Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[Vesper 30,170]

13 hours ago, KEVINAA said:

PSG WANT JHON DURAN OF ASTON VILLA

 

(Source: Fichajes)

👎🏽

[Fulham Broadway 17,312]

Salah leaving the vermin...

Africa Top Sports

[LAM09 7,051]

2 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Salah leaving the vermin...

Africa Top Sports

I think every sports outlet in the world is twisting the interview that went out earlier today to their liking for clicks.

[Fulham Broadway 17,312]

1 hour ago, LAM09 said:

I think every sports outlet in the world is twisting the interview that went out earlier today to their liking for clicks.

yes, fuck em

[KEVINAA 129]

 

Arsenal will sign Liverpool target Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer, per SamiMokbel81_DM

[NikkiCFC 8,318]

Wouldn't be surprised if Arse go for Vlahovic now.

[Special Juan 28,141]

2 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Wouldn't be surprised if Arse go for Vlahovic now.

I said that to my lad last night

[Vesper 30,170]

15 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Wouldn't be surprised if Arse go for Vlahovic now.

would rather Arse get Vlahovic than a pretty large number of other CFs:

Lautaro Martínez  
Victor Osimhen 
Alexander Isak
Viktor Gyökeres  
Marcus Thuram
Omar Marmoush 
Loïs Openda 
Ollie Watkins 
Samu Aghehowa 
Benjamin Sesko 
João Pedro 
Matheus Cunha  
Jonathan David
Jhon Durán 
Liam Delap   

[Vesper 30,170]

Man City now ready to meet £60m valuation for Juventus ace Left-Back Andrea Cambiaso after Pep demand

https://www.footballfancast.com/man-city-now-ready-to-meet-60m-valuation-to-sign-andrea-cambiaso/

snip

That comes as a report from Italy claims that Manchester City are now ready to meet Juventus' asking price to sign defender Andrea Cambiaso in the final days of the winter window.

The Blues are known to be keen admirers of the defender, who excels at inverting into central areas of the pitch and has been dubbed "an excellent playmaker from deep" as well as praised for his defensive qualities by Football Analyst Ben Mattinson.

Though he only signed a new 5-year-deal back in May, worth a reported £72,000 per week, the door has been opened to his potential departure from Turin this month.

It had previously been claimed that City were making progress to land the young Italian, and now reports from Italy believe a deal is edging ever closer. As per TuttoSport [via Sport Witness] 'Pep Guardiola wants the versatile player at all costs', while another Italian outlet claims that they are ready to pull the trigger on a deal.

Indeed, it is claimed that Juve want €70m (£60m) and City will bid around €60m plus the extra €10m in potential bonuses. Though no offer has yet been made, "there is confidence" that one will arrive as soon as Thursday, while for their part Juventus "will consider selling the player" for that fee as they battle persistent financial problems.

[Vesper 30,170]

Arsenal

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/166428811/arsenal

• Sporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, is edging closing to joining Arsenal instead of Manchester United. (Talksport)

• Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is in London to finalise his transfer to Arsenal. (David Ornstein)

• Arsenal and Real Sociedad have completed all paperwork for Martin Zubimendi deal, it’s all signed. Zubimendi has completed formal steps of his move in London as he will be first summer signing for Arsenal. Fee around €64/65m paid in installments. (Fabrizio Romano)

[Vesper 30,170]

Liverpool

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/166428811/liverpool

• Liverpool are yet to receive any bids for Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, 25, who is the latest Premier League player to be linked with a move to Serie A champions Napoli. (Liverpool Echo)

• Liverpool would consider the sale of defender Ibrahima Konate who is entering the final year of his contract at the club. (Graeme Bailey tells Rousing The Kop)

• Liverpool’s plans for the Hungarian left-back Milos Kerkez are progressing smoothly. He is scheduled to travel to Merseyside on Tuesday next week. The deal has been verbally agreed for several weeks. (Fabrizio Romano)

• Once the deal for Jarell Quansah is completed, which is expected very soon, Liverpool plan to move forward with their centre-back targets. Marc Guehi remains high on their shortlist. (Fabrizio Romano)

• OFFICIAL: Liverpool confirm Florian Wirtz as new club record signing from Bayer Leverkusen.

