Vesper

FA report confirms Champions League plan that would end Premier League top four race The new plans would ensure that a club outside its country's top four could only enter the Champions League if they had won the title or reached the semi-finals of the Europa League the previous season https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fa-report-confirms-champions-league-21939361 A UEFA plan to limit the amount of clubs able to qualify for the Champions League has been set out in a Football Association report which details the possible end of the Premier League's top four race. Moves to protect "elite European club revenue streams" are laid out in the FA report, which details the plans that European football's governing body have to expand their continental competitions. The Premier League has long enjoyed a healthy tussle for the top four places in the division and Champions League qualification. But such plans - which have long been pushed by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli - would threaten the competitiveness of the top flight, giving little chance to anyone outside the so-called 'Big Six' of ever sitting at Europe's top table. The new plans, which would come into force in 2024, state that the 32-team Champions League for the 2024/25 season would be chosen based on UEFA's domestic club rankings from the period between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons - effectively making the tournament a closed shop. For clubs outside that bracket, entry to future Champions League tournaments would have to come through either winning the Premier League outright, or reaching the semi-finals of a revamped 32-team Europa League. It is the belief of some clubs that past performance in the Champions League should be placed above domestic results when determining qualifiers for the tournament, with the likes of Roma and Ajax reaching the semi-finals of recent competitions only to miss out on it entirely in future years. Agnelli cited Roma as an example back in March when he questioned whether it was right for Atalanta to be in this year's competition, “without international history and thanks to just one great season.” If the plan were to be in place this season then such a move would come as blow to the likes of Leicester, Wolves and Sheffield United, who have been battling it out with the more established sides such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham for a spot in the top four. There are also plans for the Europa League to follow a similar pattern from 2024, with new teams able to qualify via league position or finishing in the last four of the new UEFA Conference League. "The FA continues to work with all stakeholders to reach an acceptable position," the report adds. snip

could not disagree more about Cesc, he is one of the greatest MFers in EPL history and of course we do play at times with a CAM no clue what you are on about

yes CB that is his best position I think, but he offers flexibilty if the injury reaper comes calling at DMF

I am the only one on the board that I can recall who rates him, lol I saw him have some dominant games for a really shit team and I think he would be a great CB for us down the road (he has played there in the past)

pick yer poison

I already sted I think we end up doing jack shit I am only suggesting doable things (IF Sancho was on the table, Havertz at £85m or so certaily is not outside the realm, and he will cost (pre COVID-19 valuation) 40 to 50m quid less) I have been screaming for 2 new LB's since I joined and obviously we need a striker and a WC CB the big problem is now how are we going to sell all our massive amounts of on roster dregs and oon loan dregs to fund (COVID-19 is fucking up the whole market, so it is not just us, obviously) I expect there is a good chance for fuckall to go down, unfortunately I absolutely can see no new CB coming in (I think Lampard foolishly seems to rate all 4 we have, plus Ampadu maybe), and we will be lucky if we get a LB (unless we do the Alex Sando for Emerson swap) as I just do not see Leicester coming down much on Chilwell, plus the board seems to care less about Telles, Gosens, and Theo Hernandez, and the Italian clubs are fucked financially (to buy Alonso and Emerson) Kante will now 90% likely stay (as we would get fuckall for him atm) and so we probably make no DMF/CMF moves (I love Aouar, but unless we sell our dregs, he isn't coming) hell, we might even cave (or he does) in and re-sign Willian we are bonkers if we roll into the season with only 3 wingers, 2 of them injury prone, and the 3rd who may be needed at AMF a good amount of the time but that's the way the board could roll

its the Daily Hail, what do you expect, lolol

becuase we are losing both our RWers and it's a bonus that both Ziyech and Havertz can play AMF as well. simple I do not see anyone asking why buy Sancho and he is not a even a hybrid

he is a left-footed RWer as well, and can even play CF in a pinch

I certainly hope you are right, and I do tend to come down on your side in this, I just wanted to raise the issue as not being a 100% certainty I so hope he comes back with a vengeance

