Vesper

flat track bully I will never forgive him for turning on the club

Cole Palmer is the versatile glue who makes Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea work https://theathletic.com/5062177/2023/11/17/cole-palmer-Chelsea-mauricio-pochettino/ In our attempts to analyse any game of football, there’s one aspect that is always important to consider: the profile of the players. One right-winger in a 4-2-3-1 could be different to another right-winger in the same 4-2-3-1. The first could be a touchline-hugging dribbler, while the other could be more of a creative force, looking to come off the wing and roam infield to find space between the lines. Part of what makes football entertaining is that the characteristics of the players are non-identical — they aren’t just soulless round magnets on a tactical board. Even tactics and strategies are partly inspired by the skill sets of the players a manager has. There’s no logic in isolating your winger against the opponent’s full-back if they don’t thrive in one-on-one situations or playing a transitional game against a side full of pace in their front line. At the end of the day, the players are the tools, and they are the ones who execute plans. Tactics and strategies are there to help them, but it also works the other way around. A versatile player offers their manager flexibility to alternate between shapes and approaches within the same game or from one match to the next. In their 4-4 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, for example, Cole Palmer started on the right side of Chelsea’s attack, then moved to an advanced central role in the second half. He played as more of a No 10, before dropping to partner Conor Gallagher in the centre of the pitch with Chelsea looking for a late equaliser. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Over the previous five Premier League games, Palmer started on the right wing against Fulham, Burnley and Tottenham, as a false nine against Arsenal and as a No 10 against Brentford. When asked this week about his best position in the longer term, Palmer didn’t have a specific one in mind. “I like to play in all the positions to be fair,” he said. “False nine, right, middle — wherever he (Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino) puts me on, I am happy to play there.” Yet it’s not only about his ability to play in these positions but what he offers as well. Because Palmer can play with his back to the goal and receive between the lines, Chelsea can easily morph into a 3-2-4-1 shape when they are on the ball by pushing their right-back further forward. And it’s not like Pochettino can’t utilise this shape on the ball without Palmer — Raheem Sterling’s performance in a similar role against Liverpool on the opening weekend of this season was effective, but the England forward didn’t feel as comfortable in it. “Against Liverpool, I was inside the pocket a bit too much and that was my feeling all last season, when I was too deep and I was playing the ball to the full-backs,” Sterling told UK broadcaster Sky Sports. “I had a conversation with the gaffer last week and we’ve gone through the role and I know exactly what he needs from me. I need to do what I do and drive at players, which is where I am most effective.” Palmer, on the other hand, is more comfortable when it comes to receiving the ball in the centre of the pitch with his back to goal, which also allows Sterling to play another role down Chelsea’s left wing, where he can use his pace and dribbling ability to drive at opponents. Against Fulham on October 2, Palmer showed glimpses of his ability in terms of occupying the correct spaces, too. In this example, he is initially down the right wing… …but when Chelsea circulate the ball towards Marc Cucurella at right-back and Gallagher moves towards the touchline, dragging Joao Palhinha with him, Palmer spots the space and drops to offer himself as a passing option. The reason Fulham’s left-back, Antonee Robinson, can’t commit to Palmer is Gallagher’s movement near the touchline… …which forces Robinson to maintain his position while Palmer progresses with the ball freely. Under no pressure, he finds Armando Broja behind the Fulham defence… …but a misunderstanding between the striker and Mykhailo Mudryk prevents them from creating an effort on target. The following week, it was a familiar scene against Burnley. Palmer starts as a right-winger… …but he understands where the space is and acts accordingly. “The way he reads the situations and what the team needs in every situation, he can be the player who can link with his team-mates,” said Pochettino. Here, he spots the acres of space between the Burnley midfield and back line and moves into it… …providing another passing option between the lines next to Gallagher… …but the angle is deemed too risky by Thiago Silva, whose right-footedness isn’t helping the situation. A left-footed centre-back would be more comfortable playing the pass into Palmer from here. In another example, Palmer is starting in a narrow position as Chelsea are building up their attack. Silva’s pass to Gallagher tempts Josh Cullen to press the Chelsea midfielder, who plays the ball back to centre-back Axel Disasi. After Cullen moves closer to Gallagher, Palmer takes a couple of steps towards the centre circle while Enzo Fernandez advances down the right wing. Similar to the example against Fulham, Fernandez’s movement pins Burnley’s left-back, Charlie Taylor, preventing him from moving inwards with Palmer… …who moves into the central space while Gallagher is dragging Cullen with him. This time, Silva finds Palmer… …and Chelsea combine to put Sterling in a one-on-one situation, where the England forward excels. Before Sterling dribbles past Vitinho, it’s important to note Palmer’s off-ball run into the space between Burnley’s right-back and right centre-back, which provides Sterling with a passing option and also forces the home side’s Sander Berge to drop deeper… …creating more space for Sterling towards the edge of the box. Unfortunately for Chelsea, his shot misses the target. At home against Arsenal in the next match, Palmer continues to show his versatility by playing as a false nine who drops into the right half-space. He constantly drifted deeper to distance himself from Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes… …while Jorginho and Declan Rice mainly focused on marking Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Here, Silva spots Palmer’s movement… …and as the ball is reaching the young forward, he takes a look over his shoulder to scan his surroundings, registering the positioning of Sterling and Gabriel in the process… …which factors into his decision to play a one-touch flick to his winger. Sterling then plays a ball into the path of an underlapping Malo Gusto… …but the right-back’s shot misses the target. Earlier in that first half, Palmer’s positioning contributed to the attack that led to Chelsea being awarded a penalty, through which he opened the scoring. Again, with Rice and Jorginho focusing on Caicedo and Fernandez, Palmer drops into the space between the lines, with Gabriel trying to react to the situation. However, when Chelsea circulate the ball backwards towards the other side of the pitch, Gabriel drops and it’s William Saliba who moves up, because the ball is closer to Gallagher, which means Palmer is free. Mudryk chests goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s clipped pass into the path of Gallagher… …who finds Palmer… …before the latter plays the ball on to Sterling out wide… …and it’s from this cross that Chelsea win the penalty. “He is a player that understands the game and uses the half positions — he plays in between the lines to confuse the opponent,” Pochettino said of Palmer. “He always gives options for us to play and to find the free man. He is a playmaker that links all the team-mates.” Palmer’s versatile profile in terms of being able to excel in one-on-one situations, playing between the lines, and understanding where the space is — along with his creativity — makes him a multifunctional option for this Chelsea side. And in turn, it allows them to become more flexible.

Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson: ‘The ultimate aim is the Champions League’ https://theathletic.com/5063762/2023/11/16/omari-hutchinson-Chelsea-ipswich-arsenal/ Omari Hutchinson has made a habit of reading through the long list of football ambitions, stored on his mobile phone, that he has set himself for his career. It is part of his matchday routine. “I started making the list of what I want to achieve when I was 17 and still at Arsenal,” he says. “At that time, it would have been about just trying to make it into the under-23s and doing well there. Since then, whichever team I am in, it’s about setting a target for goals and assists, how many man of the match awards and so on. “Now I am on loan at Ipswich from Chelsea, I have set myself new aims; 10 goals and 10 assists for the season (he has one goal and three assists so far), the club’s Young Player of the Season award. But there are things beyond that. Like making it at Chelsea, winning major competitions with them. The ultimate aim is the Champions League. I have a picture of the trophy set as the screen saver on my phone, so I see that silverware every day. “I know I am aiming high. But there is nothing wrong with that. If I don’t achieve everything on the list, then I don’t achieve it. It won’t get to me. But I am using it as a motivational tool.” These self-set targets should not be misconstrued as arrogance or overconfidence, either. Hutchinson knows he has a number of challenges to overcome if he is to achieve even half his ambitions. Those at Arsenal may be disappointed that his aspirations now lie in Chelsea’s hands rather than theirs. The now 20-year-old was actually released twice by Chelsea as a kid, then played at Charlton Athletic, an EFL club in south east London, for two years before joining Arsenal at under-12s level. The attacking winger was highly rated as he progressed through the academy ranks and was earmarked for a senior debut. But it never materialised and, with his contract expiring in the summer of 2022, he opted to return to Chelsea. Some suggested his motivation was purely financial. Hutchinson maintains it was a football decision. “I was at Arsenal from 11 to playing for the under-23s. I have a lot of friends there and obviously the coaching staff, so it was a difficult decision to leave. I always felt loved there. All the fans were waiting for me to push on into the first team. But things didn’t just work out for one reason or another. “I just had to get over stuff like that. I spoke to the people at Chelsea, saw the pathway they had for me, knew the staff there and some of the players. I already knew Reece James and he told me to come. Everyone gave Chelsea a positive review. I believe it has worked out so far.” As The Athletic revealed last year, there were several factors involved, yet the opportunity to follow in James’ footsteps was particularly enticing. The duo are close, having bumped into each other in football circles over the years. Their fathers are on good terms, too. James is now Chelsea’s captain, but in 2018-19 he left the comforts of Chelsea’s academy, just as Hutchinson has done now, to play on loan in the Championship, in his case at Wigan Athletic. He excelled there, with the experience a significant step towards making the breakthrough back at Stamford Bridge. “Reece has been on the journey that I want to go on — from the academy, to a loan in the Championship, to the first team,” Hutchinson adds. “He told me to go and do my thing at Ipswich, to show what I’m about. Then come back and be ready (for Chelsea). Reece was always on my team whenever I trained with the senior squad last season, so I never got to take him on. “I hope to be taking him on soon.” Hutchinson has already made two appearances for Chelsea’s first team. Then head coach Graham Potter rewarded the youngster for a series of fine displays for the under-21s, plus a solid training camp in Abu Dhabi last December during the World Cup break, which included playing a full 90 minutes in a friendly against Aston Villa. Potter’s initial plan had been to hand him a debut against Brighton late last October, but Chelsea ended up suffering a 4-1 defeat on the day and the youngster remained among their unused substitutes. There were four other occasions when he was named on the bench after that, but Potter did not bring him on. Instead, Potter finally turned to Hutchinson when his team were 1-0 down at home against the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City, at the start of this year. The debutant was flung on shortly after the goal and had 22 minutes to salvage a draw against the club who would go on to win the treble. Three days later, he was brought on against the same opposition with 27 minutes remaining, this time with the team trailing 3-0 in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad Stadium. Potter’s side went on to lose that one 4-0. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting to come on,” Hutchinson says. “I’d been on the bench and not been used so thought, ‘I am not going to come on against Manchester City, of all teams!’ And then the coach just looked at me and said, ‘Get warm’. I am suddenly on the same pitch with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland. With Pep Guardiola on the sidelines… It was a great experience. “But it was a struggle. Some people might say it was harsh putting me on against them for my debut, but it is the best team in the world, so anyone I come up against after that is not going to be as hard. I will always be grateful to Graham for giving me that opportunity. It made my family very proud. Me as well. It’s what I’d dreamed of since I was a kid, and a big confidence boost. “I was nervous. I was overthinking stuff. It was obviously different to what I was used to; I was a bit anxious, but that’s normal and how life works out sometimes. “If I ever get to face City again, I will be a different player. I am used to playing in front of a crowd now. Ipswich get good attendances (there were 28,925 at Portman Road for Saturday’s win against Swansea City). I went from playing in front of a few hundred people at Chelsea Under-21s’ ground, Kingsmeadow, to 40,000 at Stamford Bridge and a live TV audience. “There is a lot of stuff that comes with it. People just expect you to perform the moment you are on the pitch, to play like a mature 25-year-old with hundreds of games to their name. But you can’t just turn it on like a tap. I just have to block (the negatives) out. I still gained from the experience.” At the end of January, Hutchinson endured another reminder of the realities of senior football. The plan at Chelsea had always been for him to spend the second half of last season out on loan and a deal was lined up to join Championship club West Bromwich Albion on the winter window’s transfer deadline day. “I was making my way up on the motorway when it all broke down,” he says. “I was in the car with my brother, signing the papers on DocuSign on my phone. But not long into the drive, we were told to turn around. I am not too sure why. It was not the best. “It was frustrating for me. I tried my best to get in the right mindset for the under-21s after that, but I was a bit down. It was mentally frustrating. I thought I was going to be playing in the Championship. But it has all worked out now — I’m just grateful to be at Ipswich now.” GO DEEPER How is Chelsea's new transfer policy impacting the pathway for their academy talent? It is just after the hour mark in Ipswich’s game against Swansea, with the hosts 3-1 up, and head coach Kieran McKenna decides to replace Hutchinson with Wales international Wes Burns. As Hutchinson runs off, the crowd rise to applaud him. That ovation provides a snapshot of how well the loanee has fitted in at Portman Road. Both Chelsea and Hutchinson decided it was best that the loan was arranged early in the summer window so he could join in Ipswich’s pre-season. It meant missing out on making an impression on Mauricio Pochettino during his parent club’s own tour of the United States, but Hutchinson recognised the move to the second tier would give him a better chance to earn the favour of Chelsea’s new head coach in the long run. “It is better for me to do well here, playing with men in the Championship (rather than in the under-21s),” he says. “When I go back, hopefully he likes what he sees and I can push on into the team. I got to train with him a few times before the Chelsea squad left for the U.S. I got to say hello, at least, and he gave me a hug. I think they were impressed with what I did.” What is not in doubt is the strong bond he has forged with McKenna. The former Manchester United first-team coach was appointed by Ipswich in December 2021 and led them to automatic promotion from League One in his first full season in charge. Saturday’s 3-2 win over Swansea sees them level on points with leaders Leicester City, eight points clear of third-placed Leeds. Optimism abounds that Premier League football will soon return for the first time since relegation at the end of the 2001-02 season. One of the problems Chelsea loanees, particularly those from the academy, have confronted in recent years is coaches making promises to convince them to come to their club which subsequently come to nothing. McKenna, though, has kept all his. He has picked Hutchinson regularly — there have been eight starts and 11 substitute appearances in their 20 matches across all competitions — and worked hard to improve Hutchinson’s game. As part of Ipswich’s sales pitch to convince Hutchinson to sign, McKenna showed him a video detailing how he could become “outstanding” out