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Tag: Quick Reads

  • David de Gea 2nd in 10 PL players with the most errors leading to goals since 2018

    David de Gea 2nd in 10 PL players with the most errors leading to goals since 2018

    There can be little more embarrassing for a Premier League footballer than an error that leads directly to an opposition goal – and these 10 players have been made to blush on more than one occasion. 

    With numerous camera angles, 24/7 punditry and groups of screaming hyenas on social media, any player making a potentially match-defining mistake is sure to be placed under heavy scrutiny.

    Using statistics from the Premier League website, we’ve looked at the 10 players who’ve made the most mistakes leading to opposition goals in the English top-flight over the past five seasons.

    =10. Tim Krul – 5

    It’s some going to feature in this list while only featuring in two of the last five seasons. Unsurprisingly, Norwich suffered miserable relegations in each of those campaigns, with the veteran Dutch ‘keeper committing a league-high four in the 2021-22 season.

    =10. Ederson – 5

    Man City’s goalkeeper is on track to lift a fifth Premier League title in the last six seasons, so he must be doing something right.

    Pep Guardiola seems pretty satisfied to stomach one costly error a season for what the Brazilian gives City in building out from the back and proactively sweeping up. And that’s fair enough.

    8. Illan Meslier – 6

    One of Sam Allardyce’s first acts as Leeds United manager was to drop Meslier, who appeared to suffer a crisis of confidence as the Whites suffered a record-breaking number of goals in a calendar month in April 2023.

    The 23-year-old French ‘keeper already has over 100 appearances under his belt for Leeds and has made some spectacular saves, but he’s made three errors directly leading to goals in 2022-23 and a spell out of the firing line is probably for the best.

    7. Alisson – 7

    Alisson has undoubtedly been one of Liverpool’s best players during recent years. The Liverpool shot-stopper has saved his side on numerous occasions in the past and helped transform the Reds backline into an intimidating force – and has arguably been at his very best amid their defensive struggles this season, with zero errors in 2022-23 so far.

    But since 2018, Alisson has made two more goal-costing errors than his Brazilian counterpart Ederson, each one causing Jurgen Klopp to gurn angrily on the touchline.

    6. Bernd Leno – 8

    Arsenal’s replacement of Cech in the summer of 2018 went about as well as Unai Emery’s time in charge at the Emirates.

    Although Leno’s career in England began well, a combination of lost confidence and playing behind a shambolic defence saw the number of errors begin to creep up. He was replaced by Aaron Ramsdale in the starting XI for the 2021-22 season.

    “It was a setback and a bitter moment. But that’s sport, you have to accept that. It wasn’t easy, but I couldn’t feel sorry for myself, I wanted to attack again immediately,’ Leno said in an interview with SPOX and GOAL in April 2022.

    “I don’t want to say I was a pawn, but when the results aren’t right, sometimes things happen quickly in football. The coach wanted to set a new impulse – and then the results came.

    “That was bitter for me, because I had held up well before that.”

    Leno has rebilitated his reputation somewhat since moving to newly-promoted Fulham. He’s been excellent for Marco Silva’s surprise package and is yet to make an error leading directly to a goal this season.

    READ: Ranking every 22-23 Premier League goalkeeper by how crazy they are

    5. Ben Foster – 7

    Foster hung up his gloves last summer – before being coaxed out of retirement to play a role in Wrexham’s Hollywood story – but errors began to creep into his game during his latter years.

    =4. Martin Dubravka – 9

    After joining Newcastle United in January 2018, Dubravka became one of their steadiest performers and won the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019-20.

    He was largely brilliant for the Magpies but his solid reputation was punctuated by the odd howler, leading to him being usurped by Nick Pope.

    =4. Hugo Lloris – 9

    Lloris has been a wonderful servant for Tottenham Hotspur over the past decade, keeping goal with distinction during the best period of their modern history.

    But the World Cup winner has still made nine errors that led to opposition goals in the Premier League over the past five years, including four in 2022-23 – the most of any player in the English top flight this season. Time to move on?

    2. David de Gea – 11

    De Gea has been one of United’s standout performers during a miserable time in their history but the goalkeeper has made some pretty big howlers over the past five years.

    Following a tricky start to his Manchester United career, the goalkeeper went on to establish himself as one of the best in the world, winning the club’s Player of the Year award four times.

    “Individual mistakes are a part of football and as a team you have to deal with it and you have to bounce back because it’s a team sport,” Erik ten Hag told reporters following De Gea’s costly error in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham.

    “Over the season he’s the one with the most clean sheets (15) – we did it as a team – and that can happen, it’s part of football but everyone has to take responsibility.”

    The Spanish goalkeeper is out of contract at Old Trafford this summer but Ten Hag has stated his intention to renew his contract.

    READ: The £35million on wages Manchester United can save this summer

    1. Jordan Pickford – 13

    As he’s shown for England over the years, Pickford is capable of making some astonishing saves and his energy between the sticks appears infectious.

    But he’s made 13 errors leading to goals since 2018, including that mistake for Divock Origi’s winner in the Merseyside derby in December 2018.

    “Everyone hates you, for some reason, that’s part of being an England player,” Pickford told the BBC in February 2020.

    “I think the press and everybody, the punters – look at Gary Neville – they just want to come for England players.

    “You have got to live with it, you have got to learn. I know what I am capable of and I know what I am good at.”

    READ NEXT: Ranking each Premier League club’s record signing from worst to best

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 17 goalkeepers with 100+ PL clean sheets?



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  • Ranking every Premier League club by how much their squad cost

    Ranking every Premier League club by how much their squad cost

    The Premier League is the richest league in the world and so it’s no surprise to see that record figures have been spent by each club in the division.

    We have looked through each Premier League team and counted up just how much money was spent on assembling their current playing squad. As a point to note, all of the figures used are from Transfermarkt, who use Euros rather than Pounds for their valuations.

    Of course, spending large sums of money is no guarantee of success, but each of the traditional top six appears fairly high up on this list which is no real surprise.

