Vesper

2 points 1. It never said it was the sole or even main reason. 2. We paid the most agent fees in the EPL (not all of UEFA) at a wee bit over £35m for the whole 12 months, BUT that includes all those buys, plus agents' cuts from loans (IF they were not paid by the loanee, as FIFA banned motherfuckers from working BOTH (or even all 3, if you count the player getting raped as well) sides, like that piece of dogshit Mino did with the Pogba deal, where BOTH Manure AND Juve paid that cockwomble, and SO DID POGBA himself, a triple play payday, he ended up pocketing almost 50m euros!) that reduced our intake from those, etc.

this is likely bollocks, but at this point, who knows Tuchel blocks this 30-year-old star’s Chelsea exit against Granovskaia’s wishes https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2021/06/30/tuchel-blocks-marcos-alonso-exit-from-Chelsea-despite-granovskaias-plan/ Transfer News: Thomas Tuchel blocks Marcos Alonso exit from Chelsea According to transfer news from Express, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel blocked an exit for Marcos Alonso. The manager is said to have gone against transfer chief Marina Granovskaia, who wanted to sell the Spanish wing-back to Barcelona. Alonso has had a stop-start career at Chelsea so far. The 30-year-old played his best football in the first two seasons after joining when Antonio Conte was in charge and used him as a wing-back. Over the next two years, Alonso struggled to play in a back four as a conventional full-back. However, right in Thomas Tuchel’s first game, Alonso was restored not only to the starting XI but also to the wing-back role he flourishes in. Since then, he has featured for the side but not on a consistent basis due to Ben Chilwell’s presence. It was looking as if Alonso was pretty much on his way out of the club as Barcelona wanted to sign him. However, Tuchel is said to have gone against Granovskaia as he wants to keep the defender at all costs. The manager apparently wants to keep him due to the flexibility he offers.

just tossing those articles out there for discussion, I am not endorsing their reasoning

Chelsea doesn’t necessarily need to sign a striker right now https://theprideoflondon.com/2021/06/29/Chelsea-doesnt-necessarily-need-striker/ Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time one month ago today. Despite some underwhelming debutants, a managerial change, a domestic struggle and a few other hurdles during the campaign, the Blues managed to win club football’s largest prize. Thomas Tuchel will now be given a preseason to address any concerns he has in his side as Chelsea looks to defend its title. Part of this process requires the addition and subtraction of some first team players. The transfer window opened up earlier this month and although the Blues have been relatively uninvolved thus far, that isn’t expected to be the case in a few weeks. The continent’s top players, and a plethora of Chelsea targets, are still involved in the 2020 European Championships. This means the transactions of said prospects are relatively impossible for the time being; that won’t be the case for long though. Roman Abramovich has reportedly given Tuchel a massive budget to work with as he chases more trophies. One of the main positions that Blues supporters have begged their team to address is the striker spot, but that might not be necessary right now. Chelsea doesn’t exactly need a new striker at this moment in time. Three names have been heavily linked with Chelsea, each would be dream signings. Those individuals are Harry Kane (Tottenham), Erling Haaland (Dortmund) and Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan). Each potential transfer poses its own unique challenges though. The mountain to climb in the pursuit of Kane is Daniel Levy’s stubbornness. A deal for the English No. 9 is unlikely due to the rivalry between the two clubs, but there is no doubt Marina Granovskaia will try to work her magic regardless. Stubbornness presents itself as a worthy opponent again as it relates to the Haaland rumors. Dortmund has shown the world during the Jadon Sancho saga that it means business. When the so-called “world’s largest selling club” puts a price on a player, it stays true to that figure until the fee is paid or the window slams shut. Haaland’s price tag is massive, so it’s truly a question of whether or not Abramovich considers the striker worth the money. Lastly, Lukaku has publicly expressed his desire to remain in Italy, despite the departure of Antonio Conte. Any move for the Belgian forward would require a large fee, but at the end of the day, the player decides what his future holds. If Chelsea is unable to secure the services of any of these strikers, it’s got a few more options. Alexander Isak and Dusan Vlahovic are two promising, young stars the Blues could pursue. They both enjoyed fantastic domestic seasons in La Liga and Serie A respectively, but there are questions about the longevity of their successes, unlike with the aforementioned trio. Supporters of the reigning European Champions don’t always see eye-to-eye, they do all agree that Chelsea cannot revert back to its pre-transfer ban strategy though. The Blues purchased a handful of individuals during that period who are widely regarded as horrible deals in hindsight. For this reason, it’s not necessary for Chelsea to target a striker on the market should Kane, Haaland and Lukaku stay put. The Blues had their fair share of attacking struggles last season. They didn’t always play the free-flowing, attacking football some have hoped for under Tuchel. Nevertheless, Chelsea got results. A top four finish, an FA Cup final appearance and a UCL trophy are nothing to dismiss. It’s easy to blame the No. 9s or a manager’s tactics when teams aren’t scoring, but perhaps it’s something more. It was recently concluded that the Blues’ problem is the fact they do not create enough chances; as opposed to the strikers’ play. If Chelsea is unable to sign Kane, Haaland or Lukaku, it should focus its resources on identifying a proper playmaker. The Blues currently have a handful of players capable of playing striker in Werner, Kai Havertz, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud. It must be said that until the latter two are sold, they are still a part of this teams’ plans. Out of those four individuals, Tuchel should surely be able to make something work given the fact they’re all proven goalscorers. Having a world class No. 9 at your disposal never hurts. Elite goalscorers are a luxury in modern day football. That being said, it’s not required to succeed. One doesn’t have to look outside of England to see examples of clubs succeeding while lacking a traditional striker. Liverpool won the Champions League and Premier League with Roberto Firmino up top. Man City won the Premier League and made a UCL final last season playing a false nine for the majority of the campaign. As mentioned earlier, the Blues won the Champions League with Werner and Havertz rotating up top. A world class striker was nowhere to be found in any of these teams (at least not yet in the latter’s case), yet they achieved great success in the world’s two biggest leagues. The Blues are still in a position to triumph if they don’t bring in a striker this summer. Havertz has seemingly found his form at Euro 2020, which is music to Tuchel’s ears. The 22-year-old is one of the most lethal finishers in England on his day and he played well whenever deployed up top last season. Many fans—myself included—would like to see the German get a run of matches leading the line because Chelsea may have itself a true talent already at Cobham. All of this goes without saying the talk of strikers is contingent upon the outgoing moves and potential transfers. The discussion shifts to not needing a “starting caliber No. 9” if both Giroud and Abraham depart. Further, if any of Kane, Haaland or Lukaku become available, the Blues must act swiftly to sign them. If none of this happens, however, Chelsea will be fine with what it has up top so long as it creates more goal scoring opportunities.

