Vesper

Sources: Door back open now for Nicolas Jackson Things could be changing here... https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-door-back-open-now-for-nicolas I know I wrote last week that it would shock me if Nicolas Jackson returned to Chelsea in the summer and STAYED here, and I’ll still be surprised if that happens. But things have changed a little on this one. I had been hearing from sources that Jackson staying at Chelsea is unlikely. However, a top SPTC Source has told me this week that the door is actually now back open, should the striker wish to use it - but it will depend on other situations as well. Jackson left Chelsea to join Bayern Munich on loan at the start of this season, but they are not going to be trying to sign him permanently. Jackson’s agents are taking interest from many other clubs and they are as a result, keeping their options open. Jackson is keen on some of the interest coming in from other clubs. But by keeping all options open, that means the option of staying at Chelsea as well. Sources have informed us that Jackson still speaks to many of his Chelsea team mates and keeps connected with them all, and the main reason he refused to come back to Chelsea when the club asked him to after the injury to Liam Delap, was mostly down to falling out with Enzo Maresca. It remains to be seen whether Jackson and the club can repair the relationship after what happened, but the belief now is that the door does remain open for him to do so. It would also need something to happen with Liam Delap, and as we reported, that all depends on how he finishes the season. If Delap leaves (either on loan or permanent) early in the summer transfer window, then Jackson could stay at Chelsea. Chelsea have Emmanuel Emegha coming in, and it could present the scenario of having Emegha, Jackson, and Joao Pedro as our 9 options going into next season, with Pedro still being seen more as a 10 than a 9. Emegha could also still spend next season on loan, either still at Strasbourg, or another club. No decisions have been made on him yet, or Delap. Chelsea are looking at other strikers as well and will still look at opportunities. But as of right now, they feel that the centre forward market is very dry, hence why Jackson is being seen as an option again. So the point of this story is that yes, there is now a chance that Jackson could stay at Chelsea, and it’s not a case of his Blues story being completely over. As I’ve said though, I would personally still be surprised if he stays at Chelsea, but that is just my opinion. I think too much has happened for him to stay now and also, In don’t think it would be the right call, at all.

Jarrod Bowen drops his verdict on Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi at West Ham so far https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/jarrod-bowen-drops-his-verdict-on-Chelsea-loanee-axel-disasi-at-west-ham-so-far/ West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has offered a telling insight into Axel Disasi’s immediate impact at the London Stadium, which will make for uncomfortable reading for Chelsea fans. Axel Disasi spent five months in Chelsea‘s bomb squad this season, as well as playing some games for the Under-21 side to maintain his fitness. Liam Rosenior then decided to give Disasi a chance in first-team training, but it was never about keeping him at Chelsea. Now, Disasi finds himself playing football at West Ham United after sealing a loan until the end of the season. However, there is no option or obligation to buy the Frenchman, so he will return. And to be fair to the defender, he’s been superb at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen says Axel Disasi has been a big presence for West Ham Jarrod Bowen told Sky Sports after West Ham’s draw with Bournemouth, “You can’t expect to score two or three goals every week and pick up results. We knew we needed to improve and change. And I think Axel has come in and been a really big presence.” This comes after Nuno Espirito Santo praised Disasi on his debut, and the Hammers have kept three clean sheets in four games since he signed. Disasi is also far superior to Chelsea’s centre-backs when it comes to accurate long balls, which isn’t necessarily a trait you need under Liam Rosenior. Disasi doesn’t really suit Chelsea’s new style Based on his recent form at West Ham, Axel Disasi has shown a level of physical dominance that suggests he could certainly compete for a spot in Chelsea’s rotation. Disasi’s greatest advantage over Benoit Badiashile is his front-footed defending. While Badiashile has struggled for consistency and is often criticised for a perceived lack of aggression in key moments, Disasi has immediately brought stability and power to the Hammers’ backline. However, Rosenior’s tactical shift requires line-breaking centre-backs who are good in possession. While Disasi is a reliable defender, he doesn’t quite match the criteria compared to others.

