Vesper

I did not see this that is very OTT language perhaps you could provide examples of this I saw these qualified statements:

that is way too much JUST ON CBs we fucked about with: Wes Fofana £75m Disasi £38.5m Badiashile £33.5m Koulibaly £35m (Lukeba would have cost roughly the same in transfer fees back then and Lukeba also would have been on a massively lower wage, plus as Lukeba is left footed, we never would have bought Badi I wager) £182m gross shit away (somewhat less IF Fofana really comes good AND stays healthy but he will never be a £75m CB post-massive injuries, the main one which happened BEFORE we bought him, ffs, Leicester raped us for him and also KDH, £105m total in transfer fees + add-ons, basically we paid DOUBLE what they are worth)

Not here on TC. 'Giddy' is a large overstatement. I just hope he steps up eventually. If you want giddy, then we need to sign (CMF-wise) Federico Valverde or Barella or Camavinga or Vitinha.

He is also a more than decent LB. Super athletic. Plus he is 5 cm taller than Jurrien Timber, a similar type player. 1.84m v 1.79m

Chelsea attempting to have football agent Saif Rubie’s legal claim resolved out of court https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5782267/2024/09/20/Chelsea-saif-rubie-marina-granovskaia/ Chelsea are attempting to have football agent Saif Rubie’s legal claim against the club resolved outside of court. Rubie stated at the start of September he was filing a lawsuit against the Premier League club and its former director Marina Granovskaia. The London-born agent believes he is owed money from the transfer that took Kurt Zouma from Chelsea to West Ham United in August, 2021. Chelsea are instead attempting to get the case taken to arbitration, whereby the dispute would be resolved by a neutral third party outside of court. The club believe the Football Association’s (FA) football agent regulations determine that such a case should be taken to arbitration. The FA’s agent regulations state: “Disputes arising out of, or in connection with, a Representation Agreement without an international dimension shall be exclusively determined between the parties under Rule K (Arbitration) of the Rules.” The FA’s agent regulations are binding for all “participants”. However, Rubie’s side believes Rule K does not apply because Granovskaia is no longer in football and so is not a “participant”. Granovskaia departed Chelsea in June 2022, having worked at the club since 2003. Rubie still believes the case should be heard in court, with his spokesperson stating: “Chelsea and Ms Granovskaia have a clear interest in preventing Mr Rubie’s claim from being heard in open court given current investigations into the club and its activities under its previous ownership.” Rubie was found not guilty on the charge of malicious communications towards Granovskaia in April 2024 following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. The charge related to an email sent by Rubie to Granovskaia in May 2022, where the agent demanded a commission from the sale of Zouma to West Ham the previous summer. During April’s trial, the court heard Rubie believed he acted as an intermediary on Chelsea’s behalf during the Zouma deal — and as such was due a commission on any transfer fee received above €30million (£25.6m, $32.2m). Both parties disputed the exact sum, while Granovskaia argued that Rubie never represented Chelsea, and instead sought to involve himself in the deal. Rubie had insisted he was owed a £300,000 commission from the transfer, with the deal to bring France international Zouma to West Ham worth €33.9m. Granovskaia’s side declined to comment when approached by The Athletic. GO DEEPER Marina Granovskaia, Saif Rubie and a trial revealing 'the difficult and ugly side of football'

Chelsea planning more transfers in January window – Enzo Maresca https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5782097/2024/09/20/Chelsea-transfers-january-window-enzo-maresca/ Enzo Maresca says Chelsea are already intending to make more signings next year in order to bridge the gap to Manchester City and Arsenal. Chelsea were the biggest spenders for the third time in the last four windows this summer, with £219million spent on transfers. It takes their outlay on the team since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over in May 2022 to well over £1billion. Despite this, Maresca does not see Chelsea as ready to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal, who currently sit first and second respectively in the Premier League table. He said: “I think we are a very good squad but there are clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal that are ahead of us, no doubt. Hopefully (if) we progress and (keep) improving, we can slowly, slowly be close to them. But I think it is quite clear that in this moment Arsenal and Manchester City are ahead of the rest. “Like I have said, the reason why is one club is nine years with the same manager (Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016), the other (Mikel Arteta at Arsenal) is five years. The rest of the clubs…is a short time.” When pressed if that meant Chelsea need to buy more players, he added: “The target after the last summer (window) is to try to do less things but more specific. “This is the target for January and for next summer. Hopefully it can be like this.” GO DEEPER Chelsea squad audit: Analysing the 33-player group and their roles under Enzo Maresca

