Vesper

https://www.vipleague.la/epl/liverpool-vs-manchester-city-3-live-streaming

Lіvеrрооl vs Mаnсhеstеr СіtyLIVE0:0 10 March 2024 at 16:45. Browser Links 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 988kbps 95% Aliez 990kbps 95% Aliez 994kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 720kbps 95% Aliez 993kbps 95% Aliez 992kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps new Aliez 2500kbps new Aliez 1974kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web AceStream Links 8000kbps 95% 8000kbps 95% 8000kbps 95%

Neto is always injured. We are fucked if we buy him.

Victor Osimhen Rafael Leão both PSG likely bound per mutiple legit French sources and Messi's only official biographer, Guillem Balague (with Mbappe leaving they now have €330m to play with in saved payments and salary) that only leaves 4 truly giant WC attackers (under 30 years old) on the board who are remotely available atm Jamal Musiala Lautaro Martínez (least likely to move of these 4 this summer IMHO) Florian Wirtz Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Xabi Alonso’s preferred move? Arsenal youth signings? Nico Williams to Chelsea? Ask Ornstein https://theathletic.com/5323400/2024/03/07/xabi-alonso-future-arsenal-Chelsea-transfer-news/ Once a week for an hour, The Athletic’s subscribers can ask me for my views on anything from the world of football. I have pulled together some of my favourite questions and my answers to them from the latest Q&A below. Thanks to all who took part today. Want to ask me a question? I’ll be back next week for another session. Matt T asked: Hi David, is there any truth to Xabi Alonso favouring a move to Bayern Munich over Liverpool? David Ornstein: Bayern are going all out for Alonso but I’m not aware of any firm decisions being made by him. He may be leaning in one direction but that doesn’t mean it can’t change. That’s why Bayern, Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen will be exploring their options. There will be other teams across Europe embarking upon managerial and sporting director changes this summer, too, so there are moving parts and repercussions all over the place. Catherine S asked: Do you think Ross Barkley, Ezri Konsa, Angel Gomes, Joe Willock, Joe Gomez and other outsiders have a chance to make the England squad for Euro 2024? They deserve a place over Harry Maguire, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips, but Southgate won’t want to take them out. What do you think? David Ornstein: All of the names you mention have been great over the past season or two, but Willock has missed much of this season through injury. They will be in Gareth Southgate’s thinking and some of them could make the long list. The England manager has stayed loyal to his core group and in fairness, they have almost always repaid that faith. So, if fitness allows, it will be similar this summer. There is scope for a couple of new inclusions here or there but there will not be major changes. Barkley has been a joy to watch at Luton Town this season but he hasn’t figured for England in a long time, nor has he been playing towards the top of the Premier League or in a European competition. Konsa deservedly made the most recent England squad but didn’t get on the pitch and has missed game time through injury. I’m a massive fan but I’m not sure he makes the cut unless someone — such as John Stones, Maguire and Marc Guehi — fails to prove their fitness. Gomes continues to shine at Lille and has excelled for the England youth teams, plus he offers a skill set that Southgate doesn’t otherwise have at his disposal — but with no senior call-ups and many other options ahead of him, sadly, I don’t see it. GO DEEPER Angel Gomes: 'My final year at United was hard - I've proved I was right to leave' I really could see Willock being part of the setup in the future but this season’s injuries almost certainly mean he’ll have to wait. Gomez deserves to make the cut for his quality and versatility. He plays for one of the leading clubs in the Premier League and in Europe, and consistently delivers. He has a great chance of being part of Southgate’s squad this summer. GO DEEPER England Euro 2024 squad: Our writers' picks - Mainoo vs Henderson, no place for Rashford Parth S asked: Hi David, any news on Dan Ashworth? There are also rumours that Manchester United are looking at two more positions beneath Ashworth in technical and performance director roles. What are you hearing regarding those? Ornstein: I have no updates on Ashworth, Parth. The same for Jason Wilcox. Ideally, United would get Ashworth in first and then Wilcox, as the plan is for Wilcox to work under Ashworth. But Ashworth is a more complicated situation than Wilcox. United will probably give the Ashworth situation a bit longer and see if an agreement can be reached with Newcastle but if that doesn’t happen, perhaps they will bring in Wilcox sooner and Ashworth follows later. Another key role after that has been on the agenda — and naturally, the club will have candidates in mind — but I don’t know of an appointment being close. These are very early days and United/INEOS will be studying and discussing the vision, structures, roles, existing staff, new staff, waiting for people to start and plenty more besides… so it might be a while before everything falls into place. More on United’s future under INEOS… Ratcliffe’s admiration for Manchester City Brailsford’s story, part one: The rise of Mr Marginal Gains Talk of Ten Hag being sacked misses the point David S asked: Who do you see as Tottenham’s top target for the summer? Eberechi Eze, Pedro Neto, or someone else? Ornstein: Truth is, I don’t know, David, but even in January, we saw Tottenham sign players who were