Vesper 30,186 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 every free agent CF valued at 1m euros or more Player Nat. Age Out-of-contract since Market value Wissam Ben Yedder Centre-Forward 34 Jul 1, 2024 €4.00m Hárold Preciado Centre-Forward 30 Jan 1, 2025 €2.50m Maxi Gómez Centre-Forward 28 Aug 19, 2024 €1.70m Aké Loba Centre-Forward 26 Jan 1, 2025 €1.50m José Juan Macías Centre-Forward 25 €1.20m Lebo Mothiba Centre-Forward 29 Jul 1, 2024 €1.20m Jaroslaw Niezgoda Centre-Forward 29 Jan 1, 2024 €1.20m Marko Dugandzic Centre-Forward 30 Jan 31, 2025 €1.20m Mariano Díaz Centre-Forward 31 Jul 1, 2024 €1.20m Raúl Ruidíaz Centre-Forward 34 Jan 1, 2025 €1.20m Gerard Deulofeu Centre-Forward 30 Jan 16, 2025 €1.00m Diego Costa Centre-Forward 36 Jan 1, 2025 €1.00m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whats happening 1,615 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 21 hours ago, Vytis33 said: Off-brand Gyokeres? i will be harder if we buy gyokeres. Vesper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoroccanBlue 5,382 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 6 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said: To be fair, he has matured a lot, in terms of keeping possession etc. He was uber frustrating at times. Forest have got the best out of him now seemingly We have a large sell on clause don't we? Thought that was the case given the low transfer fee of only 3m. Fulham Broadway and mkh 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,186 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Chelsea moved quickly for inexperienced Mathis Amougou – but they’d tracked him for two years https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6130555/2025/02/13/Chelsea-mathis-amougou-transfer-analysis/ Chelsea’s final decision to sign Mathis Amougou had to be a quick one — but it was long in the making. There were inevitable question marks when Chelsea bought the teenage midfielder from Saint-Etienne for a fee in the region of £12.5million ($15.5m) last week. Amougou has made just 19 professional appearances in his career and was only halfway through his first full season with the senior Saint-Etienne side. But while his experience at the highest level is limited, Chelsea have actually been scouting him for the past two years. This is an individual who has been capped for France from under-16 to under-20 level, so it is not a surprise he was on their radar given a key part of their modus operandi is finding young talent across the globe. Significantly, Chelsea were not the only club following his progress, especially after he was voted the third-best player at the 2023 Under-17 World Cup. He made seven appearances, scoring two goals, including a late equaliser in the final against Germany. France ended up losing on penalties. Amougou followed that promise shown on the youth international stage by making another five appearances as France reached the final of the Under-19 European Championship last July. This time they lost 2-0 to Spain. Bayer Leverkusen had seen enough to be convinced. The Bundesliga club tried, but failed, to sign him last summer. Other Champions League teams from across the top five European leagues were also beginning to make their interest known during the January transfer window after seeing him make 17 appearances in Ligue 1. Up to this point, Chelsea had been erring towards waiting until the summer or next year to make their move to acquire Amougou. But in the final days before the deadline, the club opted to bring their plans forward to ensure they did not miss out to a rival. Amougou playing for Saint Etienne against PSG (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images for Qatar Airways) This was not a player Saint-Etienne wanted to lose. Talks over extending his contract, which was expiring in 2026, were opened before Christmas, but no agreement was reached. When Chelsea showed they were prepared to pay the €15million asking price, it was just too good an offer to turn down, even though there was some understandable regret he would not be continuing his progress with them. Current head coach Eirik Horneland summed up the sentiment when asked about it by the media last week. He said, as reported by MaxiFoot: “Am I disappointed to see Mathis Amougou leave? You can see it in two ways. We can note that we managed to develop a rather interesting player who has caught the eye of Chelsea, who does not hesitate to put a lot of money into promising young players. “They had several meetings with Saint-Etienne. Chelsea has paid a fairly interesting amount to recruit him. Our strategy is of course to develop young players, but there will also come a time when we will have to sell them. Mathis was really interested in joining Chelsea and we can simply wish him good luck.” Chelsea see Amougou as a No 6 they can develop. It is a position they place great importance on and one they want to find more depth for. Among those operating there for the under-21s, the club rate Kiano Dyer and Sam Rak-Sakyi highly but see Amougou and Dyer more akin to Romeo Lavia, who has made just 13 appearances since joining from Southampton for £53million 18 months ago due to injury. As The Athletic reported, Amougou is being lined up to join Strasbourg on loan next season so he can get more regular first-team football. However, the benefit to joining Chelsea now is he can spend the next few months acclimatising to life at their base in Cobham and the style of play Chelsea use without too much pressure on his shoulders. The 19-year-old has already begun training with the first team under head