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Tag: Chelsea

  • Chelsea ‘project appealed’ more than Man Utd, Arsenal as Joao Felix ‘verbal agreement’ reached

    Chelsea ‘project appealed’ more than Man Utd, Arsenal as Joao Felix ‘verbal agreement’ reached

    Chelsea have reportedly reached a ‘verbal agreement’ to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

    The Portugal international has been gunning for the Atletico exit having fallen out of favour with manager Diego Simeone.

    Arsenal and Manchester United were thought to be battling to sign the 23-year-old, but it looks as though Chelsea have swooped to land him.

    David Ornstein of The Athletic has revealed the ‘verbal agreement’ and claims the loan fee is £9m for the rest of the season.

    He also confirmed that both United and Arsenal were interested but Felix opted for Chelsea as the ‘project appealed‘.

    CBS journalist Ben Jacobs says Chelsea will pay all of Felix’s wages, which amount to £5.3m, and claims that although Chelsea are pushing, Atletico are yet to agree to a buy option in the contract.

    He claims Chelsea had ‘backed away from signing him but reprioritised him again in the past 48 hours after the two losses to Manchester City and talks with Graham Potter’, with ‘short-term needs’ trumping their concerns over a lack of ‘long-term value’.

    Talks are ‘very advanced’ and while ‘another suitor could technically counter’, both Arsenal and United ‘made it clear anything above a £5m loan fee was (with no option) too high’.

    Felix isn’t the only forward Chelsea are looking at, with both Mykhaylo Murdyk and Marcus Thuram reportedly on their shortlist.

    Thuram could be available for around £6m with his contract set to expire, but the Frenchman appears to want to wait until the summer when he will be available on a free transfer.

    And despite Chelsea’s best efforts to lure Mudryk to Stamford Bridge, the Ukraine international has his heart set on a move to Arsenal.

    Transfer expert Graeme Bailey told TEAMtalk: “Arsenal want Mykhaylo Mudryk and they want the deal doing as soon as possible. We have already seen talks commence with Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk.

    “Arsenal have no say on who Shakhtar can talk to, but they feel that their London rivals have been used somewhat to try and push them into a deal.

    “But that aside talks continue and Arsenal remain confident they get a deal done.

    “And you can’t ignore the fact that Mudryk has pushed so hard to get to Arsenal and I understand the player himself has made it clear again in the last week that Arsenal remain his first choice… and fair play to him, he is really pushing for that.”

    MEDIAWATCH: Graham Potter sacked? The media is starting to salivate at idea of Chelsea bloodbath



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  • Alvarez responds to ‘pound shop Martinez’ Kepa antics while Shearer slams ’embarrassing’ Chelsea

    Alvarez responds to ‘pound shop Martinez’ Kepa antics while Shearer slams ’embarrassing’ Chelsea

    Gary Lineker poked fun at Kepa Arrizabalaga and Alan Shearer laid into Chelsea after their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.

    Chelsea were abject in their third-round tie at the Etihad, conceding three goals in the first half and barely threatening the hosts at the other end throughout.

    The pressure is mounting on Graham Potter, who described the opening period of the game as particularly “painful and tough for us all”.

    He added: “We were second best to a very, very good side. We are not in a great moment and even though it was a cagey first 20 minutes we couldn’t attack the backline well enough, we couldn’t attack as well as we would like.

    “Manchester City are very good at stopping you doing that but at the same time we struggled.

    “In terms of the Premier League we have lost four matches – to Newcastle away, when we had nine players unavailable, we lost 1-0 to Arsenal, we lost on a bad day to Brighton and we lost to Manchester City. We have also drawn to Manchester United and Brentford so the results in a small space of time aren’t positive.

    “You can make excuses and look for reasons or say it isn’t good enough. Both of those answers are correct. We have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we are suffering as a football club and it’s not nice at all. But that’s where we are at the moment.

    “You understand the supporters’ frustration, we respect that. There are always other opinions and negativity and criticism because the results haven’t been positive. That’s part of the job and part of the challenge.”

    Julian Alvarez made the score 2-0 on the half-hour mark with a penalty after Kai Havertz‘s inexplicable handball, the Argentinean converting after Chelsea keeper Kepa tried to put him off with what seemed to amount to a little chat on the spot.

    BBC Sport presenter Lineker scoffed at the Spaniard’s actions as they replayed the footage at half-time.

    “What about this?” he said. “I think Alvarez is probably saying ‘Mate, I’ve just won a gold medal at the World Cup, I’m not worried about you’.”

    Micah Richards, who was on punditry duty, joked: “Not quite Emi Martinez, is he?”, to which Lineker responded: “Pound shop Emi Martinez.”

    Alvarez told ESPN Argentina: “The goalkeepers always try to do their thing, it doesn’t bother me at all. I had already decided to shoot it like that and well, it was a goal.”

    Shearer, also on BBC duty, hammered Chelsea after the game.

    “Manchester City have been fantastic in every single position,” he said. “They have dominated all over the pitch and been sensational.

    “From a Chelsea point of view, that is not acceptable, that performance. I said they needed some energy, character, all of those things.

