Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 27,721]

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.

[Vesper 27,721]

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 1,811]

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 1,811]

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 7,067]

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 4,190]

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 8,663]

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

[Mhsc 735]

11 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

Almost feels like a sting operation to figure out who is leaking shit, given it turned out to be total bullshit.

[nyikolajevics 2,496]

9 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

 

 

 

Club who signs him up will be a happy club. This guy is impressive on and off the pitch. Seems to be a leader at Dortmund despite his young age and the fact that this is only his second year overseas. Watching his interviews, he is always super calm and is a bright guy. 

 

[LAM09 6,620]

I have no idea why every negotiation is public knowledge from the get-go. Everything looks so amateurish. 

[We Hate Scouse 10,262]

8 minutes ago, LAM09 said:

I have no idea why every negotiation is public knowledge from the get-go. Everything looks so amateurish. 

Because it is. They have no idea how to run a football club. Under Abramovich we saw none of this, there were deals out the blue from players we wasn't even linked with. The info that was reported by the press was purposely leaked as they saw fit. 

Everyone at the club top to bottom knew the score, if there was a leak it would be followed as close to the source as possible and they would be made an example of.

There's none of that now, people aren't afraid and see it as an opportunity to line their pockets. 

Back in the day when I had good sources at the club I'd post a lot of the info I got on here. The year that we moved on from Samsung, I had info on who was in the running to replace them and posted some mock kits with the sponsors on. That was my last inside info I provided as it was very quickly tracked back to the source and got messy!! If that happened now, no one would bat an eye. 

We seriously need to hope that they get some people in that know how to run a club soon. 

[Vesper 27,721]

1 hour ago, We Hate Scouse said:

Because it is. They have no idea how to run a football club. Under Abramovich we saw none of this, there were deals out the blue from players we wasn't even linked with. The info that was reported by the press was purposely leaked as they saw fit. 

Everyone at the club top to bottom knew the score, if there was a leak it would be followed as close to the source as possible and they would be made an example of.

There's none of that now, people aren't afraid and see it as an opportunity to line their pockets. 

Back in the day when I had good sources at the club I'd post a lot of the info I got on here. The year that we moved on from Samsung, I had info on who was in the running to replace them and posted some mock kits with the sponsors on. That was my last inside info I provided as it was very quickly tracked back to the source and got messy!! If that happened now, no one would bat an eye. 

We seriously need to hope that they get some people in that know how to run a club soon. 

Christoph Freund would have plugged a lot of the leaks around transfers, and now we failed to get him.

[bigbluewillie 1,811]

5 hours ago, nyikolajevics said:

 

 

Club who signs him up will be a happy club. This guy is impressive on and off the pitch. Seems to be a leader at Dortmund despite his young age and the fact that this is only his second year overseas. Watching his interviews, he is always super calm and is a bright guy. 

 

Borussia Dortmund value 19-year-old England midfielder Jude Bellingham, a transfer target of Manchester United and Liverpool, at around £130m. (Athletic - subscription required)

 

 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,799]

1 hour ago, bigbluewillie said:

Borussia Dortmund value 19-year-old England midfielder Jude Bellingham, a transfer target of Manchester United and Liverpool, at around £130m. (Athletic - subscription required)

 

 

I've loved this player since Birmingham but I see ZERO possibility that we sign him. He will go elsewhere when he leaves BVB.

[Vesper 27,721]

5 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I've loved this player since Birmingham but I see ZERO possibility that we sign him. He will go elsewhere when he leaves BVB.

agree 😪

[Vesper 27,721]

6 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I've loved this player since Birmingham but I see ZERO possibility that we sign him. He will go elsewhere when he leaves BVB.

I am pretty bearish on our prospects for summer 2023

No CL, if that happens, will fuck us hard

I do not think we have decent shots at most all of the top players who will be remotely available in 2023

I think the only ones we have a shot at (and many will be close to, or more than £90-100m) are

Declan Rice (but HARD pass at £150m)
Victor Osimhen (will not be easy)
Josko Gvardiol (and if we do not lock him up in January, our chances go down and down)
Moisés Caicedo (will not be easy at all)
Moussa Diaby  
Mikel Oyarzabal  (if fully recovered)
Kouadio Koné

 

I think we have little to no chance on

Jude Bellingham 
Christopher Nkunku 
Bernardo Silva   ????
Dušan Vlahović  ????
Lautaro Martínez ????
Florian Wirtz  (if fully recovered)
João Félix   ????
Rafael Leão ????
Sergej Milinković-Savić   
Nicolò Barella ????
Achraf Hakimi   ????
Federico Chiesa (if fully recovered) ????
Milan Skriniar  ????
Frenkie de Jong    ????
Alessandro Bastoni   ????
Theo Hernández  ???? (if we dump Chilwell, which is really unlikely) 
Jan Oblak  ????
José Gayà

Edited September 22, 2022 by Vesper

[Vesper 27,721]

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