• Florian Wirtz: “I’m so happy! I didn’t come here to have fun… I’m here to win everything. I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work”.

[Vesper 30,170]

Paris Saint-Germain

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/166428811/paris-saint-germain

• Paris Saint-Germain are in the final stages of negotiations with Bournemouth for Ilya Zabarnyi, following their latest proposal. A full agreement is expected to be reached shortly, with a new and potentially decisive offer set to arrive soon.

[KEVINAA 129]

 

[Vesper 30,170]

9 hours ago, KEVINAA said:

 

What Spurs can expect from Kota Takai: ‘Emerging talent’ who proved himself against Ronaldo

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6450552/2025/06/26/kota-takai-spurs-what-to-expect/

Most Premier League fans won’t have heard of Kota Takai until this transfer window.

But the 20-year-old, who is set to join Tottenham Hotspur from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale for a J1 League record £5million ($6.8m, 1billion Japanese yen), has quickly developed into a star in his home country.

Having missed the opening weeks of the 2023 season representing Japan at the Under-20 Asian Cup, upon his return Takai broke into Kawasaki’s first team aged just 18 and immediately established himself as a starter in central defence. He made 13 starts for Kawasaki in 2023, before being dropped to the bench towards the end of the season.

Although Kawasaki have been one of Japan’s most successful teams over the past decade, winning the J1 League four times between 2017 and 2021, the 2023 team was not vintage. They finished eighth in the then 18-team league, but Takai’s talent often shone through, earning him a place in Japan’s Under-20 World Cup squad that summer.

Since then, his career has taken off. He was part of the Japan team that won the Under-23 Asian Cup in 2024, playing every minute, apart from the second group game where he was rested. He then got his first cap for the senior national team in a 7-0 win over China later that year.

Though 2024 was another middling season for Kawasaki, finishing eighth for the second season running, Takai earned a call-up for the Paris Olympics to represent Japan, who were beaten 3-0 by Spain in the quarter-finals. For his performances across 2024, he won the J1 League’s Best Young Player award.

Now he’s a household name in Japanese football, with four caps for the national team. He also played for Kawasaki in the Asian Champions League final. They lost 2-0 in the showpiece game against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, but beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr en route to the final (pictured top).

“I would put him at the top of the young, emerging talents in Japan,” says Dan Orlowitz, a Japanese football journalist. “There was no question that he was going to Europe. He is definitely on track to become a star, relatively speaking, for the national team.”

 

Takai playing for Japan in June 2025 (Paul Miller/AFP/Getty Images)

Takai, who has been taking English lessons and models himself after Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, was reportedly attracting interest from around Europe before he agreed terms with Tottenham. While the jump from J1 League (ranked 14th in the world by Opta Analyst) to Premier League (first) is significant, he has the attributes of a modern centre-back.

First, he’s comfortable in possession, a prerequisite for any emerging centre-back playing for a Premier League and Champions League side.

“In terms of building up and contributing to the attack, he’s a reliable short passer,” says Orlowitz. “He’s not really going to contribute when you’re in the final third, but he’ll be able to move the ball forward.”

Kawasaki build from the back, and Takai or centre-back partner Yuichi Maruyama frequently finish games with the highest number of touches. Takai also has the ability to play line-breaking passes when given time and space.

Still, it’s an area of his game not entirely refined yet. In Kawasaki’s defeat by Vissel Kobe this month, Takai attempted 69 passes, completing just 56 (81 per cent). In their 1-0 win against Yokohama FC the week earlier, it declined to 20 from 27 (74 per cent). In their 2-1 away win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima on May 31, he completed 45 of his 49 passes (92 per cent).

Fluctuation in this area is understandable given his age, but his tendency to rush passes when under intense pressure was displayed against higher-quality opposition in the latter stages of the AFC Champions League.

Here, Al Ahli’s Ezgjan Alioski is chasing down Takai, who is receiving a pass from midfield.

Alioski quickly closes the distance, prompting Takai to take the ball wide, isolating him against his opponent. Under pressure, Takai attempts a tricky pass over Al Ahli winger Galeno and into the path of team-mate Asahi Sasaki, but mishits the pass and puts it out of play.

