Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea continue to soar in the Premier League, beating Leicester City 2-1 this weekend, and remaining in third place after 12 games played.
One factor that has been a heavy cause for discussion is Chelsea’s squad building in recent years, whether it was good to build a strong squad with depth, or if it was going overboard.
This Christmas period is bound to tell us a lot, with games coming thick and fast, injuries, players needing rest, and tactical decisions for many different types of games.
But right-back could be the first issue Maresca has to solve, as both his senior options missed out against Leicester, leaving Wesley Fofana to cover in that position.
Chelsea's right-back situation
Reece James has been ruled out with another hamstring injury and will undergo a scan to check the severity of his latest setback. Malo Gusto, on the other hand, missed the game against Leicester due to illness, but this shows how quickly things can change in the right-back department, with both senior full-backs missing.
Chelsea’s captain has been absent for 50 games since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, missing 38 games last season with multiple hamstring injuries (undergoing surgery for this too), and has now suffered his second hamstring injury of 24/25.
James vs Gusto comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
James
Gusto
Assists
0.00
0.12
Progressive Carries
0.00
1.60
Progressive Passes
2.96
4.94
Shots Total
0.00
1.51
Key Passes
0.00
0.62
Crosses into Pen Area
0.00
0.12
Passes into Pen Area
0.37
0.74
Tackles
0.74
2.35
Blocks
1.48
1.73
Interceptions
1.11
1.28
Stats taken from FBref
The metrics above tell us the role of a Maresca full-back, often having to contribute to all phases of play, defend 1v1s in their channel, but also often invert into midfield, help with progressive duties in the build-up, and even supply the team with creativity in the final third.
Gusto has been an extremely important part of Maresca’s system this season, playing a variety of positions, inverting into deep midfield and advanced midfield positions (sometimes as a number ten), allowing Maresca to platform his best players such as Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in their best positions.
Malo Gusto in action for Chelsea
In the absence of James and Gusto, Fofana filled in at right-back for the Blues, putting in a strong performance and becoming that wide centre-back in possession.
This is something we have also seen from Axel Disasi this season, but Chelsea does have a special talent for this role in the academy too.
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18-year-old, Josh Acheampong, is a right-back/right-sided centre-back who has come through the Cobham ranks, making his senior debut last season, and already making one appearance this campaign for the senior side in the EFL Cup.
However, recently the young defender was frozen out from both the U21 and senior squad, whilst Chelsea tried to come to a new contract agreement with Acheampong.
Many top clubs are said to be monitoring the 18-year-old, believing they can offer him a better pathway into regular first-team football, which could be of interest to the young talent. Acheampong has been described as “brave” by Maresca, who has mentioned the youngster on a number of occasions this season, as a player he likes.
However, with Acheampong now in a deadlock with the Chelsea board, being frozen out and awaiting a contract decision, sadly Maresca doesn’t have the choice to use him as a right-back solution, despite the fact he would be an ideal replacement for both James and Gusto. This simply has to change.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
The series is on the line in Christchurch with the visitors leading 1-0
Mohammad Isam08-Jan-2022Big pictureReading back the first Test preview will give one a sense how well Bangladesh played in Mount Maunganui, for all five days, to beat New Zealand. No one gave them a chance but they turned things around, and how.The visitors put together a team effort that provided world cricket with one of the greatest upsets in Test history. It also radically changed the mood of a dressing room that was in a a ten-game slump.That Bangladesh out-bowled New Zealand was perhaps one of the highlights of this Test win. Ebadot Hossain took 6 for 46 in the second innings, with his second spell split over the fourth evening and fifth morning. He broke a crucial third wicket partnership between Will Young and Ross Taylor, before taking three wickets in seven balls. Next day, he removed Taylor and Kyle Jamieson to complete the first five-for by a Bangladeshi fast bowler in eight years.Streaks broken by Bangladesh•ESPNcricinfo LtdBangladesh had several performers in the game too. Newcomer Mahmudul Hasan Joy was quite tenacious during his 228-ball 78. Captain Mominul Haque top scored in the first innings, and ensured there were no hiccups in the chase. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Liton Das playing freely after the initial graft showed Bangladesh’s young batters could change gears.Related
