Chelsea Transfers

[Mário César 1,501]

4 minutes ago, mkh said:

🔴For this season and next, Chelsea must maintain a positive transfer balance [the cost of players added must not exceed those being removed] for any new players to be registered for their squads in European competition.

(@TheAthletic)

Problematic cuz I see only nico jacksonas a easy sale 

[Vesper 31,132]

Chelsea Transfer DealSheet: What to expect in 2026

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6836202/2025/12/02/Chelsea-transfer-latest-2026-dealsheet/

 

Chelsea were the busiest club in the last transfer window (incomings and outgoings combined), so naturally, there will be a lot of focus on what they will do next year.

The club have a UEFA punishment to adhere to for the next four years (more of that later), so it makes planning for 2026 all the more important.

The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Sources with knowledge of transfer dealings, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, have been spoken to before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment.

Here, The Athletic previews their plans for next year’s January and summer windows.

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Who will make key decisions over the two windows?

It is a collaborative effort led by five sporting directors with the backing of club ownership.

Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart head up the team of sporting directors, which also includes Joe Shields (scouting and talent), Sam Jewell (global recruiting) and Dave Fallows (football development).

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What positions will they be looking at in 2026?

Chelsea are not planning to add to the first-team squad in January, with the focus being more on the summer. The club could still put a deal in place for a young player in the new year (or the summer), in view of them joining in future seasons as they have done in the past.

The onus is on adding to the squad depth, and the possibilities (in terms of what areas of the pitch) will continue to be assessed. It obviously also depends on who goes.

One of the areas Chelsea readers regularly ask about is the goalkeeper position. Chelsea are happy with their current options in Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders (who is currently on loan at Strasbourg). That means a move for Milan’s Mike Maignan, to give just one example, will not be revisited, having held negotiations with the Serie A club in June.

Chelsea are also content for the time being with their centre-back options, especially with Levi Colwill returning from a knee injury next year and the prospect of Mamadou Sarr coming back from a season-long loan at Strasbourg.

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Are there any players they are already looking at?

Chelsea’s strategy is geared towards finding a rising talent rather than a finished article.

This means that their long-standing interest in Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has cooled, and he has signed a new long-term deal at Villa Park in any case.

Chelsea continue to be linked with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, but he does not fit the profile of what they are looking for either. Besides, they are well stocked in wide areas.

The club have held a long-standing interest in Nottingham Forest defender Murillo, but he is considered at the starter level, so again is not on their radar. The focus is more on succession planning and players for the future.

Chelsea had a long-standing interest in RogersMichael Regan/Getty Images

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Who will they be looking to sell?

In terms of January, defender Axel Disasi is one of the exits they will be looking to get done. The France international has not played for Chelsea this season and has not even been named in a matchday squad.

Disasi has begun training again with the first team recently and also played for the under-21s against Reading in November. This is all to ensure he is fully fit to make a move.

Raheem Sterling is in a similar situation, and both parties are keen to part ways if the deal suits both sides.

Tyrique George had a transfer to Fulham collapse on deadline day (September 1). There are more teams showing an interest in the academy graduate now than in the summer due to how he has responded (three goals and one assist for Chelsea in 10 appearances, plus his first two goals for England Under-21s).

Chelsea have not made a decision on whether to sell him, but clubs may try to lure him away with the promise of more first-team minutes. The attacker’s contract situation is another factor — it expires in 2027, although there is an option in place to extend for another 12 months.

As for the summer, striker Nicolas Jackson will be one they try to sell, even if Bayern Munich decide against buying him permanently after his loan there.

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What moves have they made already?

Chelsea have two first-team players already lined up to join the squad next season. They bought winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP for £40m in March, and he is part of their plans for 2026-27. The same goes for striker Emanuel Emegha, who agreed to join Chelsea from Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee in September. Both players have remained at their respective clubs for the current campaigns.

Forward Dastan Satpayev (FC Kairat) and left back Denner Evangelista (Corinthians) will be able to complete their moves in the summer as they are both turning 18. Defender Deinner Ordonez will do likewise from Independiente del Valle in January 2028.

Others currently away on loan, like Aaron Anselmino (Borussia Dortmund) and Penders (Strasbourg) will continue to be monitored. A decision on whether they are going to be involved will be taken next summer.

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Which players’ contracts are expiring? Who will they renew?

Facundo Buonanotte, who is on a season-long loan from Brighton, is the only member of the current squad whose contract with the club expires at the end of the season. There is no option or obligation in place to make it permanent.

Sterling’s agreement ends in 2027, but there is obviously no intent on either side to extend it.

Chelsea’s general stance on discussions over new deals is to hold them in the off-season so that everyone can focus on the football.

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What is their PSR position? What sort of budget do they have?

There will be funds available to spend, but no set sum is in place yet, partly because it depends on exits.

Chelsea have been consistently very good in this department, as they showed in the last window when they became the first Premier League side to raise over £300m in sales in a window.

There are no concerns over complying with profit and sustainability regulations in what is the final season of its use.

However, Chelsea were fined €31m by UEFA in July for breaking their football earnings rule and squad cost rule. As part of a settlement agreement, it could go up by another €60m if they fail to comply over the next four years.

UEFA’s squad cost ratio (percentage of a club’s income spent on the first-team squad) is 70 per cent this season. For this season and next, Chelsea must maintain a positive transfer balance (the cost of players added must not exceed those being removed) for any new players to be registered for their squads in European competition.

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What will be the manager’s priority?

While head coach Enzo Maresca is involved in conversations over targets, his role is primarily to coach the team. The recruitment team named above are in charge of the overall strategy.

By Simon Johnson

Chelsea Correspondent

[Mário César 1,501]

I dont know why murillo is seeing as a superstar.  He play for nottm which is a midtable team lol

[Pizy 19,315]

Judging by what the journalists are saying it doesn’t seem like we’ll be looking to do any business at all next month. And that’s perfectly reasonable so long as we avoid any major injuries over this festive period. There really isn’t an obvious place in the team at the moment that requires an urgent signing. 
 

 

[Vesper 31,132]

sell

—    DF     FRA    Axel Disasi
—    FW     ENG    Raheem Sterling (nightmare because of his insane £325K PW wage and his age, KSA is probably the only option but the berk will not go there, he holds all the cards and thus is holding us hostage due to our own stupidity)
4    DF     ENG    Tosin Adarabioyo
5    DF     FRA    Benoît Badiashile
12    GK     DEN    Filip Jörgensen
32    FW     ENG    Tyrique George
44    GK     USA    Gabriel Slonina

33    FW     BRA    Deivid Washington

—    GK     ENG    Ted Curd 
—    GK     ENG    Teddy Sharman-Lowe 
—    MF     ENG    Leo Castledine 
—    FW     CIV    David Datro Fofana

—    FW     SEN    Nicolas Jackson

 

[Vesper 31,132]

How can Real Madrid bring Nico Paz back from Como?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6801094/2025/11/13/real-madrid-nico-paz-transfer-como/

Nov. 13, 2025

 

Nico Paz is impressing with Como in Serie A.

Since joining the Italian club from Real Madrid in August 2024 his stock has risen sharply — and the 21-year-old attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. 

However, the Argentina international looks to have a Madrid return on his mind. The Spanish club considered activating a buyback clause for him this summer — and they retain further options on him for 2026 and 2027.

What’s the latest? Allow The Athletic to explain.

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Is Paz expected to move to Real Madrid?

Paz’s impressive first season in Italy over 2024-25 (he scored six goals and provided nine assists in 35 games) meant Madrid’s board seriously considered bringing him back this summer.

He had spent the previous season mostly with Real Madrid’s reserve side in the third tier of Spanish football, also playing 128 minutes across eight appearances for the seniors, scoring an important goal in the Champions League.

He quickly stepped up in Serie A and, in June, Madrid could have re-signed him for €8million (£7m, $9.3m). There was so much speculation about Paz’s return that the move was widely considered a given in Spanish media. However, this was not the case for two reasons: Paz only wanted to come back if it was to take up an important role, and the approval of the new coach Xabi Alonso was still needed.

Paz, meanwhile, has always felt very comfortable at Como, where he has developed well and should continue to do so this season, with the aim of representing Argentina at the World Cup next summer. He has been in all of national team manager Lionel Scaloni’s squads since October 2024.

Nevertheless, Paz’s goal is to return to Madrid. That is why he ignored interest shown by several other suitors in the summer, including Tottenham and Inter. Madrid, Como and Paz’s agents kept each other informed of every move and did not entertain these options. Instead, they discussed reviewing and updating Madrid’s buy-back terms.

Madrid have also been looking at other midfielders. The Athletic previously reported that Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Kees Smit of Dutch club AZ have been discussed at the club.

However, they have by no means forgotten about Paz and are continuing to monitor his progress very closely. There is a strong chance that they will bring him back next summer.

Mario Cortegana

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What options do Real Madrid have?

Madrid can buy Nico back next summer for around €9million. Why such a low figure when his market value is much higher?

When Madrid sold Paz to Como for around €6million in August 2024, they inserted several clauses and buyback options into the deal — following a now well-established policy at the Spanish club.

Few Madrid youth academy graduates tend to move directly up to the first team at the Bernabeu (centre-back Raul Asencio and striker Gonzalo Garca have done so in recent seasons because of injuries or lack of options in their position). As a result, many are sold on to other clubs, where they will play more, and their progress is monitored closely.

Those who end up returning to Madrid do so via the so-called ‘Via Carvajal’ (the Carvajal route), referring to how Dani Carvajal was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for around €5million in 2012, before returning the following year, after a brilliant campaign in the Bundesliga, for €6.5m.

Catch Up On The Story

Real Madrid’s academy, the Dani Carvajal route and dilemma facing youth players

Madrid's youngsters have had to look for opportunities elsewhere in recent years - but that might have to change soon

Madrid ordinarily include buyback clauses in deals for their youth academy prospects, as well as sell-on clauses if they end up being transferred again. They also ask to be notified of bids from other clubs, and for the right of first refusal — giving them the chance to match offers from rivals.

Madrid have that right of first refusal for Paz. They would also be entitled to 50 per cent of any sale and included several buyback clauses in his August 2024 transfer to Como. Last summer, they could have signed him for €8million. That figure increases by €1m for the summer of 2026, and by €1m again for the summer of 2027 — with some potential add-ons also included in each scenario.

However, these clauses may yet be renegotiated, in recognition of Paz’s rising market value.

Mario Cortegana

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What’s the Como view?

Como have struck up a great relationship with Madrid. They have proved themselves a credible destination for the development of Madrid’s finest young talent, a finishing school by the lake.

Manager Cesc Fabregas’ work in pushing Paz to fulfil his potential meant Madrid were more than happy to sell them another young prospect, 20-year-old centre-back Jacobo Ramon, for €2.5million in July.

Como informed Madrid of a huge bid for Paz in the summer from the Premier League. It was agreed they would turn it down and re-negotiate the buy-back clause included in the terms of the initial deal, out of recognition of his growing value.

Fabregas was permanently appointed Como coach in July 2024Nicolo Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Paz, who has already been capped by Argentina six times, would one day like to play for Madrid. For now, Como aren’t looking too far ahead in the future.

“It’s normal that I can’t comment until something is finalised,” Como sporting director Carl Alberto Ludi said at a press conference in October. “Nico grew up at Real. He’s an extraordinary talent developing in one of Europe’s biggest leagues. Real can exercise their right to buy him back.

“He plays in a position where there are many Madrid players. Everyone is talking about (his future) and maybe it’s also Nico’s legitimate desire as a kid who came through at Real and grew up in that environment. I can’t speak for him but I can imagine that’s the case. He is very happy here too.”

If Madrid can’t find space for him next season either, perhaps, in the event Como qualify for Europe, playing a third season at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia would also have some appeal.

James Horncastle

How good has Paz been in Serie A?

Paz was named the best young player in Serie A in his first season. It was no one-off. The Tenerife-born Argentine has gone from strength to strength since. He contributed eight goal involvements in his first seven appearances of the current campaign and has won four player of the match awards. Only Napoli’s box-crashing midfielder Frank Anguissa has collected more.

After a 2-1 win against Juventus on October 19, attended by the 38-year-old manager’s mentor Arsene Wenger, he told DAZN: “I want to thank him (Wenger) again for believing in me like I believe in Paz. I have great faith in him for the future because I feel like I know when a player has the mentality to be a top player, and if he carries on like this, the sky is the limit.”

James Horncastle

By Mario Cortegana and James Horncastle

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Chelsea receive major boost in efforts to offload Nicolas Jackson permanently

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/Chelsea-receive-major-boost-in-efforts-to-offload-nicolas-jackson-permanently/

Nicolas Jackson will not be at Chelsea next season and it is starting to become increasingly unlikely that Bayern Munich will sign him permanently.

It has been reported that it is now impossible for Jackson to trigger Bayern’s obligation to buy.

The German giants could always negotiate fresh terms with Chelsea; however, at the moment, there is nothing to suggest that they will do that.

The above, though, does not mean that the Club World Cup winners will struggle to get rid of Jackson in the summer.

• READ MORE: Chelsea should offer Nicolas Jackson in swap deal for £82m striker they’re interested in signing
•  
• 

Other clubs now monitoring Nicolas Jackson’s situation

According to the reliable Fabrizio Romano, there are several sides who are currently keeping a close eye on Jackson, so the striker is likely to have suitors at the end of the season.

Speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness, Romano said: “Nico Jackson is ready to fight till the end to stay at Bayern.

“He’s very happy there, but eventually if it’s not going to be Bayern next season, I’m told that there are already several clubs attentive to the situation because Jackson will be on the market and he’s not going to stay at Chelsea.”

Some Chelsea fans are not against Jackson returning to the club, but there seems to be no way back for the 24-year-old.

He has more goals than Liam Delap, scoring five times this term. Delap has netted just once but missed two months of the campaign because of injury.

Why Chelsea have no choice but to leave Nicolas Jackson on the market

While some Chelsea supporters would welcome Jackson back to Stamford Bridge, there is simply no room for him. The Blues have to sell the Senegal international.

Delap, Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu are the current strikers in Chelsea’s squad, while Emanuel Emegha is set to join them in the summer.

The announcement that Emegha is leaving for Chelsea caused much commotion at Strasbourg, but that has not stopped the Dutchman from performing.

He recently scored in Strasbourg’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace in the Conference League.

Again, with Emegha expected to be part of Enzo Maresca’s first team squad next season, there will not be any space for Jackson in west London. Whether it is Bayern or someone else, Jackson will join another club in the summer.

[mkh 779]

Manchester United will reportedly listen to offers in January for a number of players: 

🔸 Kobbie Mainoo
🔸 Joshua Zirkzee
🔸 Manuel Ugarte

(@ESPN)

This could mean that K. Mainoo could end up at Chelsea, as our scouts have been admiring him for quite some time!

[mkh 779]

🔵According to journalist Achille Ash

Mykhailo Mudryk could return to the pitch as early as January 17, 2026. On that date, his provisional doping ban could be lifted. Chelsea's management is then considering loaning him to RC Strasbourg.

[nyikolajevics 2,840]

1 hour ago, mkh said:

Manchester United will reportedly listen to offers in January for a number of players: 

🔸 Kobbie Mainoo
🔸 Joshua Zirkzee
🔸 Manuel Ugarte

(@ESPN)

This could mean that K. Mainoo could end up at Chelsea, as our scouts have been admiring him for quite some time!

I imagine he will look for a (loan)move to a smaller PL club so he can have a chance for WC.. Many player will push for this in January.

 

 

[Vesper 31,132]

48 minutes ago, mkh said:

This could mean that K. Mainoo could end up at Chelsea, as our scouts have been admiring him for quite some time!

here are the non-Chels CMFs and/or DMFs valued higher on T-Markt than Mainoo (no AMFs included)

the ones in bold have been linked with Chels within the last year (some of those links are to players who are not going to leave their club, those I will make red)    

Pedri  
Federico Valverde 
Declan Rice 
Alexis Mac Allister
João Neves 
Vitinha 
Ryan Gravenberch 
Rodri  
Bruno Guimarães 
Aurélien Tchouaméni  
Sandro Tonali  
Tijjani Reijnders (plays a lot at AMF)
Martín Zubimendi
Nicolò Barella  
Carlos Baleba  (Man United-bound)
Adam Wharton  (will skyrocket the next update)
Aleksandar Pavlovic 
Pablo Barrios 
Warren Zaïre-Emery 
Eduardo Camavinga 
Manu Koné (Roma stole him for only £15.5m in summer 2024, now he is worth at least 3 and half times that)
Morten Hjulmand   
Scott McTominay

and here are the ones valued the same as Mainoo is now:

Éderson
Elliot Anderson (will skyrocket the next update)
Angelo Stiller  
Curtis Jones  
Frenkie de Jong  
Joshua Kimmich  

 

who would I take over Mainoo?

these 4 (and they have to be the type who will leave their club for us, which rules out a lot)

none of these will be cheap

Bruno Guimarães 
Sandro Tonali   
Adam Wharton
Elliot Anderson
 

 

 

[mkh 779]

🔵Official Emegha will not be Strasbourg’s match day squad to face Toulouse in their next game.

They state that it is because the player failed to respect the club’s values, expectations and rules.

He will definitely be moving to Chelsea in January.
He won't be able to stick it out until the summer.
He gets booed by the Strasbourg ultras at every game!

[Vesper 31,132]

14 minutes ago, mkh said:

🔵Official Emegha will not be Strasbourg’s match day squad to face Toulouse in their next game.

They state that it is because the player failed to respect the club’s values, expectations and rules.

He will definitely be moving to Chelsea in January.
He won't be able to stick it out until the summer.
He gets booed by the Strasbourg ultras at every game!

Send Guiu there on loan.

[Vesper 31,132]

EXCL: Chelsea confident in transfer policy as they eye two more elite-level wonderkid signings

Chelsea have their next two superstars in their sights...

https://thedailybriefing.io/p/Chelsea-wonderkid-transfers

 

Chelsea are increasingly confident that their transfer policy of the last few years is proving fruitful as Enzo Maresca’s side challenge for the Premier League title.

The Blues are just six points behind league leaders Arsenal and were unlucky not to win against the Gunners despite being down to ten men for much of Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge.

Players like Estevao Willian have been a huge success for Chelsea, while Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez also continue to improve all the time, justifying the big investment made in them when they were still relatively unproven youngsters.

I can also reveal two exciting new names on Chelsea’s list of targets as they look to continue recruiting wonderkids for their long-term project.

Two players of strong interest to Chelsea at the moment are Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, and Metz striker Brian Madjo.

Who are Chelsea’s new transfer targets Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brian Madjo?

Bouaddi is not exactly an unearthed gem at this point, with the 18-year-old French midfielder already making 72 appearances for Lille’s senior side since making his debut in the 2023/24 season.

As I’ve previously reported here, Bouaddi is also highly regarded by Manchester United and will be one to watch on their list of transfer targets in the near future, while others around Europe are also well aware of him now.

Sources in the industry are now increasingly talking up Chelsea, particularly with BlueCo also having Strasbourg as an ideal next stepping stone for him in Ligue 1.

“Bouaddi has attracted interest from several European clubs, and Chelsea are one of them,” one source with knowledge of the club’s plans told me. “Chelsea’s interest is strengthened by their ownership link with Strasbourg, which could allow the player to continue his development in France while staying under close watch. This pathway is seen as an ideal plan to make the transition to the Premier League smoother.”

Sources were keen to stress, however, that there have not yet been any concrete negotiations over Bouaddi, or any offers made to Lille.

As for Madjo, the 16-year-old Metz forward who has represented England and Luxembourg at youth level, Chelsea figures supposedly see him as “a project worth investing in”, with the talented teenager already a tall and imposing central striker who could have a big future in the Premier League due to his characteristics.

“As usual, Chelsea will feel confident they can lure talents like Bouaddi and Madjo in with the promise of long-term contracts, as we’ve seen become the norm under this ownership,” my source added.

[mkh 779]

🔵Emanuel Emegha's official statement 

I accept and understand the club's decision to suspend me for this weekend.

'm 22 vears old, I've made mistakes and I know I still have a lot to learn. And I have to learn from that. I know I have to do better, and I will do better, on and off the field to represent the club. It's important to me.

I want to make it clear that I never wanted to hurt anyone. Ever since I arrived here at the age of 19, I have always given everything for Strasbourg. I'm proud to play for Racing and I'm proud to wear the captain's armband.

Everyone knows that it was not easy for me here at the beginning It was a big challenge for me to succeed in Strasbourg. But I kept working harc every day to get there.

Last weekend when I entered the field, it was the biggest emotion I had as a Strasbourg player. The applause when I entered, the children cheering me during the warm-up... it really touched me Thank vou from the bottom of my heart.

I had a long conversation with President Marc Keller. I thank him for his advice. He knows how much 1 love this club and how much I work everv day. I also want to thank all my teammates and staff, coach Liam Rosenior, sporting director David Weir, and everyone around the team. They see me every day, they know how I am and how I work.

Sometimes my words can be misunderstood, especially if people don't know me. But one thing is certain, have maximum respect for Strasbourg, for Alsace, for Meinau, for our supporters, for my teammates and for the whole club.

[milka 3,407]

Add two or three top elite players like GK , CB and ST to the squads and attack the title next year .

[nyikolajevics 2,840]

1 hour ago, mkh said:

🔵Emanuel Emegha's official statement 

I accept and understand the club's decision to suspend me for this weekend.

'm 22 vears old, I've made mistakes and I know I still have a lot to learn. And I have to learn from that. I know I have to do better, and I will do better, on and off the field to represent the club. It's important to me.

I want to make it clear that I never wanted to hurt anyone. Ever since I arrived here at the age of 19, I have always given everything for Strasbourg. I'm proud to play for Racing and I'm proud to wear the captain's armband.

Everyone knows that it was not easy for me here at the beginning It was a big challenge for me to succeed in Strasbourg. But I kept working harc every day to get there.

Last weekend when I entered the field, it was the biggest emotion I had as a Strasbourg player. The applause when I entered, the children cheering me during the warm-up... it really touched me Thank vou from the bottom of my heart.

I had a long conversation with President Marc Keller. I thank him for his advice. He knows how much 1 love this club and how much I work everv day. I also want to thank all my teammates and staff, coach Liam Rosenior, sporting director David Weir, and everyone around the team. They see me every day, they know how I am and how I work.

Sometimes my words can be misunderstood, especially if people don't know me. But one thing is certain, have maximum respect for Strasbourg, for Alsace, for Meinau, for our supporters, for my teammates and for the whole club.

"Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha, who has a deal lined up to join Chelsea next summer, has been suspended for their game against Toulouse this week by his club after giving an international break interview where he jokes that he had signed for them thinking they were based in Germany." 

😂

They suspend him because of this? Strasbourg is on the German border, perhaps he pulled a sensitive string with this one? I don't really get it..

[Vesper 31,132]

https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost524

Thanks to data meticulously collected by our partner Impect, this Weekly Post presents the U23 players from 52 leagues around the world who are most skilled at advancing their team's play with passes towards the opposition's goal*. The study reveals the extraordinary abilities of Belgium’s Jorne Spileers, who completes an average of 11.8 ‘progressive’ passes per 90 minutes, with a record success rate of 84% and a progression index of 100.

 

Two other centre backs complete the podium: Spain’s Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Portugal’s António Silva (Benfica). Fourth, Norway's Häkon Volden (Rosenborg) is the youngest player in the top 10 (18.5 years). Two other players under the age of 20 feature in the overall top 10: Gambia's Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh (Tromsø) and France's full international Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain).

Among wide backs, the top three are Álvaro Carreras (Real Madrid), Michal Gurgul (Lech Poznań) and Joaquin Seys (Club Bruges), with Luca Bombino (San Diego) being the youngest in the top 50. For midfielders, Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) leads the way ahead of Warren Zäire-Emery (PSG) and Amadou Koné (Neom SC). The youngest midfielder in the top 50 is Argentina's Álvaro Montoro (Botafogo).

* At least 30 meters if starting and finishing position in own half, 15 meters if in different halves and 10 meters if in opponent half.

Best U23 players, progression index

Domestic league matches, current or last completed season until 01/12/2025.
Data: Impect.

[Vesper 31,132]

On 20/11/2025 at 18:51, mkh said:

🔵According from Africafoot,

Chelsea has already set its sights on the young Malian star Seydou Dembélé.

The Blues' management was really impressed by the young player's enormous talent, which they had already heard about, and, according to our sources in the Kingdom of Morocco, made an initial offer of €1.6 million to sign him.

Seydou Dembélé

17 years old, JMG Académié Bamako & Mali

Go find clips of Seydou Dembélé and you’ll be thoroughly entertained. He plays like a kid on a school playground: uninhibited, imaginative, brimming with skill and personality. He does things that genuinely take your breath away. His highlight reel from the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar is jam-packed with such moments.

Mali rock up to every edition with another exciting bunch of players, and Dembélé was the pick of the bunch for me. The 17-year-old notched two goals and four assists in five games before Mali were knocked out by Morocco. It was an impressive follow up tournament to his outstanding showing at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations earlier in the year.

Just look at this…

The imagination and execution on that pass is ridiculous. He sees the picture quickly, and the decision to chop down on the ball – generating a spin that zips it on the slick turf but holds it in the path of the striker’s run – is inspired. That’s the type of thing that will stick in my head for a worryingly long time.

He loves to get on the ball between lines, drifting off the right wing to open up angles on his left foot. His heat map from the FIFA U-17 World Cup exemplifies the in-between spaces he takes up.

He buzzes between lines, always demanding the ball, and causes damage as a shooter, crosser and passer. He has a canny knack of slipping past defenders with the ball at his feet, bending his dribbles and finding zippy combinations that cut through blocks. The obvious concern with him is his size: short, slight, flimsy, he appears some way off being able to handle the rigours of senior football at a high level – but he is remarkably good at avoiding contact altogether.

What comes next? Well, Dembélé is a graduate of the prestigious JMG Académié in Bamako, a system that has developed countless top-flight players and senior internationals. Many of them transferred through Red Bull Salzburg, and that move makes plenty of sense for Dembélé. They have proven time and time again to be the perfect entry point to European football for African talent. But he may skip that step entirely, such is his profile, particularly with Chelsea and now Manchester United credited with a credible interest.

He will make the leap to Europe when he turns 18 years old next February.

[Vesper 31,132]

48 minutes ago, nyikolajevics said:

"Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha, who has a deal lined up to join Chelsea next summer, has been suspended for their game against Toulouse this week by his club after giving an international break interview where he jokes that he had signed for them thinking they were based in Germany." 

😂

They suspend him because of this? Strasbourg is on the German border, perhaps he pulled a sensitive string with this one? I don't really get it..

We Germans who know Germany and France know better what is good for the Alsatians than the unfortunates themselves. In the perversion of their French life they have no exact idea of what concerns Germany.

— Heinrich von Treitschke, German nationalist historian and politician, 1871

The Franco-Prussian War, which started in July 1870, saw France defeated in May 1871 by the Kingdom of Prussia and other German states. The end of the war led to the unification of Germany. Otto von Bismarck annexed Alsace and northern Lorraine to the new German Empire in 1871. France ceded more than 90% of Alsace and one-fourth of Lorraine, as stipulated in the treaty of Frankfurt; Belfort, the largest Alsatian town south of Mulhouse, remained French. Unlike other member states of the German federation, which had governments of their own, the new Imperial territory of Alsace–Lorraine was under the sole authority of the Kaiser, administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin. Between 100,000 and 130,000 Alsatians (of a total population of about a million and a half) chose to remain French citizens and leave Reichsland Elsaß–Lothringen, many of them resettling in French Algeria as Pieds-Noirs. Only in 1911 was Alsace–Lorraine granted some measure of autonomy, which was manifested also in a flag and an anthem (Elsässisches Fahnenlied). In 1913, however, the Saverne Affair (French: Incident de Saverne) showed the limits of this new tolerance of the Alsatian identity.

During the First World War, to avoid ground fights between brothers, many Alsatians served as sailors in the Kaiserliche Marine and took part in the Naval mutinies that led to the abdication of the Kaiser in November 1918, which left Alsace–Lorraine without a nominal head of state. The sailors returned home and tried to found an independent republic. While Jacques Peirotes, at this time deputy at the Landrat Elsass–Lothringen and just elected mayor of Strasbourg, proclaimed the forfeiture of the German Empire and the advent of the French Republic, a self-proclaimed government of Alsace–Lorraine declared its independence as the "Republic of Alsace–Lorraine". French troops entered Alsace less than two weeks later to quash the worker strikes and remove the newly established Soviets and revolutionaries from power. With the arrival of the French soldiers, many Alsatians and local Prussian/German administrators and bureaucrats cheered the re-establishment of order.^[28]

Although U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had insisted that the région was self-ruling by legal status, as its constitution had stated it was bound to the sole authority of the Kaiser and not to the German state, France would allow no plebiscite, as granted by the League of Nations to some eastern German territories at this time, because the French regarded the Alsatians as Frenchmen liberated from German rule. Germany ceded the region to France under the Treaty of Versailles.

Policies forbidding the use of German and requiring French were promptly introduced.^[29] In order not to antagonize the Alsatians, the region was not subjected to some legal changes that had occurred in the rest of France between 1871 and 1919, such as the 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State.

Alsace–Lorraine was occupied by Germany in June 1940 during the Second World War. Although never formally annexed, Alsace and Lorraine were incorporated into the Greater German Reich. Each was placed under a Chief of Civil Administration (CdZ), who was the Nazi Party Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of the adjacent German territory. Alsace was administered as part of Gau Baden under Robert Heinrich Wagner and his deputy, Hermann Röhn. Lorraine was administered as part of the Gau Saarpfalz, (later Gau Westmark) under Josef Bürckel and his deputy, Ernst Ludwig Leyser [de].^[30] During the war, 130,000 young men from Alsace and Lorraine were conscripted into the German armies against their will (malgré-nous). There were some volunteers for the Waffen SS.,^[31] although they were outnumbered by conscripts of the 1926–1927 classes. Thirty of said Waffen SS were involved in the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre (29 conscripts, one volunteer). A third of the malgré-nous perished on the Eastern front. In July 1944, 1500 malgré-nous were released from Soviet captivity and sent to Algiers, where they joined the Free French Forces.