Chelsea Transfers

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

38 minutes ago, Strike said:

There was no need to sell Hall when they clearly rated him above Maatsen and Cucurella had question marks all over him. This is a problem of the board’s own making 

Is it just me or did anyone else think Cucurella’s performances under Poch definitely improved a lot compared to last season though? They couldn’t get much worse granted but I don’t believe he all of a sudden is a bad player, even like Caicedo although his price tag is scandalous and he is having an even worse first season than Cucu did so far.

Loaning Lewis out to play every week would have been the right thing to do. The loan to Newcastle with buy option is more than likely to fall through unless he meets certain performance criteria, even Eddie Howe has said he doesn’t know if he will be at Newcastle next year.

So maybe if he comes back, we find him an actual loan to try develop him instead of thinking about making a profit on him. Another silly decision from the footballing directors and owners (although I think he is a Geordie so maybe was difficult for him not to push for this move also) because he has rarely had a look in for Newcastle really.

I don’t think for one minute that currently he is a better option than the LBs we have got right now though (Maatsen not included). And anyone saying he is, they’re just straight up lying. 

Edited January 10 by OneMoSalah

[lucio 5,418]

9 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

But we didn’t sell him and going from most reports a month ago he will be returning in the summer as the buyout clause only becomes an obligation based on his playing time? Where he hasn’t played anywhere near enough? 

And even then, everyone was so dazzled by Maatsen after one year at Burnley (in the championship FFS) and now think Hall returning may be the answer. 

Don’t get me wrong he’s talented but he isn’t anywhere near better than Ben or Marc and who is to say he will be? He is another young lad who we have probably all severely overrated as we always do with young kids. Even Santos and Casadei they were some sort of amazing players after a loan spell in Brazil and Reading…. 

Hall is comfortably better at crossing than both though. Definitely got more potential

[ulvhedin 507]

3 minutes ago, lucio said:

Hall is comfortably better at crossing than both though. Definitely got more potential

He also was making stupid mistakes at LB, that everyone would crucify Colwill and Cucu for doing so. I think people overrated him a little bit - however I know he is still young with plenty of room to improve, but as usual with young players it's a gamble.

[Strike 7,217]

 

 

[lucio 5,418]

49 minutes ago, ulvhedin said:

He also was making stupid mistakes at LB, that everyone would crucify Colwill and Cucu for doing so. I think people overrated him a little bit - however I know he is still young with plenty of room to improve, but as usual with young players it's a gamble.

Yeh I didn’t trust his defending 

[lucio 5,418]

3 minutes ago, Strike said:

 

 

All for it. Start working on a colwill A. Silva pairing 

[lucio 5,418]

Any versatile , fierce and experienced midfielders / defenders we can get on the cheap?  Like when we had Beletti

need to get some older , more mentally strong heads in there 

[Vesper 28,796]

Chelsea set £60m asking price for Conor Gallagher, but he wants to stay

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/140520356/Chelsea-set-m-asking-price-for-conor-gallagher-but-he-wants-to-stay

Conor Gallagher wants to stay at Chelsea, and it’s clear Mauricio Pochettino values him highly. He’s probably been Chelsea's second-best player behind only Cole Palmer.

However, Gallagher’s contract expires in summer 2025 and Chelsea's policy is to listen to offers for any player with less than two years left on their existing deal. It was the same with Mason Mount prior to his move to Manchester United.

This means either Gallagher signing a new deal (and talks haven't advanced yet) or the club contemplating a sale at the right price. Chelsea are not actively offering up Gallagher just yet, but if an appealing offer emerges he could yet be sold in January.

There is no magic number, because structure is equally as important, but it’s understood a guaranteed fee of around £45-50m could potentially tempt Chelsea to sell. The total package might have to reach close to £60m, though.

Gallagher could block a move, as Ian Maatsen did when Chelsea accepted Burnley’s £31.5m offer last summer. But if Chelsea accept any bid, it obviously sends a message to Gallagher that he's perhaps not part of the club's long-term plans.

That’s the irony in all this. Right now, Gallagher is integral. But with everyone fit, and the option to captain Reece James or Ben Chilwell, does Gallagher still get one of the two midfield starting spots on a regular basis? At this point, even Mauricio Pochettino probably doesn’t know the answer to that question with any certainty.