I was the same. I never fancied Alexis, and really liked Pepe, but am not gutted. Pepe looks like he will be fine, although probably not a superstar. Like you said, the jury is still out, but I am not gutted in missing out. Winger is always my worst position in terms of rating players. I almost never get that 'OMG, I am certain* moment like I do in most other positions. The only wingers I truly rate (I include Ziyech, Havertz, and Sarabia as they play a lot at winger) targets in bold Kylian Mbappé (CF too) Neymar Sadio Mané Raheem Sterling Mohamed Salah Jadon Sancho Lionel Messi Antoine Griezmann (SS, CF as well) João Félix Kai Havertz Bernardo Silva Leroy Sané Eden Hazard Serge Gnabry Heung-min Son (yes, I know, Spuds and all that, but the bloke is WC) Cristiano Ronaldo Richarlison (CF as well, he would be my 3rd choice after Sancho and Havetz, but £100m is just too much IMHO) that's it The conditionals Ziyech Ousmane Dembélé (IF we gets over his injuries and grows up finally) CHO Pulisic and the only ones who interest me in terms of targets who I actually rate (some are very iffy atm) and multiple ones below are LW'ers, when we really need a RWers, preferably left-footed Samu Chukwueze <<< IF we miss out on Sancho and Havertz, he is probably who I would go for Mikel Oyarzabal Federico Chiesa (Juve looks to be in the pole position) Pablo Sarabia (left footer, hybrid AMF/RW, and soon 28, so this is the last year he is a target, and I highly doubt PSG will sell him, he had a great year for them) Adama Traoré (wild card, I would not be against this if we cannot get Sancho, Havertz, or Chukwueze) Ferran Torres Moussa Diaby (20yo who Bayer Leverkusen prised away from PSG, very creative, xA90 this season is 0.32, he also completes 4.20 dribbles per 90 and attempts 4.42 crosses per 90.) Nicolò Zaniolo (IF he recovers from a gruesome knee injury) Wilfried Zaha (only if he costs £40m or less) Kingsley Coman Ansu Fati Dejan Kulusevski (no way Juve coughs him up, so pissed we did not make a move for him) Leon Bailey (he rebounded from a poor 18/19 ) Diogo Jota Milot Rashica Ante Rebic Gabriel Veron

Several points 1 No way can I rate Giroud over a healthy Tammy in terms of overall starting CF 2 We all have no idea how RLC is going to perform post injury. His Achilles rupture was really bad, as in a level that has ended or forever damaged many athletes' careers across a wide variety of sporting endeavours. 3 Kante. Lampard had better spent a tonne of time studying how to work him into his system. The team was overall worse off when he came back and was rammed onto starting linep. 4 Where is Tomori? You do not even list him as a backup. Emerson as well (hopefully both are sold) 5 Mount. Where is he as well? Barkley I assume the limits of the software (no double backups) block, but you could type in Mount/Barkley perhaps 6 Ziyech, not Ziyach Sorry as I am really not having a cheap shot go, just correcting a misspelt name

The delay is not due to money, it is due to the effect of COVID-19 on the construction industry and yes, they have the money for Werner, unfortunately