of possession if he made the move. And so it has proved. “The coach watched me when I was with Chelsea Under-21s and saw that I could be good at pressing,” Hutchinson says. “But I didn’t really do it as much as I should. He said, ‘I’m going to need that from you if you are going to play for me in the Championship’. “I have improved on it a lot. I’ve been watching clips of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, too; how they press off the ball. I have implemented that into my game and become really good at it. The coach has told me that I am now one of the best pressers he has seen, so that has become one of my attributes. I am making it a strength. “You need to be able to read the game. So when the ball is on the other side of the pitch, get across, try and predict what is going to happen next. If the opposition make a mistake, be in a good position to pounce. So instead of me staying on the halfway line or, say, having to run 70 yards to help my right-back, I’m just 20 yards away. Things like that. “I am starting to enjoy it. I win the ball back a lot. To where I want to go, I have to do it. If it is good enough for Salah and Mane, it has to be good enough for me, too.” His first senior goal, against Southampton in September, stemmed from winning a tackle high up the pitch. There were several examples of Hutchinson doing the ‘ugly side’ of the game against Swansea too. He tracked back regularly to help Harry Clarke defend against the talented Jamal Lowe. As early as the fourth minute, Hutchinson won back possession from striker Jamie Paterson to loud applause. When he came out on top of a physical 50-50 with Harrison Ashby early in the second half, the acclaim was even louder. Not that the flair which makes Hutchinson such a joy to watch has been forgotten. He gave Swansea’s defenders, including another Chelsea loanee Bashir Humphreys, the runaround. He should have scored at least once and set up another, but it was noticeable how his Ipswich team-mates rallied around him at every opportunity to ensure his head did not drop. “The main thing for a young player was the way he was getting in the situations,” said McKenna. “His movement in-behind has improved greatly over the last couple of months. The penetration in his game has been really high. His pressing, his counter-pressing, led to a couple of chances. If you’re showing the attitude to work that he is, an understanding of how he can get in and be dangerous, then you can always develop the last pass or the last finish. “He works really, really hard on that, and he has got a great mindset. He’s threatening the opposition, getting himself into great positions and putting in a great effort for the team off the ball.” There is a break clause in the season-long loan agreement so, if Chelsea’s tendency to pick up injuries to key players continues, there is the option for them to call him back to base. “But Chelsea are pretty flush with left-footed, right-sided attackers, so it’s not a phone call we’re expecting,” added McKenna. “At the moment, all sides — our club, the player and his family and his parent club — all see the benefits of the exposure he is getting here. Everyone is really happy.” Carlo Cudicini, who oversees Hutchinson as one of the loanees he mentors in his role as Chelsea’s loan player technical coach, is well aware of how well things are going at Ipswich, a three-hour drive east from Stamford Bridge. The former Chelsea goalkeeper regularly speaks with the youngster by phone, pointing out things Hutchinson is succeeding at and other aspects he needs to improve. “One of the positives he talks about is how I am creating a threat when I am on the ball,” Hutchinson says. “One of the things he has flagged is having a good attitude at all times. Sometimes my head drops, or I let things get to me if I lose the ball or hit a bad shot. He tells me not to get too disappointed with myself, that everyone makes mistakes in a game. I should just get on with it.” GO DEEPER US investment, McKenna's magic and a united club - Ipswich Town are being brought back to life The England junior turned Jamaica senior international — Hutchinson’s two Jamaica caps came in friendlies and he has yet to decide where his future lies at that level — will benefit from the experience of regular game time in the second tier as he targets breaking into Chelsea’s first-team plans. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke are currently ahead of him in the pecking order. Making a mark will be a challenge. “But there is always competition in football,” he adds. “I believe in myself. I know what I can bring to the table. I work hard, I’m self-confident. Nothing fazes me.” And as he said that, Hutchinson could not resist taking one more look at the image of the Champions League trophy on his phone; ambition laid bare.

