Vesper

44 Chelsea players who left in summer transfer window - and how they've fared so far Premier League hopefuls Chelsea have said goodbye to a remarkable 44 players this summer and Mirror Football analyses the progress made by a dozen of those stars https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/44-Chelsea-summer-transfer-exits-28023691 It was a summer of change at Chelsea, as a consortium led by American Todd Boehly purchased the Premier League club and invested more than £250million into the squad. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Denis Zakaria, Cesare Casadei, Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and others were added to Thomas Tuchel's side before the German was sacked and succeeded by Graham Potter earlier this month. The new additions coincided with several departures, with various members of the Champions League-winning squad from 2021 saying goodbye to Chelsea supporters. But how have those big-name players fared since their respective transfers? Let's find out. Timo Werner Timo Werner has already played against former Chelsea teammate Antonio Rudiger Werner was flogged back to RB Leipzig for for £25m in August, just two years after Chelsea spent £47.5m on the Germany international. The 26-year-old struggled during his time at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 10 goals in 56 Premier League appearances. Werner has made a decent start to life back in Germany, scoring four goals and providing three assists in nine appearances. Yet it's important to note that three of those goals came against fourth-tier side Teutonia Ottensen in a cup tie. The striker's record of one goal in six Bundesliga outings is less impressive. Emerson Palmieri Emerson Palmeiri has opened his account for West Ham Emerson joined Chelsea in the summer of 2018 and went on to pick up Champions League, Europa League and European Super Cup winners' medals, yet the Italy international never really made an impact at Stamford Bridge - playing 71 games in total. After spending last season on loan at Lyon, the 28-year-old was sold to West Ham in August for £15m and has since played six games, scoring in their 3-1 Europa Conference League win against FCSB. Worryingly for the Hammers, they've picked up just four points from their opening seven Premier League fixtures this season. Kenedy Kenedy has finally left Chelsea After playing 30 games in seven years, Kenedy finally left Stamford Bridge this summer. The 26-year-old Brazilian spent most of his Chelsea career away from the club, enjoying loan spells at Watford, Newcastle, Getafe, Granada and Flamengo. Kenedy was sold to Real Valladolid for an undisclosed fee on deadline day and has played just 14 minutes of La Liga football so far, coming on during their 2-1 defeat to Girona. He was left on the bench for Valladolid's most recent game, a 1-0 defeat to Cadiz. Michy Batshuayi Michy Batshuayi scored on his Fenerbahce debut Batshuayi was another Chelsea stalwart to finally complete a permanent move in the summer, joining Fenerbahce on deadline day. The Belgium international, 28, played just 77 games for Blues after arriving from Marseille in the summer of 2016. Batshuayi's time at Stamford Bridge was littered with loan spells - playing for Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace and Besiktas. He's made a decent start to his Fenerbahce career, scoring on his debut against Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa League. Billy Gilmour Billy Gilmour is hoping to reignite his career at Brighton Gilmour is perhaps one of the most unluckiest players in Premier League history. The Scotland international, 21, was highly rated at Stamford Bridge but decided to join Brighton in a £9m on deadline day to play under Potter at the Amex. Yet just eight days after that transfer, Potter left Brighton to succeed Tuchel in a bizarre sequence of events. Gilmour will be hoping to get a good run in the team under Roberto De Zerbi, who was confirmed as the new Seagulls manager on Sunday evening. Marcos Alonso Marcos Alonso is struggling to break into Barcelona's starting XI Cucurella's arrival at Stamford Bridge signalled the end for Alonso, who completed a deadline day move to Barcelona after playing 212 games for the Blues. The nine-cap Spain international, 31, won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time in London. Alonso was left on the bench for Barcelona's most recent La Liga game against Elche after playing just 12 minutes against Cadiz earlier this month. He did start and finish the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but it appears the veteran may struggle to get ahead of teenager Alex Balde in the pecking order this season. Ross Barkley Ross Barkley joined Nice on a free transfer Although Chelsea didn't sell Barkley, he was a high-profile departure. The England international, 28, joined the Blues from Everton in January 2018 and, while he did play 100 games for the club, he never quite made the grade at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea terminated Barkley's contract in August to allow him to join Ligue 1 side Nice. He's yet to pull up any trees in France, making just two substitute appearances to date. Antonio Rudiger Chelsea failed to keep hold of Antonio Rudiger Rudiger was another player released by Chelsea in the summer, albeit reluctantly. The Blues failed to agree a new contract with the Germany international, 29, and he went on to sign for European champions Real Madrid - ending his five-year spell at Stamford Bridge. Rudiger's time at the Bernabeu hasn't gone quite to plan. He's started just threee La Liga games and is often shoved in at right-back by manager Carlo Ancelotti. Yet the defender did help Real beat Eintracht Frankfurt to win the European Super Cup in August. Andreas Christensen Andreas Christensen has spent a lot of time on Barcelona's bench Chelsea were also forced to release Christensen at the start of the summer due to his contract expiring. The Denmark international, 26, came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and played 161 games for the first team, winning five trophies. Yet he decided to join Barcelona after leaving Chelsea to challenge Rudiger for the La Liga title. He made a good start to life in Spain - starting Barcelona's first two La Liga games on the season - but has been left on the bench for their last three league outings. Danny Drinkwater Danny Drinkwater played just 23 games in five years at Chelsea Drinkwater's nightmare Chelsea spell finally came to an end in June when his contract expired. The England international, 32, played just 23 games in five years at Stamford Bridge, spending time on loan at Burnley, Aston Villa, Turkish side Kasımpasa and Reading. Drinkwater