Chelsea Transfers

[Blues Forever 1,232]

On 4/7/2020 at 6:52 AM, Vesper said:

the Spanish papers are claiming its a done deal for Sancho with Manure 

I was just putting that Collins post up as he is supposedly now a wee target

No it isn't a done deal yet even the most reliable journos for United like Ducker, Whitwell, and Romano only said United is still in contact with Sancho's camp.

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8206621/Chelsea-plan-Leicester-defender-Ben-Chilwell-Emerson-set-join-Juventus-Napoli.html

 

Chelsea 'plan £25m move for Leicester defender Ben Chilwell' with Emerson set to join Juventus or Napoli

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

7 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

No it isn't a done deal yet even the most reliable journos for United like Ducker, Whitwell, and Romano only said United is still in contact with Sancho's camp.

I think he will stay in Dortmund one more season. And in summer 2021 with one year left on contract should be much cheaper.

[King Kante 1,474]

6 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

I think he will stay in Dortmund one more season. And in summer 2021 with one year left on contract should be much cheaper.

Yeah, I just do not see the need for Sancho to move this Summer. If I were him I would be either staying next season or seeing my contract out. 

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

2 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Yeah, I just do not see the need for Sancho to move this Summer. If I were him I would be either staying next season or seeing my contract out. 

Imagine getting Sancho for free 

[Vesper 28,719]

3 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8206621/Chelsea-plan-Leicester-defender-Ben-Chilwell-Emerson-set-join-Juventus-Napoli.html

 

Chelsea 'plan £25m move for Leicester defender Ben Chilwell' with Emerson set to join Juventus or Napoli

their headline is a lie (not your fault m8 at all)

it is not £25m for Chilwell

A potential £25million move to Juventus would mean Emerson is reunited with former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, who remains a fan of the Brazil-born Italy international. 

Alonso may also depart Stamford Bridge as Lampard plans an overhaul of his options in that position, but the rtired midfielder may have to compete with Manchester City for Chilwell's services.

A fee of around £50million is expected to be demanded by the Foxes to part with the academy graduate, who has made 118 appearances for the club since his debut in 2015. 

[chelsea_4_eva 1,157]

The last time we got a 27 year old who didn't work at barca.. turned out pretty well.

[Vesper 28,719]

Will a relaxing of FFP rules tempt Abramovich to spend big again?

https://theathletic.com/1737149/2020/04/10/abramovich-spending-roman-chelsea-ffp-coronavirus/

September 1, 2008. Manchester City supporters remember the date as the moment Abu Dhabi United Group signed off their takeover, altering the club’s trajectory forever. From a Chelsea perspective, it signified the end of Roman Abramovich’s thrilling tenure at the top of the transfer market food chain, a changing of the guard immediately underlined by City’s victory in a public tussle to sign Robinho from Real Madrid.

No individual, no matter how wealthy, can match the spending power of an oil-rich state. Abramovich recognised the new reality of English football, and the sustainability drive that Chelsea had already embarked upon was ramped up. They supported the introduction of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations in 2011 and have taken pride in balancing success on the pitch with compliance in the yearly accounts ever since.

Chelsea’s net spend under Abramovich

 

 

Abramovich has spent his own money — and continues to do so — to keep Chelsea competitive in the top tier of English and European football. But since 2008, every investment has been made with the knowledge that he will never again enjoy the kind of financial edge to rival the early years of his ownership, when his unprecedented spending kick-started a cascade of trophies at Stamford Bridge.

Those days are gone, but over the past month, events beyond Chelsea’s control have shifted the landscape significantly again. European football is on hold and clubs all over the continent are feeling the effects, with the fallout sure to condition this summer’s transfer window — whenever it actually ends up taking place.

“The original plan had been for quite sweeping changes this summer, with six or seven incoming transfers, but the pandemic has forced a rethink,” a Premier League club’s head of recruitment, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells The Athletic. “I'd say it's far likelier now that we'd bring in two or three, players who were identified a while back and are well known to us, on a far stricter budget. No one really knows how the transfer market is going to react to the current crisis.

“Most people expect prices to come down, that you won't see £100 million fees for players, and clubs will need time to rebuild after a period without football. Yes, there may be ‘bargains’ out there, and I've seen talk even of clubs who are competing in the Champions League — not the very elite, but that second group of clubs — being vulnerable.

“But those assessments can't be sweeping. We've seen Bundesliga clubs pooling money to help bail out other clubs further down the pyramid there, which doesn't suggest they're overly struggling. It is all relative: there simply won't be the same amounts available to spend in the market, for most clubs, as there would be normally. Not unless you have an owner with bottomless resources who is willing to pour money into the club.”