    In January, Chelsea shot above Manchester City up to the top spot in this list, having spent over €300million in the transfer window on Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana – plus Joao Felix for a considerable loan fee.

    Todd Boehly hasn’t quite seen a return on his original investment at Chelsea so far as the club have struggled in the Premier League this season, despite their spending spree in both transfer windows he’s been in charge during.

    Man City aren’t far behind with €960million spent on their squad. What is even more amazing is the fact that City managed to record a profit in 2022, despite signing Erling Haaland amongst others.

    Their profits are largely down to the sales of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while £60million full-back Joao Cancelo has been loaned out to Bayern Munich. Despite the profits they have made this year, they are still way out ahead when it comes to spending itself.

    Local rivals Manchester United also rank very highly on the list with a spend of €876million on their squad. Erik ten Hag will be keen to further bolster the squad in the summer no doubt, especially if their takeover gets completed and he can guide them back into the Champions League – which they look on track to do.

    Jurgen Klopp has done a fine job with Liverpool and they have usually managed to hit the nail on the head when it comes to their recruitment. Latest signing Cody Gakpo didn’t quite hit the ground running but he’s growing into his new surroundings and will be hoping to be the next star to shine at Anfield.

    While Arsenal’s rebuild under Mikel Arteta had its doubts to begin with, they are undoubtedly heading in the right direction as they currently top the Premier League with the youngest squad in the league.

    The Gunners have spent over half a billion Euros on Arteta’s squad, which puts them comfortably ahead of the likes of Newcastle and Spurs.

    Newcastle have rapidly risen up the spending table following their lucrative takeover in October 2021. Eddie Howe has made good use of the funds so far as he already has them challenging for a spot in Europe.

    Here is the full table which ranks each Premier League club by how much their squad cost to assemble. Note: these totals don’t include transfer fees for players out on loan, but just members of the first-team squad.

    1. Chelsea – €1.01billion
    2. Man City – €960.6million
    3. Man United – €876.2million
    4. Liverpool – €709.05million
    5. Arsenal – €531.5million
    6. Newcastle – €458.95million
    7. Tottenham – €390.3million
    8. West Ham – €379.7million
    9. Leicester – €362.1million
    10. Wolves – €353.9million
    11. Aston Villa –€341.6million
    12. Southampton – €293.1million
    13. Everton – €288.1million
    14. Leeds – €241.4million
    15. Crystal Palace – €217.9million
    16. Bournemouth – €209.5million
    17. Nottingham Forest – €187.6million
    18. Fulham – €137.0million
    19. Brentford – €124.1million
    20. Brighton – €111.1million

    READ NEXT: Comparing Klopp and Guardiola’s net spend at Liverpool and Man City

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the last 20 players to break the world transfer record?



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  • A forensic analysis of every referee mistake in Chelsea-Barcelona, 2009

    A forensic analysis of every referee mistake in Chelsea-Barcelona, 2009

    “It wasn’t my best day, really,” said referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after his performance in Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2009.

    Chelsea fans still despise the infamous official, who was the subject of Didier Drogba’s, “Are you watching this? It’s a disgrace. It’s a f*cking disgrace,” tirade into the camera after the full-time whistle.

    This came just moments after Michael Ballack chased Ovrebo down the pitch after he failed to award a penalty for a fourth time during the match.

    Having drawn the away leg 0-0, Chelsea simply needed to win at Stamford Bridge to progress to their second final in two years.

    And they went 1-0 up through Michael Essien’s left-footed volley from 25 yards, which crashed in off the crossbar just to make it even better.

    Ovrebo then went on to wave away three penalty appeals for the hosts before he questionably sent off Eric Abidal for a coming together with Nicolas Anelka outside the box.

    Andres Iniesta hit a famous equaliser from the edge of the area in stoppage-time to send Barca through on away goals, but there was still time for Ovrebo to dramatically wave away yet another penalty.

    It prompted unsavoury scenes at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea crashed out of the competition.

    We’ve taken a look back at each one of Ovrebo’s debatable decisions to see whether he was right or wrong – or mostly how wrong he was.

    The Malouda free-kick

    To be fair to Ovrebo, this one is explainable. Looking back at the replay, Malouda looks to be outside the box when Dani Alves blocks him off.

    The Frenchman of course cleverly falls into the box, but the official races over and points for a free-kick and not a penalty.

    If he had given a penalty here there would probably have been uproar coming from the other direction, so it was a lose-lose situation for the official and we will let him off.

    When Abidal should have been sent off

    The next appeal came from Drogba, who was played into the area and looking to get a shot away as he raced towards Victor Valdes.

    Abidal was with him all the way, though, niggling at him and eventually bringing him down just as the Ivorian attempted to pull the trigger.

    Ovrebo was having absolutely none of it, though, not even waving away the claims and simply running away as Valdes had collected possession by now.

    Perhaps his argument is that Drogba went down too late, but the replays seem to show a series of fouls by Abidal with the Chelsea man trying to keep his balance and take a shot.

    When Abidal was sent off

    Not a mistake that Chelsea will complain at – although if Ovrebo had done his job properly the left-back wouldn’t have been on the pitch by now anyway.

    Nicolas Anelka was played in over the top and went down after a slight coming together, though he appeared to trip over his own feet.

    The cliche is that a referee knows he made a mistake, he will try to even it up, and a free-kick is an easier decision to give than a penalty for an official.

    Handball number one

    While trying as hard as possible to be objective here, this is clear as day.

    It’s such a blatant penalty that Anelka almost doesn’t even bother appealing.

    Handball number two

    Picture the scene. Your team have been on top for the entire game, playing against 10 men and feel hard done by not to have had at least one penalty.

    Then your opponents go on a rare attack and score to seemingly win the tie and progress to the final of the greatest club competition there is.

    THEN you earn a corner, from which a shot is blocked by a blatant arm right on the end of the referee’s nose.

    The proximity of the referee to the incident only makes it worse.

    Ballack was not sent off for his shocking reaction to the final penalty appeal, chasing and grabbing the official as play went on.

