Vesper

Win-win-win: Loftus-Cheek’s loan move to Fulham explained https://theathletic.com/2124161/2020/10/10/fulham-loftus-cheek-chelsea/ For Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the aim of his move to Fulham is simple. To play games, prove his fitness and confirm he’s over an achilles injury that kept him out of action for the best part of a year. He wants this loan spell to have a similar impact to the one at Crystal Palace that catapulted him into England’s 2018 World Cup squad. Fulham, in their bid for survival, are desperately hoping for that too. Loftus-Cheek’s move across west London is motivated by a desire to gain minutes regularly and force his way back into Gareth Southgate’s thinking. He ruptured his achilles tendon in May 2019 during Chelsea’s “Say No to Anti-Semitism” friendly against New England Revolution, an injury that left him sidelined for 13 months and meant he missed the team’s Europa League final win over Arsenal. It also marked a disappointing end to what had been his best season to date; he scored 10 goals in all competitions for Chelsea. Before that season, he had scored four goals in his entire professional career. Southgate said this week the midfielder could force his way into the England squad if he can play regularly and return to form, which should encourage Loftus-Cheek. “That’s definitely an aim of mine, to get into contention for the squad,” Loftus-Cheek said after signing for Fulham. “After a year out, it was difficult getting back fit. But now the challenge is to find my form and play my best football again. Under Scott Parker, I’ve got a good chance to do that.” For Fulham, the arrival of Loftus-Cheek on deadline day was a major boost, with vice-chairman and director of football operations Tony Khan hailing the midfielder as a “world-class” addition to the squad. It was not a transfer that was long-planned, though. Indeed, Loftus-Cheek intended to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea. Before the 2020-21 season, Loftus-Cheek felt he had as strong a pre-season as anyone else, having been fully fit for four months. What he needed was to improve his match sharpness, as he did not get a run of starts under his belt following the Premier League restart in June. He started the opening game of this season against Brighton & Hove Albion, but by his own admission, he played poorly. The midfielder didn’t play in what is probably his best position — as a driving midfielder in a No 8 role — featuring as a No 10 against Brighton instead, reprising the role he played against Aston Villa following the Premier League restart. Playing as a No 10 means you often have your back to goal, whereas Loftus-Cheek is at his best when he is facing the play. Ideally, when coming back from injury, a player would want to feel be as comfortable on the pitch as possible in a more familiar role, although Loftus-Cheek knows and accepts that he underperformed. It’s also probably fair to say he was overthinking things on the pitch and is evidently still feeling his way back. Brighton was Loftus-Cheek’s only appearance for Chelsea this season, with the midfielder not involved in any squads after that. That surprised him. To be suddenly dropped from the match-day squads was a shock and knocked his confidence. He did speak with manager Frank Lampard on a couple of occasions, but only after the games for which he was omitted, rather than before. Even after missing out on Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, however, Loftus-Cheek’s motivation was to fight for his place. Lampard made it clear he favoured a loan for him, so his public comments about the matter weren’t a shock. “I’m very open with Ruben, we’ve had a couple of conversations in the last week,” Lampard said in September. “He’s fit as a fiddle, so he can play week in, week out. He needs to play. He’s done a lot of work now. “He would have been playing earlier if it wasn’t for lockdown. There’s a possibility that Ruben may go out to play games. That would be great for him. We hold him in very high regard.” It’s not an easy squad to manage for Lampard at present. His team is now bursting with talent after more than £220 million was spent in the transfer market. Guaranteeing game time is impossible and Loftus-Cheek appreciates the challenge his manager faces. For his own ambitions, he needed to play. “It was win-win, regarding playing football,” Loftus-Cheek said after signing for Fulham. “I’ve always been a player with ambition. I don’t just want to be at a big club and sit on the bench. I want to play football and help the team I’m playing for and be playing my best football. Hopefully, this move will bring out the best of me.” Given the intense squad competition at Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek was not the only one to depart on loan, with Ross Barkley joining Aston Villa. Villa were interested in Loftus-Cheek and it’s suspected that they faced a toss-up between loaning the 24-year-old or Barkley. Barkley’s greater involvement with Chelsea may have swayed Villa’s decision, as he was ready to come in and play immediately, as reflected by his display in the club’s shock 7-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend. Fulham, meanwhile, had initially been looking at a loan move for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori. The club’s priority on deadline day was undoubtedly in defensive areas. Centre-half was a position the club had earmarked to strengthen early on but anxiety had grown as the club struggled to bring in a new face. They were linked with countless players, but the issue was compounded by their visible defensive frailties in the league. Fulham conceded 10 goals in their first three matches of the campaign, with Parker making changes in his defence for each game. After a late move for PSV defender Timo Baumgartl collapsed, Fulham were able to secure favourable deals for Joachim Andersen, who arrived from Lyon on loan for less than £1 million, and Manchester City’s Tosin Adarabioyo, who was signed on a permanent deal for an initial fee of just £1.5 million. Premier League rules stipulate that you can only loan one player from another top-flight club, therefore once it became clear that a move for Tomori would not be possible for Fulham, they were able to switch their attentions to Loftus-Cheek after learning of the player’s availability. There were considerable obstacles that worked against a move, not least his wages, which are thought to be £150,000 per week. But once it was clear he was available, Fulham sensed an opportunity. Khan, who leads the club’s recruitment, was a keen admirer, a sentiment furthered by the fact that the player scored superbly on the metrics Khan uses for player identification. Loftus-Cheek’s appeal was rooted in his link-up play and box-to-box style, which made him a standout player. There is hope at Craven Cottage that if they get Loftus-Cheek up to his highest performance levels, he can link up effectively with Aleksandar Mitrovic as part of a formidable attack. It is understood lengthy negotiations were required to settle on the player’s wage subsidy and fee ahead of the deal, which was not announced until past midnight. Loftus-Cheek spoke to Parker about his role in the team, and the midfielder spoke later about the appeal of Fulham’s playing style. Fulham now have a well-stocked midfield, with fellow summer signings Mario Lemina and Harrison Reed already improving an area of the team that includes Tom Cairney, Josh Onomah, Stefan Johansen, Kevin McDonald and the returning pair of Frank Anguissa and Jean Michael Seri. Fulham are understood to be open to offers for Norway international Johansen and McDonald has been told he can leave the club on a free transfer even though he has one year left on his contract. It’s understood the club don’t want to stand in his way of playing football after his years of service. That still leaves several options for three positions, including Loftus-Cheek. Parker is known to prefer using a 4-5-1 with three central midfielders, although this season he has used what looks like a 5-2-3, but is nominally a 5-4-1 with two in the middle. When deploying three midfielders, Parker alternates between one or two pivots, with at least one player seeking to pass or dribble the ball through the lines. With that in mind, Loftus-Cheek, who is versatile but seems best suited to a No 8 role as a box-to-box midfielder, should comfortably fit into his system. Parker is thought to be delighted with Loftus-Cheek’s arrival and, following their other late additions, Fulham now feel they have a strong squad. In recruiting a player of Loftus-Cheek’s calibre, they added glamour to a highly successful deadline day — one in which Tony Khan made good on his promises to recruit in key areas, while doing so by securing financially prudent deals. Chelsea’s loan compromise means one of their most highly regarded academy graduates is now poised to gain considerable minutes this season. And for Loftus-Cheek, he has the chance to remind everyone what he can do, prove he has put his injury behind him and make a late play for an England return. For all parties, it looks like a win-win-win.

