Chelsea Transfers

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2 hours ago, Pizy said:

Haaland has Manchester bidding war written all over him for me. Both will be extremely desperate for a talismanic #9 and both will be willing to offer astronomical wages that I doubt we would touch like £350-400k a week. City need a long term Aguero replacement and United have only 34 year old Cavani who they won't want to depend on as their main man for next year.

After last summer I think our next 2-3 transfer windows will be extremely subdued. Only making moderately priced buys to replenish our squad depth once the likes of Alonso etc are sold. Definitely don't expect any incomings next month.

Can see this being a Liverpool sort of situation where after they splashed out on mega expensive players they then went to smaller teams and bought young players with lots of promise for much cheaper and started developing them. Or we'll just promote our own youngsters instead.

we will buy Rice, either this January (unlikely) or this coming summer (extremely likely)

beyond that, nothing is certain at all

Håland and a WC CB at Manure would be a disaster for us

I do not think they can also swing Sancho as well, unless Dortmund come WAY down in price

same for Grealish

Håland at Shitty would be a disaster for us, especially if the actually do bring in Messi

Manure looks well on their way to sorting themselves out (and I still think they eventually sack Ole and bring in a top 5 manager) especially if they land some truly huge fish (I still think they sell Pogba to fund more players coming in, besides the liquidation of the few dregs they actually have left)

Pep is going nowhere, and Pool will be monsters until Klopp leaves (and maybe after), and I so fear them snatching up Gravenberch

 

that leaves one CL spot over the next 3 or 4 years for us, Spuds, Leicester, and whatever pop-up teams happen (I think Arse will take years to recover) to fight over

there is no other league on the planet remotely as strong as the EPL is

and for sure you will sea more teams snatched up by multi-billionaires in the next 5 or so years

 

 

 

 

 

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Jack Grealish, the emergence of a superstar

https://theathletic.com/2272269/2020/12/25/grealish-jack-aston-villa-transfer/

It’s August 2017 and Jack Grealish is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after a freak kidney injury in the final pre-season game of the summer.

He’s down in the dumps, obviously. Aston Villa’s Championship campaign gets underway in just a few days but he won’t be a part of it for many months to come.

Team-mate Mile Jedinak visits his hospital bedside with a few encouraging words of support. “You’ll be back, mate, bigger and stronger than ever before,” he says, convinced that this is merely a bump in the road.

Yet with a sombre expression, Grealish struggles to process the words and can only see the immediate short-term future, which admittedly looks bleak.

Still, Jedinak continues to reassure him. In time, Grealish has learned that the Australian’s words carry significant weight. You stop and listen when he talks because, just like on this occasion, he tends to know what he’s talking about.

In this dark hour, Jedinak knew Grealish would be hurting, but equally knew he was set for big things. Jedinak told Grealish privately that he had all the tools to become a Premier League star and that time was on his side.

Three years on and Jedinak — the only player to visit Grealish in hospital that day, his biggest believer, his biggest fan — will be smiling knowing that the 25-year-old is now club captain, close to 200 appearances for his boyhood team and continuing to light up the Premier League weekly.

Grealish will reach that special milestone if he plays in the Boxing Day clash with Crystal Palace, screened live on BBC, in what is yet another chance to strengthen his growing reputation as one of the most exciting attackers in European football.

That statement alone suggests that the boy from Solihull didn’t do too badly in the end. He did come back better than ever after recovering from that injury, as his team-mate so positively predicted. To put things into perspective, it was a conversation this summer — before Grealish signed a five-year contract to become the club’s highest-ever-paid player — that further cemented his rapid rise.

When he was linked with a move to some of the top clubs in the country, a member of his inner circle took umbrage to a suggestion that he would become a bench-warmer if he moved to, say, Manchester City or Manchester United.

The close associate reminded the doubter that just three years earlier, Grealish was sitting on the bench for Villa and unable to get into Steve Bruce’s starting line-up at the back end of 2016-17. Then came the freak injury, sustained when Watford’s Tom Cleverley landed awkwardly on him during a challenge and a subsequent three-month spell on the sidelines followed.

At that stage, his career was at a crossroads, but write Grealish off at your peril.

The point those close to him like to make is that he’s stepped up to every other challenge that has been set, so why couldn’t he do the same if he ever ends up leaving Villa, especially when he’s earned the right to be linked with the best clubs in the world?

Ex-Villa boss Tim Sherwood has never doubted Grealish’s qualities and gave him the platform to showcase his skills when he was in charge five years ago.

“When I got there, whenever he was fit, he would play,” Sherwood tells The Athletic. “He’s top class and has got something different. You don’t come across players like that very often, but with Jack, he’s special.”

Sherwood also recalls how Grealish was chronically “undervalued” when he became manager.

“When I was talking to Villa about taking over, they mentioned they had Christian Benteke, Fabian Delph, Tom Cleverley, Ron Vlaar and all that. I was saying to them, ‘Yeah and you’ve got Jack Grealish’. They were like, ‘Yeah but he’s just a kid’. I said, ‘Don’t worry about “just a kid”‘. The ‘kid’ is a special player. I’ve known him for a lot of years.”

Sherwood actually told Harry Redknapp to sign Grealish for Tottenham Hotspur as a 16-year-old.

“I said, ‘We need to do a swap for this kid at Villa’, who were struggling at the time,” Sherwood continues. “I thought they could do with a few of our players who weren’t playing (and I told Redknapp) that this kid is special; top drawer, unbelievable.”

Grealish was highlighted as a future star at Villa, but there were others high up the list, too. Callum Robinson, now at West Bromwich Albion, also featured for Villa on the day his close friend made his debut at Manchester City as a substitute in 2014.

However, Jordan Graham, now at Gillingham, was “always the one to watch” according to former Villa youth team coach Ben Petty, yet he never played a minute.

Grealish is also the lone survivor from the all-conquering side that beat Chelsea in the 2013 final of the NextGen Series, a European youth tournament that acted as a precursor to the UEFA Youth League. Jordan Lyden, now at Swindon Town, was part of that squad. The two were close and socialised after training as teenagers.

