Chelsea Transfers

[Pizy 18,360]

Looks like Newcastle have successfully gotten themselves out of the jam and won’t have to sell either of Gordon or Isak. They’ve sold two players I’ve literally never heard of before today for big fees apparently.

I wonder if there’s some other smaller club we can take advantage of who are in PSR trouble….

[Vesper 28,679]

5 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Looks like Newcastle have successfully gotten themselves out of the jam and won’t have to sell either of Gordon or Isak. They’ve sold two players I’ve literally never heard of before today for big fees apparently.

I wonder if there’s some other smaller club we can take advantage of who are in PSR trouble….

I had listed Yankuba Minteh (who was superb on loan at Feyenoord) as an available winger 2 and a half weeks ago

 

Elliot Anderson is a CMF who I never really targeted

he is the brother of Love Island's Wil Anderson

[Vesper 28,679]

15 minutes ago, Pizy said:

I wonder if there’s some other smaller club we can take advantage of who are in PSR trouble….

Barca

lolololol

[Vesper 28,679]

3 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

I attend Atlanta games and watch them on TV.  Wiley is fast, crosses well, and has a motor. Not a good dribbler in tight spaces. He will get a goal here and there but he is always looking to get the ball to the forwards. He has some skill, but not a standout at anything.

 

 

Quote

 

[Pizy 18,360]

11 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Barca

lolololol

I was wondering if maybe we should hijack that kid from Leeds even though we don’t really need him at the moment. May be the last and best chance we get at him if he’s as good as the hype suggests. I’ve seen people on Twitter saying he’s the next Declan Rice. So if he goes to Brentford and has an amazing season he’ll be the next mega expensive English player that all the Big 6 will want.

I mean, we were linked with him the other day for a reason. Maybe the club should convince him to hold off on a move until we sort of whether Dewsbury-Hall happens? Even though they’re different midfielders.

[LAM09 6,733]

17 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I had listed Yankuba Minteh (who was superb on loan at Feyenoord) as an available winger 2 and a half weeks ago

 

Elliot Anderson is a CMF who I never really targeted

he is the brother of Love Island's Wil Anderson

It's very surprising more clubs don't scout Africa (work permits?). There are plenty of players, old and young who would thrive in Europe. Kaabi is the latest example of that.

[Vesper 28,679]

Man Utd open talks with Bayern's De Ligt

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c511n42lq0no

 

Manchester United open talks with Matthijs de Ligt, Paris St-Germain consider world-record bid for Lamine Yamal and Manchester City are interested in Joshua Kimmich and Dani Olmo.

Manchester United have opened talks with 24-year-old Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who is ready to leave Bayern Munich this summer. (Sky Sport Germany), external

Paris St-Germain are prepared to pay a world-record transfer fee to sign Spain winger Lamine Yamal, 16, from Barcelona. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external

Manchester City are interested in signing Bayern Munich's Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, 29, and RB Leipzig's Spain winger Dani Olmo, 26. (Sun), external

Chelsea have discussed including Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 23, as part of a deal for Newcastle United's Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 24. (Sun), external

Chelsea are also ready to offer England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, Albania striker Armando Broja, 22, and English centre-back Trevoh Chalobah, 24, as potential makeweights in a deal for Isak. (Football Insider), external

Arsenal remain interested in Isak and can match Newcastle’s asking price, yet the Gunners are likely to prioritise a midfield signing. (Football Transfers), external

Newcastle are in advanced talks with Nottingham Forest over a move for Sweden winger Anthony Elanga, 22, with Scottish midfielder Elliot Anderson, 21, likely to move in the opposite direction. (Talksport), external

Senegal centre-back Moussa Niakhate, 28, is set to complete a move from Forest to Lyon. (Fabrizio Romano), external

West Ham have approached Metz about signing Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze, 23, and are also monitoring Lyon's Republic of Ireland defender Jake O’Brien, 23. (Guardian), external

Crystal Palace are in line for a significant cash windfall from O'Brien's next move as they included a sell-on clause of up to 25% when they sold him to Lyon last summer. (Mail)

[Vesper 28,679]

Chelsea in advanced talks to sign Caleb Wiley from Atlanta

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5603496/2024/06/29/Chelsea-caleb-wiley-transfer-atlanta/

 

Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign left-back Caleb Wiley from Atlanta United.

The deal is not yet done and during talks, the prospect of Wiley heading to Strasbourg — the French club owned by BlueCo, which also controls Chelsea — has been raised.

Wiley has been twice capped by the senior United States side since making his debut last year. He is not in Gregg Berhalter’s squad for the ongoing Copa America but was named in the U.S. pre-Olympic roster at the end of May.

Wiley has played 81 times for Atlanta since making his senior debut in 2022. This season, he has started all but one of their 19 MLS fixtures.

