Transfer Talk Topic

[xceleryx]

28 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

Yep , if we just look at the stats (which we all know can be misleading ) he's not a million miles off Caicedo and he's £80m cheaper! 

If I was running the club I just might take notice of that.

And comes with a laundry list of injuries, all more or less being muscular. 

Not that I think Adam's is bad player, just something to be mindful over. No point being  cheaper if you're unavailable.

[Thiago97]

1 minute ago, paulw66 said:

These links are hotting up. Can't say I have seen much of him.

 

Didn't one of our team work with him at Leipzig?

If I was to compare him to previous players we have had. I would say he is a bit of a hybrid of Alexi Smertin and Lassana Diarra, but with a better and more technical passing range than both of them.

He is a very good ball winner, will break up play and make tackles and make us harder to play against for sure. He will also have more tactical direction and control within our set up, rather than the basketball games that Leeds played more the majority of last season. 

[Thiago97]

Just now, xceleryx said:

And comes with a laundry list of injuries, all more or less being muscular. 

Not that I think Adam's is bad player, just something to be mindful over. No point being  cheaper if you're unavailable.

I think he started 30 PL games last season. We also won't demand as much from him physically as what Leeds did.

[bertles86]

7 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

And comes with a laundry list of injuries, all more or less being muscular. 

Not that I think Adam's is bad player, just something to be mindful over. No point being  cheaper if you're unavailable.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tyler-adams/verletzungen/spieler/332705

Not a bad injury history tbh. Seen far worse.

[xceleryx]

5 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

I think he started 30 PL games last season. We also won't demand as much from him physically as what Leeds did.

I'm sure that will no doubt help having a reduced role and therefore demand on the body, but he had injury issues prior to Leeds also even if he didn't miss any sort of extensive periods. 

For the price it's still a no brainer. 

[xceleryx]

2 minutes ago, bertles86 said:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tyler-adams/verletzungen/spieler/332705

Not a bad injury history tbh. Seen far worse.

Of course. 

[Ham]

3 hours ago, ROTG said:

LA Lakers doctors are good for baseball injuries 

 😀

How's that now?

[RDCW]

1 hour ago, Morgs said:

I'm not laughing at you mate - I have a feeling you could be more right than many would believe at this point.

Some thoughts as I have my morning coffee. There are a few things we have massively in our favour that aren't being talked about as much as they maybe ought to be. 

1) A lot of the players will be hurt and embarrassed after last season's hapless, limp debacle. We have lacked hunger in recent years and it was saddening to see teams beating us last season though the sheer force of just wanting it more. There will be none of that this season.  We have something to prove, big time. 

2) Poch doesn't tolerate strollers and anyone not producing will find themselves out of the side very quickly. We have a largish squad filled with hungry youngsters all of whom are at more or less a level. Whereas in the past you had a preferred XI and then rotating it meant a drop in quality in many cases, for us that is less true than it has been for years.  

3) We can go long, get nasty if we want to. Tactically there are options. Poch is a bit fussy true but he is one of the current game's great exponents of having a really well drilled squad able to pivot to different systems in one game. This is one of his strengths. We had months on end last season and before that where if Plan A didn't work, we sort of sat there and just lost interest in the game rather than change things up. I loved Carlo but this was a key criticism of his: he didnt have a Plan B. Poch will do. Like him or not (and he is growing on me, more on that later) he is tactically very astute and has shown he can and will change things mid-game if they aren't working. The squad has options that allow this and (charitably) you might point to one of the reasons Frank and Potter's dreadful spells at Chelsea last season were so bad was that they saw the problem after ten minutes etc, but didn't have the personnel to change it up. Now Poch does. I spoke on here a few days ago about how (a fully fit....) Vlahovic gives you more options again which is why I think we will bring him in. 

