Vesper

Tottenham could land Santiago Giménez for a €45m bargain fee https://thedailybriefing.io/i/138325962/tottenham-could-land-santiago-gimenez-for-a-m-bargain-fee Let me start by mentioning what's going on around Santiago Giménez, the Mexican striker who had a fantastic Champions League debut against Lazio, scoring a brace. He’s scored 15 goals in the last nine games with Feyenoord too, so this boy is a real goal machine. Last season he decided to stay at Feyenoord and sign a new deal, and now he's performing at a top level again with Arne Slot as manager, but what I wanted to clarify guys is that many of you have been asking me about Giménez to Tottenham or Real Madrid because of the words apparently said by someone close to the player in an interview. What I can tell you after speaking to direct sources is Santiago Giménez has no agent or intermediary, there is no one taking care of his business other than his father - it’s important to verify that. From what I'm hearing, something around €45m could be the right fee to get a deal done, so let's see if that’s in the January window or in the summer. Tottenham scouts have been following the player since last year and surely he’s interesting for them - but also for many other clubs around Europe. This is why decisions will be made in the next month but, at the moment, no statement from the player’s father on this.

Feyenoord https://thedailybriefing.io/i/138276295/feyenoord Santiago Gimenez again on fire for Feyenoord this season! He has scored 15 goals in his last 9 games! He got a brace last night on his Champions League debut - he now has a total of 15 goals and three assists this season.

Jamal Musiala, Tammy Abraham, Jadon Sancho, Ivan Toney, and more... Some random names there - but some key updates https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-jamal-musiala-tammy-abraham Chelsea’s transfer plans are fully underway for January, and for the summer, as I have been reporting on here all this week with a host of sourced stories. I’ve been speaking to a couple of my best sources quite a bit this week and have been given a few bits of random information on the above names. So as always, I am sharing it with you guys here. Jamal Musiala I’ve spoken about Musiala a few times recently and I have information from a couple of sources on him now. One source this week tells me that Musiala is a ‘dream target’ for Chelsea for next summer, and there is genuine interest there from our side. However, sources in Germany believe Musiala would only leave Bayern Munich for either Real Madrid or Manchester City and unfortunately, that is what my other top source has said as well - as I reported last week. If Chelsea were to stand any chance of landing Musiala, they would need Champions League football at the very least. But the interest is there. Although it is my personal opinion that we have no chance of getting him, so I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up - just reporting what I hear as always. Tammy Abraham As I put on the live blog yesterday, I am now hearing that Chelsea have cooled their interest in bringing Tammy Abraham back to Stamford Bridge. He’s always been on the list, but never a priority, and there are at least five strikers now ahead of him in on the shortlist. He was suggested as a potential target by Frank Lampard’s staff at the end of last season, and he was considered then. But I’ve heard he is no longer being considered as a real option as of now (things can always change but I don’t expect them to with this one now). Jadon Sancho As I reported in the summer, Chelsea looked at the possibility of signing Jadon Sancho before they signed Cole Palmer and ended up opting for him. This was since confirmed by other outlets. I am now told that we have distanced ourselves from Sancho as of now, and I am actually hearing that Juventus are showing a keen interest in signing the Manchester United winger. Ivan Toney A bit more on Toney. A source believes it is likely that Chelsea might use the opportunity to speak directly to Brentford this weekend regarding a potential move for Ivan Toney. I’m not sure if this will definitely happen, but it is more a belief of my top source rather than factual as of now. I suspect it will happen though as it just makes sense. Chelsea wanting to keep targets under wraps One of the main reasons I cannot report the ‘mystery name’ I’ve been given yet is because Chelsea are really trying to keep their targets under wraps - just as they did in the summer. Of course I do get many names here, and I get many of them before anywhere else. So I will always put out what I am allowed to put out. But Chelsea want to try and keep as many of their main targets under wraps as possible. This is probably why the Toney stuff isn’t out there too much right now. I’ve also been told we are looking at a few ‘big names’ and not just the mystery name I know about. I’m sure Musiala is probably one of those ‘big names’ but as I said, I only see him going to Manchester City or Real Madrid. We CAN dream/try though, for sure. Why not!? Simon Phillips

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/138276295/Chelsea Ghanaian top talent Fatawu Ganiwu will be traveling to train with European clubs very soon. He looks set to attend RC Lens first in November, but Chelsea are also among the names monitoring him. Could Chelsea be set to sign a new striker and new centre-back this January? A big name from Barcelona has been linked with the Blues - full info here. Good news for Chelsea as Liverpool are NOT in the race for Victor Osimhen - more info here.