    “I don’t care how many injuries you’ve got in your team, you can still go out and put a shift in. They haven’t and it’s embarrassing from their point of view.”



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  • Chelsea ‘open talks’ to sign £6m striker ahead of Man Utd; Red Devils target sacrificed for Ronaldo

    Chelsea ‘open talks’ to sign £6m striker ahead of Man Utd; Red Devils target sacrificed for Ronaldo

    Chelsea have reportedly ‘opened talks’ to sign Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram this month amid reports linking him with Man Utd.

    The Blues could do with signing a new striker with Armando Broja set for a long spell on the sidelines. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang meanwhile has not looked bothered when he’s played in recent weeks.

    Thuram signed for Gladbach in 2019 from French outfit Guingamp. He has been in stunning form this term as he has grabbed ten goals and three assists in 15 Bundesliga outings.

    The 25-year-old also provided two assists for France as the European side reached the final of the World Cup.

    He is likely to leave the German outfit in the coming months as he is out of contract in the summer.

    It has been reported that the forward is ‘available for as little as £6m’ this month so they can avoid losing him for nothing in the summer.

    Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that Chelsea have ‘opened talks to explore a January deal for Thuram’.

    The Blues are ‘exploring conditions’ but the player is being considered by ‘many top clubs’ this month.

    It is said that Thuram ‘will take his time and consider all the options’ before he decides where to go next.

    A separate report from Ben Jacobs recently revealed that Thuram has been ‘scouted’ by Man Utd.

    ‘Marcus Thuram is another name creeping into the conversation with Manchester United. I know that prior to the World Cup, they were scouting him and keeping an eye on his progress, so we’ll see how that develops,’ Jacobs wrote for Caught Offside.

    ‘It could be a more realistic move in the summer as he’ll be out of contract at the end of the season as things stand. United have been monitoring that situation, and it helps that he’s having a very strong season at the moment, with 13 goals in 17 games, and is someone who can play centrally or out wide.’

    Jacobs adds that a loan deal may be ‘more likely’ for Man Utd this month.

    ‘Still, for all the talk and excitement of the transfer window, and the good form in what feels like a new era under Ten Hag, there remains an issue with big players,’ Jacobs added.

    ‘United are a bit hamstrung by the likely change of ownership and by not being in the Champions League this season.

    ‘I wouldn’t be too surprised if these issues mean that a loan deal is more likely than any permanent deal.’

    The Red Devils may miss out on Thuram but they are being heavily linked with Al Nassr striker Vincent Aboubakar.

    The 30-year-old was great for Cameroon at the World Cup but his future in Saudi Arabia was always likely to be affected by Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival.

    It has recently been claimed that he has agreed to join Man Utd and this appears likely as he has apparently been released by Al Nassr.

    This is according to Al-Riyadh (via GOAL). They state that Aboubakar has been ‘brutally released’ to ‘open up a squad slot’ for Ronaldo.

    The ex-United man ‘can now be registered’, while Aboubakar is available on a free transfer.

    READ MORE: Arsenal hopes crushed by latest Mudryk update and Aubameyang would rather be spat at

     



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  • Liverpool defender joins embarrassed Chelsea striker in Premier League’s Worst XI…

    Liverpool defender joins embarrassed Chelsea striker in Premier League’s Worst XI…

    It’s no surprise to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Premier League matchday’s worst XI, but how the bloody f*** is there only one Evertonian?

    Here is the worst XI from this week’s round of Premier League matches, according to Whoscored ratings…

     

    Vicente Guaita – 5.13
    Conceded four in 24 second-half minutes to Tottenham but the Crystal Palace keeper wasn’t directly responsible for any of them. The Spaniard was perhaps caught under the cross for Harry Kane’s opener but he didn’t just usher the ball drift across his goal like Kepa.

     

    Adam Smith – 5.91
    Smith is in just ahead of Everton right-back Nathan Paterson (5.95) but the 31-year-old wasn’t the worst-rated Bournemouth defender. That dubious honour belongs to Marcos Senesi (5.76). But there were worse centre-backs, including Virgil van Dijk (5.73), Conor Coady (5.74) and Lyanco (5.22).

     

    Ibrahima Konate – 4.67
    Konate was the worst centre-back of the lot. The Liverpool defender endured a torrid evening at Brentford in his first action since returning from the World Cup. He was flat-footed when marking Ben Mee which led to him diverting a corner into his own net and was shurugged aside with worrying ease when Bryan Mbeumo made the game safe for the Bees.

    READ MORE: Convenient Liverpool scapegoat makes Premier League winners and losers debut

    Marc Guehi – 4.86
    The Palace centre-back had a nightmare second half when Spurs showed up. His poor defensive header under no pressure gifted the visitors possession in the build-up to Kane’s opener; Guehi failed to get close enough to Kane for his second; and he was all over the place under a high ball before Son Heung-min rounded off a 4-0 defeat for Palace. Questions for Patrick Vieira?

     

    Pascal Struijk – 5.86
    Against West Ham, the Leeds defender had a torrid first-half, at the end of which he conceded a penalty that allowed the Hammers to go in level at the break. Regained his composure in the second half, but Struijk might be glad to se Max Wober arrive to play at left-back, allowing him to return to centre-back.

