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Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has been speaking out on his Chelsea future and what his plans are this summer window.
This news comes after Chelsea beat Real Betis to win the Conference League on Wednesday night after being a goal down at half time and turning it around.
The Blues ended up winning the game 4-1 in the end after a bit of a Cole Palmer masterclass in the second half, providing two beautiful assists for his team mates to grab crucial goals.
Although head coach Enzo Maresca is once again not willing to get carried away after this by insisting that Chelsea’s target for next season is not going to be winning the Champions League!
Big summer ahead
Chelsea have a huge summer of big transfer decisions ahead and plenty of situations to sort out. As well as current players in the squad, they also have a bunch of returning loan players to sort out.
Add on top of that all the new payers they want to sign and are currently being linked with for the summer window as well, and you have a very busy summer of dealings ahead.
Santos on his future
The Brazilian youngster has been speaking out on his future this week ahead of him expecting to be back in the Chelsea squad next season and beyond.
He told The Daily Mail:
“Everyone knows about my love, my desire to play for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca was very sincere with me. I went to Strasbourg to get minutes. Now we’ll see how it goes at the Club World Cup.
“The affection from Chelsea fans is something very special as well. Ever since the news broke that I was going to Chelsea, they started sending me a lot of messages. Back when I was at Vasco, too. And I had the spell at Nottingham, where I didn’t play, but they sent me messages there too, I’d see some posts, they’d tag me on Instagram and Twitter.”
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Journalist: Liverpool ‘waiting’ on three transfers to happen before submitting ‘fresh bid’ for 25y/o
Liverpool had their opening offer for Alexander Isak firmly rejected by Newcastle, but they’re expected to go back in with another attempt for the Swedish striker before the transfer window closes on 1 September. The Reds’ bid of £110m was rebuffed by Tyneside chiefs (The Guardian), but the cat has since been placed among the pigeons by reports that the 25-year-old views his Magpies career to be over and has even moved out of his residence in the northeast. Whether those developments will make the St James’ Park outfit more open to a sale is uncertain, but a potential chain reaction involving two other Premier League clubs could yet work in the Merseysiders’ favour. Liverpool ‘waiting’ for green light to submit new Isak offer Speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT, Alex Crook said that Liverpool are biding their time until getting a signal from Newcastle that there could be a willingness on their part to sell Isak, on the proviso that Eddie Howe’s side land a transfer target of their own. The journalist outlined: “They’re waiting for the nod from Newcastle, who’ve got a replacement lined up, and therefore they’ll come in with a fresh bid. “Some dominoes are starting to fall into place. Bournemouth are looking for a replacement for Dango Ouattara. That would enable Ouattara to join Brentford and free up Yoane Wissa to make that move to Newcastle.” Liverpool may be hoping for domino effect to break their way In the ever-volatile landscape of the football transfer market, it’s never as simple as one deal automatically triggering another. Even if the Cherries sign a forward to duly cover off Ouattara leaving for west London, with Wissa duly getting his move to the Magpies, it doesn’t mean the Tyneside club will immediately sanction an exit for Isak. Irrespective of the apparent breakdown of relations between the striker and his employers, St James’ Park chiefs wll surely still hold out for a fee in the region of their £150m asking price for a striker who’s scored 62 goals in 109 appearances for them over the past three years. However, if the domino effect does materialise and Wissa ends up at Newcastle, that might give Liverpool sufficient encouragement to try again for the Sweden international and at least get closer to the Magpies’ valuation of him. Isak has made it unmistakably clear that he wants to join the Reds, and unless there’s to be a thaw in his relationship with the NUFC hierarchy, it seems that he’ll be left in a state of limbo. One way or another, it’s hard to imagine that a resolution won’t be found by the time the transfer window shuts. You can be sure that Richard Hughes will do everything in his power to ensure that the saga ends with the 25-year-old being part of the Premier League champions’ squad three weeks from now.
One Crucial Element Holding Up Terry McLaurin's Commanders Contract
We are nearly at the end of training camp, and Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin is still without his new deal. Given the Commanders know how valuable he is to Jayden Daniels and the offense, it does seem odd that the franchise, which hasn't had any significant bumps in the road since Dan Quinn took over, now has a big one, and one that can be avoided. With no movement on a contract, McLaurin pulled the trigger on a trade request weeks ago, but still no movement on a deal...and now we know why. Per ESPN's John Keim it isn't money that is holding up negotiations, it is something else entirely...and the Washington analytics department has a big say in it. “This likely remains the biggest sticking point because it frames the argument for Washington,” Keim wrote. “McLaurin will turn 30 on Sept. 15, which means he’d be 31 when an extension begins. The Commanders rely heavily on analytics, and the numbers aren’t kind to receivers at that age. According to ESPN Research, over the past five seasons only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game; six have averaged 60-plus.” So is Washington basing on whether or not to pay McLaurin is he age? It certainly seems like it. But there can be no denying that the Commanders' offense, without Terry, would be a shell of itself and would likely be missing a key ingredient that makes it a dangerous unit. Do we still think McLaurin and Washington will come to terms? Yes, but if age is a big sticking point, well, there's no changing that, and in truth, the franchise would have known this was coming down the pipeline, so if this was an issue, why not get out ahead of it and move on and get draft capital? Either way, this contract saga shows no signs of ending, but if there is a player who can buck the trend for aging receivers, it might just be Terry.
Vikings joint practice recap, Day 1: How'd J.J. McCarthy fare vs. Patriots?
The Vikings and Patriots just held their first of two joint training camp practices on a beautiful afternoon at TCO Performance Center. Fans packed the stands to watch as the Vikings got an opportunity to test themselves against a different opponent in a practice setting after weeks of battling each other. Let's dive into what took place on Wednesday, starting with the obvious question. How'd J.J. look? J.J. McCarthy, coming off of one 12-snap drive in Minnesota's preseason opener on Saturday (and a normal, lighter practice on Monday), got a ton of reps against the Patriots' defense in this joint practice. That'll be the case again on Thursday. These two days are designed to provide some highly-valuable work for the Vikings' starters, who aren't going to play at all in this weekend's preseason game. McCarthy came out of the gates strong in 7-on-7 action. He completed his first three passes, all to Jordan Addison, including a great throw with touch on an out-breaking route towards the sideline. He also fired a ball into a tight window to Jeshaun Jones. McCarthy started 6 for 6, by my count. It wasn't all perfect, though. He threw a decent ball to Addison that wasn't quite hauled in through good coverage by the Patriots corner. And McCarthy's final throw of the period was one he'd like to have back. He tried to hit Jalen Nailor on an in-breaking route but sailed it way over his head for an interception by Marcus Jones. One thing we've seen from McCarthy is that when he misses, he tends to miss high — and that's dangerous in the NFL. He's continuing to work on his accuracy on certain throws, especially ones that require layering and touch. That was the only interception McCarthy threw on the day. For the most part, he threw the ball well, and his connection with his top two healthy targets was on full display. He and Addison connected numerous times, often on in-breaking intermediate routes. They nearly connected on a deep ball later in the practice, but Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was able to break it up at the last moment. McCarthy also found tight end T.J. Hockenson frequently on short and intermediate routes. Those two have developed a strong rapport. As has been the case throughout training camp, McCarthy was up and down. There was one move-the-ball period that didn't go particularly well. His first throw was a bit high for Hockenson, although his TE was able to catch it. He then was "sacked" on consecutive plays — and it's always hard to tell from watching live if the blame falls on McCarthy, someone on the O-line, or his targets not creating separation. On 3rd and very long, he was pressured again and could only check it down to Jordan Mason for a short juggling catch. Later, McCarthy lost the ball on a snap exchange with Ryan Kelly. Back to the good stuff: McCarthy never lost confidence and continued to laser the ball into tight windows. He made a great throw to Nailor, who secured a contested catch against Jones. After the deep ball fell incomplete, McCarthy came right back to Addison for a chunk gain on the next play. And to wrap up his day, McCarthy led the Vikings' offense on a successful 1-minute drill. He moved the chains with completions to Hockenson and Aaron Jones, then couldn't quite connect with Nailor on the next play and had to throw the ball away on second down. On third and long, he scrambled to make it a manageable fourth and 5, and he kept the drive alive with yet another completion to Addison on an in-breaking route. The Vikings only had time to settle for a field goal, which Will Reichard drilled from 48 yards out to tie the hypothetical game as time expired. The overall takeaway from McCarthy's day is that it looked a lot like what we've seen from him over the past three-plus weeks. There's a lot of good, but there are plenty of teaching moments as well. I imagine things will continue to be up and down for McCarthy early in the regular season, with the Vikings looking to lean on the run game, short passes, and play-action passing to try to get him in rhythm. Despite the expected inconsistency, there's a ton to like about his potential both this season and in the long term. Thursday, which will feature a good bit of red zone work, will be another big day for McCarthy. Vikings' defense vs. Maye My vantage point for Wednesday's practice was close to the Vikings' offense going against the Patriots' defense, so that was what I watched more intently. But from what I saw — and heard from others who were closer to the far field — the Vikings' defense had a decent day. They were getting lots of pressure on Drake Maye, with Jonathan Greenard feasting on rookie left tackle Will Campbell and the interior guys making life tough on former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury. When the pressure didn't get home, though, Maye looked good. New England's second-year QB has a heck of an arm, which he showed throughout 1-on-1s and into the team periods. Another former Viking, Stefon Diggs, made his presence felt during practice. There were a couple coverage busts from the Vikings' first-team defense that led to long touchdowns for the Patriots. On one, Mack Hollins got wide open and proceeded to punt the ball into the stands after scoring. On another, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson leaked up the left sideline past Ivan Pace Jr. and caught a Maye pass for a 70-yard TD. Other notes Not participating for the Vikings were Justin Jefferson, Andrew Van Ginkel, Harrison Smith, C.J. Ham, and Levi Drake Rodriguez. Christian Darrisaw did some live work with the first-team offense before giving way to Justin Skule. The biggest highlight of the entire day for the Vikings came from rookie guard Donovan Jackson. The Vikings dialed up a screen pass to Aaron Jones at the perfect time, taking advantage of a Patriots blitz. With tons of green grass in front of him, Jones moved upfield but didn't go into a full sprint, in order to let Jackson and Will Fries get out in front of him. Jackson, after hitting Milton Williams at the line of scrimmage, sent Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins flying to the ground and then knocked over Peppers for good measure. The Vikings' first-round pick pushed three separate defenders to the ground on a play that resulted in a gain of around 60 yards. Jackson's teammates and the fans in the stands went wild. The Vikings' second-team defense had a pair of pick-sixes off of former Minnesota QB Josh Dobbs, who is now the Patriots' backup. Dwight McGlothern got the first one, adding to his array of interceptions over the course of camp. The second-year corner is simply a ball magnet. Later on, safety Jay Ward jumped a route and got another one off of Dobbs, then proceeded to punt the ball in celebration (perhaps in response to Hollins' earlier punt). We didn't see a ton of reps from the Vikings' backup QBs, which is by design since they're going to play a lot in Saturday's preseason game. But all three looked solid in small samples. Sam Howell was accurate underneath, connecting with guys like Tai Felton and Thayer Thomas. The second-team offense was unsuccessful in their crack at the 1-minute drill, though. Brett Rypien also had a few completions, and for the second straight practice, rookie Max Brosmer connected with Tim Jones on a beautiful deep ball that drew plenty of cheers. Fighting can sometimes be a problem in joint practices around the NFL, but Kevin O'Connell and Mike Vrabel made it very clear that they didn't want the competitiveness to cross a line and impede the productivity of their work. There were no real skirmishes on Wednesday. The closest we got was when Patriots WR Javon Baker and Vikings DB Kahlef Hailassie got very chippy during a 1-on-1 special teams drill. This was the most we've gotten to see from the Vikings' punter competition throughout training camp. Ryan Wright had a couple bad punts during his opportunities, and I thought undrafted rookie Oscar Chapman clearly had the better day of the two. He might have a legit chance to win that job. Holding will also matter, but at least in this practice, neither punter had an issue. They split the holds as Reichard went 4 for 4 from 33, 44, 48, and 53 yards to end the day. More Vikings coverage
Bears O-line coach calls one player's preseason performance 'not acceptable'
Several members of the Chicago Bears had a banner day on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, improving their stock after Chicago's preseason tie with Miami. Most notably, Austin Booker and Noah Sewell combined to lead Chicago's defense to rule the day. Other players did not fare quite so well, including one fourth-year veteran, left tackle Braxton Jones. Jones is locked in a position battle for the starting left tackle spot with rookie Ozzy Trapilo and second-year player Kiran Amegadjie. As the incumbent starter he had the upper hand at the start of training camp. Now, his grip on the Bears' starting left tackle job may have slackened after a terrible performance on Sunday, which included one particularly bad rep. Luckily, quarterback Tyson Bagent threw a gorgeous touchdown pass on this play, but Jones getting beaten so quickly could have been disastrous. This was a 4th down play. Giving up a sack on 4th-and-goal in a close game is a good way to ensure a loss, and that's exactly what would have happened if Bagent had not thrown Maurice Alexander a toe-tapping touchdown in the back of the end zone. Now, Chicago's offensive line coach, Dan Roushar, has weighed in on Jones' performance, and he gave a blunt answer, calling it 'not acceptable'. You can hear his full remarks below. The honesty on display from Roushar is refreshing and serves two purposes. One, all the fans and analysts watched Jones play poorly on Sunday, so hearing his coach try to hem and haw his way around the truth would be seen as misleading. There was no sugarcoating the truth, and so Roushar answered honestly. Second, if you can trust a coach to be honest about the bad things, then you can trust that he's being honest when he sings his players' praises. For years, Bears fans have heard about this or that player having a great practice only to never see it on gameday. Clearly, someone was exaggerating or covering. But if Roushar is willing to call out a player's day as not acceptable, then you can trust that when he highlights a good day, such as Jones' performance in the joint practice, that he's giving his honest assessment. It's not all bad news for Jones, as Roushar makes clear. He first built Jones up by saying that he looked really good in last Friday's joint practice, saying that Jones looked like a guy 'that we can win with'. So the potential to be a good starting left tackle is still there. Jones just needs to make sure it shows up consistently on game day.
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