Vesper

lololol

5 1 thrashing

3 nil

2 nil Watkins on a hat trick already

1 nil Villa Watkins

Аstоn Vіllа vs Brіghtоn 30 September 2023 at 12:30. 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 95% LS4U 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% LS4U 2500kbps 95% LS4U 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 AceStream Links 95% 8000kbps 95%

Revealed: How Chelsea could sign Osimhen in January and still comply with FFP https://www.footballinsider247.com/revealed-how-Chelsea-could-sign-osimhen-in-january-and-still-comply-with-ffp/ Chelsea will have to offload more first-team players to make a deal for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen possible, sources have told Football Insider. Football Insider revealed on Friday (29 September) that Chelsea could be the best-placed club to land the striker if he forces an exit from Naples. Osimhen’s agent has recently threatened Napoli with legal action after a series of TikTok videos were posted by the team mocking the forward. It is believed a deal for the Nigeria international, who is out of contract in June 2025, will be a tough one to do for Chelsea from a Financial Fair Play standpoint. The Blues spending a reported £400million in the summer window – supplementing that outlay with the sales of a number of key players. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly were among the stars to depart Stamford Bridge for big-money fees. But more sales will have to follow if Chelsea are to solve their striker woes with the signing of Osimhen in the January or summer 2024 windows. Noni Madueke and Marc Cucurella are among the first-team stars to play the fewest minutes for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this season. Football Insider revealed on Thursday (28 September) that a forward has been made the “priority” by the Blues’ transfer chiefs after a poor start to the season. Big-money striker signing Christopher Nkunku could be out injured until the end of this year, while fellow summer arrival Nicolas Jackson is struggling to find his feet at the top of the Blues’ attack. Osimhen has already hit four goals in seven games across all competitions for Napoli this term. He fired 31 goals last season to help them to the Serie A title.

Sources: Major update on Chelsea signing Osimhen after scandal https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-major-update-on-Chelsea-signing-osimhen-after-scandal/ Chelsea could be the best-placed club to land striker Victor Osimhen if he forces a Napoli exit, sources have told Football Insider. The possibility of the 24-year-old leaving Naples has increased following a social media scandal in recent days. His agent has publicly threatened legal action against the Italian club after a series of TikTok videos were posted by the team mocking the forward. Osimhen is a long-term target for Chelsea – who wanted to sign the striker last summer, in January and in the most recent summer window. However, it is believed a deal for the Nigeria international, who is out of contract in June 2025, will be a tough one to do from a Financial Fair Play standpoint. But a well-placed source has told Football Insider that a deal may be “too good to miss out on” if the right circumstances arise. Napoli are likely to demand a mega-money fee for the man who fired 31 goals last season to help them to the Serie A title. Chelsea could now be the best-placed European giant in the running for Osimhen as their scoring woes continue. It is believed a potential move would most likely take place in 2024’s summer window, rather than in the mid-season January window. Osimhen has already hit four goals in seven games across all competitions for Napoli this term. Meanwhile, Chelsea are struggling for goals and sit 14th in the Premier League table with five points. Big-money striker signing Christopher Nkunku could be out injured until the end of this year, while Nicolas Jackson is struggling to find his feet at the top of the Blues’ attack. Jackson, who has managed just one league goal in six games this term, will miss next week’s (2 October) clash with Fulham after racking up five yellow cards. In other news, Chelsea board change stance after Pochettino sack update.

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/137509395/Chelsea Claude Makelele confirms that he's leaving his role at Chelsea: "I decided, by mutual consent, that it‘s time for me to seek a fresh, new challenge." Makelele follows Bruno Saltor who left the club last week. Carney Chukwuemeka returns to full team training. Mauricio Pochettino on Ben Chilwell’s injury: “It’s bad news — the doctor told me it’s not a good thing. It doesn’t look good, we’re really sad.” (press conference footage courtesy of Hayters) Pochettino: “I am working to identify what we need for January on transfer market. I’m more involved in transfers, I’m on it.” Pochettino on Madueke filmed partying while injured: “It’s a thing that he needs to avoid, all the players need to know that we are Chelsea players and should try to avoid this thing. It wasn’t a big issue but we need to avoid this type of situation, it’s really clear.” Chelsea and Man United are on the trail of football’s next big thing. Who is he? Find out more here.

first mention of him here by anyone I mentioned him 14 times before anyone else commented about him and that first non-Vesper mention was a year plus after my initial mention