Spurs do appreciate Gallagher, but there are no formal talks currently taking place despite reports in Italy. We will have to wait and see whether that changes over the coming weeks.

Spurs tried for Gallagher last summer but didn’t want to pay more than £35m. Given Gallagher’s price has potentially another £20-25m on it, it’s hard to see a deal getting done. Chelsea are unlikely to come significantly down on price, at least not this window.

[Vesper 28,796]

Ivan Toney would welcome Arsenal transfer but it’s looking increasingly unlikely for January

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/140520356/ivan-toney-would-welcome-arsenal-transfer-but-its-looking-increasingly-unlikely-for-january

Arsenal are not currently in talks for Ivan Toney even though many fans feel he’d be a perfect fit. What’s true, though, is that Toney would welcome an approach from Arsenal.

There is no guarantee Arsenal, much like Chelsea, will sign a striker now as opposed to waiting until the summer. And in Toney’s case, it’s just a very expensive outlay to make anything happen. Brentford want £80m+, and some sources even indicate they would hold out for £100m before even entertaining an offer. That’s out of Arsenal’s budget for January.

Toney has also said on record he feels he owes Brentford for their support during his ban for gambling breaches. So it’s more likely at this stage he stays at Brentford in January.

This is also down to the fact Brentford need him to help get them further clear of the relegation zone. Remember, Bryan Mbeumo is injured and Yoane Wissa is at the African Cup of Nations with DR Congo. This will make them even more reluctant to sell Toney now.

A new Toney contract at Brentford also can’t be ruled out, but the challenge is matching his desired wage. But Brentford don't feel in any rush and although it's true Toney is starting to plan for his next move, free agency in 2025 is not impossible either.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are happy with Eddie Nketiah, who Mikel Arteta views as a valuable squad member. At the moment they are not entertaining selling Nketiah in January despite firm interest from Crystal Palace. Arsenal value Nketiah at around £35m, but he won’t be allowed to leave unless another striker, and one within Arsenal’s budget, can be found.

I am told Nketiah will really have to push if an offer that he feels is right for him comes this month. Arsenal and Arteta’s perspective is very much that they need all the depth possible for the second-half of the season.

[Thor 2,392]

Hall isn't that great. Not sure why people were upset at him leaving. Not bothered what he does.

VO will fail here. Our problem isn't finishing, it is creating on a consistent basis. VO ain't finishing anything with nothing coming in. Better to have a better all around footballer out there helping the guys in build up play that can also finish than just an out and out finisher given where our team cadence is at. 

TBH - I know Colwill hasn't gotten time at his proper position, but tactically at the back he has looked poor. Technique wise defending he has looked poor. There are certain things I get he shouldn't be good at given being out of position, but his actual defending and decision making even when pressed back more and hedging centrally has been really poor. I think our entire backline bar Gusto is pretty overrated and subpar. Might be time to completely revamp. 

A lot of the build up starts from the back. Our defenders are lame and timid passing the ball even when we have teams pressed. Rather side to side than try and pick a man. 

[Vesper 28,796]

48 minutes ago, Thor said:

Hall isn't that great. Not sure why people were upset at him leaving. Not bothered what he does.

I was only saying I rated him over Maatsen in terms of our needs.

My LB targets remain the same

Nuno Mendes 
Alphonso Davies  
Federico Dimarco 
Theo Hernández 
Quilindschy Hartman
José Gayà   
Miguel Gutiérrez  
Pervis Estupiñán  
Milos Kerkez
Borna Sosa 

[Vesper 28,796]

Roony Bardghji interview: ‘I watched Messi and tried to do the same as him’

https://theathletic.com/5182878/2024/01/10/roony-bardghji-interview/

The Swedish Messi. The next Zlatan. The new Rooney. These are all labels tagged onto one of the hottest young talents in European football.

But the Swedish-Syrian Roony Bardghji (pronounced ‘bard-gah-jee’), who turned 18 in November, wants to clear something up.

“By the way, my name is not related to Wayne Rooney at all,” he tells The Athletic. “It was a lucky name my mum gave me.”

His dad is not a Manchester United fan and younger brother Rayan was not named after another club icon, Giggs. He might have got the stunning Champions League goal to beat United but he plans on that being just the start.

He doesn’t want to be a pale imitation or ‘the next’ somebody. Roony Bardghji wants to rise to the throne as the first of his name.

