Vesper

Marina Granovskaia linked to secret payments by former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich Powerful chief executive of Chelsea under Abramovich appears in documents showing offshore payments by oligarch https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/25/marina-granovskaia-role-Chelsea-alleged-financial-breaches-under-investigation-premier-league The former chief executive of Chelsea, once described as “the most powerful woman in football”, is facing questions about what she knew of secret payments made under the club’s former owner Roman Abramovich, amid a continuing investigation into alleged breaches of football spending rules. Details of millions of pounds in fees, funded by offshore vehicles belonging to the Russian oligarch, emerged last year as a result of the Cyprus Confidential leaks project, published by the Guardian and international partners. Documents from the files indicate that Marina Granovskaia, a close associate of Abramovich who ran Chelsea until he sold the club in May 2022, knew about some of the transactions, including a fee paid to the agent of star player Eden Hazard. She also appears to have benefited personally from some of the payments, raising questions over whether she received extra money from Abramovich for her work at the club, on top of her Chelsea salary. The files suggest offshore companies in the Abramovich network made loans to Granovskaia worth £7.5m to finance the purchase of a house in Fulham, near the club’s Stamford Bridge stadium, and a payment of £1.63m for “financial, tax and legal due diligence”. The Premier League is investigating whether Abramovich secretly subsidised his team by using offshore companies to make payments which should, under rules designed to ensure fair competition, have been made by the club itself from its own bank accounts. The material raises questions about oversight of the club’s affairs by its board, which was chaired by the American lawyer Bruce Buck during Abramovich’s highly successful reign. Buck was a partner at the law firm Skadden, which acted for Chelsea and Abramovich for two decades, and held senior positions at the Premier League, which acts as both regulator and promoter for its member clubs. The Premier League investigation was triggered after the club’s new owners, a consortium whose figurehead is US investor Todd Boehly, reported suspected breaches by previous management. An independent panel of sports law experts will be convened that could summon former club executives to give evidence. Should the panel find Chelsea guilty, it has the power to impose financial or sporting punishments, such as a points deduction. No details of the transactions under investigation have been publicly disclosed by the club or its regulators. However, a leak of documents from an accounting firm in Cyprus which acted for Abramovich revealed a series of payments over a decade to managers, scouts and football agents connected to Chelsea. The information, which was published as part of the Cyprus Confidential series, was shared with the Guardian by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Germany’s Paper Trail Media. Beneficiaries of secret payments included the agent of Hazard, the files suggest, while other transactions appear to have been connected to the purchase of the Brazil forward Willian and the Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o. Granovskaia appears to have been sent copies of agreements relating to those payments. The Russian, 49, rose from working as Abramovich’s executive assistant to overseeing Chelsea’s financial and sporting affairs on the oligarch’s behalf, a job that saw her dubbed the “most powerful woman in football”. Less than a month after she became chief executive of the club in October 2014, the British Virgin Islands-registered Ovington Worldwide – owned by Abramovich – agreed to make three loans to Granovskaia worth a combined £12.5m, documents in the leak reveal. According to credit agreements, two of the loans, dated November 2014 and worth a combined £7.5m, were to finance the purchase of a property. Less than six months later, Land Registry filings show, Granovskaia bought a home in London for £5.05m. At least £7.5m of the debt to Abramovich was due to be waived under subsequent debt forgiveness deeds. On top of the loans, between 2010 and 2019 Ovington Worldwide agreed to pay her at least £1.63m under an advisory services agreement for “financial, tax and legal due diligence”. Leading sports lawyers have previously told the Guardian that any payment for services to Chelsea ought to have been borne by the club and that any failure to disclose them in the club’s accounts might be seen as a breach of Premier League rules. The documents also suggest that Granovskaia may have known of payments made by one of Abramovich’s offshore vehicles to a football agent and an adviser, both of whom did business with Chelsea. In April 2013, the Cyprus-based financial services firm MeritServus, which managed offshore companies for Roman Abramovich, wrote to Granovskaia at her postal address at Chelsea’s stadium. MeritServus said it had enclosed a copy of an “advisory services agreement” with Gulf Value FZE, a company owned by John Bico, the former agent of Hazard. As the Guardian has previously revealed, the agreement involved Bico’s company receiving a £7m fee from Leiston Holdings, an offshore company owned by Abramovich. A year earlier, MeritServus also sent Granovskaia a copy of an advisory agreement between Leiston and the former Dutch football coach Piet De Visser, who became one of Abramovich’s most trusted advisers during his ownership of Chelsea. Under the agreement, Leiston agreed to pay De Visser a €48,000 “retainer” and a further €4,000 a month for “scouting and other football related advice”, over 12 months. Granovskaia did not return requests for comment. Chelsea’s free-spending strategy under Abramovich has long attracted concern within football, with the then Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger describing it as “financial doping” in 2005. The former Uefa president Michel Platini warned in 2008 that “the ones who cheat [with debt-fuelled spending] are going on to win”. But the Premier League, which oversees top club’s finances, did not open an investigation into Chelsea until last year, after the club’s new owners reported that “incomplete financial information” had been submitted during Abramovich’s tenure. In 2012, while Buck was chairman of Chelsea and the Premier League’s pay committee, he promised Chelsea would comply with Uefa’s “financial fair play” spending limits, imposed in 2011, via legitimate means. These, he said, would include cutting spending and increasing sponsorship revenues. The following year, he criticised FFP rules, which he said risked maintaining the “status quo” in football. The Premier League imposed its own spending limits two years later. Leaked files indicate that Skadden, the law firm where Buck was a partner, may have performed work for Leiston Holdings, the offshore vehicle owned by Abramovich that was the source of many of the payments likely to be investigated by the Premier League. In a document that describes Leiston as the “customer” and Abramovich’s personal investment firm Millhouse as the “executor”, Skadden is listed among companies to have provided services requiring “transfer outside Russian federation” during 2014. Buck’s name does not appear in the document. Lawyers for Buck did not return requests for comment. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom did not return requests for comment. Chelsea FC has previously said that the payments pre-date the current ownership regime and that the club had self-reported “potential financial irregularities” from that period to the football authorities.