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Mehidy Hasan Miraz was an unsung hero, bowling long spells, and scoring 47 crucial runs after the top six batted very well. Yasir Ali, like Joy, was playing his second Test and made a critical contribution, as did Shoriful Islam with his first innings bowling and second innings catch at midwicket to dismiss Jamieson. Bangladesh dropped four catches in all but made sure they caught the others at least.New Zealand will have some areas to worry about. Their much-vaunted fast bowling group didn’t quite attack the stumps as they would have wanted. Tim Southee and Jamieson had a difficult outing. Rachin Ravindra toiled but it was quite clear that they missed Ajaz Patel’s confidence.Batting-wise, the collapses in both innings is cause for concern. Perhaps they are missing Kane Williamson but the likes of Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway are a fine combination to have in a batting line-up.Expect New Zealand to hit back in Christchurch. Bangladesh are, again, the underdogs despite winning the first game. People at home are really pleased that they could beat such a great home team. And more success may yet be on the horizon if, as Mominul said, they can stick to what they do best and be positive about it.New Zealand will want their fast bowlers to recover their mojo in Christchurch•Getty ImagesForm guide(Last five completed matches; most recent first) New Zealand LLDWW Bangladesh WLLWL In the spotlightWill Young struck twin fifties in the first Test and was proficient scoring both sides of the wicket. He seems to be the answer if someone is looking for New Zealand’s batting future. But he would be hurting from the way he got out in both innings. His second innings dismissal was a crucial point in the game, as it opened up one end for Bangladesh.Mominul Haque won the praise of many senior figures in Bangladesh cricket for his tenacity during tough times, and for motivating a young team to a great win in Mount Maunganui. Mominul’s contribution with the bat was also significant, top scoring with 88, ensuring they got out of tight spots and thrived.Team newsThere was some talk of resting either Southee or Trent Boult even after the first Test defeat but it still seems unlikely. They do have Matt Henry in the squad.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultJoy’s hand injury has ruled him out, which opens up one of the opening spots for Fazle Mahmud or Mohammad Naim.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Fazle Mahmud/Mohammad Naim, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Liton Das (wk), 7 Yasir Ali, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam/Abu Jayed, 11 Ebadot HossainPitch and conditionsThe first-innings average score at Hagley Oval over the past five years is 263. New Zealand have lost only one Test in their last eight at this venue, since 2016. Weather forecast has dry conditions for the first three days, with showers likely on the fourth and fifth.Stats and trivia This is the first time Bangladesh are back for a Test match in Christchurch since the attacks of 2019. They did, however, play a one-dayer there in 2021. Ebadot’s bowling average dropped from 81.54 to 56.55 after his seven wickets in the Mount Maunganui Test. Devon Conway became the sixth batter to make hundreds in their first Test at home and abroad. The last man was Michael Clarke in 2004.
West Bromwich Albion must have thought they were heading to the Championship summit away at Oxford United, with a slim 1-0 win in their favour as the clock ticked nervously down.
The hosts had other ideas right at the death, though, as a scramble in the box managed to evade a number of Baggies shirts before Tottenham Hotspur loanee Dane Scarlett fired home instinctively to secure a 1-1 draw for the U’s.
Whilst Des Buckingham’s home side celebrated coming away from the game with a share of the spoils in dramatic style, Carlos Corberan would have been enraged at his own team’s last-gasp collapse, as many of his usual star performers had an off-day at the Kassam Stadium.
West Brom underperformers away at Oxford
There were a number of culprits on the Baggies’ end that put in lacklustre displays, especially towards the end of the game as the away side presumed the three points were safely in the bag.
But Scarlett pounced at the perfect opportunity to seal a 1-1 draw to capitalise on lax West Brom defending, and players such as Tom Fellows for Corberan’s men were also way off the pace compared to his usual blistering best in attack.
Away from helping himself to an impressive five assists from ten Championship clashes so far this campaign, the homegrown Baggies product never got going at the Kassam, compared to his partner down the left flank in Karlan Grant who scored West Brom’s only goal of the lunchtime kickoff.
Fellows would only amass 25 touches of the ball from his uneventful 70-minute showing, with the 21-year-old also failing to register a single shot or a successful dribble as the game ended up simply passing him by.
Corberan will want Fellows to get back to what he’s capable of in important Championship fixtures to come, with West Brom now winless in league action since the end of September, which will have made that late Scarlett goal an even more bitter pill to swallow.
