Vesper

Andy Carroll turns up at fiancée Billi Mucklow's sister's wedding in a TRACKSUIT https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/andy-carroll-turns-up-fiance-13793793

The true worth of Chelsea's squad as Sarri assesses his options ahead of January transfer window https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/chelsea-transfer-news-latest-giroud-15614010 Chelsea fans will have their fingers crossed for some new arrivals at Stamford Bridge with the January transfer window set to open in a matter of hours. The Blues added to their squad back in the summer with the big-money signings of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Jorginho, while Mateo Kovacic arrived on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid. Amid problems upfront for Chelsea with Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud both struggling to find the net on a regular basis, a new striker could be an option for the team over the next few weeks. However, it's always tricky doing business in January with many clubs reluctant to sell their players, thus seeing many teams paying well over the odds to bring in a new player. But what about the value of the squad that Sarri already has at his disposal in west London? Goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga - £49m snip

Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi has Bundesliga 'cult following', says Raphael Honigstein https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/11594812/chelseas-callum-hudson-odoi-has-bundesliga-cult-following-says-raphael-honigstein

I promise to not reply and just alert from now on too. Sorry for the issue, I thought it had stopped, then he came at me again. I will not engage anymore.

Is there an ignore function on the board?

I am not doing it. He comes on and has go after go at me, flagrant personal attacks. Tells me to shut the fuck up etc, tries to smear me, continuously says I said things I never did. I never started it, I have not went after any poster on here.

He had far from his best game, did improve in the second half, his passes were off a bit. I would rate him a 5.5 to a 6 out of ten.

CHELSEA FC FINANCIAL RESULTS SHOW RECORD REVENUES https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2018/12/31/chelsea-fc-financial-results-show-record-revenues?cardIndex=0-0 Chelsea FC plc today announced our annual financial results for the year ended 30 June 2018 with the club once again recording our highest ever turnover figure and a new record-high profit. The group turnover figure grew to £443.4m from £361.3m in the previous year, an increase of 22.7 per cent, as revenues exceeded £400m for the first time. The record revenues, as well as a profit on player sales of £113.0m, helped the club achieve a record-high profit for the year, after tax, of £62.0m. These results ensure the club continues to comply with UEFA’s break-even criteria under the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. SNIP

Isco ‘not remotely thinking about’ leaving Real Madrid for Chelsea, or anywhere else No Santiago Bernabéu exit in the winter transfer window https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/chelsea-fc-transfer-rumours-news/2018/12/31/18162579/isco-not-remotely-thinking-about-leaving-real-madrid-for-chelsea-or-anywhere-else The Eden Hazard to Real Madrid rumours are of the undying kind. They probably won’t even end if he signs his contract extension with Chelsea. The latest version involves a couple player swaps, with Isco and Mateo Kovačić coming Chelsea’s way while Eden would head in the opposite direction. While Kovačić, who’s already on loan for the season at Chelsea would love to become a Chelsea player on a permanent basis, Isco is not a lot less keen. In fact, despite not featuring as often this season as in seasons past, he remains very happy at Real Madrid. Not much room left for interpretation there! Isco wants to stay and doesn’t want to leave. Things can always change quickly in football, but we can safely rule out Isco-to-Chelsea for the foreseeable future, both on its own merits and as part of any potential Hazard deal. snip

Premier League team of the weekend: Mario Melchiot and Sue Smith choose their line-ups https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11595669/premier-league-team-of-the-weekend-mario-melchiot-and-sue-smith-choose-their-line-ups "I've gone for a 4-2-3-1 with Alisson in goal. I saw him kicking a ball out against Arsenal - the way he started an attack, on the half-volley as a goalkeeper, I like him. He is more than just a goalkeeper, he's a footballer too. "In defence, David Luiz is always going to get criticised defensively, but playing against Palace it's key to have a player who can do more than just be defensive. He changed the game with his assist for N'Golo Kante, and the ball was perfect. That's a different skill than just being a defender. "I thought about having to choose between N'Golo Kante or Georginio Wijnaldum, but Wijnaldum is just so key when you look at the energy and commitment he brought to Liverpool's midfield. "He won the ball back when he needed to, and it's the same with Fernandinho. He's so important for City. You can see it that without him the team lacks someone who is so vital for them. "Those two brought magic, Paul Pogba brought magic... Eden Hazard is always trying to cause trouble, everyone in that team produced the goods." Sue Smith's team.............. snip

