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THE pressure is on former Spurs chief Todd Kline to deliver a shirt deal for Chelsea.

The Blues have just announced that Kline will become president of commercial and take up the responsibilities of former chief revenue officer Casper Stylsvig.

The Dane left the club last month and his exit has been linked to Chelsea not finding a sponsor willing to pay £60m or so to put their name on the front of the shirt.

It is the second reshuffle of senior executives at Chelsea in a year.

In September 2024, chief executive Chris Jurasek left after just 15 months in the job.

Jason Gannon, who was already chief operating officer, was soon made club president as well and has in effect been doing much of the CEO role since.

In the new shake-up ex-AC Milan and Arsenal exec Jamie Murray is promoted to the COO role, while former Manchester United man Phil Lynch adds the title of chief digital officer to his marketing and other duties.

Murray, Lynch and Kline will all report into Gannon, who retains the title of president.

Confused? There will be a test in the end.

But what Chelsea fans thinking of buying a new replica kit for Christmas need to know is that Kline’s main task is getting a name on the front of it.

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The American arrived at Stamford Bridge last November after a long spell of gardening leave following his resignation from Tottenham.

His CV includes securing the Hard Rock stadium naming rights deal for the Miami Dolphins NFL team in 2016, when the £180m fee represented one of the biggest sponsorships of its type at the time.

Kline oversaw impressive growth in commercial revenue at Spurs in his short spell there.

But he was unable to bring in a naming rights deal for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (no-one else has managed it since he left, to be fair).

Chelsea will hope Kline has more success with finding their first long-term front of shirt sponsor since EE’s £40m-a-year deal expired in 2023.

The line coming out of the Blues is that it’s not just about the bottom line, the deal has to have the potential to go beyond a name on a replica kit and to align with the club’s values.

Maybe, but in the end Chelsea is 61.5 per cent owned by private equity firm Clearlake Capital.

They are not a charity. Even the cuddliest private equity investor will tell you that their three main priorities are making money, making more money, and then making even more money.

CHICKEN AND EGH

That is a big reason why Clearlake co-founder and managing partner Behdad Eghbali has for some time been the main man at Chelsea.

The people and companies whose money Clearlake have invested in Chelsea would expect nothing less

Although Todd Boehly has a decent block of shares in the club, was the face of the initial takeover in 2022, had a spell as sporting director and remains chairman, he is not nearly as involved as Egbhali on a day-to-day basis.

Gannon is understood to be highly regarded by the co-owners and by club staff.

But Eghbali is ultimately the man who calls the shots.

The billionaire takes a very keen interest in every area of the business, not least maximising the value of the shirt sponsorship.

And with Stylsvig gone, Kline will be in the spotlight.

JOSE NO BOUNDS

IF Jose Mourinho were not coming back to Stamford Bridge as Benfica boss next week, he might well have been there as a fan.

The house that Mourinho bought in Belgravia during his first spell in charge of the Blues remains the family home and the club’s most successful manager was intending to attend games this season.

Chelsea have no particular plans to mark the Special One’s homecoming at Tuesday’s Champions League clash.

Mourinho has returned to the Bridge before, as Manchester United and Tottenham boss.

But insiders hope and expect there will be no repeat of what happened at the Chelsea v United game in 2017.

A group of younger fans taunted Mourinho with cries of Judas and other abuse.

When he responded by reminding them of the number of Premier League titles he had won with the club, other Blues supporters joined in the row.

Mourinho himself has shown little sign of mellowing with age. Quite the opposite, in fact.

But Chelsea fans will surely give him the respect he deserves next Tuesday.

IN THE MUD

SPANISH media outlet Marca were fast out of the blocks to publish the sensational news that Mykhailo Mudryk was quitting football to become a sprinter.

Mudryk, it was said, was aiming to represent Ukraine at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Huge story. If true.

But the fact Marca have now quietly removed the original article suggests they have finally come to their senses.

It looks like they picked up a post from an account on X and ran with it.

Yet a couple of phone calls or just a bit of common sense would have exposed the hoax.

For a start, Mudryk is still waiting for his anti-doping case to be heard.

If he ends up being cleared, or getting only a short ban, will he really give up being a highly-paid footballer for life in track and field?

