Vesper

I said most all listed were crazy expensive:

That graphic is very wrong. Post 2012 CL win international title games we have lost: 2012 UEFA Super Cup - We lost 1 4 to Atletico Madrid 2012 FIFA World Club Cup - We lost nil 1 to Corinthians 2013 UEFA Super Cup - We lost on pens to Bayern, the Lukaku fail 2019 UEFA Super Cup - We lost on pens to Pool, the Tammy fail

The great EV pullback has begun Automakers are canceling or delaying new electric models amid political whiplash after the signing of Trump’s EV-tax-break-killing budget bill. https://www.theverge.com/electric-cars/700767/ev-cancel-delay-tax-credit-nissan-honda-tesla Electric vehicles are at a crossroads. Sales are still going up, but many automakers are canceling or delaying new models, worried by recent policy moves that will make EVs more expensive to own. Every day seems to bring fresh news of a delayed EV or a timeline that’s been pushed back, as automakers struggle to adapt to this newly volatile environment. President Donald Trump’s tariffs aren’t helping much, nor is the recent passage of his $3.4 trillion “big, beautiful” budget bill, which takes a sledgehammer to most EV incentive programs. And Trump’s decision to reverse tougher emissions rules passed under former President Joe Biden is just icing on a pretty unappetizing cake. Expect a big push by car dealers to sell EVs before the $7,500 tax credit ends in September. But after that, the future looks dicey. Many car companies are still assessing the damage, but delaying future models seems like the most popular move right now. “Automakers that delayed launches over the last few years might have benefited from monitoring the market; however, today’s escalating challenges could be deemed insurmountable, likely resulting in more outright cancellations if the models lack a future abroad,” says Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds. To be sure, EVs are absolutely here to stay. As many surveys have found, once you go EV, you’re less likely to ever go back to internal combustion engines. Drury notes that nearly half the time (45 percent) an EV is utilized as a trade-in at a dealership for a new vehicle, the purchase is for another EV. But in the interest of clarity, let’s do a run down of all the models’ uncertain futures. Ferrari Ferrari pushed back plans to launch its second fully electric vehicle, according to a report from Reuters, with an anonymous source noting that there is “zero” demand for high-performance electric cars right now. Ford The Blue Oval had the foresight to cancel its three-row electric SUV before Trump’s win in the US presidential election last November. Instead, Ford is banking on a future lineup of inexpensive EVs that are under development by its skunkworks team in Silicon Valley. In the meantime, Ford expects to release a bunch of new gas and hybrid-powered three-row SUVs. Honda The Japanese automaker has reportedly canceled plans for a large electric SUV. It was supposed to launch in 2027, but according to a report from Nikkei Asia, Honda has halted development on the model and slashed how much it plans to spend on EVs through 2030. This comes two years after Honda canceled its plan with GM to jointly release a new lineup of cheaper EVs. Honda says it still plans on releasing its Honda Zero models in the US next year. Lamborghini The ultra-luxury sports carmaker is considering postponing its first EV, the production version of the Lanzador concept from 2023, citing cooling market conditions. Lamborghini is also delaying its plans for an all-electric Urus. Instead, it plans to release a performance version of its plug-in hybrid crossover. Nissan Nissan is cutting production plans for its refreshed Leaf EV and is delaying two EVs that were scheduled to be built at its Canton, Mississippi, plant. According to an internal memo, Nissan is delaying production of the Leaf by about 10 months, citing slowing US demand as a result of the Trump administration’s decision to cut EV tax credits. Other projects to watch Image: Rivian Rivian, which just received another $1 billion from its joint venture with Volkswagen, says it’s still going ahead with its plan to release the R2 in 2026. But there’s no word on when the buzzy R3 hatchback will go into production. 2026 is the same year that Slate Auto is expected to begin delivering its barebones electric truck, which was supposed to cost “under $20,000” thanks to EV incentives. Now that those tax breaks are gone, Slate has scrubbed the price promotion from its website, replacing it with an expected price in the “mid-twenties.” I’m also nervously watching Volkswagen’s lineup of affordable EVs, which right now go by the model names ID.EVERY1 (priced at €20,000, or about $23,380) and ID.2all (€25,000, or about $29,225). The company is finally seeing some success with its EVs, with global sales surging about 50 percent in the first half of 2025 year over year. But Volkswagen is struggling to sell its ID.Buzz electric van in the US, which could ultimately dissuade it from bringing its cheaper models to North America. And there’s also no official word about Tesla’s supposed affordable EV. Tesla, which is on track to sell less EVs this year (and for the second consecutive year), hasn’t said when the new model will be released. It’s expected to be a cheaper version of the Model Y. Meanwhile, China’s EV market continues to grow. Morgan Stanley recently estimated that China’s battery-electric market is seven times larger than the US, with the lead widening every year. Drury says those hoping for an all-EV future may want to temper their expectations. “While EV supporters may be hoping for a replacement ratio closer to one-to-one, it’s worth considering that EV tech has a long runway of advancement for future generations,” he says, “even if that future is delayed.”

