Vesper

£52m Liverpool flop Naby Keita expected to leave this summer on a free transfer https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/06/naby-keita-expected-to-leave-liverpool-on-free-transfer-at-the-end-of-the-season-18234700/ Naby Keita’s Liverpool contract expires at the end of the season and he is expected to leave the club on a free transfer with an extension unlikely. The midfielder signed for the Reds from RB Salzburg in 2018 for a whopping £52.75m but the move has never really worked out and certainly not justified that transfer fee. Keita played regularly in his first season at the club, making 33 appearances in all competitions as Liverpool lifted the Champions League, but the Guinea international missed the final through injury. Fitness problems have plagued him throughout his time in England and he has regularly been sidelined, meaing the 25 Premier League appearances he made in his first season has never been bettered. As the Reds made the finals of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup last season, Keita made 40 appearances, scoring four goals, but he has fallen back out of favour this campaign, starting just two Premier League games so far. Sky Sports Germany report that his time at Anfield is now coming to an end, with a new contract unlikely to be signed. The report states that there is plenty of interest in Keita on a free transfer and he could return to the Bundesliga. Liverpool are expected to completely overhaul their midfield over the summer, with criticism aimed at the middle of the pitch for their recent poor results. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also set to depart, with James Milner likely to leave as well as both England internationals see their contracts end this summer. While three free transfers will not bring in anything to the transfer kitty, it will free up a significant chunk of the wage bill as the Reds look to invest in younger, more dynamic midfield options.

I was just gobsmacked when I saw that. smdh

Martin Keown questions decision to leave Benoit Badiashile out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad Arsenal legend Martin Keown can’t understand why Benoit Badiashile was not included in Chelsea’s Champions League squad. https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/07/Chelsea-benoit-badiashiles-champions-league-omission-criticised-18239751/ Last week, Graham Potter confirmed his 25-man list for the UCL knockout stage, with Chelsea set to take on Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 next Wednesday. UEFA’s rules meant that only three of the Blues’ eight January signings could be included in the new squad, with Potter electing to choose record signing Enzo Fernandez, and exciting attacking duo Mkyhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix. Given how Chelsea’s main problem of late has been their lack of goals, this decision is somewhat understandable, but Badiashile’s will also be disappointing given his great form since arriving from Monaco for £34million. After three games, the centre-back is yet to concede a goal for his new club, helping them pick up five points against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham. Discussing Chelsea’s performance in their goalless draw with the Cottagers last Friday, Keown spoke highly of the 21-year-old France international and expressed his confusion at his omission from the Champions League. ‘[Mudryk] wasn’t really in the game. [Noni] Madueke then came on. Lots of flashes, lots of good moments, but [wasn’t] really impacting the game too much,’ Keown said on talkSPORT. ‘The central defender, Badiashile, actually was probably the best player I saw among [Chelsea’s recent] purchases. ‘The central defender that we’ve talked about being such a good player is not even listed in the Champions League group. ‘How does that really work out? Who made that decision?’ The Champions League is the only trophy Chelsea can realistically win this season, having been already knocked out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and with the Blues 10 points off the Premier League top, winning it could be their only route to qualifying for the competition next season. In Badiashile’s absence, the centre-backs at Potter’s disposal are Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana. The decision to leave Badiashile out could really come back to haunt the under pressure manager, given that Koulibaly and Fofana have struggled a lot for form and fitness since moving to Stamford Bridge last summer.

Manchester United had a £100m bid for Declan Rice rejected last summer and would have to pay £120m for him this year https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c14ndkyle4wo

Kova too injuries have played a MASSIVE role in why we are fucked atm I never bashed Kante's play I said long ago we should sell him for huge cash whilst we still can because he is going to start to fall apart physically and I was correct

The three signings that Luis Enrique would ask for from Chelsea The Asturian coach is looking for a new team, but it would be necessary to accede to his requests https://www.fichajes.net/noticias/tres-fichajes-pediria-luis-enrique-Chelsea-20230206.html In the last few hours there has been talk of possible interest from Chelsea in getting the signing of Luis Enrique for next season to replace Graham Potter , who has not quite come back on the bench at Stamford Bridge. The Spanish coach is looking for a new sports project, but he will set conditions and would like at least three guarantee signings to be assured in the next summer market. -Robert Sanchez : The Spanish goalkeeper for Brighton is one of the players who have accompanied him since he sat on the bench for the Spanish National Team and he is aware that he is a goalkeeper with great guarantees and what is better, he handles the ball very well in the feet. Luis Enrique is a great defender of touch football and for this to work out for him, the goalkeeper must also have quality with the ball at his feet and Robert Sánchez has it, in addition, he knows the Premier League perfectly. - Aymeric Laporte : Another player that he has had in the ranks of the national team is the Manchester City central defender. 'Lucho' did everything possible to convince the Spanish nationalized Frenchman to decide to play with the Spanish team and he finally succeeded. Since then Laporte has been a fixture in his starting eleven. He is a central defender with a very good ball output, something essential for his football and he is also a man of the strictest confidence. He currently plays for Manchester City, but it is believed that Guardiola could agree to sell him. - Ferran Torres : And of course, the FC Barcelona player should also be on this list. Ferran has been taken everywhere since he became the national team's bench, deserving it or not deserving it, it is not uncommon for him to also request his signing for Chelsea. FC Barcelona would be more than willing to listen to offers for their player as he counts less and less for Xavi Hernández and they would like to recover part of the 55 kilos they paid to City.