coach Enzo Maresca and by adding him to the Conference League squad for the knockout phase, there is an expectation he will also get some minutes in the competition. Starts in the Premier League are certainly not on the immediate agenda. So how good a player is he? Obviously, it is early days. Before joining Saint-Etienne’s academy in 2021, he had played for a local French team, Entente Brie Est, near where he grew up, and Torcy, a club renowned for developing more than 50 professionals, including Paul Pogba. He was also enrolled in the nation’s famous coaching centre at Clairefontaine. Former Saint-Etienne coach Olivier Dall’Oglio, who gave Amougou the majority of his senior Saint-Etienne appearances before being replaced by Horneland in December, was clearly an admirer. Speaking about Amougou in one press conference earlier in the 2024-25 campaign, Dall’Oglio told OneFootball: “Last season, he had a very difficult season with a lot of tournaments with the French team, his school certificate, his time with the pros — at 17, that’s a lot. It’s not easy. “Today he can concentrate on football, he is a boy who can do something and I am counting on him. He also has to prove himself.” Amougou challenging for the ball (Alex Martin/AFP via Getty Images) There is obviously a small sample size of data for what he did in a Saint-Etienne shirt. The fact he is playing for a club that have been struggling against relegation all season naturally means his statistics are going to be affected. His profile on Fotmob, which compares his output to other midfielders in France, showed that in the 857 minutes Amougou had in Ligue 1, he ranks particularly highly for tackles won percentage per 90 minutes (71.4). He also averaged 1.3 interceptions and was dribbled past less than once a game (0.95). However, a lack of duels (45.7 per cent) and aerial duels won (20 per cent) highlights just two areas in need of improvement. Franck Talluto, who currently covers the club for L’Equipe and has followed the club for 20 years, agrees he is a player with potential. But he has flagged the fact he is joining Chelsea much earlier in his development than other players to come out of Saint-Etienne, such as Kurt Zouma, Wesley Fofana and William Saliba. “We didn’t see a lot of him,” Talluto tells The Athletic. “He wasn’t helped by the fact the team is in trouble this season, so it has been harder for him to show what he can do. If you look at his statistics, even if he started the game, he would get around 40 touches a game, which is not enough (Fotmob shows an average of 45.9 per 90 minutes and that is in the bottom six per cent of midfielders). His move to Chelsea is early, he needs to play more matches, but there is definitely a player in there. “In the first half of the season, he started games, but I think he needed one or two more seasons in France to improve his skills. That is where Strasbourg can help.” No one at Chelsea is getting too carried away. They regard him very much as one for the future rather than the present. By giving Amougou an eight-year contract, he has plenty of time to make his mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiCFC 8,324 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Only our club can watch Sporting games and be like: yeah look at their striker Harder, we should go for him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiCFC 8,324 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 On 11/02/2025 at 10:02, Tomo said: Only Guehi and CHO are the bad decisions as far as the "outs" are concerned. How can you look at CHO and Pulisic numbers and say this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YorkshireBlue 3,277 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 34 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said: How can you look at CHO and Pulisic numbers and say this? I don’t watch numbers I watch games and pulisic and cho were both wank when they played here mkh and bigbluewillie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHulk 2,457 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) 4 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said: I don’t watch numbers I watch games and pulisic and cho were both wank when they played here Pulisic when we got Top 4 with Lampard in that short span was tearing the league apart, skill was never the issue with him but injuries, these guys sold a 24 years old who wasn't even past his peak for peanuts. Edited February 13 by TheHulk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAPHOD2319 4,819 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 King Kante 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkh 591 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) Enzo Maresca: "No, no, no [we are not considering any free agents to bolster attack]. We are focused on finding solutions with the ones that we have." Enzo Maresca: "No [plans to block Deivid Washington's proposed loan move]. He is in talks with Santos." Enzo Maresca: "Our goal, our duty is to bring this club to win or compete in four competitions but at this moment we are not ready. Am I confident it will happen? Absolutely. In the next five or ten years this club can compete, no doubt..." Enzo Maresca: "I know that probably after a while when the club is not competing for important titles, [the fans] feel a little bit frustrated. But they cannot think that suddenly... we are competing for titles and winning titles." 🤐🤬 [via @kierangill_DM] ‘So we’ve got Maresca saying top 4 wasn’t the target, Laurence Stewart saying UCL is a must, and Cucurella saying top 4 is non-negotiable. Does anyone at Chelsea have the same meeting, or are they using different group chats?’ 