is yet to find a club since leaving Stamford Bridge. He is eligible to sign a deal outside of the transfer window as a free agent. Romelu Lukaku Romelu Lukaku is back at Inter Milan Chelsea haven't sold Lukaku... just yet. The £97.5m striker re-joined Inter Milan on loan in July after an underwhelming campaign at Stamford Bridge, scoring just eight Premier League goals. Lukaku, 29, has scored one goal and provided one assist in his three Serie A appearances for Inter this term but is currently out of action with a muscle injury. Despite this, Inter are already believed to be in talks with Chelsea to extend his loan by a further 12 months - so we can assume it's going pretty well for the Belgium international at the San Siro. Callum Hudson-Odoi Callum Hudson-Odoi wants to prove himself in Germany Hudson-Odoi has also completed a loan move from Chelsea to Bayer Leverkusen after playing just 15 Premier League games last season. The England international, 21, has plenty of ability and will be keen to prove himself in the Bundesliga this season. Hudson-Odoi has started all of Leverkusen's last four fixtures and looks set to play a key role in their campaign. This could be the making of the youngster's career. Other departures In total, Chelsea said goodbye to a whopping 44 players in the summer! Here's the lowdown on what the other 32 are up to... George McEachran : The younger brother of MK Dons star Josh and U17 World Cup winner remains a free agent after his contract expired. Thierno Ballo : The Austria youth international never made a senior appearance for the Blues and joined Austrian side Wolfsberger when his contract expired in June. George McEachran is now a free agent Karlo Ziger : The 21-year-old goalkeeper was granted a free transfer and agreed to join Croatian outfit Gorica, sitting on the bench in eight league games this term. Jake Clarke-Salter : The U20 World Cup winner, now 24, is currently nursing a hamstring injury after completing a free transfer to Championship side QPR. Charly Musonda : The former Belgium youth international joined Spanish second tier side Levante on a free transfer and made his debut in Friday's 1-0 defeat to Cartagena. George Nunn : The young striker joined Derby's academy on a free transfer and has scored once in his first four Premier League 2 appearances this term. Josh Tobin : The 18-year-old was released by Chelsea and is yet to find a new club. Matt Miazga : The American defender was granted a free transfer and has walked into FC Cincinnati's first team, starting their last seven MLS games and scoring twice. He even captained them in their 1-1 draw against New York City earlier this month. Matt Miazga has returned to the MLS Edwin Andersson : The Swedish winger signed for Stoke's academy on a free transfer and has made two Premier League 2 outings since the move. Luke Badley-Morgan : Like Andersson, the 18-year-old defender joined Stoke's academy. Tyler Dibling : The 16-year-old playmaker joined Chelsea's academy from Southampton at the beginning of the summer, only to return to his previous club in September. Xavier Mbuyamba : The 20-year-old defender joined Dutch side Volendam for an undisclosed and has started two Eredivisie games so far. Lucas Bergstrom : The young goalkeeper joined Peterborough on loan and has played all of their nine League One fixtures this season. Sam McClelland : The Northern Ireland youth international is currently on loan at Barrow, where he's made nine League One appearances to date. Xavier Mbuyamba is now playing in the Eredivisie Ethan Wady : The USA youth international is currently the second-choice goalkeeper at National League side Woking after completing a season-long loan move. Prince Adegoke : The young goalkeeper joined Welling United on loan in July but returned to Chelsea's academy earlier this month. Jamie Cumming : The 23-year-old goalkeeper re-joined MK Dons on loan - playing all of their nine League One games this season - after spending the second half of last season at Stadium:MK. He's previously enjoyed loan spells at Stevenage and Gillingham. Nathan Baxter : The English stopper (how many goalkeepers do Chelsea have?) re-joined Hull on loan - starting their recent 3-0 defeat to Swansea - after spending last season with the Championship side. It's the eighth loan spell of his career to date. Ian Maatsen : The Dutch left-back was signed on a season-long loan by Vincent Kompany's Burnley and has made eight Championship appearances this term. Tino Anjorin : The England youth international re-joined Huddersfield on a season-long loan and has played eight Championship games this season. Nathan Baxter is one of several Chelsea goalkeepers currently out on loan Henry Lawrence : The right-back is currently on loan at MK Dons and has featured in six League One games this campaign. Gabriel Slonina : The 18-year-old goalkeeper was signed from Chicago Fire in August and was immediately loaned back to the MLS club until January. Levi Colwill : The 19-year-old defender joined Brighton on a season-long loan and has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season. Malang Sarr : The French defender was part of Tuchel's squad last season but is now on loan at Monaco and has played four Ligue 1 fixtures this term. Baba Rahman : The 28-year-old defender joined Chelsea from Augsburg in 2015 but has since completed six loan spells. He's currently in the middle of his seventh temporary stint at Reading, playing three Championship games this season. Harvey Vale : The young midfielder is currently on loan at Hull and made his Championship debut at the weekend in their 3-0 defeat to Swansea. Exciting defender Levi Colwill joined Brighton on a season-long loan Ethan Ampadu : The 22-year-old defender completed his fourth loan spell to Spezia - playing two Serie A games to date - after temporary stints at RB Leipzig, Sheffield Untied and Venezia. He's already won 36 senior caps for Wales. Joe Haigh : The 19-year-old midfielder is currently on loan at Derby but is not part of their first-team squad, playing Premier League 2 football instead. Jayden Wareham : The 19-year-old striker joined Leyton Orient on loan and was on the bench for their League Two game against Tranmere - but he's yet to play. Xavier Simons : The England youth international signed on loan for Hull but hasn't played for the Championship side as of yet. Dujon Sterling : The 22-year-old defender has previously enjoyed loan spells at Coventry, Wigan and Blackpool before completing another temporary switch to Stoke. He's yet to feature for the Championship side. Bryan Fiabema : The Norwegian forward has played four times for Forest Green Rovers since completing a loan move but is still waiting for his first League One goal.