The Athletic EPL and WSL Player of the Year Awards: The Winners https://theathletic.com/1776336/2020/04/26/debruyne-liverpool-england-mancity-wsl-premier-league/ With the season in limbo, The Athletic held our own awards night for the 2019-20 season. Here’s the full list of winners — let us know what you think in the comments below… Men’s Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) The Athletic’s Stuart James says: “Sixteen assists and eight goals — they’re the headline statistics and mean that Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other player this season. Not that you need numbers to appreciate his talent. He’s been a joy to watch, full stop. “That he’s played so consistently in a City team that has been well below its best, struggling to hang onto Liverpool’s coat-tails, makes De Bruyne’s performances all the more impressive. I think De Bruyne has been the standout individual in the Premier League this season.” The shortlist: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester) Read more: Kevin De Bruyne’s corridor of certainty — ranking his top 10 assists for City. Women’s Player of the Year: Bethany England (Chelsea) The Athletic’s Michael Cox says: “Fourteen goals in 15 games speaks for itself. Her aggressive sprinting in the channels and calmness in front of goal make her formidable in full flow. So many highlights: the chip up and shot to turn the crucial home game against Arsenal, the Bergkamp-esque control and finish of a Millie Bright diagonal ball away at Birmingham, and the classic strike partnership play with Sam Kerr against Reading. Kerr’s the bigger name but England is still leading the line. It’s crazy to think that when Ellen White was out injured at the start of this season, there was any question whatsoever about who should play up front for England.” The shortlist: Rachel Furness (Liverpool), Sophie Ingle (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Everton), Vivienne Miedema (Arsenal), Guro Reiten (Chelsea) Read more: Ninety minutes watching Bethany England Men’s Young Player of the Year: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) Liverpool writer James Pearce says: “Trent Alexander-Arnold has played a starring role in propelling Liverpool to the brink of Premier League title glory. Rock-solid defensively, the dynamic young right-back has also provided the ammunition for Jurgen Klopp’s potent front three to fire with his pin-point deliveries from out wide. Remarkably, with 12 assists, he has already equalled the Premier League record for most assists from a defender which he set a year ago. He has also chipped in with two goals. In terms of elite young talent in the top-flight, he’s in a class of his own.” The shortlist: Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), James Maddison (Leicester), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) Read more: Trent Alexander-Arnold exclusive: 15 moments that have shaped my career Women’s Young Player of the Year: Lauren James (Manchester United Women) The Athletic’s Harriet Drudge says: “Lauren James is one of the most exciting young talents in the country who will undoubtedly go on to represent the Lionesses in the not-too-distant future. The 18-year-old scored Manchester United Women’s first goal in the Women’s Super League in their 2-0 win against Liverpool in September — a few months before signing her first professional contract with the club. Manager Casey Stoney says the teenager is an ‘exceptional talent’ and ‘one of the most technically gifted players’ she has worked with. She is and will continue to be one to watch.” The shortlist: Chloe Kelly (Everton), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Ebony Salmon (Bristol City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea) Read more: ‘Don’t be nice, you want it more than them’ – a day with Manchester United Women Men’s Team of the Year Read more: An almost worryingly deep dive into the PFA Team of the Year award Women’s Team of the Year The Athletic’s Michael Cox says: “So, the obvious thing here is that 10 players come from the top three. There’s been a very clear ‘split’ in the WSL this season — none of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have lost to any of the other nine sides. The exception is Reading’s Farah Williams. Although she’s England’s record caps holder, she hasn’t been part of the England squad for a while so she deserves great credit for still proving herself in the WSL. “Gemma Bonner hasn’t been in the Professional Footballers’ Association team of the year since 2014, but her selection ahead of club team-mate Steph Houghton shows who Manchester City’s defensive leader has been this season. Magdalena Eriksson has had a tremendous campaign at the heart of the Chelsea defence — a solid defender with a lovely left foot, a proper leader and hugely respected for her intelligence off the pitch as well as on it.” Read more: Inside Miedema’s mind: Arsenal striker on how she scored five of her greatest goals Men’s Goal of the Season: Son Heung-min (Tottenham) Tottenham writer Charlie Eccleshare says: “A deserved winner from a 5-0 battering of Burnley that was comfortably one of Spurs’ most enjoyable games of the season. When Son picked the ball up, there were 90 yards and seven Burnley players between him and the opposition goal. Fifteen seconds later the ball was in the back of the net after Son showed astonishing acceleration to hurtle his way past more than half of the Burnley team. As long-range dribbles go, it has to be one of the best in Premier League history.” Runner-up: Kevin De Bruyne (versus Newcastle United) Read more: Why there is no better time for Son Heung-min to learn to be a marine Underrated Player of the Year: Danny Ings (Southampton) Southampton writer Carl Anka says: “If you combined Roberto Firmino’s endless running with Jamie Vardy’s ‘chat nonsense, suffer consequences’ approach to shooting, you would get some idea of what Danny Ings has been doing in 2019-20. The striker turned his first injury-free season in ages into a banner campaign where, for a few months at least, he was the most irresistible striker in Europe. Left foot, right foot, headers — Ings was undeniable during a winter run that saw him bag 13 league goals and transform Southampton from relegation candidates to a Europa League threat. My colleague Jack Lang called him “the middle-ranking deity walking among mortals” but, to me, he’s just awesome.” The nominees: Fred (Manchester United), Raul Jimenez (Wolves), Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) Read more: Danny Ings — Southampton’s Player of the Year