“Well, I wish to become the best player in the world,” he says. “Of course, playing in the biggest leagues, playing for one of the biggest teams… but being the best player in the world. That’s my biggest goal.

“That’s what I’m working towards every day, reaching my goal in five years… If you’re dreaming, dream big.”

---

Growing up was not straightforward for Bardghji. His parents met in Aleppo, Syria, and he was born in Kuwait City, where his father had moved for work. Bardghji slept with a football instead of a teddy bear. When he was three, his dad hired out a local pitch for them to practise whenever they could.

Three years later, in 2012, Roony, Rayan, and his mother made a 5,600-kilometre (3,500-mile) journey to the southern Swedish town Kallinge in search of a brighter future, though his dad initially had to stay behind. Bardghji says quietly, “It was difficult not having Dad there.”

Football provided comfort. He and Rayan made friends through the game and learned the language in three months.

At 12, he caught Tottenham Hotspur’s eye and went on trial. While there, he trained alongside Ashley Cole’s son, Jaxon, scoring three goals and providing two assists in a 6-1 win against Ipswich Town. “It was a really good experience, seeing the level and how football is outside Sweden, being at a big club like Tottenham and seeing how they work,” he says.

On his 15th birthday, Bardghji celebrated by moving from Swedish giants Malmo to Danish side Copenhagen. But with Bardghji and his family still living in Sweden, it meant gruelling 15-hour days.

He got used to 5.30am alarms and had to cross the Oresund Bridge to Denmark, to school, to training and then back, home at 8.30pm.

He believes that relentless discipline laid the foundations for the player and person he is today.

---

Bardghji is a nippy, jinking winger, who loves cutting in onto his stronger left foot. He’s nimble without being rapid, robust without being burly, and his agility and balance allow him to drop his shoulder and slalom around would-be tacklers.

His style of play is not entirely dissimilar to Lionel Messi, whose poster was the only one he had on his wall in Kuwait. And who did he like to watch on YouTube? “It was always Messi. No one else, to be honest, when I was young. I always watched his clips and always tried to do the same on the pitch. I just love Messi.”

Bardghji didn’t play any organised football until Sweden. It shows. He has the joyous spontaneity of a street footballer. That said, Bardghji is effective too: he has 10 goals for Copenhagen’s first team this season but also has the vision to provide for team-mates.

Bardghji understands he is not yet the finished article. This shows in the way he’s been primarily used as an impact substitute, especially in the Champions League, in which he only started one of Copenhagen’s six group games. His physicality and defensive work are particular focuses. “You can always improve on everything. Playing more games, that’s how you get more experience, you will get a lot better with that.”

But there’s no reason that shouldn’t come in time. And, of course, he has a penchant for big moments.

 

GO DEEPER

'Every day. Every time. Always, always': Roony Bardghji's plan to be the world's best

---

If you’re good enough, you’re old enough, supposedly — but Danish Superliga rules prevented Bardghji from making his senior debut until his 16th birthday.

The week after, he became the club’s youngest-ever player and the week after that, the league’s youngest-ever goalscorer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW3nlPNK5sx/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=43a195b7-200f-47f9-961a-2a9386ca179d

Bardghji loves the Copenhagen derby, a game that The Athletic’s Sebastian Stafford-Bloor described as a “blood-and-thunder class war” that pits Copenhagen against Brondby. In October 2022, he scored a 98th-minute equaliser in front of Brondby’s Sydsiden terrace to silence the yellow-and-blue wall.

In September, in the same stadium and at the same end, he came on in the 79th minute with Copenhagen 2-1 down and by the 89th minute, he had scored twice to turn the game on its head. He celebrated his first with a provocative bow to the seething Brondby fans.

“I still remember the day,” Bardghji says. “It was an amazing feeling. It’s a big thing there, especially for the fans, so I was really happy.”

GO DEEPER

Derby Days, Copenhagen: Brondby IF vs FC Copenhagen

It is unsurprising, then, that he was undaunted by facing Manchester United in the Champions League. “It was not scary. I was not nervous at all. It’s something I always dreamt of.”

Copenhagen came from 2-0 down — both goals scored by Bardghji’s former under-19 team-mate Rasmus Hojlund — to 2-2, and 3-2 back to 3-3.

In the 87th minute, he scored an imperious winner. He became just the 15th man to score a Champions League goal before turning 18.

