-volley out to the left flank, enabling Insigne to isolate his defender again. There were also examples of his intelligent manipulation of space. Here Jorginho offloads the ball to his left, before jogging into an advanced position in Insigne’s usual spot on the left wing… He gets it back and quickly slips it inside to Insigne, who is able to swivel and hit a fierce shot that forces Thibaut Courtois into a good save. Jorginho has been a slightly more creative presence for Italy at Euro 2020 than he generally is for Chelsea. His shot-creating actions — defined as dribbles, passes or fouls drawn that lead directly to a shot for his team — stand at 2.62 per 90 minutes for this tournament, up from 2.28 in the Premier League last season. The below graphic, which shows all of Jorginho’s touches at Euro 2020, also indicates that his on-ball contributions are happening across a wider area of the pitch. But if Chelsea’s run to Champions League glory taught us anything, it’s that Jorginho has more to his game than high-volume, high-efficiency passing – particularly in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, when he provided the defensive foundation in midfield while Kante burst forward to cause chaos in the Spanish giants’ defence. All of those defensive instincts were called upon against Spain at Wembley, which must be classed as Jorginho’s worst passing game in recent memory. He touched the ball 51 times in 120 minutes, attempting just 33 passes with 78.8 per cent accuracy. For context, his only 90-minute appearance with fewer touches last season was the Champions League final, and the only comparable matches from 2020-21 in terms of his passing volume and efficiency were the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid at home (38 passes attempted) and victory against City in Porto (79.5 per cent pass accuracy). Luis Enrique’s men pressed ferociously to ensure they enjoyed 70.1 per cent possession and, as the below graphic illustrates, most of Jorginho’s forward passes in the match were either clearances or hopeful punts upfield that failed to find a team-mate. He did, however, make an impressive eight interceptions — more than any other Italian player and a record for any player in a single match in the last two European Championship — to help slow the Spanish onslaught. In the early stages of the semi-final, these occurred in the opposition half as Mancini’s men pressed high; here he picks off a sloppy Sergio Busquets pass out of defence… … and immediately lays it off to Chiesa to lead an attack. Midway through the first half, he anticipates Mikel Oyarzabal checking back into midfield… … and nicks the ball away from him, enabling Italy to remain on the front foot. Shortly before half-time, Busquets tries to slip the ball left to Pedri with a drag back and flick, but Jorginho reads it… … and pokes the ball away upfield towards Ciro Immobile. Early in the second half, he recognises the threat of Spain releasing Ferran Torres with a quick pass over the top… … and puts himself in position to cut out the ball, knocking it down to a teammate. Italy hardly shut down Spain, who still managed to generate an expected goals (xG) rating of 1.77 through the 120 minutes and find an equaliser through substitute Alvaro Morata. There were moments when Jorginho’s athletic limitations were exposed, particularly once Luis Enrique injected more speed and direct running into his front line. But overall he did enough to help his team get to penalties and, once there, wheeled out his party piece when the pressure was on: hopping into the air as Wembley held its breath, sitting down Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon and passing the decisive spot kick into the corner of the net with an almost comical level of composure. “In that moment, I tried to forget what was going on around me, to do what I’d trained to do,” he said simply when asked about the 35th successful penalty of 41 taken in his professional career after the match. “I breathed as I do to be more focused and then I did what I had to do.” Is the Ballon d’Or realistic? If winning the Champions League and European Championship in the same year would have been enough to make Kante a credible candidate in the eyes of many, the same should probably be true of Jorginho. Could we even say the same for Mason Mount if England triumph on Sunday? There is always a degree of folly in debating individual awards in a team sport; excellence can be specific but success in football is always collective, and determining individual credit for it will always be an “eye of the beholder” conversation with no right or wrong answer. What can be said with confidence is that Jorginho is playing the most impactful, winning football of his career for club and country right now. His performances on the biggest stages have entrenched him as a key player for Chelsea and Italy, moving him well beyond his long-held status as the divisive symbol of “Sarriball”. That transformation is secure regardless of whether or not Jorginho becomes a European champion for the second time in as many months on Sunday — and it’s the most impressive achievement of all.