In a post-Hazard era, who can possibly stand out as Chelsea Player of the Year? https://theathletic.com/1771383/2020/04/25/chelsea-player-of-the-year/ The first season of the post-Eden Hazard era at Chelsea has yielded no new clear talisman. In fact, you could argue that Frank Lampard’s most impressive achievement since taking over is how effectively he has divided the burden of scoring and goal creation that was disproportionately borne by the Belgian under Maurizio Sarri, even if a lack of ruthlessness has undermined his team at times. That he has done it with youth is all the more commendable. Three of Chelsea’s top four goalscorers in the Premier League this season are aged 22 or younger. Tammy Abraham is perhaps the best story of the season, blossoming from a prolific Championship scorer into a charismatic Premier League frontman with enough flashes of an all-round skill set to suggest he is capable of leading the line at Stamford Bridge for the next decade. His swaggering hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Wolves at Molineux in September — with Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount also finding the net — felt like the moment Lampard’s youth movement came of age. Mount has become arguably the symbol of Lampard’s team, playing the third-most minutes across all competitions (2,866) when compared to his fellow Chelsea outfielders, with only captain Cesar Azpilicueta (3,333) and Jorginho (2,965) ahead of him. And he has done so through the pain of two ankle injuries. His decision-making is far from flawless — not an unusual problem for a young player — but he consistently sets the tone with his relentless work rate, with and without the ball. Christian Pulisic produced the most spectacular run of form of any Chelsea player from late October to the end of November, following up a match-winning assist against Ajax in Amsterdam with six goals in seven matches across three competitions. His perfect hat-trick against Burnley at Turf Moor was emphatic proof that Lampard is right to consider the American integral to his future plans. The fact he has barely kicked a ball in 2020 is our loss as well as his. At the other end of the pitch, Tomori played a key role in Chelsea’s seven-match winning streak alongside Kurt Zouma in the autumn while Reece James returned from an ankle injury to justify the excitement sparked by last year’s phenomenal loan at Wigan and emerge as a formidable attacking weapon from right-back. When you add Callum Hudson-Odoi, Andreas Christensen, Billy Gilmour and a fit-again Ruben Loftus-Cheek to the mix, Lampard can remould this squad around a homegrown core that should be the envy of elite clubs all over Europe — with more to come from the academy and the bank of loanees. Abraham and Mount have ensured an unprecedented amount of overlap in Chelsea’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year debates, particularly as some of the older heads have floundered. Kepa Arrizabalaga lost Lampard’s confidence in the midst of the worst slump of his career. After four years of being a Premier League machine, N’Golo Kante’s body has failed him. Antonio Rudiger has struggled to rediscover his best level after his own lingering injury problems. Marcos Alonso continues to be the Superman of wing-backs and the Clark Kent of full-backs. But other senior stars have led the way. Azpilicueta’s durability is showing no cracks at the age of 30 and his performances remain generally solid, regardless of whether he is deployed at right-back, left-back or centre-back. His professionalism and on-pitch leadership have helped Chelsea’s bright youngsters and his four goals across all competitions constitute the most prolific scoring season of his career. Two of them, against Ajax and Lille at Stamford Bridge, were vital. Willian is now the oldest regular Chelsea starter, though there has been nothing on the pitch to highlight that fact. His speed and work rate are undiminished, to the extent that Lampard held up the Brazilian’s brilliant all-round display against Southampton in October as the benchmark for his other wingers. His match-winning performance away at Tottenham in December was the best of his Chelsea career, and one of the most thrilling seen anywhere in the Premier League this season. Goals and assists have always been an underwhelming measure of Willian’s impact and 2019-20 is no exception (five goals and five assists in 28 Premier League appearances). But it is worth noting that his 3.3 passes that lead to a shot attempt per 90 minutes this season ranks sixth-best in the entire division among regular starters. When reviewing a season in which Chelsea all too frequently struggled to create while finding a way to