Vesper

I would not be shocked if he goes back to Trabzonspor for the last couple years of his career,, maybe in 7 or 8 years

this is great, it means Bats is more likely to be purchased by Palace

he is trash so is the mini thug Lucas Torreira I detest them both I cannot normally make such a blanket statement for a top 30 in the world team but literally, now that Emi Martinez was sold the ONLY 2 players on the entire Arse first team roster who I would want here (realistic ages, so no 32yo next spring Auba) are Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli Saliba may get there some day

Mattéo Guendouzi is not a holding DMF

they have no young Brasilian midfielder on the first team squad

Miss Fat Morocco to Start on December 5 https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/11/172703/miss-fat-morocco-to-start-on-december-5/ Taroudant – Morocco will organize on December 5 a beauty contest “Miss Fat Morocco,” the first of its kind in the country, to celebrate the beauty of plus-sized women. According to the Huffington Post Maghreb, about 30 women across Morocco will participate in the contest. “The preselecting phase of candidates who will participate in the final competition will begin next week,” said Merri Ali, Artistic Director of Zaki’s Event, the organizer of the beauty pageant. To be eligible for the beauty contest, candidates must be between 18 and 30 years old, of Moroccan nationality, and weigh at least 6 kilos more than her size. In other words, a woman who is 1.7 meters for example, should weigh at least 76 kg. “I am actually a fashion designer for plus-sized women,” Pascale Richard, founder of Miss Fat Morocco, told the Huffington Post Maghreb. Richard said that it was during her participation in Miss Fat France as a designer of formal evening dresses, that she had the idea to create a Moroccan contest for plus-sized women. Thierry Fézard, the creator of ‘Miss Ronde France’, “offered to launch the contest in Morocco. So I started contacting plus-sized Moroccan women who have responded positively to my proposal,” she added. In Morocco, as in many other societies, standards of beauty, whether on an individual or a collective basis, are widely different. However, it’s believed that men, particularly those in the countryside, regard fuller-figured women as more attractive and healthier.

Report: Rudiger considers Chelsea future after squad omission https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/report-rudiger-considers-chelsea-future-after-squad-omission/ Antonio Rudiger is reportedly considering his future at Chelsea after being left out of the matchday squad for Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. The 27-year-old made 20 Premier League appearances under Frank Lampard last season but has found himself behind in the pecking order since the start of the new season. He was on the bench during Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Brighton on 14 September but didn’t even make that against Liverpool as younger centre-back option Fikayo Tomori got the nod instead. Speaking about his decision, Lampard told Chelsea’s official website: “We now have five centre-halves at the club and I can’t pick a squad that has three of them on the bench – so that’s the way it is. “I have to pick the squad from training and different situations and that was a selection one today.” Lampard backed his decision and said he was delighted with Tomori’s display in the second half. “He [Tomori] hasn’t played for a while and has been struggling with fitness like most of the squad but I was delighted with him,” Lampard added. Thiago Silva’s arrival could push Rudiger into fifth choice and, according to a report from Sky Sports, he is now reviewing his options. The report said Rudiger wants regular football to ensure a place in the Germany squad for next year’s Euros. Given the busy fixture schedule this season, Lampard will certainly want as many centre-back options as possible. With only two years left on Rudiger’s contract, however, it makes sense for Chelsea to consider cashing in on him should he ask to leave.

Frank Lampard shares that Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero trains brilliantly https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/frank-lampard-shares-that-chelsea-goalkeeper-willy-caballero-trains-brilliantly/ Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has revealed that goalkeeper Willy Caballero is brilliant in training, as well as confirming that he’ll start on Wednesday night against Barnsley. The Blues host Championship opposition Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup and it’s a chance to try regain some confidence after the weekends 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League. Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made another high-profile mistake against Liverpool, as the pressure continues to grow on the 25-year-old Spaniard and supporters remain frustrated with him. Lampard has confirmed (official website) that Rennes’ 28-year-old goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is having a medical ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge, which now looks on the verge of completing. But it’s veteran Caballero that will get his opportunity to try impress in midweek against Barnsley and he did play 14 first-team games last season. The 38-year-old is a senior figure in the dressing room at Stamford Bridge and still has plenty to offer on the pitch as well. Lampard had previously stated that the Argentine shot-stopper was in line to start against Barnsley, but has now added he has throughly earned the opportunity to play due to the fact he’s an excellent trainer. “The decision on Willy Caballero [to start] was made before Liverpool and it was a decision I made a lot in cup competitions last year. Willy trains brilliantly throughout the year and deserves these opportunities,” Lampard said, as quoted by the club’s official website. Caballero is a real professional that will be doing what he can to lift the spirits of Kepa, plus he’s likely to help imminent signing Mendy when he arrives too. It seems unlikely that the veteran goalkeeper will get too many minutes this season, so should enjoy the Barnsley fixture and hope for a good run in the League Cup.

I know!! lololol

I was listing Rice as a CB (and DMF) back in 2018, so there is that many other posts where I said I thought he would eventually end up at CB as well

Zlatan Ibrahimovic 2 games 3 goals 39yo in 11 days 557 topflight goals for club and country and counting List of footballers with 500 or more goals In top-level football, 29 players have scored 500 or more goals over the course of their career, according (in most cases) to research by the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Only those who were active at the highest level football for most of their careers are considered. The ranking below takes into account goals scored in official matches played with the national teams and clubs in all divisions.

Dujon Sterling is 21yo in a month (October 24th), he better start to show something soon (next 2 years) or he will be perma loan-bait, or a sale for £5m to £7m or so. He does have great size (1.86m) and pace.

