Vesper

Wanna score goals in transition? Sign Emanuel Emegha Clubs are lining up for the Strasbourg striker. Who should pull the trigger? https://scoutedftbl.com/why-everyone-wants-emanuel-emegha/?ref=notebook-newsletter If the transfer rumour mill hints at any indication of reality, there's rarely a moment when the scouting departments of big and upwardly-mobile clubs decide they’re satisfied with their strikers. This looks especially true for the upcoming summer window: Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and more are all on the hunt for a centre-forward. Enter Emanuel Emegha. The 22-year-old Dutchman is the latest success story from the Sturm Graz Striker Factory, and joined BlueCo-owned Strasbourg in 2023 for a reported €13 million. He's scored 14 goals in 27 appearances this season, translating into 0.55 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes - the 7th-highest in Ligue 1. A young, prolific goalscorer is always bound to attract attention, and Emegha has been linked to a wide variety of clubs, including Chelsea, Newcastle United, Roma, Crystal Palace, and West Ham. Emegha’s performance and the gathering clouds of interest merit a deeper dive. But to do that, we'll need to understand more about Strasbourg, their tactical approach, and the platform the young forward has been given. All this will lead us to a simple conclusion: if you play fast and hard, Emegha should be on your radar. Let's dig in. 💡 Coming up... • How Strasbourg are one of France's most dynamic sides • The raw speed and shot volume that makes Emegha so enticing • ...and the misses that make him less so • Who's gunna fix him? How do RC Strasbourg play? Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg aren’t your typical side in possession. They’re the kind of team that goes from a deep build-up like this… …to a pseudo-counter-attacking situation like this, within seconds. Strasbourg are yet another upwardly-mobile side in Europe that look to bait the opposition’s press close to their own goal before suddenly changing tempo and swiftly attacking the space the press leaves behind, creating ‘artificial transitions’. Strasbourg take the highest share of their touches in their own third in the league (40.4%) but also take the 4th-fewest touches in the final third per shot (10.6), indicating how much they move the ball around in their own third yet how quickly they try to get a shot off in the opponent's. As you can see in the plot below, that makes them the mirror image of a more conventional possession-based side like PSG. As a result, Strasbourg regularly create high-quality chances, with the 3rd-highest xG/shot in the league (0.13). snip

Who are Chelsea's untouchables? Or rather, who should they be? https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/who-are-chelseas-untouchables With the next summer transfer window now right around the corner and a lot of the talk being about who Chelsea might sell and who they might buy, I wanted to speak on ‘untouchables’ seeing as though this is a word used a lot in Chelsea briefings. So in my opinion, an untouchable player is a player that you would not even think about selling no matter what the offer is. So an indispensable player. A player who has to be one of the first names on the team sheet every single week and would walk into most other teams. We did something similar to this recently, but I’m intrigued again to see how many players in our squad you feel are or should be untouchable? Let’s vote on our Chelsea untouchables! I’m not going to bother voting on players like Robert Sanchez, because unless someone is going to do it as a joke, ain’t nobody voting him as an untouchable! So, are these players untouchable in YOUR opinion? As in you would not even think about selling…. snip

The SPTC Podcast - Group Chat Round Table Jai, Si, Danny & Luke cover the latest Chelsea transfer news and look ahead to Forest and Betis 2 hrs ago • Si Phillips, Jai Mcintosh, Danny Windsor, and Luke Rushbrook https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/the-sptc-podcast-group-chat-round

that could be one of dozens, lol

15.20pm - Claims Chelsea are sending Sancho back According to @DiscoMirror, who is a Manchester United correspondent, Jadon Sancho will return to United this summer.

Sources: Chelsea eyeing Cristhian Mosquera but have PSG problem A Dean Huijsen alternative pops up https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-Chelsea-eyeing-cristhian Chelsea missed out on signing priority centre back target Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth purely because Real Madrid decided to make a move in the end. They hadn’t entered the race and Chelsea thought they had their man, but as I always reported, if Real Madrid entered for Huijsen then it would be game over for all the other interested sides because that was always his first choice move. He got his dream move, and Chelsea now move on to other centre back targets as they look to bring in at least one new one, possibly two, this summer. One alternative to Huijsen is Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera [featured image]. The 20-year-old Spanish youth international has had an excellent season and has emerged as one of the best U21 defenders in Europe. He is believed to be available for a fee of around £16m this summer and has a host of clubs lining up at his door. The stumbling block for Chelsea is PSG, as SPTC sources have heard that they are VERY interested in signing him. But he has now become a serious option for Chelsea this summer as well as they weigh up targets after a year of scouting him this season.

EXCL: Newcastle make contact for Chelsea target Blues may look elsewhere https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/excl-newcastle-make-contact-for-Chelsea One Chelsea target this summer that had been looking destined to happen, and still might of course, is Jamie Gittens of Dortmund. The English youngster was not the most popular of targets amongst Blues fans, and those fans might be pleased to hear that it is all of a sudden not looking as likely as it had been. This is for two reasons. SPTC sources have heard that Newcastle have come in for Gittens and have reached out to make an enquiry about signing him this summer. Other clubs are also closely monitoring the situation of Gittens too, Chelsea have very much been one of them. There are some scenarios where Chelsea can still look to do a deal with Dortmund that includes Gittens, because the Blues have some players that the German side are interested in as well, namely Carney Chukwuemeka. So there is absolutely something that can still be done here if Chelsea really want to go all in for Gittens. The second reason that Chelsea may be about to look elsewhere for a new winger this summer if his fee looks like it could now be rather more inflated since they have got Champions League football, and that will put Chelsea off. Nothing has been decided on Gittens yet, but Chelsea would be unlikely to enter any wars to sign him and will only move if at a reasonable fee, or if they can do some sort of unofficial swap deal. Rodrygo from Real Madrid is absolutely a winger option that we are exploring, as we reported last week. Remember, Chelsea can offer more wages if they get UCL and will also be willing to go out of their structure for the right players.

Rodrygo ending up at Arse/Pool/Citeh would be a disaster for us especially Pool or Arse

Romano seems convinced that Rodrygo is leaving Real Madrid this summer

Arsenal and Liverpool want 35-G/A “amazing footballer”, transfer meeting likely next week Arsenal and Liverpool are among clubs keen on signing Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid at the end of the season. https://www.caughtoffside.com/2025/05/22/arsenal-and-liverpool-want-julian-alvarez/ The 25-year-old is one of the best strikers in La Liga, and he could be an exceptional acquisition for the Premier League club. According to a report from El Chiringuito, meetings will begin with the clubs interested in Julian Alvarez next week. The Spanish club could consider selling the player if a substantial offer is presented in the summer. Arsenal need a reliable centre-forward Arsenal are in desperate need of a quality goal-scorer, and the 25-year-old could lead the line for next season. They have looked toothless in the attack at times, and the lack of a reliable finisher has cost them another league title. Alvarez will add goals and creativity to the Arsenal attack if he joins the club. In addition to that, he is a hard-working player who will help out defensively and with his playmaking abilities. The South American is versatile enough to operate anywhere across the front three, and he could be an asset for Arsenal if they manage to get the deal done. Liverpool need Julian Alvarez Similarly, Liverpool are crying out for a reliable forward as well. Darwin Nunez has been very underwhelming, and he needs to be replaced. Signing the World Cup winner would be a major coup for Liverpool. It remains to be seen whether they can convince the player to return to England. He has proven his quality in the Premier League with Manchester City in the past, and there is no doubt that he could hit the ground running if he joins Liverpool or Arsenal. Alvarez has been hailed as an “amazing footballer” by Erling Haaland. The player has 29 goals to his name this season, and he has picked up six assists as well. He is unlikely to be a cheap acquisition, and it remains to be seen whether the two English clubs can convince Atletico Madrid to sell him. His winning experience could prove to be vital for Liverpool as well. He has won the Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, and the World Cup and the Copa America with his country.

Well that is certainly a nice uplifting prognostication. 😢

another trophy for Timo btw

never really rated him that much at all his type of football is not EPL level

it was pure shittery

bye bye perfect finals record for Casemiro

the Spuds team is across the board so much better than Manure (and many other teams) I completely understand why Manure are shit, they have horrid players, almost zero that I would take (maybe Bruno and Yoro, that is IT) but spuds have some real talent, more than a few I would take you have to blame the manager I suspose

Spuds now have 5 (4 are UEFA) European trophies to Arsenals 2 (1 is UEFA) and 3 of Spuds are for the Europa League

and only 38 points! which has gotten teams relegated before

lol spuds get the google fireworks

spuds win worst CL team from the EPL in decades

absolute shitter of a game so far

1 nil spuds

Casemiro has 12 wins, no defeats in European, South American, and global club finals