concede, however, it feels wrong to bestow the highest praise on any one attacker or defender. Lampard, like Sarri before him, has built this team around a dominant passing midfield, and the most consistent performers in the squad can be found in the middle of the pitch. Jorginho has been transformed under Lampard from a Stamford Bridge pariah into a crowd favourite without changing all that much about his game. He is still a passing metronome at the base of midfield, though he attempts fewer passes per game this season (71.6) than last (84.3) and slightly more of them go long (3.7 per game, up from 2.5 in 2018-19). He still takes arguably the most quirky effective penalties in world football. Chelsea’s defenders still know that they can trust Jorginho with the ball under pressure and he still gives his team a level of control and calm that few other midfielders can. Out of possession, his defensive contribution is a little underrated, though his glaring lack of athleticism ensures that any midfield geared around him will always have a tantalisingly obvious weakness. He has been key to many of this season’s best performances, and also some of the worst. Lampard’s most frequently outstanding performer has been the man next to Jorginho. When a £40 million agreement was struck with Real Madrid to make Mateo Kovacic the lone Chelsea signing of a summer defined by a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, the reaction of most supporters ranged from an indifferent shrug of the shoulders to mild consternation. Kovacic’s fit was more in question than his talent but he quickly proved his worth. Largely in the absence of Kante he has refined his formidable understanding with Jorginho – one which provided the foundation for Chelsea’s best run of form this season, the seven-match winning streak from late September to the end of October that put Lampard’s team in the driving seat in the race for fourth. Both men take particular delight in receiving the ball under extreme pressure and working together to play their way out of trouble. Nowhere was this mutual passion more evident than in Amsterdam, where Jorginho completed 93.5 per cent of his 46 passes and Kovacic completed 92.6 per cent of his 54 amid a swarm of Ajax bodies. An historic win was built on their unshakeable composure. Kovacic has largely matched Jorginho’s passing prowess deep in Chelsea’s midfield this season but the Croatian also has another dimension to his game: he is the best ball-carrying central midfielder anywhere in world football and Lampard has unleashed his rare gift to the benefit of the team. He is averaging 4.7 attempted dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season with a 79.3 per cent success rate, up from 3.2 per 90 minutes with a 67.7 per cent success rate in 2018-19. He carries the ball an average of 449.5 yards per 90 minutes, the most in the Chelsea squad, and 227.9 yards towards the opposition goal, second only to Willian among regular starters. No other central midfielder in Europe comes close to combining the volume and efficiency of Kovacic’s dribbling. A look across the Premier League reveals his numbers are more comparable with wingers or No 10s like Adama Traore (457.1 yards per 90 minutes), Felipe Anderson (455.2 yards per 90 minutes) or Jack Grealish (453.7 yards per 90 minutes). Direct impact on the final third remains Kovacic’s big weakness; his one goal and three assists in the Premier League this season actually represent an overperformance on his expected goals (0.90) and expected assists (1.66) while his 1.33 key passes per 90 minutes compare unfavourably with Kante (1.56) and rank 13th in the current Chelsea squad. But in football’s age of pressing, Kovacic’s uncanny ability to slalom his way through the middle of the pitch, taking out several opponents as he turns defence into attack, is hugely valuable. It was telling that as Chelsea suffered their heaviest-ever home European defeat against Bayern Munich in February, he was the only player in blue who frequently threatened to turn the tide with eight completed dribbles of nine attempted. Kovacic earned high praise from a somber Lampard after that match as he was the only Chelsea player who had shown in the Champions League knockout stage that he could grace any team in the world. Only 25, he should be a dynamic presence in the middle of the Stamford Bridge pitch for years to come, and he is a more than worthy Player of the Year. This week, The Athletic’s writers will be choosing their Player of the Year for their club and writing a piece explaining their pick. We are also hosting an awards night on our app and social media on Sunday, April 26, to decide the awards for the season so far. Read more here.

