Vesper

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

who? in the history of football there are only been a handful of CMF or DMFs who cost £100m Jude Bellingham (who is more of an AMF) Enzo Fernández Declan Rice Moisés Caicedo and, adjusted for inflation Paul Pogba

?

lack of discipline again

might be a red on Caicedo

should have scored

even missing Saliba and Gabriel Arse still have real quality players who can all play CB if need be Piero Hincapié Cristhian Mosquera Riccardo Calafiori Jurriën Timber Ben White Christian Nørgaard Declan Rice

Victor Froholdt

Cole Palmer is ‘available’ for Chelsea vs Arsenal after 13 games out, Enzo Maresca says https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6844907/2025/11/28/cole-palmer-injury-news-Chelsea-maresca/ Enzo Maresca has admitted everyone at Chelsea is excited at the prospect of Cole Palmer’s return after confirming he is ready to start against Arsenal on Sunday. Palmer has not played for Chelsea since limping off against Manchester United in September, mainly due to a groin injury, but his comeback was also delayed by fracturing a toe in his left foot last week. The England international has missed 13 games in all and head coach Maresca mentioned last Friday that he would not be ready to face Arsenal. But today, however, he confirmed: “He’s available. Everyone is happy. The team-mates are happy. We are all happy and the most important thing is that Cole is happy because at the end, a football player, they want to play games and make sessions every day. “What kind of contribution do I expect? A lot, a lot. He is probably our best player. We are happy that he is back. Now we need to give him time to be 100 per cent fit. He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do very well for this club in the future.” What You Should Read Next Chelsea dealt stadium blow as council approves alternate Earls Court development plan The empty land at Earls Court has long been mooted as a potential site for a new stadium for Chelsea. Estevao Willian has begun to star in Palmer’s absence with his fine goal in the 3-0 win against Barcelona making him just the third player to score in his first three Champions League games. Asked about the prospect of opposition defenders worrying about the prospect of the duo soon being able to combine their talents together, Maresca replied: “They can play together. It depends on which team, it depends a little bit on the game plan, but for sure they are excited. “The fans are excited to watch both together. We are also excited, thinking that at the end we need always a balance between the two phases.” Chelsea go into the match against Arsenal with the chance to close the gap to the league leaders to three points with a victory. Maresca ruled out Chelsea’s chances of competing for the title 12 months ago when they had also climbed to second in the table. But while he insists it is too early to say they can challenge for the crown this time around, he does believe they are better equipped to do so than last year. He added: “I think for sure it’s different compared to one year ago. It’s because we spent one more year together. We went through moments where we can learn from that moment. Then again, for me it’s very early. We are still at the end of November, December. So it’s very early and it’s important to be where we are now in March, April and then we’ll see.” Chelsea have also been handed a boost with the news that midfielder Dario Essugo has returned to training. He has been ruled out since early September after having surgery on a thigh injury.

