Atletico Madrid &#8211; CaughtOffside

Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

New Chelsea signing Pedro Neto shares the same agent as Felix and it almost appears more than a coincidence that he’s now discussing a possible return to Stamford Bridge for the 24-year-old.

The Blues are also looking at the possibility of signing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and have held discussions over the possibility of the Nigerian being used as part of the deal that would see Romelu Lukaku head to Naples to reunite with Antonio Conte.

Lukaku has reportedly agreed a three year deal with the Italian side, whilst Chelsea are trying to sign Osimhen on loan with Napoli believed to prefer a permanent transfer.

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Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Charlie Patrick — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 21:54:45 +0000

Samu Omorodion’s move to Chelsea has fallen through after a major problem finalising the contract according to David Ornstein.

Chelsea had agreed a £34.5m fee with Atletico Madrid for the striker and the 20-year-old was expected to complete his move before the start of the season.

Omorodion, who was expected to sign a seven year contract with the Blues was part of the Spain squad which won Olympic gold after they beat hosts France in the 5-3.

Omorodion’s move to Chelsea has fallen through

The Blues have been in the market for a striker and despite signing teenager Marc Guiu from Barcelona they have been looking to add another goalscorer to their ranks, with Omorodion their chosen man.

Everything appeared to be agreed between clubs and player, but Ornstein has reported the deal is off after there was a major problem finalising the contract.

He took to X.com and said:

“Samu Omorodion transfer from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea has collapsed. Deal agreed club-to-club & between 20yo #Atletico striker + #CFC.

“But major problem finalising contract means deal off; Spain youth int’l not moving to Stamford Bridge @TheAthleticFC.”

? Samu Omorodion transfer from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea has collapsed. Deal agreed club-to-club & between 20yo #Atletico striker + #CFC. But major problem finalising contract means deal off; Spain youth int’l not moving to Stamford Bridge @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/zTcEl1Omll

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 11, 2024

This news certainly represents a blow to Chelsea who have tracked the striker for the majority of the summer and clearly believe in his ability.

Omorodion joined Atletico last summer from Granada but spent the season on loan at Alaves where he scored nine goals in 36 appearances.

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Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

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He’s yet to kick a ball for Atletico, but is regarded as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe, although he’s still vey raw and needs a lot of refining.

Chelsea could now turn their turn their full attention to Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with the Blues in talks with their Italian counterparts over the possibility of the Nigerian being part of the deal which would see Romelu Lukaku head to Naples.

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Monday a big day for the career of talented Man City forward

Darren Looney — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 09:32:28 +0000

Man City’s Julian Alvarez will make his move to Atletico Madrid official on Monday as the World Cup winner will put pen to paper at the La Liga giants.

The Spanish club reached an agreement with Man City for the Argentina star last week with Atleti set to pay a guaranteed €75m plus €20m in add-ons for the forward.

Alvarez will replace Alvaro Morata at the Metropolitano Stadium following the Euro 2024 winner’s move to AC Milan this summer and the addition of the Man City talent to Diego Simeone’s squad is a huge coup for Atletico Madrid.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Monday is a big day for this transfer as Alvarez will undergo his medical in Madrid and will sign his Atletico contract. The Argentina star will tie himself to the La Liga club with a five-year deal as the forward looks to become the main man at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Argentine has been on holiday over the last week following his participation in the 2024 Olympics and is unlikely to be ready to start in Atletico Madrid’s opening La Liga clash against Villarreal on Monday, August 19.

Man City’s Julian Alvarez is close to completing Atletico Madrid move

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Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

Man City’s Julian Alvarez has made a huge decision to leave Manchester

Alvarez’s decision to leave Man City seems like a strange one and it is a choice that will define his career.

The World Cup winner wanted to be more involved in big games with the Premier League champions and if that didn’t come this season, it would have the next as Kevin De Bruyne is likely to leave the Etihad Stadium.

Being only 24, the player has plenty of time and the Atletico move would have always been there.

The forward has sacrificed trophies for minutes on the pitch but will back himself to guide Atleti to titles and that is where the Argentina star can make this transfer a huge success.

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Exclusive: Aston Villa plan €60m bid for attacker transfer, €16m Tottenham misfit also being considered

Mark Brus — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 08:42:40 +0000

Aston Villa have made Joao Felix one of their top transfer targets for this summer, with Unai Emery determined to add the Portuguese forward to his options.

Villa may find this a difficult deal to get done, however, with Atletico Madrid likely to ask for huge money to sell the former Chelsea and Barcelona loanee, with Villa planning an offer worth around €60m to test their resolve, CaughtOffside understands.

Emery could make Felix a star player in his Villa side, though the 24-year-old surely has no long-term future at Atletico, where he’s largely seen as having failed to live up to his potential.

Felix also struggled to make much of an impact in loan spells at Chelsea and Barca, so it remains to be seen if Villa would really be well advised to keep pursuing him so strongly.

Joao Felix to Aston Villa?

Still, that is currently understood to be their plan, with the feeling being that Atletico may need to be flexible with their demands if they are realistically going to sell and finally get this unwanted player off their books.

Felix transfer may not be all Villa have planned

While Felix is one of Villa’s priorities, it seems the Midlands outfit also have one eye on Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso as a possible addition to come in as a squad player, sources have informed CaughtOffside.

The Argentine, who is also being tracked by Real Betis, is expected to be available for a cut-price fee of around €16m, and it remains to be seen if AVFC will step up their pursuit of him.

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Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

Lo Celso has struggled to impress at Spurs, so it makes sense that he’s now available on the market.

If Villa could land Felix as a starter and Lo Celso as squad depth, that could be truly superb business by the club as they look to build on last season’s success of finishing in the top four.

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Monchi targets two dream signings for Aston Villa before the window closes

Charlie Patrick — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 19:19:28 +0000

Aston Villa are targeting two more signings in the transfer window according to reports as they prepare for Champions League football next season.

It’s been a busy summer at Villa Park with seven new faces coming through the door, whilst two key players from last season have departed.

The likes of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen have joined the club, whilst Douglas Luiz left for Juventus as part of a swap deal and club record signing Moussa Diaby was sold to Saudi side Al-Ittihad.

Villa target two more signings

Unai Emery is building an exciting squad at Villa packed with plenty of young talent and experience and despite the money they have spent it appears the club might not be done in the window.

The Birmingham Mail have reported that Villa are targeting two more signings in Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida.

Villa are looking at Felix as a potential replacement for Diaby with the report adding that although no progress has been made on a deal Atletico are aware of Villa’s interest.

Felix’s future at Atletico Madrid is uncertain.

Felix has struggled to make progress following his big money move to Atletico from Benfica and has spent time on loan at Chelsea in the 2022/2023 season, whilst he spent the last campaign on loan at Barcelona.

Emery will back himself to get the best out of the Portugal international and at just 24 there’s still plenty of time for Felix to reach his huge potential, although a deal could likely be very expensive.

Geertruida has emerged as a target to replace Diego Carlos who looks set to leave with Fulham expressing strong interest in the defender.

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Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

The 24-year-old played an important role for Feyenoord under now Liverpool manager Arne Slot and can play at both right back and centre back.

If Villa were able to get both these deals over the line before the end of the window they would put themselves in a brilliant position to have another strong season.

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Inside Spain: Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino latest, Gibraltar bans and Conor Gallagher chaos

Ruairidh Barlow — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:10:01 +0000

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

It’s been a breathless week in Spain in the transfer window, without much actually being confirmed. There are a lot of people on transport to new cities though.

Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez looks as if his flight from Ibiza is booked for early next week to compete a €75m plus €20m in variables deal to Atletico Madrid. Samu Omorodion will fly for London once the Olympics are over on Friday, to complete a €42m move to Chelsea.

Going the other way will be Conor Gallagher. He did not travel for 48 hours after making a decision on his future, mostly because Atletico tried to pull out of a €42m deal for him. Valencia Sporting Director Miguel Angel Corona did them no favours by revealing they wanted Javi Guerra instead, who they had also agreed a deal for. He had booked off training and booked a train to Madrid, but was told not to get on.

Such has been the excitement at Atletico that Kylian Mbappe’s first training session at Real Madrid has almost gone unnoticed. Arsenal fans could well be able to celebrate the signing of Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, with a bid due before the end of the week, but Real Madrid are reportedly part of the reason they did not go after teammate Martin Zubimendi this summer, for the first time in three years.

#RealMadrid beat #ChelseaFC 2-1 in their final warm-up before the European Supercup.pic.twitter.com/d25fQpi792

— Football España (@footballespana_) August 7, 2024

It might be the year they persuade him to leave though: the €60m Zubimendi is keen on a move to Liverpool, but is facing an effort from Real Sociedad to convince him to stay. Both leaving would be disastrous for the Txuri-Urdin.