Sources: New FOS sponsor took just days to finalise, so what's going on? A bit of info on this https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-new-fos-sponsor-took-just So, I’ve spoken to a source on Chelsea’s new FOS sponsors that was announced over the weekend. We got to see the first look of the Ai company on our shirts in the Burnley game, but this at the moment is just going to be until the end of the season. The partnership will continue, but there is going to be more uncertainty as to who will be Chelsea’s permanent FOS sponsors going forward. Having spoken to SPTC Sources over the weekend, one of the reasons we are faced with another temporary FOS sponsor is down to uncertainty around getting in the Champions League spots come the end of the season - this is what all the big sponsors and big money deals want - they want to sponsor a UCL club. There had also been a hold up due to some companies Chelsea spoke to, waiting to see what charges we are going to get after the investigation. So there’s been a few reasons really. Our sources say that negotiations with IFS.ai took just two days to complete, so it was all just pushed through in the end. My top source tells me again that talks with Red Bull/Oracle was very advanced and so close to happening earlier in the season. This source pointed out that Red Bull had even changed some clothing lines to the colours of Chelsea in preparation for the deal to be announced. So perhaps down the line, this one still happens. But it makes me believe now after speaking to sources, that it’s likely to depend on Champions League football at the end of the season.

Just keeping a list active, as you never know what will happen. I am not at all calling for Rosenior's head.

the first 4 (ZZ, Klopp, King Carlo, and Pep) are massive pipe dreams and in one case probably ready to retire soon (Carlo) my top 5 remotely realistic down the road are in no order: Luis Enrique (the hardest pull) Simone Inzaghi Xavi Hernández Hansi Flick (2nd hardest pull) Cesc Fàbregas with Cesc being the most likely after those 5 Julian Nagelsmann would be next for me then maybe Xabi Alonso or Lionel Scaloni

List of every (that I can think of, and if you see somebody I forgot, just let me know and I will add them in) acceptable (no more Mou nor Conte) manager for us, whether they are currently available or not, even the ones who are pipedreams Jürgen Klopp Zinedine Zidane Pep Guardiola Carlo Ancelotti Luis Enrique Simone Inzaghi Xavi Hernández Cesc Fàbregas Hansi Flick Thomas Tuchel (lol, what can I say, I do rate him) Julian Nagelsmann Diego Simeone Xabi Alonso Lionel Scaloni Didier Deschamps Massimiliano Allegri Abel Ferreira Laurent Blanc Joachim Löw Unai Emery

pretty ironic that of the top 34 GKers globally (valuation-wise) 6 of them are current or ex Chels Djordje Petrovic Robert Sánchez Thibaut Courtois Marcin Bulka Mike Penders Filip Jørgensen if we had bought Maignan (or one of my other targets tbh), over 20 per cent of the top 34 would be current or ex Chels GKers and Kepa was in the top 25 or so until less than 2 years ago

