Chelsea Transfers

[IMissEden 21]

2 hours ago, Costa19 said:

Lmao if the 500k a week is true.
I wouldn’t even give him 250k when he’s unproven in the PL and his injury record.

VO scored 1 more goal in Serie A than Jackson did his first season in the PL.

 

Osimhen is either on or off. That’s not a top player. End of really. Excusable when you’re 22 in an unstable environment. When you’re in the high flying team though whether Napoli or Nigeria yet go on total barren spells for both. Aguero no. Suarez no. Lewandowski no. Drogba no. What are you doing when you’re not scoring. What are you creating, what are you exuding and infecting the teammates with, drive or head down. Osi is not special. Not even remotely. I would rather take a 38 year old Di Natale if we could rewind the years. I’d rather take a 40 year old Totti. Unless Osi was on 60k a week. Like many transfers, him being on everyone’s lips arose via PR. 

Edited August 25, 2024 by IMissEden

[Vesper 30,090]

Lots happening at Chelsea with Sterling situation one of many to be clarified

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/148098731/lots-happening-at-Chelsea-with-sterling-situation-one-of-many-to-be-clarified

The Raheem Sterling situation is a question for Chelsea, not for me.

At the moment I can only say the information that I have, and that is they insist on a permanent sale. Maybe a loan under certain conditions can be enough to get the green light, but this is just my opinion and not something guaranteed.

Chelsea are still exploring opportunities for a striker and on Osimhen, as I told you, nothing will happen this weekend, this situation is one for the final days. I always told you this.

Let's see if Chelsea will be able to find a way with Napoli and with the player, because the player doesn't want a loan and Chelsea don't want to pay a crazy salary. It's still complicated, and Saudi Arabia remains a possibility for Osimhen.

Chelsea are also keeping a close eye on the defenders market for the final days too, because if there will be a last minute opportunity on a defender, Chelsea could be still interested in covering that position again. It depends on what happens.

We know the focus now is on the outgoings. Broja, Sterling and also Chalobah is really important…

So, in terms of incomings, keep an eye on the striker situation, as another player they still like is Jhon Duran, and then a potential last minute centre-back. Again, it's not guaranteed, it's not sure, but they are discussing.

[Vesper 30,090]

2 hours ago, Costa19 said:

Seems like no big club really rate David to be honest. 

I mean, if he’s as good as some people make him out to be and if he’s available for only 20m why haven’t any big club signed him already? 
 
Crazy wage demands? (Seems unlikely)
Problematic stuff in his backpack?

Or maybe he’s just one of many average strikers playing in France/Germany/Netherlands etc. 

I have watched him for years.

He has over 200 goals/assists now at top flight level for club and country at the age of 24.

He rarely has had a poor game in the dozens I have watched.

I do not know claim to know why no bigger team has scooped him up, but for £20 to 25m, he is a steal.

I think, on balance, my years here of talent targeting has been borne out to be, on balance, pretty good, far better than our scouts and board over the past 3 or 4 years on multiple occasions.

The ones I have went bonkers over, whether it was the failed buys (for good to great players) and then the shit buys have been pretty spot on in most cases.

I cannot speak to anything else other than that.

I am far from perfect, but I think we would be a better club overall if the ones I truly felt strongly on would have either been bought or avoided, depending on my stances.

GKers and CBs especially, but also big name MFers (Tchou and Camavinga for instance), wingers and CFs. CuCu seems to be finally working out at LB, but I did freak out on the price. I deffo approved of the Malo buy, and he has been a good purchase.

We have not purchased a single one of my many CB and GKer reccos, and look where we sit there. I was against every single one we bought (jury is out on Jörgensen) basically. Closing in on 300m spent and fuckall in terms of great players atm. It is just madness.

I do have hope for Aaron Anselmino, but the lad only just turned 19yo a few months back. I so hope he blows up and soon.

[Vesper 30,090]

2 hours ago, Costa19 said:

Lmao if the 500k a week is true.

where is any evidence that he makes (or wants) £500K PW?

to the best of my knowledge that is around double what he is on, when all bonuses are factored in

[Vesper 30,090]

12 hours ago, bluesman2610 said:

 

I do not beleive that £500K PW bollocks

Matt Hughes is a bullshit merchant from The Sun

and that 'Vince' account has been wrong for ages on a multiplicity of claims

[Pizy 18,856]

41 minutes ago, Vesper said:

which we should have done long ago

It’s pretty insane that Trev hasn’t moved yet. Everyone seems to rate him but we haven’t heard a peep about a move since he was “exiled” weeks ago. I would’ve thought he’d be extremely easy to move since he’s young, English, and in a position every club is always scrambling for decent players.

