Date published: Thursday 18th June 2020 11:42
Let it go…
Two weeks ago, Mediawatch basically became Timowatch as we chronicled ‘transfer expert’ Ian McGarry’s claims over 14 months that Timo Werner was definitely joining Liverpool. We asked why Chelsea were signing a striker that McGarry insisted they did not want and then laughed as McGarry continued to insist that the deal could still be done even after it was widely reported that Werner would join Chelsea.
So as the Telegraph’s Matt Law broke the news that Chelsea have completed the £47.5m signing of Werner, our first question was whether McGarry still believed he could join Liverpool.
Well he did as recently as yesterday (Wednesday) when he told the Transfer Window Podcast:
“His preference was always to go to Anfield and play under Jurgen Klopp.
“The fact of the matter is that this isn’t a closed deal, and is still ongoing.”
Hmm. We think it might be a closed deal, Ian.
“Legally the release clause in his contract has now expired.
“Therefore, if the binding agreement with Chelsea isn’t water-tight regarding dates, he could still be free to speak to Liverpool.
“Therefore, a transfer to Liverpool could still be a potential outcome for Timo Werner. That’s something I don’t think people are taking into account.”
They’re not taking that into account because it’s nonsense, Ian.
“Everyone just assumes he is coming to Chelsea, but in actual fact, there’s still the possibility he may move to Liverpool.”
No. Let it go.
“I’m not saying this is the most obvious outcome of this particular transfer saga. However, it’s certainly the case that this remains an option.
“It’ll be very intriguing to see how this transpires over the coming days.”
What ‘transpired’ is that Werner joined Chelsea, just as all sane people have been saying for two weeks.
“As we know, the player himself would be much more keen to move and play under Jurgen Klopp, so it’s one of those where we have to hold our breath and see what happens.”
Hopefully he didn’t literally hold his breath.
Ill communication
We have always regarded the Telegraph’s Matt Law as the authority on Chelsea so when his colleague Mike McGrath wrote on Saturday that ‘Bayern Munich are in pole position to win the race for Kai Havertz and want him to join Leroy Sane in a new-look attack next season’, ruling out Chelsea on the grounds of price – saying they only wanted to pay £50m for one of the hottest talents in world football – we took it with a pinch of salt.
Sure enough, Law came along three days later to tell us that ‘Chelsea must wait to find out whether or not Bayer Leverkusen stick to their £90 million-plus valuation of Kai Havertz as the German club battle for Champions League qualification’, claiming that Bayern were expected to drop out of the race and Chelsea were actually willing to pay north of £70m.
You know you guys can talk on Zoom, right?
How much?
‘Werner will join the Blues on a five-year contract worth just over £170,000-a-week and will move to England at the end of the Bundesliga season’ – Telegraph.
‘The German international, who has two games left to play with RB Leipzig, has signed a five-year deal worth £175,000-a-week’ – Mail.
‘The Germany international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal worth nearly £180,000-a-week to link up with Frank Lampard’s side’ – Metro.
‘The Blues have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United to the signature of the 24-year-old after activating his £50m release clause, and he will sign a contract worth £200,000 a week’ – Mirror.
Maybe once you get into the realms of earning £170,000 a week, £200,000 is ‘just over’.
Tomori, Tomori, we love you Tomori…
Obviously, the signing of Timo Werner can mean only one thing: An outbreak of ‘How Chelsea could line up next season with Timo Werner leading new-look XI’ (Mirror) articles.
So far we have been told that Chelsea could line up thus:
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Tomori, Chilwell; Rice, Gilmour; Ziyech, Mount, Werner; Abraham (Mirror)
Kepa; James, Rudiger, Tomori, Chilwell; Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Havertz; Ziyech, Werner, Abraham (Standard)
Kepa; James, Rudiger, Tomori, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Ziyech, Mount, Pulisic; Werner (Mail)
So the one thing everyone agrees upon is that Fikayo Tomori will be in next season’s Chelsea line-up despite a summer of spending.
Is that the same Fikayo Tomori who played barely an hour of Premier League football in 2020?
One to XI
The next question – as has become customary – is which shirt number Werner will wear at Chelsea. It seems simple – he has been wearing the No. 11 in Leipzig for four years and the current No. 11 at Chelsea is Pedro, who is leaving this summer. So…
‘Timo Werner’s likely Chelsea shirt number as new signing set to avoid club ‘curse”
Yes, he is set to avoid the ‘curse’ – according to the Mirror – of the No. 9 shirt successfully worn by Tammy Abraham this season by not wearing a number he has never worn for his club. So ‘man does not take a shirt he does not want off the back of another man even though other men have struggled in that shirt’ seems to be the story here.
Elsewhere, football.london tell us that ‘Timo Werner could get his dream Chelsea shirt number next season as transfer finally confirmed’ without ever saying what that ‘dream Chelsea shirt number’ actually is; we presume it might be the one he wears already.
‘Timo Werner shirt number options at Chelsea after completing £50million transfer’ is the Star‘s offering, while the Evening Standard go for ‘Timo Werner shirt number: Squad options for Chelsea’s latest signing’ before quickly losing faith in the idea and deciding that the No. 11 shirt is ‘likely’.
No shit.
Football365 Shithouse headline of the day
‘Double boost for Chelsea in race to sign €100m Havertz’
Let’s face it, it’s bollocks. And if you are going to write bollocks, write it about Liverpool; that Naby Keita nonsense is flying.
Recommended reading of the day
Jacob Steinberg on Chelsea
Melissa Reddy on players not being silenced