    “It was not my best day really,” Ovrebo said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca. “Some days you are not at the level you should be. No, I can’t be proud of that performance.”

    Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink described it as the worst refereeing performance he had ever seen.

    “Players make many mistakes, coaches make mistakes, referees make mistakes – that’s why we speak about giving them the benefit of the doubt,” he said after the match.

    “But if you have seen three or four situations waved away then [the referee’s performance] was the worst I have seen.”

    “After the game it is easy to say, ‘Why was this done and not the other?’” Obrevo said. “For me the important thing was to learn from my mistakes. I made that decision not to send him off and that’s it.

    “When I look back at my career, I can look at those two, three, four, five per cent of matches that were really sh*tty or I can look at 95 per cent that were great.

    “I think as a referee and also as a player or coach, you have some ups and downs in your career. The special thing about refereeing is that it is a very thin line between heaven and hell.”

    No matter how many excuses he makes, though, it is doubtful that the Chelsea fans will get any closer to forgiving him in the foreseeable future.

    READ NEXT: Frank Lampard: We should have won more titles and at least one more CL

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Chelsea’s top 15 Champions League goalscorers?



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  • 4 players humbled at their former club even worse than Aubameyang

    4 players humbled at their former club even worse than Aubameyang

    Chelsea’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will quickly want to forget about his humiliating return to Arsenal – and he’s not the only player who was humbled when revisiting his old stomping ground.

    Aubameyang was recalled to Chelsea’s starting XI in the hope that narrative alone would see him strike a fatal blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.

    But the reality was altogether more damning; the Gabon international was taken off at half-time with Chelsea three goals down and having made just nine touches. Four of those were from kick-offs.

    We’ve trawled through the archives to find four more stars that suffered a true humbling at the hands of their former employers.

    Thomas Brolin

    Forget Seth Johnson or Weston McKennie; there’s a strong argument that Brolin was Leeds’ worst signing of the Premier League era.

    Bought from Parma in 1995, Brolin’s latent ability on the pitch and very-strong ability to demolish a plate of hash browns ensured his stay at Elland Road was a miserable one.

    So Leeds fans travelling to Selhurst Park for a match against Crystal Palace in 1998 were eager to see their side get one over their rotund former striker.

    After five minutes, Brolin had to come off after a collision with Bruno Ribeiro, which left him dazed and needing stitches to a head wound.

    While he was receiving treatment, Leeds scored. Brolin, determined to upset his former team, returned to the field six minutes later, only to see his natty bandage knocked clean off his head.

    Leeds fans chortled with glee – and the lads on Soccer Saturday couldn’t help themselves either.

    Carlos Tevez

    You’ll know all remember Tevez’s switch from Manchester United to their noisy neighbours in 2009 – and the proactive poster that accompanied the move – so his return to Old Trafford early in the 2009-10 season was box-office viewing.

    The Argentinian scamp did set up one of City’s three equalisers that afternoon, and received plenty of pantomime boos from the home fans, but ended up on the losing side when Michael Owen scored a dramatic injury-time winner.

    With a face like a thousand smacked arses, Tevez looked like his greatest desire was that the ground would swallow him up. Understandably, he then focused his ire on Gary Neville…

    READ: Remembering Gary Neville, Carlos Tevez & the ‘boot-licker’ war

    Luis Figo

    Whilst Figo didn’t suffer defeat on his return to Barcelona in November 2002, there can be nothing more humbling than having a pig’s head lobbed in your direction.

    As Michel Salgado recalled: “By the second or third corner I turned to Luis and said: ‘Forget it, mate. You’re on your own’.

    “I used to offer Luis the chance to take the short corner, drawing up close to him near the touchline, but not this time.

    “Missiles were raining down from the stands: coins, a knife, a glass whiskey bottle. Johnnie Walker, I think. Or J&B. Best to keep away. Short corners? No thanks.”

    Marc Cucurella

    Aubameyang isn’t the only Chelsea player to have tail firmly inserted between his legs this year; spare a thought for Cucurella and his chastening return to Brighton last October.

    Having already made an underwhelming start to life at Stamford Bridge, the left-back was hooked after 64 minutes of a desperate display in Chelsea’s 4-1 defeat on the Sussex coast.

    According to Whoscored, Cucurella’s defensive output included no tackles, no interceptions and just one clearance. Yikes. His Chelsea career already appears over.

    READ NEXT: 23 players who re-signed for former clubs: Alves, Henry, Pogba, Drogba…

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Jose Mourinho’s 30 most-used players in the PL?



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  • Comparing Real Madrid’s record with and without Luka Modric in 2022-23

    Comparing Real Madrid’s record with and without Luka Modric in 2022-23

    Luka Modric is set to miss Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Manchester City due to an injury and so we’ve checked out how the Spanish club have done without him this year.

    Even at 37 years old, the Croatian midfielder remains to be one of the best midfielders in Europe. With five Champions League medals already in his locker, he will be hoping to add a sixth this year.

    Real Madrid are seen by many as the juggernaut of Europe. Even when they seemingly aren’t at their best, they still manage to find a way in Europe’s elite competition.

    Modric played a huge role in Madrid’s last Champions League triumph with some truly breathtaking performances on the way to the final. We’re still in awe of his ridiculous trivela assist against Chelsea last year.

    Real Madrid have a hectic fixture list to come with a Copa del Rey final against Osasuna around the corner, before then facing Man City. Right now it seems touch and go whether Modric will recover in time.

    “He has had a small injury and it depends on how it evolves. I don’t know if he will reach the Cup final, we must evaluate him. We are hurt, but it can happen. I hope he recovers,” Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.

    “In terms of characteristics, it is Ceballos, but we have different resources, we have very good midfielders like Tchouameni, Camavinga in order to replace Luka.

    “He’s a very important player, nobody can replace him in terms of experience in these types of games, but I won’t complain, because we have midfielders of the highest level.”

    Ancelotti is lucky enough to have several other top class midfielders to call upon in the Croatian’s absence. The likes of Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga have all racked up over 1,500 minutes in the league alone.

