Vesper

not brand new but I just saw this Man Utd have 'started discussions' for signing of Bayern Munich's Corentin Tolisso https://www.givemesport.com/1573544-man-utd-have-started-discussions-for-signing-of-bayern-munichs-corentin-tolisso Manchester United have reportedly commenced negotiations for the signing of Bayern Munich's Corentin Tolisso. The Frenchman arrived in Bavaria back in 2017 in a deal worth up to £40m but has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot. Persistent injuries have hampered Tolisso's career with the Bundesliga champions, but his talents as an all-action midfielder are undeniable. A move away from Bayern appears to be a formality and according to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, the former Lyon man is available for as little as €35m (£31.4m) Bouhafsi tweeted to his 325,000 followers today: "Manchester United have started discussions with the entourage of Bayern midfielder Corentin Tolisso. A fee of around £30m for one of the most talented box-to-box midfielders in the world? It looks a no-brainer on paper. Especially given the fact that United require high-quality reinforcements in midfield to help bring the best out of both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba. snip injuries have laid him low, when healthy he is a really good player 14 goals, 12 assists in 3700 minutes for Bayern as a CMF 14 goals, 7 assists his last season at Lyon (3900 minutes) as a CMF if Kovacic put up those types of numbers he would be worth £80m, lololol

so fucked up that Turkey gets a CL final smdh and Hungary gets a Europa league final in 2022 both those counties are now horrid dictatorships

Bayern will never sell Lucas Hernandez for less than £75-85m, they paid almost £75m for him and are fucked at CB if Alaba and he both leave they would NEVER rely on Tanguy Kouassi, who 11 days ago was still 17 years old, to help lead their back 4 they would be down to him, the still injured Niklas Süle and Jérôme Boateng (soon 32 and nearing well spent territory) Lars Lukas Mai (reserve team player) Benjamin Pavard (their starting RB and they have no other RB once the on loan and disappointing Álvaro Odriozola goes back to Real Madrid and Kimmich stays at DMF) as their only CB's

I have been saying this for a year, when I looked ahead to contracts the board surely must have contingency plans, even with COVID

Mount sucks at winger Broja is a CF Anjorin is an AMF/CMF RLC sucks at winger so if both Willian and Pedro (Pedro is gone, and will not even play for us again past June, and I doubt even in the next 12 days) leave we have only 3 wingers (and 2 IF Ziyech has to play AMF) it is why I want Havertz so bad, as he can play winger if need be, as well as AMF, No 10, CF, SS, and CMF He, like Ziyech, is left footed (Havertz is actually close to being ambipedal), so those 2 on the pitch create nightmares match-up wise, as they can both play a more central AMF and then also slide out wide and cut back in for whipped shots and crosses I do not buy into the whole 'CHO and Pulisic are better at RW than at LW' framing that so many try and claim. CHO maybe better at crossing from the RW, but overall, nope. Remove Havertz and Willian (obviously Pedro too) and I think we may have to still grab a winger, but which one to buy is so up in the air. Sancho is obviously not happening, even if we say no money spent at all on the following: NO money spent on a CB, NO money spent, only swap for a LB (say Emerson for Alex Sandro or maybe Kurzawa on a free) NO money spent on a DMF or CMF and 5 or 10m quid max on a backup keeper Juve will never give us fair value for Jorginho I fear the club is paralysed at selling Kante we are going to have an immensely hard time selling the INSANE amount of dregs we have and Sancho will not go (even in this market) for under £120-130m, I just do not see it and we will not drop 130m whilst leaving all (or most) of those other things unsettled that is 40m MORE than Havertz would go for that is (the difference in price) close to buying Alaba or Thomas Partey or Theo Hernandez or Gabriel, etc etc outright, and far more than it should or will cost to buy Telles or Tags or any of our GK targets (save for a stupid buy of Onana) perhaps we make a run at Samuel Chukwueze (left footer too) for RW or Saïd Benrahma (soon 25yo and almost zero topflight experience as well), but he is a right footed LWer as is Jérémie Boga

