Vesper

AC Milan star Malick Thiaw to have Newcastle United medical on Monday ahead of switch https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ac-milan-star-malick-thiaw-220100753.html

We should sell Disasi and/or Badi to Bournemouth they are now fucked at CB they have only one decent one: Marcos Senesi (who played only 1,200 minutes, all comps, and had a bad hamstring injury) two who are scrub level: Chris Mepham James Hill and an 18yo yank teen: Matai Akinmboni

Ranking every Premier League home kit for 2025-26: Wavy brilliance, retro styling and a nod to shepherds https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6538413/2025/08/07/premier-league-home-kits-2025-26-ranked/ A new season and new threads to enjoy — unless, of course, your team already wore their 2025-26 home kit last season for marketing purposes. As ever, the beginning of a campaign means new strips for all 20 Premier League clubs and that has stirred The Athletic’s resident kit critic Nick Miller into action. He has cast his eye over every fresh home shirt that we’ll see when English football’s top flight gets back underway next week and has rated them from worst to best. Dive into the list below.

Why is Vinicius Jr out of favour at Real Madrid? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6542208/2025/08/09/vinicius-jr-real-madrid-xabi-alonso-renewal/ A year ago, Vinicius Junior looked to be at the very peak of his powers. Over the previous 2023-24 season he had won the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid, contributing decisively on all fronts with 35 goal contributions in 39 matches. The fans adored him, to the point that many of them argued he should keep his place on the left wing despite the arrival of Kylian Mbappe. Madrid were also delighted with him. The club’s board refused to even consider the dizzying potential of a sale to Saudi Arabia when efforts were made to try and sign him. And he started the new season as a favourite for the Ballon d’Or. There was a sense he was finally fully delivering on his potential, there was excitement over what would follow next. Unfortunately, there is not the same feeling around the 25-year-old Brazilian now, after a challenging 2024-25 campaign that brought great individual disappointment. Multiple sources consulted for this article — who all asked to speak anonymously to protect relationships — agreed that not winning the Ballon d’Or has been a heavy burden for Vinicius Jr, even though he was recognised with The Best FIFA award in December. But the past six months or so have also seen complications over the renewal of his contract, with the displeasure generated by that undoubtedly a factor that has affected performances on the pitch. Some were met with boos from fans at the Bernabeu. It was indicative of his status now that new manager Xabi Alonso planned to bench him for the Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, until Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury changed things. The start between coach and player has not been ideal, although this is just the beginning. But sources close to Vinicius Jr — who, like all those cited here, asked to speak anonymously to protect relationships — predict that “it’s not going to be an easy season”. Why has there been such a turnaround for ostensibly one of the world’s very best players? The Athletic explains the full picture. Like the rest of the Real Madrid squad, Vinicius Jr did not perform at his usual level last season as Madrid failed to win any of the three major titles, which led to the club replacing Carlo Ancelotti as manager. There is always pressure at Madrid to succeed, to win trophies, but Vinicius Jr has been closer to the spotlight in this regard, and not just because he is seen as one of the team’s best players. What You Should Read Next From Kylian Mbappe to Cristiano Ronaldo, why Real Madrid fans whistle their own players The Bernabeu is one of the most demanding stadiums in world sport. This is why the fans expect so much from their stars But complications in his negotiations over a new deal at the club have played a big role in this, too. Particularly towards the end of last term’s domestic campaign, there were audible murmurs at the Bernabeu when his tricks did not work, and several times when he received the ball he would be whistled. Madrid opened negotiations in January to extend Vinicius Jr’s contract, which was renewed in 2022 until 2027. It was at a meeting at their Valdebebas training complex, attended by senior figures from the club and, on the player’s side, two agents and his father. Vinicius Jr is currently earning around €17million (£14.7m; $19.7m) net a year, a figure that includes certain bonus clauses that have now been activated, for example after winning FIFA’s The Best award last season. The club’s offer of around €20m net a year was not accepted, so the board asked the player’s side to propose a figure. His representatives requested a historic contract, in the region of the highest ever at the club (which was given to Cristiano Ronaldo), with a package of around €30m net per season. This included the base salary, performance bonuses and even a renewal bonus, something new at Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr’s agents made the point that if Madrid’s unofficial salary cap can not be broken (there is no formal limit, but a figure in the region of €20m is often mentioned), a player looking to earn more money for himself is forced into seeking a move elsewhere and securing a signing-on fee, as happened with Mbappe at Madrid. They also considered that an exception could be made for players who have given a lot to the club. Alonso and Vinicius Jr in training back in June (Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images) In April, several media outlets in Spain claimed that Vinicius Jr was very close to agreeing a renewal, with some suggesting that the announcement would be made after La Liga’s conclusion. At the time, Madrid sources told The Athletic that these reports were on the right track, while the player’s entourage, reacting with something between surprise and annoyance, strongly denied it. Several months later, Vinicius Jr’s renewal has not been announced, nor even finalised. The same media outlets that claimed he would renew have now said that the process has stalled because the player is asking for more money. This last point does not match with The Athletic’s information on the subject. Madrid have always been extremely cautious about the salary scale, and in that sense, they are not keen on the renewal bonus route. Furthermore, they want Vinicius Jr to recover his real level. But all of this has not helped a player who has been struggling to produce that. Alonso represents a new start. He and his coaching team wanted to use the Club World Cup as an opportunity to inject new purpose into the side, combating the “inertia” they believed had taken hold. When asked about his first encounter with Vinicius Jr, Alonso said before the Club World Cup opener that it had been “very good”. He added: “I didn’t know Vini, I had seen him a lot and everything I saw and heard I recognised in 10 seconds: the way he is, the way he communicates with people. He is a very passionate player. You have to be close to him, I like to have this kind of player. How we can use him in the best way and position is what we have to see now. What we have felt these days is that he has a very good heart.” Vinicius Jr in training this week. Madrid start the new season on August 19 (Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images) With just one goal and one assist (both against Red Bull Salzburg, when he was named player of the match) in five games in the United States, Alonso planned to bench Vinicius Jr for the semi-final against PSG. A muscle injury to Alexander-Arnold forced him to change that plan, which meant the Brazilian started against Luis Enrique’s side on the right wing, with 21-year-old academy product Gonzalo Garcia as the No 9 and Mbappe on the left. Vinicius Jr was disappointed with this decision, after years of performing at the highest level and establishing himself on the left. After the holidays, sources close to Alonso at Valdebebas preferred not to dwell on this fact and emphasised that they expect Vinicius Jr and Mbappe to both be very important this season. The coach’s initial idea is to play both in attack, although his tactical flexibility will lead him to vary this over the season. However, they also acknowledge that Vinicius Jr needs to improve and suggest that if he continues to play as he has been, he could cease to be irreplaceable, and that this new status would not be difficult for team-mates, fans or the club itself to accept.

