Vesper

Think we do not not need a CB? https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/Chelsea-take-29-man-squad-to-the-usa Wesley Fofana has also not travelled due to a knee injury, which is currently being assessed. Marcus Bettinelli, Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja will too remain at Cobham as they continue their respective recoveries from injury.

Chelsea duo Omari Hutchinson and Harvey Vale miss pre-season tour to concentrate on loan deals https://theathletic.com/4694613/2023/07/16/Chelsea-hutchinson-vale-tour-loan/ Chelsea duo Omari Hutchinson and Harvey Vale have both been left out of the traveling squad for the U.S. pre-season tour next week to allow them to concentrate on securing loan moves away from the club. Hutchinson, 19, joined the club from London rivals Arsenal last summer, while Vale, 19, has progressed through the youth academy and spent six months last season on loan at Championship club Hull City. Both players are looking to secure loan deals to get regular first-team football this season and continue their development. In his first season since moving to Chelsea from Arsenal, Hutchinson, featured predominantly for the club’s under-21 side, making 25 appearances in total, scoring eight goals and providing 10 assists. He also made two first appearances. Hutchinson also became a Jamaica international this season, making his senior international debut in March. Vale has also made five first-team appearances, three coming in the FA Cup and two in the League Cup. During his loan spell at Hull, Vale made three appearances for the club, before the loan was cut short in January. Chelsea’s development squad are set to face Boreham Wood at Meadow Park on Tuesday, where both players could be involved.

Leeds United agree deal to sign Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea https://theathletic.com/4695931/2023/07/17/ethan-ampadu-leeds-Chelsea-transfer/ Leeds United have agreed a deal to Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu. The Championship club will pay £7million ($9.1m), plus additional add-ons, in a permanent deal for the 22-year-old centre-back, who can also play in defensive midfield. A medical will follow in due course. Ampadu has had four loan spells from Chelsea since joining the club from Exeter in 2017. He spent last season at Spezia — making 31 Serie A appearances for the relegated side — after previous temporary spells with RB Leipzig, Sheffield United and Venezia. But the Wales international, who has made just 12 senior appearances for Chelsea, is now set to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis this summer. Leeds are undergoing a summer reshuffle under new boss Daniel Farke following their relegation to the Championship last season. GO DEEPER Farke: Trials, tactics and how he landed as Leeds United manager (without a horse) USMNT international Brenden Aaronson has made a loan move to Union Berlin, Diego Llorente has re-joined Roma for the 2023-24 campaign, and will be joined on loan by Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch has temporarily signed for Eintracht Frankfurt and Marc Roca has sealed a loan switch to Real Betis. Forward Rodrigo, meanwhile, has completed a permanent transfer to Qatari side Al Rayyan.

Crazy Romelu Lukaku situation https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/134994005/crazy-romelu-lukaku-situation It’s important to clarify the shocking situation regarding Romelu Lukaku. The deal between Inter and Lukaku is 100% off - this is the situation at the moment, with Inter now exploring different options. Lukaku shocked Inter and left them furious when they found out that the people close to him were also negotiating with Juventus. Inter did their best for Lukaku in a difficult moment in his career, re-signing him from Chelsea for a big loan fee and paying his big salary, and doing their best to support him when he was injured. Inter were on the verge of reaching an agreement with Chelsea for Lukaku - it was an agreement worth €35m plus add-ons, it was almost imminent with Inter ready to submit their final bid and Chelsea ready to accept. Then Inter found out about the Juventus talks and decided to leave the negotiations. Folarin Balogun is one player Inter appreciate - they want to understand Arsenal’s price tag. It’s nothing concrete yet, and Inter have other names on their list, but he’s a player they appreciate and so they want to know what Arsenal’s fee will be. The discussion will take place and sources expect it will be around €40m. Lukaku is now expected to return to training with Chelsea, but not to go on their pre-season tour. Mauricio Pochettino has not yet spoken to him, and the desire remains very clear on Chelsea’s side - they want him out. Chelsea have no other intention but to sell the player - they are not happy with him and they want him to leave. The two options for Lukaku are Saudi, with clubs there still insisting, and Juventus. Lukaku has said no to Saudi so far, while he’s spoken with Juventus and they have also sent a verbal proposal to Chelsea for €35m plus €2.5m add-ons. Juve are big candidates to sign Lukaku, but only if they sell Dusan Vlahovic. This makes it a complicated ‘domino’ situation, but I can say that, despite many rumours about Chelsea and Vlahovic, they are not negotiating for the Serbian striker - some members of the board appreciate him, but there is no concrete interest. The same with Lautaro Martinez - there are no talks, he will not be going to Chelsea. PSG, however, ARE considering a move for Vlahovic and the player is keen on the move. The two clubs have also had direct contacts, so next week PSG will decide internally about their top striker targets, as they’ve also considered Randal Kolo Muani and Rasmus Hojlund.

