Vesper

The Barcelona fire sale to alert Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham ahead of the transfer window Barcelona could be forced to sell some of their biggest stars as a result of the financial impact the coronavirus crisis has caused https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/transfer-news/arsenal-chelsea-tottenham-barcelona-transfers-18303675 snip According to the report, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defender Gerard Pique, midfielder Frenkie de Jong and attacking trio Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and Ansu Fatu are the only players to have been assured that their futures do lie at the Nou Camp. snip lots of interesting (some more than others) names not listed as guaranteed stays for example

it is rubbish if we go into the season with only his soon to be 39yo arse and then the oh-so-iffy Kepa as our only real keeper options (Cumming is nowhere near ready to play a string of games, and TBH, I doubt he ever is going to be a top keeper, at least for years) it is courting disaster

Who is Chelsea’s best option at left back? https://theprideoflondon.com/2020/05/24/chelseas-best-option-left-back/

Chelsea: Armando Broja is a better option than Joshua King https://theprideoflondon.com/2020/05/25/chelsea-armando-broja-better-option-joshua-king/ Joshua King is rumored to be drawing interest from some of the Premier League’s elites, but Chelsea has a group just as talented. King is reportedly getting looks from some of the best clubs in England’s top flight. The Blues and Frank Lampard are supposedly interested, but the question is: why? King’s managed nearly 50 goals in the Premier League since the 2015/16 season, but has failed to live up to expectations this season. Teams like Manchester United—who were desperate for a second-choice striker in January—showed interest in King because of his descending value, but Bournemouth didn’t budge. With the Cherries fighting to stay alive in the Premier League, it’s likely he gets sold after this year and stays in the top flight. However, a move to Chelsea doesn’t make much sense. Chelsea brought another striker through the academy this season in Armando Broja. Broja made his Premier League and first team debut in the Blues’ 4-0 win over Everton before the league-wide stoppage. He’s not got a ton of experience, but the 18-year-old is clinical in front of goal. In the 32 matches he’s played on all levels—mostly U18 and U23—Broja has managed 19 goals and five assists. The Albanian youth international is amongst the next wave of academy players looking to break into Chelsea’s first team. With Broja knocking on the door and Olivier Giroud signing a one-year extension at Stamford Bridge, there is hardly room for King behind Tammy Abraham. King is a clinical forward who works better in a two-striker system—a formation in which Chelsea seldom plays. The 28-year-old brings years of experience to the squad and will provide goals off the bench, but the Blues already have Giroud, who offers exactly that. As Michy Batshuayi nears a likely move away from west London, Chelsea needs a third striker for the first team and Broja should be that guy. He’ll get at least a year of learning under Abraham and Giroud under his belt, furthering his development. The 10-year difference between Broja and King is notable, but so is the transfer fee. Broja provides a free option for Chelsea’s striking force whereas King would take money away from other targets on the market. Look no further than the Blues using Jamie Cumming as a third-choice keeper this season as a precedent for how they should approach the striker conundrum in the coming months. If Chelsea is going to spend money on a striker in the summer, it better be a versatile player who contends for a starting spot. If not, there are few players out there better suited for a third-choice striker role than the Blues’ own Broja.

ihihihihihii TC IS my FM roflmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

who would win a best of 7 in a month between full strength, fully healthy Bayern and full strength, fully healthy PSG? I think they are the two best teams on the planet ATM I honestly do not know who I would pick, although Bayern has an unfair advantage in that they are still playing now

Dream world 4 2 3 1 for 2021/22 season GK Ugurcan Cakir or Predrag Rajkovic LCB Gabriel RCB Upamecano LB Theo Hernandez RB Reece DMF Tonali or Camavinga (paid for via Jorginho sale) Box to Box Gilmour No. 10 Havertz LW Sancho RW Ziyech CF Werner (added just to drive @Jason bonkers, lololol) the 14 Backups/Rotational GK Vicente Guaita or Martin Dúbravka CB Rudiger CB Tomori LB Alex Sandro (came via swap for Emerson) RB Azpi (his last season with us, he will leave on a free in 2022 I am pretty sure, as he will be 33 in August 2022, and 33 is washed the fuck up for a RB on a top 4 team n the EPL, I cannot even see Marina renewing him at 33) DMF/CB Ampadu CMF Kovacic CMF/AMF RLC CMF/DMF Conor Gallagher AMF Mount LW Pulisic RW CHO (provided he isn't in prison, ffs ) CF Tammy CF Broja buy bye Kante, especially if he fucks us and refuses to play due to COVID-19 (which means, if he is refusing now, he surely wont play in the fall/winter, when the 2nd wave is ripping into us)

He was a terror (61 goals, 64 assists) for 4 1/2 seasons, 2 and a half at Borussia Dortmund (2010-11. 2011-12, where he only played around half a full season's minutes, and then 2012-13, the year they lost 1-2 to Bayern in the CL final (Robben's 89th minute goal) at Wembley under der Kloppvictim) and then 2 great seasons at Bayern under Pep, plus of course, the WC winner in 2014. Injuries have haunted him ever since, but he does finally seem healthy, so I am sure he can still offer a lot to a Serie A or Ligue 1 or even maybe a La Liga team. If I were him, I would go to Lazio, they have fuckall for wingers.(literally zero of anything better than Chels U23 level, and not even that TBH, see the two they have below) and he can spell Joaquín Correa at SS (they get Pedro Neto back from Wolves, but he is only 19yo still) as needed or Luis Alberto at AMF. or play LMF as well on a rotational basis

