Vesper

fuck that fuck seriously, he can fuck right off

last season crushed our club coefficient 🤬

Enzo Le Fee: Lorient’s midfield magician who can do it all – and very well https://theathletic.com/4599439/2023/06/16/enzo-le-fee-lorient-analysis/ Enzo Le Fee. Or, to translate that into English, Enzo The Fairy. His Anglicised surname does, partly, describe his play style. Le Fee is diminutive, at 5ft 7in (170cm), and seems to glide around the pitch producing magic. In 2022-23, only six players in Ligue 1 — French football’s top flight — could better his 67 key passes and he was the division’s top under-23 in that metric. But Lorient’s 23-year-old locally-born midfielder is an all-action all-rounder — the only Ligue 1 player to record more than 100 each of tackles, shot-creating actions and dribbles last season. Le Fee rose through the Lorient youth ranks and was part of their 2019-20 Ligue 2 title-winning team, in what was his breakout season under then-head coach Christophe Pelissier. This past year was his third in Ligue 1 and was when Le Fee truly became a key player, starting 35 of the 38 league games and recording 11 goal involvements (five goals, six assists) — one more than he managed in his first two seasons at that level combined. His trademark is the piercing through ball, often with one touch from zone 14 (the central space directly outside the penalty area), against a set defence. The France Under-21 international can play these passes from deep, too, and they were pivotal to Lorient’s early season attacking moves, where they had success through overlaps/underlaps and third-man runs out wide — Le Fee assisted Dango Ouattara three times, one of which is shown below, before his colleague’s January move to the Premier League. Under Pelissier’s successor, Regis Le Bris, Le Fee has fulfilled numerous midfield roles as Lorient have tweaked their system. “We work a lot on numerical superiorities in midfield,” said Le Bris. In a 4-3-3, Le Fee operated as a ‘free eight’ on the left of the midfield triangle. He often plays fluidly, dropping deep to collect the ball from a defender and dictating play, then looking to progress play through combinations with his full-backs and wingers. His skill set and small build mean he is more suited to playing further upfield, but Le Fee has operated deeper, in a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1. Regardless of position/role, his style remains the same — always wanting to be on the ball, prepared to take touches and risks, and looking to be incisive. At times, you will find him between the opposition’s midfield and defensive lines, looking to receive and play on the half-turn. On others, he is the deepest midfielder, trying to break lines himself. Below, against Clermont, he receives from centre-back Julien Laporte. Clermont press Le Fee, who is facing his own goal, and he shows his press resistance and utilises a low centre of gravity to wriggle and juke his way into space… … before picking a pass over the defence to Ouattara. Within two passes, Lorient are in the box and from there they win a corner. Lorient were fifth when the World Cup break began in November (just three points off Rennes in third) but then sold No 9 Terem Moffi and right-winger Ouattara to fellow Ligue 1 side Nice and Bournemouth respectively. Those two had been involved (scoring or assisting) in 24 of Lorient’s 35 goals this season when they departed. Le Bris switched to a 3-2-4-1 in response, deploying Le Fee as a No 10 at the top-left of a midfield box. He played this role in the 3-1 away win over title-bound Paris Saint-Germain on April 30, in which he scored the opening goal. Below is a prime example of how Le Fee can ignite attacks, even against an organised defence. He sprints away from PSG midfielder Marco Verratti to receive a pass to feet from Lorient’s left centre-back, then, even with his back to goal, opts against setting it back and turns away using the outside of his right boot. That first touch takes Verratti out of the game and Le Fee now drives forward before playing a one-two with No 9 Ibrahima Kone. The move ends with Le Fee overhitting a through ball. A perfect encapsulation of Le Fee’s style can be found in his goal in a 3-1 away victory at Auxerre last September. He initially shows for a pass to feet when Vincent Le Goff has possession, but as soon as the defender plays the ball wide, he makes a dart through midfield. Winger Julien Ponceau then finds him in space on the edge of the area and Le Fee dribbles into the box before releasing Moffi. (Le Fee was Lorient’s top player and 12th in Ligue 1 last season for chance-creating carries with 37 — 26 of which ended in a key pass and 11 that resulted in a shot.) When Moffi’s shot is parried by the goalkeeper, Le Fee is first to react and tucks away the rebound. Le Fee’s creative ability is impressive given his age and Lorient’s team style, particularly compared to Europe’s elite sides. Lorient averaged just 46.6 per cent possession (13th out of 20) in Ligue 1 last season on their way to finishing 10th and while they often built from the back, they were vertical and incisive in the opposition half, not often a team to retain the ball high upfield. In fact, only five Ligue 1 teams had fewer touches in the final third than Lorient. The 23-year-old’s ability to create chances from advanced positions — often threading passes through compact, organised defences — would be even more effective if he was in a high-possession side. All of the above is without touching on his dead-ball threat. Le Fee is a quality ball-striker, as shown in his direct-free-kick goals over the past 12 months at home to Lens (Coupe de France) and Lyon (Ligue 1) at club level, and for France Under-21 against their Armenia counterparts. His free-kick technique is fairly unique, rarely striking the ball with curl but instead using a lot of topspin from a short run-up. He takes corners in a similar way, trying to get the ball up and down quickly and over zonal markers. Realistically, Le Fee could slot into an attacking midfield role for a lot of top clubs and not look out of place, but his next step may not take him far from Lorient at all. “It’s time for me to leave,” Le Fee told French media in March (his contract expires next summer and he has expressed his disappointment at no extension being offered). “I am someone who likes challenges — risks, too. I want to show that I am capable of playing at the highest level.” Borussia Dortmund were linked with the No 10, but Lorient’s neighbours and rivals in north west France, Rennes, are rumoured to be closing in on a deal. They will play in the Europa League group stage next season after finishing fourth. Le Fee is in the France Under-21s squad for that age group’s European Championship finals starting next week — he’s still eligible as he was 21 at the start of the qualifying competition two years ago. If he shows what he can do on that stage for France, he surely won’t be playing in France for much longer.