😪 Edited February 13 by mkh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDA 9,941 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 8 minutes ago, mkh said: Enzo Maresca: "No, no, no [we are not considering any free agents to bolster attack]. We are focused on finding solutions with the ones that we have." Enzo Maresca: "No [plans to block Deivid Washington's proposed loan move]. He is in talks with Santos." Enzo Maresca: "Our goal, our duty is to bring this club to win or compete in four competitions but at this moment we are not ready. Am I confident it will happen? Absolutely. In the next five or ten years this club can compete, no doubt..." Enzo Maresca: "I know that probably after a while when the club is not competing for important titles, [the fans] feel a little bit frustrated. But they cannot think that suddenly... we are competing for titles and winning titles." 🤐🤬 [via @kierangill_DM] He has been sold this pussy mentality by the these shambolic owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Armour 4,442 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 6 hours ago, mkh said: Enzo Maresca: "No, no, no [we are not considering any free agents to bolster attack]. We are focused on finding solutions with the ones that we have." Enzo Maresca: "No [plans to block Deivid Washington's proposed loan move]. He is in talks with Santos." Enzo Maresca: "Our goal, our duty is to bring this club to win or compete in four competitions but at this moment we are not ready. Am I confident it will happen? Absolutely. In the next five or ten years this club can compete, no doubt..." Enzo Maresca: "I know that probably after a while when the club is not competing for important titles, [the fans] feel a little bit frustrated. But they cannot think that suddenly... we are competing for titles and winning titles." 🤐🤬 [via @kierangill_DM] ‘So we’ve got Maresca saying top 4 wasn’t the target, Laurence Stewart saying UCL is a must, and Cucurella saying top 4 is non-negotiable. Does anyone at Chelsea have the same meeting, or are they using different group chats?’ 😪 "In the next 5 or 10 years, this club can compete?" GTFO. Within 3 years these guys have taken the club from CL winners and regular top 4 contenders, into ignominy., without even a shirt sponsor., and all real estate assets sold. And you need another 5 to 10 years to bring it back? Hope this just a case of mistranslation or poor English from Maresca., and he actually meant that the club is ready to compete FOR the next 5 to 10 years instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddish-Blue 2,507 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 4 hours ago, Blue Armour said: "In the next 5 or 10 years, this club can compete?" GTFO. Within 3 years these guys have taken the club from CL winners and regular top 4 contenders, into ignominy., without even a shirt sponsor., and all real estate assets sold. And you need another 5 to 10 years to bring it back? Hope this just a case of mistranslation or poor English from Maresca., and he actually meant that the club is ready to compete FOR the next 5 to 10 years instead. To be fair, in 5 years time, all those kids we've been hoarding will probably come good and live up to their potential and we would be a decent team on Football manager 2030 edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,186 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Jonathan Tah has chosen Barcelona for his next club as he prepares to leave Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,186 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 When Liam Delap dominates, people notice – no wonder big clubs are keeping tabs on him https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6138610/2025/02/16/liam-delap-ipswich-manchester-united-Chelsea/ As long as Liam Delap keeps scoring, Ipswich Town will have a chance of staying in the Premier League. Delap struck his 10th league goal of the season against Aston Villa on Saturday to secure third-bottom Ipswich’s first point since the beginning of January, keeping them within touching distance of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are away to leaders Liverpool today, in the safety of 17th. The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the Premier League’s brightest young talents and as he walked past the away supporters packed into the Doug Ellis Stand at Villa Park after being substituted in the 80th minute, they showered him in adulation. It was a similar scene at full time, only this time he was joined by the visitors’ manager Kieran McKenna and the rest of their squad, who stood there as the buoyant crowd chanted about their prospects of staying in the Premier League for next season. As a striker, Delap is a throwback to yesteryear, but with a deft touch. He’s tall (186cm/6ft 1in), physical, direct, and can bully defenders. Just ask Axel Disasi, making his Villa debut on loan from Chelsea, what the first 45 minutes felt like. In the dressing room at half-time, McKenna spoke about his team having a chance to win against a lacklustre Villa, despite the fact his side lost Axel Tuanzebe, sent off for two yellow-card offences, before the break. All they had to do, in their manager’s words, was to get “one or two moments” and for one of them to fall to Delap. That is exactly what happened as Omari Hutchinson beat Ian Maatsen on the right before zipping the ball into a penalty area that contained four Villa defenders, only for Delap to cut across his man and clip a neat finish