Vesper

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

Special report: Ligue 1 in ‘crisis’ and braced for a ‘fire sale’ of clubs and talent this summer https://theathletic.com/2666927/2021/06/25/special-report-ligue-1-in-crisis-and-braced-for-a-fire-sale-of-clubs-and-talent-this-summer/ Forget Didier Deschamps, Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and co for a moment — as usual, they are doing just fine — the most important person in French football right now is probably an accountant called Jean-Marc Mickeler. Chief executive of the auditing division at Deloitte, the financial services company, Mickeler also runs French football’s financial regulator, the Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion (DNCG). Earlier this month, as France’s world champions got ready to start a Euro 2020 campaign that many believe will end in glory, Mickeler had a wake-up call for anyone sleepwalking towards the coming catastrophe. “Without a massive injection from existing shareholders, it is very unlikely that the majority of clubs will be able to survive the 2021-22 season,” he told French TV channel LCP. The DNCG usually publishes an annual report on the domestic game’s finances in February. We are still waiting. “No idea when it will be made public but it will very grim reading,” a senior source at a Ligue 1 club tells The Athletic. “French club football continues to be a mess,” says Dr Nicolas Scelles, a French academic who lectures at Manchester Metropolitan University’s sport policy unit. “Mickeler’s comments about some clubs not being able to survive the season were quite alarming. In these circumstances, a fire sale of talent may happen, although this depends on the ability of foreign clubs to invest in players.” The loss of talented players could have a negative impact on France’s UEFA co-efficient, the ranking system Europe’s governing body uses to decide access to its club competitions, and beyond. The crisis in Ligue 1 is almost certainly going to make the French league weaker, with a good chunk of its best players moving to the Premier League. But that could end up hurting England and helping France. And it all spans from an over-ambitious television deal that could have ramifications for French football — at domestic and international level — for years to come. To be fair to Mickeler, he is busy. Earlier this week, the American investment funds in control at Bordeaux agreed to sell the six-time French champions to Luxembourg-based businessman Gerard Lopez. That deal is subject to DNCG approval, which might not be automatic as Lopez previously owned Lille, last season’s surprise champions, but was forced out of the club when Elliott Management and JP Morgan, the US-based lenders who gave him more than £200 million to buy the club, lost faith in his ability to repay. Under Lopez, Lille developed a lot of talent and made a fortune on transfers. Unfortunately, they still lost more than 200 million euros (£170 million) between 2017 and 2019, thanks to a large wage bill, huge stadium costs and mediocre broadcast, commercial and matchday revenues. Just like most French clubs, then. Bordeaux, who finished 12th in Ligue 1 last season, have been in administration since April. Ordinarily, that would have resulted in relegation but the DNCG is making allowances and has given clubs until July to find buyers. Bordeaux have been under US ownership since November 2018, when Florida-based General American Capital Partners (GACP) paid $82 million (£59 million) for the club. Its partner in the deal was King Street Capital Management, an investment firm from New York. The purchase price did not seem like a lot to pay for a side that won a league and cup double as recently as 2009 and was returning to Europe in 2018-19, having finished sixth the previous season. But Bordeaux lost money — €21 million in 2017-18, €26 million in 2018-19, €35 million in 2019-20, at least €55 million last season — and that led to GACP and King Street falling out, with King Street buying GACP’s shares in 2019 and borrowing more money from another American private-equity business, Fortress. That, however, did not alter the club’s course. Fortress is understood to have made a secured loan of more than €50 million. It knows it will not get all of that back but will want €30 million or so to walk away. Part of the problem predates COVID-19 as Bordeaux, like Lille, moved from their historic home to a much larger and posher stadium, where they are tenants, in 2015. Even before the pandemic padlocked the gates, neither side has filled their new venues very often. But, again like Lille and almost every other French side, the plan was to balance these losses with player sales. After all, it was at Bordeaux that three of France’s first World Cup-winning team, Bixente Lizarazu, Christophe Dugarry and the great Zinedine Zidane, developed before going abroad. This is fine, in theory, but vintages like that do not come along very often and that was before French football was hit by the equivalent of an earthquake, and then a tsunami. “If it was just COVID-19, a proper level of funding would have allowed for us to pass through this crisis with a minimum number of casualties,” explained Mickeler. “But facing this crisis and the defaulting of Mediapro, it was mission impossible.” His