Vesper

Some Romano updates Fabrizio Romano on Garnacho and Simons: 🗣 "From what I'm hearing, Chelsea believe that Garnacho has, first of all he has a lot of potential, can develop into a really, really important player. “Garnacho turned 21 in July this year. He's still very young. So Chelsea see a value in him. Now we will see what's going to be the fee, if it's £30m, £35m, £40m. "They [Chelsea] believe that this is a player probably worth a completely different amount of money. “So Chelsea believe that this is a big, big opportunity on the market. They really like the player. They like his potential, and they are convinced in a different environment after difficult months at Manchester United, he can really turn into an important player, a key player for Enzo Maresca. "For Xavi Simons, I would say that the deal is on a good way to happen. I expect the deal to happen also, because in this case, Simons has been very clear. “There were several opportunities, but I can tell you, Xavi only wants to go to Chelsea. Xavi made clear to his family, his agents, all the people close to him several times, and also to all the other clubs interested. So Xavi is basically waiting for Chelsea. "I maintain my position. Chelsea want to sell at least two players before bringing in Garnacho and Simons. These two players are Jackson and Nkunku. “Simons keeps waiting for Chelsea, wants to go to Chelsea, believes that Chelsea is the perfect opportunity for him, and so he's patiently waiting. But I expect this deal to happen."

this is who I miss: 😞

EXCLUSIVE. Yaya Toure considered for Chelsea staff role He was also spotted at the game on Sunday https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/exclusive-yaya-toure-considered-for Former Manchester City player Yaya Toure was spotted being hosted at Stamford Bridge watching Chelsea vs Crystal Palace on Sunday, and there might be something to it. Toure, now 42, is the current Assistant Manager of the Saudi Arabia national team after learning his trade as a coach since retiring from the game. Toure was in attendance on Sunday, and I had a message from my top source yesterday saying that he did actually hear something recently about some back room staff link up. Chelsea have spoken about bringing Toure onto Enzo Maresca’s staff as an assistant/coach, however, there is nothing imminent. Our source just said it’s one to keep an eye on. I guess it could also be for Strasbourg down the line, in some kind of coaching role. But it seems Chelsea are certainly keeping an eye on Toure’s coaching progress so far. Of course, there’s the City links there and I am sure the likes of Maresca, Joe Shields, and some Chelsea players may have crossed paths with Toure at City so there is the obvious connections there. It may not lead to anything at this point but it’s certainly something that has been and is being considered. I would not be surprised to see Toure involved with Chelsea/BlueCo at some point in the near future.

I would like to remove him from EVER being in the Chelsea timeline Same for that POS Sterling Two of the worst Chels buys ever