not previously reported as their top targets. Many people were talking about Jean-Clair Todibo joining and Spurs ended up prioritising Radu Dragusin. Timo Werner came pretty much out of nowhere. Lucas Bergvall seemed nailed on to join Barcelona, only for Tottenham to nip in. Let’s wait and see. It wouldn’t surprise me if Spurs go in for Conor Gallagher again, given they’ve tried before and there has been no meaningful progress on a new Chelsea contract (his existing deal expires in June 2025), but that’s more assumption than information. Cormac C asked: Do you think Chelsea will stick with Pochettino? Ornstein: As far as I know, he has every chance to continue for the longer term. All managers know this is a results industry, the expectations at Chelsea are high and Pochettino needs to deliver. He and Chelsea will be focused on doing that. They still have lots to play for. There’s the FA Cup and possible European qualification through that or the league. There have been reports of Chelsea looking at replacements and while I don’t have information on this, it is normal for clubs to conduct due diligence in case a change is needed. Brighton & Hove Albion, for example, are very open in admitting this. We know Pochettino is approaching the halfway point of a two-year contract, which includes an option to extend by 12 months. That makes this summer a natural point for Chelsea and Pochettino to review the situation, with all factors and context considered, before deciding whether to move on together or not. Matthew M asked: There’s been talk of Arsenal targeting more youth signings for the first time. Is that about academy signings or players such as Jorrel Hato at Ajax or Evan Ferguson at Brighton, who are extremely young but would come in as first-team players? Or both? Ornstein: When I said that on the podcast, Matthew, I meant investing more than previously in signing academy-level players. We’ve seen impressive progress at this level at Liverpool and Manchester City, so Arsenal would like to close the gap and produce more talent who can potentially play in their first team or be sold at a profit. It’s especially important for clubs post-Brexit. Hato and Ferguson wouldn’t be viewed by clubs in this bracket — they’re basically senior players. By the way, Hato turns 18 today… happy birthday to him! That’s why he couldn’t be signed by Premier League clubs before now, post-Brexit. Ajax are trying to tie him down to a new contract too. Let’s see how he performs this evening against Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League. Top talent! Andy P asked: Having seen your previous Q&A responses about your need to be constantly connected to your mobile to work sources and your long workdays, my question is: what do you do to avoid burnout? Is there a shelf life to a job with this kind of commitment? Ornstein: I need to practise more of what I’m about to preach, Andy, but I try to exercise a lot, eat reasonably well and get a consistent amount of sleep. It’s important to be well organised, understand your strengths and weaknesses, get your priorities right (in terms of what to focus on and what can wait), not expect yourself to be able to do everything you want, accept you won’t be first to (or on top of) every story, take time for family/friends/socialising/other interests where possible, don’t say yes to everything, be realistic about the amount of travel you can do/calls you can make/meetings you can make, and always be true to your values and ethics etc… The intensity suggests there must be a shelf life but while I’m in it and enjoying it, I don’t know what that is. It seems better suited to younger people with fewer commitments and responsibilities, but equally, the value of experience and relationships built over time is priceless and serve you extremely well as you get older (and hopefully wiser!). Harry B asked: Anything on the Chelsea and Nico Williams situation after being made a target by reporters this week? Ornstein: He’s a player Chelsea and other Premier League clubs like and have been looking at for a while. The size of his salary could be problematic, so I would classify Williams to Chelsea as unlikely, but let’s see. January showed that the period of Premier League clubs paying massive transfer fees and salaries may well be slowing down (largely because of profit and sustainability regulations). Chelsea, like many clubs, are running tight on PSR so will need to cut their cloth accordingly. Today’s financial results showed that but they fully expect to remain compliant. It means that when we hear talk of a big-name player, such as Victor Osimhen, being signed this summer, that is very unlikely — owing to the transfer fee and salary. Konnor E asked: Hi David. Have you heard anything about William Saliba’s long-term plans with Arsenal? Seems like a player capable of playing for any team. As an Arsenal fan, I’d love him to stay but would understand the allure of top clubs, like Real Madrid, coming in for him. Ornstein: He has only just signed a new long-term contract and I’ve not heard anything about him wanting to be anywhere else. If he was ever to become available, I’m sure most/all of the world’s biggest clubs would try to sign him. There was strong interest in him from the Premier League and beyond before he put pen to paper on that deal. But he is Arsenal property for the foreseeable future and they will be delighted with that. Harrison M asked: Hi David, who do you think will win the Champions League this season? Ornstein: Purely to say something different to everyone else… Paris Saint-Germain. They are the youngest team left in the tournament and Kylian Mbappe will sign off with the one trophy that has eluded them and that they want the most.

