Vesper

lol, we are being linked with Manure flop (and a player who turns 30yo in 17 months) Andreas Pereira only 28 goals in 317 games in his entire topflight career (10 seasons now) for club and country Cole scored 28 goals just this one season for club and country

sounds like a Macedonian plumbing firm

isnt it Wesley they are swarming with hate?

Demba Ba describes Argentina as 'an asylum for former Nazis on the run' as the former Chelsea star wades into racism row after sports minister was fired for telling Lionel Messi to apologise https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13650497/Demba-Ba-describes-Argentina-asylum-former-Nazis-run.html Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba has waded into the Argentina racism row by describing the South American country as an 'asylum for former Nazis on the run' Enzo Fernandez is at the centre of a scandal after he posted a video on social media which appeared to show him and a number of his team-mates singing along to a song which is alleged to include 'racist and discriminatory language'. Fernandez is now facing sanctions from the Premier League, while Chelsea stated that they are conducting an internal disciplinary procedure, and the song has been criticised by his Blues team-mate Wesley Fofana. Now, former Newcastle and Chelsea striker Ba has joined in on the criticism, posting on X: 'Argentina, land of asylum for former Nazis on the run. From 1945, Peron hosted war criminals. And it surprises you...' It comes after Argentina's deputy sports minister was fired for suggesting that Lionel Messi apologise for the video. Yesterday it was revealed that Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister was keen to stress that the chant sung by the Argentina team had been misinterpreted somewhat, and in his defense of Fernandez, claimed that their's was 'not a racist country'. 'You have to be careful with what you say or do,' Mac Allister said on Thursday in an interview with Argentina's Urbana Play FM. 'Especially in Europe where they are much more sensitive than here. 'The reality is that we are not a racist country; we are not used to talking about racism so much.' Adding that it was 'obviously a very important topic', Mac Allister went on to underscore that the midfielder was a good person. 'Enzo has already apologised and explained what happened,' the midfielder continued. 'I don't think there's much more to say. 'We know Enzo, we know he would never do it with bad intentions, he's not that guy, he's not racist.' Fernandez has received widespread condemnation for participating in the chant, including from his west London team-mates such as Wesley Fofana - who described it as 'uninhibited racism'. Fofana's Chelsea compatriots including Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, and Lesley Ugochukwu have since unfollowed Fernandez on the platform, where Fernandez on Tuesday shared a public apology. The 23-year-old is also thought to have apologised to his team-mates in private, against the backdrop of the club launching an 'internal disciplinary procedure' over their midfielder's conduct.

I am good with that

well, giving him a hard look costs us nothing extra and one of my BFFs at A levels (she was originally from Cardiff) said never trust the Welsh judgement on anything, LOLOL (the plonkers voted Leave after all, for one thing)

The deal is not back-breakingly massive £52m in transfer fee + £7m in possible (some are apparently a bit hard to achieve, have not seen the full details) potential add-ons weekly salary of £113.5K PW with possible performance-based add-ons that max out at £36.5K PW For an already massively injured (before we bought him, and now since) Wesley Fofana, we paid £70m in straight fees, plus £5m in add-ons and we are paying him £200K PW (some sources say he can earn up to £230K PW) I would swap deals and players IN A BLOODY HEARTBEAT

Those were not my ratings. Those are valuations. Murillo seems a crazy good ball playing CB (best on that little list), but watching him last season I found him to be a bit suspect defensively. He also is a bit on the short side (1.84) so he might be vulnerable in the air. Would I prefer him to Disasi? Yes, but he is a left footer, and Disasi a righty. Over Badiashile? That's lefty v lefty. Close, but maybe yes. Would massively have preferred Riccardo Calafiori. 😞

I so hope we give our lad Bashir Humphreys a good hard look at CB in preseason. 21yo, basically ambipedal, decent size (1.87m), great pace, can play fullback as well https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/who-is-bashir-humphreys-where-can-he-play-and-when-did-he-sign-for-Chelsea

only time will tell if they overpaid if Yoro turns out to be a generational CB talent, then they did the right thing this is every young (not yet 23yo) CB on the planet in terms of a valuation £27m and up atm in order: Leny Yoro Levi Colwill António Silva (surely Real Madrid have to be looking at him HARD) Giorgio Scalvini (out until January 2025 injured, so off the table) Riccardo Calafiori (pretty shocked Real did not at least try for him) Gonçalo Inácio Jarrad Branthwaite Piero Hincapié Ousmane Diomande Castello Lukeba Willian Pacho Murillo