Xabi Alonso and why everyone wants Bayer Leverkusen head coach https://theathletic.com/4908614/2023/09/29/xabi-alonso-head-coach/ By Raphael Honigstein and Thom Harris Sep 29, 2023 From the relegation zone to being level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso has led Bayer Leverkusen on quite the ride in his 12 months as manager. Some sort of rebound was almost inevitable given the team’s talent, but the complete change in the team’s attitude under the Spaniard has been nothing short of remarkable. Ever since the club acquired the unwanted “Neverkusen” moniker following three runners-up spots in 2002, Bayer had been a byword for underachievement and lack of resilience. Now though, they are coming back from a late goal away to serial champions Bayern to score an even later equaliser and generally play with a swagger that befits the most balanced, confident team in the league. Sporting director Simon Rolfes makes no effort to underplay the manager’s role in this transformation. “There’s a seriousness and maturity in our football that reflects Xabi as a person,” the 41-year-old tells The Athletic. “He’s a natural competitor and winner. He’s instilled a battle-hardened attitude and a fighting spirit in the side.” Rolfes points to February’s knockout-stage win against Monaco in the Europa League as a key game in lifting spirits last season. “We were the better team in the first leg at home but lost 3-2 because of two late goals. “In Monaco, we were again the better team and should have won it in 90 minutes. But we had to go into extra time and then to penalties — after we had missed the last seven spot kicks in a row. It was all set up for another unlucky finish. Things looked like they were going against us all season. But we scored all five and won! That was an important moment for the team and all of us.” Bayer went on to narrowly lose against Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the semi-final. Tactically, Alonso has drawn from many of the different ideas he encountered playing under Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez. His first move was to stabilise the defence, playing counter-attacking football. Once they were more solid out of possession, Alonso put his attention to improving Leverkusen’s quality on the ball. They have taken another big step forward this year, becoming more and more watchable, and they are now playing the best football in Germany. “Xabi is not a dogmatic manager,” Rolfe says. “When necessary, the team know how to defend or be pragmatic in certain situations, it’s not always the beautiful build-up from the back. Finding a way to win is what matters to him, more than anything.” However, there is a sense that Alonso’s philosophy is firmly rooted in his development at his boyhood club, Real Sociedad. He had his first playing and managerial opportunities at a club that has an emphasis on producing technically gifted players to play controlled, possession-based football. GO DEEPER Guipuzcoa: The tiny Spanish province that is big in the Premier League and beyond He took La Real’s B team to promotion to the Spanish second tier for the first time in 60 years. Although they were relegated at the end of that campaign, there are caveats, namely his youthful squad, which had an average age of 21.4 years). His inexperienced team still topped 70 per cent possession in seven separate games. At Leverkusen, their steady improvement has coincided with the increased control in their build-up across the last calendar year, with their blistering start to the season built on pass-heavy attacking moves. As the scatterplot below illustrates, no side have averaged more passes per sequence throughout the opening five games. They have even more than Bayern. Leverkusen’s slightly higher ‘direct speed’ (how fast the ball moved upfield) suggests that they can be quick and incisive when the space opens up too. Summer recruitment has also accelerated Leverkusen’s progress, with tactically versatile players allowing for a new system. Wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo has given Alonso an attacking threat down the left-hand side — after generating 12.7 expected assists (a measurement of the quality of chances a player creates) last season at Benfica, a figure that only five players in Europe’s top-seven leagues could better — along with defensive solidity, which allows Leverkusen to shift into a solid back-four shape in the build-up. Centre-backs Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Odilon Kossounou all move over, allowing the dangerous Jeremie Frimpong to push on with more freedom. In the middle, the experienced Jonas Hofmann is a talented technician who can combine with Frimpong and cover defensively for his live-wire team-mate, while Granit Xhaka has reinforced a solid double-pivot, encouraging the creative presence of Florian Wirtz to roam across the attacking third in search of the ball, as below. Leverkusen scored their second goal against Heidenheim with this exact structure at the weekend, as Hofmann darted in behind to receive a perfect through pass from Exequiel Palacios. There’s also the relentless Victor Boniface, who has averaged an incredible 7.6 shots per 90 minutes since joining the Bundesliga, to go alongside his explosive off-the-ball running. Leverkusen are a potent attacking force. GO DEEPER 50 to watch - Victor Boniface: A rare talent who has already overcome a career's worth of misfortune “Having a deep theoretical understanding of football and a superstar aura from winning everything as a player is a ridiculously powerful combination for a manager,” one senior Bayer official tells The Athletic on condition of anonymity, maintained to protect relationships. “He’s done it all