could not disagree more number one you left out a huge player, Chilly and Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell, Reece, Wes Fofana, Broja, Sterling, Mendy, Zakaria, RLC, and Pulisic all have been injured, some for ages, and many of these are key players this instantly discredits your thesis

Man City facing punishment after more than 100 breaches of Premier League's financial rules https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/02/06/manchester-city-charged-premier-league-breaches-ffp-rules/ Manchester City are facing the threat of top flight expulsion after being charged by the Premier League with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial regulations. In what is potentially one of the biggest scandals in English football history, the Premier League champions were on Monday hit by a catalogue of charges covering 14 seasons from 2009/10 to the current campaign. The bombshell revelations follow a four-year investigation by the Premier League into City’s practices and, if the charges are proven, the club could face an unprecedented range of punishments including points deductions, sweeping fines and the ultimate sanction of expulsion from the league. An independent disciplinary committee – which seems likely to be to be chaired by Murray Rosen KC – will hear the charges. The hearings will be held in private but no timescale has been set. In a statement released on Monday morning, the Premier League said: “The Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a commission.” City expressed “surprise” at the Premier League’s move and said it would welcome the commission’s hearing as a chance to put allegations of financial impropriety that have dogged the club for years “to rest once and for all”. “Manchester City is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with,” the club said in a statement. “The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. “As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.” The reigning Premier League champions, who have won six titles since the Abu Dhabi-led takeover of 2008, have also been charged with failing to co-operate with the investigation, which has been carried out by an independent commission. Those charges specifically apply to the period between 2018/19 and the current campaign. City have also been charged by the Premier League over its alleged breach of Uefa regulations, having been found to have fallen foul of Club Licensing and FFP regulation in Europe. Premier League rule W.51 covers the sanctioning powers of a commission where an alleged breach or breaches are found proven. These range from a reprimand, from the deduction of points up to a recommendation to the league to expel a club from the competition. The commission has the power to make such sanctions conditional on defined actions being taken within a fixed time period, and respondents have a right of appeal. The chair of the independent Premier League judicial panel is Murray Rosen KC, who was appointed in 2020. He will now select individuals to sit alongside him on a commission to consider the alleged rule breaches. The panel also has access to consult other independent financial and legal experts. “The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel,” the Premier League said in a statement. “The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private. Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission's final award will be published on the Premier League's website. “This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”

Jesse Marsch sacked by Leeds United after poor run of results https://www.espn.co.uk/football/leeds-united-engleeds/story/4871020/jesse-marsch-sacked-by-leeds-after-poor-run-of-results

the UAE is a cesspool of corruption, only the Saudis are worse, with the Qataris in 3rd place, the Kuwaitis in 4th (and they are only truly massive pot of cash (200 billion usd or more (Musk the RW prickfuck has collapsed to under that post Twitter), the Kuwaitis are worth 400 billion usd or so) left not involved in football at the highest levels, unless you count the so far also not involved Bernard Arnault THE REAL-TIME BILLIONAIRES LIST 1 Bernard Arnault $223.2 B 2 Elon Musk $164.3 B 3 Jeff Bezos $129.2 B 4 Larry Ellison $114.0 B 5 Warren Buffett $106.5 B 6 Bill Gates $104.9 B 7 Carlos Slim Helu $89.0 B

do it Pep! be a real human, a moral one if he walks he skyrockets up my charts of all-time great managers