Timo Werner Date of birth 6 March 1996 (age 24) Place of birth Stuttgart, Germany Christian Werner (May 19, 1892 in Stuttgart – June 17, 1932 in Stuttgart-Cannstatt) 90 years ago: Mercedes triumphs in 1924 Targa Florio and Coppa Florio https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/90-years-ago-Mercedes-triumphs-in-1924-Targa-Florio-and-Coppa-Florio.xhtml?oid=9919677 Christian Werner wins both races and sets the fastest lap time “Best factory team”: new Mercedes 2-litre racing cars impress Innovative engineering: supercharged four-cylinder engine A mountainous course along narrow roads with over 7,000 bends before the gates of Palermo in Sicily, Italy: welcome to the Targa Florio. This was a highly popular and demanding road race especially in the first half of the last century. In 1924, one lap was 108 kilometres in length. The Targa Florio was run over four laps, while the Coppa Florio required the competitors to complete an extra tour of the circuit, i.e. a total of 540 kilometres. In a supercharged Mercedes Christian Werner won the Targa Florio on 27 April 1924 in a time of 6:32:37 hours, triumphed in the Coppa Florio in a time of 8:17:1.4 hours and also drove the fastest lap in 1:35 hours. Positions 2 and 3 in the same racing class were likewise occupied by Mercedes with drivers Christian Lautenschlager and Alfred Neubauer. This meant nothing less than a triple victory for Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) – a magical moment in the “120 Years of Motorsport” anniversary being celebrated by Mercedes-Benz Classic in 2014. Mercedes was the only make of car with all vehicles completing the course. The winner of the Targa was by no means assured of victory in the Coppa, because the chances of falling foul of the road and terrain conditions on the final lap were enormous. Of the 37 starters, only 21 made it to the finishing line in the Targa Florio. And as few as 16 saw the chequered flag one lap later in the Coppa Florio. So Christian Werner certainly earned tremendous respect for his overall performance – but so too did his team colleagues, because all of them proved equal to the challenges of what was at the time probably Europe’s toughest road race. The team sent a telegram to Stuttgart to announce the overall result: “Overall result Werner wins Targa and Coppa Florio, also Coppa Caltavuturo for shortest time from start to that place, also Coppa Villa Igiea for lap record, also Grand Gold Medal of King of Italy, ditto Motor Club of Sicily, also all prizes awarded by Palermo Merchants’ Chamber stop class result Werner first, Lautenschlager second, Neubauer third, Mercedes team wins Coppa Termini for best factory team.” The new Mercedes two-litre racing cars had been painted red for the Targa instead of the usual German racing colour, which was white. That was all part of the calculation: as most spectators were Italian, enthusiastically cheering on the local, red-painted vehicles, but sometimes obstructing the path of differently coloured foreign cars, Mercedes decided to compete in red cars – and the result was a triple victory. Mercedes racing cars for Sicily Victory was decided by turning up with the right hardware. After the race, the Paris-based magazine “Auto” wrote the following about the Stuttgart car maker and its Targa vehicles: “The Mercedes cars were built as they needed to be for the race course in Sicily: short wheelbase, correctly positioned centre of gravity, special attention to comfortable seats for the drivers (such as a cushion of coarse-grained leather to prevent sliding). The Mercedes vehicles also boasted two precious qualities that even non-experts are likely to have appreciated: a quite wonderful road-holding ability and a steering mechanism that puts little load on the front axle and is therefore very soft and extremely precise.” The Mercedes racing cars were further developments of the first supercharged Mercedes racing car, which was entered in the 1922 Targa Florio, then powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with a supercharger arranged vertically on the front end of the engine. This engine already had two overhead camshafts driven by a vertical shaft as well as four-valve technology with the spark plug positioned for the first time in the centre of the cylinder. This engine spawned the 2-litre racing engine for the 2-litre formula, which was introduced in 1922. It featured the innovative cross-flow principle: intake on the left, exhaust on the right. The racing engines used in the 1924 Targa had a power output of 50 kW (67.5 hp) without supercharger and 93 kW (126 hp) with supercharger at 4,500 rpm. The engine could be revved for short periods to 4,800 rpm. Towards the end of 1924, the last version of this high-performance engine delivered as much as 110 kW (150 hp). The chassis and body on the Targa Florio racing cars were broadly identical to those on the racers entered in the 1923 “Indianapolis 500”, with the differences being that the track was slightly wider and the frame was modified at the rear end to accommodate the indispensable spare wheels. The most important innovation for the drivers was a small windscreen in front of the steering wheel, which was designed to protect them against the hail of small stones that were thrown into the air when overtaking a competitor. After the Targa Florio, the vehicle saw further successful action in numerous other races. In the Klausen Run of August 1924, Otto Merz drove the best time of the day in the red racer. For the Semmering Race in September, Otto Salzer even had a 4.5-litre engine from the 1914 Grand Prix car installed in a Targa Florio chassis, additionally fitting it with a supercharger. Although Salzer set the fastest time for racing cars in the over three litres class driving this monster, which he lovingly called the “Grandmother”, overall victory went to the Targa Florio winner Wilhelm Werner in “his” red 2-litre racer. Two years later, in September 1926, none other than Rudolf Caracciola, in the “ Grandmother”, managed to win the Semmering Race in a new record time. Christian Werner and his racing colleagues Christian Werner, born in 1892, began his professional career at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in December 1911 as a “mechanic and chauffeur”, served as a driver in the First World War and joined DMG’s dynamic final inspection department as a “master driver” at the end of 1918. His first great race was the 1922 Targa Florio, in which he finished second in the over 4.5-litre class. In the same year, he was overall winner of the “Tour of Romania”, the outstanding elements of which were a speed trial, a measured drive for lowest petrol and oil consumption and a hill-climb race with four people on board. In 1923, Werner finished eleventh in the overall classification at Indianapolis, where he came second among drivers of German cars and third among European car makes. His greatest triumph, however, was his victory in the 1924 Targa Florio and Coppa Florio. His racing colleagues Christian Lautenschlager and Alfred Neubauer were also well-known names in the early years of motor racing. Lautenschlager was the famous winner of the French Grand Prix of 1908 (Dieppe) and 1914 (Lyon). The 1914 race likewise went down in history as a glorious triple victory for Mercedes. At that time, Neubauer, too, was a successful racing driver, although he later made his mark above all as Mercedes-Benz racing director, a position he held until 1955.

agreed

For the first time in its over 20 year (founded May 1st, 2000) history, there is no Real Madrid player ranked in the top 25 for overall global valuation on Transfermarkt.