Sachin Gupta: Chelsea’s newest hire – and one of the most highly regarded analytical minds in the NBA https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5788693/2024/09/24/sachin-gupta-Chelsea-profile/ In their first public pronouncements after formally acquiring Chelsea in May 2022, Clearlake Capital co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano pledged to “expand the club’s investment across infrastructure, technology, and sports science to support the incredible Chelsea football and commercial teams — all with the goal of leveraging this growth to fuel even more on-pitch success”. On-pitch success remains an aspiration rather than an achievement for the talented young squad showing fresh promise under head coach Enzo Maresca. But the investment that Eghbali and Feliciano promised is ongoing, undeniable and not limited to the frenetic transfer activity that has dominated headlines. A key element of Clearlake’s plan from the outset was to dramatically improve the quality and scale of Chelsea’s data analytics to inform every aspect of the sporting operation, from performance and injury prevention to player recruitment. That push has now led them to hire Sachin Gupta, executive vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves and one of the most highly regarded analytical minds in the NBA. The upcoming recruitment of Gupta may raise a few eyebrows in the football world, but Clearlake have repeatedly shown a willingness to look outside the sport to find the individuals they believe are best qualified to drive Chelsea forward in their specialist fields. Two of the more prominent examples include Jason Gannon, former managing director of SoFi Stadium, who now serves as the club’s president and chief operating officer, and Aki Mandhar, hired from a senior executive position at The Athletic earlier this month to be the first dedicated chief executive officer of Chelsea Women. Gupta’s challenge will be to bring his analytic and strategic expertise to football, but there can be no doubting the credentials he established as a basketball executive. In many ways, Gupta serves as one of the faces of the changing times in the NBA over the past 15 years. His parents came to the United States from India in the 1970s and settled in Boston. Sachin is the youngest of three children and he got swept up in the fervour of a sports-mad town when he was a kid. He went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study computer science in college, but from the beginning hoped to find a way to pair it with his love of sports as he entered the working world. He started as an engineer at ESPN, where he wrote the code for the NBA Trade Machine, a wildly popular module that allowed fans to construct trades of their own making and check to see if they met the byzantine criteria of the league’s collective bargaining agreement to make them realistic ideas. He entered the league in the think tank that was the Houston Rockets organisation, working in a front office led by Daryl Morey, who now runs the Philadelphia 76ers. Morey ushered in a new era in the way basketball front offices were staffed and thought about the game, emphasizing analysis with deep dives into data to complement the eye test applied by more conventional scouting. When Gupta heard Morey talk about his philosophy at a sports conference before he was hired, he said it sounded like “Moneyball” for basketball. “Oh my God, this is it,” Gupta said to The Athletic in 2019. Morey assembled a staff that would eventually spread around the league as teams worked to catch up to the Rockets’ way of examining the game. That included former lieutenant Sam Hinkie taking over in Philadelphia and implementing a controversial strategy that came to be known as “The Process”. It involved constructing a team aimed at landing high draft picks that could become the No. 1 star that every team needs to be a contender. Hinkie hired Gupta as his second in command and the two set about putting teams together that lost a lot of games, traded established players for future draft picks and amassed assets. The boldness of the play earned the front office admiration from some of the more out-of-the-box thinkers in the league and derision from more conventional observers. The strategy did lead to them drafting Joel Embiid in 2014, but Sixers ownership ultimately lost patience with the long play and parted ways with Hinkie. Gupta went on to work briefly for the Detroit Pistons and was then hired in Minnesota by Gersson Rosas, one of his confidantes from his Houston days. He has always been targeted for his creativity with trades and his expertise in building analytics departments. In looking for a glimpse into how Gupta may integrate himself into a new club, a new country and an entirely new sport, an answer he gave in 2019 may provide an indicator. Those who are deemed to be on the analytics side of basketball are often accused of taking the human element out of sports, of ignoring personality and makeup while basing all of their evaluation on statistics and measurables. Gupta insisted that is not how he approaches the job. “Ultimately it’s humility. I think that’s where a lot of people have issues, particularly if a new analytics person comes in guns blazing,” he said then. “This is what the numbers say. This is what the model says. You’re wrong, this is right. “First of all, you’re not a very good analyst if you have that much confidence. The models don’t know anything about personality or fit and all that.” The five years he spent in Minnesota were eventful. He arrived in 2019 to work with Rosas, who he got to know well when they both worked in Houston. The two set about making sweeping changes to the roster and the organisation to bring one of the league’s long-struggling franchises into competitiveness. By the middle of their first season on the job, they had traded all but two of the players they inherited from the previous regime. Rosas led a front office that hired coach Chris Finch, drafted Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, and signed Naz Reid as an undrafted free agent. The three of them comprise a major part of the core of a Wolves team that has become a contender in the Western Conference. But two years into his tenure, Rosas started to meet resistance from inside the organisation because of his leadership style, which led to a messy exit from the team days before training camp in 2021-22. Gupta was elevated to run the team on an interim basis and he and Finch stabilised the team after the Rosas fireworks and helped the Wolves reach the play-offs for just the second time in 18 years. Gupta also beefed up the team’s analytics department, assembling one of the more robust staff in the league. Gupta hoped to parlay that season into the full-time job, but the Timberwolves decided to go after a bigger name and lured Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets to take over. Gupta remained on for the next two years and the Wolves made the play-offs both seasons. They advanced to the conference finals last season for the second time in the club’s 35-year history. Under Connelly, Gupta remained in charge of strategy and analytics but was bumped down the organisation chart as Connelly brought in some of his people from outside. He also was in the middle of a bizarre situation last season when a former team employee pleaded guilty to unauthorized computer use when he took a hard drive from Gupta’s computer in his office. For Gupta, joining Chelsea may be the boldest move yet in a career filled with them. He spent 18 years in the NBA, climbing from a special adviser with Houston in 2006 to the No. 1 spot in Minnesota in 2021-22. He could have stayed with the Timberwolves, where he was under contract for another season, but the opportunity to live in London with his wife, Anuja, and their young daughter, bring his analytical expertise to a prestigious club like Chelsea and tackle an entirely new sport proved too much to pass up. The game is different, but the search for answers remains the same. “The thing is that there’s not really a right answer,” Gupta said in an unpublished comment to The Athletic in 2019. “We’re just trying to get to the best answer. It’s not that there’s a right player to draft, a wrong player to draft. We’re trying to get there. The way I think about the world is all in probabilities. We’re trying to gain small probabilities anywhere we can.” Clearlake will be hoping that Gupta will help give Chelsea the kind of edge that can make their promised on-pitch success a reality.