Premier League clubs will face sanctions for inflating deals with associated parties https://theathletic.com/5318883/2024/03/05/premier-league-sanctions-associated-parties/ Premier League clubs will now face sanctions if they are found to have inflated their deals with ‘associated parties’. Last month, the league’s teams voted to toughen rules on associated party transactions, which can include deals with another football team within a multi-club group or with a company that has the same ownership group as the club. The Premier League’s handbook was updated on March 4 to reflect the new guidance regarding such transactions and the possible penalties that clubs could face. In previous iterations of the league’s handbook, there was no such reference to possible sanctions. Instead, it was stated that, if the Premier League found an associated party transaction to not be fair market value, it would tell the club what the fair market value is and either prevent them from doing a deal if it was yet to be signed, or that the club should take the necessary steps to undo it if it had already gone through. If clubs are found to have breached these rules, the Premier League has confirmed that there is no fixed policy or sanctions in place — any decision on that will be left to the discretion of an independent commission. The burden of proof with regards to whether an associated party transaction is fair market value also now falls with the clubs in the updated guidance, with the Premier League board ultimately determining whether such a deal has been correctly reported to the league by the clubs. The Premier League’s handbook now states that “clubs have agreed (to the associated party transaction rules) as a necessary tool in maintaining the effectiveness of the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), by ensuring the veracity of the costs and revenues reported by clubs for the purposes of compliance”. The new stipulations in the handbook also state that a director of the relevant associated party must submit a declaration to the Premier League “by way of confirmation that they (the director) consider the… transaction to be at fair market value”. The Premier League has previously stated its judgements on what an associated party transaction constitutes are based on the “substance of the relationship and not merely the legal form” with the definition including when a club and an entity are “directly or indirectly controlled, jointly controlled, or materially influenced by the same government, public or state-funded body or by the same party”. One club, believed to be Manchester City, has argued that the new rules may be in contravention of competition law. The Premier League insists they are fully compatible with such laws. GO DEEPER Special report: Manchester City's sponsors, the links to Abu Dhabi and what it means for Newcastle United New regulations were introduced in 2021 which stated that club sponsorship deals worth more than £1million would have to be submitted to the Premier League to check it is not an “associated party” transaction. These were agreed by the clubs, despite opposition from Newcastle United and Manchester City. Under the previous rules, if the Premier League suspects a transaction is from an “associated party” it would conduct a “fair market value assessment” to determine whether its value has been inflated. Last November, clubs — who were backed by the Premier League itself — saw a proposal to block loan deals between associated clubs gain 12 votes, while a plan to block wider affiliate transactions attracted 13, both falling just short of the 14 votes required to pass. GO DEEPER Why a plan to ban related-party January loans failed, how clubs voted, and what's next

