Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[JGibson]

Stuttgart maintain their Bundesliga place, as they beat Hamburger SV as they beat them 6-1 on aggregate in the 2-legged playoff between the 16th-placed Bundesliga team and 3rd-placed 2. Bundesliga team.

This just adds to the cruel fate that HSV have faced over the past week-plus, when they thought they would get promoted to the BuLi automatically... only for Heidenheim to ruin those plans by scoring the 2 stoppage time goals to get them promoted instead.

[NewYorkExpress]

Chelsea has reached a deal to sign Independiente Del Valle's Kendry Paez, beginning in 2025.

The sixteen year old midfielder is considered one of the best young talents in South America, so this definitely has the potential to be a bargain for Chelsea. Still, Chelsea needs to be selling players, and they need to bring in a forward immediately, so this deal doesn't help them at all.

[NewYorkExpress]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but Club Leon defeated LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions League Final, 3-1 on aggregate, winning the second leg back on Sunday, 1-0.

[NewYorkExpress]

Jude Bellingham is heading to Real Madrid.

This is a fantastic signing for Real Madrid, getting one of the best young midfielders in the world.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1666473832796901376

Welcome to MLS, Lionel Messi!

[NewYorkExpress]

West Ham win the Europa Conference League 2-1 over Fiorentina.

With the win, West Ham will play in the Europa League next season.

[JGibson]

West Ham beat 2-1 over Fiorentina to win the Europa Conference League, thanks to Jarrod Bowen's last-minute goal in the 90th minute.


And with that news, England will have 8 teams in European football next season (4 UCL, 3 UEL, 1 UECL). Spain will also have 8 teams (5 UCL, 2 UEL, 1 UECL) next year as a result of Sevilla's UEL win.

[Santander]

Congrats to Moyes and West Ham, but the Conference League has done nothing to disprove it is a competition that shouldn't exist. It's just a cash grab and a trophy opportunity for mediocre teams from big leagues.

[NewYorkExpress]

Liverpool has signed Alexis Mac Alister from Brighton and Hove Albion.

This is a really good signing for Liverpool, which really needed a midfielder. Granted, they still need at least one more midfielder. Maybe The Reds bring in Declan Rice?

[Santander]

West Ham fans and media calling West Ham "champions of Europe" is pretty cringe. They won Europe's third-tier competition as one of the biggest teams.

[NewYorkExpress]

West Ham fans and media calling West Ham "champions of Europe" is pretty cringe. They won Europe's third-tier competition as one of the biggest teams.

On top of that, they're going to lose their best player this summer (Declan Rice), maybe to Liverpool or one of the Manchester sides (or if, Todd Boehly loses his mind, Chelsea).

[JGibson]

West Ham fans and media calling West Ham "champions of Europe" is pretty cringe. They won Europe's third-tier competition as one of the biggest teams.

On top of that, they're going to lose their best player this summer (Declan Rice), maybe to Liverpool or one of the Manchester sides (or if, Todd Boehly loses his mind, Chelsea).

I think Declan Rice ends up at Arsenal.

[Lechasseur]

West Ham fans and media calling West Ham "champions of Europe" is pretty cringe. They won Europe's third-tier competition as one of the biggest teams.

On top of that, they're going to lose their best player this summer (Declan Rice), maybe to Liverpool or one of the Manchester sides (or if, Todd Boehly loses his mind, Chelsea).

I think Declan Rice ends up at Arsenal.

Me too, and I hope so

[NewYorkExpress]

West Ham fans and media calling West Ham "champions of Europe" is pretty cringe. They won Europe's third-tier competition as one of the biggest teams.

On top of that, they're going to lose their best player this summer (Declan Rice), maybe to Liverpool or one of the Manchester sides (or if, Todd Boehly loses his mind, Chelsea).

I think Declan Rice ends up at Arsenal.

I'm not sold that Arsenal needs a midfielder as expensive as Rice is, or that they'd be more attractive than Liverpool. True, Liverpool isn't playing in the Champions League, but the way both teams are constructed, if I were Rice and looking for Champions League football, I'd rather go to Liverpool. Not only will they be one of the favorites in the Europa League, which gives Champions League qualification to the winner, but the way their roster is structured, they have a better chance to qualify next season through the Premier League then Arsenal does.

[NewYorkExpress]

Through 54 minutes in the UEFA Champions League final, Inter Milan is hanging around against treble-hunting Manchester City.

We're still scoreless.

[NewYorkExpress]

Manchester City completes the Treble, defeats Inter Milan 1-0!!!!

[Santander]

Watching that match, you have to conclude it was Inter who choked despite being underdogs. Man City didn't deserve it but Inter let them have it.

[NewYorkExpress]

Aston Villa signs Youri Tielemans on a free transfer.

This is an excellent signing by Aston Villa, and I honestly think Tielemans is going to be a clear improvement to their midfield.

[Zinneke]

After last night, credit where credit is due....


...I am a beautiful man

[NewYorkExpress]

Houssem Aouar is heading from Lyon to Roma on a free transfer.

Aouar's a really good Attacking Midfielder, and should pair nicely with Paulo Dybala at that position.

[Santander]

Houssem Aouar is heading from Lyon to Roma on a free transfer.

Aouar's a really good Attacking Midfielder, and should pair nicely with Paulo Dybala at that position.

Dybala is by far the best player at Roma and has a very cheap release clause. There is a very high chance he moves this summer.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

3/3 lost finals for the Italian teams and now Spezia has just been relegated, truly a bummer end of season as far as I am concerned.

[NewYorkExpress]

Houssem Aouar is heading from Lyon to Roma on a free transfer.

Aouar's a really good Attacking Midfielder, and should pair nicely with Paulo Dybala at that position.

Dybala is by far the best player at Roma and has a very cheap release clause. There is a very high chance he moves this summer.

I'm having trouble thinking of what Dybala's market might look like, especially if he wants to play in the Champions League next season.

Maybe PSG makes a bid (PSG has to replace Messi with someone, and it looks like Neymar might be leaving too), or maybe he heads to the Premier League, to somewhere like Newcastle or Manchester United.

[NewYorkExpress]

The CONCACAF Gold Cup rosters are out.

Looking at the United States's roster, it's a very MLS-Heavy side, with 16 of the 23 players on the team playing in MLS.

The seven players who aren't are, Gabriel Slonina (Chelsea), Matt Turner (Arsenal), Bryan Reynolds (Roma), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar), Alan Soñora (FC Juarez) and Alex Zendejas (Club America).

Without Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna or Sergino Dest, I would be worried for the USMNT's chances to win another Gold Cup, but we have had Mexico's number in recent competitions...

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1668351675034214400

PSG could lose all three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe this summer, and almost certainly will lose all three by next summer.

Messi's already gone, Neymar will almost certainly follow him out the door (probably also to Saudi Arabia) this summer, and now Mbappe wants out, presumably to Real Madrid.