The little-known FIFA rule that gives Isak all the leverage over Newcastle https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/46010345/fifa-rule-article-17-isak-leverage-newcastle-liverpool-transfers You have probably heard of the Alexander Isak saga. Newcastle's standout forward has been holding out -- presumably in order to force a move -- after his club turned down a £110 million transfer bid from Liverpool. You may be less familiar with the Lassana Diarra verdict and the interim changes to something called Article 17 of FIFA's Regulations on the Transfer and Status of Players. But maybe you should be familiar with them, because the fact is they potentially loom very large in the Isak case and could determine his future. Quick disclaimer: I have no idea if Isak or his representatives have knowledge of Article 17 and the power it gives them. But I suspect they do, because it helps explain why, thus far, they have been so aggressive in trying to engineer a move out of the club. Situations like this are about leverage. In Newcastle's favor is the fact that Isak is under contract until 2028, which means if he's going to transfer to another club, they get to negotiate a fee (and apparently £110m isn't enough). Once the transfer window shuts on Sept. 1, Isak will have little choice: either play for Newcastle or sit out for four months, which is never a good option for a player, especially with a World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada next summer. In Isak's favor is the fact that while they can make him stay, train and even play, an unhappy player will generally be less productive. (The less productive he is, the more his transfer value will diminish.) Of course, if Isak's productivity diminishes, so too will the wages he can command and the clubs he can attract. So as leverage goes, it's kinda meh. Enter Article 17. It took effect 20 years ago when FIFA, under pressure from the European Commission who believed the transfer system restricted the freedom of players to change jobs like ordinary people can, came up with a mechanism to allow them to effectively walk out on clubs. They had to fulfill certain criteria, and a certain amount of compensation had to be paid. The problem was, while there were a few high profile cases, the conditions were so restrictive and the amount of compensation to be paid so uncertain that very few successfully invoked Article 17. Last October's Diarra judgment forced FIFA to rewrite their rules in double-quick time. The current statutes are still too restrictive according to FIFPro, the world players' union, but they're definitely more player-friendly than the previous ones. For a start, several significant hurdles have been removed. Previously, FIFA could withhold the player's transfer certificate until the matter was resolved. No more. The club who signed an Article 17 player had to prove they didn't collude with him to cause the breach of contract. That's gone, too. Now, the burden of proof rests with the club that loses the player. Crucially, Isak is well-positioned to take advantage of this and become a free agent in less than 12 months with whatever new club he signs for having to pay as little as half of the £110m Newcastle turned down. It's not known if Isak and his agent are aware of Article 17, but it could play a major role in determining where he ends up playing and how much compensation Newcastle ultimately receive. Article 17 can only be invoked within 15 days of the final match of the season (early June 2026, at the latest) and only by players who have had a full three years under contract at the club (two if they're 28, which Isak isn't: He's only 25). Once that happens, it is considered a unilateral breach of contract by Isak, which means he's free to sign with any other club as soon as the market reopens on July 1. Of course, Newcastle would be entitled to compensation. FIFA's rules say the compensation would be calculated based on the "damage suffered" by Newcastle according to the "positive interest" principle, taking into account the "individual facts and circumstances of each case." In practical terms, that's a fancy way of saying that the Dispute Resolution Chamber of FIFA's Football Tribunal would take into account a combination of factors, such as the wages Isak would have earned in his final two seasons (around £12.5m), his residual value on Newcastle's books (around £20m) and the cost of signing his replacement (finger in the wind). There's no fixed amount, but one sports lawyer I spoke to reckons it wouldn't be more than £50-60m. He explained that FIFA, following the Diarra judgment, don't want to be seen to be punitive toward restricting player freedom of movement. Newcastle, of course, would then be able to appeal the judgment to the Court of Arbitration of sport and ask for more compensation. Either way, it's hard to see them getting near what they turned down from Liverpool, and there's the risk that they'll get less. Way less. FIFPro have sued, the European Courts are watching and the direction of travel is entirely toward fewer restrictions, not more. There's another wrinkle in all this. The wheels of compensation tribunals grind slowly: a final judgment could take 18 months to 2 years, but under FIFA's tweaked rules, the player would be free to play for his new club straight away. Paying no transfer fee at all for two years for someone like Isak could well be worth the uncertainty of not knowing what the compensation will be if you sign him. Some disagree that it would be quite this straightforward. Alex Clarke, a sports lawyer, points out that Premier League rules would still apply and they would make this sort of unilateral termination very difficult. But that only opens up another can of legal worms -- especially if Isak were to leave England for, say, Spain or Germany. You wouldn't back the Premier League in a legal squabble with FIFA over an international transfer. The point here, in any event, is that the threat of Article 17 exists in the Isak case, and the threat alone, presumably, is what has emboldened the player and his agents to this point. From Newcastle's perspective, the threat of Article 17 only goes away if they transfer Isak to Liverpool (or another club) in the next 12 days or if they get him to sign a new contract with a reasonable release clause. The former looks increasingly unlikely; the latter may seem fanciful given the current relationship, but it's potentially the only way out for both parties. Newcastle get their star center forward back (maybe spinning some prodigal son tale) and a pre-agreed minimum fee if he does want to leave next summer. It will likely be less than the Liverpool bid, but more than the Article 17 compensation and, crucially, without the uncertainty. (Plus they would get their money straight away.) Isak gets to actually play football for a season, a little more money and the security of knowing he can move on for a more manageable fee.

Why Aston Villa will struggle to complete Nicolas Jackson transfer despite Unai Emery's interest in reunion with unwanted Chelsea striker Aston Villa will continue to pursue a move for unwanted Chelsea attacker Nicolas Jackson, despite the club facing financial restrictions. Emery is a big fan of Jackson Chelsea want a fee in region of £60 million ($81m) Move unlikely due to financial restrictions https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/why-aston-villa-will-struggle-to-complete-nicolas-jackson-transfer-despite-unai-emery-s-interest-in-/blt869e83d1ba3349a7 WHAT HAPPENED? Villa boss Unai Emery remains hopeful of adding attacking options this summer, but will have to create a payment package to work around the limitations. This would be constructed by splitting the fee to be paid over an as yet undecided number of seasons. Emery, who has previously worked with Jackson during their time at Villarreal, faces competition from Newcastle and clubs in Italy, according to The Telegraph. THE BIGGER PICTURE Jackson was the second top-scorer for Chelsea last season, but now faces stiff competition for his place from new signings Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. Villa have seen Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey leave this summer, but that still doesn’t free up enough cash for them to spend big on Jackson. The one piece of good news for Emery is the wages. Jackson is on £100,000 per week, which would sit within Villa's wage structure. WHAT EMERY SAID Last year, Emery said of Jackson: “He was starting the pre-season with the Under 21s and when he was progressively coming to train with us, he was showing his potential. We worked during the one year on his skill, he improved his understanding better, how he could exploit his potential. And playing minutes and getting experiences was the next step.But his attitude as well was fantastic. He was always learning. He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority of his life." WHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON? It’s decision time for Jackson. He has plenty of admirers, but Chelsea are reluctant to let him go out on loan, so Villa may win the race. And with the World Cup on the horizon, he’ll be keen to have his future wrapped up ASAP.

I detest Bayern, Dortmund, and many of the biggest Italian clubs when it comes to transfers they always want a 'heads I win, tails you lose' outcome outrageous prices when they are selling, and then loan with no obligation to buy (and often with clubs paying part of the salary) stances when they are buying, OR ultra low perm tranfers prices, well below remotely fair market value

time to flush that deal then

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/171321552/Chelsea Chelsea are open to loan offers for England winger Raheem Sterling, 30, and want to move on a further eight players before the transfer window shuts. (Telegraph) Chelsea have also rejected a loan offer from Bayern Munich for French forward Christopher Nkunku, 27 - they will only sanction a permanent transfer. (Times) Xavi Simons is expected to play RB Leipzig’s opener vs Bayern before completing his Chelsea move. Personal terms are fully agreed, and the transfer is seen as highly likely, with RB still awaiting the official bid. (Florian Plettenberg) Talks between Bayern and Chelsea over Nkunku continue, with Bayern pushing for a loan and Chelsea demanding a permanent deal. Nkunku wants the move, but no agreement is close yet. (Fabrizio Romano)

Liverpool set £35m asking price for player who struggled against Bournemouth in season opener https://www.caughtoffside.com/2025/08/18/liverpool-asking-price-player-struggled-bournemouth/ Liverpool’s summer transfer business is still not over with under two weeks remaining in the transfer window to shut down. The Reds have done majority of their transfer business this summer. They have strengthened their attack, midfield as well as their defense but changes could still be made by Arne Slot considering the options available in the market. The Premier League champions are targeting moves for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak as well as Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. Both are being difficult to sign due to the stance taken by their current clubs but the situation could change soon giving Reds the hope of making a double deal that would make a statement. Players could be allowed to leave the club as well, those are not in the plans of Slot or are refusing to sign a new deal. Tsimikas and Konate could leave Liverpool Left-back Kostas Tsimikas is expected to leave soon for more playing time away from Anfield while centre-back Ibrahima Konate, who has still not signed a new deal at the club after entering the final year of his contract, faces an uncertain future. With Konate refusing to sign a new deal after failing to agree to terms offered to him by the club, the Merseyside club are ready to cash in on him this summer. The French centre-back struggled in Liverpool’s first match of the season against Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo left him on the floor when he scored for Andoni Iraola’s side to bring the visitors level in the match. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Premier League giants are ready to sell the French defender this summer if they receive an offer of £35m for him. Real Madrid are interested in Ibrahima Konate Real Madrid have shown interest in signing him but only as a free agent at the end of the season, similar to how they signed former Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold. Barcelona have also been linked with a move for Konate. Due to failed negotiations over his wage demands, the Reds are now ready to entertain the idea of selling Konate this summer. In that case, the potential signing of Guehi would become even more important for them. The final few days of the transfer window are entering an exciting phase and Liverpool will be on of the clubs actively looking to make changes to their squad. Sources: Liverpool deal faces threat of hijack after talks stall to sign prime target

