OhForAGreavsie

20m? Euros?

Thanks Mr E. You'll need to be more specific in your claim that everything I typed was wrong because I'm not with you I'm afraid. I didn't watch Eden at Lille so have no idea of the accuracy of what you say other than that what you say does chime with the impression I formed from watching the all touches videos. That is, that I wasn't impressed by what I saw of Eden in those videos. If you believe that he didn't do particularly well in the period you refer to then I'd say I was right in my assessment, wouldn't you? I did then, eventually, see a video which impressed me and which caused me to say that if that was the player we'd be getting I'd be happy. Yes Real would have bought him on the premise I gave because they'd have wanted him as a starter and he'd have signed. I know you understand the concept of a premise, so what are you talking about? What the hell do I know about Real's historic attitude toward Suarez & Iniesta, and what does it have to do with anything? I consider those two to be the best players in the world apart from the two commonly described as the extra-terrestrials. For that reason I compared Hazard's form, when at his best, to the levels they produce. That comparison is about what they do now, not about what they were doing whenever the heck it is you're talking about. When are you going to stop making yourself sound so ignorant?

As was predictable, and predicted. I definitely would.

And yet, if you look at Eden's all touches videos from his Lille days, as I did when he was linked, there were many flat performances. In fact I posted (elsewhere) to say I wasn't over impressed but another poster, a huge Hazard fan, kept linking me new videos and said he was determined to find one I liked. Eventually he did and my reaction was, "Wow, if that's the player we're getting, I'm happy." The truth is we got both of those players, because Eden is both of those players. He has 'meh' days, but he also has the days when he's up there with Suarez and Iniesta as the best of the humans. I made my peace with the 'meh' days long ago. In fact, those meh days are our friends. If not for them, Real would have bought him long ago. If not directly from Belgium, then definitely from Lille. There's no way an Eden Hazard who consistently performs as he did tonight would ever have joined Chelsea; European Champions, or no European Champions.

^^Did we even make one?

1) As per usual we don't know, and probably won't know, for sure that this is true but it looks authoritative. 2) 30% of €15m is not €5m. If they think the clause is about 33% then say so. 3) Every club in the world inserts such clauses whenever they are in a sufficiently strong negotiating position to do so. Selling clubs do not always have a good hand to take to the bargaining table but, when they do, they make the most of it. Nevertheless, there are a bunch of agenda pushers (just say no kids) among TC forum users who tell us that they are far more clever than Chelsea's board because they would always include such agreements whereas our board never does. What evidence do they ever have to justify the boring stream of such assertions they subject us to? No, I don't know either.

Who knows what'll happen, but it is the ambition of the Brexiteers to remain members of the Common Market. Under current rules, that would mean a continuation of the freedom to work in any member state. Of course on that score the Brexiteers want to have their cake and to eat it too; they want tariff-free access to the market, but they don't want to accept the free movement of peoples, or the regulations and standards that go with it. For the sake of what will be left of our country, we can only hope that they are right, and that they will be able to negotiate at least some of what they want.

If I had been given the job, I would have watched video of all the players who could realistically do a job for me next season. I would want to make my own judgement about these players, not rely on someone else's. This sounds like obvious common sense to me. It would be deeply arrogant of me to imagine that something which is obvious to me would not also be obvious to Antonio. He has watched the videos.

The new boss must have watched video of all relevant players. If, after doing that, he feels a loan is the right option for Lewis then we must accept that decision. I have not been a big believer in Lewis, but a lot of people tell me that I am wrong about that so I've been trying to be more open-minded about him. To be fair, he did well in Toulon but he needs to make a strong case for himself with his performances next season or time will begin to run out on his Chelsea chances.

Are you getting bored Jay?

It remains to be seen if I am right but I suspect, or should I say hope, that our players have had a chastening lesson and must now realise what Jose, and plenty of us, knew all along; they ain't as good as they think that they are. The newly enlightened squad will not therefore be giving Conte any trouble. If they do then, in the words of The Special One, they must need IQ tests.

Or is it exposing the value of the opinions of those who are doing the overrating?

I like him a lot but you are right, €75m is out of the question. If the numbers we are reading are correct, then it seems selling clubs have taken a look at the new TV deal and lost all sense of reality with their demands for transfer fees. There is only one way to deal with this effectively, just don't pay. If that means walking away from the player then so be it. Premier League clubs as a whole need to take a stand or they will continue to shovel huge proportions of their cash into the pockets of continental clubs. I'm tempted to call those clubs greedy, but they are entitled to ask whatever they want for their players. If English sides are dumb enough to pay those fees then more fool them. Having said that however... I'd be quite surprised if Real have not received acceptable offers for the player and the whole deal, including the resale, has not already been put in place.