I would need to see his exact words, becuase there are a lot of ways to use rhetoric to obfuscate what is truly going on

2022-23 English Premier League Everton West Ham United https://www.mysports.to/sports/2022/premier-league-everton-vs-west-ham-united-s1/ https://livestreams.totalsportek.com/game/everton-vs-west-ham-united/909/

15 year old on for arse, youngest EPL player ever

nil 3 now atm, Citeh, Spuds, and Arse are easily the best 3 teams in the EPL, as Pool has been shit, as have we, and Manure has hardly been Superb

Former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia would have blocked the departure of Romelu Lukaku in the summer, according to reports. https://www.football.london/Chelsea-fc/news/marina-granovskaia-would-blocked-Chelsea-25046285

Carney Chukwuemeka scores twice as Chelsea down Brighton in behind-closed-doors friendly https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/Chelsea-fc-brighton-friendly-chukwuemeka-b1026372.html Chelsea defeated Brighton in a behind-closed-doors friendly match on Saturday with Carney Chukwuemeka getting both goals. The match was played at the Amex Stadium in Brighton as Graham Potter led his side against his old club just over a week after leaving in a £20million compensation deal. Both sides played a mix of senior and youth players as they coped with the cancellation of their Premier League fixtures due to a lack of policing after the Queen’s passing last week. Those players who faced RB Salzburg in midweek and are due to join up with their national team squads were allowed time off for the semi-competitive training match. It meant runouts for the likes of Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja, Denis Zakaria and Conor Gallagher. Chukwuemeka, who has yet to make his first-team debut since joining in a £20m deal from Aston Villa, proved the match winner in the 2-1 victory as he took his chances in front of Potter. Chelsea do not play until October 2 when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. They were due to face Liverpool this weekend and the postponed match is yet to be rescheduled. Similarly, Brighton were due to face Palace in the Premier League, a game originally called off due to a now-delayed train workers strike that was also not spared ahead of Monday’s funeral in London.