There are signs the door may be opening for clubs less vulnerable to European football’s broader economic challenges to separate themselves. UEFA has set up a working group to explore how FFP rules might be relaxed or even suspended for a period, in response to lobbying from major leagues and clubs. The Premier League’s own financial compliance rules are open for discussion, and the traditional March deadline for clubs to file their accounts has been extended to June 30.

If breakeven requirements are temporarily removed, a select number of clubs stand to benefit most. City and Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain have the resources to outbid everyone except one another, while Manchester United are confident their vast cash reserves will stand them in good stead in transfer negotiations to come.

Abramovich can help Chelsea gain a similar edge if he so chooses — just as his presence has already positioned his club better than most to navigate the difficult months ahead.

---

Among its million other ripple effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Premier League football clubs to think more deeply about their role in the world beyond the sport bubble. Chelsea have made that adjustment more impressively than most, in part because they had less of an adjustment to make in the first place.

Chelsea Foundation has been one of English football’s more ambitious and impactful charitable organisations for several years, with the cornerstone of its work being the award-winning campaign against antisemitism personally launched by Abramovich in January 2018. Ever since the shutdown, its considerable resources have been refocused solely on the public health crisis.

The Millennium Hotel at Stamford Bridge, made available by Abramovich to NHS staff and key workers three weeks ago, is operating at 90 per cent of capacity. It’s likely that the neighbouring Copthorne Hotel will also soon be at their disposal, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been informed that the stadium’s catering, car parking and conference facilities can be used if needed. That conversation, led by chairman Bruce Buck, is ongoing.

Chelsea’s medical staff have been given permission to bolster frontline health services if they wish to do so. The club’s foundation and well-being staff are in frequent communication with the old and vulnerable via regular phone calls, newsletters and video messages. Regular workout videos on the club’s social media channels are aimed at keeping others physically active during the lockdown.

Then there is also the club’s partnership with UK charity Refuge, which senior figures at Chelsea established at the urging of Abramovich when the club became aware of statistics that highlighted a worrying increase in incidents of domestic violence since the period of self-isolation began.

Abramovich’s backing has given Chelsea the stability to maintain extensive community outreach programmes without placing a burden on the public purse. All of the club’s staff remain on full pay, and none have been placed on the UK government’s furlough scheme; the optics of any multi-billionaire — even one with a relatively fresh sense of grievance against the Home Office — unloading costs onto the state at a time like this are virtually impossible to recover from.

But club officials point to the fact that Abramovich has never sought to take money out of Chelsea or to shirk the costs incurred in his running of the club. Last year he undermined persistent questions about his long-term commitment by pouring in a further £247 million of his personal wealth to bankroll significant transfer spending in a year without Champions League football.

This year poses different, unprecedented challenges. Chelsea were well placed financially before COVID-19 shut down English football: their next financial results will include £115.4 million banked from player sales, headlined by the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. They were back in the Champions League, and on course to qualify again, and they are one of only three Premier League clubs to have no outstanding transfer payments due to other clubs — their previous transfer ban, of course, plays a big part.

There is no knowing exactly how the current situation will play out. If football does not resume for many months, Premier League broadcasters demand their money back and UEFA do not deliver the expected FFP reprieve, even Chelsea may be forced to make difficult decisions. But as things stand, there is a quiet confidence that the club will reach the other side of this crisis relatively unscathed — a confidence that springs from the enduring commitment of Abramovich.

---

The tantalising question is whether Chelsea can actually emerge stronger. Abramovich has not escaped the global economic downturn caused by the virus; his net worth has dropped $1.96 billion (£1.57 billion) since the start of 2020, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Good Friday. That figure represents 13.3 per cent of his overall fortune entering the new decade. By way of interesting comparison, former Chelsea suitor Sir Jim Ratcliffe lost $6.05 billion (£4.86 billion) in the same span.

Not that Abramovich’s billionaire status will be under threat anytime soon. Bloomberg estimate his remaining net worth stands at $14.4 billion (£11.5 billion), making him the 80 wealthiest individual in the world. He has also diversified his investments considerably in the years since 2003, and so is less likely to be heavily depleted by sudden fluctuations in specific financial markets.