but he has the work ethic and humility of a total novice.” Alonso is the first one in and last one out every day, brooding over tactical details for hours on end. An employee who saw him address the annual staff meeting described him as “a rather dry” orator who’s not a natural entertainer nor a tactile ‘Menschenfanger’ (catcher of men) like Jurgen Klopp. Unlike some of his predecessors at Bayer, he has shown little interest in club departments that don’t directly impact football. He only really cares about the game. But that sort of single-mindedness has also inspired staff members at a club that has sometimes been mockingly described as a ‘Wohlfuhloase, an oasis of comfort, due to the relative lack of pressure to succeed. Alonso has managed to energise Leverkusen staffers with his professionalism, charm and hunger for success. “You just sort of believe every word he says, because of who he is and the way he says it,” the employee says. “You believe that he will bring success. Because he does.” GO DEEPER Inside Xabi Alonso's first week at Bayer Leverkusen The players are similarly entranced. It doesn’t hurt that Alonso is still the best footballer on the training pitch six years into retirement. He regularly pings 50-metre diagonals that land on the intended blade of grass and plays vertical passes that cut through lines like a freshly sharpened yanagiba knife, all without breaking a drop of sweat. Some people in the club were initially concerned his fantastic technique might intimidate the team, or worse, rub them the wrong way. They recalled 1990 World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski, in his role as assistant coach to Berti Vogts in Leverkusen in 2001, showing off his free-kick-taking skills, teasing the players for falling short of his standards. “You have to take out the shoe trees from your boots,” the former midfielder used to joke. Until one day, one Bayer player sought revenge — and ‘accidentally’ scythed down Littbarski in a training game. That won’t happen to Alonso, and not just because he’s too slick to get caught by a mean-spirited tackle. The team respects and admires him far too much. “There are some former pros who try to impress players with their skills on the ball, since they don’t have much else to offer by way of coaching,” the senior club official says. “Xabi doesn’t need that. He just plays a killer pass to get his idea across — like somebody would draw an arrow on the tactics board — and to raise the quality of the training exercise.” There’s an air of focus and commitment to the cause that hasn’t always been observed on the training pitches just across from the BayArena stadium. Alonso moves a lot, talks a lot and sometimes shouts if he feels that a specific message needs emphasis. Recently, he set his team a challenge to be more effective from set pieces. When they duly improved, he rewarded them with two days off. “He’s a very clever man with sensitive antennas that pick up all sorts of signals,” says another Bayer source who works with Alonso on a daily basis. He points to the manager making sure that some players whose contributions are in danger of getting overlooked by the public receive their due share of the limelight and a bit of extra attention from him. Alonso isn’t the sole reason for Bayer’s positive momentum, obviously. He has a strong relationship with Leverkusen’s Spanish CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes, a former central midfielder who’s the same age as Alonso and shares many of his footballing convictions. His ideas are closely aligned with Leverkusen’s transfer policy, too. The club’s scouting has been formidable for decades, but last summer they were especially smart. Selling French winger Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa for €60million (£52m, $63m) enabled them to invest in a couple more seasoned pros to complement the array of talented youngsters. Former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka and Germany international Hofmann, both 31, have added character and mentality as much as quality to the dressing room. Grimaldo, 28, is also being mentioned as a hugely positive influence behind the scenes. And on top of that, it’s always useful to add a dynamic goalscorer in Boniface (six goals in five league games), signed for €20.5m from Union Saint-Gilloise. Picking the right club to succeed is a coach’s most underrated skill. Alonso has been especially careful in that respect. He took this time to learn the trade in three years at Real Sociedad B and turned down a chance to coach Borussia Monchengladbach in the spring of 2021 — he knew from his time at Bayern as a player (2014-2017) that Leverkusen were a better fit. Bayer are a relatively wealthy club committed to attacking football but they don’t operate in a cacophony of media noise, due to the small size of the city. It’s an ideal place for a young manager to make his next steps. The only question now is how long Bayer can keep up with a manager who’s going places. Rolfes says they are not worried about reports linking Alonso to the Real Madrid job. “I never mind rumours about our players or coaches. If they’re good and successful, others will take note. In April, there were plenty of stories that Alonso would leave this summer. Didn’t happen.” Instead, he signed a new contract until 2026. Bayer are not naive. If Alonso gets offered the Bernabeu job for next season and decides he’s ready to take it, the Germans won’t keep him against his will and will try to manage that process in a way that minimises disruption. But there’s still hope it won’t be over come May. Bayer have received no indication that Alonso wants to move on. And from everything they’ve seen so far, he’s not a man in a hurry.