However, in the semi-final, he showed he can be composed and skilful in these situations. In this grab, Al Nassr attacker Jhon Duran tries to sneak up on Takai on his blind side to win the ball.

Takai casually feints backwards — deceiving Duran, who then changes the direction of his run — before bringing the ball forwards and away from the Colombia international’s pressure. He follows it up with a stylish chipped pass through the Al Nassr midfield block, setting his team away on an attack.

Takai has a high ceiling as a distributor, provided he improves under pressure and continues developing his touch and feel for medium to long-distance passes.

An area that we may not be able to assess properly before he plays in England is his ability to adapt from a physical perspective, but there are encouraging indicators that he has the qualities to adjust.

“One of the biggest challenges for him is adjusting to the physicality and speed of the Premier League,” says Orlowitz. “On any given Saturday, he can deliver a monster performance, but in the Premier League, he has to be able to do that week in and week out. It’s going to be an adjustment, but he’s got the physique.”

Takai stands at 6ft 3in (190cm), and he’s not afraid to put his body in the way to dispossess opponents. In this grab, he wins the ball after a shoulder-to-shoulder battle with Duran, whose physicality caused problems for Premier League defenders while at Aston Villa, before bringing the ball out of defence into midfield.

He’s also improving as an aerial presence and has found the net twice with headers from set pieces this season.

However, his primary strength as a defender is his anticipation and timing, particularly in recovery situations. He does not have the electric pace of Micky van de Ven, but he can close distances quickly for a player of his size and win the ball cleanly with impressive slide tackles. Here is one example of this in action.

Here’s another instance:

He can also read the game and step ahead of attackers, using his strength and power to win the ball, as shown in this grab:

Again, after dispossessing his opponent, he shows the vision and composure to move the ball on quickly to a team-mate, relieving opposition pressure.

Here, he calmly wins possession from Ronaldo, who had tried to break past Takai with a stepover move.

Having kept Ronaldo and Sadio Mane relatively quiet in the Asian Champions League semi-final, Tottenham have a barometer of Takai’s quality. It should provide some confidence that he can find his way in the Premier League, where his physical and technical attributes will be tested.

Emerging ahead of Cristian Romero and Van de Ven will not be easy, not to mention the group of international centre-backs waiting behind them in Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies and Luka Vuskovic, who made his Croatia debut earlier this month and can now play in England after turning 18 in February.

Still, Takai is a special talent, and Thomas Frank may be the perfect coach to maximise his abilities.

What You Should Read Next

Tottenham Hotspur and another summer of change at the top. Is there more to come?

We are not even in July yet and it has already been a summer of profound change at Tottenham Hotspur - and Paratici could still be next in

(Top photo: Takai and Cristiano Ronaldo by Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images)

[KEVINAA 129]

 

Arsenal 16 - CN

[CHRISTIAN NORGAARD]

DENMARK

 

Edited July 10 by KEVINAA

[ahmedou 191]

The Wolves Admin 😭

[ahmedou 191]

[Vesper 30,170]

Man City confirm signing of teenager Sverre Nypan

https://www.aol.com/man-city-confirm-signing-teenager-170021904.html

Manchester City have completed the signing of Norwegian teenager Sverre Nypan for £12.5m.

The midfielder, who has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, said he was proud to follow in the footsteps of Erling Haaland by joining City.

Nypan becomes City’s fifth summer signing after Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Marcus Bettinelli, with a combined cost of over £120m.

City’s plan is to send the 18-year-old out on loan but, if no deal is agreed when their players return to training after the break they were given following the Club World Cup, he will work with Pep Guardiola and the senior squad.

“I am incredibly happy and proud to have joined Manchester City,” said Nypan. “It’s a dream for any young footballer to become part of this club and to join such a group of world class talent.

“I am still very young with a lot to learn but the chance to be coached by Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me to become a better player.

“There is already a special connection between Norway and Manchester City through Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb, and I am very proud to have become the latest Norwegian player to have joined the club.”

Director of football Hugo Viana said Nypan, who became Rosenborg’s youngest ever player when he debuted at 15, had been scouted by City for a while.

“Sverre is an exciting young player that the Club has been monitoring for quite some time now,” he added.

