Rapkun

I must say I always feel safer when Azpi plays in the back 3. I would have prefered if he started Zappa and benched Cahill.

He loves the champions league. Now obviously he was always going to look better in european competitions than in the league. It's more similar to what he's used to be playing. But he always showed up for this competition wether it was for Juve or Real.

That's not Conte. It's someone from the coaching staff. or I'm I missing something?

Their pressing hurt us a lot. Cahill should never be playing this game. Either sub Pedro for Bakayoko or ask the team to stay low and play on the counter.

Nothing story, really. Monaco wanted him to stay but he's a fan of Guardiola. What he meant with that quote is that he can resist the temptation of joining Chelsea to please Monaco but not Guardiola. He's a big premier league fan as well. I actually think the quote could suggest he likes us.

We never had an agreement with Swansea. Ox wanted to play as a midfielder and he rejected us knowing he wouldn't be a starter in that position here. Barkley probably felt the same, that he would only come here to be a squad player at best. If anything this is flattery. Those players think so highly of us that they swallow their pride and realize they're not good enough for us then turn to other teams (Liverpool,Tottenham). Over the years and probably for more to come, we attracted top players. Even in this window someone like Sandro was willing to come here and leave a champions league finalist. The truth is, we lost transfer targets because of our unwillingness to pay the demanded fees. We would rather negotiate and waste time until eventually another team comes and splashes the cash.

Ramos' cross was inch-perfect. You could tell he used to be a right back. Spain is so stacked man, they have talented players in every position. Oh and I'm glad Alvaro is alright. I was a bit scared after the contact with Spinazzola.

I don't care at all about Barkley but how we missed on an old player of Conte we've been trying to sign for a while now is beyond me and to Tottenham of all teams. They have Kane, Son and Janssen as strikers. We only have Morata and Michy and they still beat us to him. Janssen is currently playing vs France so I'm not sure how he would move.

Why not Ricardo Pereira? He can cover both WB positions and he's known quality especially in attack.

It needs to be said though. The inability of the club to sign second tier players is quite shocking. Failing to sign Sandro is one thing but Llorente, lol.

l'equipe reported that we made contacts for Aurier yesterday, but PSG had an agreement with Spurs not to negotiate with any other club. That's the first time I hear of something like that. Why would you refuse to negotiate with other clubs when it's still possible to get a higher fee? Only explanation I can come up with is that PSG want to get on the good side of Tottenham if they ever need to get involved in a transfer with them in the future.

Forget Mahrez. We need a fullback and a midfielder in priority. I want Llorente too if possible.

This move is not very surprising. Conte brought him to his Juve. He also had Graziano Pelle in his Italy team and wanted him here last summer. He wants a target man, preferably one who already knows what he wants from his strikers.

Turns out his decision making is not only horrible on the pitch but also off of it..

I think the point was to upgrade the position and not to get cover, assuming Kenedy is the current cover and the club/coach feels he's decent enough to play that role. Also, buying someone else means that it is highly unlikely that the club will come for Sandro in the future. A little reminder that if he doesn't sign a new contract he will only have 1 year left in it next summer. Edit: My bad. It seems his contract still goes on until 2020, so 2 years it is.

Not really. Kante had a release clause. We also paid a premium to make sure no one else takes him, similar to what Liverpool have done with Naby Keita.

Milner-esque move for him if it happens. Wanted to leave City to play in a different position and have a more significant role. Ended up playing LB all season and is now warming the bench.

The only possible positive thing about this is that if Liverpool sign him, they won't be able to sign Lemar who would be a real upgrade to their midfield. Even then, we would still need to look for a quality RB before deadline. Need to hijack the Aurier deal if there is still a chance. The other name we've been linked with is Cedric, but I doubt Southampton will sell.

I'm just wondering. Did we really waste time trying to persuade Arsenal to sell without contacting people close to him to see if he was interested in a move? I thought that was the first thing in any transfer.

Negotiations for Eden's new contract have already started I see.

He was asked if he was worried about his place now that we're signing Drinkwater, he said he isn't afraid of competition. selective quotes/translation can be missleading.

I don't know if people remember but we wanted the Ox back in summer 2015. Arsenal wanted Cech and we tried to include either him or Walcott in the deal but they refused. Basically a long term target for the club.

Kenedy is the only other left back we have other than Marcos. While we have Hazard, Pedro, Willian, Musonda and now Ox.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/chelsea-making-final-70m-push-to-sign-oxlade-chamberlain-and/gtvmksfnb3lj161qh67owvi71 Article says Liverpool cooled their interest in Ox. That might be true since they're trying to sign Lemar. Also, this is not related but they have a deal to sign Naby Keita next summer.

He has become more ambitious with the ball. Like Conte said in an interview last season, when he first got here, he only played horizontal passes. Now he plays more vertical passes and tries to find players between the lines. That was one of his main weaknesses and I'm glad he's working on improving as a player. I'm also glad we have a coach who enjoys improving his players. The next step should be to make more runs in the opposition box and try to score. He is already more involved in the final third but goals/assists are necessary.