reference to the impact of the pandemic needs no explanation but the second half of that double whammy was meant to be French football’s vaccine against the virus: a bumper, four-year TV deal. The abridged version is that the ambitions of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), the body which runs the top two divisions, met those of the Barcelona-based, Chinese-backed media company to make an unholy mess. The former hoped to close the revenue gap to the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A; the latter wanted to become a pan-European powerhouse. Plan A for Mediapro was Serie A but the Italians, worried about the company’s ability to make money from a standing start, wanted a guarantee. Scared off, Mediapro turned its attention to Ligue 1. LFP boss Didier Quillot was much more accommodating and when Mediapro blew incumbent Canal+ out of the water by bidding €780 million (£670 million) a year for 80 per cent of the rights — an increase of 60 per cent on what Canal+ had been paying — it looked like he had earned every cent of his €500,000 bonus. In the meantime, Canal+ was left with a hole in its schedules where Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille used to be, so it did a deal with beIN Sports, the Qatari-based broadcaster that had paid €332 million (£283 million) a year for the rest of the rights. Concerned it had probably overpaid, beIN was happy to let Canal+ pick up the bill. Let’s fast forward now — past the decision to settle the suspended season on a points-per-game basis, past the £100 million-plus in rebates, past a round of government loans and past Canal+ boss Maxime Saada predicting that Mediapro would need nearly seven million subscribers to its newly launched Telefoot channel — to the start of last season. In August, Mediapro made its first payment of £130 million. There were similar amounts due every other month but LFP never saw them because Telefoot somewhat undershot Saada’s target. The official figure has never been released but industry sources believe Telefoot had around 600,000 customers when Mediapro defaulted on October’s payment. By December, it was all over. Mediapro blamed COVID-19, and used emergency laws to hold off creditors, but eventually agreed to pay the LFP a fine of €100 million (£85 million) for breaking the contract. Telefoot was shut down. The deal that was meant to take Ligue 1 past the €1 billion-a-year mark in broadcast revenue was in tatters by Christmas. Quillot had the grace, at least, to decline his bonus. Having taken another loan to get the clubs through to 2021, the league tried to sell the rights Mediapro handed back via a new auction in January. Canal+, its mood not improved by being proved correct, asked a court to make the LFP put all the rights out for tender, including the 20 per cent it was sub-licensing from beIN. The court said no. That did not help the league much, though, as neither Amazon, Canal+, DAZN or Eurosport met the minimum price, forcing the LFP back to the negotiating table. A compromise was eventually reached which saw Canal+ get all the Ligue 1 games, and most of Ligue 2’s, for about £30 million more than it was paying for beIN’s 2020-2024 package. With the money banked from Mediapro, this meant the top two divisions shared about €670 million (£572 million) from their domestic deals last season. They had been budgeting for £974 million. So, on top of a season played behind closed doors, French clubs finished last season without £400 million of broadcast revenue they had expected last summer. “Nineteen of 20 clubs in Ligue 1 are up for sale now,” says one experienced club broker, before adding that Qatari-owned PSG would be, too, if the Gulf state had already staged its World Cup. The TV horror show does not end there, though. On the morning of Euro 2020’s opening match, Canal+ failed with another challenge to the LFP’s refusal to re-tender all of the rights, not just Mediapro’s packages. A competition court decided there was insufficient evidence to rule that the league had abused a dominant market position. This gave the league the green light to re-tender Mediapro’s 80 per cent for the next three seasons. And by that afternoon the league had its second shock winner. Instead of going with a joint beIN/Canal+ bid of €668 million a year for all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games, which included a bonus based on the companies hitting subscriber targets, the LFP went for the same total — perhaps slightly less — by holding Canal+ to the €332 million it is paying beIN for those two games a weekend, plus two other smaller deals it agreed in 2018, one with beIN for some Ligue 2 games and another with telecoms firm FREE for clips. It then found a new owner for those Mediapro rights… Amazon Prime! The American e-commerce giant paid €250 million a year for the same number of Ligue 1 games that were meant to cost Mediapro €780 million. It also picked up eight Ligue 2 games a weekend for €9 million a season, less than a third of what beIN pay for two games of second-tier action, although Amazon has agreed to pay €25 million in production costs. The bottom line is the league chose to hand Amazon the sports rights deal of the century in the hope it is the start of a beautiful friendship. The basis of this deal is the belief Canal+ will not be able to get out of paying for the rights it is renting from beIN. The sums involved for the proposed beIN/Canal+ partnership and the Amazon/Canal+ forced marriage are similar. In fact, they are basically what beIN and Canal+ paid for the LFP rights between 2016-17 and 2019-20, just over £560 million. So, French football is regrouping around the promise of a long link with a streaming giant, while appearing to do the dirty on its broadcast partner of more than 30 years. The LFP would deny the second half of this equation but Saada is lawyering up. For Amazon, this was a no-brainer: a gift-wrapped opportunity to build its position in the world’s seventh biggest economy. But at what cost to Ligue 1? Canal+ has already announced it will not broadcast its games, massively cutting the audience for Ligue 1. If there was insufficient evidence of market abuse before, Canal+ is confident the gap between what Amazon is paying for its suite of rights and what it is shelling out for two games a weekend will be all the proof it needs. “Why didn’t the league think to accommodate all three broadcasters, Amazon, beIN and Canal+?” asks a senior figure in the broadcast industry. “That is what the English Premier League does. Surely there is a smarter way to proceed than antagonising the biggest media company in France and your broadcaster since 1984? “The Canal/beIN bid was bigger, more certain and they’ve got more eyeballs. The real danger is piracy will go through the roof after this. Everyone will just watch football via the internet.” The next payment from Canal+ is due on August 5 and few in France think it will arrive without a fight. But did it really have to go like this for the self-styled “league of talents”? “Two years ago, France was very attractive to anyone looking at investing in the European market,” explains Tim Bridge, a director at Deloitte’s Sports Business Group. “There was a lot of optimism about the TV deal and it was felt that it was easier to get into the Champions League in France than the other big leagues. On top of that, you had the league’s reputation for developing talent and the money that could be made from player trading. “There had also been a compromise on the distribution mechanism for the TV money, with the nine biggest clubs agreeing to split the domestic deal evenly with the other teams in return for getting all of any uplift in the international rights. The idea was that Mediapro’s money would improve the overall product but it would be the biggest clubs that attract international audiences. That was the idea, anyway. “We don’t see any deeper, underlying reasons why French football should be in crisis but there is no disputing it faces a huge challenge now, with uncertainty the biggest issue. They are probably going to have to go backward to go forward in the same way that the English Football League had to rebuild after the collapse of ITV Digital (in 2002).” The optimism Bridge refers to is what attracted GACP and King Street to Bordeaux, and they were not alone. In 2016, US-based Chinese entrepreneur Chien Lee and Pacific Media Group bought OGC Nice. A year later, the same investors snapped up English side Barnsley. They then sold Nice to British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe in 2019, reinvesting the money in clubs in Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark and then France again, in shape of Ligue 2 side AS Nancy. Also in 2016, former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt bought Marseille. And even after the arrival of COVID-19, RedBird Capital, another American fund, bought Toulouse and Manchester City’s owner, City Football Group, snapped up Troyes. In 2018-19, the last full season before the pandemic, Ligue 1’s aggregate revenues were £1.6 billion, a third of the Premier League’s £4.8 billion, and £500 million behind Europe’s fourth-richest league, Serie A. But Ligue 1’s turnover grew by 12 per cent that season, almost double the Premier League’s growth rate and this was before the Mediapro deal. The French league’s revenues were also two and a half times greater than the combined wealth of the Russian league, sixth in Europe’s earnings table. “In the short term, their position as the fifth richest league is pretty secure but there are potential threats on the horizon,” says Bridge. “For example, a combined Dutch-Belgian league could knock them out of the Big Five and then you have the recent announcement by European Leagues that nine smaller leagues (including the top divisions in Denmark, Norway and Sweden) are grouping together to sell their international rights. “That’s a smart move and while the French league won’t be losing any sleep over them just yet, it could be a threat in four or five years’ time.” A source who has advised French clubs on financial matters believes there is no doubt that most Ligue 1 clubs “are in fire-sale territory and they will not just be selling their players”. Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille and St Etienne are just some of the clubs rumoured to be available. “Some clubs may not have much choice if foreign investment is the only option,” says Dr Scelles. “Unless the French government is willing to rescue professional sports again?” Selling a club is not easy at the best of times, though. Selling a player, though, is a lot easier. According to the Swiss-based International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), only Brazil, with a population three and a half times greater, exports more players than France, and French stars make up the largest foreign contingents in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League and Serie A. The impact of this outflow of talent can be measured in many ways. For example, the five biggest net spenders in the Big Five leagues over the last 10 windows are Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona, PSG (almost literally in a league of their own) and Inter. At the other end of the spectrum, net gainers, are Lille, Lyon, Italy’s Atalanta and Monaco. Of the 40 Big Five clubs in credit for transfers over the last five years, 16 of them are French. Among the big leagues, Ligue 1 also gives the highest percentage of minutes to under-21s, and it also sees the biggest percentage of its youth internationals move to foreign leagues. So, if French football has always been a net seller, does it matter if Lille’s title-winning team gets gutted, Lyon have to let some of their starlets go or Rennes cash in on Eduardo Camavinga a little earlier than they hoped? “The league has always relied on selling players but the risk the clubs face is they might have to sell one or two more than usual, and that will have an impact on the pitch and, eventually, UEFA’s country co-efficient,” says Bridge. Like the financial ranking, France is fifth, behind England, Spain, Italy and Germany, but in the last three seasons only PSG and Lyon, with a surprise run to the Champions League semi-final in 2020, have really flown the flag. Last season, PSG made the last four again but Marseille and Rennes combined for one group stage win between them. French sides fared no better in the Europa League, with Reims failing to get out of the qualifying rounds and Nice finishing bottom of their group, winning only one out of six games. Lille fared only slightly better, reaching the round of 32 before being knocked out by Ajax. As a result, a once healthy lead over Portugal in sixth place is being eroded. They have flipped places before, most recently between 2012 and 2016, but now is not a great time to be outside the top five, as the fifth-ranked league is in line to get a fourth place in the Swiss-model Champions League that is on its way in 2024. Even next season, there is an advantage to being the fifth-best league as you get three teams in the Champions League, two in the Europa League and just one in the new Europa Conference League, as opposed to three, one and two for the sixth-ranked league. Slip below sixth in the coefficient table and you lose one of your three Champions League slots, with your runner-up having to fight through qualifying. This would have been unthinkable 20 years ago when Ligue 1 emerged from a decade in which it had been the second-best league behind Serie A. French sides did not win many European trophies — Marseille won the European Cup in 1993 and PSG claimed the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996 — but they were serial contenders. As well as the big two, who both claimed runners-up medals during the 1990s, Auxerre, Bordeaux, Lens and Monaco all made semi-finals or finals. So, in terms of quality, the league has been in long-term decline. “We have a proprietary ranking system that also looks at clubs not taking part in European competitions,” explains Omar Chaudhuri, chief intelligence officer at sports consultancy Twenty First Group. “We rank Marseille, who finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season, 91st in Europe, which puts them in the same bracket as lower Premier League clubs like Burnley and Crystal Palace. That gives you an indication of the relative strengths of the leagues. Once you chop out the top three or four clubs in France, the quality drops pretty quickly. It doesn’t have the depth of the Premier League.” So how do we explain the fact that France, with a similar population and levels of wealth to England, has won two World Cups and two European Championships since England’s sole success at international level? “International football is a bit different, as you tend to get a pattern of peaks and troughs,” says Chaudhuri. “It’s probably less systemic than many people think — you only need to find 11 great players from a population of 60 million or so and France is pretty good at that. “Where perhaps there is some evidence of a link with the club game is the issue of B teams: Spain, Germany and France are examples of countries where they appear in the pyramid and that would appear to be an effective way to develop talent. “But there is possibly an even stronger link between clubs running out of money and them being forced to play youngsters. Some of the big talent factories in recent years have been Southampton, Schalke, Feyenoord and Lyon, and they all got younger after they ran into trouble. “The situation in France could even help in terms of player development. The inverse of that would be the Premier League, where we can see how it hard it is for young domestic talent to get playing time, as they are perceived to be a risk, which actually isn’t supported by the data.” It’s certainly a different way of looking at the club versus country debate.