Chelsea: Can the Blues excel after a transferless window? https://theprideoflondon.com/2021/06/30/Chelsea-blues-excel-transferless-window/ The question of whether Chelsea could skip the summer transfer window altogether and still thrive is one worth taking a look at for Chelsea Nation. As outrageous or repugnant as it may seem, there may be an argument that should Chelsea do absolutely nothing in the realm of player acquisition this summer, they may be just fine. So let’s take a look at this positionally and see if that proposition is completely ridiculous or just might be a legitimate if not exciting strategy. For the sake of this argument, let’s assume manager Thomas Tuchel sticks with his 3-4-2-1 formation. Before commencing this evaluation, let’s put this on the table, this space has advocated quite vociferously for the acquisition of Erling Haaland at any cost, e.g. 150M pounds or so. That signing alone would make this summer window a super success. There are other transfers that could also improve the squad, but let’s just say that none of these opportunities or possibilities emerges. If not, what does the side look like in 2021/22, and could they challenge for the Premier League title and other silverware? Let’s look at the positions. First, at the keeper, the top guy is clear with Edouard Mendy. Backing him up at present is only Kepa Arrizabalaga and no one else. While Arrizabalaga may be a decent backup he’s not up to snuff if he has to step up and step in as the starter. Since Mendy could be injured and will also go to the African Cup of Nations, this is a tough issue to face in this potential strategy. If there are no transfers to bolster this spot, then Chelsea will have to go to the Academy and bring up a third keeper to take the Willy Caballero spot. All-in-all, it’s not a great situation. In the central defense, things look better but there are also issues. Three key defenders are in the last year of their contracts. Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, and Antonio Rudiger are short-timers at present. If they are not signed to extensions, then they all should be sold. How would that impact the side? Dramatically, of course. It’s not going to happen. So, let’s assume for argument’s sake that all three are extended. Then along with Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma this unit is set. It’s solid through and through. In the defensive midfield, the team is stocked with stars. With N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, and Billy Gilmour on hand (if he is not foolishly sent out on loan), they are likely as deep as any club in the world at the position. No transfers? No problem at the defensive midfield. Chelsea is set there. At attacking midfield or wingback, the side has Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and at times Mason Mount. Again, there is a wealth of talent to employ and that’s not to mention the Academy players who could be inserted into the team. These include Tino Livramento, Lewis Bate, and the already Premier League battle-tested Conor Gallagher. This is solid depth, indeed. No worries there either. Okay, so far so good, so let’s take a look at the forwards. Available at present at striker are Timo Werner (whose position is somewhat fuzzy at the moment), Kai Havertz who can function as a false nine, and the proven strikers, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud. In addition, Armando Broja could be a nice addition for Cup games and as a substitute. He’s a superb young talent who scored 11 goals in 34 appearances for Vitesse on loan last season and is just waiting for his opportunity. All of those are under contract to Chelsea for next season. No dearth of talent there. None at all. So, finally, let’s take a look at the wingers. First, Werner can also play on the left as well as in the middle. Then, you have Captain America, Christian Pulisic who is avoiding injury away from a breakout season on that side. On the right, there is also no lack of top talent. You have the Moroccan Magician, Hakim Ziyech, and Callum Hudson-Odoi who can also play at wing-back, if necessary. There is plenty of talent there, as well. So, to conclude, should the Blues decide to sell fringe players perhaps, yet not buy any additional players, they still seem to be well-situated to do just fine with the talent on hand, thank you. New signings, especially big signings such as Haaland, are always exciting and welcomed. Yet, upon further analysis, this Chelsea side as currently constituted, in adding outstanding young players from their academy may very well be able to challenge if not win any and all competitions in which it will contend. This is just an exercise and not a suggestion. But, the bottom line here is, if the Blues stand pat with what they have, it seems upon further analysis that they will be just fine.

Chelsea Star Enlists Help Of Super Agent Amid Exit Speculation https://insidefutbol.com/2021/06/30/Chelsea-star-enlists-help-of-super-agent-amid-exit-speculation/515891/ Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri has decided to enlist the help of Israeli super-agent Pini Zahavi in order to sort out his future. Emerson has a year left on his Chelsea contract and he has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer. The Italy international is keen on returning to his homeland this summer after a season where he was nothing more than a bit-part player at Chelsea. He is looking to move away from Chelsea in the ongoing transfer window and has decided to enlist extra help in order to plan his exit. According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, he has sought the help of Zahavi, who is one of the most powerful agents in world football. But it has been claimed was taken in consultation with his current agent, Fernando Malta, who has given his permission to Zahavi to manage Emerson for this summer. He has several suitors in Italy with Inter, Lazio and Napoli interested in him.

Chelsea star makes Ballon d'Or admission after starring at Euro 2020 The Italian midfielder has established himself as a key player for club and country in 2021 https://www.football.london/Chelsea-fc/news/Chelsea-ballon-dor-euro-2020-20938784 Jorginho insists he doesn't think about winning the Ballon d'Or despite lifting the Champions League with Chelsea and starring for Italy at this summer's European Championships. At the turn of the year, the 29-year-old's future at Stamford Bridge was uncertain. Jorginho wasn't a guaranteed starter under Frank Lampard, who favoured a 4-3-3 system with N'Golo Kante as the deepest of the three midfielders. The arrival of Thomas Tuchel instantly transformed the Italian's campaign, however. Jorginho went from the substitutes' bench to the starting XI and established himself as a key figure in the German's 3-4-2-1 formation. Where he really stood out was the Champions League. Throughout the knockout rounds, Jorginho produced composed and tenacious performances alongside the indefatigable Kante and Mateo Kovacic. "Jorgi is a bit more the strategic guy who helps us in the build-up and he makes good decisions and helps us to escape the pressure," Tuchel said in April after the former Napoli midfielder had shone against Porto. There's little doubt that Jorginho produced the best football of his career for Chelsea during the second half of last season. Even his detractors, of which there remain many, accepted he played a key role in helping the Blues finish in the top four and winning the Champions League in Porto last month. He has taken his fine form into the European Championships with Italy, who have reached the quarter-finals of the competition with relative ease having finished top of their group with nine points and overcoming a stubborn Austria side in extra time at Wembley. There is the genuine possibility that Jorginho ends the summer as a European champion at both club and international level. And that success would certainly put him in the conversation for the 2021 Ballon d'Or, the award given to the standout player of the year. Yet Jorginho – who has just two years remaining on his Chelsea contract – says he is not motivated by the potential of individual glory. Instead, he is focused on celebrating any success with his teammates. “I don’t think about it," he said during a press conference at Italy's training base, Coverciano. "Everything that is happening is the consequence of hard work. "My priority is the group and celebrating together with my teammates and friends. This is more beautiful than celebrating alone." While Jorginho was keen to play down his chances of clinching the Ballon d'Or – which has been dominated by both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the last 15 years – his Italian teammate, Lorenzo Insigne, wasn't as bashful.

Grealish is a creative forward/AMF/Number 10 Rice would be the apropos comparison

Kimmich and Goretzka RM, Barca, PSG, Manure, and Citeh will be all over them unfortunately they would blow out our wage structure the lack of a modern, huge revenue-producing stadium is going to fuck us more and more down the road

Barclay committed suicide after he went insane.

Law confirms Chelsea enquired about Adama Traore in 2018 https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/law-confirms-Chelsea-enquired-about-current-18m-target-in-2018/ Chelsea have been interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore for at least three years, Telegraph sports reporter Matt Law has revealed. Speaking on the London Is Blue podcast, Law added that while Traore had been a Stamford Bridge transfer target for some time, Thomas Tuchel is also an admirer of the Spaniard and has recommended him to the Blues hierarchy. Traore is viewed as an alternative to Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi, who Chelsea failed to sign earlier this month. The speedy forward is also being considered as competition for Reece James in the Blues’ right wing-back position. “There’s definite interest in Adama Traore,” said Law. “The interest in him is very real. There’s a historical interest in him as well because Chelsea looked at signing him from Middlesbrough before he joined Wolves. “When he left Middlesbrough after they didn’t get out of the Championship a few years ago, Chelsea for sure made an enquiry about him before he ended up joining Wolves.” Traore joined Wolves from Boro for £18m in 2018 (BBC Sport) after an inconsistent spell on Teesside.

Report: Chelsea put off by huge agent fees involved in potential deal for Hakimi https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/report-Chelsea-put-off-by-huge-agent-fees-involved-in-potential-deal-for-22-year-old/ Reluctance to pay huge agent fees is one of the reasons why Chelsea took a step back in the pursuit of Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi, according to The Telegraph’s Matt Law. As reported by Calciomercato.it last week, the Blues look to have been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the race for the 22-year-old. Obviously, PSG’s reported €70million (£60m) offer’s being more attractive to Inter compared to Chelsea’s reported player-plus-cash offer may have been the biggest factor. But that is not the only one, according to Law. “I did some checking, and Chelsea’s interest in Hakimi has been real,” the journalist told London is Blue podcast. While Law was unsure whether there was an official bid or not, he claims that there were indeed talks between Chelsea and Inter about Hakimi’s price tag. “From what I’m told, there is basically large agent fees involved with Hakimi,” he added. “We’ve been here before with Chelsea, they don’t like those massive agent fees. “It seems like PSG are willing to pay the agent exactly what he wants and a huge amount of wages for a right-back. “I think that has dimmed Chelsea’s interest slightly.”

Four reasons why Chelsea should target Dusan Vlahovic https://theprideoflondon.com/2021/06/27/four-reasons-Chelsea-dusan-vlahovic/ TRANSFER NEWS: Chelsea, LIVERPOOL IN TALKS TO SIGN DUSAN VLAHOVIC http://www.thehardtackle.com/news/2021/06/16/transfer-news-Chelsea-liverpool-in-talks-to-sign-dusan-vlahovic/ Haaland £150m Transfer EXCLUSIVE, Arsenal Battling Five Clubs For Dusan Vlahovic – Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool News https://www.footballreporting.com/clubs/arsenal/haaland-150m-transfer-exclusive-arsenal-battling-five-clubs-for-dusan-vlahovic-Chelsea-spurs-liverpool-news/ Liverpool and Chelsea 'facing £60m transfer bill' in race for 21-year-old sensation https://www.givemesport.com/1709386-liverpool-and-Chelsea-facing-60m-transfer-bill-in-race-for-21yearold-sensation

Andreas Christensen has not only come of age, he's turned into a different kind of beast The Great Dane could help Chelsea in a number of positions moving forward https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/comment-andreas-christensen-has-not Looking at the face of Andreas Christensen when he thundered in a long range shot for Denmark last week as they thrashed Russia, I saw a different look in the eye of the Great Dane. The ‘Danish Maldini’ as he has rightfully earned the tag of, had the look of a beast in his eye, a different kind of beast. Gone are the days when Christensen needed to run to the toilet before a match as a result of bad nerves, gone are the days of him being pushed off the ball too easily, gone are the days of him looking like a rabbit in headlights. This rabbit has turned into a lion, and he roars on the regular whenever he is on the pitch now. Christensen went on the help Denmark thrash Wales after thrashing Russia playing as a centre midfielder, and now he is looking to go all the way with his nation, and who is to argue with him in the form he is in? He has grown physically as he comes of age, and he has turned from a boy to a man, and finally showing the full potential that so many believed him to have. He was touted as the next John Terry by many in the academy when he was coming through the ranks, and he is finally showing us why. Christensen now plays with confidence, swagger, style, and full of quality. His form since January has been immense, and he may well help solve a couple of positions that Chelsea might need filling this summer. The way he is playing as a defensive midfielder for Denmark right now could even put him as an option to replace Billy Gilmour at Chelsea, who looks set to join Norwich City on loan. He could play primarily as a centre back, but fill in to midfield as well, as he has shown his qualities there as well. Chelsea are looking to tie him up to a new contract as soon as he is back from the Euros, and this will be as bigger move as any new signing in his positions that’s for sure. Simon Phillips

Lewa (actually would try for him first, he has 3 top years left I think, 2 for sure)

stocked up in quantity yes, not quality we need to start chopping heads, starting with Ziyech and if you have to ask 'why' Grealish watch a few hours of the lad we have zero players remotely in his category in terms of creativity

I am no longer getting involved in who is making what salary, so I cannot give you a cogent answer. I think it is fucked up that ALL players' salaries are not made 100% public, down to the pound. It is one thing the yanks do properly

Vlahovic.

I cannot rec him now, at this stage. He was hugely disappointing tonight and needs to toughen up and get some more experience before I can say he is worth £60m. If we fail (likely) on Håland, Vlahovic is the one left standing for me. We also (no longer speaking of CF now) need to go HARD for Grealish, as Sancho to those shitstabber Mancs looks a nearly done deal.

And replace him with who? We already are trying to dump (rightly so) Zouma. Kounde would be a disastrous and outrageously expensive mistake. Varane is likely Manure or PSG bound. Zero links I see (stupidly so) to Romagnoli. Lacroix is the youngster who would replace Zouma and learn from Thiago. Keeping Zouma and selling Rudiger with no clear replacement would be madness.

Chelsea star wants £200,000-a-week to sign new long-term contract Antonio Rudiger holding out for higher wages to sign new Chelsea deal https://sportslens.com/antonio-rudiger-holding-out-for-higher-wages-for-new-Chelsea-deal/368417/

a number of issues: After these Euros £20-25m is a pipe dream. It is Mou and Roma, they will want a lorry full of cash to part ways. We also would be buying a fullback whom we would get only one fill sub-30yo season out of (he turns 29yo end of winter/beginning of spring) He is a right footer who is now playing at LB/LWB, a situation that historically doesn't work out well in the EPL. Are we buying him for RWB or LWB? This last season seems a historical aberration (and even this season was hardly a super output, 3 of his 8 total, all comps assists were against Cluj and Braga in the EL, and he had zero goals, 1 assist (v AC Milan) against quality teams all year, all comps) he has a a career total of ONE net topflight league goal (3 goals minus 2 OG's) in his entire European topflight career of 26 games (mostly EL, not CL, he only played one CL game ever, that was for Juve) his only production in terms of goals produced v quality teams was one assist versus Dortmund in February, 2018 (when he was playing for Atalanta), cross to Josip Ilicic in a 2 3 loss (a famous one for us, Bats sored a brace for Dortmund, including a 91st minute game winner) the cross is at 1:12 (right footed diagonal ball, not a driving left-footed parallel cross as is more common for a left back) here are his topflight career stats: (red ball is OG) I am not convinced this would be a good buy at all

IF we buy him and he has a season's production like Square just had at right wingback, I will pee my panties ☔

I am starting to lean that way myself

or Big Sam 😜