Vesper

Manchester United takeover bombshell: ‘Formal approach made’ as David Beckham expected to play key role Major development in Manchester United’s takeover drama... https://thedailybriefing.io/p/manchester-united-takeover-bombshell-david-beckham-involved UAE are serious about the Manchester United takeover as the situation continues to develop behind the scenes. I covered a report last week about how a UAE-based consortium flew to London to meet Glazers officials regarding an incredible takeover of the club. There has now been an update on the situation with club legend David Beckham very much involved.. UAE consortium make fresh move with Beckham expected to play key role David Beckham is set to play a key role to arrange second round of talks between Manchester United and UAE-based consortium. That is according to an update from reliable insider Indy Kaila who has been covering the story through his sources inside Manchester United. Indy was the one who broke the story about the consortium flying to London to meet the Glazers last week. As per his latest update, the initial talks were rejected by the Glazers, who have had a strict stance regarding selling the club. However, a formal approach was made ‘in the last 24 hours’. The Gulf-based investors are very serious and believe talks can be restarted with the club icon Beckham expected to play a role to get talks started. Taking to X, Indy Kaila reported: “According to our sources: A consortium based in the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 initial talks has been rejected by Manchester United. Formal approach made in the last 24 hours. “They believe talks can be restarted. David Beckham could be very key 🔐 to get talks started. UAE are serious.” David Beckham’s influence and why his involvement could be key David Beckham’s potential involvement could prove to be a game-changer in Manchester United’s ownership saga. Few figures in world football possess the kind of global pull, respect, and connections that Beckham commands, both within the game and beyond it. His standing as a former United icon, combined with his successful business ventures and various ambassadorial roles, positions him as the ideal bridge between the Glazers and the UAE-based consortium. Beckham has long maintained a cordial relationship with key decision-makers at Old Trafford, while also enjoying close ties with investors and sporting executives across the Middle East through his commercial and football ventures. Beckham’s influence could help restart talks that initially stalled. His potential to open doors, smooth tensions, and lend legitimacy to discussions makes him a valuable intermediary figure in the process. If he can use his connections to reignite dialogue between the two parties, Beckham could play a crucial behind-the-scenes role in steering Manchester United toward one of the most significant ownership shake-ups in recent years.

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Pre/Post Match Discussion, Live Chat & Analysis

Cole Palmer out for another six weeks for Chelsea https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/football/news/cole-palmer-out-another-six-weeks-Chelsea/02dd1dfe416b47cce9709bd8 Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed Cole Palmer will be out for another six weeks with injury. The 23 year old has been struggling for some time with a groin injury that has left him sidelined. Palmer's last appeared in their 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 20, that saw two red card dismissals. He hardly made an impact though, after limping off 20 minutes in. Maresca had previously stated the club were hopeful for a November return for the winger, however he has retracted that statement. Speaking to the media ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest, the Italian said: "I was wrong. Unfortunately, he has to be out probably six more weeks." "We are trying just to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he is fully fit." The Chelsea boss was asked whether or not they've found the real injury issue, which he confirmed they had, and said Palmer won't need surgery. "The medical staff are not magicians" "You probably need six weeks. We hope that six weeks is enough, but it's a problem we need to see step-by-step, week after week." Maresca gave some positive reinforcement however, saying that Palmer is doing well and is relaxed as he recovers.

Brentford’s Antoni Milambo suffers ACL injury, out for remainder of season https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6718618/2025/10/15/antoni-milambo-brentford-acl-injury/ Brentford have confirmed midfielder Antoni Milambo will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on international duty. Milambo, 20, sustained the injury during the Netherlands Under-21s’ draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday. The midfielder appeared in visible pain and was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. Brentford confirmed on Wednesday Milambo would undergo surgery and remain in rehabilitation for the rest of the campaign. Milambo joined Brentford from Feyenoord in the summer and signed a five-year contract with the option for a further 12 months. He has featured three times in all competitions, starting both of Brentford’s Carabao Cup victories and playing the opening 45 minutes of the defeat to Nottingham Forest in their first Premier League game of the season. The Netherlands youth international has been an unused substitute or missed out on a place in the matchday squad in Brentford’s six subsequent top-flight matches. Milambo joined Brentford off the back of a productive season with Feyenoord, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists across 43 appearances in all competitions. Brentford return to action against West Ham United on Monday. Keith Andrews’ side are 16th in the Premier League after winning two of their opening seven top-flight matches. ‘More bad luck for Brentford’ Analysis by Jay Harris This is a huge blow for Antoni Milambo and it continues Brentford’s rotten luck of new signings having a difficult debut season. Milambo started their opening day defeat to Nottingham Forest and was taken off at half-time. The only other appearances the attacking midfielder has made this season came against Aston Villa and Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. Keith Andrews has preferred to use Jordan Henderson, Mathias Jensen, Yehor Yarmoliuk or Mikkel Damsgaard in midfield as they are experienced players who can cope with the physicality of the Premier League. The plan was clearly for Milambo to be slowly reintegrated into the starting XI over the course of the season as he adjusted to his new team-mates and gained a better understanding of the coaching staff’s demands. The 20-year-old will now spend a significant amount of time recovering from an ACL injury and is unlikely to feature again in the 2025-26 campaign. Keane Lewis-Potter struggled with a knee injury during his first year with Brentford after a £16million move from Hull City and only made 13 appearances in all competitions. Damsgaard was hampered by knee issues across his first two seasons before becoming one of their key creative outlets under former head coach Thomas Frank. Igor Thiago only played eight times for Brentford last season due to a knee injury and a joint infection. The Brazilian has started every single game this season and scored four goals. Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard and Thiago overcame those injury issues to become important players for Brentford and Milambo needs to take some small comfort from that as he faces an extended spell on the sidelines. The Netherlands Under-21 international is still at the beginning of his career and hopefully this will only be a temporary setback.