Chelsea have been very active in targeting young players at the start of the summer transfer window. The Premier League side have already brought in Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa and look set to add Boca Juniors defender Aaron Anselmino and Barcelona striker Marc Guiu.

They have also made an offer to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City and have held talks over the potential signing of Canada international Jonathan David. In terms of outgoings, full-back Ian Maatsen has joined Aston Villa and winger Omari Hutchinson is close to rejoining Ipswich Town in a permanent deal.

Chelsea have sent two players on loan to Strasbourg since BlueCo completed its purchase of the Ligue 1 side in June 2023. Brazilian winger Angelo Santos joined on loan last summer after signing for Chelsea from Santos in his homeland. Santos’ compatriot Andrey Santos joined him in January after cutting short an unsuccessful loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

GO DEEPER

Chelsea, Strasbourg, BlueCo and a multi-club model yet to convince a sceptical fanbase

[Vesper 28,679]

Chelsea and Dewsbury-Hall: First, why? Second, why? Actually, it makes sense

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5600965/2024/06/29/Chelsea-kiernan-dewsbury-hall-maresca/

Chelsea’s new head coach Enzo Maresca officially starts work on July 1 and if things go according to plan, he will soon have his best player from former club Leicester City joining him.

As The Athletic revealed on Friday, Chelsea have made an offer to Leicester for midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. His displays under Maresca for Leicester in the Championship last season led to him being voted the club’s player of the year and players’ player of the year (and The Athletic’s Championship player of the season).

Chelsea supporters, not for the first time in this window, appear to be a little underwhelmed. Nothing has been agreed yet and the 25-year-old could end up staying at Leicester, but given Chelsea have so many midfielders in the squad already, it is still worth discussing why they are making such a move.

This has been under consideration for weeks and is not a last-minute reaction to Brighton & Hove Albion’s attempts to acquire Dewsbury-Hall themselves this week. Chelsea were under the impression Leicester would listen to offers but could not act straight away due to the amount of squad planning — ins and outs — being earmarked this summer. They have already been busy on this front. Meanwhile, Maresca needed to be involved in these discussions but as he was not in the building yet, it provided a bit of a complication to work around.

It is no surprise Maresca is on board with this pursuit, but Chelsea have not just decided to go along with it to keep the Italian happy. Dewsbury-Hall fits the system Maresca likes to use and provides something different to what they have in the squad because he is a left-footed midfielder.

His potential arrival has led to more speculation that a final decision on Conor Gallagher’s future has been made and he will definitely be sold. That is not the case and Chelsea have not ruled out offering an extension to the England international’s contract, which has just 12 months left to run. Gallagher is regarded as more of a defensive/box-to-box midfielder, whereas Dewsbury-Hall is being lined up to play further forward as an attacking midfielder.

Players could go the other way as part of an exchange or in standalone deals. Leicester have already registered their interest in a few Chelsea players. They need a striker and a replacement for Dewsbury-Hall if he heads to Stamford Bridge. David Datro Fofana and Cesare Casadei, who was on loan at Leicester for the first half of last season, are two individuals that Chelsea would be prepared to see go in the opposite direction. Albania forward Armando Broja is up for sale but is not involved.

While he may not boast the same status as some of his potential new team-mates, Dewsbury-Hall will have quite an advantage over them should he be in place for the start of pre-season training because he knows what Maresca demands and how the Italian wants to operate. A key aspect of how Maresca works is that he is completely wedded to his method of play and the emphasis in Chelsea’s recruitment process will be to sign players that fit into it, rather than for Marseca to find a system that fits the players.

Judging from Maresca’s approach at Leicester, some players already at Chelsea will have to adjust their games and learn new disciplines. Those who fail to adjust to Maresca’s vision will quickly find themselves surplus to requirements, either on their way out of the club or sidelined with little opportunity to contribute. For example, without the need for conventional full-backs, Victor Kristiansen and Luke Thomas were moved out on loan last season, and Harry Souttar barely featured for Leicester because his ability on the ball playing out from the back was not deemed to be of the standard required.

In contrast, full-back Ricardo Pereira adapted to move into midfield when the team were in possession, and defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was turned into an attacking midfielder. Even Jamie Vardy altered his game to move from the striker playing on the shoulder of the final defender to dropping deeper and linking play to allow midfielders to run in behind him.

This was where Dewsbury-Hall played a prominent role for the Championship winners and will surely do so for Chelsea.

In Maresca’s plan, the high central midfielders play key roles. With the holding midfielder and inside full-back anchoring in front of a back three, it is up to the central midfielders to play in between the lines and link the attack with the wide players and the lone striker. Under Maresca, Chelsea will attack with a five and defend with five.