Chelsea, Strasbourg, BlueCo and a multi-club model yet to convince a sceptical fanbase https://theathletic.com/5309634/2024/03/07/strasbourg-Chelsea-blueco-boehly-clearlake-vieira/ A young team struggling in mid-table despite significant investment. Fans regularly making their displeasure known. Constant negative scrutiny over the direction the club appears to be heading. Chelsea followers can be forgiven for thinking this sounds familiar but this is not a piece dissecting the latest goings on at Stamford Bridge. Instead, it is about their sister club, Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, who are experiencing a very similar season in France. It has been nine months since BlueCo, the company the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium created when buying Chelsea for £2.3billion ($2.93bn) in 2022, made Strasbourg the first member of its multi-club model, purchasing 99.97 per cent of the Ligue 1 side for €76.3m (£64.9m; $83.1m). Strasbourg president Marc Keller has been at the helm since 2012, helping the team recover from severe financial problems and demotion to the fifth tier of the French football pyramid to establish them in Ligue 1. This season is their seventh successive campaign in the top flight. Keller felt he had to find greater investment because of increased competition from foreign takeovers at other French sides and the decision, from this season, to reduce Ligue 1 from 20 to 18 clubs. Failure to act would run the risk of Strasbourg being left behind. It is early days in the partnership and, inevitably, there have been a few teething problems. Keller has remained in charge to run things locally and, perhaps unsurprisingly, with Strasbourg mirroring Chelsea’s plan to lower the average age of the squad, consistency has been an issue on the pitch. Patrick Vieira’s side are the only club not to have won a Ligue 1 fixture in 2024. That run of three draws and four defeats has seen them drop to 12th, three points above the relegation zone. Qualifying for Europe has become very unlikely and their hopes of winning any silverware ended last week with defeat on penalties to Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. On the surface, there are not many reasons to be positive but, as at most clubs, the situation is nuanced. The Athletic has taken a closer look at how things are progressing. How is the relationship working? Let’s start with logistics. Every two to three months, a board meeting is held either in Strasbourg or London between Keller and BlueCo representatives. Keller reports on the situation at the Ligue 1 club, providing updates on the financial situation. There is less formal weekly communication, though, mainly with Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali and co-sporting director Laurence Stewart, but nothing is set in stone. Others, including co-owner Boehly, are also involved on occasion. Eghbali, Stewart and their families attended Strasbourg’s final Ligue 1 game of 2023, a 2-1 win over Lille on December 20. The BlueCo contingent joined Keller and his son, Mehdi, for lunch at Les Haras, one of Strasbourg’s finest restaurants. They also met with local dignitaries, including Strasbourg’s mayor, Jeanne Barseghian, and club staff. Staff numbers have grown since BlueCo arrived. There have been hires to work in specialised fields such as physiotherapy, data and video analysis. Kristian Wilson, who was at New York City, Nice and Crystal Palace with Vieira, and Paul Nevin, previously with West Ham United, were added to the coaching staff. In January, a player liaison officer, who speaks English, Portuguese, French and Spanish, was brought on board. The club feel they are becoming more professional behind the scenes. They do not automatically share the same views on everything but Strasbourg see it as a partnership rather than being subservient to an absentee owner. Is the ‘buy young’ transfer policy BlueCo’s idea? It is understandable why people would draw this conclusion given targeting youth and potential has been BlueCo’s policy since taking over at Chelsea, but Keller had been planning a significant revamp of Strasbourg’s squad anyway. The president felt too many players had been at the club for too long and that it was time for a change — but to instigate the makeover, Keller needed BlueCo’s funding. Strasbourg spent significant amounts of money. Abakar Sylla joined from Club Bruges for a club-record €20million (plus €2m in potential add-ons). Emanuel Emegha arrived from Sturm Graz for €12m. Saidou Sow was bought from Saint-Etienne for around €4m, while Dilane Bakwa and Junior Mwanga were acquired from Bordeaux for a combined €20m. Those five players are either 20 or 21 years old. Academy graduates Habib Diarra, 20, Marvin Senaya, 23, and Dion Moise Sahi, 22, have also been promoted to the senior squad. The average age of the side that lost to Paris Saint-Germain last month was 22.8, the lowest recorded in France’s top division since Reims played Brest in February 2022. Some of the sales were sanctioned to fulfil promises made to players in the past. Strasbourg fans were furious when Belgium goalkeeper Matz Sels was sold to Nottingham Forest for €6million on February 1, seeing it as a sign of BlueCo’s interference. However, two years earlier, Strasbourg had rejected a big offer from another club and convinced Sels to sign a new deal. As part of the negotiations, Sels insisted that, if another bid came in for him, it would have to be discussed. On hearing Forest’s offer, Sels, who turned 32 in February, made it clear he wanted to leave. Keller spoke with Vieira, head of recruitment Loic Desire and BlueCo before the deal was ratified. Similarly, Senegal forward Habib Diallo made a similar request after a sizeable offer for his services was rejected in 2022. In return for staying, he asked to be sold the following