He retains the capability to bankroll vast, transformative transfer spending. When the window does re-open, Chelsea will not be subject to the inhibitions borne of having taken austerity measures, nor will they have leaned on the UK government during this crisis, as rivals Tottenham have. With the need to satisfy FFP and Premier League financial rules seemingly temporarily removed, the only limits to Abramovich’s ambition will be those of a handful of even richer rivals, or the ones he sets for himself.

Chelsea’s recruitment operation remains active, even if Scott McLachlan’s international scouting operation has been reduced to video and data analysis by the global shutdown. Marina Granovskaia is still talking to agents and clubs, and Frank Lampard continues to lead discussions about potential first-team targets to supplement the arrival of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax.

The message coming out of Stamford Bridge is that Chelsea’s sustainability model — supplementing signings with Granovskaia’s talent for maximising sales, as well as relentlessly pursuing new commercial income streams — is expected to remain the guiding philosophy. Abramovich has embraced the spirit of FFP more than most of elite football’s modern benefactors, and six more major trophies since 2012 constitutes a rich reward for his commitment to the concept.

But the next transfer window may be unlike any that has come before it. Chelsea were already gearing up for a key summer of recruitment. If what many anticipate to be a buyer’s market is not tempered by the need to balance the books, Abramovich will be presented with an opportunity not available to him for nearly a decade.

[King Kante 1,474]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Will a relaxing of FFP rules tempt Abramovich to spend big again?

https://theathletic.com/1737149/2020/04/10/abramovich-spending-roman-chelsea-ffp-coronavirus/

September 1, 2008. Manchester City supporters remember the date as the moment Abu Dhabi United Group signed off their takeover, altering the club’s trajectory forever. From a Chelsea perspective, it signified the end of Roman Abramovich’s thrilling tenure at the top of the transfer market food chain, a changing of the guard immediately underlined by City’s victory in a public tussle to sign Robinho from Real Madrid.

No individual, no matter how wealthy, can match the spending power of an oil-rich state. Abramovich recognised the new reality of English football, and the sustainability drive that Chelsea had already embarked upon was ramped up. They supported the introduction of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations in 2011 and have taken pride in balancing success on the pitch with compliance in the yearly accounts ever since.

Chelsea’s net spend under Abramovich

 

 

Abramovich has spent his own money — and continues to do so — to keep Chelsea competitive in the top tier of English and European football. But since 2008, every investment has been made with the knowledge that he will never again enjoy the kind of financial edge to rival the early years of his ownership, when his unprecedented spending kick-started a cascade of trophies at Stamford Bridge.

Those days are gone, but over the past month, events beyond Chelsea’s control have shifted the landscape significantly again. European football is on hold and clubs all over the continent are feeling the effects, with the fallout sure to condition this summer’s transfer window — whenever it actually ends up taking place.

“The original plan had been for quite sweeping changes this summer, with six or seven incoming transfers, but the pandemic has forced a rethink,” a Premier League club’s head of recruitment, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells The Athletic. “I'd say it's far likelier now that we'd bring in two or three, players who were identified a while back and are well known to us, on a far stricter budget. No one really knows how the transfer market is going to react to the current crisis.

“Most people expect prices to come down, that you won't see £100 million fees for players, and clubs will need time to rebuild after a period without football. Yes, there may be ‘bargains’ out there, and I've seen talk even of clubs who are competing in the Champions League — not the very elite, but that second group of clubs — being vulnerable.

“But those assessments can't be sweeping. We've seen Bundesliga clubs pooling money to help bail out other clubs further down the pyramid there, which doesn't suggest they're overly struggling. It is all relative: there simply won't be the same amounts available to spend in the market, for most clubs, as there would be normally. Not unless you have an owner with bottomless resources who is willing to pour money into the club.”

There are signs the door may be opening for clubs less vulnerable to European football’s broader economic challenges to separate themselves. UEFA has set up a working group to explore how FFP rules might be relaxed or even suspended for a period, in response to lobbying from major leagues and clubs. The Premier League’s own financial compliance rules are open for discussion, and the traditional March deadline for clubs to file their accounts has been extended to June 30.

If breakeven requirements are temporarily removed, a select number of clubs stand to benefit most. City and Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain have the resources to outbid everyone except one another, while Manchester United are confident their vast cash reserves will stand them in good stead in transfer negotiations to come.

Abramovich can help Chelsea gain a similar edge if he so chooses — just as his presence has already positioned his club better than most to navigate the difficult months ahead.

---

Among its million other ripple effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Premier League football clubs to think more deeply about their role in the world beyond the sport bubble. Chelsea have made that adjustment more impressively than most, in part because they had less of an adjustment to make in the first place.