Kalidou Koulibaly: The weaknesses Chelsea need Graham Potter to fix urgently https://theathletic.com/3589412/2022/09/18/kalidou-koulibaly-Chelsea-defence-problems/ When Kalidou Koulibaly was figuratively unveiled at Cobham in August, he tried to manage expectations. “I will need time, because I can’t be the player everyone wants (me to be) from the first game,” he said. “I will take my time and in two or three months, I will be the one everyone is waiting for.” ADVERTISEMENT It wasn’t known then that head coach Thomas Tuchel did not have time to wait. The Senegal international’s steep learning curve in a new team, tactical system and league after eight years in Italy with Napoli was a notable subplot of the underwhelming results that immediately preceded Chelsea’s new co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital deciding that a change in the dugout was required. Arriving at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as one of the most revered centre-backs of his generation, Koulibaly was viewed by Tuchel as being capable of helping Chelsea re-establish their Champions League-winning defensive standards from day one. Under the German, he started six of seven matches, only missing the other through suspension. But Chelsea kept just one clean sheet in those games, and Koulibaly’s assessment of his own readiness proved more accurate than Tuchel’s hopes. There have been enough flashes of preternatural defensive instincts and ability on the ball to encourage new head coach Graham Potter, but also occasions where the 31-year-old’s aggressive instincts and aerial fallibility have got his team into trouble. Koulibaly has spoken about how he relishes individual duels with attackers. His desire to impose himself at every opportunity makes him an easy fit for a high-pressing system, as do his speed and his comfort with defending in space. Such a proactive style, however, means any miscalculation potentially carries a high price. The last goal of the Tuchel era offered a prime example of that. Dinamo Zagreb, playing out of a low block, punt a high ball up towards Bruno Petkovic. Having allowed the striker to drift away from him, Koulibaly rushes forward intending to make an interception or pressurise his opponent’s first touch… …but he is too late to do either, and Petkovic simply cushions a header into the path of Mislav Orsic, who does brilliantly to beat a now isolated Wesley Fofana and finish coolly beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga. ADVERTISEMENT On other occasions, Koulibaly’s failed attempts to win the ball high up the pitch have led to him committing unnecessary fouls as he scrambles to recover his position. Here he is on the opening weekend against Everton, tracking Anthony Gordon’s diagonal run. Gordon doesn’t pose any immediate threat and Chelsea have the numbers behind the ball to cope with the counter, but Koulibaly still bundles him to the turf. The following weekend at home to Tottenham, Koulibaly moves out towards Chelsea’s left touchline to track Harry Kane, who has drifted across to receive a pass from Emerson Royal. He initially does well, forcing Kane to take his first touch away from goal to protect the ball… …but then runs straight through him, conceding a free kick in a threatening position. The most egregious examples came another week on at Elland Road, where Chelsea found themselves rattled early and often by Leeds United’s relentless running. Koulibaly in particular got himself into compromising defensive situations that ultimately led to his dismissal in the 84th minute. An avoidable yellow card in the ninth minute left him walking a disciplinary tightrope. He simply gets too close to Brenden Aaronson as the American receives a pass near the touchline. Aaronson manages to use his forward momentum against him, spinning around him with a sharp first touch and tempting Koulibaly into grabbing him around the waist so he doesn’t drive into a dangerous area. Koulibaly’s second booking was for a similar offence, albeit at a stage of the game where Tuchel had sacrificed all semblance of tactical balance by substituting his entire starting midfield in search of an equaliser. As Leeds find themselves on a promising counter-attack, Joe Gelhardt lays the ball into the path of Sam Greenwood… …and rather than simply running with his man, Koulibaly (perhaps out of frustration) wraps an arm around Gelhardt and pulls him down. At that unveiling in August, a player who was voted onto Serie A’s Team of the Year four times during those eight years in Naples identified the main challenge of adapting to the Premier League, saying: “I have to think faster, go faster, and move my eyes faster. ADVERTISEMENT “In Serie A, everything is more with the brain, calmer. You have to think of every movement. Here, you have to think very fast, and this is the first thing I have to change.” Potter will be hoping Koulibaly can get up to speed in that sense sooner rather than later. It has not been all bad for Koulibaly so far at Chelsea. Against Tottenham, he showcased many of the attributes that can make him immensely valuable to an elite team — beyond his sensational volley from a Marc Cucurella corner that opened the scoring. His technical quality with the ball at his feet played a big role in Chelsea’s ability to beat the Spurs press, pin them back and play through their low block. Here, he shapes to play a pass with his left foot, assessing the options in front of him as Dejan Kulusevski moves to block his route forward to Mason Mount… … but Koulibaly sees this and quickly runs around the ball, creating an angle to whip a pass with his right foot behind Kulusevski, into the space he just vacated. This way, he finds Mount in space. On the occasions when Tottenham tried to press high, Koulibaly kept his head and trusted his technique. Here, he threads a low pass out of his penalty area through three opponents… …directly onto the left foot of Kai Havertz, who can instantly re-direct it to Mount on the left flank and get Spurs running back towards their own goal. In the opposition half, Koulibaly also found the right balance between safe, sideways passes and more incisive ones that took several opponents out of the play. Here, he caps a one-touch passing sequence — Mount to Cucurella to Raheem Sterling and then back to him — with