I agree with your general point about poor journalism but... One of the reasons I like Koullbaly so much is that I think he looks entirely capable of playing as a DM. If my feeling is right then that makes him the kind of versatile player who is vital to a happy squad. If there has been a Man Utd offer for Koullbaly then maybe that's what Jose has in mind.

This comment implies that you have knowledge that in fact you do not. None of us has any idea what clauses have, or have not, been included in previous contracts. Your comment also implies that you think the addition of such clauses is entirely at the discretion of the selling club. If you think that then you are wrong, if you don't think that then why post such a comment? Why are so many people determined to guess what they think CFC is doing and then blame the club for it irrespective of the fact that the guess is very probably wrong? For example, many posters lambaste the club for being cheap in its transfer dealings last summer, yet we are now told, seemingly reliably, that an offer of €90m plus + 2 players was made to Juventus for Paul Poba. Whatever that is, it ain't cheap. Never mind the facts people, just pour out your bias.

How about Milan Badelj of Fiorentina? Really like his ball retention and distribution both of which are greatly helped by his two-footedness. He is as comfortable with his weaker foot, his left, as all professional footballers should be in my opinion. Of course we may not be flavour of the month down Florence way so any bid would be complicated.

Probably so I suppose.

Agreed.

It was reported that there was such a clause in the KDB contract and that, accordingly, we were paid a fee when he joined City. It has also reported that a similar clause exists in Lukaku's case. Indeed, I remember commenting when someone else posted about it.

I disagree. About what? Everything you say here. So what if the supposed bids are widely quoted? What weight does that give them? The quotes may be accurate but neither you nor I know whether that is the case so to bleat without the facts is nonsensical. I do care what the club pays and have been critical of the club for overpaying and for negotiating poorly. If you don't then you should because it does matter. Right at the start of the Roman era I wrote a piece which was published on the BBC sport website in which I said I had two ambitions for Roman's money. 1) That the boost it gave would help establish Chelsea permanently among the elite clubs, and 2) That by making Chelsea able to outspend the traditional big spenders it would give them a dose of their own medicine and teach them the anticompetitive nature of top level football where every league in the world is dominated by its richest clubs. That their inability to match Chelsea's spending power would scare them into accepting a fairer system. Neither of my ambitions has been achieved but I want to focus on the first one. To be permanent members of the big boys club means becoming independent of Roman and that means sustainable transfer activity. The club's transfer dealings in the summer of 2003 could not have been handled more stupidly if you sat down and planned it. It taught the market than whatever price you can think of is still not high enough and that if you simply held out for your number you'd get it. Sellers have become drunk on that gravy train and weaning them off it is painful. Unless you are prepared to accept the pain however, unless you walk away sometimes, no one will ever take your positions seriously and the market will go on believing they can get silly amounts of money from Chelsea for players they not really desperate to keep anyway. For you the end result is a winning season. For me the end result is perennially successful club. You, unsure whether to snigger at Chelsea football club? Don't make me laugh. I expect most Chelsea fans care about your predicament about as much as you care about their club. You behave like a spoiled toddler. Where's my shiny new toy? I want my new toy. Why haven't you bought my shiny new toy yet? Seems to me that the club needs to treat you to a dose of good parenting to teach you some self discipline.

This is why my long standing feeling about Rom remains unchanged since I formed it within twenty minutes of the first game I saw him play. He has qualities, not quality. I learned later that Rom also has brains so there is no doubt he'll find a way to contribute but no manager of a top level, Champions League contending, side will ever be satisfied with Rom as his first choice striker. Any such manager presented with Rom as his top option, will soon be on the look out for an alternative. That's the prediction I made nearly 5 years ago and I stand by it.

Assuming two offers have been made, how the hell do you know what they were and whether they are smart or otherwise? Your just pay whatever they want idea is such a breathtakingly simple tactic. If only life were so easy.

I know who the media, fed by a combination of agents working for players, agents working for clubs and sooth-sayers, tell me have been identified as targets by Chelsea but I'm not prepared to judge the club on such scanty evidence.

Nor when he came on against England. He doesn't even look anything special in his youtube clips. Don't see any reason for any fuss about this player.

First let's hope that we'll never know. Hope because none of us want to start the new season with the same squad that finished the last one. If that is what happens, if Antonio has to navigate the season with the same options Jose and Guss worked with; then, and only then, we'll get some clues about whether you are right or not. None of us want Antonio to be handicapped like that.