OFFICIAL: Dries Mertens renews his contract with Napoli until 2022 https://m.allfootballapp.com/news/Transfers/OFFICIAL-Dries-Mertens-renews-his-contract-with-Napoli-until-2022/2370792

they would also want Emerson, and still might not go for it but its worth a shot big problem is Sarri IF the Juve blows Serie A he will be sacked for sure unless he (so doubtful) wins the CL

Manchester United ‘open talks’ with Chelsea star Willian over free transfer this summer https://www.thesportreview.com/2020/06/man-united-transfer-news-willian/ Manchester United have started talks with Willian’s representatives about signing the Chelsea FC forward on a free transfer in the summer, according to a report in France. French media outlet France Football, as quoted by talkSPORT, is reporting that Manchester United have expressed an interest in striking an agreement with the Chelsea FC playmaker. The same article states that the Red Devils have contacted Willian’s agent Kia Joorabchian to discuss the possibility of landing the free agent in the upcoming transfer window. According to the same story, Willian could refuse to sign a short-term extension to his current deal past 30 June to see out the conclusion of the Premier League season. The report adds that Manchester United could also be facing competition from Arsenal, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur for the experienced Brazilian winger. snip

he is a cunt for not taking the 2 year even at 33yo (granted soon 34) he can go on free to decent Serie A or La Liga or Ligue 1 team in summer 2022 and because it is a free they can pay him more in salary for a year or 2, then he can retire or go back to Brasil clubs will pay him even at that age as he brings a shedload of experience and will still run himself into the ground, plus those are all slower leagues, especially Serie A. He can help a 16th, 15th place team get up 3 to 5 places and not stress out over relegation battles

as long as he doesn't date like him

they have very little reason to sell unless he demands to go they have a multi-billionaire owner they are 95% likely to get CL they never spend huge money they sell players for mega-high prices they have no huge stadium debt they have no FFP issues extraordinarily well-run club, especially by English standards they are really solid in most positions but they need to start looking for Vardy's successor , Ollie Watkins from Brentford or Huddersfield Town's Karlan Grant are worth looking at and another CB (Jonny Evans turns 33yo in January) <<<< if I were them I would make a move for Caglar Söyüncü's Turkish national teammate, Ozan Kabak from Schalke, only 20 but looks a real deal and perfect build for the EPL, and/or try and sign the 18yo Tanguy Kouassi on a free from PSG and they need a RWer (they have none, unless they play Ayoze Perez there) <<<< Riccardo Orsolini from Bologna would be perfect, super under the radar, 23yo, left footed, decent pace, 1.83m, good in the air, nice shot, great passer, has been Bologna's best player, Juve pedigree, maybe Dwight McNeil from Burnley as well plus another good to great CMF , Maximilian Eggestein from Werder Bremen could be had for cheap if Werder get relegated, or even better, Weston McKennie (Schalke again, and the 2nd best yank footballer, after Pulisic) that all assumes they hold onto all their players

and if he had not gotten injured he would have a WC winners medal too he was only 23 until 5 days ago if Bayern wins the Pokal (they are in the July 4th final versus Bayer Leverkusen) and the CL this year he will have 20 major trophies already, lolololol that is two more major trophies than he has career league goals atm and only 12 less than he has topflight goals all comps in his career he was the CL assist leader overall in 2015-2016 though lucky charm he is

https://yfl.clipsrom.com/player/html/5qPOMTmrK4V5H?popup=yes&autoplay=1

sariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiball

they were HORRIFIC the 2nd half clueless the only reason it even went to pens was that Buffon had his best game in years glad to see it (even though I hate the poison dwarf) Gennaro Gattuso has (a bit surprisingly for me) done a great job righting that ship

Theo and Alaba (at a fair price) are my first two choices Hernández has beast potential and is the perfect size (1.84m) for a fullback, very strong, pacey and like you said, can slot in at CB (as can Alaba)

Carra: That's the last of Luiz https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/chelsea/12009320/carra-thats-the-last-of-luiz Jamie Carragher believes the poor performance of David Luiz for Arsenal at Manchester City marks the end of his career in the Premier League.

there are only a few 21yo and under players who are hyper elite enough to be worth 80 to 100m euros (in a few cases even more) Havertz is deffo one of the 8 Kylian Mbappé Jadon Sancho Erling Haaland Kai Havertz João Félix Trent Alexander-Arnold Alphonso Davies Matthijs de Ligt (around 80m euros or so, and he is only 20yo still) potentially there, but not yet Sandro Tonali (close, very close to 80m euros, I would rate him 70-75m euros atm) Eduardo Camavinga (only 17, so has 4 years to get there) Ferran Torres (next season will tell, he has all the skills plus great size and pace) Nicolò Zaniolo (next season is huge, as he is coming off a horrid knee injury)

the best hope we have is that he is not Brasilian, lololol

Two writers have an argument about Chelsea’s starting XI https://theathletic.com/1875471/2020/06/17/chelsea-villa-manchester-city-lampard-kovacic-willian-gilmour-abraham/ Frank Lampard has had to wait a long time but finally has a fully-fit Chelsea squad to choose from. Clearly, it is a blessing to have so many players available. However, it also means he’s now got a lot of difficult decisions to make. Chelsea have to find their form fast in Sunday’s opening game at Aston Villa and then four days later at home to Manchester City to ensure their top-four place doesn’t come under threat from the outset. Picking the right XI and formation won’t be easy, so The Athletic’s Chelsea correspondents Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey got together (virtually) to argue talk about it. Simon: Well, I don’t have any coaching badges but let’s give this a try. Let’s start off with what formation you would use at Villa Park. Liam: Chelsea have played their best football this season in a 4-3-3. They have defended better and attacked better, even though results haven’t always reflected how well they’ve played. It was the system used against Liverpool and Everton before the shutdown. It gives an opportunity for the midfield, where they have the most options, to be given the right sort of prominence. Simon: I agree. Chelsea need to go on the attack. Villa are under pressure near the bottom of the table and have had their defensive issues, and Lampard’s side should go for it. They need to get off to a good start. I think they can get a good result. So, presumably, Kepa Arrizabalaga is starting in both games, right? Liam: Yes. You need to try to rebuild his confidence and his value — to a point where he either stays as Chelsea’s No 1 or can be sold for a decent fee. The defence in front of him will be trickier. Simon: OK, so who would you pick against Villa? Liam: At right-back… this is the first issue. If he is fit, I think Reece James should play because he can provide opportunities from the flank. To have that extra weapon is a big plus, with his crossing ability. Simon: I like James a lot but Chelsea need their captain, their dependable, seven-out-of-10 guy, Cesar Azpilicueta, in this first game back. The defence lacks leadership as it is, so being without Azpilicueta makes them even weaker in that regard. After a slow start this season, he has responded well to the competition James has provided. Also, the fact James missed a few of the recent warm-up games puts him at a disadvantage physically, so I say take no risks and get off to a solid start. Liam: You would trust Azpilicueta more in a one-v-one against Jack Grealish, Aston Villa’s biggest threat, but I’m also confident in James’ ability to do that. I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be a GIF doing the rounds on social media of Grealish bouncing off James and disappearing off the screen! Simon: James is certainly strong, so you can’t rule that out. What about your centre-backs? Liam: Well, it’s been a problem all season but I’m going with Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma. It’s not been a brilliant combination so far, yet it has the right blend of speed and athleticism if Villa threaten on the deck and will also be strong enough to compete in the air. No partnership fills me with that much confidence, though. Simon: I’m with you there. That is why we are hearing it’s a position Lampard wants to improve upon. I’m going with Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Again, it’s not perfect, but Christensen is Chelsea’s best centre-back with the ball at his feet and if they are going to have lots of possession, they need someone who can pass it from deep. Zouma is weak in this department, especially when he plays as the left-sided centre-back, which is where he would be next to Rudiger. It’s left-back time. Who is keeping the shirt warm for Ben Chilwell?! Liam: This is where I bring Azpilicueta in. He is solid enough in the position and has had plenty of experience playing it. I’d have Marcos Alonso ready on the bench as one of the five cards to play as substitutes. With James providing an offensive threat on the right, being more conservative on the left won’t kill you. Simon: I have to disagree here. When Azpilicueta did play at left-back this season, Chelsea were too lopsided. Chelsea weren’t balanced. All their attacks went down the right because Azpilicueta wasn’t as comfortable on that side and would check back onto his right foot all the time. Alonso isn’t the best defensively but no defender has scored more goals in the Premier League than him since he joined the club. I think that’s what you need against Villa. Alonso’s form was picking up before the break, plus he also has a point to prove amid the club’s interest in Chilwell and might want to put himself in the shop window. Liam: If you’d picked a back three, that would make perfect sense. Simon: OK. What about the midfield three? Liam: Jorginho is suspended against Villa, so I’ll go for Billy Gilmour at the base. His displays against Liverpool and Everton show he makes good decisions, plays on the front foot and picks up runners. It sets the right tone for the way Chelsea want to move the ball. Then I’d have Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount ahead of him. I’ve picked Kovacic over Ross Barkley because he keeps the ball better and makes better decisions. Simon: I want to see Gilmour again, too; arguably the most exciting teenager bursting onto the scene in 2019-20. Some might say there is too much hype but he played in two big games (Liverpool and Everton) which were broadcast live on TV and showed he can handle it. Liam: Not just handle it; he was Man of the Match in both games. Simon: Yes, exactly, but just for that added reassurance, I’m going to pick the fit-again N’Golo Kante to Gilmour’s right. He doesn’t bring much in the final third but he does so many other things. I’m going to put Mount, like you, to Gilmour’s left. That means no space for Kovacic, which may surprise some. Liam: I can’t believe you’ve left out Chelsea’s best player this season. Simon: I don’t agree he has been Chelsea’s best player. While he’s had a better season than last and shown nice touches, he still doesn’t provide enough goals and assists for me. Even Kante has scored more than him. Put it this way, I can’t remember a game where he has been a match-winner, made the difference. Liam: He might not get goals and assists but he can break the lines, dribble past two or three players and really spring Chelsea on the attack. I’m sure we will agree on the front three, though. I’m going with Willian, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic. Simon: Me too. Liam: Chelsea have really missed Pulisic. Simon: I agree. That’s why I interviewed his former youth coach earlier in the week. Chelsea fans are understandably talking about the deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner in terms of what they will bring next season, but Pulisic has a lot to offer too. Liam: He was really good when he had a run in the side for a few months. He was taking some of the load off Abraham as a goal threat. In my line-up, he’d compensate for the more conservative Azpilicueta behind him, plus combine well with Mount on that side. We all know Willian does a nice solid job and makes the players around him perform better. Simon: There isn’t much of an argument over the wide positions. Pedro has become more of a squad player, while Callum Hudson-Odoi has picked up a minor injury and had distractions off the pitch, so I don’t think he will be ready to start. For me, the only question mark is Abraham v Olivier Giroud, who had a really good run before games were postponed. But I think Chelsea need Abraham’s pace. Liam: You need him to stretch them and also press them into mistakes. So, against Aston Villa, my team is: Kepa; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Mount, Gilmour, Kovacic; Willian, Abraham, Pulisic. Simon: Not too bad, but I reckon this would work: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso; Kante, Gilmour, Mount; Willian, Abraham, Pulisic. So on to Manchester City’s visit on Thursday, June 25. Going to be a tough one, this, which is why I’m making a change tactically and going 4-2-3-1. I think