    Modric himself has featured in 28 La Liga matches this season, with 11 of those appearances coming from the bench. In that time he has scored four goals and provided three assists.

    He has also been a huge asset in the Champions League. The 37-year-old has started in all four of Real Madrid’s knockout games against Liverpool and Chelsea.

    Modric is a man for the big occasions and Ancelotti’s side will surely feel his absence if he doesn’t recover in time for the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

    We’ve had a deeper look into Real Madrid’s record from this season with and without Modric in the starting line-up. We have included games from La Liga, Super Cup and the Champions League in this data.

    With Modric starting

    Games: 28
    Won: 22
    Drawn: 1
    Lost: 5

    Goals for: 66
    Goals per game: 2.36
    Goals against: 25
    Goals against per game: 0.89

    Points per game: 2.39
    Win rate: 78.6%
    Loss rate: 17.9%

    Without Modric starting

    Games: 17
    Won: 9
    Drawn: 5
    Lost: 3

    Goals for: 33
    Goals per game: 1.94
    Goals against: 13
    Goals against per game: 0.76

    Points per game: 1.88
    Win rate: 52.9%
    Loss rate: 17.6%

    READ NEXT: The 7 Real Madrid players currently set to leave on a free this summer

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Real Madrid’s top 20 Champions League goalscorers?



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  • Bottlers? The 7 biggest Premier League title collapses: Arsenal, Man Utd…

    Bottlers? The 7 biggest Premier League title collapses: Arsenal, Man Utd…

    The 2022-23 Premier League season will be remembered for the thrilling title race between Arsenal and Manchester City.

    Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have been top of the table continuously since August but they’ve allowed City to snap at their heels after drawing against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton in consecutive matches. Inevitably, some have accused them of committing the most heinous sin in football – the bottle job.

    At one point in January, Arsenal had a five-point lead over City with a game in hand. If they are to slip away, how would they compare to the biggest title collapses of the Premier League era? We’ve taken a look at the seven sides who threw away comfortable leads at the top of the table.

    Arsenal – 2007-08 – 5 points

    Until this season, the 2007-08 campaign was Arsenal’s most convincing title push of the post-Highbury era.

    Arsene Wenger’s side had lost just one of their first 26 matches and seemed to be building a real head of steam in February. They built a five-point lead at the top after winning four successive matches and going on a run where they took 26 points from their last 30 available.

    Then they went to St. Andrew’s. Birmingham City were reduced to 10 men after Martin Taylor broke Eduardo’s leg in the third minute. Arsenal had the man advantage but seemed shaken psychologically and contrived to draw 2-2, conceding the equaliser deep into injury time.

    Arsenal preceded to drop points in six of their next seven matches and fell away completely. You can pinpoint that afternoon in Birmingham as where it all went wrong.

    READ: William Gallas at Arsenal: Captain of chaos who sat down in a strop

    Norwich City – 1992-93 – 8 points

    The inaugural Premier League season was wild.

    Reigning champions Leeds United didn’t win away all season and finished two points clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal and Chelsea ended up 10th and 11th respectively.

    Aston Villa finished 2nd, while Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers made up the rest of the top five as Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to their first league title since 1967.

    Ferguson’s side ended up finishing a comfortable 10 points clear but they looked out of the title picture in the early months of the season. They sat 10th in early November after a seven-match winless run. Meanwhile, Norwich had built up an eight-point lead before failing to maintain their form in the latter half of the season.

    The signing of Eric Cantona is the moment everything changed.

    Arsenal – 2002-03 – 8 points

    Wenger never led Arsenal to successive league titles, but they looked destined to retain their title in 2002-03.

    By March, they’d built up an eight-point lead over Manchester United and looked all set. But they fell apart in the spring, winning just four of their last nine matches, and a 3-2 home defeat to relegation-battling Leeds United was a fatal blow.

    Ferguson’s Red Devils won 15 of their final 18 matches and ended up finishing five points clear.

    Manchester United – 2011-12 – 8 points

    United recovered well from their ego-bruising 6-1 defeat at home to Manchester City in October 2011.

    They were imperious throughout the winter, winning 20 of 24 matches after the City defeat to open up an eight-point lead as Roberto Mancini’s side faltered mid-season.

    A surprise 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in April saw the title picture open up and it was suddenly wide open after two further dropped points in an eight-goal thriller at home to Everton.

    The 4-4 draw against David Moyes’ Toffees meant the league title was back in City’s hands.

    Mancini’s side got the job done, lifting the trophy after winning their last six outings, including a 1-0 victory over United at the Etihad and that madcap comeback against QPR on the final day.

    Liverpool – 2018-19 – 9 points

    In fairness to Liverpool, they really didn’t do much wrong in 2018-19. Their final points tally of 97 has only ever been bettered by three teams – one of whom happened to be Pep Guardiola’s Man City with 98 points that year.

    A 2-1 defeat away to the eventual champions in January 2019 proved decisive. They went unbeaten otherwise that season, winning 13 of their last 17, but draws against Leicester, West Ham, Manchester United and Everton in January and February were enough to cost them.

    Perhaps the best evidence that you need to be truly extraordinary to beat this City side.

    Manchester United – 1997-98 – 11 points

    Aside from the Charity Shield, United went trophyless in 1997-98. That was unthinkable in the spring when they had an 11-point lead over Arsenal.

    But Arsenal had three games in hand and did brilliantly to make them count. The Gunners won their last eight matches and turned the title picture on its head with an unforgettable 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in mid-March.

    Newcastle United – 1995-96 – 12 points

    Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers are arguably the most memorable Premier League side not to win the title.

    They had a 12-point lead over Manchester United at one point but things fell apart dramatically with a run of five defeats in eight games in the March.

    The title collapse is synonymous with Keegan – haunched over the advertising hoardings at Anfield and his “I would love it” speech are two essential pieces of Premier League iconography and tell the story of Newcastle’s campaign.

    READ NEXT: The 6 most dramatic slip-ups from title-chasers: Liverpool, Man Utd…

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the Premier League-winning captain for every season?