a sharp, first-time pass through a narrow gap back in to Mount’s feet. There was even a moment in the second half when Koulibaly’s aggressive ball-winning instincts looked to have won the match for Chelsea. He pins Kulusevski against the right touchline from behind, with N’Golo Kante cutting off any escape from the other side. Koulibaly manages to win the ball cleanly and send it spinning free to Kante, who plays a pass infield to Sterling. This sequence leaves Reece James wide open on the overlap… … and he scores to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead. Once he re-tunes his instincts to the particular nature of Premier League football, Koulibaly will surely have plenty to offer Potter’s team in and out of possession. Perhaps the most surprising issue in the final matches of Tuchel’s tenure was Chelsea’s sudden inability to defend set pieces successfully. Last season, only Manchester City (one goal) conceded fewer Premier League goals from dead balls than Chelsea’s four but in their opening six matches of 2022-23, Tuchel’s men let in four set-piece goals. Only promoted Bournemouth (five) have allowed more, and Koulibaly has undeniably been part of the problem. He has often too easily become a spectator as events play out, rather than using his formidable frame and athleticism to impact them for the benefit of his team. For the shambolic corner-kick equaliser Chelsea conceded in stoppage time against Spurs, his starting position is fine… …but by the time the ball loops into the six-yard box, he has retreated towards the goal line rather than moving forward to attack the delivery, contributing to a situation where any one of three Tottenham players could meet it with a free header. Back in that opening win over Everton, Koulibaly fails to react to the trajectory of a high, arcing corner towards the back post, watching it sail over his head… …and forcing Edouard Mendy to try to catch the ball while being swarmed by Yerry Mina and Dwight McNeil. He does at least take up a good position on the line when the ball ends up at the feet of Abdoulaye Doucoure but this is a shot at goal Chelsea shouldn’t be letting happen in the first place. West Ham’s opening goal at Stamford Bridge in the most recent Premier League game two weeks ago also reflects poorly on Koulibaly’s set-piece defending. He is tasked with man-marking Tomas Soucek at the near post, but the Czech Republic international darts away from him… … and by the time Mendy is challenged to make another aerial intervention under severe pressure, Koulibaly has drifted away from the goal line, watching the ball rather than anticipating what could happen, and so isn’t in a position to prevent Michail Antonio converting Declan Rice’s low cross. It’s fair to note that all of the examples listed here are the result of multiple points of failure by several Chelsea players. In that sense, singling out Koulibaly might be a little harsh, but the reality is that as one of the tallest, most physically imposing players in the squad, Potter needs him to be better than we’ve seen so far. This is where Koulibaly’s broader aerial duel numbers are a cause for concern: FBref.com ranks him in the bottom third of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won per 90 minutes over the past 12 months. The arrival of fellow centre-back Fofana (who ranks in the top quarter in the same metric) from Leicester should help Chelsea’s set-piece defence under Potter, but Koulibaly has to deliver on his considerable physical tools in the air. Defensive success or failure is collective, not individual. You only need to look at how much more fallible Virgil van Dijk suddenly looks in a Liverpool team which so far this season is lacking the blistering intensity and tactical cohesion of previous years. Koulibaly’s early difficulties must be viewed not only in terms of him adapting to English football but also through the prism of Chelsea’s broader defensive decline in the end times under Tuchel. Replacement Potter’s most urgent task is to find a tactical framework that makes the most sense for Chelsea in every area of the pitch, with a pressing system that allows them to defend from the front first. This is now a significantly different group to the one Tuchel inherited in January of last year, so the solutions to those issues may take the team down a different path. But if Potter can find the right structure, there is plenty of reason to believe a fully-adapted Koulibaly would offer more than he takes away.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ‘shocked’ by Thomas Tuchel sacking — Kepa Arrizabalaga https://theathletic.com/3599938/2022/09/16/kepa-aubameyang-shocked-Chelsea/ Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed Chelsea summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left in shock by Thomas Tuchel’s sacking. Aubameyang, 33, joined Chelsea on a two-year deal on September 1 to seal a reunion with his former Borussia Dortmund manager at Stamford Bridge. However, Tuchel was dismissed by owner Todd Boehly on September 7 with Graham Potter replacing the former Paris Saint-Germain head coach. It means Aubameyang’s only appearance at Chelsea under Tuchel was the German’s last ever game in charge. Speaking to The Sun, Kepa said: “The truth is that the first days he arrived a little scared. “He was a little in shock, a lot of change, the last two or three days were very crazy for him, everything that happened to him was a misfortune.” Aubameyang, who played 66 minutes of Potter’s first game in charge against Red Bull Salzburg in midweek, said he was left saddened by Tuchel’s departure. “Everyone knows the relationship that I had with Thomas,” explained Aubameyang after the 1-1 Champions League draw. “It’s always sad when someone leaves the club. Obviously, I just saw him for a few days. “When you play football you have to adapt very quickly to some moments in the season, this can happen. “I will try to talk to him as soon as possible. It’s been a crazy week for all of us, that’s part of life, we have to adapt.” Chelsea were scheduled to host Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend but the game has been postponed due to the extra policing needed for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday. Potter’s side are next in action against Crystal Palace on October 1.