IF we were to sell Barkley, that is guarantee that my numbers work (and go into net profit (even without a Jorginho sale due to Kante refusing to play) territory for my big buy post or we could replace him with an non English upgrade for not much extra cost at all. I will not go back and re-edit that long post but I think we could grab Aouar or Donny van de Beek at a COVID-19-caused bargain price .even. IF we sell Jorginho, then we are insane to not take those funds and buy Tonali (as Juve will not be buying both of them) as his club, Brescia, is in crazy financial trouble due to COVID-19. They were dead in the middle of COVID ground zero (Northern Italy) and never were in great shape anyway. I know it is the height of hubris upon my part, but FFS, I wish I had control of sales/buys for just the next several months. (Well to be honest the last several years, in terms of sales timing for a few of the deals and the ability to BLOCK THE DRINKWATER BUY!!!, lolol) The other cock-ups I am not going to even get into. That is all crying over spilt milk now though, and Marina and the board can make up for it partially (it is after all all still oki IF the books balance for FFP whilst we massive upgrades, the damage then is 'only' the the £425m or so that we shit away since summer 2016 until the books are closed on the current dregs yet to be liquidated or (GRRRR) let go for free. Although it sounds harsh as fuck, the only real damage is Roman being out the cash and us being stuck with Kepa, unless the lad improves, (which I am doing an atheist prayer he does) if they do SMART business the next 2 summer windows. I will not get into hypotheticals about titles and trophies won if we had sorted shit, as I still see no way we could have topped Shitty and Victimpool the past 3 seasons, and we did win the title right before that. A case could be made for better results if we are talking about the fucking Supercup (fuck the bindippers) and/or winning the another FA cup or two or one or more League Cup(s) in that 2016 to 2020 time frame, plus the CS, which I am one of the few who even cares about it, lolol. We also could have went deeper in the CL (still do not see us winning even if I had completely had my retro-exchanged team)

yep £89m Sancho £80m Havertz £169m total in my long 'how we can afford BOTH Sancho and Havertz even in COVID times and even getting very, very poor returns for our dregs (and this with NOT even adding in a Jorginho sale at all ) PLUS buy BOTH Gabriel AND Upamecano plus upgrade at LB all for zero net, or near zero net spend INCLUDING the cost of Ziyech' post I said £170m total cost for both Sancho and Havertz jus sayin' the 25 man roster I ended with:

email the author and ask him if it was made up, Ballack would be all over denying it by now

I do not know, but they directly quoted him, and they cannot just make up a direct quote. The writer would get sacked and the paper sued if they just made it up out of thin air.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/virgil-van-dijk-told-would-22076180 Former Chelsea star Ballack claimed that van Dijk is only held in such high esteem due to a lack of top class strikers around in the modern day compared to years gone by. "Virgil van Dijk is very lucky to play in an era where there is no [Didier] Drogba, [Frank] Lampard, Alan Shearer, [Thierry] Henry, [Wayne] Rooney, [Robin] Van Persie, [Carlos] Tevez, [Emmanuel] Adebayor and Diego Costa in the Premier League," Ballack said. "No wonder they think he is the best defender in the league."

Virgil van Dijk slammed by Holland manager Ronald Koeman as Liverpool defender told 'cut out the mistakes' Koeman STILL angry about the error made by his captain which led to Olivier Giroud securing a 2-1 victory for France in Nations League clash https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/virgil-van-dijk-slammed-holland-13392092 multiple layers dribbling past him Nichol is full of dogshit

looks like a likkle army of sperm

bedtime for hippy

drop acid time Shitty's 3rd kit

prime Magic Box would shred VVD to fucking ribbons “Gianfranco tries everything because he is a wizard and the wizard must try.” (Claudio Ranieri about Gianfranco Zola after his back-heeled volley against Norwich)

Former Reds defender Nicol claimed Van Dijk could beat anybody up including Didier Drogba https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8351569/Liverpool-great-Steve-Nicol-dismisses-Michael-Ballacks-claim-Virgil-van-Dijk-LUCKY.html cunt

lol, that bindipper twat Stevie Nichol is having a fit over what Ballack said I so hate scousers

he is 27 well, soon 28, but still it isn't like he is 31 or 32 Inter Linked Mario Götze To Leave BVB On A Free Transfer Amid Interest From AC Milan, Lazio & Roma https://sempreinter.com/2020/05/23/inter-linked-mario-gotze-to-leave-bvb-on-a-free-transfer-amid-interest-from-ac-milan-lazio-roma/

always blows my mind how almost no one ever talks about the biggest gangster family in football the Agnelli dynasty they go completely under the radar, but have virtual veto power over so much in UEFA and Italian footie, and even can intimidate FIFA I think they absolutely ordered the Juve negotiators to string us along year after year on transfers just to help hurts us from climbing back up the mountain again