year should a suitable bid come in. So when Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab offered €20million last August, it was accepted, even though Strasbourg wanted to keep Diallo, 28. Even so, there have been some issues. Strasbourg were making progress on acquiring Davinson Sanchez, 27, from Tottenham and Gent’s Joseph Okumu, 26, last summer only for BlueCo to determine they were too old. The players ended up moving to Galatasaray and Reims. In the months leading up to the January transfer window, Strasbourg began planning with a budget of €30million-€35m in mind. With just Chelsea loanee Angelo Gabriel, 19, and Bakwa to choose from to play on the flanks, Vieira wanted another winger as a priority, plus a left-back, but neither arrived. The only acquisitions for the second half of the season were Andrey Santos, 19, on loan from Chelsea, and 34-year-old goalkeeper Matthieu Dreyer on a free from Saint-Etienne. One source close to the club — who, like others in this article, spoke anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships — claims BlueCo told Strasbourg not to sign another winger because they did not want the possibility of Angelo’s minutes being reduced. Strasbourg dispute this, saying they had been given the go-ahead but could not secure their principal targets. One was Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who rejected them in favour of an €8million switch to Frankfurt. The Ligue 1 club were prepared to match their valuation. They also looked at Ibrahim Osman and Mohamed-Ali Cho, but Osman is joining Brighton in the summer after Nordsjaelland accepted a €19.5m bid and they could not agree a fee with Nice for Cho. Before Santos made his loan move, Chelsea offered 18-year-old Brazilian forward Deivid Washington on loan instead, but sources close to the French club suggest Vieira was not keen on the idea. There were purchases made with the future in mind in January. Milos Lukovic, an 18-year-old striker, was signed from IMT Belgrade for €4.7million plus €500,000 in add-ons and a 10 per cent sell-on. He has been loaned back to the Serbian club for the rest of the season. Pape Daouda Diong, who has already been capped by Senegal, is training with Chelsea before joining Strasbourg when he turns 18 in June. Is Vieira under any pressure? In the same way that Mauricio Pochettino is suffering at Stamford Bridge, Strasbourg’s form is giving Vieira difficult questions to answer. His players were jeered by supporters during the 3-0 loss at home to Brest last month, with many fans leaving the Stade de la Meinau well before the final whistle. “It’s easy to sum up: the public were right to whistle, to leave the stadium, because the performance wasn’t up to scratch,” Vieira told Canal+. “You can’t hide. You have to take responsibility. “Too young a team? There’s a big frustration. We’re not going to call everything into question — it’s been a long season with good and bad moments. We have to question ourselves and get back to work. We have to get our act together, take the criticism and it’s important to work.” This calm response is typical of Vieira, who took over in the summer. Keller knows him well from their time together playing for France’s national team and, given Vieira’s record of working with young players at Manchester City, New York City, Nice and Crystal Palace, he was regarded as a good fit. The decision was discussed with BlueCo before being ratified. Vieira, 47, likes to play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. He has his own ideas but he is prepared to listen to what his players think. For example, one of the summer signings — 21-year-old striker Emanuel Emegha — felt he would benefit from having Kevin Gameiro play more often behind him, so Vieira began using the 36-year-old more. That was an indication of how Vieira makes decisions he thinks are right for the team and does not simply adopt everything BlueCo dictate from above. Another example of this came with how he handled Sylla. Vieira kept the centre-back on the bench for two months this season. Weaker coaches might have felt under pressure to play the most expensive signing in the club’s history and it became one of the subjects for discussion during the regular talks between Keller and BlueCo representatives, but Vieira was left to manage as he saw fit. Sylla has started regularly since being recalled in December and looked much better in defence. Strasbourg are content with the job Vieira is doing. The run of eight games without defeat, which extended from December 7 to January 28 in all competitions, was a source of optimism. There were signs of progress, reminiscent of Vieira’s first season at Palace two years ago. The unbeaten streak ended in a 2-1 home defeat to PSG last month but the display against the champions perhaps warranted a draw. The subsequent run of three defeats and a draw have curtailed the team’s momentum. The club always felt patience would be required. The plan from day one was for Strasbourg to be challenging for the top six within a few years rather than expecting it from the outset. How are the Chelsea loanees doing? A further indication that Strasbourg and Vieira are not simply going to cow down to what Chelsea want is provided by how Angelo and Santos have been treated. Both Brazilians were signed on loan, Angelo agreeing a season-long deal in August and Santos joining him for the rest of the campaign in January. Chelsea, as the parent club, would like the duo to feature regularly but are not going to force it. Angelo, a €15million signing from Brazilian club Santos last July, has made 25 appearances in all competitions, of which 15 have been starts. The 19-year-old is still adjusting to life in a new continent, let alone his loan club’s style of play. After being in and out of the side playing as a right-winger, Angelo has established