ffs first Ugarte and now Viega

Szobo is MUCH better

that Minerals bloke is a right proper cunt what a snowflake whingey lil bish

potentially £153.6m total cost for 6 years he will turn 31yo in early winter of the season starting after his contract expires

2002-03 Arse away was great

when I wrote that I did not know that Ziyech had failed his physical we still need to bin him somehow

out! (bold are players still here we will get at least £10m or more for) Edouard Mendy Kepa Arrizabalaga (likely staying) Kalidou Koulibaly Trevoh Chalobah Marc Cucurella (please!) César Azpilicueta Conor Gallagher Ruben Loftus-Cheek Mason Mount Christian Pulisic Hakim Ziyech (ffs) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — DF Wales WAL Ethan Ampadu (at Spezia until 30 June 2023) — DF Ghana GHA Baba Rahman (at Reading until 30 June 2023) — DF France FRA Malang Sarr (at Monaco until 30 June 2023) — DF England ENG Dujon Sterling (at Stoke City until 30 June 2023) — MF England ENG Tino Anjorin (at Huddersfield Town until 30 June 2023) — MF France FRA Tiémoué Bakayoko (at AC Milan until 30 June 2023) — FW England ENG Callum Hudson-Odoi (at Bayer Leverkusen until 30 June 2023) — FW Belgium BEL Romelu Lukaku (at Inter Milan until 30 June 2023) plus now Kai Kova Kante Denis Zakaria João Félix

I hope you are right he is not one I said has to go

I do not recall any hate directed at him ever, unless they are counting randos from Nigeria on Twitter

LOLO🤡LOLO, we are now entering the peak bullshit months: Arsenal fans in disbelief at Kylian Mbappe rumours with 'package being weighed up' Real Madrid remain favourites to land Kylian Mbappe from PSG this summer, but Arsenal are considering a move for the phenomenal forward in what is the latest twist in his transfer saga https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-kylian-mbappe-transfer-rumours-30366754

Danny Drinkwater eyes Leicester return despite 'snake' label - along with Saudi switch https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/danny-drinkwater-leicester-transfers-saudi-30368290?int_source=nba

Chelsea Women confirm signing of Ashley Lawrence from Paris Saint-Germain https://theathletic.com/4655344/2023/06/30/Chelsea-women-sign-ashley-lawrence/ Chelsea have completed the signing of Canada international Ashley Lawrence from Paris Saint-Germain. The 28-year-old full-back has signed a three-year deal to keep her at the club until 2026. Lawrence is Chelsea’s fifth summer signing following the arrivals of Alejandra Bernabe, Catarina Macario, Sjoeke Nusken and Nicky Evrard. “I’m really excited and grateful to be joining such a top club in England and in Europe,” Lawrence said. “There are a lot of emotions, excitement and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone, the rest of the players and staff and to next season.” Lawrence joined PSG in 2017 following spells at Toronto Lady Lynx, Ottawa Fury and Vaughan Azzurri in her native Canada. She made 20 league appearances during the 2020-21 season as PSG won the Division 1 Feminine title for the first time, ending Lyon’s 14 years of dominance. Lawrence made her Canada debut in 2013 and has been capped 117 times at senior international. She was an integral part of Canada’s 2020 Olympic gold medal triumph and has been included in Bev Priestman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup. The 2021 Ballon d’Or nominee will join up with compatriots Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan at Chelsea. “Ashley has established herself as one of the best full-backs in the women’s game for both club and country,” said Emma Hayes. “Her ability to get forward, her progressive play into the final third is a standout strength and she can play on both the left and right side. We’re really looking forward to having her with us.” Chelsea head into the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season chasing their fifth successive league title. GO DEEPER Hayes has created a Chelsea dynasty - but that does not mean the WSL is a one-team league

Cesc Fabregas retires from professional football at age of 36 https://theathletic.com/4657921/2023/07/01/cesc-fabregas-retires/ Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has retired from professional football at the age of 36. Fabregas hangs up his boots following a successful career which saw the Spaniard win two Premier League titles with Chelsea, a La Liga with Barcelona and an FA Cup with Arsenal. He also lifted the World Cup and two European Championships while representing Spain. Fabregas was capped 110 times by his country between 2006 and 2016. The 36-year-old will now turn his attention to coaching with Fabregas staying at Serie B side Como, the club he played for last season, to coach their under-19 and B sides. Fabregas said of his decision to retire: “It is with great sadness that the time has come for me to hang up my playing boots. “From my first days at Barca, Arsenal, Barca again, Chelsea, Monaco and Como, I will treasure them all. From lifting the World Cup, the Euros, to winning everything in England and Spain and nearly all the European trophies, it has been a journey that I’ll never forget. “All those who have helped me, my team-mates, coaches, directors, presidents, owners, fans and my agent. To all my family, from my parents and my sister to my wife and kids, I cherish your advice, mentorship and guidance. To my opponents who tried to knock me, thank you for making me stronger. “It has already been more than worth it with all the great memories and friends that I have made on the way. I’ve also learnt three languages and became more compassionate and wiser along my travels. “I lived experiences that I never thought in a million years I would even come close to. It’s not all sadness though as I’m now going to cross the white line and start coaching the B and Primavera teams of Como 1907. A club and a project I couldn’t be more excited about. This charming football team won my heart from the first minute and came to me at the perfect time in my career. I will grab it with both hands. “So after 20 incredible years full of sacrifice, dedication and joy, it’s time to say thank you and goodbye to the beautiful game. I loved every minute. Cesc.” GO DEEPER Cesc Fabregas: 'We are losing the creativity that the player had not so long ago'