Why Rio Ngumoha is already the talk of Liverpool’s academy https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5767200/2024/09/24/rio-ngumoha-liverpool-academy/ Fifteen minutes was all Rio Ngumoha needed to highlight why Liverpool believe they have landed one of the most exciting young attackers in the country. The 16-year-old made his debut for the under-18s as a late substitute against Blackburn Rovers earlier this month and immediately caught the eye with an array of flicks, tricks and dribbles. His arrival from Chelsea, who are bitterly disappointed to lose a player they felt was capable of progressing into the first-team setup, has created a buzz on Merseyside. Those who pushed hard to bring Ngumoha into the club for a compensation fee that has not yet been decided and may have to be resolved at a tribunal, are confident they have a gem. Those who watched him against Rovers at Liverpool’s academy in Kirkby agreed. By the closing stages, there were screams from the defence to “hit him” and some increasingly wild challenges. It was some way to announce himself. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Liverpool’s under-18s manager, is keen to avoid overhyping Ngumoha. “He is here because he’s got potential to go and reach the first team, but besides that, there’s no pressure from us,” he said after the Blackburn game. Steps to shield Ngumoha are likely to follow after what can only be described as a whirlwind entrance. After the transfer was confirmed by the Premier League following a five-step review, required for all moves between clubs with Category 1 academies, Ngumoha was introduced to the senior setup during the most recent international break. He spent a few days with the remaining first-team players and trained alongside Federico Chiesa, the new arrival from Juventus. Then he was introduced to the under-21 team before preparing for his debut with the under-18s. Last week he featured in the UEFA Youth League game against AC Milan, under the watchful eye of club coaching staff including under-21 head coach Barry Lewtas, before impressing once again after coming on at half-time in the under-18s’ 2-2 draw with Leeds last Saturday. “He needs to find some rhythm,” Lewtas said. “There’s no rush with him. He’s only just turned 16. Let him settle and find his way and let’s see where it goes.” How quickly he settles into the new surroundings will determine the trajectory of his journey, but muffling the external noise will perhaps be the biggest challenge. John Terry, the former Chelsea captain who now has an academy role at the club, posted on social media that Ngumoha “is and will be a top, top player” when his move to Liverpool was confirmed, and there is no mistaking the excitement around him. The Athletic has spoken to multiple sources with knowledge of the deal that took him to Liverpool — on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions — to understand why he was considered such a priority signing and what the future might hold. Recruiting one of the most highly-rated teenagers in the country was no easy process, not least because Chelsea did not want to lose him, and there was a late push from the club to keep him. Ngumoha has always attracted interest from the elite. He was touring top-level clubs across the country when he was just eight years old and spent time at Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City, among others, before choosing Chelsea. Those within his inner circle have long predicted a bright future. His brother, James, is a big influence and was by his side during those early decision-making years and when he was considering a move away from London in more recent times. In June, Ngumoha spent time at Manchester United listening to plans they had for him if he decided on a move. United pushed for his signature but felt they were already behind Liverpool in the race and eventually conceded defeat. Chelsea know they have lost a player who has so much potential to develop. The attacker’s style hasn’t changed much since his early years when his mission was to entertain. He’s always been a fearless dribbler who loves the creative side of the game. The key, perhaps, will be to get the right balance in his attacking play as he matures. An insider with knowledge of the Chelsea academy, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, says: “The coaches loved working with Rio because he’s a great kid, but also because he would take on board what they were saying. There had been times when he was trying to do it all by himself.” One particular game where he stood above the rest was in the Under-17 Premier League Cup final between Chelsea and Wolves at Molineux in April. The scouting section was packed and even before a ball had been kicked, his name was the subject of most conversation. His performance solidified what Liverpool, in particular, already knew; that he was a future star in the making. Not only did he score a stunning solo goal, but he also caught the eye with his purposeful running from left and central areas. His performance also showed that he could step up when it mattered. This was a big final for the youngsters and not every player is cut out for the high-pressure moments. Clearly, Ngumoha is cut from a different cloth. “It was a performance that was expected as he lived up to the hype,” said a scout who was watching that day. “Some of us thought he was a bit too flashy, but others were already on board with his quality.” At Liverpool, there is a specific plan for each player in the academy and the club are determined that Ngumoah will get all the coaching and support he requires to maximise his talent, as well as an education that keeps him grounded. Rio is on a standard scholar’s contract of £1,200 ($1,600) per month (£14,400 per year). When he turns 17 next August he will pen his first professional contract. Liverpool currently limit first year pros to a basic salary of around £52,000 a year but they can earn more through bonuses. Contracts are heavily incentivised to ensure progress is rewarded. GO DEEPER How will Arne Slot use Liverpool's academy this season? Ngumoha is well regarded as a humble and likeable young man and his attitude in his first official week at the club has been exemplary. Staff have tried to speed up the settling-in process by exposing him to all sections of the club and show him the pathway if he develops in the way they expect, although he is playing catch-up after a period where he was training alone. “He’s come from a big club,” Lewtas added. “It’s not like he’s been plucked out of obscurity. He knows what elite looks like. The environment that we create will help him and on top of that, we have got a lot of other good players around him. Some of the other boys are a bit older and they will help him settle.” All the buzzwords you can imagine have been used to describe Ngumoha and any attempt to deflect some of the noise is going to be difficult. Liverpool’s plan will be to bed him in slowly, but this is a boy who plays like he is in a hurry.