we actually need a right-footed CB (badly if Trevoh is sold, which looks likely) if Colwill leaves (I will lose my mind) we will also need a left footed CB (and likely zero chance we get Gvardiol) Wesley Fofana right footed Benoît Badiashile left footed Levi Colwill left footed Thiago Silva right footed and soon 39 years old left footed top CBs Josko Gvardiol Citeh bound more than likely Alessandro Bastoni (crazy hard pull) Pau Torres Villa Sven Botman Lucas Hernández PSG Nico Schlotterbeck Piero Hincapié Micky van de Ven Gonçalo Inácio Evan Ndicka Roma on a free (steal for them) Presnel Kimpembe (Last summer he is on my lists, as he turns 28 years old in 26 days) and then 5 dice rolls Castello Lukeba David Hancko David Carmo Attila Szalai Morato I do not think Aymeric Laporte is a good buy, he turns 30 at the end of thsi season and he never really recovered from his bad knee injury top right footed CBs Ronald Araújo (hard as hell pull) Min-jae Kim Bayern Milan Skriniar PSG António Silva Jurrien Timber Arse Giorgio Scalvini Bremer Robin Le Normand José María Giménez (last summer on any of my lists as he turns 30 in 18 months) Jean-Clair Todibo Pierre Kalulu Mohamed Simakan Perr Schuurs Nicolò Casale Ilya Zabarnyi Malick Thiaw Anel Ahmedhodzic Merih Demiral Josip Sutalo Danilho Doekhi Leny Yoro (17 yo)

fuck that fuck

If we buy slabhead I am done with the club until he leaves absolute deal breaker the line gets drawn here

he was one of the very few spuds I never hated very smooth and classy MFer

insane pace

and shits in the woods

don't sleep on the lad

I like it a lot

so many here always say ¨we need better' and then do not list names

love that

they pay two different sides so I do not see much competion Muddy is a LWer Noni is a RWer

what a jackass smdh

Agony for Mason Mount as Chelsea ace misses crucial penalty and has now lost all SIX Wembley finals he has played in =

wow, he looks worse than he was here

£50m and it's buh bye!!

Melanie Leupolz: With a child to the World Cup Motherhood and professional sports have long been mutually exclusive. National soccer player Melanie Leupolz wants to show that there is another way. For them, the World Cup is not just about winning the title. https://www.dw.com/de/melanie-leupolz-mit-kind-zur-fußball-weltmeisterschaft/a-66148329 Melanie Leupolz listens to the national coach's instructions with great concentration. It is one of the last training sessions in Herzogenaurach, where the German women's national team is preparing for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Once again the tempo on the training ground is increased a little, once again all players get everything out of themselves. Leupolz is right in the middle and keeps up with every pace. This is not a matter of course, because the 29-year-old gave birth to her little son around eight months ago. But the midfielder didn't allow herself a long break. Only three and a half months after the birth, she has already taken part in team training at her club, Chelsea FC. Chelsea as a model club "I received the best support and understanding from my coach throughout the entire phase. She also has a child herself. That's why she knows what's important to combine professional football and family. That's why I'm very, very grateful." reports Leupolz in the DW interview. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes was still on the training ground in the ninth month of pregnancy. And just a few weeks later, the pram was parked at the edge of the site. "The acceptance is absolutely there," Leupolz is quoted as saying on the website of the German Football Association: "Emma always says that I'm happy to bring the little one to the facility. He's not a distraction for the team or for them." Chelsea is considered a model club in England when it comes to young professional mothers. "I had support from the club, who provided me with a pelvic floor trainer. That's why I quickly found my old strength again," explains Leupolz. "Every two weeks I had a Zoom call with experts in the field and I went through the exercises I could easily do. This kept my downtime fairly short and didn't make as much catching up," she adds an interview with the DFB. Physically, according to the midfielder, she doesn't miss anything anymore and adds: "My coach even says that I look very fresh and light-footed." In addition, Chelsea extended the contract with Leupolz just a few months ago - shortly after the birth of their son. "My body recovered very quickly and well. I'm a bit surprised myself that it worked so quickly. Most recently in the Champions League at Olympique Lyon I was back on the pitch for 90 minutes. I'm really happy that I I'm back now." Olympique Lyon cut Gunnarsdottir's salary Even if everything went well for Leupolz and she received the full support of the club, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to "being a mother in professional sport". This is illustrated by the case of Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir . She moved from top German club VfL Wolfsburg to Olympique Lyon in France in 2020 and became pregnant in 2021. With the consent of her club, the player traveled to her home country Iceland for the last few months before the birth. The club then only transferred part of her salary and later stopped making payments entirely. It was only after a tribunal by the world association FIFA that Gunnarsdottir received a salary of around 82,000 euros from Lyon. The Icelander now plays for Juventus Turin in Italy. Melanie Leupolz: "The DFB is very open" Things went much better for Leupolz, but there is still a dual role that is not always easy to master. "Of course it's a challenge and also difficult, but it's nice that I can combine both, Leupolz told DW. "Of course I knew that having a child during your career is a certain risk. But it's beautiful that it works with the right support. That's why it's cool that I can be here." At the DFB, the topic was accepted positively from the start. Goalkeeper Almut Schult and his child had already made their way back into the national team before Leupolz. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg also gave birth to her daughter during her active career in the 1990s and continued to play football at the same time at the highest level. "The DFB is very open on the subject. If I need something, I should let them know and they try to implement it," said Leupolz. "That's why we're both very welcome there and that's wonderful." Martina Voss-Tecklenburg: "We know what we can do" While Leupolz' teammates enjoy their free time after training, the young mother's second "job" begins - also during the preparation. "When I'm on the pitch I'm a 100 percent professional footballer and when I'm at home I'm just a mother," says Leupolz. The two areas would enrich each other and it was "all the better that both are possible." Leupolz was able to take part in the training camps before the World Cup without any problems, so that the dream of participating in the World Cup could come true: National coach Voss-Tecklenburg has called Leupolz into her World Cup squad, so she can actually travel to Australia with the youngsters. Even if Voss-Tecklenburg is not completely satisfied with the performance of their team, the DFB team is one of the strongest teams at the World Cup. "We know what we can do, what we want, where our path can lead," said the national coach and added: "We are aware that many things have to come together in the end." The goal of the DFB women is clearly defined: They want to play for the World Cup title. The DFB women will also be supported in their task by Leupolz' little son, who will travel to Australia with them. And the young mother doesn't have to worry about looking after her offspring in "Down Under". "We'll do everything that helps Melly. We're pretty relaxed about it," said the national coach. "Many players are probably already looking forward to playing childminder all day and also to having fun with the little man." 23 babysitters and grandma Martina are ready, says Voss-Tecklenburg. Leupolz wants to encourage other women For Leupolz, the World Cup is about more than the title, she wants to use her dual role and encourage other women. "I hope that I can act as a role model because everything worked great for me. The other clubs should see that too." Leupolz hopes that other women will be able to "put aside the fear that they will then be dropped by their associations and clubs." Of course there is always a certain risk because you never know how a pregnancy will go, but "if a woman then decides to have a child during her career, then I hope that I encourage this woman and show her that it's possible."

Ben Chilwell smashes pre-season fitness test, looks one of the sharpest in the team https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/50m-Chelsea-player-smashes-pre-season-fitness-test-looks-one-of-the-sharpest-in-the-team/ Chilwell emerged as one of the top performers in Mauricio Pochettino’s Gacon test as Chelsea players began work at Cobham. That is according to Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard. So, what is the latest on Ben Chilwell at Chelsea? Let’s take a look… What’s the story? Well, the £50m man is a very fit footballer – he even used to run for England at school. Now, Chilwell has maintained that superb fitness over the summer, as he returns to Cobham to smash Pochettino’s Gacon test. For those of you asking what the Gacon test is exactly, it was invented by Georges Gacon, a French fitness coach who worked at PSG before the Argentine signed for the French giants during his playing days. Pochettino later adopted the Gacon test to use for himself as a manager, having experienced it as a player. It involves getting the players to run for 45 seconds before having a 15 second rest – the distance they cover then increases 6.3 metres each time from an initial 150 metres, with the aim being to improve endurance, according to The Athletic. Chilwell is said to have been among the best performers in the Gacon test, which bodes very well for Chelsea after the England international missed 13 Premier League games through injury last season. Pochettino has big plans for Chilwell at Chelsea According to the Mirror, Pochettino views Chilwell as the ideal left-back for his preferred system, and wants the 26-year-old to become a key player at Stamford Bridge next season. The Milton Keynes-born defender and Reece James are talented enough to become the best full-back duo in the Premier League, although injuries have prevented both from truly establishing themselves. Hopefully, Pochettino can have the pair of England internationals available on a weekly basis next term, as Chelsea are a different side when Chilwell and James are fit.

Mauricio Pochettino ‘personally’ blocks Chelsea sensation’s summer exit Mauricio Pochettino has personally blocked Ian Maatsen from leaving Chelsea https://www.astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2023/07/mauricio-pochettino-has-personally-blocked-ian-maatsen-from-leaving-Chelsea/ Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has personally blocked Chelsea sensation Ian Maatsen from leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer window, putting Marc Cucurella’s future at the club atrisk. As per Caught Offside, (h/t Football.London) the Argentine manager wants to examine the 21-year-old’s performance in pre-season before making a decision on his future. If Maatsen remains, he could fight for playing time with the former Brighton & Hove Albion full-back next season. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager blocked Maatsen’s potential return to Burnley this summer as the Clarets aim to make the most of their time back in the Premier League It is also understood that if the Dutch player remains at Chelsea, it could hamper Cucurella’s future at the club. The Spaniard is already linked with a move away after a poor debut season in Blue. Given that the Blues already have Ben Chilwell and Cucurella, Maatsen, who experienced a significant advance period at Burnley will add significant depth to the position. Pochettino clearly has every reason to look at every player at his disposal before making a decision. Lewis Hall could also be another option at left-back. However, should Maatsen end up staying, he could struggle to break into the first XI, even for cup games. What exactly this means to the senior players on the roster remains to be seen. After convincing at Burley under Vincent Kompany, Maatsen deserves a chance to stay at Chelsea. However, that will largely depend on how well he performs during the pre-season. If Pochettino sticks with his choice to keep the Dutch full-back, Cucurella will undoubtedly have a volatile future at Chelsea given how difficult it will be to distribute playing time among four left-backs.