Real Madrid’s strange summer: 16 departures and no new signings https://theathletic.com/2071254/2020/09/21/real-madrid-summer-transfers/ It is a strange summer at Real Madrid when the biggest celebration in a transfer window is a world-famous galactico leaving the club. But then 2020 is an unusual year all round, and it was not a complete surprise the departure of four-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale was celebrated by some of the Welshman’s most vocal critics in the Spanish capital. His sale is a sign of how well Madrid president Florentino Perez and his close circle have managed expectations around their transfer business this summer. Bale’s move to Tottenham is being sold as part of Madrid’s intelligent management of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of an “operacion salida”, which has seen 16 players leave Madrid this summer without any new signings being made. The idea being sold is the board have bolstered the club’s financial position without weakening Zinedine Zidane’s team. Left-back Sergio Reguilon also moved to Tottenham for a fee that could rise to £32 million. The homegrown defender joined James Rodriguez, Achraf Hakimi, Oscar Rodriguez, Javi Sanchez, Jorge de Frutos, Dani Gomez, Miguel Baeza and Alberto Soro in leaving Madrid on permanent deals in this window. This has raised more than €100 million in funds needed to plug gaps in Madrid’s accounts caused by all match day and much commercial revenue drying up due to the pandemic. The details of the deals suggest they are not as financially lucrative as Madrid would like their fans to think. Rodriguez’s former club Banfield revealed that Spanish press reports of a €25 million fee were wrong and Everton paid no transfer fee for the Colombian. However his exit means his hefty salary no longer needs to be paid. The Athletic also believes Madrid will continue paying more than half of Bale’s €15 million net salary a year — but the saving will still be significant. Madrid have also been busy loaning out players surplus to requirements, including Dani Ceballos, Takefusa Kubo, Jesus Vallejo, Brahim Diaz, Fran Garcia and Reinier. This means about €50 million off Madrid’s total wage bill but reduces the squad depth available to Zidane. There is also uncertainty over the futures of Borja Mayoral, Mariano Diaz, Luka Jovic and Lucas Vazquez ahead of the transfer window closing but, even if all were to leave, it is unlikely Madrid will bring in a senior player. “There will not be any big signings,” Perez said during the celebrations of the team’s La Liga title win in mid-July. “The situation is very bad. It is difficult to ask the players to take salary cuts, and then sign players like that.” In Spain and elsewhere, the biggest losses from the COVID-19 crisis have been at the biggest clubs, where match day and commercial revenues make up the largest share of their total revenues. Before the virus hit, Madrid’s revenue forecast for the 2019-20 season was €822.1 million with an anticipated pre-tax profit of €41.4 million. Those revenues are now expected to be around €650million due to games being played behind closed doors and other losses related to the pandemic — including €11 million from refunding 25 per cent of season ticket costs to club socios. However, emergency financial management during the crisis means there will be a “net surplus” of €320,000. Madrid were better prepared financially than other European clubs when the pandemic hit, according to Marc Menchen, director of Spanish sports business community 2Playbook. “Real Madrid have always managed their finances quite a lot better than Barcelona,” Menchen tells The Athletic. “Madrid were planning to make a profit of €40 million this year. So when you need to make cuts, you know you have that cushion there. Barca would have had problems, even in a normal situation, and then COVID came. Madrid have been able to balance their accounts, they even managed to make a small surplus. Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Juventus and Manchester United are all announcing losses. Madrid have done relatively very well, considering everything.” How have they managed this? Firstly, a 10 per cent salary cut saved the club about €40 million. The lucrative new deal with kit supplier Adidas last year — under which revenues jumped by about €60 million — has also helped. Martin Odegaard started for Real Madrid on Sunday night (Photo: Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) This summer’s sales of players will be booked in the 2020-21 accounts but selling players for a sizable fee has been a common theme in recent years. Last year’s revenues from player sales was €135 million, including Mateo Kovacic to Chelsea (€45 million) and Marcos Llorente to Atletico Madrid (€30 million). In previous summers, Madrid have sold Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Pepe and Alvaro Morata (twice) and have regularly made a profit in transfer windows (except 2019 when €350 million was spent on Eden Hazard, Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Reinier). “For a number of years now, Madrid have been selling very well,” Menchen says. “They have been moving on players who were not so important for the team, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, for pretty impressive sums. They knew that the issue of the stadium was coming and wanted to be ready so it did not swallow them.” The big Bernabeu modernisation has been uppermost in the thoughts of the club’s hierarchy ever since Perez first promised a “translucent roof” on the stadium back in 2004. After regular planning and finance setbacks, a €575 million loan was