Perhaps that is is the case here (with Coutinho), but net pay is a guess, and is subject to so many variables it is madness to try and report that. You cannot just peg in a rate and then claim that that is what a player will make for the duration of his contract. Tax rates and tax laws change all the time, plus so do write-offs. IF that is the net pay for Coutinho, then Bayern (as they had to pay 8m euros in loan fees to Barca as well) paid out almost 33m euros for ONE year of Coutinho with nothing to show for it in terms of future value!! he would be well over £400K per week gross just in salary!!! that is madness HELL NO HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NO if that is his gross salary!! We need to run away FAST

I already gave 2 links for Coutinho's salary, not just the Express here are more, including Forbes and the Guardian https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephentudor/2020/04/11/leicester-city-should-not-be-dismissed-in-the-race-to-sign-coutinho/#4c8ce2042a14 https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jan/06/philippe-coutinho-join-barcelona-142m-deal-liverpool https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/barcelona-weekly-wages-salary-first-team-stars-revealed-messi-coutinho/9 https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2885889-analysing-the-big-barcelona-transfer-rumours-being-mooted-for-2020 https://sportzwiki.com/football/philippe-coutinho-net-worth-endorsements-salary The Sun is all over the place, they have said £11m a year (only £212K per week) in one article, and £290K per week in another, but it is the Sun, they lie like Trump

lol at Juve IF Alex Sandro was one year younger, I would do it, but he is 30yo on January 26, 2021, so has two, MAX 3 decent years left Report: Chelsea to be offered the chance to sign historical left back target (Swap offer for Emerson) https://www.chelsea-news.co/2020/04/report-chelsea-offered-chance-sign-historical-left-back-target/ There have been many occasions over recent years where Chelsea have continued to be linked to the same player season after season. One of those players over recent times is Juventus left back Alex Sandro, whom of which I lost count of the times I’ve read that Chelsea were close to signing him, such as this report from ESPN in 2018. However, the Brazilian international never arrived for whatever reasons, and Chelsea ended up signing Emerson Palmieri from Roma instead. Now in an ironic twist to the story, Chelsea could be offered another chance to sign Sandro, in exchange for Emerson. According to Tuttosport (as cited by Football London), due to the financial uncertainty as a result of the global pandemic, Juventus could propose a swap deal with Chelsea offering Sandro in as part of the deal to sign Emerson – who they are targeting this summer. Sandro turned 29 in January and was initially targeted by Chelsea in his peak, so it is unclear if they would pursue him again now. snip also lol @ >>>>>>> the reason was Juve fucked us over, strung Marina on like a trout on a hook for three fucking straight years!!! we would meet their price, then they would raise it, then do it again. The summer of 2017 was OUTRAGEOUS shitbaggery by them, they so so so fucked us hard in the batty, and not even some choklad or a kiss.

Morata is a PUSSY, and not the good kind

lol, now you are even getting MY hopes up about Werner I will so gladly eat crow for a week IF we can snatch him from under those scouse vermin's nose!!!!

Kante makes more (£290K/pw vs £240K/pw) but £240K/pw is madness for Coutinho Havertz would be great but Grealish could be had for perhaps half the cost (Villa are SO fucked financially, and COVID-19 is a potential death blow) now THAT all said Havertz is also a left footer, and plays at RW at times so he would solve (as we have the same type of player already in Ziyech) our RW AND AMF issues completely and Havertz is far more doable than Sancho that would be a really interesting play as it sorts out a LOT of shit and then we so do NOT need Coutinho and do not need Grealish or Maddison, or any other wingers or AMF Havertz has even played at CF (had a goal and an assist against Eintracht Frankfurt as a CF, and a goal at CF against Rangers) and has killed it at times asa RWer as well so very interesting indeed

