Vesper

west sham thugs

HAS to be a red on Traore for starters and Jean-Clair Todibo even more so

almost £100m spent on Garnacho and Gittens at LW for that type of combined cash we could have purchased one of the following, and then lean into Tyrique more as a sub: right-footed LWers Kenan Yıldız Antoine Semenyo Bradley Barcola Rafael Leão Yan Diomande (new addition to my list) and AMFs who also play LW Morgan Rogers Dani Olmo

if we win this will be the first time ever in the EPL we have come back to win from a nil 2 HT deficit at the Bridge

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

17 or so minutes to get that Chels winner

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot

unless we win the CL I can so see Confrence League again in our future that is an insane loss of revenue that will put us under the cosh yet again with PSR/FFP but the Conference League is a brutal meat-grinder that involves crazy travel to horrid pitches wherein we could see key injuries

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

the 2 HUGE issue I see are CB (especially with the leftys, as we only have an injured Colwill and the TURGID Badi there) and then Palmer's falling off a cliff in terms of play also, lesser but still big issues Delap has been shite and then 2 potentially real good DMFs (or CMFs) always being injured (the glassmen Lavia and Essugo) plus Garnacho and Gittens were simply poooooor buys for LW especially as we had MANY other better options to buy

we are in DEEP shite too many changes

told you all

I recall someone saying that other than Bowen, they have no really threat BUT Crysencio Summerville (LW) has 3 goals and 2 assists in the last 4 games he looks to be coming alive as of late

Josh doesnt play nearly as good at the left CB position as he does on the right (CB or RB) he have fuckall at true LCB with Colwill out Hato is far more of a LB than a CB, same for CuCu I cannot believe this has not been adressed Senesi would have been perfect on multiple levels veteran (28yo), lefty, a good leader, Argie bulldog, good with passing and the ball at his feet) Karim Coulibaly would have been the youth play left-footed CB THIS window as Honest Ahanor doesnt turn 18 until next month

Estevao is out due to a family issue but we do have a massive bench Josh Acheampong Marc Cucurella Wesley Fofana Marc Guiu Reece James João Pedro Pedro Neto Andrey Santos

almost always it comes down to SHIT CB play by us

FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

He is a great CB, but right now, I would not say he is the best CB in the EPL these are all the CBs in the EPL rated £40m or above in bold are ones I rate over Guéhi atm (NOT blasting Guéhi at all, I rate him very highly, I think he is WC and would LOVE him here again!) William Saliba Gabriel Magalhães Josko Gvardiol Micky van de Ven Rúben Dias Murillo Leny Yoro ? (not sold yet) Marc Guéhi Levi Colwill (IF he fully recovers) Jarrad Branthwaite ? (depends on his recovery from a bad injury) Riccardo Calafiori (he plays at LB a lot) Cristian Romero (overrated IMHO) Piero Hincapié Ibrahima Konaté (overrated IMHO) plus, RIGHT know, VVD is still WC, despite his age, he is still a massive beast and huge leader I we are talking about this season or the next, I would still rate him over Guéhi, after that, probably no longer, simply due to age and, finally a player (EPL club player out on loan) that I wanted so so badly (and fucking Spuds pipped us to him) who is soon going to be, again IMHO, a fucking beast, quite possible WC He is only 18yo too (soon 19yo), and is so so good at Hamburg Luka Vuskovic (only 3 CBs on the planet who are under 22yo are valued more than him atm: Pau Cubarsí, Dean Huijsen, and Leny Yoro) I would probably (maybe, I am conflicted TBH) take him over Guéhi as he is 6 and a half years younger and has a higher ceiling he is very likely the next Croatian CB superstar, pig, strong as bull, very decent pace, great instincts already

His longer-range passing looked great at AFCON and from some of the Strasbourg games I watched. I was pleasantly surprised how easily he slotted into the Senegalese starting line-up and thrived under massive pressure. IF we do get Jacquet as well (summer time probably) and IF Sarr and Jacquet both take to the EPL, then given both their massive potential talents, their size (1.90m for Jacquet, 1.94m for Sarr), and their pace, we just might have two great younf CBs on our hands, plus we also have Josh. If we can just get an actual quality lefty CB to replace Badi (IF we are doing the youth thing, then I would go for Honest Ahanor or Karim Coulibaly), and if (I so so hope so) Colwill fully recovers, we could have 5 superb, big, fast CBs in a year or two from now. These are the top valued left-footed CBs on the planet atm who have not yet turned 23yo: These are the top valued right-footed (obviously the number of great right-footers is much higher than great left-footers) CBs on the planet who are 20yo right now (not 19yo or under and not 21yo and older, these are all 20yo now): And finally, speaking of rare, this is the ONLY ambipedal (and even a more valuable trait for us, he also prefers to play at LCB) CB on the planet of any age who is valued at £20m or more (it was such a double gut-punch when we lost him to Real Madrid (one of only 2 teams we simply cannot out-pull in almsot every case when they demand a player, Barca being the other of course, but they are fucked financially still) AND then Colwill destroyed his knee. I went BONKERS when both happened as I knew it meant big CB troubles ahead this season): Of those 12 CBs listed in the 3 snapshots above, we either currently own, did own at one time, are heavily linked, or were heavily linked to almost all of them.

Not Badi. Badi is our only healthy left footed true CB. Anselmino is a right-footer. Anselmino does not want to go to Strasbourg. IF we do not buy Jacquet now, and IF we do recall Mamadou Sarr (a righty) from Strasbourg, then I would support a 6 month loan for Josh (another righty) to Strabourg. He is real quality (like Sarr) and will get a tonne if minutes there, likely as a starting CB.

Andrey Santos: The key cog in the way Chelsea want to play under Liam Rosenior https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7007379/2026/01/30/Chelsea-andrey-santos-liam-rosenior-analysis/ “Andrey plays like he’s 32. I call him Dunga: he’s Brazilian but he doesn’t play like one. He’s so smart and his stats are through the roof, in terms of scoring goals, winning duels. He’s going to have an outstanding career.” When they were uttered to The Athletic a year ago, Liam Rosenior’s words were interpreted simply as fulsome praise for Andrey Santos, the impressively mature Chelsea loanee he had chosen to captain his startlingly young Strasbourg side in a rollercoaster 2024-25 season that almost yielded a surprise Champions League qualification. Much has changed in the last 12 months, and now they read as an early foreshadowing of the increasingly prominent role Santos is playing for Rosenior in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield. The 21-year-old has featured in all but one of Rosenior’s first six matches as Chelsea head coach across all competitions, starting four times (including against Arsenal and Napoli). For context, he started just eight of the first 29 matches of this season under Enzo Maresca, and was rarely trusted with significant minutes in big games. Cole Palmer’s fitness issues have factored into that shift, with Enzo Fernandez more regularly selected in an advanced midfield role. But it is already clear that Rosenior favours a true double pivot at the base of his midfield rather than inverting a full-back next to Moises Caicedo in possession, and Santos appears to be his preferred partner for the Ecuadorian. Maresca at times gave the impression of not quite knowing what to make of Santos. Last summer, he said he saw the Brazilian as more of an attacking than a defensive midfielder, “more like Enzo than Moi or (Romeo) Lavia”, before claiming in December that Chelsea’s squad lacked a natural replacement for Fernandez and that Santos is “more of a No 6”. Rosenior has no such doubts, and Santos’ position in his team is clearly defined. He is invariably Chelsea’s deepest midfielder, making himself available to receive the ball from his defenders and goalkeepers and trusted to direct passages of possession largely with short, sensible passes. His consistently deep presence allows Caicedo to operate slightly in advance of the ball, as illustrated below against Crystal Palace… … and against Napoli… Without the ball at Selhurst Park, Santos also took on the responsibility of man-marking Brennan Johnson, tracking the Wales international back into his own penalty area to neutralise danger when circumstances required him to do so… “It’s like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey in between,” Rosenior said of Chelsea’s tactical structure after the Palace win. “I’m lucky with Andrey because he’s done it for me before (at Strasbourg last season). The beauty of having Andrey there allows Moi to stay in the middle of the pitch where I love him to be and have him and Enzo at the top.” Freed from the responsibility of anchoring the entire Chelsea midfield, Caicedo can become more of a roaming destroyer and even push more regularly towards the opposition box, where his exceptional ball striking makes him a genuine additional goal threat. It also gives Fernandez greater midfield cover as he seeks to impact the game in the final third. This balance between Santos’ positional discipline and Caicedo’s broader range of influence can be seen in their respective touchmaps against Palace… Santos is confident and generally comfortable receiving the ball under pressure in his own defensive third. When he first broke through at Vasco da Gama, it was not uncommon to see him dribble the ball out of his own penalty area from short goal kicks. Chelsea would be brave to attempt something similar against a Premier League opposition press, but there is no reason to believe he will be a liability in this role, particularly when Caicedo is close enough to help him. That was not the case in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Caicedo’s suspension left the more defensively limited Fernandez as Santos’ pivot partner, and the Brazilian endured some hairy moments playing out from the back when the Premier League leaders decided to hunt the ball with intent… Santos and Caicedo were also pulled too far apart in the lead-up to Napoli’s first goal against Chelsea on Wednesday. The Brazilian’s attempted pass upfield fell short of finding any of his team-mates, and the result was Antonio Vergara running at an isolated Wesley Fofana with both of Rosenior’s midfield pivots caught badly out of position. Occasional costly errors are an unavoidable consequence of trusting a 21-year-old to control such a key area of the pitch. Santos has also flashed plenty of promise operating in tandem with Caicedo, adding more physicality to Rosenior’s midfield out of possession as well as presenting a more technically capable option for progressing the ball than Marc Cucurella or Malo Gusto whenever they are shunted infield. One aspect of Santos’ game which may recede in his current Chelsea role is his goalscoring. Last season, he found the net on 10 occasions in Ligue 1, at times displaying outstanding instincts for when to arrive in the opposition penalty area. But a sizeable chunk of his goal threat also derives from his ability to convert in the box from set-piece deliveries, and there is no reason why set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva should not be able to harness this particular talent. Santos will face greater competition for regular midfield minutes at Chelsea when Palmer’s health improves, and if Lavia can ever find a way to conquer his own injury demons. But all the signs are that he will be given his most substantial opportunity yet to establish himself as a key figure at Stamford Bridge. Brazil legend Dunga was 30 when he anchored a team of world champions at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Thanks to Rosenior, Santos is already beginning to do the same. By Liam Twomey and Anantaajith Raghuraman

Liam Rosenior says Chelsea defender Levi Colwill could play again this season after ACL injury https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7009973/2026/01/30/levi-colwill-Chelsea-injury-latest/ Chelsea defender Levi Colwill could feature again this season after starting light training following nearly six months out with a serious knee injury, according to head coach Liam Rosenior. Colwill tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee on the first day of pre-season training in early August. There were doubts over whether the centre back would feature at all in 2025-26, but Rosenior today revealed he is making good progress. At his press conference on Friday, Rosenior said: “I spoke with him this morning. He is getting on really good. What a professional. He is working so hard in terms of his rehab. It is brilliant to see him out on the pitch now, doing his running. It is a huge step for him. “Obviously an ACL is a really difficult injury. He is itching to get back but we need to make sure that when he is back, he is feeling 100 per cent perfect. He is another outstanding player I cannot wait to work with.” Pressed on whether he now expects him to play this campaign, he replied: “Yes but it is step by step. At the moment he is in a really good place, he is on a good track but I don’t like putting timeframes on injuries because it puts unnecessary pressure on players when their health is the most important thing.” What You Should Read Next Liam Rosenior’s statement win in Napoli is vital for him – and Chelsea The club's new head coach has made a superb start and sparked hope that this could yet be a memorable campaign Rosenior has also ruled out the possibility of Josh Acheampong leaving before the transfer deadline on Monday evening. Acheampong, who has been an unused substitute in Chelsea’s last three games, has been linked with a move away in recent weeks. But Rosenior said: “Josh is an outstanding player, I want Josh with me.” Chelsea take on West Ham United on Saturday with Cole Palmer ready to start after impressing as a second-half substitute in the 3-2 win against Napoli on Wednesday. He had missed the previous two matches with a minor thigh problem. Midfielder Romeo Lavia is getting close to returning to the squad after a quad injury, while Tosin Adarabioyo has resumed light training following a hamstring injury. Neither will be ready for the fixture at Stamford Bridge. By Simon Johnson Chelsea Correspondent

a problem with all this (and even including a possible Mamadou Sarr recall): ALL CBs you listed are right footed, except for our ONLY healthy left-footed true CB (the turgid Badi) Mamdou Sarr- righty Tosin - righty Disasi - righty Jacquet - righty Anselmino - righty Badi - lefty (and with Colwill, our only other lefty TRUE (see Hato below) CB on the roster, still out for months still, IF Badi leaves, we have no left-footed CBs at all, as Fofana, Josh, and Trevoh are all righty's too) Hato (lefty) is not up to playing EPL CB atm (plus he is too short IMHO), although he does look much better at LB lately CuCu (lefty) has already been tried at CB many times before and was NOT up to it, plus is even shorter than Hato selling Renato Veiga (lefty) was fucking so so stupid IMHO, he would be getting massive minutes now IF Badi goes, we simply have to pull one of the following (the only left-footed CBs I rate to buy atm, and who are even remotely available, whether now (basically none atm) or thsi coming summer 2026): Alessandro Bastoni Murillo Nico Schlotterbeck Jarrad Branthwaite Castello Lukeba Alessandro Buongiorno Honest Ahanor Konstantinos Koulierakis Marcos Senesi Karim Coulibaly Omar Alderete