Marc Cucurella is crucial for Chelsea – and enjoying the best spell of his career https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6844781/2025/11/29/marc-cucurella-chelse-analysis/ For Marc Cucurella, Chelsea’s clash with Barcelona was personal. Cucurella’s history with Barcelona, the club he supports and one where he started his career, lent extra weight to this match. The Catalonia-born defender came through the youth ranks at Barcelona but never had a real opportunity in the first team and left without making a senior league appearance. A source close to the player, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, says the Spaniard had a point to prove — and recognised an opportunity to draw attention from the Spanish media. Most of his Chelsea activity, though appreciated by fans of the club, does not cut through back in Spain in the same way as his performance in a match with Barcelona would. Well, if there is one way to catch the attention of Spanish football, it is to stop Lamine Yamal. That is what Cucurella achieved on Tuesday night. Much of the reaction to Chelsea’s 3-0 win has revolved around how Ballon d’Or runner-up and two-time Kopa Trophy winner Yamal was outshone by Chelsea’s Estevao, but it was Cucurella who snuffed out Yamal’s usual spark. The left-back limited his Spain team-mate, playing on the right wing, to three touches in Chelsea’s box and 0.07 xG. Cucurella was also characteristically active in attack, drilling in the low cross that Jules Kounde eventually turned into his own net for Chelsea’s opener, and panicking Ronald Araujo into the challenge that saw Barcelona reduced to 10 men. The 27-year-old was named UEFA’s player of the match. The source views this as the best moment in Cucurella’s career. Chelsea fans would not be surprised — they have seen his importance for a while now. Even that, though, is quite the turnaround from where he once stood at Stamford Bridge. During Cucurella’s debut season with Chelsea in 2022-23, he was booed by his own supporters at times and held up as an example of Chelsea’s giddiness in the transfer market. Now, every penny of that £63m deal to bring him in from Brighton & Hove Albion feels well spent. Cucurella has not only become popular; he has become irreplaceable. Cucurella has played the most minutes of any Chelsea defender in all competitions this season, and is second only to Enzo Fernandez overall. The central defence has been extensively rotated, and Reece James and Malo Gusto have shared the right-back spot, but Cucurella has appeared in all of Chelsea’s games except their 5-1 drubbing of 10-man Ajax. Considering Maresca’s determination to rotate, his consistent presence is an outlier. Part of that is due to a relative lack of cover. The only real left-back option behind Cucurella is Jorrel Hato, the 19-year-old who joined from Ajax for over €40m (£35m at current rates) this summer. Hato has plenty of senior experience in the Netherlands and is a bright prospect, but the drop-off when he replaces Cucurella in Chelsea’s defence is noticeable. That is less criticism of Hato than praise of Cucurella. Hato has the makings of an excellent full-back. The problem is that Cucurella is not simply an excellent full-back: he is a box threat, wing-back, even box-to-box midfielder, as important to Chelsea in possession as out of possession. The example below demonstrates his quality in attacking link-up and tight spaces. He pulls off a neat pass-and-move sequence at speed before driving into space in the left channel — panicking Araujo into what becomes his second bookable offence. The pace that makes him an attacking threat — which he also uses to make well-timed runs in behind, often latching onto long balls from Moises Caicedo — helps ensure he does not let his defensive duties slide. Here, after over-committing high up the pitch and being turned by Yamal, he reacts swiftly to close down Eric Garcia and force a pass, before a recovery sprint that ends in him winning a foul from Fermin Lopez. At 27, Cucurella is Chelsea’s third-oldest player (behind only Tosin Adarabioyo and Robert Sanchez). The fact that Chelsea value his experience is reflected in his heavy involvement on the pitch, but he is also valued off it. Sources with knowledge of the situation, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic he has been asked his thoughts on players the club are looking at signing. It is not unusual for the recruitment team to tap into players’ knowledge in this way. Cucurella is close with other core players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Pedro Neto. But sources close to the player add that also enjoys helping younger players to settle into the club and city and that he feels like a leader at Chelsea. Maresca spoke about how important Cucurella is on Friday. At his pre-Arsenal press conference he said: “He is one of the characters inside the building, the changing room. He has the capacity to switch from laughing or joking to being serious. “When you have players like Marc, the more you have, the better it is.” He might have caught the attention of Spanish football with his performance against Barcelona — but does not envisage a move back to a Spanish club. When asked in a press conference before the match whether he felt he had proven he could have played for Barcelona, Cucurella was not concerned with what might have been. “I don’t think about this because maybe if I had stayed in Barcelona and I didn’t move on, maybe I’d never have the opportunity to play Champions League, or play for Chelsea and win the trophies that I won,” Cucurella said. “I think everything happens for a reason, so I’m very happy with my career, and I’m very happy to play for Chelsea.” It might have been a rocky start at times — but now, Chelsea fans are equally happy to have him.

Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are proof that £100m transfers can work https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6842793/2025/11/29/rice-caicedo-fernandez-value-arsenal-Chelsea/ In an era where football fans implore their club to spend big money on new players, it’s notable that very few of the most expensive footballers in history have been an unqualified success at their new club. Eleven players have been transferred for £100million or more, and there are more flops than clear positives. Antoine Griezmann’s 2017 move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona (£105.9m) fell flat, and the experience of his direct replacement Joao Felix (£112.9m), arriving at Atletico from Benfica, was entirely underwhelming too. Philippe Coutinho’s £142m move from Liverpool to Barcelona was a clear failure — they ended up loaning him to Aston Villa, where he was a belated replacement for Jack Grealish, whose £100m move to Manchester City produced trophies, but far from Grealish’s best football. Elsewhere, Neymar (£200m) and Kylian Mbappe (£165.7m) remain first and second on the list respectively and while their goalscoring numbers and Ligue 1 title count both look impressive, ultimately Paris Saint-Germain only achieved their long-awaited Champions League success after they departed. Their triumph last season was billed, perhaps a little reductively, as an anti-superstar win. Two Liverpool summer signings, Alexander Isak (£125m, third all-time) and Florian Wirtz (£116m), are also on the list. It’s too early to make any definitive judgements but, at this moment in time, neither are part of Liverpool’s best XI, and Arne Slot is having problems integrating them into the team without compromising his side’s structure and balance. What You Should Read Next There are 125 million reasons why Alexander Isak is becoming a big problem for Liverpool British football's record signing could not have made a worse start to his career at his new club And therefore it’s arguable that, amongst the aforementioned 11, the three positive cases will be in the same midfield zone at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. And their positioning is relevant. The other eight were all attackers or playmakers. Enzo Fernandez (£106m), Declan Rice (£105m) and Moises Caicedo (up to £115m) are all-round midfielders — and they aren’t necessarily playing the roles we expected. Rice and Caceido in action at Stamford Bridge in November 2024Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images Fernandez burst onto the world scene at World Cup 2022, brought in to stabilise an Argentina side which had suffered a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia. He offered passing ability, but destructive qualities too — no one at the tournament made more tackles in their own third of the pitch. Chelsea, a club with a history of solid, reliable holding midfielders, seemed a perfect fit. And while that was where Fernandez was initially deployed, he’s impressed in more advanced zones. In his four seasons at Chelsea, he’s gone from zero goals per game, to 0.1, to 0.2, to 0.4. He’s gone from 0.2 shots on target per game, to 0.5, to 0.6, to 1.0. He’s gone from shooting from an average of 26 yards, to 21 yards, to 18 yards, to 17 yards. His recent goal against Burnley, converting a cut-back from point-blank range, was very different from what we expected when he joined, but typical of his game these days. He’s playing something closer to the Frank Lampard role than the Claude Makelele role. “Enzo can play in different positions for us, he can play as a No 6 or as an attacking midfielder,” his manager Enzo Maresca said in September. “We have used him in 90 per cent of our games as an attacking midfielder, and I think he is very good in this position. But it depends a little bit on the game plan.” That game plan has also determined the precise role played by his midfield partner, Caicedo. In his Brighton & Hove Albion days, Caicedo was billed as true all-rounder, a midfield ball-winner who could also surge into attack and make positive forward passes. What wasn’t yet evident, although perhaps obvious in hindsight, was that Caicedo was well-suited to the unusual ‘half-back’ role that involves acting as a right-back without possession, but a central midfielder when Chelsea had the ball. Caicedo has shown positional flexibility since joining ChelseaJustin Setterfield/Getty Images “I see Moi as a No 6 in the way he is playing since we started,” he said last season. “He’s played some matches as a full-back off the ball, and then on the ball he is a No 6, a holding midfielder.” Maresca used this approach on a number of occasions last season, and reprised the system in the 5-1 thrashing of Ajax last month, when Chelsea scored five times by the 48th-minute mark — one of them from Caicedo — and then switched off, having put the game to bed. Caicedo dictated the play from deep in midfield, then made recovery runs towards the right-back zone. Meanwhile, when Rice was coming through at West Ham United, there was a question about whether his long-term future was as a centre-back or a holding midfielder. When he was linked with a return to Chelsea, who released him as a teenager, it seemed Chelsea believed he was more of a defender. And even upon his arrival at Arsenal, it seemed unlikely Rice would play such a roving role. “The signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea — who will likely fill the left-sided No 8 role for Arteta — would see Rice slot in as a No 6,” wrote The Athletic’s Art de Roche when Rice signed, although significantly, he added: “He is a player whose attributes lend themselves to more than one role.” Rice has offered plenty of attacking threat since joining ArsenalJustin Setterfield/Getty Images Rice has barely played in that holding midfield role, despite Arsenal not having that position sorted — Thomas Partey and Jorginho were replaced with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard this summer. There was never a thought for Rice to play that static No 6 role, because he’s become such a specialist at his left-sided No 8 role. Still, his performance in Arsenal’s thumping 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend was interesting — at times he was receiving the ball between his centre-backs, the next he was bursting in behind the opposition for a good chance. And all these players have benefited from the sense that central midfielders are being given more freedom than a couple of seasons ago — there is less clear demarcation of defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders, and instead a resurgence of popularity in players who could broadly be considered box-to-box midfielders, who do a bit of everything. It’s fair to add that, at these prices, Fernandez, Caicedo and Rice need more longevity, and more honours, before we officially classify them as good-value-for-money signings. But thus far, signs are good. Attackers signed for £100m+ are automatically considered worth building a side around — sometimes worth ripping up successful systems for. But history suggests the best way to spend £100m is actually on an emerging all-round midfielder, who is young enough to be shaped into what the club needs, and versatile enough to play different roles.