finally agreed in late 2018 to get the construction work under way and, under its terms, significant repayments do not have to be made until the project is completed and (in theory) the new plush VIP areas are paying for themselves. “Madrid do not have to start to make repayments for three years, just the interest payments on the mortgage,” Menchen says. This intelligent spending has been a feature of Perez’s second term as president (since 2009) and goes against the image from his first term (2000 to 2006) when money was lavishly spent on shiny galacticos. The plan for a surplus in this year’s accounts was nothing new. In 2018-19 accounts showed a €53.5 million pre-tax profit and the “cash balance” figure was €156 million. It was also leaked last night that Madrid’s players had declined to accept their bonuses for winning last season’s La Liga and Supercopa trophies — €1 million a head — which served as another reminder of how tight finances are. “Madrid have had a pretty stable management team over the last 20 years. They are people who know very well how the business works,” Menchen says. “And then Florentino is always right on top of the numbers. He obsesses quite a lot over what goes on, financially. So Madrid have done things very well, they have always been saving for a rainy day.” With no new signings, the only “new” faces in Zidane’s squad for 2020-21 are players returning from loan spells. The most exciting for fans is Martin Odegaard, who was so impressive at Real Sociedad last year, while the other returnees are not expected to feature much outside of the Copa del Rey early rounds. Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, 21, will act as back-up to first choice Thibaut Courtois, after gaining some useful experience in a Segunda Division relegation battle with Real Oviedo last season. Alvaro Odriozola was less busy during his loan spell at Bayern Munich, although the 24-year-old right-back did pick up a Champions League winner’s medal after his 179 minutes of action for the German club. Madrid hope other high-profile youngsters signed for big money over the last couple of seasons will make a more regular impact this year. These include Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Fede Valverde. Jovic, Mendy and Militao will also be expected to play their part. Meanwhile mainstays of the Madrid team, including Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos are all a year older. Benzema was the team’s most important player as Madrid raced past Barcelona to seal the title post lockdown in June and July, while Ramos scored six goals in his last 10 games of the domestic campaign. They cannot really be expected to do any better this year. Hazard was sat at home as the Belgian has not been able to get match fit due to long-running ankle problems. The line-up for Sunday’s first game of the season, a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad, was therefore very similar to that which ground its way to last year’s title. Odegaard did start, but created little against his old team, and was withdrawn early as he is not yet fully fit. Benzema was flanked by Vinicius and Rodrygo in attack, but between them they created few opportunities as the home side, missing 10 first-teamers, defended quite comfortably. Zidane’s substitutions were puzzling, especially as his team needed a goal. The Frenchman left strikers Jovic and Mayoral on the bench all game, and gave senior debuts to 20-year-old Marvin Park — once on the books of Tranmere Rovers — and 18-year-old Sergio Arribas. In Merseyside, recently departed Rodriguez had a memorable home debut as Everton scored five times at Goodison Park. After the game, Madrid director Emilio Butragueno played down the idea of any signings being made before the window closes on October 5. “We think we have a very complete squad, which gives us confidence for all we have in front of us,” said Butragueno on Spanish TV. “We have a squad which is an absolute guarantee.” Explicit in Madrid’s successful promotion of their summer 2020 transfer policy has been the message that in a year’s time things will be very different — as they hope to bring in Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe. A lot has been made of the fact that by next summer Mbappe will only have a year left on his contract, and how the supposed friendly relationship between Perez and PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi will make a deal relatively straightforward. The image of Mbappe leading an exciting new team for 2021-22, as fans throng back to a dazzling reopened Bernabeu, is an attractive one. It is also mostly a pipedream at this stage — given nobody can confidently predict what will happen with the pandemic and as Madrid’s finances are dependent on match day, merchandising and other income returning to pre-COVID levels. Perez and his advisers at the Bernabeu have handled the financial part of the COVID-19 crisis very well, especially compared to the ongoing soap opera at the Nou Camp. However the reality is the competitive level of their team will drop this season. Moving on players like Bale and Rodriguez is understandable, but not replacing them looks problematic. There is also no guarantee that in 12 months’ time things will be any different. “Madrid would not have been able to go crazy with signings this summer, even in a normal situation,” says Menchen. “With the salary cuts to their players and the sale of squad members, they have fixed their accounts for this year. It is going to be a transitional year. “But we will have to wait and see what their financial situation is like next summer. Nothing is certain yet.”