 

[IMissEden 21]

Felix - I’d love a loan! Love you guys! Return? Omg let’s goooooo! Even if a rotation option! 😮
Osi - A loan? Fuck off 

Who wants to be here? Fuck Osi

[Vesper 30,090]

Just now, Pizy said:

It’s pretty insane that Trev hasn’t moved yet. Everyone seems to rate him but we haven’t heard a peep about a move since he was “exiled” weeks ago. I would’ve thought he’d be extremely easy to move since he’s young, English, and in a position every club is always scrambling for decent players.

 

yep, something is fishy

I see so many dregs flying out doors

but he is unsaleable?

[IMissEden 21]

I saw people encouraging and highlighting an angle where Chalobah has a right to legally stay here and essentially attack the club (rightfully so, the right people, justified attack), with I don’t know the FA is it maybe, to say hey, I’m going nowhere, and you can’t force me to, or mistreat me. Most players just move on but technically if within contract we have always known, a player can say No to every option. I wish Galladog did that but at the club they probably built a frame that if he stayed, he would be to blame for inability for the collective to move forward. They did that to me in school when I didn’t wear uniform, saying they’d cancel school trips for whole school. So I left lol 

[Vesper 30,090]

Raheem Sterling wants to leave Chelsea – but which teams suit him best tactically?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5719153/2024/08/24/raheem-sterling-transfer-options-Chelsea/

As the summer transfer window enters its final week, Chelsea are in the headlines for what feels like the millionth time in the past two-and-a-half months. The player in question on this occasion is Raheem Sterling.

As The Athletic reported on August 21, Sterling has expressed a desire to leave Chelsea permanently after being left out of their squad for their Premier League opener against his former employers Manchester City last weekend. Sterling’s camp sent out a statement shortly after Chelsea released their line-up for the contest stating that he wanted “clarity” over his future.

Moving Sterling will not be easybecause of his high wages — more than £300,000 a week — and the potential fee that Chelsea demand, so some compromises might need to be made. Disregarding the monetary aspect of any potential deal for now, here are five clubs for whom Sterling is a good tactical fit.

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What does Sterling offer?

Before diving into the club angle, it is worth understanding what they will be getting with the current iteration of Sterling. The 29-year-old is no longer the player who scored 37 league goals for City across the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. In the right set-up, Sterling might be able to replicate the form he showed in his final campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side (2021-22) in which he scored 16 times and laid on seven assists in 42 matches across the Premier League and Champions League.

Last season was disappointing for Sterling, but it is easy to forget that he started the campaign with five goals and an assist in Chelsea’s first 13 league games. As the graph below shows, he was still a threat while dribbling and could progress play with the ball at his feet. His 2.5 miscontrols and 2.0 times dispossessed per 90 were improvements on the 2.6 and 2.3 per 90 he recorded in 2021-22.

However, Sterling had to create a lot more for himself than in 2021-22 (or 2022-23 for that matter) and his passing, decision-making and shooting regressed.

As things stand, the team that signs Sterling will get a player who is still brilliant in one-v-one situations and works well with overlapping full-backs, with the ability to play across the frontline (remember Guardiola’s false nine and split-striker experiments before Erling Haaland rocked up to the Etihad?).

Sterling’s positioning and timing of runs are still appreciable and should enable him to score between eight to 12 league goals. He is durable, too, and has not had a long-term injury across his senior playing career. However, Sterling lacks the consistency that defined his success at City.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the five-club team roulette…

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Leicester City

Leicester’s troubles surrounding Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Sterling’s wages make this an unlikely move (a theme throughout this list). But, from a tactical angle, it is worth discussing.

Steve Cooper’s side have only Stephy Mavididi as a pure left winger in their squad, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid playing in that position in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. De Cordova-Reid put in an okay performance but did not drive forward with the ball at his feet, looking for a pass instead even if it was a comparatively low-reward option – as he does below.

Abdul Fatawu on the right was much more daring and got the assist for Jamie Vardy’s equaliser, but does not boast much Premier League experience either. Apart from Vardy, Leicester also do not have a goalscorer, which means they need contributions from everywhere.

At Forest, Cooper showed an affinity for wingers who could beat their man and chip in with goals when needed (think Brennan Johnson or Anthony Elanga). Sterling would fit that profile.

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Fulham

Like Leicester, Fulham have just one out-and-out left winger in Alex Iwobi, but even he has had better days in midfield of late. Emile Smith Rowe can also play there but looks likely to be used as the No 10 behind Rodrigo Muniz or Raul Jimenez.