Levi Colwill set for Mauricio Pochettino talks before deciding Chelsea future https://theathletic.com/4656343/2023/06/30/levi-colwill-Chelsea-future-talks/ Levi Colwill wants to have talks with new Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino before considering the next step in his career. Colwill is the subject of interest from top clubs in England and abroad. This includes Brighton, where he impressed on loan last season. They have already had a £30million ($37.3m) bid rejected by Chelsea earlier this month but are still keen to sign him. Chelsea insist the player is not for sale, however his current contract expires in 2025. The club, as they showed with Kai Havertz’s £65million transfer to Arsenal this week, will consider selling players if their deals have two years or less to run and do not sign an extension. They don’t want to risk losing them cheaply or as free agents. Colwill was last offered a new contract in February but it has not, and will not be, accepted because the terms are not considered good enough. There has been no fresh proposals since then. More negotiations are expected to take place but Colwill will want to meet with Pochettino first to see how much he figures in his plans before considering another extension offer from Chelsea, if one is made. Competition for places at the back has been reduced slightly with Kalidou Koulibaly being sold to Al Hilal, but there is still Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah to choose from. Pochettino is also associated with playing a back four, which means only two centre-backs will play. Chelsea are not playing in a European competition either next season, which reduces the opportunities for game time. Colwill is one of the most highly-rated young English defenders in the game. He trained with the senior England squad before their internationals against Malta and North Macedonia earlier this month. He is currently representing the Under-21s at the European Championships and has already played a part in them qualifying for the knock-out phase. Colwill’s involvement in the tournament means the timing of a chat with Pochettino is uncertain. The squad leave for a pre-season tour of the USA on July 17. Brighton could use Chelsea’s desire to sign midfielder Moises Caicedo as part of their pursuit to acquire Colwill, even if it ends up just being a second season on loan. The Athletic reported a fortnight ago that Brighton value Caicedo at £100million ($128m), but Chelsea will not want to pay as much as that. GO DEEPER Colwill on Brighton, De Zerbi and Chelsea: 'This club trusted me when others didn't'

