Vesper

The 10 most expensive deals of the 2024 January transfer window Janaury spending far lower than in previous years as clubs look to balance books Despite tightening of purse string, high-profile clubs still active in the market No player has cost more than £30m this winter https://www.90min.com/posts/ten-most-expensive-deals-2024-january-transfer-window 10. Cyril Ngonge (Hellas Verona to Napoli) Cyril Ngonge stayed in Serie A despite leaving Hellas Verona / KONTROLAB/GettyImages Transfer fee: £15.5m Cyril Ngonge spent the majority of his early career in the Netherlands before making the move to Hellas Verona, with the attacker impressing upon his arrival in Italy. With 11 goals in 36 appearances for Verona, the Belgian made the move to Napoli in January, making his debut for the scudetto winners in a goalless draw with Lazio. 9. Gabriel Moscardo (Corinthians to Paris Saint-Germain) Gabriel Moscardo impressed at Corinthians / Ricardo Moreira/GettyImages Transfer fee: £17.1m A whole host of clubs were touted with moves for 18-year-old Gabriel Moscardo in January but the midfielder opted to make the switch to PSG from Corinthians. The Brazilian will spend the second half of the season back at Corinthians and will want to impress Luis Enrique ahead of the summer. 8. Lucas Beraldo (Sao Paulo to Paris Saint-Germain) Lucas Beraldo is one of the youngster's PSG signed this winter / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages Transfer fee: £17.4m The second Brazilian to team up with the French champions this winter, Lucas Beraldo made the move from Brazilian giants Sao Paulo for £17.4m. The centre-back will be mentored by compatriot Marquinhos and be expected to fill in for the injured Milan Skriniar. The 20-year-old has already made four appearances for the capital side and won the Trophee des Champions against Toulouse in his first match. 7. Adam Wharton (Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace) Adam Wharton will bolster Crystal Palace's midfield / Gary Oakley/GettyImages Transfer fee: £18.5m Recruiting the 19-year-old took Crystal Palace's spending up to £30m this winter - more than any other Premier League club - but the midfielder could be an essential addition at Selhurst Park. With the Eagles' long injury list, which includes the impressive Cheick Doucoure, the £18.5m spent on Adam Wharton makes perfect sense, especially given the youngster's potential. Wharton had been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham but will need to impress at Selhurst Park to reach that level. 6. Arthur Vermeeren (Royal Antwerp to Atletico Madrid) Arthur Vermeeren was straight into the action in Madrid / Angel Martinez/GettyImages Transfer fee: £18.8m Arthur Vermeeren had plenty of suitors heading into the January transfer window after dazzling in Antwerp, with the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United all eyeing the midfielder. However, it was Atletico Madrid that pulled the trigger on the two-cap Belgium international, splashing just shy of £20m on Vermeeren to help bolster their ageing midfield. The supremely talented 18-year-old made his Atleti debut during a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on 31 January. 5. Renan Lodi (Marseille to Al Hilal) Renan Lodi spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages Transfer fee: £19.8m Renan Lodi only made the move to Marseille in the summer, finally calling time on his Atletico Madrid career, but has already left the Stade Velodrome for Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. The left-back, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, will join up with fellow Brazilians Neymar and Malcom and could be on course for a title in his first season with Al Hilal as his new club currently seven points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League. 4. Eljif Elmas (Napoli to RB Leipzig) Elmas swapped Naples for Leipzig in search of minutes# / Boris Streubel/GettyImages Transfer fee: £20.8m In a bid to start more matches, Eljif Elmas made the move from the Serie A champions to Marco Rose's RB Leipzig at the beginning of the January window for just over £20m. The midfielder has made three appearances from the bench for the Bundesliga side so far, with the North Macedonia international hoping to impress Rose at the Red Bull Arena. 3. Radu Dragusin (Genoa to Tottenham Hotspur) The defender made two appearances for Spurs already / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages Transfer fee: £25m Ange Postecoglou was keen to capture Radu Dragusin's signature after the former Juventus academy graduate made a positive impression in Italy with Genoa. The Romanian centre-back was also being courted by Bayern - who ended up signing Spurs' Eric Dier on loan - but decided on a £25m switch to the Premier League instead. Dragusin made his Lilywhites debut against Manchester United in mid-January and also made a small cameo against Brentford at the end of the month. 2. Sacha Boey (Galatasaray to Bayern Munich) Sacha Boey has helped bolster Bayern's defence / Stefan Matzke - sampics/GettyImages Transfer fee: £25.6m Bayern Munich had been linked with a host of new names at right-back before landing Sacha Boey from Turkish giants Galatasaray, including the likes of Kieran Trippier of Newcastle United and Nordi Mukiele of PSG. An attacking presence down the right flank, Boey impressed in the Champions League group stage this season against the Bavarian side, as well as in matches against Manchester United. 1. Vitor Roque (Athletico Paranaense to Barcelona) Vitor Roque opened his Barcelona account in January / Alex Caparros/GettyImages Transfer fee: £26.1m A deal that was agreed last summer, the initial price tag for Vitor Roque's move from his homeland of Brazil to Barcelona is just £26.1m. However, that fee could be doubled if all add-ons involved in the transfer are met. The 18-year-old striker joined up with the Catalan side in January and opened his Barcelona account during a 1-0 win over Osasuna at the end of the month. Another wonderkid with huge potential swapping South America for La Liga, pressure will be on Roque to succeed in Catalonia.