And if he receives a four-year ban for testing positive for meldonium, which some think he will, then the 2028 Olympics would be immediately ruled out anyway.

Much was made of Mudryk’s top speed of 36.37km/h on the football field.

But the flying winger would have to increase that by 1km/h AND keep it up for an entire 100m to live with elite sprinters on the track.

For context, Usain Bolt’s average speed in his world-record run was 37.58km/h and he peaked at 44.72km/h.

Those are just some of the reasons the story was never going to be true.

Marca have recognised their error. Unlike many of those who eagerly repeated it.

THROWN UNDER THE BUS

CHELSEA may have landed two trophies in the space of a few months over the summer and returned to the Champions League.

But shaking off the big-spending, erratic image of their early days under the ownership of Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly may take a while longer.

Ahead of Chelsea's Champions League return at Bayern Munich last week, Bavarian paper TZ ran a story on the club's evolution in the last few years under the headline 'from laughing stock to bogeyman'.

They could not resist an artistic jibe at the size of the bloated Blues squad, running a mocked-up image of a five-decker bus rammed with players.

Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca have all had to deal with large squads, though the current boss has taken a tougher line than most.

Maresca started at Chelsea last summer with a group of over 40 first team players, though made it clear he was only working with a group of around 21, with another 20 training alone - a group which became their 'bomb squad'.

PAEZ TURNER

ON-LOAN Chelsea wonderkid Kendry Paez scored his first goal for sister club Strasbourg and pulled out another copycat celebration.

Paez, 18, previously did the “Cold Palmer” made famous by Cole Palmer (but allegedly invented by Blues target Morgan Rogers).

But when the Ecuador international notched in Strasbourg’s 3-2 over Paris FC, he opted for a “Joao Pedro” - right hand over face and left thumb pointing down.

Eagle-eyed Chelsea fans appreciated the tribute.

But they might have missed what happened when future Blues striker Emanuel Emegha scored in the same game.

Emegha has been booed by some Strasbourg fans after being pictured with a Chelsea shirt ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge, which was originally scheduled for next summer but might now be brought forward to January.

And supporters who feel their club is becoming a Blues B team refused to celebrate when he put the ball in the net.

LAVIA-LY STUFF

BALLON d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele is an inspiration for Romeo Lavia’s road to recovery.

The Belgian midfielder is still not match fit after his run of nightmare injuries,

And on his “secret” Instagram account, Lavia has posted a number of pictures of Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele when he was struggling with injury at Barcelona.

The images of Dembele are accompanied by a quote which reads: “Whatever is meant for you will find you, and it won't require you to be anything more than you already are.

“It'll fit right into your life and make you realise that everything that left was never a loss to begin with.”

Unfortunately for Lavia he has had plenty of time to become philosophical.

Since arriving from Southampton for an initial £53m two summers ago, he has made just 23 appearances for Chelsea.

But Blues boss Enzo Maresca confirmed ahead of the Lincoln Carabao Cup tie that Lavia and fellow long-term absentee Benoit Badiashile had joined in group training this week, so perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel.

MIKEY MOORE is at the centre of a tug-of-war between England and Wales over his international future.

The on-loan Rangers winger, 18, has already played for England's Under-19s but has a Welsh grandparent.

Wales boss Craig Bellamy, among others, is believed to have held talks aimed at trying to get Tottenham's rising star to switch allegiances.

Moore, born in London, is the youngest player to have played for Spurs in the Premier League.

He made his debut at the age of 16 years and 277 days in May 2024.

Moore also broke Tottenham great Jimmy Greaves' record of becoming the youngest English scorer in a major European competition.

That took place during the North Londoners' Europa League-winning campaign last season when he scored against Elfsborg in the league phase at 17 years and 172 days old.

Moore joined Rangers on loan in August and has made six appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Wales have recently convinced David Brooks and Jordan James to join the Dragons.

That is despite both of them representing England at youth level.

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Moore joined Tottenham in 2016 at the tender age of nine years old.

The forward spent eight years within Spurs' youth ranks before his senior debut in 2024.

Moore has so far amassed a total of one goal and two assists in 21 appearances.

FORMER Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici has been handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence in a plea bargain deal with Italian prosecutors.