Well, we certainly can afford Lautaro (IF no Sancho), the main issue is does he wish to come here? I doubt it. Fucking Werner and the scousers is what fucks us up. I think the best fit for us all around is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. I REALLY rate him, he is perfect age to buy for the long terms, is HG, is pacy as hell, presses, can score enough, and has a crazy motor. He will cost a shit tonne, but I would take him over Richarlison (and I DO rate Richarlison a tonne, just not at £100m, which is everton's asking price), as he is true CF. I do not see him leaving Everton though, he loves the club, and they (unless COVID-19 somehow scuppers it, but I think it is too far in to stop) are getting that great brand new stadium, plus we has a top 10 or 15 all-time manager in Carlo to guide him. IF (when? <<<<trying not to be so fatalistic but it looks slim chances atm) we miss out on Sancho, I SURELY would look into DCL and Lautaro, IF we are committed to dropping the huge quid. the state of play for me, at this exact minute (I fully admit I am apparently the only DCL and Declan Rice fangirl/boy on the board atm): GK Predrag Rajković or Uğurcan Çakır, keep Kepa CB Declan Rice (a two-fer, as he can play DMF too, and is great on the ball) plus either, West Ham are fucked financially, so extract him NOW, plus I would grab Gabriel Magalhães or Marash Kumbulla LB Chillwel (if a decent price) or Telles or Gosens or Theo Hernandez (2 of those IF we can sell both Emerson and Alonso, which now looks really shaky, grrrr, hell we might be stuck with BOTH next season (plus a tonne more dregs, GRRRRRRRRRRRR) RB we need nothing here this year, Azpi and Reece can carry the load IMHO DMF if Kante stays and IF we can sort hi inside Lamps system, then we should be ok, plus see my CB pick (as Declan Rice is a a really good DMF, and perhaps ampadu finally is sorted (he has a broken back now, supposedly, so who the fuck knows) CMF Saul is FAR too expensive, so Aouar for me AMF Grealish (if we do not get Sancho, otherwise just rotate more with who we have, as Ziyech is then massively in the mix there) LW as long as we sort RW, I see no reason to buy here, we have two, young, POTENTIALLY great wingers here in CHO and Puli RW Sancho or bust, as we now have Ziyech, and it is simple, IF we buy Sancho, Ziyech will play a lot more AMF, if we do not buy Sancho, then I would go for Grealish at AMF, as ziyech will be wn many RW, and Willian is a pure cunt for not taking a 2 year deal, as that would save us a tonne of hassle at RW for backup, IF we miss out on Sancho, and Willian leaves, then Samu Chukwueze is probably the play, or (if PSG can be persuaded, which is doubtful) Pablo Sarabia (another RW/AMF left footed combo player, he was superb the past two years) or even look at Gabriel Veron (17yo Brasilian wunderkind from Palmeiras who Everton failed at buying, and now Arsenal want badly) CF Calvert-Lewin or Lautaro or, if no goes, then Victor Osimhen (before Dembele IMHO) I think we fail at most or all of that, lolol, I have such low expectations atm so assuming the worst we end up with one of the lesser 4 of the CF options (probably Dembele) no Sancho, so either Willian gives in our we may, MAY get Samu Chukwueze (unless Palace collapses financially and sell us Zaha for £40m, lol) No AMF, no LW, no CMF, no DMF, Chilwell at LB (and maybe not even him if we cannot unload Emerson and/or Alonso), and no Declan Rice, so quite possibly no CB at all (a huge blunder IMHO) and we might even renew the soon to be 39yo Willy for one last go-round (another HUGE blunder) plus (and this is HUGE, due to FFP) we get stuck with almost all our dregs as most teams cannot or will not pay what we demand, especially with COVID-19 <<< THAT is ALL on the motherfucking board and especially Marina

Huge flaw in the article straight away Raúl Jiménez is 29 in 9 days. If we bought him, he turns 30 before next season ends. therefore this he does NOT have 'a long number of years at the peak of his game' most strikers quickly fall off once they hit 31 or 32 max especially with the style of play we demand from our strikers 2 or 3 years is not a 'long number' here are the only strikers still going strong who are over 31yo (no I am NOT going to list Giroud, as he clearly cannot be our full-time striker, which is a basic criteria here) (Diego Costa is spent at 31, as is Higuain at 32, who already failed here at only 31 as is clearly declining) so..... Karim Benzema Dries Mertens Edin Dzeko Luis Suárez Edinson Cavani Jamie Vardy even the 31yos are few Robert Lewandowski Sergio Agüero Artem Dzyuba (arguably, but hey, I love him, he is a fucking tank) that's it, 9 in the entire world over 30 who are still good enough to be our full time starter and to really drill down, it is only SIX (the ones in bold) over 30 years old, as there are 3 of thsoe nine who are REALLY up to being our full time starter as tbh, not all of those, Dzuba is big stretch, and Mertens is soon going to run out of gas, he turns 33 in 10 days, so will be 34 before next season ends and Dzeko's last good year was when he was 31, although he would make a great backup for 1 year, maybe, as he does turn 35 in March 2021 as was showing a fairly significant decline the past 2 season, at least in terms of scoring and pressing even if you take 30yos it only adds TWO Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Ciro Immobile 29yos only 3 Rodrigo (barely, as he did not have the best year, but he killed us in the CL) Alexandre Lacazette (turns 29 end of May) Raúl Jiménez (turns 29 in 9 days) 28yo's only two (1.5) Roberto Firmino Callum Wilson (too injury prone, and not really better than Tammy I think) so at total of only TWELVE (maybe 13) in the world over 27yo atm it is mostly a young man's game bonus (sort of, and a TRUE genetic freak)... Zlatan, who could play for us, just not as a full time starter, as the bloke turns 39 in around 5 months, lolol

