Chelsea Transfers

[R2D2 368]

 

[Jase 43,479]

1 hour ago, R2D2 said:

 

Times is saying that and then Guardian is saying CHO is happy and wants to fight for his place here. Go figure...

[Fernando 6,497]

43 minutes ago, R2D2 said:

 

Yay I don't want this guy, sell this summer is the best we can do. 

[Vesper 29,165]

On 27/05/2021 at 10:41, Vesper said:

West Ham will want at least £80m for Rice

that is simply too much

buy Aurélien Tchouaméni and have him pair with and/or learn from Kante

We are supposedly putting a big in for £65m for Lukaku

that is £70 to 85m less than Håland or Kane would cost

we have such an CRAZY amount of players to sell, and other than Citeh, and PSG, everyone else is fucked financially (and us of course)

those 2016 to 2018 insanely bad buys, non sales, botched sales, etc are really going to bite us in the arse hard

if we do not sort some shit, players like Sancho, Bastoni, Marquinhos, Rice, and Camavinga (let alone Mbappe, Kane, Oblak, and Håland) are going to be crazy hard or more likely impossible to get in the gate

we can try for Varane (RM will try and rape us even though he leaves on a free in summer 2022 if they do not sell this summer), but we may end up buying Maxence Lacroix

IF Aouar is indeed only going for £25m, he is deffo worth a stab too

Rodrigo De Paul is another class CMF/winger who was a huge reason Conte quit inter, and he is going for only around £30-33m

 

I am still gutted that Silas Wamangituka blew his knee out and is out until October or so (and then of course it remains to be seen how damaged he is)

he was the perfect Azpi long term replacement/depth for Reece at RB, RWB, RMF, RCB

1.89m, explosive pace (around as fast as Davies from Bayern pre-injury)

look at his numbers for Stuttgart, hardly a powerhouse side

 

LB is such thin pickings

only 3 I really rate

Theo Hernández (I so doubt AC Milan sells) his brother Lucas (Bayern will not sell) and then another reason Conte quit and my suggestion last year

Robin Gosens , 1.84m, far faster than Alonso, and huge numbers for a pure LWB/FB

22 goals (20 of those league), 16 assists (14 league) the past 2 seasons

on the cheaper side

another LWB/LB who si even bigger (1.86m) and scored 7 goals in only 2500 minutes

Stuttgart’s Wamangituka reveals real name & age after ‘manipulation’ by ex-agent

https://theathletic.com/news/silas-wamangituka-stuttgart-agent-name-age/9WUAkkg1mTAI

Stuttgart’s Silas Wamangituka has revealed his name and age were false after being the “victim of manipulation by his former player agent”.

Documentation has come to light that, according to Stuttgart, proves the Congolese forward’s real name is Silas Katompa Mvumpa and that he is 22, rather than 21 (his age listed on the Bundesliga’s official website as of 1.30pm BST on June 8).

Silas, as Stuttgart now refer to him, has worked with Stuttgart and a new agent to obtain his correct records from the Democratic Republic of Congo and clarify his identity. Due to his situation, Silas says he has been “living in fear”.

The forward won this season’s Bundesliga Rookie of the Year after Stuttgart’s promotion.

How did this happen?

Stuttgart say that following a trial with Anderlecht in 2017, “an agent is said to have put Silas under considerable pressure in Belgium and convinced him that he would not be allowed to return to Europe if he left Belgium and went back to Congo.

“Silas trusted the agent and went to live with him in Paris. He then changed his identity and papers were created for him in the name of Silas Wamangituka (one of the names of his father) and with a date of birth that was exactly one year different from his own, 6 October 1999.

“From this point onwards, Silas was under the influence of the agent who syphoned off part of his wages and threatened him that he would never play football again if the matter ever became public.

“Thanks to his considerable efforts to clear up the situation, Silas now has a valid Congolese passport with his correct personal details.”

The club noted that Silas “had been the victim of manipulation by his former player agent and that Wamangituka is not his real name”.

What has Silas said?