https://www.espn.com.au/football/story/_/id/45926246/psg-lucas-chevalier-transfer-gianluigi-donnarumma-goalkeeper Paris Saint-Germain have signed Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier on a five-year contract, the French champions confirmed Saturday. Sources told ESPN that PSG agreed a fee of €40 million ($47 million) plus an additional €15 million ($17m) in potential bonuses, with Chevalier set to be their new No. 1 goalkeeper. It leaves Gianluigi Donnarumma, who played a key role in PSG's history-making season last year, to find a new club this summer. PSG do not want to keep the Italy international and have two top keepers in the squad this season, sources said. The clubs expect an offer from Chelsea, Manchester United or Inter Milan who have all had contact with Enzo Raiola, Donnarumma's agent, sources added.

Better question: How can someone watch the entire 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons (all comps for clubs and countries) and not want all of the following over Sanchez? Sanchez made a tonne of insane errors that cost us points over that time. In order of valuation and yes, some of these are now not available or are on the old side (but we have Penders coming in down the road), BUT I list them all to prove my point about how many are better GKers: Bold are still technically available (some of the bold are almost impossible pulls though). Diogo Costa Gianluigi Donnarumma Gregor Kobel Giorgi Mamardashvili (my main want for ages, Pool stole him, arfff) Lucas Chevalier (my 2nd choice and now gone to PSG, ffs) Mike Maignan Guillaume Restes Jan Oblak Thibaut Courtois Ederson Emiliano Martinez Alisson Zion Suzuki (really impressed with him after watching some games plus videos) Alex Meret Bento big names (€20m and up in valuation) I do not rate to buy: bold I could change my mind on David Raya Guglielmo Vicario Bart Verbruggen Anatoliy Trubin Unai Simon Joan Garcia Marco Carnesecchi Mile Svilar André Onana James Trafford Marcin Bulka Caoimhín Kelleher Matvey Safonov Dean Henderson

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/170511342/Chelsea Chelsea are expected to submit an offer for the PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. (ESPN) Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson wants to stay in the Premier League, and he would be open to a Newcastle United switch. (Sun) Along with Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga are all set to leave the club before the transfer window closes. (Fabrizio Romano) Chelsea will look to sign a central defender before the window closes. Enzo Maresca: “It’s a priority for me to get a new centre back. We will see if we go for it”. (Channel 5)

Guehi prefers to play on the left and he is good on the ball, good at passing, as I showed with my in-depth analysis post

Levi Colwill is fundamental to Chelsea on many levels – replacing him will be tough https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6541231/2025/08/08/levi-colwill-Chelsea-injury-analysis/ If anyone needs a reminder of just how dizzyingly — and, at times, brutally — fast football moves, consider that less than two weeks ago, Levi Colwill was talking about competing for the Premier League title with Chelsea this season, and how he felt about an impending Champions League debut at his boyhood club. “When that anthem comes on, it is going to be a dream,” he told The Athletic at a pre-season friendly between Sholing FC and Chelsea Under-18s. “I could get a bit emotional, to be honest.” That particular dream is going to have to wait, and Colwill would only be human if he had got more than a bit emotional in the days since he felt his knee give way towards the end of Chelsea’s first pre-season training session at their Cobham HQ on Monday. A scan confirmed he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but footballers tend to know immediately when something is badly wrong. Enzo Maresca’s ominous words in his press conference at Cobham on Thursday left little room to avoid the conclusion that Colwill had suffered a significant injury. “We know each other from last year, and we know how important he has been,” Maresca said. “I spoke with Levi yesterday (Wednesday) and I told him that if we achieved what we achieved last year, it’s also because of him.” Colwill’s absence from Chelsea’s trophy celebration in front of several thousand supporters at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday provided the first public indication that something was amiss. A club statement issued on Thursday evening attempted to soften the blow while confirming the reality: “Levi Colwill has today undergone successful surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.” Colwill was key as Chelsea won the Club World Cup (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) There are many sentiments deployed at moments like this, most of them empty. The timing is awful for Colwill before a Chelsea season rich with promise, leading into a World Cup where he could credibly start for England. But then, there is never a good time for a footballer to tear their ACL, given the long and gruelling nature of the rehabilitation process. For some, it will feel worse because Colwill gives every impression of being one of football’s genuine good guys, devoting his time and his money to Sholing and the new academy that bears his name, as well as organising a training session for children while on holiday in Trinidad. But good, bad or anything in between, it is always a sporting tragedy when football is deprived of an elite talent in this manner. Many will express the belief that Colwill can emerge stronger from this, but that is a reach for reassurance rather than a reliable predictor. Even in 2025, injuries as severe as a torn ACL or ruptured Achilles can disrupt and even derail athletes’ careers. As a Chelsea player, Colwill will have every available resource to achieve a full recovery to elite competition, but there is no escaping the physical and mental challenges that lie ahead. Perhaps the most effective source of comfort to Colwill in the coming weeks and months will be the difficulty Chelsea have replacing him. Last season, he emerged as the foundation of Maresca’s defence, playing more than twice as many Premier League minutes as any of the other centre-backs in the squad. His recognition of defensive danger sharpened with greater experience, and he warmed to the physical demands of battling opposing strikers. He formed effective partnerships with Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo and fellow Cobham graduate Trevoh Chalobah, adjusting subtly to fit with each. On the ball, his ability to punch progressive passes through opposition lines gave Maresca’s patient build-up style a more direct option it desperately needed against low blocks. Colwill’s unflappable assurance was critical to the team’s success in playing out from the back through intense pressure. Put together, it is a rare, coveted skill set for a centre-back, which is why Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion tried hard to prise Colwill away from Stamford Bridge in the weeks before he signed a new long-term contract in the summer of 2023. It is also why Chelsea rebuffed all advances and always insisted they considered him untouchable, as he has been ever since. Then there is Colwill’s strength of personality, which always stood out in one of the youngest squads ever assembled. No other regular Chelsea starter could be relied upon so consistently to field questions from the media after a match, win, lose or draw, and few others were as loud or outwardly forceful on the pitch. Within the squad, there are no easy solutions. Tosin and Chalobah have both grown in stature and performance in this Chelsea squad in recent months, but are untested as a partnership in the Premier League. Benoit Badiashile has not proven as reliable as Colwill despite being regarded as a close to equivalent talent when he arrived from Monaco in January 2023. Maresca has a headache in defence (David Ramos/Getty Images) Fofana is arguably Chelsea’s most gifted defender, but the 24-year-old has also spent much of his time at Stamford Bridge on the sidelines. Summer signing Jorrel Hato has some similarities to Colwill in profile — left-footed, elegant on the ball, shorter but faster — but elevating the 19-year-old to the status of Premier League starting centre-back so soon would be a big call. The same could be said of another 19-year-old, Josh Acheampong, who Maresca has generally preferred to pick at right-back. What You Should Read Next Chelsea are back in pre-season training. What issues must Enzo Maresca address? The FIFA Club World Cup winners had three weeks off but must now rediscover their rhythm and integrate new arrivals in double-quick time The transfer market will always be a consideration for Chelsea at a time like this, but any exploration must be tinged with wariness of radically altering the dynamic at the heart of Maresca’s defence for the long term. Until he went down this week, Colwill was a fundamental component of the core that is powering the team’s sharp upward trajectory. Any defensive plan that Chelsea decide upon in what remains of August must allow for the desired scenario that Colwill is fundamental again as soon as he returns.