Barcelona were of course the other power in the mix for Zubimendi for the past two years, but it looks as if they will forego the midfield spot entirely to bring in Dani Olmo, who arrived on Tuesday – but notably has not been announced. Nico Williams looks as if he will stay at Athletic Club after returning to training a week early in Bilbao, but Barcelona maintain they are still trying to sign him. At least one midfielder is having an impact at Barcelona though, with new coach Thiago Alcantara proving a valuable addition.

Finally, there have been plenty of run-ins with the authorities this week. Alvaro Morata and Rodri Hernandez will pick-up a one-match ban from UEFA for chanting ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ during their Euro 2024 celebrations. That was a minor offence compared to ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid forward Javier Saviola, who spent Monday morning in an Andorran jail cell.

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Transfer news: Omorodion Chelsea, Zubimendi Liverpool, Man Utd ins and outs, Arsenal update & more

Mark Brus — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:45:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Samu Omorodion to Chelsea and what it could mean for Marc Guiu

We can now confirm it’s ‘here we go’ for three important deals, with Julian Alvarez set to sign for Atletico Madrid from Manchester City, in what is a record sale for them, while the deal was only made possible as Samu Omorodion is now set to leave Atletico to sign for Chelsea.

Omorodion will become a new Chelsea player – the verbal agreement is done and we’re just waiting for the formal steps. Atletico Madrid will receive £35.4m, and although earlier in the summer they rejected a bid for Omorodion and wanted to keep the player, their stance changed when they saw the opportunity to sign a fantastic striker like Julian Alvarez.

But again, Conor Gallagher was also an important part of the domino. It was technically a separate deal, but it was part of the discussion. Gallagher was always the top target in midfield for Atletico and for Diego Simeone, and last night he flew from London to Madrid to become a new Atletico player in a €42m deal.

It’s an important sale for Chelsea because of Financial Fair Play, and also because they didn’t have any agreement with Gallagher over a new contract, so they were scared about the possibility of losing the player on a free transfer next summer.

So, Atletico are signing Alvarez and Gallagher, and Omorodion to Chelsea is also done, with this crazy domino finally coming to a conclusion. There was big tension on Tuesday, the deal looked in danger, but now everything is verbally agreed and just waiting to sign the contracts.

As for Omorodion’s medical, for now he is at the Olympics, so everything is being planned taking into consideration that he has an Olympic final to play. In terms of how this deal impacts other strikers, there is no news on Victor Osimhen yet, while on Marc Guiu we can confirm that a loan move is a possibility being assessed internally – Enzo Maresca will also have a say on this.

Dani Olmo to Barcelona ‘here we go’ but Nico Williams still a target

Another major deal is the ‘here we go’ for Dani Olmo to Barcelona. An agreement has been reached with RB Leipzig for a deal worth €55m, €7m in difficult add-ons, for example if Barca win the Champions League in the next six years. But for sure the deal is done and Olmo has been in Barcelona to have his medical.

So, Olmo to Barca is a done deal and it’s their first signing of the summer. They may not be done yet though as they are still thinking of Joao Cancelo, they’re just waiting to understand how they can make it happen with Financial Fair Play. It’s still at the early stages, but Cancelo is hoping to join Barca and waiting for Barca.

It’s not close yet, but the contacts are still active as we wait to see if Barcelona and Manchester City can find an agreement, or if Cancelo will join another club, because the plan remains for Cancelo to leave Manchester City.

We also know Barcelona wanted Nico Williams, so is this saga over yet? It will officially be over when Williams will officially announce his decision. For sure he’s now back at Athletic in a fantastic mood, while Athletic remain relaxed and convinced that he’s going to end up staying. But it’s also the case that Barcelona are still attentive to the situation and keep calling Williams’ agent on daily basis.

Liverpool optimistic over Martin Zubimendi transfer

A big story from yesterday is on the future of Martin Zubimendi – Liverpool are on it, Liverpool are working on a deal to sign the Real Sociedad midfielder. His release clause is €60m, so it’s an expensive deal, but Liverpool want to go very big on this one – they feel they can reach an agreement with Sociedad or trigger the clause, so they’re very optimistic.

Liverpool are now working on the player side, because many clubs tried to convince Zubimendi in the last couple of years – Barca, Bayern, Arsenal, many clubs spoke to the player, he wasn’t keen on the move, but now Liverpool are going very big. They are using the ability of their directors to convince the player, present the contract proposal, and find a way to get the deal done.