    Idrissa Gueye – 5.45
    To be the worst player in that Everton side takes some doing but the central midfielder achieved it with one of the worst, laziest passes of the season to give Pascal Gross a free run on goal for Brighton’s fourth. He also missed a tackle in the build-up to the Seagulls’ second before being hooked just after the hour. Wretched.

     

    Brenden Aaronson – 5.16
    The American struggled to give Leeds any impetus in attack in the 63 minutes before he was replaced, with his most notable contribution being the turnover that led to West Ham’s second immediately after half-time. Sums up his recent form and Jesse Marsch acknowledged the summer signing is struggling.

     

    Michael Olise – 5.84
    A second appearance in the worst XI over the festive period for Olise following a similarly poor performance in Palace’s last home defeat to Fulham. Things might have been different had Jordan Ayew passed rather than shot in the first half, much to Wilfried Zaha’s fury. But overall, Olise was successful with only one of 11 crosses while losing six of his eight duels and giving away possession 25 times before he was replaced on 73 minutes.

     

    Harvey Barnes – 5.81
    It’s a similar story for Barnes, who featured in the same Worst XI midfield as Olise last week. The Leicester wideman wasted one big chance against Fulham, with 11 of his 13 duels going the way of his opponent. Conceded five fouls and lost possession 14 times.

     

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 5.62
    Started on the bench and was back there with a quarter of the game still to play and Chelsea chasing a goal. In the brief time he was given, Aubameyang managed 13 touches, none of them significant in any way. “I thought he did everything he could for the team,” said Graham Potter, which probably wasn’t the compliment it appears to be.

    Che Adams – 5.67
    The Southampton striker edges out other sub-six scorers Darwin Nunez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ollie Watkins to partner Aubameyang after failing to fluster the Forest defence. Saints’ best chance fell to Adams but he skewed horribly wide early on. That set the tone for another defeat in which the hosts failed to have a shot on target.



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  • Graham Potter admits Chelsea are in ‘tough’ moment as he urges his players to ‘ride out the storm’

    Graham Potter admits Chelsea are in ‘tough’ moment as he urges his players to ‘ride out the storm’

    Graham Potter has admitted that Chelsea are in a “tough” moment with their ongoing injury issues but he wants his players to “ride out the storm”.

    Chelsea have been dealt a blow in recent weeks as several of their key players are out of action through injury.

    Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount are currently unavailable and they missed Chelsea’s home game against Man City on Thursday night.

    The Blues were dealt two further blows in the first half as Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic were forced off with injury issues.

    Chelsea did pretty well against the Premier League champions and they were unlucky not to be ahead at the break. Carney Chukwuemeka came closest to scoring as he struck the post.

    Man City came on strong after the interval though and they went 1-0 up in the 63rd minute. Jack Grealish combined with Riyad Mahrez shortly after both players came on and the latter converted from close range.

    City rode out some pressure from Chelsea in the latter stages as they earned a vital three points. 

    Potter stated post-match that his side put in a “spirited performance against a top team” so he is “proud of his players”.

    “When you consider everything losing Raheem [Sterling] and Christian [Pulisic] so early, the lads gave everything. It was a spirited performance against a top team, so apart from the result I’m proud of the players,” Potter told Sky Sports.

    “It’s tough at the moment I must admit and I feel for the boys. We have to stick together. It was disappointing to lose those guys but the players on the pitch and the ones that came in gave everything and that’s all you can ask for.

    “I thought we committed too many men too high to press them and that opened us up and then you have to credit their quality. In any goal, you feel you can do a little bit better but you have to credit Manchester City.

    “We can’t complain about it [the injury list] We just have to get on with it. The boys on the pitch gave everything and did what we asked them to do and Manchester City don’t give you much.

    “We had to freshen it up but Lewis [Hall] and Amari [Hutchinson] are young players starting out and Conor [Gallagher] gave everything, it was nice to have that personality from the bench.

    “You always have to take responsibility but you hope people look at the whole context and see where we are and what we have had to deal with but at the same time emotions are high and you have to try and ride out any storm and try to stay level. The crowd were behind the team and could see them doing everything.”

    READ MORE: Guardiola galaxy brains Manchester City fans and Chelsea as he achieves coaching divinity

     

     



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  • Chelsea star ‘wanting’ exit is offered ‘astronomical contract’ to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

    Chelsea star ‘wanting’ exit is offered ‘astronomical contract’ to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

    Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is reportedly being targeted by Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and they are looking to lure him away from Stamford Bridge.

    Kante has been with Chelsea since he joined them in 2016 for £32m after he helped Leicester City won the Premier League.

    The midfielder has proven to be a superb signing for the Blues as he has helped them win the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup in recent seasons.

    The World Cup winner has regularly been considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world but he is approaching the end of his career as he is now aged 31.

    The Frenchman is out of contract this term and his next deal will likely be the last of his career.

    Kante staying on at Chelsea felt like the obvious solution before this season started but he has been out of action for much of this campaign through injury.

    Blues boss Graham Potter confirmed last month that Kante is likely to be out until February.