At Leicester, Dewsbury-Hall was encouraged to get into the box, to contribute goals and assists, while Ndidi offered a little more defensive insurance if the attack broke down and the opposition countered. It paid off. Dewsbury-Hall scored or assisted 29 per cent of Leicester’s 89 goals as they clinched automatic promotion to the Premier League. He scored 12 times, a target that was part of a bet with Maresca. His prize? A dinner paid for by the Italian.

Dewsbury-Hall’s importance was so profound that he featured in all but four games in all competitions, starting 43 of Leicester’s 53 games. When he did not play, Leicester struggled to have the same penetration into the box. Dewsbury-Hall will be a big loss to new manager Steve Cooper’s squad if he is gone for good.

“Since we started, Kiernan has probably improved the most,” Maresca said in November having previously told Dewsbury-Hall to cut down his long-range shooting. “At the beginning, he was full of responsibility because he’s from the academy and after relegation. After the first international break, he calmed down, and now if you’re watching the game as a fan, it’s a pleasure to watch Kiernan and see how calm he is.”

There was a visible change in Dewsbury-Hall during the campaign, a growing maturity in his game compared to his last season in the Premier League, when he only contributed two goals and two assists in 28 starts. “He is fantastic with the ball and he knows when to attack and what the team needs,” Maresca added. “He is so dangerous near the box, and has the quality to score or assist from anywhere.”

Maresca’s philosophy brought out the best in Dewsbury-Hall last season. The midfielder’s ambition is to become an England international and a move to Chelsea will be seen as an opportunity to establish himself as a top Premier League player and a contender for a call-up.

Dewsbury-Hall has been a late bloomer. He joined the Leicester academy when he was eight and didn’t make his first-team debut until four years ago. But he made significant progress during loan spells with Blackpool and Luton Town before stepping up at Leicester. Now he is looking to make the step up again at Chelsea and Maresca will believe he is more than capable of taking his game to the next level.

GO DEEPER

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[Vesper 28,679]

Omari Hutchinson undergoes Ipswich medical ahead of move from Chelsea

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5597520/2024/06/28/omari-hutchinson-ipswich-Chelsea-transfer-news/

Omari Hutchinson has undergone a medical at Ipswich Town after the club agreed a deal worth up to £22.5million with Chelsea for the winger.

The fee is set to be an initial £20m plus up to £2.5m in add-ons, and would include a sell-on clause, making it a club record transfer for Ipswich.

Subject to Hutchinson completing a medical, the move is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Arsenal will receive a percentage of the fee due to a sell-on clause inserted into the deal when Hutchinson moved from the north London club to Chelsea in 2022.

The 20-year-old impressed on a season-long loan deal at Portman Road in the 2023-24 season, scoring 11 goals in 50 appearances to help Kieran McKenna’s side secure promotion to the Premier League after a 22-year absence.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Ipswich had enquired about a fee for Hutchinson, who was also attracting interest from other Premier League clubs and teams across Europe.

Stuttgart, Ajax and Feyenoord were also keen on Hutchinson, but the lure of playing under McKenna at Ipswich again gave the newly-promoted side an advantage. McKenna signed a new long-term Ipswich contract in May.

Hutchinson first joined Chelsea as a four-year-old in 2008, but left in 2012 to join Charlton Athletic’s youth system before spending seven years at Arsenal between 2015 and 2022.

The winger re-joined Chelsea in the summer of 2022 and made his senior debut against Manchester City in the Premier League in January 2023 as a second-half substitute.

Hutchinson represented England internationally up to Under-19 level but has subsequently been capped twice by Jamaica’s senior team.

Ipswich are preparing for their first season back in the Premier League since 2001-02, having secured back-to-back promotions in League One and the Championship.

Hutchinson scored a number of important goals towards the latter stages of Ipswich’s promotion-push, scoring twice against Hull City in their penultimate away game of the season, and adding the second in a 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town that secured promotion on the final day of the campaign.

Ipswich’s current record transfer is the initial £4.5m paid for Sampdoria goalkeeper Matteo Sereni in the summer of 2001.

The Athletic reported earlier this week that Ipswich and Hull City are engaged in active negotiations over the transfer of defender Jacob Greaves, although an agreement is yet to be reached.

GO DEEPER

Omari Hutchinson: 'The ultimate aim is the Champions League. I have a picture as my screensaver'

[Vesper 28,679]

Why Jonathan David appears destined for the Premier League: ‘A unique mentality to never stop’

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5600601/2024/06/29/Chelsea-jonathan-david-canada/

Jonathan David has always done things his own way.

As a teenager he scored hat-tricks for fun in youth soccer in Ottawa, resulting in multiple Canadian MLS clubs offering him a spot in their academies. But he wanted to go straight to Europe. So he did, moving from the Ottawa Internationals to Belgium’s Gent in 2018, before joining Lille in 2020.

David then patiently waited for the right opportunity to emerge for the next step of his career, perhaps staying at Lille for longer than expected through his five-year contract.