Best players of the last semester: eight areas Thanks to the collaboration with Impect, the CIES Football Observatory has developed performance indices on a 100 basis in eight areas of play. This Weekly Post presents the 50 outfield footballers with the highest values in each domain for the last six-month domestic league games, with each player appearing only in the ranking for the area in which they scored highest. The following players head the tables in the different areas : Virgil van Dijk (air defence), Moisés Caicedo (ground defence), Rúben Dias (defensive build-up), Pedri González (orchestration), Michael Olise (take on), Lamine Yamal (chance creation), Kylian Mbappé (finishing) and Erling Haaland (air attack). The youngest players in the top 50 of each category are as follows : Eivind Helland (air defence), Agustín Medina (ground defence), Pau Cubarsí (defensive build-up), Warren Zaïre-Emery (orchestration), Estêvão Willian (take on), Lamine Yamal (chance creation), Franco Mastantuono (finishing) and Thierno Barry (air attack). >>> Top 50s for the eight domains >>> More about Impect >>> More about the indices

Struggling Sweden sack manager Tomasson https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/clyl5906qnzo Sweden have sacked manager Jon Dahl Tomasson following a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. They are bottom of Group B with one point from four games following a 1-0 defeat against Kosovo on Monday. Sweden - who have an all-star forward line of Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal - drew with Slovenia and lost against Kosovo and Switzerland in their opening three group games. The former Blackburn Rovers manager, who played for Newcastle United during a distinguished career, became Sweden's first foreign coach, external when the ex-Denmark striker took over in February 2024. "The decision is based on the fact the men's national team has not delivered the results we hoped for," said Swedish Football Association's chairman Simon Astrom in a statement. "There is still a chance of a play-off in March and our responsibility is to ensure we have as optimal conditions as possible to be able to reach a World Cup play-off. "In this, we assess that a new leadership is required in the form of a new coach." Sweden will travel to play Switzerland then host Slovenia in their final two matches as they try to draw level with second-placed Kosovo, who have seven points in Group B. However, they could still reach the play-offs even without finishing in the top two of Group B as a result of their success in the 2024-25 Nations League, where they topped their group. The winners of the World Cup qualifying groups will fill 12 of the 16 spots available for European nations at next summer's tournament, with the runners-up in each group progressing to the play-offs. They will be joined by the four best Nations League group winners who failed to finish in the top two of their groups in qualifying. Wales, Romania, Sweden and Northern Ireland are the four sides currently in the play-off spots as a result of their Nations League performances. 'He forgot what Sweden stands for' - analysis Daniel Kristoffersson, football reporter for Swedish newspaper Sportbladet Everything has gone wrong. He has implemented a system and tactics that we do not have the players for. We have lost to Kosovo twice having not scored a goal - even though we have world-class players like Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak. He has made players like Lucas Bergvall, Gyokeres and Isak look like Sunday League footballers. We could have expected a lot more from the Swedish national team. He hasn't got anywhere near what the players are capable of. He was a dead man walking after the Kosovo game. Before the qualification we were comparing this team to the one that was close to beating the Netherlands in the 2004 Euros quarter-final. Then, we had Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson, Freddie Ljungberg, Olof Melberg - a fantastic team. If you look at the clubs the players play for and how they have performed, this is one of Sweden's best teams. But the results are some of the worst. That's 90% up to the coach. He came in with high promises to play attacking and high possession football, but he has been very naive with the defence. Over the years Sweden have had one of the best defences as a team. But Jon Dahl Tomasson promised attacking football and he completely forgot what Sweden stands for - being solid defensively.

