Vesper

Chelsea handed Women's Super League title on points-per-game basis https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/05/chelsea-handed-womens-super-league-title-on-points-per-game-basis Aston Villa promoted to WSL, Liverpool are relegated << weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee No extra money available to support clubs, says FA Liverpool have been relegated from the Women’s Super League and Chelsea awarded the title ahead of Manchester City after the Football Association board voted to determine the tables based on points per game. The FA, which promoted Aston Villa, said the new season was due to start on the weekend of 5-6 September and there were no plans to provide additional financial support to clubs during the pandemic. The Italian FA is releasing €700,000 (£623,000) for Serie A Femminile teams and the French FA has announced €6m of support for the Division 1 Féminine and €5,000 for each club in the second tier. “The FA puts £7m a year in to the WSL and Championship, and despite the fact we’re going through significant cuts – it’s well-documented, some £300m of cuts – the FA has ring-fenced that funding to protect that investment going forward,” said Kelly Simmons, the FA’s director of the women’s professional game. She added that the FA would not push Premier League clubs to offer financial support, as the top four Bundesliga clubs have in Germany. “We’re going to work through the costs and we’ll talk to the football stakeholders and the government to make sure we’re ready. Of course we’re never going to turn down any support and offers of help but I’m really mindful that the clubs in the Premier League, as well as the EFL, are helping fund and deliver women’s professional football and I think we shouldn’t forget that. Although it might not go in a package for women’s football, the clubs are investing significantly in clubs, stadium and training facilities.” snip

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

good call and I am going to (I am sure I will get roasted for it) I still rate these players (for now) to a point, I do not think any are pure shit (and they do have some pure shit) IF Mou has an ounce of skill left, surely he can get good play out of them these are all transfers in and one from their youth team Japhet Tanganga (I think he has decent potential, good size, very pacey for a CB) Tanguy Ndombélé (we will know after next season if he is a bust or not, I must admit he has surprised me with how long he has taken to adapt to the EPL, he could end up being an even more expensive Bkakyoko) Giovani Lo Celso (classy player IMHO) Gedson Fernandes (a lot of potential, not sure if Spuds was the right move for him) Ryan Sessegnon (I would stick him back at LB, but perhaps his defence is too shady there) Steven Bergwijn (decent winger, not WC, but is also not pure dregs) it isn't like they have done nothing (like they did a couple years back) if Kane really is already on the decline, then they are in deep shit let's all hope so!!

now that Werner is off the table (yay!) these are the remaining players left in my rated targets under 28 years of age atm red are positional priorities Jadon Sancho (very doubtful) Kai Havertz Raphaël Varane (only way he would come is if we used Kante as bait, probably not even then, I still would take him over VVD, plus he is basically two years younger than VVD as well) Jan Oblak (too expensive, fuck) Milan Skriniar Saúl Ñíguez (best pure CMF in the world, and can play LB) Theo Hernández Ben Chilwell Ferran Torres Nicolò Zaniolo Sandro Tonali Houssem Aouar Declan Rice (too expensive atm) Eduardo Camavinga Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Alessio Romagnoli (left-footed) José Giménez Marquinhos Denis Zakaria Florentino Ryan Gravenberch Jude Bellingham Gabriel Magalhães (left-footed) Mohammed Salisu (left-footed) Edmond Tapsoba Thomas Partey David Alaba Federico Chiesa Mikel Oyarzabal Jack Grealish Luiz Felipe Dayot Upamecano Martin Ödegaard Donny van de Beek Rúben Neves Corentin Tolisso Ibrahima Konaté André Onana Diego Carlos Rúben Dias Alex Telles Samu Chukwueze Merih Demiral Boubakary Soumaré Marash Kumbulla Ugurcan Cakir Predrag Rajkovic

which Dembele? saying Dembele or Traore for footballers is like saying Johnson or Taylor for barristers or bankers in the City, roflmaoooooooooooo

it ultimately caused the big 4 (Bayern, Manure, Barca, and Real) to drive through FFP to protect their arse from completion, Shitty and PSG have been swatted for it (along with us, those are the only 3 huge spenders to try and challenge the big 4, as AC Milan have collapsed and Ajax cannot compete due to a shitty little league, look at how even Liverpool have done it (other than VVD, only reasonable buys), and are hamstrung now... Werner!)