Three HUGE sourced stories - Exclusive on Conor Gallagher's future, Sources on new CBs/LBs, Sources on Nkunku's injury recovery - when he will be back, Plus Luke looks at midfield, and more... https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/three-huge-sourced-stories-exclusive Morning all! Wow, today is a jam-packed Chelsea newsletter full of inside information and sourced stories, as well as a big exclusive story on Conor Gallagher. It looks like we are recording the latest Podcast today rather than yesterday after all. Jai is traveling for work this week so it’s been hard to pin him down. He got to his Hotel yesterday and we were going to record then, but the WiFi wasn’t working! So we will be attempting to record today - I’ll keep you all updated on the live blog today. BIG newsletter this, let’s get into it! Let’s begin with the Conor Gallagher exclusive I had out - there is a new Premier League team interested in signing Gallagher this January, but will Chelsea sell him or has their stance changed on it? Find out in here. Christopher Nkunku’s road to recovery continues, but he is getting there and we have a story here on when sources expect him back playing for Chelsea again, and what the latest is in his rehabilitation. He’s not been in England the whole time 👀 And a big sourced one now on Chelsea looking at new centre backs and new left backs for the upcoming transfer windows. Priority remains a new striker, but Chelsea’s pre-planning goes further and much more advanced than just that. I have a new left back name being targeted in this one here, as well as all the latest info on new centre backs and current situations such as Thiago Silva, Ian Maatsen, and Marc Cucurella! And after all that excitement and big sourced news, we had our resident scout Luke Rushbrook with his daily article to keep the content varied! Luke has looked at something we have discussed a lot on here lately, the midfield balance and where Romeo Lavia fits in. That and more in here. As well as all of that, I of course had the live blog running yesterday as usual, and this contains all your latest Chelsea news, quotes, transfer rumours and anything else in the same place here. Will Reyner’s popular weekly column for us is in the drafts, but I had so much sourced content to put out for this one so Will’s excellent latest article will be out later today instead! Same goes for the polls article! Looking to get that out later today! Hope you all have a good day, see you all on the live blog from 8am! Peace, Si.

In the past 7 months of league football, Brentford have more wins at than Bridge than we do against all teams wtf

Football > England. Premier League. Bоurnеmоuth vs Burnlеy 28 October 2023 at 15:00. Browser Links 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web

Football > England. Premier League. Аrsеnаl vs Shеffіеld Utd 28 October 2023 at 15:00. Browser Links 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 918kbps 95% Aliez 918kbps 95% Aliez 918kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 999kbps 95% Aliez 937kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web

Poch may be sacked on December 7th or so if that happens

we likely could be 6 EPL losses on the bounce come midnight December 6

another weekend spoilt right out the gate

Poch will be roasting on the hot seat if we just get hammered in all of those games

Sterling was absolute SHITE today just horrific

Poch just absolutely mauled by Thomas Frank played him like a bitch

why the fuck did we send the keeper up with a minute and half to go????????

