Vesper

wow what a miss we switched off AGAIN on a set piece

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

looks on

maybe onside

ffs offside

shoud be nil 1 insane that Schade did not shoot there

I am ready for the hate, but that was not a pen for me flame on 😘

damn Cole, have to keep that shot down

Tosin, yikes!!!!! 🤡

I really like him but £56m is a shedload of cash for a 20yo Ligue 1 CB with such little topflight experience 2,786 TOTAL career topflight minutes, around 2400 or so at CB his only 2 Ligue 1 starts in 2023/24 were at RB

we should be ALL OVER VDV and Ordonez was my first choice for an actually available 22yo and under right footed CB, but the club said they were NOT persuing him (a few weeks back) the 20 best non teen left footed CBs on the planet IMHO Alessandro Bastoni Gabriel Magalhães Josko Gvardiol Dean Huijsen (ambipedal, he is the only ambiedal CB of any ageI truly rate ATM, although do not sleep on an 18yo Serb, Nikola Simić of Partizan Belgrade ) Micky van de Ven Willian Pacho Murillo Levi Colwill Alessandro Buongiorno Nico Schlotterbeck Piero Hincapié Jarrad Branthwaite Castello Lukeba Gonçalo Inácio Konstantinos Koulierakis Marcos Senesi Renato Veiga Sven Botman Evan Ndicka Dávid Hancko the 2 best 20yo and under lefty CBs (Huijsen turns 21 in 2 and a half months) Honest Ahanor (turns 18 in February) Karim Coulibaly (turns 19 in May) plus the 18yo (19yo in March) ambipedal Serb I mentioned above

Sources: How Chelsea’s new centre-back search came around A few points to clarify ahead of bringing forward the plans to sign a new defender https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-how-chelseas-new-centre-back Jeremy Jacquet is a firm Chelsea target for this window We are now able to clarify the reality of Chelsea’s search for a new centre-back, after a wave of misreporting and narratives following the latest links. Sources have told SPTC and The Blues News Feed that Chelsea were in the market for a starting-level centre-back throughout the entire summer of 2025, well before Levi Colwill’s injury. That intent was made clear by their serious pursuit of Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, a deal Chelsea were confident they could complete ahead of other interested clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham, to name just a few. However, Real Madrid entering the race changed the situation. Madrid was always Huijsen’s dream destination as it is with many players, if the opportunity arose. And they were also able to offer significantly stronger financial terms, both in wages and agent fees, than any other club involved. Following the Huijsen outcome, Chelsea continued to actively monitor the centre-back market, with the aim of adding a player of starting-level quality. The only defender identified internally as meeting that level was Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace. However, sources understand Enzo Maresca was unconvinced that Guehi could operate effectively as a central centre-back. Chelsea were also operating in a market that was aware of their intentions, following Maresca’s public acknowledgement of the want for a new centre-back. This inevitably weakened any negotiating position. Despite this, the club continued to scout extensively and explore options. Ultimately, there simply was not a centre-back that Chelsea deemed of sufficient quality available for them to justify acting. Sources have also stressed that no centre-back who moved after Levi Colwill’s injury represented a clear upgrade on Chelsea’s existing options. This was not a Chelsea-specific issue either. Several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, were also looking to purchase additional centre backs this summer and were unable to secure targets either. Chelsea have remained conscious, particularly following Colwill’s injury, that any new signing must be complementary to Levi and capable of coexisting with him upon his return. Colwill continues to be viewed as a key part of the club’s long-term project, and Chelsea have provided him with full support throughout his recovery. We have heard recently that his rehabilitation is progressing very well. Chelsea also deliberately left one space open in their Champions League List A squad, with the possibility of a January addition in mind. While the club are assessing a star attacking option, as well as additional quality and depth in midfield alongside a centre-back, neither the attacking nor midfield targets are realistically attainable at this stage. Those areas are therefore more likely to be addressed in the summer - even if opportunities are always going to be explored at any time, for all positions. Sources confirm that Maresca was NOT denied a centre-back. That is not the case. The options and targets currently under consideration have been in discussion since the summer, but were unattainable at that time. Those conversations have intensified over recent months, and there is now a growing belief internally that Chelsea may have the opportunity to land their preferred centre-back target before the summer window. As previously reported by our sources, Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes is a player Chelsea have followed closely and admired for some time. Only a few days ago, we reported that Chelsea have spoken to Jacquet’s agent twice since Christmas. Additional reports this week suggest Chelsea have also been monitoring Jacobo Ramón from Como, while Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell has also been scouted. Names such as Marcos Senesi have also circulated, but our understanding is that he is not a player Chelsea are actively considering in this moment. We have consistently reported that funds are available, and that Chelsea have both PSR headroom and UEFA sanction flexibility to facilitate a January arrival. This is not a new development. The next couple of weeks promise to be interesting, and there is cautious optimism that Chelsea can get the right deal over the line.