I cannot believe Manure stole a march on Real like that, especially considering Yoro saying for a long time that his dream of dream club was Real and all he had to do was wait and go there on a free (so major signing bonus for him) in 11 months (he will only be 19yo then!!!) It is the first wrong call I have made in ages in terms of who Real would pull I do not remember the last time they failed in a transfer they truly wanted, one who then left for another club (Mbpappe they got, they just had to wait) and they need CBs BADLY, its their big weak spot, that and fullbacks they only have one truly healthy good CB atm, Rudiger, and he turns 32yo in spring Alaba is still out for a long spell (maybe until winter) with a massive knee injury and is almost 9 months older than Rudiger and Militao is back but not at all fully right yet, he barely played in the CL (12 minutes the entire competition) and was very poor for Brasil in the Copa America Vallejo is garbage, worth less than 1 million quid, and will surely be dumped, was terrible for them when he played, and missed most of all of last season on loan with a horrid leg break and then major depression for the last 6 months I would be in absolute full panic mode if we swapped all our CBs for all of theirs, and all of you know how unhappy I am with most of our current CBs

this sickens me

too bad they are both left-footed and Hincapie has been in my targets for a long time

He needs to look at what hus President and Vice President are saying and doing. The Argies are a shitshow atm. It saddens me to see such racist shitbaggery coming from the leaders of the nation. Such a shame what Spain and Portugal did to South and Central America plus Mexico. The British and French did a shit tonne of damage to North America, and dog knows systemic racism is alive and well there, but nothing like Central and South America under tge Spanish and Portuguese models and their incredible poverty and socio-economic stratification. Of course, the US helped to keep that oppressive model in place down there (United Fruit Company/CIA actions and the CIA murder coup of Salvador Allende in Chile to name just 2 examples), so shame on them as well.

they are looking at punishing all involved

'Argentina song stained glory of Copa victory' https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cpe39n00ng2o Argentina won the Copa America, but lost the respect of many with the manner of their celebration. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez faces disciplinary proceedings at Chelsea after posting a video on social media that the French Football Federation said included alleged "racist and discriminatory language". Fifa is also investigating the video, in which several members of the Argentina squad - celebrating their 1-0 win over Colombia in the final - take part in a song originally sung by Argentina fans questioning the heritage of France's black and mixed-race players. The global repercussions of that song have sparked a reaction from the Argentine government. Javier Milei's right-wing administration has no natural sympathy for anything that might be considered 'woke'. But Julio Garro, the under-secretary for sports, suggested that team captain Lionel Messi and local FA president Claudio Tapia should issue an apology for the song that some were singing on the bus on Sunday night. "It's left us looking bad," he said. Garro was sacked, external on Wednesday for his comments, while others have rejected the need for an apology. With monotonous and depressing regularity, when teams from Argentina play opponents from Brazil in continental club competitions, there are scenes in the stands of Argentine fans making monkey gestures. When interviewed, the perpetrators vehemently deny that they are racists. They are indulging in 'banter'. All is fair, they argue, in love, war and football. Anything that goads and irritates the opposition is fair game. And on this latest matter, such sentiments are widespread. The attempts from Argentine clubs to crack down on this behaviour have often been half-hearted, with references to 'xenophobia' - instead of calling it what it is: racism. Especially depressing is the fact that this behaviour has been exhibited by some of the players. Here there is no excuse. With the exception of Lionel Messi and back-up goalkeeper Franco Armani, the entire squad is based in Europe. These players are part of multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-racial squads. They should know much better. Quite apart from any possible sanctions, there could be some very awkward dressing-room moments when they report back for pre-season training. Why do they do it? One of the attractions of national team duty for these players is the chance to be together with people from their own culture, and sing their own songs. It is a chance for them to be aggressively and assertively Argentine. Many aspects of the country's fan culture are wonderful. The songs can be hypnotic. But the lyrics to this particular song, which grew out of the Qatar World Cup final, which Argentina won on penalties against France, are extremely disturbing. The Argentine players risk not only insulting their black team-mates and fans. These songs insult their own heritage. It is rare these days to see a black Argentine. But that has not always been the case. Going back to the days of Spanish colonial rule, the country imported far fewer enslaved Africans than neighbouring Brazil, and put an end to slavery decades earlier. But around two hundred years ago, Buenos Aires was a third black. What happened to this population? There are many theories, ranging from outbreaks of yellow fever to deaths in the war for independence. The most coherent idea, though, is simply that they were swamped by the millions of immigrants pouring in from Europe and the Middle East (especially Italy - Argentines speak Spanish with an Italian intonation) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The African influence is there in the gene pool. Dark-skinned people are often nicknamed 'el negro' - which carries no negative connotation. African influence has left its mark. Argentina's most significant cultural product is tango. The word is African, and the music and dance, like so many genres of the Americas, are the consequence of the mix of African, European and indigenous styles. Because of its socially lowly origins, tango was looked down upon by the Argentine elite, seen as a vulgar phenomenon - until it took Paris by storm in the early 20th century and was thus legitimised. Incidentally, it is interesting that (just like samba in Brazil), tango in Argentina moved in the opposite direction from football. The musical genre began at the bottom of society and moved up, where football started with the elites and moved down. A friend of mine is a black Uruguayan sociologist. You might expect him to have a good radar for these things, and he lived for years in Buenos Aires without experiencing the slightest problem. On the other hand, the mere presence of so many European immigrants in the south cone of South America was an explicitly racist project. At the time, there was a fashion for eugenic ideas - the belief that some 'races' were superior to others. South American leaders sought to 'improve' and 'civilise' their countries through importing a white labour force. The very presence, then, of so many European descendants in Argentina is the consequence of racist thinking. The idea of a hierarchy of races has never entirely gone away, and has emerged in all its horror in the lyrics of the song with which some of the Argentina players stained their glory on Sunday.