Contacts are ongoing with both player and club. Liverpool want Zubimendi and they are confident, optimistic to make it happen while there are still steps to follow on this story to get it done. It’s important also to clarify that Arsenal were never negotiating for Zubimendi this summer, while I’ve never heard anything concrete about Man United so far.

Let me say that this would be a fantastic signing, as Zubimendi is a special midfielder, his footballing brain is different, in the top, top category. He might not be as well known around Europe as some other bigger names, but we’ve seen his quality in the Champions League and also with the Spanish national team – what he’s doing on a regular basis is fantastic.

That’s not all for Liverpool, as I expect them to be busy on the market in August. So for now their focus is on Zubimendi, but there could be more names coming in soon for Liverpool.

Latest on ins and outs at Manchester United

Manchester United are still working and keeping contacts active for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Despite the links with Denzel Dumfries, their top target at right-back is Mazraoui because he’s a player who can also fill in on the left-hand side, and because he’s well known by Erik ten Hag.

However, one crucial detail is that Man United are still waiting for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to leave the club. This is the stumbling block at the moment, with United waiting patiently for the player to give the green light to West Ham, or to maybe find another solution.

Still, United’s focus is on De Ligt and Mazraoui, and both players also have the intention to wait for United. Ten Hag hopes to have both players as soon as possible because the start of the Premier League season is getting closer now, so it’s going to be an important ten days or so as both these players wait to get the chance to move to Old Trafford.

Remember as well that Bayern have an agreement to sign Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen, so they can close that deal once they make sales first, so they’re just waiting to be able to offload De Ligt and Mazraoui.

Finally on United – Fulham had two bids rejected for Scott McTominay and now it’s gone quiet. Man United always asked for £30m so there’s a big difference in valuation. There’s no agreement now and it looks quiet, but before saying it’s over we have to wait and see what Fulham decide to do. McTominay remains available on the market for a fee of around £30m.

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Arsenal and Marseille back in contact over Eddie Nketiah transfer deal

A lot continues to be written about the Eddie Nketiah and Marseille situation, so I thought I’d once again clarify my understanding of this saga here.

From what I know, Arsenal are open to re-discussing terms with Marseille after initially rejecting a €27m bid and asking for €35m, plus a sell-on clause. Now they can be open to discuss and negotiate different structure.

The precise asking price is not something clear yet but the two clubs have been in touch again and Arsenal can be open to discuss terms with OM. Nketiah had already agreed on personal terms, so no issue there, and it’s now on the clubs to reach an agreement.

Milan Skriniar available as PSG close in on Willian Pacho

Willian Pacho to PSG is getting closer, with the Eintracht Frankfurt defender flying to Paris for a medical to finalise a deal worth €40m plus €5m in add-ons. But what does this signing mean for PSG’s other defenders?

Milan Skriniar has always been available on the market but there are currently no bids or talks taking place for him, it’s quiet. In any case, a left-footed centre-back was needed as Lucas Hernandez is injured and Presnel Kimpembe is returning after a long injury, so PSG believe Pacho is an excellent talent and with big potential.

The post Transfer news: Omorodion Chelsea, Zubimendi Liverpool, Man Utd ins and outs, Arsenal update & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Collymore’s column: Premier League should be ashamed, clubs need to stop pimping out players for FFP, time to remember the true meaning of the Community Shield and more

Stan Collymore — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:51:00 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why the Premier League should be ashamed of their silence since the race riots, why we’ve lost the essence of what the Charity Shield is all about, why transfer windows are anxiety inducing and much more.

—

Transfer windows are anxiety inducing for every player

Liverpool manager, Roy Evans, flew back from his holiday in Barbados to meet me at Heathrow Airport in London for two hours, before flying straight back to his long-suffering wife, in order to sign me.

I met Joe Royle, who was the Everton manager at a hotel in Cheshire and, I’m not going to lie, I think that when you’ve got the choice of two clubs the size of Liverpool and Everton – today’s equivalent might be Liverpool and Manchester City or Manchester United – you’re immediately flattered but also worrying that “I’ve got to buy a house, I’ve got to relocate” etc., and much more besides.

At least now there are transfer windows and release clauses.. When I was two thirds through a season back in the 90s, I had a phone call when I was in my car going home from Forest training from Sir Alex Ferguson. That would now be considered tapping up and was yet another layer of worry for players of a certain age.

That’s because every transfer window is anxiety inducing for a player.

Lots of dead ends… this club are interested in you, then they’re not, then they’ve dropped out of the race altogether and somebody else has come in.

How it normally works is players basically have a meeting with the managers who are interested in them to talk about the football side, and then the agent sees what they’re prepared to do or not prepared to do, and there’s a hell of a lot of waiting involved.

There isn’t enough done for players to be able to guide them through the process beyond just being a player.

In all honesty, even with clubs nowadays, I speak to a lot of younger players and of course they’ve got agents around them and the clubs try their very best with liaison officers to help players settle in – perhaps a little bit more at a club than they used to – but it’s still not enough.

That’s because there are a lot more countries to move to, players are being bombarded with all sorts of figures and money talks.

Are they going to a club to be the best footballing version of themselves that they can be, because that should ultimately will guide everything, or are they going to the club that are going to offer them a few more zeros on their pay packet?

They must do their due diligence.

Clubs need to stop pimping their players out to get around Financial Fair Play

Conor Gallagher is set to join Atletico Madrid.

I think that all football players need a permanent home.

I’m going to give you an example of somebody… Louie Barry, a wonder kid at West Brom, goes to Barcelona and then comes back and plays for Villa. As a massive Villa fan, he still wants to play for the club.

He had a nasty period with injuries and was loaned out five times by Villa, and has now been loaned out again – but the lad desperately wanted to stay.

He’s a familiar face for the fans, but beyond that in my view he shouldn’t have signed a new contract in the hope of breaking into the Villa first team (which won’t happen) when there were better options available for his career progression.

We need to have the conversation about when a player is being signed by a club, he needs to understand where he can buy a house, school his kids and have a home base to settle into. He shouldn’t be pimped out here, there and everywhere, just to be a great example of Profit and Sustainability rules in action.

Conor Gallagher is another one. Four loans in three years before settling down at Chelsea, only to then be pushed out the door by Todd Boehly.

It kills younger players to keep going out on loan and it basically leaves them like a ship that never docks. They’re constantly out and about and never find a home.

Perhaps Gallagher will do that now at Atletico Madrid – find what it’s like to go and play for a club, anchor down and become a club legend – but he wanted to be ‘the man’ at Chelsea.

Time to talk up the true meaning of the Community Shield

A photo of the Community Shield

This weekend sees the return of the Community Shield, a traditional pre-season friendly that I’m a big fan of.

I do think that it absolutely shouldn’t be counted as a trophy, however.

I think we need to tell the likes of Pep Guardiola that this isn’t something that he can count as one of his trophy wins. It’s not about Pep vs Klopp or Pep vs ten Hag either, because we’ve already had that narrative on any number of previous occasions.

It was originally called the Charity Shield, and the money raised from the game was given to good causes. It still is.

So we should promote that angle way more than we do currently.

This year’s partner is MIND, and there’s a whole four or five days leading up to it where players, instead of talking about the inane rivalry of Man United against Manchester City, should be highlighting the charity and the issues they face etc.

Let’s be perfectly honest, it’s the last meaningless friendly before the big kick-off, so moving forward, let’s get back to what the Community Shield is all about.

Charity.

I’m a big fan of a salary cap… but it won’t work for individual players

The problem with a salary cap for me is it’s got to come from FIFA.

I think if you have got agreement across the big leagues of England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, that would go some way to having a salary cap implemented, but of course, all it means is you’ll get more and more players going to the Saudi Pro League and picking up their £500k per week.

So it kind of becomes self sabotaging.

If FIFA said there is going to be a global salary cap, then I think it could work, but I think that FIFA would also have a fight on their hands from from UEFA.

We need to get there in some way though I worry that just like the creative accounting of certain Premier League clubs – selling or their swapping their best young kids or assets to get around FFP – the clubs will find a way to circumvent this cap.

What I would like to see is an organisational cap, which HMRC can then can get involved in.

The organisation, for example Man City, can only spend across all of its assets – whether it be players, staff or anything else – £100m total per year, and if you go over that then you get fined.

That way you can have some common sense because then clubs have to look around at where they’re spending every penny.

Silence from the Premier League over race riots is disgusting

I think that the Premier League have a massive responsibility as a big British brand, and as a big British brand that’s inclusive with all creeds, all flavours and all genders, to comment on the current riots from a football perspective.

After all, they can’t wait to tell you about No Room for Racism day.

I would really have liked to see Richard Masters come out after last weekend and say “any supporter involved in these in this disorder, will never set foot in an English football stadium again,” and that would have done as much as potentially the deterrent effect of a six month or a 12 month custodial sentence for some of them.

Frankly, I’m disgusted by the Premier League.