past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Delap made it 10 goals this season in the 1-1 draw at Villa (Clive Mason/Getty Images) “Really good goal,” McKenna said after the match. “You always hope that he will get a couple of moments. It’s good movement from Liam and a different type of goal for him as well, in terms of getting across the defender. Really good.” Against Villa, it was no surprise that Delap’s overall input was limited, yet when Ipswich needed him to step up, he did. The Manchester City academy graduate was involved in more defensive actions (six) than he was in attacking build-up play (five). Marcus Stewart, who played up front for Ipswich in 2000-01, is the only player to score more goals (19) in a single Premier League campaign for the club, further highlighting Delap’s impressive impact since last summer’s £20million ($25.2m at the current exchange rate) move from the champions. In his own post-match press conference, Villa manager Unai Emery said Delap is doing a “fantastic” job, as well as describing him as a “very competitive striker”. Delap’s goals and performances this season have caught the attention of clubs throughout the Premier League, with The Athletic revealing earlier this week that Manchester United have been tracking his performances. City inserted a £40million buy-back clause into the deal when they sold him to Ipswich, while Chelsea have also expressed their interest. You would also expect Thomas Tuchel, England’s new head coach, to have noticed Delap this season. Tuchel will be picking his first squad soon for the national team’s opening World Cup qualifiers next month against Albania and Latvia. Ollie Watkins, who scored Villa’s equaliser yesterday, is the only English centre-forward to have registered more Premier League goals (11) than Delap this season. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, another City old boy, is ahead of both with 14 but it is unlikely he will be leading the line for England in those games. What will surely appeal to Tuchel is Delap’s versatility. He scores from long range, close range, with both feet and with his head. His shot map from across the season highlights exactly that. Delap has a shot accuracy of just over 51 per cent, which is 10th among forwards who have played more than 900 minutes in the Premier League this season. This is better than Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, Watkins, Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dominic Solanke. It should not come as a surprise that his conversion rate is also high, just over 23 per cent, which places him sixth when judged by the same metrics as above. This is better than Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Cody Gakpo of Liverpool. GO DEEPER What sort of football will Thomas Tuchel's England play? “If you are going to be a striker for us in our first season back in the Premier League in 22 years, you are not going to be facing a low block in every game,” McKenna added. “In some games, we are more dominant and there are more crosses. In some games, it’s more counter-attacking, and in some games, teams play really high against us and there is space in behind. You need that balanced threat. “It’s really good for Liam and there are not many like him in terms of the mixed threat he has.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkh 591 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Chelsea’s idea was Champions League this season that’s what they want. Chelsea are planning with Enzo Maresca for the future and have already started some summer transfer meetings. Chelsea are happy with his tactics, the mentality he is giving to the team, no issues. They believe he’s the right man. (@FabrizioRomano) bigbluewillie, Mhsc and Fernando 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mário César 1,274 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 changing the manager will not fix our issue our biggest problem is the board Strike, kexik and Fernando 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Armour 4,442 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 3 hours ago, mkh said: Chelsea’s idea was Champions League this season that’s what they want. Chelsea are planning with Enzo Maresca for the future and have already started some summer transfer meetings. Chelsea are happy with his tactics, the mentality he is giving to the team, no issues. They believe he’s the right man. (@FabrizioRomano) Hopefully common sense prevails. Chopping and changing the manager every season does not help. Neither does inaction during a transfer window. They've essentially made life more difficult for Maresca by moving out player without any reinforcements. Fernando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,186 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Renato Veiga 7.6 – Superb performance from the Chelsea loanee. Tough to beat Physically and composed on the ball (88% passing accuracy via Sofascore). MOTM as a CB Shut down Inter in a 1 nil victory bigbluewillie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike 7,490 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 8 minutes ago, Vesper said: Renato Veiga 7.6 – Superb performance from the Chelsea loanee. Tough to beat Physically and composed on the ball (88% passing accuracy via Sofascore). MOTM as a CB Shut down Inter in a 1 nil victory Weird how he was handled. Was a good pickup - glad it's only a dry loan. His physicality would have been of use in defense or midfield. bigbluewillie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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