Vesper

Emenalo was still here as TD when we bought Donkeywater (he left in November 2017, we bought DD at the end of the summer 2017 window)

I think it was Emenalo (so many forget he was still the TD when we bought DD) and Roman's son, and they assumed that Donkeywater would replicate success of linking back up with Kante.

If Callum Hudson-Odoi will not sign, Chelsea must sell this window (from 2 days ago) https://theprideoflondon.com/2019/08/01/callum-hudson-odoi-will-not-sign-chelsea-must-sell-window/ Callum Hudson-Odoi has had various contracts on the table for months. If he will not extend at Chelsea, he must be sold this transfer window. Today is 1 August. The transfer window for the Premier League closes in a week. It closes on 23 August in Italy and on 2 September in every other big European League. Callum Hudson-Odoi has had a contract, in several variations if rumors are to be believed, on the table all summer. With less than a year left and the contract still unsigned, Chelsea is past the point of negotiation. If Hudson-Odoi is not willing to extend his Chelsea contract before this window shuts, he must be sold this transfer window. No more hem hawing over wages, or a number that means nothing at the end of the day. No more waiting for promises already made to be shown even truer than they have already. It has become binary: extend or be sold while there is still a value on the contract in the market. This is not a joyful article to write. Nothing would be better than Hudson-Odoi extending his contract before this article even goes live. But the fish hook of “any day now! It is close!” has been dangling all summer and enough is enough. For all the talent Hudson-Odoi has, Chelsea cannot afford to lose out. If Hudson-Odoi wants to be treated like a star player with massive wages, his pick of an arbitrary shirt number, and promises of playing time, then he must also be treated like a star player with a year left on his contract who is seemingly dodging an extension. This saga started last preseason when Hudson-Odoi was by and far the best player on the field each time. But then it took him until November before Maurizio Sarri even considered using him. In January he submitted a transfer request because he saw no pathway at Chelsea. The Blues board fought that off but little changed with Hudson-Odoi’s status until the March international break. Hudson-Odoi got his first England start before his first Premier League start. Sarri quickly relented to the talent the player had, but injury quickly took away the remainder of the season. Since then, Chelsea has hired Frank Lampard. Lampard appointed two former youth team managers, Joe Edwards and Jody Morris, to his direct staff. And with a transfer ban, youth were guaranteed minutes. Not only has Lampard shown that the promise of playing is real for the kids now, but the board has shown they trust them by offering several long term contracts. snip

based off what? his kit number? I have seen zero confirmation he has signed the contract if he refuses we need to sell him this window or we are going to take another £40m or so hit when he leaves on a free all these myriad cock-ups (albeit balanced a wee bit by some good sales like Eden and Morata) are seriously adding up and will fuck up our bottom line and really hurt us in our future-forward spending a probable scenario is (based off this 2018 post that shows £620m in hard offer turn downs in summer 2018 and adding in the £40m or so lost over not selling Cuntois the summer before, plus lets call it £40m lost IF CHO walks on a free) is we will lose around £300m or so in just transfer fees when all those are sold or released at reduced prices (and that assumes Hazard qualifies for max add-ons to us) and those numbers do not even included players like Baba and Zappacosta, etc, where we will take a bath as well that is a shit tonne of lost revenue and that doesn't even begin to count wasted wages for dregs like Drinkwater (over £31m alone there, as he is on a 5 year contract at £120K per week)

I am so fucking pissed as it looks like we are going to have that donkey Drinkwater clogging up a goddamn roster spot yet again Willian being given the No. 10 is also bollocks https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2019/8/3/20752472/chelsea-megastore-reveals-shirt-numbers-for-pulisic-willian-hudson-odoi-mount-christensen-others

Nailed it Everton sign midfielder Gbamin from Mainz for £25m https://www.goal.com/en/news/everton-sign-midfielder-gbamin-from-mainz-05/fdbvj4tmuq741ako7knmcd09b

pretty much where I am at (and have said so) I just am not buying the meme that de Ligt would NOT have been (if he did come) an insanely good buy as he would have supposedly blocked our talent at CB and yes, Pepe is the only one so far I am gutted on. Well, Lucas Hernández too. Dybala and Icardi may do the same to me (but less so than last year), and if (I doubt he will leave at all) Saúl Ñíguez Zaha too (but only if we buy him for CF) next year the ones I will snap on if they move (and not to us) will be Mbappe, Jadon Sancho, maybe Ousmane Dembélé and at CF (if no Mbappe for CF, or Zaha for CF, or Martial at CF, then Iñaki Williams there at CF) <<<< you can see my type of CF is a pure speed merchant, Williams and Zaha in a double CF setup would be a terror (it goes without saying Mbappe would terrorise anywhere you put him) and CB-wise José Giménez (so doubt he moves though), Milan Skriniar, Rúben Dias, Evan N'Dicka, Alessio Romagnoli (probably will not leave) and especially Ibrahima Konaté we simply MUST grab one of those 6, or something equal (of which there are not many actually available) next summer

Klopp was the one who started it, and Shitty is more quantity buys than truly huge Barca, Real, PSG insanity. Rodri at only £63m is their alltime record.

de Ligt s already a top 5 or so CB in the world, and will end up being the best someday down the road, more than likely that level of talent doesn't block anything it helps to make a team world class I like AC, but he isn't even in the same postal code as de Ligt Ampadu is so young (7 and half years younger than Rudiger) that by the time he is AC's age for this season (23 - 24), Rudiger will be 31, 32 and done as top player I have doubts, real doubts that Tomori is going to be a top Chels player, he turns 22yo in 4 months and is nowhere near EPL starting level yet, this potential Everton loan is close to a make or break for his future here, and their supporters are not happy at all, they do not want him, they want Zouma, as does the ownership Luiz is close to dregs, Zouma would (or at least SHOULD) be gone if not for the bans I will go so far as to make this definitive statement: Whilst I understand we are fucked this year in terms of the bans (and I made peace with it long ago, far before most here even believed me when I said the bans were a done deal and we would not even appeal, and/or would fail in an appeal) there is NO WAY we can hope to compete for the league and the CL without a big upgrade overall in our CB's, especially if AC has (dog forbid) a regression this year. You can add in RB too IF Reece James doesnt not come good, which I expect him to do. Emerson appears to be back up to superb Roma form, but again, dog forbid if we gets hurt or somehow regresses. Our clear weaknesses are so easy to list CB for sure, we are shambolic there atm, especially with Rudiger out Potentially fullback (Reece is injured and Azpi looked horrific last game) and CF (I am not sold on any of the 3, hope 1 and maybe 2 come good) those all need to be sorted out (plus winger, especially if CHO doesn't recover well from his Achilles rupture) next summer MF and GK are fine atm

Pep Guardiola hits back at Jurgen Klopp's 'fantasy land' spending jibes https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/08/02/pep-guardiola-hits-back-jurgen-klopps-fantasy-land-spending/?li_source=LI&li_medium=li-recommendation-widget Pep Guardiola has hit back at Jurgen Klopp’s jibes over Manchester City’s “fantasy land” spending. Guardiola has spent in excess of half a billion pounds en route to winning back-to-back Premier League titles and turning City into the country’s dominant side following last season’s domestic treble. But, on the eve of Sunday’s Community Shield clash against Liverpool at Wembley, the City manager has reacted angrily to Klopp’s claims that City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain operate in “this fantasia land where you just get whatever you want” that his side cannot compete with. “Does it bother me? Of course it bothers me because it’s not true that we spent £200 million every window,” Guardiola said. “That is not true. “So it’s Liverpool - you’ll never walk alone - it’s not a small team, it’s Liverpool. So of course I don't like it [Klopp’s comments] because it's not true.” City broke their club record to sign Spain midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid for £62.8m this summer and have also paid the £5.35m buyback clause to re-sign left back Angelino from PSV Eindhoven. The champions’ record outlay is a fraction of some of the sums lavished by Real, Barcelona and PSG and Liverpool’s two most expensive purchases - £75m defender Virgil van Dijk and £66m goalkeeper Alisson - are more costly recruits than City’s record buy. snip

de Ligt would have blocked who? lolol Luiz? Zouma? Tomori???? roflmaooooooooooooo None of those 3 are good enough, Rudiger is, and maybe AC, but AC is more like a 3rd CB, we need to buy 2 CB's next summer, no doubt about it de Ligt would have never come here, but you cannot say he would have blocked anyone of import, AND he is only 19

they are not a below average side they have multiple players who would probably make our 25 man roster every one of these would have a shot, the CB's and Plea especially Neuhaus and Zakaria are streets ahead of Drinks and Baka (not that the donkey bros will make our final 25 unless something drastically goes wrong) plus would be a superb back-up GK

Agreement with Zenit Saint Petersburg for the transfer of Malcom The Russian team will pay FC Barcelona 40 million euros plus 5 million euros in variables https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/news/1299288/agreement-with-zenit-saint-petersburg-for-the-transfer-of-malcom# FC Barcelona and Zenit Saint Petersburg have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira. The Russian team will pay FC Barcelona 40 million euros plus 5 million euros in variables. FC Barcelona retains an interest in case of a future sale of the Brazilian. FC Barcelona expressly thanks Malcom for his commitment and dedication, and wishes him success in the future. snip

best back 4? you are forgetting their LB's and the other CB's are hardly world-beaters

roflmaooo when I was sucking on my mahhhhhthers neeeeple he was great on Ab Fab too omg now I am going to think the same thing when I watch Villa

Female referee to take charge of a UEFA men's game for the first time EVER as France's Stephanie Frappart is picked for Chelsea v Liverpool in the Super Cup https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7314115/Female-referee-charge-UEFA-mens-game-time-Chelsea-vs-Liverpool.html

even better name Samba Sow: Nottingham Forest sign Dinamo Moscow midfielder https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49180106

Marvelous Nakamba: Aston Villa sign Zimbabwe midfielder from Club Bruges https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49121478 Aston Villa have signed Zimbabwe international midfielder Marvelous Nakamba for an undisclosed fee - their 12th signing of the summer. Nakamba, 25, is the second player to join from Belgian side Club Bruges this summer following £22m forward Wesley. The deal takes Villa's summer spending past £120m as they prepare for a first season back in the Premier League. "He's very mobile, very good in possession and will fit with our style of play," said manager Dean Smith.

I still rate him really high

sad?????? lol, we have about 20 others who need to follow him out the door

here is mine

its fucking madness de Ligt is 7 years younger, far better and was only £67m plus bonuses less than 10m, AND paid out in instalments

I I looked at this, and it was our entire squad of backs, I would be reaching for a rope and a chair and no, Rob Holding is nowhere near good enough (I keep seeing him mentioned as some sort of semi-saviour, IMHO he is shit) you pull Bellerin off that list, that is a bottom half of the table back 4 lot, Koscielny and Monreal are nearing 34yo ffs Mustafi is the worst centre-back in the world rated over 20m quid on t-markt, with the possible exception of the horrific Yerry Mina (who will soon fall under the £20m mark on the next revision, I wager)

fucking hypocrites!!! the same motherfuckers (Salihamidzic and Karl Heinz-Rummenigge) who publicly tapped up CHO are now on Kovac for doing the EXACT same thing with Sane!! Man City transfer news: Leroy Sane comments see Bayern Munich chief urge manager Niko Kovac to apologise The Bavarians are keen on the German winger, who has struggled to command a starring role under Pep Guardiola https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/man-city-transfer-news-leroy-sane-bayern-munich-niko-kovac-salihamidzic-heinz-rummenigge-a9033251.html Bayern Munich director Hasan Salihamidzic has followed chief executive Karl Heinz-Rummenigge’s criticism of Niko Kovac’s comments by urging the Croatian to apologise to Manchester City for speaking publicly about the club’s pursuit of Leroy Sane. The German winger has been linked with a move back to the Bundesliga after struggling to hold down a first team place under Pep Guardiola. But after Kovac described Sane as the club’s “dream” player and admitting the Bavarians were confident of prizing him away from the Etihad, Salihamidzic has instructed the Croatian to backtrack with City angry at the public courting. snip absolute cunts, the lot of 'em