He talks The Athletic through it. First, he pounces on a slack pass and faces up Harry Maguire.

“I was thinking just to attack the defender and dribble past him,” Bardghji explains. “He gave me the outside, so I went outside and tried to cross it.”

 

Goalkeeper Andre Onana parries it, the shot is sliced but stays in play. Bardghji notices a pocket of space.

“I was checking around and saw I was totally free, so I raised my hand to show my team-mate.

“I saw the cross was a little bit short but was hoping the ball was going to land there.”

 

Maguire heads the cross straight to where Roony is waiting.

“I prepared my body for the shot… but it’s more instinct. I was just thinking about hitting the ball right, cleanly because it’s not an easy shot. I tried to keep it down… it went (in) so fast.”

He has turned to celebrate before the ball even crosses the line.

 

“I swear, I couldn’t feel anything,” he says. “I was just so happy I don’t even know what I did. You cannot describe it.  The city was going crazy. The most important goal (of my career) for sure… it was a special day.”

---

Bardghji’s self-belief can appear cocky. He has no favourite team or player and no one he is desperate to play alongside other than Messi and Rayan. He is “very confident” Copenhagen can beat champions Manchester City at home in the Champions League last 16 in February.

His open frustration at not yet being called up to Sweden’s senior national team and audacious celebrations could easily paint a picture of arrogance. But it isn’t the full picture.

Bardghji is a reserved character who often discusses the team rather than himself. He is quadrilingual (Swedish, Danish, Arabic and English). He wears Roony rather than Bardghji on his shirt because he thinks it is easier for people to pronounce.

It is an interesting dichotomy.

Bardghji’s camp wants a switch to one of the top-five European leagues, and that could happen as soon as this month’s transfer window. But there is an awareness of the importance of playing time, so a half-season loan back to Copenhagen in the event of any move would be preferable.

And Roony may not be the only Bardghji you need to remember the name of: striker Rayan, 14, regularly trains with Copenhagen’s under-17 side. Roony likens him to Manchester City icon Sergio Aguero.

Rayan knows the pathway upwards from following in Roony’s footsteps, and says playing together in the same team for club or country would be “the dream”.

No one seems more convinced of the inevitability of Bardghji’s upward trajectory than the young man himself. When his dad speaks about his elder son, you begin to understand where Roony gets his iron willpower.

“I’ve always had a huge trust and belief in him,” he says in Arabic while looking Roony in the eye. “That never wavered.

“I always believed he could reach the highest level since he was a young boy. I’m extremely proud of him because I was sure he was going to make it.”

From a three-year-old playing in Kuwait to United’s conqueror, Roony and Copenhagen now have a February date with the formidable City.

Bardghji has a five-year plan. The wheels are already in motion.

[ulvhedin 507]

1 hour ago, Thor said:

Hall isn't that great. Not sure why people were upset at him leaving. Not bothered what he does.

VO will fail here. Our problem isn't finishing, it is creating on a consistent basis. VO ain't finishing anything with nothing coming in. Better to have a better all around footballer out there helping the guys in build up play that can also finish than just an out and out finisher given where our team cadence is at. 

TBH - I know Colwill hasn't gotten time at his proper position, but tactically at the back he has looked poor. Technique wise defending he has looked poor. There are certain things I get he shouldn't be good at given being out of position, but his actual defending and decision making even when pressed back more and hedging centrally has been really poor. I think our entire backline bar Gusto is pretty overrated and subpar. Might be time to completely revamp. 

A lot of the build up starts from the back. Our defenders are lame and timid passing the ball even when we have teams pressed. Rather side to side than try and pick a man. 

100% this, also to add something about the problems with build up - Enzo, Caicedo and Gallagher positioning during build up is complete mess, they are not helping defenders in building at all.

[SomethingSomething 17]

On 08/01/2024 at 22:43, Mário César said:

 

No, the board will prefer to pay 3x30m for 3 unrpoven brazilian "wonderkids" instead of a proven forward. Or two more Jacksons. That will do the trick. One will have to explode and become world class.

Right?

[Strike 7,217]

 

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,477]

That is a lot of cheddar. These prices still stun me. 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,477]

 

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

4 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

That is a lot of cheddar. These prices still stun me. 

He'll come here and a mysterious hamstring injury will surface.