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  • Chelsea: 9 players Abramovich missed out on – & who was signed instead

    Chelsea: 9 players Abramovich missed out on – & who was signed instead

    Roman Abramovich won the lot as Chelsea owner and spent plenty of money doing so – but he wasn’t been able to secure moves for every player that caught his eye.

    Over the course of his near two decades as Chelsea owner, Abramovich spent over £2billion on transfers to help establish the club as one of European football’s biggest powerhouses.

    Star players have moved to Stamford Bridge since 2003 but there’s arguably an equally long list of players whose mooted transfers to Chelsea failed to materialise.

    We’ve identified nine amazing players Abramovich missed out on as Chelsea owner and who they signed instead.

    Lionel Messi

    “It was not one step away but Chelsea were really trying to sign Leo Messi in 2014, with Jose Mourinho as the manager,” journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed in a  YouTube interview.

    “They were really pushing and pushing on Leo Messi’s side to try to persuade him to try a Champions League experience.

    “They [Chelsea] were contacting people close to Leo Messi, discussing with people and lawyers close to Messi to try to convince him for a new opportunity in the Premier League.

    “Then everything collapsed simple because of Barcelona. Barcelona was something special for Lionel Messi.

    “But Roman Abramovich wanted Leo Messi. He was going seriously to try for Messi as the new star for Chelsea but the deal collapsed.”

    Just imagine – all our questions about Messi’s ability to perform on Tuesday night in Stoke would have been answered.

    Instead, we found out that Juan Cuadrado couldn’t.

    Neymar

    Back in 2010, when Chelsea were league champions, they came incredibly close to signing a certain young Santos prospect. Wonder what ever became of him?

    “There were many calls for him,” Neymar’s former agent Wagner Ribeiro said in an interview with AS.

    “I received an official offer from Chelsea the day Neymar debuted with the Brazilian team in 2010. They made an offer, we studied it, but in the end we didn’t decide anything. On that occasion, we transferred it to Neymar’s father and the player himself.

    Their bid was deemed to have been around £25million, but the move never came to fruition. Yossi Benayoun would have to do instead.

    Steven Gerrard

    He may be regarded as a Liverpool legend, but Gerrard almost joined Chelsea in the mid-2000s.

    After a move in 2004 petered out, Gerrard consoled himself by winning the Champions League. It didn’t stop him seriously considering a move south that summer though.

    “I rang Struan [Marshall, his agent],” he wrote in his 2007 autobiography. ‘”Struan, I’m going to find out whether they want to sell me. Put in a transfer request.” Struan phoned Liverpool. “Take this call as a transfer request,” Struan told them. “We will back it up in writing if you need us to. But this is it.”

    “Bang. In went the transfer request, a hand-grenade rolled into the Liverpool boardroom.”

    The news was met with anger on Merseyside, with fans burning Gerrard’s shirt on the street. The midfielder decided to stay after receiving a club-record wage deal and Chelsea signed Michael Essien instead.

    READ: A tribute to Michael Essien, Chelsea’s man for all things and all seasons

    Luka Modric

    Modric was already one of the best midfielders in Europe when Chelsea came knocking in 2011 and, in his 2020 autobiography, he revealed how close he came to switching from Tottenham to Stamford Bridge.

    “With the 2010-11 Premier League season over, I was ready for my summer vacation,” Modric explained.

    “But it didn’t last long, as my agents – Vlado Lemic and Davor Curkovic – passed on Chelsea’s wish to sign me. Before transferring to Tottenham, it had seemed I would move to Stamford Bridge. This new contact only added to the impression that Chelsea thought highly of me.

    “My feeling was that it was time for a move – I wanted to fight for trophies and win titles, and I felt this wouldn’t happen if I stayed at Tottenham. I wanted to move to a more ambitious club.”

    Modric met Abramovich on the Russian’s yacht and a move seemed inevitable but Daniel Levy dug his heels in and Modric stayed at Spurs. He would move to Real Madrid one year later.

    Chelsea signed Raul Meireles instead but we can’t help thinking they’d have preferred to sign Modric.

    Roberto Carlos

    “Roberto Carlos himself said in an interview that he had to decide between Chelsea and Fenerbahce after leaving Real Madrid,” Romano said.

    “He was really close to joining Chelsea, he had the meeting with Chelsea’s board in London. But then everything collapsed because of the agreement missing with his lawyers.

    “So there were some problems also on the salary and this is why everything collapsed at the final stages with Chelsea, and he accepted to join Fenerbahce as the final club of his European career.”

    Considering Chelsea already had Ashley Cole, it would have been a gluttonous move. Mourinho swooped for Juliano Belletti later that summer as an alternative.

    Fifteen years later, Roberto Carlos finally made his English football debut…

    READ: I saw Roberto Carlos play Sunday league… and it was gloriously sh*t

    Ronaldinho

    It is well-known that Ronaldinho nearly signed for Manchester United in 2003 before leaving PSG for Barcelona instead – but it is lesser known that Chelsea were also in for him.

    The man himself later revealed: “Chelsea tried to take me there once, and some other teams were interested in signing me, too.

    “The league there is so fast and so intense all of the time – it’s great to watch and not boring at all.

    “I don’t tend to watch all 90 minutes of Premier League games, but I will see more of the highlights and the goals in the Premier League than I see of other leagues around the world.”

    Chelsea came back with another offer in 2007 but were turned down by both Ronaldinho and Barcelona. They signed Florent Malouda instead.

    Andrea Pirlo

    It’s well known that Pirlo and Carlo Ancelotti hold loads of respect for each other – and the World Cup winner almost followed his former manager to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2009.

    Recalling the proposed move, Pirlo said: “Carlo was like a father and a teacher for me, a kind, friendly man who knew how to make things fun.

    “I’d spent the best years of my career with him. If you’re a player who wants to get on and give everything, you won’t find anyone better than him.

    “Carlo was my motivation for agreeing to head to London.”

    But Chelsea’s strict policy when it comes to signing players over 30 proved to be a crucial stumbling block in the deal and they opted not to sign the legendary midfielder.