Six big issues Gareth Southgate must resolve before Euro 2024 On talent alone England have to be taken seriously at the Euros this summer but there are still major questions to be answered https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/25/gareth-southgate-england-problems-euro-2024/ England will be among the favourites come the start of Euro 2024 this summer but defeat to Brazil at Wembley on Saturday did expose some fragilities that Gareth Southgate must look to address. Here are six problem areas where England still need to find answers before their first match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on June 16. The left-back dilemma And it is a dilemma. Gareth Southgate talked up Ben Chilwell’s performance against Brazil but, also, described Luke Shaw as “world-class”. Problem is the Manchester United defender may not play again until the end of the season. With squads reduced back to 23 – from 26 – for the Euros, can Southgate afford to take a player who is not fully fit? He has also admitted Shaw is unlikely to be able to play all seven games if England go all the way to the final. The solution may well be to move Kieran Trippier over from the right-side given he will go to the tournament as Kyle Walker’s under-study. That also helps in ensuring there is a place for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the squad, even if he is used in midfield. Southgate may look to Joe Gomez who has played left-back, impressively, for Liverpool. There is no easy answer with Shaw out. But can he risk him? Harry Maguire re-opens the centre-half debate The Manchester United defender spoke confidently – and convincingly – about how well he has played for England during tournaments before the Brazil game, even when he has been out of his club side. Maguire’s performances at finals and the statistics back him up… and then he makes a terrible mistake from which Raphinha should have scored. It is the kind of unforced error that if it is repeated in Germany this summer could see England out of the tournament. Who to partner John Stones is a problem especially with Lewis Dunk then being at fault for Brazil’s goal when he came on. It will be Maguire but it is an undeniable issue that he does not face stronger competition for his place. Marc Guehi is injured, Levi Colwill is also absent and Southgate is clearly unconvinced by Fikayo Tomori. Jarrad Branthwaite is uncapped but should feature against Belgium while Southgate was certainly impressed by Ezri Konsa when he came on against Brazil, at right-back, and talked up the importance of his versatility. Who partners Declan Rice? Even more pressing an issue than who plays alongside John Stones is who will partner Declan Rice. Conor Gallagher played against Brazil and did alright, Jordan Henderson is expected to feature against Belgium but is struggling and Kalvin Phillips is deservedly out of the squad. It is interesting how frustrated Gareth Southgate is at not being able to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a run of games in midfield. For this one, though, the answer is obvious. There is a specialist in the squad. Although he is only 18 – until next month – and has so far played just 15 minutes for his country, it is already time to trust in Kobbie Mainoo. Put it this way, if a Premier League team was being selected right now on form, who would be picked as Rice’s partner? It would be Mainoo and we know he has the temperament – doing well in a patchy Manchester United team – and ability to thrive in what is now an experienced England side. The left-side of the attack It looks like Gareth Southgate is favouring a 4-2-3-1 formation for Germany with three players behind the main striker. We know that Jude Bellingham will play in the middle of those three, as a number 10, and that Bukayo Saka will feature on the right. But on the left? England have an abundance of talent: Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and now also Anthony Gordon. And yet no-one has nailed down their place. It feels like sacrilege not to include Foden, who has played most of his Premier League minutes on the left but was on the right against Brazil. However, he did not continue his club form at Wembley and was a disappointment. England need to unlock him. Both Rashford and Grealish have had frustrating campaigns and while Gordon did well against Brazil it was only his first cap and can he really be selected ahead of those other three? The Harry Kane team For all the talk of how important Jude Bellingham is to England – and he is – they still remain the Harry Kane team. It is undeniable. England are just not the same without their captain and, sadly, so far Ollie Watkins has just not taken his chance to be a convincing deputy. It is all the more disappointing given Watkins’ outstanding form for Aston Villa. And so, against Belgium, Southgate will turn to Ivan Toney and he talked up the Brentford striker’s “swagger” as one of his characteristics. Toney does not lack confidence and is maybe more similar to Kane than Watkins. But, again, it is a big ask for him to come in for his first start and stake a claim. Rashford would be a solution but never looks at home through the middle. Kane is world-class and world-class players are obviously never easy to replace but England are far weaker without him. Getting the best formation There is one approach that Southgate has not tried yet and the fact he has not got the players available to make it work – because of injury and maybe also form – means it is currently a non-runner. But indulge me here. Personally, I would like England to go into the tournament in a 4-1-4-1 formation, changing into 3-2-4-1 after kick-off and replicating Manchester City. The key to this is the defence with John Stones stepping forward into midfield. It would need Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw either side of a centre-half, at present Harry Maguire. Maguire’s lack of pace is an obvious problem as he is just not as quick as those City centre-halves. Then I would have Declan Rice in the Rodri role and a four behind Harry Kane. This would be Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden – either more centrally or on the left - and if on the left then James Maddison could play more centrally. If Foden is in the middle then Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford or Anthony Gordon can play left. It also might help give Cole Palmer a chance. But the big flaw in my idea remains that defence.

IF we cannot grab Rafael Leão (and it is VERY likely we cannot) or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (also VERY unlikely) and Mathys Tel just renewed until 2029 then that leaves one clear option for the absolutely vital Left Winger (and a right footer) position Nico Williams I see nothing else out there that is worth our time and cash atm and who is a player who would come here

Every player with a TM valuation of €50m or higher atm who has even a remote chance of moving this summer (some very remote) Many Barca on here due to their crazy financial trouble, obviously most will stay Kylian Mbappé (98 per cent done deal to Real Madrid) Jamal Musiala Lautaro Martínez Victor Osimhen Florian Wirtz Gavi Rafael Leão Bruno Guimarães Pedri Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Bernardo Silva Leroy Sané Nicolò Barella Joshua Kimmich Xavi Simons Ronald Araujo Douglas Luiz Alphonso Davies Frenkie de Jong Alessandro Bastoni Trent Alexander-Arnold Lucas Paquetá Achraf Hakimi Dušan Vlahović Matthijs de Ligt Ollie Watkins Kingsley Coman Mohamed Salah Evan Ferguson Nuno Mendes Bremer Takefusa Kubo Theo Hernández Pedro Neto Loïs Openda Viktor Gyökeres João Palhinha Marquinhos Nico Williams Michael Olise Jonathan David Amadou Onana Jeremie Frimpong Martín Zubimendi Jules Koundé Raphinha Mikel Oyarzabal Mikel Merino Jarrod Bowen Dani Olmo Ivan Toney Federico Dimarco

Florian Wirtz likely to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year https://thedailybriefing.io/i/142902608/florian-wirtz-likely-to-stay-at-bayer-leverkusen-for-one-more-year Florian Wirtz has spoken about his future, suggesting that for now his plan is to remain at Bayer Leverkusen, and that’s my understanding as well - his full focus on Leverkusen and on the Euros. There are currently no negotiations and sources close to the player believe the best option is to stay at Leverkusen for one more year, at least. Then never say never in football, but it’s very quiet so far.