Why Chelsea could face further FFP questions over alleged Abramovich payments — explained https://theathletic.com/5069189/2023/11/16/Chelsea-roman-abramovich-payments-ffp/ Chelsea may face further scrutiny about the funding of their success and possible Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches under previous owner Roman Abramovich. Reports by The Guardian, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) detail leaked documents which appear to show a series of payments — worth tens of millions of pounds — made by Abramovich-owned companies to entities linked to deals that appear to benefit Chelsea. The payments, recorded in documents which have surfaced as part of an international investigation known as Cyprus Confidential but have not been verified by The Athletic, appear to show transactions made to associates and agents who dealt with Chelsea during their rise under Abramovich which the investigation suggests may not have been declared. The Premier League and the English FA are already investigating Chelsea for possible breaches of financial regulations but this latest investigation could raise more questions over how the London club’s success during the Abramovich era was funded if the payments were not appropriately declared. Chelsea won 19 trophies in Abramovich’s 19 years as owner, including five Premier League and two Champions League titles, as they developed into one of the biggest clubs in European football. Earlier this year, Chelsea’s current owners — a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital — self-reported incomplete financial information related to transactions that took place during the Abramovich regime between 2012 and 2019 to the Premier League, the FA and UEFA. “We have been pretty open about the historic issues with regard to Chelsea because they self-reported to the Premier League and to the FA so it is obvious we are looking into that,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in August. “If the Premier League believes a club has breached the financial regulations and there is a case to answer, that case will be put to the club.” Following Chelsea’s self-reporting, UEFA fined Chelsea €10million (£8.6m, $11m) for historical breaches of FFP regulations in July. UEFA said at the time that the fine settled the matter and Chelsea were to face no further sporting sanctions from European football’s governing body. The Boehly-Clearlake group completed its takeover of Chelsea from Abramovich in May 2022. The 57-year-old Russian was forced to sell the club following sanctions from the UK government, who described him as a “pro-Kremlin oligarch” in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. What is the relationship between Chelsea’s current owners and the previous regime? Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey From the moment they assumed full control of Chelsea in June 2022, the Boehly-Clearlake consortium has sought to draw a firm line from virtually everything related to the Abramovich era. That desire quickly manifested in the departures of director Marina Granovskaia, chairman Bruce Buck and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech. Beyond that, long-serving staff hired by Abramovich have left their jobs in every department of the club’s sporting and commercial operations. Chelsea’s first-team squad has also been almost entirely overhauled in the first three windows of Boehly-Clearlake ownership, with numerous older players and high earners sold or released and the signing of many of their replacements driven by a transfer strategy focusing on younger talent prepared to commit to long-term contracts with lower, more incentivised salaries. Boehly and Clearlake’s view has always been that Chelsea under Abramovich was not run as a normal, sustainable business — an assessment that, if these allegations are proven to be true, would be more accurate than anyone previously thought. The consortium also withheld £100m from the final purchase price of Chelsea due to concerns they could inherit “unforeseen liabilities” after examining the club’s finances, and subsequently agreed to that £8.6m settlement with UEFA for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 in 2019 in breach of FFP. Chelsea proactively reported those issues to UEFA, the FA and the Premier League, and will be hoping that this cooperative approach — coupled with the fact that the Boehly-Clearlake group was not in charge when these alleged rule breaches were committed — will be taken into consideration when determining potential punishments. Why are the allegations important? The Premier League and UEFA have financial regulations in place in order to govern clubs’ finances and prevent excessive spending from teams competing in their competitions. UEFA says its FFP rules are in place to protect “the overall financial health of European club football”. “Among the stated aims of the UEFA FFP is to achieve financial fair play in UEFA club competitions by, among other things, improving transparency around the economic and financial affairs of clubs and encouraging clubs to operate on the basis of their own revenues and to spend responsibly,” says Nii Anteson, partner and solicitor advocate at Sheridans law firm. “In that context, it’s important to be clear that a club does not necessarily breach the FFP by having third parties (whether onshore or offshore) make payments on its behalf relating to ‘football activities’ – which include buying or selling players. “The breach arises when a club fails to disclose those third parties and payments in its reporting to UEFA. There could be a number of reasons why a club fails to disclose that information, one of which could be seeking to conceal the true state of a club’s finances and the extent to which it is being responsible in its spending.” Clubs can be fined and/or handed points deductions if they are found guilty of breaching financial rules. Just as in Chelsea’s case this summer, UEFA has routinely fined clubs which break its FFP regulations. Manchester United and Barcelona were also fined this year, while Juventus were banned from UEFA competitions this season for financial breaches. What happens now? The Premier League and FA must now decide how to proceed with their investigations and whether to add these new claims to those they are already looking into. The organisations will consider a number of factors relating to any allegations they look into before deciding on any potential punishments. “One would expect, like UEFA’s investigation, the Premier League and the FA’s investigations to centre on whether the club complied with the various financial reporting obligations in their respective rule books,” says Anteson. “However, in each of the Premier League and the FA’s rules there is also the concept of good faith, i.e., that clubs must act in good faith in all of their dealings with the League as well as other clubs and officials. “This is one of a number of interesting factors in this case which traverses ownership regimes and, depending on your perspective, can just as easily be an aggravating or mitigating factor when thinking about the appropriate sanction if they find rules have been systematically broken. “You can see the argument that any apparent concealment of payments over quite a long period of time is an aggravating factor. You would imagine that the regulators would want to reinforce the deterrent effect of their rules by imposing a strong sanction. “But, how do you weigh that up against the notion that the new regime acted in good faith by proactively self-reporting these issues when it could, conceivably, have sat on them? It makes for a fascinating case and one which is difficult to predict the outcome of.” The Premier League declined to comment to The Athletic while its investigation is ongoing. An FA spokesperson, meanwhile, confirmed: “We are investigating.” Are there other clubs under investigation for similar allegations? In February, English champions Manchester City were referred to an independent commission after the Premier League hit them with 115 charges relating to a series of alleged breaches of financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. City deny any wrongdoing. GO DEEPER Man City charges explained: The accusations, possible punishments and what happens next The following month, Everton were also referred to an independent commission by the Premier League following an alleged breach of financial fair play rules during the 2021-22 season. Everton also deny any wrongdoing. What has the response been to the allegations against Chelsea? “These allegations pre-date the club’s current ownership,” Chelsea said in response to the latest report into payments by Abramovich-owned companies. “They are based on documents which the club has not been shown and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club.” In relation to the previous investigations, Chelsea added: “Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators. “In accordance with the club’s ownership group’s core principles of full compliance and transparency the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so.” When asked about the latest allegations by The Athletic, UEFA referred back to the July decision by its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) to fine Chelsea £8.6m. It added that “all the transactions that took place before 2017 are time-barred according to Article 37 of the procedural rules governing the UEFA Club Financial Control Body”. But a fresh investigation into Chelsea was not ruled out: “Should the CFCB become aware of new transactions that had not yet been reported to UEFA, then the CFCB might open new proceedings against the club.” The Athletic has approached Abramovich’s representatives for comment. GO DEEPER You can view Abramovich as English football's original sin - but it'll be tough to airbrush Chelsea titles from history

Chelsea not in talks to buy Earls Court site for potential Stamford Bridge relocation https://theathletic.com/5066077/2023/11/15/Chelsea-stadium-earls-court/ Chelsea are not in talks to purchase the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre site for a potential relocation from Stamford Bridge, according to the company overseeing the multi-billion pound redevelopment project. Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) published the updated version of their masterplan for the 40-acre site in southwest London on Wednesday, which is to include the construction of 4000 new homes, extensive retail and office space, three large cultural and performance venues and an urban park. The land, which has been largely derelict since Earls Court Exhibition Centre was demolished in 2014, has frequently been touted as the most attractive alternative stadium site if Chelsea were ever to leave Stamford Bridge. In March, the ECDC publicly denied reports suggesting the Premier League club’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, could purchase it. The ECDC has reiterated its stance as it presses ahead with the project. “We categorically deny that there are any talks taking place with Chelsea FC about a stadium relocation to the Earls Court site,” an ECDC statement read. “After years of consultation with the local community, we have updated our masterplan proposals and today release updated plans. “Our scheme will deliver 4,000 homes, space for 12,000 jobs, acres of public space and cultural venues, restaurants and community facilities. “There is no football stadium in the Earls Court masterplan.” GO DEEPER How a view loved by Henry VIII could thwart new Chelsea owners' plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge ECDC plans to submit a hybrid planning application to Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Kensington and Chelsea Council in the middle of 2024. Barring any delays the first phase of construction is slated to begin in 2026, with work on the vast redevelopment project expected to stretch into the 2040s. Boehly and Clearlake are still understood to be assessing their stadium redevelopment options and have not committed to building a new stadium at Stamford Bridge despite finalising a land deal to purchase the 1.2-acre Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions site adjacent to the ground from Stoll Veterans Housing Charity last month. That deal expands the footprint of Stamford Bridge for any potential redevelopment but Chelsea are not expected to take possession of the land until the end of 2025 at the earliest and building a new, bigger stadium on the current 11.9-acre site is fraught with difficulty. It would also require the first team to play home matches elsewhere for several years. Any attempt to permanently relocate Chelsea from Stamford Bridge to an alternative site would need to be approved by Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), who own the freehold to the land on which the current stadium sits as well as the name ‘Chelsea Football Club’, and would likely meet significant fan resistance.