Chelsea’s sporting director search: Freund the favourite, Steidten also fits bill https://theathletic.com/3597219/2022/09/16/Chelsea-sporting-director-freund/ Michael Edwards, Luis Campos, Paul Mitchell and now Christoph Freund. These are just some of the people Chelsea have been heavily linked with as they look to employ a new sporting director. All the suggestions, as things stand, are that Freund, who has done a fine job at Red Bull Salzburg, is the favourite. He hardly downplayed the notion when asked about it after the Champions League group game between Chelsea and the Austrian club at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, as pictured above. “Chelsea is a huge club in transition,” Freund told Sky Sports Austria. “I can’t say exactly what will happen in the next few weeks and months. You should never rule anything out in football and Chelsea are such a huge club. But I’m sports director in Salzburg and I really enjoy it.” It is understandable that who will fulfil the role has captured most of the interest up until now. But little has been said about why Chelsea’s new co-owners want to fill the position and what role they will be expected to play. After all, Chelsea have just spent a Premier League record £250million ($286.9m)-plus in the summer transfer window without a sporting director, so it is not as if they’ve been struggling to add fresh talent to the squad. The first thing to make clear is that this isn’t a sudden idea that has crept into the minds of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium. Employing a sporting director has been on their agenda since they were going through their due diligence while considering buying the club earlier this year. Chelsea had people in senior roles at the time, but influential director Marina Granovskaia, technical and performance advisor Petr Cech and head of international scouting Scott McLachlan (albeit he already had another role lined up as head of football at a company called Global Football Holdings) have all gone since the takeover was completed in May. When you buy a club for £2.5billion, it’s reasonable for you to want to put your own people in place to run it. As was revealed last week, the aim is to hire a sporting director before the World Cup begins in November so that Chelsea are more than ready for the January transfer window. With Graham Potter replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach just over a week ago, he will also get a say on who comes in. This makes a lot of sense because Potter has brought Kyle Macaulay, his trusted recruitment analyst at former clubs Ostersunds and Brighton, with him to west London. Chelsea’s new head coach will want to make sure that his close confidant can operate alongside the new employee. Given Macaulay has established a fine reputation for spotting emerging talent, one might wonder again about the need for a sporting director. But Macaulay is a man who works on identifying players — he doesn’t get involved in negotiations with agents or clubs, like a sporting director would. That being said, he still has a very important role in the new setup. And that is the key here. Chelsea’s new owners want to build a big team of people who are all working together towards the same goal. A sporting director isn’t going to be the only hire that will help the club improve the way they do business. Senior and junior positions will be created and filled. Given Boehly’s comments this week about multi-club ownership and his praise for the Red Bull group, of which Freund is already a part, this is surely a significant factor in the German’s favour. There is a recognition that the data/analytics/scouting department the sporting director is going to inherit is already at a very high level but it will increase in both importance and personnel numbers. Matt Hallam, who already had a high-ranking role, has been given even more prominence. One of the appealing things about Potter is his willingness to communicate and collaborate with everyone behind the scenes and the club are looking for the same quality in a sporting director. In many ways, they want the equivalent of Potter: someone who is happy to work with people and has been an overachiever; who has helped to run a successful organisation, even if it was one that cannot match Chelsea’s budget. The priority is that they are strong on scouting and data, not that they are a celebrity name. The board have considered people from across the Premier League and continental Europe. There are suggestions they have changed their minds on a few occasions and someone who had looked like getting the post was subsequently ruled out. There is nothing wrong with that. Rather than a sign of indecision, it demonstrates how determined Chelsea are to make sure they hire the right candidate. Perhaps it also reflects the change from Tuchel to Potter in the dugout. The indications now are it isn’t an obvious choice; someone who will create headlines. Despite all the talk surrounding Campos, Paris Saint-Germain’s football advisor formerly of Monaco and Lille, this description of what Chelsea are looking for appears to rule him out of contention. Freund, though, begins to sound like an even better fit. Another name that also suits this profile, and has come under consideration, is Bayer Leverkusen’s Tim Steidten. It is also fair to ask how much say Chelsea’s new sporting director will have once they are in office. Boehly and another of the new co-owners, Behdad Eghbali, have met and built relationships with a number of high-profile agents, as well as personnel from other clubs, over the past four months. Now that they have a taste of this kind of power, will they want to give it up? It would also be understandable if the people they met during the summer window go straight to those at the very top of Chelsea, the money men, over future deals, rather than dealing with a mere employee, even if he does have the title of sporting director. But it is worth remembering Chelsea’s new owners have other businesses to run and worry about. Being this hands-on was always going to be a temporary thing for them. Boehly stepped in as an interim sporting director out of necessity, following the departures of Granovskaia and Cech. Look at how the Los Angeles Dodgers, the major league baseball team in which Boehly and another Chelsea co-owner Mark Walter have a stake, are run for a guide to what Chelsea will look like. Andrew Friedman has been the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, the equivalent of a sporting director, since 2015. Dave Roberts has been the manager for almost seven years and signed a three-year contract extension in March. Despite the manner of Tuchel’s sudden departure, the ambition is to have similar long-term stability at Stamford Bridge. Boehly said as much this week when talking at a conference in the United States. When asked why he thinks the consortium can run a successful football team despite their lack of experience in the sport, he explained: “I think we know people. We know human capital. We know game plans and strategies. Yeah, we’re not expecting to be the football experts, to find the best talent. We’re going to put those people in place. I think it’s no different to running any human-capital business where it’s about getting the right resources, making them collaborate, getting them organised, thinking about how can have a global business at a local level.” That is not to say the consortium will suddenly take a back seat and be absentee owners either. The philosophy will be that it doesn’t matter which person takes the initial phone call from an agent about a player — what happens next will be talked about and discussed among the collective before a decision is made. In some ways, it doesn’t sound like the sporting director at Chelsea will have the most powerful of positions. There are going to be a lot of voices involved. But the new regime clearly feel it is better to run things this way than what took place in the past.