“We feel that he already has numerous standout qualities but that at only 18 years of age, he is only going to continue to improve.

“We believe he will be an important asset for Manchester City in the years to come and we will support him every step of the way in his development.”

[Vesper 30,170]

Arsenal's Next Signing Leaked: Cristhian Mosquera Set to Join as Fifth Summer Signing

- Arsenal's next signing appears to have been leaked online, following the arrival of Noni Madueke at the Emirates.

- The 23-year-old winger's move from Chelsea was confirmed on Friday, making him the fourth purchase by Mikel Arteta this summer.

- More spending is expected on the red side of North London, with Viktor Gyokeres believed to be high on the list of priorities.

- Images of Cristhian Mosquera, a Valencia defender, in an Arsenal training top have emerged online, suggesting he may be the fifth man to join the club this summer.

- Mosquera, 21, has become a breakout star for Valencia over the last couple of seasons and is set to compete with the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel at the heart of Arteta's defense next season.

- It was reported earlier in the week that Mosquera was flying to the UK to undergo a medical at the club, with a fee of around £17 million being agreed with Valencia.

- Mosquera played once during Spain's 2024 Olympic triumph.

 

 

[Vesper 30,170]

Frankfurt are about to hit profits of €345m in six years just from selling strikers – this is how they do it

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6508175/2025/07/23/eintracht-frankfurt-hugo-ekitike-analysis-strikers-sales/

Most clubs would feel a little uneasy, maybe even start to panic, if they always had to think about selling their best attacking player come the end of a season. Others, understandably, would fight tooth and nail to try to keep that key figure. 

But for Eintracht Frankfurt, under the guidance of sporting director Markus Krosche, letting their top goalscorers go — as they have done after four of the past seven German Bundesliga seasons — has swiftly become a natural and necessary part of their self-sustainable approach.

“I call them end clubs,” Krosche said in an August 2024 interview with Sky Sports, referring to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Liverpool. “We are a club in between, who sell to these end clubs.

“This is what I tell the players: ‘If your development is faster than our development as a club, and I get the money I expect, I will let you go’. This is why so many young talents like to come to Frankfurt, because we know what we have to do to develop them.

“Selling players is part of my job. I am not emotional about it. It’s business.”

Though it sounds clinical, Krosche’s attention to detail — having invested heavily in the training facilities and coaching staff at Frankfurt over the past few years —  is just as beneficial for the players as it is for the club’s financial growth. They have hired psychologists and nutrition experts and can rely on a team of specialist coaches to work individually with young players, helping them to achieve their goals, which are, transparently, to move on and to play for Europe’s biggest sides.

With the imminent sale of Hugo Ekitike to Premier League champions Liverpool, reported by The Athletic to amount to around €91million with add-ons, Frankfurt’s net transfer profit since summer 2023 will rise to around €161m. Their two biggest sales until that deal is official — Randal Kolo Muani and Omar Marmoush — both arrived as free agents and left commanding fees of €165m between them.

When Ekitike is factored in, and only accounting for the centre-forwards they’ve sold, Frankfurt will have made a profit of around €345million (£300m/$405m at current rates) in just six years.

Even before Krosche’s 2021 appointment, in summer 2019, Frankfurt more than tripled their original investments when they sold Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic in the same window. Andre Silva, who came in that summer on an initial loan to replace them, left for almost eight times the price for which he was purchased in summer 2020, just a year later, after scoring 28 league goals in the ensuing campaign.

From a pure profit perspective, no club have generated more across the past three years, according to Transfermarkt, and they’ve done it while climbing steadily up the table: from seventh in 2022-23, to fifth, to matching their highest-ever Bundesliga finish last season by coming third.

So, just how do Frankfurt keep doing it? And is it something we can expect to continue, with even more money coming their way?

---

From a player-recruitment perspective, Frankfurt’s approach to ensuring future profitability isn’t groundbreaking. They target youngsters with high sell-on potential, placing particular emphasis on those who are positionally versatile and suit the club’s style of play.

It’s the consistency and commitment to their methodology, along with the environment they create for incoming players, that helps them reap the rewards.

The execution of their strategy is always clear to see, with 21 of Frankfurt’s last 26 permanent signings being under the age of 25 when they joined the club. They also, crucially, are not afraid to spend themselves if they spot a market opportunity, and will offer eight-figure fees if they believe that player fits their model.

A look at their 10 most expensive buys illustrates that pattern.

One of the oldest purchases in the list was that of Arthur Theate, though he was just 24 at the time. With plenty of top-flight experience in Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1 behind him, he came in from Rennes last August and played the third-most minutes of anyone in the Frankfurt squad.

Of the 10, six are still at the club, and the others were sold for a cumulative profit of €111million, with a hefty boost to come when Ekitike officially becomes a Liverpool player.

Jonathan Burkardt has yet to play competitively for Frankfurt but looks to be another acquisition that aligns closely with their recruitment project.

Burkardt only turned 25 this month, so the three-time Germany international centre-forward has his best years ahead of him after leaving boyhood club Mainz. He scored 18 Bundesliga goals in what was his farewell season after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out for most of 2022-23 and the start of the following campaign.

Able to play across the front line, as the position map illustrates below, even filling in at wing-back in his early appearances in the top flight, Burkardt is another forward who is adaptable, athletic and quick to spot opportunities to run in-behind — exactly the kind of attacking player who tends to prosper in a high-energy Frankfurt side.

There are distinct similarities between him and now-Manchester City forward Marmoush, who was also picked up by Frankfurt after showing his versatility elsewhere in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg.

As he has gone on to show in the Premier League, the Egyptian can play anywhere across the final third, but his skill set — an excellent striker of the ball from distance and a springy, powerful runner on the counter-attack — saw him thrive at a club that gave him the freedom to exploit space in transition.

As we can see below, Frankfurt were the side to have generated the most expected goals (xG) from fast-break situations last season, only being outscored in those scenarios by Liverpool across Europe’s big four leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A).

With Marmoush at the heart of their distinct attacking approach, alongside Ekitike, another player similarly well-suited to free-flowing football on the break, the pair saw their respective valuations take off.

In that respect, Frankfurt’s commitment to quick, attacking football under coach Dino Toppmoller goes some way to explaining their recent success in the transfer market.

Appealing to clubs in the Premier League, far and away the highest-spending division in world football, will be key to the consistent profitability of their model. And given that the English top flight jumped above the Bundesliga for the number of direct attacks per game last season, players who can be decisive at speed will continue to command premium prices.

Speaking to The Athletic in May, Frankfurt CEO Axel Hellmann used the example of Marmoush to underline the importance of targeted training within his club to accelerate the upward trajectories of their talented players.

“We have one of the best coaching teams in the Bundesliga,” Hellmann said. “That’s really important, because we sign young players and the process of educating them, which is what is making us famous at the moment, involves a lot.

“When Marmoush arrived, he wasn’t really a goalscorer, but our coaches worked with him mentally, physically, strategically, and tactically and technically on the pitch. Our team worked on all his abilities and we created a whole new player. It’s good education and good coaching.”

Marmoush joined Frankfurt as a pacy, positionally fluid attacking player, but he left 18 months later as so much more. He became a clinical finisher, his work on free kicks and set pieces was evident, plus the technical ability and combination play to both break down low blocks and strike with space ahead.

Some will view their approach as lacking ambition, but Frankfurt’s acceptance of their place in the footballing food chain is arguably their greatest strength. 

What You Should Read Next

Hugo Ekitike: Analysing how he fits into Liverpool’s attacking structure

The 23-year-old French striker has all the attributes to be an elite No 9 - here's what he will offer in Arne Slot's side

Their track record of developing and upselling young players now speaks for itself and helps attract some of the best prospects to their club. There are no delusions at Frankfurt, no blockers; if a player works hard to realise their talent, they will get the move they crave and help the club to achieve their objectives along the way.

All that remains to be seen now is how they continue to scale up on the pitch. Even with Champions League football on the menu for the coming season, Frankfurt will struggle to reinvest all of their immense transfer profits into the squad, as they are unlikely to attract the kind of star player who can sign and then immediately improve them.

They have little choice but to keep investing in the future, so even if we see a slight drop-off from that third-placed finish, don’t expect Frankfurt’s striker conveyor belt to slow down.