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Adam Chabukiani: Defying All Odds

The story of a young Georgian refugee, born through the chaos of the Abkhazia War to find his feet in the footballing world.
Started on 5 October 2015 by Jack
Latest Reply on 5 July 2019 by Justice
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With a hefty transfer budget offered to Chabukiani at the beginning of the season, he has finally put it to use beyond the free transfers signed earlier in the window.

Chabukiani has now gone all out guns blazing with fee-paid transfers - spending approximately £20million on four new players.

The first of which is a new goalkeeper, which was compulsory following Ben Foster's retirement and new career as a goalkeeping coach at Horsfall Stadium.

This led to the signing of long-time Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The giant Belgian keeper was placed on the transfer list at Anfield by Dutch gaffer Frank de Boer for a fee of £1.6million.

The Belgian spent seven years at Liverpool before his ultimate departure to Bradford, and despite coming under fire for regular mistakes, he was mostly a reliable keeper for The Reds. He played eighteen games last season before signing a three-year deal at Horsfall Stadium.

With Aston Villa dead and buried in last season's calamitous season, The Villains find themselves losing many of their best players as they get ready for life in the second tier.

Adam Chabukiani took advantage of the want-away atmosphere at Villa Park and snapped up England star Jack Grealish for a cut-price deal of £8million.

The 24-year-old spent nine years at the club after coming through their academy structure. In this years EURO 2020 tournament, he finished with the highest amount of assists as England went on to beat Italy in the Final to lift their first ever European Championship title, two years after their second World Cup win.

He is part of a youth revolution in England as the side have dominated the world for four years now and Grealish has been a pivotal part in that, with Bradford Park Avenue fans delighted with the capture of the 24-year-old winger.

Despite not having as much reputation in the world of football, Bradford PA have signed up PSV Eindhoven wonderkid Marc Kuijpers for a bargain price of £57,000.

A 6'6" target man, Kuijpers grew up under a PSV academy, renowned for its development of footballing greats in the striker department, like Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo.

He will be playing in the Under-21's for now, but can expect a potential first-team spot for him in the future.

Back to Aston Villa, though, and Jake Cooper has also followed Jack Grealish up north from the Midlands to Yorkshire as he signs for Bradford PA for a fee of £4million.

He signed for The Villains in 2018 in a £9million move from Reading and was promoted with Aston Villa in his first season there, as promised. But an immediate relegation from the top-flight left Cooper feeling betrayed by the clubs' promises and wanted away from Villa Park.

Although never transfer-listed, Chabukiani was aware of many of Villa's players' unhappiness through agents that he became friends with. This led to Avenue being the first team in for the talented centre-back and the 25-year-old is set for another season in the Premier League - except with Bradford Park Avenue.

Finally, the most recent move is the £6.5million transfer of Lewis Cook from Leicester City.

The brilliant midfielder learnt his trade in West Yorkshire through Leeds United's famous Thorp Arch academy system. He grew up playing alongside the likes of Charlie Taylor, Fabian Delph and even former Bradford PA loanee Kalvin Phillips, so is familiar with his surroundings.

Throughout his career at Leeds, many clubs tried to poach him, but last season he finally bagged a move to Leicester City for a fee of £7.25million. Last season, Cook played every single league game in the Premier League as he achieved ten assists as Fernando Hierro led the team into 12th place.

Unimpressed with the treatment of his teammates, Cook found himself unhappy at King Power Stadium and was placed on the transfer-list. Chabukiani swooped in for the 23-year-old and is now tied down to a three year deal at Horsfall Stadium, valued at £9.25million now.

Some sensational signings there! Cook and Grealish will certainly provide plenty of excitement, while Mignolet will provide important experience.
Big names there man, hopefully they play lights out





Adam Chabukiani's career in football has taken many twists and turns in its course, and today it has taken another as the Georgian takes the reigns of the Swiss National Football Team.

Coming over to England as a refugee aged five years old to get away from the ongoing Abkhazian War was Chabukiani's first steps into English football.

After a car crashed into him on a Leeds United night out in 2002, it seemed like his career and possibly life was over. The pundits were wrong as he saved Bradford City from extinction, before another horror injury which ruled him out of a playing career for good.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength at Horsfall Stadium, with his first role being youth team assistant manager, then assistant manager and then became manager of Bradford Park Avenue.