Transfer survey: agents explain best deals, worst moves and what really happened https://theathletic.com/2110375/2020/10/10/agent-transfer-survey-thiago-cavani-manchester-united-everton-solskjaer-parker/ Which Premier League club had the best transfer window? Who had the worst? What was the most surprising deal? Is there a big signing that is destined to go wrong? Which new player is going to light things up over the next eight months? Did anybody slip under the radar? After the main transfer window that allows Premier League clubs to trade across the world closed on Monday evening, The Athletic set about finding out the answers to those questions and more by speaking to the people at the centre of the deals. Across the past few days, we asked 18 football agents the same 15 questions, all under anonymity to encourage them to speak honestly and candidly about the transfer activity that has gone on over the last couple of months. We also asked them if they earned too much and, picking up on Gary Lineker’s complaints earlier this week, whether the time has come to change the regulations that allow agents to be paid by more than one party in the same deal. Forget “show me the money”. It’s time to show you the answers. 1. Which was the best deal of the window? “In terms of increasing the club’s profile, generating a feel-good factor and being an absolute bargain, I think it takes some beating. Long-term it may not necessarily work out, but in the short term, you only need to look at the impact he’s had already. He really is a superstar footballer. Everton aren’t just signing top-six rejects now, they’ve signed a top-class performer when he is fit and motivated.” That wasn’t the only time that James Rodriguez, who has been a central figure in Everton’s brilliant start to the season, was mentioned in a category dominated by Merseyside. The Colombian polled 22 per cent of the vote. “He’s completely transformed Everton and taken them to another level,” said another agent. Although Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara came out on top with 28 per cent — “Superb player at a ridiculously low price and well-structured fee,” said one agent — there was also plenty of praise for another signing at Goodison Park. “Allan at Everton could be the most transformative,” claimed one agent. “Look at his statistics in Italy for winning the ball back — he’s bang on the money in terms of what they need.” “Allan to Everton, from a changing-room perspective, presence on the pitch — he’s been there, done it. Carlo (Ancelotti) knows him and he’ll set the standards for Everton now,” added another agent. More than one agent mentioned that Newcastle have got excellent value for money by bringing in Callum Wilson, a proven Premier League striker, from Bournemouth for £20 million. Other standout deals that were highlighted included Gareth Bale rejoining Tottenham Hotspur “because of what it means to Spurs and Mourinho to have a signing like that”, and Thomas Partey’s deadline-day move to Arsenal. “He’s a game-changer.” 2. Which was the worst deal of the window? Two words: Edinson Cavani. “Is that a good use of the budget? Are Man United going to do much in the time that he’s here? Chucking him into a squad like that seems pointless.” Described as a “panic buy” by many, the Uruguayan polled more votes than anybody else (28 per cent). Some of the criticism of United’s decision to sign him was scathing. “Timing, agents, age, wage, everything. It’s just, ‘How the fuck do we sell some shirts in a part of the world?’” Another Old Trafford signing, Donny van de Beek, was mentioned by a couple of agents, although that had nothing to do with the player’s ability and is more a reflection of United’s transfer strategy — or the lack of one. “I don’t understand Van de Beek. He’s a good player but not what United needed.” The £35 million Wolves have paid for Fabio Silva “to be your No 2 striker” was highlighted by one agent, while others question whether Arsenal will get value for money with Thomas Partey. Generally, though, there was a feeling that the pandemic has played a part in making clubs think more carefully about their larger outlays, which meant agents weren’t spoilt for choice in this category. “There aren’t loads of bad signings,” one said. “Clubs in the Premier League have tried to buy sure things and avoid expensive gambles. They’ve gone for bigger fees for more established players still with resale value. But if I had to say, Nelson Semedo.” The Portuguese right-back was bought for £27.6 million to replace Matt Doherty. In fact, Wolves’ decision to sell the Irishman to Tottenham was described as the worst deal of the window by another agent, who couldn’t understand why the Midlands club sanctioned Doherty’s departure or, for that matter, how he would fit in at Spurs, bearing in mind his best position is as a wing-back rather than a right-back. Cavani wasn’t the only late deal that was described as one of the worst. “Tottenham taking Carlos Vinicius on loan at the end of the window,” answered one agent. “Their target was Ollie Watkins and he wanted to join, but Daniel Levy wouldn’t meet the valuation and started playing games. Those last-minute deals always just seem like filling gaps — they’re not necessarily the right deal for the player and the club.” 3. Which was the most surprising deal of the window? “Chelsea’s aggressive stance in general surprised me. We haven’t seen another deal the size of the Kai Havertz deal in this window. He’s 21, he’s a good player, and they were prepared to put their money where their mouth is. It showed the enormous amount of pull that Chelsea still have, but it also creates pressure on Frank Lampard.” Partey was mentioned more than anybody else, with 25 per cent of the agents nominating him, largely because of the fee and wages, which many suspected would be beyond Arsenal, especially when it appeared as though a deal was dead. “Just because they got it done,” said one agent, explaining his thinking. “Partey wasn’t cheap, his salary is very, very high, I didn’t think Arsenal would do it. Doesn’t strike me as an Arsenal deal.” With 19 per cent of the vote, Gareth Bale’s return to Spurs was the next highest. “It’s not because Tottenham signed Bale — it’s an obvious fit,” explained one agent. “But the fact that he actually moved in the end after so many windows of not moving.” If there was a transfer that really raised eyebrows because of the finances, it was Fabio Silva’s move from Porto to Wolves. “That’s the best signing of the window for Jorge Mendes, who made (about) £7 million commission on that.” Another agent added, “It’s not the transfer itself, because we all know the connections there. But the fee. It’s just staggering.” Rhian Brewster’s name also came up in this category. The feeling earlier this summer was that Liverpool would either loan the 20-year-old striker or keep him. In the end, Brewster was sold to Sheffield United for £23.5 million. “There’s a bit of a risk in terms of the price Sheffield United have paid,” said an agent. “But there’s also a bit of risk for Brewster in going to a club who don’t have a point yet this season.” 4. Which club had the best window? “Everton. But Aston Villa and Leeds have done interesting business, and Tottenham have had a decent window as well.” Throw Chelsea into the mix too and that answer above would cover the five clubs who were mentioned more often than anyone else in response to this question, with Everton (33 per cent) and Aston Villa (22 per cent) the clear winners. It is still early days and, inevitably, perceptions are coloured by the league table, yet it’s hard to argue with the view that both Everton and Villa have “improved by some distance” on the back of their business this summer. With Villa, who have brought in Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash, Emiliano Martinez, Bertrand Traore and Ross Barkley, it feels as though lessons have been learnt from last summer. As for Everton, Allan and Rodriguez are the headline-grabbers but Abdoulaye Doucoure could prove to be an excellent addition as well. “Everton and Spurs look to be much stronger than when it started,” one agent said. Although Bale’s return was always likely to overshadow everything else at Tottenham this summer, the bigger picture looks promising on the back of adding Sergio Reguilon, Vinicius and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. “Spurs filled a lot of the holes they had and bought in experience and hungry players,” added another agent. The big money was spent at Chelsea, who were making up for lost time after being under a transfer embargo. “Defensively they’re still suspect,” said one agent. “But to improve their attacking talent to the extent they did, and to sign some of the players they did, was pretty impressive given the difficulties others have faced.” 5. Which club had the worst window? No prizes for guessing how this turned out. Manchester United were on top (or bottom as the case may be) with 32 per cent, followed by Burnley (28 per cent) and Fulham (20 per cent). “United missed major targets. Jadon Sancho was a disaster.” “Man United. Not just based on who they signed but also because the players they wanted weren’t sorted early, or at all in some cases.” “Man United: lacked top players in key areas.” “Manchester United. It highlighted the failings of the club, because they didn’t hit any of the targets that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted. As a big club, you have to be able to deliver in the market.” That gives a flavour of the feeling among agents about what went on at Old Trafford this summer. In the case of Burnley, less definitely didn’t feel like more. “Burnley didn’t sign anyone, which means they will only go backwards.” That’s not strictly true, given that Dale Stephens joined from Brighton and Will Norris signed from Wolves, but the general point stands that it was an awful transfer window for Sean Dyche, who tried and failed to sign Harry Wilson from Liverpool and generally sounded exasperated with the lack of activity at Turf Moor. Fulham, in contrast, did make plenty of signings — just the wrong ones in the eyes of most agents The Athletic spoke to. As for West Ham, the decision to sell Grady Diangana to West Brom caused an uproar within the club and their pursuit of a central defender — whether that be Antonio Rudiger, Fikayo Tomori or James Tarkowski — failed. “West Ham just cannot get it right,” one agent said. “They still haven’t addressed the fundamental problems in their squad.” 6. Premier League clubs spent more than £1 billion, how, if at all, did the pandemic change this window? Looking at that figure, it feels as though it was business as usual at the elite level and that coronavirus made precious little difference to how Premier clubs approached the transfer window. Agents, however, strongly disagree. “Chelsea spent previous budgets and they inflated the market and net spend so that should be taken into consideration.” “It’s changed the money side completely. Clubs have had budgets slashed massively so it’s had to come from owners instead.” “The number of loan deals suggests a lot of clubs were struggling. Teams have had to settle for second and third-choice options.” “It has made a lot of clubs a lot more cautious. There was a lot less risk-taking from the clubs near the bottom end of the Premier League, which some of the bigger clubs take advantage of.” One interesting point that was raised by several agents focused on how payment terms have changed during the pandemic — specifically, how much more flexible clubs were willing to be to ensure that a transfer went through. “Transfer fees have been spread over the duration more than ever, with many deals heavily weighted to later years,” one agent explained. Another comment that was echoed by many agents centred on the problems that Premier League clubs experienced when trying to move on fringe players, especially overseas, where the money has dried up. “Clubs struggled to sell players they didn’t want as European leagues were very short of finances.” Some sensed a shift in the relationship between clubs and agents. “It changed negotiation tactics,” said one. “Agents had less power and it was used as an excuse by clubs. Spurs furloughed staff and forked out ridiculous money for Bale and Reguilon, so they’re all hypocrites. Goalposts moved in favour of the clubs for the first time in a long time. Even Man United didn’t back down on (Sancho’s agent) Emeka Obasi’s alleged demands for Sancho.” Several agents pointed to the bigger picture, away from the Premier League and further down the pyramid, where the pandemic has had a huge impact on the transfer window. “It changed things massively, particularly at the lower levels. It’s a disaster for the EFL, and they’ve got a crisis now,” said one agent. “The headlines are always about the ‘big four’, the ‘big six’ or the Premier League. Those top clubs can leverage the debt, trade out of it and still be around because they’re massive businesses. In the lower leagues, the transfer decisions they’re making are about how to keep going.” 7. Which failed deal do you now expect to happen in January? “The one boy who suffered and I think is dealing with it very well is Max Aarons. He had interest from Barcelona, but Norwich didn’t have to do anything unless their valuation was met. Barcelona went out and signed Sergino Dest, but if he (Aarons) has a good eight, nine weeks, someone else will come in for him in January.” Aarons could, in theory, still move to a Premier League club this window, given that there is an extension for EFL players. With some others, it’s a more difficult situation. Rudiger, for example, will almost certainly leave Chelsea in January unless he plays regularly over the next two months. Tarkowski to Leicester is another possible deal that was mentioned. Not surprisingly, Sancho’s name came up more than anybody else’s, although that doesn’t mean agents think that he’ll sign for Manchester United in January. “I’d expect loads of speculation around Sancho again. From what you hear in the circles you move, he’ll want a very big move soon. I’m just not sure I see Man United getting him.” “Jadon Sancho leaving Dortmund, although it could be next summer and it might not be Man United.” The good news for those who are unsettled, or out of favour, is that they have little time to wait until the winter window opens. “Younger lads that didn’t go on loan will force a move,” said one agent. “The Carabao Cup is out of the window for the next two months as the rounds have already been played. Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour should go in January. Brandon Williams doesn’t want to be No 3 left-back at United. He would be absolutely mental to not go somewhere like Leeds or Southampton. Or a top-half Championship club.” 8. Which under-the-radar signing will make a big impact? This was probably the hardest question for agents to answer and drew a real cross-section of responses. “Nothing’s under the radar anymore,” said one agent. “But no one really saw Partey to Arsenal coming and that could be massive for them.” Ross Barkley was the most popular with 16 per cent of the vote. Some may question how an England international can be described as an under-the-radar signing but the nature of Barkley’s move – a season-long loan to Aston Villa and, on the face of it, a step down – meant that it wasn’t going to make huge headlines. There are already signs, though, that it could work out brilliantly for Barkley and Villa, especially with him being freed up to play in a more advanced role. “Ross Barkley has a point to prove,” an agent said. Another agent who mentioned Barkley referenced a couple of other astute signings. “Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace will surprise people, and Gabriel at Arsenal will prove to be an excellent piece of business.” Eze, along with Leicester’s Timothy Castagna, were the only players other than Barkley to be nominated at least twice. Other names put forward included Raphinha, who joined Leeds from Rennes, and Ryan Fraser, who moved to Newcastle from Bournemouth. “I think Ryan Fraser on a free transfer is a real steal for Newcastle,” said one agent. “If and when they get him fit, he’s a top-10 player, no doubt. A lot of clubs looked at him. He seemed to want a top-six move but it never came.” 9. If you could change one thing about the transfer window, what would it be? First things first, nobody is happy with the current format. “Keep it open longer and go through to March in one window rather than two. Given what is happening now with the pandemic, if there is a lower-league club that needs £50,000 to pay outstanding debts, how are they getting that? I think that should have changed. No common sense was given to that. “As it stands, everyone is ringing you at the same time, you’ve got a finite amount of time to get things done, the bigger boys take priority over someone else who is trying to get out. You would avoid all of that because you’re not scrambling around, and all that deadline-day bollocks with Jim White in his yellow tie. It’s all horseshit. It’s all for the drama. “But it’s people’s livelihoods that we’re messing with. So I would take it back to how it was before, maybe not to March but to the end of February. But I would definitely run it through and not close it. Why should a player who doesn’t move in the summer, and is pissed off, have to wait until January? Why can’t we get them out in November if they’re not part of the manager’s plans?” Several agents felt the same way and talked about the windows being a “restriction of trade”. Others believe that the current window has been open too long and that it should have closed before the start of the season, without any special dispensation made for deals between Premier League and EFL clubs. “A lot of people were confused by the October 5 deadline, then the October 16 deadline,” said one agent. “It’s stupid that you can’t move from Premier League to Premier League now, yet you can move from Premier League to EFL or vice-versa,” added another. Common ground was easier to find when it comes to the belief that all transfer windows should be aligned, particularly across Europe. “Windows shutting in different countries at different times — it’s ludicrous. If you are trying to negotiate multiple deals towards the end of a window and you’re dealing with different cut-off points, it leads to so much confusion.” Picking up on the comments made earlier about the need to apply some “common sense” in these unprecedented times, one agent suggested that football will need to rethink the way transfers work, especially given the ramifications further down the pyramid. “The way the market is now, they may have to look at the transfer window system differently. We don’t know when all this is going to recover — it could be next year, the year after, or it might never recover to the levels it was before. The problem with the transfer window system is it puts so much pressure on everyone in the industry, and we might need something a bit more sustainable.” 10. Following this transfer window, which Premier League manager do you think is most likely to be the first to lose their job? “There are two, but one is slightly ahead in the race now. Solskjaer is under pressure because of the transfer window being as light as it was for United. Lampard is under pressure at Chelsea. There’s one guy hovering over both jobs, and that’s Mauricio Pochettino.” That was the only time an agent put Lampard’s name forward for this category. It was a different story with Solskjaer, however. In what feels like a sign of the times at Old Trafford, the Manchester United manager polled 32 per cent of the vote. “At this rate, it’ll be Ole,” said one agent. The favourite to be out of a job first, though, is Scott Parker, whose Fulham side have lost their opening four matches. On top of that, Parker, who was nominated by 40 per cent of agents as the most likely to be sacked, has clashed with Tony Khan over comments that the Fulham vice-chairman made in the wake of the defeat to Aston Villa. Fulham aren’t the only club in the Premier League where agents highlighted friction between the manager and his employers. “Scott Parker is the obvious one. But Sean Dyche doesn’t seem to have a merry relationship with the board there and he’s being vocal publicly about the things that are annoying him.” With 12 per cent of the vote, Dyche ended up third in line for an exit, with one agent suggesting that the Burnley manager could resign. Slaven Bilic, Chris Wilder and Graham Potter were also mentioned. 11. Who will win the title? “Last weekend was very strange, but I still think Liverpool. They still know how to do it, they’ve got consistency and the players there with Klopp. Manchester City have got their own problems, United have got problems, Chelsea are a work in progress and Everton you can’t judge after four games. Liverpool know how to win and they’ve done it, so you can’t go against them.” That agent was speaking for more than two-thirds of his colleagues. Although Liverpool were thumped 7-2 at Aston Villa, as many as 68 per cent of the agents felt that Jurgen Klopp’s side would retain the title on the back of the window closing. There was a feeling that Manchester City could have done more to strengthen and, at the same time, a sense that Liverpool’s squad has been improved with the signings of Thiago, in particular, and Diogo Jota. One agent predicted Liverpool would win the title but suggested that “it’s an amazing season for a well-organised underdog”. Could Tottenham under Mourinho fit that description? Aside from Manchester City, who polled 26 per cent of the vote, Spurs were the only other club to be tipped to win the league in our survey. 12. Who will finish in the top four? Although seven clubs are in the mix according to the agents we asked, only 16 per cent said that Everton will sustain their brilliant start to the season and be in the top four come the end. Manchester City and Liverpool were mandatory picks for all bar one agent, who left Jurgen Klopp’s side out of the top four. Chelsea (72 per cent) and Spurs (67 per cent) were widely tipped to join Liverpool and City. As for Manchester United, they ended up with fewer votes than Everton. That leaves Arsenal, who were backed by 39 per cent of agents to make it into the top four. “I’d be surprised if City and Chelsea don’t,” said one agent, who tipped Liverpool to win the title. “I think Arsenal could be dark horses. People are talking about Tottenham but if Harry Kane or Son Heung-min get injured, I think they’ll struggle.” 13. Who will be relegated? “I can’t see Fulham getting out of trouble, and I still think West Brom will go down, and Burnley are likely too. I don’t think they’ve got the squads to deal with a shortened season and the injuries that will come with that.” That answer pretty much sums things up. In fact, look away now Fulham and West Brom fans: every agent predicted that Fulham will be relegated and most said West Brom will join them. Leeds, the other club promoted from the Championship last season, never got a mention. The same can’t be said for Burnley, where a perfect storm is brewing — a dreadful transfer window, a bad start to the season and signs of unrest between Dyche and the board. More than half of the agents surveyed believe that Burnley will go down this season. One in three think that Sheffield United, another club without a point on the board yet, will be relegated. Brighton, who have lost three of their first four, were also seen as vulnerable. 14. Do you feel agents generally are overpaid, underpaid or paid fairly for their work on transfer deals? “How we earn our money is misrepresented in the press. The fans don’t actually understand what we do. We do an awful lot to help our players and support their families. We do everything for them — it’s not just a contract. The perception is that all we’re there for is to take as much money out of the game as possible. No, we’re not. We’re there to help our players. It’s a negotiation and if there’s a deal, we get paid. All this nonsense that we’re killing the industry… players need agents. Clubs use agents to get players too, all the time. “There are bad agents out there. One told me last year, ‘I’m going to move him (his player) because I’ve got my daughter’s wedding coming up’. In every industry, you’re going to get greed and corruption, but in football, it’s the agents who are all labelled as parasites. The majority of agents are paid fairly for what they do with players and clubs.” That was a common theme in response to this question — agents feeling aggrieved and fed up because, in their eyes, the actions of a minority gives everyone in their line of work a bad reputation. “If you take a look at the agency world as a whole, including the guys working in League One, League Two and non-League, then I think it’s fair. The problem is that everyone focuses on the few who are earning ridiculous amounts.” Indeed, another agent admitted that he is appalled at some of the money exchanging hands at the top end. “I’m still staggered by this and I work in the industry — if you look at Mino Raiola and (the deal for) Paul Pogba, the amount of money he got paid… that’s not a percentage of anything. It’s because of (fees like that) we’re actually faced with that question and that agents get a bad name.” Another felt the same way. “If you take away the amounts that people like Mino Raiola earn… just forget about that. When people talk about house prices in England, they don’t talk about the 0.01 per cent of houses in Mayfair that sell for £20 million. They talk about the average house price.” For those wondering, the average commission that agents charge is around five per cent, although some complain that clubs are paying no more than three per cent now. With a stable of top Premier League players, an agent will earn very good money. But most aren’t that fortunate. “There are a few tiers,” said one agent. “At the very top, they’re very much overpaid — although they would argue they merely charge the going rate for moving on their players, which I think is valid to an extent. Then, the majority of agents who deal with players outside the “superstar” bracket in the Premier League are paid fairly. But, go lower down the pyramid, and it really isn’t a very lucrative profession being an agent. 15. Should agents be allowed to be paid by more than one party in a deal? This subject was brought into the public domain earlier in the week, when Gary Lineker, the Match of the Day host and former England international, said on Twitter that it was time for FIFA to stop agents being paid by more than one party in a transfer deal. According to Lineker — and many football supporters are likely to agree with him — a player’s agent should only be paid by his client and not the buying or selling club as well. Agents see things rather differently. “Yes. I will tell you why. There are too many cases where people do it properly and have both parties interests at heart. If you have a League One club keen and the player doesn’t want to earn below £2,500, but you spend weeks convincing a player it is the right opportunity, you are working very hard on both sides. I would not agree with it if you only spoke to the club or only spoke to the player. But if you can convince both it is a good plan, you deserve it.” “Yes. I have no problem with dual representation (working on behalf of the player and the buying club). In some deals — not all of them — you can quite clearly prove that you are doing all you can for a club to help them acquire the services of a player, as well as doing your best to manage the player’s interests. Therefore, one can justify being paid on behalf of both club and player. This does not mean an agent is paid more or paid twice. It is simply a way of dividing the liability between the two parties concerned.” “Yes. Dual representation (acting for the club and the player) is sanctioned by the FA, approved by HMRC and it benefits the player in terms of the amount of tax he pays on the agent fee. It also saves the club money compared to how much they’d have to pay if things weren’t structured that way. Some agents act as brokers and are mandated to help clubs get players — this is a commercial business.” “Yes, definitely, most transfers happen because agents will act as go-betweens for the clubs, and they legitimately act on behalf of the clubs as well as the players. There are two transactions: the player contract and the transfer fee, so it’s normal to work for more than one party a lot of the time.” Although those comments are reflective of the responses as a whole, there were also a few concerns voiced, such as when an agent becomes too influential at a particular club and, as a result, acts more on one party’s behalf than the other. “That shouldn’t be allowed to happen,” an agent said. “And, ideally, you would have different agents representing different parties.” “What I don’t think is right is the selling club and the buying club paying the same agent. Certain agents do that and it shouldn’t be allowed,” said another. One point that a couple of agents made is that if the regulations were changed to prevent agents being paid by both parties, “you’d just negotiate a higher wage or signing-on fee to cover the difference”. So, for example, a League One player would be earning £1,200 a week rather than £1,000 a week. “People say it’s not transparent,” added the same agent. “But all the deals go through the FA. So it’s not transparent to the public. But that’s not the same thing.”

LAMPARD DETAILS HIS APPROACH TO SQUAD MANAGEMENT https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/10/10/lampard-details-his-approach-to-squad-management?cardIndex=0-0 In modern football, perhaps the most challenging aspect of a head coach’s job is managing a group of highly-motivated and ambitious professionals when you can only pick 11 of them to start each game, and Frank Lampard has been explaining how he approaches that particular aspect of his role as Chelsea boss. snip

we bought a superb CF/striker in Werner and Havertz can play there as well and we have Tammy plus a super sub in Giroud for a changeup very few CF's out there who I truly rate and all will cost a SHEDLOAD Dominic Calvert-Lewin Erling Haaland Paulo Dybala (more of an SS) Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen (only if he does well at Napoli) wild card to watch Patson Daka (11 goals, 4 assists in 503 minutes so far this year)

so, took some time, decompressed, and I have made complete peace with the fact we are going to roll this season with Jorgi and Kante as out main DMF's it is what is is and we did the RIGHT thing by not dropping £80m on Rice if he wants to come next summer then he needs to push it if he signs the extension and pay raise with West Sham, fuck him do not want players here who do not want to be here even with Partey off the board (arrf, mainly because he truly strengthens fucking Arse) there are plenty of otha fish in the sea at DMF

that was great!!!

Chelsea eye Dutch free agent as an alternative for £60m-rated English star https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2020/10/10/chelsea-eye-atalanta-star-marten-de-roon-as-declan-rice-alternative/ Chelsea keeping tabs on Atalanta star Marten de Roon According to The Express, Chelsea could target Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon next summer. The 29-year-old is set to be a free agent next summer and is a cheaper alternative for Declan Rice. The Blues were heavily linked with a move for the West Ham United star all summer. However, the deal failed to take off and the Hammers have placed a £60m price tag on the 21-year-old. De Roon has prior experience of playing in the Premier League. The Dutch international was a part of a Middlesborough side that got relegated in 2017. It was a short-lived stay at the North Yorkshire outfit for the 29-year-old. He made 36 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals. (h/t Transfermarkt)

Friday October 9 2020 Football Nerd Mesut Ozil's numbers have declined but do they tell the full story of Arsenal exile? By Daniel Zeqiri Mesut Ozil may well have played his last game for Arsenal after a tumultuous week in which he was left out of their Europa League squad and launched a PR grenade at the club for their treatment of mascot Gunnersaurus. The German playmaker has not played a minute of football for Arsenal since March, with his former-team Mikel Arteta freezing him out despite Arsenal's lack of creativity. Is Ozil a drag on the team culture and 'non-negotiables' Arteta is trying to instil in his squad, or a player still capable of positive contributions who Arsenal should look to re-integrate? Both camps have argued their case vociferously. What is clear however, is that since Arsene Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 Ozil's productivity has cratered. I explore the numbers that tell the story of his decline here, but also ponder whether they truly capture the full account of Ozil's Arsenal exile. If you enjoy Football Nerd, you should sign up to our Sport Briefing newsletter, showcasing the most important stories, plus highlights from our features, analysis and interviews weekdays.