In Cole Palmer, England have a player made for the big moments https://theathletic.com/5353363/2024/03/20/cole-palmer-england-gareth-southgate/ Sometimes in life, success can be all about timing. Over the past year, Cole Palmer has timed to perfection his emergence from a promising academy player at Manchester City into arguably Chelsea’s key performer and now a possible England squad regular. Palmer has gone from the fringes at club level to a strong contender to play a major part at Euro 2024 this summer after a sensational season at Chelsea. There is often a late runner to make the plane and, carried by a knack for staying composed in the big moments, Palmer, 21, has emerged to add to Southgate’s impressive options in attacking positions. Last summer, after rising through the academy ranks to be a part of Pep Guardiola’s squad, his 15 years at Manchester City culminated in lifting the treble, but that still wasn’t enough for Palmer. He made 25 appearances during Manchester City’s unforgettable season but only started seven games. That wasn’t why he had spent hours after school practising with his father, Jermaine, in a park in Wythenshawe. He wanted to play and made the first big decision that hinted at the mental strength and self-belief he has shown since. His £42.5million ($54m) move to Chelsea surprised many — initially because Chelsea had spent so much on a promising but unproven young player and then, as he began to establish himself and make headlines, because Guardiola allowed such an obvious talent to leave. “If Palmer had the minutes I gave to Phil Foden from the beginning, Cole Palmer would be here — but I didn’t give them to him,” Guardiola later admitted. “That is my responsibility. “Why? Because of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Phil. In that moment, I chose the other ones.” This season has been the first time Palmer has lived outside of Manchester, away from his close family circle and friends, but on the pitch, he has seemed to settle instantly into Mauricio Pochettino’s side. “It was a big move for me,” Palmer said back in November. “I’ve never been out of Manchester, not even been on loan or anything like that, so to move down (to London) was big.” With 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, including 11 goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season, Palmer is only behind Ollie Watkins, Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Son Heung-min and Bukayo Saka for goal contributions in what is his first campaign as a first-team regular. Palmer backed himself when he decided to move to Chelsea and he has repeatedly done so since, regularly taking on penalty duties ahead of Raheem Sterling and justifying his manager’s decision by scoring five out of five. That calmness and ability to execute under pressure was never more evident than when he scored the stoppage-time penalty to snatch a point in a pulsating 4-4 draw with his former club at Stamford Bridge in November. Southgate was at that game and it must have already been in his mind to give Palmer his first call-up to the senior squad, but the youngster’s performance that afternoon and his temperament to take that penalty would have convinced him it was the right time. “When I saw the ref point to the penalty spot, Raheem spoke to me,” Palmer said after he linked up with the England squad for the first time at St George’s Park last year. “He said, ‘What’s happening?’. I said, ‘I want to take it’. He was like, ‘Fine’. Then, when I put the ball down, I just tried to focus on the spot I was going to put it in.” The nonchalant way in which Palmer explained what happened in that moment revealed two things: first, how much trust his new team-mates had in him to allow such a young player to step up in that pressurised moment and second, how unfazed and confident he is. He is becoming a mentality monster. “I’ve always liked trying to believe in myself without being over the top,” he says. “I can always be humble with it, but believing in your own ability is going to help you a lot.” Palmer is rapidly becoming a player for those big moments. He demonstrated that in the summer when he stepped up to take a free kick in first-half stoppage time of the European Under-21 Championship final, beating Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas with the help of a wicked deflection off the back of Curtis Jones. It proved to be as decisive a moment as James Trafford’s last-gasp penalty double save. Palmer proved it again last Sunday in Chelsea’s 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester City. Despite being relatively quiet in the first half when up against his former Manchester City youth team-mate Callum Doyle, he sprung into life to score the crucial second goal on the stroke of half-time and, after Leicester had fought their way back into the game, teed up Carney Chukwuemeka with a sensational backheeled flick to put Chelsea back in front in added time. The issue for Southgate must be not whether to use Palmer — and the time seems right to give the Chelsea man his first start in the next two friendlies against Brazil on Saturday and Belgium on Tuesday — but how to get the best out of him. Palmer’s preferred position is off the right, but he has shown for Chelsea he can play anywhere across the front line, even as a false No 9 as well as deeper. Wherever he plays, he always seems to look to be positive, trying to play forward or take opponents on. He nearly scored in that game against Manchester City when he picked up the ball in space and drove at three defenders before wriggling into the box, but couldn’t beat Ederson. In such situations, Palmer is usually the coolest player on the pitch, as he showed at Luton Town when he latched onto Nicolas Jackson’s pass and went around goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski… … and despite three recovering defenders closing in on him, he calmly stepped inside them to score his second goal of the game. When Palmer plays deeper, he has the vision to pick out the runs of team-mates, as he does in this example against Tottenham Hotspur in November when he spots the runs of Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk. And against Brentford, he finds the run from deep of full-back Marc Cucurella by delivering an inch-perfect pass. “Mauricio has given me the confidence and the licence to go where I want on the pitch where I feel I can use my strengths,” Palmer says. “I’m just grateful for it.” Palmer may have only just come into the England reckoning, but he has done so in great form and with momentum. It could be perfect timing for Palmer but also for Southgate and England because when those big match-defining moments come along, they have a player who has the talent and temperament to deliver.