I Want To Break Free Ft. Harry Kane

The Mancunian Rhapsody

Manchester United nearing agreement with Dortmund to sign Jadon Sancho https://theathletic.com/2672944/2021/06/25/manchester-united-nearing-agreement-with-dortmund-to-sign-jadon-sancho/ Manchester United have made further progress in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jadon Sancho and although a deal is not yet done, the clubs are understood to be nearing an agreement. United have been chasing Sancho, who is part of the England squad for Euro 2020, for an extended period. Discussions stalled 12 months ago when Germany’s Dortmund demanded €120 million (£110 million) for the winger, without room for manoeuvre. But there has been more willingness to find a solution this summer and it is understood the haggling is now down to single-digit millions, with an expectation that an agreement will be struck. Dortmund initially pushed for close to €100 million, yet have more recently indicated a willingness to do a deal at €95 million. United’s first offer for the former Manchester City academy winger was based on a guaranteed €78 million, with a second bid this week proposing €85 million. A compromise is needed and sources feel a fee of around €90 million would clinch the deal. Instalments and add-ons are also under discussion, due to tight budgets at United. An agreement could be reached during the European Championship, with the formal side of the transfer resolved post-tournament — COVID-19 bubbles are an issue for medicals, for example. Sancho is also focused on his role for England, so there is not a major rush to resolve his future during the competition. But all sides are working to a timely conclusion. The 21-year-old will be hoping for more involvement at the Euros during the knockout stages, which sees a last-16 meeting with Germany at Wembley on Tuesday. He made just one six-minute substitute appearance for Gareth Southgate’s side in the three group matches. Sancho has, however, starred for Dortmund since making the switch from City in the summer of 2017. He has scored 50 goals in 137 appearances for the German heavyweights, and helped them win the German Cup last season. Sancho finished the season on a hot streak of 13 goals in his last 21 games. The south London-born forward began his career with Watford before joining City in 2015. He spent just over two years there before moving to Dortmund. United’s manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear he wants new faces this summer after his side finished second in the Premier League, 12 points adrift of champions City. Solskjaer has said: “If we want to take up the challenge with Manchester City, we need to strengthen our squad.” Talks over Kieran Trippier, though, have cooled. United had expressed a willingness to bid £10 million for the England full-back, who turns 31 in September, but Atletico Madrid are said to be holding out for £28 million, with sources indicating he has two years left on his contract in the Spanish capital. Diogo Dalot, who played the last 11 minutes for Portugal during their Euro 2020 draw with France on Tuesday, is being mentioned by Old Trafford and executives as a viable right-back option in Solskjaer’s side when intermediaries enquire about United’s requirements in the market. The 22-year-old spent last season out on loan at AC Milan. Brandon Williams, meanwhile, is available on loan after the 20-year-old started just two Premier League matches last season. There are also ongoing talks with Paul Pogba over a new contract. But there is an expectation they will take time, with all options open to the France playmaker. United want him to stay.