Five consecutive promotions later, and Bradford PA are moving to a brand new stadium and are starting their first season in the English top-flight.

But now, Chabukiani is stepping onto a higher stone as he agrees an offer from the Switzerland FA to manage their national football team following the sacking of Vladimir Petkovic.

In this summers EURO 2020 held in the United Kingdom, Switzerland finished last place in Group E after starting so well with a win against Spain, before a calamitous two losses to Czech Republic and Republic of Ireland.

In the 2016 EURO's, held in France, Switzerland were knocked out by Sweden in the Second Round of the tournament, meanwhile in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Swiss narrowly qualified for the Second Round by one goal after losses to both Tunisia and Iraq in the Group Stage. They were knocked out by Portugal in Extra-Time.

With a growing population of 7.5 million people, the nation expect more on the international stage from La Nati, especially now possessing one of the most potent strikers in the world in the form of Breel Embolo, who has just finalised a £41.5million move from PSG to FC Barcelona.

Not only Embolo, but the Swiss hold talent like Ricardo Rodriguez, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka within their ranks.

Chabukiani spoke to the Swiss media today and said that he was 'delighted' to be offered the job and will work to the end to improve the nation's stature on the world stage.

Chabukiani will earn £8,500 per week as Switzerland manager - considerably more than what he earns at Horsfall Stadium.
Big news man and congrats
Becoming manager of Switzerland opens the door to endless opportunities. Good luck in your new conquest!
just caught up with the story, had a real-life issue for awhile

and i dunno why i'm crying on the promotion story lol

anyway good luck with the Premier League campaign and cheers!
Just got caught up again. Great news on the promotion and the Swiss job!

On a side note, Lewis Cook is just sheer magic
Well some major things certainly happening!
MJK46: Thanks you :)

Justice: Absolutely, I'm so excited to get started! :D

joshleedsfan: Thanks mate! And don't I know that - the kid's a star!

convoyer: Welcome back mate, good to know you're well again :) Thanks for the awesome feedback as always :D

Griffo: Hollywood movie next? ;)
0vg9o




Bradford Park Avenue have hit the £40million mark in transfer fees this season as they agree three more deals for English players.

Adam Chabukiani has always been a fan of a homegrown squad as manager of Bradford PA. During his current five-year spell at the club out of the 111 signings he has brought in, only 22 of them have been players born outside of the British Isles (including Republic of Ireland) before this transfer window.

He has adc f.p[ded to that tradition today by completing the signing of English trio Tom Ince, Sam Byram and Josh Vela.

Following Lewis Cook in from Leicester City this summer is highly-rated winger Tom Ince, who arrives for £7.5million.
=[g
In his Blackpool days, Ince was expected to become one of England's first names on the team sheet in years to come, but a move to Championship side Derby County instead of a move to Inter Milan, Ince's career failed to really lift off at Pride Park despite plenty of matches.

128 appearances later and Ince finally got his return to the Premier League with an £8million transfer to Leicester City. In the Premier League he made a great amount of appearances. But following the departures of Leicester's big names - including Cook's move to Bradford PA - Ince found himself unsettled before Avenue came in with a £7.5million bid.

Following up Ince's transfer to West Yorkshire is Leeds United's Sam Byram. He joins for a fee of £6million.

With Mason Holgate the only recognised right-back in the first-team, a very promising challenger in Byram has been brought in to give Holgate something more to think about.

Like earlier signing Lewis Cook, Byram came through the Leeds United academy system and has spent all of his career at Elland Road in the Championship, with his big break coming from Neil Warnock's confidence to play the then-18-year-old. Since then it has all been upwards for the England Under-21 international.

Finally, Burnley midfielder general Josh Vela has arrived at the club for the largest fee out of the trio - £8million.

Vela left his boyhood team Bolton Wanderers in 2016 as The Trotters crumbled under financial meltdown, with the club even slumping to the all-time low of non-league football.

Vela let his contract run down at the Reebok Stadium and left the club in 2016 to join Burnley, who had just been promoted to the Premier League the season before. Despite relegation in his first season, he helped Burnley reach the Premier League on the first attempt.