Raheem Sterling at Chelsea: A marquee signing incapable of living up to an unrealistic billing https://theathletic.com/5352265/2024/03/20/sterling-Chelsea-england-city-liverpool/ The ball had not even landed yet in the upper tier of the Matthew Harding Stand when the boos began to rain down. Raheem Sterling stood still and raised his hands to cover his mouth and nose, trying to process how his Roberto Carlos-style run-up had resulted in a free-kick attempt more akin to a failed rugby union conversion. Patson Daka, jogging upfield having been in the Leicester City wall, even offered a consoling ruffle of his opponent’s head as he went past. Then, as Sterling slowly turned away, the chant went up from the Chelsea supporters behind him. “Get him off! Get him off! Get him off!” It was one of those rare moments on a football pitch where high comedy meets excruciating embarrassment, an extinction-level event for the confidence of some players. Fernando Torres experienced something similar at Old Trafford in September 2011, contriving to miss an open goal in front of a gleeful Stretford End after brilliantly rounding David de Gea. That day, however, Torres only had to endure the taunts of rival supporters. Chelsea fans overwhelmingly stuck with him, sympathetic to his plight and appreciative of his effort. Sterling, despite belonging in the same bracket of disappointing marquee signings, has always been treated differently by a vocal section of the club’s hardcore support. A perception has grown among his fiercest critics at Stamford Bridge that Sterling is a selfish player, putting his success ahead of the team’s best interests. His decision to ask Cole Palmer to hand over penalty duties against Leicester City was widely interpreted as proof, adding to a body of evidence that also includes him shooting rather than squaring to Palmer or Nicolas Jackson when through on goal in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in December. But another interpretation makes more sense within the context of Sterling’s career as a whole: that he is tying himself in knots trying to live up to his own expectations and those of everyone around him. Hype has followed Sterling since the start of his football journey; a gift and a curse. The subject of interest from England’s top clubs before signing for Liverpool at 15, his thrilling breakthrough to become a Premier League regular and senior England international at 17 marked him out as the Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney of his generation. That almost impossible standard became even more daunting when he moved from Liverpool to Manchester City in 2015 for an initial £44million ($55.9m) fee that made him the most expensive English player ever at the time, simultaneously branded a money-grabbing mercenary before his 21st birthday and the man to power a golden era at the Etihad Stadium. In reality, he was neither, but Sterling was so desperate to succeed after an underwhelming first two seasons at City that he reinvented his game under Pep Guardiola, transforming from a direct wing-hugging dribbler into an expert finisher of moves in the penalty area. That change also helped him escape the unwanted status of designated scapegoat for England’s tournament failures, instead blossoming into one of Gareth Southgate’s most reliable performers. Announcing his arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2022, co-owner Todd Boehly described Sterling as a “world-class talent”. The forward spoke sincerely about his ambition to win the Ballon d’Or — words that seemed fanciful at the time and now appear utterly ludicrous, but are also entirely consistent with the mindset that has taken him to this point. Sterling was football’s equivalent of a Hollywood child star, growing up publicly in a storm of often unfair criticism and, at times, disgraceful media coverage while attempting to live up to the excitement sparked by his prodigious emergence. Rather than going off the rails, he doubled down on his professionalism and, along the way, held up a vital mirror to the racially charged manner in which some UK newspapers discussed him and other young black footballers. That is quite a legacy to add to what Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino justifiably describes as “an unbelievable CV”: four Premier League titles, 10 major club trophies overall and 20 goals in 82 England appearances. Sterling does not turn 30 until December, yet Rooney is the only forward to have played more than his 27,896 minutes in the Premier League. The problem for Sterling and everyone else invested in his success is that he has never been a Ballon d’Or-level performer. He lacks the metronomic precision and production of the very best and the unfortunate tendency of his generally excellent technique to desert him at key moments can make him a uniquely maddening watch. Guardiola’s system elevated Sterling to career-best heights, but he was never as integral to its success as some of his more celebrated City team-mates. That is why he lost his place as a regular starter a year before leaving for Chelsea and why the Premier League champions were ultimately fine with selling him to an ostensible rival two years ago. In the eyes of Thomas Tuchel, Sterling was the versatile scoring threat he needed to transform an underperforming attack. To the owners, he was a marquee name who could be unveiled with a glitzy Beverly Hills photoshoot and justifiably paid at the level of a Premier League superstar. This fundamental misidentification of what Sterling was might have doomed his Chelsea chapter at its conception. His huge contract, which pays him at a comparable level to Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne and contains no clauses to lower his salary outside of European competition, informs a lot of the frustration that comes his way from inside and outside the club. It is telling that he was the one singled out for motivation by Boehly during the American’s ill-advised visit to Stamford Bridge’s home dressing room after the defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in April. None of this is Sterling’s fault and there is no suggestion that securing such a lucrative five-year deal has prompted him to take his foot off the gas. On the contrary, he spent much of last summer working with Chelsea staff to re-think his approach to diet and nutrition and threw himself into extra conditioning work to ensure he would be in peak shape for the new season, which he began impressively under Pochettino. “I want to get back to being obsessed with football and nothing else,” he said in August. “Top performances, goals and assists. A lot has happened in my career. I have had a new challenge, which has been difficult. Your head can become blurry, but my love for football is too much and I am too young to let my career fizzle out. “I need to maintain the standards I have set myself and keep going. I have the desire and hunger to do that.” Sterling’s production since that pledge has fallen short of his and Chelsea’s standards. His goal against City at the Etihad Stadium last month was only his second in 2024 and ended a three-month scoring drought in the Premier League. He has not added to it in the five matches across all competitions that followed. Given the huge mileage of his career, Sterling’s slump has fuelled suggestions that he has entered his decline phase. In terms of playing style at Chelsea, he has reverted more to what he was at Liverpool than what he became at City; he ranks third in the Premier League for dribbles attempted per 90 minutes in 2023-24, but his success rate is the lowest in the top 10. Sterling is a low-efficiency dribbler PLAYER DRIBBLES/90 DRIBBLE SUCCESS (%) Jérémy Doku 9.3 51.60% Mohammed Kudus 7.5 55.00% Raheem Sterling 6 33.30% Kaoru Mitoma 5.7 41.50% Chiedozie Ogbene 5.5 50.90% Leon Bailey 5.4 48.30% Gabriel Martinelli 5.4 34.60% Pedro Neto 5.3 42.00% Simon Adingra 5.2 41.00% Matheus Cunha 5.1 47.30% Sterling’s high volume, low efficiency dribbling this season also compares unfavourably with all of his final five seasons working with Guardiola at City. Sterling's dribble efficiency has dipped SEASON DRIBBLES/90 DRIBBLE SUCCESS (%) 2017-18 4.2 53.80% 2018-19 4.9 53.90% 2019-20 3.6 52.30% 2020-21 4.3 54.10% 2021-22 4.8 47.30% 2022-23 4.4 41.90% 2023-24 6 33.30% The bad moments are beginning to outnumber the good ones and, as has so often been the case in Sterling’s career, in his bad moments for Chelsea he is discovering that he has very little credit in the bank with many of his own supporters. History suggests that Sterling will not give up. For all his flaws, it is hard to find a more mentally resilient footballer — a quality underlined again by the run and inviting low cross that gave Palmer a tap-in against Leicester, following hot on the heels of his limp penalty and gilt-edged one-on-one miss in a torrid first half. He does not hide, even if that means enduring moments like his unforgettable second-half free kick. That attitude is one of the things that endears him to his team-mates, who notably rushed to issue supportive comments under his apologetic Instagram post after the Leicester game. Sterling was never a candidate for the Chelsea captaincy, but he is viewed as a big brother by many of the club’s younger attackers; an example to follow in terms of his application. https://www.instagram.com/p/C4n8N7nN2P_/ Receiving such love from any of the supporters he has represented seems an unlikely prospect. Liverpool will never forgive him for leaving. The bulk of the adulation at City is reserved for the club’s unequivocal modern club legends: Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and De Bruyne. England supporters often seemed more comfortable abusing than embracing him. All three responded to his absence by quickly finding newer, shinier heroes. Then there is this Chelsea chapter, which grows unhappier by the month. Sterling is not capable of living up to the initial billing. For many in the stands, his face does not fit this young team and his contract — which runs until June 2027 — is an expensive millstone, the legacy of a chaotic first transfer window before Boehly and Clearlake Capital implemented their youth strategy and drive to lower the wage bill. On the current direction of travel, it would be a sad end to a highly successful and admirable career, but perhaps the reaction to Sterling’s eventual substitution against Leicester hints at the only workable way forward: applause drowning out the boos, reciprocated by the man himself. In the absence of love, respect will do.

The ghost of £52m man has haunted Chelsea for 18 months; now is the time to break the spell https://Chelsea.news/2024/03/the-ghost-of-52m-man-has-haunted-Chelsea-for-18-months-now-is-the-time-to-break-the-spell-opinion/ It’s not over yet, but it already feels like this Chelsea season has been defined by one player who has barely featured – Christopher Nkunku. His presence his been hanging over the club for about 18 months now, since the reports he had a future transfer arranged were first put out there. Since that point, his future arrival was held up as the symbol of the start of a new era at the club. His good performances in preseason felt like proof that this would be the case. The enthusiasm built steadily with his form, and was then shattered by his injury. After that, we went back to waiting. No matter how bad things got, we had the return of Nkunku, the king in the hill, to magically restore our kingdom. Instead he returned, got injured, returned again, seemed to fall out of favour, then got injured again and disappeared. The period since then has felt like a despondent group coming to terms with the fact they were going to have to do it without him. We have seen signs they’re doing that. Will we come back from this international break finally cured of the feeling of dependence on him and ready to attack the final stretch? Or will the ghost of Nkunku continue to haunt us all the way until May? We can’t wait to find out.