Just gutted for him

Carlos Vinicius – Spurs’ new striker who was still a centre-back in 2015 https://theathletic.com/2113356/2020/10/08/carlos-vinicius-tottenham-hotspur/?source=dailyemail Had the cards fallen differently, Carlos Vinicius might have arrived at Tottenham Hotspur on Friday to satisfy their need for a defender rather than a striker. Up until the age of around 20, Vinicius was mainly used as a centre-back — which makes sense when you see his heading ability and imposing 6ft 3in frame. But really if we are dealing in counterfactuals, in most alternative realities Vinicius would be nowhere near signing for a team like Spurs. It is hard to overstate just how quickly he has risen from where he was four years ago when, having been released from the Palmeiras youth set-up, Vinicius was turning out for Caldense in the Brazilian fourth tier — the UK equivalent of the semi-pro divisions beneath the National League. Tottenham, who were battling for the Premier League title at the time, would have felt like another world. By this point, Vinicius was playing more as a defensive midfielder but, before being released from Palmeiras, his coach Marcos Valadares made a suggestion that transformed the course of his career. Spotting Vinicius’s finishing ability in small-sided games, allied to his strong hold-up play, he suggested having a go up front. “I believed he could become a good striker, which is why I suggested it to him,” Valadares tells The Athletic. “But he really dedicated himself and has grown so much. It’s not often that someone plays in one position until he’s 20, then goes on to play for big clubs in another. It’s a massive evolution. That’s down to his dedication and the belief he had — in himself and in the suggestion I made. I’m really happy to see the success he has had. Honestly, he has surprised a lot of people.” Five years on, fresh from finishing as the top scorer in the Primeira Liga with Benfica, Vinicius continues to surprise. After a stellar season in Portugal, this understated, for so long unheralded 25-year-old has joined the 2019 Champions League finalists on loan with an option to buy for around £36 million at the end of the season. In doing so, Spurs have finally signed the striker to supplement Harry Kane they have been yearning for since Fernando Llorente’s departure 15 months ago. It has been a problem position for most of the five or so years since Kane established himself as the club’s talisman. What kind of a striker have they brought in? This is Vinicius’s journey and the player and person Spurs have signed. “Nobody knows him in Brazil,” says Arthur Quesada, an international correspondent for Brazilian TV channel Esporte Interativo based in Portugal. “He’s a pretty unknown player, even now.” Vinicius’s low profile can be traced back to the slow start to his career. Let alone hype as a youngster, only true aficionados had even heard of him. Born in Bom Jesus das Selvas in Maranhao state, a quiet backwater in the north east of the country with little footballing pedigree, Vinicius moved to Goiania aged 14 when his mother took a job there. After joining the Goias youth system, he was spotted by a Santos scout and signed up with them a year later but only lasted a couple of seasons and moved to Palmeiras. Vinicius idolised Ronaldo and had designs on playing further forward, but he was the sixth-choice centre-back for the Palmeiras under-20s when Valadares took over as coach in 2015 and suggested he moved to the other end of the pitch. “He was a bit slow and did not, at that stage, have the competitive spirit you need to be a central defender,” Valadares recalls. “He was on the list of the players that were due to be released. In the weeks that followed, I got the squad playing a lot of small-sided games, reducing the size of the pitch. “In that context, he often found himself closer to the opposition goal, with shooting opportunities. That is when he caught my attention. He was a good finisher and scored a lot of goals in those sessions. “He was not a striker, but we had a shortage of players in that position because Gabriel Jesus had moved up to join the senior side. The other strikers in the squad at that time didn’t bowl me over. I looked at Vinicius’s characteristics and suggested to him that he should try to become a forward. That was how it started. He didn’t stand out as a defender, but the change of position helped him to grow in the way that he has. “I thought he had potential. He accepted the challenge and made it his project. I told him that he didn’t have long to prove himself, given he was in the final year of the youth system.” Valadares told Vinicius that to make it as a forward, he would have to study and learn how to play the position. Vinicius eagerly accepted the assignment and spent hours watching videos of Ronaldo, analysing the runs he made and the way he used his body to evade defenders. Looking at Vinicius now, one can definitely trace the lineage back to Ronaldo, who was the master of searing past defenders and knowing when to drop a shoulder to manoeuvre them out the way. “I like to watch videos of him,” Vinicius said in 2018. “I admire his explosiveness and the way he always looked to go at defenders, one-on-one. I see a bit of that in my own game.” Returning to 2015, Valadares says: “I told him that he should watch videos of the great strikers, study their movements and try to add to his own game. He was dedicated and we soon started to see the results. He broke into the under-20s starting XI, scoring goals and playing well. We were surprised by his performance levels. In a short period of time, he really did well. He gave me a positive response because he really believed that he could adapt to the new position.” Later that year though Valadares left the club to join Cruzeiro, and Vinicius was not offered a senior contract. He moved to Caldense, a tiny club in Minas Gerais, and played just one game, as a defensive midfielder, for their B team. In May 2017 he joined Gremio Anapolis, an even more remote footballing outpost in Goias state, playing in the second division of the local state championship. Vinicius initially played as a defender — an “anti-striker,” the club’s technical director, Pedro Correia, told Brazilian publication Bola Branca — but then moved upfield, to midfield and then forward. “He didn’t like playing right up front because he didn’t see much of the ball,” Correia explained. “He likes to have the ball and be involved in the attacks. He felt more useful in midfield: his physical stature meant he stood out and could help the team more.” As well as returning to the centre-forward position earmarked for him by Valadares, it was also at Gremio Anapolis that Vinicius was set on the path to European football. Gremio Anapolis was run by Antonio Teixeira, a Portuguese businessman. Correia, the technical director, was also Portuguese. The club’s business model was to find players to sell to Europe, and in the months leading up to Vinicius’s departure four other players had moved to Portugal. Again though, there are plenty of parallel universes where Vinicius didn’t get his break. For instance, Luis Neves, the director of Portuguese second-division team Real Sport Club, and the man who scouted Vinicius playing for Gremio Anapolis, had been in Brazil to look at another player. Neves was struck, though, by Vinicius’s power and potential, and in July 2017 he joined Real Sport Club on a one-year loan at the age of 22. Real had just been promoted to the Portuguese second division, so still pretty minor-league football in the grand scheme of things, but it was a big step up from where Vinicius had come from. He took playing at a higher level in his stride, scoring on his debut in a League Cup win over Belenenses and claiming a hat-trick in his first league start against Leixoes. During that season he scored twice against Benfica B, which might have stuck in Benfica’s memory. As is the case now, Vinicius stood out with his lethal left foot, coolness in front of goal, and intelligent runs off the ball that so often ended in tap-ins. He finished the campaign with 20 goals from 39 games, and halfway through the season was signed by Napoli for around £3.6 million — but it was agreed that he would stay at Real until July. It was a highly impressive season for Vinicius, but it was still an unusual signing for a Champions League regular to make. And it’s at this point that we should acknowledge the perma-tanned, uber-connected elephant in the room. Vinicius had linked up by now with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who played a part in securing the move to Napoli, which raised eyebrows in Italy and in Brazil among those who had never heard of the striker. The Mendes connection undoubtedly helped Vinicius on his path towards playing for a club of Tottenham’s stature, but ultimately it was his performances for Benfica last season that proved he was a signing worth making. Especially the 18 league goals and five assists in 32 matches, and 24 in 47 games across all competitions. At Napoli though, Vinicius did come across as one of those curious agent-led signings. He did not play a single competitive game, being loaned to Rio Ave and then Monaco for the 2018-19 season. He is barely remembered in Naples apart from scoring a goal in a 5-1 friendly win over Carpi. Broadly though, according to Naples-based journalist Mario Piccirillo, he was seen as raw and unlikely to reach the level required to be a top striker in one of the big European leagues. Vinicius is much more fondly remembered at Rio Ave, where he spent the first half of the 2018-19 season and, playing in the Primeira Liga for the first time, really exploded. He scored eight goals in 14 games, and for his manager Jose Gomes it was his knack of sniffing out opportunities that stuck out. “He’s a powerful player, and very intelligent,” Gomes, who went on to manage Reading, tells The Athletic. “He is someone who always gets himself into goalscoring positions. He has a great sense for where opportunities are going to appear. He shoots with enormous power with his left foot. He protects the ball really well — even when defenders are pressuring him, he is able to shield the ball and turn his man to get a shot in. “I used him as a No 9, a penalty-box striker. But we looked to make the most of his mobility: he likes to make diagonal runs into wide areas, behind the full-backs. He’s someone who holds the ball up well, which allows the rest of the team to move up the pitch and start an attack, or just take a breath. He was our reference point in attacking transitions.” After shining at Rio Ave, Vinicius stepped up a level to play the second half of the season at Monaco. In a role foreshadowing the one he is expected to have at Spurs, Vinicius was mainly used as Radamel Falcao’s understudy. He struggled to make an impact and scored just twice, though it was around this time he earned the nickname “Vinicius da Pose” (Vinicius the Poser) when a Brazilian YouTuber saw his profile picture in FIFA 19 and cracked up laughing. The picture was of Vinicius smiling goofily at the camera, and the YouTuber, who was playing career mode with Napoli, made it his mission to score a goal with Vinicius the Poser and then celebrate with Kylian Mbappe’s crossed-arms stance. This became a cause celebre in Brazilian FIFA circles, and generated a lot of memes on social media. When the gamer did eventually score a goal with Vinicius, however, someone pointed out that the photo in FIFA was wrong — it was of another Vinicius (Vinicius Freitas), who played for Chapecoense. Nonetheless the story gained so much traction that when Monaco signed him, their Brazilian Twitter account referenced it and said when he scored to, “Do the pose, Vinicius!” He got wind of it, and performed an Mbappe-style pose. It has since become a staple goal celebration for him — as Spurs fans will hopefully soon find out. Vinicius’s performances for Rio Ave convinced Benfica to sign the striker for around £15 million last summer — a fee Napoli were happy to take. Any thought though that Benfica had overpaid were immediately dispelled. Vinicius scored six minutes into his debut and as he motored towards double figures for league goals by December, the club’s president Luis Filipe Vieira claimed he was worth his £90 million buy-out clause. “At the beginning of last season, he was like ‘boom’,” says the Brazilian journalist Quesada. Another source in Portugal adds: “He was a class above for Benfica last season. Their best player by a distance. Strong and good technique.” On top of that instant debut goal, other highlights included scoring twice in O Classico against Porto — the first of which he celebrated with an especially defiant version of the Mbappe crossed-arms pose. He ended the season with 24 goals in all competitions, and was the top scorer in the Primeira Liga with 18. His five league assists meant he averaged a goal or assist every 78 minutes. As anyone who has spent the last couple of days watching Vinicius’ clips on YouTube will know — and why wouldn’t you have spent your time doing that? — Vinicius scores most of his goals from close range (including the one referenced above against Porto). His movement is superb, and like his manager Gomes at Rio Ave pointed out, he is excellent at anticipating where balls are going to drop in the box. Playing as an out-and-out striker and latching onto passes and crosses from wide positions, he was deadly. All of his 18 league goals in the top flight last season came from inside the penalty area, and 11 of those chances were defined by Opta as a “big chance”. Opta data reveals that 57 of the 58 shots that he attempted (98.3 per cent) in the league saw Vinicius’s only role in that sequence being the shot itself. This means essentially that he attempted only one shot all season having been involved in the build-up. It’s clear then that Vinicius is primarily a penalty-box poacher but, thanks to data from smarterscout, we can go a little bit deeper to try and understand exactly what type of striker Spurs’ new signing is. Using a few metrics, we can get a good sense of the style of different players. Are they a ball-playing centre-back? An aggressive dribbling winger or a box-to-box centre midfielder? By finding players who have similar styles, we can better understand the sort of player that is being signed by looking at names we know more about and can confidently compare them to. To find similar players, we use an algorithm that compares the smarterscout scores for a player across a number of facets of play, listed below. If two scores are similar (say, a 19 for ball retention for player A and 22 for ball retention for player then those players will be deemed stylistically similar by that measure. Only players in the same position are compared. The metrics measured are the volume of a player’s aerial duels, non-forward passes, forward passes, ball-carrying past players, shooting, ball touches in the box, interceptions and recoveries, as well as tackles and general disruption of opposition moves. The closer the player’s metrics are to the player of interest, the higher their similarity. If two players are practically clones of each other, they will have a similarity score of 100 per cent. If they’re polar opposites, they’ll have a score of 0 per cent. It’s worth reiterating though that these metrics all look to measure style, and tell us little about quality. This is still revealing because it can help distinguish similar types of players, but is worth bearing in mind before getting too carried away by the below. For Vinicius, this is what the data tells us: Robert Lewandoski and Sergio Aguero? Exciting, huh? Though, again, this is taking in a range of different skills, and isn’t just about goalscoring. Hence Sheffield United’s hardly prolific Lys Mousset being near the top. Plus, of course, Vinicius was posting the numbers he did in a much weaker league, and is yet to show that he can shine outside of Portugal. Still, there is certainly plenty of evidence to suggest Spurs are signing someone who knows where the goal is. And though many of his goals were from close range — with his left foot or his head — he did also show in the Champions League that he is capable of scoring different types of goals. Away at eventual semi-finalists RB Leipzig in a 2-2 draw in November for instance, Vinicius scored a goal that started in his own half. Vinicius’s touch wrong-foots the defender, who slips Vinicius has the pace to scamper clear… … and the composure to finish clinically Vinicius also showed with his assists that he is capable of linking play and creating chances for his team-mates. Vinicius provided a range of assists last season. This one was a beautiful first-time flick Showing off his prowess in the air, Vinicius produces a perfect knock-down And here he controls the ball on his chest before laying it off Should Spurs be chasing a game and decide to play Kane and Vinicius together, it would likely be the former that would drop deeper to play more as a No 10. But Kane will be pleased to know that Vinicius is able to move away from the box and stitch things together. The main area Vinicius needs to improve is his right foot, which he only uses in emergencies. Just two of his goals last season were scored with his weaker foot — what’s the Portuguese for chocolate leg? — and after one of them against Portimonese last October he collapsed in pain after scoring, as if he was so unaccustomed to using it. To his credit though, Vinicius was quickly back on his feet, and smashed one in with his left a couple of minutes later. Looking at Vinicius’s skill set more broadly, the below chart essentially shows each stat per minute in possession for that player’s team, which is then turned into a rating to scale across all players. So instead of representing a metric per 90 minutes, the rating is saying how much they do of that specific facet of the game. The idea is to have the ratings reflect the actual distribution of players across different metrics rather than being simple percentiles. So when you see a rating of 95, it doesn’t mean that the player has a higher rating than 95 per cent of other players in the sample. It means that the chance that a new player would come on the scene with a higher rating is 5 per cent. The idea is to demonstrate how unusual a player is rather than just where he happens to fall among the league’s players. Looking at the below, Vinicius excelled at Benfica when it came to his elite shooting volume, with the likelihood of a new player taking more shots than Vinicius just two per cent. It was a similar story during Vinicius’s half-season at Rio Ave (below) — though it should be said that shot volume is not a predictive metric, and does not necessarily indicate that he will be able to replicate this form at Spurs. At this point you might be wondering why Benfica were willing to let go of someone who had just enjoyed such a prolific season. A big reason was that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic they desperately needed the money — especially after losing their Champions League qualifier to PAOK Salonika — and are hopeful that after a good season Spurs will stump up their £36 million asking price. Secondly, new manager Jorge Jesus, who Spurs fans may remember from his spat with Tim Sherwood in 2014, does not fancy Vinicius. He did not start any of Benfica’s first three games of the season, and in his final match before leaving was an unused substitute. This also helps to explain why Vinicius is happy to come to Spurs as a second choice, given that he may well have had a similar role if he had stayed. In general Benfica were a bit of a mess last season, especially in the second half of the campaign. Vinicius may have scored even more goals in a more coherent side, but by the same token Jesus felt he needed to make heavy alterations to a side that was not functioning effectively. Vinicius did not kick up a fuss, and is known for being a quiet, humble character. He is religious and conforms to the former Chile striker Ivan Zamorano’s assessment that Brazilian players like to party or pray. Vinicius, along with his new team-mate Lucas Moura, is in the latter category. He does not conform to the Brazilian stereotype of gregariousness and extroversion. “Carlos is a very focused player,” Gomes, his manager at Rio Ave, says. “He understands his obligations as a professional. He’s a family person, who really cares about the wellbeing of those around him. Thanks to his journey to this point, he knows what is important in life, and he knows what it means to suffer. He understands clearly that he has to give everything in order to help his family have a better life.” Filipe Martins, his manager at Real Sport Club, described Vinicius in 2018 as a “five-star human being. He’s very mature and a great team-mate.” “I can’t wait to get to work,” Vinicius said on Friday after completing the move. He does not yet speak much English but shares the native tongue of his manager Jose Mourinho. And it is hoped that his brief spells in Italy and France will help him adapt to life in another country. The unique demands of the Premier League make it impossible to predict with much certainty whether a player with Vinicius’s level of experience will be a success, but he certainly appears to have the mentality and game-style to thrive. And the “try before you buy” nature of the signing means it is relatively low risk for Spurs. “English football is very intense, and very demanding for strikers,” Gomes says, when asked to predict how Vinicius will get on in a country where he managed for a year. “But I think he will show what he can do. He will help the team — by holding up the ball, by finding space to get a shot off, by giving opposition centre-backs plenty to think about when he is near the area. “It’s a good move for Vinicius and for Tottenham. This is a win-win for both parties.”