Chelsea injury update: Estevao, Reece James and Marc Cucurella latest news and return dates Blues sweating on fitness of a key attacker ahead of huge London derby https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/Chelsea-fc-injury-update-estevao-james-cucurella-latest-news-return-dates-b1271960.html Chelsea’s bid to return to winning ways in the Premier League against Arsenal at the weekend has been made all the more difficult. Wesley Fofana will miss the London derby at the Emirates Stadium through suspension after being sent-off for two bookable offences in Saturday’s draw with Burnley. Meanwhile, youngster Estevao is a doubt for the big game because of a hamstring issue that prevented him from being named in the matchday squad against the Clarets. On a positive note, Romeo Lavia is back in contention after getting a run out for the U21s before being named on the bench for the draw with Burnley, and Reece James should be fine despite his late substitution. With that in mind, here’s the latest Chelsea injury news and potential return dates... Estevao Chelsea were dealt a new injury worry before kick-off against Burnley as when the team news was announced, Estevao’s name was nowhere to be seen on the sheet. Estevao’s absence sparked concern among supporters and it was later confirmed by Rosenior that the Brazilian had sustained a hamstring issue in training. “Unfortunately yesterday in the training session, he felt awareness in his hamstring,” the Blues head coach said prior to the Burnley game. “At the moment we are scanning it to make sure it’s nothing too serious but he’s unavailable for today’s game and we will see from there.” Speaking after the draw with Burnley, Rosenior delivered an update: “And with Estevao, we're doing our assessments and scans on him now.” Potential return date: Unknown Reece James The Chelsea captain made his first Premier League appearance since the 3-2 win over West Ham at the end of January. However, he did not complete the full 90 minutes against Burnley as he was substituted just before stoppage time as Rosenior attempted to shore up his defence. While Rosenior appeared in some panic to get Josh Acheampong ready to replace James, the Blues boss has allayed any fears surrounding the 26-year-old ahead of the Arsenal game. Rosenior said: “Reece, it was just, honestly, he's so important to us as the captain, as the world-class player that he is. “Any sign of fatigue with him, I want to get him off the pitch. I need him for [the] Arsenal [game]. He should be absolutely fine. Potential return date: March 1 vs Arsenal (A) Marc Cucurella Chelsea’s ever reliable left-back was forced off at half-time against Leeds with a hamstring complaint and has subsequently missed the win over Hull and the draw with Burnley. Amid reports Marc Cucurella could be sidelined for up to a month, Rosenior was asked for the latest on the Spain international on Thursday. “I can't give an exact timeframe on Marc,” Rosenior said in the pre-match press conference. “He suffered a hamstring injury just before half-time in the Leeds game. It's a real shame because he's an outstanding player, and one of the best left-backs in the world. “It’s a shame not to have Marc available but we have Jorrel [Hato] and we have Malo [Gusto] who can play on that side, so we have really good players that can cover. “Of course, the sooner Marc gets back, the better.” Potential return date: Unknown Jamie Gittens Jamie Gittens limped off during the comeback win over West Ham and is set for a long spell on the sidelines with a “tear in his hamstring”. "Jamie is looking a little bit more long-term,” said Rosenior. "That’s a real shame for him as, obviously, I’ve not worked with him for too long, but I know about his career and what an outstanding player he is. “So that’s going to be a big miss for us." Potential return date: Unknown Filip Jorgensen Chelsea’s back-up goalkeeper has had a mixed time of things lately. Substituted at half-time of the Champions League win over Pafos with a muscle injury, he made a return quicker than expected and was named on the bench against Napoli. However, he dropped out of the matchday squad for games against West Ham, Arsenal and Wolves. He was expected to be available for the cup tie against Hull but missed out once again. Speaking before the 4-0 win over Hull, Rosenior said: “Filip's not fully fit at the moment. He's working really hard on his rehab.” Potential return date: Unknown Dario Essugo Dario Essugo has not had much luck since joining Chelsea in the summer and suffered a fresh setback after being named on the bench for cup ties against Charlton and Arsenal in January. “Dario has picked up a really unfortunate injury. He slipped in training, and he’s going to be out for a while,” Rosenior revealed. “We expect him to be out for over a month, which is a real shame because he’s an outstanding player.” Potential return date: March Levi Colwill Levi Colwill is continuing his recovery from the serious knee injury he suffered in pre-season. Rosenior has said the defender is progressing well and could even be in line for a return to action before the end of the season. “Yes he could [be back before the end of the season] but it’s step by step and I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep,” the Chelsea head coach revealed. “At the moment, Levi’s in a really good place. He’s on the right track but I don’t want to put pressure on him. “I spoke to Levi this morning. He's working so hard and what a professional he is. It's been brilliant to see him back on the pitch running. He's itching to get back but we need to make sure he feels 100 per cent perfect. “He’s another outstanding player I can’t wait to work with and he’s in a really good place. I don’t like putting timeframes on injuries because it puts unnecessary pressure on players when their health is the most important thing.” Potential return date: May

Which team would overtake us for 6th? It would have to be (assuming we miss out on top 5) either (in order of current standings underneath us) Brentford, or Bournemouth, or Everton, or Fulham, or NUFC, or Sunderland, or Palace, or Brighton Brentford are the closest to us, at 5 points behind (Everton would be 5 points behind as well IF they beat Manure) IF Everton lose or draw to Manure, then all the rest of the teams except for Brentford are 7 (Bournemouth and Everton if they draw), 8 (Everton if they lose to Manure, plus Fulham are 8 behind us as well), all the way to 11 points behind us for 6th.