Chelsea loanee scores twice to earn Burnley late draw with Fulham https://www.90min.com/posts/Chelsea-loanee-scores-twice-burnley-late-draw-fulham David Datro Fofana scores point-rescuing brace for Burnley in 2-2 draw with Fulham Striker joined on loan from Chelsea last month Fellow Blues loanee Armando Broja made Fulham debut David Datro Fofana came off the bench to score twice and earn Burnley a 2-2 draw at home to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday. The 21-year-old recently joined the Clarets on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season and has already made a major impact with two goals as a second-half substitute against the Cottagers. First-half goals from Rodrigo Muniz and Joao Palhinha saw the visitors race into an early lead and they appeared to be cruising to victory until Fofana's late contributions. Lorenz Assignon's floated cross was misjudged by goalkeeper Bernd Leno, allowing Fofana to rise and head home, setting up a grandstand finish at Turf Moor with 20 minutes left to play. With 91 minutes on the clock, Fofana bundled home a driven ball from Wilson Odobert to send the home fans crazy. "You know I'm so happy to score two goals and also my first goals with Burnley, I'm so happy with that. I'm here to help the team, so yes, I will try my best to score again," Fofana told Burnley's club channels. "When you score the last goal in the 91st minute, for me, it's crazy because it's the last, last, last time, so it was crazy. We did well, I'm so happy with that. "Before I came on, the manager said to me the same thing, focus David - we need you, we want you to help the team. Why not also score. I said I will score, I will score because I was like focus on that, to help the team. "It was amazing, it was so good. When I score I always celebrate with the fans, I like it, I like the vibes and everything." Fofana's scoring exploits will have been well received at parent club Chelsea, who have sent out a number of their young stars on loan this season but to varying degrees of success. Before joining Burnley in January, Fofana scored two goals in 17 games at Union Berlin. Ironically, Fulham have only just completed the loan signing of a Chelsea striker themselves, with Armando Broja making the jump across west London on deadline day. He came off the bench for his debut in Saturday's draw at Burnley shortly after Fofana had scored his first goal. highlights https://ok.ru/video/7030482733578