£40m and its welcome to Chels Ben.

Real world inflation m8, football inflation is nebulous and subjective

They can go FUCK THEMSELVES £72M or so will grab Havertz Only in crackland is Chilwell worth almsot £10m more quid than Havertz For £80m Alphonso Davies, yes. TAA , yes Kimmich, yes (although he isnt playing there much atm) ZERO other fullbacks on the planet are worth remotely close to or over £80m Unless you also count Lucas Hernandez as a LB If Alaba was not soon 28 (in 19 days), and was 23, 24, 25, then hell yes Hakimi and Robertson are the next closest, and I would pay £60m max atm for them

Yes, they are inflation adjusted to 2020 quid automatically by T-markt (which is a superb feature they do, hats off to them) It makes historical comparisons bang-on

I will call it summer of 2003 or 2004 when I see other big boys brought in one £49m buy (and it is a fucking SUPERB buy, and Zyech was sorted pre- COVID) does not equal the insane sprees back in the first 2 seasons we spent £300m or so NET in just two seasons that is pretty cray

This was a great deal, but we still will have lost over £400m (fully documented multiple times by me) when the final tallies (in terms of lost sales revenue, and shit buys and shit contract management, etc) are added up starting in 2016-17. IF there was no FFP, then much of that is just pure loss of cash, but (and unlike many, I am with Greavsie in that I do not blame her for the poor targeting, that is on the scouts and the rest of the board and Roman and I really think Arkadiy Abramovich) there has been some missed buys, massive cock-ups that she had a large hand in the fails. It is very complicated, and I am sure the board (meaning TC) doesn't want to see another monster post (even longer as I would go player by player and add in the cock-up missed buys, and also the missed buys due to non sales at a specific position as well that then became a nightmare when the non-sold player left and fucked us not only in a shedload less cash gained for their sale, but also put us in a panic buy jam AND cost us not buying a better player the season before, if that player had been sold in a smart and time fashion <<< hello Cuntois, hello Alonso, hello Willian, hello Eden, just those assuming we get £15m or so for Alonso (and we may not get shit) are £245 or so million lost in time sales revenue versus what we got or will end up getting) so yes, she has done superbly lately (very lately, he cock-ups continue with Baka and Bats as the two biggest current rolling, plus a shedload of others, often due to other people bring the cunts in the first place, ie Drinkwater, Baba, Zappa, etc etc etc) with Puli, Ziyech, and now Werner, but it simply cannot wash away the horrendous decisions that happened before. Forgive (to a point) perhaps, miles to go until we get there, but at least we are finally on a good path again. Forget? Never.