    Chelsea missed out on signing Pirlo but secured a deal for Nemanja Matic in the same window. He’s hardly Pirlo-esque, but Matic would eventually prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the Abramovich era.

    Kaka

    The world transfer record was on the verge of being broken in 2008 when Chelsea agreed a £79million deal for Kaka with AC Milan.

    The Brazil international was initially reluctant to move to England, but was poised to join the Blues after being convinced by newly-appointed boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

    But the deal collapsed when Carlo Ancelotti – who would join Chelsea himself a year later – decided he wanted to keep the 26-year-old for another season.

    Chelsea signed Deco instead and Kaka joined Real Madrid for a world record £56million the following year.

    READ: A tribute to Kaka, the ‘rare piece of talent’ who belonged to Jesus

    Alessandro Nesta

    Chelsea made a huge effort to sign Nesta in the summer of 2003, tabling a £35million offer for the centre-back in a deal that would have made him the world’s most expensive defender.

    While Nesta was at the peak of his powers, and was arguably the world’s finest defender in 2003, the timing wasn’t quite right – he’d only joined Milan the previous summer and had won the Champions League in his first season there.

    Chelsea didn’t sign a centre-back that summer but Mourinho bought Ricardo Carvalho the following year to partner John Terry. They’d famously concede just 15 goals on the way to winning the 2004-05 league title.

    READ NEXT: ‘Where the f*cking hell are you going?’ – Mancienne recalls life at Chelsea

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Chelsea’s Xl from the 2012 Champions League final?



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  • The 7 players Juventus signed alongside Pogba in 2012 & how they fared

    The 7 players Juventus signed alongside Pogba in 2012 & how they fared

    Last summer Paul Pogba left Manchester United to join Juventus on a free transfer. Where have we heard that one before?

    Pogba was 19 when he switched Manchester for Turin the first time. He quickly established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football. Forming a brilliant midfield partnership with Andrea Pirlo, Pogba won four Serie A titles during his first spell at Juventus, plus two Coppa Italias and two Italian Supercups between 2016 and 2016.

    But he was not the only player to arrive at the club that summer. We’ve taken a look at the seven other faces that joined Juve in the same window as Pogba and how they fared.

    Martin Caceres

    Caceres first joined Juve in 2009 on loan from Barcelona but made a permanent move to the club in the summer of 2012.

    The former Uruguay international won six Serie A titles in total, also lifting three Supercoppa trophies and clinching two Coppa Italia medals.

    But he aslo made headlines in 2015 after ploughing his Ferrari into a bus shelter and parked cars in Turin, earning a fine and suspension from Juventus.

    Caceres played 119 times in all competitions for the Old Lady across three spells, leaving the club for the final time in 2019.

    Emanuele Giaccherini

    Giaccherini enjoyed a successful loan spell at Juventus in 2011-12, and starred in Italy’s run to the Euro 2012 final, before making his move from Cesena permanent.

    But the midfielder only lasted another season before manager Antonio Conte sold him to Sunderland in order to raise funds.

    While Giaccherini was far from a flop for Juventus, he was ultimately considered disposable.

    READ: David Trezeguet’s journey from overlooked outsider to Juve hero

    Lucio

    Despite being of the best defenders in world football during his prime, Lucio’s time at Juventus was a colossal failure.

    “Juventus? A difficult situation for me,” the defender recalled in 2020. “I didn’t want to leave Inter. I wanted to continue. There was a change of coach with the arrival of Stramaccioni. He and Marco Branca put too much pressure on me and my agent.

    “I remember when I was on vacation in Brazil and every 15 minutes Branca called me, followed by others from Inter who constantly told me: ‘You have to leave, you have to find another club’. It was a difficult situation.”

    Having joined Juventus, Lucio only appeared four times before his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in December 2012.

    “I made a mistake,” Lucio admitted. “This is very clear, in fact after six months I left and I did not feel well there. This is football.”

    Kwadwo Asamoah

    Juventus raided Serie A rivals Udinese for the signing of Asamoah in a co-ownership agreement, with Conte paying €9million for 50% of Asamoah’s contract.

    And the former Ghana international made an impressive debut, scoring in their SuperCoppa Italiana victory over Napoli and becoming a first-team fixture as Juventus won another Serie A title.

    Asamoah won the affection of Juventus fans with his boundless energy and commitment to the cause, playing over 8,000 passes in almost 12,000 minutes in the famous stripes while creating 150 scoring opportunities and 288 crosses.

    After six successful years, Asamoah moved to Internazionale on a free transfer and was last seen playing for Cagliari in 2021.

    Mauricio Isla

    Another player plucked from Udinese, Isla was incredibly excited to join Juve and link up with Chile international team-mate Arturo Vidal.

    “In Udine I became a professional,” Isla told Chilean television after the move was sealed. “But I have always said that sooner or later I would go to a bigger club like Juve. There I can challenge for trophies. I want to play and win something important, like the Champions League.”

    We can’t help thinking that spending a season on loan at QPR two years later, after making little impact at Juve, wasn’t part of the plan.

    And, after a further temporary spell at Marseille, Isla finally left Juventus on a permanent basis in 2016 to join Cagliari.

    Nicklas Bendtner

    Having failed to convince Arsene Wenger of his world-beating potential, Bendtner was sent on loan to Juventus for the duration of the 2012-13 season.

    “I got a bit stuck in England,” Bendtner told the Daily Mail in December 2012. “At times I felt I was misunderstood and people had sort of boxed me off.”

    But the move to Italy didn’t ignite his career as he’d hoped; Bendtner finished his season with only two league starts and without a goal in eleven appearances in all competitions.

    The former Denmark international was also arrested for drink driving, while out with injury, which did not go down with such a traditionally conservative club.

    His loan move was not made permanent. Unsurprisingly.

    Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner celebrates scoring against Huddersfield. Emirates Stadium, January 2011.

