Vesper

Missing out on Hakimi has primed me for missing out on Håland. I am resigned to plan B (Traore) for Hakimi. Plan B for Håland should be Mbappe, and if not him, Lewa, and if not him, DCL, and if not him, whichever we think is best between these three: Dusan Vlahovic, Isak, or Youssef En-Nesyri.

we are down to very few actual real (not me tossing in wild card players) options for RWB as I see it 1 Keep Reece there 2 Play Azpi there perm 3 CHO as the starter (or at least plays a lot at RWB) 4 Adama Traore (I am starting to come around to and make peace with the idea, just simply based our his insane pace and potential to rip apart teams with it, which is why, I am sure, Tuchel has/had him as Plan B) 5 Denzel Dumfries (you just know he is the likely last minute panic bid IF Wolves will not come way down from their insane £70-80m Traore valuation, which I can almost guarantee they will) 6 If 1 and 2 and 3 ( a combo of Reece and Azpi and CHO again) then wait to see if Silas recovers completely from his knee injury and buy him in summer 2022 sure there are other names tossed out there, but I have seen posters make decent arguments against some the huge downside to many RWBs/RBs is their lack of production (perfect example, Nordi Mukiele) I cannot stress what a HUGE fucking loss missing out on Hakimi was 🤬 I would so much rather have gotten him and done fuckall (for now) at CB and LB (other than sell Emerson) getting him and accepting that (ie. nothing done this window at CB and LB) would mean only 3 more buys (unless we ship Ziyech) CF (or course, and a Håland deal is looking real shaky I have to admit, ffs) CMF, and DMF

might be this, not sure https://football-italia.net/inter-and-psg-down-to-details-for-hakimi/

why does everyone keep using the 80m figure and not using the pounds sterling price (£68.5m)? if people use 80m they should specify that it is euros

wild card he has played as a RWB

yes, he has been on my lists for RWB

Best CB in the Euros so far no, I am not joking at all we have literally watched every game, wifey called it today, and I agree

fuckers indeed

some people people forget what a monster offensively Ballack was before he turned 30yo and his role shifted a bit even with 6 seasons over 30yo, and changed role (thus less production) he pumped out over 300 goals produced ( goals/assists) averaged around 22 goals produced for 14 seasons worth of full season minutes (including those 6 reduced ones) fucking beast, one of my all-time favourite players ever it is insane to compare RLC to him If the rules were as they are now, Ballack would perhaps be a WC winner (2002, he took a professional yellow in the semi and because of the rules then was suspended for the final v Brasil, and I think Germany would have beat them with Ballack, he was so utterly key to Germany, and they had to change formation due to his absence, it fucked up their entire offence) That would mean Germany with 5 (and Brasil 4) would have the most WC trophies Although IF we are going to do historical revisionism, Germany even with that win in 2002 should only have 3, as they would have surely lost to Hungary in 1954 if they had not thugged up and injured Ferenc Puskás, plus if the Dutch had not (and this is just madness) went out and got all drunk before the 1974 final, they may have beaten West Germany then too. If that had all happened, Italy would be the co-leaders leader with 4 WC's, AND IF Baggio had not missed his pen, in in the 1994 Final, Brasil would also have only 3 and Italy 5.

I saw some site hype him a couple days ago as the next BALLACK!! roflmaooooo as if RLC is all of a sudden going to produce around 180 or so goals (goals plus assists) in a 5 year span for club and country RLC turns 26yo in January and for his entire topflight career, all comps, for club and country has 15 goals 18 assists TOTAL ( including no goals, 2 assists for England, and the 2 assists came in games against dregs) 1 goal, zero assists last year in over 2000 minutes played smdh people have lost their damn minds

simple way to look at it what is harder to do on a decent (doesn't even have to a great one) team in a Big 5 league get 15 assists or 20 goals? neither is easy but 15 or more assists is really much more rare last season, only 20 players total had over SIX assists all season in the EPL only 5 were even in double digits