Chelsea Foundation has been one of English football’s more ambitious and impactful charitable organisations for several years, with the cornerstone of its work being the award-winning campaign against antisemitism personally launched by Abramovich in January 2018. Ever since the shutdown, its considerable resources have been refocused solely on the public health crisis.

The Millennium Hotel at Stamford Bridge, made available by Abramovich to NHS staff and key workers three weeks ago, is operating at 90 per cent of capacity. It’s likely that the neighbouring Copthorne Hotel will also soon be at their disposal, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been informed that the stadium’s catering, car parking and conference facilities can be used if needed. That conversation, led by chairman Bruce Buck, is ongoing.

Chelsea’s medical staff have been given permission to bolster frontline health services if they wish to do so. The club’s foundation and well-being staff are in frequent communication with the old and vulnerable via regular phone calls, newsletters and video messages. Regular workout videos on the club’s social media channels are aimed at keeping others physically active during the lockdown.

Then there is also the club’s partnership with UK charity Refuge, which senior figures at Chelsea established at the urging of Abramovich when the club became aware of statistics that highlighted a worrying increase in incidents of domestic violence since the period of self-isolation began.

Abramovich’s backing has given Chelsea the stability to maintain extensive community outreach programmes without placing a burden on the public purse. All of the club’s staff remain on full pay, and none have been placed on the UK government’s furlough scheme; the optics of any multi-billionaire — even one with a relatively fresh sense of grievance against the Home Office — unloading costs onto the state at a time like this are virtually impossible to recover from.

But club officials point to the fact that Abramovich has never sought to take money out of Chelsea or to shirk the costs incurred in his running of the club. Last year he undermined persistent questions about his long-term commitment by pouring in a further £247 million of his personal wealth to bankroll significant transfer spending in a year without Champions League football.

This year poses different, unprecedented challenges. Chelsea were well placed financially before COVID-19 shut down English football: their next financial results will include £115.4 million banked from player sales, headlined by the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. They were back in the Champions League, and on course to qualify again, and they are one of only three Premier League clubs to have no outstanding transfer payments due to other clubs — their previous transfer ban, of course, plays a big part.

There is no knowing exactly how the current situation will play out. If football does not resume for many months, Premier League broadcasters demand their money back and UEFA do not deliver the expected FFP reprieve, even Chelsea may be forced to make difficult decisions. But as things stand, there is a quiet confidence that the club will reach the other side of this crisis relatively unscathed — a confidence that springs from the enduring commitment of Abramovich.

---

The tantalising question is whether Chelsea can actually emerge stronger. Abramovich has not escaped the global economic downturn caused by the virus; his net worth has dropped $1.96 billion (£1.57 billion) since the start of 2020, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Good Friday. That figure represents 13.3 per cent of his overall fortune entering the new decade. By way of interesting comparison, former Chelsea suitor Sir Jim Ratcliffe lost $6.05 billion (£4.86 billion) in the same span.

Not that Abramovich’s billionaire status will be under threat anytime soon. Bloomberg estimate his remaining net worth stands at $14.4 billion (£11.5 billion), making him the 80 wealthiest individual in the world. He has also diversified his investments considerably in the years since 2003, and so is less likely to be heavily depleted by sudden fluctuations in specific financial markets.

He retains the capability to bankroll vast, transformative transfer spending. When the window does re-open, Chelsea will not be subject to the inhibitions borne of having taken austerity measures, nor will they have leaned on the UK government during this crisis, as rivals Tottenham have. With the need to satisfy FFP and Premier League financial rules seemingly temporarily removed, the only limits to Abramovich’s ambition will be those of a handful of even richer rivals, or the ones he sets for himself.

Chelsea’s recruitment operation remains active, even if Scott McLachlan’s international scouting operation has been reduced to video and data analysis by the global shutdown. Marina Granovskaia is still talking to agents and clubs, and Frank Lampard continues to lead discussions about potential first-team targets to supplement the arrival of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax.

The message coming out of Stamford Bridge is that Chelsea’s sustainability model — supplementing signings with Granovskaia’s talent for maximising sales, as well as relentlessly pursuing new commercial income streams — is expected to remain the guiding philosophy. Abramovich has embraced the spirit of FFP more than most of elite football’s modern benefactors, and six more major trophies since 2012 constitutes a rich reward for his commitment to the concept.

But the next transfer window may be unlike any that has come before it. Chelsea were already gearing up for a key summer of recruitment. If what many anticipate to be a buyer’s market is not tempered by the need to balance the books, Abramovich will be presented with an opportunity not available to him for nearly a decade.

