Latest news with #ToddBoehly
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Done Deal: Fabrizio Romano confirms another big Chelsea transfer deal this week
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed another big done Chelsea transfer deal for this summer over night. Chelsea are in an incredible spot right now after winning The Club World Cup on Sunday night, and you'd suspect we will see an aftermath of this in many situations. EXCLUSIVE! Chelsea still planning to buy in end of window surge! Former player turned pundit Alan Shearer is already tipping Chelsea to be Premier League challengers next season after the Club World Cup triumph. And Blues co-owner Todd Boehly has been speaking to the media this week and has thanked Chelsea fans for sticking with him along the way (although not sure they have all entirely done that). The reactions have been huge, and Chelsea will now get busy in the transfer market. Penders deal done Mike Penders with a Chelsea news logo. (Photo by) Goalkeeper Mike Penders is joining Strasbourg on loan from Chelsea this season as expected, with Romano putting the latest out on that on his X account late last night. He says: 'Mike Penders deal, done and set to be sealed as Chelsea goalkeeper will join Strasbourg on loan. 'Agreement in place for next season while Chelsea see Penders as top talent for the future.' Big future ahead It's very clear that Penders has a big future ahead of him and is highly rated not just by Chelsea, but by everyone in the footballing world. I think this move to play in Ligue 1 as Strasbourg number one next season is going to be a very smart move for him. He needs to gain solid experience and develop as a regular number one in a big league and he will get to do that here. Penders has been compared to Thibaut Courtois and you can certainly see why.
Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Crying foul — Club World Cup had some shining moments, but it remains divisive
Player welfare remains a major talking point after the first edition of Fifa's global club tournament, which concluded in the US this month. It came in dragging a mixed bowl of ingredients such as controversy, optimism for a new dawn, derision and apprehension. After its conclusion, Fifa's revamped Club World Cup is still a divisive subject. What worked and what didn't work during the month-long spectacle, which was won by English side Chelsea? From a purely footballing perspective there were a few takeaways, not least that Chelsea appear to be heading to much calmer waters since the club was plunged into turbulence in 2022. That year, the UK government sanctioned Chelsea's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, during a crackdown on Russian oligarchs after Moscow invaded Ukraine. This forced him to sell the club. Blues on the right path Since then, the Blues have endured tough times, despite being taken over by a US consortium headed by American businessperson Todd Boehly. This includes finishing a lowly 12th during the 2022/23 season. Under Enzo Maresca, the third permanent manager Chelsea have had since the US takeover, some stability has been established, as evidenced by the 3-0 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Club World Cup final. 'The last few years have not been what the club deserves or what the history of this club says. This year, luckily, has gone quite well,' Maresca said. 'We finished top four [in the Premier League] and qualified for the Champions League. In the Conference League, we managed to win it, and now we are in this final. We are very proud to help the club get back to where it deserves to be,' he added. PSG power Despite losing the final, PSG played some of the most enterprising soccer at the tournament. It's a clear sign that Luis Enrique's team will once again be a force to be reckoned with next season – especially as they undertake the daunting task of defending their European Champions League title. Central to this will be Désiré Doué. The young French star impressed in the US, underlining his quality and strengthening the widespread belief that he will become one of the most influential players of his generation. For his twinkle-toed displays in North America, Doué was crowned young player of the tournament. Although a number of teams walked away from the tournament having increased their respective global profiles and fattened their pockets from the $1-billion total prize money, it was the Brazilian teams that truly caught the eye. 'The South American teams coming to this tournament here showed fantastic attitude, to prove a point that they're good teams,' said 1990 Fifa World Cup winner Jürgen Klinsmann. 'And the other teams, the Europeans… they really showed up. They embraced this tournament and we saw fantastic football throughout.' Player welfare Despite some of these positives, the tournament has been the subject of heavy criticism, particularly in relation to player welfare. Footballers such as Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and his former Manchester City teammate Rodri have been vocal about the extra workload that will come with the expanded Club World Cup, even though it is a quadrennial tournament. Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is another critic of the tournament, which has grown from just seven participating teams to the 32 that played in the US in 2025. Klopp has labelled the showpiece 'the worst idea ever implemented in football'. 'Last year we had the Copa America and European Championship, this year the Club World Cup and next year the World Cup,' Klopp told German news channel Welt. 'This means no real recovery for the players who are there, neither physically nor mentally…' Global soccer player union Fifpro has also spoken out against the Club World Cup for the same reasons as Klopp, and accused world soccer governing body Fifa of being a bully. Scathing attack on Fifa In the aftermath of the tournament, Fifpro president Sergio Marchi released a scathing statement aimed at Fifa. He minced no words as he addressed player welfare as well as the harsh weather conditions in which some matches were played. 'Although the recent Club World Cup generated enthusiasm among many supporters and allowed some of the biggest names in world football to be seen in the same tournament, Fifpro cannot fail to point out, with absolute clarity, that this competition hides a dangerous disconnection with the true reality that most footballers around the world are going through,' Marchi said. 'What was presented as a global festival of football was nothing more than a fiction staged by Fifa, driven by its president, without dialogue, without sensitivity and without respect for those who sustain the game with their daily efforts. 'A grandiloquent staging that inevitably recalls the 'bread and circuses' of Nero's Rome – entertainment for the masses while behind the curtain the inequality, precariousness and lack of protection of the real protagonists deepens,' stated Marchi. 'The tournament also took place under unacceptable conditions, with matches being played in extremely hot weather and at temperatures that put the physical integrity of the players at risk. This situation must not only be denounced, but must also be strongly condemned. Under no circumstances must this happen again at next year's Fifa World Cup. 'You can no longer play with the health of footballers to feed a marketing machine. No spectacle is possible if the voice of the protagonists is turned off.' 'The next best thing' In spite of this harsh criticism, Fifa president Gianni Infantino is upbeat about the future of a tournament that he conceptualised. Infantino believes his idea can only become better in the future, judging from this first iteration. 'The golden age of club football has started. We can definitely say this Club World Cup has been a huge success,' he said. 'We heard that financially it would not work, that nobody is interested. But I can say we generated almost $2.1-billion in revenues, for 63 matches. That makes an average of $33-million per match – no other club competition in the world comes close. It is already the most successful club competition in the world. 'All the teams who have come here have been happy. Some teams who didn't come here because they didn't qualify were calling us to see how they could qualify… 'We created something new, something which is here to stay, something which is changing the landscape of club football.' Whether it is changing club soccer for better or for worse remains a prickly talking point. The next edition of the tournament is set for 2029 and a host is yet to be selected. DM
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The problem with Chelsea's transfer masterplan
It could be deemed the most successful transfer policy in the global game. Cole Palmer, the flagship coup of Chelsea's recruitment in the new era, scored twice in the Club World Cup final and was named player of the tournament. The other goal in the demolition of Paris Saint-Germain went to Joao Pedro: 11 days into his Chelsea career, the Brazilian had already scored twice in the semi-final. The Golden Glove was awarded to the much-maligned Robert Sanchez, the unlikely scourge of PSG's feared forward line. Of 15 players used in the final, three were academy graduates and the other 12 all bought under the new regime. Now Chelsea have a rare lull in the football, they can get back to their actual business: transfer business. After proof of the mastery of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, they have another chance to demonstrate it. Or, putting sarcasm aside, after the evidence that Chelsea's outlay on players – now around £1.4bn under their current owners – has brought some quality and some return on the pitch, the Club World Cup winners have more trading to do. This time, the revolving door needs more departures than arrivals. Part of it is a rather basic but still accurate element: Chelsea have far too many players. Another ought to be obvious: the savings Chelsea claim they make with lower basic wages is offset by the size of the squad and it is a waste of money to pay players not to play. Yet there is now another imperative. Chelsea were fined €20m by Uefa