Chelsea Transfers

Vesper · Sunday at 21:51

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

Is it too much to ask for shirt sponsor for a change? Now we are in Champions League plus World Champions, can't be that difficult. Reports saying now we want 60m per season. Infinite Athlete and Three were both 40m.

Vesper · Sunday at 21:55

Romano needs to piss off with his Fichajes-based bollocks

Vesper · Sunday at 22:03

The most pivotal transfer in Premier League history has lasting effects 10 years on

Premier League clubs have long searched for the bargain signing which would change the competition on a number of levels but only a few of them have been successful

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-most-important-transfer-35649514

There are many transfers which can lay claim to the most important of the Premier League era. Eric Cantona's 1992 move to Manchester United paved the way for their early dominance, while Sergio Aguero's Manchester City switch ushered in their era at the top,

Both of those deals were critical to the success of one team and, by extension, the lack of success of their rivals. When it comes to lasting effects across the board, though, it's hard to look past Leicester's move for N'Golo Kante.

It was 10 years ago today that Leicester signed Kante from Caen for £5.6million. It arguably wasn't even the most talked-about deal involving a Premier League team that day, with Manchester United's sale of Rafael to Lyon attracting more attention.

That was probably fair enough, too. A 24-year-old midfielder with one season of top-flight football, moving to a side which narrowly escaped relegation in May? Hardly a leading contender for the 'signing of the summer' crown.

A decade on, though, and few of us could have imagined the impact such an unheralded deal might make. And the repercussions are still being felt in 2025.

It's hard to imagine now, but Kante wasn't an automatic starter for Leicester at the beginning of Claudio Ranieri's tenure. Andy King and Danny Drinkwater were paired together in the first three games as the Foxes picked up seven points, with Kante coming off the bench for a combined 48 minutes across those fixtures.

He started 33 of the next 35, though, as Ranieri's team completed a fairytale run to the title. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez might have scored the bulk of the crucial goals, but plenty recognised Kante's contribution as being just as important.

"This player Kante, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training," manager Ranieri told The Players' Tribune.

"I had to tell him, 'Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?' He says to me, Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.'

"Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again. I tell him, 'One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.'"

Leicester would have to launch their title defence without Kante after Chelsea swooped in with a £32m summer bid. And, while the 2015-16 title remains the only time Leicester have topped the Premier League table, Kante instantly added another title at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues' success under Antonio Conte was built off the back of a league record 13 straight wins between October and December. Kante missed one of those games through suspension, but completed the full 90 minutes in the other 12 to show how valuable his energy and quality were to Conte's side.

Kante's form in England had made it impossible for France boss Didier Deschamps to ignore him. The midfielder hadn't played a single minute for Les Bleus when he joined Leicester, but earned minutes at Euro 2016 - albeit not in the final defeat to Portugal - before making it into Deschamps' squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

There, he started every game as France went all the way. The midfield balance of Kante and Paul Pogba proved key, and one wonders whether the same would have been possible if Corentin Tollisso or Steven Nzonzi had occupied the spot alongside Pogba in the middle - especially when it came to stopping Argentina in the round of 16.

“He had a very precise role,” Deschamps said after the 4-3 win over the Albiceleste. “It is true that we didn’t really see much of Lionel Messi when he played against us.”

A decade on from his move to Leicester, Kante has called time on his Premier League career. And yet his impact continues to be felt.

Kante's final trophies at Chelsea came in 2021, when he starred in the Blues' Champions League final win over Manchester City and went on to add the Super Cup and Club World Cup. On top of that, though, the European title sealed Chelsea's qualification to the expanded Club World Cup in 2025.

Chelsea's four seasons since winning the Champions League haven't been the best, but they made up for that in the United States by winning the 32-team tournament and securing a hefty financial bonus. Just two players remain from the 23-man squad which came out on top in 2021, but the latest rebuild wouldn't be possible without the other 21.

The Premier League and world football could well look very different had Leicester not brought N'Golo Kante to England 10 years ago, It just goes to show how one relatively tiny deal can have a huge impact.

Vesper · Sunday at 22:06

Unai Emery prepared to axe Ollie Watkins to secure Aston Villa reunion with Chelsea star

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins' future is uncertain after being strongly linked with a move to Manchester United and his manager Unai Emery is willing to offload the player in order to land Nicolas Jackson

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/unai-emery-prepared-axe-ollie-35663949

ahmedou · Sunday at 22:09

Vesper · Sunday at 22:14

Incoming £60m Chelsea star Xavi Simons thinks Benjamin Sesko is better than him and Man Utd ace Kobbie Mainoo

As Manchester United and Newcastle United continue to pursue Benjamin Sesko, some comments from one of his team-mates have bobbed to the surface

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/benjamin-sesko-man-utd-Chelsea-35663859

Benjamin Sesko's RB Leipzig team-mate Xavi Simons has previously said the Manchester United and Newcastle United target is a better player than himself and Kobbie Mainoo. Sesko, 22, could soon be heading to the Premier League.

Newcastle recently tabled a formal bid of around £70million for the powerful striker. He has been one of the most exciting young strikers in world football for the best part of a year and has previously been linked with Arsenal.

One person who ranks him highly is Simons, who has been the ex-RB Salzburg's forward's team-mate for many years. The Dutchman, who is being tracked by Chelsea, has even said the striker is a better player than himself.

Earlier this year, during a Q&A session, Simons was asked to rank other young players globally. After favouring Mainoo over Warren Zaire-Emery, he was then asked to compare the young United midfielder with Sesko - he immediately chose the young striker.

Simons was then asked to pick between himself and the centre-forward. Without hesitating, he said Sesko again.

The United and Newcastle target returned the compliment when he expressed his admiration for the Dutchman, following the midfielder's permanent switch to Leipzig in January. After Simons netted twice against Werder Bremen, Sesko said: "I love to play with him. He makes things fun. I'm really happy for his two goals because now he is going to have even more confidence."

Interestingly, Simons also looks set for a Premier League move, but to one of United's biggest rivals. He was dropped from RB Leipzig's squad for a pre-season friendly against Atalanta as a result of the fierce transfer speculation.

Simons recently removed any mention of the Bundesliga side from his Instagram bio, signalling his desire to leave the club. Sky Sports confirmed there is no injury concern for the former Barcelona wonderkid and that his absence is due to transfer speculation surrounding him.

He has made his intentions clear to his club that he wishes to relocate to Stamford Bridge. Fabrizio Romano reports that discussions between Chelsea and Leipzig are at an "advanced" stage.

The German outfit are believed to be seeking £60million to release him. Chelsea have already splashed considerable cash, having acquired Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and numerous others.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have submitted a formal bid for Sesko. The Magpies, who face the prospect of losing Alexander Isak this summer, have tabled £65.5m, with add-ons believed to be worth approximately £4.3m.

The Magpies have already witnessed numerous prime targets reject their approaches this summer for alternative destinations. Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford recently spurned their interest so he could rejoin Manchester City.

He joins the growing list of players, including Pedro, Delap, and Hugo Ekitike, who have turned down the club. Newcastle are hoping to beat United to Sesko's signature, which will see Eddie Howe land an impressive insurance policy should Alexander Isak end up departing.