Chelsea fans horrified by what they’ve seen from Levi Colwill – it’s just the reality of an injury https://Chelsea.news/2025/10/colwill-injury-what-theyve-seen/ Colwill’s weak leg horrifies fans One notable thing that happened at Cobham this week was Levi Colwill’s return to the gym for the first time since his ACL surgery in August. Chelsea fans online were horrified to see his atrophied left leg following months of sitting around waiting for the injury to heal. It will be a long way back from here, with Colwill not expected to feature before the very end of the season, if at all. The good news for the team is that this Saturday should see Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah all return and be available to play in defence, ending a really tricky period where we were down to the bare bones at the back. Colwill can take his time with his return, and by the looks of things he’ll need it. It’s going to take a lot of patience to get back to where he was – and it’s vital to make sure there aren’t future recurrences. It’s going to be a very dull few months of gym work for him while he watches his teammates having fun out on the pitches at our training centre.

Monday Night SCOUTED Declan Rice v Moisés Caicedo Monday Night SCOUTED presents: a crab and a horse fight to the death https://scoutedftbl.com/declan-rice-v-moises-caicedo/ Mohamed Salah versus Eden Hazard. Virgil van Dijk versus Nemanja Vidić. Moisés Caicedo versus Declan Rice. Not a single international break passes by without at least one of these debates flooding social media timelines. This time, I have successfully resisted the urge to engage...on the timeline. Instead I've written 2000 words on the issue. I hope, through this newsletter, to highlight the foolishness of this debate by viewing it through the lens of totally non-foolish and sensible animal-inspired metrics. Forgive me, for I am about to engage in discourse: not to provide a definitive answer, but to demonstrate how dumb the debate is in the first place. Maybe everyone will read this and log off for a bit? Of course not. But it won’t stop me from trying. Would you compare a crab and a horse? No. Crabs inhabit marine environments. Horses live on land. Crabs are decapods with pincers - I learned the scientific word for these organs is chelae. Cool. Horses are mammals with hooves - I knew that one. Crabs shuttle horizontally and are aggressive when provoked. Horses run in straight lines and bolt when scared. It would be ridiculous to compare them. So why do we compare Caicedo (the crab) and Rice (the horse)? [At this early point you may be wondering if Jake is okay, or if Twitter has totally fried his brain. Please stay with us. This is good, I promise - ed]. At the risk of sucking all fun out of a trivial issue, asking which player you would rather have in your team is a better question - but still requires a lot of nuance. Even posing which you'd rather build a team around is redundant, because you would pick different players to complement either. Football is a team sport and individual debate is irrelevant - but I know that's not fun. Here’s my idea of fun. As a continuation of the zoomorphism, I’m going to translate the crab-like qualities of Caicedo and the horse-like qualities of Rice into a few different metrics and, eventually, Archetypes. First up, habitat. For now, we'll assume that to mean the areas of the pitch a player habituates, instead of their team environment or tactics. That’s because I wanted to introduce another term I’ve borrowed from gaming to help distinguish player profiles: Area of Effect (AOE). Looking at the volume of touches in each third alongside the proportion of touches taken in each should reveal a player's Area of Effect. The value of defining a player's AOE is that it helps understand which skills to compare between two players: in the modern game, a full-back and a centre-midfielder can share the same AOE, for example. You would not compare a player that spends the most of their time in their own box with another that lives in the opposition's penalty area. You know they do different things. Admittedly, it becomes more difficult as players begin to converge into the centre of the pitch. In other words, midfielders are the most difficult to separate through this process. But it’s worth a try. This graph plots Touches per 90 in all thirds of the pitch and inside each box. It also includes the percentage of total touches in each zone which I’ll refer to as Proximity. Rice and Caicedo have a similar number of Touches per 90 but the distribution of them across the pitch is different. Caicedo is a relative outlier for the Defensive Third, but it’s not as extreme when looking at the Proximity to this area. However, in the Middle Third, he is notably above average for both substance and style. This part of the pitch is clearly Caicedo’s AOE. Rice, however, is almost bang-on average for Proximity to each third. In fact, only five players in the dataset sit between -0.2 and 0.2 for Defensive, Middle and Attacking Third: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Frank Onyeka, Mateus Fernandes and James Garner. Of those five, only Rice and Anderson rank above average for Touches per 90. This combination of substance and style paints the picture of a dynamic, do-it-all box-to-box midfielder. In SCOUTED parlance, it illustrates the Ground Eater Archetype. This name encapsulates a player’s ability to literally cover ground or metaphorically gobble up grass. Just like a horse. Everything pertains to long distances: lung-busting runs both with the ball, driving towards the opposition goal, and without it when recovering towards their own. Rice is constantly moving through the thirds. A Ground Eater’s AOE is the entire pitch. Caicedo, in contrast - which does not mean better or worse - is a crabby, small-space menace. While Rice covers multiple thirds due to the verticality of his running, Caicedo shuttles across horizontally, making jabby challenges and punchy passes. This lends itself to a concentration of touches in a specific third. By scuttling side-to-side, Caicedo ensures he doesn’t have to gallop up-and-down like a horse. Like Rice. That’s not a criticism, it’s smart. He knows his limits. Just as Rice can struggle against the most agile players. In fact, Caicedo is such a rampant ball-winner that he does rank above average for Tackles in the Attacking Third. But his principal AOE remains the Middle Third. He also nips away the ball more often than Rice in most other defensive actions, including the composite metric of Tackles, Interceptions, Blocks, Ball Recoveries and Clearances. Formations are becoming less instructive of how a team will set up due to the awareness, importance and diversity of in-possession and out-of-possession systems. If anything, the teamsheet is a better representation of what we’re likely to see OOP than IP. So, when analysing, scouting or comparing players, selecting players based purely on their position is becoming more problematic. At least by looking at something like AOE, players that operate in similar areas of the pitch will likely have to solve similar problems, making a comparison fairer. But even these problems can be solved in different ways. Take passing, for example. The Ground Eater characteristics of Rice’s general coverage also apply to his passing to some extent. His ball-striking ability has transformed him into a set-piece demon, but it also augments his passing over larger distances, again touching on this emerging long-versus-short dynamic. True Progressive Passes are all Progressive Passes excluding Passes into the Penalty Area, counting all “completed passes that move the ball towards the opponent's goal line at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes”. Both Rice and Caicedo rank above average for output, but Rice is moving towards the significant end of the spectrum; his 1.44 Score is the highest for either player across all metrics on this graph. However, the real separation is based on the percentage of completed passes logged as True Progressive Passes. Caicedo dips slightly below average (-0.33), as expected from a more metronomic passer, while Rice ranks slightly above average (0.82). This difference is also apparent when looking at the percentage of Caicedo’s passes as Short Passes and the percentage of Rice’s passes as Long Passes. Neither player represents a massive jump away from the average, but the difference between the two provides more clarity for our comparison. It’s also worth highlighting that both players have similar Scores for Passes into the Final Third, Progressive Passing Distance and Progressive Distance per Pass. Both players are similarly effective at achieving progression via passing, yet both do so through different means. After all, a long pass at an angle out wide could cover the same distance towards goal as a stabbed line-breaker straight through the middle. You can see this stylistic difference illustrated by the Distance per Pass metric. So, it is fair to compare Rice and Caicedo’s ability to progress the ball with their passing as an isolated skill. But even that discussion pits two contrasting styles against each other. You must also consider the context in which that effective ball progression is being achieved. For Caicedo, we already have knowledge that he is active in securing the ball before he plays it forward. Now let’s apply the same framework we did for passing, this time to each player’s carrying. This separates the crabs from the horses. Despite Rice and Caicedo having a near-identical score for Carries - which correlates extremely closely to Touches - Rice distances himself from Caicedo in most other metrics. Rice is notably above average for Distance and Progressive Carrying Distance, which speaks to the verticality of the Ground Eater style. The fact he is also above average for both Distance per Carry and Progressive Distance per Carry further illustrates that horse-like, galloping quality. Here we see the clearest difference between our crab and our horse. It makes sense that Caicedo’s concentrated AOE in the middle of the pitch does not translate to significant Carrying output. Meanwhile, this is the metric by which players like Rice should be measured. Saying Rice is a more effective ball-carrier than Caicedo is like saying a horse is faster than a crab. It’s redundant. Even if you argue that Rice and Caicedo share the primary responsibility of progressing the ball through the thirds, there are notable differences between the two when combing passing and carrying metrics into Progressive Actions. Caicedo’s primary means of Progression is passing and he is effective at getting the ball into the final third. In some cases, his jabs will be the most efficient way to do so. But Rice has the option of booming switches or thundering gallops, combining to make him more effective and efficient at progressing the ball on the whole, just as Caicedo is more effective at winning it back. Look at Rice’s score for Progressive Actions per Touch. Rice and Caicedo are different animals. This is not a guide for how to be fun at parties or a hack for generating views and impressions on social media, but the question I ask myself before I start to compare two players is: could these two play together? You can answer that by thinking about whether their skillsets would be complementary to one another and whether they share an AOE or on-pitch responsibilities. But if you really want to compare two players, specifically Rice and Caicedo, there is only legitimate way to frame it. This is the only question I’ll allow. Which team would win in a football match: 11 crabs or 11 horses? Take that one to the pub this week.