Atleti are quoting 200m euros (£175m)!! and he has regressed this season on top of it all, plus he turns 27 in January 2027, so makes the BlueCo age cut-off by 5 months this summer, and is 'too old' after that going forward, AND he apparently only really wants Barca (good luck with that, they are still fucked up financially) versus last season

Other than perhaps Osimhen (who btw turns 28yo in December 2026), what 'top CF' (ie WC) is available and will come here? here is every world class (now, not potentially) pure CF (plus the 3 ancient ones who have beem WC for 15 or so years or more) only 2 are 26yo and under all of next season, and IF we are talking the summer 2027 window, Ekitiké, who of course is not available anyway, would be the only one within BlueCo's age restrictions Osimhen is proably the only one on this list that we might, MIGHT have a shot at, Alvarez's price is insane (200m euros AM are quoting! LOLOLOL), so forget him, maybe Isak would come, IF Pool sell him, but he is a true dice roll atm given his health and his production maybe maybe Lautaro, by why would he come here,especially IF we have no CL next season?? Erling Håland turns 26yo Kylian Mbappé turns 28yo Alexander Isak ??? (IF Pool sells him, and he is injured now, badly) turns 27yo Julián Alvarez turns 27yo (200m euros quoted!) Ousmane Dembélé turns 30yo (during the last several weeks of next season) and is on an insane salary, £453K PW, bonus included Lautaro Martínez ?? turns 29yo why would he come here, especially if we do not have CL? Hugo Ekitiké turns 24yo Victor Osimhen turns 28yo Harry Kane turns 33yo and the 3 ancient ones Cristiano Ronaldo turns 42yo Robert Lewandowski turns 38yo (why would he come here even IF the board says lets get him for 2 or 3 years (ie ages 37 to 40yo or so), especially if no CL? Karim Benzema turns 39yo Assuming none of those above come that leaves the following 6 CF options for me (all are young, ages 20 to 23yo at the start of next season, and all 6 only come from 3 teams, Strasbourg, Inter Milan, and Bournemouth) In no real order btw, and all have good stats, if in small samples, with the first 2 already doing well in the EPL (granted very small sample for Rayan): the one we already have coming:

just saw this now massive ACL knee injury for Samu a couple weeks ago ☹️ he is out until at least Halloween 2026 atm obviously misses the World Cup for Spain summer 2027 would be the earliest any sane team would look to buy him Porto striker Samu suffers season-ending ACL injury https://portugoal.net/club-news/5508-porto-striker-samu-suffers-season-ending-acl-injury FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa suffered the injury most feared by professional footballers – a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament – in his right knee in Monday’s 1-1 draw against Sporting and will miss the rest of the season as he begins his recovery. The Spanish centre-forward has been a huge success since joining the Dragons last season from Atletico Madrid. Samu scored 27 goals in 45 games in his debut season at the Estádio do Dragão, and followed that up with 20 goals in 32 games in this year’s campaign. Ironically, Porto coach Francesco Farioli singled out the 21-year-old for lavish praise in the post-match press conference after the Clássico, no doubt unaware of the extent of the injury that necessitated his substitution at half time. The Italian coach spoke at length about Samu’s first-class attitude in training, his willingness to learn new skills and said he believed the Spaniard would become “one of the top five strikers in the world.” Samu himself has shown he is an emotional player on and off the pitch ever since joining Porto and took to social media to express his devastation at the news, writing the following message on Instagram. “Yesterday was the unluckiest day of my career. I suffered a serious injury. I still can’t believe it. I’m devastated and speechless. I’m going to be out of action for several months. It’s tough for me not being able to help the team and fight on the pitch. Now I’m another supporter backing the team to achieve our goals. I believe in God’s plan, being strong and positive, which will make me come back stronger than ever. Thank you for the messages of support and comfort.” these are the top 10 Spanish CFs in terms of valuation:

