Snak

Chelsea’s on-loan midfielder Andrey Santos has been named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Month following his impressive performances for Strasbourg.

The 19-year-old joined the French club in the January transfer window after a failed loan spell at Nottingham Forest in the first half of the season where he made just two first-team appearances.

Santos has already played five games for Strasbourg, who are managed by Patrick Vieira, and delivered two superb displays in wins over Nantes and Rennes last month to secure the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Month for March.

Strasbourg currently sit 13th in Ligue 1 and seven points above the relegation play-off place.

Speaking on Thursday, Santos credited Vieira for playing a key role in his development since his move to France.

‘I am very happy to be here. I have the chance to help the team over the last three matches and to be in continuity on an individual and collective level with good results,’ Santos said.

Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, have unanimously voted in favour of new Premier League Profit & Sustainability Rules in principle, ahead of this summer’s AGM.

The new spending rules would replace the current set of regulations in 2025/26 with the format being similar to that which UEFA adopted two years ago, albeit with a crucial difference.

The legislation will be a two-tier system whereby Premier League clubs competing in Europe are allowed to spend 70 per cent of their revenue and those not in Europe have an 85 per cent threshold. UEFA is set to have a straight 70 per cent revenue limit for all its participant clubs.

The idea is that, given those in European competition will receive boosted revenue for participation and progression, this will help reduce the gap between ‘the best’ and ‘the rest’. It is thought that the £105m loss limit will not be raised and that points deductions and other sporting sanctions will remain as punishment options, as well as financial sanctions.

These proposals will need to be ratified at the Premier League’s AGM, with the vote set to take place on June 5. Whilst the plans themselves received full backing, there is still some minor discrepancy on how they will be implemented.

According to The Athletic, a number of clubs have spoken about a buffer zone for less severe cases that do not merit points deductions, while others have mooted a ‘luxury tax’, that allows clubs to overspend without sporting blemish but face increasing financial penalties with every year they go over - something which would favour the ‘bigger’ clubs.

UEFA’s format is set to be activated in the 2025/26 season, which is when the Premier League is looking to commence its new regulations. By keeping the loss threshold at 70 per cent for those competing in Europe, it aligns with UEFA’s own rules, keeping the line clearer.

Under UEFA’s incoming rules, clubs that persistently and grievously overstep the mark would come in for heavier sanctions than mere financial penalties, and the Premier League is thought to be considering adopting a similar policy.

The alleged PSR cases against Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Manchester City - plus any more that arise before the new rules would come in - still stand. Meanwhile, a deal with the EFL will also be agreed, but not before these rules have been ratified.

The deal for Chelsea to buy a parcel of land next to Stamford Bridge was announced yesterday and hailed as a major step forward in the process of building a new stadium.

But further details released today have shown that it’s not that simple. In fact, the deal is guaranteed to delay the start of any work on site.

Nizaar Kinsella’s piece in the Evening Standard today reveals all.

Chelsea yesterday finalised the purchase of Sir Oswald Stoll mansions, a block of flats owned by a housing charity for veterans which is wedged between the stadium and the tube station, making ownership by the club vital for any redesign.

A deal to buy the land for £80m was agreed in October, and since then the charity have been finding a suitable new site, which they have now done.
Major delays – but a starting point

The crucial factor in all this is the deal agreed that Chelsea won’t take possession of this land until 2027, giving residents time to move, and delaying any physical start to stadium reconstruction until then.

It seems far off now, but given the club can at least move ahead on the planning stages, and given there are likely years of paperwork involved, it might not be as bad as it seems.

“We have been next to Chelsea for 100 years and hope to be for the next 100 years. Both Stoll and Chelsea understood the moral obligation, and we are keen to build out that relationship. It is a long-term community relationship as well as the commercial transaction,” said Will-Campbell-Wrote, CEO of Stoll charity.

The important thing is that the deal is agreed, and the residents are not being hard done by. Parts of the building are Grade II listed, and so will have to be kept and integrated into the design of the new stadium.

The club´s latest set of accounts show that Chelsea recorded the second highest expenditure on salaries in the Premier League with their costs rising by 18 per cent to £404m. Only Manchester City saw greater costs in 2022/23 as they footed a £422.9m bill, likely exacerbated by major bonuses following Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League success.