The goal could well have been avoided if West Brom didn’t allow for a needless throw-in to happen, after one poor defensive performer in Semi Ajayi kicked it out of play for Scarlett to then become a last minute hero for the U’s.
West Brom defender Semi Ajayi.
Ajayi's numbers vs Oxford
The ex-Rotherham United defender, despite coming in at a towering 6 foot 4 frame, would also lose out when pinball ensued after the throw-in, failing to get tight to the header that then fell to the young Spurs starlet’s path to fire home.
It was a less than convincing display from Ajayi across the full 90 minutes too, seen in Express and Star journalist Lewis Cox dishing out the 30-year-old with a sub-par 5/10 rating post-match, labelling his performance as ‘mixed’ away from his ‘costly’ decision to gift the home side a chance from a throw-in.
Stat
Ajayi
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
60
Accurate passes
45/53 (83%)
Clearances
3
Blocked shots
0
Interceptions
0
Tackles
2
Total duels won
4/7
Stats by Sofascore
Failing to register a single interception or block a shot in the 1-1 draw, on top of missing out on three duels being successfully won, Ajayi will just hope he can bounce back when he next has an opportunity to showcase his quality.
Corberan will be thinking about potentially changing things up in the heart of defence moving forward, to try and tweak areas of his side to kickstart a positive run of form again, and must instantly ditch the centre-back from the starting XI after this shocking display.
Still, he won’t go overboard for the mid-week trip to Ewood Park, as West Brom continue to hunt for an elusive win in league action after experiencing a slight sticky patch.
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West Bromwich Albion never managed to get the best out of this midfield talent.
Ipswich Town fans will be starting to get worried about their side’s lowly standing in the Premier League, with back-to-back abject displays souring the mood at Portman Road.
The 4-1 defeat to West Ham United away from home was a sobering watch, but that was reserved for the Tractor Boys faithful that made the trip to the London Stadium.
This more recent 2-0 loss to Everton was, however, the main viewing that all home sections of Ipswich’s ground had to endure, as a number of under performers struggled to ever get going for Kieran McKenna’s men against Sean Dyche’s victorious Toffees.
Ipswich underperformers vs Everton
It was a flat showing in truth from the Tractor Boys, who just need to pick up a win from somewhere in the league to boost confidence, having managed to evade victory in the Premier League now for eight matches on the spin.
The hosts did register 13 shots on Jordan Pickford’s net but it was to no avail, as the Ipswich defence unfortunately put in a shaky display, alongside no goal popping up next to their name.
Iliman Ndiaye’s opener saw Ipswich fail to deal with a Jack Harrison cross into the box, before the ex-Sheffield United man powered home, whilst Michael Keane’s game-clinching second saw a corner not be effectively cleared away which then allowed the Everton number five to confidently slot an effort past Arijanet Murić to make it 2-0.
Dara O’Shea was visibly weak in asserting himself into the contest at the back for McKenna’s men, with the former Burnley defender only managing to win a meagre one duel all afternoon, alongside also misdirecting a pass in the second half which nearly saw Ndiaye grab a brace.
Jack Clarke was wasteful from an attacking point of view, away from Ipswich’s defensive frailties, with the former Sunderland star skying an effort way over the bar early on in the contest which could have changed the complexion of the game if it had cannoned in.
He did win his side a penalty in the first 45 minutes when his tricky feet saw Dwight McNeil tangle with him in the box, but that decision was overturned by VAR in the end, in what was a frustrating afternoon to be associated with the Tractor Boys.
Clarke wasn’t the poorest performer in an attacking sense, however, as experienced Ipswich head Wes Burns continues to struggle to adapt to the bright lights of the Premier League.
Burns' performance vs Everton
Away from what he offered going forward, Burns’ indecisiveness to clear the ball away before Ndiaye’s opener set the Toffees on their way to picking up the three points, with the ball bouncing before the Senegalese attacker scored past Muric.
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Moreover, the 29-year-old winger amassed fewer touches when on the pitch compared with the former Manchester City shot-stopper, accumulating a paltry 22 touches next to the ‘keeper’s 30, as the ex-Fleetwood Town man continually failed to leave his mark on the contest.