ex post facto explanation The new transfer deadline day? Why June 30 matters to Chelsea, Barcelona and more https://theathletic.com/4651467/2023/06/29/transfer-deadline-june30-premier-league-Chelsea/ It is not the transfer deadline that demands a countdown on rolling news sites. Nor is it one with the potential to irrevocably shape a season. Yet June 30 has quietly become a date of growing significance on football’s calendar — to some in the industry it is beginning to feel akin to a third transfer window; one that is demanding attention like those at the end of the summer and winter windows. It has become a “game-changer”, as one agent put it. Friday is the last opportunity for some clubs to enhance their accounts for the 2022-23 season through player sales and, in this era of financial fair play (FFP), it is a point of increasing relevance across European football. There is a reason that negotiations over Mason Mount’s prospective move from Chelsea to Manchester United, for example, have stepped up a gear this week. Finalising transfers before the end of the month matters for those who have flown close to the sun. This can be a final grasp for FFP compliance when failing to complete the necessary business can have consequences. The deadline within a window helps explain why, in part, the 20 Premier League clubs have already raised £250million ($317m) in player sales before any have even returned for pre-season training. Needs must. Chelsea’s garage sale accounts for half of that sum but the club that broke records for Premier League spending last season have not been alone in pushing for deals this month to redress the balance before the accounting year is out. The pattern also extends to the continent. Barcelona, the La Liga champions, would dearly love to do business before the end of the month, as would Roma, who were one of eight clubs fined by European football’s governing body UEFA for breaches of financial rules in September. Reports in Italy suggest there is a need to raise €30million (£25.9m; £32.8m) before June is out or there will be trouble ahead. It is the clubs that have overstretched who typically find themselves facing these new pressures. Those that see too much red on their books and those conscious that accounts would benefit from some late window dressing before a new financial year begins. Financial rules vary, but in the Premier League clubs are limited to losing no more than £105million in a three-year rolling period. The headline losses in the annual accounts are offset by infrastructure spend and, until the end of next season, there is also the ability to write off losses attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic. Football’s financial year typically runs from July 1 to June 30 and completing business before that cut-off point can benefit those in a squeeze, like Everton last summer and now Chelsea. To others it can be more about future planning than compliance, giving themselves greater scope to spend in the summers to come. Tottenham were only too willing to sign off the £40million purchase of James Maddison this week, too. A club without FFP concerns was content to quickly strike an attractive deal with Leicester City, who will face their own pressures after relegation to the Championship was confirmed last month. Any sense of urgency is felt by clubs, rather than players and their representatives. There are another 63 days after this artificial cut-off point and proposing a deal at this point requires cooperation. For Chelsea, as much as any club, June 30 has been a long-standing consideration. The Athletic detailed in April that there would be an emphasis placed on concluding deals before the end of this month after the first two transfer windows of owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali had ended with a remarkable net spend in the region of £440million. An expensive recruitment drive, headed up by the £107million signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, has required balance before the end of Chelsea’s accounting year and yielded early business out of Stamford Bridge this summer. The last five days have seen four high-profile sales, with Mount potentially to follow soon. Central defender Kalidou Koulibaly was first to leave, completing a £20million move to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, before Mateo Kovacic concluded his switch to Manchester City — worth an initial £25 million. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy became the third player to formally depart on Wednesday, joining Saudi club Al Ahli for a sum thought to be in the region of £16million. Within hours came the biggest deal of them all: Kai Havertz’s long-anticipated move to Arsenal secured a guaranteed £62million return for Chelsea, covering the outlay that had brought the midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. Four players gone, over £120million banked. And there will likely be more. A quick deal to sell Mount is also favourable for Chelsea — at the right price, of course. But Manchester United have the opposite problem: the reason given for their refusal to budge much beyond paying £55million for Mount is that FFP rules limit what they can spend before June 30. United posted losses of £115.5million for the 2021-22 season due to playing games behind closed doors during the pandemic and overspent their budget for signings last summer by more than £100million. But Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the one-time England international, is another headed for the Chelsea exit after a £15million move to AC Milan was agreed, while winger Hakim Ziyech is close to a Saudi move after a deal was struck with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. That could be worth another £8million. It is a timely clear-out for Chelsea, with the potential for somewhere close to £150million to be added to the 2022-23 accounts, which are not likely to be made public until early next year. It will not prevent heavy losses for the first full season after Roman Abramovich, nor will it compensate for the shortfall that comes with missing out on European football, but it helps improve Chelsea’s financial health in the eyes of those that will assess them. It is telling that Chelsea’s only summer recruit to date, the former RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku, will not formally begin his six-year deal until July 1. The £52million transfer, though completed last week, will instead feature in the club’s 2023-24 accounts. Everton have been here before. There were pressures to sell players ahead of June 30 last year, knowing that they had racked up losses of £373million in the previous three financial years. They would eventually post pre-tax losses of £45million for 2021-22 but that would have been far higher without the sale of prized asset Richarlison, whose initial £50million move to Tottenham was agreed on June 30. Everton had little choice but to cash in before July — and a new accounting year — arrived. It was not, however, enough to prevent the Premier League from referring Everton to an independent commission for an alleged breach of its profit and sustainability rules in the season ending 2021-22. Everton, who were charged in March, said that they “strongly contest the allegation of non-compliance.” Everton have reined in their spending since last summer and the sale of Moise Kean, whose loan to Juventus became a £25million permanent transfer in March, has tempered the urgency felt last summer. On the continent, Barcelona are in the same position they found themselves in last season, with a need to trade before June turns into July. The business they did before June 30 2022 determined the salary cap La Liga imposed on them for last season. The same applied to Atletico Madrid, whose chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin accepted that his club need to raise €40million before the end of last June. Valencia and Espanyol were two more under the pump. Barcelona are again attempting to move out players before the close of play on Friday, with Samuel Umtiti, the France international, top of the list to shift. There is a willingness to let Umtiti leave as a free agent but his salary, thought to be €20million per season, is problematic. Clement Lenglet, Sergino Dest, and Alex Collado have also said to be available for transfer before the end of this month. Roma, who have known their FFP problems with UEFA in the last decade, are another up against the clock. Their need to generate revenue for FFP compliance has been well-publicised in Italy, with Cristian Volpato and Filippo Missori lined up for late moves to Sassuolo. Roma were fined €35million by UEFA in September after failing to comply with a break-even requirement. June 30 might be a point when the biggest names in European football are still recharging batteries but, as the business of this week has shown, it is a date that demands the attention of the financially stretched.

