Eric Damzzy

@CFCMJordan Well done bro 👏🏾💯 this is accurate and you are well equipped you understand things unlike some other people who just talk and talk without making sense

So far, the club has addressed several of those issues. Maxence Lacroix as Colwill's centre-back partner. Premier League-proven, physically dominant and possessing strong leadership qualities. FA Cup and UEFA Conference League winner with Crystal Palace. Marco Palestra offers an upgrade on Malo Gusto's original profile while once again bringing height and physicality in abundance. Serie A Defender of the Season 2025/26. Morgan Rogers provides an elite pocket LW/10 option while once again bringing Premier League and Champions League experience, along with outstanding physicality. Jordan Henderson gives Chelsea a reliable midfield option who will enforce standards every single fcking day — in training, in team talks and in the fcking WhatsApp groups. A player who's won virtually everything there is to win at club level. Danny Welbeck offers a reliable, consistent goalscoring option alongside João Pedro, while also serving as a fantastic mentor and role model for the younger players, helping reinforce standards every single day. The remaining positions are still being worked on. The No.1 goalkeeper spot is Mike Penders' to win. A final decision will be made once the club knows whether he's ready to be Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper. If not, Chelsea will sign someone capable of filling that role without blocking Penders' pathway. Mike Penders is the truth — and everyone at the club appears to agree. For the experienced centre-back role, Chelsea have already held talks with players such as John Stones and Nathan Aké, giving us a clear indication of the profile they're targeting. I'm sure more names of a similar mould will emerge as we approach the end of the window. That position also requires significant trimming before any major move can happen. The left-back position is also being worked on, with an ambitious — but difficult — interest in Lewis Hall, while negotiations for Rayo Vallecano's Pep Chavarria continue. Midfield remains another priority. Chelsea have already had a £64 million bid rejected for Alex Scott, while Adam Wharton appears to be another major target. Scott offers physicality, energy and intensity. Wharton offers elite ball progression. Both are Premier League-proven, and both fit the age profile the club is targeting. As for exits, there's still plenty of work to do, but the progress so far has been excellent. Chelsea have already generated close to £160 million in sales (assuming Garnacho's loan becomes permanent), with several more departures still being worked on and more than 30 days remaining in the window. We're heading for yet another sales record. Last season Chelsea were one of the weakest teams in the Premier League from set pieces — both offensively and defensively. Alongside adding height and physicality to the squad, the club also hired Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa, whose side — alongside Arsenal — were the best set-piece team in Europe last season. That demonstrates an awareness and ambition that extends beyond simply signing players and managers. In conclusion, there's still significant work to be done — both in terms of arrivals and departures. But the work completed so far, and the speed and aggression with which it has been carried out, has been nothing short of fantastic. Holes are being filled. Physicality. Experience. Mentality. Leadership. Standards. The core of the original project remains intact — targeting elite young talent such as Palestra and Alejbegović, while maintaining the wage structure. The difference is that the project has evolved. It has been hardened. It's the mutated version of "the project." This time, it won't be laughed at.

My summary of Chelsea's summer window so far. Chelsea came into this summer in a difficult position. A 10th-place finish and failure to qualify for Europe in a season where we were expected to be, at the very least, outsiders for the title. Maresca left. Rosenior proved to be a horror appointment in hindsight. Key players like Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez were pushing for exits, while others such as Reece James, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Moises Caicedo wanted assurances over the club's future ambitions. The owners and sporting directors went through a long period of self-reflection, and the results of that should be everything Chelsea fans wanted to see. What had gone wrong? What was missing? What could we do better? Going into the market with the intention of signing some of the most exciting young talents in football and giving them time to grow together sounds great — on paper. In reality, however, it hasn't worked. Why? The idea of finding the "next big thing" in the coaching market and having him develop alongside those youngsters also sounds great on paper. Again — it hasn't worked in practice. Why? Intangibles. Know-how. Leadership. Hierarchy. Order. Fight. Grit. Standards. Those were the problems that needed solving. Following conversations with the higher-ups, Reece James and Moises Caicedo both signed new long-term contracts after receiving the assurances they needed. They're not idiots, and if they truly wanted to leave, they had no shortage of options. So what have Chelsea done? For starters, they hired Xabi Alonso — a manager proven at the highest level after delivering one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24. He won the Bundesliga unbeaten, finishing just one point short of the all-time points record. He also won Leverkusen's first DFB-Pokal in over 20 years while taking them to only the second European final in the club's history. A manager with experience from the biggest club in world football: Real Madrid. A manager whose status in the game is so legendary that players actively want to play for him — a factor we've already seen influence multiple decisions this summer. A manager who hasn't just been part of winning dressing rooms throughout his career — but one of the leaders within them. Liverpool. Real Madrid. Bayern Munich. Champions League. La Liga. Bundesliga. FA Cup. DFB-Pokal. Copa del Rey. European Championship. World Cup. He's won it all. Most importantly, he was given the title of manager, rather than head coach, signalling a shift in strategy where he would have greater influence over the direction of the project than any of his predecessors. So what does the ideal transfer window seemingly look like? - #1 goalkeeper. - Experienced third-choice goalkeeper to help enforce standards. - Centre-back partner for Levi Colwill. - An experienced, reliable centre-back who offers more than just performances on the pitch. - A left-back to replace Cucurella with different qualities to Jorrel Hato. - A physical, defensively-minded midfield partner for Caicedo. - An elite deep-lying playmaker. - An experienced midfield leader to help enforce standards. - A pocket left winger/No.10. - A reliable and consistent striker to compete with Joao Pedro. Beyond that, it's about exits. The players who don't want to be here. Those who aren't good enough. Those considered expendable in order to strengthen areas of need. 1/2