for breaching squad cost control, which could rise by up to another €60m. Unless they demonstrate they have generated a cost-saving through sales, they could be unable to register new signings for the Champions League. Some of those new faces debuted for Chelsea in the United States, in Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo. Others played for other clubs there but are now Blues, in Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian. Then there is Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez, while Geovany Quenda is due to arrive next year. The good news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that they have so many players that there are a host of possible ways to generate money. Indeed, they have already started. They have reduced their stockpile of goalkeepers by selling Djordje Petrovic to Bournemouth, Kepa Arrizabalaga to Arsenal and Marcus Bettinelli to Manchester City. Bashir Humphreys' loan to Burnley became permanent and, in the accounts, counts as pure profit. Mathis Amougou has gone to sister club Strasbourg; there are suggestions Ishe Samuels-Smith will follow suit. Mike Penders, Filip Joergensen, Robert Sanchez, and Gaga Slonina of Chelsea (Chelsea FC via Getty Images) The bad news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that it would still seem to leave a significant shortfall. Even Noni Madueke's move to Arsenal, while for a far bigger fee, would leave them with a substantial net spend this window. Another problem is the probability that the players they most want to sell are among the hardest to offload, particularly for sizeable sums. The Stamford Bridge version of the bomb squad would seem to include Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, none of whom went to the Club World Cup and thus, presumably, have fewer medals from it than Donald Trump. Perhaps Christopher Nkunku, though he did come on in the final, and Armando Broja may be honorary members of it. There is the further complication that they include several of the bigger earners. The great unsellable could be Sterling, whose loan to Arsenal last season was both subsidised and unsuccessful, thus rendering it less likely anyone will buy him now. Chilwell went to Crystal Palace, but they have just bought a left-back, Borna Sosa, on presumably smaller wages. Disasi could now be approximately an eighth-choice centre-back. Joao Felix was an oddity, bought a year after an underwhelming loan but only to pocket the pure profit from Conor Gallagher's departure. Perhaps Benfica will prove an escape route, but probably at a loss for Chelsea. Nkunku could be moved on to thin out Chelsea's squad (Getty Images) Then there is Nkunku; available for a while, offered to various other clubs, a player of pedigree, but whose route into Enzo Maresca's strongest side is blocked. Chelsea have tried to sell Broja before but have overpriced an injury-prone attacker. There is a further category: the young players bought by the new regime, but without a clear plan or path to the team. Chelsea could do with cashing in on some. Carney Chukwuemeka could be among the most sellable and Chelsea's battalion of new midfielders might render him surplus to requirements. So, too, Lesley Ugochukwu. Maybe even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, too. The new influx of strikers makes it still harder to see David Datro Fofana or Deivid Washington, currently on loan at Santos, in the team; indeed, Nicolas Jackson's descent from first-choice centre-forward means he offers the possibility of proving a money-making sale. Noni Madueke is set to join Arsenal to balance the books for Chelsea (PA Wire) Others can testify to Chelsea's ruthlessness. Trevoh Chalobah has long looked at risk, as an academy graduate, but ought to have proved his (footballing) value enough to be safe; younger homegrown players such as Tyrique George or Josh Acheampong should nevertheless consider themselves warned. The sheer volume of footballers means Chelsea have multiple options. Perhaps few would notice if, say, Omari Kellyman or Caleb Wiley or Marc Guiu or Gabriel Slonina went. Renato Veiga at least made more of an impact. Perhaps the size of the squad explains why Chelsea need so many sporting directors. They could all be busy looking to offload players. Indeed, they have shown creativity in finding homes for the unwanted. But temporary deals could be less suitable if they need to make a profit. And, in any case, they can only loan out six players abroad, apart from club-trained and Under-21 players. Which, as some of their youthful recruits are 21 or 22, becomes more of an issue, especially if some of those loan spots have to be saved for a couple of the senior players who have no buyers. Kendry Paez could head out on loan with no clear path to first team football at Chelsea (Chelsea FC via Getty Images) If part of the rationale behind Chelsea's remarkable recruitment was that they were creating value, now they need to extract some of it, to turn the hypothetical prices of players on the balance sheet into funds. Call it an exodus or a clearout but there has long been a case that Chelsea had to shed players. Now, in the glow of success, after being anointed by Fifa and punished by Uefa, is the time to do it.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The problem with Chelsea's transfer masterplan
