Transfer Talk Topic

[Ham]

2 hours ago, paulw66 said:

If anyone thinks that it is a mere coincidence that these Saudis are paying over the odds for the 3 or 4 players we are most keen to get rid of, whilst making no attempt to buy any of the players we want to keep, then I admire your innocence. 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Miguelito07 said:

Seems like Mendy, Zyech and Koulibaly are off to S.Arabia. 

 

Not such a big stretch that there are also other considerations at play here.

All three are devout Muslims and so living and playing in Saudi Arabia wouldn't be such a culture shock...... Especially on stupid money.

 

[xceleryx]

8 minutes ago, RDCW said:

I feel a bit sorry for Cucurella. He just seemed to fall apart in front of our very eyes under the pressure of playing for a big club.

Being quite sick for a period and having his house robbed probably also didn't help.

[FrankLampard8]

If the alternative is to take a huge financial loss then yes we should absolutely give Cucurella another season. Losing a huge amount on him will still be an option next year.

[ROTG]

6 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

If the alternative is to take a huge financial loss then yes we should absolutely give Cucurella another season. Losing a huge amount on him will still be an option next year.

So we keep someone like  cucurella, yet let the likes of Mount, Kovaic, Havertz go if you believe the media. 
 

Quite Bizarre. 

[Mark Kelly]

I've still got faith that Cucurella will come good, he was exceptional when he played for Brighton against us in the league , he's not been well , got his house burgled and then suffered once more under Potter and then Lamps 

[Ham]

2 minutes ago, ROTG said:

So we keep someone like  cucurella, yet let the likes of Mount, Kovaic, Havertz go if you believe the media. 
 

Quite Bizarre. 

There's a big difference between players who are keen to go to direct rivals and a player who has expressed no wish to leave.

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Ham

[ROTG]

30 minutes ago, Ham said:

All three are devout Muslims and so living and playing in Saudi Arabia wouldn't be such a culture shock

What culture shock?

[Ham]

2 minutes ago, ROTG said:

What culture shock?

 

[ROTG]

2 minutes ago, Ham said:

There's a big difference between two players who are keen to go to direct rivals and a player who has expressed no wish to leave.

 

Which ones weaken the squad if they leave?

[Sleeping Dave]

3 hours ago, paulw66 said:

It is crystal clear to me that this year's spending by Clearlake was done 100% in the knowledge that PIF were going to splurge, and splurge on the players on we want rid of. 

If anyone thinks that it is a mere coincidence that these Saudis are paying over the odds for the 3 or 4 players we are most keen to get rid of, whilst making no attempt to buy any of the players we want to keep, then I admire your innocence.  

I’m not sure I follow this logic. Firstly, we don’t know whether they have tried to buy any of our other players. Secondly, it would make sense that the deals going through are proposed deals for players we have made available (and want to get rid of). 

As for the fees - I don’t know what they will be. But it’s not like they are paying £100m for Auba or Ziyech. I’d say they are pretty close to their MV (if there is such a thing). 

After all, I’m not reading too many stories on how the Saudis are planning to Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Bellingham and Mbappe. 

2 hours ago, ShedMiddle said:

Regarding Lukaku.  Chelsea should be in a position to be able to sue either Lukaku or Inter.  How can it be right to pay £100m and then the player force his way back to the selling club and publically announce that you don't want to play for the club that paid £100m for you and only want to join the selling club that can't afford you!  The whole situation stinks and I can't see how Inter or Lukaku aren't breaching contracts.

Sadly I think we paid them up front. But yeah, there’s a smelly rat buried somewhere in this story. Lukaku is just a massive, massive knob. Under jo circumstance should we take him back. If he doesn’t get a permanent transfer on acceptable terms then let him rot in a kebab shop. I’m beyond caring for him as a person. The club should show no goodwill at all. 

8 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

If the alternative is to take a huge financial loss then yes we should absolutely give Cucurella another season. Losing a huge amount on him will still be an option next year.

Absolutely not if it is at the expense of Maatsen.  I’d rather take a £30m hit on Cucurella now then selling Maatsen this summer 

[ROTG]

Just now, Ham said:

 

Have you been to KSA?

[Sleeping Dave]

29 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Being quite sick for a period and having his house robbed probably also didn't help.

He was pretty much shit from day 1. I remember digging deep into him after 2 or 3 games into the season. He only got worse after that. 

I remember someone said they liked his energy in the beginning. Think everyone caught on he had to run a lot to cover the ground he lost due to not being able to read the game. I’m not sure he will ever be a top player. 

[ROTG]

2 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

I’m not sure he will ever be a top player. 

Are you saying it’s a turd that can’t be polished 

“sorry could not resist 😀”

[Original 21]

Reading through reports this morning it appears that deals for Ziyech and Mendy to Saudi clubs are imminent. But Lukaku and Aubameyang are resisting and want to play in Europe. In Lukaku’s case he seems to think if he drags it out long enough, we’ll cave in and let him stay at Inter under similar terms as last season. Both Inter and Lukaku are playing us for fools. 