    READ: Celebrating Nicklas Bendtner, his modest talent & supreme confidence

    Rubinho

    Rubinho holds the honour of winning more league titles (four) than he made top-flight appearances (two) for Juventus but is generally remembered as a positive influence in the Juve dressing room.

    The goalkeeper also managed to get sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct without leaving the bench against Roma in 2015, making him exactly the kind of guy you’d want on your side.

    READ NEXT: A ridiculously good XI signed by Juventus on a free: Pogba, Pirlo…

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Italy’s XI from their Euro 2020 final win v England?



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  • The Premier League table of 2023 so far: Aston Villa above Arsenal…

    The Premier League table of 2023 so far: Aston Villa above Arsenal…

    The Premier League table since the turn of the year makes for interesting reading, with some surprise packages punching above their weight to pick up more points than the established powerhouses.

    Arsenal and Man City have enjoyed largely very good form since New Year’s Day, while the likes of Aston Villa, Brentford and Brighton are doing brilliantly to compete with established members of the old ‘big six’ like Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

    The Gunners’ title charge has remained on course in 2023, although has faltered a little of late, allowing the reigning champions Man City to make up three points since the turn of the year. No side has picked up more points than Pep Guardiola’s Man City this calendar year.

    Astonishingly, Aston Villa have kept the pace with the title challengers over the past three and a half months. They’ve only picked up two fewer points than City in 2023 and actually have a better record than Arsenal over the past 15 matches.

    Unai Emery’s Villa are perhaps the biggest surprise package. The Spanish coach has them in genuine top-four form, while Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton have shown that their strong start to the season was no flash in the pan.

    Erik ten Hag has done a sensational job to get Manchester United competing on four fronts. He’s ended their six-year trophy drought with the League Cup already, and they remain on course in the Europa League and FA Cup. No side in Europe has picked up more wins in all competitions this season.

    However, their form has dipped just a little in their league campaign, with 27 points from 14 matches in 2023. They’ve fallen out of the title picture but look comfortably set to regain their place in the Champions League with a top-four finish.

    At the other end of the calendar year table, Leicester City sit rock bottom with just eight points from 14 matches. That run resulted in the sacking of head coach Brendan Rodgers.

    In fact, of the bottom seven sides of the 2023 table – which shockingly includes Chelsea – only one side have kept faith in their manager. Nottingham Forest have kept Steve Cooper in the job, but Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leeds, Everton, Southampton and Leicester have all changed managers since the turn of the year.

    Sean Dyche, Javi Gracia, Ruben Selles, Frank Lampard, Roy Hodgson and Dean Smith have all come in and enjoyed mixed fortunes. Hodgson has had the best new manager bounce of the lot, leading Palace to three wins from three matches, while Lampard has suffered back-to-back defeats since returning to Stamford Bridge.

    Here’s the full Premier League table from 2023 so far:

    1. Manchester City – 34 pts, GD +22 (played 14)
    2. Aston Villa – 32 pts, GD +12 (played 15)
    3. Arsenal – 31 pts, GD +17 (played 15)
    4. Manchester United – 27 pts, GD +5 (played 14)
    5. Brighton – 25 pts, GD +13 (played 13)
    6. Tottenham – 23 pts, GD +2 (played 15)
    7. Newcastle United – 22 pts, GD +3 (played 13)
    8. Wolves – 21 pts, GD 0 (played 14)
    9. Brentford – 20 pts, GD +5 (played 14)
    10. Fulham – 17 pts, GD -1 (played 13)
    11. West Ham – 17 pts, GD -3 (played 13)
    12. Bournemouth – 17 pts, GD -10 (played 14)
    13. Liverpool – 16 pts, GD +1 (played 13)
    14. Chelsea – 15 pts, GD -5 (played 16)
    15. Crystal Palace – 14 pts, GD -5 (played 15)
    16. Nottingham Forest – 14 pts, GD -10 (played 15)
    17. Leeds United – 13 pts, GD -9 (played 14)
    18. Everton – 12 pts, GD -15 (played 14)
    19. Southampton – 11 pts, GD -12 (played 14)
    20. Leicester City – 8 pts, GD -10 (played 14)

    READ NEXT: Revisiting BBC pundits’ pre-season predictions: Arsenal no higher than 4th, Man Utd out of top four…

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club to ever appear in the Premier League?



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  • Chelsea: 13 quotes to explain Frank Lampard’s philosophy as manager

    Chelsea: 13 quotes to explain Frank Lampard’s philosophy as manager

    In the most unlikely plot development of the season, Frank Lampard is back in charge of Chelsea on an interim basis – but what can we expect from the former England midfielder?

    Lampard, an icon at Stamford Bridge as a player, replaced Maurizio Sarri in July 2019 after just a single season in charge of Derby County, who he guided to the play-off final.

    He then spent 18 months working at the Bridge, part of which was spent under a transfer ban. He was sacked in January 2021 after a poor run of results.

    Despite that, many Chelsea fans still hold Lampard the manager in high regard, especially because of the chances he gave to young players like Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

    And many were ecstatic to see him replace Graham Potter until the end of the season. We’ve compiled 13 quotes that perfectly describe Lampard’s managerial philosophy.

    Frank Lampard

    In a wide-ranging interview with Goal in March 2019, Lampard spoke at length about his football philosophy at Derby.

    “In terms of style of play, I want to play good football. We want to try to play. We have been one of the teams in the Championship this season who try to play. We try to move the ball through the pitch, rather than being too direct, that’s not my style. It is not the way I want to play.

    “I want my team to play good football, but on the other side of that, I want them to be really aggressive and win the ball back. So I don’t like to try and put myself into one style of play. I think it is important to be adaptable in terms of systems.”

    Mason Mount

    Mount impressed on loan at Derby under Lampard before becoming a Chelsea first-teamer and reiterated his manager’s comments about wanting to win the ball high up the pitch.

    “Being a Chelsea midfielder, I would always watch him and try to take things from his game,” Mount told FourFourTwo while at Derby.

    “This season he’s taught me a lot about timing my movements into the penalty area and getting into the right positions, as well as pressing when we don’t have the ball.”

