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      Chelsea CONFIRM £35m Noni Madueke transfer from PSV on eight-and-a-half-year deal as Boehly’s January spending continues

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      CHELSEA have confirmed the signing of Noni Madueke after posting a cryptic tweet to tease the announcement.The Blues have completed a £35million move for the PSV winger, taking their amazing January spending spree to £189million.
      Madueke described his England return as a “dream”
      He has signed a seven-and-a-half-year plus one deal at Stamford Bridge
      With the Englishman’s arrival, Chelsea have now brought five players through the door on permanent deals, while also adding Joao Felix until the end of the season this month.
      And Chelsea’s social media team have gotten more creative with their announcements – such is there frequency – that they announced him initially by simply posting a tweet that read: “Link in bio. 👀”
      From there, the link in the club’s Twitter profile would take fans to Madueke’s Instagram page.
      On Chelsea’s website, a statement announcing the deal said: “Noni Madueke has joined Chelsea on a permanent deal from PSV Eindhoven.
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      “The England youth international – one of the most exciting young talents across Europe – has penned a seven-and-a-half-year contract, with a club option to extend for a further year, to seal his move from the Eredivisie high-flyers.
      “Madueke, a left-footed right winger, becomes our second addition of the week as he follows Mykhailo Mudryk through the doors at Stamford Bridge.”
      On his transfer, Madueke said: “I’m really pleased to sign with one of the best clubs in the world in Chelsea,’ Madueke said on finalising his transfer.
      “To return to England and play in the Premier League is a dream for me and my family and I can’t wait to get started.
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      Chelsea have signed the 20-year-old from PSVCredit: PA
      “I am excited for what the future holds, the owner’s vision for the future and to be at a club like this and winning at the highest level.”
      Madueke scored 20 goals and added 14 assists in his time at PSV, but just one of those has come this season as he was coming back off of an ankle injury.
      He also outperformed his Expected Goals in 2020/21 season by a value of 2.1, meaning he scored far more than the average striker would have given the same chances.
      Earlier today, PSV boss and ex-Manchester United ace Ruud van Nistelrooy confirmed Madueke was on his way to the Blues.
      He said: “It’s a mix of emotions.
      “We are losing a good player because of his departure. There was no turning back and there was solid financial compensation.
      “I can empathise with the importance of the club. Given the circumstances, with the financial compensation, we have decided to sell.”
      The £30m deal for the 20-year-old checks off another target from Todd Boehly’s extensive fan-led shopping list.
      The club failed in a bid for Enzo Fernandez earlier in the window, but rather than deter them, they have simply switched targets to Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
      The Blues already reportedly saw a £65m bid turned down for the Ecuadorian, but Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted it would be difficult to keep him at the club with Chelsea’s interest.
      Chelsea face an interesting financial situation should they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
      They sit as the club with the eighth highest revenue in all of Europe, according to Deloitte, but the nature of the long contracts they offer gives them flexibility to avoid breaking Financial Fair Play rules.
      A football financing tactic known as amortisation is used to spread the cost of transfers over the duration of a players contract, meaning Myhkailo Mudryk’s move will cost the club roughly £10m a season – owing to his own seven and a half plus one year contract.
      But Chelsea are testing this to the extreme, especially with new financial rules coming into play relating to a clubs wages to turnover ratio.
      On the deal Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said: “We’re delighted to bring Noni to Chelsea.
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      “He’s an exciting talent who has proven his quality over the past few years with PSV, playing in a strong European league, and we are thrilled he has chosen to join Chelsea for this next stage of his career.
      “We are sure he will form an important part of our team.” More

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      Troy Deeney: Trust me, black footballers are genuinely furious at John Yems, I can’t deal with someone so ignorant