Alphonso Davies’ rise in Vancouver, told by those who knew him https://theathletic.com/2072847/2020/09/17/alphonso-davies-rise-in-vancouver-told-by-those-who-knew-him/ Alphonso Davies wasn’t supposed to be at the Whitecaps Academy training facility that day. This was in late 2016, and he’d just recently made his MLS debut at 15 years old, the second youngest in league history after Freddy Adu. The first team was based at the University of British Columbia, across town from academy HQ in the suburb of Burnaby. But Davies, with his trademark blend of enthusiasm and playfulness, remained a regular presence on the academy grounds. He still had a bunch of friends working their way up the system, and he also just loved being around the game. So Davies turning up unannounced wasn’t unusual. “He shows up and asks if he can train with the U-18s,” recalls Carl Valentine, who was an assistant coach for Davies’ U-16 team when he first arrived at the club. “Well, the U-18s weren’t training that day.” “What about the U-16s?” Davies fired back, as quick on his feet off the field as he was on it. “Well, they’re not training today, either.” “Who’s training, then?” “The U-14s.” “So he goes and trains with the U-14s,” Valentine said. “Unbeknownst to us, Carl Robinson, the (first team) head coach, wasn’t happy about it. It was supposed to be his day off. From then on, we had to make sure if he showed up that he was allowed to train.” This wasn’t the first time that Valentine or his peers within the Whitecaps organization had noticed that there was something different about Davies. Far from it. Of course, that’s easy to say now that he’s a big star — a UEFA Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and already one of the best left backs in the world at age 19. But they all say he was magnetic, even back then, when he was a kid in the academy trying to establish his footing in the big city. Since the very beginning, everyone agrees that Davies has been someone who goes out of his way to introduce himself to a new classmate, who is the center of attention — whether with the ball at his feet or standing on stage, the one most enthusiastic about getting up to sing and dance in front of the whole school. Today, everybody knows that Davies is special. But the people who were there from the beginning, when he went from relative obscurity in Edmonton, to the Whitecaps Academy, to the first team and then to Bayern in less than four years between 2015-18, swear they spotted it right away. Frank Ciaccia, Whitecaps Academy Recruitment Officer: Alphonso’s mentor set up a game on the last night of our Edmonton combine. Alphonso was a 2000 (birth year), and the teams were made up of mostly 1997s. So he’s giving away three years, so I’m already like, “Oh wow, okay.” From the opening kickoff, it was already apparent that this kid was something special. He was all over the park. His determination was really extraordinary. By halftime, I had already texted (Whitecaps residency technical director) Craig (Dalrymple) like half a dozen times. I just said, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Dave Irvine, Whitecaps head of academy operations and administration: The first time I saw Alphonso play is a day I’ll always remember. I went straight from the (Edmonton) airport to watch one of his games. I get to the complex, and there are six or seven fields with a lot of action going on. None of them are numbered. I wasn’t exactly sure who I was looking for. Then way at the back on a random field, I see this kid get the ball, dribble through the whole team and then a big goal celebration with all his guys. As I kept watching, the same kid kept doing all of these amazing things. I start walking that way, and sure enough, it was him. Rich Fagan, Whitecaps U-16 coach when Davies was trialing for the club, later his U-18 coach: He immediately caught my eye. He just moved differently. There’s two teams of 11, and one guy who’s moving differently than everyone else. The top talents, you go to a game or a training session, and they’re going to catch your eye. But if I’m honest, with Alphonso, you caught it immediately. You barely even had to look. Ciaccia: Late in the game, the ball came to him and he delivered a chop pass, hitting it across the field to the right winger, with just the right amount of weight on it. It was just extraordinary. I couldn’t believe a 14-year-old was doing that. That vision to play in his teammates: you see that in professional players, not 14-year-olds. I texted Craig throughout the match and called him as soon as I left on my way to my hotel in Edmonton. I just said, “This boy is special. I’ve never seen anything like this before. We absolutely need to get him into the academy.” I might have even told him to get the pro contract ready. Theo Bair, Whitecaps Academy teammate: Our first-ever intersquad in the academy, the first half was really scrappy. It wasn’t the best half. Everybody was kind of playing within themselves. Come halftime, the coaches tell us to be ourselves. And within the first I’d say 10 minutes of the second half, Alphonso scored a hat trick. That night, when I called my dad, I told him, “Pops, he’s special. Very special.” My dad was like, “Ah, you can’t tell that from one game.” “No, there’s something different about him.” Ciaccia: He had this presence about him that, as a recruiter, you don’t come across often. You hear, “It’s my dream to be a pro footballer.” Every young footballer has that dream. In Alphonso’s case, I didn’t see a boy with a dream; I saw a boy with a plan. I saw determination and assuredness. It wasn’t cocky; it wasn’t arrogant. He was just a boy who was going to make it. There was something about his presence that exuded that. I remember talking to Craig about that: “There’s something else going on with this boy.” Denise Davis, former vice principal at Burnaby Central: When I first met Alphonso, he came to register for school with Dave at the beginning of his grade 10 year, when he was 15-years-old. He shook my hand, with a firm handshake and a big smile on his face, and immediately, he shared his dream with me: ‘Mrs. Davis, I want to play professional soccer.’ He turned his dream into reality. Fagan: People talk about humility and manners, that was the main thing. Please and thank you. “How can I help?” “Those cones look like they need to be picked up” — all of those intangible things you might not even think about, he was unbelievable that way. Valentine: As a coach, when you see talent, you always want to say, “Oh yeah, I knew he was going to the top.” And we probably say that about a number of players. But in our first six games, he’d assisted or scored on every goal that we scored. We had a conversation as coaches, and basically what it was was that we just needed to stay out of his way. Obviously you can guide this kid, but he’s got the natural talent you can’t touch. Fagan: I remember one particular game, thinking about what tactics were best going to help the team, but to be honest, at that particular point in time, there was really no instruction to give him. Because if he wants to, he’ll take over the game. When he doesn’t have the ball, he can press and win it, and off he goes. I didn’t give him a lot of tactics, because he could take over whenever he wanted. Bair: The first time I met Alphonso was my first week in Vancouver officially being a part of the Whitecaps. We were all staying in Burnaby, and I don’t know how he found where my room was, but I heard a knock on my door and there’s Alphonso. He goes, “Hey man, are you part of the academy?” “Yeah.” “Cool.” And he just walks into my room, sits on my bed and starts talking to me. From then on, we were really good friends. T-Boy Fayia, academy teammate, fellow Edmontonian: I met Alphonso on my first day of junior high school. There was a tryout for the team, and I was really shy and didn’t want to go. But then Alphonso came up to me: “What are you doing? Today is trials.” He was one of the guys at school who everybody talked about, and even from my first day I already looked up to him. For him to be the one who stopped me and reached out, it made me feel really good. “OK, I’ll try out then.” He motivated me to try, and it was the same way in Vancouver. From Day 1, he’s been there. Davies with girlfriend and PSG striker Jordyn Huitema soon after they first met at school. (Photo courtesy of Denise Davis) Bair: To be honest, when I first came to the Whitecaps, I wasn’t the most outgoing person. I’m still a shy person, but I was even more