after the WC CFs, here the next best a mixture of older ones, youth, EPL flops, and potentailly good ones some are not available (strikethroughs) the five in bold are the best targets IMHO, and these are all young Rayan and Junior Kroupi at least are doing well so far in the EPL Matheus Cunha Nick Woltemade Viktor Gyökeres (doubt Arse would sell him, and he has also been a bit of a flop in terms of us paying what Arse would demand to sell him) Omar Marmoush Marcus Thuram Benjamin Sesko Kai Havertz Samu Aghehowa (tore up his ACL, out until at least October 31, 2026) Ferran Torres Moise Kean Rasmus Højlund Serhou Guirassy Evanilson Pio Esposito (hard AF pull, Inter likely will not sell him, and he does not want to leave Italy) Ange-Yoan Bonny Vitor Roque Igor Thiago Gonçalo Ramos Jonathan David Yoane Wissa Dušan Vlahović Jhon Durán Joaquín Panichelli Rayan Mikel Oyarzabal Conrad Harder Junior Kroupi Franculino Djú Karl Etta Eyong Ivan Toney Eliezer Mayenda Kauã Elias Francesco Camarda Aleksandar Mitrović Kader Meïté Jhon Córdoba

who? Other than perhaps Osimhen, what 'top CF' (ie WC) is available and will come here? here is every world class (now, not potentially) world class striker (plus the 3 ancient ones who have beem WC for 15 or so years or more) only 2 are 26yo and under all of next season, and IF we are talking the summer 2027 window, Ekitiké, who of course is not available anyway, would be the only one within BlueCo's age restrictions Osimhen is proably the only one on this list that we might, MIGHT have a shot at, Alvarez's price is insane, so forget him, maybe Isak would come, IF Pool sell him, but he is a true dice roll atm given his health and his production maybe maybe Lautaro, by why would he come here,especially IF we have no CL next season?? Erling Håland turns 26yo Kylian Mbappé turns 28yo Alexander Isak (IF Pool sells him) turns 27yo Julián Alvarez turns 27yo Ousmane Dembélé turns 30yo (during the last several weeks of next season) Lautaro Martínez turns 29yo Hugo Ekitiké turns 24yo Victor Osimhen turns 28yo Harry Kane turns 33yo and the 3 ancient ones Cristiano Ronaldo turns 42yo Robert Lewandowski turns 38yo (why would he come here even IF the board says lets get him for 2 or 3 years (ie ages 37 to 40yo or so) Karim Benzema turns 39yo Atletico Madrid want £175 million for Julian Alvarez https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/Chelsea-need-to-walk-away-after-latest-demand-from-julian-alvarezs-camp/ As per Cadena SER, Julian Alvarez’s camp has informed interested clubs that his price is around €200m (£175m). This would be the second-highest transfer in history and the most expensive signing ever in England. But the report also stated that Alvarez is more likely to sign a new deal with Atletico Madrid rather than leave the club in the summer. Let’s be real, it’s highly unlikely that Chelsea would entertain an offer above £100 million, let alone the price they’re asking for. For a player who’s struggling for form, demanding that kind of price clearly points towards them wanting Alvarez to stay at all costs.

shameful just shameful ☹️

I am pretty depressed at the state of the team in terms of both near and longer term outcomes Palmer's regression (regardless of causation) and the unacceptably low level of quality we have at CB are extremely troubling

yes, he turns 30yo near the end of next season

fuck off Delap, you plowhorse

bye bye CL more than likely

fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

doom Antony Taylor and Tosin 🤮

red card Fofana wtf

great long pass by Caicedo

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee