Chelsea civil war incoming

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Chelsea’s civil war, City closing the transfer tap and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

STATS

France vs Belgium (19:45 UK). France suffered a 3-1 defeat to Italy in their opening Nations League match, whereas Belgium beat Israel 3-1. But Les Bleus have won the pair's last two meetings. Turkey vs Iceland (19:45 UK). The two sides have crossed paths 13 times in all competitions, with Iceland winning eight of these matches compared to Turkey’s two. But Turkey are unbeaten in their last five home games in the competition.

Plus…

• Nations League results so far (More)

• Legendary former Liverpool captain Ron Yeats passes away (More)

• Agent cleared of threatening Chelsea staff plans to sue the club (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea co-owners looking to buy eachother out

The relationship between Chelsea’s senior hierarchy is deteriorating and now they’re looking to buy eachother out, per Bloomberg.

Clearlake Capital - Chelsea’s majority owner - and Todd Boehly are assessing whether they can buy each other out. Differing opinions on Chelsea’s recruitment policy, the team’s underperformance and the failure to make progress on a new stadium have all contributed to the rift.

Boehly, an American billionaire, is said to be confident that investors would provide him with the cash to complete a full takeover of the club. He owns 38.5% of the club, split equally with him and two others. But Clearlake Capital, owned by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, are in no rush to sell any of their 61.5% stake in the west London club.

The status quo isn’t working

All major decisions at Chelsea must be signed off by Eghbali, Feliciano and Boehly. This probably explains why there has been slow progress at the club, especially on big decisions like rebuilding the stadium. With this, both parties have come to accept that the status quo isn’t working - and that change is necessary if Chelsea is to progress.

Some sources think that Boehly is biding time while he plots an exit route from the club. But while it’s true that Boehly has dialled back his involvement in Chelsea, most reports suggest he has a 20-30-year vision for the club.

POLL

HEAD START

🎵 Carsley refusal won’t impact England job. Lee Carsley’s chances of becoming the new permanent England manager will not be affected by his refusal to sing the national anthem, according to FA insiders. The FA believes it should be a personal choice.

🤕 KDB criticises FIFA’s calendar. Speaking to journalists on Friday, Kevin De Bruyne said that “it seems that money speaks louder than players’ voices”. His comments were in response to the impact of a crammed calendar on players’ health and performance. Last season, Premier League clubs averaged the shortest recovery time between games at 67.3 hours.

🪽Everton record-breaking new partnership. The Toffees have agreed a multi-year partnership with energy drink giant Red Bull. Under the deal, Red Bull will become the club’s Official Energy Drink Partner. Sources close to the deal say it’s a record-breaking deal for the club; though the figure isn’t disclosed. Everton fans have been calling for a RB but we’re not sure this is quite what they were asking for.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Man City are closing transfer spending tap

Once known as the biggest spenders in the league, Manchester City are now taking a frugal approach when it comes to the transfer market.

Over 11 seasons to 2019-20, City spent €1.6bn on players, more than all its Premier League rivals. In the most recent window, the reigning champions recorded a €116mn profit, chief executive Ferran Soriano told Financial Times. 

Having built their team over a decade, City shifted focus to retention and development. Following this vein, City are keeping their talent happy; they’ve overtaken Manchester United for the highest wage bill in the league and Erling Haaland is reportedly negotiating a new contract to make him the club’s highest earner. City also claim to be spending record amounts on youth development.

A burst bubble?

Most experts say that top clubs are feeling the squeeze of the Premier League’s spending rules.

But in general, there is a trend brewing. City’s spending is down, United’s new leadership have vowed to stop overspending, Real Madrid relies on their brand to attract superstar free agents, and Saudi Arabia kept its promise to not repeat their football spending spree.

In other words, the big spenders aren’t spending so big anymore. Only time will tell if old habits die hard or whether the football transfer bubble will finally burst.

MORE NEWS

Around the football world

• Paulinho, 36, has announced his retirement (More)

• Italian legend Toto Schillaci has been hospitalised in a serious condition (More)

• Rodrygo says he’s “upset” by Ballon d’Or snub (More)

• 16-year-old cousins break Barca B scoring record (More)

• Steve Bergwijn hits out at Dutch coach Ronald Koeman after he says he can’t play for the Netherlands because he moved to Saudi Arabia (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

On Friday, we asked you: How are you keeping yourself occupied during the international break?

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 📺 I don’t need to. I’m still glued to the international matches… (22.5%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 😎 It’s a snooze-fest. I’ve got other plans… (77.5%)

Your punditry takes:

• 😎 W.T: “It makes watching paint dry seem euphoric!”

• 😎 S.F: “Just 3 weeks into the season an international break is absurd. It's a nothing competition put on top of all the other things that the players have to contend with. There are so many negatives; injuries, fatigue, interruption to training plans etc. Completely pointless competition.”

• 😎 P.M: “Just as we are getting used to the Premier and other league games again, we have a break from it all. It’s too soon, most clubs have only played 3 league games + cup. I could understand if there was a break after about 8 - 10 games but not now. Why didn't they delay the start of the leagues in England and Scotland or push the international back a bit?”

• 📺 S.D: “I love international breaks. I follow both the USA and Ireland, so there’s always games to watch.”

EXTRA TIME

Wayne Rooney’s wonder freekick for Manchester United legends…

… and the full match highlights vs Celtic legends.

Pep Guardiola's doping case revisited.

The first player to get sent off over piggy in the middle.

Anthony Gordon explains why Euro 2024 was a failure.

Player on the verge of substitution gets sent off for praying.

The stats behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s 900 career goals.

Ivan Toney’s speech to friends and family before heading to Saudi.

Liverpool’s new goalkeeper goggles are a secret weapon.

England pitch invader joins the lineup before the game.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who am I…

• I was once voted the PFA Young Player of the Year and made the PFA Team of the Year.

• I’ve played in the Premier League, League One and Turkish Super Lig.

• I was a Champions League runner-up in 2018-19 Final.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Nations League

Group 2

• Cyprus vs Kosovo (17:00 BST)

• France vs Belgium (19:45 BST)

• Israel vs Italy (19:45 BST)

• Romania vs Lithuania (19:45 BST)

Group 3

• Norway vs Austria (19:45 BST)

• Slovenia vs Kazakhstan (19:45 BST)

Group 4

• Montenegro vs Wales (19:45 BST)

• Turkey vs Iceland (19:45 BST)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Dele Alli.