The Argies on their way to becoming globally hated................. Argentina fires sports undersecretary for demanding Messi's apology in racism controversy https://e.vnexpress.net/news/sports/football/argentina-fires-sports-undersecretary-for-demanding-messi-s-apology-in-racism-controversy-4771647.html Captain Lionel Messi (R) and Enzo Fernandez at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina beat France on penalties in the final. Fernandez recently shared a controversial video on his Instagram account in which he and his teammates chanted racist remarks againsts players of France national football team. Photo by Reuters Julio Garro lost his position as sports undersecretary of Argentina after he demanded captain Lionel Messi to apologize for the team's recent racism incident. A video shared by Argentina star midfielder Enzo Fernandez on his Instagram account caused public outrage after he and his teammates chanted racist and discriminatory remarks aimed directly at the players of France national football team on the bus to the airport after their Copa America win on July 15. Although Messi was reportedly not on the bus at the time of the incident, Garro, who was appointed Argentina's sports undersecretary this year, demanded an apology from him and Argentine Football Association (AFA) Claudio Tapia. "The national team captain must also come out to apologize for this case. The same [goes for] AFA president. I think it is appropriate. It leaves us as a country in a bad position, with so much glory," Garro said. After Garro's statements, Argentina President Javier Millei's Office stated on X: "No government can tell what to comment, what to think or what to do to the Argentina national team, world champion and two-time Copa America winner, or to any other citizen. For this reason, Julio Garro ceases to be the nation's sports undersecretary." Garro then apologized for his statement and said that "offending anyone was never my intention, and that is why I have offered my resignation, although I will always be on the other side of discrimination in all its forms." Argentina Vice President Victoria Villarruel also spoke out on social media, defending Fernandez and his teammates. "We have never imposed our lifestyle on anyone and will not allow anyone to do that to us," she wrote. "No country can threaten us with a song that only talks about the truth that they refuse to admit. Enough of pretending to be angry, you hypocrites. Enzo, I support you. Messi, thank you for everything." Argentina Olympic team coach Javier Mascherano also supported Fernandez, saying that racism is not present in Argentina. "We have to understand each country's culture," Mascherano said. "Sometimes a joke can be misunderstood. I know Enzo is a good guy." Fernandez and several other Argentina players are being investigated by Chelsea and FIFA because of the chant, which stated: "They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French." The French Football Federation condemned the remarks and has filed a complaint to FIFA. Fernandez was unfollowed on social networks by three French players of Chelsea - Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto. He later apologized and said "there are no words to justify his action."

He might be looking at multi-month ban maybe, say, 6 months or so FIFA will not be very lenient I fear

Crysencio Summerville agent in Chelsea talks as Leeds United transfer preference emerges https://motleedsnews.com/transfers/crysencio-summerville-agent-in-Chelsea-talks-as-leeds-united-transfer-preference-emerges/ Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville’s agent has held talks with two clubs this week including his preferred destination of Chelsea, according to TEAMtalk. TEAMtalk reported on 17 July that Chelsea and French side Rennes have been in talks with Summerville’s intermediaries, with the Dutchman’s heart set on a move to the former if the opportunity presents itself. The 22-year-old was crowned the Championship’s Player of the Year last season and is being chased by a number of clubs, following the Whites’ failure to achieve promotion back to the Premier League in May. While Chelsea are reportedly the side Summerville wants to join this summer, Rennes have recently done business with the Peacocks, signing international midfielder Glen Kamara for £6.8million on 16 July [Fabrizio Romano]. Crysencio Summerville edging towards Leeds United transfer While the £40million sale of young starlet Archie Gray to Tottenham helped to ease the club’s profit and sustainability concerns, Kamara’s departure suggests the Whites are willing to sell other first-team stars. Summerville is undoubtedly the biggest of all these stars having scored 21 goals and assisted 10 in all competitions last season, with Chelsea and Rennes far from the only clubs interested in signing him. Liverpool, Newcastle, PSG and Bayer Leverkusen are just some of the other sides named in TEAMtalk’s report, and all six have the financial capability to test the resolve of a side in England’s second tier. It’s clear that Summerville’s form last season warranted playing at the highest level the following campaign, but it remains to be seen if the Whites will give in to any offers they’re surely set to receive. If Chelsea and Rennes are to act on their interest in the Dutchman, they’ll likely have to do so on United’s terms, with the Peacocks set to command a high price for a player who they want to keep next season [Ben Jacobs, 30 June].

split the difference €35m which is £30m

Willian Pacho - Beast Defender | 2024

He looks like he is 12 Who is Gabriel Mec, a Grêmio prospect targeted by Chelsea? At the base of Tricolor since the age of 9, the youngster can be traded by Tricolor even before reaching the professional level https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/esportes/gremio/noticia/2024/07/quem-e-gabriel-mec-promessa-do-gremio-na-mira-do-Chelsea-clyoumako00hq011rk6r94sw4.html — Hey, everything Mec? The Rio de Janeiro slang accompanies the name of one of the great talents of the Grêmio youth team. In Rio de Janeiro, where the player comes from, Mec is "translated" as calm, smooth. Expressions that do not symbolize the difficult journey of the 16-year-old player and his family. Before standing out in the category of athletes born in 2008, the attacking midfielder faced the most difficult side of football. READ MORE Grêmio will receive an offer from Chelsea for a promising youth player With Gabriel Mec's debut, Grêmio loses to Fluminense in the under-20s But the family's sacrifices served as a foundation for the boy to do what he does best. Now, he is about to sign his first professional contract with Grêmio. And Chelsea is interested in taking him to Europe . Before becoming Mec , Gabriel Ferreira de Carvalho was called Balotelli in his first days of training at CT do Cristal , in Porto Alegre. After all, another boy who came from Rio was known by the carioca slang. Today he is known as Nathan Fernandes. That's right: the striker who shines under Renato's command was the original Mec. But the nickname stuck with the boy Gabriel. — It’s kid slang. He and Nathan used to say it a lot at CT. Nathan was the one they called Mec — comments Diego, Gabriel’s older brother. After appearing in the news for his talent on the field, Mec (Gabriel) also made headlines due to the expectation of signing his first professional contract . The parties have already agreed on most of the terms of the contract, but they are still waiting for Neymar, the father of the player Neymar Júnior, to come and sign the contract. — We are waiting. I don't know much about the negotiations, we leave that to Cleber and Neymar (agents) . They tell us to stay calm and that everything will be fine. The biggest advice we give Gabriel is to keep a good head and not get carried away. This was built with a lot of sweat. We know where we came from and where we can go, but there is a lot of room for change — Diego highlights. To make Gabriel's dream come true, the family split up a few years ago. Robson, the father, stayed in Rio with his son Diego, who was also pursuing the goal of becoming a soccer player. His mother, Ana Márcia, moved to Porto Alegre in 2018 with Gabriel, who was just nine years old. Their income of R$1,500 supported two households as best they could. Nathan Fernandes' family took in Gabriel and his mother for a while. But they also stayed in other homes and even a boarding house. — He came here with his mother, he was very young. He was only nine years old. We didn't know if it would work out. The plan was for him to stay for three months to see how it would be. And they spent three years alone. In the beginning, we didn't have any help from anyone. It was just us on our own. What I earned wasn't enough to keep them here. We even raffled off some money to collect and send. He wore the boots donated by my friends — recalls Robson. In 2020, the plan was to reunite the family once and for all. The four of them came to Porto Alegre, rented an apartment, and the parents found work in the capital. Until the pandemic made life even more difficult. Robson and Ana Márcia's layoffs cut into the family's income. The father called his son and told him that they would have to return to Rio de Janeiro. — He beat his chest and said to me: "Dad, give me a chance. I want to make history here. Help me win," Robson recalls, emotionally. The savings didn't last long. With no money to return to Rio or maintain the apartment, the worst-case scenario approached. But the solidarity of those who knew the family saved them from living on the streets and going hungry. Now in the Grêmio under-20 team, Lucas Camilo and his family welcomed the Ferreira de Carvalho family for a period. — We lost everything, we didn't even have anything to eat. All our materials were gone. A family took us in so we wouldn't have to live on the streets. And we received basic food baskets to help us — says the father of the new Grêmio star. Gabriel, Robson and Diego kept in shape by walking near the Cristal training center. The brothers trained in one of the local squares. Perseverance during the family's most difficult time is the fuel that drives the player on the field today. A force that made a difference when sports activities resumed. The young man's growth was gradual. And it also included an improvement in his diet after the financial difficulties faced by the family. The turning point in Gabriel's story was the 2023 Efipan. The player's talent was evident. Even in the eyes of Neymar's company, which entered into a partnership with the player's agents to help manage the career of the promising Tricolor player. Currently in the under-17 category, under the command of former midfielder Itaqui, Mec receives praise for the development he has demonstrated. Mainly in the physical part. — Everyone expects something different from him. That he can unbalance the team. Nowadays, when they face us, they are teams that play more defensively and want to counterattack. We don't see Mec being fast, something he can do. Today, it's more about dribbling, one-on-one. As he's growing physically, he can also be a fast player. From now on, things will be more difficult. He's a dribbler, a vertical player, who faces physically stronger players. He's open to becoming a great athlete — praises Itaqui. Anyone who only catches a glimpse of the moves of this playful boy, with skinny arms and legs, but capable of the most abusive dribbling possible, cannot imagine the strength that drives him. For his father, his mother and his brother, Gabriel Mec will go after anyone who stands in the way of his dream.

I saw yesterday that it is Cameroonian which makes way more sense (and is also racist)

Jean-Clair Todibo to Juventus latest https://thedailybriefing.io/i/146739936/jean-clair-todibo-to-juventus-latest Juventus can bid for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as soon as they sell at least one more player. Talks are ongoing to sell Soule, Chiesa, Dean Huijsen. For sure Juventus already have the green light from Todibo, and he will wait for them despite West Ham agreeing a deal with Nice. Juve will be Todibo’s priority, so let’s see what they can do in terms of player sales before making their move to Nice. We’ll see as well if other clubs get involved as it’s still early this summer, so anything can happen.

Still no breakthrough in Riccardo Calafiori transfer talks https://thedailybriefing.io/i/146739936/still-no-breakthrough-in-riccardo-calafiori-transfer-talks I know Arsenal fans are keen for an update on Riccardo Calafiori, but there are no substantial changes to the situation yet. Arsenal and Bologna remain in contact but there’s no agreement over the €50m fee. The issue is that Bologna want guaranteed money while Arsenal’s proposal includes add-ons structure to get to €50m potential fee. Despite what has been suggested elsewhere, there’s no ‘issue’ with Basel: they will receive 50% of the deal, that’s it. Bologna want €50m fixed exactly because they have to give over €20m to Basel, this is the point. Let’s see if the clubs can reach a breakthrough in talks soon, but for now there isn’t really any major development to report.