“Over the past few years, I was constantly living in fear and was also very worried for my family in Congo,” he told the club website.

“It was a tough step for me to take to make my story public and I would never have had the courage to do so if Stuttgart, my team and VfB had not become like a second home and a safe place to me.”

Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat added: “First and foremost, Silas has been the victim of this change of name.

“I have the greatest respect for the fact that at a young age, he has taken the brave step to clarify his situation. We will continue to give him all the help he needs in absolutely every respect.”

How has he performed at Stuttgart?

Since joining from Paris FC in 2019, Silas has been a key player for Stuttgart.

In his first year in Germany, he scored seven goals as Stuttgart were promoted to the Bundesliga.

Silas kicked on in his debut top-flight campaign, registering 11 goals and five assists as Stuttgart enjoyed a ninth-placed finish, and firmly established himself as a highly-rated Bundesliga talent.

[R2D2 368]

 

[Vesper 29,165]

26 minutes ago, R2D2 said:

 

He maybe switching to the Ghana NT too, which means he is gone for a month mid-season if he does so.

[Vesper 29,165]

The Athletic’s 10 Euro stars – Alexander Isak: A modern footballing unicorn

https://theathletic.com/2611588/2021/06/07/the-athletics-10-euro-stars-alexander-isak-a-modern-footballing-unicorn

There is a new type of target man running amok. 

As top-level football becomes increasingly focused on attacking moves in transition, the attributes needed to play as a lone striker have gone through a rewrite. If Didier Drogba in his Chelsea prime a decade ago was one of many who harkened the dominance of 4-2-3-1 and the end of front men who only worked in the opposition penalty area, then the likes of Erling Haaland are part of a new breed who press, create and score. 

The strikers of the next decade are likely to be physically imposing athletes capable of moments of explosive speed and strength to break through high-line defences. They will need to be able to play with their back to goal, but also to press from the front and to hassle defenders in the wide areas. These players are likely to possess a smattering of skill-based moves to beat at least one defender from a standing start and a handful of shooting techniques so they can finish off chances with both placed and power finishes.

It is a big ask, and that is why any player who looks capable of meeting such a lengthy job spec is mentioned alongside eyebrow-elevating transfer fees. These are footballing unicorns — players who shouldn’t really exist but are out there if you go on into the early hours scouting talent from unknown lands (or just watch La Liga and Ligue 1 highlights, like we do).

Alexander Isak, a 21-year-old, 6ft 3in tall striker for Spain’s Real Sociedad and Sweden, looks to be one of the next generation of this ilk.

Isak is a streaky player in that when he’s hot, he’s really hot. Across the end of 2019 and the start of 2020, for example, he scored a late equaliser against Barcelona (in a 2-2 draw on December 14) to spark a run of 12 goals in as many games, including two at the Bernabeu to help knock out Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

Born in Stockholm to parents from Eritrea in north-east Africa, Isak’s goalscoring prowess has seen him compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (another “fluid” kind of target man). While there are some similarities between the two Swedes, there are plenty of differences as far as the younger striker is concerned,

Isak doesn’t quite have Ibrahimovic’s limitless self-belief and ability to bend footballing events to own will yet, but he does have seemingly extendable legs and an ability to score from some unbelievable positions.

Isak’s career trajectory has been an interesting one.

First emerging at Stockholm club AIK in the 2016 season with 10 goals in 23 appearances, he was signed at age 17 by the Thomas Tuchel-coached Borussia Dortmund, who beat off an array of suitors including Real Madrid in January 2017. Isak then spent the better part of two years flitting between Dortmund’s senior and B teams and Dutch side Willem II on loan.

His combination of explosive speed and inventive finishes meant Isak’s talent was never in question — during his spell in the Netherlands for the second half of the 2018-19 season, he became the first foreign player there to score 12 goals in his first 12 games — but, like many prodigious talents, it became a question of which club would be the best environment for him to properly bloom. 

The answer turned out to be Real Sociedad, after technical director Roberto Olabe convinced the young Swede to join in the summer of 2019.

