Transfer Talk Topic

[Thiago97]

6 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Casadei is a bit more of a project just because he's already 21 (22 in January) and only has 30 odd meaningful senior appearances under his belt at Championship level. This is in part somewhat of a byproduct of the fairly average youth setup in Italy, so he was behind the eight-ball from the start. 

By all accounts his time at Leicester was so-so, and wasn't helped virtually spending the second half of last season on the bench once he was recalled from loan.

While he is talented, I do think those talents would be better suited back in Serie A just because he's not really an athletic type of player. We also need to consider where he fits moving forward and right now it's unlikely he gets ahead of anyone we currently have for the midfield positions, so realistically when is an opportunity going to truly present itself? 

If his value can be utilised to secure a higher quality ready made player that ticks a serious need for us, then it feels like a bit of a no brainer.

All of these points may be valid, but some of them also may have been valid from the start. So the question is why did we bother taking the punt on him ? 
Same applies with Chukwuemka, who I think is going to end up sold before the end of the month. 
£13m and £20m invested in players for the future. Yet neither of them have proved a flop, but neither of them have been successful either. I doubt either of their value has dropped, but it’s also not really increased either.

If the club is going to invest that money into these players, then surely it needs to invest the time too ? We are expected to believe and have faith in the process and their ability to recruit well, yet in some of the deals in the last two years, they don’t appear to have belief in their ability to recruit well and happy to ship players in and out on a whim.

I have nothing against Dewsbury Hall as a player,  I think he will do a decent job here. However , if Dewsbury Hall and Chukwuemka both go on the transfer market now. Who is going to attract more interest ? I would be confident it would be Chuk, yet we have just purchased on for £30m and seemingly don’t want to spend the time developing the other one , despite us spending £20m on him a year ago. 

Edited August 15 by Thiago97

[chiswickblue]

23 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

All of these points may be valid, but some of them also may have been valid from the start. So the question is why did we bother taking the punt on him ? 
Same applies with Chukwuemka, who I think is going to end up sold before the end of the month. 
£13m and £20m invested in players for the future. Yet neither of them have proved a flop, but neither of them have been successful either. I doubt either of their value has dropped, but it’s also not really increased either.

If the club is going to invest that money into these players, then surely it needs to invest the time too ? We are expected to believe and have faith in the process and their ability to recruit well, yet in some of the deals in the last two years, they don’t appear to have belief in their ability to recruit well and happy to ship players in and out on a whim.

I have nothing against Dewsbury Hall as a player,  I think he will do a decent job here. However , if Dewsbury Hall and Chukwuemka both go on the transfer market now. Who is going to attract more interest ? I would be confident it would be Chuk, yet we have just purchased on for £30m and seemingly don’t want to spend the time developing the other one , despite us spending £20m on him a year ago. 

This, along with rumours of permanent exits for the likes of Humphreys, Matos, Moreira and Burstow may indicate they have realised you can't hope to develop so many players all at once. You can only send six overseas and there are a limited number or good EFL loan slots available, which can always be risky.

I doubt we'll be getting our money back on Casadei, but we should at least be including buy back or matching options when selling off these prospects.

For me, Casadei is more of a big lump that's a nuisance in the box than the type of technical midfielder we're now going for. An Italian McTominay.

[Floyd25]

28 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

Same applies with Chukwuemka, who I think is going to end up sold before the end of the month. 
£13m and £20m invested in players for the future.

Agreed and it makes a mockery of the project because he’s barely been given enough time to develop. 

[east lower]

7 hours ago, xceleryx said:

While @east lower, maybe I was being a little sneaky and trying to catch a few people out. 😅

Tsk, tsk.

But oh for the days of our defensive leaders and coaches who were focussing on keeping clean sheets firstly and fore-mostly. Then be expansive.

For me, there’s a beauty in defending - just as much as I enjoyed watching Eden Hazard, Arjen Robben, Laudrup (the little bit we did see), Drogba do their stuff at one end of the pitch, the solidity and organisation and pure grit/will and ‘they shall not pass’ attitude of the John Terry era was as fascinating for me. 
 

There’s a team in the PL that are showing that latter trait (unfortunately) and if they continue that and add 10 goals, I think they’ll win the PL by a good distance this season.