PSG's Luis Campos speaks out on Chelsea speculation after RB Salzburg chief's comments Chelsea chair Todd Boehly is looking to appoint a new sporting director after Marina Granovskaia left in June, with Red Bull Salzburg chief Christoph Freund in the frame https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/Chelsea-new-sporting-director-boehly-28013277 Luis Campos insists he's not interested in becoming Chelsea's sporting director, boosting Christoph Freund's hopes of landing one of the biggest executive roles in English football. Chelsea are on the hunt for a sporting director after appointing Graham Potter as their new manager earlier this month, succeeding Thomas Tuchel. The Blues have been without a sporting director since Marina Granovskaia left Stamford Bridge in June. Chelsea chair Todd Boehly has acted as interim sporting director since Granovskaia's exit, spending more than £250million on players during the summer transfer window. Boehly has been accused of lacking a footballing strategy for the two-time European champions. A consortium led by Boehly completed a takeover of Chelsea in May to end Roman Abramovich's 19-year ownership of the club. The Russian's era came to an end after he was sanctioned by the UK government for having ties to Vladimir Putin, something he denies. Campos was reportedly Boehly's preferred choice for the sporting director role after building successful squads at Monaco and Lille. Thanks in part to Campos, those are the only two clubs to deny Paris Saint-Germain from winning the Ligue 1 title since 2012. Yet Campos isn't interested in joining Chelsea. The Portuguese executive was recently hired by PSG as a football advisor - effectively becoming their sporting director - and has been tasked with building a squad capable of winning the Champions League. Although PSG have won eight of the last 10 Ligue 1 titles, they are yet to win their maiden European Cup. Campos is building a younger team based on each player's ability and promise, instead of their standing in the game. Christophe Galtier is the PSG boss. "I have a three-year deal here at PSG, as I wanted, and I've joined this club because I'm convinced we can do something extraordinary," Campos told RMC. "I've the right energy to fight for PSG and do something great here." Campos also confirmed Neymar, who was linked with a move to Chelsea in the summer, is part of PSG's plans. "Neymar is a very good player," added Campos. "He arrives on time all the time, he hasn't missed a training session, except one for a small injury. Neymar is involved in the team and club project." Campos' comments are a boost for Freund, who refused to rule out leaving RB Salzburg when asked about the Chelsea role earlier this week. "You should never rule anything out in football and Chelsea are such a huge club," he told Sky Sports Austria. "But I'm sports director in Salzburg and I really enjoy it. Chelsea is a huge club in transition. I can't say exactly what will happen in the next few weeks and months." Freund added: "I've had exchanges with Chelsea from time to time. We spoke more often a month or two ago because they were interested in [striker Benjamin] Sesko. The new owners are interested in how we do it with young players, how we integrate them into the first team. But you do that again and again with other clubs – that's it."