clowns fuck this shit

Is Ivan Toney the solution to Chelsea’s No 9 problem? https://theathletic.com/5000886/2023/10/27/ivan-toney-Chelsea-striker/ Mauricio Pochettino will probably regard it as a small mercy that, as Brentford attempt to earn their third consecutive victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they will have to do it without talismanic striker Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old, who is banned from football until January 17 after admitting in May to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules, did not score in either of Brentford’s two previous wins at Chelsea. He made his mark on both occasions, though: slipping a brilliant pass through to Vitaly Janelt to dink in the third goal in a 4-1 triumph in April last year and laying the ball off to Shandon Baptiste to spring Bryan Mbeumo away to ultimately give the visitors a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish a year later. Brentford have adapted impressively well to Toney’s lengthy absence; the fact they are 14th in the Premier League does not reflect negatively on their attack, the team having scored 14 times in the season’s opening nine league matches — one more than Chelsea — with Mbeumo in particular shouldering a greater share of the goals burden. But it would be disingenuous to claim they have not missed Toney, scorer of 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances last season and the muscular, intelligent focal point around whom Mbeumo and others have thrived. Head coach Thomas Frank devised a 16-week plan in September to build up his top striker’s fitness, and the plan is to throw Toney back into competitive action as soon as he is eligible. He is allowed to play in behind-closed-doors matches until then and, after scoring against Como of Italy’s second division at the beginning of this month, he completed 65 minutes on Wednesday for Brentford’s B team against French side Monaco’s under-21s. The big question is whether Brentford will be the club to benefit from this preparation work. Toney will enter the final 18 months of his current contract at the turn of the year and has been laying the groundwork for a big-money transfer since last summer, when he enlisted powerful international football agency CAA Stellar as his new representation. Arsenal have been linked with signing him, Tottenham could also be in the market for a new striker in the wake of Harry Kane’s summer departure to Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are the Premier League heavyweights giving most thought to signing a No 9 in the winter market, when a deal for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen might also be attainable. But how good is Toney, and what could he offer Chelsea? The Athletic takes a closer look… In terms of his physical presence and style of play, the loftier Chelsea comparisons that Toney has attracted are Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. But the list of players similar to his statistical profile on respected data website FBref.com throws up another distinguished name — and probably a more accurate match — from more recent Stamford Bridge history: Olivier Giroud. Toney, as with Giroud, is a late bloomer at the top level of football. Both have been credited by former team-mates and coaches with having the mentality of elite professionals even when they were labouring in relative obscurity, and have been widely praised for being positive dressing room influences. GO DEEPER Olivier Giroud: match-winning goalkeeper Another parallel with Giroud is the fact that Toney is more than a traditional target man, though his aerial ability is a core part of his appeal; with just under 3.6 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, he ranks in the 80th percentile for forwards in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League over the past year. Gareth Southgate handed Toney his England debut against Ukraine in March after describing his performance in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal the month before, when he dominated William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the air, as “outstanding”. During his three seasons at Brentford, he has had an amplifying effect on the attacking production of those around him, using an array of incisive passes, layoffs, knockdowns and flick-ons to put team-mates in positions to threaten the opponents. As the graphic below illustrates, these occur in deeper positions in the final third as well as inside the penalty area. It is not difficult to imagine Toney’s smart hold-up and link-up play giving the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke more good opportunities to stress defences, in much the same way that Giroud did with Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro Rodriguez. Toney’s particularly slick chemistry with a more nimble, skilful forward in Mbeumo, whenever Brentford switched to a strike partnership in attack, might also bode well for potential combinations with Christopher Nkunku — though it is also worth noting that he and the summer signing from RB Leipzig both like to drift into the left half-space in order to get on the ball. Six of the 20 Premier League goals Toney scored last season were penalties. He is excellent at taking them, converting 29 of 31 attempts in his professional career and frequently sending goalkeepers the wrong way by employing a short, deliberate run-up that gives few clear hints as to his true intentions. Toney is yet to record a truly prolific top-flight campaign by modern standards, and his 0.4 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per 