£60m star wants to join Man Utd on £21m-a-year deal despite Chelsea offer Raphael Varane wants to join Manchester United on a huge contract despite reported interest from Chelsea https://football-talk.co.uk/164203/reports-60m-star-wants-to-join-man-utd-on-21m-a-year-deal-despite-Chelsea-offer/ Raphael Varane wants to join Manchester United on a mega £400,000-a-week deal after deciding to leave Real Madrid this summer, according to the Independent. Varane has been at Madrid for 10 years having joined from Lyon in 2011 and has been one of the best centre-backs in Europe over the past few seasons. The Frenchman has made 360 appearances for Madrid and helped the Spanish giants win a whole host of honours including 4 Champions Leagues and 3 La Liga titles. However, Varane’s future at the Bernabeu is in serious doubt as he has just one year remaining on his current contract and The Athletic reported earlier this week that the defender has snubbed an offer of a two-year extension. Real Madrid are now increasingly resigned to losing the 28-year-old as they know they’ll have to cash-in this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months time if he doesn’t sign a new deal soon. The situation has alerted a number of Europe’s top clubs and the Mirror cite a report from the print version of Spanish newspaper ABC that claims Man Utd, Chelsea and PSG have all put forward offers to the defender. Chelsea are reportedly in the market for another centre-back as Thomas Tuchel knows he needs a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva – who turns 37 this year – and it appears the Blues are keen on luring Varane to Stamford Bridge. However, Chelsea could be set to miss out as the Independent claims Varane wants to join Manchester United after deciding it’s time to seek a new challenge away from Madrid at this stage in his career.

Toma Basic sounds like the daily special at the Thai Rub N' Tug Massage Parlour 😹

4 and half seasons and in around 3.75 seasons worth of minutes (due to injuries at the end) 22 goals, 57 (plus 2 in PL2 rehabbing for one game) assists 6 goals and 15 assists per a full season's minutes and one of those full seasons was that absolute shitter of a team (2015/16) so his stats suffered there look at the pure dross we brought in (other than Pedro)

well, the one thing he has is equal (or more even) pace to Hakimi and that ultra world class speed is a major key to Hakimi (plus he is just a super talent) so, perhaps Tuchel can get the best out of Traore I would NOT put it past Tuchel, he knows exactly what he wants from players in specific positions I am not going to just give up, and I will give Traore a massive benefit of the doubt if we end up with him he is capable (look at the season before last) of just DESTROYING teams Klopp said, when he is on his game, he is utterly unplayable, the hardest player to defend against (given the right system, we which damn well have) he faced all year like I said, he might shock us all, and let's really bottom line it: Tuchel knows more about football that all of us combined have forgotten

it IS a priority if Tuchel is not sold on Reece as a RWB (do you really think we are going to challenge Citeh, Pool, and Manure for the title with Azpi as our primary RWB?) and it also is the lowest price for a best on planet at a position going, no other position's best is at that level in terms of price best LWB on the planet is Davies, and offer Bayern £68.5 for him and then watch them laugh in your face we all had better hope that we can get the Plan B (Traore) at a reasonable price and then that he shocks us and turns into a monster (not impossible)

its not 80m quid $68.5m (less than what we offered for Alex Sandro 4 years ago) and Inter's offer atm is only £60m plus possible add-ons

its hard to convince a player to come if he has his mind set on a club although we did lowball and try to use lower cash + player tactics BUT Inter need the 80m euros or so by end of day 30th of June to balance their books for the fiscal year

Tottenham step up Nuno Espírito Santo talks and target defender Jules Koundé Pursuit of former Wolves manager driven by Fabio Paratici Sevilla defender is a target along with Joachim Andersen https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/25/tottenham-step-up-nuno-espirito-santo-talks-and-target-defender-jules-kounde Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano Fri 25 Jun 2021 17.13 BST