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      I DON’T think I’d ever heard of John Yems before this week and, frankly, I hope I never hear his name again.I’ve never met the former Crawley Town manager and hope I never do.
      Troy Deeney has revealed black footballers are genuinely furious over an FA Commission’s findings in the John Yems caseCredit: Getty
      I don’t mean that in a threatening way, I just don’t think I could deal with being in the company of someone so stupid and ignorant.
      Yems, 63, was banned from football for 18 months this week for 12 aggravated breaches of FA rules on discrimination.
      He was found to have referred to some of Crawley’s black and Asian players as “curry munchers”, “terrorists” and “Zulu warriors”, along with other slurs.
      I’m in a WhatsApp group with several prominent current and former black footballers — including some of the biggest names in the game — and I’ve rarely heard such genuine fury from them than the response to the Yems case.
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      Because while an FA commission banned Yems, they limited his punishment, stating that he is not a “conscious racist”.
      That was a profoundly embarrassing and worrying thing for the FA’s independent commission to state.
      There is a lot of genuine anger about it, believe me.
      If those insults do not constitute conscious racism, I honestly don’t know what does.
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      Does someone have to dress up in a Ku Klux Klan outfit to be deemed a “conscious racist” because that is how it feels to me and a lot of black players.
      Put it another way, how many conscious racists do you know — people who’ll say, “Yes, I’m a racist”? Very few.
      When someone starts a sentence with, “I’m not being racist but . . . ” you know what’s coming next.
      Or, “How can I be racist when I’ve got black friends?” That’s always a good one.
      Yems then went on talkSPORT on Thursday and was interviewed by Jim White.
      He sounded unrepentant, even claiming HE should be receiving apologies.
      When I heard that interview, my initial thought was that the station shouldn’t have given him the platform — although if I was still working for talkSPORT, I know I’d have wanted to grill Yems and challenge his views.
      Yes, Yems will have received criticism.
      But a lot of people will have been happy and proud to hear Yems spouting his nonsense because they will feel it has added justification to their own offensive views.
      If you are going to have Yems on the radio, trying to make himself sound like some kind of victim, then we really should hear from the actual victims.
      Some of these players who were bullied by Yems say their careers have been wrecked by him.
      We cannot imagine the toll this sort of behaviour might have taken on their mental health.
      People in football make the right noises about racism but this Yems verdict makes me feel everything is going backwards.
      The England team and the manager Gareth Southgate, have been very strong on taking the knee as an anti-discrimination message at the start of matches — even despite opposition from some Three Lions supporters.
      But then something like this happens, under the auspices of the FA, and there is horror and disbelief among black players.
      We still feel we are at the bottom rung when it comes to tackling discrimination.
      Controversy has also come from a chant about Wilfried GnontoCredit: Rex
      There has been another recent racism controversy, surrounding the 19-year-old Leeds winger Willy Gnonto and a song from his club’s fans which includes the line, “his c**k’s f***ing massive”.
      There have been similar chants about black players before.
      Leeds and their manager, Jesse Marsch, have been outspoken in trying to educate people that the line is based on an offensive racist stereotype and have asked supporters to adapt or scrap the song.
      But when Gnonto scored a wonder goal against Cardiff in their FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday, the song was sung again.
      I find the levels of stupidity unbelievable — the idea that 40,000 people can get together, in 2023 and decide that singing a song like that is a good idea.
      Talking of stupidity, the incident where Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale was kicked by a Tottenham fan after Sunday’s North London derby was also troubling.
      Especially the idea that Ramsdale somehow provoked the incident by kissing his badge after the final whistle.
      Ramsdale had been taking stick, so he gave a little back.We don’t want players to have to act as robots.
      We should be able to show a little passion but now it feels that, by doing so, we’re risking our safety.
      I hope the Spurs fan is given a punishment which affects his everyday life, such as a football banning order.
      It seems part of a growing culture of supporters feeling they are entitled to invade the playing area — a fan ran on during Wednesday’s Crystal Palace v Manchester United match and took a selfie with Red Devils midfielder Casemiro.
      Again, it’s that worrying sense of entitlement — and stupidity.It’s been one of those weeks where you despair for football and wider society.
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      The only positive thing I’ve heard is that when my Birmingham side play Preston today, referee Rebecca Welch will become the first woman to take charge of a Championship fixture.
      That’s one step in the right direction in terms of equality.But the Yems case shows that, in other areas, we still have a hell of a long way to go. More

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      Karren Brady: Premier League is UK’s most enviable asset but its success is rooted in competition.. it must remain elite