Meanwhile, the spotlight grew, brightening this summer due to interest from the Premier League (his representatives have held talks with Chelsea), and even more so after he scored the goal sealing his country’s 1-0 win over Peru at Copa America — Canada’s first major tournament win in a generation.

GO DEEPER

Canada keep their cool to come of age at Copa America

Further attention is unavoidable. Not that he craves it.

At Copa America, one of the biggest tournaments he has played in, requests for interviews are often met with a smile, wave of the finger and shake of his head. Though when asked about speculation about his future, he did give an answer: “I’m still under contract. I have one more year. As of now, I’m a Lille player.”

As of now.

David is undoubtedly aware his next career step will come this summer. He appears destined for the Premier League, a league very few Canadian national team players have reached before.

Is he ready?

Whether it is his pure goalscoring, the quality he shows off the ball, or his composure in difficult moments, this season at Lille and this summer at Copa America has proven David is ready for the Premier League.

Asked about his club future, the 24-year-old says he would like to play for a club like Barcelona one day.

“You always want to play with the best players,” he said.

His goal-scoring suggests he is heading in the right direct. Since landing in Europe aged 17, he has reached double figures in each of his last six domestic league campaigns, averaging 16.8 goals per season in the Belgian and French top divisions.

His arrival at Lille coincided with a shock title win, partnering Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz at the top of a 4-4-2. Since then, his role has adapted to an all-action lone No.9 under Paulo Fonseca, bearing the brunt of goalscoring responsibility while also dropping deep to link with creative midfielders and help move his team up the pitch.

David’s goals come from a variety of situations, helped by the fact he is so two-footed. Since joining Lille, he has scored 22 goals on his weaker left and shown his ability to finish from tight angles and awkward positions.

“If you want to be a top striker, you have to be able to shoot and be very good with both feet so players can’t anticipate what foot you’re going to use,” David told Canadian media last June. “So that’s why I’ve worked on both feet. I’d say my left foot is pretty good but I think I can still get better.”

It also makes him much more dangerous from close range, able to react to a variety of rebounds, cut-backs and crosses to finish first time on either foot.

As we can see from his shot evolution chart below, most of David’s work takes place within the width of the six-yard box, with a noted increase in his average shot quality last season.

Zooming out, his underlying numbers look encouragingly sustainable.

The graph below compares his goal-scoring rate (blue line) with his expected goal-scoring rate (red line) based on the quality of opportunities falling his way, both excluding penalties. Not only does it show that David generally out-performs his expected output, but that the number of chances falling his way are steadily increasing.

Both are signs that he can maintain a healthy scoring rate, particularly in a prolific chance-creating team.

Perhaps he can do so by maintaining the straightforwardness that has become a hallmark of his game.

“(David) brings a nice simplicity,” Robyn Gale, former Canada men’s national team mental and cultural manager,  said of David during ahead of the 2022 World Cup. “Anytime I’ve had him tell me about a goal he scored, it’s very simple. He’s like, ‘I noticed the goalkeeper shifted this way. So I placed the ball there.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s simple.’ And I think he just brings a nice presence and simplicity to the pitch.”

That simplicity was never more evident than in his goal against Peru.

“In this situation, I’m just thinking that I have to put (the shot) on target,” David said, shrugging his shoulders.

Much of David’s appeal to the biggest clubs will be his ability to drop deep and help progress play. His pass completion of 82 per cent was only bettered by a handful of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues last season, and he can bring other attacking players into the game with flicks and tricks around the box.

Against Peru for example, his touchmap shows that he likes to combine with midfielders. Yet, with four touches in the penalty area and a break-away goal, that doesn’t always come at the expense of a striker’s presence.

For Canada, there is no doubt who his strike partner is and will be for the duration of Copa America: Mallorca’s Cyle Larin. Larin and David are number one and number two in Canadian all-time scoring, with 26 of David’s 27 goals for Canada coming in competitive matches.

“We’re just (playing) closer together now,” Larin said about David. “The more that happens, the more I think we can score more goals and be connected.”

That stability of a near-constant partner up top means they have come to understand each other’s movements almost intrinsically. Larin and David were two of three players who got touches on the ball in the build-up to David’s goal against Peru.

Yet what David does off the ball that should garner as much attention as his goalscoring. David has developed traits that make him more than just a poacher for goals. He might not be front and centre with every play for Canada, but he is still one of the team’s most intelligent players.

Maybe that manifests in sniffing out the right areas to exploit and set up team-mates. Maybe that’s executing new Canada head coach Jesse Marsch’s press to make himself valuable defensively. Against Peru, David showcased defensive actions that were on par with some of Canada’s best defenders.

David reads the game on a level that has consistently earned him praise both behind the scenes and in public from the Canadian team coaching staff. “(David) has such a unique mentality to never stop,” Marsch said. “He doesn’t take breaks on the pitch, he’s never caught by surprise. Even on a day where it’s very hot, you can see that he can cover the ground. He’s makes some defensive plays at the end of the match, all the way back in our box.