Saturday April 25 2020 Football Nerd Which teams are too easily penned in their own half? By Daniel Zeqiri Arsenal have struggled to play out from the back CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES Through football's coronavirus hiatus, we are committed to providing a weekly newsletter of facts, analysis and retrospectives. If there is a topic you want us to cover please email [email protected]. Above all, stay safe. Few tactical concepts attract as much coverage as playing out from the back, the purpose of which is to draw opponents out of position and exploit the space they vacate - provided you play through the pressure accurately. The important word in that well-known piece of football jargon though, is 'out'. The aim is not to pass the ball endlessly in your own defensive third but to progress through the thirds once an opportunity presents itself. By looking at which Premier League teams spend most of their spells of possession in their own half, we can gain a strong impression of who excels at this and who struggles. It will come as little surprise that no team has played a smaller percentage of passes in their own half than Sean Dyche's Burnley at 37.8 per cent. However, Sheffield United have played exactly the same ratio despite favouring more considered build-up play. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, said to be trailblazers for playing out from the back, only play 39.5 per cent of passes in their own half. The metric then, is not necessarily a measure of style but of effectiveness. Teams are reluctant to press Man City too high for fear of leaving themselves exposed at the back, which means Guardiola's team can progress the ball beyond the halfway line with little effort. Runaway league leaders Liverpool have played the seventh lowest proportion of passes in their own half at 43.1 per cent. Two counter-attacking teams with fast forwards - Wolves and Bournemouth - are in the top five for playing a high proportion of passes in their own half. Neither attacking unit thrives when their team has too much final third possession against a deep defence. Arsenal, however, are a team that seek to control games through possession but are far too easily penned in. No team has played a higher proportion of passes inside their own half than their 51.5 per cent. Their intention to build play methodically is the correct one, but new coach Mikel Arteta needs to address their struggles to find midfielders in good positions higher up the pitch. Dani Ceballos, Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torriera all like to drop deep and receive the ball from the centre-backs, leaving a chasm between the midfield and the forwards. If Arteta wants to replicate the football played by his mentor Guardiola, Arsenal's percentage of passes in their own half needs reducing by 10 per cent or more.

Thomas Partey is a more like for like with Kante, although a notch below Saul is great at LB, but HATES playing there, and is a superb CMF Saul or José Giménez is who I would demand Giménez has not been as dominating without his partner in crime, Godin, and tbh, Felipe was their best CB this season, arguably the best season of any CB in La Liga Saul is the best pure CMF in the world, atm, IMHO, so Saul for me, just kick in the diffrence (which is still HUGE as his release clause is insane) but it is all pipe dreams, AM will NEVER go for that Thomas, yes, but then we get fucked, as his release clause is only 42m, so they would have to still pay us something, say £13m (the £8m difference plus £5m inconvenience fee) Saul can only leave Atletico Madrid if release clause is paid https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2020/04/21/5e9e0abb22601d05138b4571.html If Saul Niguez is to leave Atletico Madrid then it will be for 150 million euros, the price stated in the midfielder's release clause. When he signed his current contract in 2017, committing to the club until 2026, this was the agreed fee that would see him released from his contract and Atletico Madrid will stick to that. They won't negotiate a lower transfer fee with any clubs who may want to sign the Spaniard. snip btw AM only get 60% of his sale price, as 40% of Saul is owned by 40% by QSI (headed by Jorge Mendes and former United executive Peter Kenyon)