good list

Where does Levi Colwill fit into Chelsea's current £900m squad? Chelsea have raised a number of eyebrows this season with their some-what chaotic approach to signing players since being taken over by Todd Boehly. https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/brighton-and-hove-albion/where-does-levi-colwill-fit-into-chelseas-current-ps900m-squad-4016424 Ever since the American replaced Roman Abramovich as owner of the two-time European champions, the club has signed 22 players in two transfer windows, spending £545.3m in the process. Within this spending includes the £106m British record transfer fee payed for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandes, the £66m Mykhailo Mudryk deal stolen from Arsenal at the last minute and the fourth-most expensive defender in history, Wesley Fofana. Head coach Graham Potter currently has a squad of 31 players and seven more potential first-teamers out on loan this season. When the former Brighton manager calls everyone into Cobham for the first day of pre-season training this summer, he will have at least three options in every position. This will leave many Brighton fans wondering if their is a space for Levi Colwill in Potter’s new look Chelsea side. The young defender is currently on a season-long loan at Albion from Chelsea and has impressed manager Roberto De Zerbi since he arrived on the south coast. Colwill made his first start for De Zerbi’s Seagulls in their 3-1 upset victory over Arsenal in the EFL Cup third round on November 9 and went on to start the next eight games for the club. A quadricep injury picked up in training ended the 19-year-old’s run of games in the side, but already talk has begun of keeping the central-defender at the club beyond the end of this campaign. Colwill has been recognised by De Zerbi as being integral to the Italian’s style of play. The Albion boss has utilised the defender’s ability on the ball to draw the opposition out of shape and begin attacking phases of play with quality passes into Brighton’s midfield duo of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. Following Colwill’s injury, De Zerbi said: “I am sorry for him because for us the left centre-back is very important. Lewis Dunk is a top player but he is on the right and we lose some line passes from the left. “I am very happy with Levi’s progress. I hope he can stay with us in the future because he has the potential to become a great player and he is very important for us.” The young defender joined Chelsea's academy system at eight-years-old and has represented England at youth level from U16s to U21s. Colwill is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Blues, having spent last season on loan at Huddersfield Town in the Championship, playing 32 games and scoring two goals for Carlos Corberán’s side as they made it to the play-off final. Unfortunately for Colwill and Corberan, the central defender scored the only goal of the game in the wrong net, as Nottingham Forest would go on to get promoted at the Terriers expense. On recent form, Colwill deserves a chance in the current Chelsea set-up, keeping the likes of Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo quiet in recent games is no mean feet. Whilst also being instrumental in helping De Zerbi’s side score 25 goals in the 9 games he has started. This attacking and defensive contribution would be much appreciated in Potter’s current side, which is currently struggling to find the back of the net, having scored six in their last 12 games. However, Chelsea currently already have four players in the left centre-back position, including £33m summer signing Kalidou Koulibaly and January addition Benoît Badiashile from Monaco for the same price. Academy products Trevoh Chalobah and Ethan Ampadu can also slot in to this role, the latter of whom is currently out on loan Spezia in Serie A. Chelsea in very much in a transition phase under Potter, as the former Brighton head coach attempts to bed-in a whole new squad of players into the club. It is difficult to see where Colwill would fit in to this over-inflated group right now, meaning a further season out on loan might suit all parties involved best.

I went Potter Out yesterday

he was not falling asleep, he was frustrated after we missed another sitter

and they will have actually competent lawyers, unlike Mango Mussolini

Exclusive: Arsenal & Chelsea transfer target Declan Rice's price tag could be around £90-100million https://www.caughtoffside.com/2023/02/06/declan-rice-transfer-to-cost-arsenal-or-Chelsea-90-100m/ West Ham United are likely to ask for around £90-100million for the transfer of Declan Rice this summer, but his price tag was previously as high as £150m. This is according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the reporter adding that Arsenal and Chelsea have an interest in the England international, though it may also be worth keeping an eye on Manchester United and Manchester City joining the race. Rice has shone as one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League in the last few years, and it seems inevitable that he’ll eventually get himself a big move to a top six side. Providing an update on the situation, Romano said: “West Ham always asked for big money for Rice, it was £150m one year ago today. “I think the price could now be around £90-100m, but it depends on many factors and it’s really too early to predict the final price tag. “Arsenal and Chelsea have always been interested but let’s see if Manchester United or Man City will join the race.” It still seems a bit early to say for sure what’s going to happen with Rice, but West Ham manager David Moyes recently commented on the 24-year-old’s future, saying that if he moves it will be for a British transfer record fee. “Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player. He’ll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham,” Moyes said, as quoted by BBC Sport. Arsenal look like they’d benefit hugely from bringing in Rice as a long-term successor to the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, who aren’t getting any younger. Chelsea, meanwhile, have just invested huge money in Enzo Fernandez so it remains to be seen if a similar style of player will be their priority for the summer.

Manure seem to be headed on the right path, and the new owners will inject in a shit tonne of cash.

We did not cheat. Not worried.

He could work wonders with them. I am convinced of that.

Pep Håland is soon Real or Barca bound

two of the 3 judges on CAS panel had Citeh ties it was a fucking farce, the one who voted against Citeh said it was a ridiculous decision time barred my sweet FA!!!!!

meet Chelsea's new shirt main sponsors, with a fat £2.5 billion 10 year contract lololol

Chelsea looking to offer 22-year-old midfielder Conor Gallagher a new contract https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2023/02/conor-gallagher-Chelsea-signing-new-contract-deal/