Paratici, 53, resigned from his Tottenham role in April 2023 after losing his appeal against a 30-month ban for his part in the Juventus “Plusvalenza” scandal.

The ex-Tottenham transfer guru and other senior Juve directors, including former Czech superstar Pavel Nedved, were found to have been part of an orchestrated scheme to mislead Serie A chiefs.

Juventus carried out a transfer scam over three seasons by inflating “official” transfer fees in dealings with other Serie A clubs to create millions of pounds in “capital gains” for tax purposes.

The scheme, orchestrated by Paratici, allowed Juve to spend more in the transfer market than would have been allowed under Financial Fair Play regulations.

Italian chiefs handed Paratici a 30-month ban which was completed in the summer and there had been rumours of a potential return to Tottenham after his pivotal role in the recruitment of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski before he was forced to step down.

But the departure of Daniel Levy, who formed a close bond with Paratici, appeared to have closed that door even before the latest news.

Prosecutors had charged eight former directors at the Turin club with various allegations of stock market manipulation, obstruction and false accounting.

While the agreements - seven of the directors were punished with one, Maurizio Arrivabene, cleared - saw the sentences confirmed, there was no actual admission of guilt under Italian law.

Revised rules, agreed by all the clubs in 2023, stated that nobody convicted of offences including “corruption, fraud and tax evasion” could be appointed to the board of a Premier League club.

It is unclear if the agreement without a guilty plea would prevent Paratici resurfacing at a Prem club in the future.

Former Juve President Andrea Agnelli accepted a 20-month suspended sentence, with Nedved signing up for a suspended 14-month term.

TOTTENHAM star Lucas Bergvall attempted to make a genius play during his side’s Premier League clash with Brighton but it didn’t quite go according to plan.

In a thrilling day of Premier League action that saw Liverpool cruise past rivals Everton and Manchester United edge out Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur made the trip to the Amex Stadium to take on Brighton.

Despite going into the match as underdogs, the Seagulls made an early impact, taking the lead through Yankuba Minteh and then doubling their advantage thanks to Yasin Ayari.

But Brighton couldn’t hold onto their advantage as Richarlison pulled one back just before half-time, before an own goal from Jan Paul van Hecke handed Spurs a dramatic 2-2 draw.

However, it wasn’t the goals that got fans talking on social media – it was the cheeky move from Spurs’ Bergvall that caught everyone’s attention.

Since Thomas Frank’s arrival as manager over the summer, Bergvall has been one of Tottenham's standout performers.

He's registered one goal and two assists in six appearances across the Premier League and Champions League.

So, when Spurs were awarded a corner kick in the first half against Brighton, it was no surprise that Bergvall was keen to get involved.

But what he did next raised eyebrows.

As teammate Pedro Porro prepared to take the corner, the Swedish international decided to make a run to the far side of the goal.

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Rather than taking the usual route, Bergvall chose to sprint behind the net, in a clever attempt to evade his marker, national teammate Ayari.

It would have been a stroke of genius if referee Chris Kavanagh hadn’t spotted it immediately.

While the move is rarely punished, there is a little-known Premier League rule that states any player who deliberately leaves the field of play without permission to gain an advantage should be penalised. Technically, it’s a yellow card offence.

However, Kavanagh, opting for a more lenient approach, chose not to book Bergvall, instead blowing his whistle and issuing a verbal warning to the Spurs man.

It may have been a clever idea, but it seems Bergvall will have to be a little more careful next time he tries to outsmart the referee.

IF ever you needed evidence of how different Thomas Frank’s Tottenham are compared to predecessor Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League, then this was it.

Spurs somehow chucked away a 2-0 lead in this fixture last year under Postecoglou, losing 3-2 in one of 22 league defeats for the campaign.

This time under Frank it was a reversal as they came back from two goals down to take a deserved point.

Richarlison’s strike and an own goal from Jan Paul van Hecke chalked off early efforts from Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari in a thrilling game here.

Postecoglou of course did what no Spurs manager could do in 17 years and won a trophy with May’s Europa League triumph and will forever be remembered for that feat.

But there is no getting away from how awful the league form was under the Australian last season, with the second-half collapse at the Amex emblematic of a shambolic campaign.

Frank is obviously in the honeymoon period of his tenure so there may well be times ahead where his side do not show quite such impressive resilience.