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      IN the eyes of most of the world, the most enviable thing in Britain is the Premier League.It beat the BBC, our universities, Rolls-Royce and many other famous institutions in a recent ‘Icon Index’.
      The Premier League has been named UK’s most Iconic exportCredit: Getty
      Elite competition has helped the Premier League become one of the most enviable assets in the UKCredit: Getty
      I can’t say I’m taken aback and it comes as no surprise either that foreigners want at least a piece of it. Some want whole chunks.
      EFL leaders are at the head of the Oliver Twist-like pleas for “more please” — although their “please” is not all that audible, not even a whisper really as some practically regard it as a right.
      They’ve made demands so loudly and so often the government is now convinced football needs an independent regulator, a sort of deity who divvies up Prem cash even more than it currently is.
      Let’s not forget the Prem already gives away over 15 per cent of gross revenue — a whopping £1.6BILLION over the next three years. No other industry or sporting organisation in the world does that.
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      I’m not against a bigger share as such, provided EFL clubs introduce stronger financial regulation based on sustainability.
      On average, Championship clubs spend 100 per cent of turnover on wages, so they are all loss-making!
      But experience of government interference in controversial matters only promises more confusion and anger.
      It is like VAR dealing with handball in the box — sound on paper but baffling in practice.
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      Big-money clubs in Europe want a bigger share of Prem pie, too. Hardly a surprise.
      They look at our £10bn revenue last season and, of even more concern to them, evidence this week from a Deloitte report on football finances that showed 11 Prem clubs are in the world’s top 20 earners and Manchester City now lead with £619m revenue from the 2021-22 season.
      Fifa must froth at the mouth at these figures and takings at major clubs across the whole of Uefa.
      They dressed up resentment in terms of needing more money to spread the gospel of football across all 211 members worldwide.
      This poses as another laudable objective but Fifa territories include countries who must have more pressing priorities than posh HQs and smart cars for representatives?
      Some of us, well the English of us, have concerns about the increase of foreign players and managers, irresistibly tempted by the Prem.
      There is at least one first-team squad with only three English players.
      As for owners, 13 of the 20 clubs have no English representation and this surely will increase as Middle East and American interest in the massive turnovers increase.
      Even last season bottom club Norwich earned £100m before they received £44m in one of three parachute payments.
      There’s a “demand” parachute payments are drastically cut, but these calls are from people who do not understand football finance.
      It is simple. If you’re promoted and want to try and stay in the Prem you must spend big on players, and therefore on players’ salaries.
      And if you get relegated you cannot simply walk away from their contracts so you need the parachute payment to pay for the heavy burden of these salaries when you have to rely on reduced earnings in the EFL after you go down.
      Without it, relegated clubs go into administration, or worse, bankrupt.
      If you cannot count on parachute payments, you cannot take on new players’ contracts in the Prem.
      That means you will not only be uncompetitive and likely relegated, you will contribute nothing to the competitiveness of the division.
      If you roll that movie forward — how long before there is a call to cut the 20 clubs to 18, on the basis the promoted ones are contributing little or nothing to the league?
      Money also seemed to be on the mind of Javier Tebas, the head of La Liga, who this week moaned that the Prem’s spending in the transfer market — £1.92bn last summer — is unsustainable.
      If he takes a closer look he will find the secret of the Prem’s success lies in high-class competition, with 97 per cent capacity crowds, a global audience of 4.7 billion people — and they can’t all be wrong!
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      The trick, and the government would be wise to remember this, is to ensure the English top-flight remains as strong as possible.
      It must be as competitive as possible so that it can continue to step in and help the charities, the EFL, the FA, grassroots, the PFA and endless other good causes for many years to come. More

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      Juventus slapped with 15-POINT deduction over transfer scam with Spurs chief Paratici BANNED for two-and-a-half years

