Transfer Talk Topic

[Thiago97]

13 minutes ago, Rob B said:

On paper, I absolutely agree with you.

However I’m cautiously reserving judgement to see what happens in reality.  We know Neto has spent more time injured over the last 3 years than time playing so is he going to be an actual option for us?  He is the game changer signing this summer,  but if he’s not around,  you’ve swapped Gallagher for KDH which is a downgrade and added Felix who I like, but might not get into our best XI.  

At that point, we’ve spent best part of £130m for Neto to be in the physio room and KDH / Felix to be playing Thursday football against Micky Mouse FC. 

I’d have been much more comfortable giving those minutes to Mudryk, George or Chukwuemeka and spending that money on a world class GK and a CB.

I still think there’s a deal to be done with Napoli for Osimhen in the last week of the window and at least at that point we would have strengthened 1 of the big 3 positions we needed to.  

This simplistically highlights the key problems. 
No doubting Felix is a player of quality, but he don’t fit with what we need, and I can’t imagine the manager can see an obvious role for him in the team right now.

He did ok here, but played like an individual and the one player he did link up well with here has gone (Havertz)

Felix just adds up to more confusion and frustration. 
It’s so obvious to see the future scenario playing out, 1-0 down with 68% possession and the manager throwing on Mudryk , Sterling , Felix , KDH off the bench with 20 mins to go. All running around doing their own individual thing desperately trying to save a game. Possibly coming as early as game week 2 at Wolves. 

We seen this under Potter and everything is building up to see the same thing under Maresca. 

 

[Sleeping Dave]

16 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

I don’t think talent is the issue for the most part. My issue is that IMO 90% of them are physically and mentally weak - and couldn’t give a flying fig about playing for Chelsea. 

There’s an interview with Maresca on the CFC app where - surprise surprise - he’s basically saying there’s no spirit. That in one pre-season game one of our players was kicked badly and no one defended him. 

Since the takeover we’ve seen zero team sprint - only when we’re winning. IMO.

Sorry not sorry. IMO 90% of them are utterly dislikable mercenaries. And that’s why I don’t feel any connection anymore. 

And that’s what happens with this model of running a club. IMO.

👀 🤷🏻‍♂️💀

Hard to disagree with this mate. The proof is in the pudding, if we have a bad start we are unlikely to turn it around. If we start well, we are more likely to being able to see it out. 

Proper fair weather squad this. 

Devoid of leadership, devoid of physicality (despite having units like Ugochukwu, Disasi, Badiashile) and not very good at running for 90 mins. 

My main worry is that these traits, coupled with Marescas inexperience, has the potential to mean disaster. Who will stand up and demand more if we start badly? Or will the squad simply fold, waiting for the inevitable manager change to happen? I know where my money is on that. 

[east lower]

8 hours ago, Original 21 said:

I missed the story that PSG are set to return for Osimhen after PSG striker Goncalo Ramos broke his ankle yesterday and is out for several months. 

It would add to the air of farce at the club if we end up with Joao Felix and no striker after all these shenanigans. 

They (PSG) are one of the very few clubs who can front-up the large fee and afford his wages. 

But, this could just be social media jocks and journalists putting 2 & 2 together.

[east lower]

8 hours ago, martin1905 said:

Doesn't compare, but then there's not 6 players in the world today that would.

There are, they’re all elsewhere though. 

Point is, the owners and their ‘strategy/process’ prevents us buying the elite.

Effectively we have swapped Gallagher for Felix, and most know the reasons why and none of them are on the pitch related. Results, and the way the Caicedo/Galagher pairing worked showed the best duo. Any coach who had a choice and wasn’t being ‘managed’ would have told those he’s not changing that. Felix plus £35 for Enzo Fernandez I could get behind, but not on this lot’s agenda. The latter named will do for another coach, sometime during this season.

You  query why people think we’re a joke of a football club - The evidence is so clear and fast moving it’s going to run you over.

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Bison said:

Quite a coalition on here who will make every excuse for the destruction being caused. 

They were the ones picking up their fiddles instead of the water buckets in Rome.

[xceleryx]

1 hour ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

You saw as we all did how dreadful Caicedo looked with Fernandez. The latter gets injured, Conor comes in and suddenly Caicedo looks a different player. 🙌🏻💯👀

There's a few little nuances here that continue to get missed on this topic.

• Enzo carrying a hernia issue that quite clearly impacted him.
• Having Cucurella at LB and then inverting into the midfield provided extra protection. We struggled with having Colwill fill in and then Gusto being switched. 
• Re Cucurella coming into the team and inverting, it allowed Caicedo to play his more natural game without gaps being left.
• And to a lesser degree Silva being dropped and Chalobah coming in providing more leg speed down back.

There was a bit more to it than just Gallagher partnering Caicedo and Bob's your uncle.

Edit: Not suggesting Gallagher's greater athletic abilities didn't of course help.