Chelsea grow frustrated with loan-only offers, Maresca's disagreement with the board could end ugly, Neville: Chelsea lack a spine & not there yet, Signings need to adapt, Much more..... The Chelsea FC Newsletter: Tuesday 19th August 2025! https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-Chelsea-grow-frustrated-with Hope you’ve had a good start to your week! It’s been a rough weekend in our house but I’m back on the road today! Chelsea had a bit of a stuttering start to the new league campaign on Sunday only managing a 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace, and we’ve had some reactions and other bits and pieces out on that this week. I had the live blog running yesterday and you can check in on all of that here. This covers everything you need to know, all the latest transfer news, and much more from across the last 24 hours in the same place. Gary Neville thinks that Chelsea still lack a spine in the squad and are not there yet. Neville loves an opportunity to go at Chelsea, we all know that. Some debate in this one here on Neville’s comments. Blues boss Enzo Maresca has admitted that some of the new signings need to adapt in his reflections on the Palace draw. We all know this and I wrote last week how we need to be patient with them. Words on that here. Meanwhile, Maresca is having an alleged disagreement with the board over signing a new centre back, although there is more to it than that. It’s a situation that could get ugly though because Maresca has been so public with it. Story here. I also had a sourced article out yesterday on how Chelsea are growing frustrated with loan only offers coming in for players they desperately need to sell this window now. You can get the drop on that here.

IF so, what happened to get him to that point? It seems all so nebulous, same as Tuchel's sacking.

madness if we sell him for £25-27m or so I truly want an answer as to why, when we are in desperate need of a left-footed CB, do we not use the lad, who looked really sold at Juve last season

Top game from the boys against the defending champions, Chelsea win 3-1 courtesy a Mheuka hat-trick

Romano has become a repetitive clown 🤡

Leeds United are the first Championship title holders to win their opening game back in the Premier League for SEVENTEEN years ✅ 2025: Leeds 1-0 Everton ⏸️ 2024: Leicester 1-1 Spurs ❌ 2023: Burnley 0-3 Man City ⏸️ 2022: Fulham 2-2 Liverpool ❌ 2021: Norwich 0-3 Liverpool ❌ 2020: Liverpool 4-3 Leeds ❌ 2019: Liverpool 4-1 Norwich ⏸️ 2018: Wolves 2-2 Everton ❌ 2017: Newcastle 0-2 Spurs ❌ 2016: Burnley 0-1 Swansea ❌ 2015: Bournemouth 0-1 Villa ⏸️ 2014: Leicester 2-2 Everton ❌ 2013: West Ham 2-0 Cardiff ⏸️ 2012: Reading 1-1 Stoke City ❌ 2011: QPR 0-4 Bolton ❌ 2010: Man Utd 3-0 Newcastle ❌ 2009: Wolves 0-2 West Ham ❌ 2008: Arsenal 1-0 West Brom ✅ 2007: Sunderland 1-0 Spurs

I wager the perm offer will be around €30m (£25.8m) or so Bavarian cowlickers think they can run the road, even in London they can FOAD

West Ham under the Wizard are pretty shite IF we lose this one I am going to start thinking about hitting the panic button

he had a massive injury before he came here and AFTER we stupidly signed a pre contract in October 2022 and then he got injured right after, in November 2022, plus injured again after he came to us in early August 2023, in preseaon he has never been the same as before he is perma-damaged IMHO, or very near it a shell of the player he was in 2021-22, when he produced 55 total goals (30 goals, 25 assists) we absolutely NEVER should have bought him once he blew his knee in November 2022 we should have said the pre-contract is null and void I am also terrified that Colwill may end up in the Nkunku and especialy the Wes Fofana 'perma-damaged' camp same for glassman Lavia

I'm getting worried we might not be able to register players with UEFA for the CL and might breech our penalty agreement with them and get super sanctioned. I think the situation is more dire than many here think. Clowncar BlueCo's early-on insane shitbaggery with all those horror buys may still haunt us hard.

Looking more and more likely we will have Nkunku here again and will miss out on Simons. Fuck German clubs. Game playing gits.

and even worse buys Sterling, Wes Fofana, Muddy, and Nkunku Fofana and Nkunku were already damaged goods when we bought them too, which is insane

most, if not all of these these deadweights or not-neededs (Nico, Carney) are going to ratfuck us as we are going to have a crazy hard time selling most now or later they earn around £1.4M PW a week in salary in toto, ie around £73m or so per year and many are now trash (or always were) — DF England ENG Ben Chilwell — DF France FRA Axel Disasi — MF England ENG Carney Chukwuemeka — FW Ivory Coast CIV David Datro Fofana — FW England ENG Raheem Sterling 5 DF France FRA Benoît Badiashile 15 FW Senegal SEN Nicolas Jackson 18 FW France FRA Christopher Nkunku 29 DF France FRA Wesley Fofana plus — FW Ukraine UKR Mykhailo Mudryk

as predicted

No they are not getting a CL winner Mukiele has never won the CL He was at Leverkusen last season