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      SPURS were rocked last night after director of football Fabio Paratici was handed a two-and-a-half YEAR ban from the game by an Italian court.Paratici was found guilty of orchestrating a transfer scam over three seasons at Juventus.
      Spurs chief Fabio Paratici has been handed a two-and-a-half year ban from footballCredit: Reuters
      Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus have also been hit with a 15-point penaltyCredit: Alamy
      And the Italian giants had the heart ripped out of their season as they were given a huge 15-point penalty for the plot.
      The shock finding means the FA is now likely to be asked to implement the suspension by its Italian counterparts, leaving Spurs in the lurch and chairman Daniel Levy searching to plug a huge hole at the top of the club.
      SunSport understands Wembley chiefs are unclear if the sanction is one that they must automatically apply or await direction from Fifa.
      But normally associations accept the disciplinary decisions of fellow governing bodies and while it is expected Paratici will appeal the verdict – of the Federal Appeals Court – his future at Tottenham appears bleak.
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      Juventus were accused of inflating transfer fees in dealings with other Italian clubs over three seasons to create millions of pounds in “capital gains” for tax purposes.
      It was stated that Juve had manipulated the system to free up their spending powers in the market.
      Juve and eight clubs, including Sampdoria, Genoa and Parma, were initially acquitted in May.
      But that verdict was appealed to the Federal Appeals Court and Italian FA prosecutors asked the case to be reheard and for serious sanctions at yesterday’s hearing.
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      Prosecuting lawyer Giuseppe Chine had only asked for an immediate nine-point penalty.
      Instead, the “Old Lady” were mugged for 15 points, dropping them from third in the Serie A table down to 11th and 12 points adrift of the fourth and final Champions League spot, now taken by Lazio.
      Chine, acting on behalf of the FA, also demanded lengthy bans for Paratici and axed Juve board chiefs Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved among others and fines totalling £1m for the clubs involved in the scheme.
      Juventus lawyer Maurizio Bellacosa argued the appeal was “inadmissible”, pointing to the legal principle that “nobody can be prosecuted or criminally convicted of an offence for which they have already been acquitted”.
      But that position was dismissed by the Court, even though it ruled that sanctions should only apply to Juventus and its officials and none of the other clubs.
      Paratici, 50, who joined Spurs 18 months ago to take charge of recruitment in N17, was handed the heaviest punishment.
      Agnelli, who formally stood down as Juve President this week, and chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene – who was formerly Principal of the Ferrari F1 team – were both given two-year bans.
      Nedved, who also left the club this week, is suspended from football for eight months, along with a number of club officials.
      The findings are also likely to have more serious implications for Juventus with Uefa poised to open an investigation into the financial dealings which are likely to lead to a lengthy European ban, More

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      Kasper Schmeichel ‘agreed shock Bayern Munich transfer before club moved for Yann Sommer’

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      KASPER SCHMEICHEL was reportedly lined-up to make a shock move to Bayern Munich – before the German giants landed Yann Sommer. The Leicester title-winning keeper was apparently close to the biggest move of his career as the Bundesliga champions lined up different options.
      Kasper Schmeichel spent over a decade at Leicester before heading to NiceCredit: AFP
      They have had to dive into the January market after Manuel Neuer broke his leg on a skiing trip last month.
      With negotiations over Sommer stalling, Bayern turned to Nice to enquire over Schmeichel, according to Foot Mercato.
      The Danish keeper has only been in France since August after his shock departure from Leicester City.
      He has been a regular with Nice ever since his transfer but they reportedly allowed Bayern to begin negotiations.
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      Schmeichel is reported to have agreed personal terms “with ease”.
      But the deal never materialised with Sommer successfully negotiating his exit from Borussia Monchengladbach.
      He was thrown into the starting line-up for Bayern’s first game back in the Bundesliga against title rivals RB Leipzig.
      Manchester United had been repeatedly linked to Sommer as they ponder the future of David de Gea and their no.1 jersey.
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      Schmeichel has featured in 17 of Nice’s 19 games this season with the French side sat in 10th at halfway stage.
      They have conceded 20 goals in their matches so far.
      But the 36-year-old has not always enjoyed the best of times at the club and he was booed by his own fans back in October when his name was ready out before a home match. More

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      Chelsea and Tottenham transfer blow as Milan Skriniar ‘agrees to join PSG for FREE in summer but could go in January’

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      PSG have reportedly agreed on a deal to sign Milan Skriniar this summer, handing a blow to Chelsea and Tottenham.The Premier League duo were hoping to sign the centre-back to strengthen their backlines.
      PSG have reportedly beaten Chelsea and Tottenham to Milan SkriniarCredit: Getty
      But PSG have jumped to the front of the queue as they continued their interest in him from the summer.
      The Ligue 1 giants have agreed to sign him in the summer after his contract expires at Inter Milan, according to L’Equipe.
      The report also suggests the Slovak could make the move this month if PSG pays the Serie A side between £13-£8million.
      This could interest Inter as it would mean they would get some cash for one of their top players rather than see him walk out of the door for nothing at the end of the season.
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      Spurs would have been hoping that the Slovakian international could have improved their backline.
      Manager Antonio Conte signed Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet on loan last summer as a temporary solution while a long-term fix was identified.
      Chelsea, on the other hand, have been spending continuously since the take over by Todd Boehly.
      This month the Blues signed AS Monaco defender Benoît Badiashile to bolster their defence.
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      However, with Wesley Fofana’s injury problems and Thiago Silva not getting any younger, Skriniar would have been a good option.
      The fact that he would have been available on a free transfer would have appealed to the club after the near £500million spend since last summer. More