Metro has the same credibility as a hot wet turd, baking in the late July sun on the cobblestones of a certain Gropecunt Lane.

lol, the delusional scousers think they will get Damsgaard for £6m 🤪 Mikkel Damsgaard is the £6m signing who could be perfect new Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool Mikkel Damsgaard has drawn comparisons with Philippe Coutinho for the position he plays for Denmark https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mikkel-damsgaard-liverpool-signing-coutinho-20885064

Arsenal offer £17.1m midfielder Houssem Aouar https://le10sport.com/football/mercato/exclu-mercato-ol-arsenal-vient-de-degainer-pour-aouar-557339

#Calciomercato,#Milan | The deal with Chelsea for #Giroud close to closure, but there is something new: the details

Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi avoids driving ban after speeding at 90mph in £140k Mercedes https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/Chelsea-callum-hudson-odoi-speeding-24478020 Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has been fined more than £800 and handed six penalty points after being caught speeding at 90mph in his £140,000 Mercedes. The 20-year-old was pulled over by police in August last year on the A3 in Merton, south London, on his way to training. Hudson-Odoi admitted speeding and claimed he was running late because of a road closure and was trying to make up for lost time. He was not disqualified from driving but was warned he now has nine points on his licence - which means any more driving offences could see him automatically banned for six months.

JORGINHO DOES THE ‘ICE TRAE’ AND GETS A REACTION FROM THE ATLANTA HAWKS PLAYER https://football-italia.net/jorginho-does-the-ice-trae-and-gets-a-reaction-from-the-atlanta-hawks-star/ Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young responded to Jorginho’s ‘ice cold’ celebration after the decisive penalty between Italy and Spain on Tuesday. The Chelsea midfielder scored the decider when the Azzurri qualified for the EURO 2020 Final winning 4-2 on penalties, as the match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. Jorginho’s penalty was in fact ice cold, as he skipped and sent Unai Simon in the wrong direction before celebrating the goal in the same way Trae Young does. The European Championship is not going unnoticed overseas and the professional basketball player can be added to one of the followers of Italy, as he responded to the Brazilian-born midfielder’s celebration on Twitter.

🇮🇹 Italy Hero Jorginho's Top Tips On Keeping Calm and Composed | Like a Pro Chelsea Football Club 2.91M subscribers What's going through Jorginho's head during his trademark penalty run-up? And how does he keep cool under the pressure of taking a spot-kick? The Blues midfielder tells all exclusively in Like a Pro... Download Chelsea FC's official mobile app: -App Store https://apple.co/2vvlN9t -Play Store http://bit.ly/2MfNJHX Subscribe: http://che.lc/YTsubscribe To watch more EXCLUSIVE Chelsea content go to: http://che.lc/YTwebsite

PSG in Sergio Ramos blunder as quotes published before official signing announced https://www.goal.com/en/news/psg-in-sergio-ramos-blunder-as-quotes-published-before/1s1gundtqpk6j1si889t4xedlm

fair point as well 👍🏽

A fair chunk of that 10% seem to have a nest here.

Jorginho has won me over under Tuchel. I am not ashamed to admit I was wrong as fuck about him and about Kante (in my defence about Kante, it really WAS just a matter of getting him healthy again, after Sarri ran him into the mud.) We just need to keep in strengthening with younger players to both augment and eventually replace them in a few years or so. We need an actual physical beast DMF as well, as we have none on the roster, and a creative CMF.

zero chance of that (Kova being sold to fund Rice)

I cannot see us making a move for Ings, who is 29yo in 2 weeks and has a shit injury history, BUT his refusal to renew will likely fuck us to a point in unloading Tammy for a decent price, as the same clubs who want Tammy also will now go for Ings (West Ham, Villa, etc)

I keep seeing Isak mentioned we are NOT paying 90m euros for him (his new release clause as he just renewed until 2026)

I showed it was bollocks before with a massive post you can lead a horse to water, but................................... NT AC starts recently in a back 4, and one where he came into a back 4