Thomas Tuchel: We could need more players in some positions
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has expressed his desire for more signings before the transfer window closes on September 1st. Chelsea has been a very busy club in the transfer market this summer as they have completed three major signings and are on the lookout for more.
Raheem Sterling was brought in from Manchester City for £45 million, Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for a fee of £33 million and Marc Cucurella from Brighton for a whooping £62 million. Thomas Tuchel is still not fully satisfied with his squad and wants to bring in more players, with Chelsea set to compete on four fronts this season.
Ahead of the Blues visit to Southampton on Tuesday, Tuchel spoke in a press conference: “Right now we could need more players in some positions but it’s close to the end of the transfer window and when Sept. 1 comes I will be a happy coach no matter what happens. I will try to find solutions and not think about what could have happened.”
The Blues are being heavily linked with Leicester defender Wesley Fofana and it has been reported that a fee in the region of £70m has been agreed between the two clubs, although an official announcement is yet to be made.
Another of Tuchel’s prime targets, Anthony Gordon, might not be moving to Stamford Bridge this summer with the young midfielder being priced out of a move by Everton. With Lukaku’s departure, Chelsea are also working on a deal to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to London once again.
Arsenal and Chelsea target Wilf Zaha
It has been widely reported by The Guardian that Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Wilfried Zaha and their London rivals Arsenal have seemingly entered the race as well. It looked like Zaha was set for at least another year at Crystal Palace but both the London clubs have made a late entry to sign the Ivory Coast winger.
Zaha has started the season in fine fashion, scoring three goals from three games for Palace. But the winger is not a priority signing for either of the clubs. Arsenal are looking for a replacement for Nicholas Pepe, who joined Nice on loan and has shortlisted Pedro Neto and Yeremi Pino along with Zaha.
Chelsea’s interest, meanwhile, depends on whether they can get Anthony Gordon or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deals over the line. Chelsea are looking a bit light in attack with the departures of Timo Werner, Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi. It is unlikely Palace will sell their star man this late into the transfer window with a replacement unlikely to be found.
Man United sign Antony from Ajax
Manchester United have agreed an £86 million move for Ajax winger Antony. The Brazilian will be United’s fifth signing in what was a busy summer transfer window for the Old Trafford club. Personal terms have been agreed between both parties and the winger completed his medical at Carrington on Monday. An official announcement has yet to be made from United, which is subject to international clearance.
United were after the 22-year old throughout the summer window and have finally got their man just days before the window closes. This will give the Brazilian winger a chance to reunite with his old manager at Ajax and Ten Haag was also very keen to bring his star man at Ajax to Manchester.
Antony has to be registered by Wednesday to be able to play in United’s mid-week fixture against Leicester but the player doesn’t have his visa and work permit yet. He is unlikely to feature in the Leicester game but could be in line to play in United’s next game against Arsenal at the weekend.
Antony spent two seasons in the Netherlands and has impressed at Ajax, where he won the Eridivise title on both occasions and a KNVB Cup. His two seasons at Ajax have yielded 22 goals and 20 assists in 77 games across all competitions. The 22-year old was brought in from Sao Paulo for £20 million by current United manager Erik Ten Haag.
The Brazilian came through the ranks at Sao Paulo and moved to Europe in 2020 at 19 years of age. He also has nine caps for the Brazilian national team, where he has scored two goals and provided two assists.
Former Ajax and PSV forward Kenneth Perez said that signing Antony is huge for United but also questioned the quality of the Eridivisie, with many players coming from the Dutch league not excelling abroad.
“Antony is a showman,” Kenneth Perez told ESPN NL. “He showed in the Champions League that he can be decisive. He hasn’t had a chance in the Premier League yet, but it is striking how many former Eredivisie players get sidelined abroad. What Ten Hag is doing — signing many Dutch players — is very dangerous. I would, as a top club abroad, never take a player from the Eredivisie.”