Tuchel ‘won’t take it easy on Chelsea squad’ in pre-season as he aims to take Manchester City’s title https://theathletic.com/2670746/2021/06/24/tuchel-wont-take-it-easy-on-Chelsea-squad-in-pre-season-as-he-aims-to-take-manchester-citys-title/ “I am pleased that my first pre-season with Chelsea contains such high-level fixtures against such top-quality opponents.” This was Thomas Tuchel’s reaction after the European champions confirmed they had set up two friendlies in early August against London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham. The rest of their pre-season schedule is still being worked on but, no matter who Chelsea face in their other warm-up games before kicking off their 2021-22 Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on August 14, the players had better be prepared for a testing and draining period under Tuchel’s watch. This, of course, isn’t unusual. Managers at all levels see that month where they get to work with squad members before a season begins as crucial to their plans and chances of success over the nine or 10 months that follow. It is not just used as a means to getting people match-fit, but an opportunity to improve patterns of play and perhaps test out new systems or formations. In Tuchel’s case, he is considering whether to switch from three at the back to a four-man defence. He didn’t get the chance to try out many different things after taking over in January — the intense fixture list of a pandemic-condensed season being a major reason why. There is always a fine balance to strike at this stage of the football calendar between how hard you push the players in training sessions and how much energy you want them to exert in the friendlies. Anyone who has attended one of the latter will have noticed they are often played at a lower tempo and can be quite a dull watch. But it is understood Tuchel is putting even greater onus on the warm-up matches this summer due to the very difficult set of games Chelsea are facing from the get-go once results start to matter again. For starters, they play Europa League winners Villarreal for the UEFA Super Cup in Belfast on August 11, three days before their Premier League challenge gets under way against Palace. The following five contests in the top division would make any coach break sweat: there are trips to Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs, while ambitious Aston Villa and champions Manchester City are coming to Stamford Bridge. September will also see their first two Champions League group matches and, based on the schedules of previous “normal” seasons, a Carabao Cup tie. Chelsea’s head coach will be expecting and demanding a lot from his men when they report back. As one source told The Athletic: “Tuchel isn’t going to take it easy on the squad during the pre-season. He wants to make sure they are flying for the start of the season, so that they are ready from the outset. It is a really tough start. Chelsea can’t afford to be slow out of the blocks.” That is why Tuchel sounds so enthusiastic about facing Arsenal and Tottenham just before it all begins, rather than weaker, less fashionable opposition. He wants the tougher tests. As he added: “Derby matches against Arsenal and Tottenham cannot fail to have a competitive edge, which is what the team needs as we prepare for the season.” Now, some may question whether Chelsea players deserve a gentler reintroduction to club football. It has been an intense 12 months, given the end of 2019-20 had to be squeezed in between June and August. There was then only a brief break before 2020-21 began, not helped by internationals being staged in early September. This summer, Chelsea have the joint-most players involved in the European Championship (17), while veteran centre-half Thiago Silva has played the full 90 minutes in two of Brazil’s three matches so far in the Copa America. The season that awaits them is going to be even more gruelling. Winning the Champions League means fixtures have been added to the busy schedule due to competing for the Super Cup and Club World Cup, with the latter meaning a trip to Japan in December. Preparations aren’t going to be easy. Chelsea resume training in the second week of July, but the majority of the first team won’t be involved due to being called up for either the Euros and Copa America. That group of 18 will all be entitled to take a holiday, usually three weeks, from the moment their participation with the national team ends. This inevitably means people coming back in dribs and drabs next month and the initial sessions being made up primarily of fringe players, youngsters and returning loanees. That is going to be hard for Tuchel to manage, especially dealing with so many individuals who know, deep down, that they aren’t going to be part of his plans, are just filling in while the senior members are away and will be looking for moves to somewhere they can play next season. But in saying that, there is an opportunity to impress too. Tuchel is going to need a large squad next season to cope with the heavy workload. For example, it is believed some of the club’s returning loanees will be looked at with a view to giving them backup roles. Understandably, due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions, Chelsea aren’t going on the familiar, lucrative, long-haul tour, so that at least will cut down on energy-sapping journeys. All their pre-season games will be played within the British Isles and if they do decide to have a camp away from their base at Cobham, it will be for a maximum of 10 days. Wherever the location, it will be no holiday camp. Tuchel has said on many occasions his aim is to bridge last season’s 19-point gap to champions City and challenge for the title. Beating Pep Guardiola’s side in the Champions League final last month was a great achievement, but the German isn’t going to settle for that. Watching Chelsea in pre-season this year should provide some clues if Tuchel is on the right path. It is going to be a fascinating watch.