“And then his ability to slow the game down and make final plays is ultimately what his real talent is. But I think a lot of people may miss the fact that he’s so clued in every moment that nothing really slips by.” Marsch coveted David when he was Leeds United manager in 2022.

GO DEEPER

50 to watch - Jonathan David: The Canada striker determined to be a household name

By evolving into a multi-dimensional player, David may have set himself up for the Premier League this summer in a way he has not in the past. “He gives the team what the team needs in the moments of the game,” said Canada team-mate Jonathan Osorio. “And he’s smart enough to realize that. That’s a superstar.”

Indeed, this summer feels like the one that David launches into a new orbit by joining the a club with more reach globally, and with more challenges to present on the pitch. And who David is off the pitch could help equip him for the unique intensity that comes with playing in the Premier League.

Still known colloquially throughout Canada’s team as “Iceman,” a name given to him by former Canada coach John Herdman, David takes the highs and lows of life as they come with a consistently measured demeanour. He keeps anxiety not at arm’s length, but rather so far out of sight he would need to squint to see it.

“John is always Jonathan David, you can’t rattle him,” said Gale. “He operates on his own rhythm.”

“(David) has been the same person since he’s been a kid,” Theo Bair, the Canadian forward who grew up playing against David in Ottawa, said. “He doesn’t talk too much, he’s unbelievably fast and is always a good finisher. And he will continue to be.”

As part of Marsch’s overhaul of Canada both tactically and otherwise, and with a focus on youth and preparation for the 2026 World Cup, Canada’s head coach has named David to his leadership group. It’s an interesting step considering how introverted David can be, in the best sense of the term. It puts David on the precipice of having to speak to far more people, with a sense of responsibility he said he wanted ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

So much has changed for David on and off the pitch between the World Cup to this summer.

That newfound responsibility could help him with the next stage of his career.

GO DEEPER

Who has qualified for Copa America knockout stage - and who is out?

[NikkiCFC 7,925]

14 hours ago, We Hate Scouse said:

Welcome to the kid that'll always be known as the PSR bypass product. 

Just saw he was with Villa just for 2 years. Derby before. Hard to imagine that is pure profit for Villa. Not sure how those rules are...

[Vesper 28,679]

The Next in Atleti’s Long Line of Midfield Gems: Pablo Barrios 

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/the-next-in-atletis-long-line-of-midfield-gems-pablo-barrios/

La Liga has no shortage of talented young midfielders with immense potential. I’m sure several spring to mind immediately – Jude Bellingham, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri, Eduardo Camavinga, Gavi… the list goes on and on. But there’s one man that deserves equal recognition with the others for his current abilities and seriously world-class potential: Pablo Barrios.

My theory for why he doesn’t receive the same buzz as the others revolves around the identity of the team he plays for. Atlético Madrid, especially during their time with Diego Simeone at the helm, is not known for flashy or aesthetic football. As such, players do not get the same publicity as other teams in La Liga, especially compared to their cross-town rivals. Funny enough, that was almost Barrios’ path.

When he was five, he started his career with local Madrid youth team Escuela Deportiva Moratalaz. From there, he was noticed by Real Madrid scouts and joined La Fábrica in 2011. However, in 2017, he moved to the east side of the Spanish capital and signed with Atlético Madrid on a free transfer. Since then, he moved up the ranks of the youth system until he eventually broke through to the first team in 2022.

Part of the reason Barrios broke through into the first team at such a young age, in addition to his talent of course, is because he possesses many traits Diego Simeone values in a midfielder. Hard-working, tough, no-nonsense, happy to put a foot in, you get the picture. If you’ve never watched Pablo closely, but you have seen Saul Niguez, Koke, Marcos Llorrente, etc., then you’ll understand the profile of the player. However, he has some additional technical abilities in his profile not usually seen in the traditional rugged Atleti side, which I would like to explore with you.

The best way to understand a player’s profile (in my opinion, anyways) is to look at select underlying statistics. You might be thinking of stats like xG but it (and many others) are highly situational and influenced heavily by the team around the player, especially on a game-to-game basis. I prefer to distill it down to eight statistics, which can be broken down into two buckets: where the player touches the ball, and how they progress the ball in possession. Everything else is just noise.

Within the possession bucket, I look at the total volume of touches, then the number of touches in each of the defensive, midfield, and attacking thirds of the field. For progression, I look at the total volume of progressive actions, then at the per 90 count of progressive carries, passes, and receptions. It may seem over-simplified, but it really helps you quickly understand how the player operates during the vast majority of the game that isn’t shown in YouTube highlights. 