agree these are the main remotely (some are almost impossible) available CLEAR upgrades over Nico atm and most all are insanely expensive and/or will not move this window (or are on the verge of moving) Alexander Isak Julian Alvarez Lautaro Martinez Viktor Gyökeres Victor Osimhen Hugo Ekitiké Benjamin Šeško maybe Samu Aghehowa ones that are NOT available that are CLEAR upgrades Erling Haaland Kylian Mbappé (if you count him as a CF) Omar Marmoush Harry Kane and maybe Jonathan David Gonçalo Ramos wild card (short term, due to his age) Robert Lewandowski

2024 Nobel Prize Laureate Geoffrey Hinton, The 'Godfather of AI': I Tried to Warn Them, But We've Already Lost Control He pioneered AI, now he’s warning the world. Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton breaks his silence on the deadly dangers of AI no one is prepared for. Geoffrey Hinton is a leading computer scientist and cognitive psychologist, widely recognised as the ‘Godfather of AI’ for his pioneering work on neural networks and deep learning. He received the 2018 Turing Award, often called the Nobel Prize of computing. In 2023, he left Google to warn people about the rising dangers of AI. He explains: ◽️ Why there’s a real 20% chance AI could lead to HUMAN EXTINCTION. ◽️ How speaking out about AI got him SILENCED. ◽️ The deep REGRET he feels for helping create AI. ◽️ The 6 DEADLY THREATS AI poses to humanity right now. ◽️ AI’s potential to advance healthcare, boost productivity, and transform education. — ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:11 Why Do They Call You the Godfather of AI? 04:20 Warning About the Dangers of AI 07:06 Concerns We Should Have About AI 10:33 European AI Regulations 12:12 Cyber Attack Risk 14:25 How to Protect Yourself From Cyber Attacks 16:12 Using AI to Create Viruses 17:26 AI and Corrupt Elections 19:03 How AI Creates Echo Chambers 22:48 Regulating New Technologies 24:31 Are Regulations Holding Us Back From Competing With China? 25:57 The Threat of Lethal Autonomous Weapons 28:33 Can These AI Threats Combine? 30:15 Restricting AI From Taking Over 32:01 Reflecting on Your Life’s Work Amid AI Risks 33:45 Student Leaving OpenAI Over Safety Concerns 37:49 Are You Hopeful About the Future of AI? 39:51 The Threat of AI-Induced Joblessness 42:47 If Muscles and Intelligence Are Replaced, What’s Left? 44:38 Ads 46:42 Difference Between Current AI and Superintelligence 52:37 Coming to Terms With AI’s Capabilities 54:29 How AI May Widen the Wealth Inequality Gap 56:18 Why Is AI Superior to Humans? 59:01 AI’s Potential to Know More Than Humans 1:00:49 Can AI Replicate Human Uniqueness? 1:03:57 Will Machines Have Feelings? 1:11:12 Working at Google 1:14:55 Why Did You Leave Google? 1:16:20 Ads 1:18:15 What Should People Be Doing About AI? 1:19:36 Impressive Family Background 1:21:13 Advice You’d Give Looking Back 1:22:27 Final Message on AI Safety 1:25:48 What’s the Biggest Threat to Human Happiness? Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel Prize in Physics 2024: Official interview