 

[Chelsea_Matt]

15 minutes ago, east lower said:

Tsk, tsk.

But oh for the days of our defensive leaders and coaches who were focussing on keeping clean sheets firstly and fore-mostly. Then be expansive.

For me, there’s a beauty in defending - just as much as I enjoyed watching Eden Hazard, Arjen Robben, Laudrup (the little bit we did see), Drogba do their stuff at one end of the pitch, the solidity and organisation and pure grit/will and ‘they shall not pass’ attitude of the John Terry era was as fascinating for me. 
 

There’s a team in the PL that are showing that latter trait (unfortunately) and if they continue that and add 10 goals, I think they’ll win the PL by a good distance this season.

 

It absolutely is - JT, Lord Percy, Gaz, Billy Dallas, Azpi, Thiago, Rudiger, Paulo Ferreira, Marcel, Chapi Ferrer, etc etc…etc!

But imo even without these elites you can have just “good” defenders who look great with proper coaching. 

IMO though what is so alarming is the number of stupid, unforced errors we commit. Too many of our players look like they have a costly blunder in them. For me that’s a case of a lack of football intelligence. 🫡🎯💀

[Sleeping Dave]

7 hours ago, xceleryx said:

So for those that played a long with this above, or for those just curious and or too scared to be caught lacking, these are the players above.

Player A = Guehi
Player B = Kilman
Player C = Branthwaite
Player D = Joachim Andersen

Player V = Chalobah
Player W = Disasi
Player X = Colwill
Player Y = Badiashile
Player Z = Adarabioyo

@Mark Kelly - You've gone with Disasi (W), Kilman (B), Colwill (X) and Badiashile (Y) as your four CB options.

@Lump Of Celery - You've selected three of Branthwaite (C), Colwill (X) and Badiashile (Y)

@Box of Tricks - You have taken Kilman (B), Disasi (W), Colwill (X) and Branthwaite (C)

@Thiago97 - Your two choice were Kilman (B) and Andersen (D)

@hallgalley - You have chosen Kilman (B), Colwill (X), Chalobah (V) and Disasi (W)

While @east lower, maybe I was being a little sneaky and trying to catch a few people out. 😅

I’ve still not figured out how you would catch anyone out? It’s a few lines composed by an AI chat bot. People will have selected the ones who sounded like the best CBs. Whether that is what happens out on the field is another topic altogether. 

Badiashile - strong defensively and good with the ball at his feet? 

[Bert19]

I think Chukwuemeka's main struggle is that he's been with us two years, had several opportunities to get runs of games together and ends up playing about 30 mins every three months because he's just never fit.  It's like he can't go on the pitch without just hurting something else. 

Unfortunate, but it might just be that the Club are starting to see different values in the more injury-hit players and he's ended up low down that list 

[Morgs]

Chuks is a far better player than KDH, who looks every inch the hardworking but quite limited Championship standard midfielder who is okay at most things but no better than that. Chuks has the ability to dominate games, far better on the ball, far more suited to the Prem and scores goals. 

You wait until Nkunku gets an injury and they need one of the two to step in at number ten. Chukwuemeka's chance (IF he stays) is coming. 

[Bert19]

10 minutes ago, Morgs said:

You wait until Nkunku gets an injury and they need one of the two to step in at number ten. Chukwuemeka's chance (IF he stays) is coming. 

Is he going to play there ahead of Enzo / Palmer / Mudryk / Sterling etc though? I'm not sure he is tbh.  AND he'll have to be fit to grab his chance - I really think that's his biggest obstacle tbh. 

We can see he's a decent enough player, he's just never been around enough to establish it

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

It absolutely is - JT, Lord Percy, Gaz, Billy Dallas, Azpi, Thiago, Rudiger, Paulo Ferreira, Marcel, Chapi Ferrer, etc etc…etc!

But imo even without these elites you can have just “good” defenders who look great with proper coaching. 

IMO though what is so alarming is the number of stupid, unforced errors we commit. Too many of our players look like they have a costly blunder in them. For me that’s a case of a lack of football intelligence. 🫡🎯💀

Add Ashley Cole to that list (covered with the etc’s I’m sure, but needs naming). The best left-back I’ve watched at Chelsea and probably in the top 3 ever. 
 