Palmer and Jackson are the Premier League’s best partnership – Chelsea need to build around it https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5790511/2024/09/25/cole-palmer-nicolas-jackson-Chelsea-analysis/ Enzo Maresca doesn’t seem the type to share Mauricio Pochettino’s belief in the spiritual power of lemons, but he should remember that their best use is to make lemonade. That is, in tactical terms, building his Chelsea team according to the profiles of the best players, rather than fitting them to the system. In particular, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer — as they proved in scoring the goals in their 3-0 win at West Ham United. Chelsea were three up in 50 minutes. It was convincing and controlled, especially considering they last won at the London Stadium in April 2021. Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, Maresca was asked how the players have bought into his style so quickly. “It’s quite easy, if they don’t buy in, they don’t play,” he responded, with a smile. It wasn’t menacing and didn’t seem directed at anyone, but was a reminder of how dogmatic Premier League coaches are. Maresca was pleased with the result but unsatisfied tactically: “Sometimes we need more passes and (to) keep the ball but we are in a rush and trying to attack immediately.” Chelsea’s third goal was pure counter-attack. A 13-second move with five passes, going box-to-box. On a three-v-two, Palmer overlapped Jackson, the striker slotted him through on the angle and Palmer fired in off the post. Top PL duos since the start of 2023-24 Duo Chances Goals ▼ Palmer & Jackson 22 10 Bailey & Watkins 22 8 Saka & Havertz 26 7 Nunez & Salah 39 7 Elanga & Wood 16 7 Son & Johnson 24 6 Watkins & Diaby 33 5 Solanke & Senesi 9 5 Palmer & Madueke 21 5 Mbeumo & Wissa 17 5 Haaland & De Bruyne 22 5 Foden & Rodri 22 5 Eze & Mateta 24 5 There was a similar counter-attack for the opener versus Crystal Palace, this time Palmer assisted Jackson. On that occasion, they only needed three passes in 11 seconds to create a tap-in. Palmer ran inside Chris Richards and onto Noni Madueke’s diagonal pass, before squaring it to Jackson at the back post. Then there was Palmer’s exceptional lob at Wolverhampton Wanderers. After Robert Sanchez launched a quick goal kick, Jackson flicked it on and the England international spotted Jose Sa off his line. All three goals were this season, and while last term there were more instances of Palmer assisting Jackson against a settled defence, clearly the pair work better in transition. This season, only Liverpool and Fulham can match Chelsea’s 23 direct attacks. Opta define these as sequences which start just inside a team’s half, include at least 50 per cent forward movement, ending in a shot/touch in the opposition’s box. Of those 23, six have led to goals, the most in the league. Palmer and Jackson suit transitions because of their versatility. Jackson can operate like a winger out on the left, running at defenders, which allows Palmer to crash the box or run in behind. Similarly, they can combine close to each other to create shooting angles or play the other in-behind, like a conventional No 9 or No 10. Examples include Palmer’s goals at home against Everton and away at Luton Town. “We’re young, but we’re good players. So once we gel, we’ll be alright,” said Palmer last season. The last two seasons were unstable for Chelsea because of a high volume of players and head coach turnover. There was the ignominy of finishing 12th on 44 points in 2022-23 with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard in charge during their worst Premier League campaign. Having Kai Havertz finish top scorer that season with seven goals emphasised how blunt they were in attack. However, the biggest problem was their lack of relationships. They made the most starting XI changes (139) and were one of two teams — along with Brentford — to not name an unchanged lineup. Tellingly, of their 38 goals, 26 were assisted and every single one had a unique assister-scorer combination. The success of Palmer and Jackson’s partnership is simply from playing together more. This applies especially to a possession-based and pressing team which requires structure and understanding. Chelsea are considerably better when the duo start. Since 2023-24, Palmer and Jackson have started 27 Premier League games, with 15 wins, seven draws and only five losses, outscoring opponents 66-41. They lose more (seven) than they win (six) without both starting and have been outscored 27-22 in those 16 Premier League games. Interestingly, Chelsea’s possession remains stable regardless of Palmer/Jackson’s presence, but they shoot more and cross less with the pair starting. With and without statistics are not a perfect science, but Chelsea’s points-per-game (1.9) with Jackson and Palmer in the team from the off is worth 72 points per season, compared to 49 points without (1.3 per game). In each of the last six seasons, 72 points secured a top-four finish. Any Chelsea attacking partnership will inevitably draw comparisons to Didier Drogba and Lampard, who combined for 36 Premier League goals. They were so prolific that it was only in February 2022 that Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Son Heung-min overtook them. By that point, Lampard had retired, started coaching, managed Chelsea for 84 games and been sacked. If penalties won are included as assists, then the Palmer/Jackson combination (a league goal every 242 minutes) is more fruitful than Lampard/Drogba were (every 323 minutes). However, there are caveats. Palmer and Jackson are playing in a Premier League era which is significantly more attacking and where the single-season goals record has been broken two years in a row. Further, Lampard and Drogba combined for significant goals, including seven times in semi-finals and finals. Their final two combinations were Lampard assists for Drogba in the FA Cup semi-final and final in 2012. Palmer and Jackson are yet to reach those levels, and sustaining that form is a test. However, they are a more versatile pair. Lampard primarily assisted Drogba, but for Palmer and Jackson’s 10 Premier League goals, five have been from Palmer to Jackson, and five assists by Jackson for Palmer. Last season, Palmer either played the final pass or was involved in the build-up of 3.9 shot-ending sequences per game, with 2.3 for Jackson — and those are excluding sequences when they took the shots. They should benefit from Maresca’s insistence of putting players in set positions (having two for each position), regardless of versatility. The Chelsea head coach was full of praise for how Jackson and Palmer pressed West Ham’s defence despite being outnumbered two-v-three. However, Maresca should not compromise their counter-attacking quality for whatever possession system he is dreaming of. In the past five years, there have only been four instances of a Chelsea player scoring 10-plus goals in a Premier League campaign — two of those were Jackson and Palmer last season. Chelsea’s recent failures have been underpinned by issues building a coherent style around key players. Maresca needs to make lemonade: let Palmer and Jackson counter-attack.

