Football

We should hire a people carrier and pull up at various clubs today and lead @Señor_Bear in through a side entrance. For the lols.

The UK tax system doesn't suit Messi's needs.

Ahead of the verdict, the footballer's lawyer, Andreas Anagnostakis, said his client's conduct was justified because the policemen had allegedly attacked him in his "golden leg"

Now he’s been found guilty and the UK is out of the EU how will this impact his ability to play in European away games? Guessing any preseason abroad is also out of the equation, the US in particular.

Chilwell is a great signing for us, be interesting to see what our back four looks like if Thiago Silva comes in as well... Exciting stuff...

Chelsea are the best fit of all the clubs he's been linked with and I'm happy with £45M with add ons. On the basis that we sell a starter each year to fund recruitment, most Leicester fans are massively relieved it's Chilwell rather than Maddison, Ndidi, Suyuncu or Ricardo this year.

I think Chelsea will be disappointed at how one-footed he is and at his poor end product. He also got ripped apart by top teams last year - Mahrez in particular gave him a torrid time - and fans were calling for him to be dropped. He might thrive under Frank, though, as there's certainly something about him, he works hard and has a proverbial "engine" on him. He's also surprisingly good in the air.

We've been linked with some good (and much cheaper) replacements, which will give Luke Thomas a year or two to develop. He signed a long-term contract yesterday and is a fantastic prospect.

I guess that makes Azpiliqueta Arsenal captain by January.

I'm still smarting at Willian going... #toosoon

chillwell had an amazing game vs Chelsea this season exciting times . This does mean Alonso may be on the way out. But chilwell also has nice hair so thats ok.

I'm sure watching Havertz and Ziyech will ease the ache.

better than alonso's hair?

#swoon

Chilwel' s is good but not Alonso good

Unpossible... I'll be sad to see him go, he was amazing when he was at his best...

My prediction is that Chilwell will be Drinkwater v2. Alonso is a drunk driving murderer, my Chelsea mate will be glad to see the back of him but he's not excited by Chilwell either.

Wonder what will happen with Messi, will be unbelievable if he leaves, given Koeman has already told Suarez to find another club as well.

So Chelsea are a good fit because he’s single footed and has no end product and gets torn apart by tricky wingers? Sounds right up our alley...

To add insult to injury he’s got worse hair than Alonso.

Baggies confirmed yesterday that there will be no 20/21 season tickets offered for sale. All those who hold 19/20 season tickets will have their seats reserved for 21/22 and will have priority in ticket ballots for any games where spectators are allowed later in the season.

Sad times.

exciting times for chelsea alright, wondering how on earth they'll balance their books

on course for the largest ever one window transfer spend

https://www.football365.com/news/five-biggest-single-window-transfer-spends-ever-man-city-real-madrid-chelsea

Chillwell will do well i think, unless someone with more Leicester knowledge than me can say. But he he was regular and put in solid performances week in week out untill injured at end of season.

Wasn't aware of that in Alonos past.

Edit just seen @Markyboy 'chillwell post. So he's the UK alonso with worse hair. 😂

Haha, no. I think he'll be a good fit at Chelsea because Frank has a knack of getting the most out of young English players and the club looked like it was investing in youth and prepared to be patient... until the transfer ban was lifted, it seems.

Chilwell suffered by comparison to Ricardo, who attacked with peace, took players on, cut inside, delivered good crosses and used both feet - and topped the tackles stats. Best full back outside of Liverpool and the most missed player in the post lock down slump that exposed our lack of squad depth.

Chilwell will bomb up the wing, but defenders know what he will do so shepherd him so he has to stop and pass back with his left. The game needs more two-footed full backs, why aren't there more? He's solid - regular 6/10 - but the alternative was Fuchs. That said, I wish him well - always good to see an academy player make it.

I'm not sure I agree with the statement about Lampard getting the most out of young English players. I think he's been lucky that he's found himself with an embarrassment of riches at the Chelsea youth setup (thanks to Jody Morris and others) and he's used this to his advantage at Derby and then Chelsea.

I don't think Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi or Reece James would be any less talented under a different manager. In fact, they might excel under a manager with a stricter training regime and more tactical knowledge.

I like Lampard and enjoyed the entertainment level at Derby when he was in charge, but he gets a free pass from the media when he makes mistakes as a manager because "It's his first season in management"/"He's doing well with what he's been given"/"No one expects him to be doing so well"/"He's utilising young players"/"He's coping with a transfer embargo"... etc. The truth is, he's quite limited and I think it will show this season.

I don't think Chilwell will thrive or improve at Chelsea, but good luck to them all.

You may well be right (or bitter), and it was a case of having no choice during his first season at Chelsea given the ban. I know Fikayo Tomori's dad quite well - he's done quite a bit of work for me - and he rates him, so that's good enough for me.

Chelsea fans' patience may disappear this season and that won't be good for Chilwell.

Haha, I hope I'm not coming across as bitter. I enjoyed the season. Had some great away days (Stamford bridge in the cup in particular) and the chance to see Mount, Tomori and Wilson taking the piss with their ability in the Championship was amazing.

I think a lot of Derby fans have realised that, although there were some great results and the league position got us to the play-off final, we were often found out tactically and relied on the brilliance of Mount and Wilson to pull us through games. Since Cocu has been in charge we lost those outlets, but results picked up later in the season. The pundits will say it's the Rooney effect, but it's mainly down to some young players who have come through our academy and have been given the chance to grow under the guidance of our current coaching setup.

Can you please ask Fikayo's dad if his son would like to come back to Derby again? He was great for us and I would love to see him back.

First time I met his dad, we were chatting about family and he asked about my kids. I proudly told him my 15 year-old's team had just won the London FA youth league and won every game. He told me his son played football too and I asked him who he played for...

and the club looked like it was investing in youth and prepared to be patient... until the transfer ban was lifted, it seems.

I’ve said the same thing several times but the thing with young players is you need patience, so doubling up on positions isn’t the worst idea of them all so kind of see why they’re doing what they’re doing.

If our front 3 would be CHO-Abraham-Werner and no back decent backup after losing both Pedro and Willian it wouldn’t put us in a great position considering how many games you play in a short season or a really long one depending on how you look at it. Some players will go nonstop with Euros, Olympics and WC all happening over the next 23 months.

Hope Chilwell isn’t going to be the next Drinkwater for us.

As for Lampard, clearly there’s potential but his complete disinterest in defence is worrying, so is the suggestion to buy tall players. Fingers crossed it really was tongue in cheek, Chilwell is a good 10cm shorter than Alonso.