himself on the left flank. Keller’s son Mehdi, who is the general secretary of the academy, speaks fluent Portuguese and has helped the teenager settle. “I’m very happy to be here,” Angelo said last week. “I have adapted very well, I have very good relationships with my team-mates and the staff. Everything is going well. I took a few English and French lessons before arriving. There is a very good understanding with everyone, the welcome really facilitated my integration. I feel like I’m at home.” A groin injury will rule out Angelo for up to two months so he will struggle to add to his tally of four assists. The setback has added to the criticism over the failure to add another wide player in January. Angelo was a long-term target of Strasbourg anyway having been scouted by Desire, but the club did not have the finances to compete for his signature. The deal with Chelsea was seen as a win-win for both parties as Chelsea wanted the player but could not offer regular game time. Santos was not quite the same situation. Chelsea bought him from Vasco da Gama for around £18million last year. He was initially loaned to Nottingham Forest, but the season-long agreement was ended because the 19-year-old had made only two appearances. Having missed out on a winger, Strasbourg were happy to strengthen their midfield with Santos. Even so, he has only made a couple of substitute appearances totalling 33 minutes. He has not walked straight into the first XI as some cynics might have expected. Chelsea are regularly kept informed on the pair’s progress in dialogue with their counterparts at Strasbourg. What of supporter unrest? Strasbourg supporters were against BlueCo’s takeover from the start, although the club believe the opposition represents a minority of the fanbase and their views are not shared by all. Banners voicing their displeasure have been displayed at La Meinau over the campaign. At the PSG game last month, one read: “All of our fears about the BlueCo project confirmed in this transfer window.” A similar sentiment was expressed during the Brest defeat. In November, Strasbourg’s largest supporters group, Ultra Boys 90, released a statement saying multi-club ownership is “a blight on football” and expressing its opposition. “Racing is no longer independent,” they wrote. “Racing no longer has any ambitions of its own. Racing is being stripped of its substance. The consequences, of which there are many, have appeared at a speed no one could have imagined: “A team unworthy of Racing, with a catastrophic style of play “A rebellious Meinau, whose stands are already becoming overcrowded “The threat of relegation in November, despite the good start to the season “BlueCo is not welcome at the Meinau, and never will be. For more than 30 years, we have been involved in every battle. We’ve fought (former owners) Mark McCormack, Alain Fontenla and Jafar Hilali. We’ll fight BlueCo. We don’t have short memories. We are not ungrateful people. We are, however, true to our values and convictions.” Strasbourg and BlueCo believe opinions have been negatively influenced by the toils of other clubs in France who are part of multi-club groups, rather than judging their relationship on its merits. City Football Group bought Troyes in 2020, with the club now 16th in Ligue 2. Keller had been meeting with fan representatives two or three times a year since returning to the club in 2012 but increased that to once every two months following the takeover to explain how things are working. The hope is that people will trust Keller given his achievements in re-galvanising the club but it is going to take time to convince the masses. The idea of BlueCo representatives meeting with Strasbourg supporters to relay their message first-hand is under consideration. Yet another strongly worded statement followed from the same fan group on Wednesday saying their requests for the face-to-face talks have been ignored for months. “By the end of January our patience had run out and we asked for a final meeting with the shareholders, to be held no later than the end of February,” read the statement. “Here we are in March and we still haven’t seen anyone.” Ultra Boys 90 also doubled down on their criticism of BlueCo’s involvement and, perhaps significantly, publicly questioned Keller for his role in the struggles Strasbourg are experiencing. “It is now clear that BlueCo requires the recruitment of players aged 23 years or less. We’re not fooled! No professional club can be competitive under these conditions. “Without balanced recruitment, the tens of millions invested in these young players will not serve Racing but only the interests of the new owners. That’s why we’re asking: what is BlueCo’s real plan for Racing? “With all his experience and past successes at the club, how can Marc Keller endorse such a senseless sporting policy without saying a word? “Racing is now nothing more than a financial asset, owned by an investment fund that already owns another football club. Two transfer windows have also come and gone, and all we can do is watch helplessly as our club is stripped of all its experienced players. In favour of young up-and-coming players.” It should be noted that, despite all the angst, home games are consistently selling out. Are there plans to develop the stadium? There was an aspiration to redevelop La Meinau before BlueCo’s arrival, with discussions beginning in 2016. Rather than move to a new site, they decided to increase capacity from 26,000 to 32,000. The cost of the project will come to €160million, but Strasbourg are paying just €20m towards it. BlueCo does not have to contribute, either, with the rest of the money provided by the Eurometropole, the wider Grand-Est region, Strasbourg City Hall and the European Community of Alsace. Work on the site, which will take around three years to complete, began in October.