Grading Chelsea's January transfer business https://www.90min.com/posts/grading-Chelsea-january-transfer-business-2024 Chelsea did not sign a single player in the January transfer window Cesare Casadei & Diego Moreira among those to return from loan Armando Broja joined Fulham on loan on Deadline Day After spending £300m in January 2023, Chelsea went to the other extreme and didn't part with a single penny. Instead, the January window was all about clearing up their loan army and making some emergency calls to help Mauricio Pochettino's squad at no financial cost. There were, however, a handful of significant loan exits. Here's a grade for each of Chelsea's major dealings in January 2024. Andrey Santos - Recalled from Nottingham Forest, loaned to Strasbourg Getting Santos out of Nottingham Forest was the easiest decision Chelsea had to make this month. The 19-year-old played just seven minutes in the first half of the Premier League season and whoever signed off on that loan deal definitely deserves a talking to. Chelsea will have wanted Santos to land at another Premier League side, but it's a sign of the limited interest in his services that he ended up joining sister side Strasbourg on Deadline Day. In France, there'll be more control over his minutes and he'll be linking up with fellow loanee Angelo. It's not all bad, but it could be a lot better. Grade - C Cesare Casadei - Recalled from Leicester Chelsea's hands were tied a little with the decision to recall Cesare Casadei from his decent loan spell with Leicester City. Is he ready for a significant role in the Premier League? Definitely not, but Chelsea needed a midfielder to help cover for injuries and didn't have the funds available to sign a new one, and so Casadei was brought back. He offers something Chelsea's current crop of midfielders can't - a tall frame that can actually win headers - but there's no denying he'd be better off back with Leicester. Grade - D Diego Moreira - Recalled from Lyon Did Chelsea recall Moreira or did Lyon terminate his loan? Either way, the Portuguese winger is back at Stamford Bridge and, having already played for Chelsea earlier this season, can no longer be sent out on loan. He's spending the next six months with Mauricio Pochettino's team. The initial loan was a waste of time - he played fewer than 300 Ligue 1 minutes - and the decision to play him earlier this season was a mistake, now leaving Chelsea with a player who is nowhere near good enough for the squad. Moreira is expected to spend most of his time with the academy, where he is likely to take a spot away from an emerging youngster who has spent the past six months proving himself. Bad. Grade - F David Datro Fofana - Recalled from Union Berlin, loaned to Burnley Chelsea were among the many spectators who fell for the Union Berlin illusion this season. They loaned striker David Datro Fofana to what they believed was an emerging Bundesliga contender playing in the Champions League, but watched on as the entire unit struggled to live up to last season's heights. Keen to get Fofana playing at a higher level, Chelsea brought him back and sent him on loan to Burnley, where he came off the bench to set up a goal on his debut against Manchester City. The youngster will have to work hard at Burnley, who are battling at the bottom of the Premier League, but at least he'll be playing and learning at a high level. Grade - B Ian Maatsen - Loaned to Borussia Dortmund This is a tricky one to grade since Maatsen should never have been allowed to leave in the first place. Chelsea have struggled at left-back but, for whatever reason, declined to look at the Dutchman and isolated him so much that he was going to let his market value tank ahead of an inevitable bargain exit. With that frustrating context in mind, Chelsea have done pretty well out of this deal. Getting Maatsen to sign a new two-year contract with a release clause of around £30m is excellent business, and if he continues to impress with Dortmund, the Blues shouldn't struggle to get that fee in the summer. They're hoping to maximise an asset that, for whatever reason, wasn't going to benefit the first team. From a football perspective, this is a shocker from Chelsea, but if we're talking pure business, it's about as good as anyone could have hoped for. Shall we just stick it right in the middle? Grade - C Armando Broja - Loaned to Fulham Just like Maatsen, this one needs looking at from two perspectives. Broja needed to find regular minutes, and if he wasn't getting them at Chelsea, he'll definitely benefit from the short trip over to Fulham. However, from a business side of things, this is humiliating. Chelsea started off demanding £50m and rejecting loans with options for permanent transfers. When nobody met their ridiculous asking price, Chelsea decided to accept straight loans but sought a £5m fee, and when that was laughed off as well, they ended up sending Broja to Fulham for an initial £750,000. Chelsea are now even lighter in the striker department, and for what? They were always going to demand £35m+ for Broja in the summer anyway, and a loan with Fulham is only going to do so much to change that asking price. If he plays regularly and doesn't score, that figure is going to have to drop big time. Grade - E Alex Matos - Loaned to Huddersfield Alex Matos joined Chelsea from Norwich in the summer and quickly made an impression behind the scenes, earning himself a regular spot in Mauricio Pochettino's matchday squad. When it was decided he was too good to be lost in purgatory, he was sent on loan to Huddersfield Town. The 19-year-old had fans drooling on his debut when he dazzled in a FA Cup defeat to Manchester City and he's done a great job ever since, really winning over his new fans and proving he has a career in senior football. To see Huddersfield sack their manager late in January will have come as a scare for Chelsea, but the hope is that Matos proves to be too good for any new boss to ignore. So far, so good. Grade - A