“I’ve played with Jack from the age of nine,” the former captain of Villa’s under-23s team tells The Athletic. “I stay in touch with him and he still sorts out tickets for me. I’ve seen over the years how much a quality football he has turned into. Even now, he has developed so much to take on the captain’s armband. If you had asked me when we were 18, I wouldn’t have said that about Jack. I would have told you he would go on to become a top player, but not the captain. It just shows you how much he’s developed in terms of leadership and other qualities. He will go on to bigger and better things as well.”

For a period between 2015 and 2017, there was a danger of Grealish dining out on that sensational FA Cup semi-final performance against Liverpool for too long. Sherwood’s replacement, Remi Garde, didn’t have much respect for Grealish and the feeling towards the manager was mutual.

He also needed a couple of seasons to really find himself as a player capable of turning it on when it mattered. Perhaps his stunning display at Wembley made people forget that this was still a youngster developing into a first-team regular.

Juan Pablo Angel recalls a visit to Villa’s training ground in May 2019. He was guided around by Grealish, who had pulled it all together and matured into the club’s leading light.

The pair laughed and joked as Grealish reminded the striker how he used to jump for joy alongside his family as Villa Park season ticket holders during the Colombian’s spell in England. Angel told The Athletic how he was warmed by the skipper’s kind words and down-to-earth ways. He watched him rip it up in training but then also turn on the charm during an engaging conversation behind the scenes

“I had to learn my way into Aston Villa and earn the support,” Angel says of his time at the club from 2001 to 2007. “I had to understand what the club meant for the community and how huge it was in terms of support around the world and the history of the club.

“I ended up loving the city, loving the club, and understanding the culture but it wasn’t something I was born with. Jack has all that. The majority of his family are Aston Villa so he feels a commitment and the responsibility in himself to not just play for the club but to be the captain and do it well. He is a local boy who grew up loving Villa and his sentiment for the club and the community is huge.

“You hope he stays at the club a little longer. If he does what he is capable of, and does it consistently, then an even bigger club will come for him.”

As manager Dean Smith points out, it’s inevitable that until Villa start to become a serious force in the Premier League, they always run the risk of losing their star man.

“If we don’t keep progressing and become a club that’s challenging in Europe, then we probably won’t meet Jack’s ambitions and there will be a time when Jack looks elsewhere,” he told Stadium Astro recently.

A clear sign of how far Grealish has come in such a short space of time was evident in the recent game between Belgium and England.

Everyone watching noticed that Grealish swapped shirts with Kevin De Bruyne but what the cameras didn’t capture was that it was the Manchester City playmaker making a beeline for his midfield counterpart and initiating the post-match conversation.

De Bruyne praised Grealish for his performance on the night, a big compliment for any player who has shared a pitch with the superstar. Yet such comments have become the norm.

Several high-profile pundits message him privately to praise his work and offer advice. Ian Wright and Jamie Redknapp are big supporters, Jamie Carragher recently compared him to Eden Hazard. Gary Neville also suggested that if a coach can’t get the best out of the attacker, then it’s their fault, not his.

It seems everyone wants a piece of Villa’s No 10. Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan went from branding him an “idiot” for a lockdown breach in March to calling for Arsenal to “break the bank” to sign him for £100 million. Grealish has this impact on people who don’t fully appreciate just how good he is until he ends up destroying the team he comes up against.

Of course, he’s far from perfect. Smith has warned Grealish of his responsibilities on a few occasions this season after off-field incidents partially clouded his performances. He was fined £82,000 and banned from driving for nine months for that lockdown breach, when he reversed his car into two others.

The late Ray Wilkins once told him that he had to “live like a monk” to achieve his full potential but that’s clearly not in his nature.

What has been washed away with his brilliance, though, is any on-field criticism.

Last season, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said that he was “yet to be convinced” by Grealish as he pulled him up for holding on to the ball for too long and “not seeing the picture quickly enough”.

The graphic below, created with data from Villa’s first 10 games of the season, shows clearly how he has become more purposeful and direct by swapping touches in his own half for more in the opposition box.

It’s safe to assume that, injury-permitting, he’s likely to hit double figures for goals and assists this season.

Grealish listens to constructive criticism and studies his game forensically and despite outperforming players in his position in the Premier League this season, he also still believes he has more to give.

Some regular spectators have run out of words to describe his playing style but, Sherwood, a man always capable of encapsulating the mood with a catchy soundbite, had no trouble adding a little more flesh to the bone.

“He’s like a Mensa footballer. His footballing IQ is ridiculously high,” he says. “It’s the audacity to manipulate the ball, and dribble it, the size of his legs, his direction, the game awareness. He has an appreciation of others around him.

“When we needed something to happen, I was like, ‘Well, let’s just find the best way to get the ball to Jack’. He could play for anyone, Jack Grealish. Anyone.”

As Grealish closes in on 20 years at the club and 200 first-team appearances, it’s pleasing to see him representing the colours that have played such a big part in his life. It hasn’t always been easy but as Jedinak said, time was always on his side.

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Who is Chelsea's Marina Granovskaia?

 

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The Mastermind Behind Chelsea's Transfer Strategy

 

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Chelsea eye Bundesliga wonderkid as an alternative to this PL star

https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2020/12/25/chelse-earmark-jude-bellingham-as-an-alternative-declan-rice/

Chelsea will pursue Jude Bellingham if they fail to land Declan Rice

According to the Express, Chelsea will pursue Jude Bellingham if they fail to land West Ham star Declan Rice.

The Blues have been linked with a move for the Hammers star for some time now. While he too is keen to return to the Bridge, a deal in January is unlikely.

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Media Referee making a bold move to supplant Transfer Tavern as the worst English language football site on the internet

Forget it Lampard – Chelsea offloading this fantastic 29-year-old star wouldn’t be a wise choice

https://www.mediareferee.com/2020/12/26/why-chelsea-would-be-making-a-mistake-by-selling-jorginho/

 

they HAVE to be trolling

 

 

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Sensible Transfers: What Chelsea are doing about Rice, Tomori, Alonso and others

https://theathletic.com/2254434/2020/12/26/sensible-transfers-what-chelsea-are-doing-about-rice-tomori-alonso-and-others/

How can Chelsea possibly follow up the buzz of excitement they generated in the last transfer window?

