The Chels

I expect that to happen but it's a complete joke. Putting a player you've just bought for £70m on the bench for the big games is something only Real Madrid would do.

I'd say Barca's is more difficult to stop as with Messi and Suarez you're more likely to get a moment of individual brilliance than with Madrid's trio. Bale can be stopped pretty easily if you deny him spaces and we'll see how well Falcao does after his ACL injury.

Is that even a word?

http://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/football/monaco-liverpool-veut-formuler-829215.html http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/28/chelsea-diego-costa-injury-hamstring

No it's just one season. £20m = loan fee + wages for one season. Then there would be an option to buy him at the end of the 1-year loan spell for £40m.

Think it's cause he really likes Mourinho.

Definitely. If you look at our strikeforce as a whole, is Costa/Drogba/Torres much better than Lukaku/Ba/Eto'o/Torres? Costa is by far the best but we really haven't improved as much upfront as you'd think given how everyone and their nan seems to be tipping us to win the league. Hopefully we'll buy a new striker and that will change.

Oh yes in terms of the team we'd still be better but I meant we'd be worse up-front. A situation we really shouldn't have to even contemplate.

Worse actually.

I doubt he actually knows anything but:

I don't really understand the sarcasm here. It was AS who made up the Drogba 'months out' story but that's got nothing to do with this as nobody's saying Costa's out for ages. It's just being reported that he's injured (again). Karma for what?

Interesting how he says it's going to be a permanent move but all the other tabloids like the Telegraph, Mail and Guardian (as well as the journalists on twitter) seem to think it's only a loan. I guess we'll get to see how in-the-know Rob really is.

If we want a striker enough we'll get one. Remy has a buyout clause so that would be easy enough.

This team (and manager) is much better than the one we had in 12/13. I think your viewpoint is more common but personally I'd prefer us having a reasonably difficult group.

The figures are definitely excessive but if he flops (unlikely imo) at least it's only £20m and not Torres-like money. If we were to end up buying him for £40m it'd be because we know he scores for us. That much money for a 29-year-old is a lot but the market is heavily inflated and I don't think there's a better pure number 9. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/28/chelsea-diego-costa-injury-hamstring http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/11060418/Chelsea-injury-scare-as-Diego-Costa-suffers-hamstring-blow.html

Mourinho shares the same agent as Falcao and Abramovich is a friend of Monaco's owner. If we were actually interested the only thing stopping us getting him would be Real Madrid. £20m includes the loan fee and wages. Reports say that there would also be an option to buy him after the loan for £40m. Not bad.

What use would it be to pretend Costa was injured? We're only playing Everton and it'd probably increase the asking price for our striker targets as their clubs would know we're more desperate.

It's being reported by the Sun, Telegraph and Guardian so I think it's safe to assume it's true. None of the papers know how long he's out for though.

Why not? He's probably the best pure striker in the world.

This is where the Drogba signing looks stupid. If we had already bought in a capable back-up this wouldn't be too bad. Source?

Fuck. I guess this was Beasley's 'bad news'.

I somehow managed to post the same thing 3 times

Would like at least one of Dortmund/Juventus. Easy draws are boring.

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