£300K PW absolutely blows out our wage structure. All our best players would rebel en masse. The only 4 players who we could FOR SURE get away paying that (without the team losing their shit) are Håland, Yamal, Mbappe, and Kane (Kane on a shorter term deal (3 or 4 years, as he is 32yo). Those 4 are the clear top 4 players on the planet ATM. Now for the more speculative (in terms of team acceptance) players. We might, MIGHT be able to convince the rest of the team to accept us paying that 300K PW wage to: 1. The clear (IMHO) best CB on the planet, Bastoni. Maybe VVD on rep as well, but age will catch up. Plus maybe, MAYBE Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Pau Cubarsí, Dean Huijsen, Josko Gvardiol, and/or Rúben Dias. 2. The clear best RB on the planet, Achraf Hakimi. 3. The clear best LB on the planet, Nuno Mendes. 4. The clear best GKer on the planet atm.. Cuntois (Donnarumma will eventually pass him up, and also would probably not cause a freak out). Not sure about Alisson, Kobel, Oblak, Ederson, Emi Martínez, and Diogo Costa. Maignan deffo not. 5. The following MFers: Pedri, Bellingham, Rice, Pedri, Federico Valverde, Jamal Musiala, João Neves, Vitinha, Morgan Rogers, Dominik Szoboszlai, and maybe, maybe Nicolò Barella still. 6. Maybe, maybe some of the following WC Wingers, much of it is due to their rep: Vinicius Junior, Bukayo Saka, Michael Olise, Raphinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Kenan Yıldız, Rafael Leão, Nico Williams, Luis Díaz, Rodrygo, Bradley Barcola, and finally Mo Salah(?) 7. Finally, there are the 5 other TRULY WC CFs out there (there are only 8 on the planet, and 3 of the top 4 players listed above are CFs or, in Mbappe's case play CF atm) whom we could perhaps convinced the team to accept that wage (as we are pretty fucked at CF and the 8 are indeed truly WC): Julián Alvarez Ousmane Dembélé Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen Robert Lewandowski (but only on a 2 year contract as he is 37yo). Wild cards (pure marketing for the most part): Pessi and CR7

I doubt we will buy Mainoo, especially if Rosenior says he does not want him. Carrick wants Mainoo to stay btw.

I agree, plus there is also Omar Alderete from Sunderland. He is only 4 and a half months older, is a wee taller (1.88m versus 1.85m), and is also a typical 'great on the ball' and really agressive South American (Paraguay) CB like Senesi (Argentina). Both are left footed as well. Alderete is less injury-prone as well.

no one atm will touch Lavia thee glassman with a 10 foot pole, especially for any decent fee (decent for us)

Real Madrid have a buy-back clause on Nico Paz for only 10m euros (it was 9m euros in summer 2025) this coming summer (2026), which they have now said they will use that said, IF they do want Enzo, we could demand Paz be included as makeweight but I have to add, Paz is not really a CMF, he is more of an AMF/winger hybrid (I can see him playing CMF in the future perhaps, so there is that)

Top 15 (by valuation) 20yo and under CBs all but 3 are Right-footed Pau Cubarsí Right-footed Dean Huijsen Ambipedal Leny Yoro Right-footed Luka Vušković Right-footed (only 18yo, he is a beast already, unfortunately Spuds beat us to him in September 2023, he joins their main team this coming season) Vitor Reis Right-footed Honest Ahanor Left-footed Mamadou Sarr Right-footed Giovanni Leoni Right-footed Finn Jeltsch Right-footed Pietro Comuzzo Right-footed Karim Coulibaly Left-footed Josh Acheampong Right-footed Jérémy Jacquet Right-footed Jaydee Canvot Right-footed Veljko Milosavljević Right-footed

agree or, if it is a left-footed CB, then Karim Coulibaly from Werder Bremen, as Honest Ahanor does not turn 18yo until February I just do not see Guehi happening (I so hope I am wrong)

swap deal for Vitinha, lol 🤠

fat boy Simon Hooper has a history of cunting us badly he is a proper prick

we still have a shot at pipping them IF we are fully healthy and no key suspensions

10 or so minutes to get that tying goal

almost 3 3 but it also was offside still a hell of a strike