Chelsea star ready to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge https://thedailybriefing.io/i/141322936/Chelsea-star-ready-to-fight-for-his-place-at-stamford-bridge The expectation before the January transfer window was that Trevoh Chalobah would leave Chelsea and there was some interest in the player. However, the defender is now prepared to fight for his place in Mauricio Pochettino’s team as he is going to be fit and ready to play soon. In January Chalobah had some chances to leave the London club but it was never really close. Atletico Madrid considered the possibility of signing him, same for West Ham but nothing was ever close because of his salary, which was considered too high for a six-month loan.

wtf Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/141310807/Chelsea The details of the loan fee within Armando Broja’s transfer to Fulham: if Broja hits 10 starts + minimum amount of minutes until June, Fulham will have to pay almost zero pounds; if the player starts less than 10 games, Chelsea could receive a £4m loan fee.

Kylian Mbappé set to join Real Madrid from PSG this summer https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/39451576/kylian-mbappe-join-real-madrid-psg-summer Kylian Mbappé has decided to join Real Madrid once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer, sources confirmed to ESPN. The news was first reported by Le Parisien. Last month, ESPN reported that Mbappé had been offered a contract by Madrid and, according to a source, he is expected to announce his decision to join the 14-time European champions next week. Mbappé has not yet informed PSG or Real Madrid, sources said, but his decision has been taken. The 25-year-old's desire to be allowed to play with France in the Olympic Games on home soil in the summer will be an important part of the negotiations with Madrid. And, given Mbappé's previous U-turn over a move to the Bernabéu in 2022, there is always the possibility that he could change his mind until the deal is actually signed by both parties. However, his move to Madrid now finally looks set to come to fruition this summer.

Jude Bellingham ‘muttered vile slur’ at Mason Greenwood during match https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/02/jude-bellingham-reported-la-liga-mason-greenwood-slur-20211881/?ico=trending-post-strip_item_1 Getafe have reported Jude Bellingham to La Liga officials after the England midfielder allegedly called Mason Greenwood a ‘rapist’ during their match against Real Madrid on Thursday evening. The incident occurred in Madrid’s 2-0 victory when Bellingham tackled Greenwood close to the touchline. After the ball went out of play, the television camera caught Bellingham saying a two-syllable word towards Greenwood, although the audio did not pick up exactly what the England midfielder said. After the final whistle, Cadena SER reports that Getafe requested to the La Liga delegate at the game that Bellingham’s alleged slur is included in the official match report, which could then open an investigation into the incident. Bellingham, if charged and found guilty by La Liga, could be handed a potential suspension as a result, although it remains unclear if officials will take action. Thursday’s match was the first time Bellingham had faced Greenwood in the Spanish top flight since the Manchester United forward joined Getafe on loan in September. Greenwood moved to Spain in the final hour of the summer transfer window after United held an internal investigation and concluded that the 22-year-old should restart his career elsewhere following his arrest in January 2022 for attempted rape, controlling behaviour and assault. Greenwood had all charges against him dropped last February and United had considered reintegrating him back into the first team before the club received major backlash from supporters over the prospect of his return. It’s understood that United are now open to selling Greenwood in order to raise funds for the summer transfer window. When asked about Bellingham’s alleged slur towards Greenwood, former La Liga referee Iturralde Gonzalez told Spanish radio station Cadena SER: ‘You can be sanctioned if you really say that, but if Getafe wants to defend its player, what it can do is take the case to the Competition Committee. ‘The League will do what it has to do, but they can appear at the Competition Committee with those images and accuse him of what he said.’