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soooooooooo adding it ALL up (the entire CB situ on every level) the best option, taking all into account is Guehi hands down for me at this late point do it!!!!

I already said I favour buying Guehi, a right footer as he prefers to play on the left but those types are rare the only 2 LCBs out there I would rather have than Guehi atm are the same top 2 listed for ages Bastoni Murillo massive downside is that they are both not only are insanely expensive, but are at stubborn AF clubs to deal with, especially Inter

it figures we are going for an Argie who lacks what Argie footballers are world famous for ffs

I am busy in real life so sometimes I come back to 4 to 6, 7 unread pages in transfers I reply as I read them sorry, but it's just the way it is

well Bastoni is likely the best CB on the planet ATM (IMHO) and I think we deserve the best lol

there HAS to be more to this story than meets the eye Renato was really strong at LCB for Juve I do not see why Maresca does not want him AT ALL, especially now with Colwill out for the year I so so want to know WHY

Fofana sell Colwill out for the year. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Hato need to see him play LCB and not LB, he looked a big baller at LB tonight Tosin keep Chalobah keep Disasi sell Acheampong keep Badiashile sell ASAP were were already looking at a new RCB BEFORE Levi destroyed his knee (not gonna lie, I fear for his career, I am in dismay ever since I found out he was fucked 😿) so we deffo need to now buy a LCB as if we only would have one lefty on my list above, Hato, and he is more of a LB than a LCB Guehi is right-footed, BUT prefers to play at LCB and he is also good at (of course) RCB he kills 2 birds with one stone wild card is Veiga

unless we are talking about one of these 4 Alessandro Bastoni Murillo Alessandro Buongiorno Guehi I do not see what's out there for LCBs that is that much of an upgrade over Veiga I intently watched Hincapie tonight was not impressed all that much

ugh Manchester City initiate transfer talks for Castello Lukeba https://cityxtra.co.uk/32562/manchester-city-initiate-transfer-talks-for-castello-lukeba/

FUCK DORTMUND

Profoundly disagree.

good win we look pretty sharp, all things considered