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      Jurgen Klopp fires subtle dig at Chelsea’s transfer splurge ahead of Liverpool tie and warns Boehly spending can’t go on

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      JURGEN KLOPP has aimed a subtle dig at Chelsea’s spending spree and suggested it can’t go on forever. Liverpool meet the Blues at Anfield tomorrow lunchtime with both teams sitting in mid-table.
      Todd Boehly cannot be accused of not spending money on Chelsea since last year’s takeoverCredit: Getty
      Jurgen Klopp is trying to get Liverpool back on track after a testing start to 2023Credit: Rex
      While Reds fans are set to celebrate Klopp’s 1000th game in management, Chelsea supporters will be keeping one eye on their phone for the announcement of yet another signing.
      The new ownership led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have already bought £152m worth of talent this month following a similarly expensive spree in the summer.
      Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk headlines January’s non-stop recruitment with the Blues beating rivals Arsenal to the £88m signing.
      But Klopp appears less than impressed with the London side’s methods.
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      When told about how much money Chelsea had spent, he said at his pre-match press conference: “Interesting. I can’t explain it, I have no idea. But if the numbers are true then it’s impressive.
      “I can’t see investment stopping in the future, so that means we have to do it as well. 
      “I believe in coaching, developing and team building 100 per cent. But meanwhile the managers out there, they are all good and they believe in that as well. 
      “So, if they start spending then if we don’t spend you will have a problem. I am not sure they can do that for the next 10 years though.”
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      Liverpool have only made one major signing in this window in the form of Dutch star Cody Gakpo for £37m.
      But Klopp said he is not concerned about being outspent.
      He added: “We’re in good hands and we know about responsibility. The moment you build a team doesn’t mean you do it new every year. 
      “It’s not worrying that other teams can spend, it’s a fact so we have to react to that as well.”
      Liverpool are looking for their first Premier League win of the calendar year so far.
      They’ve already been well beaten in trips to Brentford and then Brighton. More

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      Man Utd ‘to launch stunning Harry Kane transfer swoop as Erik ten Hag makes Tottenham star his No1 summer target’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED want to sign England and Tottenham ace Harry Kane, according to reports.The Spurs star is entering the final year of his contract at Tottenham in the summer.
      Manchester United will launch a swoop for Harry Kane in the summerCredit: Alamy
      Kane is behind only Erling Haaland in this year’s golden boot race
      And that is exactly when Man Utd are planning to take advantage and seal a stunning swoop for the 29-year-old.
      According to the Daily Mail, a new striker is a priority for Erik ten Hag.
      As a result, Ten Hag has listed Kane as his number one target for his summer wishlist.
      Kane has scored 15 goals in 20 Premier League games this season.
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      This tally puts him behind only Erling Haaland in the golden boot race this season.
      However, Kane fits the profile of striker Ten Hag likes to have leading the line.
      He is robust and is able to contribute in possession by dropping deep and spreading the play – something he has combined with Son Heung-Min for on a record-breaking number of times in the Prem.
      The Mail’s report indicates Kane is also open to joining United.
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      The lack of progress at Spurs has left Kane frustrated, and there is consequently a negative feeling regarding a new deal for him.
      And with the added factor of Spurs’ Champions League status looking more and more precarious by the week as opposed to United’s strengthening hand, it could be a decisive factor.
      But chairman Daniel Levy will not allow Kane to leave on the cheap.
      The minimum price Kane will be allowed to go for will be at least £85million, though this will likely be higher given United are a Prem rival.
      Bayern Munich are another interested party and could get a deal on that sort of money, but with Kane now just 62 goals adrift of Alan Shearer’s all-time record goalscorer title – a transfer abroad could depend on Kane’s individual aspirations.
      Should they fail to sign Kane, United will turn to the likes of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen or Red Bull Salzburg forward Benjamin Sesko.
      The need for a striker is desperately apparent after Cristiano Ronaldo departed the club.
      Wout Weghorst has been brought in on loan for the rest of the season, but all parties recognise this is likely to only be a short-term solution. More