If you remember, when players were getting racist abuse a while back, the Premier League were quick to tell everyone to put a the black square on their social media profiles and not tweet or post for 24 hours.

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Aug 12 2024, 0:18

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Aug 11 2024, 23:38

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Aug 11 2024, 22:54

The fact they’ve said nothing whatsoever during the current riots, I would suggest, is 1000 times worse. The fact that I genuinely feel like the only voice in the professional football sports broadcasting space that was willing to call it out, hour by hour, and to show people that there were good people in Walthamstow, in Birmingham, in Newcastle and elsewhere that weren’t going to allow this race baiting to happen… I think it’s frankly disgusting and disturbing.

Football is multicultural, and not just the fan base.

We’ve got Muslims, we’ve got Jews, we’ve got blacks, we’ve got whites, we’ve got French, we’ve got Germans, we’ve got Italians, we’ve got Egyptians… all playing in the Premier League.

I get that a lot of players and clubs will be very reluctant to speak up because they don’t understand the politics, but for me, football needs to do much, much more.

The post Collymore’s column: Premier League should be ashamed, clubs need to stop pimping out players for FFP, time to remember the true meaning of the Community Shield and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea planning medical for imminent signing in major European capital today

Mark Brus — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:55:58 +0000

Chelsea are reportedly planning a medical for Samu Omorodion in Paris today as they close in on signing the talented young striker from Atletico Madrid.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano on his official account on X, formerly Twitter, with the Italian journalist stating that the Blues are working to get the medical tests done in the French capital today, with Omorodion currently there for the Olympics.

See below for details from Romano as he provides his latest update on the Omorodion to Chelsea saga, following on from the exclusive insight he provided us with for his Daily Briefing column earlier today…

?? Understand Chelsea are planning to book medical for Samu Omorodion in Paris today.

Deal done for £34.5m to Atlético Madrid, Omorodion will sign seven year contract after medical.

??? pic.twitter.com/aSeJFds30c

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 8, 2024

Omorodion shone on loan at Deportivo Alaves last season and could have been a useful addition to Diego Simeone’s Atletico squad this summer, though in the end it seemed they preferred to go in a different direction.

Julian Alvarez is on his way to Atletico Madrid, and that has freed up Omorodion to leave for Chelsea, in what should be a fine move for them to strengthen their attack.

Omorodion transfer: Is he the striker Chelsea need?

Omorodion looks like he could be an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson, who was not entirely consistent in his first season in west London last term, though he improved as the campaign went on.

Samu Omorodion is set for his medical with Chelsea

It may be that a similarly young and raw player like Omorodion will encounter similar problems, and that what Chelsea really needed was a more proven and experienced player like Victor Osimhen.

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Players like that aren’t cheap, though, so it could be that CFC will end up looking smart by going for a younger up-and-coming player like Omorodion who can be an option for both the present and the future.

The 20-year-old scored eight goals in 35 games in all competitions last season, which isn’t the most convincing return, but which perhaps shows his potential as he continues to develop and now gets the chance to play alongside better players.

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Club chief said they were “trying to get out” of transfer deal with Chelsea which is now set to go through

Mark Brus — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:36:43 +0000

Atletico Madrid supposedly told Valencia they were trying to get out of their transfer deal with Chelsea for Conor Gallagher, according to Miguel Angel Corona.

Valencia sporting director Corona says Atletico also wanted to sign Javi Guerra from his club, and it seems this meant they tried to pull the plug on their move for Gallagher late on.

However, Gallagher to Atletico Madrid is now set to go through, even though Fabrizio Romano also said there were moments of tension in this deal earlier in the week.

It could be that Romano was referring to the incident Corona has also been describing, though it now looks like this has been sorted out, and Gallagher will indeed end up leaving Stamford Bridge to finalise his move to Madrid.

The England international was impressive for Chelsea last season and should be a decent signing for Atletico, with many Blues fans also surely set to be disappointed to see him go.

Conor Gallagher is set to join Atletico Madrid

Gallagher transfer: Did it almost fall through?

Speaking to Relevo about Gallagher and Guerra, Corona said: “I am going to try to tell facts, objectively. There is an agreement on Sunday between Lay Hoon Chan and the largest shareholder of Atletico Madrid [Miguel Angel Gil Marin], documentation is being filled out with the player.

“And on Wednesday morning, given the delay in the return of documents, there is a question towards Atletico Madrid, what is the situation and they tell us that they are trying to get out of Chelsea’s operation with Gallagher.

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