Why Man City's Champions League Ban Was Overturned warning, this will trigger you, lol only thing they did not discuss is that Shitty gamed the entire system and all those CRUCIAL 2-1 decisions came from their 2 handpicked stooges

I watched the highlights of the game, and Kepa was far from great, Portugal was incredible unlucky with multiple post-hitting shots and a crazy miss at the death by Felix. Kepa was ripped apart on every one.

Why Chelsea’s Loan System Works Why Chelsea’s Loan System Works Subscribe: http://bit.ly/TifoSubscribe | 🔔Make sure to enable all push notifications!🔔 Watch the most recent videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Chelsea have become infamous for their manipulation of the loan market in recent times. In the 2018/19 season, for example, they had 43 players out on loan. Viewed by many as an abuse of the system. But for Chelsea and, crucially, the players - it's working. So how do they do it, and what are the benefits? Subscribe to the Tifo Football Podcast: http://bit.ly/TifoPodChannel Follow Tifo Football: Website: http://tifofootball.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TifoFootball_ Facebook: http://facebook.com/TifoFootball Instagram: http://instagram.com/TifoFootball_ Listen to the Tifo Football podcast: Acast: http://bit.ly/TifoAcastPod Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TifoFootPod Spotify: https://soundcloud.com/tifo-football-... Subscribe to the Tifo Football Podcast: http://bit.ly/TifoPodChannel Subscribe to Tifo Basketball at http://bit.ly/TifoBasketball Watch more Tifo Football: Tactics Explained: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Finances & Laws: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Tifo Football Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Most Recent Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Popular Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW... Produced by Tifo Studios: Taking an illustrated look into the beautiful game. Music sourced from http://epidemicsound.com About Tifo Football: Informative, illustrated football analysis. Home of WhiteboardFootball®. Tifo loves football. We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content, for stuff that makes the complicated simple. Our illustrated and live action YouTube videos address all aspects of the game, including tactics, history, and the business of football. We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more. Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight. Tifo Football used to be uMAXit Football – we changed our name in November 2017 to better articulate who we are and what matters to us: making football accessible to its fans through story-telling and the expertise and insight of our team of writers and producers. Tifo was nominated by the Football Supporters’ Federation for the ‘Best Online Media’ Award in 2017 and 2018. We also make bespoke videos. #ChelseaPlayersOnLoan #Chelsea #Transfers

Italy v Moldova Highlights – International Friendlies | 7 October 2020 https://eplfootballmatch.com/italy-v-moldova-highlights-international-friendlies-7-october-2020/

Portugal v Spain Highlights – International Friendlies | 7 October 2020 https://eplfootballmatch.com/portugal-v-spain-highlights-international-friendlies-7-october-2020/

they are sniffing some spuds glue Sergio Reguilón (RM has a buyback clause, so bye-bye in 2 years) Matt Doherty (soon 29yo, and is a wingback, not that good as a trad fullback) Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg Carlos Vinícius Gareth Bale loan around £20m in wages and loan fees and he is 32yo next summer Joe Hart Free transfer they did not grab a CB, so only have 3 true ones on the squad (unless you count dregs Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is perpetually on loan at such powerhouses like Luton, Stoke, Swansea, Ipswich, etc) Davinson Sánchez (so erratic lately) Toby Alderweireld 32yo in 4 months or so, deffo the only one I would have actual faith in as long as Sanchez keeps going up and down, down and up Japhet Tanganga 21yo very inexperienced plus the sometime DMF, sometime CB sometime benchwarmer, meh Eric Dier, the epitome of an overrated England player versus Kai Havertz Timo Werner Ben Chilwell Hakim Ziyech Edouard Mendy Malang Sarr Free transfer Thiago Silva Free transfer in terms of buying .the only thing we did not do is strengthen DMF roflmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Germany v Turkey Highlights – International Friendlies | 7 October 2020 https://eplfootballmatch.com/germany-v-turkey-highlights-international-friendlies-7-october-2020/

why does he play so well for Spain, but reverts to dregs with us? it isn't like we have not given him so many chances