The graph I shared displays Barrios’ percentile rank among all midfielders with at least eight 90’s in a La Liga season, from the ‘21/22 season through right now. A couple observations we can make about his evolution from last season to this: he’s migrating further back on the pitch in possession, seeing more of the ball in the defensive third and much less in the attacking third. With that, his total progressive actions have declined, but his progressive carries have actually increased. 

This is quite an uncommon occurrence. Progressive carries (and all other dribbling stats in general) are highly correlated with players being further up the pitch. Typically, players that make a defensive shift like Barrios will see their ball carrying go down, but their progressive passing figures increase. Let’s explore this anomaly a bit further by analyzing Barrios’ dribbling statistics:

Using the same sample group of 485 La Liga midfielders to have logged 720 minutes or more in a league season from 2021 to now, I’ve plotted their take on attempts per 90 minutes on the X axis and their take on success rate on the Y. The dotted lines illustrate one standard deviation above the median number, providing a way to visualize players with exceptional volume (to the right) or exceptional effectiveness (above). 

You’ll notice that basically nobody rates as exceptional in both aspects. This is to be expected – the higher volume of take ons a player attempts, the lower the success rate. I have many theories for why this is the case, but it bears itself out across every sample group I have ever studied. For our man in question, you’ll see he has attempted fewer take ons this season than last, but has seen a dramatic jump in effectiveness. It took me a while to wrap my head around this, as I expected the opposite; Pablo’s progressive carries per 90 minutes rose this season. Why have his dribble take ons decreased?

Then, it hit me. Opta has a bit of a complicated definition for a progressive carry, but it effectively boils down to any carry that advances the ball 10 yards or more to the opponents goal line from the furthest point forward of any pass within the past 6 before the carry. Only carries ending in the opposition’s half of the pitch count, and any carry that ends in the opposition’s 18 yard box, regardless of distance covered, is a progressive carry. In other words: carries that move the ball forward, excluding carries in less threatening parts of the pitch. 

With Barrios’ move further toward Atleti’s defensive half when in possession, he’s been afforded the opportunity to carry the ball forward more into open areas of the pitch, rather than having to pick out a pass or take on a player during the carry. As well, when he does take on players off the dribble, he has become better at it (and likely more selective), hence the big jump in effectiveness. In fact, Barrios’ 77.5% take on success rate is the highest on Atlético Madrid in both of the past two seasons.

Given the above observations, I feel pretty confident that despite the overall decline in progressive actions from last season to this one, Pablo Barrios is becoming a more effective progressor of the ball with his new, deeper positioning. For what it’s worth, even though his progressive passes/90 has dropped from 6.38 to 5.55, his progressive passing distance is actually up slightly this year, so again, what he’s lost in volume he’s making up for in effectiveness.

The other side of the coin to consider when a player becomes more defensive minded: does their defensive activity match the positional shift? While defenders (especially center backs) can be hit or miss in terms of volume of defensive actions, the best ones always have high effectiveness metrics (aerial duel win rate, tackle success rate, etc.). This is not the case for midfielders, however, as volume of defensive actions is king. Let’s take a look at Barrios’ numbers over the past two seasons.

His blocks/90 has gone down slightly, but everything else is up compared to where he was last year. Challenges (the defensive action equivalent to take ons) and interceptions are two of the most important stats in my eyes for a midfielder, as they show the highest level of defensive awareness. And Barrios has made his biggest strides in these categories. 

Tackles/90 minutes was the one I was surprised to see only increase slightly, as this is the one I have observed seeing the biggest increase for midfielders taking on more defensive responsibilities (a subjective observation – not something I’ve actually studied). So, let’s take a closer look at the zones in which Barrios’ is winning his tackles.

If you’ll remember back to the initial radar chart I shared, he’s seen a big increase in defensive area touches, slight decrease in the midfield, and big drop in the attacking third. This bears itself out in the tackle attempts as well: a big increase in the defensive third and  huge decline in the attacking third. Curiously, though, he’s winning more in the midfield as well, which is a sign that his effectiveness is improving overall.

I previously compared Barrios to the classic Atleti midfielders, and while his tenacity and mentality aligns, his playstyle really does not. So – who might you have seen that I can most accurately compare Pablo to? Using my “Positioning and Progression in Possession” criteria, I found two very intriguing players. The first: Leon Goretzka.

Goretzka’s ‘22/23 campaign, to be specific. He rated as the most accurate comparison to Barrios’ ‘23/24 season marks. While the German sees more of the ball in the attacking third, their progression marks are nearly identical. They’re both taller midfielders (Barrios at 6’0”, Goretzka at 6’2”), and have a reputation for being both physical, yet refined on the ball.