Chelsea make Kenan Yildiz and Morgan Rogers priority targets for 2026 https://football-talk.co.uk/223114/Chelsea-make-kenan-yildiz-and-morgan-rogers-priority-targets-for-2026/ Chelsea spent a significant amount of money in the recently concluded summer transfer window in rebuilding their offence, and with enough quality and depth across positions in the final third, they are expected to strengthen their midfield soon too. Mark Brus has reported that the Blues have already identified their priority targets for 2026 in Juventus star Kenan Yildiz and Aston Villa mainstay Morgan Rogers, while Olympique Lyon’s Malick Fofana does not sit high on their wish-list for now. Neither Rogers, nor Yildiz will come for cheap and Chelsea will need to spend significant sums on landing both players, given that the Englishman is valued at £80 million by Villa, whereas Juve value their number 10 at £87 million. Chelsea unlikely to sign both players Kenan Yildiz and Morgan Rogers play largely similar roles on the pitch, and it is arguable that the latter offers more versatility due to his ability to play on both flanks in offence, as well as in a slightly deeper lying roles. Owing to fairly identical profiles, it would come as a surprise if Chelsea end up signing both their targets for next summer, more so considering that a significant portion of their transfer budget would be channeled towards landing the attacking midfielders. Rogers would arguably be the better signing due to his experience in the Premier League, but Yildiz, who is three years younger, and has a better potential than the Aston Villa star arguably aligns better with the Londoners’ sporting project. In addition to acquiring a new number 10, Enzo Maresca is likely to push for defensive additions as well next year after he was forced to start this season with several absentees, whereas a number of defenders have also not lived up to expectations of late.