4) Poch has eliminated all but 3 of the players that were causing a major issue last season and against whom, the ire of the fans was directed. I am 100% certain Ziyech and Lukaku for two more of that last three will not be here come the slamming shut of the window this month. With these gone, the relationship between the fans and the players can repair itself. Further to this, many Chelsea (myself included) had grave reservations about Poch coming in. I didn't like him. I thought he was a whiny personality vacuum, a ludicrously over-rated failuremonger who suited Spurs down to the ground. The Spurs connection was a big thing. For me, and I suspect most Chelsea, he has gone to great lengths to put that behind him and say all the right things, do all the right things, give all the right vibes to make me forget about my previous views in very short order. He's very clearly a far better manager than I gave him credit for. Importantly he is also (and I've said this before as well on here) not Potter. That will play very positively with the fans and I think there is a pent-up store of equity he will enjoy from the supporters as a result of what went before. We, most of us anyway, recognise he is a good manager and didn't come here for us to finish twelfth. My point is that the fans will get behind the team and the manager in a way we haven't seen since Tuchel's first year in charge and for many years before that. Our fans when they are in full support give the manager and the team a huge lift. 

5) No European football this season will be key. We will have fewer games, more rest and hopefully fewer injuries. Poch's fanaticism over fitness levels and conditioning (the difference in condition from last season is eye-opening to say the least!) should ensure we have a physical parity at worst or at best a nice physical advantage over other busier teams this season. That has helped us win major trophies in the past and will be of huge benefit here too. 

6) Expectations. Nobody is seeing us as a threat, the papers are busy undermining other teams and our own fanbase has little to no expectations for this season - top half or top six would be seen as a major step forward after last season's near-relegation battle and with expectations set so low, we can surprise rather than fail. 

7) We are a much fitter, leaner, more press-resistant, more physical and physically stronger side than we were last season. We may still struggle with bigger teams coming to the Bridge and trying to kick and press us out of games this season, but nowhere near to the same extent as we did last season. Teams will have to be tactically smarter to stop us. We'll be a lot more difficult to play against. I cannot overstate the difference it will make to the squad mentality to shift from fearing playing against the Burnleys, West Hams, Evertons and Bournemouths of this world because we know they will just kick us off the park, shut down the space, keep really compact and hit us on the break, to knowing we are better than them and have  a meaningful solution to their "agricultural" tactics.  At times we just sat like a rabbit in the headlights of games like this, knowing what was going to happen but not being able or willing to do anything about it. That isn't going to happen as much this season, hopefully.

8 ) We have players who will score goals. Jackson in particular looks a proper player and Nkunku is admittedly far from "the French Timo Werner" as I have called him in the past. Mudryk has settled much better by the looks of it and will score a load as well I think. There is a nice mix of scary pace, raw power, physicality, unpredictability and movement there that will cause teams a lot of problems. Defenders now will have to work a bit harder than just to shepherd Ziyech or Pulisic on their weaker foot and don't let them cut inside by keeping their body between them and the goal.  Sterling will surely have a better season than his risible campaign last time out and Madueke and a few others have a fair few goals in the them too.  Having Enzo and (hopefully) Caicedo in the middle who actually know what to do with all that possession, who know when to spread it and when to go with it etc, who can sit and spot the runs, can only be of benefit.  If we get Vlahovic he will get a nice tally as well when fit. Its a laughable cliche but if you score goals, you can win football matches. 

9) City are arguably weaker than last season I think. Arsenal have strengthened but rely too much on Odegaard and Martinelli to make them tick. They may find rotating in Jorginho and Havertz does not meet with the same success. They still need a proper striker. Rice is a good addition but is he as good on the ball as Partey was? United will be better this season but have a dodgy keeper and a huge squad with a lot of very average players who Ten Hag will do well to manage. Defensively they still look suspect to me. Accepting these will almost certainly  finish above us, who else is there? Liverpool aren't the team they were and have lost key players but struggled to replace them, I think this will be Klopp's final season there. Spurs? Nah. Newcastle? Are they really that much better than us? I would contend not. We're a better side than any of the other teams barring Arsenal, City and Yernited I think and I honestly believe with a bit of luck Top Four is wide open. Get that and then CL footie and I think we could challenge the season after. Wild optimism? Honestly no I don't think it is. We have a really strong shout - provided we can bring in Caicedo and shift Lukaku and Ziyech. 