Five clubs that could now sign Victor Osimhen including Arsenal and Man Utd After falling out with his club this week, the Serie A winner could soon leave Italy with a number of top teams linked with a move. https://www.givemesport.com/victor-osimhen-next-club-napoli-transfer-rumours/ Last season, Napoli achieved something they hadn't managed in 33 years as they won Serie A. This was the third Scudetto in the club’s history – the first since the days of Deigo Maradona in 1990. At the heart of their success was talisman Victor Osimhen who scored 26 league goals in 32 games, as well as picking up five assists. You would think a season as good as that would be enough to cement the striker's untouchable status as a club legend forever. However, after a poor start to the season – in which time he's still netted three Serie A goals in five games – it appears as though some of those at Gli Azzurri have short memories. Indeed, the player was recently mocked by the club's own social media team after he missed a penalty in a 0-0 draw against Bologna on Sunday. Understandably, Osimhen was been left angered and upset by the distasteful content and is set to take legal action against Napoli. On top of this, he has also removed all references to the Italian club on his Instagram page – sparking wide debate about his future with the club. With this being the current state of play, we've decided to list five football clubs which could be interested in signing the Nigerian forward, who was valued at a staggering £150m by his club during the summer. Manchester United For some time now, Man United have been on the lookout for a striker who knows how to find the back on a regular basis. Marcus Rashford is the club's best goalscorer but he operates best when stationed out on the left. And while £72m summer Rasmus Hojlund is very talented, at 20 years of age it may take some time before he can be counted upon as a prolific forward. With that in mind, if Erik ten Hag really wants to get the club back to the top of English football in the short term, the Red Devils may look for someone who is ready to bring goals right now. It's a known fact that Osimhen has been a target for some time too, with the Manchester Evening News first naming him on the club's shortlist back in November last year, and rumours persisted throughout the summer. In the end, money was spent on the more attainable option of Hojlund but with the Napoli man potentially ready to force his way out of the club, United could find themselves in a position to make a move this winter. Real Madrid In light of the events this week, Mail Sport have already named Real Madrid as one of the clubs who could push to sign the 24-year-old striker this January. The Spanish giants obviously lost Karim Benzema in the summer and only brought in veteran forward Joselu as a replacement. With six goals to his name already, Jude Bellingham has proven himself to be a great addition to the attack but Los Blancos will surely want a more natural goalscorer in the team soon enough. Of course, they have plans to sign Kylian Mbappé in the near future but with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain set to expire in the summer, he could arrive in Madrid on a free transfer. This would potentially free up some money to be spent on another new and exciting transfer. If Osimhen was to join alongside the French World Cup winner – having only just snapped up English superstar Bellingham – it could mark a return of the first Galacticos era, which we saw under current chairman Florentino Pérez in the early 2000s. Arsenal As per the Irish Mirror, a number of English clubs have been put "on red-alert" by the news that the Nigerian could be set to sue his own club. Arsenal are among the Premier League sides to be named in the report and they have had their eyes on the forward for some time now. Indeed, speaking to Centregoals (via football.london), Osimhen once revealed how the Gunners had closely looked at him as an 18-year-old back in 2017. He said: "I spoke with Arsene Wenger and he wanted me to come to Arsenal but it was not the best option at the time." It seems good timing that the striker should suddenly appear as an option on the market as Mikel Arteta's men have been heavily linked with another new forward this week as well. Indeed, former player Paul Merson suggested in his Sky Sports column that Ivan Toney should be signed to replace Eddie Nketiah – while a report in The Times suggests this could happen for up to £80m. But perhaps Arsenal should be a little more ambitious and snub the Brentford ace in favour of a move for the 24-year-old Serie A winner. Chelsea It's no secret that Chelsea could do with a proven goalscorer leading the line. After all, summer signing Nicolas Jackson has scored just one goal in his first six league games for the club so far – picking up five yellow cards along the way. With the Blues struggling, something will need to change and we all know how Todd Boehly loves to throw money at a problem. He'd certainly need an awful lot of cash to land Osimhen too, having been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer. That aforementioned article in Mail Sport this week names Chelsea as one team who still hold an interest in the forward. However, it does add that a deal could be complicated by a new wage structure at the club, as Boehly and Clearlake Capital have implemented an incentivised pay system in player contracts which is linked to Champions League qualification – their wages reportedly fluctuate depending on whether they were competing in the competition or not. Seeing as it seems very unlikely that they'll be playing in that tournament any time soon, it could be hard to convince Osimhen to join. But the likes of Moises Caicdeo and Romeo Lavia arrived in the summer despite having alternative options, so who knows how this will play out. Saudi Pro League While a number of veteran stars moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer – such as Benzema N'Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino – plenty of younger talents also swapped European football for the Middle East. Stars still in their 20s such as Gabri Veiga, Ruben Neves and Roger Ibanez all made the move heading into their peak years, which suggests that a transfer for Osimhen isn't entirely out of the question. As per Mail Sport, "Saudi Arabian clubs will lead the pursuit" of the Napoli ace should he look to depart in the near future. It's not revealed which teams specifically will try and chase the forward but it's safe to assume that whoever emerges as the favourite will have more than enough money in the bank to pay both a transfer fee and the player's wages. He currently earns a reported £91k-p/w, with his contract set to expire in 2025.