smdh Not good enough for Peterborough United or Peterborough Sports, but now good enough for Chelsea! https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/football/peterborough-united/not-good-enough-for-peterborough-united-or-peterborough-sports-but-now-good-enough-for-Chelsea-5358070 A central defender who flopped at Peterborough United and Peterborough Sports has signed for Chelsea. Justin Osagie signed a one-year contract at Posh in October 2024 after a successful trial at London Road. The 19 year-old had been released by Celtic after moving to Scotland from the West Ham United Academy. But Osagie didn’t feature in a single first team squad at Posh. He was sent on loan to National League North side Sports last season where he also didn’t impress before picking up an injury. Posh released Osagie in May, 2025 and he started a trial at Chelsea that summer. The Londoners have now given the player an Under 21 contract. The now 20 year-old was on the bench for the Blues in a Vertu Trophy tie at Northampton Town earlier this season.

another CB is now permanently off my board He will turn 31yo in 2027/28, which is the first possible season to buy him AFTER my demanded (with damn good reason) full season with no injuries, which would be 2026/27 (IF that even happens): Juventus defender Bremer to undergo knee surgery https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/serie-a/articles/juventus-defender-bremer-to-undergo-knee-surgery-2025-10-13 Juventus have announced that Bremer has decided to undergo selective arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The centre-back missed their last two games against Villarreal and AC Milan and has now opted to have the procedure after medical consultation. Bremer also played just six Serie A games last season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury early on in the campaign. https://www.juventus.com/en/news/articles/medical-update-gleison-bremer

Manchester United takeover BOMBSHELL: UAE Consortium to meet Glazer officials today Could this be the turning point Manchester United fans have waited over a decade for? https://thedailybriefing.io/p/manchester-united-takeover-bombshell Something big could be brewing behind the scenes at Manchester United. Sources say senior Manchester United figures are preparing for a decisive meeting today with a UAE-based consortium, a development that could finally bring the takeover saga to a head. UAE-based consortium to meet Manchester United officials (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) According to transfer insider Indy Kaila’s sources, a high-stakes meeting between a United Arab Emirates-based consortium and senior Man United officials is scheduled for 1pm today in London. The news signals an acceleration in the pursuit of the Premier League giants. As per the insider, who has built a strong reputation for reliable information over the summer transfer window, claims that the UAE delegation is ‘very serious about purchasing the club’, suggesting a full Manchester United sale is firmly on the table. Crucially, the report claims the current owners, the Glazer family, are now open to all possibilities. Taking to X, he reported: “Our sources at Manchester United are reporting that United Arab Emirates-based consortium are meeting #mufc officials in London at 1pm. The UAE officials are very serious about purchasing the club. The Glazers are open to all possibilities.” This marks a major shift from previous stances which often favoured minority investment. This flexibility from the Glazers, coupled with a highly motivated and deep-pocketed UAE consortium, opens the door to a full buyout that could satisfy the owners’ hefty valuation, previously rumoured to be in excess of £5 billion. Manchester United’s revival? How a Middle East takeover could mirror Man City and Newcastle’s rise The prospect of a Middle East-backed takeover at Manchester United could mark the beginning of a new era, one that mirrors the transformations seen at Manchester City and Newcastle United in recent years. Since Abu Dhabi’s City Football Group’s takeover of Manchester City in 2008, the landscape of English football changed. Significant investment in world-class players, top-notch facilities and backroom expertise turned City into a dominant force, a side that has since won six Premier League titles in the last eight seasons. Similarly, Saudi PIF backed consortium’s takeover of Newcastle in 2021 has seen the Magpies grown strength to strength each season, driven by calculated spending, modernised operations, and a clear footballing project built around Eddie Howe. For Manchester United, a UAE consortium takeover could finally bring the financial muscle and strategic direction needed to restore the club to its former glory.