Edited August 18 by xceleryx

[east lower]

1 minute ago, xceleryx said:

There's a few little nuances here that continue to get missed on this topic.

• Enzo carrying a hernia issue that quite clearly impacted him.
• Having Cucurella at LB and then inverting into the midfield provided extra protection. We struggled with having Colwill fill in and then Gusto being switched. 
• Re Cucurella coming into the team and inverting, it allowed Caicedo to play his more natural game without gaps being left.
• And to a lesser degree Silva being dropped and Chalobah coming in providing more leg speed down back.

There was a bit more to it than just Gallagher partnering Caicedo and Bob's your uncle.

And Enzo has looked quite the different player in pre-season?

He was crap against Inter, one of the worst players on the pitch. 

I don’t see that anyone missed the points you’ve made, they see what’s in front of their eyes.

But, it’s go-time for the real stuff in six ish hours, we’ll begin to see if there’s a change. 

Just wonder what the next excuse will be, good thing is they can’t blame Caicedo, because he’s their buy and at a similar sum.

[Ham]

1 hour ago, Bison said:

Quite a coalition on here who will make every excuse for the destruction being caused. 

 

23 minutes ago, east lower said:

They were the ones picking up their fiddles instead of the water buckets in Rome.

Forgive me for being positive about the strength of our squad. 

You clearly won't be happy until everyone on here agrees with you that everything is shit.  

[McCreadie]

8 minutes ago, Ham said:

 

Forgive me for being positive about the strength of our squad. 

You clearly won't be happy until everyone on here agrees with you that everything is shit.  

Despite the fact we haven’t played a minute of football yet.

[xceleryx]

40 minutes ago, east lower said:

And Enzo has looked quite the different player in pre-season?

He was crap against Inter, one of the worst players on the pitch. 

I don’t see that anyone missed the points you’ve made, they see what’s in front of their eyes.

But, it’s go-time for the real stuff in six ish hours, we’ll begin to see if there’s a change. 

Just wonder what the next excuse will be, good thing is they can’t blame Caicedo, because he’s their buy and at a similar sum.

It's pre-season, he's played limited minutes under a new manager and in a new system.

Just like virtually everyone else has been relatively poor for the most part.

[Bison]

31 minutes ago, Ham said:

Forgive me for being positive about the strength of our squad. 

You clearly won't be happy until everyone on here agrees with you that everything is shit.  

You believe we have a strong squad but that doesn't make it a reality. 

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, xceleryx said:

There's a few little nuances here that continue to get missed on this topic.

• Enzo carrying a hernia issue that quite clearly impacted him.
• Having Cucurella at LB and then inverting into the midfield provided extra protection. We struggled with having Colwill fill in and then Gusto being switched. 
• Re Cucurella coming into the team and inverting, it allowed Caicedo to play his more natural game without gaps being left.
• And to a lesser degree Silva being dropped and Chalobah coming in providing more leg speed down back.

There was a bit more to it than just Gallagher partnering Caicedo and Bob's your uncle.

Edit: Not suggesting Gallagher's greater athletic abilities didn't of course help.

Except Enzo was shit all season? (IMO)👀🇦🇷💀

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, east lower said:

And Enzo has looked quite the different player in pre-season?

He was crap against Inter, one of the worst players on the pitch. 

I don’t see that anyone missed the points you’ve made, they see what’s in front of their eyes.

But, it’s go-time for the real stuff in six ish hours, we’ll begin to see if there’s a change. 

Just wonder what the next excuse will be, good thing is they can’t blame Caicedo, because he’s their buy and at a similar sum.

Absolutely- and at least with Caicedo there’s a really good player there who unlike Fernandez is suited to the PL. 👀🤷🏻‍♂️💯

Edited August 18 by Chelsea_Matt

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

 

Forgive me for being positive about the strength of our squad. 

You clearly won't be happy until everyone on here agrees with you that everything is shit.  

You asked a while back how I saw the squad, I answered it, good footballers,  crap balance, lacks leaders, another centre forward to lead us, a great centre half and a keeper. If that equals positivity in your mind, that's entirely your prerogative.  Means something way different to me. That's still at least a quarter of a billion quid short, after what we've already spent. It's verging on gross negligence in terms of leadership and senior management. We are a football club, the aim is to win enough matches to win titles and cups.  But that mindset seems to have changed with the new owners. But I warned against them as they became favourites for ownership. Seen way too many of the private equity firms takeovers and how that ends, and yes particularly the Americans. 

I'm far from happy that it's shit, and I really don't mind that much if people agree or not. But do you truly believe things are rosy??

55 minutes ago, McCreadie said:

Despite the fact we haven’t played a minute of football yet.

We've played 2 and a bit seasons and a pre-season, no better than when they started.

36 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

It's pre-season, he's played limited minutes under a new manager and in a new system.

Just like virtually everyone else has been relatively poor for the most part.