flashback........................ Mauricio Pochettino dismisses Chelsea's new £23.5m signing Lesley Ugochukwu as 'a player from France that they sign for some loan' in a thinly-veiled dig at the Blues' transfer policy as he pleads for more midfield additions Lesley Ugochukwu passed his medical and will sign a long-term deal at Chelsea Mauricio Pochettino has revealed Ugochukwu will go on loan upon his arrival Chelsea still want to sign a more experienced central midfielder as well https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12354591/Chelsea-manager-Mauricio-Pochettino-indicates-new-23-5m-signing-Lesley-Ugochukwu-loan-arrival-Stamford-Bridge-Blues-explore-experienced-options-central-midfield.html

Chelsea’s January transfer window: Top-class striker targets must wait until summer https://theathletic.com/5241033/2024/02/02/Chelsea-transfer-window-summer-psr/ Perhaps one of the biggest stories of the month has been big spenders Chelsea having to watch their wallets for the first time since the new owners took over in 2022. When you have paid over £1billion ($1.27bn) on new players across three windows, even taking into account a significant amount raised through sales, there will always come a point when you have to put the chequebook away in a world of profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR). Yet there was still scope for a bit of intrigue as Chelsea made it clear they were ready to listen to offers for some of their players. This is The Athletic’s review of what happened and what the future has in store at Stamford Bridge. What did Chelsea do in January? Not a lot. Chelsea were prepared to do some business if they were able to bring money in through sales, which is a sign that PSR has made quite the impression. The most significant move was loaning left-back Ian Maatsen to Borussia Dortmund. The Dutch defender agreed a new contract before completing the switch, which includes a £35million buy-out clause that can be triggered this summer. Armando Broja was the only source of interest on deadline day as he secured a loan to Fulham. Wolves and AC Milan both made enquiries but Marco Silva’s side ability to offer game time was a telling factor. Significantly the structure of the deal, which comes with an initial £4million fee, is that Fulham will pay significantly less once he gets to 10 starts and could end up paying nothing if he plays enough matches. Striker David Datro Fofana, who joined from Molde for more than £10m 12 months ago, saw his loan at Union Berlin curtailed prematurely and was sent to Burnley instead. Andrey Santos was recalled from a disastrous spell at Nottingham Forest and sent to Strasbourg, while Diego Moreira and Cesare Casadei also had their loans cancelled at Lyon and Leicester City respectively so they could be incorporated into the first-team squad. Promising youngster Alex Matos went to Huddersfield Town on loan to gain senior experience. What didn’t they do? The lack of sales was arguably the most surprising aspect of Chelsea’s window but, when you are asking for vast sums while clubs are watching their own budgets, perhaps that was inevitable. Chelsea went into the window prepared to listen to offers for their home-grown players Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, Broja, and Maatsen. Gallagher was wanted most by Tottenham, but Chelsea’s £50m valuation put any move on hold. He has less than 18 months left on his contract and there have been no recent talks over new terms, so his remains a very live situation. Chalobah’s chances of a move were hindered by the fact he has been injured since the start of the season and is only just beginning to return to fitness. Broja ended up going on loan because like Gallagher, no one was prepared to meet their £50m valuation. The club also backtracked on the desire for an obligation to buy to be included. Maatsen did not end up being sold on a permanent basis either, but the club hope his loan at Borussia Dortmund — which has started in promising fashion — will attract £35m offers in the summer. Chelsea did consider a move for Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran and they were certainly prepared to cash in if the deal was right, but a hamstring injury put an end to that. Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was defender Malang Sarr, who is being paid around £100,000-a-week, remaining at the club. He has been left out of the squad all season and is not part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. But Chelsea were unable to find him a loan or transfer elsewhere. His contract runs out in 2025. GO DEEPER Aston Villa's Jhon Duran - what's going on? How will manager Mauricio Pochettino feel about it? Whenever Pochettino was asked about the January transfer window, Chelsea’s head coach made clear he was happy with his squad and would not be too concerned if there were new arrivals. You can understand why he was thinking that way. For starters, the January transfer window is always a difficult time to secure your No 1 targets. With Christopher Nkunku hopefully returning to full fitness and Nicolas Jackson back from the Africa Cup of Nations, the pressure to sign a centre-forward was eased. The reality is that, when everyone is available, Chelsea have one of the deepest squads in the Premier League. There is hope Pochettino will soon be able to make full use of it for the first time having been regularly without eight to 10 players every week. He knows Chelsea’s most important business lies ahead in the summer and will be prepared to work with what he has until then. It has helped his cause that results have generally improved of late. What will they need to prioritise this summer? It is no secret that Chelsea want a top-class striker. Pochettino has bemoaned his side’s inability to take their chances since August. Jackson has had his moments in his first season at the club, but if Chelsea are to challenge for the Premier League again, they need to recruit someone who can lead the line on a more consistent basis. Diego Costa is the last Chelsea player to score 20 goals in England’s top division and that was back in the 2016-17 campaign, which was also the last occasion this club claimed the title. Yet that is not the only position they are focused on. Another centre-back is required, while a full-back, a midfielder and another attacking recruit are a possibility. Chelsea will also continue to look at young talent across the globe. What do we know of their summer transfer plans? Most of Chelsea’s striker targets are well-documented, though that does not mean they will find it easy to acquire any of them. They are one of the clubs keen on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old has a release clause in his contract set at around £112m. The Nigeria international has already indicated that he will be leaving the Serie A club and has decided where he is going next. His wage demands are a lot higher than the kind of level the new owners are prepared to pay, so they would have to make Osimhen an exception. Are they prepared to do that? The same could be said for Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who Chelsea have doubts over buying given he turns 28 in March. Chelsea prefer to look at younger players who are at the earlier stages of their career and will not cost as much in terms of salary. That is why they like Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface — although any of that trio would still command a hefty transfer fee. Who is likely to be playing their final months for the club? Starting this topic with a name yet to be mentioned, Chelsea fans should make the most of Thiago Silva while they can. The Brazilian, who turns 40 in September, is out of contract in the summer and has hinted that this will be his last season at Chelsea. No talks have begun over an extension and Silva admitted recently that, as each game passes, he is getting sad because it is getting closer to the end. Chelsea know they have to move on from Silva sooner or later and they want to commit to faster, younger players at the back to help with Pochettino’s pressing game. While Gallagher, Chalobah, Broja and Maatsen were not sold in this window, it will take some turnaround for them to still be Chelsea players next season. The club see them as a good opportunity to generate pure profit on the books and help fund other transfers. It is a policy they used to good effect last summer, most notably with the sale of Mason Mount to Manchester United.