🚨 EXCL: Liverpool's top seven centre-back transfer target list LEAKED to me just moments ago These are the names to watch... https://thedailybriefing.io/p/liverpool-cb-transfer-targets I’ve just received information which I trust to be rock solid on Liverpool’s seven main centre-back targets. As previously reported here, my understanding is that Liverpool remain confident of signing Marc Guehi, but are casting the net wide in case genuine interest in the Crystal Palace man from other top clubs like Real Madrid becomes an issue. Readers will recall I’ve already reported on Liverpool’s interest in… Castello Lukeba - the RB Leipzig central defender who is likely to cost around €60m (lower than his official release clause, which is €90m), and who is also wanted by Chelsea, Real Madrid and other big clubs. Ronald Araujo - Barcelona’s Uruguayan CB whose future is increasingly in doubt as he’s had a slightly reduced role under current Barca boss Hansi Flick. Jarrad Branthwaite - An unlikely one due to the rivalry with Everton, but the admiration from Liverpool is genuine and strong. I can now add another three names to that list, with my sources with ties to the agents industry messaging me to clarify some recent speculation. You might remember that I recently said I’d look into the links with Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano as I was not yet convinced there was much going on there. Turns out it’s legit. “Upamecano is on Liverpool’s list. As a free agent next summer, he’d definitely appeal to them, their recruitment team have looked at him before,” my source said. The other is Nottingham Forest’s Murillo. According to my source: “Murillo is also well liked at Liverpool. He’s someone Forest are probably going to have to sell soon, and we know there’s been interest from Chelsea, but Liverpool will be there too.” Finally, there was a recent report about Sven Botman being someone Liverpool looked at (but didn’t move for) in the summer, and my understanding is that he’s still on their list. “Doing business with Newcastle again won’t be straightforward though,” my source clarified. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Liverpool need a top centre-back, or perhaps even two… We know that LFC have a major concern at the moment with Ibrahima Konate coming towards the end of his contract, and Real Madrid hovering for his signature. I have not heard anything recently that suggests Konate is closer to agreeing a new deal with Liverpool. It’s very quiet, so you perhaps can’t rule out that something is going on behind the scenes to break the deadlock, or if it just means nothing is happening at all and there’s an acceptance that he’s going to move on. As soon as I can confirm that either way, I’ll post it here. On top of the Konate saga, Liverpool need a long-term successor to the ageing Virgil van Dijk, while the injury to Giovanni Leoni is a huge blow, keeping the talented young Italian out for around a year. If I were to guess, I’d say there’s a decent chance Liverpool’s list of CB targets is growing because they might try making more than one signing in that position, though of course that’s unconfirmed for the moment, and would likely change if Konate ended up staying. Guehi and Upamecano are two free agents, so could significantly strengthen Arne Slot’s defence without costing a fortune, while signing one of those and then spending a decent sum on a Lukeba or Murillo could also be feasible for the club.

we last won it in 2017 Leicester won it in 2016

Chelsea Legends vs Liverpool Legends | FULL MATCH | Legends Charity Match 2025/26 Chelsea Football Club

Estêvão scored a brace for Brasil in Seoul

Guéhi on a hat trick of assists already

3 nil super goal by Saka sheep shaggers in the dirt

2 nil already Morgan Rogers - 3' Ollie Watkins - 11'