https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost439 Issue number 439 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 players in the world with the best statistics in terms of chance creation during the current season, according to an index developed from Wyscout data. At the top of the list is Paris St-Germain’s winger Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman outranks Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich) et Nico Williams (Athletic Club). Killian Mbappé (PSG) and Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa) also are in the top 5, while Federico Dimarco (Inter) and Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) are the top-ranked defensive players. The top three footballers who have not yet turned 21 are Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven) and Ilya Kvasnytsya (Rukh Lviv). A total of 33 leagues are represented in the top 100, with a maximum of 16 players from the English Premier League, where Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa) is ahead of Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United). The top three in the second most-represented league, the Italian Serie A (nine players), are Federico Dimarco (Inter), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo) and Felipe Anderson (Lazio). The creation index is calculated by adding the number of key passes (for chances) and expected assists (depending on the dangerousness of the chances created) per 90', and weighting the result by the sporting level of the matches played (as a percentage difference from the overall average). Only footballers who have played at least 630 domestic league minutes for the same team during the current season are considered. Best players worldwide: creation Index Domestic league matches, current season, at least 630 minutes players until 13/11/2023. Data:Wyscout.

Another one down Cursed!

So what happens if we get relegated due to getting smashed with a truly massive points deduction? I am not going to follow a team that looses all its top players and is out of the EPL for years. Nope, not doing it. I hope to fuck Boehly and Co have a fucking plan. And FUCK CITEH, those cunts have done WAY worse and yet they will never be touched. Bitter?? You're goddamn right I'm fucking bitter. Chelsea face Premier League point deduction over new 'leaked' Roman Abramovich documents https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.football.london/Chelsea-fc/news/Chelsea-face-premier-league-point-28108095.amp