It could be deemed the most successful transfer policy in the global game. Cole Palmer, the flagship coup of Chelsea's recruitment in the new era, scored twice in the Club World Cup final and was named player of the tournament. The other goal in the demolition of Paris Saint-Germain went to Joao Pedro: 11 days into his Chelsea career, the Brazilian had already scored twice in the semi-final. The Golden Glove was awarded to the much-maligned Robert Sanchez, the unlikely scourge of PSG's feared forward line. Of 15 players used in the final, three were academy graduates and the other 12 all bought under the new regime. Now Chelsea have a rare lull in the football, they can get back to their actual business: transfer business. After proof of the mastery of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, they have another chance to demonstrate it. Or, putting sarcasm aside, after the evidence that Chelsea's outlay on players – now around £1.4bn under their current owners – has brought some quality and some return on the pitch, the Club World Cup winners have more trading to do. This time, the revolving door needs more departures than arrivals. Part of it is a rather basic but still accurate element: Chelsea have far too many players. Another ought to be obvious: the savings Chelsea claim they make with lower basic wages is offset by the size of the squad and it is a waste of money to pay players not to play. Yet there is now another imperative. Chelsea were fined €20m by Uefa for breaching squad cost control, which could rise by up to another €60m. Unless they demonstrate they have generated a cost-saving through sales, they could be unable to register new signings for the Champions League. Some of those new faces debuted for Chelsea in the United States, in Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo. Others played for other clubs there but are now Blues, in Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian. Then there is Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez, while Geovany Quenda is due to arrive next year. The good news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that they have so many players that there are a host of possible ways to generate money. Indeed, they have already started. They have reduced their stockpile of goalkeepers by selling Djordje Petrovic to Bournemouth, Kepa Arrizabalaga to Arsenal and Marcus Bettinelli to Manchester City. Bashir Humphreys' loan to Burnley became permanent and, in the accounts, counts as pure profit. Mathis Amougou has gone to sister club Strasbourg; there are suggestions Ishe Samuels-Smith will follow suit. The bad news, from a Chelsea perspective, is that it would still seem to leave a significant shortfall. Even Noni Madueke's move to Arsenal, while for a far bigger fee, would leave them with a substantial net spend this window. Another problem is the probability that the players they most want to sell are among the hardest to offload, particularly for sizeable sums. The Stamford Bridge version of the bomb squad would seem to include Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, none of whom went to the Club World Cup and thus, presumably, have fewer medals from it than Donald Trump. Perhaps Christopher Nkunku, though he did come on in the final, and Armando Broja may be honorary members of it. There is the further complication that they include several of the bigger earners. The great unsellable could be Sterling, whose loan to Arsenal last season was both subsidised and unsuccessful, thus rendering it less likely anyone will buy him now. Chilwell went to Crystal Palace, but they have just bought a left-back, Borna Sosa, on presumably smaller wages. Disasi could now be approximately an eighth-choice centre-back. Joao Felix was an oddity, bought a year after an underwhelming loan but only to pocket the pure profit from Conor Gallagher's departure. Perhaps Benfica will prove an escape route, but probably at a loss for Chelsea. Then there is Nkunku; available for a while, offered to various other clubs, a player of pedigree, but whose route into Enzo Maresca's strongest side is blocked. Chelsea have tried to sell Broja before but have overpriced an injury-prone attacker. There is a further category: the young players bought by the new regime, but without a clear plan or path to the team. Chelsea could do with cashing in on some. Carney Chukwuemeka could be among the most sellable and Chelsea's battalion of new midfielders might render him surplus to requirements. So, too, Lesley Ugochukwu. Maybe even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, too. The new influx of strikers makes it still harder to see David Datro Fofana or Deivid Washington, currently on loan at Santos, in the team; indeed, Nicolas Jackson's descent from first-choice centre-forward means he offers the possibility of proving a money-making