My model does not use these as inputs, just additional similarities. Thinking about early career Leon Goretzka playing under a manager like Simeone gave me chills, but that might be what we get with Barrios. The other comparison? Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

The Cameroonian’s ‘21/22 campaign rated as the closest comp to the ‘22/23 version of Barrios, and the 8th closest to his ‘23/24 numbers, so it is probably the most accurate comparison. Thinking about it further – it makes total sense. Zambo Anguissa is a defensive-oriented, box-to-box midfielder with a unique willingness to start counters and progress the ball with his carrying rather than passing. This description is exactly what I hope to have detailed about Pablo Barrios and his playstyle to this point. Given this was Anguissa’s age 25 season profile, and Atleti’s man is still only 20 years old, it is a very promising sign for Barrios’ future prospects.

If you take anything away from this piece, I’d like for you to understand that while Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid have a reputation for midfield bulldogs, Pablo Barrios is not that. He does check the box for the defensive effort level needed to play for the Argentine, but he offers an element of technical ability and effectiveness in ball carrying not often seen at the Wanda Metropolitano. He’s a really exciting prospect, he’s a really good player already, and any conversation involving the dearth of young midfield talent in La Liga is incomplete without mentioning the name Pablo Barrios.

[Vesper 28,679]

 

[NikkiCFC 7,925]

13 hours ago, Thor said:

Anyone explain this to me? 

How are we able to spend so much where as these teams can't? 

Is it due to us historically having these sums covered? And our outgoings over all these years? And then I assume the wage thing comes into play - because a lot of people are citing that is the reason Villa is on there. 

Maybe our board is forward thinking and not getting enough credit with this wage reduction stuff?

 

First we did it with long contracts to new players. Can't do that anymore. Now we sell academy players for pure profit. And don't forget...

[LAM09 6,733]

11 minutes ago, Vesper said:

 

A tidy bit of business from Newcastle considering he never played a game for them. 

[Vesper 28,679]

Every UK CMF and DMF 25yo and under who is valued over 5m euros

     

1	Kobbie Mainoo Central Midfield	19			€50.00m
2	Conor Gallagher Central Midfield	24			€50.00m

3	Curtis Jones Central Midfield	23			€35.00m
4	Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Central Midfield	25			€30.00m
5	Joe Willock Central Midfield	24			€30.00m
6	Lewis Miley Central Midfield	18			€22.00m
7	Alex Scott Central Midfield	20			€20.00m
8	Archie Gray Central Midfield	18			€18.00m
9	Carney Chukwuemeka Central Midfield	20			€15.00m
10	James McAtee Central Midfield	21			€12.00m
11	Tommy Doyle Central Midfield	22			€10.00m
12	Josh Dasilva Central Midfield	25			€10.00m
13	Charlie Patino Central Midfield	20			€9.00m
14	Josh Eccles Central Midfield	24			€7.00m

 

1	Declan Rice Defensive Midfield	25			€120.00m
2	Adam Wharton Defensive Midfield	20			€30.00m
3	James Garner Defensive Midfield	23			€22.00m
4	Jack Hinshelwood Defensive Midfield	19			€16.00m
5	Oliver Skipp Defensive Midfield	23			€15.00m
6	Flynn Downes Defensive Midfield	25			€9.00m
7	Tyler Morton Defensive Midfield	21			€8.00m
8	Hayden Hackney Defensive Midfield	22			€7.00m

 

1

Elliot Anderson Central Midfield

21

€15.00m

 

1

Billy Gilmour Defensive Midfield

23

€18.00m

 

1

Jordan James Central Midfield

19

€5.50m

 

1

Ethan Ampadu Defensive Midfield

23

€16.00m

 

1

Shea Charles Defensive Midfield

20

€10.00m

 

[Blue Armour 4,275]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

Chelsea and Dewsbury-Hall: First, why? Second, why? Actually, it makes sense

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5600965/2024/06/29/Chelsea-kiernan-dewsbury-hall-maresca/

Chelsea’s new head coach Enzo Maresca officially starts work on July 1 and if things go according to plan, he will soon have his best player from former club Leicester City joining him.

As The Athletic revealed on Friday, Chelsea have made an offer to Leicester for midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. His displays under Maresca for Leicester in the Championship last season led to him being voted the club’s player of the year and players’ player of the year (and The Athletic’s Championship player of the season).

Chelsea supporters, not for the first time in this window, appear to be a little underwhelmed. Nothing has been agreed yet and the 25-year-old could end up staying at Leicester, but given Chelsea have so many midfielders in the squad already, it is still worth discussing why they are making such a move.

This has been under consideration for weeks and is not a last-minute reaction to Brighton & Hove Albion’s attempts to acquire Dewsbury-Hall themselves this week. Chelsea were under the impression Leicester would listen to offers but could not act straight away due to the amount of squad planning — ins and outs — being earmarked this summer. They have already been busy on this front. Meanwhile, Maresca needed to be involved in these discussions but as he was not in the building yet, it provided a bit of a complication to work around.