Never saw Ronaldo get the better of him on a whole game basis and an unsung hero in Munich in 2012. They were all hero’s that night, but he was brilliant.

[Bison]

2 hours ago, Thiago97 said:

All of these points may be valid, but some of them also may have been valid from the start. So the question is why did we bother taking the punt on him ? 
Same applies with Chukwuemka, who I think is going to end up sold before the end of the month. 
£13m and £20m invested in players for the future. Yet neither of them have proved a flop, but neither of them have been successful either. I doubt either of their value has dropped, but it’s also not really increased either.

If the club is going to invest that money into these players, then surely it needs to invest the time too ? We are expected to believe and have faith in the process and their ability to recruit well, yet in some of the deals in the last two years, they don’t appear to have belief in their ability to recruit well and happy to ship players in and out on a whim.

I have nothing against Dewsbury Hall as a player,  I think he will do a decent job here. However , if Dewsbury Hall and Chukwuemka both go on the transfer market now. Who is going to attract more interest ? I would be confident it would be Chuk, yet we have just purchased on for £30m and seemingly don’t want to spend the time developing the other one , despite us spending £20m on him a year ago. 

Casadei and Chukwuemeka were both signed before the sporting directors took over so they have no interest in either player's development and are happy to cut them loose. 

[Bert19]

1 hour ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

It absolutely is - JT, Lord Percy, Gaz, Billy Dallas, Azpi, Thiago, Rudiger, Paulo Ferreira, Marcel, Chapi Ferrer, etc etc…etc!

But imo even without these elites you can have just “good” defenders who look great with proper coaching. 

IMO though what is so alarming is the number of stupid, unforced errors we commit. Too many of our players look like they have a costly blunder in them. For me that’s a case of a lack of football intelligence. 🫡🎯💀

Agreed. Though they've clearly not been helped by the "we must play out from the back" approach.  

Sometimes it's best to simplify defending as much as you can.  Keep things clear and concise (and particularly with younger players or defenders that are low on confidence).   We all saw plenty of times last season where there was no harm in just putting the ball into the stand or the Goalie going long and we had an insistence on short passes around our own box - it overcomplicated things at key moments in games and cost us far too many goals and chances. 

I still have a real issue with Poch for that.  It's a dumb approach at any time and even dumber when you have a young group that you're supposed to be building into a team and instilling values and standards into. 

It also took players like Badiashile backwards in great leaps. By the end of the season he just looked like a player with shattered confidence being asked to do things he isn't good at and that he knew were going to fail.  Not a good mix for any player.

Edited August 15 by Bert19

[xceleryx]

2 hours ago, Sleeping Dave said:

I’ve still not figured out how you would catch anyone out? It’s a few lines composed by an AI chat bot. People will have selected the ones who sounded like the best CBs. Whether that is what happens out on the field is another topic altogether. 

Badiashile - strong defensively and good with the ball at his feet? 

You've really become a wet blanket these days.

Clearly missed the literal opening line of the original post - "for a little fun".

[Chelsea_Matt]

54 minutes ago, Bert19 said:

Agreed. Though they've clearly not been helped by the "we must play out from the back" approach.  

Sometimes it's best to simplify defending as much as you can.  Keep things clear and concise (and particularly with younger players or defenders that are low on confidence).   We all saw plenty of times last season where there was no harm in just putting the ball into the stand or the Goalie going long and we had an insistence on short passes around our own box - it overcomplicated things at key moments in games and cost us far too many goals and chances. 

I still have a real issue with Poch for that.  It's a dumb approach at any time and even dumber when you have a young group that you're supposed to be building into a team and instilling values and standards into. 

It also took players like Badiashile backwards in great leaps. By the end of the season he just looked like a player with shattered confidence being asked to do things he isn't good at and that he knew were going to fail.  Not a good mix for any player.

Agreed. It’s like this “yeah but the striker may not score but he holds it up well” or, “the goalie has chocolate wrists but he can pass”.

All excuses and BS.