Isak’s two seasons in the Basque city of San Sebastian have seen him first display his talents as counter-attacking forward, running on to balls in behind defences from Martin Odegaard in 2019-20, and then as a competent passer, forming build-up triangles with David Silva and other team-mates last term.

This past season saw Isak become the first player aged 21 or under to get to 17 goals in La Liga since Sergio Aguero did it for Atletico Madrid in 2008-09.

A good demonstration of Isak’s talents can be found in a 3-2 loss away to Sevilla in January, with the forward first pressing defender Diego Carlos into scoring a comedy own goal before ghosting in at the back post from a corner for a one-touch finish to make it 2-2. 

Isak’s smarterscout profile also helps break down his most recent season.

For those unfamiliar with smarterscout profiles, they break down parts of a player’s game into different performance, skill and style metrics, and then give scores based on how often they perform a given stylistic action or how effective they are compared with others playing in their position, producing an overall score between zero and 99.

What the above chart is telling you

Isak shoots a lot (the high rating for shot volume), contributes highly to his team’s chances of scoring (the high score in xG from shot creation) and generally picks up the ball in central locations in the penalty area (receptions in opposition box).

He’s a good ball carrier (the high score for carry and dribble volume) but tends to dribble only over short distances from A to B, rather than more expansive runs and passes into space, as a winger would do. He performs well in effectively pressing the opposition from the front, too (that strong number in defending impact).

He doesn’t frequently compete in the air for a player of his height (see his low score for aerial duel quantity).

Neither, as the below chart shows, does he rate too highly in terms of success in his aerial duels — being considered below average in his ability to win them both in open play or from set pieces.

This is a common side-effect for footballers who have their growth spurts early, as their back muscles aren’t as well developed as in smaller players; this is something Isak will have to develop if he wishes to be more like Ibrahimovic.

What your eyes might tell you watching Isak at Euro 2020

He scores with a lot of one-touch finishes, similar to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s recent work for Everton.

He’s a bit skinny, somewhere between Ibrahimovic and Peter Crouch in terms of build for tall strikers, though is likely to bulk up with age if he wishes to develop his hold-up play.

How you might explain Isak if you’re in a bar with friends and his name pops up

“Imagine Jamie Vardy — but 6ft 2in, and with better dribbling.”

“He’s a nuisance of a target man, like Ollie Watkins — a pest to defenders when pressing, but you can also volley long passes in to him to hold up.”

“Did you ever see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund, when he was lightning-quick and picking off wasteful passes from opposition full-backs?”

“He’s going to get linked with a Champions League club next year and then tear up the competition, along with a bunch of other 6ft-plus, dribbling strikers.”

That last one might get you some strange looks but here’s some further smarterscout data for those wanting a comparison with some forwards already in the Premier League. 

“I think this is the natural evolution of the striker position based on tactical trends — most notably pressing and high lines,” says Sam Tighe, a football journalist from the podcast Ranks FC who has covered Isak previously. 

“The on-the-shoulder runner who aims to exploit the space in behind is back in vogue but, thanks to sports science, they’re bigger and stronger and better than ever. So you have Isak, Tammy (Abraham), (Dusan) Vlahovic from Fiorentina, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and more. Big and strong, fast and quick, but good footballers too. And they can change from ‘in behind’ to ‘target man’ on demand, depending on the game situation.”

The demands placed on target men are changing as football reinvents itself at the top level but Isak looks more than up to the task at hand. 

As part of our our Euro 2020 coverage, we’re highlighting the players who could light up Europe this summer.

[Magic Lamps 11,677]

33 minutes ago, R2D2 said:

 

if they bid 50m again we should take the money and run. Maybe CHO is gonna come good one day but he sure as hell won't come good here.

the ghana thing is a bit weird. He is like the most english guy ever but i guess he will neve rhave a look in for England NT so if he wants to play internationally so bad. Honestly if I were a baller, I'd rather not play internationals at all than play for 2nd rate NT. Esp if it would mean missing a significant part of the club season. Makes a player a less attractive propsect in an instant

[Vesper 29,165]

lol

Gladbach want 40 million euros for Jonas Hofmann

can they go FUCK themselves please

he is 29 in a month

in around 1400 minutes of European footie in his career

24 games

all he has is one CL goal, one CL assist, one EL goal, and 2 EL assists

I will go fucking bonkers if we drop 40m euros on this clown

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Vesper

[Artandur 939]

1 minute ago, Vesper said:

can they go FUCK themselves please

Easy there^^ They didnt say he's worth 40m. They just said they do not intend to sell him. When asked if they wouldn't even consider it at any price, they said for sth like 40m they would be forced to think about it. 

[Vesper 29,165]

'Unstoppable' £150m player wants to move to Chelsea

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/report-unstoppable-150m-rated-gem-wants-to-move-to-Chelsea/

Erling Haaland is said to be intrigued by a move to Chelsea, whether that be this summer or in 12 months’ time.

According to the Telegraph, Borussia Dortmund’s priceless striker is apparently attracted by the idea of moving to Stamford Bridge.

This should be music to the ears of those associated with Chelsea, who have Haaland extremely high on their transfer wish list.

Hurdles for Haaland

Plenty still stands between the Blues and their priority signing, but this latest report may cause some encouragement.

The 20-year-old’s reported £150m+ (Telegraph) price tag is the first obstacle, an astronomical fee that only a few clubs could muster up.

Haaland’s possible wage demands might also create an issue for Chelsea, who already have plenty of well-priced stars on their squad list.

Not to mention that Dortmund managed to qualify for the Champions League, leaving that lure pretty redundant.

But the Blues have clearly not given up in their pursuit of the Norwegian centre-forward.

Reasons for optimism

Even if they have to wait until his release clause kicks in next year, allowing him to leave for a comparatively cheap fee of between £65m and £86m (Telegraph).

This has tempted Chelsea to inquire about setting up a future deal with the Bundesliga side, that could include using Tammy Abraham in a trade-off.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid might have similar ambitions in prizing Haaland away from Germany.

Pep Guardiola has already voiced his admiration for the Scandinavian superstar.

[Vesper 29,165]

3 minutes ago, Artandur said:

Easy there^^ They didnt say he's worth 40m. They just said they do not intend to sell him. When asked if they wouldn't even consider it at any price, they said for sth like 40m they would be forced to think about it. 

he is NOT Chels level

not close

and why would we buy a winger who turns 30 next summer?

if he is a bust, his value will be shit

this and the Traore rumours really piss me off

 

[Vesper 29,165]

Claim player has asked Chelsea ‘for bigger role or to be sold’ – Two clubs in Italy vying for his signature

http://sportwitness.co.uk/claim-player-asked-Chelsea-bigger-role-sold-two-clubs-italy-vying-signature/

Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech is a target for AC Milan and Napoli this summer after asking to be sold if there are not more opportunities for him next season.

That’s according to the journalists at Radio CRC, relayed by Area Napoli, who say the former could have an advantage over their rivals.

Ziyech arrived at Chelsea last summer in a big-money move from Ajax, having established himself a star man for the Dutch giants in both the Eredivisie and Champions League.

However, he struggled for form in his first season in England, failing to be the star man under both Frank Lampard and his replacement Thomas Tuchel.

[Vesper 29,165]

ML: Not only Giroud, Tomori and Ziyech – Milan evaluating unwanted €40m Chelsea forward

https://sempremilan.com/ml-not-only-giroud-tomori-and-ziyech-milan-evaluating-unwanted-e40m-Chelsea-forward

The axis between AC Milan and Chelsea is a very hot one at the moment and now a new potential target has been linked with the Rossoneri.

According to MilanLive, Milan are keen on signing Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham as there is a chance that the England forward would continue to find no playing time with the London club, especially given their links with Erling Haaland and other strikers.

If the Blues are to seriously pursue Haaland they would need a sale to raise funds and free a spot in the squad, and even though Abraham scored 12 goals last season Thomas Tuchel does not consider him a first choice.

The Abraham hypothesis is possible for Milan but still not very easy, as the 23-year-old is under contract until 2023 and has interest from the Premier League, with West Ham keen among others. One of the main obstacles would be the cost of the transfer fee, as Chelsea would want €40m for him. A loan with option to buy deal, like the Fikayo Tomori one, could get it done.

 

We should demand Romagnoli and Theo Hernandez for the 4 of them

toss in Emerson too if they pay us £20m (to replace Theo)

 

the money works

The most we will get for Emerson is £20m, so call that a wash

 

Giroud is £3m tops

Tammy £40m

Tomori £25m (they owe us this anyway)

Ziyech £35m

 

£103m

 

 

Romagnoli is worth £40m

Theo is worth £60m

£100m

(and let's be honest, £20m for Emerson is 3 to 5m more than he is worth in this market)

 

we solve our left-footed CB issue

we now have 2 of the top 4 LB's in the world (Theo can also play CB in a pinch, and I would think that Tuchel could turn him into a DMF option too)

and they get 5 quality players

also frees us up to dump Zouma and Alonso (should pull in £45-50m or so)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jype 6,398]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

He maybe switching to the Ghana NT too, which means he is gone for a month mid-season if he does so.

How can he switch? He's already declared for England and played in competitive matches (Euro 2020 qualifiers). As far as I'm aware, you can't switch after that anymore. Friendlies don't count but competitive games mean he's locked for England, right?

[Vesper 29,165]

3 minutes ago, Jype said:

How can he switch? He's already declared for England and played in competitive matches (Euro 2020 qualifiers). As far as I'm aware, you can't switch after that anymore. Friendlies don't count but competitive games mean he's locked for England, right?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/hudson-odoi-uncertainty-Chelsea-england-24270961

His struggles for the Stamford Bridge outfit have limited his England chances, with Hudson-Odoi making three senior outings for Gareth Southgate's squad; his last coming in the 4-0 win over Kosovo in November 2019.

And it has now emerged that Hudson-Odoi is considering a possible international change, with Ghana keen on securing his services.

With three Three Lions appearances already, one more cap would permanently tie him down to the country of his birth.

[Jype 6,398]

6 minutes ago, Vesper said:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/hudson-odoi-uncertainty-Chelsea-england-24270961

His struggles for the Stamford Bridge outfit have limited his England chances, with Hudson-Odoi making three senior outings for Gareth Southgate's squad; his last coming in the 4-0 win over Kosovo in November 2019.

And it has now emerged that Hudson-Odoi is considering a possible international change, with Ghana keen on securing his services.

With three Three Lions appearances already, one more cap would permanently tie him down to the country of his birth.

They must have changed the rules for international eligibility then.

I remember in the past it's always been one competitive game and that's it, no more changes. Previously the only exception to that rule was the forming of a whole new national team like Kosovo a few years ago and players who were eligible for Kosovo but had played for other national teams were allowed to switch if they wanted but other dual nationals could only switch allegiances at youth international level after appearing for one country but full internationals were locked.

In that case declaring for Ghana could be really good for CHO himself. Can't see him getting back to the England team anytime soon with players like Sancho, Foden, Grealish Rashford, Sterling, Mount etc. to compete with.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Jype

[Vesper 29,165]

59 minutes ago, Jype said:

They must have changed the rules for international eligibility then.

I remember in the past it's always been one competitive game and that's it, no more changes. Previously the only exception to that rule was the forming of a whole new national team like Kosovo a few years ago and players who were eligible for Kosovo but had played for other national teams were allowed to switch if they wanted but other dual nationals could only switch allegiances at youth international level after appearing for one country but full internationals were locked.

In that case declaring for Ghana could be really good for CHO himself. Can't see him getting back to the England team anytime soon with players like Sancho, Foden, Grealish Rashford, Sterling, Mount etc. to compete with.

In September 2020, the 70th edition of the FIFA Congress approved a rule change that now allows players to switch if they have played no more than three competitive matches at senior level prior to them turning 21.