    He also indicated that his “focus” is on Kante’s fitness over potential contract talks.

    ‘He will be a while, end of February, start of March,” Potter said. “It was a surgery, so it is a minimum period of four months pretty much.

    “I think my focus is to help him get back fit as soon as possible, everyone knows the quality he has.

    “That is not in question, but it is about helping him get fit and back on the pitch, and looking forward to seeing him back playing football as we haven’t seen him.”

    A recent report from The Athletic stated that Kante has recently had a change of heart about his future at Chelsea.

    There is reportedly ‘increased confidence’ that he will remain at Chelsea beyond this season.

    But a separate (and less trustworthy) report from Spanish outlet Sport is saying that ‘Kante is still in talks with Chelsea but it already seems clear that he wants to leave the Premier League’.

    Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr are ‘attentive’ to Kante’s situation at Chelsea. This comes after they signed Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer following his exit from Man Utd.

    The 37-year-old is understood to be earning around £173m a year at Al-Nassr and he has penned a deal that runs until 2025.

    The report adds that Al-Nassr are ‘in a position to offer him an astronomical contract and the footballer would be thinking about it’.

    FC Barcelona have been lingering in the background for months and they are keen on a free transfer. They are still ‘calm’ about the situation despite Al-Nassr’s apparent interest.

    The Spanish giants are in a good position themselves as Kante is said to be ‘attracted’ by a switch to La Liga.

    READ MORE: Premier League scrambling stats… Ranking all 20 clubs by points won from losing positions

     



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  • Long-time target still on Arsenal’s ‘radar’; Man Utd, Chelsea ‘sure’ player ‘welcomes’ Prem move – Football365

    Long-time target still on Arsenal’s ‘radar’; Man Utd, Chelsea ‘sure’ player ‘welcomes’ Prem move – Football365

    Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic now ‘welcomes’ a move to the Premier League after snubbing Arsenal last year, according to reports in Italy.

    Vlahovic was reportedly Arsenal’s number-one target during last season’s winter transfer window.

    Mikel Arteta was pursuing the then-Fiorentina hitman with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang surplus to requirements.

    With the Gunners in a battle to finish in the top four in the Premier League and without Champions League football, the Serbian striker was reluctant to move to north London.

    He instead held out for a move to Serie A giants Juventus in a transfer that did not go down too well with the Fiorentina fan base. Vlahovic received a brutal reception when he returned to Florence for a Serie A clash during the second half of last season.

    Snubbing a move to Arsenal possibly cost the Londoners a top-four finish in 2021-22 as Arteta opted against bringing in a new striker after missing out on Vlahovic.

    Judging by the fact Vlahovic has only just joined Juventus and Arsenal completed the signing of Gabriel Jesus last summer, you would expect rumours of a move to the Emirates for the former to no longer be circulating, but that is not the case.

    Arsenal continue to be linked with the big Serbian, who is not enjoying the best of times in Turin with his new club struggling domestically and finishing third in their Champions League group, to join the English side in the Europa League knockout stage.

    The player is currently sidelined and the Old Lady have actually performed better without him and with Moise Kean leading the line.

    Juventus will have to overcome Nantes in the Europa play-off round if they are to stand a chance of taking on the Gunners, who went straight through to the last 16 as Group A winners.

    That would be a very interesting encounter, with Vlahovic taking on the team and manager he blatantly snubbed.

    That is if the 22-year-old is a Juventus player come the end of the winter transfer window.

    According to Gazzetta dello Sport, there is plenty of interest coming from the Premier League.

    Arsenal may be in the market for a new striker with Gabriel Jesus out until the mid-February at the earliest, though with Mykhaylo Mudryk likely to join, you would not expect Arteta to spend big money on another forward with Eddie Nketiah capable of leading the line in Jesus’ absence.

    Having said that, Vlahovic remains on Arsenal’s ‘radar’ while other clubs in England ‘monitor’ his situation in Italy.

    Before joining Juventus, it is said the Gunners ‘looked hard’ at the former Fiorentina man – who would now ‘welcome’ a move to the Premier League, a year on from snubbing precisely that.

    With Arsenal currently seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and lacking depth up top, Vlahovic may now be keen, but I feel like Arteta will tell him exactly where to go.

    Manchester United and Chelsea, on the other hand, are much more likely destinations for the 22-year-old Serbia international.

    Both are on the lookout for a new No. 9. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is failing to impress at Stamford Bridge, while Armando Broja is out for the rest of the season and Kai Havertz is not a natural striker.

    Scoring goals is definitely a weakness for Graham Potter’s side at the moment and Vlahovic could be the perfect man to come in.

    RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku is expected to join in the summer when a £52million release clause in his contract becomes active. A January move seems unlikely knowing he will be available for what is regarded as a bargain price in six months’ time.

    United are eager to sign an out-and-out striker this month following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Erik ten Hag’s only options in that position are Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford – who are both more effective playing off the left, particularly the latter.

    And the Dutch manager admitted after his side’s win at Wolves on New Year’s Eve that he needs to bring in a new striker in the winter window but insists the club will not spend for the sake of it.