Chelsea report £90m loss in 2022-23 accounts – what does it mean for PSR? https://theathletic.com/5322989/2024/03/07/Chelsea-accounts-loss-ffp/ Chelsea have reported a pre-tax loss of £90.1million ($114.8m) in their accounts for the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2023. The loss, down from £121.4m in the previous financial year, raises fresh questions about Chelsea’s ability to remain compliant with the Premier League and UEFA’s financial regulations, though the club insist they will do so. Chelsea’s overall turnover for the year actually rose to a club-record high of £512.5m, buoyed by commercial revenue increasing to £210.1m and matchday income rising to £76.5m with the club once again being allowed to operate freely after the sanctions imposed by the UK government to force Roman Abramovich to sell in 2022. Broadcast revenue, however, fell to £225.9m from £235m in 2021-22 despite Chelsea reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last season, due primarily to a significantly lower payment from the club’s 12th-placed finish in the Premier League. What was announced on Thursday? BlueCo 22 Limited, the parent company set up by the ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital after their takeover of Chelsea in May 2022, reported a massive pre-tax loss of £678.2m for the year ending June 30, 2023 “driven by investment in Chelsea men’s and women’s playing squads”. The number that has more direct implications for Chelsea is £90.1m: that is the pre-tax loss on the club’s accounts for 2022-23, announced on the club’s official channels. What does this all mean? Chelsea have now made huge pre-tax losses in each of the last three years: £156m in 2020-21, £121m in 2021-22 and £90.1m in 2022-23. Those figures suggest things are moving in the right direction, but the structural challenges that confronted the club’s old ownership — a relatively small, aging stadium that heavily restricts matchday income and commercial revenue that remains significantly lower than Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham — are going nowhere. This means Chelsea are still heavily reliant on profit from player sales to offset their operating losses and create the wiggle room for transfer spending within football’s financial rules. The club generated profits on disposal of player registrations and fixed assets of £142.2m for the year ending June 30, 2023. Do these numbers put Chelsea at risk of breaching PSR? Chelsea reiterated their insistence that they are compliant with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which allow clubs to lose up to £105m over a three-year monitoring period. At first glance, the figures above would seem to make that claim impossible. In reality, clubs can make deductions for healthy expenditure such as on their women’s team and academy. There are also allowances for the impact of the COVID pandemic that apply to the 2020-21 accounts, and Chelsea may also argue for further adjustments for revenue lost when operating under UK government sanctions in 2021-22. Respected football finance analyst Swiss Ramble estimates that once the necessary deductions and adjustments are made, Chelsea are compliant with PSR for 2022-23. When asked about the club’s financial position, Mauricio Pochettino said: “I was told today the club announced (the financial results) but didn’t see, it was only one minute before (the press conference) that I was told about this. “At the moment I have still not talked to the owners or the sporting directors (about this). I cannot give my opinion, I know nothing because we were busy with training the whole morning. “For sure today or tomorrow I will have better information and then I can explain in the next press conference what my opinion is and how I see things.” What are the implications for next year’s figures? Next year looks much more challenging for Chelsea with broadcast, matchday and commercial revenue all expected to fall substantially in the absence of European football this season. Boehly and Clearlake believe their overhaul of the first-team squad has lowered the overall wage bill by tens of millions of pounds, but next year’s accounts will also include more than £400m in transfer fees committed to acquire 11 players including Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer and Axel Disasi. Significant money has also been raised through player departures, most notably the sale of Mason Mount to Manchester United for an initial £50m. But despite the denials of club officials, many outside Chelsea believe the club need to raise more money before June 30 in order to stay on the right side of PSR. GO DEEPER Chelsea, Strasbourg, BlueCo and a multi-club model yet to convince a sceptical fanbase