Burns’ performance in numbers
Stat
Burns
Minutes played
63
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
22
Accurate passes
12/14 (86%)
Accurate crosses
0/3
Accurate long balls
0/1
Total duels won
0/4
Stats by Sofascore
It was a day at the office for Burns where nothing really went to plan, with zero accurate crosses and zero accurate long balls registered, alongside also failing to win a single duel from four attempts.
He could also only complete 12 accurate passes, with Burns thankful to be substituted off just after the hour mark to put an end to his dire display.
There will be an inquest now as to who should start down this right flank moving forward, with the below-par Ipswich number seven needing to be dropped for someone else to get a chance, ahead of the Tractor Boys travelling to Thomas Frank’s Brentford next in the league.
The 29-year-old did very much play an important role in Ipswich unbelievably making it to the big time, having scored on the final day of the Championship season to secure automatic promotion bragging rights for his team, but the likes of summer recruit Chiedozie Ogbene could now be better suited as a fresher option in his place.
McKenna might well even rejig his main XI and opt to start Omari Hutchinson down this wing again, with the Ipswich manager in need of changing things up soon to avoid more and more defeats being notched up.
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تقدم فريق الكرة بنادي الزمالك بالهدف الأول أمام مودرن سبورت في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس مصر.
وتقام المباراة بين الزمالك ومودرن سبورت على أرضية استاد القاهرة، وذلك في إطار لقاءات دور الـ16 من كأس مصر.
طالع | مباشر بالفيديو.. مباراة الزمالك ومودرن سبورت في كأس مصر
وسجل دونجا الهدف الأول لـ الزمالك في الدقيقة 5 من عمر اللقاء، برأسية مميزة بعد تلقيه عرضية من زميله أحمد سيد زيزو بالجبهة اليمنى. هدف الزمالك الأول أمام مودرن سبورت في كأس مصر
O volante William não permanecerá no São Paulo para a próxima temporada. O LANCE! confirmou a informação com pessoas ligadas ao jogador. Seu contrato se encerra no final deste mês e não será renovado.
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Williamencerra sua passagem com apenas nove partidas, sendo uma como titular. As lesões atrapalharam uma boa sequência do jogador, que não chegou a atuar com o técnico Rogério Ceni.A última foi uma artroscopia no joelho direito, cirurgia que ocorreu ainda em agosto. Sendo assim, já são quatro meses sem atuar. Sua última partida foi no dia 4 de agosto, contra o Vasco, pela Copa do Brasil.
O volante foi contratado em março deste ano após boas passagens pelo futebol mexicano, onde atuou por Querétaro, quando jogou com o goleiro Tiago Volpi, Toluca e América.
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2022 clicando aqui
Sua estreia pelo São Paulo aconteceu somente no fim de abril, quando participou da vitória por 3 a 0 sobre o Sporting Cristal-PER, pela fase de grupos da Libertadores.
William é o terceiro jogador a deixar o São Paulo após o fim desta temporada. Antes dele, o meia Shaylon e o atacante Rojas rescindiram os seus contratos.
England seamer says he struggled after calf problem forced him out of 2019 Ashes
George Dobell03-Aug-2021James Anderson has admitted he had to be talked out of retirement by his wife after a series of injury setbacks.Anderson managed just four overs in the 2019 Ashes after a recurrence of a calf injury ruled him out in the opening moments of the first Test. In the aftermath, he concedes he was struggling with the prospect of more rehabilitation work and it required the intervention of his wife, Daniella, to persuade him to continue.He has claimed 42 more Test wickets at a cost of 23.00 since then, becoming the only seamer in Test history to reach the milestone of 600 wickets.”A big reason I am still playing cricket is my wife,” Anderson said ahead of the first LV= Insurance Test against India at Trent Bridge. “She’s been really supportive.Related
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“When I pulled my calf in the first Ashes Test, it was the second or third time I had pulled my calf and I was really considering whether I wanted to go through the rehab again. She basically took us away on holiday and told me to stop being silly. She told me to carry on.”Of course there have been difficult moments. I think everyone goes through it playing professional sport, whether you are out of form, have a loss of confidence or if it’s injuries. There are all sorts of things you have to deal with. For me it’s about having a good support network: friends and family that you can rely on and lean on.”My wife has been really supportive. She wants me to keep playing; she encourages me to keep playing. She’s quite happy for me not to be around the house I think.”Despite his age – he celebrated his 39th birthday a few days ago – Anderson dismissed any suggestion that the next 10 Tests (five against India and five against Australia) could prove the finale of his career.”Absolutely not,” he said. “I feel like I’m bowling as well as ever. I feel great physically. I’m just looking forward to this series against India.”We’ll look at everything else once we’re past this. That’s something I’ve done really well throughout my career. But right now I’m bowling as well as I ever have and I’m really looking forward to this series.”James Anderson in action during England nets•Getty ImagesAnderson has an excellent record at Trent Bridge. In 10 Tests at the ground, he has claimed 64 wickets at an average of 19.62 apiece with seven five-wicket hauls. He