https://www.si.com/soccer/Chelsea/transfer-news/report-chelseas-valuation-for-ziyech-revealed According to Tuttosport, via Sempre Milan, Chelsea are looking for at least €35 million in order to sell Ziyech, but could accept a loan offer with an option to buy - similar to the deal that saw Fikayo Tomori move to AC Milan.

Other than bamboozling RM once and AM (and Costa could have blown up in our face) twice (Oscar to China was not her deal in terms of her as sole architect, she did not have that level of power then) we have been horrific at getting value from our insane number of shit buys, plus refused sales for a shedload of cash. £400m and crusing towards £500m to the bad. Marina doesn't bear responsibility for the targeting of shit buys, but she does bear a lot for these crazy turn downs (plus wtf was with Kepa getting a SEVEN year contract????).

Many have. I am far from alone. It makes absolute sense too.

Auba is ageing out though. Not happy if we miss out on Håland, then Dušan Vlahović ends up at Spuds and Isak at Arse, and then Lewa (as is 90% likely) stays at Bayern. Lukaku is not leaving, and Kane would never come here, Mbappe is a pipe dream. Removing all those names leaves Lautaro (who, unlike most of the board, I would not freak out if we signed him for a fair price) the £100m DCL (insane price) and then a large, large drop off in available CF's other than Youssef En-Nesyri (but has Ziyech poisoned him against us too?) and the youngster Jonathan David, who I think needs another year perhaps.

Huge problem, Arse on on verge of triggering his £59.5m release clause.

Less exclusive? We are the only UEFA team to have blown it and not won since 2006. The first 3, 2000, then a hiatus, then 2005, and 2006 were all won by Brasilian sides. Corinthians, São Paulo, and Internacional. Other than us choking under the FSW in 2012, the Euro teams have won every time since. The other Confedrations are a joke, and you will likely never see a great Brasilian side again, as their best players are all taken to Europe. We had the horrid luck in 2012 of running into the only truly strong SA side since 2006 in Corinthians, who now have won it twice. Most of the non Euro finalist before and after 2012 were almost a joke. TP Mazembe, Kashima Antlers, Ria Casablanca, Al Ain, etc. In 2022 there are going to be most of the top UEFA clubs involved, not just the CL winners, so absolutely harder to win, plus 2021 is last year you only have to win two games to get the trophy.