Olympique Marseille, Benfica, Porto, Sporting, Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and all Spanish clubs except Atlético Madrid lol such powerhouses... not

one of the most insane salaries ever given out by the old board fucking idiots

Jonah Kusi-Asare lämnar AIK Fotboll 😪 https://www.aikfotboll.se/nyheter/jonah-kusi-asare-lamnar-aik-fotboll

Anel Avdić from Expressen on Romano live video stream now

FT 3 4 super game

101st minute and still going

what a fucking goal absolutely world class

OMG 3 4 Mainoo wins it at the death

3 3 Manure choke late again

the Lucas Bergvall deal truly shows how utterly RUBBISH all the Spanish major papers and pundits and sources are all day long all the major Swedish news outlets (the biggest papers and national telly) have been blasting their headlines about 'super Swede to Barca' bullshit

how is this 'FFP-fixing'? there is improper about this or are you being sarcastic?

Spuds just hijacked the Barca deal for Lucas Bergvall, the young Swedish potential star MF who plays for Djurgården nice 18th b-day present Born: February 2, 2006

Broja just signed the loan deal

Chelsea and Tottenham had 'no contact in January' over Conor Gallagher BYDANIEL HEPBURN PUBLISHED 15 MINUTES AGO Despite the rumours, Sky Sports' Michael Bridge claim that Tottenham and Chelsea have not been in talks over the midfielder. https://www.givemesport.com/Chelsea-and-tottenham-had-no-contact-in-january-over-conor-gallagher/