Manxst

The benefit over a non member is being able to apply for a ballot ticket for a match prior to general release.

Juventus and Leverkusen also.

Lots of the better ones seem to have been early PL adopters- the likes of Di Canio, Carbone, Vialli, Zola, Cudicini, Ravanelli, Di Matteo, Baiano, Eranio etc. Even the likes of Pistone got 149 PL appearances. There’s been a real lack of decent Italian imports lately, other than the odd one here and there- Jorginho, Ogbonna (Balotelli?!)

Dad’s Portuguese, mother’s Scottish. He was born in England.

Great- thanks 👍

Possibly a daft question, but I’m taking my lad to both the SELA Cup game days, and wondered if we can enter the stadium at any time on the days or have to be inside for the first game? And can we come out and get back in again between games?

So why have they bought us?

The ‘return’ is influence and reputation rather than financial in this instance. Other investments bring in the cash, and they can afford to throw away mega bucks on this project as a result.

Stay classy

Especially when they also have Valverde and Guler, and still have Modric and Kroos too.

Initial £64m + further £8m down the line according to Sky. (€74.5m + €9.3m)

My bad. Yep, agree with you. 👍

Bruno, Tonali, Isak etc all say hi…

Can’t do much about it if Zaha was a free agent and Olise has his release clause. Depends how much cash they want for Eze and how much/how good their replacement targets are.

He’s nee Altidore lyke

It only sets off once ASM unwraps all his bandages…

Victor Hugo: https://br.bolavip.com/flamengo/r-124-milhoes-chegou-ha-pouco-no-brasil-bruno-guimaraes-gera-influencia-e-newcastle-paga-caminhao-de-dinheiro-para-anunciar-queridinho-de-sampaoli-20230727-BBR-74846.html “R$ 124 million, recently arrived in Brazil: Bruno Guimarães generates influence and Newcastle pays truck of money to ANNOUNCE Sampaoli's darling Rubro-Negro Carioca has everything to fill the coffers About the ball market, Mengão will have to be prepared for an astronomical proposal that is coming. Newcastle, the Premier League team, was monitoring all Victor Hugo's steps and has now decided to invest in his hiring. The midfielder is only 19 years old, but he enchanted Jorge Sampaoli in a way that he has been playing as a starter many times.” (likened to Paqueta in playing style: https://www.goal.com/en/lists/victor-hugo-brazil-midfield-wonderkid-real-madrid-barcelona-links/blt85b4428d0e19d747#csfc3822a6861d1bf4 )

Only scored two though, I think, so they released him (probably to save on his supposed mega wage also). I just think CHO would do a better job in the position Lingaard was supposed to have filled for them.

Played 20 times? Hardly ‘barely’.

CHO would be a good Forest replacement for Lingaard, surely? Can see them paying similar wage to his 120kpw he’s on now. Contract at Chelsea expires next summer.

95% I think.

It’s a new UEFA regulation “Clubs are expected to be allowed to spend 90% of their income in 2023-24, reducing to 80% in 2024-25 and 70% a year later.” https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60973786.amp

“Initially, he lived in a form of elite college, where the club paid for him to stay in a block of flats alongside other sportspeople, including footballers, handballers, and ballet dancers. However, Minteh did not enjoy living on his own, and found acclimatising to the Danish lifestyle an extreme change. He now lives with his agent, while his family are more regular visitors. “My first six months at the club have been hard, but when you work hard, things also come easier,” Minteh said in February. Those around Odense point to a sense of dislocation, as well as his age, as mitigation for the subsequent disciplinary issues he endured. The first of these was relatively minor — he broke team curfew rules after being spotted in a nightclub on the Friday evening before a Sunday game. OB subsequently dropped him from the squad for the weekend, while he had to temporarily train with the reserves as punishment. However, the public backlash was fierce, with fans also upset at some forthright opinions from Minteh and his agent regarding his long-term future. After being harassed both online and in person, Minteh was granted a short time away from the club with stress. On his return, Minteh started against then-league leaders Nordsjaelland. After being substituted in the 68th minute of an eventual 4-2 defeat, he kicked a corner flag to pieces. The Danish FA banned him for the next two matches. In training, four days after that game, a frustrated Minteh fought with senior team-mate Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, witnessed by Rasmussen. “Minteh tried to tackle Frokjaer-Jensen from behind after being dispossessed, as revenge,” Rasmussen remembers. “And so he came after him; they didn’t actually hit, but four or five players had to separate them, and calm Minteh down. They moved on, but this is very uncommon for Odense.” Despite suspensions, things were still going well for Minteh on the pitch. He started every remaining game he was eligible for, and was prolific in April, managing a goal and three assists in one two-week spell. “He’s actually a very introverted person,” said Wesstrom on the issues. “If he comes into my office, he’s very quiet, and just says yes. But it’s a complex situation. “He’s very driven by making his family proud. They have their expectations, not just now, but for his future. And when his family isn’t there, communication with them is not always the easiest, so that has been one of the harder things to handle. The next stage for him is to mature as a person, to not be so affected by his feelings. By gaining composure, he can be more professional.” “He has great ambitions and almost has a kind of desperation in his life,” Alm said in February, “He wants to show everything he can. One thing Odense’s staff have been impressed by is Minteh’s willingness to work hard…” https://theathletic.com/4585933/2023/06/07/yankuba-minteh-newcastle-transfer/

It says they took 29 on the tour and Poch wants a squad of 22-24? So they want to sell 5-7, as well as the ones named and were left at home.

sounds like they want to sell a few- they’ve still got a massive squad and players who simply won’t play. LB, like you say is one area. “Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea need to be prepared to make tough decisions to trim their “massive” preseason squad and create the right balance in the coming weeks. Chelsea took 29 players on their preseason tour of the United States, despite allowing 12 first-team players to depart in this summer transfer window and leaving Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi in England to find moves away from Stamford Bridge. Cobham graduate Lewis Hall and recent signing Ângelo Gabriel were two players Pochettino was unable to find minutes for in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday, and after the match Chelsea’s manager was keen to emphasise that his squad remains too big for what he requires. “First of all we need to define the squad,” Pochettino said. “We are 29, 30 players here and it’s massive. At the moment the dynamic is really good. They are very good guys sharing a good time together. But it’s difficult because in every game maybe three, four, five players cannot play, and that makes the mood difficult. “It’s about creating a squad with a good balance with people who have the opportunity to play and compete for a place. That is a challenge for us in the transfer window to build a good balance, and then if players are not happy because they believe they are not going to play, we will find a solution to fix the situation. “What we cannot do is have a massive squad with players in America not involved, because it’s going to create a mess. Maybe less is more and more is less. “That is why I need to make clear we don’t need a bigger squad. We need 22, 23, 24 players and that’s it. I’m so sorry because maybe the decisions will be tough, but we need to build a good, balanced team if we want to compete for big things.” Pochettino's Chelsea vision is becoming clear... and it looks good Pochettino cited left-back as a particularly overloaded area. Hall’s path to selection there is currently blocked by Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Ian Maatsen, but the Dutchman has still managed to break through in preseason operating in more advanced midfield roles, starting on the left wing against Brighton and Hove Albion and on the right against Newcastle.” https://theathletic.com/4725133/2023/07/27/chelsea-mauricio-pochettino-trim-preseason-squad/?access_token=8349337&redirected=1