Loyalty and modern football are incompatible. First item: Chelsea is pushing pretty much anything that isn’t strictly business in order to maintain “pure profit” and avoid the sustainability and profit dilemma.
Conor Gallagher is therefore seen loading up Duolingo while being toured around Madrid. Point number two: Romelu Lukaku is one of several exiles who make up a group big enough to field a separate Premier League team, and Trevor Chalobah is prohibited from the US tour and first-team facilities. Third item: Raheem Sterling’s personal public relations statement from Sunday, which expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions at the Cobham training facility.
The club’s PR experts have responded to fans hoping for Roman Abramovich to return by pointing out that Thomas Tuchel used to be willing to drive the team bus to Lille due to logistical issues arising from sanctions relating to Russia. It goes beyond Chelsea. They only serve to highlight the ruthless character of professional football, where players exchange like “pieces of meat,” in the words of Roy Keane. If the cuts now require a more costly remedy, the trade is far more callous. A select number, usually bobbins, are moved between superclubs to become João Félix. The fact that he’s joining Chelsea’s misfiring forward line once more just serves to compound the confusion at Stamford Bridge.
However, Monday night provided a counterbalance. Following Leicester’s incredible championship victory in the summer of 2016, Jamie Vardy was scheduled to sign a contract with Arsenal, who activated his release clause. He was a contender for the Saudi gold rush that Ivan Toney is currently thinking about around this time last year. Jamie stayed both times, and Leicester supporters are really happy about that. Everyone has different likes in Vardy. He has had a few unsightly occurrences in the past. His motto, “chat sh*t, get banged,” contributed to his combative public persona. He may have overcome football’s mountain of dashed hopes to emerge as one of the best forwards in the Chelsea, but he is also incredibly relatable.
Vardy’s snarling and chasing across that Foxes frontline caught everyone cold; pressing before it became football’s buzzword, paired with witheringly brilliant finishes. He’s 37 now, a little less mobile, but after last season in the Championship, has reached a record 103 Premier League goals since passing 30. After a half-time slug of Energy Drink – having declaring himself fit amid an injury crisis – the poacher supreme lost Cristian Romero to head home. He enjoys playing Spurs, and he doesn’t forget. Six years ago, a pre-Wagatha Mrs Vardy was mocked by travelling Tottenham fans for being in ITV’s Celebrity jungle, and he rattled in a beauty.
It was easier this time around. Jamie was substituted off, and Romero received a heartfelt farewell from the opposing supporters along with a mimed reminder of who had won the 2015–16 title race by a street. “Off-feet, get the massages, cryotherapy, in the pool, stretching,” is the plan for today. Next, a sauna, an hour in the oxygen tent, and additional cryotherapy at home. Complete commitment to becoming the devoted, market-square hero that Leicester supporters cherish in the face of so many other club mishaps. If only Chelsea could sign him, he is exactly the kind of player they need.