Accounts revealed that Chelsea paid £747m on transfers up until June 30, 2023, while player sales saw £203m return on stars who had initially cost the club £592m. Amortisation and accountancy regulations ensures that shows as a profit of £63m.

Costs related to club infrastructure and the academy, among a number of other areas, can be discounted from this figure. And that saw Chelsea remarkably help to reduce their losses by completing a £76.5m property deal with a subsidiary of the club’s holding company, BlueCo, which majorly helps them to remain compliant with profitability and sustainability rules.

Chelsea said in its accounts that two hotels were sold by the group to Blueco 22 Properties Limited “a fellow subsidiary to the intermediate parent company Blueco 22 Limited”. The two hotels on the Fulham Broadway side of the Stamford Bridge site – the Millennium and the Copthorne – were part of a large property portfolio that came as part of the deal to buy the club.

That saw the sales of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz included as Todd Boehly and co look to remain compliant with Premier League profit and sustainability rules (PSR) which state clubs can not make a loss greater than £105m over a three-year period.

Despite it remaining unlikely that the west London club will make it into Europe this season, they insist that they do not expect to have any issues with PSR. While still able to rely on income from the Champions League during this period, the club saw turnover increase to £512m from £481m as matchday and commercial revenue improved.

There remains business required to be done before the end of June 2024, with the club having spent a further £454m on transfers in a summer of big spending. The £55m sale of Mason Mount will contribute to the 2023/24 accounts as the club look to offset spending on the likes of Moises Caicedo. Conor Gallagher´s future remains in major question.

On Friday, it was announced Chelsea spent £75.1m on agents’ and intermediaries’ fees in the 12 months up to February 1, having brought in players like Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer over the period covered – almost £32m more than previously spent.

Lewis Hall has revealed he is looking forward to a bright future as a Newcastle United player with his £28million move from Chelsea due to be confirmed.

The criteria for Hall´s transfer from the Blues to Newcastle was for Eddie Howe´s side to finish 14th or higher and for the 19-year-old to be named in 30 or more squads, with United and Hall now achieving both of those milestones. And Hall, who recovered from a muscle injury to come on as substitute in the 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, is now looking ahead to the next stage of his career.

Hall told Chronicle Live: "I am here now as a Newcastle player and I really enjoy it. The future looks really good for the club with so many young and talented players. It is going in the right direction."

Hall was also asked his preferred position after being used in various roles down the left-hand side. The England youth international reflected: "I played a lot of my early senior appearances at left-back or wing-back. But I like to be versatile and play in other positions if required.

"I used to be a midfielder when I was younger but wherever the gaffer wants me to play I will play."

Howe was asked about his thoughts on Hall completing the move to St James´ Park recently and said: "In terms of my thinking, I’m preparing for Lewis to be at Newcastle for many years.

"He was always brought in with a long-term view, not as a short-term signing. He is a long-term signing. We have always believed in him and his quality and we have been working really hard with him on his game.

"He’s a really talented lad. He’s got a couple of things to continue working on as all the players have. I believe in him. My vision for him is he will be at Newcastle for many years."

Andrey Santos since his full debut for Strasbourg:
- 3 games
- 87% accurate passes (2nd in team)
- 30 duels won (1st in team)
- 11 tackles (1st in team)
- 17 balls recovered (1st in team)
- 12 fouls drawn (1st in team)

Så igen lykkes det at holde godt trit med FFP (efter salg af spiller), men her er det vigtig at notere sig at Mason Mount IKKE blev solgt før den 30 Juni som ellers var gættet på af den der FFP City guru, det kom også frem hvorfor der så var den forskel man ikke kunne forstå

#Vince
Andrey Santos har set rigtig lovende ud efter han har fået spilletid og ligner (igen) det store talent der imponerede da vi hentede ham. Fedt vi kan "redde" hans sæson med et bedre udlån, ligesom man gjorde med Datro Fofana. Det viser bare hvor meget den rigtig situation betyder og at det ikke altid er talentet der fejler noget.