Vesper

Chelsea chiefs should be ashamed as unforgivable announcement exposes transfer disaster Chelsea transfer news as embarrassing Trevoh Chalobah U-turn puts co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart in an unwanted spotlight https://www.football.london/Chelsea-fc/transfer-news/Chelsea-sporting-directors-left-under-30789005 Considering the importance placed on Chelsea's summer 2024 plans, which marked the final window of four laid out by the sporting hierarchy in a bid to transform the squad, it is deeply worrying and concerning that with every passing game the business conducted is more and more questionable. Starting in January 2023, the methods taken to rip up the playing staff and restock have been well documented. One of those windows - 12 months ago in January 2024 - saw Chelsea complete no incoming transfers at all in a rare moment of reflection and calmness. Strangled partially by the threat of punishment for breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs), the entire footballing world took a step back. In the two bigger windows either side, Chelsea have been all action. The culmination was Enzo Maresca inheriting a richly talented group in need of cohesion. For three months it seemed as if Chelsea, following the direction of their American-based ownership consortium headed by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, might have found a new way to approach things successfully. Led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, the noises around the club leading into this month were not to expect too much. In reality, the club have been plunged into emergency action. No team wants to boast about having to make significant changes over the winter as it is often a sign of desperation, but the promise of focusing on outgoings at the club in comparison to what has actually happened, is stark. Chelsea are yet to finalise (or get particularly close) to seeing any of their unwanted players moved off the books and have instead been called to action elsewhere. It is no clearer where Ben Chilwell will play his football after the February 3 deadline. There are options, it is suggested elsewhere, but nothing tangible so far. The same is true for Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The quartet are all waiting to find new homes. For Chukwuemeka, Chilwell, and Casadei, the same was true in the summer. Chelsea failed to offload them and instead left Maresca with a bloated squad of aspiring first-team players that has been turned into separate XIs for Conference League or early-round cup matches and then the Premier League. He is now managing around 25 bodies across competitions. It is a number far too big to keep large portions motivated or within a realistic distance of actually playing the meaningful games domestically. The aim heading into January was to get those on the fringes of the squad away from the club for their benefit and Maresca's. That is yet to be achieved, meanwhile, entirely predictable circumstances have seen the head coach now left short in other areas. The little push for Chelsea that has caused the biggest ripple has been an injury to Wesley Fofana. The prognosis that he could be out for the season - or at very least another six weeks plus recovery time, which for him will be lengthy and needs extreme care and caution - has seen plans change dramatically. Josh Acheampong has overtaken both Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi in the pecking order at centre-back despite being banished from playing or training with any of the club's teams for two months earlier this season. Trevoh Chalobah, another who was cast aside over the summer, is now the emergency answer. The humble pie that Winstanley and Stewart have had to eat says it all. He was recalled by Chelsea to act as cover for Fofana and Benoit Badiashile (also injured) whilst Disasi, signed in 2023 to replace Chalobah, is now up for sale in a remarkable turn of events. Whether unfortunate or not, it is an awkward and fundamentally stupid position for the club to find itself in. Adarabioyo was the free alternative from Fulham and is now attracting interest this window as well. Some will argue that failing to factor in fitness issues for three injury-laden players (Reece James has also left a gap to be filled at right-back) does not meet the criteria for luck. That ignores the wider picture, which is that Chelsea were open to letting Disasi go over the summer but still took him to the pre-season tour of America and included him in the squad. The sporting directors judged that he was suitable to continue where Chalobah was not. His deficiencies were clear for many to see from the start even if a strong first half of 2023/24 did get things off on the right foot. Meanwhile, Chalobah wasn't even afforded what is pretty much a basic professional right in this instance. Instead, a player who has spent more than 15 years of his life at Chelsea, working through the academy and on multiple loans, found himself axed (like Acheampong recently and also Conor Gallagher before) from Maresca's squad, not even afforded the grace of being with his teammates whilst a more amicable exit was found. The decision was made that the versatile then-24-year-old had no role to play. Chalobah, who had outperformed all of Chelsea's defenders in the three-month stretch upon his return from injury at the back end of last season, was once more unwanted. This is nothing massively new for him after Thomas Tuchel also nearly let him go before a late change of heart in 2021. That has been the Chalobah story. His performances across the past three-and-a-half years are of someone more than solid enough and reliable enough to be part of a team aspiring to finish in the top four, yet he is constantly pushed out. Chelsea did all they could to cut ties with Chalobah last year. Without him, they would now be accelerating plans to try and sign another high-profile centre-back permanently because Maresca is not happy with what is currently on offer. His move to promote Acheampong so soon after seeing him re-integrated with the squad - another decision going above his head - is evidence that what has been signed is not up to his requirements as coach. The buck must, then, ultimately fall at the feet of those in charge. Every manager has their own changes that they wish to make to a side but considering Chelsea have committed more than £1billion on new transfers since 2023, it is a deeply embarrassing state of affairs for those who have put it all together. Winstanley and Stewart, specifically, have the keys to Cobham and whilst using academy prospects across the road at the training complex for financial gain to repair damages made by reckless spending, have been forced back to someone they wanted to sell as a pawn in that system. The total outlay of their tenure is offset to around £750million when sales are taken into account but that does little to account for the size of the error here. Having spent £39million on Disasi, also going to great lengths to secure Adarabioyo, Chelsea have had to crawl back to Chalobah because three players with increasingly worrying injury records are once more out. The failure to see this for what it is might just be the biggest problem because the activity this week suggests that Winstanley and Stewart wrongly judged not only the quality of Disasi and Adarabioyo but also the overall depth and profiles in the position, all the while acting disrespectfully towards Chaloabh. They acquired both new players actively in a heartless swoop that isolated one of the club's own and have now been forced to backtrack hastily within six months. That Winstanley was the one to call and speak to Chalobah before he was recalled is one of the most toe-curlingly horrifying things. It is he, along with the recruitment department, who played such a role in exiling Chalobah in the first place. There was no excuse for that treatment in such a manner. Chelsea will argue that the circumstances arising here are highly unfortunate and that this move demonstrates adaptability as well as humility. In reality, a giant mistake has been exposed. The decision to try and sell Chalobah, like with Gallagher and Ian Maatsen - to a much lesser extent Lewis Hall - had some sporting justification, even if they weren't overwhelmingly popular. The way in which Chelsea carried out their exits is despicable and should not be tolerated. It is cold and calculating, except that the calculations still weren't conducted correctly, otherwise this U-turn would not have been necessary. They did not see this graduate as capable of operating in Maresca's possession-based system. Chelsea are also now in need of more midfield support and might be pushed towards bringing in another left-back, depending on how the window pans out. Listed above, and straight from the academy, readily available to use and always reliable, are a midfielder and two versatile left-backs. Mistakes are made in the game but when made on this level they warrant genuine evaluation on a professional basis and analysis of those who have carried it all out. The same is true of Gallagher, who Chelsea sold to solidify their position with regards to PSR, but also to buy Joao Felix. Eighteen months on from his initial loan spell, he has a grand total of three Premier League starts (all against newly promoted teams) and one goal in the league. That came as a substitute in a match Chelsea had already won. He has been limited, like Dewsbury-Hall, to Conference League outings for the bulk of his action. So far, the player-for-player output has not been worth the trade, even accounting for the different positions and roles they play. Chelsea, under Winstanley and Stewart's guidance, had the benefit of working with Felix previously and deemed his signing this summer worthwhile. The evidence so far suggests otherwise, especially after Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto were also brought in. Felix's arrival in 2023 was just as confusing and wasteful, ultimately. Unfortunately for Winstanley and Stewart, the summer criticism does not stop there. The core pillars of a team that Chelsea needed at the end of last season are still the case now despite more turnover in the squad and sizeable spending, especially in attack. It means that the much-heralded four-window plan which was used to explain the mass outlay and restructuring of the playing squad has proven unsuccessful. That timeframe ended over the summer and was a brief often used to give context to why such drastic steps had been taken to change almost every member of staff on site. What is left is a squad formed entirely with Winstanley and Stewart's fingerprints all over. It is something they are only too happy to take credit for when it comes to buying Cole Palmer but less responsibility has been taken over the protection and care for someone like Chalobah. In fact, clear attempts have been made to cover for the Chalobah decision. People do not forget, though, and Chalobah's reception at Stamford Bridge on Monday when Wolves visit will be telling. Ever since his first game for the club in 2021 - coincidentally against Crystal Palace - which was marked with a goal, he has been a favourite of the match-going support. That was best summed up in May when Chalobah scored the opener against Tottenham in a crucial match in the race for the top four. On that day, Chelsea fans in the Shed End unfurled a banner pledging their adoration for Gallagher. When Chelsea needed it most, two Cobham graduates stood up. When Winstanley and Stewart found themselves lacking once more, it is no surprise that Chalobah comes to the rescue. It was known at that stage that Chelsea wanted to sell Gallagher and Chalobah. The pushback from supporters had little impact, though, and both exits eventually went through in controversial and messy ways. The bigger picture is that over the summer, the sporting directors' two-year cycle also ended with question marks around Chelsea's quality of goalkeeper, centre-backs, midfield, and striker options. All were debated as key points to be addressed in the window but here we are and Chelsea's biggest shortcomings are the mid-table No.1, lack of regular commanding presence in defence, depth in the centre of the park, and support for Nicolas Jackson up front. These are all massive problems for a squad to have, let alone one that has been so heavily invested in and changed. The answers that the Chelsea recruitment think-tank came up with have hardly paid off. Renato Veiga, signed for only £12million, is already pushing to leave. He has made it into the Portugal national side in no small part due to now being a Chelsea player but he is keen to be used at centre-back more. Chelsea cannot offer him those minutes due to Levi Colwill's presence and so a permanent exit is already being discussed with Borussia Dortmund. Although blame must also lie with Veiga, Chelsea's failure to identify his positional preferences before a transfer does not reflect well. He was not signed to be a starting player immediately and could see a quick profit turned, that is true. Yet Maresca's lack of game time when the schedule ramped up last month says a lot for just how he is viewed. If issues with depth come back to bite Chelsea then again, more than just a portion of accountability must be taken by those who constructed this group. The goalkeeping scenario is no stronger than it was at the start of the summer either. Christopher Nkunku, who is not and has never been an out-and-out striker, is not providing Jackson with any genuine support. He is wanted by Bayern Munich now and Chelsea have made an approach in the opposite direction for Mathys Tel, a deal which would see one of Europe's best players since 2020 replaced by more potential and raw risk. Chalobah, the most public humiliation of poor decision-making and horrendous treatment towards a player, is still not seen as the long-term answer to the defensive part of that equation. He is being used here as cover because across four windows Chelsea have been unable to allocate funds effectively or efficiently The choice to outcast him was misguided and a disgusting, disgraceful and unacceptable way to deal with any player. That the club have been left to go back to him is one of the biggest PR blunders imaginable and is the sort of thing that should bring extreme attention onto the positions of those behind it. They are fortunate that Chalobah has developed into such a fine person through his time in the academy, nurtured by true experts in the field, that he has taken the chance to come back and not caused more of a fuss. He was made to train with the Under-21 side in the summer because of the club's actions and now he is saving their skin and saving them money in the January window. That is a turn of class and respectability that Chelsea, throughout, have lacked for some time. The announcement of his return is an acceptance that a mistake was made of some sort. Either Chalobah was a better player than they had realised or the squad was not constructed in a manner to cope with the demands of Premier League football. Elsewhere and Chelsea, after spending big on Mykhailo Mudryk, loaded their attack with not only the patchy Felix but also Neto. The most goals he has scored in a single league season in England since 2019 is five. There is little evidence of reliable output even when he does stay fit. This is an egregious sporting error but nothing in comparison to the way Chalobah was discarded and now called back to save some face. In reality, all this has done is turn up the heat on Winstanley and Stewart, who are now on rocky ground. The pair have never been the most popular, used as evidence against the new ownership's structure and plans across an ambitious but somewhat arrogant metamorphosis of the club. This latest action will do nothing to get them any goodwill and instead cannot be ignored for the sheer magnitude and scope of ineptitude.

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that option better be £30m or more no fucking clown offer of half that or so Veiga is the type of player who can become a beast in the Bundesliga we are NOT here to help Dortmund develop young talent on the super cheap and then sell for 50m plus

Florian Wirtz Jamal Musiala Rafael Leão Nico Williams Bradley Barcola Xavi Simons Jamie Gittens Álex Baena Kenan Yıldız Mathys Tel Eliesse Ben Seghir Malick Fofana

Alberto Costa, RB, to Juve Turin, 15 January 2025 – Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that an agreement with Vitória Sport Clube for the definitive acquisition of the registration rights of the player Alberto Oliveira Baio has been reached for a consideration of € 12.5 million, payable in four financial years, with the addition of ancillary costs up to € 1.3 million. Furthermore, bonuses up to a maximum of € 2.5 million are envisaged upon the achievement of further performance objectives. Juventus and the player have signed a contract of employment until 30 June 2029.

Manchester City https://thedailybriefing.io/i/154875451/manchester-city No issues for Abdoukodir Khusanov’s move to Manchester City. All documents are in place with RC Lens, just waiting on a visa for the player then the move will be signed and sealed. Vitor Reis seen here travelling to Manchester from Brazil in order to become a new Manchester City player on a €35m deal as planned.

sigh

oh HELL NO hard pass

wait for Isak or Gyökeres

likely a VERY unpopular opion here: I rate Tosin (as a squad player) I think he is leader type and is not shite at all IMHO many teams want him, and he is HG, and is in his prime age, so IF we get a good price (he is worth £30m or IMHO when all if factored in) then I will not lose my mind if we sell him

Nike Air Force 1 Low "Year of the Snake" https://www.nicekicks.com/nike-air-force-1-low-year-of-the-snake-hv5979-130/ Nike Air Force 1 Low 'Year of the Snake' 14 January 2025 Style Code: HV5979-130

How did Chelsea stay compliant with PSR? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6060778/2025/01/14/Chelsea-psr-breach-avoid-how/ On Tuesday morning, it became clear that Chelsea’s house was in order and they were compliant with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) for the three-year cycle ending 2023-24. Chelsea have long maintained their confidence that they would not breach the regulations — which would likely result in a points deduction — and that has proven to be true. This comes despite them not playing in the Champions League in 2023-24 and having a poor season in the Premier League, where they finished sixth. The Athletic explains how they stayed on the right side of the Premier League’s rules. How much money have Chelsea lost in recent years? Looking solely at the relevant three-year PSR cycle (2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24), Chelsea posted a pre-tax loss of £121.4million ($148m) in 2021-22 and followed that up with a £90.1m pre-tax loss in 2022-23, totalling £211.5m over the two years. We will not know whether they have made a profit or loss in 2023-24 until their full accounts are published. They had to submit their filing to the Premier League before December 31, but the numbers will remain confidential until the club posts them on Companies House. The Premier League’s financial rules allow clubs to lose £105m over a three-year reporting cycle, with spending on youth football, infrastructure and community projects. Despite the losses, Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert and co-host of the Price of Football podcast, was not surprised that Chelsea remained compliant with the Premier League’s financial rules. “I always felt Chelsea would be fine because of player sales and real estate sales,” Maguire told The Athletic. “I don’t think they ever have been that close because they took the amortisation route in terms of player recruitment.” Chelsea took advantage of a loophole that enabled them to offer extra-long contracts to new signings and amortise the transfer fee over the length of that deal. Enzo Fernandez’s £106million move to Stamford Bridge, for example, will be amortised over eight years (the length of his contract). Fernandez signed from Benfica in January 2023 (Julian Finney/Getty Images) However, Premier League clubs closed that clever tactic by voting to limit the number of years a club can spread the cost of a transfer fee in relation to a player’s contract to five years, meaning if a player signs an eight-year deal now, then they could only amortise the fee for the first five years of that contract. GO DEEPER Explained: Premier League clubs close the 'Chelsea loophole' but agree on little else Has their spending continued this season? Since Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly acquired the club in May 2022, they have spent more than £1billion on new recruits, which is more than any other Premier League team in the same timeframe. According to the respected data website Transfermarkt, Chelsea spent £219m — more than any other top-flight side — in the summer transfer window, signing players such as Pedro Neto from Wolves for £51.4m, Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in a £44.5m deal, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City for £30m. This was largely offset by player trading, meaning Chelsea ended the window with a net spend of £72m. Ian Maatsen (£37.5m), Conor Gallagher (£35.8m), Lewis Hall (£28m), Romelu Lukaku (£22.5m) and Omari Hutchinson (up to £22.5m), among others, were sold for notable fees, easing the burden on the money being spent on new signings. “Chelsea, by far, are the best club when it comes to the trading market and player sales,” adds Maguire. “They have generated five times as much money from player sales of the last decade, in terms of profits, as Manchester United. And it is that particular aspect of the club, which tends to fly under the radar and probably not get the credit it deserves.” GO DEEPER How Chelsea and Manchester City became kings of player sales in the Big Six So, how have they remained compliant with PSR? Chelsea’s accounts for 2023-24 will not be publicly available until later this year, with the last two sets of results being posted on Companies House in April 2023 and April 2024, so that means we will not have the finer details until then. Their accounts for the financial year ended June 2023 revealed they had sold the Copthorne and Millennium hotels outside Stamford Bridge to BlueCo 22 Properties Ltd, a subsidiary of BlueCo 22 Ltd, which is the holding company that also owns the football club, for a combined £76.5m. Following the Premier League’s fair market value process, the £76.5m has been adjusted, although neither party confirmed the amount. Either way, without this sale, their loss for 2022-23 would have been significantly higher, therefore making it much more difficult to comply with the fiscal rules. On June 28, a filing on Companies House indicated Chelsea had sold the women’s team to the club’s parent company, which was confirmed via a separate filing on July 11. Guro Reiten of Chelsea FC Women (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) The June 28 date appeared to be significant because it is just before the cut-off point for year-end accounts, meaning any sale could, in theory, be recorded in the 2023-24 filing. Chelsea, however, insisted that even though the sale of the women’s team was registered on June 28, the transaction took place after June 30. The Athletic previously reported that the club’s ownership valued the women’s team at around £160m. The Press Association reported in July that the Premier League was assessing this sale from a fair market value perspective. The Athletic asked the Premier League whether the probe was ongoing, but they declined to comment, noting they do not discuss individual club matters. “The women’s team sale was a curious one because nobody knows how much it was sold for, but I think it would have been an intriguing amount of profit,” Maguire says. “It does seem strange that even though the club lodged documents on June 28 the sale took place after that date. But in the world of accountancy — especially creative accountancy, which is legal — anything and everything is possible.” Chelsea were also able to complete the sales of Maatsen and Hutchinson for a combined £50m before June 30, meaning they could be added to 2023-24’s accounting period for PSR purposes. Is this sustainable? There is only so much furniture to sell, and Chelsea have already taken advantage of selling the hotels and women’s team to its parent company, so they are unable to do that again. One asset they can still cash in on, however, is their front-of-shirt sponsorship. The Athletic detailed in December that they are closing in on a deal, with advanced discussions taking place with airline companies, as well as tech firms. This, Chelsea hope, will net them around £60m a year, although that remains hopeful and speculative until a deal is signed. The Premier League side are confident that a contract will be struck before the end of this season, meaning their finances should be boosted before the June 30 cut-off for PSR. It looked at one stage that Chelsea may be challenging for the title — though it was not something those inside the club ever thought was possible at this stage of their project. Their form over the first half of the season has given them a great shot at qualifying for the Champions League, which would be hugely beneficial from a financial perspective. Their 2022-23 involvement in the competition, where they reached the quarter-final stage, was estimated to be worth more than €90m, according to Kieron O’Connor, the person behind the award-winning Swiss Ramble blog. Should they return to Europe’s elite club competition, then that will also be beneficial for their finances going forward, as will this summer’s Club World Cup, which takes place in the United States. Do other Premier League clubs have PSR concerns? No Premier League side was charged with breaching PSR, although Leicester are still at risk of being sanctioned. A Premier League statement on Tuesday morning read: “Issues as to the jurisdiction of the Premier League over Leicester City Football Club in relation to PSR compliance are currently the subject of confidential arbitration proceedings. “Accordingly, neither the league nor the club will make any further comment at this stage about any aspect of the club’s compliance or otherwise with any of the PSR or related rules, save to say that no complaint has been brought against Leicester by the league for any breach of the PSRs for the period ending season 2023-24.” GO DEEPER What is PSR and why do Premier League rules only allow clubs to lose £105m?

Chelsea in talks with Premier League over financial settlement for off-book payments from Roman Abramovich era https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6064828/2025/01/15/Chelsea-ffp-fine-premier-league-psr/ Chelsea are in talks with the Premier League over agreeing a financial settlement for payments relating to transfers made during the Roman Abramovich era. Sources familiar with the talks have told The Athletic that they are nearing a resolution, and the club are confident that they will avoid a sporting sanction by agreeing a financial settlement, as happened with their UEFA case in July 2023. Chelsea and the Premier League declined to comment when approached. Following the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly consortium buying Chelsea from Abramovich in May 2022, the new ownership group self-reported historical cases of incomplete payments made between 2012 and 2019 to the Premier League and UEFA, European football’s governing body. UEFA fined Chelsea €10million (£8.6m, $11m) for historical breaches of its Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The organisation added that the fine settled the matter and Chelsea would not face any sporting sanctions. Then in November 2023, further questions were raised over Chelsea’s potential financial breaches during the Abramovich era after documents were leaked which appeared to show a series of payments — worth tens of millions of pounds — made by companies owned by the Russian to entities linked to deals that appeared to benefit his club. Chelsea’s UEFA fine was handed out after the club “entered into a settlement agreement” with the organisation’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB). The Premier League handbook states that a “sanction agreement” can be reached between the league’s board and a party facing punishment, as long as that agreement is then ratified by a disciplinary panel. Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea following sanctions from the UK government, who described him as a “pro-Kremlin oligarch” in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Number one, I am not a man. Number two, when I post a long post, it is because it is paywalled and most here could not read it unless I post it all (and I make sure to properly format those posts as best I can, I just do not copy and paste with zero editing, I try to keep them as compact as is possible).

my main picks off that list

https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost487 The 487th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the U23 players not yet in Europe's big-5 who are most ready to take the next step in their careers. The selection is based on an index considering the footballers’ playing time over the last year, the sporting level of matches played, as well as their performances in six game areas (Wyscout data). Sporting CP's Belgian full international Zeno Debast tops the table with an index of 87.5 out of 100. Another centre back, PSV Eindhoven's Dutchman Ryan Flamingo, ranks second, while his teammate Malik Tillman (86.2) round up the podium. Ukrainian Georgiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk) is fourth, ahead of Portugal’s Álvaro Carreras (Benfica). Sixth-placed Brazilian Wesley França (Flamengo) is the top-ranked player outside Europe. The Post presents the overall top 100, as well as the ten highest-ranked players in 60 leagues worldwide. The following footballers head the rankings in their respective league: Christos Tzolis (Belgium), Manfred Ugalde (Russia), Mario Mitaj (Saudi Arabia), Martin Vitík (Czech Republic), Oscar Gloukh (Austria), Victor Guzmán (Mexico), Thiago Fernández (Argentina) and Semih Kiliçsoy (Turkey). For all players, the Post also unveils the estimated transfer value. >>> More information on the technical analysis of performance >>> Scientific paper on the statistical model for transfer estimates Best U23 players according to the performance index Not including big-5 league players. Date: 13/01/2025.

Scouting: Bruno Alves An outstanding ball-playing centre-back emerging in Brazil. https://pitchsideanalysis.substack.com/p/scouting-bruno-alves Runners-up at the last edition of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (famously known as ‘Copinha’) Cruzeiro has been largely an uninspired, unconvincing team at the 2025 edition, across the initial group stage and the first knockout game. Alongside 16 year-old left-back Kauã Prates, Bruno Alves is the only other player delivering consistent performances at this tournament for the club. If we are to believe the rumors, some European clubs, including Porto, Torino and Real Madrid, have been watching him for quite some time. I wasn’t originally planning to do this analysis, but I became so awestruck by him that I had to do it. This will be a shorter version of the ones I normally do here, but one I still feel like shows what kind of a player he is. Roles and positions Bruno Alves is commonly deployed as the left-sided CB in a back four. Nothing fancy about it. Recent managers have shifted between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 base system. Ball-playing skills He’s always involved in the deep build-up and, right away, we can see how good he is at breaking lines, playing through the centre and hitting long diagonal balls. What sets him apart, however, is his willingness to use his non-dominant left foot to control, carry and pass the ball. I could make a left-foot compilation only and you wouldn’t believe that’s not his favored foot — that’s how good he is. Considering we’re living in an era where ball-playing defenders are more important than ever, having someone capable of operating with both feet is absolutely massive. If an incoming presser blocks this right foot, he’s still able to find teammates curving a pass using his left foot. Whatever you do against him, he’ll probably find a way around it. Furthermore, he’s got the courage to attempt riskier passes through the middle even when being pressured closer to his goal, in a zone where every loss can result in a goal. That speaks volumes about his confidence in his own game. Defensive skills Bruno isn’t just a good passer, however. Besides being a good air duelist, he is also really, really good at handling clearances: under pressure, he’s outstanding at getting the ball out of a dangerous zone and sending it directly to a teammate so his team can immediately start an offensive sequence. He isn’t just sending the ball away, he’s initiating attacks at the same time. That’s a skill reminiscent of some of the greatest defenders ever, like Thiago Silva and Virgil van Dijk. To do that this early in his career is even more impressive. He’s also fairly quick, but still struggles with his positioning sometimes, especially when dealing with runners in behind. That’s something completely understandable at this level and I’m sure he will get better as he acclimatizes to professional football. Professional debut looming Now at Cruzeiro, Fernando Diniz made a name for himself playing a different style of football (branded as relationism). Amongst some of his teams’ defining traits, grouping up players to build up under pressure, even inside his own box, could be characterized as one of them. Comfortable under pressure and good at exploiting opposition gaps, Bruno Alves fits right in. There have been rumors already that he is set to be integrated to the first team after Cruzeiro U20 finishes its Copinha campaign. He definitely does have what it takes to make an immediate impact on professional football — let’s hope he gets at least a few opportunities throughout the season to showcase that.

Broja Thee Broken Tractor 🤬