Vesper

I understand that argument, but I can NEVER go for Spuds unless they need to win to get us a trophy or into the CL

Odin strike me down but I have to go for Manure my utter hatred of Spuds trumps all

🍿

Rodrygo is streets ahead of Gordon.

The Athletic’s end-of-season awards, 2024-25: Men’s football https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6336642/2025/05/20/athletic-end-of-season-awards-2024-25-men/ The Premier League title has long since been won and the battle to avoid relegation was also decided weeks ago, leaving the fight to qualify for European football in 2025-26 as the major outstanding issue of this season. As the 20 clubs of the domestic top-flight prepare to wrap up their league campaigns over the next week, including Sunday’s 10-game final day, The Athletic’s team of experts have been voting in our annual end-of-season awards. These cover the Premier League, the Championship and also the big competitions in Europe. We have done the same for women’s football — you can find out about them here. But without further ado, let’s reveal the winners in the men’s game… Premier League Player of the Season: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Mohamed Salah set standards nobody could get close to as he propelled Liverpool to the title. The prolific Egyptian flourished under new head coach Arne Slot, breaking the record for most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season (46 and counting). The previous best was 44, achieved by Thierry Henry of Arsenal (2002-03) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (2022-23). Salah, who is also on the brink of winning his fourth Premier League Golden Boot in eight seasons as the division’s top scorer, has tormented top-flight defenders. As well as netting 28 league goals, he has also been the champions’ most creative force with 18 league assists. Across all competitions this season, he has 33 goals and 23 assists in 51 appearances — climbing to third place on the club’s all-time scoring list with 244. He’s signed a new contract to replace the one that was expiring this summer too, so Premier League defenders face having to deal with him for two more years. Premier League Young Player of the Season: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) Morgan Rogers is a unique footballer. He is nimble and fleet of foot, but is seemingly built of concrete. His physicality has created a rare type of attacker — a brilliant ball-carrier who is hardly ever outmuscled. Combine all of this with a developed end-product and you get a 22-year-old who is a critical cog in manager Unai Emery’s Aston Villa system. Few players enjoy a rise as swift or sharp as Rogers’ has been, going from a so-so midfielder at Middlesbrough in the second-tier Championship and during a string of previous EFL loans, to an England international and elite playmaker in less than 18 months. Premier League Manager of the Season: Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest) There are a few managers who have earned their place in Nottingham Forest history by inspiring truly remarkable transformations in the club’s fortunes. Brian Clough took Forest up from the second tier in 1978 and over the next three seasons made them not just domestic champions but kings of Europe — twice, Frank Clark followed another top-flight promotion in the early 1990s by swiftly earning UEFA Cup qualification and Steve Cooper took over a team fighting relegation to the third tier in September 2021 and within nine months had the club back in the Premier League after 23 years away. With the job he has done at the City Ground since replacing Cooper in December 2023, Nuno Espirito Santo has more than earned his place among that group. Forest spent the previous two seasons fighting against relegation. Many pundits predicted back in August that it would be the same story again. But Nuno has proved Forest’s doubters wrong. There’s been a battle alright, but of a much more enjoyable kind for the team and their fans. After they climbed to third in the table before Christmas, it seemed Forest were on course for a top-five finish and Champions League place. While they might have stuttered slightly over the race’s final furlong, they have still qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades and could still cross the line in the top five to return to the continent’s elite they conquered under Clough. Nuno has given Forest an identity again, a mentality that has seen them beat Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Manchester United (twice) this season. He has allowed their fans to dare to dream that nothing is impossible. Premier League Team of the Season Nottingham Forest spent a lot of time and money trying to find a reliable goalkeeper, and in 2024 winter-window buy Matz Sels they finally found their man. No Premier League keeper has more clean sheets this season than his 13 and few, if any, have been as important to their team. Champions Liverpool provide 50 per cent of our all-star team’s back four. The departing Trent Alexander-Arnold added six more assists to his Premier League total, while his Anfield captain Virgil van Dijk is the league’s top-goalscoring central defender (25) since he came to the English top flight with Southampton in 2015. Talking of goals, Arsenal’s set-piece devourer Gabriel retains his position from last year’s XI, with Bournemouth’s overlapping-run merchant Milos Kerkez completing the quartet. Arsenal are represented in our midfield three too, with the increasingly influential Declan Rice bouncing back from that much-debated red card against Brighton in August to dominate games on both the domestic and European stages. Meanwhile, Liverpool provide the incredibly consistent Alexis Mac Allister (five goals and five assists in his first Premier League season for the club, and now the same again in year two) and Ryan Gravenberch, whose conversion by new head coach Arne Slot into a No 6 was one of the tactical shifts of the campaign. Up front, we have Salah, a player who must now own more records to do with scoring and/or assisting than most other footballers have actual goals. The Egyptian is joined by Alexander Isak — just the third Newcastle player to hit 10+ goals both home and away in the same Premier League season — and Chris Wood, who after a sensational season with Forest (20 league goals so far) is now the record Premier League goalscorer for both them and Burnley. And if that doesn’t earn you a spot in a team of the season, then what does? snip

new shiny object for BlueCo another teen CF Zepiqueno Redmond

that article is old it talks about Gallagher still being here, for instance

ffs!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤬

12.20pm - Leboeuf sign off Frank Leboeuf asked if Chelsea should pursue Rodrygo: 🗣 "Yes, because he’s is different class. He has some experience, he knows the top level. Comparing him to the others who came and didn’t perform for Chelsea. “There were some unknown from the world of football, but Rodrygo is a different level and definitely a good signing but I think he would cost a lot."

Nico Williams is a LWer he hates playing at RW Real have THREE world class LWers Vini Jr Mbappe (who plays as a CF/false 9) Rodrygo (who plays out of postion at RW now) Zero clue why Real would let a far better winger (Rodrygo) go and then DUPLICATE the same 'out of postion' shite with Nico that they had/have with Rodrygo.

I would be pretty ok with that best 10 wingers on the planet atm (no order) Vinicius Junior Lamine Yamal Kylian Mbappé Bukayo Saka Rodrygo Raphinha Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Ousmane Dembélé Michael Olise Mo Salah I am not counting Wirtz, Musiala, or Cole as wingers

fuck Bournemouth hit the post

they desperately need a Kroos replacement his retirement left a MASSIVE hole in their MF Wirtz is deffo not a Kroos type player Enzo could be (but is nowhere near that insane WC Kroos level yet) other options Alexis Mac Allister Dominik Szoboszlai Nicolò Barella Joao Neves Vitinha Martin Zubimendi Aleksandar Pavlovic Tijjani Reijnders Joshua Kimmich Morten Hjulmand Sandro Tonali Frenkie de Jong Hugo Larsson Adam Wharton

world class goal by Marmoush amazing technique

Sources: Liam Delap updates There's no 'favourite' yet https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-liam-delap-updates The reporting on Liam Delap’s future has been pretty wild so far. Chelsea were ‘favourites’ and then Newcastle, and then Manchester United. But the fact remains that his future is still very open right now and he is waiting to see the fate of clubs interested in signing him and seeing what European competitions they will be in. He is also busy, through his reps, speaking to interested clubs, hearing proposals and hearing their projects being put on the table. Chelsea laid down a lot of foundations to sign Delap in January, and he is very much open and interested in a move to Stamford Bridge. The reporting around the United move is apparently down to his preference to live in that area of the UK. I have not personally heard this yet (not saying it’s untrue). As we exclusively revealed at the weekend, Delap’s reps were at Stamford Bridge on Friday and held talks with United officials. These talks were not seen as positive via our sources. At the time we did not hear that Chelsea had anyone speaking to the reps of Delap. However, we have since heard from another source that Chelsea did actually get to speak with Delap’s reps early on in the evening before the game. And as well as this, we have heard that Chelsea are still very keen on the Ipswich striker and this one is far from over. Chelsea have scheduled more talks with Delap’s reps and the player will make his decision after the weekend.

Scouting Martín Zubimendi A massive profile on Arsenal's likely midfield signing: his fit, function, defensive game, physical profile, press resistance, passing range, untapped skills, and potential to transform Arsenal https://billycarpenter.substack.com/p/scouting-martin-zubimendi “No, there’s nothin’ you can send me, my own true love There’s nothin’ I wish to be ownin’ Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled From across that lonesome ocean.” — Bob Dylan In Thief (1981), James Caan’s character, Frank, is seen breaking into high-end vaults during a spate of nighttime heists. These scenes are not edited for pace or drama, and there’s little dialogue. Everything looks disarmingly practical. Michael Mann lets it play out slowly, clinically, as we hear the grind of the machinery and the hums of the power drills. Our man Frank isn’t improvising. And Caan isn’t using movie props, but actual tools: a magnetic drill press, an industrial torch, and a custom-built thermal lance. The camera lingers as he locks the press into place, adjusts the angle, and begins boring into the safe’s reinforced steel. Sparks fly, and there are no dramatic cutaways or bouts with cheap tension. Just a man doing his job. Screenwriters have a phrase for this kind of scene: “competence porn.” It’s meant to describe the appeal of watching people who are good at what they do, especially when it’s complicated, and especially when they do it with precision and calm. It’s part of why we’re willing to watch Matt Damon read manuals, rig parts together, and shovel shit in The Martian. It’s part of why Hidden Figures and Arrival resonate, or why we watch Sherlock Holmes solve problems we don’t fully understand. The satisfaction is from the stakes, sure, but also … we like watching capable hands. We like watching systems being worked, problems being solved, little mechanics of confusing jobs being revealed by people who make them look easy. It’s also why people like watching Martín Zubimendi. snip

https://forum.talkchelsea.net/search/?q=penders&quick=1

would take all 4 of these over Petro, especially the first two Gianluigi Donnarumma Lucas Chevalier Guillaume Restes Matvey Safonov

Györkeres this season (with one game to go) 79 total goals produced, all comps 62 goals, 17 assists for club (53 and 13) and country (9 and 4)

CMFs/DMFs (obviously many are pipe dreams) Federico Valverde Pedri Nicolò Barella Aurélien Tchouaméni Gavi Joao Neves Warren Zaïre-Emery Vitinha Pablo Barrios Fermin Lopez Ederson Morten Hjulmand Sandro Tonali Frenkie de Jong Hugo Larsson Khephren Thuram Douglas Luiz Carlos Baleba Alan Varela Adam Wharton Jacob Ramsey Quinten Timber Ayyoub Bouaddi Marc Casadó Samuele Ricci Orkun Kökçu Felix Nmecha Ardon Jashari Gabriela Veiga Jobe Bellingham Javi Guerra

Chelsea’s Leo Castledine expecting to leave club permanently this summer https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6367843/2025/05/19/leo-castledine-Chelsea-transfer/ Chelsea Under-21 midfielder Leo Castledine is expected to leave the club on a permanent transfer this summer.nCastledine, who impressed on loan at League One side Shrewsbury Town this season before a back injury ended his campaign prematurely in February, is ready to join a new side on a permanent basis in a bid to get regular first-team football. The highly-rated England Under-19 international still has one year left on his current deal with the option for another 12 months. But with Chelsea having many midfielders to choose from, Castledine has decided he would be better off going elsewhere for the sake of his career, even though he still loves being at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea also value Castledine highly but are prepared to listen to offers, which will include a sell-on clause. Championship and League One clubs are already showing an interest. A loan has not been completely ruled out, but is regarded as unlikely because Castledine is wary of it becoming a regular occurrence. Chelsea would also want the player to sign a new contract before sending him away for another campaign. The Athletic revealed in February that Castledine had suffered a minor stress fracture in his lower back, but he has already returned to training and will be ready to play a full part in pre-season. Castledine made his senior debut for Chelsea last season as a substitute in their 6-1 win over Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. The 19-year-old played 26 times for Shrewsbury before his injury, including 18 league starts.

plus, in 2026 we have: Chelsea to sign Sporting winger Quenda for £40m https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c0eg5824j8wo Chelsea have agreed a deal in principle to sign Sporting winger Geovany Quenda. The 17-year-old is expected to sign a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge with an option for an extra season after a fee of about £40m was agreed. Chelsea have a host of options on both flanks but believe Quenda, who will not join the club until 2026, is versatile enough to play on either side and can beat defenders in one-on-one duels. The Portugal Under-21 international has scored two goals and has eight assists in 43 matches since breaking through into the first team at Sporting. The youngster had been linked with a move to Manchester United to reunite with his former manager Ruben Amorim. 'Biggest wonderkid in Portugal' Joao Paiva, from CNN Portugal, says Quenda is "the biggest wonderkid" in Portuguese football right now and "one of the most exciting". "We started hearing about Quenda a few years ago, when he was 14 or 15 in the youth teams at Sporting, and he already had some qualities – impressive skills, quickness of the movements and how fast he can be. "We already consider him a fantastic player, but he has a lot of room to grow. "Quenda is a fast player, quick player, and this is his first season in Sporting's first team – he didn't start the season as a winger, the position he plays now, he started more as an offensive right-back in the system Ruben Amorim used to play, because Sporting didn't have a good enough option at the time. "He did extremely well in the first game against Porto in the Super Cup, even scored a goal. He played quite a few games until he was moved up to right and left winger. He has played a majority of the games this season as a left winger." Paiva says Quenda, who was also called up to Roberto Martinez's Portugal squad on Friday, would be a "good addition" to the Premier League right now, even though he will spend another season in Lisbon before the move. "The stats this season, he has two goals and six assists, I think they are shy numbers for what Quenda can give," adds Paiva. "He works more for the team and creates more opportunities than his numbers show, with time and as he grows he will get bigger numbers than this. "If he went to the Premier League right now, I think he would fit and would adapt to the league."