My word, it was a lot of fun: a period when the club sent out a statement they meant business, that they were going to be top contenders again. They were so intent to get ahead of the competition, their first deal was completed before the window even officially opened as Hakim Ziyech’s switch from Ajax was finalised in February.

Over £200 million was spent on five players, but just like many households who have enjoyed a splurge over the holidays, January is going to be a bit of a reality check and a few cuts need to be made to get the bills under control.

It should still be intriguing because head coach Frank Lampard has a different kind of problem to solve. Last season the squad was not good enough, now it is just too big. Some players simply have to go.

As far as The Athletic is aware, there is only one signing Chelsea would consider bringing in and that is Declan Rice. But as revealed earlier in December, it is not going to be easy and the summer is more likely.

For Chelsea to stand a chance, they are going to have to raise revenue first. It is not as if they have an open chequebook. Financial Fair Play remains a consideration.

Several players could depart, but with COVID-19 still damaging finances, Chelsea may face a struggle to secure permanent moves for most of them.

So who is set to leave? For starters, step forward Fikayo Tomori. Few players have had a more dramatic fall from grace at Chelsea than the 22-year-old, who has been given just 109 minutes of action in the Premier League during the calendar year. That is some drop considering he made 14 Premier League starts in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign.

One of the questions most asked by the readers is why this has happened. There are several factors and the form of Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma is one of them.

But sources have told The Athletic that Tomori’s levels in training dipped for a significant amount of time and a sloppy performance against Bournemouth in February didn’t help his cause either. While still highly regarded at the club, there is some concern over his ability to compete in the air and a tendency to lose concentration, which leads to silly mistakes that can cost goals.

Tomori is rated for his pace and ability to defend one-on-one but there is a desire, as was revealed in November, to see him go out on loan and develop his all-round game. However, The Athletic has also been told that he has had enough of being on the periphery at Chelsea and aims to push for a permanent move.

If he does move on loan, Chelsea favour a move to another Premier League club so they can monitor his progress more closely, but Ligue 1 side Rennes, who wanted him earlier in the year, have renewed their interest. Tomori turned down a move to West Ham on deadline day in October and it is unlikely that he will end up going there. Leeds have been mentioned as not-so-secret admirers for a long period. A key requirement, of course, is that he plays regular first-team football.

The situation could get even more complicated. Lampard has five centre-backs in his squad, yet Silva and Zouma are playing in the majority of the matches.

With the European Championship taking place in the summer, Germany international Antonio Rudiger and Denmark international Andreas Christensen won’t be happy with just getting the odd game here and there. The latter is attracting interest from top-six clubs in Spain, France and Germany, while Rudiger considered a switch away from Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign.

Should one of those two push to move — and it is worth pointing out they have only 18 months left on their contracts — it could generate funds to put towards Rice. Yet that would also mean Tomori’s departure would get blocked because Lampard will not want to be reduced to three centre-backs, especially with Silva’s game time requiring management.

Another department overstocked is at left-back. Ben Chilwell is comfortably the first choice since joining from Leicester for £50 million, leaving Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso on the sidelines.

Alonso is the one most favoured to be sold or loaned. The Spain international has not featured since upsetting Lampard for his behaviour after being substituted against West Brom in September. As The Athletic exclusively revealed at the time, observers were under the impression he had played his last game for the club.

The problem is Alonso hasn’t generated much interest, especially as Chelsea are demanding a fee above £20 million. Inter Milan, who are coached by former boss Antonio Conte, made an enquiry in the last window about a loan with an option to buy. But there have to be question marks over the budget available to Conte now after they finished bottom of their Champions League group.

Emerson is ahead of Alonso in the pecking order, as was shown by starting Chelsea’s last two Champions League games and his appearance from the bench for the injured Chilwell against West Ham. Like Rudiger and Christensen, Emerson will have concerns about the Euros having got into Italy’s first XI of late. Inter Milan, Roma and Napoli have been linked with him in the past.

However, Chilwell’s damaged ankle, which has sparked concerns that the England international could be out for a couple of weeks, could give Emerson a run in the side over the festive period and help quell any desire to leave. Notably, his agent Fernando Garcia has appeared to rule out a switch: “Will he go away from Chelsea in January? I do not believe so. I don’t know if there will be the possibility of returning to Italy. For now, there has been no contact with Inter. Emerson has a good relationship with Lampard.”

What to do with the goalkeepers, particularly Kepa Arrizabalaga, is another area of concern. A sale significantly below the £71.6 million transfer fee Chelsea paid Athletic Bilbao in 2018 is out of the question right now. Even a loan will be problematic because of the £170,000-a-week salary.

It is believed Willy Caballero isn’t particularly pleased with the turn of events at Stamford Bridge and is the most likely of the three senior goalies to depart. Before Chelsea signed Edouard Mendy from Rennes in September, the 39-year-old got to play a couple of games. He hasn’t been involved since and if Kepa doesn’t get a move, which isn’t expected at this stage, then the former Argentina international will pursue a transfer of his own.

Sources have told The Athletic that Caballero is exploring options to join an MLS club. He still feels he has a lot to offer in the game.

It is thought that Lampard is prepared to grant Caballero’s request to leave as a recognition for his efforts. There is also sympathy within the club for a man who went from playing in key games during 2020 to being demoted to third choice without doing anything particularly wrong. Mendy was made the automatic No 1 and there was no way Chelsea were going to relegate Kepa below the No 2 spot.

Should Caballero go, a slot will open up. Technical and performance advisor Petr Cech was surprisingly named in Chelsea’s Premier League squad in October and recently played for the under-23s against Tottenham. Croatia Under-19 international Karlo Ziger was on the bench for the Champions League game at home to Krasnodar, but the difference in experience him and Cech is obviously vast. It is a situation to watch with interest.