He made his money by marrying a Walmart heiress shitbaggery is to be expected

Why the pandemic made Jorge Mendes move his focus to the Premier League https://theathletic.com/2118700/2020/10/07/jorge-mendes-wolves-tottenham-ronaldo/ It was around this time last year, after the strained and stressful summer of 2019, that Sporting Lisbon turned to the man Sir Alex Ferguson once described as the “best” agent he had encountered in football. Sporting had received sustained transfer interest in their playmaker Bruno Fernandes during the summer window but Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United were, at that point, unprepared to meet the asking price of £65 million laid out by the Portuguese club’s president Frederico Varandas. Fernandes continued to shine for Sporting at the beginning of last season and shortly after, his agent Miguel Ruben Pinho and Sporting’s board approached Mendes to ask for his help in driving up the price with United. The English club’s need for creativity grew more glaring during the first half of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s full season as their manager. Mendes intervened, aiding the negotiations with United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who had previously negotiated with him on contract renewals for David de Gea, as well as the signings of Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria. United eventually improved their offer, agreeing €55 million up front plus €25 million worth of add-ons, and Fernandes joined them in January. For his part, Mendes secured a payment worth over £5 million to be divided up between himself as the intermediary and Pinho, who is the player’s brother-in-law as well as his agent. In the same January window, Mendes proceeded to Catalonia, where his burgeoning relationship with Barcelona’s beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu and strong ties at Portuguese club Braga grew a little cosier. Mendes did not represent Francisco Trincao previous to the operation but he brokered a €30.9 million deal that saw the Braga winger move to Barcelona. Mendes, remarkably, received €7 million in commission, amounting to over 22 per cent of the transfer. Two deals, neither of which involved any of his own stable of clients, kickstarted a calendar year that has been miserable for many in football but quite remarkable for Mendes. “All hail Mendes, the King again,” joked one of his rival agents. The coronation comes after a remarkable window in which Mendes oversaw lavish deals for clients including the £65 million transfer of Ruben Dias from Benfica to Manchester City and a £45 million deal for Liverpool to sign Diogo Jota from Wolves. Two more Mendes clients, Helder Costa and Rodrigo Moreno, signed permanently for Leeds United at a combined cost over £40 million. He also brought four players to Wolves this summer and three to Tottenham Hotspur, where his clients Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho are the head coaches, during this calendar year. Mendes is known to be the gatekeeper of his native Portugal, often facilitating for clubs including Benfica, Porto and Braga. He is not alone in appearing to corner specific markets. Mino Raiola, best known for representing Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has been curiously quiet in this window after securing transfers for Erling Haaland, Moise Kean, Matthijs de Ligt over the past year, but he has gradually secured a strong grip over the most prodigious young talent in the Netherlands. He now represents youngsters including Roma’s Justin Kluivert, PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen, AZ Alkmaar trio Calvin Stengs, Owen Wijndal and Myron Boadu and Ajax’s Ryan Gravenberch. They are all aged 21 or below and scouts believe they will be set for significant transfers in the coming years. His agent counterparts suspect Raiola is recharging the batteries ahead of returning more aggressively to a more flourishing market in the summer of 2021, although this will depend heavily on the ongoing impact of COVID-19. In this window, Mendes has been an eye-catching presence, for the sheer breadth and depth of his wheeling and dealing. Over recent years, Mendes has developed close ties with a series of European clubs, including Wolves, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Olympiakos and Monaco, although sources close to the agent say he has strong bonds with many clubs beyond those often picked out for special attention. Over the past 12 months, his relationships have become more pronounced with a few more clubs, most notably Tottenham since the arrival of Mourinho, while Leeds, Barcelona and Lyon have also tapped into his expertise. Mendes steered the market smartly, sensing opportunity by matching those few clubs with cash and the financially-strained outfits with talent to shift. “I have to admit,” one rival agent begrudgingly begins, “He is a master of his trade. He reads the market better than anybody else and he has special qualities.” Mendes’ impact in recent months is all the more remarkable when we closely analyse the European transfer market this summer. In the 2020 summer transfer window, the collective might of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco summoned a combined net spend of only £6 million. These eight clubs have, traditionally, been among the more ambitious and busy clubs in the marketplace over the past decade, yet as the pandemic disrupted the football industry, slashing revenue streams, the cream of the continent has been more measured. Among many of Europe’s most historic clubs, this has been the story of the window. The Athletic reported in July that Real Madrid had decided not to sign any players at all in this window and they, along with Valencia, did not spend any money at all on transfer fees for new signings. Yet Mendes sensed opportunity there, too, removing the burden of James Rodriguez from the Bernabeu wage bill for a minimal fee and identifying cash-rich Everton as a workable solution for both his client and Real Madrid’s balance sheet. Barcelona, meanwhile, began their deadline day hoping to secure the permanent transfers of Memphis Depay from Lyon and Eric Garcia from Manchester City. Terms had been agreed with Depay, whose contract is due to expire next June, and Lyon were prepared to sell for significantly less than £20 million. Garcia, a Barcelona academy product, is on a deal that runs to the summer of 2021. Barcelona wished to pay around £15 million to re-sign their former defender, but this fell short of City’s valuation. Yet Lyon’s executive team were also informed that Barcelona needed to bring in “multiples” of however much they laid out for Depay in order to strike an agreement, perhaps even four times as much. As such, Barcelona were left hoping Manchester United may blunder their way into the market and spend big on their winger Ousmane Dembele but ultimately, United would only seriously consider taking the 23-year-old on loan, which did little for Barcelona’s prospects. As such, moves for both Depay and Garcia fell through on Monday night and Barcelona’s net spend in this window is estimated at around £2 million. This story underlines the strained financial situation in Spain and offers an indication as to why Mendes returned with a punch to the Premier League, where he oversaw more than a dozen deals. Indeed, The Guardian reported on Tuesday that over £1 billion of the £2.5 billion spending in Europe’s top five leagues has come from the Premier League alone. A senior source at Valencia told The Athletic in September that the club’s hierarchy has estimated their revenue stream will halve this season. Owner Peter Lim is insistent the club should be sustainable, rather than reliant on his personal fortune, and sales were therefore essential. Fellow La Liga side Real Betis, who spent significantly in recent years, were unable to stretch beyond free transfers — The Athletic understands the Seville-based club could not even stump up the necessary loan fee or wage package to take Harry Wilson on loan from Liverpool. Little wonder, therefore, that many agents and intermediaries, so accustomed to milking the market dry, have complained privately of their most barren window for quite some time. Yes, Europe’s top five leagues still spent more than £2.5 billion, but it underlines the depression already squeezing the sport that the summer of 2019 recorded a figure in the region of £5 billion. “It has been a bloody difficult window,” one leading agent says, “for everyone. Except one man: Mendes. He found a way.” Mendes has long been recognised as one of the most powerful men in world football, representing elite-level players including Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva, in addition to leading coaches such as Mourinho and Nuno. He is the man known to carry three mobile phones — one Swiss number, one Portuguese number, one Spanish number — and he comes with grand references. In Portugal’s 2008 European Championship finals squad, Mendes represented all but seven of the 23 players. The Mail on Sunday calculated in September 2014 that Mendes had, over the course of his career, aided the negotiation of transfer fees worth up to £1 billion following a summer window in which he had moved Di Maria and Falcao to Manchester United and James Rodriguez to Real Madrid. This summer, reports in France suggested that Mendes had his eye on a final marquee move for his most famous client, Ronaldo. Mendes has already negotiated transfers for Ronaldo to Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. Sources close to the player deny this but The Athletic understands that, during the summer months, PSG received intelligence that the Portuguese forward was not entirely content in Turin and would consider a move to the French capital. Traditionally, Mendes has enjoyed a strong relationship with the PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi — “he always goes straight to the top, to the president”, says one well-placed source — but his influence has diminished a little at the club in more recent times. PSG made it clear they simply could not afford the transfer. To comply with Financial Fair Play regulations and cope with the financial impact of the pandemic, they prioritised reducing their wage bill. This is why Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani have been allowed to leave the club and find new homes in the Premier League with Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. As modest budgets tied the hands of clubs across Europe, superagents mostly abandoned hopes of galactico transfers and worked more smartly across the middle classes of the game. The Premier League, where clubs are less reliant on gate receipts due to gigantic broadcast contracts, still had money to spend and Mendes stamped his authority over English football. The results for Mendes have been impressive and perhaps the most curious deals are those that have appeared to follow on, like a chain, one to another. Take, for instance, the case of the right-back positions at Barcelona, Wolves and Tottenham. Mourinho required a full-back to compete with Serge Aurier and turned to Mendes client Matt Doherty, of Wolves. Mendes is a close associate of Fosun International, who own Wolves, and the Chinese investors boast a stake in his own Gestifute agency. Mendes client Nuno is the head coach at Wolves and a series of Wolves’ recent signings, including those of Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio, have all been negotiated by Mendes. Mendes, it should be said, was the subject of an EFL investigation in 2018, which concluded that the agent holds no role at the club and had breached no regulations. It is clear, however, that his voice is influential. Wolves are still to hire a replacement for sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who departed the club for MLS side New York Red Bulls last February. In Thelwell’s absence, five of Wolves’ six summer deals were assisted by Mendes. This is all perfectly legitimate and Mendes would argue he has simply developed strong relations with owners of clubs across Europe. Indeed, he can also point to the fact that the £65 million Dias transfer to City is the only one involving his clients or his handiwork that’s inside the top 10 most expensive sales of the summer. Let’s get back to the full-back chain. Wolves now required a replacement for Doherty. Mendes has recently grown close to Bartomeu and he was asked to help raise funds for Barcelona during this window. Mendes’ clout at Barcelona has been further enhanced by winning the battle to represent the club’s latest superstar, Ansu Fati. A deal was arranged for Wolves to sign Mendes client Nelson Semedo from Barcelona in a deal that may rise to £37 million, therefore producing both a replacement for Doherty at Molineux and a cash boost for the Nou Camp coffers. Regular observers of Semedo at Barcelona consider that price rather excessive but, to play devil’s advocate, Semedo is a 26-year-old current Portugal international who has four league titles to his name over the past five seasons with Benfica and Barcelona. In the left-back position, meanwhile, Fernando Marcal was Lyon’s first-choice there last season as they got to the Champions League semi-finals but moved to Wolves for less than £2 million, with sources crediting the 31-year-old’s low cost to Mendes’ management of the situation. As Marcal arrived — joined by another full-back and Mendes client in the form of 19-year-old Rayan Ait-Nouri on loan from Lyon’s fellow Ligue 1 side Angers — Wolves had resolved their shortage and could then agree a deal to loan Ruben Vinagre to Olympiakos, where relations are strong with their owner Evangelos Marinakis. Gestifute declined to comment on all points raised when approached by The Athletic as it is not their policy to discuss negotiations or deals. Sources close to Mendes reject suggestions that he manufactures “chains”, arguing that his success is merely the fruit of his own hard work, long hours and carefully developed relationships with contacts within football. Indeed, they argue, it is not the fault of Mendes if, when he moves a player out of a club, the selling club in question prefer to ask an agent for recommendations for a replacement — rather than proceed with a more academic approach centred on scouting and data analysis. Mendes did, for example, present Benfica with a £14 million deal for City’s Nicolas Otamendi, having already arranged the £65 million transfer of fellow centre-back Dias in the opposite direction, enabling him to receive a commission for the two transfers. Mendes then also worked late into the night on Monday evening to secure Barcelona’s Jean-Clair Todibo for Benfica on a season’s loan to ensure further cover at the position. When the pandemic hit, Mendes is said to have carefully studied the needs of those who needed cash and the squad needs of those with money to spend. He was able to connect recently-promoted Leeds with stricken Valencia to arrange the club-record £27 million arrival of Spain international forward Rodrigo. During an interview with The Athletic earlier this year, Valencia president Anil Murthy responded to criticisms of the club’s perceived reliance on Mendes. He pointed out the club work has operated more closely with other intermediaries, before adding: “That criticism comes from people who do not know this part of the business. Jorge is a superagent. He is a good friend of Peter Lim. It is an easy criticism people use. “Jorge knows a lot about football and he is a good reference point to bounce off ideas. He helps and advises me on different things. I have so many agents on to me all the time. They try to use me, but I don’t get used! The criticism of Jorge is totally unfair on him as he does a lot out of friendship, to advise. A superagent won’t normally spend time on a £2 million or £5 million deal, but he does help and we have frequent conversations.” Porto, like Valencia, needed a cash boost to cover their Financial Fair Play obligations and Mendes organised a £35 million transfer, again to Wolves, for their forward Fabio Silva. The 18-year-old is broadly considered one of the finest young talents in Europe but one senior source at a rival Portuguese club privately described the fee as “crazy”. Each time, of course, Gestifute receives Mendes’ commissions and in the case of Silva, the return was a £6.3 million payment for his services. Tottenham, meanwhile, have engaged in two further Mendes-steered signings, taking Benfica pair Carlos Vinicius and Gedson Fernandes in loan deals that both include options to buy at the end of the agreements. Yet sources close to the north London club are resistant to suggestions of reliance on one agent and it is also true that Mendes did not strike the deal that took Mourinho to Spurs. This was led by a different agent, Pini Zahavi, in collaboration with a second agency. Equally, Mendes’ role at Monaco, where he once took James Rodriguez and Falcao, has also lessened and he was not behind young Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis’ loan move to the Ligue 1 club last month. Indeed, not everything has gone Mendes’ way in recent times. In the case of De Gea, for example, it is understood the pair’s relations have been severely damaged after Mendes worked for 18 months on the Spain goalkeeper’s most recent contract negotiation at Old Trafford, estimated to be worth around £375,000 a week, only for a dispute to break out at the final stage between the player’s family and Mendes. Separate sources close to the player say that the goalkeeper had become frustrated with Mendes as the negotiations dragged on, while De Gea was also left exasperated by his failed move to Real Madrid in 2015. The eventual contract, negotiated by Woodward, was signed off by a trusted De Gea family lawyer, Jose Bouzas Aragon, and this meant that Mendes was not registered on the final FA paperwork for the contract renewal. Sources close to the situation confirmed on Tuesday that he no longer represents De Gea. Olympiakos owner Marinakis, meanwhile, is said to be less betrothed to Mendes these days; Nottingham Forest, the Championship club he also owns, who were once heavily dependent on Mendes’ expertise during Gestifute client Aitor Karanka’s period as manager, are doing increasingly less work with the agent. This, however, is a mere blip in a marketplace increasingly marshalled by Mendes’ know-how and leverage.