Higuaín to Chelsea now further from reality — report It was never going to happen anyway https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/chelsea-fc-transfer-rumours-news/2018/12/31/18162599/higuain-to-chelsea-now-further-from-reality-report According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, the once remote possibility of Gonzalo Higuaín changing his loan stint from AC Milan to Chelsea next month is now reaching near-zero chance of ever taking place. Things might finally be on the up and up for Higuaín at Milan, after he ended a nine-match goal drought with the winning goal against SPAL in a 2-1 victory on Saturday, which was Milan’s final match before the winter break. The goal also gave Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso some breathing room, as pressure had been mounting once again due to poor results in previous games. Although Milan finished 2018 outside of the coveted top four, they are still in the race for it. Their hope is that Higuaín can return to his usual form, and according to the report, do not see any advantage in exchanging him for Álvaro Morata — not really surprising given Morata’s recent performances and the financial commitment he’d require still from the Rossoneri. Higuaín-to-Chelsea, it was never meant to be, and now it sounds like it won’t ever be either. snip

He is a spent force already, madness if we spend millions on him. Consistently has been burnt like toast most games I have seen him play in last 9 months.

BABA RAHMAN TO RETURN TO CHELSEA IN JANUARY https://readchelsea.com/2018/12/31/baba-rahman-to-return-to-chelsea-in-january/ Chelsea will recall Baba Rahman from his loan spell at Schalke in January, according to reports. Sky Deutschland, as cited on Calciomercato, claim that the player will be returning to London in the new year. Rahman had remained at Schalke over the summer in a bid to beat off his latest string of injuries, but he has since found game time hard to come by this season. The Ghanian defender has yet again been troubled by injuries which have derailed his development. Rahman first moved to Germany on loan during Antonio Conte’s time in charge of the Blues and it remains to be seen if he has a long-term future at Stamford Bridge. While he is now expected to return to the club in January, it is unlikely he will break into Maurizio Sarri plans anytime soon, with another loan move away from the club the most likely outcome for the defender. snip

Latest Sky Bet Odds https://m.skybet.com/football/transfer-specials/event/22931696

I never said I was a hedge fund manager. And you are still the only troll in the this conversation. Goodbye.

Morata, Hazard and the winners and losers of Sarri's first six months at Chelsea https://www.goal.com/en-ph/news/morata-hazard-and-the-winners-and-losers-of-sarris-first-six/vehh5p4rac9b1fi9sjv0tztfk The Blues have faced a revolution in playing style under the former Napoli boss, and that has meant some have fared better than others Arriving at a new club in a new country can be difficult at the best of times, but after six months in charge Maurizio Sarri can largely be content with the work he has done at Chelsea. Though their form has dropped off in recent weeks after a record-breaking start to Premier League life for the former Napoli boss, signs are that things will only get better for the Blues under the former Napoli boss. But, as with any coach looking to alter the playing style of a new club, there are some who have shone and others whose impact has dwindled. WINNER: Eden Hazard Eden Hazard has already marked himself out as a frontrunner for this season's PFA Player of the Year and other prestigious individual prizes in English football with a sensational start to the season. The 27-year-old has 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, marking himself out as the most productive attacking player in England. This comes amid a backdrop of uncertainty around his future, though his performances will only give Hazard more leverage in future talks. In one scenario, Hazard's form gives him a chance to ask for a substantial wage increase so as to conclude his career at Stamford Bridge, while it may also entice Real Madrid into a big money move. It would be a transfer that Hazard has admitted to dreaming of. Meanwhile, back on the pitch, Hazard is clearly still Chelsea's star player and pivotal to anything they achieve this season. He has even moved into a false nine position, marking himself out to be the their go-to man in all attacking positions. LOSER: Cesc Fabregas snip

The only way 4th place misses out on the CL is if both the CL and EL winners are EPL clubs that finish outside the top 4. If either Manure or Arse or CFC win the EL (and are not in top 4), then the EPL sends 5 to the CL

At least he still has fighting spirit, shame he is just not good enough on the pitch. My New Year resolution is to be more mellow here, not curse so much, and detach from Willian and Alonso, as it is obvious they are going nowhere and are going to almost always start, maybe for the next 2 or so years (or until Sarri is sacked). I SO hope Liverpool crashes and burns, even if we cannot catch them. The press is already unbearable, lolol

As I just sated before (like 3 minutes ago to another poster), I was way out of line using that level of derision and abusive language, I truly apologise, It was nothing personal with him at all, just a on field thing and I was way outta bounds with my language.

Oki, cunt was far too harsh, I take it back, was in a mood that night, and a little drunk, I shouldn't have posted that on the board, I apologise

He is 27 now (turns 28 in between seasons, next summer) and he is arguably the best CB in the world with Varane down a bit in form for some bizarre reason (I supposed you could make a case for van Dijk and a healthy Umtiti as well, plus in a couple years, van Ligt). It would take him but a few games to get up to speed in the EPL. He certainly would have 3 full seasons of EPL play where he was not over 30. That said, the amount of money the Poison Dwarf would ask for him is indeed insane. This coming summer is the last year, IMHO, that KK will be able to command anywhere near an even reduced amount (from that ludicrous £135m price tag) of say £80 to £90m, as a team would still get 2 years of under 30yo play, then 2 more at 30 and then 31, after which he will decline for sure. Maybe his 32yo season would still be sort of near peak. If he was magically put on our squad or Manure or Arsenal or Spurs in January, he alone would be an inflection point in the race for 3rd and 4th, especially the first 3 teams (us, Manure, Arse). It isn't going to happen here, our time to grab him has came and went over the last 3 years.

I am resigned CHO will probably be sold, but it is madness to not put in a buyback clause. Sell him to Dortmund, they will do it if Bayern refuses, and we know they work great with youth. Dortmund are REALLY interested in CHO too, so its a match made in heaven for now. If Pulisic was coming to be a playmaker number 10 (he isn't, and we don't play that system) then I would not be so worried about his scoring, BUT he is a poor poor scorer so far in his career, and I have seen him in around 15 or so games, his shot is underwhelming. 15 goals in 115 big boy games, never more than 5 in a season, and two of those seasons were over 40 games (the last two). With Eden more than likely out of here in the summer, Pulisic certainly will not be anywhere near the answer, atm. If we do not land a true monster left winger and a beast of a CF, we are going to be so toothless in attack. Almost no other truly WC LWers are out there, who are remotely close to Hazard, other than impossible to get Mbappe, Neymar, Dembele and maybe Sane, plus Pulisic is a RW. MAYBE we can pinch off Asensio, but he is not my favourite, so far he looks overrated to me. I guess he would be about the best available, IF we can convince RM to swap him and Kovacic for Eden (which be really, really hard to do).

Totally oki! Happy New Year!

'We cannot do what we want' - Milan's Gattuso casts doubt over Fabregas transfer https://www.goal.com/en-ae/news/we-cannot-do-what-we-want-milans-gattuso-casts-doubt-over/bn21nkmjq7mm1pjhveaxgqkwa LIVE SCOR ttThe midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season, but may not end up in Serie A due to Milan's Financial Fair Play restrictions AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has revealed that it may not be possible for the Serie A side to sign Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The 31-year-old has played just five Premier League games this season, with most of his appearances for the Blues coming in cup competitions. Fabregas's contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer and as a result, he could leave the club after five seasons. Milan boss Gattuso has repeatedly stated his interest in the World Cup winner, but believes that Financial Fair Play restrictions could stop the club bringing the midfielder to Italy. Snip Monaco awaits! Then again we probably keep him and lose him on a free in summer, along with Luiz.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs boosted as Barcelona release statement on Adrien Rabiot His contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in the summer and he will be free to thrash out a deal with another club in January https://www.football.london/premier-league/arsenal-chelsea-spurs-boosted-barcelona-15612123 Barcelona have denied that they have reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The 23-year-old is free to speak to discuss offers for the summer from January 1 as his contract expires in the summer of 2019. In order to rebuff claims that they had made an illegal approach, the Catalans have gone public to dismiss claims the player has already signed a deal to join them. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all been linked to the Frenchman whose abilities in the middle of the park could prove useful to all three clubs. Snip