Vesper

I think our youth teams are better than most is sheer numbers of decent talent, and a great system, NOT that we are loaded with potential superstars. Many of the teams we play have much fewer high quality young players. I have never been huge on assuming that a member of a great TEAM at youth level automatically means they are a great prospect for the big parent club. It is why I REALLY love it when we loan out younger players to a foreign top league, not the meat grinder Championship, which I think is a really poor place to judge who is fit for the EPL: I know many on here disagree with me on this but Tammy is perfect example. He dominates in the Championship and has been a bust in the EPL. I saw Ola Aina, our 22yo RB, playing for Torino in the Milan Derby v Juve. He absolutely OWNED Ronaldo. I am so sorry, but Sarri is full of shit that these young players (some, not all) are not ready for the EPL. If you can play and boss CR7, you can play against some shitkicker from Huddersfield. I just dont expect that all our great youth teams will have most of their players come good at top level.

What happened to football on Christmas Day? The lost history of a Victorian tradition https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/what-happened-football-christmas-day-lost-history-a-victorian-tradition Football was once as much of a Christmas Day staple as the Queen's Speech and pigs in blankets – but was it all festive fun or just a freezing farce? Paul Brown dons his silly hat... For football fans, the Christmas period serves up a real festive feast, with fixtures stuffed into the calendar like sage and onion into a turkey’s nether regions. Christmas Day, however, is a football-free zone, with supporters left to sit indoors and endure the Queen’s speech, cracker jokes and kisses from elderly relatives. This wasn’t always the case, though – up until the 1950s, football was traditionally played on Christmas Day. This made a lot of sense, particularly in the early years. Christmas Day was a rare public holiday, and football was one of the few entertainments available. In the days before television, it wasn’t possible to slump on the sofa in front of the EastEnders Christmas special, so folk wrapped up in new hats and scarves from Santa Claus and went out to watch football instead. There would be a full programme of fixtures on Christmas Day and, usually, another full programme on Boxing Day. In the Victorian era, when many of the festive traditions we enjoy today were introduced, football was very much a part of Christmas. TWO DAYS, THREE GAMES In 1888, Everton played two matches on Christmas Day, then another on Boxing Day. All three matches took place at Everton’s pre-Goodison home – Anfield. On Christmas morning they played a Lancashire Cup tie against Blackburn Park Road, coming from behind to win 3-2. Then in the afternoon they played an annual exhibition match against Ulster FC, winning 3-0, with goalkeeper Charles Jolliffe scoring the third goal to the great amusement of the 2,000 spectators – a large crowd for the time. The Boxing Day match against Bootle was less amusing, being played in a shower of hailstones, and ending as a goalless draw. The first Football League match to be played on Christmas Day was Preston North End versus Aston Villa in 1889. Preston’s 'Invincibles' were the reigning league champions, but Villa had won the previous meeting between England’s top two sides. This was a real Christmas cracker and 9,000 spectators postponed their turkey dinners to see it, making it one of the highest-attended games the fledgling league had seen. Man of the match was Preston’s Nick Ross, the fearsome defender-turned-forward who terrified opponents by hissing at them through a crooked set of rotten teeth. Ross gave Preston an early lead, but Villa hit back with two goals before half-time. In the second half, Ross hit a long-range equaliser and then claimed his hat-trick with a “lightning shot”. A hard-fought game ended 3-2 to Preston, who went on to win the league for the second season running. snip

PSG maybe (as they wanted him badly enough last summer to offer us £30m)? I really have no idea, but there will be a lot of teams that would want him. He still obviously can play at a very high level. He would make huge money in China, if that is what his main wish is. I do see why we will not break the 30yo plus no multi-year contract rule for him. It would lead to major problems down the road. It is one of the few things I completely agree with the board about. The other is our loan policy. I have no problem with the loan army as it is a big source of revenue for us. It isn't like we are cheating the player out of anything, although some think we are unfair to them in terms of first team (CFC) play, but if they are good enough to play on our first team, surely they would be. THAT all said, it is crazy to hold onto very expensive players (ie Baka, Bats, etc, IF they are never going to play for us again. We should (if we get a good price) sell them and re-invest.

He wont primarily play fullback. He has been playing CB. I am sure that is what Bayern want him for.

This is truly crazy. First they say this Sarri could certainly do with a new striker, perhaps another winger, too, but there’s no concrete suggestion that we will pursue either this winter. Oki, fine, they are going down the 'CFC isn't buying shit in January route. I understand this, I feel it too, more than a little. BUT THEN 21-year-old Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele would fit like a glove. As ESPN report, his agent has recently revealed that the Ligue 1 giants would be prepared to let him go for €80M. A hefty price, but a worthy investment if he fulfills his potential. WTF! LOL Obviously we need a CF and a RW (LB too) before any other positions The articles admits we may not spend shit, so we may not even fill our 2 (actually 3) super needs. sooooooo What do they do? Suggest we spend 80 MILLION EUROS on ANOTHER MFer, and one who could have been had for 50m euros just 6 months ago! I do not understand these articles, ffs

He is straight African, wouldn't he need a work permit? He wouldn't qualify as no international Sr team status.

When do we find out about the main one? If we are not guilty and totally cleared do they even announce it?

Chelsea and Tottenham table offers for PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot CHELSEA and Tottenham have tabled offers for PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot. https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1063322/Chelsea-Tottenham-table-PSG-Adrien-Rabiot-Barcelona-transfer-news-gossip The midfielder has become one of the hottest prospects in Europe and is currently in a contract standoff with the Ligue 1 giants. The Frenchman wanted pay parity with Marco Verratti at PSG and more guaranteed game time. Italian playmaker Verratti currently earns around £133,000 a week and Rabiot was desperate to secure the same package. With his current contract expiring in 2019, Rabiot is packing his bags and a move to Barcelona beckons. However, according to Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea and Spurs both launched ambitious swoops for the in-demand ace. snip

Pinhas Zahavi Inside the World of a Powerful Football Agent Football agent Pinhas Zahavi sought to free Robert Lewandowski from his contract with Bayern Munich this summer. The Israeli is one of the most influential professionals in the business. He brought Neymar to Paris, but was also involved in murky deals with underage players. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/football-leaks-zahavi-and-the-world-of-football-agents-a-1237628.html It was 1 p.m. on June 10, 2018, and Maik Barthel was sitting in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Vienna. The longtime confidant and agent of striker Robert Lewandowski, Barthel was waiting for a man known to most people around the world simply as "Pini." The two had to talk. Pinhas Zahavi, 76, is a heavyweight in the world of professional football. In a rare profile in the British weekly The Observer, Zahavi was once referred to as football's "first and only super-agent." But for Barthel, the man had presented a significant problem for weeks because his top client, Lewandowski, had engaged Zahavi's services. The Israeli agent and the Polish striker had forged a plan. It foresaw Zahavi, a ruthless negotiator, using whatever means necessary to free Lewandowski this summer from his contract with Bayern Munich, which was to run until June 2021. Lewandowski was eager to leave Munich, with Real Madrid being his preferred destination. And Zahavi was to apply the requisite pressure on the team. He is a specialist for such cases. snip his full first name is PINHAS say it out loud roflmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo he REALLY is a dick!!! roflmaooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I just was going to post this (well from another site) LOLOL dammit, you have sorta gotten me thinking he might be oki to sign, and now this The main reason I have been so hesitant is the way Victimpool pulled out at the VERY last minute, after deal was all done and dusted and it happened right after another medical and all the sites and papers said it was his knees so if he wasn't good enough for the bin-dippers, my snobby AND my paranoid side both kicked in on other hand, THIS would surely mean they sell Isco!!

I see now where it came from First we have this one we are talking about now https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/chelsea-transfer-news-ban-fifa-rules-bertrand-traore-lyon-premier-league-epl-a8634786.html Based on documents from Football Leaks, it is claimed Chelsea face a two-year transfer window ban and a fine after 19 of their signings were investigated by Fifa's Integrity and Compliance Department. Then the newer one, newer in that it came to light just recently, not all the way back in 2017 ( https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41338717 ) like the one above did initially Andreas Christensen's move to Chelsea under spotlight as club face new allegations of rule-breaking https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/19/premier-league-clubs-want-chelsea-investigated-andreas-christensen/ so if they (again I hope not) whack us on the first then they do another investigation on the AC situ (their damn investigations take forever, grrrr, it is like the US one against the Orange Julius Trump, lol) and like a year from now slag us again that is where the 'repeat' part would come in I apologise for all the confusion I seem to have caused Bottom line, let us hope it all is cleared up!! also some good news (if this article is right) it seems like the bans, IF they go down, would not start until January 2020 https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/7754668/chelsea-transfer-ban-academy-youngsters-players-chance/ Bertrand Traore’s move to Stamford Bridge has triggered a chain of events that could see Chelsea cut out of the transfer loop from January 2020 to the summer of 2021. It gives the Blues just the next two windows to get their house in order. Missing out on four consecutive markets would be a disaster for most clubs, but in Chelsea’s case, it might just give boardroom chiefs the push they need to move in a bold new direction. The Blues’ academy has long been regarded as one of the best in Europe, having won two Uefa Youth Leagues, two National Premier Leagues and five FA Youth Cups since 2014.

I have worked mainly off articles (need to find rhem) that maintained we were repeat offenders. Maybe thise articles were wrong, but multiple ones were from some seemingly respectable sources. If they were wrong, then absolutely I will post a correction. Either way, all the reports have said 2 years is what we are staring down the barrel of. Obviously I hope that is not the case and we emerge unscathed again. I only want to be prepared (meaning CFC) and not get frozen out of the market with no major moves made proactively.

£50m for Chilwell and only because he is English, he would be half that or less if German or Danish etc not saying he is bad at all, I DO rate him, he is, even now a big upgrade over dogshit Alonso and flop Emerson BUT £5m LESS gets you a better player in Junior Firpo much bigger, faster, better passer, same age basically I wouldn't lose my mind if we bought Chilwell, but £50m is a shit tonne for a non top 10 LB I rate Firpo 8th in world and climbing rapidly

Belotti is tracking to only 12 league goals and 2 assists in 34 games atm, he only scored 10 league goals last year, before that the big year with 26, but then, going back 12 and then 6 that's hardly the stuff of dreams he has one year wonder written all over him I agree on Eder and Pavard (as Pavard can spell Azpi at RB as well, eventually replace him maybe) Pulisic is overpriced and probably overrated, all because he is a yank he should be able to play LW as he is right-footed, but not only is he behind Sancho at RW, but Dortmund start a LB at LW a lot, in Raphaël Guerreiro Paco Alcácer is tracking to 34 league goals if in a full 34 games, lolol, for Dortmund, that's crazy numbers

Maurizio Sarri channels inner Grinch after Chelsea slip up against Leicester https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/12/23/maurizio-sarri-channels-inner-grinch-chelsea-slip-against-leicester/ At Chelsea there is not much in the way of festive spirit. “For me the 25th is not important,” said the manager, Maurizio Sarri, after his side had lost at home to Leicester on Saturday. “Now I am only interested in the 26th.” Sarri’s transformation from genial, absent-minded professor into full-on Grinch was sparked by a performance he described as clouded by “mental confusion”. His team’s third defeat in their past six Premier League matches had come about through an unexpected inability to recover once Leicester had taken the lead through a typically clinical Jamie Vardy finish. “It’s difficult to understand. We have players with long experience,” Sarri said. “We were in the game for 55 minutes, then two minutes after the goal we were not. If I knew why this was, I would stop it.” It was not just Sarri who was bemused by Chelsea’s capitulation. The crowd, too, found it hard to understand how a side passing the ball with such slickness in the opening stages could suddenly misplace all precision when they went behind. snip

Great read..... Slavisa Jokanovic eager for return to management just 5 weeks after Fulham sack EXCLUSIVE: Jokanovic on what went wrong at Fulham, having a rare Christmas off with his family and more https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/slavisa-jokanovic-eager-return-management-13761147

Not till they fix massive holes at CB (so fucked) AMF (weak) RW (pretty fucked) and flat track bully boy DonkeyLu starts banging them in again It wont happen, BUT if we added CF Haller or Jovic, RW Pepe LB Firpo we are better than all but top 2 (Shitty and Victimpool) and miles beyond Manure Man U cannot go THAT far due to horrid CB situ and poor winger play other than Martial plus Lukaku slump though, unlike Morata and Giroud, he will pull out of it there is no way I would trade teams with Manure, especially if Hazard didnt have a cocked-up contract issue we have (well now it is bit more fucked as contracts are running out) almost 2/3rds of a bloody billion quid in expendable players to sell and massively remake our club back to a CL winning side Manure has nowhere near that much that can be raised by slashing their deadweight Only players I truly covet of theirs is Martial (for our CF) and Pogba (I dont care what the haters say, he is a fucking badass player) and MAYBE maybe Fred (to replace Kovacic if he went back this summer to Real, although there are MANY other MFers I would take before Fred, it is just he is far from shit is all I am saying) the rest can go sod off

oh what could have been!

FUCK!!!!!! https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1062977/Transfer-news-LIVE-Man-Utd-Josh-King-Arsenal-Liverpool-Barcelona-Chelsea-Real-Madrid Bayern Munich deal agreed Bayern Munich have agreed a stunning £76m deal to sign Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez. Hernandez missed Atletico’s 1-0 loss to Espanyol on Saturday and manager Diego Simeone will not stand in his way from moving to Munich in January. “Every decision is personal and I respect them,” Simeone said. “Lucas is a young lad with a good present and an even better future. I hope he stays with us. The team love him and need him. “We love Lucas and watched him grow, but we’ll let him decide what he thinks is best for him. “I’ll support him with whichever decision he takes and I’ll respect it because I love him so much.” Transfer news LIVE: Bayern Munich are set to spend big on Lucas Hernandez I bet they go after Junior Firpo to replace!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Pablo Sarabia would fit nicely into Chelsea’s exciting side https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/chelsea/pablo-sarabia-would-fit-nicely-into-chelseas-exciting-side/ Reports suggest Chelsea could offer Eden Hazard a huge new contract to ward off interest from Real Madrid. The Belgian winger has been back to his brilliant best under Maurizio Sarri, and Madrid are long-term admirers of the forward. It seemed that Hazard could have headed to the Bernabeu in the summer as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo who departed for Juventus. Luckily for the Blues, Hazard stayed put and has been in some of the finest form of his career. With Madrid struggling on the field, reports have resurfaced linking them with a massive move for Hazard in January. However, reports suggest Chelsea will offer their key player a huge contract to keep him at Stamford Bridge. As well as securing Hazard’s future, Chelsea should be looking to strengthen their squad in the New Year. One player who would be a great addition to the squad is Sevilla maestro – Pablo Sarabia. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Spaniard started his career at Real Madrid and was tipped to have a bright future with Los Blancos. However, he failed to make the grade and was eventually sold to Getafe before finally joining Sevilla. Sarabia has finally found his feet and is currently enjoying the best season of his career. The 26-year-old, who can play through the middle or on the wing, has been red-hot in front of goal, finding the back of the net 15 times in all competitions. The playmaker has also been the creative hub of the Sevilla side, registering eight assists already. snip

Chelsea ‘listening to offers’ for talented attacker, January transfer looks on https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/749681/Chelsea-news-January-transfer-window-news-rumours-Premier-League-Callum-Hudson-Odoi Chelsea fans had hoped Hudson-Odoi would get a chance in Maurizio Sarri’s first-team this season after he impressed in pre-season. With the likes of Willian and Eden Hazard away on World Cup duty, the Blues youngster took his chance with both hands with a series of eye-catching displays. However he’s not been involved regularly since, and a January exit is now on the cards. Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed the news on the latest episode of the Transfer Talk podcast. In an update about the club’s January business, Sheth said: "The one other player who is on the fringes of the first team squad is Callum Hudson-Odoi. “We're told they're listening to offers for the player - but only loan offers.” Chelsea suffered a shock defeat at home to Leicester yesterday with Jamie Vardy firing in the winner for the Foxes. Manager Maurizio Sarri said: "We played well for 55 minutes. snip

Plus Pulisic is a RW, not a LW, although he should be a LW as he is right-footed.