10) Luck. We were so out of luck last season it got darkly amusing at times; like some black comedy. It felt at times that Lady Luck had donned her dominatrix gear and was spending much of the season sticking pins and God knows what else besides in Chelsea voodoo dolls. I'm not a gambler but if we put 50% of the awful happenings (bad ref decisions, incorrect VAR calls, injuries, freak occurrences) down to poor fortune as opposed to poor fortune engendered by crap form, no heart, no ability and no direction, then it would (touching wood frantically here!!!!)  be churlish to suggest that such a dreadful, devastating run would continue much longer. Good teams help make their own luck. We are a better team this season so lets hope Lady Luck recognises that and gives us a few more breaks. 

Certainly reasons for optimism. 

Maybe I am guilty of placing too much faith in kids but I see very clearly that Poch and the back room team are addressing the weaknesses we all saw to much lamentation, all too regularly last season and further back than that.  There is nothing you can do about the bad luck and injuries etc but for everything else we are better placed. 

In many ways the game against Liverpool will be a really interesting encounter which will teach us a lot. I don't see us winning it, a score draw looks nailed on, but - and this is crucial and crucially indicative - I don't see us losing it either. 

So there is some progress right there. 

CAREFREE. 

No harm in a bit of optimism and you make some excellent points. The only uncontrollable variable is the performance of other sides and that is what will affect our league position as much as our own efforts : there are several competitive teams this season and points will be won and lost on marginal details. With a bit of luck we will be top 4, but we are a couple of players short of a title challenge in my opinion,  unless our competitors are off the boil. 

All in all this is a much more eagerly-awaited season because of the points you make!

[ROTG]

45 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

He is mid 20s.....in the event that he was only here for 12 months (which is unlikely) he could get a 4 year contract at another good club for similar pay.

Trouble is you want it every way possible that suits your narrative. We won't sign top players under TBSD cos we wont pay the wages . We cant move players on under TBSD because they are on good wages under a long contract .

Genuine players like Adams who want to play football, won't give much of a toss about walking away from a 6 year deal at Chelsea and not playing Vs a 4 year deal at say Dortmund for slight wage decrease and playing every week.

 

If he sits in our reserves for 12 months his valuation will more than likely decrease.

Also being on a long contract works both ways he might want to jump ship after 12 month, however his hands are tied because the club will dictate his valuation, bit like the Caceido situation.

[ROTG]

16 minutes ago, Ham said:

How's that now?

Not sure they do cricket injuries 😀

[Thiago97]

7 minutes ago, ROTG said:

 

If he sits in our reserves for 12 months his valuation will more than likely decrease.

Also being on a long contract works both ways he might want to jump ship after 12 month, however his hands are tied because the club will dictate his valuation, bit like the Caceido situation.

Different scenario. He is better than a £20 million player, so you are already getting him below market value. 
A season hardly playing (which won’t happen) and you will get at least your money back. Probably more as he is worth more. 

[Morgs]

27 minutes ago, RDCW said:

No harm in a bit of optimism and you make some excellent points. The only uncontrollable variable is the performance of other sides and that is what will affect our league position as much as our own efforts : there are several competitive teams this season and points will be won and lost on marginal details. With a bit of luck we will be top 4, but we are a couple of players short of a title challenge in my opinion,  unless our competitors are off the boil. 

All in all this is a much more eagerly-awaited season because of the points you make!

Cheers mate. You make a great point about how others do. Fingers crossed if we don't win it, City do again and Arsenal implode again, Liverpool miss out on top four and United fold in on themselves with the weight of ther squad. 