But 152 league appearances later and the 26-year-old midfielder is on his way over the Pennines to join Yorkshire side Bradford Park Avenue in their first ever season in the Barclays Premier League.





In a club record sale, Bradford Park Avenue have sold their Brazilian star striker Carabina to Italian giants AS Roma.

With Carabina once holding the title as Avenue's record transfer for money paid out, Avenue paid £1million for the youngster as he flourished, scoring 21 league goals in 22 appearances as well as nine assists.

The player quickly became one of the Championship's terrifying players, with his pace added onto his composure in front of goal quickly building up the 21-year-old's reputation in English football.

Carabina had another two years on his contract which he signed as soon as Bradford PA won the title, bagging a £15,000 per week contract.

This may be an indication as to if Chabukiani changes the formation to suit one striker as the departure of Carabina leaving Michael Lieblein and legendary striker Matthew Fletcher as the only forwards in the first-team. That is of course down to if Chabukiani replaces Carabina.

The Brazilian forward has joined Serie A giants AS Roma for an initial fee of £7.5million, with £5million more to be paid to Bradford Park Avenue in installments. This brings the added up total of the transfer fee to £12.5million.

He agrees to a four-year deal in the Italian capital where he will be earning double the amount at the Olimpico than he did at Horsfall Stadium.
Tom Ince nice





Bradford Park Avenue have today unveiled their new kits for their first ever season in the reformed Barclays Premier League.

It's the start of a new decade and the start of a new era for Bradford Park Avenue as they begin the 2020's in the top-flight of English football.

With the star signings of Jack Grealish, Rémy Cabella and Lewis Cook throughout the course of July, Adam Chabukiani conceded that it may well be the last money spent on first-team players this summer.

However those players have all been in the studio all week, modelling this season's kit for the club.

Avenue asked Kappa to produce their kits this year, instead of Nike who have branded many recent Bradford PA kits over the years. Instead, the Bradford coat of arms will be placed centrally on the kit as Kappa brand logo of the Omini outline placed on both sleeves of the kits.

Along with the new brand, John Dean has negotiated a new two-year kit sponsorship deal with French insurance firm AXA, who take over the sponsor placing which Yorkshire Building Society held for two years.

AXA has had a lot of involvement in football sponsorship over the years, most famously sponsoring the FA Cup between 1998 and 2002 in a £25million deal. They have also sponsored Braga's stadium and kits before as well as Serie A's Atalanta Errea between 2013 and 2015.

AXA has made its first investment into Premier League football now as they will be the face of Bradford Park Avenue until May 2022.

However, onto the actual kit designs. The home kit is dressed in the traditional Bradford PA green colour, which the club have worn as its main colours for a while now. Fan support is as strong as ever behind the new kit.

But Avenue had now rid themselves of the yellow, red and black kit which they wore last season as their away kit. They have now swapped it back with a more stylish white colour with green trimmings.

For their third kit, the club have returned to darker colours of black and grey. It has been well received, especially in response to the horrific purple kit the club wore last season as their third kit, this season's is a big improvement.

Alongside the kit release, the club also posted the team's official numbers for the 2020/2021 season in the Premier League. The list goes as follows:
1. Shaun Barrow
2. Mason Holgate
3. Andrew Robertson
4. Lewis Cook
5. Tyias Browning
6. Ben Blackmore
7. Tom Ince
8. Josh Vela
9. Matthew Fletcher
10. Rémy Cabella
11. Jack Grealish
12. Ashley Douglas
13. Luke Lloyd
14. Jake Cooper
15. Jack Hallahan
16. Unassigned
17. Shigeru Gondo
18. Unassigned
19. Andre Grant
20. Marc Kuijpers
21. Unassigned
22. Simon Mignolet
23. Michael Lieblein
24. Aymen Abdennour
25. Sam Byram
26. Unassigned
27. Paul Humphreys
28. Luciano Pesce
29. Salih Posinkovic
30. Dave Millington
31-39. Unassigned
40. Mark Townsend
Boy oh boy I missed this story this past week! Loving the kits mate, good graphics :)

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