90 minutes in the 2022-23 Premier League fell a long way short of the 0.66 registered by Osimhen in the same season as he fired Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990. These individual numbers, however, should not be separated from their team context. Brentford have created chances at a good rather than great frequency in their two completed seasons in the Premier League. In 2021-22, their first year after winning promotion via the play-offs, their 1.08 npxG per 90 minutes ranked 11th in the division, and that figure improved to 1.33 12 months later, which was eighth-best. The most encouraging thing for Toney is that he has done a relatively impressive job of turning the chances that come his way into goals. His shot conversion of 21 per cent over the past two seasons is very respectable and actually compares favourably to more heralded attackers such as Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and Marcus Rashford of Manchester United. He has also made a year-on-year improvement in where he takes his shots from. As the graphic below illustrates, the bulk of his goal attempts in 2021-22 were spread across the penalty area… … whereas last season he did a better job of hoovering up chances in and around the six-yard box, which predictably led to a big increase in his expected goals (xG) per shot attempt: Brentford did a better job of generating shot attempts in these high-value areas than Chelsea did in 2022-23, aided significantly by their set-piece prowess. Thirty-nine per cent of their total efforts at goal came either in the opposition’s six-yard box or just outside it. That metric was just 32 per cent for Chelsea last season, whose overall shot conversion in the six-yard box was a startling 15 per cent — well below the Premier League average, which stood at 28 per cent: Summer appointment Pochettino’s team have only been taking 31 per cent of their shots either in the six-yard box or just outside it in the opening nine games, though there have been marginal improvements in the average quality and distance from goal of their attempts. The key question is: would Toney give Chelsea more of a goal threat in and around the six-yard box, or would his scoring production be negatively impacted by playing in a different system? Toney would be an unusual Chelsea transfer target in several ways. He turns 28 in March, so does not fit the age profile of a recruitment strategy that has overwhelmingly focused on players 23 or younger. Nor does he project as having huge untapped potential. However, his steady improvement since failing to break through at Newcastle as a teenager following a move from Northampton Town of the fourth division should give any buying club confidence that he will continue to find ways to grow his game. He won the League One Player of the Season award in 2019-20 with Peterborough United before breaking the Championship goalscoring record at Brentford the following campaign, underlying his ability to step up. There are other uncertain variables from Chelsea’s perspective. Toney has never played in a team of such stature and expectations, even if standards dropped to historic lows last season at Stamford Bridge. It is unclear how well he would adapt to being part of a high-possession team regularly confronted by low opposition blocks. His aerial presence would certainly provide a dimension not currently offered by Nicolas Jackson or Armando Broja, but his attacking threat at Brentford has not been reliant on that; only 19 per cent of his goal attempts since the start of 2021-22 have been headers. Frank considers Toney a key part of his leadership group, responsible for ensuring high standards are set and then maintained on and off the pitch. Would that force of personality scale up to the Chelsea dressing room? Whatever the answer, the harsh reality is that any club considering a large transfer outlay on Toney will also need to be completely convinced that the football betting which got him this suspension is no longer a risk. January and its transfer window will bring conflicting incentives. Brentford need to cash in on Toney sooner rather than later. They will be conscious they allowed David Raya to enter the final 12 months of his contract and were unable to extract maximum value from his loan move to Arsenal, which is expected to be made permanent for £30million in total next summer. Brentford will also lose fellow forwards Mbeumo (Cameroon) and Yoane Wissa (DR Congo) to the Africa Cup of Nations that month. Chelsea will have Jackson (Senegal) away at the same tournament, and need to decide whether Broja and Nkunku, who is on his way back from a pre-season injury, constitute enough firepower to see them through that period. Even if they do pursue a No 9 in the winter window, Osimhen might be the better choice — although he stands to have Africa Cup of Nations duty then too, with Nigeria. What transfer business is financially possible must be weighed against what is logistically feasible in the middle of a season, and the potential cost of opportunity as well as price. A deal for Toney might still be there next summer, and in the meantime, Pochettino cannot possibly know exactly what he has yet in Jackson, Broja and Nkunku — two summer arrivals and a player newly returned from a major knee injury suffered last December. Toney has established himself as a serious Premier League striker and there is a world in which he could be as impactful as the best version of Giroud at his next club. Whether or not that next club should be Chelsea is much harder to say. GO DEEPER Ivan Toney's betting ban shames the whole of football, not just him

fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Chelsea really miss the intelligent positioning and running of James and Chilwell https://theathletic.com/4976698/2023/10/24/Chelsea-really-miss-the-intelligent-positioning-and-running-of-james-and-chilwell/ To anyone who can name Chelsea’s strongest starting XI this season: congratulations. Genuinely. That is an impressive feat — it’s one that manager Mauricio Pochettino is yet to figure out himself with the glut of young talent that he has in the squad. The fact it is such a difficult question is, in part, due to the lack of availability of some of the players in the Chelsea squad. While it might appear like a swollen group, Pochettino has not been able to select from a full complement of players, with plenty still on the treatment table for the foreseeable future. Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell and Romeo Lavia are out with injuries for the foreseeable future, and Chelsea could do with some positive news ahead of their home clash with Brentford this weekend. One reason to be cheerful is the return of Reece James from his hamstring injury, with Chelsea’s club captain making an appearance in the final stages of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday. A degree of depth and positional versatility in this department has helped Chelsea in this area in the short term, but few can deny that James and Chilwell are the preferred starting pair at full-back or wing-back when all players are fit and available to choose from. The problem is, there haven’t been enough occasions in recent seasons where that has been the case. From ACL ruptures to hamstring injuries, James and Chilwell’s absences have been vast — and Chelsea fans hardly need reminding. But it needs to be stressed how infrequently they have played together. The duo have started together just seven times in the Premier League since the beginning of last season, with their longest run in the team together spanning just three games in that period. Just four league games started together in 2021-22 means that the pair played more domestic games together in their first season (16 times in 2020-21) than in the subsequent three seasons combined. It was Chelsea’s 2020-21 campaign that saw Chelsea benefit the most from having both James and Chilwell on the field, with the duo flourishing as wing-backs in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 system en route to winning the Champions League. It is hardly new information that the pair have proven difficult to replace in the Chelsea starting XI, but the numbers highlight just how little opportunity they have had to provide that double threat from both flanks. Speaking of numbers, it is worth noting how integral James and Chilwell have been towards Chelsea’s attack. Only recently departed Mason Mount has registered more Premier League assists (17) than James (12) and Chilwell (nine) since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Whether it is their set-piece threat or ability to arrive in advanced half-space zones, Chelsea fans long for the day that both players can take to the field together again. When James does return to the starting line-up, Pochettino will be looking forward to him playing teasing balls across goal, as he did in the club’s Premier League opener against Liverpool in August. James was punishing Liverpool’s left flank with strong link-up play with a rejuvenated Raheem Sterling, who came inside to open up space for James to exploit from wide. In the opening minutes, James plays a neat one-two with Sterling to get into an advanced area and whip the ball across goal for Nicolas Jackson to get on the end of. And who’s that lingering at the back post? Chilwell from the left flank. The second example is almost a carbon copy of the first, with James bursting forward and finding Jackson again after another one-two with Sterling. This time, Jackson skied the ball over the bar, but Chilwell was on hand at the back post once again, with Chelsea committing five men forward in a front-foot attacking phase. In James’ absence, Malo Gusto has deputised well in providing an attack-minded, athletic option to Chelsea’s right flank, but there have been some “less-than-ideal” moments along the way — with the 20-year-old’s red card against Aston Villa forcing left-footed Marc Cucurella to play as a makeshift right-back for two Premier League fixtures. Do the words “square peg” and “round hole” come to mind? Chilwell’s injury struggles continued as he limped off against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup, having had a full pre-season getting back to full fitness following a long-term ACL injury. The prognosis was not positive after the game, with Pochettino saying “I think it is bad news, what the doctor told me is not a good thing.” A return close to the Christmas period looks most likely. With able cover in Levi Colwill, there is still strong solidity on Chelsea’s left side until Chilwell recovers, though Colwill is far less attack-minded. Alternatively, Cucurella’s resurgent performance against Arsenal may suggest that the 25-year-old has hit some form at the right time in Chilwell’s absence. GO DEEPER Chelsea squad audit: Youthful potential, a midfield revamp but lack of bite remains Of course, Chilwell’s role has not been reserved to left-back or left wing-back, having played in a more advanced left-wing position in the early stages of the season — a position he has been slowly adapting to. “I’m still learning as I’m going, I’ve been used to playing at left wing-back and before that left-back, so this is a bit higher up the pitch,” Chilwell revealed in a recent interview with talkSPORT. “When I’m playing that high up the pitch, I expect the pressure that’s on me to contribute to goals. It’s something that is new to me, it’s obviously new to Levi (Colwill) as well but we’re both taking it in our stride and we’re happy that we’re playing.“ GO DEEPER Ben Chilwell interview: On Pochettino's mind games, leadership and making Chelsea great again The versatility and individual quality provided by both Chilwell and James is obvious and they offer Chelsea a different attacking dimension when they are both on the pitch. Unfortunately, Pochettino has only been able to call upon both his captain and vice-captain once since arriving in the summer, and it is a sight that we simply haven’t seen enough in recent seasons. GO DEEPER Is Ivan Toney the solution to Chelsea's No 9 problem?

varsågod

De Bruyne was our De Bruyne 😪

thats a fucking pen!!!!!!

damn, another missed chance

he no longers stresses me when he plays