Chelsea Transfers

[mkh 575]

BREAKING: Chelsea officials have called Lyon for Malick Fofana. The 20-year-old Belgian winger is valued at around €50m by the French club.

(@lequipe)

[Pizy 18,877]

Who the fuck is Malick Fofana?

[LAM09 7,043]

6 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Who the fuck is Malick Fofana?

A WF who joined Lyon last summer. I guess we really aren't going for proven attacking players again.

[mkh 575]

Malick Fofana Europa League numbers this season (amongst wingers in the competition) 

🔹1.25 goals per 90 (1st)
🔹2.29 shots per 90
🔹1.88 shots on target per 90 (2nd)
🔹81% shot accuracy
🔹0.45 xG per 90 (4th)
🔹3.96 take-ons attempted
🔹1.67 take-one completed

[mkh 575]

M.Fofana seems to be the alternative for Gittens.
they have an almost identical data profile.

[Vesper 30,119]

48 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Who the fuck is Malick Fofana?

 

[Pizy 18,877]

Gittens, Garnacho, and Malick Fofana. Not exactly confidence inspiring choices, imo.

I honestly feel like we’re just going to replace Sancho whose production was really disappointing with another winger who will put up disappointing numbers. But also cost tens of millions more than Sancho would have.

[Vesper 30,119]

Chelsea still in for Premier League defender

This one isn't over...

https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/sources-Chelsea-still-in-for-premier

There are a few transfer situations that are far from over yet, but you’d be forgiven for thinking that they are. It’s been a confusing summer so far in the transfer market purely because of the transfer window pointlessly being split in two. The first window was open for just 10 days, closed for 6, and is now open again until September the 1st. So clubs can now go ahead and buy and sell players once again.

But what it did was it made clubs become very tough with their players and refused to sell them for lower prices because they knew they had strength in negotiations with buying clubs trying to get the players in for the Club World Cup. It wasn’t a smart idea to do these two windows really. But it’s open properly now and expect some business and a long old summer of speculation and drama! Chelsea want a number of new positions in the door still, and one of those is centre back. We all heard about the story on Jarrad Branthwaite, as we reported it exclusively on this site.

The mainstream media soon played this one down and made it seem like Chelsea were not pursuing him. Well, they were, and they still are. SPTC sources have heard that Chelsea are still in for Branthwaite and it may well be one that sparks back up again in the latter part of the window. After Dean Huijsen, Chelsea looked at Branthwaite as a priority. They approached Everton but were quoted a fee that they believed to be too high of around £80m-£85m. But during these talks they sensed that something could be done here for Branthwaite and feel that there’s a deal there that they could get done. So there’s a feeling that Chelsea might return here. Enzo Maresca backs any move for Branthwaite as well.

Of course, The Blues have many other centre back targets, and the noise on Tomas Aruajo of Benfica is all true, as we have reported here many times now. Marc Guehi is still of interest, and the Jorrel Hato stuff is still there. It’s unclear whether Chelsea see him as more of a Marc Cucurella backup or a centre back, although the aforementioned is most likely for now. I heard last night on Hato that Chelsea will hold more talks for him a bit later in the window now. So this is one situation that has not gone anywhere but as reported, Chelsea have just put it a bit on the back burner for now as they prioritise the attack upon Maresca’s request.

[YorkshireBlue 3,268]

25 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Gittens, Garnacho, and Malick Fofana. Not exactly confidence inspiring choices, imo.

I honestly feel like we’re just going to replace Sancho whose production was really disappointing with another winger who will put up disappointing numbers. But also cost tens of millions more than Sancho would have.

Who was you hoping for 

[Pizy 18,877]

25 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said:

Who was you hoping for 

If we’re dead set on signing only young talents why not throw everything at Morgan Rogers? At least he’s PL proven and is right in line with our obsession with former City youth. And for me he’s actually got top tier potential unlike some of these other guys.

[YorkshireBlue 3,268]

6 minutes ago, Pizy said:

If we’re dead set on signing only young talents why not throw everything at Morgan Rogers? At least he’s PL proven and is right in line with our obsession with former City youth. And for me he’s actually got top tier potential unlike some of these other guys.

What makes you think Roger’s would want to come here for a start? 

[Pizy 18,877]

6 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said:

What makes you think Roger’s would want to come here for a start? 

Best mates with Palmer, good mates with a bunch of our players, UCL football, much higher profile club. If we made an effort there’s no way he’d turn us down.

[Vesper 30,119]

4 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Gittens, Garnacho, and Malick Fofana. Not exactly confidence inspiring choices, imo.

I honestly feel like we’re just going to replace Sancho whose production was really disappointing with another winger who will put up disappointing numbers. But also cost tens of millions more than Sancho would have.

right footed or ambipedal wingers still technically available

in order of my prefernce

some are pipe dreams

 

Jamal Musiala  
Rodrygo  
Xavi Simons
Morgan Rogers
Kenan Yildiz   
Antoine Semenyo
Nico Williams  
Rafael Leão
Jamie Gittens
Malick Fofana
Jesus Rodriguez

 

no to Garnacho

[King Kante 1,643]

7 hours ago, Magic Lamps said:

Sadly that’s true. We have not won any domestic title since 2018 (lost I think 7 domestic finals in a row). But we also did not have any elite coach in that time apart from Tuchel. I believe an experienced manager would be able to get a bit more out of this squad which clearly is talented but lacks guidance even now but that is apparently not on the cards either.

The Nkunku signing and the maignan pursuit have shown that the owners are willing to at least look at players over 25 if they think it is still good value. But clearly their bias for youth is void of any footballing knowledge behind it and purely an economic consideration. All we can do is hope that by chance they sign some 24 yo who indeed is exceptionally mature for his age and able to provide leadership. 

what I find just as odd is that we have a manager who prefers slow possession based football, whereas almost all our past and prospective attacking signings  are athletic speed demons who are best suited to a counter attacking style which we witnessed to have great effect during the first few months of last season. 

100%. Maresca is one of those managers so welded to his philosophy that he cannot adapt. Every game with him it is the same repetitions with the idea that if you do the same thing over and over you'll become elite as if you dominate possesion you technically cannot lose. Instead the truth of the matter is that he was essentially a Pep minion who was  tasked with training his teams to work on possession and as a result cannot see the shifts in games or how you adapt to your opponent - hence why we always play down to the level of whoever we are playing but just try to 'keep possession' better. Overall strategy isn't his thing as he just cares about possession above all else, not only is it absolutely mind numbing it is also incredibly inhibiting. 

Edited June 16 by King Kante

[Thor 2,692]

3 hours ago, Vesper said:

right footed or ambipedal wingers still technically available

in order of my prefernce

some are pipe dreams

 

Jamal Musiala  
Rodrygo  
Xavi Simons
Morgan Rogers
Kenan Yildiz   
Antoine Semenyo
Nico Williams  
Rafael Leão
Jamie Gittens
Malick Fofana
Jesus Rodriguez

 

no to Garnacho

I'll get blasted for this, but I'm a big fan of both Semenyo and Fofana. Fofana, not in terms of quality right now, but looks much like a young Salah - although his finishing and decision making even now is really, really good. Always impressed with him when he plays. 

Semenyo and Rogers would be great - but I do wonder if Rogers is impactful down the left? He's always seemed to thrive in the middle role more so? 

Rogers would be a dream signing, but is it us trying to fit him in without taking into account his best position?