I would ignore any Chelsea briefing talking about transfers right now There's so much that goes on behind the scenes https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/i-would-ignore-any-Chelsea-briefing Chelsea are hardly going to be telling any reporters that they will be signing a new defender in January or a new goalkeeper in the summer right now are they? It would not be a smart move. But just because they are telling reporters, Kaveh from Sky to be precise, that we wont be signing a new goalkeeper in the summer or a new centre back in January, it doesn’t mean we wont be. It’s far too early anyway and so much can happen and change even between now and the winter window. Chelsea have actively asked about Marc Guehi again for January, that I do know. And many at the club still believe they need to sign a new goalkeeper. However, it is also very true that they rate Mike Penders very highly and they are most certainly being aware of his situation. But a decision on him will not be made until the end of the season, so we have to wait and see what they do with the goalkeeper situation. Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez both want to be number one and neither are content with being number two, so there is absolutely a situation there and I believe that both or one will ask to go pretty soon, especially Jorgensen as things stand. Sanchez would not be happy behind a Penders for example and if he was number two, he would ask to go as well. So the goalkeeper situation is very much open right now and nobody can report with confidence that Chelsea will not be signing a new goalkeeper next summer, it’s just daft to. Chelsea are still very much considering Mike Maignan on a free also. You would have all seen the post I am writing this based on. If not, here it is… ‘Chelsea have no current plans to sign a goalkeeper or centre back in January. They will also not be signing a goalkeeper next summer. Chelsea have three goalkeepers – Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders – who are regarded as being good enough to be their established No. 1. Robert Sanchez is an exceptional shot-stopper and he won the award for the best goalkeeper at the Club World Cup. He has made a good start to the season and despite his red card at Manchester United he has cut down the number of mistakes he has made. ‘Filipe Jorgensen is still also highly rated at the club and he was a transfer target for some of the biggest clubs in England in the summer. Mike Penders has been in impressive form at Strasbourg and he has been receiving some rave reviews for his performances which have helped his side climb to third in the table. ‘Chelsea were offered the chance to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the summer but decided not to pay the asking price because they had faith in Sanchez, Jorgensen and Penders. ‘Chelsea also have enough options at centre back and that is why they are unlikely to sign any players in that position in January. The challenge is to keep the players they have fully fit. Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong are all high-quality centre backs and Levi Colwill is due to return from injury later this season. Jorrel Hato and Reece James can also play at centre back and Chelsea have two centre backs out on loan who are expected to return next summer – Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino. ‘Chelsea looked at the possibility of signing a central centre back in the summer but the only high-quality option available was Dean Huijsen and he decided to join Real Madrid from Bournemouth. ‘Chelsea are working to find clubs for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi in January. The players are keeping fit and it is also up to them to agree to any deal which may materialise. ‘Tyrique George is likely to leave in January. Multiple Champions League and Europa League clubs wanted to sign him in the summer and he came very close too joining Fulham on Deadline Day. George is viewed predominantly as a winger and Chelsea have already have Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian. Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho. Geovany Quenda is also moving from Sporting Lisbon next summer. ‘Marc Guiu will be staying at Chelsea for the whole season after his loan to Sunderland was cancelled at the end of the window.’ It was posted on X by Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports, who annoyingly does not put any gaps between sentences when he posts and it’s so messy to read! Just write an article mate rather than an essay on X! Kaveh used to get a lot of stick for his news, with many not thinking it to be reliable. So it looks like he’s worked hard to get a contact on the Chelsea board who he clearly keeps going to in order to get ‘news’. So this info is all direct from Chelsea, and as we know, clubs will brief reporters with whatever they want to be out there in the media. But as you should also know, a lot of that will just be PR and tactical, rather than what is actually happening! It has to happen and all clubs do it because as I say, they will hardly say right now that ‘yes, we are going to sign a new centre back and a new goalkeeper’ whilst the season is being played out - it will hardly be the best motivation for the current centre backs and goalkeepers, will it? And Kaveh, it’s Filip not Filipe and also, Guiu cannot sign for another club now anyway because he’s played for two clubs this season. So of course he is now staying. By the way on Guiu, Chelsea were considering bringing Emmanuel Emegha in for January and still could, and that’s why they were trying to keep Guiu from playing so they could loan him out in January still. However, it now looks most likely that Emegha will join in the summer hence why Guiu has now played for us. Emegha’s Chelsea future is not 100% nailed on though, he could be sold, or loaned again.

LWers Kenan Yıldız Antoine Semenyo Bradley Barcola Rodrygo Malick Fofana AMFs/No 10s Jamal Musiala (crazy hard pull and too expensive, plus there is the Bundesliga to EPL curse to think of) Morgan Rogers Fermin Lopez Nico Paz (but Real Madrid will activate his ultra low buy-back option for sure) Rodrigo Mora (would be a typical teenage BlueCo dice-roll)

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/175592890/Chelsea Chelsea are preparing a January transfer window move to sign Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado, who could cost around €35m, but who is also wanted by other Premier League clubs. (Mark Brus, the Daily Briefing) Chelsea do not currently plan to sign a new goalkeeper or centre-back as they are happy with their options in those positions. (Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports) Tyrique George is seen as likely to leave Chelsea in January as he’s attracting options from Championship clubs. The Blues also want to find new clubs for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi. (Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports)