[Mark Kelly]

27 minutes ago, RDCW said:

No harm in a bit of optimism and you make some excellent points. The only uncontrollable variable is the performance of other sides and that is what will affect our league position as much as our own efforts : there are several competitive teams this season and points will be won and lost on marginal details. With a bit of luck we will be top 4, but we are a couple of players short of a title challenge in my opinion,  unless our competitors are off the boil. 

All in all this is a much more eagerly-awaited season because of the points you make!

Agreed , we are in a scenario for the first time for a long time that the "big six" and others on the periphery if any Spurs supporters are reading are easily capable of taking points off each other . 

We , for the first time in ages ,  look like we may give Arsenal and United a game for a change too.

[Morgs]

Lots of reports on twitter that we are in the final stages of Tyler Adams for 20m - IN ADDITION TO - a final approach for Caicedo.

You would think then that means Big Les and Lewis Hall going on loan if we get both. 

[RDCW]

5 minutes ago, Morgs said:

Cheers mate. You make a great point about how others do. Fingers crossed if we don't win it, City do again and Arsenal implode again, Liverpool miss out on top four and United fold in on themselves with the weight of ther squad. 

Absolutely! City's victories are entirely meaningless.

[RDCW]

1 hour ago, Thiago97 said:

If I was to compare him to previous players we have had. I would say he is a bit of a hybrid of Alexi Smertin and Lassana Diarra, but with a better and more technical passing range than both of them.

He is a very good ball winner, will break up play and make tackles and make us harder to play against for sure. He will also have more tactical direction and control within our set up, rather than the basketball games that Leeds played more the majority of last season. 

Wow, you're going back a bit there! Lassana Diarra was brilliant on his debut and I thought he was going to be the new Makelele with a bit of added forward passing perception........sadly he didn't live up to my hype and was soon gone.

[Morgs]

5 minutes ago, RDCW said:

Wow, you're going back a bit there! Lassana Diarra was brilliant on his debut and I thought he was going to be the new Makelele with a bit of added forward passing perception........sadly he didn't live up to my hype and was soon gone.

He was a loon though wasn't he? Proper nutter. 

[Mark Kelly]

12 minutes ago, Morgs said:

He was a loon though wasn't he? Proper nutter. 

100 MPH all the time , I liked him , I believe he was sold because he wanted to play a different position than the one the coach (Jose?) wanted him to. 

[xceleryx]

25 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

100 MPH all the time , I liked him , I believe he was sold because he wanted to play a different position than the one the coach (Jose?) wanted him to. 

He was playing RB for a period because he had injuries, and in fair did relatively well. From memory, and this may be risky to trust, but I thought he left because he wanted more regular football? Which saw him show no interest in extending his deal and was subsequently sold. 

Actually shocked me a bit looking up his career to see he played 86 times or so for Real Madrid.

[thevelourfog]

Crazy given how many we've moved on that we still have loads of work to do there, and especially if we are looking at Adams and Caicedo.

[Morgs]

Nkunku out for two months at least with ligament damage. 

I take back all I said about us having a luckier season. Lady Luck still despises us. 

FFS. 

[Chelsea_Matt]

38 minutes ago, Morgs said:

Nkunku out for two months at least with ligament damage. 

I take back all I said about us having a luckier season. Lady Luck still despises us. 

FFS. 

Yes. Injuries again! BUT we at least have more attacking players now so can play Jacko up front with say Mudryk and Raheem on the flanks. 

[Original 21]

1 hour ago, Morgs said:

Nkunku out for two months at least with ligament damage. 

I take back all I said about us having a luckier season. Lady Luck still despises us. 

FFS. 

We can’t catch a break. He looked really good in preseason too. We now look very lightweight in numbers upfront as Broja doesn’t look like he’s coming back anytime soon. Be a disaster if Jackson gets injured. I expect this means we’ll be in for Vlahovic.

[Miguelito07]

1 hour ago, Morgs said:

Nkunku out for two months at least with ligament damage. 

I take back all I said about us having a luckier season. Lady Luck still despises us. 

FFS. 

FFS! 

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, Miguelito07 said:

FFS! 

FFS!