Chelsea’s busy midweeks are the perfect opportunity for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5792433/2024/09/25/kiernan-dewsbury-hall-Chelsea-analysis/ Right now, being part of Chelsea’s ‘B team’ is exactly where Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall needs to be. That might sound like a strange thing to say after Dewsbury-Hall completed his first 90 minutes for nearly four weeks in the 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over League Two visitors Barrow on Tuesday. It would certainly be understandable if he wanted to kick on from here, beginning with Brighton this weekend. The midfielder has started just three times for Chelsea this season, none of which have come in the Premier League (the other two came in the Conference League qualifying play-off against Servette). He has accumulated only 44 minutes from three substitute appearances for the club in England’s top division. No signing wants to be part of the second string when they move to a new team. Dewsbury-Hall rightly spoke with a lot of hope and ambition when he sat down with the media in July for his first interview since joining from Leicester for £30million ($40.2m). For example, he talked about how performing for Chelsea could make his dreams of making the senior England squad a reality. But he has had it pretty tough since. He has not been helped by starting pre-season training still working back to his best physical condition following an ankle injury sustained at the end of the Championship title-winning campaign with Leicester. Illness also denied him the possibility of featuring against Bournemouth earlier this month, a few weeks after being left on the bench against Crystal Palace before the international break. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, who he played for at Leicester last season, said in his press conference on the eve of the Barrow match how Dewsbury-Hall has found the realities of playing for a better team something to get used to. He explained: “I’m very happy with Kiernan, but we also need to understand that Kiernan was the main player at Leicester. He has arrived here and he is not the main player. For him, for any player (in this situation) in the world, you need to adapt mentally. But I don’t have any doubts for Kiernan.” To give you an idea of just how much Dewsbury-Hall was key at his previous club last season compared to his place in the Chelsea pecking order, he featured in all but four of Leicester’s games in all competitions, starting 43 out of their 53 matches. He had 26 goal involvements (12 goals and 14 assists) and was voted the Midlands side’s supporters’ player of the year and players’ player of the year. But a lack of game time is not the only challenge Dewsbury-Hall now has to deal with. The 26-year-old’s arrival at Stamford Bridge was met with an element of negativity from some Chelsea supporters because it coincided with all the uncertainty surrounding the future of fan-favourite Conor Gallagher. Given they played in similar positions, the transfer was seen as a big signal being sent to Gallagher that his replacement was now in the building. A month later, Gallagher was sold to Atletico Madrid. Chelsea did not regard it as a like-for-like situation. They saw Gallagher as more of a defensive No 6/8, whereas Dewsbury-Hall plays further forward as an attacking No 8/10. Whether people believe there is a big difference between their roles as players or not, it is a tough act for Dewsbury-Hall to follow. Gallagher, who is 17 months younger than him and already an established full England international, made the most appearances of any Chelsea player last season (50) and scored a credible seven goals. He has started his Atletico career in fine form, too, with a couple of goals in just five appearances. Inevitably, there is a sense of regret about how things have turned out among the Chelsea following who wanted him to remain. Seeing the footage of Gallagher already making an impact in Spain will just make that section of the fanbase even more convinced a mistake has been made and therefore focus more of a critical eye in Dewsbury-Hall’s direction. But Dewsbury-Hall should be given a chance to make his mark, like any new signing. Being part of the ‘midweek’ group (for the short term at least) will allow him to begin doing that without the same pressure and expectation he would be under if he was in the ‘A team’. For those featuring in the first XI at the weekend, the need for Chelsea to maintain their challenge for a finish in the Premier League’s top four this season is much more intense. Let me explain further. Firstly, it is difficult to get into Maresca’s ‘best team’ as it is. After the 3-0 Premier League away win against West Ham on Saturday, who would you drop out of Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo in midfield or players further forward, such as Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho? Dewsbury-Hall is understandably still having to work on his match fitness and confidence levels. Against Barrow, while Chelsea began quickly and were 3-0 up inside 30 minutes, he was finding it hard to get into the game. Late on in the first half, only Chelsea’s goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen had touched the ball fewer times than him. However, the longer he was left on the pitch, the more involved he became. According to whoscored.com, no Chelsea player had more shots on goal by full time (four) and that is despite striker Christopher Nkunku scoring a hat-trick (three goals from three attempts). Dewsbury-Hall ended up with the seventh-most touches (48) out of the 16 players Maresca used. You could see him growing in belief and the noises from the stands were more encouraging. But at the same time, this was against ‘only’ fourth-tier Barrow. What is beneficial for Dewsbury-Hall is the Barrow fixture is the first of a minimum of 10 midweek games on the club’s calendar up to the end of the year. The opposition in the majority of those matches won’t be the strongest either, which means it will be an ideal opportunity to find some better form. There are six games in the group phase of the Conference League, a fourth-round tie in the Carabao Cup, and Premier League meetings with Southampton and Ipswich in December. This busy period will put an extra strain on the squad and surely lead to Dewsbury-Hall being in the starting XI on a much more regular basis. Maresca confirmed as much when asked by The Athletic how the intense schedule can benefit Dewsbury-Hall. “Absolutely,” he replied. “Like him and all the players that are not starting in the Premier League, they are going to start in the Conference League or the Carabao Cup.” His presence means another highly-rated attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who looked good from the bench against Barrow, will struggle to play much. It has not been an easy start to life at Chelsea for Dewsbury-Hall, but like with many things about Maresca’s team, things are looking up.