    Despite the history between Vlahovic and Arsenal, it is safe to say that United have been linked with the player more than any other Premier League club in recent months.

    If the price is right, it would be a strong signing, but given the fact he is young, a proven goalscorer, cost them over €81million, and under contract until 2026, Juventus will probably ask for an exorbitant fee.

    The report does add that Juventus would need to be ‘convinced’ to sell him this month.

    Vlahovic spent three-and-a-half years at Fiorentina, joining them for €3.2m, meaning the Florence outfit made a staggering profit when he was sold in 2022.

    READ MORE: Darwin joins Salah on list of worst Premier League finishers this season being owned by their xG



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  • Liverpool duo ‘atrocious’ as ‘deluded’ Klopp needs to move four ‘dogsh*te’ midfielders on – Football365

    Liverpool duo ‘atrocious’ as ‘deluded’ Klopp needs to move four ‘dogsh*te’ midfielders on – Football365

    One Liverpool fan has some harsh words for Jurgen Klopp and a number of their players after their defeat to Brentford. Plus, disliking Chelsea boss Potter, Kulusevski, Conte and is Haaland making Man City worse?

    Send your views to theeditor@football365.com…

     

    Shambolic Liverpool
    I’ve had enough, for the last 12 months our defense has been a shambles and all other areas of the pitch have been getting worse because Klopp is far too loyal to bang average players and continuously seems to think that they will get better when in fact they are only getting worse.

    Lets start with Harvey Elliott – this kid is atrocious (and in midfield he is even worse) and for that matter any position in this Liverpool team and formation. He cannot pass, he cannot tackle, he has zero awareness (yet again showed that for his error leading to 2nd goal today), he doesnt track runners, repeatedly loses the ball, positionally is diabolical, he cannot dribble or beat a man, he rarely gets an asisst or a goal – he is a liability and when he starts we are starting with 10 men. He is only of value if not in the team or even at the club. This is the reality, yet the deluded media and commentators seem to think he is world class and doing great. Please wake up, he is atrocious and not worthy of to be at LFC. Klopp is deluded regarding Elliott.

    Nunez – the guy is not worth £16m let alone £64m – his finishing is atrocius, 16 BIG chances this seasons totally missed, 16, Kane, Haaland, Mane, Strikers of Liverpool past (Owen, Fowler, Torres, Suarez even Dean Saunders) would have put at least 50-90% of those same chances away. Top strikers finish, their conversion rates are high, as sometimes they only get the one chance, Nunez is not a clinical striker, he doesnt have the natural composure and Liverpool dont have 3 seasons without anyone else pitching in with goals to find out. We bought this guy based on 2 appearances against us last season, we did the same with Minamino (but only spent £6m there) so it didnt hurt as bad. Klopp and the entire club are deluded regarding Nunez.

    Midfield – our entire midfield is dogshite, they dont have the legs or desire to compete anymore, Keita, Ox, Curtis and Elliott are just not good enough and 3 of the 4 cant stay fit for longer than a game anyway, move them the fuck on. Thats it. Thiago, Hendo and Fabinho are only squad players anymore. They cannot protect the defense and they have zero creativity, we literally should just sign 24 years olds, that can tackle, be aggressive, recycle the ball and pass sideways, because thats all they do but not as good as they used to a couple years ago. Move them all on, its time and buy 5/6 new midfielders that have the desire, skill to make an impact, win us games and get us back to the top.

    Defense – without a midfield that can protect, our defense is atrocious at playing the high line. We set ourselves up every game to be countered against very easily over and over again – why cant the club’s staff and players see this, the delusion is embedded to the core. The entire footballing country can see this and every team is scoring goals against us because of this, yet they dont want to change, whose ego is getting in the way of this?

    Effort, Desire and Distance covered – big issue, from consistently being top for running stats last few seasons bar Covid season, we are nowhere near the top…this is the single biggest issue, the squad is old/stale, doesnt have the desire and doesnt want to change its style to stop conceding goals. New blood (in the form of at least 6/7 players is needed) without this, there is no return to previous seasons.

    Pep Ljinders – How the fuck was he allowed to release a book in the summer, he isnt even the head coach, did no thick t*** at the club stop him, its a total farce and deeply embarassing to release a book after winning 2 cups, titled INTENSITY and then immediately after see the team have next to no intentsity for the first half of the season, on top of that lay out all your tactics for every other manager. Klopp, the players and the board should be ashamed for allowing it. What a shit show!!

    Rant (full of facts) over.
    Ash, LFC. P.S. Starting to feel 1992 again!!

     

    Not taking away from the Brentford performance who deserved to win but how does the third goal stand?

    Konate stands between Mbeumo and the ball and ends up on the floor… why would he go down and how is that not a push and foul?

    Still undecided on Nunez but I would say it’s all very well getting into the positions and running the channels but if he puts away the early chance the game looks very different. Goals change the dynamics of a game and teams can’t afford to spurn chances.