sale. Others can testify to Chelsea's ruthlessness. Trevoh Chalobah has long looked at risk, as an academy graduate, but ought to have proved his (footballing) value enough to be safe; younger homegrown players such as Tyrique George or Josh Acheampong should nevertheless consider themselves warned. The sheer volume of footballers means Chelsea have multiple options. Perhaps few would notice if, say, Omari Kellyman or Caleb Wiley or Marc Guiu or Gabriel Slonina went. Renato Veiga at least made more of an impact. Perhaps the size of the squad explains why Chelsea need so many sporting directors. They could all be busy looking to offload players. Indeed, they have shown creativity in finding homes for the unwanted. But temporary deals could be less suitable if they need to make a profit. And, in any case, they can only loan out six players abroad, apart from club-trained and Under-21 players. Which, as some of their youthful recruits are 21 or 22, becomes more of an issue, especially if some of those loan spots have to be saved for a couple of the senior players who have no buyers. If part of the rationale behind Chelsea's remarkable recruitment was that they were creating value, now they need to extract some of it, to turn the hypothetical prices of players on the balance sheet into funds. Call it an exodus or a clearout but there has long been a case that Chelsea had to shed players. Now, in the glow of success, after being anointed by Fifa and punished by Uefa, is the time to do it.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump booed but unbowed at Club World Cup final as he crashes Chelsea's trophy lift
US president Donald Trump was front and center for Chelsea's trophy lift and was greeted by widespread boos at the Fifa Club World Cup final at a sold-out MetLife Stadium on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Trump was booed while appearing on video boards during the playing of the national anthem before the match, and then later while walking out with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to present the competition's trophy, individual awards and runners-up medals. Later, Trump and Infantino jointly carried the Club World Cup trophy to the Chelsea team on the stage. Infantino moved out of frame of television cameras while Trump stayed put, finding himself squarely in focus as Chelsea captain Reece James lifted the trophy and his teammates celebrated around him. The final of the newly expanded tournament, ostensibly aimed at crowning a world champion of club soccer, kicked off at 3pm local time amid the searing heat that has been one of the storylines of the controversial competition so far. To the extent there was a US-specific connection in the matchup, it lay with Chelsea, owned by a group headed by American billionaire Todd Boehly, who joined Trump, Infantino and PSG chair Nasser al-Khelaifi on stage after the match. Security at the stadium was significantly elevated from previous matches held at the venue, with Secret Service agents posted at stadium gates. Lines to get in moved slowly but without major incident as temperatures rose to 85F (29C) for the a kickoff that was delayed by about eight minutes. The president's motorcade pulled into a special entrance located adjacent to the players', with Trump and his entourage exiting his car under a tent with curtains drawn about 30 minutes before the match. The US national anthem, which had been played one hour before kick-off at every previous Club World Cup game as a regular part of the pre-game schedule, was moved up to take place just before the start of the game with Trump due to be present. When Trump was shown on stadium video boards standing for the anthem, the crowd reacted with booing for several seconds. Related: Is the Club World Cup a good addition to the football calendar? Accompanying Trump in the midfield luxury box were Infantino, the former New England Patriots quarterback and current Fox Sports commentator Tom Brady, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Members of Trump's cabinet, including attorney general Pam Bondi, transportation secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem were also present, as was the Club World Cup trophy, which has sat in the Oval Office since Infantino presented it to Trump in an event earlier this year. Infantino has sought to form a closer association with Trump on several occasions since Fifa awarded the Club World Cup hosting rights to the United States in 2023. He described his relationship with Trump as 'absolutely crucial' in a February meeting with the International Football Association Board, and has appeared alongside Trump at several public events, including at the Oval Office when announcing the creation of a World Cup task force. Infantino was later present at the first public meeting of the World Cup task force, at which he was seated alongside Trump with vice-president JD Vance, and accompanied Trump to the Middle East this year – a trip that made him late for the Fifa congress in Paraguay, angering Fifa delegates who walked out of the gathering in protest. Solve the daily Crossword