    Harry Wilson

    While on loan at Derby from Liverpool, the Welsh winger echoed Mount’s assessment on Lampard’s demands off the ball when talking about his brief switch to a more central role in midfield.

    “I spoke with the gaffer and we all know what a fantastic No.8 he was. He’s not a bad person to learn from!”, Wilson told the Derby Telegraph.

    “He gave me a few tips on how to play there and just told me to get on the ball as much as I can – and when we haven’t got the ball, try to get out and press.”

    READ: Champ Man 03/04, the ‘Diablo’ tactic & the day Frank Lampard made it real

    Pedro

    The Chelsea winger reflected Wilson and Mount’s comments after playing under Lampard for the first time in the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Irish outfit Bohemians in pre-season.

    “We’ve been training really hard with Frank this week. It’s very hard work, high intensity,” he said.

    “We’re pressing a lot without the ball, when we’ve got the ball we have to move it quickly, and in transition [we have to be] very good.

    “It’s very good to work under Frank. He’s a legend at this club.

    “He’s a very good coach with very good ideas but it’s only five days working with him and for the future we have to prepare very well this month.”

    Cesar Azpilicueta

    “High intensity” is a recurring phrase when it comes to Lampard’s style, and Chelsea defender Azpilicueta said boss set his stall out early.

    “We want to play with high intensity and we want to be dominant in games, the manager has explained how he wants us to play and we are all enjoying the camp so far.”

    Frank Lampard

    Back to the man himself and the interview with Goal, Lampard explained how he has been influenced by the managers he played under.

    “I try to be myself; I think that’s very important,” he said. “Copying anyone as a manager is a mistake. You have to find your own methods or your own ways.

    “I certainly have no fear of tapping into a bit of the managers that I have worked with over the years, but I don’t think that I am similar to any of them.

    “I try to take positive points from a lot of people I worked with. In terms of how I work, you have to be reactionary in games, but I try to take things in throughout the week and get all the information.

    “Be as prepared as I can be and thorough with the staff that I have got. Then make decisions having done that work which I think gives you the best opportunity to have that success.”

    Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

    Hasselbaink was a former team-mate of Lampard’s at Stamford Bridge and compared the ex-England international to another famous Chelsea leader, John Terry.

    “They’re both totally different,” Hasselbaink told Sky Sports. “They both have leadership.

    “Frank was a lot quieter, JT was more vocal, but you could see he [Lampard] was a leader. You would always think JT would become a manager more, but Frank was a leader in his own right.

    “Not as vocal, but always doing the right thing, always leading forward and always taking people with him but in a more quieter and respectable way.

    “Don’t get me wrong, JT was respectable, but in a different way and in a different manner. They both have got that quality of being a leader, and they both have won a lot in this game so they can give that experience to their players.”

    READ: Frank Lampard names the five best players he ever played with

    Frank Lampard

    On the topic of data analysis, Lampard offered an intriguing nugget into how he works with his backroom staff in the interview with Goal.

    “We are very forward-thinking here at Derby. I came into the club that was already forward-thinking before I got here.

    “We have got a fantastic analysis department. We are trying to certainly stay at the top of the game in that aspect. In the modern game, it is important that you use data and analysis. It is never my first call, but it is always a huge part of the process to be ahead of the game.”

    He added: “As a manager, I certainly don’t get involved in areas that are not my strength and you have to trust in the people that you have got working in those areas to try to maximise performance at the end of the day.”

    Mel Morris

    Former Derby owner Morris heaped plenty of praise on Lampard during his first season as a manager, and his comments on the “environment” created by the rookie boss were often echoed by Rams players.

    “Frank has brought the buzz back to the place,” Morris told the Daily Telegraph. “He has created a special environment.

    “It wasn’t about him being a celebrity, it was about somebody giving us excitement. He has an aura, like all great managers.”

    Cesc Fabregas

    “I think he has done a really impressive job [at Derby],” Fabregas said in June 2019. “It’s his first-ever job. He changed many things. I saw him in Russia with the BBC [when working as a pundit at the World Cup] and he had a very difficult squad, an older squad full of players at the end of their contracts as well.

    “He renewed completely the squad, took on young players. He played a really aggressive style, attacking football. Really for a first-ever job, I think he has done really good.”

    Frank Lampard

    Lampard spoke of his desire to see players buy into his philosophy at Stamford Bridge, referring to Callum Hudson-Odoi specifically.

    “I want players at this club who are not passing through, not here as a means to another move,” he told Sky Sports.

    “The fans relate to passion, work ethic, players that love the badge.”

    He added: “Callum knows how I feel, I’ve spoken to him. I think he can be absolutely central to this team.

    “We all care for the players at this club, particularly the young players – it’s important I show that. Then the decision will be his and the club’s together.

    Frank Lampard

    Lampard again, this time talking about Mason Mount in an interview with Chelsea’s official site from October 2020 and giving some interesting insight into his need for on-pitch leaders to implement his pressing style.

    “I have felt Mason’s qualities since he came and had a year with me at Derby,” Lampard said.

    “Last season I relied on him a lot. When I came to the club at the start of last season I did a lot of work on how we could be good off the ball at the higher end of the pitch, and to be good off the ball in high and medium areas of the pitch you need triggers, you need people who are prepared to release a lot of energy and speed high up the pitch to win the ball back.”

    Reece James

    James was handed his Chelsea debut by Lampard and, when Lampard was sacked two years ago, the England international wrote about him in glowing terms on Instagram, words that will give Everton fans hope of a similar youth revolution at Goodison.

    “As a Chelsea fan growing up I’ve always looked up to you, idolised you,” James posted.

    “I can’t explain what it’s been like to play under you, the whole journey has been surreal. I cannot thank you enough for putting your trust into me and giving me the opportunity to play for my boyhood club!

    “Thank you so much for all you have taught me, which I will continue to use throughout the rest of my career.

    “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live my dream! I’ll forever be thankful.

    READ NEXT: Ranking every Chelsea manager of the Roman Abramovich era

    TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club Frank Lampard scored against in the Prem?



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