One of the options Chelsea previously considered to raise money for Rice was to sell Jorginho. The midfielder was being lined up to join Arsenal in the previous window. But it is hard to see who would be able or willing to pay more than £50 million for the Italy international in the new year.

Two men Chelsea will definitely look to offload again is Danny Drinkwater and Abdul Baba Rahman. They have had to settle for playing for the under-23s to maintain match fitness as they were not included in Lampard’s squads for the Premier League or Champions League.

Drinkwater’s salary of £110,000 a week, let alone his lack of game time over the last three years, will be a major obstacle in attracting bids. Chelsea will have to pay some of the wages to enable a loan. Left-back Baba Rahman, who was subject of loan enquiries from Middlesbrough and Watford last time out, will be easier to shift.

Inevitably, there are also stories surrounding players Chelsea want to keep. Striker Olivier Giroud was thinking of leaving, but has had a change of heart now Lampard is selecting him more often.

Winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has been targeted by Bayern Munich on two prior occasions and continues to be employed sparingly by Lampard. But Chelsea will not let one of their few natural wide players go, especially as they are competing on three fronts (Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup).

There have been a few questions about whether 19-year-old midfielder Billy Gilmour could be loaned out to get more experience. However, The Athletic has been assured he is going nowhere because Lampard sees him as an option to play as the holding midfielder as well as a No 8.

The same applies to another emerging talent in Tino Anjorin, who made his first start against Krasnodar. Chelsea have received loan offers from clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League, at the top of the Championship and there is also interest from abroad. However, Chelsea are not interested. The plan is for him to continue to get more game time in the second half of the campaign — he provides cover for Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi, who have all had injury problems. Plus he will benefit from training with the senior group, just as Gilmour has.

Injuries to key personnel could change some of Chelsea’s thinking over the players mentioned above, but it speaks volumes that overall they are very content with the talent within their ranks.

The club’s business at the start of 2021 may not be as enthralling as what took place before. That’s because the hard work in the market has already been done. Chelsea are in great shape because of it and their fans should hope their entertainment will continue to be provided on the pitch rather than the gossip columns.

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Rice, Origi, Saliba, Messi, Dele and more: David Ornstein’s transfer mailbag

https://theathletic.com/2280676/2020/12/26/rice-origi-saliba-messi-eriksen-alaba-january-transfer/

The transfer window and all its madness are nearly upon us again. Last week, you put your questions to David Ornstein about what might happen in January, here he answers the best of them…

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Sal T: How busy do you think January will be — a few loans here and there or are there particular clubs/leagues you think are ready to invest in substantial permanent deals?

Hi Sal, thanks for the question and I hope you are well. January is a difficult window at the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic that seems to be getting worse, and the current feeling among those I speak to with knowledge of the market suggests it will be fairly quiet in terms of spending. Several English clubs were more active last summer than initially expected but lots of those signings were supposed to be balanced out by departures, which largely failed to materialise.

For many, therefore, the priority this winter is to shift bodies rather than accumulate them — and with money in short supply, that’s more likely to come in the form of loans and swaps than permanent deals. Equally, there will be some teams who look to take advantage of opportunities and capitalise on the vulnerability of others. I’m mainly thinking Premier League sides casting an eye on the EFL and Ligue 1 in France, given their respective financial crises.

Meanwhile, if the big spending in China hadn’t already ended, the new restrictions there will almost certainly ensure it does. In summary, I anticipate quite a lot of activity but not for a great expense.

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Richard F: Could Liverpool bring some players on loan? Ship out Origi to help pay for short-term replacements? The title is still up for grabs. If Liverpool weren’t top of the table it wouldn’t be a big deal, but winning back-to-back titles is worth spending some money.

As you may recall, Richard, I reported at the time of the injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez that Liverpool had no plans to recruit a centre-back or any other position in January. The hope was their existing options would provide sufficient cover, at least until the summer and possibly beyond.

I don’t have any reason to believe that stance has changed, although we all know it could at any moment if need meets opportunity. So, barring an extraordinary turn of events, no arrivals are anticipated at Anfield this winter and the club’s current recruitment work is focused on potential acquisitions for the summer. In the meantime, the title defence you reference appears to be going pretty well!

In terms of possible movement in the opposite direction, I’m told there’s no active intention to sell or inclination that anyone is agitating to leave. There has been plenty of speculation around Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi (who my colleagues James Pearce and Tim Spiers have reported on) but I don’t get the sense they are especially unsettled and, at the time of writing, sources indicate that moves at the end of the season are more probable.

There also remains a lack of clarity over the future of Georginio Wijnaldum, which I first mentioned in my column on January 5 and Oliver Kay wrote about last week. Ronald Koeman wants to bring his fellow Dutchman to Barcelona but with his future at the Nou Camp and the club’s finances up in their air, there have been no developments on that front. Similarly, Inter Milan’s interest could rely on getting Christian Eriksen’s salary off the books: easier said than done.

More generally, with teams forced to tighten their belts during a time of such uncertainty, huge wages for free agents may become a thing of the past. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants Wijnaldum to stay but talks over a new contract are said not to be ongoing and the midfielder is allowed to speak with foreign suitors from January 1.

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Menas K: Any truth in Man Utd pursuing Kieran Trippier? Are they targeting any other right-backs to add depth in that position this January?

It is accurate, Menas, that Manchester United held discussions over a move for Trippier but I’ve not heard anything to indicate the matter has gone any further. What it does show is that they are thinking about adding competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back, which is what happened at left-back last summer when Alex Telles was recruited to vie with Luke Shaw. I don’t know of any other names in the frame at present. As for Trippier, it sounds to me like he and his family would consider returning from Spain but any potential transfer will be complicated by the 30-year-old’s 10-week suspension by the Football Association over a betting charge relating to his move from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid in 2019.

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Kishan P: Will Chelsea move for Declan Rice in January?

That’s the question we all want answering, Kishan! Did you read Simon Johnson’s excellent piece on this for The Athletic recently? It gave loads of detail on the situation and reflected a view I’ve heard from several good contacts; that Rice to Chelsea is starting to feel a case of “when” rather than “if”.

I reported in the last transfer window that West Ham decided he was not for sale under any circumstances and, at the same time, some at Chelsea were not totally convinced the 21-year-old had rectified certain perceived weaknesses that contributed to them letting him leave Stamford Bridge as a teenager. But Frank Lampard seems firmly committed and evidence suggests the Chelsea manager tends to get what he wants in the transfer market.

Simon tells me Rice remains Chelsea’s one real target for January but that there is only a remote chance of a deal materialising. Lampard needs to sell if he is going to buy and even if Chelsea were to offer the level of money Rice is valued at, West Ham will probably reject it as his stock and importance to them continues to rise. Similarly, there is no guarantee it will happen in the following summer. But what we can be pretty certain about is that this is a talking point which won’t be going away!

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Charlie H: Any hints where David Alaba will end up? Will Bayern try to sell him in January or let him leave on a free in the summer? I have read rumours of Chelsea being in the running (fingers crossed).

I’m told Alaba will join a new club on July 1, Charlie, and all possibilities remain open as to which club that is. He will neither be signing a new contract at Bayern Munich, nor agree to be sold next month, and that makes him a highly sought-after free agent. The Austrian’s long-term preference was Spain but there is also said to be strong interest from the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool. To my knowledge, Chelsea don’t figure among the contenders at present. Despite Alaba’s versatility, they are not currently looking to recruit in his positions.

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Alex S: Are Tottenham looking to strengthen in January or is Mourinho happy with what he has for the rest of the season? Personally feel if Dele was to go along with the departure of Eriksen a year ago, we could do with bringing someone who could add a goalscoring threat from midfield.

After a summer of reasonably heavy investment, Alex, I don’t think Spurs chairman Daniel Levy intends to spend at all this winter. Even if he wanted to, it doesn’t sound like the money is there. The only way that might change is if anybody is sold and needs replacing. Dele Alli doesn’t enter that bracket because the position he usually occupies is surplus to requirements in Jose Mourinho’s system. The 24-year-old is keen to leave permanently but meaningful talks have yet to take place and Levy may favour a loan, given Dele is under contract until 2024. While Paris Saint-Germain retain an interest and vice versa, it’s thought financial fair play issues could scupper their chances.

Although Mourinho might welcome the chance to strengthen his squad — I hear he would like some back-up for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the defensive midfield role — the manager is said to be satisfied with his existing options.

Another subscriber asked: “Do you expect Spurs to sell Davison Sanchez and go for Milan Skriniar or any other CB?” Sanchez has indeed fallen out of favour somewhat, and Joe Rodon is arguably moving above him in the pecking order, but with Mourinho, these things can change at any moment and I don’t envisage Inter’s Skriniar being revisited for now. A point perhaps worth mentioning is that if Spurs do try to sign someone there may be a reluctance for them to be foreign, given the club are already at the limit of permitted overseas numbers.

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Kieran Y: What are Southampton’s plans for the January transfer window?

Hi Kieran, cheers for getting in touch. If the top-flight table is anything to go by, I’m not sure Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad needs a great deal of surgery! But Southampton are aiming to add some defensive cover, specifically at full-back to guard against injuries to Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand. For the second consecutive window, they’ll seek to lure Brandon Williams on loan from Manchester United, although they won’t be the only team in the mix for him. Some youngsters are set to depart St Mary’s temporarily to continue their development with regular game time, while Southampton still hope Danny Ings will sign a new contract — that ball is in his court.

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Parimal A: Will Manchester City see any transfer activity? Any chance of Oleksandr Zinchenko or Eric Garcia leaving the club?

City are among the sides, Parimal, who don’t intend to make any signings in January but that doesn’t mean they won’t already be working on plans for the following window. In an interview I did with the club’s chief football operations officer Omar Berrada in October, their interest in Lionel Messi was confirmed. “If he leaves Barcelona and should Messi become something that can be discussed, then we could potentially explore that option,” said Berrada.

From January 1, City will be allowed to speak to the Argentinian with a view to bringing him to the Etihad Stadium as a free agent next summer. That market is tipped to be a very busy one for manager Pep Guardiola, who many believe will need to upgrade in multiple areas. As for departures, Garcia’s situation is unchanged: he will be staying unless a suitor produces a suitable bid. It’s the same story with Zinchenko. City do not have a pressing desire to move on either man, whereas they will need bodies to compete for each competition in what will be an unprecedentedly congested season.

---

Liam H: Are Arsenal willing to back Mikel Arteta in the January window? I imagine they originally intended to back him in the summer but surely they need recruitment ASAP if they still think he is the right man for the job?

That’s a fair assessment, Liam, and one echoed by many of our subscribers. As you say, Arsenal’s recruitment plans were initially geared towards the end of the season. That’s when Mesut Ozil, David Luiz, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi will be out of contract, meaning a creative attacking midfielder and right-sided centre-back were on the agenda. But from the moment it became clear the team was struggling to produce goalscoring chances, I started to receive indications that some of those plans might be escalated to the winter.

Arsenal weighed up a move for Dominik Szoboszlai before he decided to join RB Leipzig and have also considered talents such as Julian Brandt of Borussia Dortmund. Lyon’s Houssem Aouar was a previous target but reservations have emerged and he is believed to have dropped down the scouting list, while former Spurs’ playmaker Eriksen is not a candidate they are minded to pursue.

The pressure to enter the market seems to intensify by the day and technical director Edu will try to reinforce Arteta’s squad — but the global environment renders January an even tougher window than normal and it is by no means certain that Arsenal will manage to fulfil their aims. I don’t know what money they have available; the club’s ownership has helped to fund transfers in the last two years and may have to do so again.

There are a couple of new faces already in the building: Bruno Mazziotti has finally arrived from Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian medic is said to be making a positive impression around London Colney, while Bournemouth first-team physiotherapist Nick Court has also joined Arsenal.

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Greg C: Any William Saliba or Folarin Balogun news at all, please? Obviously, a lot of rumours that Saliba is going to be sold and Balogun won’t renew his deal… (can’t blame either tbh)

I’ve not heard anything about Saliba being sold, Greg, but he is expected to go out on loan in the coming weeks. That should provide the game time he needs before hopefully returning to challenge for a spot at Arsenal next season. The 19-year-old’s preference is to stay in the UK and continue his acclimatisation, though he also has opportunities in his native France.

Saliba’s £27 million move from Saint-Etienne in 2019 has been a failure so far; a disjointed year back at the Ligue 1 club on loan, followed by a slow adaptation to English football. He is yet to experience any senior action and it can’t have helped that nobody who played a role in his signing remains in position at the Emirates Stadium. Given the excitement around Saliba, plenty of supporters want to see him integrated into the first-team picture immediately, but Arteta says he is not ready. Despite the centre-back hoping he would be involved in last week’s League Cup quarter-final defeat by Manchester City, there was no space and Arteta declined to elaborate on his reasoning.

Balogun, by contrast, is starting to accumulate minutes on the pitch but no agreement has been reached in negotiations over a new contract. Talks have not stopped and the door is still open, however, the distance between the two parties is thought to be far and with the 19-year-old’s current deal expiring next summer, it looks increasingly likely he will depart as a free agent. Although Balogun’s domestic admirers include Liverpool, he can speak to speak to foreign clubs from January 1 and that route is understood to hold greatest appeal at present, particularly Germany. It would be a major blow for the club if they were to lose the England Under-20 international, who has been prolific at youth level for Arsenal.

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Liam B: Do you expect Aston Villa to do any business, in or out?

Liam, have a look back at my first answer and you’ll see I predicted that some teams will try to take advantage of opportunities in the upcoming window. Villa, I suspect, might well be one of them. Their owners are extremely wealthy and have already shown a willingness to support manager Dean Smith in the market, which I’m told they won’t be averse to doing again if a unique chance arises. That said, the Villa hierarchy are very satisfied with their starting XI, almost half of which only arrived last summer. Wesley will soon return from injury to create more depth up front and some back-up players have performed well lately. The clear focus, though, is to move out fringe players. With four goalkeepers and three right-backs at their disposal, you can see why.

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Ed S: Are any transfers done entirely over WhatsApp?

Interestingly, Ed, I have actually seen a few transfers that have been largely negotiated through WhatsApp text messages and voice notes. It may be the ease, the encryption or a bit of both, but it does appear to be an increasingly common way of going back and forth when you’re involved in transactions of this nature. The examples I mention were between clubs and agents: thrashing out the numbers, details, clauses, structure, logistics and so on. Club-to-club talks tend to be more formal: face-to-face conversations, phone calls, emails etc. Ultimately, everything has to be put in writing, even if some parts of the agreement are struck via more novel methods of communication!

---

Rohan S: David, we’ve seen the growing prominence of the turtleneck/blazer combination over the past few months. Any expected fashion trends to keep an eye out for in early 2021?

Rohan, I’m not sure it’s wise to seek wardrobe advice from a man of such sartorial inelegance… but in keeping with my line of work, I do anticipate dipping into the January sales at some point if there is an opportunity and I’m sufficiently enticed by the style and value for money. Hopefully, that enables me to emerge with a new item or two and freshen things up for the second half of the season. Impossible to tell you what it might be in such an unpredictable market, but if you’re a follower of our YouTube show Ask Ornstein, then all will be revealed in the not-too-distant future!

[Vesper 29,139]

Transfer news tracker: Real Madrid lead Alaba chase — with United not in running

https://theathletic.com/2284088/2020/12/26/transfer-news-live-rumours/

The transfer window will soon open and between now and the first day of February, The Athletic team will keep you informed of all the significant developments they hear.

Not a subscriber to The Athletic? You can sign up for our award-winning journalism for just £1 a month for the next 12 months by clicking here.

We won’t bring you gossip or rumours, just what is really happening and why.

---

December 26, 2020

David Alaba is one of January’s hottest properties as the Bayern Munich defender’s contract enters its last six months, reports Laurie Whitwell.

A host of Europe’s top sides have entered discussions with his representatives over a deal.

But The Athletic understands that Real Madrid lead the way in pursuit of his signature. Alaba is reported to have turned down a £200,000 per week contract offer from Bayern and the European champions would like to keep the player who has been an integral part of the team since 2011.

Real, however, are ready to provide the kind of salary the Austria international is demanding and a departure is becoming more likely.

Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the 28-year-old, who can play full-back, centre-back and midfield to an elite standard. But having been made aware of the costs associated with the move, United will not be entering the running, it can be confirmed.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to maintain a squad of balanced earnings as much as possible and the scale required to secure Alaba would be too great.

Alaba, who has 14 goals in 75 caps, is one of the continent’s most experienced players, having won nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions League crowns.

Real are hamstrung on paying transfer fees having been hit hard by the financial impact of the pandemic, but would be able to facilitate the signing of Alaba on a free once his contract expires at the end of this season.

He will not be leaving in the January window.

[Vesper 29,139]

Rice and Soucek give West Ham an elite midfield – no wonder they’re in demand

https://theathletic.com/2264857/2020/12/17/rice-soucek-west-ham-chelsea-bayern/

Based on current form, there is an argument to be made that Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek are the best midfield partnership in the Premier League.

In the 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace last night, Sebastien Haller got the plaudits for his remarkable acrobatic goal but the level of consistency his team-mates Rice and Soucek are showing has been a big part of West Ham United exceeding the pre-season expectations.

Rice is 21 and Soucek is 25 and in his first full Premier League season, suggesting both will only get better. They have been linked with moves to Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively. Chelsea’s interest in Rice is strong but he has spoken of himself as a future captain at West Ham. Those close to Soucek say he is committed to the east London club and have dismissed speculation linking him with reigning Bundesliga and European champions Bayern.

They say the Czech international thoroughly enjoys playing under David Moyes, his family is settled in the capital following his arrival on an initial loan last January and that if an offer were to come in, West Ham would not entertain anything less than £50 million — rouhgly double what he cost them. It is worth noting there is no buyout clause in Soucek’s contract.

Using data from smarterscout, we can see the impact both players are having on the team.

Smarterscout is a site that offers detailed analytics on footballers all over the world, producing a score between zero and 99 in a variety of categories — a bit like the player ratings in the FIFA video games but powered by real data and advanced analytics.

The pizza chart above shows Soucek’s strengths, with his aerial ability standing out.

Against Palace last night, he won the most aerial duels of any outfield player with 10.

Indeed, of all the midfielders in the Premier League, 6ft 4in Soucek is first by some distance when it comes to aerial duels won — he is on 71, Palace’s ex-West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate is second with 44. Soucek has also scored three league goals this season and his impact in the attacking third emphasises why there have been comparisons to Marouane Fellaini, the tall Belgian midfielder who filled a similar role for Moyes at Everton and then Manchester United from 2008-13.

Soucek also has full marks for “defending intensity”, which effectively reaffirms that he is a quality sitting midfielder who provides good protection for the defence. He and Rice are good at winning the ball back for West Ham. N’Golo Kante of Chelsea is the only Premier League midfielder to have made more interceptions (30) than Rice (28), while Soucek (19) is also among the top 10.

The 30-cap Czech is not just a defensive player, though.

Aside from Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount — some of the league’s best attacking players — no midfielder has taken more shots than Soucek in the Premier League this season. His 23 attempts rank him higher than James Rodriguez, James Maddison, Phil Foden and plenty of other attacking luminaries.

In the chart above, we can see his high ratings for “shot volume” and “receptions in opposition box”. Those scores demonstrate that, for a defensive midfielder, he offers plenty in attack thanks to his shooting ability and movement into dangerous positions.

He does not carry the ball much and has a low score for “link-up play volume”, which is based on passes of less than 10 yards.

Fortunately for West Ham, that is where Rice comes in.

The England international is a very able carrier of the ball, links the play for Soucek and is far better at retaining possession than his midfield partner. Rice can also offer a goal threat and came close to scoring a late winner against Palace with a long-range shot that flashed wide of the target.

Whenever Rice receives the ball, he looks to make a forward pass.

The stats will highlight he is yet to score in the Premier League since the 3-1 win over Watford in July, 18 appearances ago, and has only one assist this season but that belies the changes he has made to his game in the past year.

Soucek’s defensive strengths have freed up Rice to be more attack-minded than he was in 2019-20, when his midfield partners were Carlos Sanchez, Jack Wilshere and Mark Noble. He is now orchestrating much of West Ham’s attacking play, as the examples below show.

In the 2-1 win at Leeds United last Friday, Rice navigates his way out of a difficult position on the left flank, above, and spots Pablo Fornals making an attacking run. He threads an inviting pass in to the attacking midfielder, who squanders the chance.

One of Rice’s best performances was the 1-0 victory at Sheffield United last month. In the first graphic, above, he receives a pass from Fornals deep in his own half.

Rice then makes a driving run, carrying the ball over halfway and into the attacking third, before trying to find Fornals with the return pass. It is overhit, but the move is an illustration of the role Rice has as one of West Ham’s chief carriers of the ball.

Another example, from the same fixture, sees him collect the ball around the halfway line with Sheffield United’s defence in retreat but still goalside of the West Ham attackers.

Rice drives towards the box, drawing one defender to effectively take him out the game, and playing the ball through for Arthur Masuaku, who squares to Haller, only for the striker to miss the chance from close range.

These are only a few examples but it is clear that the arrival of Soucek has allowed Rice to show that attacking side to his game, which is an interesting development given that Chelsea, who could make an approach in January when the transfer window reopens, supposedly want to use him at centre-half.

For now, the partnership between Rice and Soucek is the foundation upon which Moyes is trying to build West Ham into a top-half side, so keeping them both at the club will be crucial.

[Jase 43,479]

Maybe Lampard should go after Soucek instead so that he has another target for James to spam crosses too...

 

[killer1257 3,282]

Maybe Lampard should go after Soucek instead so that he has another target for James to spam crosses too...
 

Sometimes I ask myself if Soucek is better than Rice. He might be, but I don't know [emoji23]

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[Vesper 29,139]

All hail Neto, more creative than Son, Sterling and Maddison

https://theathletic.com/2286278/2020/12/28/pedro-neto-wolves-corners/

In the 59th minute of Wolves’ 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, Pedro Neto showcased exactly why he’ll be in the running for a nomination for the Premier League’s young player of the year 2020-21.

Receiving a pass from Romain Saiss 10 yards inside his own half, Neto feinted and dashed by a sliding Matt Doherty.

He dribbled upfield and, with Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks following him, was heading down a cul-de-sac.

Cue a stunning change of pace which saw him career past Winks, keeping his balance as he took an arm to the shoulder.

He looked up and almost picked out Fabio Silva from the cut-back, only for Eric Dier to cut it out. Some better movement from Silva or more options in the box and Neto could have created one of the assists of the season.

It’s been a year of immense progress for Neto. At the start of 2020 he was basically an unwitting poster boy for the annoyances of VAR, having had goals chalked off at Anfield (an extremely marginal toe-based decision) and Old Trafford. He scored his first Premier League goal at Watford on New Year’s Day and then sparked a remarkable comeback at Southampton a couple of weeks later, scoring after being introduced at half-time and transforming Wolves’ attacking fortunes in a 3-2 victory.

During 2019-20, Neto’s form was inconsistent — no surprise for a 19-year-old — and he played second fiddle to Diogo Jota and Adama Traore. He made nine league starts.

This season he’s already started 14 in the league and with that onus has come consistency, stepping out of Jota’s shadow and becoming Wolves’ creator-in-chief. His explosive pace and velcro dribbling ability catch the eye, but Neto has impressed in several facets this season; not least his versatility and intelligence when playing a deeper, withdrawn role in the early weeks of the season.

His creativity has notably improved, particularly from wide on the left. Overall he’s created 27 chances, placing him joint-seventh in the Premier League, ahead of Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, James Maddison and Sadio Mane.

That figure of 27 is slightly embellished by the fact he’s taken a chunk of Wolves’ set pieces this season, but even from open play he’s joint-11th with Traore, with the pair both carving out 19 opportunities. That’s more than Maddison, Son Heung-Min and Raheem Sterling.

Neto now creates an average of two chances per 90 minutes, up from 1.4 last season. Interestingly his dribbles-per-game are down, from 3.1 last season to 2 now, but his shots are way up. He’s had 28, more than any Wolves player, having only had 17 in the whole of last season.

With 14 successful crosses from open play, he’s more accurate than Traore (with 10). Against Spurs he played three key passes, more than anyone on the pitch.

What the stats don’t convey is confidence, which Neto now seems to have in abundance. He wasn’t exactly short of it last season, as anyone who watched him furiously shushing the Kop like a demented snooker referee for his ultimately disallowed Anfield goal will testify. Perhaps belief is the word. Belief and trust, given to him by Nuno in selling Jota and not replacing him in the squad.

Wolves believed that in Neto and Daniel Podence they already had Jota’s replacements. It’s taking a bit of time, but that theory may be proved correct.

Neto was one of seven Portuguese players in the Wolves XI (the joint-most non-English players from the same country in a Premier League starting XI, matching Fulham and Newcastle’s seven Frenchmen apiece in 2003 and 2013 respectively) but it’s not just via his nationality that Neto is the archetypal Wolves signing.

A Gestifute/Jorge Mendes client, little was known of Neto when joined from Lazio/Braga in 2019 (technically Lazio as they’d bought him a few weeks earlier in an obligation deal at the end of a two-year loan from Braga). Neto hadn’t started a senior game in his career, with Lazio barely even using him from the bench, yet here he was being valued at £16 million in a £22 million double signing alongside Bruno Jordao.

It seemed steep but Wolves were paying for potential. They believed he could soon be worth far more.

Just 18 months on, £16 million looks like very good value and Neto is looking like the classic Wolves buy — young, bags of potential, gradually blooded in his first season and then given a starring role a year later before his value sky-rockets. It’s the template Fabio Silva, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Vitinha and Ki-Jana Hoever will look to replicate.

Heck, he even set up a goal from a corner. Wolves hadn’t netted from a set-piece since the opening day of the season at Sheffield United, a bone of contention for Nuno who had pointedly referenced the need to improve from dead balls.

“Repetition (on the training ground), innovation, trying not to be so predictable,” Nuno said pre-match on Wolves’ use of short corners, a source of much frustration for supporters. “Yes, we’ve been insisting on short combinations, trying to take advantage of situations that we want… but it’s not happening. We are aware of that. So we must find a new one.

“Short combinations are not coming out (of the game plan), try to keep the ball and see what happens. It’s not always the same.”

The short corners (designed to try to draw defenders out of position in a bid to counter Wolves’ lack of height in the box) continued in the first half and almost led to a goal when Conor Coady cleverly peeled off at the back stick to reach Neto’s purposely deep outswinger but headed at the keeper.

In the second half, a change of approach saw an arrowed inswinger to the near post where Saiss (the man who scored at Bramall Lane) made a perfectly-timed run to the near post and glanced a superb header into the far corner. Seconds before the kick, Jose Mourinho had been yelling at Kane to clear anything at the near post.

“There’s no scientific reason for it,” Nuno said post-match of Neto’s one-kick corner. “For example today we didn’t have big players that we usually have, Leander (Dendoncker), (Willy) Boly, we change, we go to straight corners. We always try to look for the best, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Having solutions is good.”

An assist for Neto made it three for this season, to add to his four goals. At this rate, he’ll push for 10 goals and five assists for the season, which would represent an excellent return (and beat Jota’s tally of seven league goals and one assists in 2019-20).

Those four goals and three assists are from 1,201 minutes in the league this season. His tally of three goals and three assists in 2019-20 came from 928 minutes.

Not a notable difference — and this backs up Nuno’s answer when asked why Neto has progressed so much in the past 12 months.

“Because he’s playing every game,” Nuno says. “And he’s working very hard. He joined us last season, he started in the second half of the season to understand the dimensions and the competition of the Premier League, how hard it is, especially for offensive players who like to dribble and go one v one, it’s very physical.

“He’s reading his actions better as time goes by and he’s doing good work. We expect him to sustain and improve some aspects that he clearly has to.

“He has ability and is versatile to play on both sides of the attack, but the actions must be more accurate when he changes sides. It’s something we look at and we try.”

Improvements to make and consistency to achieve over a much longer period of time, yes. But at this very moment, Neto is one of the most exciting and creative players in the Premier League.

[killer1257 3,282]

Podence, Traore, Neves and Neto are such underrated players

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[Jase 43,479]

Can we go get a fucking Fabregas type midfielder next month or in the summer? Fucking done with all this BS of us passing sideways and backwards. 

[Magic Lamps 11,677]

a midfielder with a bit of creativity would do us nicely. no wonder we are always playing from side to side and then cross as there is no one able to thread through passes in the centre. Even Ziyech's return will not solve that. Havertz, Mount, kovacic, all not very creative.

 

[killer1257 3,282]

a midfielder with a bit of creativity would do us nicely. no wonder we are always playing from side to side and then cross as there is no one able to thread through passes in the centre. Even Ziyech's return will not solve that. Havertz, Mount, kovacic, all not very creative.
 

Havertz is creative, but only in the last third of the pitch, which he currently is not showing and I am also not sure if he really is a no. 8. Think he is more of a no. 10 or false 9.

We have three creative players in our youth. We actually don't need to buy for instance Aouar. Billy is much more creative than Mount and Kova, Bate is also more creative than our three midfielders and Anjorin is also creative in the last third of the pitch, just like Kai.

There is a reason why we score 3 to six 6 goals almost every youth match I watch. Clinical strikers, great crosses from Livramento, great passes from Anjorin and Bate. We currently have a new golden generation. Our last golden generation was Boga, Musonda, Ruben era.

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[killer1257 3,282]

Can we go get a fucking Fabregas type midfielder next month or in the summer? Fucking done with all this BS of us passing sideways and backwards. 

We will get Declan Rice instead. Once in a while, he makes some decent passes [emoji849]

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