Chelsea to make Jude Bellingham transfer battle a four-team £100million race England's young star Jude Bellingham is a wanted man and Chelsea are ready to rival Liverpool and Manchester United as they eye the Borussia Dortmund midfielder next summer https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/Chelsea-make-jude-bellingham-transfer-28013795 Chelsea are throwing their hat in the ring for the much sought after Jude Bellingham, who is set to be at the centre of next summer's biggest transfer battle. The Borussia Dortmund star has continued to thrive in Germany having originally burst onto the scene in England's second tier with Birmingham City. Bellingham is a hugely influence for the Bundesliga outfit, already proving his quality on the European stage in the Champions League. That has attracted English attention with Manchester United, who competed with Dortmund for his signature in 2020, and Liverpool, who are thought to be the favourites, known admirers. Real Madrid too are keeping tabs on his situation while Chelsea are now ready to challenge the trio, reports The Sun. Dortmund made it clear they weren't selling this summer having already lost Erling Haaland, but Bellingham's continued growth means he will cost at least £100m as three of the Premier League's elite clubs look to do battle. Todd Boehly has just presided over a record breaking transfer window that saw over £200m spent and has now hired a new coach in Graham Potter, who will want a summer to bring in his own players once the chance comes around. Bellingham has often quashed talk of his future, saying recently: "The club have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came and gave me the opportunities to develop even further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful." The teenager's value could also further skyrocket if he does have an impressive World Cup this winter with Gareth Southgate almost certain to select the midfielder. And Chelsea's midfield could also be in need of a reshuffle come the summer. N'Golo Kante is now north of 30 and still in talks with the club over a contract extension, although they have stalled in recent months amid his fitness issues. Jorginho himself is 30 and Mateo Kovacic is in his late 20s. Those age profiles were no doubt a motivator as Chelsea added the highly-rated Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa this summer. Bellingham could further help them bring down the average age of their squad, albeit they will have plenty of competition for his services. But Liverpool too need to address their options in the middle of the park and are primed to make a move in less than 12 months time, with Bellingham the club's No.1 target to refresh their midfield, having missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni, to Real Madrid, this summer. United meanwhile missed out on Frenkie de Jong during the summer window. And as boss Erik ten Hag continues to shape his squad, he could look for another midfielder if he deems either Fred or Scott McTominay surplus to requirements. European kings Madrid are the outlier in the situation as they continue to redevelop their squad for the future. With Luka Modric and Toni Kroos now into the twilight of their respective careers, they've already snapped up the aforementioned Tcouhameni and Eduardo Camavinga to be midfield mainstays for the next decade. But a move for Bellingham has already been mooted at the Bernabeu too.

we killed the Queen! 🤪

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21:00 - 22:45 | CET PREMIER LEAGUE | ASTON VILLA VS SOUTHAMPTON – S1 21:00 - 22:45 | CET PREMIER LEAGUE | NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS FULHAM – S2

I have zero problems with Potter, I am glad we have him I know that is not a popular opinion what I hate is crazy expensive dregs (almost £100m for the pair) like Ziyech and Pulisic half assing it both are pouters and massive underachievers and they are far from the only ones playing like shit I really am starting to think Kai is fucked from long Covid and no clue what is going on with Mount insane fall off Saul (at AM, before he came here and got even worse) level fall off

raging watching all these great dangerous corner kicks from small teams and meh big teams and we fucking cannot even kick a corner past the first bloody defender!!!

1 3 West Ham with a great corner header now

all these little minnow teams do better corner kicks with £5m, 10m total valuation squads than we do with a £750m one sad!!!

wow, Silkeborg just got FUCKED on a great corner kick goal no foul but ref blew whistle, so waived it off

ffs, West Ham, Fulham and Brentford (let alone Arse and Spuds) all have better strikers than we do ARFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF