Chelsea continue to approach the business of player trading like a child does the swapping of Panini stickers in a school playground.
It’s not that long ago, for example, that Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku were seen as the future of the Chelsea forward line but now it’s Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. The club have spent in the region of £190million on those four players alone.
But none of that means Chelsea are wrong to tell Jackson he cannot proceed with his planned loan move to Bayern Munich.
Delap’s hamstring injury sustained against Fulham is expected to keep him out of action for a couple of months and Chelsea – back in the Champions League this season – need cover in that position.
What are Chelsea supposed to do? Tell their manager Enzo Maresca that he will have to do without a valuable player just to spare Jackson’s feelings? Of course not.
Jackson was happy to sign a contract extension 12 months ago and as such is tied to the club for another eight years. Make what you will of that but the financial security the deal gave the 24-year-old came with a price and he’s just found out exactly what it is.
Chelsea are right to tell Nicolas Jackson he can’t go ahead with planned move to Bayern
What Burnley REALLY had to complain about
Scott Parker was critical of the ‘man in the van’ making decisions as Burnley succumbed to Manchester United late at Old Trafford.
It was indeed the VAR officials who did for Parker’s team with the correct award of a late penalty but the Burnley boss seems to have forgotten that it was also the chaps at Stockley Park who had saved his team in the first half.
By suggesting referee Sam Barrott overturn his decision to award a spot-kick after a tussle between Kyle Walker and Mason Mount with the game goalless, VAR helped to keep Burnley in the game.
Maybe this is proof that most managers only see what suits them but what surprised me more was that nothing was made by the visitors of the decision to penalise Walker for the foul that eventually led to United’s first goal.
Walker’s slide tackle on Diogo Dalot by the corner flag at the Stretford End was risky but the Burnley defender clearly took the ball. However a free-kick was given and from it United took the lead.
It was a bad weekend generally for referees and their assistants, a reminder that the high bar for VAR intervention already seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Burnley could have made more of the award of the free-kick that led to Man United’s first goal
Why is Jack not lining up for England?
Back in the spring when Jack Grealish couldn’t get near the Manchester City team, England manager Thomas Tuchel appeared desperate to get him into his squad.
‘I love Jack Grealish,’ said Tuchel.
‘I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality.
‘So is he a player that should be available and can have an impact in our squad? Yes, 100 percent.’
Tuchel explained that Grealish needed to be playing club football to make his squad yet now that he is, he remains on the outside ahead of games against Andorra and Serbia.
Grealish was excellent once again for Everton at Wolves on Saturday and it’s clear that Tuchel has missed an opportunity not only to add quality to his squad but also to bolster a player’s confidence that has been on the floor for so long.
Tuchel’s wide players this week will be Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Noni Mudueke and Marcus Rashford. Grealish has arguably shown better form than all of them. It’s a strange call indeed.
Jack Grealish has hit the ground running for Everton and should be lining up for England
Sunderland making waves
Sunderland fans booing their former hero Jordan Henderson during the game against Brentford was quite something, particularly given how proud the club have always been of one of their own.
Behind glass at the entrance to Sunderland’s training ground, for example, is one of Henderson’s England shirts while the 35-year-old was in the stands as his boyhood club won the Championship play-off final last May.
There was some thought given, meanwhile, of offering Henderson a route back to the Stadium of Light in the summer but Sunderland ultimately opted for Granit Xhaka instead. So far, that looks a reasonable decision as Sunderland tear up some early trees back in the top flight.
Regis Le Bris’ team are on six points already. Of last season’s promoted clubs, it took Leicester until October 6 to reach that mark while Ipswich didn’t get there until a month later. As for Southampton, they had to wait until December 22!!
Jordan Henderson was on the receiving end of a hostile reception at Sunderland on Saturday
What Danny Welbeck told me about Mr Professional
One of James Milner’s motivating factors when signing a new Brighton contract was to break the Premier League appearance record held by Gareth Barry with 653.
Milner, 39, clocked up his 639th game as Brighton beat Manchester City on Sunday but his value to the Seagulls extends far beyond what happens on match day.
When I sat down with another Brighton veteran Danny Welbeck last season, he was effusive about a team-mate who was actually injured at the time.
‘He is the oldest and the standards he sets every single day are amazing,’ said Welbeck.
‘What he does in and around the place is unreal.
‘You can’t be late for a start. What he does every day before and after training. What he eats. How he does his rehab.
‘See how many trophies he has won and he still has the determination to go harder than every single one of us.
‘If you are a young boy, he is gonna run you right until the end. I look up to him and he inspires me. It’s a privilege to be at the same club.’
Much praise for Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler for the way he went for City with four attacking substitutions at the Amex and the young German has form for this. Indeed last season, Hurzeler averaged almost five subs per Premier League game and those changes led to more goals and assists than any those made by any other top flight coach.
Danny Welbeck was effusive about Brighton team-mate James Milner during an interview
The Beeb’s best appointment
Joe Hart’s analysis of his old Manchester City team-mate Milner on Radio 5 Live was first class, as was his contribution alongside Wayne Rooney on last night’s Match of the Day.
The BBC have bet the farm on Rooney as they shake things up this season but Hart outshone him.
Rooney has potential as an analyst but so far the insight delivered on his BBC podcast is proving far superior to his efforts on the MOTD sofa.
Hart is a natural pundit while Rooney has some distance yet to go.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart is a stand-out inclusion across the BBC this season
There are few things the football public like less than referees doing what they are told and when the noise gets too loud the PGMOL tend to start rowing backwards. So we can expect the latest hardline directives on grappling at corners to disappear by the time we get to Halloween. It’s a shame because if the referees stick with this one, it may just work.