But the fighting spirit they showed here, particularly given how easily they could roll over last term, was very encouraging indeed.

Spurs went into this game boasting a rock-solid record of four clean sheets in Frank’s six games in charge.

But this fixture normally means goals - usually against Tottenham - and today it was no different.

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Tottenham actually started the game pretty well, with Destiny Udogie justifying his return to the side with some incisive runs forward.

But then Frank’s side were completely undone by a blistering Brighton counter-attack.

Minteh won the ball off Wilson Odobert and then was sent haring through thanks to Georginio Rutter’s ball in behind.

The former Newcastle man just about managed to stay onside as he raced past Micky van de Ven and then showed impressive composure to round Guglielmo Vicario and tap home.

It was an exhilarating goal which would have thrilled all those watching of a Brighton persuasion, including incoming sporting director Jason Ayto up in the stands.

Spurs’ quality dropped after that although Pedro Porro did manage to fire a sublime ball over the top which Richarlison managed to control before lashing into the side-netting.

A defensive high line was a staple of Postecoglou’s time in charge of Spurs and it was back here too under Frank.

And just like so many teams did to Postecoglou’s Tottenham team, Brighton were exploiting it as another ball over the top led to Rutter teeing up Ayari, whose blast was denied by Vicario.

It was a decent stop by the Italian, yet his next attempt to repel an Ayari effort left a lot to be desired.

Ayari had picked up possession after a poor Lucas Bergvall pass and let fly from outside the box.

The young Swede hit it with a fair amount of velocity and venom, but Vicario should have done better as his weak hand to the ball failed to prevent it from crashing into the net.

But Spurs were by no means playing badly and already looked to be made of sterner stuff under Frank than Postecoglou - in the Premier League, at least.

It was game on when Richarlison managed to scramble home just before the break.

The Brazilian was Frank’s only fit centre-forward for the match with Dominic Solanke still out with an ankle problem and Randal Kolo Muani nursing a dead leg.

Richarlison did well to control a Mohammed Kudus shot inside the box and then fire home the loose ball for 2-1.

What followed was a captivating second half as Spurs hunted a leveller.

They almost fell further behind as Lewis Dunk attempted an audacious free-kick from his own half that dropped just over the bar.

It was not a dirty game but a physical one and everybody’s blood seemed to be up as the tension increased.

The home fans were calling for a red card when Richarlison inadvertently sent Ferdi Kadioglu sprawling when vying for a high ball, an incident which also saw tempers flare on the touchline.

Frank introduced £51million playmaker Xavi Simons into the action just after the hour and the Dutchman quickly had a hat-trick of chances - none of which he was able to convert.

The second of the three was his best effort as he fired towards the far corner but was denied by Bart Verbruggen’s excellent stop.

His third was the one he really should have put away, running onto a cut-back from the excellent Kudus before steering wide.

It was gripping stuff with supporters on tenterhooks as to whether Spurs were going to get back into it - and with eight minutes to go, they did.

Simons played it wide to Kudus whose cross was diverted in by the unfortunate Van Hecke.

Both sides had chances to nick it at the end but ultimately the shares were spoiled, as was probably fair.

There has been much to be impressed by from Frank’s tenure so far but the way his team fought back here may well have topped the lot.

TOTTENHAM take a trip down south as they clash Brighton in the Premier League!

Thomas Frank's side have made a strong start to the season, and look to momentarily jump to second in the Premier League table.

The Seagulls picked up their only win of the new season at the Amex, and will be looking for another scalp after a 2-1 victory over Manchester City.

Kick-off: 3pm BST

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Gruda, Mitoma, Rutter

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Palhinha, Kudus, Bergvall, Odobert, Richarlison

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THOMAS PARTEY was mercilessly booed by Tottenham fans while back in London to play against them in the Champions League.

The midfielder, 32, was warming up on the sidelines for Villarreal, whom he joined in the summer following the expiry of his contract at Arsenal, when the home support was heard laying into him.

Spurs fans were heard chanting, "you know what you are", towards Partey.

He was then greeted by a chorus of loud boos as he entered the pitch in the 78th minute, with the taunting carrying on for the rest of the game.

The Ghana international is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court tomorrow after being charged with five counts of rape against two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman.

Partey was charged last month, but denies the charges, which allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022 when he played for the Gunners.

He was granted conditional bail and then signed for La Liga outfit Villarreal two days later.

Before the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - his first in the UK since the charges came to light - manager Marcelino García Toral said he was sure Partey was "ready" for the game and possibility of facing a hostile atmosphere.

He said: "I am totally convinced that he is mentally prepared and technically prepared to play tomorrow.

"For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human.

"He is a great player with a lot of experience. He has played for a lot of top clubs. We know he has a great level."

Asked whether he had spoken to Partey about the game, he continued: "We're interpreting stuff about and talking about a player that could be totally innocent.

"We're playing a game of football tomorrow where the important thing is football.

"This is where football was invented after all. Do you understand me? Thank you."

Partey has played four times in La Liga for Villarreal so far this season, starting just once.

Following the announcement of his move to the Spanish club, Villarreal released a statement acknowledging that proceedings against Partey were ongoing.

It read: "Villarreal CF and Thomas Partey have reached an agreement for the Ghanaian to join the Yellow ahead of the 2025/26 season.

"The player will join up with his new team tomorrow at the training ground.

"Thomas Teye Partey (Krobo Odumase, 13/06/93) is a complete midfielder with great stamina and exceptional physical attributes.

"He is an excellent ball winner and has the ability to start moves from deep.

"The African footballer also boasts a good shot from mid-range and has the ability to break lines while driving forward.

"The experienced Ghanaian midfielder has earned more than 50 caps for his national team.

"He has also represented Arsenal FC, Atletico de Madrid, UD Almeria and RCD Mallorca.

"With the English side, he won the FA Community Shield (2023/24), while with the Madrid outfit he lifted the LaLiga title (2020/21), the Uefa Super Cup (2018/19) and the Uefa Europa League (2017/18).

"On the other hand, the club is also aware that the player is currently involved in legal proceeding in England.

"The player firmly maintains his innocence and denies all charges against him.

"The club respects the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence and will await the outcome of the judicial process, which will be responsible for clarifying the facts of the case.

"Due to the law in England in relation to ongoing proceedings the club is unable to comment further."

The statement added: "Villarreal CF wishes to clearly reiterate its strong commitment to respect and diversity and strongly condemns any act of violence in all its forms, including gender-based violence, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, or any behaviour that undermines the dignity of individuals."

FOOTBALL fans were impressed by a brand-new way of watching the Champions League during the tournament's opening night.

Broadcaster Prime Video gave fans a new perspective of the game thanks to its data-filled Prime Vision tool for Tottenham vs Villarreal.

The new FIFA-style graphics gave fans real-time statistics during the match.

Those stats included a pitch-map, AI generated functions that identified which player was on the ball and their most likely passing options and labels that showed the speed of sprints, measured long passes and showed the speed of shots.

The new tech, which was built on a similar version developed by Prime for their “Thursday Night Football” coverage of the NFL, was a hit with fans watching on from home.

On social media, one fan wrote: "Just watching the new prime vision, it’s good insight for something different when watching. Keep it up, I'm impressed."

Another added: "That Prime Vision coverage of the football is actually really clever. Just needs a player to glitch out and you'd think you were playing FIFA."

A third posted: "Big fan of this Prime Vision."

And fourth gushed: "Absolutely loving Prime Vision so far."

Others felt the new introduction was a great start but needed to work out a few kinks before they would commit to watching the format for every game.

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One fan at home wrote: "Prime Vision has got potential, they just need to dial it down a bit.

"I don’t need to know Richarlison jumped 7.7 yards off the floor to do a defensive header."

And a second commented: "Not sure I can get behind this yet".

For those that aren't sold on the tech, which uses 22 different cameras to get the data for fans, Prime is still offering their usual coverage exactly as it was before.

Andrew Hornett, Prime’s director of live production, explained: “We wanted to give the viewers something that innovates with a purpose, rather than just looks pretty.

“This is an alternative that doesn’t disrupt the main viewing experience but offers a new perspective.

“It’s something unique for European football and is designed for the fans who are really interested in tactics without being super-nerdy.”

Hornett added: "We know that this will not be for everyone but we want to deliver something that really enhances what fans can see.”