John Terry rips into Tottenham after absurd Jamie O’Hara claim https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/john-terrys-brutal-response-to-claim-that-tottenham-is-a-bigger-club-than-Chelsea/ It all started when O’Hara was previewing the latest round of Premier League action. The London derby between Spurs and Chelsea is the big-ticket fixture, and the flames of rivalry didn’t need stoking. But stoke them he would. Appearing on talkSPORT, O’Hara bullishly claimed: “Spurs globally are bigger than Chelsea, they are. We’ve got a rich history. Arsenal, for me, and I hate to say it, but Arsenal are probably the biggest club in London. Internationally, Arsenal, with the history they’ve got, with the Premier League era. “Chelsea, they’re big because of Roman Abramovich. They’re big because they brought big players in and they’ve become a big club. Tottenham, globally, are a bigger club than Chelsea.” Yeah, that’s ridiculous. A comment that merits a cutting response. Luckily, Terry caught wind of the claim. Sending a voice message into the studio, he said: “What on earth is he on about this morning, O’Hara? “Even using those two words together, Spurs and globally, should never be in the same sentence ever, ever again. Mate, they’re still doing their pre-season tours around North London. Absolutely ridiculous.” Correct. But Terry didn’t stop there. He continues: “I’ve been invited to the game by Tottenham at the weekend. So it’s a 5.30 kick-off. They’ve asked me to get there at 5.29 and they said they’ll take me round the trophy cabinet and they’ll have me in my seat by kick-off. That’s how miles off it they are, mate.” Ruthless.

only Wolves have a worst EPL home record than Spuds this season

earliest Spuds have ever been down nil 2 at home in EPL history

nil 2 Fulham up on Spuds

TEAM PTS (GD) ADVANCE% TITLE% 1. Arsenal 15 (+13) 100.0% 24.2% 2. PSG 12 (+11) 100.0% 20.2% 3. Bayern Munich 12 (+9) 100.0% 17.0% 4. Inter Milan 12 (+9) 100.0% 8.6% 5. Real Madrid 12 (+7) 100.0% 12.1% 6. Borussia Dortmund 10 (+6) 100.0% 7.1% 7. Chelsea 10 (+6) 100.0% 13.6% 8. Sporting CP 10 (+6) 99.9% 0.6% 9. Manchester City 10 (+5) 100.0% 8.9% 10. Atalanta 10 (+1) 99.7% 0.1% 11. Newcastle United 9 (+7) 99.3% 2.2% 12. Atletico Madrid 9 (+2) 99.6% 5.2% 13. Liverpool 9 (+2) 99.6% 3.9% 14. Galatasaray 9 (+1) 95.0% 0.3% 15. PSV Eindhoven 8 (+5) 90.6% 0.7% 16. Tottenham Hotspur 8 (+3) 97.5% 0.7% 17. Bayer Leverkusen 8 (-2) 96.3% 1.9% 18. Barcelona 7 (+2) 98.5% 4.5% 19. Qarabag 7 (-1) 75.3% 0.0% 20. Napoli 7 (-3) 83.0% 0.9% 21. Marseille 6 (+2) 62.1% 0.3% 22. Juventus 6 (0) 85.4% 0.4% 23. Monaco 6 (-2) 59.0% 0.1% 24. Pafos 6 (-3) 42.3% 0.0% 25. Union Saint-Gilloise 6 (-7) 60.0% 0.4% 26. Club Brugge 4 (-5) 65.0% 0.1% 27. Athletic Club 4 (-5) 22.6% 0.0% 28. Copenhagen 4 (-7) 7.5% 0.0% 29. Eintracht Frankfurt 4 (-7) 39.1% 0.0% 30. Benfica 3 (-4) 31.8% 0.0% 31. Slavia Prague 3 (-6) 11.1% 0.0% 32. Bodo/Glimt 2 (-4) 1.2% 0.0% 33. Olympiacos 2 (-8) 19.7% 0.0% 34. Villarreal 1 (-8) 14.1% 0.0% 35. Kairat 1 (-10) 0.1% 0.0% 36. Ajax 0 (-15) 0.3% 0.0%

I only want us to win IF Citeh keep winning the league they will set a bar so high over a long period that they may well even pass up Manure I am not going to arsed over Arse winning a stray league title Spuds yes, Arse no where I want Arse to fail is the CL, same for Citeh but may well not get my wishes there due to Arse's insane form and lack of quality in re other sides PSG, Real, and a fully healthy Chels (ie Palmer and Colwill especially, but Colwill is a long shot) are the main teams that have the best shot maybe Bayern if they play a far better game AND get Musiala back

fuck Citeh cheating cunts amazing how many here are all up on their dicks

ffs 10 minutes added Citeh score in the 91st minute 3 2

Adam Wharton (21-289, Crystal Palace) was the Big Five League leader for both Passes into the Final Third (11) and Long Passes Completed (10, alongside Udinese’s Nicolò Bertola). He was also the non-Defender leader for Progressive Passing Distance across all leagues with 442 yards, alongside PSG’s Warren Zaïre-Emery. Here it is. You may be surprised to learn this was just the third game in his entire league career that Wharton has completed 10+ Passes into the Final Third. However, you need to remember that for Pathfinders like Wharton, it’s important to break down their passing output. The list of U-23 players to complete 10+ Passes into the Final Third in a Premier League this season consists of Declan Rice’s prospective midfield partners for England at the 2026 World Cup. Elliot Anderson hit double figures six times this season before Wharton joined the list at the weekend. However, when breaking down these single-game tallies, their differing styles become clear. Wharton ranks first for Percentage of Completed Passes into the Final Third, Distance per Pass Completed, Progressive Distance per Passes Completed, Long Passes Completed and Percentage of Passes as Long Passes. He ranks second for Percentage of Passes as Progressive Passes excluding Passes into the Penalty Area and Direct Ratio (Percentage of Distance as Progressive Distance). This is a reflection of his style of play, his Pathfinder profile: Wharton accelerates the tempo with forward-first, long-range passing. Anderson profiles more like a Platformer: he dictates and controls tempo through volume. My theory is that this table is a microcosm of their overall output this season. Looking at a player’s most effective games for a key metric and how they achieved it usually reflects their skillset in its purest form. Both approaches are informed and influenced by team environment, yes. Anderson may even move closer towards that Pathfinder style under Dyche. But it’s much more natural to Wharton and I think he’s a more effective exponent. You still shouldn’t read that as ‘Adam Wharton is better than Elliot Anderson’. You should read it as ‘Adam Wharton is different to Elliot Anderson’. So, with regards to England, all of this must be considered in conjunction with Declan Rice’s own tendencies when deciding which player to pick alongside him. For what it’s worth, I think both Anderson and Wharton should be in the World Cup squad. Whoever starts should then depend on the opponent and the problems to be solved. We’ll park this discussion for now.

Scouser tears!!!! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRaUwjxjIAC/?igsh=MXY2c25yNXJrOWZ3ZA==

If Kobbie Mainoo were to depart in January, even if only on loan, then one of United’s proudest traditions would be placed in jeopardy. United have consistently included an academy graduate in their first-team matchday squad since 1937, over the course of more than 4,300 straight games. Mainoo has been the sole academy representative in United’s squad on several occasions already this season. When he missed the recent 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur with a knock, academy midfielder Jack Fletcher was called up as his replacement. Tom Heaton, United’s third-choice goalkeeper, and young defender Tyler Fredricson have also featured in squads this term, but like Fletcher, would not typically be considered part of Ruben Amorim’s first-choice 20-man squad. Amorim is fully aware of the record and has vowed to preserve it. “We want to maintain that; I don’t want to be the guy to break that record, or that idea,” he said in September.

Marc Guehi https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6838191/2025/11/28/transfer-radar-latest-january-summer-window/ A summer transfer to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day, but Marc Guehi is expected to depart Selhurst Park in 2026. Whether the Premier League champions will try again in January remains unclear but even if they or other suitors do, any proposal would need to satisfy Palace and Guehi — which is by no means guaranteed. That is because of an amicable understanding between the south London club and their captain that he will see out the final months of his terms, attempt to lift another trophy and leave as a free agent at the end of the season. Guehi can speak to foreign teams from January 1, while English sides must officially wait until the summer. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester City are among his many admirers, while Real Madrid’s position may depend on the movement of other targets. Any suggestion that switching to Anfield is a formality would be wide of the mark; the situation remains open, the competition fierce, and Guehi will listen to all interested parties before making his decision. Although the 25-year-old England centre-back will have numerous destinations to choose from — and some not currently high in the pecking order could emerge as such, depending on how their seasons unfold — it is anticipated he will end up joining one of those who are expected to challenge for the Champions League trophy. David Ornstein