Jamie Gittens has had an underwhelming start at Chelsea. Florent Malouda has some advice https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6696228/2025/10/08/jamie-gittens-Chelsea-florent-malouda-interview/ Florent Malouda understands better than most what Jamie Gittens is going through at Chelsea. Gittens joined Chelsea for £48.5million from Borussia Dortmund in July, but has not made the start to his career at Stamford Bridge he would have wanted. The left winger has been in the first XI just three times and is the latest member of the social media trolls’ ‘007’ club, the term used to describe a player who has not registered a goal or an assist in their first seven games. When Malouda moved to Chelsea from Lyon for £13.5m in 2007, there was a lot more expectation on his shoulders. He had won Ligue 1 with Lyon four seasons in a row and was in the France side which lost the World Cup final against Italy a year before. At 27, Malouda was also a more finished article. Gittens turned 21 two months ago. Malouda, who also predominantly operated on the left flank, contributed just two goals and one assist during his first season in the Premier League. He was on the receiving end of moans and groans from the crowd, just like Gittens. “You should not be affected by this,” Malouda tells The Athletic. “They are your fans and have the right to express their feelings. Malouda had tough moments in his first season at ChelseaPhil Cole/Getty Images “If you play in a club like Chelsea, it could (be like this) home and away and you have to be able to handle that pressure, to understand they want your best. They do not do it for you to perform less, they do it to deliver a message to you, and you need to get the message. “How did I win them over? It was a strong relationship based on commitment. I was committed to the club. Every transfer window there were rumours but I was still fighting for the cause, the club, to earn the trust of the fans. The fans gave it back to me because they saw I truly loved the club, saw that I was defending the club with everything I had. I had the opportunity on great European nights and also the Premier League, the FA Cups. They felt I was a reliable player. It was a successful story in the end.” Malouda became an important player for Chelsea. As an individual, he registered an impressive 45 goals and 39 assists in 229 appearances. In terms of trophies, he won five with them, including the double of the Premier League and FA Cup in 2010, plus the Champions League two years later. He was watching from the stands last weekend as Gittens perhaps enjoyed his best experience so far courtesy of a late cameo from the bench. Gittens came on against Liverpool with 15 minutes to go and showed better attacking intent, and brought a good save out of Giorgi Mamardashvili. Chelsea went on to win 2-1 in stoppage time. “It’s a learning process,” Malouda, who is part of a Chelsea Legends squad playing against Liverpool Legends at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to raise funds for Chelsea FC Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust, says. “When you are so young and join a club like Chelsea, you have to build your confidence. It is part of the journey. The talent is there (with Gittens), it is how you are able to perform at this level. When you are young, you have to be fearless, that is the only way. “The club believes in him, it is just how he is able to prove to the people at the club who put their trust in him that he belongs to this club. The beauty of football is that with one goal, one assist, a sparkle from Jamie, you can turn things around. You should also believe that you can do it and deliver on a regular basis. He can light the stadium on fire with one goal, and then it starts.” Gittens was born and developed in England at Reading, Chelsea and Manchester City’s academies. But like Malouda, his only taste of senior football before Chelsea was abroad. He joined Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16. Malouda believes it should be taken into account, but is also aware that Gittens cannot take too long to settle. He explains: “It takes time to adjust to the Premier League, but at the same time, you do not have time. Every transfer window is an opportunity for the club to reshape the team. “Everybody wants results. When you invest in a new player, the goal is to improve the squad. In England, there is maybe less patience with the players signed in the last window. Everyone wants to be excited about the new players. “In other leagues, clubs have to take time to see their signings develop. In England (due to the money available), they have an opportunity in the next window to correct things. That puts more pressure on any player at the club, not just the ones who have just joined. You have to learn very quickly just how competitive playing in England is.” When Malouda moved to Chelsea, he walked into a dressing room full of established winners like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. They had helped the club win the Premier League in 2005 and 2006, plus three domestic cups. This Chelsea squad are the youngest in the Premier League. While they won the Club World Cup and Conference League last season, Malouda admits Gittens has it a lot tougher than he had because so many of his teammates are also at an early stage in their careers. “This is part of the strategy of the new owners,” he says. “When they came in, they were investing in young players on long contracts. When I joined, it was different. There were more experienced players, ones who had either won at Chelsea, in the leagues they had come from, or were already representing their national team. The squad was way more experienced, had way more character, based on their pedigree. “This project is about developing young players here who need to win things together. It’s a different project and that is why there is more pressure on these young players. When you see the amount of money the club has spent and their price tags, I think there is more expectation and weight on their shoulders.” Gittens has also been hindered by not having a proper pre-season. Unlike early summer buys Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, he could not play for Chelsea at the Club World Cup because of a 13-minute substitute appearance for Borussia Dortmund in the group phase. Due to reaching and winning the final on July 13, Chelsea only reported back for training on August 4, under two weeks before their opening Premier League game. “Short term that makes a difference,” Malouda insists. “But it is not about proving yourself over two to three months. You have to look at the bigger picture. If a player belongs to Chelsea, plays on this stage, it does not matter about the pre-season. It is about how you adjust and build your confidence when it is challenging. It is not about being young or more experienced; when you get a chance to play, you need to deliver. “Cole Palmer is having some injury issues. Every player should see this as an opportunity and be ready for it. It does not matter where the opportunity comes. Every chance you get to wear this jersey is one to show your talent against the opponent. You always have to be ready. “Pre-season is the past; you should not use that as an excuse.” Gittens and Chelsea had a limited pre-seasonJack Thomas/Getty Images Another factor in Gittens’ lack of starts is the arrival of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United. Despite joining at the end of August for £40m, the Argentina international has adapted much quicker, starting three of the last four games. Malouda believes Gittens must not see Garnacho’s signing as a negative. He concludes: “You need competition to be at your best. The sooner you accept it, the more you are able to deliver. It is not a problem. “This is a context that you choose when you come to a club like Chelsea. When I was there, I remember every year Chelsea would sign a new striker. They had Didier Drogba, Hernan Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko and so on. This is what you want because then the squad becomes competitive and then you have to upgrade your game. “As a young player, you sometimes don’t see it because you are maybe looking for personal attention. But on the biggest stage, you need a strong squad. You look at Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years, this is why they have been able to compete in every competition. Chelsea want to get there, to be in a position when they start a season that they can win every competition possible. You need quality players.” Malouda clearly feels that if Gittens can get over some teething problems, he has what it takes to be one of them. Just like he did.