Osimhen? I deffo rate him there not counting Mbappe (who I list as a winger) I rate the following as WC CFs obviously many are not Chels targets Erling Haaland Harry Kane (I think at this exact point in time, he is better than Håland, as he is vastly less one dimensional. Over a 4000 minute season, he is tracking to 60+ goals and 20+ assists) Victor Osimhen Lautaro Martínez Julián Álvarez Randal Kolo Muani Dušan Vlahović Jonathan David Ollie Watkins Heung-min Son Ivan Toney and the 5 golden oldies: Robert Lewandowski Antoine Griezmann (having a monster season as a CF) Karim Benzema Cristiano Ronaldo Olivier Giroud

we need a truly WC CF

GOAL OF THE WEEKEND (Season?) : Federico DiMarco vs Frosinone

THIS! that motherfucker has wreck us so many times, fucked is out of at least one trophy, etc etc, over the years he is a criminal cunt

the Pool at Anfield game a couple years back were we held on for a draw after Reece got a red with half the game to go and Pool dive bombered us for 50 minutes

truth here

plus 2 of their goals were really tainted

super pen by Cole crazy pressure on so many levels

good draw, and we should have won it (Gusto/Palmer misses (especially Gusto) and those dodgy no foul on pre pen/and Håland handball calls)

all that WC talent and their worst offensive player takes it bizarre

stupid foul now they have a great free kick position

5 minutes left after the delay we can win or lose

now let's win

yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

please make this!!!!

woot woot