That's why we wanted Ugarte.

Chelsea https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/132159626/Chelsea Cesare Casadei has plans to either play in the Premier League or Serie A next season. There have been four loans proposed by Championship clubs but the final decision will be made together with Chelsea. No truth in the rumours linking Marc Cucurella with Atletico Madrid. His representative, Álvaro Dominguez, has described the stories as “fake news.” Chelsea consider Levi Colwill ‘untouchable,’ and the club have submitted their first new, long-term contract offer to the player. Colwill wants to speak to Mauricio Pochettino after the U21 Euros before making a decision. No issues with the Nico Jackson deal. Fee close to €37m, paid in instalments, eight year deal which is now official, confirmed. Santos wonder kid Ângelo has completed the first part of medical tests in Brazil. He’s set to join Chelsea on a deal which will be valid until June 2029, with an option for a further season. 📰 Chelsea have already identified their Mason Mount replacement - [Evening Standard via CaughtOffside] César Azpilicueta here we go! Agreement in place for a two year contract until June 2025. Chelsea will let him leave as a free agent and documents will be ready to sign soon. Azpilicueta verbally agreed personal terms with Inter last week but the player’s family pushed to go back to Spain. Christian Pulisic remains keen on Milan move, and nothing has changed. Chelsea insist on €25m asking price but Milan want to pay less. Talks ongoing. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has joined Milan on a four-year deal, confirmed. €16m fee plus €4m in add-ons. SC Heerenveen have completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder, Charlie Webster, on a one-year loan deal.

10 clubs in the race for Fenerbahçe’s Arda Güler https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/132182965/clubs-in-the-race-for-fenerbahces-arda-guler Barcelona are trying to sign Fenerbahçe’s fantastic 18-year-old talent, Arda Güler. They want him for June 2024, not now, but for sure it isn’t an easy transfer. There are 10 clubs interested in the player and when they are so good, this is normal to see lot of interest. Barça are waiting to see if they can reach an agreement with Fenerbahçe and with the player's camp, and this is the current topic of conversation. I repeat, that it's not an easy deal and for sure, they are not alone in this race. Fenerbahçe also want Arda to play again for them for at least next season.

New Brazilian ‘wonder kid’ Angelo is one for the future at Stamford Bridge https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/132182965/new-brazilian-wonder-kid-angelo-is-one-for-the-future-at-stamford-bridge One name that isn’t particular well known in English football circles at present is that of Ângelo Gabriel - ‘Ângelo.’ The 18-year-old Brazilian has already played over 100 times for Santos, the team that gave us Pelé and Neymar. Chelsea are convinced that he has great potential, is very good and talented but it will take time for him to be considered alongside other Brazilian superstars such as Neymar, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who are three top world class players. In my opinion he’s probably not ready yet for Chelsea, but this is why the plan is to send him on loan initially from July. Chelsea will sign him for €15m after Barcelona didn’t exercise their option on him, and they feel that this is very good price for that kind of talent. He’s already completed part of his medical in Brazil, and he will sign on a six-year deal, valid until 2029 with option for one more year.