Chelsea need to be a bit more defensive. Liam: Isn’t that more attacking? I’m sticking with 4-3-3. Simon: Well, it depends how you play the 4-2-3-1. I think it can be a secure system with two men sitting in front of the back four, plus the wide men tracking back to help their full-backs and the No 10 pressing Manchester City’s centre-half and midfield. When Chelsea played with a three in November’s reverse fixture, which they lost 2-1, the deeper player (Jorginho) was constantly in danger of getting isolated and outmanoeuvred, as was shown on the two City goals. Liam: There is a decent argument for going three at the back with wing-backs. Simon: Yes, that’s a definite possibility, too. Liam: I know that failed rather spectacularly against Bayern Munich but particularly with the way Manchester City attack — they get you down the wings — that system makes sense. But I’m sticking with 4-3-3, to go to win the game. Simon: Presumably, Kepa is staying in goal? Liam: Yes, unless he throws one in against Villa. Simon: And the same back four? Liam: Yes. Again, as long as things didn’t go wrong against Aston Villa, then I’d be inclined to go with a bit of continuity. I do genuinely think my back four is the most solid Chelsea have. Simon: I must admit I’m worried about Chelsea’s left-hand side against Manchester City but I’m not sure about recalling Emerson — he didn’t cover himself in any glory first time around. Fikayo Tomori’s pace would be useful as the left-sided centre-back, so I’m going to put him in. It’s a bit of a risk because he’s not played much in 2020 but I still remember how he kept Mohamed Salah quiet early on in the season. If he can repeat that form, the defending champions will find life much harder. As I said earlier, to help, I’m having two midfielders in front. I’m going to go with Kante and Kovacic here. Jorginho should be available after his ban, but I think the speed of Manchester City in terms of their press, as well as the way they attack, will be too much for him. And as much as I like Gilmour, I reckon this is a match for more experienced heads. With the attacking players able to drop deep, it can quickly turn into a 4-5-1 when City have the ball. Liam: I’m going to go full Maurizio Sarri by restoring the trio of Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic. When Chelsea outplayed Manchester City in the opening half-hour at the Etihad Stadium, it was all down to that midfield three. You had Jorginho and Kovacic playing around tight spaces, then you had Kante’s energy up and down the pitch. It gave City a lot of problems. Chelsea also won this corresponding fixture last season with those three. Simon: I take your point but it was Jorginho and Kovacic who gave the ball away for both City goals in November and they couldn’t get back properly to cover. My three ahead of Kovacic and Kante will be Willian, Mount and Pulisic, with Mount in the No 10 role. He showed at Tottenham before Christmas that when he plays close to Abraham, they have a good understanding. I think he can also be a nuisance there in terms of closing players down. I thought about using Giroud up front again because he gave Virgil van Dijk such a tough game in the FA Cup but Abraham’s speed wins the day. Liam: I have a quandary on the left because I’ve left Mount out of my midfield. I’m going to play him in attack on the left instead, so he can combine with Abraham from there. I want the left to be as strong as possible defensively because that’s where Manchester City do the most damage. I think I’ve done that with Azpilicueta, Kovacic and Mount on that flank. Simon: So we’ve left out people like Barkley, Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek from both line-ups. We better explain why! It sounds like Loftus-Cheek has been doing well in the warm-up games but after 13 months without a competitive match, I still think he should be treated with some caution, getting minutes off the bench rather than coming straight into the first XI. He will definitely challenge for a start the more he features. Liam: Pedro has had good moments but looks beyond his peak; Hudson-Odoi has the skill to make an impact off the bench but hasn’t had the rhythm of top form for a while; as for Barkley, I think there are others who can do what he does best as well as him, if not better. There is nothing he does that makes him indispensable. Simon: I’m sure all four will be very useful in the schedule ahead. So my line-up for Manchester City is: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Tomori, Alonso; Kante, Kovacic; Willian, Mount, Pulisic; Abraham. Liam: And mine is: Kepa; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Willian, Abraham, Mount. Simon: Now let’s see if Frank Lampard agrees with us!