🙃🙃🙃🫡

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, east lower said:

Add Ashley Cole to that list (covered with the etc’s I’m sure, but needs naming). The best left-back I’ve watched at Chelsea and probably in the top 3 ever. 
 

Never saw Ronaldo get the better of him on a whole game basis and an unsung hero in Munich in 2012. They were all hero’s that night, but he was brilliant.

How could I forget. Loved Ash. We have had some great LBs - Tony Dorigo, Graeme Le Saux…🫶🏻⭐️🫶🏻⭐️

[Morgs]

I think the thing that might save Chuks is that we have 30+ exits to sort out in the next couple of weeks and so I think nobody has the time to sort out a departure for him as well. Sterling, Mudryk, Broja, Lukaku, Gallagher, Chalobah, Kepa, Chillwell and the rest all much more of a priority., I think if I'm him I'm going to give it until Christmas and see how it goes and if no bueno then engineer a move then when he will have a lot more leverage if we have a transfer ban at that point. 

[Morgs]

All gone very quiet on Osimhen. 

Reminds me of that wonderfully wise old adage:

"When all is said and done, you can be sure only that there will be more said than done."

[JaneB]

3 hours ago, east lower said:

Tsk, tsk.

But oh for the days of our defensive leaders and coaches who were focussing on keeping clean sheets firstly and fore-mostly. Then be expansive.

For me, there’s a beauty in defending - just as much as I enjoyed watching Eden Hazard, Arjen Robben, Laudrup (the little bit we did see), Drogba do their stuff at one end of the pitch, the solidity and organisation and pure grit/will and ‘they shall not pass’ attitude of the John Terry era was as fascinating for me. 
 

There’s a team in the PL that are showing that latter trait (unfortunately) and if they continue that and add 10 goals, I think they’ll win the PL by a good distance this season.

 

There so is.  

JT and Lord Percy together, and Marcel Desailly schooling Emile Heskey, two of many many examples.

[paulw66]

27 minutes ago, Morgs said:

I think the thing that might save Chuks is that we have 30+ exits to sort out in the next couple of weeks and so I think nobody has the time to sort out a departure for him as well. Sterling, Mudryk, Broja, Lukaku, Gallagher, Chalobah, Kepa, Chillwell and the rest all much more of a priority., I think if I'm him I'm going to give it until Christmas and see how it goes and if no bueno then engineer a move then when he will have a lot more leverage if we have a transfer ban at that point. 

Whether you agree or not, I don't see Mudryk being moved on. The team that started the Inter game, a week before proper games begin, started it for a reason. 

I think Sterling is ahead in the list to move on because of his wages. 

23 minutes ago, Morgs said:

All gone very quiet on Osimhen. 

 

has it? overnight reports from Italy suggesting things had moved forward. 

I think Napoli and Osimhen have been slightly boxed into a corner as he wants to leave, but has few options, and this has weakened Napoli's bargaining position.

 

[martin1905]

Don't think anyone is doubting Chukwuemeka's ability and potential but.....

[xceleryx]

The other interesting thing with Chukwuemeka since joining is that his playing time has been sporadic at best.

23 league appearances for a total of 568 minutes, or around 6 full 90 minute matches. 

Only 5 of those appearances had have seen him play for 45+ minutes.

So while he is talented, and I think seeing him leave this summer would be a rash, he really does need a season of playing regular football.

[Chelsea_Matt]

29 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

Don't think anyone is doubting Chukwuemeka's ability and potential but.....

That could be down to too much running etc…? 🤔🙃💀🫡

[Morgs]

3 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

That could be down to too much running etc…? 🤔🙃💀🫡

Could well be. He is a big, heavy lad. I think Reece gets injured a lot for the same reason. 

[asvaberg]

10 minutes ago, Morgs said:

Could well be. He is a big, heavy lad. I think Reece gets injured a lot for the same reason. 

Didier Drogba and John Terry says hello 🙂

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

How could I forget. Loved Ash. We have had some great LBs - Tony Dorigo, Graeme Le Saux…🫶🏻⭐️🫶🏻⭐️

Bridgey was good too, just blotted his copy book with the furore surrounding his then girlfriend. But that’s a whole story in itself. 
 

Joey Jones, Dougie Rougvie - We’ve also had some character play at left back too.