CHAMPIONS!!!!! 🏆 🟡🔵

@Real1_balogun Frank is EPL level at some point he was playing week in week sometimes ago for Brentford it was after the loan move to I think Italy then but a loan away from the league sah he was no more preferred in the team again

There’s a gulf between the Premier League and the Championship. The levels are quite far apart.

@Real1_balogun Sometimes ehn many people will just be in their room and started typing anything, I won't blame them many don't know what football off the field is all about what they know is to see player train and play week in week out, why didn't he join this and that 😆 I just shake my head

But the many who seemingly want better for the player than the player keep condemning him for making a move that was clearly a last resort. Transfers are never straightforward. Osimhen’s fault in all of this could be signing that renewal with Napoli but even that is easy to say from my living room. You don’t want better for the player than the player. It’s his weight to carry.

How Mr Remilekun Oluwaseyi Sotubo owner of City Pride Football Academy Ibadan scammed an unsuspecting young footballer and his family with promises of taking the boy to Portugal 🇵🇹 for scouting and possible transfer to professional football clubs.

@Real1_balogun After those runs everywhere go fess blur 😂😂

One memory just flashed through my head now😂 It was when Daniel Amokachi was doing player-coach at Nassarawa Utd many years ago. They were playing this game and were trailing 2-1. Da Bull collected jersey #14 and wanted to do miracles. He must have been pissed by what he was seeing. Baba ran up and down a few times and began to breathe heavily😂😂 It should be around the same time as when Vincent Enyeama played for Iwuanyanwu Nationale, now Heartland FC. And when Rashidi Yekini played for Gateway FC.

Any small thing, you’ll hear a nation of more than 200 million people. There’s nothing that equates sporting success to numerical strength, especially in football. China has done everything to get their football going. Nothing has become of it. Indonesia is a football-mad country and they still needed their Dutch diaspora population to have a semblance of hope in the sport. Yet, they’re still years away from decency. Ethiopia is Africa’s second largest population, they struggle too. Nigerians love football, and the country is blessed to have a street football culture that naturally breeds talents. But the world is quickly catching up. Structure is fast replacing chaos. A nation of 100k people will still do good stuff in football because they have it properly mapped out. This 200 million conversation every time is filled with hype and a sense of entitlement that believes numbers must translate to success. It works in business, but even in that, the household income and the per capita income have to be decent.

@Real1_balogun I also understand you, reason why you used the EPL as your point

@eric_damzzy I understand your point. The pace is okay, but I don’t think it’s anything near. I totally agree that the pace of the decision making has to come correct.

If you play amateur football and hold an opinion against professional footballers, the pace of that level will shock your hamstring and calf muscles the first time you experience it. I watched Forest vs Arsenal a fortnight ago and I asked myself, how are they different from others? I realised the pace at which the decisions were made was the difference. And I bet you, that pace was higher than just over two years ago when I saw the same fixture. You see professional footballers tear their hamstrings and have swollen knees, it’s because of the pace. So, if you’re an amateur, always show some respect to footballers who are professionals. Body go tell you.

@Real1_balogun What I just usually say his just get the decision correctly cause we are used to playing with pace here maybe not as exact as the professional sah but have also seen games professionally that they play at slower pace,and you see some coaches screaming at you for slowing down here

@Tomisin_Alasiri @ManUtd Well you can't just say that, it may be the new manager bounce but at the same time he has the utd DNA in him quick transition, quick short passes and they are reaping the rewards against the big teams with spaces let's see how they handle the small teams with low blocks

Please, @ManUtd make Michael Carrick permanent. No need for any other coach.

@mikky_madrid6 @DarrylRMFC Sometimes I begin to doubt maybe I didn't watch mine live 😂😂 Dem ho go just dey type rubbish

@DarrylRMFC I watch a Madrid game ↪️ come on twitter ↪️ starts to wonder if they were two Real Madrid teams that played 🔄

What are yall honest thoughts on this guy

@Real1_balogun The imagination gives insight on how you want it to play out and if eventually it happens, it will look like you are expecting it that same way ❤️

No matter where you’re today, you must imagine yourself bigger, better, and bolder. Imagine yourself smarter, richer, wealthier. Imagine yourself a father, if you want. Imagine yourself a mother, if you choose. Imagine yourself greater. When you have imagined yourself in a lot of situations and places, only a few things will be capable of beating your imagination when you finally find yourself in those spaces. You’ll always be prepared for the moment an opportunity will present itself. You’d have prepared your luck. You’ll become before you become.

@thearsfamily97 Like I thought I was the only one seeing this I don't know someone too was thinking the same, you are right bro the big teams wingers and striker face low blocks not much space to operate just fews chances some of them see bar haaland

@Real1_balogun Well I always love your takes, maybe the names sometimes might be as exact the messages are always clear you understand the depth well done ✅✅

In 2013, Stephen Keshi wanted a settled midfield combination so badly but he didn’t get what he wanted. He started the tournament with Mikel-Fegor Ogude-Nosa Igiebor. Ogude and Igiebor hardly imposed themselves on the game. In the next game against Zambia, he stuck to the same midfield combination. Both games ended in a draw. By the third game against Ethiopia, he started Onazi in the midfield and dropped both Igiebor and Ogude. Things didn’t click as such. There was a third man needed to complement Mikel and Onazi. Mba was subbed on for Ideye in that game and that proved to be Keshi’s Eureka moment. He dropped a winger and slotted Mba into the midfield just ahead of Mikel and Onazi. Nigeria famously defeated Cote D’Ivoire with Mba scoring. Keshi never changed that system and Mba scored Nigeria’s AFCON-winning goal against Burkina Faso. Where am I going? Akor Adams. Eric Chelle came with a clear mindset to play a 4-4-2 diamond. Initially, the team struggled as it looked that he didn’t have the right personnel for what he wanted. Tolu Arokodare. Sadiq Umar. Victor Boniface. None worked. Then Akor Adams. Akor is doing everything Chelle envisioned. He has become a fantastic partner for Osimhen too and they complement each other so well. The difference between this and 2013 is that while Keshi only discovered his moment during the tournament, Chelle figured his out before the tournament. What he discovered in-tournament was that he stood a higher chance dominating games when he has three midfielders than two. Enter Onyeka for Chukwueze. More control for flair. Tournaments will teach you. Please click on the link below to see what I wrote on Akor. @rilwanadetayobalogun/if-not-akor-then-who-cd9e8612b3fd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@rilwanadetayo…

@HalfSpaceMC All this agenda against cucurella is funny and it shouldn't be coming from Chelsea fans at him at all but I get anything for people to judge, cucurella fucked in that situation fine but compared Hato to him is the biggest disrespect. Plus Hato is taller and the ball bounced easy

Look at how controlled and dominant Jorel Hato in his actions. Was in a similar position like Cucurella but his physical dominance permitted him to just nudge Wilson off the ball. He can also carry the ball & actually cross so there actually offensive value there whilst also being disciplined defensively.

@Real1_balogun Like is not easy for African footballers on their journey to Europe. Time factor Distraction Slim chances, all in one head not easy No support but God. May God bless all upcoming abs struggling footballers out there

I once went to see a Nottingham Forest game and Cheikhou Kouyate invited a Belgian family as his guests. They were a family of 7. They travelled from Belgium to England to watch that game. When he was 17, he travelled to Europe and had no work permit. He was threatened with deportation. It was his agent based in Belgium at the time who adopted him. Kouyate lived with the family and said they were very kind to him. I can say this because I was there as the family collected their tickets and the receptionist told them what Kouyate had told her. My curiosity made me dig further. The London 2012 Olympics was the turnaround in the lives of that golden Senegalese generation of footballers. Mane, Kouyate, Gueye and others. They came from Senegalese villages and had nothing but their talent and God. “We’ve come a long way ... we’re from small towns with nothing there, no prospects. If you want to make it you need to fight as hard as possible. “There are so many great players in Senegal but you need to have some luck to make it. For me, Sadio and Idrissa [Gueye], we knew we had to take this chance,” Kouyate said in an interview with The Guardian. The path of African players in European clubs is never easy. Never. You’ll work your fingers to the bones and still live without the guarantee of success. Those who have been there and see these struggles will say a thing or two about it. @omaakatugba is a custodian of those stories. He’s heard many of them.

@LegacySiu Delima Ronaldo

Name a Ballon d’Or winner who never won the Champions League. You can’t

@Sir_jaay01 Watch them say he ghosted for the whole season or stuffs like that but check the record for that season itself then you hear them say he scored only pks only for them to also forget he showed up at finals and still delivered 😂

“What did Palmer do last season” “Palmer has 2 PL goals” “Palmer doesn't deserve to be there” This Palmer performance clearly everything your fave did last season with ease. You think it's by turning up and down or making 100 dribbles and hopping 40 goes through or scoring against Alaves.

@Jabz_CFC Baba voss 💯

Eyes closed, who would win this fight? Baba Voss Pilgrim