It's OK everyone,  they're all "relatively poor".

Edited August 18 by east lower

[xceleryx]

1 hour ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Except Enzo was shit all season? (IMO)👀🇦🇷💀

He was, never said otherwise - well, besides the first couple of games last season then he picked up his hernia issue and carried that throughout the remainder of the campaign. 

[Chelsea_Matt]

22 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

He was, never said otherwise - well, besides the first couple of games last season then he picked up his hernia issue and carried that throughout the remainder of the campaign. 

No offence but that’s excuses. IMO. 💀🎯🤷🏻‍♂️

[chara]

Not aimed at anyone.... everyone understands/agrees that a WC..Keeper/CD/CF would make a big difference (anywhere not just Chelsea),,,,basic Football "Set in Stone",

Can anyone name me at least one player  in those positions elsewhere who comes in that catagory..and IS AVAILABLE.

Not the "wish list" players ,,,,

 

[xceleryx]

36 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

No offence but that’s excuses. IMO. 💀🎯🤷🏻‍♂️

Not sure how factual information can be considered an excuse? 😅

[Chelsea_Matt]

4 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Not sure how factual information can be considered an excuse? 😅

How can you say that your opinions are facts? 🤣🤣🤣

Edited August 18 by Chelsea_Matt

[xceleryx]

15 minutes ago, chara said:

Not aimed at anyone.... everyone understands/agrees that a WC..Keeper/CD/CF would make a big difference (anywhere not just Chelsea),,,,basic Football "Set in Stone",

Can anyone name me at least one player  in those positions elsewhere who comes in that catagory..and IS AVAILABLE.

Not the "wish list" players ,,,,

 

GK - Don't think there's really a "word class" option that's truly obtainable and fits the bill. Maybe Szczesny on a free after he just left Juve as a short-term solution, but not necessarily strong at ground level. 
CB - Joachim Andersen if wanting a senior Premier League tested option.
CF - Osimhen seems to be the desire currently, otherwise someone like Mateta from Palace would give us a big physical present and something different. 

[Thiago97]

29 minutes ago, chara said:

Not aimed at anyone.... everyone understands/agrees that a WC..Keeper/CD/CF would make a big difference (anywhere not just Chelsea),,,,basic Football "Set in Stone",

Can anyone name me at least one player  in those positions elsewhere who comes in that catagory..and IS AVAILABLE.

Not the "wish list" players ,,,,

 

There are plenty of players who have been available, or could be available. Everyone would like world class players ideally, but we don’t necessarily need world class additions. We need experienced players who will improve us and be ready to play 40 games across a season. 
Naming players really isn’t the issue, but naming players creates a full debate about them being good enough or not good enough.  A perfect example, Ivan Toney would make a difference now. Max Kilman would have made a difference now. Guehi is better than we have and would be an improvement. There was GK’s at the euros would be be attainable, that would possible make a difference ( I say possibly cos I don’t know if we need one, not seen Jorgensen)

These are not really a wish list of players, they are players we could have signed instead of spunking another £70m on teenagers we may never see play. 

[xceleryx]

17 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

How can you say that your opinions are facts? 🤣🤣🤣

Wasn't an opinion, that's why....

He was excellent vs Liverpool opening day (fact). 

And we know he had a hernia injury he'd been carrying for much of the season, which eventually saw him shut down early and getting surgery (fact). 

[east lower]

34 minutes ago, chara said:

Not aimed at anyone.... everyone understands/agrees that a WC..Keeper/CD/CF would make a big difference (anywhere not just Chelsea),,,,basic Football "Set in Stone",

Can anyone name me at least one player  in those positions elsewhere who comes in that catagory..and IS AVAILABLE.

Not the "wish list" players ,,,,

 

Most are 'available', depends how much you want to pay for them and pay them.

Our hands are tied, primarily because the owners have spanked £220m on two central midfielders. One of which that isn't fit for purpose and God knows how much on centre-hales, that are either semi-permanently injured and/or are bot quite good enough. 

Massive recruitment failures, all overseen by the owner's initially and then their appointments. 

Buy smart, buy proven quality and buy once. The other 'strategy ' we have seen more than enough of already.

[east lower]

5 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Wasn't an opinion, that's why....

He was excellent vs Liverpool opening day (fact). 

And we know he had a hernia injury he'd been carrying for much of the season, which eventually saw him shut down early and getting surgery (fact). 

What was up for the other 37 league games? 

He had the op to safeguard his fitness for the Copa America.

Here's a prediction, within 18 months he'll be non-sellable for anywhere near the book value we have for him. He will labour around the pitch until he becomes a Lukaku, who we'll have to loan out until Juve, Inter or another Italian club make a derisory offer.

[martin1905]

Ivan Toney has been left put for Brentford due to 'transfer interest'. 

Be interesting where he ends up. Just hope it's not Arsenal as they win the league with a proper striker.