he has been much better the past 5 plus games

UEFA relaxes multi-club rules to allow teams owned by same group to compete in different competitions https://theathletic.com/5362029/2024/03/22/uefa-multi-club-rules-champions-europa-league/ European football’s governing body UEFA has quietly relaxed its rules on multi-club ownership groups ahead of next season’s changes to its club competitions. From the 2024-25 campaign, clubs under common ownership that are prevented from playing in the same UEFA club competition will now be allowed to play in different UEFA competitions. For example, it is possible that one of Manchester United or Nice, both now under the control of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his company INEOS, could play in the Champions League, while the other plays in the Europa League or Conference League. The same would apply to City Football Group’s Manchester City and Girona, Red Bull’s Leipzig and Salzburg sides or Qatar Sports Investment’s Paris Saint-Germain and Braga. GO DEEPER Explained: Could Girona cost Manchester City their Champions League place next season? The relevant changes to UEFA’s competition regulations are found in articles 5.04 and 5.05, which come into force on 1 May. Under the previous provisions of Article 5, which has not changed much in 20 years, clubs blocked from competing in Europe because they were under the control of an investor or group that controls another qualified team, were simply replaced by the next team from their domestic competition. But now, Article 5.04 says a club that is replaced in one competition “may still be admitted to another UEFA club competition (i.e. in descending order: UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League) to which the relevant national association has access”. The list of qualified clubs for the national association in question would then have to be adjusted, with the relevant cap for that association still being applied. For England and the four top nations, that means a total of seven places, but any nation can earn more spots if one of its teams wins one of the three UEFA competitions but finishes outside the qualification places in their domestic league, as happened in the Premier League with West Ham last season. They won the Conference League, earning them a place in the Europa League this season, but finished in 14th in the Premier League. This gave England an eighth team in Europe. GO DEEPER Why is FSG pursuing a multi-club model and what's in it for Liverpool? While the change to UEFA’s rules on “the integrity of the competition/multi-club ownership” may not seem to be dramatic, the direction of travel is interesting, as it is clearly a loosening of the regulations, not a tightening. With the number of clubs under common ownership growing each season, the integrity risks are obvious, particularly as the three men’s competitions are all moving to single-table formats and expanding to 36 teams each. What was previously only a once-a-decade problem, is now likely to come up multiple times every season. Last summer, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Toulouse were only allowed to take their places in this season’s European competitions when their owners put more distance between them and Vitoria de Guimaraes, Union Saint-Gilloise and AC Milan, respectively. The latter three had already been cleared to play as they had finished in a higher position in their domestic leagues, which is how UEFA settles these disputes, but Villa and Brighton were only permitted to participate when their owners reduced stakes in their stablemates to below 30 per cent. Toulouse were allowed to play when Milan’s majority owner Gerry Cardinale quit the French side’s board. All three of the pairs of clubs were also banned from transferring players to each other this season, entering into commercial joint ventures or sharing scouting data. UEFA has been grappling with this issue since the late 1990s, when English investment firm ENIC owned stakes in multiple clubs across the continent. In the 1997-98 season, three of them — AEK Athens, Slavia Prague and Vicenza — all reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup. UEFA blocked AEK Athens from playing in the UEFA Cup the following season, as Slavia Prague had a higher finish in their league. This prompted a legal challenge from ENIC that ended up at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The result of that row was the drafting of Article 5 in 2001, which established the idea that “control or influence” over more than one team would not be allowed. That left a lot of room for interpretation but the concept of “control” did not come up again until 2017, when RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg both qualified for the Champions League. That prompted a tweak of the language, so that “decisive influence” was now the key issue. In practice, however, the Red Bull group was able to fairly easily create enough separation between the two clubs by moving some staff around and ring-fencing their budgets. The current explosion in the number of multi-club groups, however, has raised issues that neither UEFA nor FIFA, which has expanded and revamped its Club World Cup, can ignore. So far, UEFA seems happy to take each case on its own merits, as we saw last summer. Whether that will be possible with the sheer number of cases that are likely to come up each year from now on, remains to be seen. GO DEEPER Thursday matches, a 'seeding table' and no Saudi teams - UEFA's new Champions League

FRAUDGATE OUT

Ruben Loftus-Cheek being overlooked for England does not make sense https://theathletic.com/5358491/2024/03/22/loftus-cheek-england-milan/ “What’s Milan like?” Ruben Loftus-Cheek asked Fikayo Tomori. It was in an international window and when Tomori got the text from his old friend and team-mate, he thought Loftus-Cheek was planning a city break. The anecdote they shared during pre-season in Los Angeles last summer was revealing for two reasons. First, it showed the long-standing nature of AC Milan’s interest. Loftus-Cheek’s text to Tomori was sent “early” in the club game’s off-season. So early Tomori didn’t suspect a reunion was on the cards with a player with whom he came through Chelsea’s academy. Second, the timing of their correspondence made it clear neither had been called up by England for their June matches against Malta and North Macedonia. GO DEEPER Assessing England’s Euro 2024 midfielders: Who plays alongside Bellingham and Rice? Both were overlooked again by England last week ahead of the Euros in the summer and while defender Tomori had only returned from injury in the 10 days leading up to the squad being named for friendlies against Brazil tomorrow (Saturday) and Belgium on Tuesday, midfielder Loftus-Cheek’s continued absence came as a surprise in Italy. Earlier in the season, England manager Gareth Southgate could be excused for waiting and seeing whether the now 28-year-old could back up his immediate impact at Milan — he set up Christian Pulisic’s opener against Torino in the second league game of the season, won a penalty at Roma in the third and scored his first goal, a long-range screamer at Cagliari, in the sixth — but now it is far harder to justify. Since the turn of the year, Loftus-Cheek has arguably been in the form of his life. When the award for Serie A’s midfielder of the season is handed out in May, Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu and Teun Koopmeiners of Atalanta are likely to be the favourites. But Loftus-Cheek has given himself a chance with eight goals in 2024 alone. It’s almost as if there’s a major tournament on the horizon. Milan head coach Stefano Pioli believes Loftus-Cheek has been exceeding expectations. “We came up against him in the Champions League last season,” he recalled — Graham Potter, Chelsea’s manager at the time, played Loftus-Cheek as a No 6 in a 3-0 home win at Stamford Bridge in the October. “I looked at him as more of a box-to-box player, but I didn’t see him being such a big player for us in the opposition penalty area with this much quality and physicality.” He has reminded Pioli of a player he trained during his spell as Lazio coach from 2014 to 2016 — Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who went on to be voted Serie A midfielder of the year for the 2018-19 season, and who that club’s owner, Claudio Lotito, once priced out of a move to Europe’s elite with a valuation in excess of €100million (£85.7m; $109.1m at current exchange rates). The 29-year-old Serbia international, who has been one of the best signings of the Saudi Pro League’s extravagant 2023 summer with league leaders Al Hilal, is silky for his size and was a devastating box-crashing predator throughout his time in Italy. “The Loftus-Cheek I’ve found is more attacking than I thought,” Pioli elaborated. “He’s fantastic.” Loftus-Cheek was the first player Milan chose when considering how to spend the money they earned from last season’s run to the Champions League semi-finals and the then looming sale of fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United. Their chief executive, Giorgio Furlani, and technical director, Geoffrey Moncada, completely overhauled the midfield and the attack. Pioli had a lot of new players to integrate and it has taken time to strike the right balance, but 40 of the club’s 77 goals this season have been scored by summer 2023 acquisitions — a stark contrast with the five they got a year earlier from the signings made by Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara in the previous off-season, when Milan were champions of Italy. Fourteen of the 77 goals have come from the bench, the most by substitutes in Europe’s top five leagues and a testament to the depth of attacking options Pioli has at his disposal. Milan have streaked past Juventus in recent weeks into second place in Serie A. But it’s the starters who have made the biggest impression. Pulisic has stolen the limelight from the other recruits because of his disproportionate profile and his performances have lived up to it. This is the best season of his career (12 goals), he’s scored in his past four appearances for the club and things could not be going better for him ahead of a home Copa America with the United States this summer. Then there’s Loftus-Cheek. One more goal this season will match his personal best of 10, in the Chelsea side who won the 2018-19 Europa League under Maurizio Sarri. Since the turn of the year, Pioli has often flipped his midfield triangle. At the start of the season, Rade Krunic played in front of the defence, with Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders pushed up. More recently, the base of Milan’s midfield has changed. Ismael Bennacer’s December return from a long-term knee injury has led Pioli to partner him with either Reijnders or Yacine Adli, moving Loftus-Cheek into a hybrid role behind centre-forward Olivier Giroud. Call him a No 10, a shadow striker, his runs into the box have been devastating. The goals he scored against Empoli and Udinese in January were practically the same: converting cutbacks from Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao on the left. Milan have also leaned on his aerial prowess on crosses from open play and corners, giving the team a dual threat in the air with him and fellow Chelsea old boy Giroud. It all raises the question: why doesn’t Southgate select him as an alternative to Jude Bellingham? Is it because the England manager doesn’t hold Serie A in high regard? It is a league that had clubs in all three UEFA finals last season and currently tops the UEFA co-efficient table. It is a league that provided Italy with the players who beat his England side in the final of the previous Euros, at Wembley, in 2021 and then made last summer’s Nations League semi-finals at their expense. It can’t be inferior to the Saudi Pro League or the Dutch Eredivisie, where Jordan Henderson, who is in the England squad, has played his football this season. While it’s understandable Southgate continues to pick Henderson for his leadership and his role as a hard-running screen for England’s plethora of attacking players and it makes sense that 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo got a promotion from his first involvement with the under-21s to be the stand-in for the Ajax captain as he recovers from a weekend knock, it’s hard to know what else Loftus-Cheek has to do to be in the squad. Where’s the meritocracy? If a dim view is taken of Serie A, Southgate would be advised to watch Loftus-Cheek’s man-of-the-match display in Milan’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in November, when he steamrollered the opposition midfield. He has already started 30 games this season and since putting the mild groin strain he sustained against Lazio at the end of September behind him, he has looked in great physical condition. When the summer comes around, the hope is Loftus-Cheek isn’t texting one of his old team-mates: “What’s Germany like?” On this form, he deserves to be there. GO DEEPER ‘Metaprism’, crayon drawings and ‘pearl lacquerware’: Rating Euro 2024 and Copa America kits