Chelsea and an unfamiliar feeling of… sheer positivity https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5783603/2024/09/22/Chelsea-west-ham-maresca-boehly-eghbali-positivity/ Here are words I do not get to type very often: I have nothing to be negative about regarding Chelsea this weekend. Some readers of The Athletic, or regular listeners to the Straight Outta Cobham podcast, might regard this as a collector’s item. Perhaps mark the moment down on a piece of paper so you can remember it for posterity or even as a souvenir of the 2024-25 season? A possible ‘you have to see it to believe it’ moment. When you report on a club like Chelsea, there is plenty of opportunity to criticise and highlight where things are going wrong. Since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium bought the club in May 2022, there have been more bad moments than good, more drama than stability. If you have to write about lots of doom and gloom, it can have an impact on how you are perceived. Let’s just say this writer is fully aware of how he is regarded as a tad pessimistic, some might say miserable. Let me provide a few arguments in my defence. It is what naturally happens when your 50th birthday is on the horizon. I prefer to think it is more a case of being honest and realistic, having covered the club for more than 20 years. A reporter’s job is not to be confused with acting as a cheerleader and turning a blind eye to the bad stuff. Anyway, brace yourself as I attempt to go a whole piece without a single grumble, a caveat or a ‘but’. Let’s get to the point… or should I say all three of them. Chelsea’s 3-0 win against West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday was just the kind of serene day everyone connected to the club was looking for and needed. It was one of those rare moan-free games among the Chelsea contingent in the crowd. There was not a tut or groan to be heard. Going into this fixture, Chelsea had won just once at West Ham in seven visits, so it would have been understandable if people were a little apprehensive. The weather forecast warned of thunderstorms and heavy rain as well. But instead, late-summer sunshine lit up Chelsea’s display throughout. It helped that West Ham gave Nicolas Jackson the freedom of east London to score the opening goal after four minutes. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola also left a gap between his legs almost as wide as the nearby Blackwall Tunnel, which allows road traffic to pass under the River Thames, for him to knock the ball through. Jackson had his second 14 minutes later. The style of football Chelsea hired head coach Enzo Maresca to provide was on show as a neat move ended with Moises Caicedo, a player fewer and fewer mock over the £115million ($153m at the current exchange rate) price tag that brought him to the club 13 months ago, playing in Jackson to double the lead. The Senegal international striker’s display provided more evidence the club now have a €35million (£29.3m/$39.1m at current rates) bargain on their hands following his arrival in that same summer 2023 window. After setting up Cole Palmer to make it 3-0 shortly after half-time, Jackson has 23 goal involvements (16 goals, seven assists) in his past 29 Premier League starts, and 11 (eight goals, three assists) in 10. There in the posh seats to see it were Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. You had to check the monitor in the press box a few times to believe it. They were not just at the same game, a rarity in the past year, but actually sitting next to each other. The image was extraordinary given it is just two weeks since news of their ‘palpable discord’ — thanks to Chelsea’s former technical director Michael Emenalo for that gem of a quote to sum up a major divide when he was interviewed about the club’s decision to sack Jose Mourinho in 2015 — came to light. Some of the footage caught on camera did not reflect the warmest rapport between the two. Other photos did capture them appearing to exchange a few words at least. One showed Eghbali holding a small bit of paper. A cheque to buy out Boehly’s stake? No, it was just his match ticket. So were they counting down the minutes to the final whistle so they could get away from any awkwardness and each other as fast as possible? Nope. When the match was over, the influential duo headed down to the away dressing room. “They were in the changing room, they were all happy,” Maresca said. “It’s always good when we win games for them. As you said, because they were both here, we can give them some good moments.” If being together like this gets this kind of result then, instead of divorcing, should they hang out together more often? Why go their separate ways just when all their efforts are starting to bear fruit? Careful, Simon, you’re in danger of wandering off upbeat mode here. OK. Here are some good-looking stats to remain on message: Maresca is the first manager or head coach to win his first three Premier League away games at a club since Pep Guardiola did it with Manchester City in 2016. Since the start of May, Chelsea have won more Premier League points than any other club (25 — played 10, won eight, drawn one) — although they have played two more games than City (24; played eight, won eight) in that time and three more than Arsenal (19; played seven, won six, drawn one). Chelsea have scored 10 times in their three away league games this season. This figure is only bettered in club history by their 1925-26 side, who got 13 in the same period. And with 11 goals in total, they are the division’s joint top scorers with champions City (before their game against Arsenal on Sunday). Since Palmer made his Chelsea debut last September, only City’s Erling Haaland (44) has more goals for a Premier League club in all competitions than his 27. Oh, and to finish off, a once-porous defence has kept back-to-back clean sheets in the league, following last Saturday’s 1-0 away win against Bournemouth. OK, that’s enough positivity for one article. I need to go for a lie-down. GO DEEPER What is the true value of a Premier League goal?

Turkish League is ten bag's level

no Conor is not remotely close in terms of level to those 2 I am not a fangirl yet of KDH, but I will give him time I listed a tonne of CMFs I would have bought before him but Maresca thinks there is something there that can translate to the EPL

Barella to Manchester United is nonsense https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149335922/barella-to-manchester-united-is-nonsense Despite the rumours linking Nicolo Barella with a €75m move to Manchester United, I have zero information on this. He only extended his contract at Inter just a few months ago, and he's a key player for them. I don't even know where this is information is coming from!

Sporting still demanding €100m for Gyokeres https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149335922/sporting-still-demanding-m-for-gyokeres Guess who scored again at the weekend… Viktor Gyokeres. Again and again and again. This time he scored a brace for Sporting. I keep receiving many questions about him for the January transfer window, and maybe something can happen because he keeps scoring goals. What I can tell you about Gyokeres is that Sporting - as they were very clear in the summer transfer window - remain intent on asking for the full release clause. They want €100m or the player stays. We will follow the situation closely, because Gyokeres is clearly one of the best number nines around Europe.

The 473rd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents SkillCorner data on the midfielders with the best statistics for keeping the ball in high-pressure situations* in 18 European top divisions, the Brasileirão and Mexico's Liga MX. Bayern Munich's German full international Joshua Kimmich tops the list among midfielders who have been confronted with at least 60 high-pressure situations during the current season. Torino's Italian international Samuele Ricci and Tigres UANL's Brazilian Rafael Carioca complete the top three. Three players who have not yet turned 21 feature in the top ten: two from the Danish side Nordsjælland (Ivory Coast’s Mario Dorgeles and Denmark’s Zidan Sertdemir), as well as Paris St-Germain's French prodigy Warren Zaïre-Emery. The youngest player in the top 100 is Tijuana's great Mexican talent Gilberto Mora (15.9 years, 43rd). By team, the highest values were recorded for Manchester City (84.4%), Juventus (83.8%) and Shakhtar Donetsk (83.7%). These are all clubs that attack collectively, which makes the task of players carrying the ball easier, as analysed in greater detail in this Monthly Report. This is why the Post also presents the gap measured for each player in relation to his team's average, with WSG Tirol's Austrian Valentino Müller a surprising leader. * A player is considered under pressure when he is in possession of the ball and at least one opponent player nearby him is trying to either recover the ball or limit his options. For each situation, SkillCorner determines the intensity of pressure by considering the speed of the players applying it, their distance to the player in possession and the angle of their movement. More information is available here. % of ball retention under high pressure Top 100 midfielders, domestic league minutes, current season until 24/09/2024. Data: SkillCorner. youngest (only 1 player under 18yo) from youngest to older EPL only I have been tipping Samuele Ricci (DMF) for some time now 2nd highest rate on the planet atm

Scouting: UEFA EURO U19, 2024 Edition 10 promising players to follow in the next few years. https://pitchsideanalysis.substack.com/p/scouting-uefa-euro-u19-2024-edition Eight countries qualified to the final stage of the U19 EURO 2024 and in the end, as almost always happen, Spain got crowned champions (their twelfth title at this level), even if they were considerably weaker and adopted a more pragmatic style this year. There are limits to what we can learn from a shorter tournament like this, but it was enough to convince me of some of these players’ quality. I could list names like Saïmon Bouabré, Simone Pafundi, Iker Bravo and even Francesco Camarda here (all of them had some good games at the tournament), but I feel like they’re already well known to anyone who follows a bit of youth football. For that reason, they’ve been excluded and, instead, I focused on players that, at least to me, represented new discoveries. GK: Pierce Charles (2005, Sheffield Wed) The Northern Ireland goalkeeper, Charles is comfortable drawing pressure before breaking lines, moves around really nicely to offer passing lines to defenders and is also able to find teammates with long balls — all that probably relates to his formative years at the Manchester City academy. His ball-striking skills and tendencies to be involved in the build-up phase could be an asset to lots of clubs in need of a ball-playing goalkeeper. What he offers as a passer, however, he lacks controlling his own box, as he can be quite passive when claiming crosses. 🇳🇴 FB: Aleksander Andresen (2005, Stabaek) Andresen impressed for his physical profile: at just 19 years old, he can drive forward with and without the ball time after time down the line, sprinting to beat his opponents for full a 90 minutes. The Norwegian fullback enjoys short combinations and thrives upon receiving the ball ahead of him, in situations where he can pick it up and keep carrying it forward. His overall speed and acceleration are also a defensive asset. At Stabaek, currently in Norway’s second division, he’s already established as a starter and it shouldn’t take too long for us to see him at a higher level. 🇳🇴 CB: Rasmus Holten (2005, SK Brann) Playing alongside Andresen, Holten is a solid defender. He isn’t really explosive (takes a while to accelerate), but controls depth well enough in a high line, mostly covering other defenders, and knows how to use his body to his advantage, exploring his upper body strength. At 1.95 meters tall, he’s great at aerial duels too. Professional football means he’s gonna face stronger and faster players, but I think he could still be a solid defender. 🇺🇦 CB: Taras Mykhavko (2005, Dinamo Kiev) An aggressive, front-footed defender, Mykhavko is always looking to anticipate duels, staying active and taking initiative rather than reacting to the attackers. We can see that in the way he contests aerial balls, pouncing himself over opposite players to attack the ball — that and his jumping reach more than compensates for his fairly low height (considering some of the elite modern defenders), 1.85m. He also played at left-back during the tournament, showing good carries into the final third, but I would definitely say his future lies at the heart of the defense. He already had experience at professional football, starting seven games for Dinamo Kiev before the U19 EURO and that trend continued after it, with Mykhavko cementing his place at the starting eleven of the Ukrainian team. Fully expect him to be the target of big clubs in the next few transfer windows. 🇩🇰 CB: Villads Nielsen (2005, FK Bodo/Glimt) Nielsen’s ball-striking skills were on full display at the U19 EURO. The Danish defender can hit some diagonal long balls to perfection, shifting the game from one side of the pitch to another at ease, finding the opposite winger on favorable conditions to take on the defender. He’s much more of a passer than a carrier, but showed promise driving forward too, when space was made available to him. He does have some room to grow physically (he’s 1.92m, lean, and sometimes lets strikers get the best of him in physical duels), but that ability on the ball alone is worth a lot to any club looking to build-up from the back. 🇩🇰 DM: Thomas Jorgensen (2005, FC Copenhagen) Jorgensen got signed by Viborg FF, also from Denmark, after the tournament. Transfermarkt listed this transaction at 600k euros, making him Viborg’s most expensive transfer ever. Clearly they liked what they saw. Downing the number 10 shirt, Jorgensen is a left-footed midfielder who usually operates in a deeper zone, even dropping between both center-backs sometimes to help distribute the ball into the final third. He’s quite good at recognizing when to attempt more risky passes and when to circulate the ball to keep possession and does have the ability to break lines with his passes. He doesn’t take too many touches before releasing the ball and knows how to draw pressure before finding space behind the lines. 🇫🇷 CM: Valentin Atangana (2005, Stade Reims) To me, Atangana was easily one of the best players of the tournament. His ability to evade pressure using little shoulder drops and then carry the ball forward proved to be one of the most important assets of this France squad. When he isn’t carrying the ball, he’s got good timing and the speed to crash the attacking box as a late runner. Furthermore, Atangana is a really good duelist, using his body well to recover and shield the ball upon engaging in physical battles. At 19 years old, that’s massive, as it enables him to impact professional games, something he’s been doing since last season. He debuted at 17 yo, made seven (out of 18 games played) starts last season (Ligue 1 games only) and is currently an undisputed starter at Stade de Reims. Brace ourselves: French football is about to deliver us another really good midfielder. 🇮🇹 CM: Luca di Maggio (2005, Internazionale) Mostly a left-sided 8, di Maggio was one of the standouts in a quite balanced Italian team. Aside from some central runs, he likes to get involved in the final third, moving himself laterally to get the ball under less pressure and then carry it inside, to his favorite right foot. The Italian midfielder is also a good dribbler and usually relies on body feints to bait a defender, creating space for passes and shots in the edge of the box. Internazionale are quite stacked at the midfield right now, so it makes sense that they would send him on loan to a smaller Italian team. In this case, it was Perugia (Serie C, third tier). 🇩🇰 W: Oscar Schwartau (2006, Bröndby IF) A tall, dribbly winger, Schwartau isn’t the most technically refined player, but he’s still able to control the ball in smaller spaces, as well as turn under pressure before driving forward. A right-footer, he can play from both flanks, going central to combine or attack the box, and I reckon he could be a good attacking midfielder too, under the right context. After the EURO, he moved from Bröndby IF to Norwich City for around 2.5 million euros. Not really sure about this move early in his career, but time will tell if it was a smart decision. At least he’s starting games at the Championship (two out of three, so far). 🇺🇦 ST: Matviy Ponomarenko (2006, Dinamo Kiev) Ponomarenko was one of the players that impressed me the most at this year’s edition of the U19 EURO. A relentless runner, he offers a great variety of offensive movements, from in behind runs to dropping deep ones. Coming deep to receive the ball at his feet seems to be his most assertive role right now, one that enables him to display his technical skills (one touch passes, backheels, shoulder drops) and his ability to absorb physical contact before progressing play. He’s quite strong already and works hard defensively too. He’s got a good goalscoring record at youth level and scored a single goal as a professional for Dinamo Kiev (75 minutes across 9 games, always coming from the bench). Unfortunately, he injured himself at the beginning of this season, so it might take a while for us to see him again.

wish to hell it was (if NUFC beat Wimbledon) not up in St James Park that is a bogey pitch for us and for away fans if is a fucking nightmare stadium

Chelsea front-runners to sign Michael Kayode https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2024/09/25/Chelsea-front-runners-to-sign-michael-kayode/#google_vignette Chelsea are ahead in the race for Michael Kayode, as Enzo Maresca could prioritise a new right-back ahead of the January window. According to Inter-Live, Chelsea are the biggest threat to Inter Milan’s chances of signing Michael Kayode. The Fiorentina full-back has been in impressive form lately, as Enzo Maresca is keen to bolster the right-back area ahead of the January transfer window. Chelsea could have been complacent about strengthening some areas more than others and may have left themselves short in a few specific positions. For instance, they could not sign a solid striker to compete with Nicolas Jackson, while there are doubts about either of their full-back areas. Chelsea are still in the mix for Victor Osimhen and could look at other areas of their squad ahead of the January transfer window. Enzo Maresca might be considering bringing in a new right-back to bolster the area, with some persistent doubts creeping in about Reece James’s availability and Malo Gusto’s poise to make the role his own. Both those right-backs have had problems integrating on a consistent basis, especially James, who remains sidelined with yet another injury. The Chelsea skipper has not even had a few games on the trot for over a year now, which has prompted Maresca to potentially look at a new option at right-back. There are links to Jules Kounde, but those rumours come with complications, as Barcelona would not sanction the sale of an important player in January unless it is for a huge sum. Similarly, Chelsea are interested in Jeremie Frimpong. But again, Bayer Leverkusen are unlikely to entertain enquiries in the middle of the season. Chelsea like Kayode Michael Kayode has been on Chelsea’s radar, with Inter Milan also keen on the right-back from Fiorentina. The Blues are reportedly ahead of the competition for the 20-year-old highly-rated full-back, as he could emerge as a target that could be available for a transfer, with the Serie A outfit reported open to selling. Kayode has impressed throughout last season and has proven his worth again for Fiorentina since the start of the current campaign. Hence, Chelsea would be eager to take a deeper look into what the 20-year-old brings to their side before deciding on a bid ahead of the January transfer window.

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https://www.vipleague.pm/football-sports-stream Аrsеnаl – Bоltоn Wаndеrеrs England. League Cup / 25 September at 19:45 Lіvеrрооl – Wеst Hаm Unіtеd England. League Cup / 25 September at 20:00 https://top.soccerstreams100.io/

Hello Lewis!

I know very little about him. Great goal here: