Vesper

Xavis is a right footer Kendry is a lefty

we paid £107m for him so 200 per cent (ie double) would be £214m (€247.5m) that extra £14m could buy at least one Brasilian 15yo who could come here in 2028 and be loaned out for 3 years, LOLOLOLOL

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cj4ekq5g5yyo

Fichajes bollocks, beware: According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Argentine is ‘very popular’ amongst Real Madrid management and they are ‘convinced that he would be a key player in dominating the midfield in the coming years.” They also state that the thinking is Fernandez could be the successor to Toni Kroos after the German retired last year. However, to prise him away from Chelsea is expected to cost a significant amount with the publication suggesting the London club would not let him go for anything less than €130m. Chelsea paid Benfica £106.8m in 2023, making him the club’s most expensive signing. To raise that money, Madrid are reportedly willing to let Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Fran García leave this summer, a trio they hope could raise €150m in transfer fees.

correct, but he is effective at LW as well, at least when I have seen him play

Ice cold in the Caribbean: Palmer's first trip to St Kitts https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/videos/c3r90wyj7z3o Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer visits the Caribbean island of St Kitts - where his paternal grandfather was born - for the first time. WATCH: Cole Palmer- Made in St Kitts on BBC iPlayer READ MORE: Cole Palmer given hero's reception on St Kitts visit https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cew0q4dd8rgo Cole Palmer was given a hero's welcome on Monday when he arrived in St Kitts for the first time, fresh from playing a starring role in Chelsea beating Paris St-Germain to win the Club World Cup in the United States. The Caribbean island is the birthplace of his grandfather, Sterry, and Palmer wears the flag of St Kitts and Nevis - alongside the England flag - on his football boots to honour his family's roots. Deputy prime minister Geoffrey Hanley and tourism minister Marsha T Henderson greeted the 23-year-old and his family at the airport alongside traditional Masquerade performers. Palmer said: "Landing in St Kitts off the back of winning the Club World Cup felt really special. It's where my grandad's love for football started. The island is beautiful and really chilled. I can't wait to explore the mountains, rainforest and sea - and to try out the food." Terrance Drew, St Kitts' prime minister, added: "Cole Palmer's visit to St Kitts and Nevis is a powerful reminder of the strength and pride of our diaspora. "His presence and mentorship will inspire the next generation to believe that global success is possible, no matter where you come from. We are proud to welcome him home and deeply grateful for his commitment to our young people and to the development of sports in our federation." Henderson said: "The Palmers already have a special connection to the island and that will only grow as they spend time exploring our lush rainforests, picturesque mountains and stunning waters, and savouring our rich culture and cuisine."

almost everytime I watched him play at Bayerns he was shit almost as bad as Upamecano other than Tah (and only on a free) I do not rate anyof their CBs

fake pic

fake pic here is the real one

oh HELL NO

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/168546403/Chelsea Nicolas Jackson has emerged as a top target for Aston Villa, with his former manager Unai Emery keen to work with him again. (Dharmesh Sheth, Sky Sports) Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell is expected to become a top priority transfer target for newly-promoted Leeds United this summer. (Football Insider) Chelsea are eyeing Kim Min-jae from Bayern Munich this summer, with some talk of a possible swap deal between the two clubs becoming a serious option. (Tuttomercatoweb) Morgan Rogers to Chelsea could be one to watch as he’s now reportedly their top target for the rest of the summer, though Aston Villa want as much as £80m to let him go. (Sun)

the big issue with Wissa is he turns 29yo in 6 and a half weeks, on September 3rd, so no truly long term future there, once you get past the next 3 seasons or so, his resale value will drop like a rock

Ajax sold Jurriën Timber, a very similar player to Hato (Timber is right footed and plays RB and CB, Hato is left footed and plays LB and CB) to Arse for £34 million + £4.5m in add-ons (£38.5m in toto), so £40m to £50m, (split the difference and say £45m) is a fair price. £60m is fucking extortion as that is a full £21.5m MORE for Hato than Timber. £50m is the absolute max we should go.

The best heat wave-approved wines to enjoy this summer — and it’s not just whites Here's what should be in your wine glass when the mercury soars https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/the-best-heat-wave-wines/ Summer is officially here, meaning school’s out, the pool’s packed, and there’s going to be a heat wave (or three). That means the need for refreshment will be at an all-time high. And while we love a good frozen cocktail or ice cold lager, we’re not hanging up our wine glass just because the thermometer is reading 90 F. We know, it’s temping to just throw ’em all in the fridge not matter the varietal. That, or just treat your glass to some ice or frozen fruit before pouring the wine in. But there’s a better way. Some wines do better on the cool side than others, and we’re here to break ’em down for you. Here are some captivating wine options for the hottest time of the year. And no, they’re not all sparkling wines and whites. Pet-Nat Image used with permission by copyright holder Pet-Net is essentially the lighter version of sparkling that does oh so well with hot weather favorites like oysters and prosciutto-wrapped melon. More and more domestic producers are trying their hands at the style, popular now thanks to a significant interest in leaner wines. These wines tend to have a bit of intriguing funk to them and are so, so fresh. Melon Image used with permission by copyright holder Originally from France where it’s known as Muscadet, Melon has a decent presence here in the states. This bright and light-as-a-feather white is all you need in the cooler, preferably plus some ceviche. A couple of great domestic options include De Ponte Cellars and Helioterra Wines. If you can’t locate those, you should be able to get locate some French options at your local bottle shop. Do as the French do and pair it up with goat cheese or mussels. Etna Bianco Image used with permission by copyright holder Sicily knows all about hot weather and these native white blends are perfect for a picnic. Etna Bianco takes advantage of rich volcanic soil and tends to produce aromatic wines with lots of depth on the palate. Carricante is one of the main grapes and what you get in the glass is a healthy slice of the Mediterranean, in the form of citrus, fresh herbs, minerality and a little bit of sea air. Enjoy just the wine or try some with southern Italian staples like arancini, grilled veggies, or lighter pastas. Dry Riesling Gladston Joseph / Gladston Joseph Thriving in cool climate areas like northern Europe and Oregon, Riesling offers a bracing acidity that can chill you to the bone. Go with a dry and chilled option more times than not, unless you’re pairing it up with spicy food, in which case an off-dry option can balance out the heat with a little residual sugar. Great options are coming out of both coasts in the U.S. at the moment, with the Long Island area in particular worth seeking out. Chilled Gamay Noir Image used with permission by copyright holder One of the lightest reds around loves a good chill and some cold cut meats. Seek out some from the west coast, in cooler growing areas like the Willamette Valley or higher-elevation California American Viticultural Areas. The varietal is always juicy, an unctuous option that performs like a complex fruit punch for adults. The red fruit flavors go great with proteins like turkey. Even a slight chill, like the temp of your wine fridge or just a short spell in the regular fridge is enough to make this wine very inviting on a warm day. New hybrid wines Quadronet_Webdesign / Pixabay Domestic producers are blending white and red varietals for some refreshing results. The results, like this chill-able red wine from Landmass, can be quite mesmerizing. The style fuses red and white wine, with the nuance of the former and the drinkability of the latter. Keep a bottle in your fridge at the ready this summer. Keep ’em cool Kichigin / Shutterstock There are intelligent ways to keep your wine cool. After all, cold is not really what you’re after unless it’s super hot outside. An over-chilled wine will rob it of its aromatics and flavors. Go with the 20-minute rule if you’re keeping wine in the fridge. In other words, pull the wine out and let it set at room temperature for 20 minutes before cracking. Some wines, like most sparkling, is just fine on ice. If you’re traveling with wine, even if just to the local beach or park, you’ll want to keep it cool as well. There are expensive gadgets for such a thing which you’re more than welcome to explore. Otherwise, go with what you might already have. You can wrap a bottle in a cooling compression sleeve or even rubber band an ice pack to the bottle for short trips. Wine chiller sticks can be effective too, basically cold wands that you dip into the wine. We’re all-in when it comes to summer. Check out our related features on the best Sauvignon Blanc and pairing sushi and wine, an ultra-refreshing pair if there ever was one. Stay cool this summer, people.

If you’re gonna make a Daiquiri, go with a recipe from a 250-year-old rum brand A rum and sun soaked drink for summertime https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/how-to-make-an-appleton-estate-daiquiri-cocktail/ ‘Tis the season for hammock naps and long meandering walks on the sand. Can’t get to the beach? That’s okay, we’ve got a great three ingredient cocktail that will transport you there. The Daiquiri is a classic, built around little more than the ideal pairing of rum and citrus. When dialed-in, the tropical drink is one of the best in the business. If palm fronds and sea breezes could be put into a cocktail glass, well, this recipe would be it. Granted, there are no shortage of good Daiquiri recipes out there. One from Appleton Estate is a little different, as it borrows from more than 250 years in the rum-making business. In short, the outfit knows a thing or two about a great rum cocktail. Read on for a taste straight from Jamaica. The Jamaican Daiquiri Appleton Estate Rum, fresh citrus, a little simple. That’s all it takes to showcase an excellent spirit. And if you prefer things on the dryer side, skip the simple altogether. Ingredients: 2 ounces Appleton Estate Signature 1 ounce fresh lime juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup Method: Combine ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lime wedge. While we’re on the topic, check out our Hawaiian rum guide. The Rainbow State is turning out some excellent stuff and it’s time to take notice. Here’s to a breezy summer.

Centrist Democrats Are the Actual Traitors to Their Party While progressives often get accused of undermining the Democratic Party, the evidence shows that it’s the moderate wing that most often violates the “Vote Blue No Matter Who” principle. https://newrepublic.com/article/197994/centrist-democrats-cuomo-jeffries-traitors-party Andrew Cuomo’s back—or rather, he’s refusing to go away. This week, the former Democratic governor and onetime presidential aspirant announced he will continue contesting the race for New York City mayor, despite having decisively lost the Democratic primary earlier this month to Zohran Mamdani. And Cuomo announced his general-election campaign in perhaps the cringiest way imaginable: with a video that tried to ape Mamdani’s youthful social-media strategy and streetcorner appeal, but instead resembled a elderly hostage’s proof-of-life. No wonder it got ratioed; as of this writing, Cuomo’s post had around 5,000 likes on Twitter, while Mamdani’s comment below the video—he simply shared a link for donations—sits at 180,000. Cuomo’s decision to run a third-party campaign against the Democratic nominee, after Democratic voters decisively rejected him in favor of that nominee, does not exist in a vacuum. It comes as a number of centrist Democratic leaders—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul—have refused to endorse Mamdani. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes challenged Jeffries on Tuesday, asking why he wasn’t backing a Democratic nominee in Jeffries’s own city: “What do you say to people who say, ‘What gives? Why are you not endorsing the guy who won the Democratic primary in a contested election in your backyard?’” Jeffries’s response was the same gobbledygook we’ve come to expect from him, which is to say it’s not even worth quoting here. Other Democrats have gone even further. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand went on a bigoted rant falsely claiming Zohran supported “global jihad” (she later apologized). Dean Phillips, the former congressman who challenged President Biden for the Democratic nomination last year, said he ultimately believed there was no room in the party for “socialists” like Mamdani (who is a democratic socialist, specifically). And the list goes on. These skeptics and naysayers will likely have little effect on the actual general election results come November. Mamdani, who earned more votes than any candidate has ever earned in the history of New York City Democratic primaries, has significantly higher favorability ratings among voters than any of his critics. But the failure of so many centrist Democrats to rally around the Democratic nominee in a race to lead the biggest and most culturally dominant city in America does effectively illustrate an underrecognized and often misrepresented dynamic in Democratic politics: that it is actually the party’s centrist establishment, not its progressive wing, that’s most likely to violate the maxim of “Vote Blue No Matter Who.” This is worth noting, because for years it’s been centrists who have used “Vote Blue No Matter Who” as a cudgel to discipline progressives by equating criticism of the party establishment with a refusal to back Democrats in general elections. Those who have tried to push the party to change course—to embrace universal healthcare, support a ban on stock trading, elevate younger leaders—have probably at some point been scolded to “Vote Blue No Matter Who,” as if pushing Democrats to be better is partisan treachery. But this charge has never been based in reality. In fact, the go-to examples used by these centrist scolds to support their claims against progressives militate in the opposite direction. Take Bernie Sanders. I know nobody wants to relitigate 2016, but there are still many in the Democratic establishment—from politicians to consultants to influencers—who charge both Sanders and his supporters with not backing Clinton in the general election against Donald Trump. This is a claim that can be empirically tested, and it is objectively false. Sanders went all in for Clinton following her official nomination by the party, holding an astonishing 39 rallies in the final months of the election. This was widely recognized at the time—a sampling of major outlets’ headlines in the fall of 2016 include “Bernie Sanders Packs Schedule With Campaign Stops for Hillary Clinton”; “Bernie Sanders Goes to Bat for Clinton in Her Fight to Win Over Young Voters”; “Bernie Sanders’s Hard Fight for Hillary Clinton”; and “Bernie Sanders Goes ‘All In’ for Hillary Clinton.” It’s also not true that Sanders’s supporters disproportionately refused to vote for Clinton. Indeed, a higher percentage of Sanders’s voters backed Clinton in 2016 than Clinton’s supporters backed Barack Obama in the 2008 general election. The same applies to the 2020 election, when progressive candidates and voters rallied overwhelmingly behind Biden (though it’s worth noting that Biden’s winning campaign made much more of an effort to reach out to and engage these constituencies than Clinton’s did). In each of these elections, progressives overwhelmingly accepted their disappointing primary losses and got to work supporting their non-preferred Democratic nominees in the general election. A more recent example that establishment Democrats frequently invoke to accuse the party’s left wing of insufficient loyalty is the Uncommitted campaign, an effort by Palestinian, Muslim, and progressive Democrats to push Biden to change his morally and politically disastrous support for Israel’s war on Gaza by voting “uncommitted” in the 2024 Democratic primary. What these accusations ignore is that the Uncommitted campaign was explicitly a primary strategy. As one of its organizers, Waleed Shahid, explained, the effort was based on a “disciplined hypothesis: that a protest vote in the primaries, executed inside the party of which we were members, could force a recalibration early enough to matter. We weren’t trying to blow up the coalition. We were trying to keep it alive.” Compare this approach to that of the many establishment Democrats who worked hard to clear the 2024 primary of any credible alternatives to Biden—an act of supposed party “loyalty” that proved fatal for the Democratic Party, and brought us a second Trump administration. Of course, the Uncommitted campaign’s hypothesis proved incorrect—neither Biden nor Kamala Harris were ultimately swayed to make even the smallest possible effort to appeal to voters horrified by their unflagging support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocide. And, as Uncommitted predicted and tried to prevent, this led to a collapse in Harris’s support among Muslim voters (perhaps best exemplified by the eye-popping 117-point shift in the heavily Arab American city of Dearborn, Michigan, which flipped from 88 percent support for Biden in 2020 to just 13 percent support for Harris in 2024). And yet, despite Harris’s utter rejection of the campaign, including even its most minor and symbolic of demands, Uncommitted remained committed to defeating Trump, publicly urging supporters to vote for Harris in the general election because, as Uncommitted leader and Palestinian state representative Ruwa Romman wrote in a Rolling Stone essay addressed to her community, “people in my district and state cannot survive another Trump presidency.” This gets to the fundamental contrast at issue here. The establishment deploys “Vote Blue No Matter Who” against progressives who try to use primary processes to influence the party’s direction, despite the fact that after those primaries—which the left loses far more often than it wins—progressives invariably assume the posture of good Democratic soldiers. Centrists, on the other hand, scold progressives who are critical of the party establishment during primaries, but on the rare occasions they lose those primaries, they can’t be counted on to reciprocate that support. As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it to a NY1 reporter: “I, as a Democrat, support the Democratic nominee. It’s disappointing to see how people want the party to rally behind the nominee when that nominee is them—and then that principle gets thrown out the window when the nominee is someone they don’t like.” It’s easy to say “Vote Blue No Matter Who” when that means voting for your own worldview, interests, and preferred Democratic candidate. It’s a lot harder when it requires supporting someone you deeply oppose on issues that are critically important to you. Progressives have spent our entire lives swallowing our feelings to do the latter, and still getting attacked by the establishment with accusations of disloyalty. But the moment the dynamic flips—as occurred with Mamdani’s victory in New York, where, it should be noted, he faces a contested general election against at least one candidate who is essentially a puppet of Donald Trump, and another who’s been practically endorsed by him—the establishment proves its loyalty is not to the Democratic Party, but to its own ironclad control of the party. Rather than allow ourselves to be framed as an untrustworthy partner within the Democratic coalition, it’s time for progressives to reclaim our role as the most committed core of that coalition: We represent, in the words of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, the “Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.”

Chelsea are champions of the world. So what happens next? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6497531/2025/07/17/Chelsea-cwc-title-transfers-stadium-ownership/ Chelsea are champions of the world. That may sound strange, even to many fans, at the end of a season in which Enzo Maresca’s team finished fourth in the Premier League and lifted UEFA’s third-tier club competition, the Conference League. But there can be no diminishing the emphatic manner of their 3-0 victory over recently-crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Chelsea were deserving winners of Gianni Infantino’s inaugural expanded FIFA Club World Cup, netting $114.6m (£84.5m) in prize money in the process. That triumph, and that financial windfall, opens up a world of possibilities. It also raises a number of questions about what happens next at Chelsea — questions that The Athletic will attempt to answer. What will they do with the cash? Firstly, the players and coaching staff will all receive a sizeable bonus equivalent to that which would have been awarded had Chelsea won the Champions League. This is all in keeping with Chelsea’s policy of handing out incentivised contracts rewarding success. The sudden injection of extra revenue has made no difference to Chelsea’s transfer plans, though. They are already happy with the business done so far this summer in adding three players to their attack in Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens. More arrivals could be made, but they will be dependent upon player departures. That is the main focus for the time being — the plan is to smooth more exits than incomings before the end of the window. The club have a number of squad members who are not part of their long-term plans and are also looking to go elsewhere. Those on the list include Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu and Axel Disasi. Among many possible remaining transfer targets are Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. They have also made an enquiry for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato. Simon Johnson Delap has made a favourable first impression at Chelsea (Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images) How will this affect pre-season? The price of playing a full month of competitive football in the United States is that Chelsea will not have a normal full pre-season. Those who competed at the tournament have now been given three weeks off, which means they will not return to the training ground at Cobham until the first week of August. Estevao Willian, who agreed to join from Palmeiras last year, and Gittens (who signed from Borussia Dortmund) may report earlier, given their teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. It is customary these days for footballers to do their own training while away on vacation to stay in shape, but it is obviously not the same as working together with the entire group. Chelsea saw the Club World Cup as part of their pre-season preparations. It is one of the reasons they wanted to secure Delap, Joao Pedro and Gittens early so they could start to integrate with their new team-mates. Maresca also worked on new tactics and systems during the competition with next season in mind. But Chelsea have just two friendlies, against Bayer Leverkusen and Milan, before their opening Premier League game versus Crystal Palace. There are players who have been training at Cobham for 10 days now, but they are returning loanees who are expected to be sold. Simon Johnson Estevao Willian speaks with his future club-mates after Palmeiras’ 2-1 defeat by Chelsea (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images) Are the owners now getting along? Todd Boehly has been the only one to break the public silence on Chelsea’s ownership dynamic since his tensions with majority shareholders Clearlake Capital spilled out last September, giving semi-regular interviews at various business conferences and, most recently, a short exclusive conversation with talkSPORT. But even then, what he did not say was as illuminating as the words he chose. “I think the form that you’ve seen is everything we hoped when we were putting this together with (co-sporting directors) Laurence (Stewart) and Paul (Winstanley),” Boehly told talkSPORT. “Behdad (Eghbali) and I couldn’t be more grateful for the success that they’ve had, and for all Chelsea fans everywhere. We’re just so thrilled, and thank you for sticking with us. We’re really excited about what the future holds.” Boehly did not shed any light on the health of his relationship with Clearlake co-founder Eghbali, the state of which was a prompt for both parties to explore options to buy out the other last year and was detailed by The Athletic. It was a surprise to see Boehly walking out alongside United States President Donald Trump as Chelsea’s representative in the Club World Cup medal ceremony on Sunday, given that it is Eghbali who remains the most actively engaged owner in the club’s daily operations and the most visible member of ownership at most games. The relationship is described by sources with knowledge of the situation as professional, but the issues that arose last year have not gone away. While Chelsea are functioning successfully within the status quo, it is hard to escape the conclusion that something has to give as the club seek to navigate big decisions ahead — chiefly how best to proceed with a stadium plan. Liam Twomey FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump, Boehly and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi at MetLife Stadium (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) What is happening with the stadium? Gaining clarity on when — and where — Chelsea might be playing in a new stadium would be an even bigger milestone for the club than winning the Club World Cup. As detailed by The Athletic in March, a stand-by-stand renovation of Stamford Bridge has been discounted due to the costs and disruption involved in such a process, as well as the limited ability to improve match-day experience or capacity. That leaves only two options: demolishing Chelsea’s historic home and building an entirely new arena on the site, or acquiring the large plot of land that formerly housed the Earls Court Exhibition Centre and building there. Staying and redeveloping Stamford Bridge to the specifications that Clearlake and Boehly are looking for is exceptionally complicated, to the point of potentially being unfeasible. It would be logistically far easier to build a modern super-stadium on the much larger Earls Court site, but that land must be purchased from property developer Delancey, Transport for London (TfL), the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). That is unlikely to be simple, or cheap, and then there is the fact that any permanent move away from Stamford Bridge would require 76 per cent approval in a vote of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), the supporter group that owns the freehold to the club’s current home. Roman Abramovich failed to clear that dauntingly high bar when attempting to buy the freehold in 2011. An aerial view of Stamford Bridge in 2000, showing Earls Court Exhibition Centre, top (English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images) Chelsea are currently caught between two unenviable stadium options, and are trying to strike a balance between thorough due diligence and a sense of urgency to avoid the club falling behind the Premier League rivals who can boast bigger, newer stadiums. In the meantime, Delancey’s own big plans for the Earls Court land are moving forward: a decision on planning approval for their sprawling proposed mixed-use development that would include 4,000 new homes is expected from LBHF and RBKC at the end of July. Liam Twomey What You Should Read Next Chelsea and Stamford Bridge: Should Boehly-Clearlake stick or twist? Whatever decision Chelsea make on their stadium will be expensive and difficult, but it will also define the Boehly-Clearlake ownership How close are they to securing a front-of-shirt sponsor? Chelsea are talking to up to 10 major brands and are looking at signing a long-term deal worth £60million a year. They feel in a strong position to generate such a sum for a number of reasons. It clearly helps that Chelsea are back in the Champions League and have also just won the Club World Cup. But the club believes firms will also want to be associated with the youngest team in the Premier League, a side crammed with exciting players like Cole Palmer, Estevao and Moises Caicedo. Chelsea have the potential to be one of the best sides for several seasons and being the only club without a front-of-shirt sponsor right now means they do not face competition from rival clubs. They have received bids over the past 12 months that were for much lower sums and/or for a short length of time. A conscious decision was made to wait in case their argument for a greater price improved courtesy of a return to the Champions League. That decision appears to have paid off. There is confidence a new partnership will be agreed. Simon Johnson Chelsea won the Club World Cup without a front-of-shirt sponsor (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Can they win the Premier League next season? The question has certainly been asked outside Stamford Bridge in the immediate aftermath of the team lifting the Club World Cup. But, internally, no one is getting carried away by such talk or overexcited by their achievements over the last few months. Chelsea won the UEFA Conference League and qualified for the Champions League for the first time under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium via a fourth-place Premier League finish. The overriding message, though, is to stay humble. There is a recognition that a number of leading clubs — including defending champions Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal — are doing good business during the transfer window. The competition is only going to be stronger next term. The only expectation for next season is to qualify for the Champions League via a top four/five finish again and to go on good runs in the cup competitions they are involved in — the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Simon Johnson Will they defend their Club World Cup trophy in four years’ time? FIFA are yet to adopt a definitive position on whether winning the Club World Cup guarantees entry into the next edition of the tournament. That is not hugely surprising, given how hastily this summer’s inaugural expanded competition was arranged in the U.S.. The answer may depend on where football’s governing body looks to for precedent. World Cup winners have not been given automatic passage into the next edition of the tournament since France in 2002, but winning UEFA’s flagship Champions League grants qualification for the league phase of the following season’s competition. As things stand, there is no mechanism for Chelsea to be certain that they will be Club World Cup participants in 2029. But as FIFA demonstrated with a convenient interpretation of their entry criteria to ensure the presence of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at this summer’s tournament, the entry rules of such a new competition are not fixed. Messi competing at this year’s tournament with Inter Miami (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) It is possible that, by 2029, the Club World Cup may feature even more clubs. It is also possible that Chelsea could render this particular conversation moot by winning the Champions League at some point in the next four years, or by qualifying on merit via another means. In any case, you can be confident that Chelsea will lobby to be included again as defending champions — they would be foolish not to. Liam Twomey

I hate the Manure cunts same for Spuds Pool cheating twats Citeh Arse Leeds Bayern Juve Barca Real Madrid the ones in bold were the original Big Six (starting with the Juve Agenelli mafia scum, and maybe you could add in Ajax, but they were already going down the shitter due to their farmer league's lack of revenue) who forced in FFP to try and maintain their dominance because of AC Milan (Berlusconi), then us (Roman), and then Citeh and PSG

Bournemouth sign Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea on five-year contract https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6488728/2025/07/16/bournemouth-djordje-petrovic-Chelsea-transfer/ Bournemouth have confirmed the signing of Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea on a five-year contract. The Athletic reported on Friday that Petrovic, 25, had been granted permission to complete his medical with Bournemouth after the two clubs agreed a £25million deal. It completes the south-coast club’s search for a No 1 goalkeeper following the departure of Kepa Arrizabalaga, who spent the 2024-25 season on loan from Chelsea. Petrovic wanted assurance as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea could not promise that with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen featuring prominently during 2024-25. He was one of several out-of-favour players to return for preseason training at Cobham. “I’m really happy to be here,” Petrovic said in a club statement. “I came to Bournemouth because I want to grow and I want to play at the best level. “Together with this club, with these facilities, I think we can achieve it. I want to help the team get the results, improve every day and be a better player.” The Serbia international made 31 appearances for Strasbourg, Chelsea’s French sister club which is also owned by BlueCo, on loan last season, helping the team to a seventh-placed finish and was voted supporters’ player of the season. Petrovic made 31 appearances for Chelsea since signing for the Premier League club from MLS side New England Revolution in 2023. He was left out of Enzo Maresca’s Club World Cup squad which won the tournament after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final on June 13. He played 86 times for Serbian side FK Cukaricki before moving to New England in 2022, and earned seven caps for Serbia after making his senior international debut in 2021. Petrovic’s arrival comes a day after Mark Travers’ departure to Everton was confirmed.

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/168476015/Chelsea Morgan Rogers to Chelsea could be a deal triggered by Aston Villa’s interest in Blues striker Nicolas Jackson. (Matt Law) Joao Felix is ready to take a pay cut to leave Chelsea as he eyes a return to his former club Benfica as a priority this summer. (Mark Brus) Newcastle are in talks over signing Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, who has an asking price of €35m. (Mark Brus)

Ethan Nwaneri has reached an agreement with Arsenal for a new long-term contract, amid interest from Chelsea.

dog help us 😿

Rodrygo release clause Arsenal have reportedly hit a snag on their interest in Real Madrid star Rodrygo. According to Cadena, Real's £78million (€90m) asking price for the versatile forward is "too high" for the Gunners. The potential signings of Chelsea's Noni Madueke and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres are also said to have "complicated things considerably". The same source claims the Brazil international and Los Blancos are "at a standstill".

‘Brand Palmer’, Chelsea and how they can use Club World Cup to build U.S. popularity https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6494813/2025/07/16/Chelsea-cole-palmer-club-world-cup/ Cole Palmer was the face of Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign from the minute he stepped foot in the United States to the moment he got his hands on the trophy in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday night. The 23-year-old’s match-winning performance against favourites Paris Saint-Germain in the final, where he scored two goals in a 3-0 win, cemented his status as the Premier League club’s most important player, on and off the pitch. For Palmer, whose face has been plastered over billboards in New York City, the Club World Cup triumph has the potential to work wonders for his commercial appeal, especially before the international World Cup taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year. ‘Scary Good’ was the tagline to a Palmer billboard in Times Square in the build-up to Sunday’s final, and he more than lived up to that moniker. What You Should Read Next How Chelsea won the Club World Cup: Big bonuses, training-ground deals and ‘scary’ Palmer The inside story of Chelsea's unlikely triumph in New Jersey that was 329 days in the making He had already achieved crossover — largely down to his endearing personality and a goal celebration that earned him the nickname ‘Cold Palmer’ — but he has now had his breakout moment on the global stage. And with under a year to go until next summer’s World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the England international is uniquely positioned to capitalise on his Club World Cup success and continue to grow his commercial appeal in America. “Twelve months ago, beyond the celebration, you didn’t have any sort of big, high-profile performances that would define him and make him relevant to a U.S. audience,” Misha Sher, a global sports marketing expert and executive at WPP Media, tells The Athletic. “You now have those two things.” What You Should Read Next Cole Palmer really is ‘scary good’. This was his superstar moment Yet again, Palmer delivered when it mattered most for Chelsea, scoring twice and setting up the other goal in their final thrashing of PSG Cole Palmer opened the scoring against PSG in the Club World Cup final (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) Palmer’s talent with a football, coupled with his personality, is a recipe for success when it comes to growing a following. He is adored for being his authentic self and regularly goes viral on social media for his unintentional one-liners. A clip from Sunday night, when a confused Palmer appears to say, “Wait, wait, what is he doing?”, before Chelsea captain Reece James lifts the Club World Cup trophy has been viewed millions of times. The ‘he’ Palmer was referring to is Donald Trump, the American president, who handed over the trophy and then decided to stay for the celebrations. He was not overtly trying to be funny, and yet another example of how he cuts through by simply being himself. For Sher, however, showing he can win and perform in the biggest moments is even more important than his ability to effortlessly generate engagement online. “In the past, you would say he’s got a quirky character, he’s capable of some magic, and he’s got a cool celebration,” Sher says. “All of those are nice, but they fade in comparison to defining moments that can solidify your position in the hearts and minds of fans. “He was named player of the tournament and that takes him to a completely different sphere because Americans love a breakout star. He fits the profile that an American audience loves.” For next year’s World Cup, Sher believes there will be “major interest” in Palmer from American companies as his “relevance is high” and there’s a good chance he will “get even bigger over the next 12 months”. “There are moments that can define what happens next in a player’s career,” Sher adds. “You can use the success, attention and profile as a platform to build his brand. “Rather than hoping that some of the brands will reach out to him, I would be proactively building a strategy to capitalise on this opportunity and grow Cole Palmer’s brand in the U.S. — there will be so much appetite.” Palmer with the Club World Cup and Golden Ball trophies (Hector Vivas – FIFA via Getty Images) Sher cites the importance of Palmer working with “some of the biggest media companies” in the U.S. over the next 12 months to “keep that momentum going”. Palmer has already developed several notable endorsement deals, including with Burberry, the luxury British fashion house. He is also a Nike athlete and has done promotional work for EA FC, the football video game. What You Should Read Next The cult of ‘Cold Palmer’ has reached America – can he become a global brand? Cole Palmer is one of the Premier League's biggest stars but can the 22-year-old Chelsea and England forward take his name worldwide? Adrian Wright, a director at Sporting Group International and former commercial director at English Championship club West Bromwich Albion, explains one method Palmer and his team might use to grow his platform in America. “He will have reports behind his Instagram account that would show what countries people are following him from, what’s the age demographic,” Wright explains. “An agency would identify brands linked to Palmer’s social following, take that analysis and then identify brands relevant to that demographic.” https://www.instagram.com/p/DMEApOkBKMa/ It won’t just be Palmer who may attempt to reap the benefits of a successful month in America, though. Chelsea should see this as a chance to supercharge their plans to grow in North America, a vital market for the club. The Athletic has detailed why the Premier League side are leaning heavily on their London heritage in marketing campaigns, hoping to capture a global audience, but there is nothing quite like lifting a trophy. What You Should Read Next CFC LDN: Why Chelsea are leaning on their London heritage with new branding CFC LDN has been popping up around Chelsea's ground and on social media recently - but what does it mean? “If they can’t leverage this win, then they never will,” says Wright. “If I was a commercial director there, I would be switching all of our activity to the U.S. and just making sure that everybody knew about the win and what it means for them.” The room for growth at Chelsea was evident early in the tournament. Chelsea’s group-stage match against Los Angeles FC, for example, was attended by just over 22,000 spectators at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has a capacity of 71,000. Chelsea’s game against LAFC was sparsely attended (Kevin C Cox/Getty Images) Their last-16 win against Benfica attracted just under 26,000 fans at the Bank of America Stadium — only Fluminense’s 2-0 win against Inter had a lower turnout (20,030 at the same ground) among the knockout-stage games. Before their semi-final against Fluminense, several Chelsea players, including Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, tried to shift tickets via their Instagram profiles. It could be argued that FIFA’s dynamic ticket pricing and poor ticket sales, at least in the early games, didn’t help Chelsea — they weren’t the only side to experience low attendances — but it does suggest they are yet to crack America. New York City’s iconic Empire State Building was lit up in blue to mark the club’s win, an example of the opportunity they have to cash in on previously unexplored commercial opportunities. What You Should Read Next Tickets for Club World Cup semi-final reduced from $473 to $13 in just 72 hours It means that it could be cheaper to buy a ticket to that semi-final than buy a cheesesteak ($15) or beer ($14) inside MetLife. A YouGov survey conducted between July 10 and July 13, which gathered just over 1,000 responses from adults in America, showed Chelsea are still behind Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Liverpool for popularity and fame in the U.S. Five per cent of respondents said they had a ‘very favourable’ view of Chelsea, while 11 per cent said their view was ‘somewhat favourable’. Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona scored seven per cent on the ‘very favourable’ metric. However, the survey also highlighted how soccer in general still has plenty of room for growth in the U.S., with 62 per cent of the respondents saying they do not follow the sport and held no view on any of the clubs. During their time in America, Chelsea only held one fan engagement event, which took place in Manhattan on the eve of the final and was dubbed ‘Legends Night’. Claude Makelele, a former Chelsea midfielder, attended and took part in a Q&A session. Chelsea’s fan engagement event in New York (Carl Recine – FIFA via Getty Images) Manchester City, on the other hand, who were knocked out by Al Hilal in the last-16, held fan engagement events in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Orlando, showing there is room for improvement for Chelsea when it comes to engaging their U.S. supporter groups. What You Should Read Next How Manchester City became the most popular Premier League team in America According to NBC, City appeared in three of their top-five most-watched Premier League matches in 2023 Chelsea say there are 100 different supporter groups in the U.S., with around 25,000 members, and that they are working on launching a new and improved supporters club programme for their overseas fans. “They should use winning this trophy as a strategic platform,” Sher adds. “They can tell the story of an exciting young squad that they built that, against all odds, beat this PSG machine, and beat them convincingly. “They can take a leaf out of what PSG have done to build their brand in the U.S. and other parts of the world.” What You Should Read Next PSG’s strategic ‘Paris’ branding is a masterstroke – but do they have star power to break the U.S.? The French club has links with the NFL and Air Jordan and a store on Fifth Avenue - but experts say they have a way to go to break America Chelsea’s successful Club World Cup has earned them just over $114million (£85.2m) in participation and prize money — but there is undoubtedly plenty of commercial income still on the table, especially as they are yet to announce a front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2025-26 season. All Premier League sides talk about the importance of growing their brands in America — Palmer and Chelsea have put themselves in a position to do exactly that.