Chelsea Transfers

[MoroccanBlue 5,281]

Can't get a better Kante replacement than Caicedo. All for it. 

Just need a Jorginho replacement. Not sure if Zakaria or Carney can make the step up this season. 

[Superblue 6,370]

13 hours ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Can't get a better Kante replacement than Caicedo. All for it. 

Just need a Jorginho replacement. Not sure if Zakaria or Carney can make the step up this season. 

I'd argue that Carney is better suited to a more advanced role, maybe even that number 10 position Havertz lined up in during the week.

[Vesper 28,396]

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.

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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."

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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.

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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

[Gundalf 804]

An unacceptable failure from the old regime. Lets hope these times are over. 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,415]

 

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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.

[bigbluewillie 1,847]

🤪🤪🤪🤪

Chelsea manager Graham Potter wants to make a move for Tottenham and England star Harry Kane, 29, and is ready to offer Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 29, in exchange. (Calciomercato- in Italian)

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Chelsea not close to appointing Christoph Freund, or any other sporting director — reports

Premature articulation

https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/Chelsea-fc-transfer-rumours-news/2022/9/20/23362517/Chelsea-not-close-to-appointing-christoph-freund-or-any-other-sporting-director-reports

Like when you accidental tap on an Instagram post instead of scrolling, and then you desperately try to un-like the thing before it becomes immediately awkward, there is now a “good chance” that Christoph Freund is going to stay with RB Salzburg instead of joining Chelsea.

That’s the latest twist in this brief saga, with The Athletic blaming their incorrect reporting on the “optimism inside Stamford Bridge” while others continue to double down on technicalities, like a supposed “verbal agreement”?

Given the momentous reporting over the past couple days, RB Salzburg’s claims to the contrary seemed a bit Brighton-esque yesterday as they tried to make it clear through a couple different channels that not only is Freund not going anywhere, but that no one has actually said anything about this to them (be that Chelsea or Christoph himself). But unlike in the case of Marc Cucurella, this time, it looks like the club’s word is the one to go with it.

The Athletic add that not only are Chelsea not close to signing Freund, the appointment of any sporting director is “not imminent”. Womp womp wompppppp...

And so, back to waiting.

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Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing

Why Chelsea have chosen Christoph Freund

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/subscribers-only-what-next-for-lukaku

So who is Christoph Freund? It’s important to say that Graham Potter approved the move. Why? Because Freund is considered one of the best sporting directors around. He works hard behind the scenes, and he’s turned down many other offers from the Premier League in the last few years.

Freund wanted to be respectful to Salzburg, but he’s told them about the opportunity at Chelsea, and now it’s only a matter of time before it’s done. It’s really imminent.

What Freund did at Salzburg is incredible - they invested in Erling Haaland and he became one of the best strikers in the world. Sadio Mane was also signed by Freund at Salzburg, and we’ve seen what he’s done in Europe in the last few years. Naby Keita was another discovered by Freund. I could mention many others, Patson Daka at Leicester for example. He made more than €500m from player sales - incredible work, it’s not easy to do that kind of work. All these factors made a difference for Chelsea.

No change on Romelu Lukaku’s situation at Chelsea

 

 

 

Freund will have a lot of work to do at Chelsea, on signings, loans, player sales. One name that’s cropped up already is Romelu Lukaku, but my understanding is that there is no update to speak of just yet.

Nothing has changed between Lukaku and Chelsea. The point is the player - he's only focused on Inter project and he hopes to continue there also next season.

No one has called him on the Chelsea side, so I think the comeback is not a priority for both the club and the player right now.

What next for Mykhaylo Mudryk?

 

Despite growing speculation, I have no updates on Mudryk now – I think he will be linked with 15 clubs in the next three months, and it’s normal as he’s a top talent, but nothing will be decided now.

Shakhtar will take their time and I’m sure they want more than €45-50m for Mudryk … but we’ve to see how his performances in the Champions League will be in the next weeks.

I’m a big fan of the player, still only 21 years old and doing important things in the Champions League, but I can’t currently say much more in terms of where we’ll be seeing him in the future.

Should Bayern Munich have signed Cristiano Ronaldo?

 

It’s not been the best start to the season for Bayern Munich, but we can ignore any talk of Thomas Tuchel returning to management at the Allianz Arena any time soon.

Bayern are very clear on their position - they are protecting Nagelsmann with the whole board and they are denying all the rumours on other managers. At the moment, this is not changing.

It’s normal that any club would miss a player like Robert Lewandowski. I think Cristiano Ronaldo was a great option for them to replace their top scorer, but I understand their traditional policy on transfers is different.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn’t a candidate for Brighton

 

It’s inevitable that plenty of managers will be linked with a job when an opening becomes available, but I’m not convinced by the recent rumours about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being one of the candidates for Brighton.

 

 

I'm told the only man wanted by Brighton was Roberto de Zerbi, the real main priority. I have no information on Solskjaer and talks with Brighton.

The situation is really quiet around Ole as of now. I'm sure he would be a good call for many Premier League clubs, but he needs a clear and long-term project.

West Ham couldn’t agree personal terms with Arnaut Danjuma

 

I’ve been asked by some fans about Arnaut Danjuma - we heard a lot about him earlier in the summer, but speculation ended up dying down. So what happened?

Despite links with Newcastle and some other clubs, the real interest was there from West Ham. They wanted Danjuma but the deal collapsed because of personal terms, there was no agreement with the player.

In the end, Danjuma decided to stay at Villarreal. We’ll see if he becomes an option for English clubs again in the future.

Ethan Nwaneri shows Arsenal’s academy is one of the best in the business

 

What a moment it was for Ethan Nwaneri and Arsenal this weekend! The 15-year-old made history by becoming the youngest ever player in the Premier League, and it’s a testament to the Gunners’ academy.

It's pretty clear Arsenal are doing a fantastic job with young players. The academy is excellent, they're very good in the scouting system but also in how they present their long-term project to players and their parents.

It's just the beginning - they have at least two or three talents ready to shine in the next months, but it will take some time and they prefer to keep names quiet as they don't want to put too much expectation on these young kids.

[bigbluewillie 1,847]

Christoph Freund has confirmed he will remain as RB Salzburg's sporting director despite interest from Chelsea.

It is understood Freund held talks with the Premier League club but Salzburg say no formal approach was made. 

"When a club like Chelsea is interested in you, it is a big honour not just for you, but also for the work of the club in general," said Freund. 

"But I've come to the conclusion that FC Red Bull Salzburg is the best place for me."

He added: "We're in the middle of a very intense phase and have important tasks to do in the Bundesliga, cup and Champions League - that's what my whole focus and concentration are on."

Freund, 45, would have overseen player recruitment at Stamford Bridge alongside manager Graham Potter, who was appointed earlier this month to replace the sacked Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea are keen to appoint a sporting director after chairman and co-owner Todd Boehly fulfilled the role in an interim capacity over the summer. 

The Premier League club have been speaking to several candidates about the role, and want to ensure someone is appointed before the World Cup in November. 

It is understood that Boehly and other senior sources are keen on the data-driven approach to recruitment used by Salzburg and fellow Red Bull team Leipzig, who play in the Germany Bundesliga. 

Salzburg managing director Stephan Reiter added: "Christoph Freund has been doing excellent work for us for many years and only recently extended his contract until 2026.

"I can hereby confirm that he will remain sporting director of FC Red Bull Salzburg.

"Of course, he informed me about Chelsea's interest in him and we exchanged ideas on a personal level and in good conversations.

"The fact is that he will remain our sporting director. We have not received any inquiries about a possible change."

Chelsea and Salzburg shared a 1-1 draw in their first Champions League Group E encounter last week and are set to play again in Austria on 25 October. 

 

[bigbluewillie 1,847]

And...

Chelsea are targeting RB Leipzig chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff to take up the role of technical director at Stamford Bridge. (Athletic - subscription required)

[Strike 7,202]

Something seriously wrong with the club and the way it is briefing the media - Coming away looking like idiots all summer and now in the director search

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Blue Armour 4,256]

9 hours ago, Strike said:

Something seriously wrong with the club and the way it is briefing the media - Coming away looking like idiots all summer and now in the director search

Agreed. If upper tier sources like Matt Law have to reverse their stance regarding confirmations, you have to wonder why they were misinformed in the first place. 

Club should be a little more discreet, and not say something is nailed on until it is.

[OneMoSalah 8,754]

1 hour ago, Blue Armour said:

Agreed. If upper tier sources like Matt Law have to reverse their stance regarding confirmations, you have to wonder why they were misinformed in the first place. 

Club should be a little more discreet, and not say something is nailed on until it is.

Wonder whats changed from previous years… a certain loudmouth American who every week is looking more and more dafter. 

I am already looking forward to seeing what else is going to happen in the coming months because it sure is going to be interesting and no doubt comical for either us or opposition fans 😂 

There is no doubt if its not directly coming from him that some of this stuff is definitely coming from people close to him. I mean he is the owner and interim sporting director so who else could it be?

Edited September 21, 2022 by OneMoSalah