also made his highest score – 81 – here against India in 2014. While that Test may be best remembered for rumours of an altercation between Anderson and Ravi Jadeja as the players made their way to the dressing rooms after a session, it remains a ground upon which he has happy memories.”I do like playing here,” Anderson said. “I feel at home here. It is such a friendly place to play. The stewards and staff are incredibly friendly. It’s just somewhere I feel really comfortable.”In years gone by, swing has played a big part here. It’s a ground where you look up [at the atmospheric conditions] not down at the pitch. If there’s cloud cover or if it’s humid, it’s generally a good place to bowl. If there’s a bit of grass on the wicket it will carry to the keeper and slips.”While conceding the India battling line-up is “riddled with talent”, Anderson insists he is relishing the prospect of testing himself against them and Virat Kohli, in particular.”I’m definitely excited to play against him again,” Anderson said. “You always want to challenge yourself against the best in the world and he’s certainly that. We know how big a player he is for them both as a batsman and as captain, he has a huge influence on that team. So we know he’s a big wicket and to be honest I don’t care if I get him out. As long as somebody gets him out that’s the main thing. He’s an important wicket.”But I think challenging yourself against the best in the world is really exciting and their top six is riddled with talent. It’s going to be a big challenge for us seam bowlers.”
Sir Richard Hadlee says the current group of players was New Zealand’s “best in our history”
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-20213:08
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Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has admitted it was difficult to believe that the team would end their run of near-misses in world events on the final day against India in Southampton while Sir Richard Hadlee lauded the current generation as the country’s greatest ever team.In the end New Zealand reached their target with eight wickets and time to spare deep in the final session of the match, but for most of the day the tension was palpable. For a little while it appeared Tim Southee’s miss at slip against Rishabh Pant could prove costly and then R Ashwin removed both openers in quick succession in the sort of small chase McCullum termed “horrible.”However, after Ross Taylor had been spilled at slip off Jasprit Bumrah with 55 needed, the target was brought into view by increasingly confident batting from him and captain Kane Williamson before Taylor whipped a boundary off his pads to earn New Zealand the mace.Related
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“I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet,” McCullum told SEN radio. “Overnight the game was on a bit of a knife-edge – it almost had that feeling of the previous two World Cups, get close but we won’t quite get across the line. But for them to have been able to manufacture a result against the weather and a very formidable Indian side, to do it on the biggest stage is quite superb.”I’m sure over the coming days, weeks even years we’ll look back at this moment and be so proud of what Kane’s men have been able to achieve and the heights they’ve been able to scale. For a country with pretty limited resources it is pretty amazing really and to do it against the powerhouse of world cricket on the biggest stage is something that makes it more satisfying.”Hadlee, New Zealand’s leading Test wicket-taker, added significant weight to the debate about where Williamson’s team sits in the history of the game.”The whole team has shown a high degree of professionalism. Their skill sets have complimented each other to make them a complete playing unit,” Hadlee said in a statement through NZC. “The management and support staff have also played important roles in preparing players to perform at the highest level.”Over the years NZC have built a significant depth of players, which makes us one of the most competitive teams in world cricket. It’s fair to say that this current group of players is the best in our history.”Job done, New Zealand soak in the victory•ICC/Getty Images
New Zealand’s first task of the final day was to take eight India wickets and they were given the ideal start when Kyle Jamieson, who was later named Player of the Match, removed Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in quick succession.”I thought the captaincy of Kane Williamson to throw the ball to Kyle Jamieson, against previous routines, at the start of the day’s play was a bit of a masterstroke,” McCullum said. “His height and release point, they measure up so well against the Indian batters. He was able to get the openings and once that happened it really started to sense the belief among the group.”McCullum, who captained New Zealand to the final of the 2015 World Cup, was also delighted that it was Williamson and Taylor at the crease for the winning moment.”Those chases are horrible – 140 seems like a mountain of runs, especially when you know what the carrot is at the end,” he said. “Thought it was really fitting to see New Zealand’s two greats, really, when you talk batting, to see [them] home. There was a bit of luck and good fortune along the way but in this game you are entitled to a little bit if you keep banging the door down.”You could see on the faces of Kane and Ross just how much it meant to them and how satisfying to finally be able to climb that ladder.”