[Miguelito07]

5 minutes ago, Original 21 said:

Reading through reports this morning it appears that deals for Ziyech and Mendy to Saudi clubs are imminent. But Lukaku and Aubameyang are resisting and want to play in Europe. In Lukaku’s case he seems to think if he drags it out long enough, we’ll cave in and let him stay at Inter under similar terms as last season. Both Inter and Lukaku are playing us for fools. 

I think Boehly and co have learned their lesson from last season and will tell Lukaku and Inter to p1ss off

[Bob Singleton]

4 minutes ago, Original 21 said:

I think Thibaut Courtois has gone on strike again…

 

 

 

[Bones]

3 hours ago, martin1905 said:

Yes and no. Don't think any manager really has that much say anymore on player recruitment, apart from Pep and as much as I, on the one hand, would like to see it here, on the other we did that with Conte and it was disastrous.

What we are doing is unprecedented. We are looking at building a team that will dominate once City's turn is over. Realising it was almost impossible to compete with them in the immediate future we decided to look at buying the best of the best young players from all over the world and try to create a team that will compete at the very top in a few years time. Some will work, some won't but it's a fresh, bold approach and one I'm very much enjoying and looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

The alternative would have been to spend that £600m on ready made superstars but we probably couldn't have attracted the players we needed, or were willing to pay the extortionate wages and if we did we would have ended up with a load of Prima Donna's with  over inflated egos that create an awful, lifeless, hollow club much like PSG.

Yes!

[east lower]

On 16/06/2023 at 22:12, Blue Moon said:

Remember that too - about 2 months later. Wondered whether we’d all been deluded, or what had happened …

Didn’t take long to have him sussed as a player.

[paulw66]

57 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

I’m not sure I follow this logic. Firstly, we don’t know whether they have tried to buy any of our other players.

 

No, we don't but it would have been a well kept secret.

I don't think it is beyond the realms of fantasy that by January, when we started to spend some big money, Chelsea already knew that Ziyech, Mendy and KK would be surplus to requirements this summer, and at the same time, knew, through the PIF / Clearlake connection, there would be offers coming from SA

57 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

 Secondly, it would make sense that the deals going through are proposed deals for players we have made available (and want to get rid of). 

 

Of course. And by stroke of luck, some of the players we have who are surplus to requirements are Muslim, and therefore more likely to be open to a move to SA. Which is why the whole thing makes even more sense, and the dots join up even more.

57 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

 

As for the fees - I don’t know what they will be. But it’s not like they are paying £100m for Auba or Ziyech. I’d say they are pretty close to their MV (if there is such a thing). 

 

I expect the fees will be higher than what we would have got on the open market. Considering the wages some of them are on, loans would have been the only likely alternatives

 

1 hour ago, Sleeping Dave said:

 

After all, I’m not reading too many stories on how the Saudis are planning to Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Bellingham and Mbappe. 

 

Of course not. Those players are in their prime, competing at the highest level, and the chances of luring them to SA would be slim to nil.

[paulw66]

In other news Nicolas Jackson looks done (according to FR)

[paulw66]

It is thought that Chelsea were originally presented with a proposal for those five players to move to Saudi for one set fee that would probably have amounted to more than £100 million. But Lukaku’s insistence that he wants to remain in Europe, at Inter Milan, has made any five-man package deal impossible.

The 5 being Mendy, Ziyech, KK, Lukaku and PEA.

Now reading Chelsea re hoping to most of the 33m back on KK, but not all. That is a result in anyone's book, even if it is circa 25m

[Bob Singleton]

2 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

It is thought that Chelsea were originally presented with a proposal for those five players to move to Saudi for one set fee that would probably have amounted to more than £100 million. But Lukaku’s insistence that he wants to remain in Europe, at Inter Milan, has made any five-man package deal impossible.

The 5 being Mendy, Ziyech, KK, Lukaku and PEA.

Now reading Chelsea re hoping to most of the 33m back on KK, but not all. That is a result in anyone's book, even if it is circa 25m

I actually like KK and think he played better than most here think he did. However, given the likelihood of using a back four, we can't have 6 centre backs. With Chalobah and Fofana covering the right-hand berth and Badiashile and Colwill the left, there's only room for one "old head" in reserve; either Silva or KK.  KK we actually get some money back, even if only £20m-£25m

[FrankLampard8]

1 hour ago, ROTG said:

So we keep someone like  cucurella, yet let the likes of Mount, Kovaic, Havertz go if you believe the media. 
 

Quite Bizarre. 

Not particularly as the circumstances almost couldn't be more different. They all want to go which is the biggest factor but they also have less time left on their contracts and are worth considerably bigger fees. Cucurella wouldn't be the first player to have a considerably better season which at the very least would mean we get more of our money back even if he isn't ultimately good enough for the long term.

I would keep Mount if I could personally - doesn't seem that straightforward. 

[paulw66]

14 minutes ago, Bob Singleton said:

I actually like KK and think he played better than most here think he did. However, given the likelihood of using a back four, we can't have 6 centre backs. With Chalobah and Fofana covering the right-hand berth and Badiashile and Colwill the left, there's only room for one "old head" in reserve; either Silva or KK.  KK we actually get some money back, even if only £20m-£25m

yeah, he wasn't awful, but given his age and contract, and the emergence of other options, if we can get our money back (or close to it), it makes plenty of sense.

[Max Fowler]