There are a few things wrong with this article. Firstly, some of those figures are off. For instance our net spend in 2018/19 was more like £85-90m not £150m+. Also, 06-07 isn't right as that was more like +£32m not -£6m.

Next, they have a quote direct from a scout saying that there will be less players signed than planned, yet we get an article that hints that we can go all out if Roman fancies it. Also, if the market has fallen how is Granny going to shift the players? Ok, we can probably still sell a Kante but what about players like Drinky (£100k), Baka (£110k) and Baba (on £75k apprantly)? Those players are likely to be knocking around SB next season pulling their over the top wages. 

[ulsterchelsea 3,221]

I know I'm flogging a dead donkey here but remember these forums used to be just about which players we liked/where good? I hate this modern thing when everyone thinks they are an accountant. Boring

[DDA 9,689]

1 hour ago, ulsterchelsea said:

I know I'm flogging a dead donkey here but remember these forums used to be just about which players we liked/where good? I hate this modern thing when everyone thinks they are an accountant. Boring

I literally scroll past every single post that you speak of to find a simple post like yours lol. Fair play to the effort but I don't have the time nor patience to read these articles. 

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Styl1994 188]

A summer window that would see us sign 

Bizot 10m 

Gabriel 35m 

Telles 30m 

Ziyech 33m 

Martinez 97m 

Maarten promoted from academy 

Out 

Zouma or Rudiger 35m 

Alonso 20m 

Emerson 25m 

Batshuayi 20m 

Bakayoko 25m 

Morata 50m 

Pašalić 12m 

Willain free 

Pedro free 

Caballero free 

Squad for next season 

GK: Arrizabalaga, Bizot, Homegrown 3rd goalkeeper 

RB: Azpilicueta, James 

CB: Christensen, Zouma/Rüdiger, Tomori, Gabriel 

LB: Telles, Maarten, Azpilicueta 

CM: Kante, Kovacic, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Barkley, Gilmour 

RW/LW: Ziyech, Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi, Martinez, Mount 

ST: Abraham, Martinez, Giroud 

 

[Strike 7,212]

If there is any truth to the Coutinho rumours I hope it is a loan

[Special Juan 27,419]

I think it will be a loan if it happens.

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

Icardi may be available. He wants back to Italy but Conte does not want him so they will try to avoid selling him to Juve or Napoli. 60-70m would be a price.

Also, since we want someone who can challenge Kepa this guy would be great. But if not loan not sure we would spend a lot of money for second GK.

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

Garcia Silvero: 'Market will not open July 1'

 

https://www.football-italia.net/152078/garcia-silvero-market-will-not-open-july-1

 

Poor Lampard more than a year at the club and still would not be able to sign any players.

[OneMoSalah 8,773]

7 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Garcia Silvero: 'Market will not open July 1'

 

https://www.football-italia.net/152078/garcia-silvero-market-will-not-open-july-1

 

Poor Lampard more than a year at the club and still would not be able to sign any players.

I dont think the season will finish anytime soon so I think its only fair they keep the window shut until its done like usual.

I generally do think they should just null and void the season at this rate though, more important things than trying to reschedule multiple football leagues eventually. It would probably throw up a lot of problems too that would have to be resolved though and undoubtedly some clubs who are in promotion places in other leagues, CL places, title winning positions will probably object to it but I think to keep delaying the season is just going to be a repeated process at this rate. The date was originally start of April, then 30th of April IIRC, fuck knows what it is now. In Scotland theyve delayed it again to June 10th. 

I mean if they reschedule it and we get started in say 2, 3 or even 4 months (or whatever period), the teams are undoubtedbly going to need 4-6 weeks to get their players fit again because theres no way through this they can build or maintain suitable/relevant match fitness. Before you know it its the summer or beyond and that pushes the transfer window out, the Euros out and whatever else. Just null and void the lot. Start again in August if its good to do so from the beginning. 

The transfer window when it happens, it is going to be pretty dull in comparison to what people think it will be. The big players wont move for huge fees but some clubs will definitely need to move some players on because of the hit theyll have taken through this. I wonder if this may lower some of the prices in the transfer market, although youd think some will still refuse to sell unless price X or Y is met but the likes of the Valencia's, Sevilla's, Monaco's, Dortmund's, Ajax's, clubs you'd maybe associate more as selling clubs may be even more desperate to make deals now. Valencia already had 30-40m debt they had to clear to be inline with FFP. There will be others too. Dont know what the state of play is going to be with FFP now though.