There is just a week left of the summer transfer window, and Sunderland are in advanced talks to sign another attacker after Wilson Isidor.
It has been a relatively uneventful transfer window for the Black Cats so far, as the club hasn’t spent any money at all on the players they have brought into the football club over the past few months. But while it has been quiet in terms of transfers, it has been an excellent start to the 2024/25 season under Regis Le Bris, as his Sunderland side sit joint-top of the Championship table after winning their opening two games.
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Sunderland’s summer transfer window has seen them bring in just four new players so far, with all of those additions being on free transfers. The club has brought in goalkeeper Simon Moore as well as another goalkeeper, Blondy Nna Noukeu, and they have also signed Alan Browne and Ian Poveda.
Alan Browne
Preston
Ian Poveda
Leeds United
Simon Moore
Coventry City
Blondy Nna Noukeu
Stoke City
These are players who have experience in the Championship, and the club believe they can improve the current options. But their summer business doesn’t seem to be stopping there, as it was reported earlier this week that Burnley winger Manuel Benson is set to leave Turf Moor and Sunderland were “on it” when it came to signing the attacker.
As well as the Black Cats looking to sign Benson, they have signed a new centre-forward, with Zenit St Petersburg chairman Alexander Medvedev confirming that striker Isidor was set to join Sunderland on loan deal, a move which was announced on Friday.
But while the club may be working on incomings, Le Bris could be about to lose one of his best players. It has been reported by Fabrizio Romano that Ipswich Town are set to sign winger Jack Clarke in a deal worth up to £20 million. This will be a bitter blow to Sunderland, but there could be good news on the horizon as the club closes in on a new signing.
Sunderland are in advanced talks to sign a 6ft 3 player
According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Sunderland are in advanced talks with Red Bull Salzburg over the signing of striker Roko Šimić. He goes on to report that the Black Cats are hopeful of signing the 6ft 3 centre forward, with him now holding direct talks with the club’s hierarchy.
The 20-year-old is the son of former Croatian international Dario Šimić. The striker has been with the Austrian side since July 2021 but has spent the last few seasons on loan at other clubs. In the 2022/23 campaign, Šimić spent the second half of the season on loan at Swiss side FC Zurich, where he scored four goals in 16 games.
Last season, the striker scored five goals in 28 league appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, but it now appears as though his time with the Austrian club is about to come to an end, as his contract with the club comes to an end this time next year.
Chelsea have become something of a laughing stock over the last few years, with their approach to transfers bordering on farce, having spent hundreds of millions of pounds and been through several managers in the short period since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over.
Their unrivalled extravagance in the transfer market has not been matched with success on the pitch, with the vast majority of the circa-£1bn spent in that time set to go down the proverbial drain. Put simply, there have been far more misses than hits.
Enzo Maresca – the third permanent manager to be appointed during the Boehly/Clearlake era – was allowed to continue a spending spree at Stamford Bridge. While most of his signings may not yet be able to claim to be among the worst arrivals in recent times, the odds are hardly in their favour given the current hierarchy’s poor success rate when it comes to buying players.