because they want £90m plus

Goalkeeper? Defender? No, we keep ball all the time, so no need. Roflmaooooooo

‘Slight knock’: Commentator confirms Chelsea player Carney Chukwuemeka has picked up an injury on international duty https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/slight-knock-commentator-confirms-20m-Chelsea-player-has-picked-up-an-injury-on-international-duty/ A big part of this season for clubs across the Premier League has been dealing with injuries to players, with Chelsea certainly one of those impacted the worst. It’s been a regular occurrence for Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino that he’s gone into a game missing at least a handful of first-team stars. We’re sure Pochettino will be nervously waiting during the current international break to see if all his players come through matches with their countries unscathed. Unfortunately, there’s already been one setback to one individual. Chelsea youngster Carney Chukwuemeka, who’s away with the England under-21s side right now, has sustained a small injury problem. England are currently playing Azerbaijan this afternoon in a UEFA Euro u21 qualification match. England are streaming the Young Lions game via their official YouTube channel, where there’s been an update on Chelsea’s Chukwuemeka. The commentator has shared: “Carney Chukwuemeka misses out with a slight knock but is expected to be back for the game on Tuesday.” Thankfully, the attacking midfielder’s injury setback doesn’t sound too bad despite keeping him out of Friday’s game with Azerbaijan. There’s a chance the Chelsea playmaker could be back in a few days time when the England u21s play Luxembourg on Tuesday. Carney Chukwuemeka has horrible luck right now Chukwuemeka’s only played nine games for Chelsea this season across all competitions, largely because he missed a big chunk through injury. The £20m youngster (Sky Sports) has so much talent and we’ve got big faith in him. It’s worrying to see frequent injuries, though, especially at his age. This month is Chukwuemeka’s first camp with the England u21s. Therefore, let’s hope he stays with the squad and can play next week. He came off the bench to score in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester City last weekend, so we are hoping he can finish a frustrating season strongly.

Chelsea: Strasbourg loan star Angelo Gabriel could miss rest of season as discontent rises at sister club BlueCo face problems in France as the club is rocked by a major injury https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/Chelsea-fc-angelo-gabriel-injury-strasbourg-protest-b1146978.html Chelsea have suffered a fresh injury blow with Strasbourg loan star Angelo Gabriel potentially out for the rest of the season. The 19-year-old winger has been one of the key creative talents at Chelsea's partner club in France but is back at Cobham to gain a second opinion on an ongoing hernia problem. There are fears that Angelo will miss the last two months of the season as Strasbourg battles relegation. The situation has been made worse by BlueCo's inability to sign a winger in January at the request of manager Patrick Vieira. The former Crystal Palace boss and Arsenal legend has recently switched to a winger-less 3-5-2 formation as a result. Their 3-1 win over Nantes before the international break was their first in Ligue 1 in 2024 and the Alsace club are just four points above the relegation zone. It has left Boehly and Behdad Eghbali under pressure from angry fans who have taken a dislike to BlueCo’s transfer policy and a lack of communication. The Ultra Boys 90 supporters group has issued an open letter criticising the owners, who bought the club last summer to start a multi-club network with Chelsea. “We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Multiclub is killing football, and we’ll fight it!” the statement read. “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 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.” Fans also held up banners saying "BlueCo out" and there will be a march to demand the sale of the club before the next match at home to Rennes.

Diogo Costa Gregor Kobel Mike Maignan Giorgi Mamardashvili Jan Oblak Anatoliy Trubin Lucas Chevalier Matvey Safonov Andriy Lunin Filip Jørgensen Guillaume Restes (youth) Maarten Vandevoordt Bono Dominik Livakovic Alexander Nübel Predrag Rajkovic Odysseas Vlachodimos

and Saliba, who is now the top valuation CB on the planet

Conor Gallagher is NOT making any unreasonable demands of Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/142817926/conor-gallagher-is-not-making-any-unreasonable-demands-of-Chelsea There’s been a lot written about Chelsea in the last 24 hours and I wanted to set the record straight on two stories here. Firstly, I’m aware that there have been claims about Conor Gallagher’s salary demands being a problem for Chelsea and holding up an agreement over a new contract. My understanding, however, is that it’s not about Gallagher asking for crazy money or anything unreasonable for his new deal. What I’m told is that it’s about Chelsea deciding what they want to do with Gallagher and also taking into account the Financial Fair Play situation, but saying that Gallagher is asking for “too high” salary is not accurate as far as I understand. There’s also been a story about the possibility of Antonio Conte returning to Chelsea as manager, while he’s also been linked as a candidate for another of his former clubs Juventus. As things stand, I’m not aware of any concrete contact, Conte is waiting for the right proposal but there is zero to report with these two clubs right now.

Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano responds to Chelsea transfer links with two left-backs https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/03/19/ait-nouri-transfer-Chelsea-links-discussed/ Chelsea have been linked with two top left-backs in the form of Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri and Brest youngster Bradley Locko, but Fabrizio Romano has played down those transfer rumours for the time being. The Blues are set to be in the market for a new left-back this summer, according to Romano, but he insists it’s still something at an early stage, with no specific names to report on just yet. Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano made it clear that Chelsea will be exploring this particular market, but he’s not convinced by the links with Ait-Nouri and Locko in particular, as it’s still not clear who the west Londoners will be prioritising for that position. Ait-Nouri has impressed in the Premier League in recent times so could undoubtedly be a fine choice for Chelsea, but it remains to be seen if they’ll move for him, so fans will have to be a bit patient before learning any more concrete updates. Ait-Nouri transfer: Chelsea links cleared up by Fabrizio Romano “As recently reported, Chelsea are keen to explore the left-backs market for the summer transfer window, most likely for a top young talent in that position, and so it’s inevitable that we’re going to be hearing a lot of names linked with the Blues in the weeks ahead,” Romano said. “I’ve seen some reports about the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri at Wolves, and also talented young Brest left-back Bradley Locko, but it’s still early to know specific names, as far as I understand. “It is true that Chelsea are looking for left-backs, but we’re going to hear a lot of names and I don’t like to add too much speculation, just report the facts, so let’s see what they decide as it’s still only the early stage of discussions and I’m not aware of a preferred player that they’re targeting for that role as of yet.” CFC have not had the best season and it perhaps makes sense that they’re looking at the likes of Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella as players who could be improved on for next term.