Mauricio Pochettino reveals he cancelled birthday dinner with his wife after Chelsea dropped more points https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/mauricio-pochettino-wife-Chelsea-fc-2024-b1143894.html

(Video): “If I had long hair…” – Academy defender make a great point about perceptions https://Chelsea.news/2024/03/video-if-i-had-long-hair-academy-defender-make-a-great-point-about-perceptions/ Alfie Gilchrist has just done a fun mini interview with Chelsea TV where they ask about his image as a no-nonsense hardman defender. He pointed out that that was probably as much to do with his hair as anything. “If I had long hair, probably no-one would be saying that,” he said, quite correctly. He’s leant into that reputation though, and already has some crunching tackles and blocks in his highlight reel. With so many defenders out injured for Monday night and two games to play next week, we may yet get more Gilchrist action in the next 7 days. You can see the defender speaking in the clip embedded here:

Chelsea’s next superstar? BlueCo reject €25m bids for 20-year-old earmarked for the top https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/tag/newsnow-features-only/Chelsea-transfer-news-blueco-habib-diarra-strasbourg Chelsea have earmarked Strasbourg youngster Habib Diarra as a potentially special player for the future and have already turned down two €25 million bids for him. Diarra is a 20-year-old midfielder and is already in the Chelsea family as he turns out for the BlueCo-owned Ligue 1 outfit. Last season was his breakout campaign as he mustered three goals and three assists across 29 Ligue 1 matches, while he has two goals and one decisive pass in this campaign. READ MORE: Romano drops update on €100m Chelsea star who wants OUT L’Equipe reports that BlueCo see him as a potential superstar in the making and that two bids of €25 million were rejected from Lens and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the summer transfer window. This has been a major boost to head coach Patrick Vieira, who has used Diarra in every position across the midfield this season. Chelsea’s investors also moved to extend Diarra’s contract in the summer, with his new deal running until 2028 – further proof of their confidence in him. Indeed, while Blue Co have been under attack in Strasbourg for their ownership of the club, rejecting two €25m bids for a player like Diarra would have been unthinkable under their previous ownership. Habib Diarra’s strengths and weaknesses Diarra is a very physically gifted player, with great athleticism and endurance. His versatility is also a major asset. Furthermore, Vieira has previously praised his young star’s attitude, stating that “he is always hard working and demanding of himself”. On the other hand, the former France midfielder wants Diarra to have a cooler head in front of goal and to boost the number of decisive actions he makes. This is something that the player himself admits that he needs to polish. “It gives me confidence to impose myself and break the lines, and this is something I need to improve on even more, like my final pass and scoring.”

look at the date of that post of mine

remember, Dortmund have an option to buy him for £29.75m of the only LBs I would truly want Alphonso Davies Nuno Mendes Federico Dimarco Theo Hernández Alejandro Balde none will come here so we will have to either hope BD doesnt buy Maatsen or go for Miguel Gutiérrez or Quilindschy Hartman or Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton, eeeeeek!) Alejandro Grimaldo José Gayà Rayan Aït-Nouri Antonee Robinson

do not buy! injured AGAIN Wolves dealt major injury blow after latest Pedro Neto setback vs Fulham https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/breaking-wolves-dealt-major-injury-28788178

good luck affording most any or all of these and/or also convincing them to come here with no CL in the remotely foreseeable future Jamal Musiala Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen Florian Wirtz Gavi Rafael Leão Bruno Guimarães Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Frenkie de Jong Nicolò Barella Joshua Kimmich Xavi Simons Alphonso Davies Lucas Paquetá Matthijs de Ligt Douglas Luiz we might have a shot at Dušan Vlahović (his goal production tracks to 30 goals, 6 assists in 3400 minutes played, and he has only played 42 non league minutes (no goals or assists), so no stat stuffing against shit low tier non topflight teams, he has 4 goals in 3 away games v Inter, Lazio, and 4th place atm in Serie A Bologna)

atm

Occam's razor says he is a gormless septic cunt

and we are diving in for more Brighton staff and looking at more Brighton players, ffs

I have never been this despondent about the club in my life I look out at every level, every area and trendline and see NOTHING of import that is positive other than Cole Palmer 😞

POCH OUT

they are the hottest team in the EPL atm