Exclusive: Pedro unwilling to play for Chelsea after agreeing Roma move https://theathletic.com/1877942/2020/06/17/pedro-chelsea-roma-transfer-premier-league/ Pedro is unwilling to finish the season with Chelsea because he has agreed terms with Roma to play for them in 2020-21 and does not want to put the move at risk. Sources have told The Athletic that Pedro has finalised a two-year deal with the Serie A club, which includes an option for another year. He will be paid in the region of £56,000 a week. The former Barcelona forward’s current contract at Chelsea runs out at the end of this month, but Chelsea have been trying to convince him to agree a short-term extension so he can play their remaining matches, which stretch into August. Chelsea have nine fixtures in the Premier League, an FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester and the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich. The latter, which will be held on August 7 or 8, isn’t so important as Bayern boast a 3-0 advantage from the first leg in February. But Chelsea need a strong squad to help them qualify for Europe’s elite club competition again via the Premier League, as well as trying to win the FA Cup — the final of which takes place on August 1. Special dispensation was put in place for players whose deals were expiring on June 30 because of matches being postponed for more than three months due to the pandemic. Willian is in the same situation at Stamford Bridge, but neither the Brazilian or Pedro have put pen to paper and time is running out. All temporary agreements have to be completed by next Tuesday. Both players have been involved in Chelsea’s preparations up until now, however coach Frank Lampard has been looking at other options to play out wide before the club’s first match of the restart away to Aston Villa on Sunday. Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount could all play in the wide positions against Villa should one or both of Willian and Pedro refuse to play. It is believed Pedro does not want to sign anything with Chelsea. He is reluctant to play for the club again for fear of picking up an injury and missing out on a payday worth £2.9 million a year in Rome. Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona for £21.4 million in 2015, turns 33 next month and sees the switch as not only financially beneficial, but provides him with an opportunity to still play at a high level for a few more years. Roma want to add a player of his experience — Pedro has won 25 major honours for club and country — to their squad to help them qualify for the Champions League in 2021-22. They need someone to do a similar job to that of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is currently on loan at Roma from Arsenal but has been able to play only 13 times in Serie A for them due to injury. Pedro has held talks with clubs for several months, including Valencia and MLS outfit Inter Miami. It was clear from a very early stage that he would be allowed to leave Chelsea as a free agent at the end of this season. He has scored a credible 43 goals in 201 appearances for Chelsea, but has started just eight times under Lampard in the Premier League. He was a key part of the squad which won the Premier League in 2017, the FA Cup a year later and the Europa League 13 months ago. It will take a late U-turn for the situation to change and for Pedro to feature for the club again. There is a bit more optimism over Willian, however. The Athletic has already reported he is prepared to keep playing until the season comes to an end. The 31-year-old significantly started and scored in a 7-1 friendly win over QPR on Sunday.

ahhhhh oki, yes my bad lolol at Arse

no idea why all are so excited by Nicolas Tagliafico he is better than what we have now, but he is small (poor in the air) and has only played in weak leagues (not only that, he only started playing in the EU in 2018), plus he is very soon 28yo, so we only would get 2 sub 30yo seasons out of him if we are going the 27, 28, 29yo year old route David Alaba Alex Sandro Alex Telles Lucas Digne (27 in a month) are all better players I am not saying he is shit at all, but surely we can do better hell, I maybe think that Layvin Kurzawa (27 now, 28 in the fall, and finally healthy again) on a FREE would be better for a couple years than dumping out £30m or so on Tags (and I am not even the biggest Kurzawa fangirl, although he has been spectacular on occasion when truly healthy) that would free up cash for CB or GK and still would be an upgrade over what we have now along those lines, so would a swap with Juve, Alex Sandro for Emerson