Landmark football governance bill introduced to create independent regulator https://theathletic.com/5351609/2024/03/18/football-governance-bill-independent-regulator/ A landmark football governance bill has been introduced in UK parliament to confirm the creation of an independent football regulator. The independent football regulator will have powers to prevent breakaway competitions such as the European Super League, strengthen the owners and directors’ test and hold backstop powers around financial distribution between the Premier League and English Football League (EFL). It comes over three years since the fan-led review called for the introduction of a regulator in November 2021. The government announced plans for one in February 2023. The regulator will be independent from the government and football authorities, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport says it will be “equipped with robust powers revolving around three core objectives: to improve financial sustainability of clubs, ensure financial resilience across the leagues, and to safeguard the heritage of English football”. The failed Super League project in April 2021 — which Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea attempted to join alongside other European clubs – came at the beginning of the fan-led review and only strengthened calls for an independent regulator. GO DEEPER Tension, suspicion and plotting - what happened after the collapse of the Super League Under the new legislation, breakaway, closed-shops competitions like the European Super League will be blocked. Last week, the Premier League again failed to agree a funding package for the EFL as part of the ‘New Deal for Football’, despite pressure from the government. GO DEEPER EFL 'clearly disappointed' at PL's failure to agree funding deal The bill includes backstop powers on such financial distribution. This means “if the leagues fail to agree on a new deal on financial distributions, then the backstop can be triggered to ensure a settlement is reached”. New owners and directors will also face “stronger tests to stop clubs falling into the wrong hands”. They could be removed and prevented from owning football clubs if deemed unsuitable, and follows the financial mismanagement at Bury and Macclesfield. GO DEEPER Bury, Macclesfield, Derby and whether a regulator would have saved crisis clubs The legislation will also “give fans a greater voice in the running of their clubs” to stop owners from changing club names, badges and home shirts. Fan engagement is cited as “central” to the bill, with a number of clubs already having launched fan advisory boards since the fan-led review. What has the Premier League said? While the Premier League acknowledged the need for sustainability, it expressed “concern” about the bill negatively impacting the competitiveness of English football. A Premier League statement read: “The government has consistently stated that it wishes to support the Premier League’s continued global success which generates funding to help sustain the entire football pyramid. With our clubs, we have advocated for a proportionate regime that enables us to build on our position as the most widely watched league in the world. “Mindful that the future growth of the Premier League is not guaranteed, we remain concerned about any unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football.” What has the EFL said? The EFL welcomed the bill, with chair Rick Parry describing his hope that this will be “an important milestone to help us secure the long-term financial sustainability of England’s football pyramid”. “If delivered on the right terms,” Parry said in a statement, “this landmark legislation can help fix the game’s broken financial model by offering the independent input ultimately needed to help ensure that all Clubs can survive and thrive in a fair and competitive environment.” ‘A remarkable moment for a sport that has resisted external oversight’ Analysis from The Athletic’s Matt Slater Almost three years have passed since the Premier League’s six richest clubs announced they wanted to play in a European Super League that would entrench their positions at the top of the pile and dramatically hit the finances of domestic leagues across the continent. It was an act of greed and stupidity that convinced Prime Minister Boris Johnson that there might be some votes in standing up for football’s lower and middle-classes. We are in the last few months of the government run by the guy (Rishi Sunak) who replaced the woman (Liz Truss) who replaced Johnson but, for fans of good governance and clubs in the English Football League, the wait has been worth it. Confirmation, at last, that Sunak’s government will introduce the football governance bill outlined by the fan-led review Johnson commissioned in 2021, means the English game is going to get an independent regulator. It is a remarkable moment for a sport that has defiantly resisted external oversight for so long, at times striding from success to success, at others lurching from crisis to crisis. The Premier League, in particular, has been so opposed to interference that it broke away from the English Football League in 1992 and has spent the last three decades largely ignoring the game’s governing body, the Football Association. GO DEEPER How did the Premier League change English football? Whether the as-yet-unformed independent regulator for football will do any better than the FA in keeping the Premier League’s more selfish moments in check, while encouraging its noble instincts for self-improvement and excellence, remains to be seen. But the FA never had a head start or suite of powers like the regulator: a robust licensing system, control of the owners’ and directors’ test and, most importantly, “backstop powers” to enforce a fairer financial distribution between the Premier League and EFL if, as they have so amply demonstrated, fail to agree on one themselves. That last one is the most eye-catching and contentious of the powers — it is also the clearest sign that this represents a defeat for those clubs in the Premier League who thought this government would not have the stomach or time to force them to share more of their enormous media income with the rest of the pyramid. That now looks like a stunning miscalculation. It probably also represents a victory for the EFL, especially its chairman Rick Parry. GO DEEPER Warring clubs, breakaways and teams going out of business – running the EFL is the impossible job The Premier League’s first chief executive, and an ex-chief executive of one of the “Sneaky Six”, Liverpool, he has fought the good fight for greater financial sustainability throughout the professional game. Parry has not won the bout yet but he is ahead on points going into the final rounds and he now has a friendlier set of judges to impress.