of an introvert. I think Alphonso brought out the extrovert in me a little bit. He’s a very positive person. Having somebody who is happy all the time, who’s outgoing and who wants to go out and do things and explore, that’s helped me a lot in becoming the person I am today. Otherwise, I’d probably just sit in my house, not talking to anybody. He helped me a lot. Irvine: He is happy-go-lucky and always smiling, but he can come across as a little bit shy. I remember speaking to the vice principal at Burnaby Central Secondary, where all our guys went to school at the time, and her telling me how energetic he was, how he was always leading the school lip-syncs and dance competitions at lunchtime. All the teachers really loved him. He had that infectious, positive attitude, and he had a tremendous impact on this brand-new school that he’d never walked into before, and this was only a couple months in. Davis: The whole school was cheering and excited the day he signed for the Whitecaps (first team). The staff would all go to games together, and it was all very exciting. We were all very proud of him. In a school of 1,600 students, what was amazing is that nobody was ever jealous of Alphonso. Everybody was his biggest fan. We’ve had a lot of other athletes, and it isn’t often that way. I think that speaks to who he is as a person. Jon Poli, Whitecaps head of physical preparation: He thinks he’s an actor and a dancer. He loves to be the center of attention. When he first came in, all of the rookies had to do a dance or a song, and he would always do it extra, going up alongside all the new rookies. He loved it. I think his rookie year he did three or four dances for us. We’ve had a couple of guys who like to showboat, but he’s the peak in that. And he really thinks he’s a good singer and dancer, even though he’s not very good. His voice is so bad. Valentine: He was a kid who loved life. And when you watched him training, you could tell that he was just meant for it. You wish you could bottle it up and give it to every youngster. Maybe when you go through and survive the childhood that Alphonso had — with some difficulties and challenges most of us will never understand — a lot of people come out of that scarred. He comes out of it thankful for everything that he got. Fayia: I remember one day, we were walking from Tim Horton’s, and some kid was carrying a ball, having come off some soccer field. At this point, (Alphonso) was with the Whitecaps first team, and everyone was watching him. This kid saw him and goes, “Are you Alphonso Davies?” I say, “Of course he’s Alphonso Davies, look at him.” The kid wouldn’t believe it. “Nah, you’re not Alphonso Davies.” The two of us are just laughing. “Well if you’re Alphonso Davies, then do an ‘around the world’ (dribbling trick).” So Alphonso does an ‘around the world,’ multiple times. The kid is just amazed: “Can I get an autograph?” And Alphonso takes a picture with him, too. He was always so nice about stuff like that. Bair: One day he got back from first-team training, and he said it was a hard session. We were at school, and everybody was racing on the track outside. And you could tell he was dead: he was walking heavy like his legs hurt. But he sees people racing and his eyes light up. Tells me, “Well now I want to go race.” Takes his bag off, changes into the running shoes he always keeps with him, goes and races and beats them all. That’s him: high energy, positive, competitive. That’s Alphonso. Fayia: I was going to train by myself on a field that was halfway between my house and Alphonso’s house. And I see Alphonso training his little brother. I’m like, this guy just played an MLS game yesterday. And this wasn’t easy training, either, it was hard. He’s coaching his brother up: “You have to do it this way.” That guy just loves football. I thought I was going all by myself. “What is he doing here?” I joined the training, too, him coaching us. It was really cool. Valentine: He reminded me of Wayne Rooney. When Rooney broke in at Everton around the same age, just before he went to Man United, even as a professional he would go out and play with his mates. They stopped that when they found out, but that’s who he was. That’s Alphonso. He just wanted to play with his mates. He really just loves it. … There’s no guarantees, right? You see young players with potential, but it doesn’t always work out. But you always felt that he had a really great opportunity, just because of the way he sees life, and approaches it. You always knew he had a chance to reach the top, but I don’t think any of us would’ve predicted it this fast. Bair: Alphonso is a big sleeper. That’s one thing I forgot to say, and that might be a surprise, because he usually has so much energy. He might stay up late, but he’ll always nap. After his training sessions with the first team, he would always message me: “Are you home?” He’d come up the stairs, hang with me for a bit and fall asleep for an hour-and-a-half or so, then wake up and go, “OK, I’m going home.” We’d be talking, I’m on my couch watching TV, say something and look over and there he goes. He’s gone. Fayia: Oh yeah, he loves to nap. Oh and also: everywhere we went, Alphonso ordered chicken wings. We went to Cactus (a regional restaurant chain in western Canada) a lot, and it was always, always chicken wings. So one day we had a chicken wing challenge: him, me and our friend Keyshawn. We ordered the hottest wings we could find in Vancouver, and even bought extra sauce. We kept adding hot stuff, just to see who could eat the most. I think I won, but Alphonso would probably say he won. And the thing is: he eats all those wings one day and scores two goals the next day, that same weekend. “Wait, didn’t we just do the hot wing challenge??” Bair: He jumped through the levels so quickly that you could only assume that it would continue. He went from U-16, scoring and assisting every game, multiple times, to U-18, scoring and assisting multiple times. In the USL, he scored in something like his third game, and then in MLS having an unbelievable season before going to Bayern. Everybody knew what he was capable of. … When I first met him, he honestly didn’t play much FIFA (the video game), which was odd because everyone here did. But once he got into it, he got really good really quickly, which again is testament to his learning quickly. He’s a fast learner no matter what he’s doing. Although he doesn’t FIFA anymore — he has to play PES because he’s Konami. Fagan: I remember his first game for the first team. The academy players all sit together on a match day. We have our own section. It’s a big group of players. And every time he touched the ball, or even got close to it, the entire section erupted. I remember getting goosebumps, because I think for those kids, that’s when they knew they had a chance, because they bumped shoulders with him in the hallway. He was one of their own. Irvine: The impact he’s had on our academy is almost immeasurable. To this day, and he hasn’t been around for a couple of years now, but the kids still talk about him daily. “Wow, can you believe what Alphonso did yesterday?” Or: “Did you see what he did against Messi??” They come into the centre watching highlights of his games, and the couple of times he’s come back into town, he comes by the training centre and the kids are just in awe. Ciaccia: The best compliment that I can give to the boy is that he’s largely the same person. He kept his feet on the ground. He hasn’t forgotten his family situation. He hasn’t forgotten his friends. He remembers who was good to him, and he has stayed loyal. He’s never forgotten where he came from. Davis: So the Whitecaps Academy left our school and moved to Vancouver after they built their new facility at UBC, and I retired in March of 2017. And Alphonso, on his own — because he wasn’t a student at our school anymore, and hadn’t been for a while — he showed up at our school on my very last day and presented me with his signed Whitecaps jersey, to congratulate me on my retirement. I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. Davies was a member of Burnaby Central’s culinary arts program. (Photo courtesy of Denise Davis) Fayia: We all have a WhatsApp group, and every time he scores we send him a clip. He’ll call back, smiling and all happy. We’re still in touch. When he lifted the (Champions League) trophy on TV, we recorded it and sent it to him, and as soon as he gets on the team bus he calls us, everybody going crazy. “Bring it home!” He was so proud.