    We now clearly have a porous defence, slow and soft midfield and non-scoring forwards. Lots to work on!
    Zak LFC  

     

    Liverpool inconsistency
    Another match and another 3 points dropped. The problem with Liverpool is that we have players who fail to show up consistently. Where the fuck was Faes tonight? No where to be seen.
    Jason G, Montreal Canada

     

    Where’s Faes when you need him?
    Aidan, Lfc

     

    Samson
    There’s a line in the Bible’s story of Samson and Delilah when he’s just had his locks cut off and he gets up: “he thought he could beat the Philistines as he had before.” Reading your article made me think of that. Big Virgil might as well be sporting a Jaap Stam haircut, his powers have gone but he still thinks he can beat anyone because he used to be imperious.

    Unfortunately Konaté has not returned from the World Cup in the best form, and I think we’ll have to muddle through because Matip can’t do it all himself. Mind you, there’s always Nat Phillips, he might be getting some game time while Virgil’s hair grows back.
    Paul in Brussels (Nunez should be on shooting practice and nothing else every day) 

     

    Haaland making Man City worse
    Dave in the Monday morning mailbox     was asking if we thought if Haaland has made City worse this season compared to last. Instead of spouting nonsense based on some of their recently dropped points & forgetting City’s flaws last season, I had a look at the current table & decided to come up with some points-based nonsense.

    Currently City have 36 points from 16 games, if they carry on with the same points per game ratio then they would finish on 85/86 points, which is indeed some way short of their final points total of 93 last season.

    But the past few seasons City have generally started their seasons slowly before picking up in the new year which has been enough to see them through to the title. So, I looked back to last season to see they had 38 points after 16 games last year which is indeed 2 more than this season but not much of a margin of error.

    Those 38 points last year were enough for City to be sat top of the league, one point above Liverpool. Whereas Arsenal currently have 43 points after 16 games which would have been enough for them to sit top of the league last season with a 5 point cushion. City aren’t much worse than last season, if at all, but Arsenal are performing better this season than City were at the same point last season.

    What Haaland will be judged on is how he performs in the big games when it matters, against Arsenal who he hasn’t met yet & in the knock out stages of the Champions League. So, what was the point in this mail you say? Don’t you love open ended conclusions?
    Mick, Cardiff

    Where do I begin…
    I’ve been quiet on this subject as I didn’t really know Graham Potter, but man I miss Thomas Tuchel. I’m probably wrong about this and I’ll be happy to eat my words, but I have disliked Potter from his first interview.

    With Tuchel you could see his passion on the sideline, his anger and disappointment at not winning. In his interviews you could see he was tactically very astute, understanding the assets and liabilities of different formations and gameplans. He was honest in his assessment and gave a clear explanation of what was happening.

    Potter on the other hand… where do I start? His answers are small snippets of meaningless throw-away lines. He never says anything insightful to give you a feeling that he understands what’s going wrong or how to fix it. He never looks or sounds upset that Chelsea lost, he sounds like a mid-table manager just happy to be in the league rather than a Chelsea manager where every time we don’t win should be seen as a disaster.

    I know that Tuchel had struggled to get the team scoring but there was the sense that if it could be figured out, he’d know how to do it. With Potter it feels like he’s a good man-motivator but there’s little more to him than that.

    Again, I’m probably wrong about Potter, his record at his previous clubs is exemplary, but I think I’m not alone amongst Chelsea fans wishing for a Tuchel reunion.
    Ed

    PS – Unlike other Chelsea fans I’m not against Boehly et al. They have put down some serious money for us and improved the structure of the club from a Russian’s toy to a business that will succeed for years to come.

     

    What to do with Kulusevski?
    As an Arsenal supporter it pleases me to witness Tottenham’s woes. While I’m surprised that their performances have dropped off so drastically from last season, their recruitment strategy must be contributing in some way.

    EVERY Spurs supporter that I speak to claims that Kulusevski is their most creatine outlet. Now while I understand he is currently out injured, I don’t understand why the club didn’t buy him after last season’s successful loan, if he is so integral to their style of play?
    Jovan (London)

     

    How can Spurs fans turn on their club now?
    I can understand Spurs fans being frustrated with their team. Spurs have been below par for much of this season and at times they play pretty terrible football. They are probably underachieving a bit considering their coach and the squad they have and their defence frequently looks pretty shaky.

    That said, David Clarke’s email from Monday morning left me genuinely open mouthed. He has supported Spurs since the 70s and this is where he draws the line? Spurs are fifth- 2 points behind 4th and 6 points beyond the robotic brilliance of Manchester City. They topped their champions league group and face a decent tie in the last 16. They have a great coach and have made a lot of excellent signings recently.  Most teams would be absolutely delighted to be in their position.

    But here’s the thing- even if Spurs were rooted at the bottom of the table and heading for relegation, that doesn’t justify ceasing to support your club. You can’t possibly call yourself a real fan if that’s how you approach fandom.
    Turiyo Damascene, Kigali, Rwanda.

     

    Antonio Conte
    Happy new year to you all, get that out of the way before I call you out on your United missed a trick in not getting Conte shtick. Seems United were right in not appointing Conte and trusting in ETH and his process, I for one am really looking forward to how ETH develops this side going forward sticking it to all the gobshites who called him a fraud. Lastly can I just say Graham Souness is an absolute spunk trumpet with his take on Casemiro, not World class, never been great, this from the man who signed Ali Dia.
    Paul Murphy, Manchester

     

    Everton > Atletico
    When are Everton going to be called out for their massive levels of absolute shithousery?

    I mean, is it actually possible to have three players down, all faking injury, in three separate areas of the pitch?

    Is it possible to have three separate players all refuse to take a throw in?

    Is it also possible for the final player to then question as to whether it’s actually their throw in, at all?

    Is it possible for Pickford to miss taking a lovely looooong drink before Every. Single. Goalkick?

    Is it feasible for their players to crowd round the ball when the free kick is against them but then protest vociferously when the opposition player is only 9 yards away when the free kick is for Everton?

    Why can’t referees see what’s happening? Why can’t Everton be punished for this despoilation of the game by playing serious added on time and making it plain that so much extra time is added because of their own tactics? I mean, we had an added 11 minutes to the second half at the Etihad but 8 minutes of that was added because play was stopped as the linesman had a faulty radio….so….no punishment at all.

    So many questions. Only one answer, Everton are the Premier League’s answer to Atletico Madrid and we’ve all see the protestations and anger in the Mailbox after a Premier League team has played Atletico.

    In conclusion, we can all see that Everton no longer tick the Big Club box. The celebration from the fans at getting a point proves this. These tactics are unbefitting of a club that has so much self regard. This team should be filed in the box labelled as a Colin Warnock club. As soon as Everton scored their admittedly great equaliser, I turned to the guy stood next to me and told him that we were now going to see the shithousing levels go off the scale because i just….knew they would.

    School of Science? My arse.

    Everton should take a good long look at themselves in the mirror. They should be ashamed at what they see.

    Just trying to help
    Levenshulme Blue, M19 

    (PS. This mail is not down to sour grapes, if we don’t win, as per Brentford, well, that’s fair enough. No, this is different)

    (PPS, for any pundit to defend this, well, they are actually stating that it’s OK for the match going fan to be ripped off)

     

    Ronaldo the Great
    I wanted to offer a new take on the whole mockery of the Ronaldo situation. I think he may have been aiming to break champions league records, so tried to manufacture a move in the summer that was ultimately unsuccessful. For whatever reasons, Champions League clubs didn’t take him, maybe money, maybe age, or whatever, but he still didn’t get his move.My take is that, he left because he wasn’t even playing at Man U. He was a sub, and I think that’s what got him riled up. I believe he had got over the fact that he was going to play in the Europa League, but the fact that he wasn’t even starting in the premier league, and had been relegated to the bench made him frustrated.

    This is not an excuse for how he acted and has continued to act, it’s just an alternative view on how he acted.
    Dave(He may also be a pompous a**hole), somewhere 

     

    Guess what Karma is?
    There’s a reason why you don’t read a lot of mails from City fans on F365 crowing or giving it the Bertie Big Bollocks.   It’s because decades of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory have conditioned us to not be so arrogant.  We’ll leave that to the red halves of Manchester and Merseyside.  We know better.  Even with squillions of Petro-dollars we still suffer from “Typical City” syndrome, something which is hard to shake after so many years.

    That said, may I ask two questions from the authors of two mails in the Monday morning mailbox?

    David, Caleeforneeya  …Just curious, are Liverpool considered contenders for top six, still?

    Oh, and Steve, LFC. London (via Bootle).  …I can’t wait to see the open top bus parade Liverpool have for winning absolutely nothing this season.

    David and Steve.  Complete this well-known phrase.  Karma’s a b****.
    Mark (Isn’t it though?  Tee-hee). MCFC.

     



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  • Ornstein reveals Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd ‘approached’ as Atletico set huge Felix loan fee – Football365

    Ornstein reveals Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd ‘approached’ as Atletico set huge Felix loan fee – Football365

    The agent of Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix has reportedly approached Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United with the La Liga side willing to loan him out this month.

    Felix is expected to be on the move in the winter transfer window after falling out of favour under Diego Simeone.

    Atletico paid a whopping €127million to sign the Portuguese international from Benfica in 2019.

    Despite the huge transfer fee, Felix has failed to live up to the hype in the Spanish capital, mainly due to his style of play not matching up with Simeone’s philosophy.

    Felix starred for Portugal at this winter’s World Cup, showing glimpses of why Atletico paid such an extortionate fee to bring him in at the age of 19.

    It would be pretty surprising if a team pays a fee in the region of €127m to sign Felix from Atletico, but that is what the Spanish side are reportedly hoping to receive.

    Several clubs have been linked with the 23-year-old, including French champions Paris Saint-Germain and German champions Bayern Munich.

    Writing on Twitter on Monday morning, reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano actually stated that PSG are not in the running as things stand.

    Romano confirmed that Arsenal and Manchester United have held talks with the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, with ‘new contacts’ set to ‘take place this week’.

    Chelsea, meanwhile, are ‘focusing’ entirely on their deal to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who is expected to move to Stamford Bridge for a huge €130m fee.

    The Blues are expected to be very busy this month with Todd Boehly tipped to continue his spending spree since succeeding Roman Abramovich as the club’s owner.

    RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku should be a Chelsea player come 2023-24, but will probably not be signed this month as a £52.7m release clause in his contract does not become active until the summer.

    This means a loan move for Felix could make perfect sense.

    According to The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein, there is Premier League interest in the former Benfica teenager, though the loan fee Atletico are asking for could prove to be a ‘stumbling block’ for a January transfer.

    With Simeone and Felix’s relationship in the gutter, Atletico are willing to let the player depart on a temporary basis but want a €15m loan fee plus his €6m salary covered.

    This totals €21m for a six-month transfer, which would understandably make clubs question whether or not it makes financial and sporting sense.

    Jorge Mendes is trying to get a loan move sorted, but it is proving difficult, though the winter transfer window has only just opened.

    Arsenal could do with a new forward and the loan signing of Felix could answer all of their problems with Gabriel Jesus sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

    The financial aspect of the deal will always be the main talking point here, and it would be understandable if the Gunners opt against paying such a high fee to have a player for a half a season.

    It could be the best €21m they have ever spent, however, if they manage to win the Premier League title with Felix playing a huge part in that success.

    Eddie Nketiah is currently leading the line in Jesus’ absence and has scored in both games since the resumption of the Premier League.

    Felix can operate as a lone striker but is a versatile player who would easily slot into the Arsenal attack and provide some much-needed depth with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli playing a lot of minutes.

    Emile Smith Rowe is close to returning and the club have been strongly linked with Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, so Mikel Arteta may not see the need to sign Felix.

    READ MORE: Transfer gossip: Arsenal ‘chilly’ on Saka swap as Man Utd and Liverpool both busy



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  • Chelsea and Potter have problems far beyond the brilliance of Enzo Fernandez or Mykhailo Mudryk

    Chelsea and Potter have problems far beyond the brilliance of Enzo Fernandez or Mykhailo Mudryk

    Graham Potter is starting to look a little out of his depth at a Chelsea side that steadfastly refuses to learn any lessons. This cannot be cured in January

     

    It was an eternal question proffered by Roy Keane, albeit with a slight caveat.

    “The difficulty is, what top players are going to go to Spurs?” he was the latest in an endless line of critical thinkers to ponder. But the point he made in January 2022, after a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, was more specific to the calibre of player they could attract without the lure of Champions League football.

    A year later, and with their respective summer windows while sitting at Europe’s elite table taken into account, neither club will be concerned at the impact non-qualification will have on their transfer prospects. Antonio Conte won’t be having sleepless nights at no longer being able to attract Yves Bissouma and Richarlison and Todd Boehly will continue throwing money at the problems he inherited with feckless abandon.

    Arsenal are runaway Premier League leaders on the back of consistently brilliant, focused and ruthless business conducted in the Europa League at best. Newcastle are one of their closest contenders on a budget most clubs would sell their souls for but which Chelsea would scoff at like a Waitrose shopper realising they will have to get their eggs from Asda. Liverpool provided the blueprint for the Gunners by competing when they had no right to off the back of phenomenal work in the transfer market.

    Each put the foundations in place before building; they made sure to walk before they could run. Chelsea have tried to skip those chapters by importing Brighton’s entire backroom staff and it feels remarkably unlikely that Paul Winstanley or Kyle Macaulay identified such hidden, off-the-radar gems as World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, Europe-wide target Mykhailo Mudryk or £30m centre-half Benoit Badiashile.

    Boehly is copying the answers of the top students without seeing how they worked it out. And as much transfer sh*t Chelsea are throwing at the wall, not much is sticking.

    Kalidou Koulibaly was exposed once more at Nottingham Forest, struggling to defend against pace or indeed at all. Marc Cucurella, the only player with actual functioning legs in Graham Potter’s back four, was smothered by the expectation and workload.

    Ahead of them, Denis Zakaria was vaguely serviceable and did indeed exhibit some sense of fight in his midfield battle with Ryan Yates. And while Raheem Sterling scored, it was the interruption to a performance dripping in anonymity.

    Nottingham Forest were faster, stronger, more committed and far better prepared. Taiwo Awoniyi will have rarely enjoyed a game quite so much, Brennan Johnson was a constant threat and Serge Aurier scored a sodding goal. The hosts had more shots with a fraction of the possession because they came with a game plan instead of just an expensive squad and some unclear concept of projects and processes. Chelsea’s goal was lucky and their chance creation before and after was non-existent. That second half was particularly abysmal against a side facing relegation.

    Five of these Chelsea players started the Champions League final win 18 months ago and the other six were signed for £275.2m under three different managers – none of whom are the current incumbent. Throwing three-figure sums at Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk does not feel like the answer.

    Potter is a phenomenal coach but there is a creeping sense that his appointment might have been a mistake for all parties. Many of Chelsea’s structural issues predate him yet his solutions to those on-pitch problems have been inadequate. Right coach, right place but completely the wrong time as things stand.

    Chucking Champions League money around is not, in itself, a panacea to that. If Chelsea and Boehly did not learn that last season or in the summer then a campaign outside of Europe altogether could force a necessary rethink.



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