A director of football won’t always work – but can cut deadline-day gambles https://theathletic.com/2109910/2020/10/07/kay-deadline-day-gambles-director-of-football/ “The fans were on my back to have a director of football, a big-name manager. We did what the fans wanted. It didn’t work.” And, with that, David Sullivan concluded that West Ham United could live without a director of football. We tried it. It didn’t work. Back to the old way of doing things, where the co-chairman ran the show to such an extent Karren Brady once said he “in effect takes a football director role in helping to select and negotiate all football transfers”. That’s the thing about the director-of-football model. Some clubs swear by it, but others are sure they are better off without. These tend to be the clubs you see scrambling around in desperation in the final days of almost every transfer window, not just tying up a few loose ends but going off in radically different directions, trying and often failing to pull off deals that they would not even have contemplated a couple of weeks earlier. “What the transfer deadline gives you is a clear indication of which are the badly run football clubs,” Gary Neville tweeted on August 31, 2012, the final day of a transfer window that was most notable for Queens Park Rangers’ series of ill-judged vanity signings, the sense of turmoil at Liverpool (where new manager Brendan Rodgers was furious that Fenway Sports Group could not complete a deal for Fulham’s Clint Dempsey) and, of course, a couple of late punts by West Ham (Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun on loan). Eight years on, little has changed at West Ham — except that this time, having been frustrated in their pursuit of James Tarkowski, they hit a series of blanks in their search for the central defender that was David Moyes’s priority from the moment the transfer window opened. Enquiries about Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah, Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger came to nothing and, although Sullivan agreed to meet Chelsea’s demands to take Fiyako Tomori on loan, the defender pulled out of the deal 10 minutes before the deadline. Manchester United, meanwhile, announced no fewer than four new signings in the hours before Monday night’s deadline — Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani, Facundo Pellistri and, subject to work permit before his proposed arrival in January, Amad Diallo — and, depending on your view of such things, this was either a) a supreme vindication of the philosophy and structure that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and their executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward maintain they have got right over the past 18 months or so or another of those frantic trolley dashes that have come to characterise the Woodward era at Old Trafford. Woodward, like Sullivan, is a sceptic when it comes to the idea of a director of football, or at least when it comes to the suggestion that his club needs one. He was certain they did two years ago, when he was at loggerheads with Jose Mourinho, but then along came Solskjaer, a more collegiate approach, a new “technical board” and the frequent declarations that, with Ole at the wheel and almost £200 million spent on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes last season, they now had the clear vision and the top-class structure they had been missing for years. Thrashing around in the final days and hours of the transfer window, though, having missed out on your top target, is never a great look. Sometimes it is unavoidable because of market forces, but Manchester United’s late flurry came from the belated realisation that they had severely misjudged the strength of Borussia Dortmund’s resolve over Jadon Sancho, their prime target long before the window opened. They will try to convince themselves, their shareholders and their supporters that the signings of Telles, Cavani, Pellistri and Diallo are evidence that, to quote Woodward in the disastrous summer of 2014, “we can do things in the transfer market that other clubs can only dream of”. Their previous record demands serious scepticism. Historically, West Ham love a late deal. In their first transfer window after buying the club in 2010, Sullivan and David Gold signed three centre-forwards on deadline day (Benni McCarthy for £2.25 million, Mido on loan and Ilan on a free transfer) who went on to score a total of four goals for the club. There were six new faces signed in the final week of the summer window in 2011 (Sam Baldock, Brian Montenegro, Papa Bouba Diop, David Bentley, Henri Lansbury and Guy Demel) and another three (Ravel Morrison, Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard) on deadline day the following January. On and on it goes. Michail Antonio and, rather less successfully, Alex Song, Victor Moses and Nikica Jelavic joined in the space of eight hours on deadline day in September 2015. A year later it was a 33-year-old Alvaro Arbeloa arriving on a free transfer from Real Madrid, three days after Simone Zaza joined on loan from Juventus. January 2018 brought Jordan Hugill (three appearances for West Ham, no goals) in a projected £10 million move from Preston North End. For every deadline-day success, such as Antonio in 2015 or Jarrod Bowen last January, there is a long list of failures. And while there was no late deal for West Ham this time, it certainly wasn’t for want of trying. This column isn’t really about West Ham, where the bleak early-season mood has improved considerably with mightily impressive victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City over the past week. It isn’t really about Manchester United either. It’s more about what Sullivan said in that recent talkSPORT interview, dismissing the director-of-football model as casually as if it was just another of those pre-deadline deals for a well-travelled South American striker with a questionable fitness record but a familiar agent. “We tried it. It didn’t work.” Did they really try it, though? The man they appointed in June 2018 was Mario Husillos, who came highly recommended by Manuel Pellegrini when they were hiring the Chilean as their new head coach. That’s not how it is supposed to work. In announcing Husillos’s appointment, West Ham trumpeted his success alongside Pellegrini at Malaga, recruiting players such as Guillermo Ochoa, Javier Saviola and Roque Santa Cruz. Fine, but the three of them were 29, 30 and 31 respectively and if there was one thing West Ham didn’t need any help with, it was signing players whose best years were behind them. Sullivan declared Husillos “will take complete strategic control of all player recruitment”. He ended up saying he regretted giving Husillos the freedom to buy the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sanchez and Roberto, adding that the two best signings over that 18-month period, Lukasz Fabianski and Issa Diop, were his own recommendations and that he had to “bully” Pellegrini into taking them. (The co-chairman has never been shy of taking the credit on those rare occasions when West Ham get a deal right.) So yes — even if we apply the Damien Comolli principle (as seen at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool) and say that a director of football’s work is sometimes better judged with the benefit of several years’ hindsight — it is easy to see why West Ham called time on the Husillos experiment. But to write off the entire model? That’s as baffling as when Mike Ashley’s Newcastle United regime scrapped the position based on their short-lived appointments of Dennis Wise in 2008 and Joe Kinnear in 2013. Let’s look at another case. Within two months of buying Aston Villa in 2018, Naseef Sawiris and Wes Edens hired Jesus Garcia Pitarch to be their sporting director. He came with a good reputation, forged at Valencia and Atletico Madrid, but his transfer record with Villa was poor. While the manager Dean Smith was credited with the successful signings of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, the sporting director was damned for the struggles of Mbwana Samatta, Marvelous Nakamba and Wesley. Garcia Pitarch left under a cloud at the end of last season, the day after survival in the Premier League was secured. Smith could easily have sensed an opportunity for a power grab. Christian Purslow, the chief executive, could easily have decided, like Sullivan, that he didn’t need a so-called specialist in recruitment and long-term strategy. But they didn’t. They recruited Johan Lange from FC Copenhagen as their new sporting director with a remit to “strengthen” their “analytics, sports science, talent recruitment and player development programmes”. And while it is far too early to judge the new man — and this summer’s intake, including Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal, Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest and Ollie Watkins from Brentford, was very much a collaborative effort, with Smith having a significant input — the early indications are of a club with a renewed sense of purpose and unity, moving in the right direction. Liverpool came to a similar conclusion when they relieved Comolli of his duties as director of football in 2012. Rather than abandon the model, they regrouped — literally so, with the formation of a new “committee” to work on recruitment and all strategic decisions — before Michael Edwards, the director of technical performance and analysis, made such a powerful impression that he was promoted to technical director and then sporting director, a role in which he has excelled over the past four years. Technical director, sporting director, director of football… so many different job titles, so much confusion and suspicion in English football — still — about what it means. “I never understand what it means, director of football,” Arsene Wenger said in 2017, channelling his inner Paul Merson. “Is it someone who stands on the road and directs the players left and right?” Wenger was once renowned as the most sophisticated mind in English football, but he rarely sounded more outdated than the day he reacted to headlines about Arsenal’s attempts to modernise their structure. “I’m manager of Arsenal and as long as I am manager, I will decide what happens on the technical front,” he said. Football doesn’t work that way anymore. Long before Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson moved on from Arsenal and Manchester United respectively, they were the last of a breed of a manager who expected to control the entire football department. Some excel on the training pitch and others in the dressing room, but the widespread acceptance throughout the game is that a head coach or manager can no longer run the show from top to bottom. The job has changed dramatically since it entailed looking after 20-30 professionals and a small backroom staff, when scouting a potential signing meant getting in the car, driving the motorway and making one or two personal checks on a player before pleading with the board to wrap up a seven-figure deal. Jurgen Klopp, who previously worked with the excellent Michael Zorc at Borussia Dortmund and now works with Edwards at Liverpool, swears by the model. So does Pep Guardiola, who would not even have come to Manchester City had it not been for the friendly, persuasive presence of his former Barcelona team-mate Txiki Begiristain as director of football. Mauricio Pochettino is an interesting case. Few would dispute that most of Tottenham’s best signings of recent years (Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, Kieran Trippier) came when Paul Mitchell, recruited from Southampton on his request, was there as head of recruitment between 2014 and 2016, but when Mitchell left for RB Leipzig, the coach was resistant to the idea of replacing him. Mitchell is one of those strategy and recruitment specialists whose stock has risen dramatically over the past decade, a former MK Dons player who, after retiring through injury at the age of 27, took charge of the club’s recruitment before moving on to Southampton, Tottenham, Leipzig and now Monaco. Another is Stuart Webber, a former academy coach at Wrexham who went from Liverpool to Wolves to QPR to Huddersfield Town to Norwich City, his reputation as a strategist rising everywhere he went. Then there is Dan Ashworth, who left West Bromwich Albion to become the FA’s director of elite development for six years before returning to club football in 2018 as director of football at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he has overseen the appointment of Graham Potter and a change in style and transfer policy. Matt Crocker, who worked under Ashworth at the FA, has made a strong impression since joining Southampton as director of football operations earlier this year. Mitchell, Webber and Ashworth are among those who have been linked with the (notional) vacancy at Manchester United. But the line that has come out of Old Trafford repeatedly is that hiring a director of football or a sporting director or a technical director — because in England the three titles seem interchangeable, even if the precise roles can vary enormously depending on the club in question — would not be a “silver bullet”. Well, of course not. Because they could get it wrong. They could hire a highly-qualified candidate and end up with personality clashes, power struggles or, simply, bad deals. Monchi, widely regarded as one of the best in the business on the strength of his remarkable recruitment record with Sevilla from 2000 until 2017, was regarded as a disaster at AS Roma. He is now back at Sevilla, but his experience in Rome underlines that, whether for a player, coach, manager or director of football, there is no guarantee that your skills will translate from one club to the next. But doesn’t that principle underline the unpredictability of the football industry as a whole? And isn’t the purpose of the director-of-football model to find a specialist who can establish a way in which risks are reduced, gambles become more educated and, crucially, the club establish a vision that goes beyond the shelf life of the man in the dugout so that you are not facing a change in outlook and personnel (playing and non-playing) every time results take a turn for the worse? Manchester United believe they now have that model. But it goes back to something else Neville said on Sky Sports last January, stating that the club has “needed for a number of years (to) put best-in-class football operators into that club — and they’re not doing it”. Their technical committee includes Solskjaer, Mike Phelan, Nicky Butt, Marcel Bout, Mick Court and John Murtough and is overseen by Woodward, who then entrusts Matt Judge, a fellow financier, to negotiate with clubs, agents and players. Best in class? A generous assessment would be, “Could do better”. At West Ham, Moyes has made clear that he believes the club needs an expert to oversee recruitment. For now, though, it is largely overseen by Sullivan. After 27 years in football, he is far more clued up and better connected than many owners and chairmen in the modern game. But wouldn’t it be better to appoint a specialist who really knows the game — the modern game — rather than just knowing the industry? Monchi told the Daily Telegraph last week he finds it unfathomable that some leading clubs, mostly in England, operate without such a figure. “Where 60 to 70 per cent of the budget is allocated to the first team, if you don’t have a specialist who deals with that, it’s very difficult to understand,” he said. “I think clubs, more and more, are aware that they really need this position and also we are the connection between the technical staff, the squad, the board. We know the ­market. We get lots of information through the different scouts.” Sullivan gets a lot of information through agents. But is it reliable information? Has it served him well down the years? At times yes, but often no. Woodward has also learned a few painful lessons when it has come to putting too much faith in the word of certain agents, particularly late in the transfer window when the pressure to get something done has been at its most intense. A director of football doesn’t just exist for the benefit of those frantic final days of trading, though. The whole idea is that recruitment and long-term planning becomes a process rather than a succession of knee-jerk reactions. The idea is that you go into a transfer window with a clear strategy, identifying your main priorities and signing your main targets in those positions rather than end up in another of those scrambles as the days and hours tick down. Manchester City’s window has been far from their most impressive, but they managed to sign Nathan Ake, Ferran Torres and Ruben Dias with time to spare. Likewise Liverpool, with the additions of Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. Aston Villa, Brighton and others got their business done early. Even Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham looked in control of things. At Manchester United, by contrast, nothing is smooth and, after all those talks for Ismaila Sarr and Ousmane Dembele as alternatives to Sancho, the end-result was unconvincing as far as evidence of long-term vision and strategy was concerned. There is also the issue of rectifying the mistakes made in previous windows and moulding the squad into the kind of lean, hungry group that will please the finance director as much as the manager. If you had told Solskjaer after the Europa League semi-final defeat by Sevilla six weeks ago that his squad on October 7 would still include Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Jesse Lingard — but not Sancho — he would have been disappointed. But surprised? Shocked? Probably not. Of course, a director of football is not guaranteed to work. It didn’t work for West Ham with either Husillos or Gianluca Nani, whose 18-month stint at the club ended soon after the Sullivan and Gold takeover. But how rigorous was the selection process in either case? If it wasn’t rigorous enough, doesn’t that really underline the point that the club in question needs to be stronger when it comes to vision and recruitment? A director of football isn’t a silver bullet. It never could be. And, of course, there is self-interest in statements such as Monchi’s. Some might say there is self-interest in standing in the way of progress but, when it comes down to it, surely there has to be a recognition that outside help is needed. Because whatever both West Ham and Manchester United are doing at the moment, it looks far from “best in class”.

Kroenkes provided money for Arsenal to meet Partey’s release clause https://theathletic.com/2121450/2020/10/07/kroenkes-arsenal-transfer-partey-atletico-release-clause/ Any heavy expenditure at Arsenal has to be authorised by the owners. Thomas Partey represented one of those moments in a transatlantic request when hard bucks needed to be made. In general, US sports ownership principles do not rely on personal generosity from their owners, and Arsenal certainly don’t have a model geared to operate like that, so this was a big call that required a giant leap of faith. There was not enough in the club accounts to complete this transfer. They needed a handout. Josh Kroenke, the son of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment founder Stan, has been increasingly connected to the goings-on at Arsenal. Just over a season ago, during a moment of truth after absorbing a dismal defeat in the Europa League final on a sobering plane journey back from Baku, he told Arsenal to “be excited”. They went out and obliterated their transfer record for Nicolas Pepe. That was a deal that leaned heavily on instalments and future payments. This time, on deadline day, with income decimated by the pandemic, Arsenal needed to find almost £50 million in one fell swoop for Partey. “Hello, Stan? Josh..? This is London calling.” It must have been one hell of a chat. Without wishing to overburden a player who has not even set foot yet inside the Arsenal dressing room, there are occasions when a transfer carries a significance that goes beyond the on-pitch qualities. Partey’s arrival means a lot to several senior people at Arsenal. It certainly ought to have an impact on perceptions about the Kroenkes, who have been regarded as limiters rather than enablers of Arsenal’s ambitions. Primarily, this is about Arsenal’s belief in Mikel Arteta. The question of whether the team can progress faster than the inevitable interest in the manager from other clubs is a critical one. It is not hard to imagine Arteta might be on a future shortlist at Manchester City or Barcelona — other clubs he has roots with — or perhaps another club in need with high status or resources. It was meaningful that Arsenal rewarded Arteta recently with the new title of manager, with all the symbolism that brings. But to offer a tangible demonstration of what Arsenal think of him, nothing beats a high-class addition to the squad. The Kroenkes provided some funds to meet Partey’s release clause as a show of their confidence in Arteta. They wanted to prove that they can back him, back his ideas for team building, and back his ambition to return Arsenal to the Champions League. While they are not renowned for shouting from the rooftops about how they do business, this demonstration of support for Arteta underlines how they want to quietly help during this financially complex time for the club. Before the departure of Raul Sanllehi at the beginning of the window, the former head of football had told the owners that Arsenal would be able to bring in money through sales of unwanted players to fund new signings. When that didn’t happen, the Kroenkes were left with a choice: top up the pot or leave Arteta to it with a fairly similar squad to the one that finished eighth in the Premier League last season. Partey was the No 1 priority for Arteta. Together with the arrival of Gabriel and Willian, Arsenal have strengthened in defence, midfield and attack. The Kroenkes stepped in and helped Arsenal to deliver such a key component. First, they refinanced the debts during the summer to free up millions that had to be kept in a cash reserve, then they put their hands in their pockets. Their long-distance, hands-off version of ownership didn’t always win them friends. Negative issues, such as non-playing staff redundancies or the players’ pay cut during the COVID-19 break in football, sit uncomfortably at a club with a billionaire owner. The optics of these changes are never going to look great. They have never treated Arsenal as a philanthropic venture. It is a business and all the decisions they have overseen lately are to try to stabilise, streamline, and ideally steer towards success. Others at Arsenal can regard the arrival of Partey as a deal to give them a bit more credibility. Edu and Vinai Venkatesham, whose respective roles as technical director and chief executive have become clearer and more important since Sanllehi’s exit, were thrown in at the deep end during this window. There was bound to be scrutiny. Had they not summoned up a top-class midfielder, criticism of their management of a squad rebuild would have been inevitable. Bringing in a high-calibre, experienced player with the qualities to make a big impression on the team reflects well. Edu posted a photograph in the aftermath of the deadline deal of the backroom team that worked towards the Partey outcome. Among the dozen staff were some better-known faces and a few who contribute from the legal and contractual departments away from the limelight. Accompanying the photo, he wrote: “Sometimes we get things wrong and sometimes we get it right, as part of our life, but when you work with dedication and love, things happen! Let’s continue.” The Kroenkes intend to continue keeping a closer eye on how all their top executives are performing. If Partey makes the kind of difference to the team to help Arsenal make a significantly stronger challenge for the Champions League, that unquestionably helps the relationship between Denver and London. Partey’s signature was very well received among Arsenal’s players. A deal like that matters in the context of, for example, Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang’s contract extension. That commitment to improvement was part of the conversation to persuade him to stay. Arsenal, thanks to this intervention from the Kroenkes, want to prove to people inside the club and out that they are committed to pushing on. When he touches down at London Colney after the international break with Ghana, Partey is going to get some very, very warm welcomes.

I am open to this

CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report n°58 - October 2020 COVID only braked the inflation of players’ transfer prices While the COVID pandemic has brought a considerable drop in the level of investments on the transfer market, footballers signed for money by big-5 league teams during the last transfer window were paid on average 6% more than players with similar characteristics during the summer 2019. The full CIES Football Observatory analysis is available in the 58th edition of the Monthly Report. During the last transfer window, clubs from the five major European leagues invested 43% less in transfer indemnities to sign new players compared to summer 2019. The minimal fall was recorded in the English Premier League (from €1.65 to €1.49 billion, -10%), while the maximum was measured in the Spanish Liga (from €1.40 billion to €348 million, -75%). The percentage of free transfers among all players taken on permanently by big-5 league clubs has significantly increased: from 26.2% to 32.2%. The percentage of players recruited on loan out of all signings went also up: from 23.1% to a record 30.0%. The COVID pandemic has also reinforced the tendency for teams to integrate conditional payments and sell-on percentages into the transactions. The COVID crisis has strongly impacted the probability that players are signed for money. However, if a transfer takes place, the hypothesis according to which the price would have been negotiated to a lower level than before the pandemic does not hold true. In this regard, the most marking impact of the pandemic resides in the slowing down of the rampant inflation of players’ prices: from 15% on average per year between 2015 and 2019, down to 6% between 2019 and 2020. The real impact of COVID on the football players’ transfer market https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr58/en/ 1. Introduction Since the propagation of COVID, speculations on the consequences of the virus on the professional football economy have been widespread. For the first time, this report studies the real impact of the pandemic on the footballers’ transfer market. The study compares the transactions carried out during the last transfer period by the teams of the five major European championships (Premier League, Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) with those concluded since January 2010. The comparison covers three areas: the volume of investments, the typology of transfers (permanent, temporary, free, paid, etc.) and the price of players. 2. Volume of investments This chapter retraces the evolution of the sums spent on transfer indemnities (including add-ons) by the big-5 league teams since January 2010. The analysis by calendar year gives an initial idea of the impact of COVID on the volume of investments. The value measured in 2020 is indeed 30% lower than that observed in the record year of 2019. By isolating the summer transfer windows, the same analysis shows even more clearly the effect of the pandemic on the volume of investments. In this case, the drop in comparison with summer 2019 is 43%. Though a record amount for the winter transfer periods was invested in 2020, the spending incurred for big-5 league teams during the last transfer window was down at the level recorded in 2016. The analysis of the sums spent on the transfer market during the summer period per league shows the particular status of the Premier League: its clubs constantly are the most extravagant. Moreover, the drop recorded between 2019 and 2020 in the English top division was significantly lower than that observed in the other four big-5 league championships: -10% in comparison to an average of -54%. 3. Transfer typology A second way of studying the actual impact of COVID on the transfer market consists of comparing the recruitment methods for players signed by big-5 league teams. In this vein, we have calculated the percentage of paid transfers among players signed permanently. During the last transfer window, 32.3% of players signed by big-5 league teams were recruited without paying a transfer fee. During the summer 2019 transfer period, this percentage was only 26.2%. The increase in the proportion of free transfers among new signings after the COVID crisis was particularly strong in the Spanish Liga and the German Bundesliga. The pandemic has also reinforced the tendency for teams from the top five European championships to take on players based on a loan formula. During the last transfer window, 30.0% of new players of big-5 league clubs were recruited temporarily. In the summer of 2019, this proportion was only 23.1%. 4. Price of players Due to the lack of incomes related to COVID, a recurring hypothesis stated that transfer indemnities would have been negotiated to lower levels than in the past. This hypothesis can be verified thanks to the algorithm for transfer values exclusively developed by the CIES Football Observatory research group. Indeed, among the numerous variables included into this algorithm, there is one for the season in which the transfer took place. From this variable, we can follow the evolution over time of prices, all things being equal. Contrary to the hypotheses of many experts, this analysis shows that COVID has not led to a drop in the level of fees for players transferred. During the last transfer window, big-5 league clubs invested about 6% more than in summer 2019 to sign footballers with the same characteristics. From this point of view, the pandemic will only have served to put a little brake on the galloping inflation observed between 2015 and 2019 (15% per year on average). While prices all things being equal continued to increase despite the COVID crisis, the latter has reinforced the importance of conditional payments in the transfer of players. This strategy allows buyer clubs to lower the risks associated with transfers by spending additional money only if the player gives satisfaction or if the results obtained are positive. Together with the recourse to add-ons, we have observed a generalisation of the trend to include a sell-on percentage for the future transaction, sometimes even when the transfer is carried out without indemnity following a breach of contract. This strategy permits seller clubs to obtain substantial profits also on the successive transfer of a player released and, in a context of limited cash flow, it is also interesting for recruiting clubs to lower the up-front purchase price. 5. Conclusion As predicted, the COVID pandemic has brought a considerable drop in the level of investments on the transfer market. In comparison to summer 2019, the drop observed during the last transfer window for the five top European championships was 43%, with a minimal fall in England (-10%) and a maximum in Spain (-75%). During the last transfer window, the percentage of free transfers among all of the players taken on permanently by big-5 league clubs has significantly increased in comparison to summer 2019 (from 26.2% to 32.2%). The biggest rise was observed in Bundesliga (+15%), while the proportion remains stable in Premier League (-1%). The percentage of players recruited on loan out of all signings went also up (from 23.1% to 30.0%). The COVID crisis has thus strongly impacted the probability that players are subject to a paid transfer. However, if a transfer takes place, the hypothesis according to which the price would have been negotiated to a lower level than before the pandemic does not hold true. Footballers signed for money by big-5 league teams during the last transfer window were paid on average about 6% more than players with similar characteristics during the summer 2019. With regard to the price of players, the most marking impact of the pandemic resides in the slowing down of the rampant inflation observed between 2015 and 2019 (on average 15% per year with a peak of 26% for 2017). The COVID crisis has also reinforced the tendency for teams to integrate conditional payments and sell-on percentages into the transactions.

Chelsea won the transfer window https://theathletic.com/2109872/2020/10/05/chelsea-transfer-window-analysis-review-havertz/ Chelsea won the transfer window. It’s remarkable just how uncontroversial that statement is but Roman Abramovich’s money hasn’t got him quite so much of what he wanted in the market for more than 15 years, when his first spectacular wave of spending set the stage for Jose Mourinho’s domination of English football. The raw numbers are eye-catching enough: north of £200 million committed to transfer fees at a time when most other elite European clubs have been forced to rein in or postpone their recruitment plans due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. But more significant is that Abramovich’s money has successfully acquired more of Chelsea’s first-choice transfer targets than in any window since the summer of 2014 when Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa arrived at Stamford Bridge. Kai Havertz, the biggest single outlay and marquee signing, is a unique goalscoring and creative talent that virtually every club in Europe would have been delighted to build around for the next decade. Chelsea rarely find themselves the preferred destination for a young star so widely coveted; Eden Hazard was probably the last one way back in 2012. The arrival of Germany’s golden boy alone would be enough to consider this transfer window a significant step forward but he didn’t come alone. Chelsea’s opportunistic move for Timo Werner, after Liverpool decided they could not commit to paying his £54 million release clause, has similarities to the £32 million deal that brought Costa from Atletico Madrid in 2014. Now, as then, the team’s need for goals — chronic at times last season — has been addressed in the most emphatic way possible by the addition of one of Europe’s most prolific and explosive goalscorers. If Werner is the Costa of Chelsea’s 2020 off-season signings, Hakim Ziyech is the closest thing to Fabregas: a dazzling creator, whose relentless ambition with the ball at his feet should inject some refreshing urgency into a midfield that can too easily lapse into safe, sterile possession. Moreover, the £33 million fee Marina Granovskaia agreed with Ajax back in February still has the look of impressive value in a transfer market distorted by the pandemic. Lampard now has all the attacking firepower he could ever wish for. He also got his preferred choice of left-back upgrade in Ben Chilwell after a lengthy courtship, with Granovskaia eventually talking Leicester City down from their initial £80 million asking price to a deal worth around £50 million. Chelsea’s transfer window hasn’t been entirely without compromise, however — pragmatism has been the guiding philosophy behind reinforcements elsewhere in the defensive half of this team. At 36, Thiago Silva is simply too old to be presented as anything other than a sticking plaster for a back line that conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season. Lampard wanted a Virgil van Dijk-type figure, dominant in personality as well as talent at the heart of a defence, but centre-backs of such character and quality are extreme rarities. Silva was one of them for much of his prime, and Chelsea are effectively making a low-cost bet that he still has some drops of greatness left to give. Then, we have the goalkeeper situation, rendered more urgent by Kepa Arrizabalaga’s shocking disintegration. Chelsea had neither the resources to spend big on a new No 1 with so much money committed elsewhere, nor the will to do so — too much has been invested in Kepa to simply abandon him during a crisis of confidence. Edouard Mendy, specifically scouted and recommended by Petr Cech and Christophe Lollichon, is a signing that walks the narrow line between satisfying Lampard’s desire for a new goalkeeper and not necessarily ending the Chelsea career of the man he has displaced. Some might reasonably argue that, for all their spending, Chelsea’s recruitment push has yielded the least-convincing solutions for Lampard’s biggest problems. This was a team better in attack than defence last season and if Silva and Mendy don’t make a positive impact, the dynamic will only become even more top-heavy. That need for greater balance — particularly in midfield — is part of the reason why Declan Rice, the one Lampard target yet to be brought to Stamford Bridge, is still being pursued. To have any chance of making that deal happen, Granovskaia needs to sell as well as she has bought but the evidence so far suggests that most of the established names on the fringes of Lampard’s bloated squad will leave on loan rather than generating transfer fees. This simply isn’t a window in which most clubs are willing to spend, to the point that even Ross Barkley — regarded internally as one of Chelsea’s more saleable assets — garnered no attractive permanent offers before joining Aston Villa for the season. Chelsea won the transfer window. That doesn’t mean they will win on the pitch this season, that all their signings will thrive immediately or that all their unwanted players can be sold for maximum value. It does, however, mean they have positioned themselves extremely well to build another era of consistent contention for the Premier League and the Champions League.