this is really good

2025 Club World Cup final: All you need to know, tactical analysis of both teams and how to watch https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6483230/2025/07/09/club-world-cup-final-Chelsea-psg/ The final for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup is set. After a valiant fight from teams across the globe, from South America, to the Middle East, to Africa, East Asia and Oceania, it is two European titans who collide in the showpiece final on Sunday, July 13. Much has been made of the gruelling calendar the summer tournament has thrust upon its participants, but Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have outlasted the rest in the searing American heat in their hunt for the trophy — and healthy prize fund on offer. What You Should Read Next PSG 4 Real Madrid 0: European champions humiliate Mbappe and Alonso to reach Club World Cup final Two dreadful Madrid mistakes gifted PSG early goals but Luis Enrique's side were dominant in New Jersey as they set up a final with Chelse How did the teams get here? Unfamiliar opponents have been a consistent theme through Chelsea’s run to the final. In four of their six matches in the Club World Cup, Chelsea have met their opponents for the first time in history. Only one side in their run, Benfica, they have met more than twice. But Enzo Maresca’s side handled their draw with relative ease. Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Flamengo in the group stages proves the only blight on their record, having been a player down for the final 22 minutes of the match when Nicolas Jackson was sent off for a high challenge on Lucas Ayrton while 2-1 behind, for which he later apologised. Their second-placed finish in Group D was ensured with comfortable victories over Los Angeles FC and Esperance Tunis. That seeding perhaps worked in their favour, drawing Benfica in the last 16 rather than facing Bayern Munich, who group victors Flamengo went on to suffer defeat against. After Angel Di Maria’s stoppage-time penalty ensured the first knockout match would go the distance, Chelsea capitalised on Gianluca Prestianni’s sending off to notch three extra-time goals and continue in the tournament. A second-ever meeting with Palmeiras followed, with Cole Palmer’s early strike and a Weverton own-goal setting Maresca’s side up against yet more Brazilian opposition in the semi-final, Fluminense. In a reunion with former defender Thiago Silva, Chelsea emerged 2-0 victors. Joao Pedro, who had signed for the club just a week prior, scored both goals against the team where his career began, sending his side to the final. Joao Pedro had a Chelsea debut to remember (Buda Mendes/Getty Images) PSG have continued where they left off following the record 5-0 victory over Inter in the Champions League final which capped off their treble-winning season. Igor Jesus’ goal in the 1-0 defeat to Botafogo proved the only dent in the otherwise perfect defensive record held by Luis Enrique’s side, who dispatched Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their opener, and Seattle Sounders 2-0 in their final group match. Four first-half goals were enough to see PSG oust Inter Miami, and their former star forward Lionel Messi from the tournament in the round-of-16. A subsequent 2-0 victory over German champions Bayern Munich continued PSG’s run, despite receiving two red cards late on. Ousmane Dembele scored the second while his side was reduced to nine players, and his return from injury has been a timely reminder of his importance to the team this season. The Parisians’ dominant run continued in the semi-finals as they effortlessly dispatched Real Madrid 4-0. Dembele was on the scoresheet against Madrid (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) How to watch the final Chelsea will face PSG at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, July 13, with kick-off slated for 3pm local time (8pm BST). The 82,500-seater venue hosted one quarter-final (Madrid v Dortmund) and both semi-finals before Sunday’s showpiece, and indeed, will also host the final of next year’s FIFA World Cup, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. As was the case for every match as this year’s Club World Cup, the final is available to watch via DAZN providing you create an account. The final is also available to watch through TNT and truTV in the United States. Tactical analysis of Chelsea By Conor O’Neill The knockout draw may have opened up kindly for Chelsea, with the European heavyweights on the other side, but Maresca’s men have taken full advantage, cruising through their semi-final 2-0 against Fluminense. Tactically, Maresca has used the softer opposition as something of a testing ground, not just to trial ideas for next season, but also to embed new signings into his style of play on the fly. But as the stakes have risen, the setup has taken on a more familiar shape. Talisman Cole Palmer, for instance, is back in his favoured right-half space after a spell on the left, and a more settled approach is expected as Chelsea gear up to take on the might of PSG/Real Madrid in Sunday’s final. While personnel and positional responsibilities have been tinkered with, the core principles guiding their play have remained largely unchanged during their time in the US. The focus, as it was in the Premier League last season, is on maintaining controlled, methodical possession – Chelsea have played just 4.5 per cent of their passes long at the Club World Cup, the second-lowest rate behind Manchester City (3.4 per cent). But when their patient probing approach does find an opening, they strike with speed and venom. Six of their goals have come from fast breaks, the highest in the competition, fleet-footed wideman Pedro Neto scoring three of them. The most pressing question is who will be trusted to lead the line after new signing Joao Pedro sensationally lit up the semi-final with two stunning efforts. Joao Pedro’s versatility allows him to drop deep and help stitch attacks together, but Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson remain potent alternatives if Maresca opts for a more traditional, backline-stretching No 9 on Sunday. Tactical analysis of PSG By Conor O’Neill If PSG are crowned champions on Sunday, it will give a FIFA-approved rubber stamp to what many already consider the best team in the world. They remain a side capable of hurting opponents in countless ways, with 10 different goalscorers contributing across their Club World Cup campaign. Their 4-0 evisceration of Inter Miami in the quarter-finals showcased that multifaceted brilliance. The technically gifted midfield trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz controlled possession with ease, rendering Lionel Messi little more than an onlooker, while relentless pressing from the front saw them win the ball back almost instantly whenever it was lost. Up top, the wide pairing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue have sparkled once again. Doue leads the tournament for attempted take-ons, with Kvaratskhelia close behind in third. Their quick feet, fluid movement inside, and constant rotations make them incredibly difficult to track and contain. For all their attacking brilliance, PSG’s progression to the final has been built on a rock-solid defence, with just one goal conceded throughout the competition. Luis Enrique has only lightly tinkered with their tactical approach en route to the final. And with the Parisians ruthlessly sweeping aside all before them in recent months, he’s little reason to disrupt a purring, seamless winning machine. How much are tickets? The Athletic has provided ongoing coverage of changes in ticket prices at the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States this year. For the semi-final between Chelsea and Fluminense, prices had originally been set at $473.90, but were later reduced to $13.40. This is not an isolated incident, with prices also slashed for other matches, including the other semi-final between Madrid and PSG, and some quarter-final matches. The cheapest general admission tickets for the final are currently priced at $312.20, via Ticketmaster through FIFA’s official website. On the higher end of the pricing scale, the system also offers verified resale tickets in some prime positions of the stadium, varying from around $1,400 to $8,000. How much prize money is on offer? Whoever wins in East Rutherford will walk away from the summer tournament up to $125million (£92m) richer in participation and prize money. For whoever falls just short, their total will not be far off. FIFA provided a $1billion prize pot for the tournament, shared out in differing proportions among its participants, and based on clubs’ progression. UEFA clubs secured the larger slice of the pie with some clubs, namely Porto and Atletico Madrid, taking home a bigger sum than the likes of Al Hilal, Inter Miami and Monterrey, despite crashing out of the tournament sooner than their non-European counterparts. What You Should Read Next Club World Cup prize money rankings: How much of the $1bn pot has each team earned so far? After the group stage, we already know where $741m of the $1bn prize pot will go – and there are many familiar names at the top… Both finalists earned $30m just for making it to the tournament’s showcase final — an extra $10m for the winner is but a small percentage of their overall earnings. The victor will not just walk away with money and a trophy, however. A commemorative badge, alike to that of the addition of a star for winning the regular World Cup, will adorn the kit of Sunday’s winner for the next four years. A similar badge has been seen on Manchester City’s kit since they won the Club World Cup in its previous format in 2023, placed between the club emblem and Puma logo. When is the next Club World Cup? The introduction of the Club World Cup in its new form has not been short of challenges. And despite opposition from the likes of FIFPro, the global players’ union, the tournament is set to go ahead every four years. The Athletic reported in December that FIFA was considering hosting its newest club competition in the U.S. once again in 2029, while in June, the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) said in a statement its newly-elected president Sami Xaud held a meeting his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino over the possibility of holding the Club World Cup in the South American nation. Meanwhile, James Johnson, Football Australia’s chief executive, told the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2023 that his country would consider bidding for the 2029 hosting rights.

Rotation: The key word of Chelsea’s long summer at the Club World Cup https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6484577/2025/07/11/Chelsea-rotation-tactics-club-world-cup/ Chelsea are no strangers to rotating their squad. Last season’s Europa Conference League victory alone was built on a starting line-up that was unrecognisable from the weekend’s Premier League fixture, with Enzo Maresca making wholesale changes from one game to another. Things have not been quite so extreme en route to the Club World Cup final, but there is little doubt that Maresca has been resourceful in calling upon as many players as possible within an ever-growing squad in the United States. Across the past four weeks, 27 Chelsea players have taken to the field, which is more than any other side competing in the tournament. Across their six games, Chelsea are averaging over four changes to the starting XI per game. You might rightly point out that they have also simply played more games than many of their rivals, but fellow semi-finalists Fluminense (23), Real Madrid (22) and Paris Saint-Germain (19) do not get near Maresca’s tally. That tally stood at 36 players for Chelsea’s Conference League exploits, also the highest among all teams in the competition. It is no secret that Chelsea have got an inflated squad to choose from, but Maresca has managed to rotate his line-up while still maintaining an element of consistency in the performances in getting to Sunday’s final in New York. “When you play every three days in this competition, you need a big squad,” Maresca said after Chelsea’s semi-final victory over Fluminense. “But also they have to be ready, and they showed that. They are good players, but we can count on them with how professional they are and this (having a big squad) is something that we need for the future.” (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) But looking to the future is where things start to get a little muddy. With an upcoming Champions League campaign on the horizon, Chelsea will need to register new players — including Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens — on top of their existing squad. However, in line with UEFA’s squad registration rules, each team can only register up to 25 players on their “A list”. Notwithstanding the financial implications that UEFA have already imposed on the club, that means that Chelsea will either need to sell players this summer or accept that there will be some high-profile omissions from their European squad for the upcoming campaign with an already-stacked squad. What You Should Read Next Explained: Why Chelsea’s Conference League squad is an exercise in load management Even a squad announcement becomes a news event at Chelsea, but there were good reasons for Thursday's Conference League omissions Returning to on-pitch matters, it is not just Maresca’s flexibility in tweaking personnel, but the rotations of players’ roles that have been equally impressive this summer. In truth, this was a theme of Chelsea last season, but to see it played out within such a condensed summer tournament has been notable by its presence. As The Athletic analysed last week, Maresca has used this summer as an opportunity to shape shift and experiment with some new tactical ideas in a competitive environment ahead of the new campaign — including a 4-2-2-2 shape against Flamengo. “In the last two days, we tried something completely different,” Maresca said after their defeat to the Brazilian side. “We played in a different structure today to prepare for next season and have more options.” While such tweaks are also designed to adapt to the qualities of the opponent, mapping Chelsea’s pass networks across each game underpins the differences in shape and personnel excellently. Marc Cucurella or Malo Gusto pushing high or tucking in? Pedro Neto starting on the left or right flank? Christopher Nkunku staying wide or… helping to support Chelsea’s build-up (as he did against Fluminense)? Some of the tweaks to personnel have been born out of necessity, through suspensions (Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Liam Delap) or injury niggles (e.g. Romeo Lavia and Reece James). In the case of James’ last-minute absence against Palmeiras after pulling up in the warm-up, that made way for 21-year-old Andrey Santos to make his first competitive start for Chelsea at the base of midfield — giving a good account of himself with neat and tidy passing and a few full-blooded challenges. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) Similarly, Delap’s suspension gave Maresca the opportunity to thrust new signing Joao Pedro in from the start, with the Brazilian international repaying the faith emphatically by scoring a pair of stunning goals to send Chelsea through to the final. What You Should Read Next How Joao Pedro made a ‘dream’ start at Chelsea – and not just with his goals The club's new signing scored twice against Fluminense but there was much more to admire about his game on Tuesday However, plenty of other rotations have been more experimental from Chelsea’s head coach. One notable tweak was Cole Palmer’s starting position on the left side of attack in Chelsea’s last-16 victory over Benfica. Another was James’ inside role as a starting midfielder against Flamengo, which was notably less successful. Some tweaks have been a little more subtle, but there were plenty on the bingo card in Chelsea’s semi-final clash with Fluminense on Tuesday. Having started on the left flank, Pedro Neto was able to play on the right side with just as much ease in the second half, as he has repeatedly shown across the season. Noni Madueke is adept at doing the same, arriving on the right wing (with Nkunku himself switching from right to left) before finishing the game on the left during his cameo — as shown below. The same was true of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the closing minutes. Having come onto the pitch as a right-winger, the 26-year-old started wide with Palmer inside, but by the end of the game (partly due to Caicedo receiving treatment off the pitch) it was Dewsbury-Hall playing inside as Palmer pushed into a wide area. The sweltering conditions will have also been a key factor in Maresca’s decision-making during Chelsea’s time in the United States, often looking to the bench when possible to keep his side fresh until the final whistle. That is before digging into the widely discussed fixture calendar that European clubs have faced compared with their South American counterparts this summer. For Maresca, rotations have been integral to managing the intensity and load on players after a full season. “Fluminense have one month off (December 8 to January 12) — our players last had one month holiday in June 2024,” Maresca said on Tuesday. “There is a different energy between Brazilian teams and European teams, it is because they had a one-month holiday six months ago. Our players last had a one-month holiday 12-13 months ago. It is a huge difference — so the weather conditions plus the difference of calendar make the levels in the team (across continents) very close.” In the next few months, that elephant in the room of exactly how Maresca will juggle — or rather, register — each member of Chelsea’s squad for their next international games will linger. For now, whatever happens on Sunday in Chelsea’s final against Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca will have learned a great deal about the flexibility of his squad during their summer in the United States.

Inside Jamie Gittens’ transfer to Chelsea: Talks last summer, Bayern interest, friends reunited https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6479998/2025/07/10/jamie-gittens-Chelsea-dortmund-transfer/ Jamie Gittens has been destined for Chelsea for some time. As far back as January, the west Londoners were in pole position to bring the Reading-born winger back to England after approaching five years in Germany, but had to survive a flurry of late interest from rival clubs and a stubborn Borussia Dortmund negotiation. Chelsea were close to completing the transfer before their departure for the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States, submitting two bids on June 10. Ultimately, while the second offer came close to matching Dortmund’s valuation, both clubs believed there was no need to rush. That was especially true given Gittens had been a target for Chelsea since 2023, which is when scouts started to be sent out to monitor him. The Premier League club first held formal discussions with Dortmund over him in summer 2024, then again in last season’s winter transfer window. After a cooling-off period which allowed both teams to compete in the Club World Cup, the negotiations continued in America. There is a good rapport between the clubs and when their respective tournament training bases overlapped in Florida, talks resumed between the Chelsea delegation and Sebastian Kehl, the Dortmund sporting director, with a breakthrough occurring on Friday June 27, the day before Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 in Charlotte, North Carolina, to advance to the quarter-finals. With an agreement struck in principle, the 20-year-old left Dortmund’s camp the following day, undergoing his medical on Sunday and Monday, before completing his transfer on Thursday, July 3, for a fee of £48.5million ($66m) with a potential £3.5m more in add-ons. What You Should Read Next Jamie Gittens to Chelsea: Transfers TLDR Jamie Gittens has moved to Chelsea from Dortmund – here are the details behind the deal Gittens cannot play for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, on account of having appeared for Dortmund in the group stage, but he has still been involved in training sessions and now has valuable time to integrate socially with his new team-mates. Gittens playing at the Club World Cup for Dortmund (Hendrik Deckers/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images) Dortmund consider this a victory for all parties. Gittens joined them on virtually a free transfer from Manchester City’s academy in summer 2020, with Lars Ricken — the club’s CEO for sport — central to his recruitment and now, five years later, rubber-stamping his sale. He had assimilated well, speaking good German and conducting some club interviews in his second language, and there had been hope that Gittens would stay longer and develop into a Bundesliga star. However, given the player communicated his desire to leave in the late spring and his form tailing off during the second half of the 2024-25 domestic season, the club consider this to have been an excellent negotiation by Kehl and Ricken and are happy to have had their valuation met. Externally, understanding that valuation has been difficult because of the sliding nature of Gittens’ release clause. Had Dortmund failed to qualify for European competition next season, he would have been available for far less — closer to €40million (£34.5m). As it was, while Gittens was in and out of the Dortmund side in the final weeks, the team mounted a rallying comeback, rising from 10th in the table to fourth across the last eight games. It maximised Gittens’ value and qualified Dortmund for the Champions League, significantly altering their budget; a deal for Gittens could not have been concluded until those variables were known. But Chelsea still believe they are getting fine value and that Gittens is a signing to satisfy many of their objectives. Gittens being unveiled by Chelsea (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) They believe he is one of the finest under-21 wingers in European football, but have been equally attracted by his character and by how much first-team experience he has. Gittens has played over 100 senior games at club level and proven himself a difference-maker in big games in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, showing he is more than mere theory. And he fits the profile of player that Chelsea want to use, with one of their prime objectives for this window from the outset being to acquire a right-footed left-winger. There is a gap in their ranks to be filled due to the club deciding not to turn Jadon Sancho’s loan from Manchester United last season into a permanent move, while Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended since December for failing a doping test. The Football Association charged the Ukraine international with violating its anti-doping rules last month and he now faces a lengthy ban. What You Should Read Next Jamie Gittens will fill a left-wing gap for Chelsea and is one of Europe’s most direct dribblers The England Under-21 international has moved to Stamford Bridge on a seven-year contract. Here is what he will offer Maresca's side... Gittens was Chelsea’s first-choice target for the role ahead of other players they considered, including Athletic Club’s Spain international Nico Williams. While not a driving force within recruitment, head coach Enzo Maresca spoke with the player, too, and is convinced Gittens can be successful within his system. The only significant threat during this process has been Dortmund’s domestic rivals and serial German champions Bayern Munich, whose interest in Gittens fluctuated and was muddled by a range of factors. One of Bayern’s priorities over the past year has been to rejuvenate their wide forward positions. That was the thinking behind the signing of Michael Olise, now 23, from Crystal Palace last summer, but the Bavarian club accepted they needed further renewal, even though Olise proved a triumph in his first season. Kingsley Coman was getting older (he turned 29 last month) and both he and the club were open to a parting of ways in January; Coman could still leave this summer. There is no chance Serge Gnabry (30 next week) will depart in the current window, but his contract is on course to expire at the end of the coming season and the odds, currently, are against a renewal. In the autumn of 2024, Gittens was among the standout attacking performers in the Bundesliga. And, in November, shortly after he scored a brilliant breakaway goal against Bayern, their interest became public. But Gittens was never the definitive option for them, more one among a group of candidates. In any case, there was a complication: Florian Wirtz. Bayern’s mid-range planning was shaped by Wirtz in two ways. Firstly, the financial parameters of any proposed deal to sign him would have limited any other transfer business. While Wirtz eventually joined Liverpool for £116million, any fee between Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen, who were antagonised by their public declarations of interest in Wirtz, would have been higher. Bayern were interested in Wirtz, who signed for Liverpool (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Secondly, with Bayern confident of signing Wirtz, the plan had been to adapt the team in a way that allowed him to play alongside Jamal Musiala, with Olise on the right and Musiala and Wirtz rotating between the central and left positions. Even when it was accepted that Mathys Tel would leave the club (he has joined Tottenham following last season’s loan there), that focus on Wirtz deprioritised Gittens and every other natural winger that Bayern had been following. By the time it became clear Wirtz was moving to Anfield (by when Leroy Sane had also, unexpectedly, decided against extending his Bayern contract, choosing to move to Galatasaray of Turkey instead), it was too late for the Munich giants to pivot. Their first choice was Athletic Club’s Williams. Milan’s Rafael Leao was another focus of interest. Gittens, as he had been back in the autumn, was part of that shortlist, too. What You Should Read Next Inside Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool transfer: Why rivals missed out, Slot’s role and falling for Kirkby The full story of how Anfield's powerbrokers secured a record-breaking deal for the German playmaker There was no formal contact between Bayern and Dortmund in the weeks before the move was finalised. Approaches were made directly to Gittens’ camp, but it was made clear terms had been agreed with Chelsea and that he was committed to moving to Stamford Bridge. Part of Chelsea’s appeal is self-evident: a Premier League club competing in the Champions League. For somebody hoping to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup, it is a logical move. It also reunites him with players with whom he’s played before. Gittens was part of the same England Under-19 squad as Liam Delap and Carney Chukwuemeka in 2022, when they won that age group’s European Championship. Joe Shields, Chelsea’s co-director for recruitment and talent, was previously head of academy recruitment at City, and partially responsible for bringing Gittens to their academy (from the youth setup at Reading) in 2018. Delap, another City graduate, has already joined Chelsea this summer, while contemporaries Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia have also become central to their future, having taken the same route south from the blue half of Manchester. While not the key factor in Gittens’ decision, the above was prominent among them, and helpful in convincing him that this step, which is a major move in the context of his career, is the right one.

Truth Social is not taking Trump's Epstein post well

Marc Cucurella interview: Chelsea adaptation, a year of non-stop football and Club World Cup reflections https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6490211/2025/07/12/marc-cucurella-Chelsea-interview/ Just one more game. Three-hundred and fifty-six days since the Chelsea squad flew to California to begin a five-game pre-season tour of the United States, their 2024-25 campaign winds up back in America, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, on Sunday with the Club World Cup final — a chance to make history before a brief opportunity to rest. The squad have spent the past week in nearby New York City, holed up in a hotel on affluent Fifth Avenue but occasionally allowed out to explore Manhattan between training sessions. There was the wonderful juxtaposition of a social-media video showing Cole Palmer wobbling along on a scooter in Times Square, largely unrecognised by the crowds of Americans, while his face stares down at them from a billboard. New York is the city that never sleeps. Football is the sport that never sleeps. For Palmer, this is the third consecutive summer involved in a tournament that stretches well into July — the European Under-21 Championship in 2023, the European Championship last year, and now the revamped and expanded Club World Cup — and he will hope and expect to feature at the 2026 World Cup in 12 months’ time, too. A three-week break, starting on Monday, would leave Chelsea with less than two weeks to build up for the new Premier League campaign, which starts for them at home against Crystal Palace on August 17. Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella, who was part of the Spain team who beat England in the final of those Euros last July, says he is looking forward to his holiday — a Disney-themed cruise with his young family — and a chance to switch off and “not think about football”. But he is not among those who have dismissed the Club World Cup as a Mickey Mouse competition. Sunday brings the serious business of a final against a Paris Saint-Germain team widely regarded as the best in the game right now. He and his team-mates would not want it any other way. The victors tomorrow will be the first world champions of the tournament’s new era. “We know that if we win it, we have the badge on the shirt for a couple of years,” Cucurella told a small group of reporters at the team hotel this week. “I know it’s difficult after a long season — the (daytime kick-off) times that we play (during the Club World Cup) are a bit difficult because it’s very hot — but this is the first time they’ve done this competition, so we can be the first team to win it. That would be amazing.” It would also represent a dramatic turnaround, for Chelsea and for the 26-year-old Spaniard. For some time after his initial £56million ($75.6m at current rates) transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2022, he was cast and maligned as a symbol of the west London club’s excesses in the transfer market. It was a turbulent period at Chelsea, reflected by a huge turnover of players and coaches — from Thomas Tuchel to Graham Potter to Frank Lampard (on an interim basis) to Mauricio Pochettino to current boss Enzo Maresca — but one that Cucurella feels they have left firmly behind them. Cucurella spoke candidly about the adversity he suffered along the way. The way he describes it, his first 18 months at Stanford Bridge sound joyless — partly “because the team maybe didn’t have an identity or didn’t have a clear way to play” but also because of the pressure that grew with every poor result. “I struggled a little,” he says. “In the first months, I was like, ‘Oh f***ing hell… .’ I enjoyed it more at other clubs because, when you win, you’re happy all week and the feeling is very different: you win, you’re very happy; you draw, it’s another point, don’t get relegated. But when you come here, you feel like you need to win every game. The first games (for Chelsea), I don’t feel like I enjoyed. You win? It’s your job (to win), and you don’t celebrate. It’s difficult to feel this pressure.” He looks back on an enforced lay-off with an ankle injury, around the mid-point of the 2023-24 season, as a blessing in disguise. It gave him a chance to rest, reflect, clear his head and adjust mentally to a club where he had known only turmoil to that point. “It was a bad moment, very tough for me,” he says. “But when I was injured, I was three months out and had a lot of time to think more about myself, what’s good for me and what I need to work on. The most important thing — it’s difficult, but it’s to not lose confidence. I’m the same player I was in my first years (at Chelsea) but now I have more confidence in myself. I trust my quality. It can be difficult to understand that when you play a good game, you’re not the best — and when you play a bad game, you’re not the worst. You always need to try to stay in the same line. It’s an important thing to learn in the big clubs. “I started to enjoy my journey here after my injury. In my first (actually his second) game back, when I played against Leicester (in the FA Cup), I scored. Then, that evening, the national team called me, because they had an injured left-back. Everything moved forward. In the summer, I played the Euros, we won, and I got a lot of confidence from that. I came here (back to Chelsea) in the summer and everything was better.” Cucurella feels the turnaround began towards the end of that 2023-24 season, under Pochettino, but that things have improved further since Maresca, who replaced the Argentinian having just led Leicester to Premier League promotion in his first (and, until the full-time whistle tomorrow night, only) full season of senior management. “He arrived with a lot of energy and good ideas and helped me a lot,” he says of the Italian. “We had a good season. It’s true that for a couple of months we lost a bit of energy and lost some confidence, but in general we achieved everything we wanted: we wanted Champions League (qualification) and we did it; we won the Conference League, and this is another step for us.” Already a European champion with Spain, Cucurella can also become a world champion — not just with his country in the States again next summer but with Chelsea on Sunday. From being derided in some quarters after that big-money move from Brighton, he has become one of the most admired left-backs in the game, a whole-hearted, rigorous defender who makes key contributions going forward. Even so, this final looks like a step up in level for Chelsea. In wide areas, PSG have some of the most dangerous players in world football — not just Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or indeed Lee Kang-in or Ibrahim Mbaye off the bench, but also Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes charging forward from full-back. Some of their performances since the turn of the year, notably in the 5-0 thrashing of Inter in the Champions League final at the end of May and the 4-0 defeat of Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, have been irresistible. Cucurella is asked whether he feels PSG are a class above every other team in the world right now. “I think so,” he says. “They have shown themselves as this sort of team all season. They have a lot of good players. They play good football. But I think a final is a final, and we deserve to be there against a tough team. This is an opportunity to show we have a good team. We have a profile for big things. Hopefully, we can win.” He then looked back on Chelsea’s Club World Cup experience over the past month. “We suffered a lot because we lost against Flamengo (3-1, in the second of their three group matches) and a lot of people criticised us,” he says. “The Benfica game (in the round of 16) with the storm and the crazy minutes after that. But we stuck together and we knew that if we stuck to our plan, we would get better. We deserve to stay here. We (Chelsea and PSG) have shown we are the two best teams in the competition.” Cucurella clears the ball off the line during Chelsea’s semi-final win against Fluminense (Luke Hales/Getty Images) The tournament has had its critics, but Cucurella says it has surpassed his expectations, which it appears were not exactly sky-high. “I think the experience was good, to be fair,” he says. “I think I expected worse. If you get to the final, you feel better. If you get here and you lose in the knockouts or the first round, that’s tough because you feel, ‘Oh, I lose my holiday, I lose my time’. But yeah, I think it can be a good experience. “It’s the first time and maybe they need to adjust some things, small details. But in general, I enjoy it a lot. We have the opportunity to play here in America in a big competition against teams that normally you don’t play, other than friendlies. We had the chance to go out and (get to) know the cities. For me, it’s a very good experience.” The idea has been floated in FIFA circles that the Club World Cup could be expanded further, from the current 32 teams to 48, or become a biennial tournament having originally been floated as four-yearly — a suggestion FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not dismiss when The Athletic asked him about that possibility at a media event in Manhattan on Saturday morning. Would a Club World Cup every two years be too much? “Maybe yes,” Cucurella says. “Every four years is OK, in my opinion, because it’s not too repetitive or too boring. I understand that if people watch games for 12 months, then you don’t enjoy it. Imagine if the World Cup was played every summer. It isn’t (wouldn’t be) the same. The World Cup is once every four years, and people expect this. If they get some time off or some rest, I think people enjoy more of the games.” But it probably says something about Chelsea’s journey over the course of this long, long season, as much as about the Club World Cup, that Cucurella and his team-mates are bounding into tomorrow’s final with a spring in their step — certainly when you compare it to their mood and their body language in the darkness of the campaign’s winter months. Just one more game and a chance to make history, then a brief opportunity to rest and recharge before the madness starts up again with Palace’s visit in a little over a month.

I so wish Lavia was fit to go, but alas, the glass man has broken again

70m euros or pounds? why would we price him in euros? €70m is, atm, £60.43m

?

it's the 2nd edition of the new FIFA Intercontinental Cup the 1st edition was in 2024, this 2nd edition is in 2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_Intercontinental_Cup The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by FIFA, the sport's global governing body. The first edition took place in 2024. The old Intercontinental Cup was organized jointly by UEFA and CONMEBOL from 1960–2004. FIFA was not involved, although since 2017, past Intercontinental Cup winners have been recognised by FIFA as club world champions.

yes

he is gone in summer 2026 my prediction

keep an eye on Mathis Amougou, he has a tonne of potential

massive upgrade and that is not even taking rapey rape Partey's crim actions into account

his wage demands are over £125K-150K PW less than what Sterling is on £197.5K PW verus £325-350K PW (both gross)

well to go full insanity 🤪 lol all these quality CFs are still NOT 100 per cent moved (YET, IF they move at all) (AND most in the top group are insanely expensive and/or almsot moved) Alexander Isak Julian Alvarez Lautaro Martinez Viktor Gyökeres Victor Osimhen Hugo Ekitiké Benjamin Šeško Samu Aghehowa Marcus Thuram pass then less desirable: Loïs Openda Moise Kean Victor Boniface Dusan Vlahovic pass Yoane Wissa interesting option, as he can play LW as well Randal Kolo Muani pass Santiago Castro wild card: free agent Callum Wilson