Omari Hutchinson: The Chelsea loanee with decisions to make over club and country https://theathletic.com/5351669/2024/03/19/hutchinson-Chelsea-ipswich-jamaica-england/ Omari Hutchinson has some big decisions to make this summer. The Chelsea forward, 20, who is impressing on loan for Ipswich Town this season, is a man in demand not just at club level but on the international stage, too. Hutchinson has just over one year left on his contract at Chelsea, with several teams monitoring his situation with a view to a transfer or a possible loan for next season. Chelsea, for their part, are very happy with how his loan has progressed at Ipswich — something that has been communicated to him often. No date is set in stone, but the two parties are expected to sit down to discuss his future at the end of the campaign. It would be a surprise if an extension is not offered. As Hutchinson told The Athletic in November, his primary ambition is to stay and win trophies with Chelsea. Without being arrogant, Hutchinson feels he is good enough to do so. In the second half of last season, he found himself often playing in small-sided training drills with Portugal international Joao Felix, who was on loan at Chelsea from Atletico Madrid and is now doing well at Barcelona. The two of them would combine to great effect, leaving their opponents chasing shadows. Hutchinson would go home buoyed, with the sessions having given him more belief he could play for the senior side. But Hutchinson’s position of choice would be on the right flank or in the No 10 role — areas of the pitch where Chelsea boast plenty of competition for places. Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka and Conor Gallagher have all played in one or both of these roles this season. They would potentially represent a barrier to Hutchinson maintaining the progress made at Ipswich, where he has eight goals and six assists from 42 appearances in Kieran McKenna’s impressive side. To continue his development, the youngster will need more games at first-team level rather than sitting on the bench or reverting to football in the under-21s. In that context, Chelsea cannot assume Hutchinson, who is planning to go on the club’s pre-season tour to the United States in July, will extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. Similar to Chelsea, England can not take for granted that Hutchinson will opt to represent them in future. A few weeks ago, two representatives of the England youth setup arranged a meeting with Hutchinson’s camp to impress just how highly they rated the forward and to gauge his interest in being involved with the England Under-21s or England Men’s Elite League Squad — formerly known as England Under-20s — for their games this month. Among his admirers is England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley, and no wonder. Hutchinson is one of the in-form players in this age range. He was recently named the Championship player of the month for February. On Saturday, he was given the man of the match award after scoring two goals and supplying an assist in their 6-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. His confidence is riding high, which is timely for Ipswich as they try to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League. Hutchinson’s output from his last nine appearances reads five goals and three assists, although that only tells part of the story of his overall contribution. The England setup are increasingly keen to have Hutchinson back in the fold. Surprisingly, he won just three caps for England Under-17s and one for England Under-19s, the last of which came in 2021. Despite his clear promise at former club Arsenal, Hutchinson did not make a single appearance for the first team — and it counted against him with England. The lack of senior action at Arsenal played a major role in his decision to reject a new deal and join Chelsea when his contract expired in 2022. That was the year Jamaica took advantage of the situation after learning the youngster qualified for them through his family. He was selected for a friendly against Catalonia and made his first start versus Trinidad & Tobago in 2023. Jamaica are in regular contact, urging him to represent them. They wanted to name him in the squad to face the USMNT on Thursday. But neither England nor Jamaica received the “yes” they wanted. Hutchinson spoke with those closest to him, including McKenna, about what to do. A combination of feeling the strain of his first season of regular senior football and wanting to ensure he is in good condition for Ipswich’s promotion run-in, repaying McKenna for the faith and support he has shown, led to the decision to put international football on hold. But this should not be seen as a mark of disrespect to the two countries. The youngster is genuinely torn and can see the pros and cons of declaring for either nation. England obviously offers a better chance of success at international level and the chance to develop alongside top talent. There is a lot more investment in the setup, too. But, as at Chelsea, it is far more difficult to represent the senior side due to the strength in depth. Conversely, there will be more opportunities with Jamaica and backing for him from all quarters to do well, rather than being seen as one of many talented players that might easily end up discarded. On the flip side, expectations are a lot lower. Jamaica have only ever played at one World Cup, in 1998. Is that the ambitious choice? The decision is not something to be rushed. FIFA eligibility rules state a player can still switch allegiance if they have played no more than three competitive fixtures for the first team before turning 21, as long as those matches were not at a World Cup or continental final. Hutchinson, who turns 21 in October, has only featured in friendlies for Jamaica to date. Speaking after the win over Sheffield Wednesday, Hutchinson showed his growing maturity when talking about the situation. “I got called up for both England and Jamaica, but I said, ‘Look, I want to leave internationals out for this season and focus on getting promotion (with Ipswich)’,” he said. “There are a lot of games and my body is quite sore as it’s my first season in men’s football. I just said I wanted to leave it all out and focus on Ipswich. It’s a tough decision — my family are always talking about it and I’ve got a lot of time to think about it as well.” Whatever Hutchinson decides to do with club and country later this year, the tough choices to come should be considered pointers that his career is heading in the right direction. GO DEEPER Omari Hutchinson: 'The ultimate aim is the Champions League. I have a picture as my screensaver'

Times Football Why Antonee Robinson is a team of the season contender Fulham’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was perhaps most notable for the two goals scored by Rodrigo Muniz, whose extraordinary trajectory from forgotten benchwarmer to one of the hottest strikers in the Premier League continues to enthral. But the best player on show, and probably Fulham’s player of the season, was the provider of their first goal: their left back, Antonee Robinson. Robinson’s assist took his total for the season to six: along with Kieran Trippier and Vladimir Coufal, that is the most open-play assists by any defender in the Premier League this season. But it was also a typical Robinson performance in that he contributed significantly in both attack and defence, with two tackles won, four interceptions and nine ball recoveries. As this chart shows, when it comes to combining defensive ball-winning with dangerous passing, Robinson really is out on his own: His cross for Muniz’s opener was, first and foremost, a fantastic delivery, beautifully struck on the run (and from a slightly atypical position compared to his other assists this season, as we’ll go on to look at). But it also owed something to a tactical pattern which Fulham exploited cleverly. Take a look at how, when Fulham play out through their right-back Timothy Castagne here, they draw the Tottenham press over to that side of the pitch: Destiny Udogie flies up on Alex Iwobi, and the two central midfielders, João Palhinha and Sasa Lukic, bring Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma over to that side.   When the ball goes into the middle, Tottenham are basically defending with a narrow back three, with Pedro Porro having to cover over in that central channel: Fulham tried the same pattern in the lead-up to their first goal, and once again Udogie presses up on Iwobi, Bissouma follows Lukic, and Fulham are left three on three in the centre, with Porro defending Willian and Robinson free outside him: Fulham go back to Bernd Leno, but when he plays the ball downfield the three-on-three is still on: And when Robinson gets the ball a few seconds later, Porro is slow to get across, giving the left-back that extra yard or two of space to hit that fabulous cross: Robinson has made a huge leap forward this season after getting only one assist last season (and only four even in Fulham’s barnstorming Championship campaign the season before). Sometimes, when a player massively increases their creative output, it can be partly through sheer volume: simply finding a way to get on the ball and play more passes, and letting the percentages follow. What’s interesting about Robinson’s improvement from last season to this is how remarkably steady his pass numbers are: bar a slight uptick in the number of crosses, he has managed to generate this huge increase in his assists and expected assists entirely within the parameters of his previous passing output. Simply put, this has been almost entirely a qualitative improvement, not a quantitative one. So what has Robinson been doing differently? Well, as you might guess, it’s all about where he’s playing those passes from. If you look at Robinson’s key passes (those which create a chance for a team-mate) from last season, they’re almost all from that wide left channel, and not a single one is played from within the bounds of the penalty area. This season, Robinson has more than doubled the number of touches he takes in that left half-space corridor inside the penalty area, and many of his key passes either begin on the edge of the box or just inside it. One of the reasons that Robinson is finding himself in these positions more often is he is making more underlapping runs: in other words, rather than overlapping the left winger (usually Willian) on the outside like a conventional full back, he makes his support run on Willian’s inside. Triangles between the full back, winger and central midfielder on each side are a stylistic signature of Marco Silva’s football and these rotations can not only get Robinson into these areas but spring him with the space and timing to get his cross in unopposed. Here’s a good example from Saturday’s game: Robinson drives infield, lays the ball off to Palhinha and immediately makes an underlapping third-man run into that half-space channel, between Porro and Sarr, in anticipation of the first-time wall pass from Willian: It’s also worth lingering on Robinson’s defensive contribution, in particular his extraordinary ability to win interceptions. Robinson’s 69 interceptions so far this season are 11 more than the next best player in Europe’s top five leagues (Hoffenheim’s Anton Stach) and 19 more than the next best Premier League player (James Tarkowski). How is he doing it? Watching Robinson’s interceptions, what strikes you is that they combine excellent game reading with an exceptional ability to accelerate explosively from a standing start. There are also certain situations where Robinson seems to be particularly primed to intercept a pass. We talk a lot about teams having pressing triggers; perhaps Robinson also has certain triggers which he’s looking for which lead him to attempt an interception. Looking at these three interceptions, two from Saturday’s match, one from the game against Liverpool, they are strikingly similar: a right-footed pass up the line of about 15 yards, to a receiver whose body position is not side-on, but slightly closed off, facing the passer, allowing Robinson to jump in from their blind side: But it’s not only in the wide channels that Robinson is making these ball-wins. If we compare his interceptions this season to those from last season, what stands out is that cluster of interceptions in the left half-space just outside his own area, which he has added to his game. The value of intercepting the ball in this more central zone is twofold: not only is it an area of greater threat for the opposition attack, but it also allows Fulham to launch a quick transition from these interceptions through the centre of the pitch, as they do here: It all adds up to an outstanding individual season by a player who really ought to be in contention for the Premier League Team of the Season.