D-day for Chelsea, amid a hectic week

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( March 18, 2022 [The Independent]( Miguel Delaney's Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney D-day for Chelsea, amid a hectic week A day to dictate the future of the clubFriday is literally deadline day for the bidders for [Chelsea](. The Independent has been told that it is Raine Group who are handling the sale, and will make the decision on the preferred buyers. The government are only really involved to ensure no money goes to Roman Abramovich. After that, once a decision is made, it is down to the Premier League and the owners’ and directors’ test. Many will be watching that with intent, particularly if any bidders end up being linked to nation states or sportswashing projects. As of now, The Independent has been told that there are far fewer properly advanced bidders than has been put out there - “a handful”. The consortium led by Todd Boehly are confident, and widely fancied for it, but so many sources keep insisting that it is better to look away from the noise. Other clubs watching for any advantage Many Premier League executives are unsettled by the Chelsea situation, but that applies for almost every angle. Some close to the situation are describing it as “a bit of a paradox”. There’s an argument on both sides. If Chelsea are sold too cheaply, it will be seen as “anti-competitive”. If the £1.5bn debt to [Roman Abramovich](is just written off, many will be kicking off about a points deduction. On the other hand, if someone comes in that’s too wealthy, it will be seen as Chelsea just persevering with no real cost. Other clubs watching for any advantage Only Mo Salah and his immediate entourage know for certain, but the word from his homeland is that he is definitely not signing a new contract with Liverpool. That is the cast-iron belief of both media in Egypt and figures with knowledge of his situation. They say Liverpool are getting nowhere near what he wants, and he simply won't come down. This is doesn't mean that's definitely the case of course, but they are opinions with some weight. A line that is just a non-starter The newsletter will go into this further below but there’s a fundamental problem with the argument that people should “stick to football”. What happens off the pitch now directly influences what happens on it, to a more pronounced degree than ever before. That may be self-evident to most, but it has become a line to be repeated that is worth addressing. Eliminations only make United's situation more unclear As [Manchester United reel](from another underwhelming Champions League exit, they could find common cause in any discussion with their main candidates. Both Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag went out in the last 16, too. While that has only fostered a few more doubts about the Argentine, it hasn’t really affected Ten Hag’s status. Ajax getting beaten by a similar-size club in Benfica isn’t that much of a shock, and they generally dominated the game. Even getting the Dutch champions this far is considered impressive. Ten Hag is probably just ahead of Pochettino, but so much can still happen. This is very much up in the air. A greater issue is that the state of United, and the amount of work to do with the club, may put off other options. Some sources are insisting that Ralph Hassenhuttl could come into the picture if they encounter any difficulty. That very much sums it up, though. Bar more discussions, they’re not really closer to a new manager than they were a few weeks ago. Rangnick believes United lost it out wide For all the focus on the bigger stars in Manchester United’s Champions League elimination to Atletico Madrid, Ralf Rangnick felt the biggest issues were out wide. Staff believe they needed more aggressive wing-backs, to counter what Diego Simeone’s side were doing. It was one game where they missed Luke Shaw. Camp Nou may soon have a big consideration The word from Paris Saint-Germain is that Leo Messi’s father, Jorge, has responded to his son getting booed by trying to engineer a quick exit. That, preferably, would be back to Barcelona. Messi may have been the greatest player in history, but it’s impossible not to think that would be the worst decision the club could make right now. They were forced to deal with the eventual departure of their greatest legend before they expected, but it’s worked out OK, and seen them adapt well. Bringing back [Messi](would just set them back, and make them have to accommodate him in a system that may not really suit. Many of the club officials are at least aware of all of this. As one source says, though, “it’s football, it’s Barca - it’s the sort of thing you can see happening.” An intriguing visitor at City Some officials in the [Premier League]( reacted with alarm at the extent of the discussion by Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football. There was quite the reaction within the game. It was bringing issues that have been bubbling under the surface right into the spotlight. As goes without saying, many in football just want to persevere with the status quo without too many ructions. The problem is that ructions are being forced on the game by forces well outside their control. Some club figures were said to be “livid”. *** I am off next week, taking a break before the end of the season gets really intense, with that kicked off by a trip to Doha for the World Cup draw. Top stories [Marcus Rashford dropped from England squad for March friendlies]( [Chelsea sale expected to move quickly after deadline for bids reached]( Miguel's Dispatches I found myself directly involved in one of the more fractious moments of the week - or, rather, put myself in there. That was the press conference with Eddie Howe after Newcastle United’s trip to Stamford Bridge. Given everything that is happening with Chelsea at the moment, and the wider discussion about ownership, it is only natural Howe is asked about the circumstances of his own club. That goes beyond the previous questions over whether the Saudi Arabia takeover should have been allowed, to the questions about what next, and whether the climate will change. Howe initially refused to engage with the subject, but follow-up questions were inevitable. I only added to the fair points by Tariq Panja and Rob Harris, by wondering whether he ever reflected on how football is used by political interests. Howe doggedly stuck to the line that he only wants to concentrate on football, but that is an attitude that is unsustainable in the current world and only added to the tension in the room. You could really feel it, especially as the press officer scowled down and journalists felt the answers were unsatisfactory. Howe did at least expand on his answers a little more on Wednesday’s press conference, but he still didn’t really engage with the actual issues. It means more questions will be forthcoming. Quote of the day "Momentum is the most fragile flower on the planet." Jurgen Klopp adds to his list of evocative lines Reading the game quiz Real Madrid host Barcelona on Sunday in El Clasico. There have been 16 players who have scored for Madrid in the fixture - in any competition - and also scored in the Premier League. Name them. (Last week's answers: Marouane Fellaini; Guillermo Varela; Ander Herrera; Angel Di Maria; Daley Blind; Matteo Darmian; Romelu Lukaku; Alexis Sanchez) [Refugees Welcome]( Essential reading [Manchester United are out and the Champions League won’t miss them]( [The historic goalscoring records Harry Kane is closing in on]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. 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