at least ffs we are doomed with injuries

Former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o caught up in match-fixing scandal https://www.Chelsea-news.co/2023/09/former-Chelsea-striker-caught-up-in-match-fixing-scandal/ Former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o is being investigated by the police as part of a match fixing probe in Cameroon, according to the Sun. Eto’o has been head of the African country’s football federation since 2021, and has been accused of helping rig games to favour one team for promotion in the second division there. A recording apparently featuring Eto’o promising to promote a club by fixing games, telling someone on on the line “there are things we can do…. we’ll give you your three points.” “Opopo must go up to the first division. This is our goal. This is our federation. Victoria United will go up.” For his part, the former Barcelona attacker has denied all accusations, and said he just telling his “friend” that “I would have done everything possible to avoid any refereeing errors against him.” It all sounds rather suspect, unfortunately. We loved Eto’o as a sort of cult hero for his cameo as a Chelsea player, and this rather taints the legacy of a once brilliant striker from a golden era of football.

the poison dwarf's withered puckered starfish just clinched up a bit

Patrick Dorgu Liverpool transfer blow as wonderkid declares "dream" to play for Premier League rivals Chelsea Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu has been extensively scouted by Liverpool this year but he the Denmark youth international has spoken of his "dream" to play for Chelsea https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-transfers-patrick-dorgu-lecce-31040193

smdh

out of the top 100 valued non already Chels players these are ones we have actual, even remotely viable (and some are like 1 ot 2 % chance) shots at (all positions) Victor Osimhen Jamal Musiala (extremely unlikely) Rafael Leão Florian Wirtz Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Aurélien Tchouaméni Frenkie de Jong Matthijs de Ligt Nicolò Barella Alphonso Davies Dušan Vlahović Nuno Mendes Achraf Hakimi Antony Jonathan David Raphinha Theo Hernández Mikel Merino António Silva Amadou Onana Lucas Paquetá Jadon Sancho Diogo Costa Gianluigi Donnarumma Mike Maignan

I am not talking those fools

list of CFs who are even remotely available (some maybe not for us though, they may not come to our hot mess atm) did not include Latauro, as Inter would want insane money to let him go, he is not worth that amount, and I doubt he would come here anyway some are huge dice rolls many will not want to come here I wager Victor Osimhen Dušan Vlahović Jonathan David Ivan Toney Evan Ferguson Ollie Watkins Santiago Gimenez Benjamin Šeško Youssoufa Moukoko Taiwo Awoniyi Patrik Schick Evanilson Gift Orban Mathys Tel Elye Wahi Amine Gouiri Boulaye Dia Hugo Ekitiké Terem Moffi Adam Hlozek Marcos Leonardo Gaëtan Laborde Karim Konaté Serhou Guirassy Viktor Gyökeres Jhon Córdoba Kauã Elias (youth)

Nuno Mendes likely out until next spring, is going to have surgery in Finland on his massively damaged hamstring

I 100% stand by my original statements following your logic basically no players would work out here you are advocating (perhaps unknowingly) for only buying players at prime Messi, CR7, Mbappe, Håland, Benz, Lewa level good luck with that also I was a huge KK fangirl for years, but he came off my lists 2 years ago, as he was ageing out then Lukaku is a cunt, never wanted him Mendy was a one year wonder and was always shit at pens I wanted Oblak for YEARS we were FOOLS to loan Cuntois to AM for three straight years, thus enabling to set down Madrid roots