what an asinine question 👎🏽

Well, IF he doesn't renew, Mbappe would come on a free also, let's say Håland stays put he would come for only £60m or so due to his release clause then too plus they will like sell these (most if not all) Raphaël Varane Jesús Vallejo Marcelo Álvaro Odriozola Dani Ceballos Martin Ødegaard Isco Marco Asensio Gareth Bale Takefusa Kubo Brahim Díaz Luka Jovic Mariano Díaz that's £250-275m right there potentially (and I am dropping process for COVID) and maybe 1 or 2 of these other wingers Eden Hazard Vinícius Júnior Rodrygo plus that extra 120-140m euros or so per year revenue from the new stadium and complex soon kicks in they are nowhere near as bad off as Barca. They are cash strapped atm, but I am sure they somehow get out of it

My recs, now that we have likely missed out on Håland, Hakimi, Donnarumma, Varane, and the old stop gap signing ala Thiago, Sergio Ramos We obviously are NOT going to buy every single one in red (plus a GK + RWB), that would cost around £450-500m these are just my preferred pics for each position, and for AMF and Winger, there is only one player for each that I can rec in good faith. GK FFS find one! we are going to be FUCKED when Mendy is gone for a month or 5 weeks Too many to list. Fuck Kepa, I will NEVER trust him, he is dogshit CB Maxence Lacroix Alessio Romagnoli (AC has put him up for sale) Sven Botman LB/LWB Robin Gosens Ramy Bensebaini Borna Sosa RB/RWB Due to multiple blown out knees (Silas, James Justin), failing on Hakimi, and Barca now keeping Emerson royal, I cannot in good faith advise any purchase atm BUT, we all know now who is coming (or we again try so hard for): Adama Traoré arfffff is all I can say, he damn well better work out, I do not like him as a player, hopefully he changes my mind that said, he now only wants to go to Barca, so maybe we dodge him anyway IF we fail on Traore, I expect a desperation bid for Denzel Dumfries DMF Rice is TOO expensive, fuck it, and Camavinga is going to PSG 2 clear choices Manuel Locatelli (be warned though, we will very likely lose him to Juve) Aurélien Tchouaméni CMF Nicolò Barella Youri Tielemans Sergej Milinković-Savić Saúl Ñíguez Ryan Gravenverch Jude Bellingham (next year or year after though, too soon now) AMF Grealish Winger Sancho CF Lewandowski Dusan Vlahovic Alexander Isak

Should Chelsea sign Haaland? | Presented by Tifo

erm, perhaps try reading (as in 2022 it becomes so much harder)

I think we are well fucked atm especially to do with moving deadweight this December is deffo our last chance to finally win the FWCC (as in 2022 it becomes so much harder) we better not fuck that up its the last major trophy we do not have I do NOT like the club getting involved with these monster players and then (IF it does happen) end up getting punked by other clubs mainly becuase we tried to lowball to an extreme degree it is embarrassing, it makes us look like mugs

IF Håland goes to RM this summer, then I am calling Mbappe to RM next summer (if he si still there) at a 85% likelihood motherfuckers are going to not only get away with all the ESL shenanigans, the insane spending on bad deals, BUT end up soon with another superteam, and with the best football stadium on the planet (estimates are 120 to 140m euros per year extra new rev from it and all the surrounding complex, which covers a shit tone of salaries) I wager de Ligt and/or Bastoni will soon go there too hell I would not be shocked if they end up ripping away Kimmich from Bayern, as next summer he only has 1 year left on his contract, and with Lewa slowing down by then, he would be a fool to not go to RM the plastics will need lorries full of tissue to clean up the wank juice it is so demoralising thank fuck they bollocksed up Hakimi (still have no clue wtf they were thinking)

that article has a BIG issue Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland has reportedly approved a move to Real Madrid this summer, with the La Liga giants hopeful that a fee of around £112million can be agreed for the Norway striker. it's projection

I will say this IF Dortmund accept £112m cash and no players tossed in (I would think that might be part of the deal though) and we do not try and better that (especially as now Hakimi is 90% likely not coming) we are a fucking joke