With that in mind, we have come up with a list of Chelsea’s worst post-Roman Abramovich deals so far. For this list, we’ve considered players’ performances, the fee they were bought for, and the amount of sense a deal made – whether from a financial or sporting point of view. Of course, this is all subject to change…
Chelsea’s worst transfers under Todd Boehly (ranked)
Rank
Player
Signed from
Fee
1
Moises Caicedo
Brighton
£115m
2
Mykhailo Mudryk
Shakhtar Donetsk
£89m
3
Nicolas Jackson
Villarreal
£32m
4
Joao Felix
Atletico Madrid
Loan (+£45m)
5
Benoit Badiashile
Monaco
£35m
6
Enzo Fernandez
Benfica
£107m
7
Raheem Sterling
Man City
£50m
8
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Barcelona
£10.3m
9
Axel Disasi
Monaco
£38.5m
10
Malo Gusto
Lyon
£30.7m
11
Wesley Fofana
Leicester
£70m
12
Omari Kellyman
Aston Villa
£19m
13
Robert Sanchez
Brighton
£25m
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ByStephan Georgiou Sep 18, 2024 13 Robert Sanchez £25m from Brighton, 2023
After selling Edouard Mendy to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, Chelsea were in need of a new No 1. Their decision to replace the Senegalese shot-stopper with Spaniard Sanchez was not necessarily a bad one given its necessity, but few could argue that it has worked out for the best.
Sanchez wasn’t even assured of his starting place heading into the new season, though he was named in Chelsea’s opening-day defeat to Manchester City in Enzo Maresca’s first game in charge.
He has failed to make the No 1 position his own despite his apparent lack of top-quality competition, though given the errors he has made, it could be considered that is more down to the player rather than the backroom team.
That said, allowing Kepa Arrizabalaga to move on in the same summer hardly seemed wise, while the fact two more goalkeepers have been signed since points to a total lack of direction.
12 Omari Kellyman £19m from Aston Villa, 2024
Aston Villa forward Omari Kellyman.
Of course, there is no blame attached to Kellyman himself here. A cynic could even say the owners were genuinely acting in the club’s best interests by signing the Aston Villa youngster for £19m in order to bypass concerns over the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
But of course, the very fact that Chelsea were in any sort of PSR predicament will have been directly down to their spending habits.
And given the vast sums of money spent over the last few years (not limited to the players on this list, nor even the Boehly regime – remember Lukaku?), Kellyman’s pricey arrival is a damning indictment not only on modern football but Chelsea’s financial mismanagements.
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Another one where you couldn’t squarely place the blame on the ownership, but Wesley Fofana’s Chelsea career has been an unmitigated disaster.
We’ll give the owners the benefit of the doubt, but they certainly haven’t had the best of luck, with Fofana making just 20 appearances before the start of this season, having missed the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.
While Fofana’s luckless injury record is far from the owners’ fault, his transfer has still been a colossal waste of money thus far. But with the Frenchman not turning 24 until December, there is plenty of time to turn things around.
10 Malo Gusto £30.7m from Lyon, 2023
Malo Gusto is one of several Chelsea arrivals who have yet to reach their potential. Given he’s only 21, there is plenty of time for the Frenchman to become a true superstar and render his £30.7m transfer fee a bargain, but the decision-making process is what makes this move a bold one.
Nine assists in all competitions demonstrate a creative side from the full-back, though his ill-discipline was also on show, collecting seven yellows and a red in his only full season to date.
He has also been thrust into first-team action amid Reece James’ injury struggles, though the fingers can again be pointed at the ownership here – was spending so much on an understudy to one of the Blues’ best players (when fit) the best plan at a time he desperately needs games?
James’ fitness concerns have instead turned out to be a blessing for Gusto’s career, so here’s hoping he can make the most of his opportunity in the new campaign (sparing Boehly’s blushes in the process).
9 Axel Disasi £38.5m from Monaco, 2023
Despite scoring on debut against Liverpool last season, Axel Disasi can hardly claim to be the rock at the back Chelsea need – particularly amid the exit of Thiago Silva in the summer.
It would be harsh to pin the brunt of the blame at the centre-back’s door – he has shone on occasion – but for such an outlay on a defender who will be one of the more experienced heads in the Chelsea squad at 26, it could be argued that the Blues are yet to see a return on that hefty fee (which is no fault of the player’s, of course).
He was a trusted member of the squad under Mauricio Pochettino – he played 44 times in all competitions – but was nevertheless part of the worst defence in last season’s top eight.
One could argue that Pochettino’s exit and the likes of Trevoh Chalobah being banished from the first team – both decisions from up top – risk undoing Disasi’s progression to this point and putting too much pressure on him to come good for a team that is lacking in cohesion amid all the changes at Stamford Bridge.