re-open this

Possible return date: September 26 (vs. West Brom) Andreas Christensen was sent off for hauling down Liverpool's Sadio Mane after a VAR review when the winger was through on goal at the weekend. As a result, the defender is set to serve a one-match suspension and will play no part in midweek.

United won’t sign centre-back, virus shouldn’t stop football and more https://theathletic.com/2079531/2020/09/21/manchester-united-centre-back-lamptey-england-ghana-alli-mourinho-calvert-lewin-everton-coronavirus-lockdown-football/ Manchester United opened their Premier League campaign with a dispiriting home defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday and it was a performance that led many to identify the centre of their defence as an area in urgent need of strengthening. United’s first-choice pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof came in for sharp criticism as their side were beaten 3-1 and looked particularly vulnerable to the pace of Palace’s forwards. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named Eric Bailly among his substitutes while Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Axel Tuanzebe and Teden Mengi are all on the books at Old Trafford. With these options in mind, United did not view centre-back as a priority for the market and The Athletic has been told there has been no change in strategy, despite the perceived weakness. They have been offered players who could potentially help bolster that part of the team, however it has been made clear in conversations that other positions are of more immediate concern. United’s focus all summer has been a right-sided attacker, with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho still the preferred candidate even though that pursuit is at an impasse. Personal terms have been agreed with the 20-year-old Englishman but the clubs remain apart in their valuations. United’s net spend has been considerably more than other leading European clubs in the last three transfer windows but they are losing between £4-5 million every home game without fans so do need to exercise caution. It is also possible that a left-back will arrive to provide competition for Luke Shaw, with United holding talks over a potential move for Porto’s 27-year-old Brazil international Alex Telles. Yet at centre-back Solskjaer is said to have faith in his personnel. Although Roma want to secure the permanent signing of Smalling, who enjoyed a successful loan spell there last season, the Italians’ offer of around £12 million is below United’s asking price towards £20 million. The 30-year-old could be reintegrated if a satisfactory bid fails to arrive. Solskjaer has drafted Mengi into the first team set-up and the 18-year-old is highly regarded. Brands’ intervention key to Calvert-Lewin’s success Dominic Calvert-Lewin has enjoyed a spectacular start to the season with four goals in Everton’s opening two games, including a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. But had things worked out slightly differently, it is unlikely that the 23-year-old would be leading the line at Goodison Park. At the beginning of last season, then-manager Marco Silva was keen to upgrade Everton’s striking options with Cenk Tosun struggling for goals. The club’s interest in Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic was well documented, as the Croatian’s time in Turin looked to be coming to an end following the appointment of Maurizio Sarri. Silva wanted to bring Mandzukic to Everton and the club’s owner Farhad Moshiri is likely to have backed him. The move would have been expensive — more in terms of the 33-year-old’s hefty salary than a transfer fee — but the greater cost might have been to Calvert-Lewin’s development. Director of football Marcel Brands is thought to have faced a fierce battle to convince Silva not to pursue Mandzukic and instead give Calvert-Lewin the platform to develop into the player he is today. Moshiri was spending heavily at the time — with Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Andre Gomes, Jean-Phillipe Gbamin and Fabian Delph costing more than £100 million combined last summer — and wanted to see his investment translate into success. Brands fought hard for faith to be placed in Calvert-Lewin and some at the club believe the England Under-21 international would now be elsewhere, on loan or permanently, had the Mandzukic transfer proceeded. Alli not sure why he wasn’t picked but exit could be tough Dele Alli was given no explanation for his non-selection in the Tottenham squad to face Southampton on Sunday, my colleague Charlie Eccleshare understands. The other Spurs players who didn’t make the cut were given no additional information either once the squad was put up at the club’s training ground, but clearly it was Dele’s omission that caused the most surprise. Dele has been an automatic starter since joining Tottenham five years ago and was fully fit but was overlooked, as he was for the midweek trip to Bulgaria to face Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Europa League qualifying. The decisions were made for football reasons and head coach Jose Mourinho attempted to explain the Southampton omission before Tottenham’s 5-2 win at St Mary’s by saying the club’s “huge squad” means there will always be players who have to be left out. But Mourinho is understood to be open to a loan move for Dele before the closure of the transfer window next month, with Gareth Bale’s arrival set to push him even further down the pecking order. Dele, meanwhile, is conscious of the need for regular game time if he wants to reclaim his place in the England squad for next summer’s European Championship, by which time he will be 25. He also feels he needs to be at a club, and with a manager, who appreciates him, and though chairman Daniel Levy would ideally like to keep Dele, whose contract runs until 2024, it’s unclear whether that will be possible. The Athletic understands a move to Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid is unlikely. Dele will “probably” be involved away to fourth-tier Leyton Orient in a Carabao Cup third round tie tomorrow night, Mourinho said on Sunday. Chelsea included sell-on clause in Lamptey deal with Brighton Tariq Lamptey was one of this weekend’s standout performers as Brighton won 3-0 at Newcastle, the 19-year-old impressing at both ends of the pitch and speaking eloquently on TV afterwards. Chelsea fans will no doubt be disappointed to have learned recently that their club do not have a buy-back option for a player they sold for just £3 million in the last January window — although The Athletic can reveal that a sell-on clause was included in the deal. But that will only come as a small consolation to Chelsea, who it is understood were desperate to keep Lamptey. The teenager was highly-rated by the club and was handed his Premier League debut by Frank Lampard in a win over Arsenal last December, as well as appearing in brief FA Cup cameos against Nottingham Forest and Hull City. Chelsea had intended to send him out on loan to further his development but Lamptey did not agree with that plan and felt his pathway to their first team was unclear. And despite interest from the likes of Arsenal, Wolves, Leeds and Rangers — as well as from overseas, at French club Lille — Lamptey decided to join Brighton. While Lamptey is unlikely to leave Brighton anytime soon, there remains much speculation about his international future. The Londoner made his England Under-21 this month, but Ghana — the country of his parents — are keen for him to represent them. Lamptey is yet to make a final decision as he concentrates on club matters and the FA is thought to be relaxed about the situation, having seen the player progress through their youth system while also boasting a wealth of options at right-back. Clubs angry at lack of clarity over taking a knee Players taking a knee before kick-off in the battle against racism has been a powerful image in recent months. But while Premier League sides continue to do so, there is confusion in the EFL, with some clubs angry at the lack of guidance from the governing body. Coventry and Queens Park Rangers did not take a knee before their televised match on Friday night, likewise Norwich and Preston North End at Carrow Road on Saturday. And in Leagues One and Two, a majority of matches kicked off without the anti-racism gesture. The decision on whether or not to take a knee is left to the clubs on a match-by-match basis. This has resulted in widespread confusion and the EFL is facing growing calls to provide its clubs with official guidance on the issue. Despite clubs confused by the league’s stance, The Athletic understands the EFL has no plans to meet to discuss the topic, although it remains in a constant dialogue with its clubs. It will instead remain for clubs to decide whether or not to take a knee, with both teams needing to inform the match referee of their decision ahead of kick-off. The EFL last provided guidance on the topic at the start of the season, believing it to ultimately be a player-led initiative. This viewpoint is unlikely to go down well with the 72 EFL clubs and will surely result in a repeat of this weekend’s inconsistencies. One high-level football executive told The Athletic that he believes the EFL is deferring responsibility by leaving the decision up to the clubs, instead of issuing collective guidance, and coaches certainly made their feelings known this weekend. QPR manager Mark Warburton complained on Friday that “there is no guidance from the authorities”, while Middlesbrough assistant boss Kevin Blackwell pleaded for “guidance from the Football League about this” after their draw with Bournemouth on Saturday. Lower leagues confident second coronavirus spike won’t stop games The UK could find itself temporarily back in lockdown in the coming weeks as the government looks to slow down the second wave of the coronavirus. But while that could mean people being asked to work from home, not mix with other households and avoid pubs and restaurants, football is confident that it will — this time — carry on. Months of action were missed across the country earlier in the year, with leagues below the Championship abandoned and most clubs still feeling the strain from lost finances. But clubs believe that football will be given an exemption this time, even though testing for the virus outside the Premier League is not commonplace because of how costly it is. As Mark Cooper, manager of League Two Forest Green Rovers, told my colleague Stuart James: “As we understand it, elite sport will carry on. We’ve heard it’s not going to affect football. We had a pilot scheme on Saturday where we got a really good grading with the assessors. It was completely safe — safer than going to a pub or a park or a restaurant. We had about 600 there. “But, listen, if there is another lockdown and they stop football, 90 per cent of the National League will go bust because they can’t operate without crowds. In our league, there would be some clubs who would be really close.” Playing under current circumstances is already tough, with clubs incurring extra costs such as paying for more hotel rooms as players can no longer share rooms due to social distancing rules. Arsenal agree deal with PSG medic The Athletic reported in June that Arsenal were working on a deal to recruit Brazilian medic Bruno Mazziotti from Paris Saint-Germain and it can now be revealed an agreement has been reached. Mazziotti will join once the terms of his exit from PSG have been finalised, having left the French champions after their run to last season’s Champions League final. The 42-year-old arrives at Arsenal after head of physiotherapy Chris Morgan moved to Liverpool. It is not clear what job title Mazziotti is to take but he will work alongside head of medical Gary O’Driscoll. Mazziotti has a close relationship with Arsenal’s technical director Edu after the pair worked together at top Brazilian club Corinthians and the Brazil national team. Brighton reject bid from Leeds for another defender Brighton are in another tussle with Leeds United over a centre-back after rejecting an offer from Elland Road for 18-year-old Haydon Roberts. Having resisted three bids from Leeds for Ben White in the summer, Brighton are understood to have knocked back an approach for Roberts late last week and are once again adamant that a defender will not be sold. Roberts is an England Under-18 international and well thought of at the south coast club. He has played twice for Brighton’s first-team in the Carabao Cup and is discussing an extension to a contract which ends next summer. Leeds have thrown money at their under-23 squad in this transfer window, making numerous signings including the £700,000 capture of Wigan’s Joe Gelhardt. Forest legend Cohen leaves for Luton Nottingham Forest stalwart Chris Cohen is ending a 13-year relationship with the club to join former Yeovil team-mate Nathan Jones at Championship rivals Luton as first-team coach. Cohen, 33, made 305 appearances for Forest, scoring 17 goals, after signing from Yeovil in 2007. After helping win promotion from League One, the midfielder battled three serious knee injuries in as many years, the cumulative effects of which forced him into early retirement in 2018. The man Stuart Pearce labelled “the most professional” he had ever worked with, then took on a coaching role and has most recently been head coach of the under-23 side. Wigan administrators reject £3m bid for club Wigan’s administrators have rejected a second bid for the League One club from former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite. The 60-year-old businessman made an initial offer of £3.3 million — £700,000 below the asking price — for Wigan last month but then withdrew his interest, citing concerns about the number of assets the administrators have sold since taking control in July and a negative response to his potential takeover from fans. Smurthwaite, who grew a thick skin during a tempestuous seven-year reign at Port Vale, appears to have got over the latter but remains convinced of the former, as his second bid, which went in on Wednesday, was for just £3 million. It is understood he believes the fire sale conducted by joint administrators Gerald Krasner, Paul Stanley and Dean Watson of Begbies Traynor has gone too far, with 19 players and one of Wigan’s two training grounds sold. As a result, he thinks the package — the club, the lease they have to play at the DW Stadium, which is owned by the council, their original training ground and some development land near the stadium — is worth considerably less than it was even a month ago. My colleague Matt Slater understands his reduced bid was quickly dismissed by Krasner and co, which suggests they are still optimistic someone else will meet the price tag and save Wigan from the threat of liquidation they have faced since former owner Au Yeung Wai Kay cut off their funding. A 12-point penalty for entering administration condemned them to relegation from the Championship. Ian Lenagan, the owner of Wigan’s co-tenants at the DW, rugby league’s Wigan Warriors, remains the fans’ favourite to lead a local rescue but doubts persist over his ability to guarantee the two years’ worth of funding the EFL wants to see before sanctioning a deal. This is also the main obstacle to a fan-led takeover, despite an impressive fundraising effort that has seen £670,000 pledged. Wolves make big scouting changes Wolves have made significant changes in their scouting department this summer, explains my colleague Gregg Evans. Ten part-time scouts have been laid off in what was explained to them as a “cost-cutting procedure” and John Marshall, the club’s head of recruitment for the last five years, has also seen his title changed to head of technical scouting. Among the departures are long-serving staff members John Green and Joel Roberts. Russell Taylor, a scout who does a lot of work in Belgium and the Netherlands has also been let go. Wolves may also look to hire a new European scout, after Ian Atkins left this week. The 63-year-old had been working in his role for 14 months but has decided to seek a new challenge. The club have also decided to promote some of their academy staff into first-team positions in recent months. The club still have no plans to hire a sporting director, though Simon Hunt, former director of football at neighbours West Bromwich Albion and the head of scouting at Nottingham Forest had been earmarked as a possible candidate before the coronavirus pandemic.

Lampard has now said he doesn't want Rice for CB.

agreed

AC has been quite good lately, and I refuse to put that red card on him, 100% it was on shitbox Kepa for horrid positioning which led to him not coming off his line properly. Again this should carry some weight, as I have been roasting AC for ages.

Messi is going shit his nappy, lololol

I stand in awe of your coverage of the transfer market, you are putting me to shame, lol.