Tactical analysis: how Werner has evolved into one of Europe’s best forwards https://theathletic.com/1613834/2020/06/05/cox-and-worville-how-timo-werner-has-evolved-into-one-of-europes-best-forwards/ This was first published in February but has been updated due to Werner’s deal with Chelsea Things were all-square at the top of the standings as Timo Werner travelled to Bayern Munich with his RB Leipzig team-mates last weekend. In Leipzig’s biggest match of the season so far, Werner produced his most prolific game, racking up four more to put himself into outright first place. No, we’re not talking about the goalscoring charts — we’re talking about offsides. Nobody in Europe’s five major leagues has been caught offside as often as Werner, whose tally of 32 puts him just ahead of Lille striker Victor Osimhen. It’s a telling reflection of Werner’s style: consistently running in behind the opposition defence. Being caught offside is of course not, in itself, a particular virtue, but Werner makes it work. Just as the players who have had the most off-target shots or conceded possession the most are generally those who also contribute the most in a positive sense, it’s a calculated gamble. Only Lazio’s Ciro Immobile (26) and Robert Lewandowski of Bayern (23) have scored more goals this season in Europe’s top leagues, with Immobile’s tally vastly inflated by 10 penalties. A sizeable proportion of Werner’s goals follow a a single pattern — running in behind from an inside-left position before finishing a one-on-one confidently, often by rounding the goalkeeper. “I like to knock the ball three or four metres ahead of me when I’m on the counter or have space in front of me,” he explained at the Confederations Cup three years ago, where he finished as joint-top scorer. “That way, I can increase the distance between a defender and myself.” The key, of course, is Werner’s sensational acceleration. Some players’ speed only becomes obvious over the space of 30 or 40 yards but Werner is immediately quick, taking him clear of the defence seemingly without much effort. As with many quick players, Werner was originally deployed as a winger in his formative years, using his speed on the right flank to go down the outside. His crossing was never particularly consistent, however, and it was no surprise when, as with so many modern forwards, he found his true home on the opposite flank, cutting inside and shooting, before gradually being deployed more as an onrushing forward. Werner’s relationship up front with Yussuf Poulsen is easy to understand — Werner is 5ft 11in, Poulsen is 6ft 4in. While Werner has been caught offside 32 times this season, Poulsen hasn’t been even once. Werner has won four aerial battles all season, Poulsen 28. Werner wears No 11, the number of a quick wide player, Poulsen wears No 9, the classic penalty-box striker. Together, they combine well, in exactly the manner you would expect from these statistics. The intriguing thing about Werner’s positioning, however, is that Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann has attempted to move him deeper this season, more as an inside-left than a pure on-the-shoulder striker. This, Nagelsmann believes, is the optimum way to use Werner’s speed. “We’ve started him a bit deeper. We don’t want him right on the last line because he needs a bit of a head start, a bit of tempo, in order to really show his pace on the pitch,” he explained in an interview with the Bundesliga’s website last month. “When he’s on the last line, he often finds himself static when he needs to get going but with a bit of room in front of him, he can hit top speed. And from this deeper position, he’s much more involved in our build-up play and combinations. “In the last few years, all his moments have come in transition, whereas now, he has his moments in combination play too. He’s having many more touches of the ball than in previous years and this new position has done his development good, playing in between the lines against teams who sit deep.” It’s no surprise to learn that Nagelsmann is up to speed on Werner’s statistics and the frequency of his touches, and his slightly different role is reflected in the numbers for the latter… Werner is now markedly more involved in his sides’ attacking moves under Nagelsmann than he was under Ralf Rangnick and Ralph Hasenhuttl. The reason for that being that Leipzig have more of an interest in using possession this season. They have had more sequences of ten or more passes already this season after 22 games (256) than they had last season (200) and the season before (248). It seems likely Werner will be forced to work more in deeper positions as their two-legged Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham Hotspur begins on Wednesday night because Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho will surely be terrified of his speed and order his defence to take up an even deeper defensive line than usual, even in this home leg. That’s why Mourinho will be particularly disappointed to be without his own equivalent of Werner, Son Heung-min. Son’s winner at the weekend in the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa was the type of goal Werner has scored so many times this season — exploiting a mistake by an opposition defender playing in a high line, running through in that inside-left position and finishing calmly from a tight angle. Another statistical metric can be used to demonstrate their similarity. Here’s a ranking of players who have taken shots at goal having carried the ball for at least five metres before the shot, from Europe’s five major leagues. Werner leads the way with 30, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Son in the chasing pack just behind. In a game that could be about knocking the ball in behind the opposition defence, Son’s absence is a major blow for Spurs. At the other end, Werner’s speed could be the tie’s decisive factor.

The inside story of how Chelsea landed Werner https://theathletic.com/1856250/2020/06/05/the-inside-story-of-how-chelsea-landed-werner/ Less than three weeks ago, Timo Werner’s mind was in Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp had won him over, making clear his admiration and convincing him during two meetings and several WhatsApp chats that Anfield would be the best fit for the striker. It seemed an inevitable move. Chelsea’s success in convincing one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers to pick west London owes much to the speed with which they moved when an opportunity presented itself, as well as to owner Roman Abramovich’s willingness to spend what others would not. Thursday’s rapid developments were no ploy to flush out an eleventh-hour bid from the Premier League leaders. Chelsea will finalise a €60 million (£54 million) deal to sign Werner from RB Leipzig next week, having agreed to match the release clause in his contract. He will be added to a dynamic young squad that was already set to be bolstered by the arrival this summer of Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech. Chelsea’s big push was the culmination of 10 dramatic days that completely upended Werner’s vision for his future. But how did this happen? For much of this season, Werner’s Plan A had been Liverpool, while Plan B had been one more season with RB Leipzig. But as the June 15 deadline for the release clause in his contract began to loom, Werner grew anxious. By the time the Bundesliga season ended, he wanted to be able to browse potential properties in Merseyside and go on holiday with his future settled. Above all, he did not want a repeat of last summer, when he said his goodbyes to RB Leipzig ahead of a move to Bayern Munich, only for the deal to collapse. Werner set Liverpool a separate deadline to make a final decision on whether they were prepared to meet his release clause. Klopp consulted with Fenway Sports Group, then called the striker to explain why the move would not happen. Sources have told The Athletic that the Liverpool manager insisted the reasoning was purely financial, rather than any negative reflection on the player or his proposed role in Klopp’s squad. Werner accepted the explanation and the two men remain on good terms. FSG does not take money out of Liverpool, but they do expect the club to live within its means. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the message coming from the highest levels at Anfield has been that there will be no major signings in the coming transfer window. The wage bill stands at £310 million and when the club reversed its decision to furlough staff in April, chief executive Peter Moore warned of “unprecedented operating losses” as a result of the pandemic. When contacted by The Athletic, Liverpool insisted the decision to pass on Werner was not a financial one. It would, however, have been a vast outlay for a player who would have started his Anfield career as a substitute. Klopp can currently field arguably the most devastating front three in world football, and Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are all in their prime years. He had been planning to ease Werner into the starting XI around January 2021, when Africa Cup of Nations commitments were scheduled to occupy Mane and Salah for up to six weeks. But with that competition increasingly likely to be pushed back to 2022 as football’s schedule adapts to the effects of COVID-19, such expensive and high-calibre squad cover next season is less necessary. Liverpool’s withdrawal opened the door for other suitors. Werner’s representatives re-opened talks with Manchester United and Chelsea. Both clubs had made their interest known earlier in the season, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had met the striker in Berlin in February, shortly before a meeting with Klopp. United, however, made it clear they would only be willing to meet the release clause if they found a buyer for Paul Pogba. Chelsea presented no such stipulations. Marina Granovskaia indicated they would meet the release clause in full, and Frank Lampard called Werner to explain how he would fit into the club’s broader plans for the future. During two lengthy phone conversations, the striker warmed to the appeal of working under another admiring coach and joining a promising young squad. COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented any Chelsea officials from flying to Germany to conduct the negotiations in person. Granovskaia handled discussions remotely while enlisting the services of Luxembourg-based lawyer Dr Michael Becker, who once represented Michael Ballack and often works with the club on transfer business in Germany. Werner cannot travel either due to hygiene rules set by the DFL, but there were no practical impediments to the deal. RB Leipzig initially supported Werner’s plan to either join Liverpool this summer or stay with Leipzig for another year, though they were mindful of the fact that Werner’s release clause dropped to €40 million next summer and €25 million in 2022. However, financial fair play became a bigger consideration and The Athletic understands the club recently explained that to Werner who, though disappointed, understood he would have to leave for the good of the club. Since promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016, Leipzig’s net spend, according to Transfermarkt is €137.2 million, bigger even than Bayern Munich (€117.5 million). Losing his top scorer stings for RB Leipzig’s highly regarded young coach Julian Nagelsmann, who played an instrumental role in convincing Werner to sign a new contract after Bayern dropped their interest in the summer of 2019. But there was always a recognition that the presence of a release clause in his new deal made this scenario likely, and the club’s stance towards a sale hardened their striker’s resolve to seek out alternative Premier League destinations when Liverpool withdrew. Werner formally agreed to join Chelsea on Thursday afternoon, with news of his decision leaking out shortly afterwards. Sources have told The Athletic that Antonio Rudiger, who played alongside the striker at youth and senior level at Stuttgart and remains his team-mate in the Germany squad, was particularly excited by the prospect of welcoming his friend to Stamford Bridge. All parties expect to complete the deal next week, as only relatively minor details need to be resolved. One is the precise payment plan, but there is a suggestion that two-thirds of the transfer fee will be paid this window, with the rest to follow in January. Another is length of contract; Chelsea are understood to want at least a five-year deal. Werner’s salary will increase year-on-year as the contract progresses, and is expected to reach in the region of £9 million per year (a little more than £170,000 per week) plus bonuses. It is a big victory for Lampard, who publicly stressed the need to add more goals to his squad in January. He didn’t get his wish then, but next season he will be able to call upon a scorer coveted by Europe’s elite. For context, sources told The Athletic that Liverpool’s recruitment staff, widely regarded as among the very best in world football, rated Werner more highly than either Jadon Sancho or Kai Havertz due to his combination of lightning speed and positional versatility. Lampard was also interested in Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, primarily because of his proven track record as a prolific goalscorer in the Premier League. Petr Cech, Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor, shared similar views after forming a very positive impression of the Gabon international’s personality and professionalism in the 18 months they spent as team-mates at the Emirates Stadium. Enquiries were made in January but it was late in the window, Barcelona were also in the picture and Arsenal were unwilling to sell. Aubameyang, however, is 31 in June. Werner, seven years his junior, more closely fits the profile of the hugely talented batch of Chelsea academy graduates around which Lampard is building his squad. His skill set is also very similar to Dries Mertens, another prolific veteran who continued to draw admiring glances from Stamford Bridge until he committed to a new three-year contract with Napoli in May. Werner’s arrival presents a challenge to Tammy Abraham, who remains the only one of Lampard’s home-grown core yet to commit to a long-term extension. Despite being very capable of carrying a goal threat from the left flank, 27 of the Germany international’s 35 starts and 24 of his 29 goals for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season have come as a central striker. But if Chelsea truly aspire to be elite contenders again, Lampard knows he must be able to call upon attacking firepower to match the very best. The acquisitions of Ziyech and Werner have emphatically addressed his squad’s most pressing need weeks before the transfer window officially opens.

Antonio Rudiger helped to persuade Timo Werner to join Chelsea https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/04/antonio-rudiger-helped-persuade-timo-werner-join-chelsea-12807514/?ito=newsnow-feed Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger played an instrumental part in the club’s move for Timo Werner after he persuaded his Germany team-mate to move to Stamford Bridge. The Blues are set to sign Werner in a £49million deal after making a breakthrough with the forward in the last 48 hours. Liverpool had been leading the chase for Werner but the Reds are distancing themselves from the German’s decision to join Chelsea with suggestions that they pulled out of a deal due to the costs involved. But Liverpool were not the only interested party and Werner still had the choice of a host of European giants. However, according to Bild, Rudiger played a key role in convincing Werner to choose Chelsea by remaining in close contact with the forward throughout the decision-making process and giving him glowing reports of life in west London. Rudiger is international team-mates with Werner but their friendship extends back to when the pair were both at Stuggart together. Chelsea have promised to triple Werner’s wages to make him the second best paid player at the club on £200,000-a-week. Aside from that, Werner believes his prospects of first team football are better at Chelsea than they are at Liverpool, as Klopp had planned on rotating between the German and Roberto Firmino at Anfield.

and negotiations started under Conte

£58m

I am going off pure belly feel on Havertz (he would LOVE to play with his Deutsche national teammate, those 2 could reek utter havoc paying off each other) remember a few days back I told you that for first time in ages I think we have a shot at Werner now (and I was likkle miss negative for so long, the first and most on the board)

https://www.bild.de/bild-plus/sport/fussball/fussball/rb-leipzig-timo-werner-vor-wechsel-zum-fc-chelsea-71063970,view=conversionToLogin.bild.html Nationalspieler Timo Werner (24) hat sich entschieden – und zwar gegen Leipzig und Liverpool!

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I still think Havertz is in play Sancho is going to Manure next summer I think

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooootttttttttttttttttt hell fuck yes!!!!!!!!

when I look up the defintion of clusterfuck, it has just 5 letters CFC LB

and Emerson and Alonso and the midget Maatsen can?