8 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang £10.3m from Barcelona, 2022
pierre-emerick-aubameyang-chelsea-premier-league
Given the aimless spending since their takeover, one of the more left-field signings from Chelsea was that of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Having previously left rivals Arsenal under a cloud after losing the captaincy there, the Gabon striker signed from Barcelona, where he seemed to rediscover his scoring touch.
However, that appeared to vanish once he returned to London. While hardly an obscene waste of money, it was most certainly a waste of time; a return of 3 goals in 22 games would hardly have been what Boehly and co were after.
But again, the owners aren’t completely blameless. They fired Thomas Tuchel just five days after signing Aubameyang, with successor Graham Potter limiting him to cameo showings off the bench as Auba’s Premier League comeback fell flat.
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ByAlex Roberts May 21, 2024 7 Raheem Sterling £50m from Man City, 2022
Handing a league rival £50m isn’t common – in fact, Chelsea were the first to do it in 2011 – but in this case, Manchester City were surely laughing all the way to the bank.
Raheem Sterling had not long been the star of England’s Euro 2020 campaign, but he had seen his chances at City dwindle despite their successes, with the arrival of Jack Grealish providing a strong challenge to his starting position.
Perhaps few could begrudge Chelsea for jumping on the opportunity of bringing Sterling to Stamford Bridge, but with plenty of iffy transfer market decisions being made, the Blues really could have done with a hit here.
Instead, Sterling has failed to assert himself at Chelsea, and is now on the way out following Enzo Maresca’s arrival. It will end a rather pitiful period for the winger, who notched 14 times in the Premier League in two seasons – just one more than in his final City campaign.
6 Enzo Fernandez £107m from Benfica, 2023
It’s the golden rule of a transfer window: never buy anyone purely off the back of a World Cup. But in early 2023, that’s exactly what Chelsea’s so-called transfer experts appeared to do when signing 21-year-old Enzo Fernandez, not to mention for a then-British record of £107m.
Clearlake’s penchant for long-term investments has arguably not been epitomised more than in the arrival of the Argentinian, who has failed to set Stamford Bridge alight since his nine-figure switch.
Despite this, he has featured heavily in a rare show of stability, if not a show of talent. For over £100m, one would surely expect Fernandez to be in the running for the Young Player of the Year award as a prime up-and-coming talent, but Chelsea’s only representative in that regard has been a City academy product bought for less than half that price.
For a club seemingly out of control when it comes to finances, they’re not even close to at least getting some success to justify their outlays.
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ByLuke Randall Aug 20, 2024 5 Benoit Badiashile £35m from Monaco, 2023
Having been at Chelsea for 18 months, Benoit Badiashile ought to have a longer list of accomplishments than he can currently claim. The Frenchman arrived in January 2023 on a seven-and-a-half-year deal, but didn’t exactly hit the ground running.
His performances have been slated, while he has only featured invariably for Chelsea. Injuries have played a part in this, but their inflated squad could also be to blame – despite being bought by Graham Potter (or rather, during his tenure), the centre-back was left out of the Blues’ Champions League squad ahead of the knockout stages in 2022/23.
Having yet to deliver in Chelsea colours despite all his promise, he is pretty much a living encapsulation of what the club has become under the Boehly regime.
4 Joao Felix Loan and £45m from Atletico Madrid, 2023 & 2024
This is Boehly’s Chelsea doing Boehly’s Chelsea things. Loaning Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in early 2023 was intriguing enough – not least after he managed to get himself sent off on his debut.
His comeback didn’t see him installed as a first-team regular, with little to speak of his brief time in blue before returning to the Spanish capital, where he continued to be unsettled as he was shipped off to Barcelona for a year. It was a brow-raising deal, to say the least.
Then, amid all the chaos of being seemingly desperate to offload one of their finer academy products in recent years (no, not Mason Mount), Chelsea rather inexplicably turned to a familiar face after failing to sign Samu Omorodion – a striker – in order to allow Conor Gallagher to leave.
Having apparently disrespected the youngster during contract negotiations, deals for him and Gallagher looked off, even forcing the midfielder to return to training at Cobham, where he was clearly no longer wanted.
Joao Felix – not a striker – recently secured a return to Stamford Bridge, almost purely to get Gallagher off the books. So now the Blues are a midfielder light, have spent over the odds (Atleti have netted a sizeable profit over these deals) and have a player who they know was previously underwhelming. Confused? Good – so are we.