Sterling would represent an upgrade on Iwobi and has similar characteristics to the recently-departed Willian in that he can beat a man and feed either Muniz in the middle or build an effective partnership with the impressive Antonee Robinson at left-back. As we explained in our tactical preview of the new season, Fulham averaged the fewest chances created per 90 (1.4) outside of the three relegated teams last season. They also had just 10 key passes following a dribble across the entire campaign.

Sterling, who averaged 1.3 chances created from open play per 90 on his own last season, could help provide a boost in creativity from out wide.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers

How do you offset the loss of Pedro Neto? Sign the player he has replaced at Chelsea, of course.

Wolves signed Rodrigo Gomes this summer, with the forward impressing in pre-season and putting in a decent shift on his Premier League debut against Arsenal. However, Gomes, 21, is raw and could certainly do with a more experienced player to learn from.

 

Tactically, Gary O’Neil’s side might find success by leaning into their width to bring the best out of on-loan striker Jorgen Strand Larsen and their shift to a 4-2-3-1 this season suggests they will do so. Sterling, like Gomes, provides pace but with the added boosts of goalscoring and nous, which Wolves could certainly use.

Referencing the tactical preview again, many of Wolves’ forays forward last season ended with them going backwards, leading to the fewest sequences ending in the attacking third at 51.2 per game. Sterling’s daring forward runs would help them keep their foot on the pedal and utilise the quality they have in attack.

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Juventus

The first of two non-Premier League suggestions, Juventus recorded a stellar start to life under Thiago Motta last weekend, beating Como 3-0. Their star performer was 20-year-old left winger Samuel Mbangula, who bagged a goal and an assist.

Mbangula started ahead of Federico Chiesa, who did not even make the bench and is widely expected to depart by the end of the window, and the injured Filip Kostic. Despite Mbangula’s obvious talent, Juventus will need a seasoned alternative in a season where they hope to return to the Serie A summit. The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell and James Horncastle reported on Friday that Juventus are in talks for Jadon Sancho, but Sterling could offer an alternative option.

Motta preferred to let his central players do most of the damage last season for Bologna, but right-winger Riccardo Orsolini did end the 2023-24 season with 10 goals. It is also easy to picture Sterling scoring the kind of goal Mbangula managed against Como, with an overlapping full-back occupying the defender and letting him cut in past a couple of opposition players before bending the ball with his right foot into the far corner.

Motta’s patented 2-7-2 against blocks also needs wingers who can hold their width, which Sterling has previously shown he can do.

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Real Betis

Before Guardiola’s City won the Champions League in 2023, the closest City got to the crown was in Sterling’s first season at the club – in 2015-16 when they made the semi-finals. Their manager? Manuel Pellegrini, now at Betis.

Sterling, then just 20 years of age, was not subjected to excessive minutes, starting just 23 Premier League games and six out of their 12 Champions League matches. However, he still produced nine goals and four assists across both competitions.

Last season, Pellegrini led Betis to a seventh-place finish in La Liga, with left-winger Ayoze Perez contributing nine goals. Perez departed for Villarreal this summer, leaving Pellegrini with 31-year-old Juanmi, who spent last season on loan at Malaga, and ex-Barcelona attacker Abde Ezzalzouli as his options on that flank, while Aitor Ruibal and teenager Assane Diao are Betis’ right-wingers.

Sterling presents an obvious upgrade on those players, with Pellegrini using him across the frontline during their brief time together at City.

The Chilean tactician, like others on this list, prefers wingers who can cut inside, and feed attacking midfielders Isco and Nabil Fekir or find overlapping full-backs after beating their marker. A reunion could benefit all parties involved tactically — even if the numbers would be a struggle for a team like Betis.

[Pizy 18,856]

Palace feels like the obvious move for Trev after Andersen has left. They’ve had success now with another player we let go in Guehi so it feels only right that they take another one and pair them together.

[TheHulk 2,404]

 

[Pizy 18,856]

1 minute ago, TheHulk said:

 

This would be FAR AND AWAY the dumbest thing Clearlake have done. I refuse to believe it.

It’s already going to be a massive headache for Maresca to choose between the attacking options we have as it is. Where would Sancho play?! And why would he even want to come here himself just to trade the United bench for ours?

Never mind the fact that we’ve got 2 gems coming into the side next summer!

[mkh 570]

It could be that Chelsea no tinkering up front. (Guiu loan) (Nkunku sale) (Sterling sale) (Mudryk loan) (New St and Sancho swap with Chilwell or Carney👀)

[whats happening 1,612]

nkunku sale?