do not shoot the messenger Michael Cox: Chilwell’s acceleration offers Chelsea exactly what they need https://theathletic.com/1849781/2020/06/03/cox-chilwell-ben-chelsea-leicester-transfer-analysis/?source=dailyemail The easiest way of explaining Chelsea’s pursuit of Ben Chilwell is very simple — Frank Lampard wants a left-back capable of both attacking and defending. Until now, Lampard’s options haven’t ticked both boxes. Marcos Alonso was signed on the strength of his performances at wing-back for Fiorentina and was the greatest beneficiary of Antonio Conte’s switch to 3-4-3 early on in his first campaign as manager. Over just shy of four seasons with Chelsea, Alonso has 20 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League, a hugely impressive return, but in a defensive sense he is constantly bypassed too easily. Cesar Azpilicueta, more of a natural right-back and certainly capable of tucking inside to play in a back three, has also featured on the left. He was regularly deployed there in the second Jose Mourinho era, when Mourinho wanted a solid defender to largely remain in position and allow Eden Hazard the freedom to attack solo. But while Azpilicueta has developed into a good crosser from the right, he offers little in an attacking sense when fielded on the other side. Then there’s Emerson Palmieri, who doesn’t quite offer the requisite level either with or without possession — he was hauled off after just 34 minutes when Chelsea travelled to Arsenal in December, the starkest sign that Lampard isn’t convinced. Chilwell is a more complete left-back — solid defensively, a good crosser and, in particular, very useful at attacking transitions. His pace isn’t necessarily the first thing you notice when watching Chilwell play, but his combined acceleration and speed of thought have been extremely useful in helping Leicester City switch from defence to attack with just a couple of touches. Here are a couple of examples. The first comes from a 3-1 defeat away to Arsenal early last season, when Claude Puel was still in charge. Leicester scored the opening goal that Monday night, which is in the books as a Hector Bellerin own goal. The credit, though, goes almost entirely to Chilwell. With Alexandre Lacazette playing as Arsenal’s right winger, Chilwell spotted an opportunity to storm past the striker when Wilfred Ndidi had possession in the middle. Again, it’s not necessarily the speed of Chilwell’s run that proves crucial but the timing of it. Ndidi’s pass is perfectly weighted, Chilwell takes the ball past Bellerin with his first touch, gets in behind, and then his attempted cross deflects off the Arsenal right-back and trickles in. Leicester went from having the ball in midfield to having the ball in Bernd Leno’s net, essentially courtesy of a good run and a good first touch. Here’s another example, from August’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth. This time, Chilwell doesn’t need to make a run, but it’s the same principle. A Bournemouth cross is headed clear and he collects a bouncing ball inside his own half. He controls it with his first touch and moves forward a little, before launching a huge pass over the top for a typical Jamie Vardy run. The ball is so well weighted that Vardy doesn’t even need to take a touch — he simply watches it bounce and then lobs it over Aaron Ramsdale to make it 1-0. Again, there’s a neat efficiency here, no touches are wasted. While team-mates Vardy and Ayoze Perez collected hat-tricks on the night, Chilwell was arguably Leicester’s most impressive player in the famous 9-0 thrashing of Southampton in October — he was involved in the first seven goals, getting the first himself. That goal, although ultimately a rebound from a saved shot, was another example of his ability to arrive at the right place at the right time — when Ndidi plays this square pass, Chilwell is out of shot and James Maddison thinks the ball is for him. But Chilwell’s burst of acceleration means he suddenly comes into the picture, plays the ball first-time for Harvey Barnes, and then is on hand to tuck home the rebound. Chilwell later showed his crossing ability, not merely showcasing technical quality to whip the ball into the box, but demonstrating great vision to pick out Perez, making a run from the opposite flank to the far post, where he volleyed home. Chilwell has benefited from having a good on-pitch relationship with many of his Leicester team-mates. Ndidi, as well as often finding Chilwell on the run with some good passes, has also offered cover when he’s stormed forward on the overlap. Maddison, when fielded from the left flank, drifts inside to open up space. It’s easy to imagine him developing similar relationships with N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount or Hakim Ziyech in these respects. Chelsea don’t quite have a striker as adept at making runs into the left-hand channel as Vardy, however, while Chilwell has also benefited from the good passing range of his centre-backs. He often used to sprint onto the end of Harry Maguire’s straight passes in behind — Chelsea don’t have such an obvious defensive playmaker since David Luiz’s departure last summer. Chilwell has generally been solid without possession since breaking into the Leicester first team. He notably struggled against former team-mate Riyad Mahrez in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory just before Christmas, although this was partly because Kevin De Bruyne was making his typical runs into the channel just inside Chilwell and, much like many other sides this season, he was faced with having to track two runners simultaneously. It’s also worth pointing out that Chilwell, along with Hamza Choudhury, was dropped for the 2-1 loss away to Burnley in January after turning up late for a training session, although this appears to have been an isolated incident. His acquisition would be a good upgrade for Chelsea rather than a truly game-changing one, but with the 23-year-old on one flank and Reece James, who isn’t 21 until December, on the other they would have their full-back options sorted for much of the next decade.

Scott McLachlan, he is the fucking shitehawk scout responsible for the turds in the bowl