I find it funny when so many (not even saying I disagree) are so quickly ready to label someone 'Agent blah blah' (Rudiger with the other Germans for instance) when they are fellow citizens with players we are targeting, YET using that same logic, (ie players who are of same nationality, national teammates, and that are friends often talk) when reversed (ie. negative talking to when they do not like a manager or club) is dismissed out of hand as some conspiracy theory. I also NEVER (I cannot speak for others) claimed that it was the only thing, or even the main reason that Hakimi is likely not coming. I made a list of the many reasons why and only 2 were focused on (and they were not the main ones). Perhaps Ziyech's negative experience, and then the stadium. The others were probably more important for sure than those two, but I would be remiss if I did not list every possible reason. there obviously are issues going on Journalist explains why Chelsea boss Tuchel often shouted at Hakim Ziyech out of frustration https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/journalist-explains-why-Chelsea-boss-tuchel-often-shouted-at-hakim-ziyech-out-of-frustration/ Chelsea summer signing wants to leave Stamford Bridge after falling out of favour https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2021/02/15/transfer-news-hakim-ziyech-unhappy-at-Chelsea-and-wants-to-leave/ Marco Van Basten Urges Hakim Ziyech to Leave Chelsea FC https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/04/340836/marco-van-basten-urges-hakim-ziyech-to-leave-Chelsea-fc Big money Chelsea signing unhappy under Tuchel, seeking crisis talks https://www.teamtalk.com/news/Chelsea-ziyech-unhappy-tuchel-crisis-talks Observer reveals major reason why costly Lampard signing will leave this summer https://www.teamtalk.com/news/observer-explains-why-costly-lampard-signing-will-be-sold-by-tuchel Robin van Persie criticises Thomas Tuchel’s use of Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech ahead of Champions League final https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/28/Chelsea-news-robin-van-persie-criticises-thomas-tuchels-use-of-hakim-ziyech-14667693/ so I do not think it is beyond the pale to perhaps think that those two talked about the club, and if so, then it is deffo possible for Ziyech to have given off negative vibes (even if not DIRECTLY shitting on us) and again, I never stated it was the main reason

The Euro 2020 Fiver: Not even Premier League Years will tempt us away Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne try to calculate how they won their group and ended up playing Portugal. Photograph: Anatoly Maltsev/Reuters Rob Smyth LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WEEKEND The Fiver was worried that, in the context of a jam-packed 2020-21 season, two days without any Euro 2020 games would be an unendurable drought. Thankfully we’ve still got Premier League Years 1994-95 to watch on loop – that John Hartson tackle (sic) never gets old – and now it’s almost time for more live action. We’ve done our bit for Uefa’s official partnerships by readying multiple crates of 0.00% Heineken and our homemade 60.00% Coca-Cola. (The 60 is a reference to the inaugural European Nations Cup, and in no way reflects a partial misjudgement with the turps during the brewing process.) The round that we will go to our grave refusing to refer to as the ‘round of 16’ begins with Wales v Denmark tomorrow afternoon. This should be a feelgood story whichever team wins, and the draw is also guaranteed thanks to the enduring patriotism of Goldie Lookin’ Chain. The only regret is that no Wales fans are allowed in Amsterdam to potentially experience the joyous moment of being clonked on the head by one of Gareth Bale’s less precise finishes. From there it’s across to London, where voguish hotties Italy are expected to beat Austria with the minimum of fuss. Then, on Sunday, it’s the Netherlands v the Czech Republic in the “the” derby in Budapest. Every time these two meet, the Fiver is taken back to Euro 2000, and particularly Jaap Stam having brain surgery without an aesthetic. Clive, it’s a metaphor. ‘A managerial disaster class’ – the verdict from the Euro 2020 countries who are out Read more This time, the pre-match focus is on a man who could probably do with having his brain rewired: the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, and particularly his antediluvian take on equality and diversity. The Netherlands captain Gini Wijnaldum will wear a rainbow armband during the match and says he is prepared to take his team off the field if any of them are racially abused. Now, the Fiver is the opposite of an accomplished newshound, although we hope to get some professional training just as soon as we’ve finished looking into unconfirmed reports that John Fitzgerald Kennedy has been shot. But even we have a feeling this potential walk-off is going to become one of the biggest stories of Euro 2020. Hopefully it won’t, and the Monday headlines will be saved for the weekend’s final fixture: the golden generation of Belgium against a one-man golden generation called Cristiano. A group of death does not end when someone plunges a serrated one into Hungarian hearts; it has a knock-on effect to the knockout stages, because you can end up with a group winner playing a third-placed team who also happen to be the defending champions. Belgium v Portugal, in the last 16? Not even Premier League Years 1994-95 will be able to tempt us away from this one. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Gah – another rest day? Ah well. You can still keep up with all the latest news with our rolling Friday live blog. And you can join us on Saturday for Wales 1-2 Denmark (5pm) and Italy 3-0 Austria (8pm), and then Netherlands 3-2 Czech Republic (5pm) and Belgium 1-1 Portugal (4-5 on pens, 8pm) on Sunday. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Everyone recognised that Anthony was perfect. He managed this difficult moment in a great way. We are proud about his behaviour. We recommended to the referees that safety is first, it is the most important target for us. The referees must stop the match immediately in these situations. Anthony was amazing.” Uefa’s chief refereeing officer, Roberto Rosetti, praises Anthony Taylor’s quick response to Christian Eriksen’s on-field collapse. Anthony Taylor, we salute you. Photograph: Markus Gilliar/Ges-Sportfoto/Getty Images FIVER LETTERS “Re: nobody apart from Alan Shearer remembering that England v Germany game in 2000 (yesterday’s Fiver). I don’t remember it either as, by the time Shearer’s header went in, I was surrendering to Belgian police outside the only bar in Charleroi that was showing the game. The 34,980-ish England fans in the bar had drunk it dry before kick-off, so Notts County and Derby fans decided to entertain us with ‘rivalry’ outside the venue. The arriving Belgian police commander gave us two options that evening: 1) ‘voluntary arrest’; or 2) ‘violence then arrest’. Having seen what happened to the option 2 people, I was pleased with my choice” – Trevor Martin (and friends). “Not sure if anyone has picked up on this crucial point: England have a massive advantage against Germany because the Germans will have to conserve energy for another tough game only days later, whereas the English players will be able to relax and take it easy” – Simon Dunsby. “Given we now have two sets of fixtures, the ongoing shenanigans of clubs who have had points docked, relegated teams tumbling down the pyramid, the great inequalities of parachute funds and a fair number of dodgy owners, can we now officially call the Championship the world’s first League of Death?” – Michael Lloyd. “It took me quite a while to conclude that a ‘pine-rider’ (yesterday’s non-Euros business) was an alternative coinage for ‘bench-warmer’. I do like the term, but of course modern dugout seating is a lot less rustic. Perhaps ‘leatherette-lounger’ or ‘polypropylene-percher’ would be more apt?” – Steve Allen. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Simon Dunsby. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Uefa are investigating claims of “potential discriminatory incidents” during Hungary’s game against Germany in Munich. Details of the incidents have not been provided yet. A separate investigation is already under way into incidents at Hungary’s games in Budapest against Portugal and France. Column-inches-filling news: Marcus Rashford has urged his England teammates to make history against Germany in their Wembley showdown. “Our main focus is to win the game, but if we do it gets put in history,” Rashford roared. The-absolute-state-of-it news: Álvaro Morata has revealed social media abuse he has suffered during the Euros, with his family also being harassed in Seville. “My wife and children have come to the stadium with Morata on their shirts and people have been shouting at them,” the striker said. Lothar Matthäus has been watching Jogi Löw in the Germany dugout, and doesn’t like what he sees. “I am missing the connection between the bench and the players on the field,” Matthäus groaned. “He changed so many things. He changed one player for another and also the system – Joshua Kimmich played four positions.” NON-EUROS BUSINESS Uefa has sent away goals the way of the dodo after 56 years of use in European competitions. Lucien Favre will not be Crystal Palace’s new manager, having marched himself out the door marked Do One before he had even signed his three-year contract. Lucien Favre: thanks, but no thanks. Photograph: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images It’s been two months since José Mourinho was canned, and Tottenham are still looking for a replacement. Nuno Espírito Santo is the name of Daniel Levy’s latest flame. Ben White will join Arsenal if Brighton get £50m: sounds like a good deal for everyone, except perhaps Ben White. Union Jack Grealish could be about to take his tiny shinpads north and join Manchester City’s zero-strikers conceptual art project for a £100m fee. And Norwich have announced a new sponsorship deal with Lotus, after ending their previous agreement with BK8 Sports over the betting firm’s $exually provocative marketing content. STILL WANT MORE? Philip Lahm on how Denmark’s team spirit and Germany’s rainbow-lit stadiums have led the way for inclusivity amid a turbulent backdrop at EN 2020. Jacob Steinberg on why Raheem Sterling deserves a little respect. Go go, power rankings! Fancy. Composite: Getty, Rex Features “Some of our players weren’t even born then.” England shake off that post-Euro 96 pizza advert and make the Fiver feel very old. David Hytner has more. Lothar Matthäus has seen this movie before, and predicts England will lose to Germany on penalties. Loadsamoney? Lots of clean sheets, too. Nicky Bandini on how Milan escapee Gianluigi Donnarumma has silenced the critics. Big Paper’s Steven Morris on how Wales’ latest Euro exploits have made an impact back home. Full-backs bombing on and goals aplenty. Attacking full-backs are the order of the day at EN 2020, muses Jonathan Wilson. Sergio Busquets is still doing his thing for Spain, as Sid Lowe reports. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! IT’S FRIDAY, THEN

Player Profile: Saint Etienne midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath who has been linked with Chelsea https://www.si.com/soccer/Chelsea/fan-opinions/player-profile-saint-etienne-midfielder-lucas-gourna-douath-who-has-been-linked-with-Chelsea Chelsea have been linked with Saint Etienne’s 17-year-old midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath, as per Foot Mercato. According to the same report, the youngster has also generated interest from AC Milan and RB Leipzig, and would be available in the summer for a fee of roughly £23 million. Having just turned 17 in August, the midfielder represents a raw and exciting prospect, who has also shown a level of maturity and precociousness that is widespread in Ligue 1. After making the senior bench once last season, he broke into the first team earlier this campaign, featuring in 23 out of 27 league games to date, playing the full 90 in five. Furthermore, this speculation confirms Chelsea’s interest in a young defensive-minded midfielder this summer, after Aurelian Tchouameni was recently linked with the club, as well as the long-standing interest in West Ham’s Declan Rice. Gourna-Douath has proved his versatility and adaptability in midfield this season for St Etienne, a trait new Blues coach Thomas Tuchel highly values. The French side have set-up with a 4-4-2 formation nine times so far this season - allowing Gourna-Douath to operate in a “double pivot” alongside either Mahdi Camara or Yvan Neyou. However, ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel is tactically and formation-ally flexible, using a 4-2-3-1 / 4-1-4-1 on a total of 11 occasions. It has been in this slightly deeper role that Gourna-Douath has flourished. In a 1-1 draw with Stade Reims last month, Gourna-Douath was utilized as the deepest midfielder in a trio including Camara and Neyou. In this game, the youngster was rated as the second best St Etienne performer by SofaScore with a score of 7.0, completing 90% of his passes, including 100% of his long ball attempts, as well as putting up four tackles and interceptions. Across the Ligue 1 season, Gourna-Douath has averaged an 86% pass completion, including 91% in his own half. He has tackled 45.5% of opposing dribblers, in the top 5% for Ligue 1, and averages 11.74 ball recoveries per 90, in the top 7%. This combination of composed and accurate passing, mixed with resolute defensive actions at the age of 17, has piqued the interest of Chelsea, and clubs across Europe. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to compare Gourna-Douath to his 18-year-old compatriot Eduardo Camavinga at Rennes, although this player has far more experience, including internationally and in the Champions League, and would demand a much higher transfer fee. Standing at exactly 6 foot, Gourna-Douath represents an interesting profile. He was likened to Paul Pogba by AS after an impressive display versus PSG in January, which allegedly caught the eye of Mauricio Pochettino in his first game in Ligue 1. Gourna-Douath completed 89% of his passes, and evidenced his defensive drive by winning five ground duels. The same AS report also claimed Gourna-Douath is in safe hands when it comes to his development at St Etienne under Claude Puel, who gave first-team debuts to Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard and Alexandre Lacazette at Monaco, Lille and Lyon respectively. In fact, St Etienne has an excellent track record when it comes to producing talented youngsters. Kurt Zouma spent five years at the club, making 51 appearances, before joining Chelsea aged 20 in 2014 for £12 million. Leicester’s Wesley Fofana, who is enjoying a superb debut season in the Premier League, also graduated from the French club’s academy, as did William Saliba, who joined Arsenal for £27 million in 2019. Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Roger Milla and Michel Platini have also spent time with Les Verts. According to a Guardian report, Ligue 1 clubs are facing a loss of €3.25 billion over four seasons after a mega-TV deal with Mediapro collapsed. Consequently, various French clubs may be forced into parting with their top talents this summer window in an attempt to generate desperately needed cash. If Chelsea do decide they will actively pursue a defensive midfielder in the summer, and that Lucas Gourna-Douath is their man, a deal around the £20 million mark could prove to be a very wise investment. A high-energy, durable midfielder may be a positive addition to a young squad looking to level up under Tuchel next season. and remember, in this following video he is 16 and 17yo Lucas Gourna-Douath: 'The new Pogba' on Chelsea & PSG's radar https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/lucas-gourna-douath-new-pogba-Chelsea-psg-radar/1qo3n29v2flph1w7j5s8oq8gyj

TOP MARKET VALUES LIGUE 1 (every single player that is rated at €10m or more on T-Markt) (a few are on loan and will leave soon, and a few are already going to be sold, but none of those are in bold, ie. ones I rate to buy, even if 2 (in italics) are not really available) Kylian Mbappé (95% never going to happen, unfortunately) Neymar Marquinhos Marco Verratti Eduardo Camavinga (Unfortunately he will end up at PSG, or Real, or maybe even Barca (less likely) I wager, even though we are deffo interested) Memphis Depay Houssem Aouar Mauro Icardi Presnel Kimpembe Boubacar Kamara Moise Kean Jonathan David Wissam Ben Yedder Amine Gouiri Lucas Paquetá Jonathan Ikoné Kevin Volland Bruno Guimarães Aurélien Tchouaméni Renato Sanches Benoît Badiashile Boubakary Soumaré Aleksandr Golovin Sven Botman Rayan Cherki Duje Caleta-Car Jonathan Bamba Mike Maignan Jason Denayer Thilo Kehrer Abdou Diallo Jeff Reine-Adélaïde Pablo Sarabia Jérémy Doku Arkadiusz Milik Danilo Pereira Yusuf Yazici Leandro Paredes Kasper Dolberg Julian Draxler Zeki Celik Gerson Ángel Di María Mohamed Simakan Gelson Martins Krépin Diatta Axel Disasi William Saliba Florian Thauvin Maxence Caqueret Sofiane Diop Youssouf Fofana Léo Dubois Andy Delort Juan Bernat Benjamin André Idrissa Gueye Thiago Mendes Karl Toko Ekambi Rafinha Benjamin Bourigeaud Gaëtan Laborde Youcef Atal Valentin Rongier Boulaye Dia Anthony Lopes Ludovic Blas Martin Terrier Romain Faivre Tino Kadewere Alessandro Florenzi Ander Herrera Maxwel Cornet Ruben Aguilar Ludovic Ajorque Angelo Fulgini Guillermo Maripán Jean-Clair Todibo Layvin Kurzawa Keylor Navas Imrân Louza Seko Fofana Colin Dagba Lucas Gourna-Douath Faitout Maouassa Alexis Claude-Maurice Loïc Badé Timothy Weah Caio Henrique Adrien Truffert Téji Savanier Mitchel Bakker Florentino Luiz Araújo Arnaud Kalimuendo Pape Sarr Alban Lafont Walter Benítez Habib Diallo