It is no surprise Maresca is on board with this pursuit, but Chelsea have not just decided to go along with it to keep the Italian happy. Dewsbury-Hall fits the system Maresca likes to use and provides something different to what they have in the squad because he is a left-footed midfielder.

His potential arrival has led to more speculation that a final decision on Conor Gallagher’s future has been made and he will definitely be sold. That is not the case and Chelsea have not ruled out offering an extension to the England international’s contract, which has just 12 months left to run. Gallagher is regarded as more of a defensive/box-to-box midfielder, whereas Dewsbury-Hall is being lined up to play further forward as an attacking midfielder.

Players could go the other way as part of an exchange or in standalone deals. Leicester have already registered their interest in a few Chelsea players. They need a striker and a replacement for Dewsbury-Hall if he heads to Stamford Bridge. David Datro Fofana and Cesare Casadei, who was on loan at Leicester for the first half of last season, are two individuals that Chelsea would be prepared to see go in the opposite direction. Albania forward Armando Broja is up for sale but is not involved.

While he may not boast the same status as some of his potential new team-mates, Dewsbury-Hall will have quite an advantage over them should he be in place for the start of pre-season training because he knows what Maresca demands and how the Italian wants to operate. A key aspect of how Maresca works is that he is completely wedded to his method of play and the emphasis in Chelsea’s recruitment process will be to sign players that fit into it, rather than for Marseca to find a system that fits the players.

Judging from Maresca’s approach at Leicester, some players already at Chelsea will have to adjust their games and learn new disciplines. Those who fail to adjust to Maresca’s vision will quickly find themselves surplus to requirements, either on their way out of the club or sidelined with little opportunity to contribute. For example, without the need for conventional full-backs, Victor Kristiansen and Luke Thomas were moved out on loan last season, and Harry Souttar barely featured for Leicester because his ability on the ball playing out from the back was not deemed to be of the standard required.

In contrast, full-back Ricardo Pereira adapted to move into midfield when the team were in possession, and defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was turned into an attacking midfielder. Even Jamie Vardy altered his game to move from the striker playing on the shoulder of the final defender to dropping deeper and linking play to allow midfielders to run in behind him.

This was where Dewsbury-Hall played a prominent role for the Championship winners and will surely do so for Chelsea.

In Maresca’s plan, the high central midfielders play key roles. With the holding midfielder and inside full-back anchoring in front of a back three, it is up to the central midfielders to play in between the lines and link the attack with the wide players and the lone striker. Under Maresca, Chelsea will attack with a five and defend with five.

At Leicester, Dewsbury-Hall was encouraged to get into the box, to contribute goals and assists, while Ndidi offered a little more defensive insurance if the attack broke down and the opposition countered. It paid off. Dewsbury-Hall scored or assisted 29 per cent of Leicester’s 89 goals as they clinched automatic promotion to the Premier League. He scored 12 times, a target that was part of a bet with Maresca. His prize? A dinner paid for by the Italian.

Dewsbury-Hall’s importance was so profound that he featured in all but four games in all competitions, starting 43 of Leicester’s 53 games. When he did not play, Leicester struggled to have the same penetration into the box. Dewsbury-Hall will be a big loss to new manager Steve Cooper’s squad if he is gone for good.

“Since we started, Kiernan has probably improved the most,” Maresca said in November having previously told Dewsbury-Hall to cut down his long-range shooting. “At the beginning, he was full of responsibility because he’s from the academy and after relegation. After the first international break, he calmed down, and now if you’re watching the game as a fan, it’s a pleasure to watch Kiernan and see how calm he is.”

There was a visible change in Dewsbury-Hall during the campaign, a growing maturity in his game compared to his last season in the Premier League, when he only contributed two goals and two assists in 28 starts. “He is fantastic with the ball and he knows when to attack and what the team needs,” Maresca added. “He is so dangerous near the box, and has the quality to score or assist from anywhere.”

Maresca’s philosophy brought out the best in Dewsbury-Hall last season. The midfielder’s ambition is to become an England international and a move to Chelsea will be seen as an opportunity to establish himself as a top Premier League player and a contender for a call-up.

Dewsbury-Hall has been a late bloomer. He joined the Leicester academy when he was eight and didn’t make his first-team debut until four years ago. But he made significant progress during loan spells with Blackpool and Luton Town before stepping up at Leicester. Now he is looking to make the step up again at Chelsea and Maresca will believe he is more than capable of taking his game to the next level.

GO DEEPER

Does Enzo Maresca meet Chelsea's seven criteria for their ideal manager?

It makes a lot of sense for me. The lack of an experienced CM in the middle of the park was why our games felt so unbalanced last season. Easy wins turning into draws or defeats.

Adding a CM with the right profile to play in that 433 will bring out the best in Enzo & Caicedo next season., IMO.

Edited June 30 by Blue Armour