OhForAGreavsie

Since it takes two to dance the buyback tango it's a reasonable guess that Hutchinson is emotionally done with Chelsea. If he has no interest in coming back here he ain't signing a buyback. Let's hope for a significant sell on eventually.

No, it has to be Nico. I've admitted several times on here that I don't have the kind of personality to get chants going but, even so, I have tried several times to get a NICO song based on this started at The Bridge. No success yet but I live in hope.

That's where I've been going wrong! Get me a cashmere dress coat, and get my agent Todd's number. 🙂

In terms of roles in the team, who would you feel that Xavi replaces, or at least how would you see us lining up with him in the side?

He looked good in possession on YouTube but I think it's going a bit far to say that this is a cock up. Wolves no doubt have offered him a place in their first team squad when he joins up and are very likely paying him more than could be sustained by Strasburg without upsetting their wage structure. He's probably also agreed a release clause in case his performances attract the interest of bigger clubs. That's an attractive package when compared to what we could offer now. I don't blame BlueCo for trying to do this deal, and I don't blame the lad for choosing an alternative which suits him better. Good luck to the boy.

Pile on those zeros son!

I hope you checked that one first. Seems like it must always have been a good bet. 🙂

I agree on both counts. Estevao does look a huge talent in his highlight videos but Paez looks to be on another level, which only underscores the hype surrounding the Ecuadorian. All of which gives the two lads a lot to live up to, and us a lot to look forward to. As for Olise, of all the players linked, or signed, last summer he was number one on my wish list. (Although I had watched Palmer run the show against us in the 2020 Youth Cup Final, and had been blown away by his talent, he never occurred to me as a potential transfer target.) You do ask the right question though about what we're going to do with all of this talent. I'm guessing that the plan would be to put off any irreversible decisions by adding Paez to the squad and loaning Estevao to Strasbourg. If nothing else he should help their fans start to feel a lot better about being part of BlueCo. That plan would allow BlueCo to inject a few extra pounds into Chelsea in the form of a loan fee. If this is set at a level which covers the amortisation of his transfer fee, then Chelsea will essentially have signed the player for free. Later, if Estevao lives up to his potential, the time will come when he demands either first team football at Chelsea or a move to another competitive high level club. Then we have the option to add him to our squad if that is the correct decision or to cash in on his enhanced transfer value. Meanwhile, back at Stamford Bridge, Olise and Paez sharing playing time sounds like squad depth to dream of. The question still remains though can we get Olise. I'm not confident and in fact think we have no chance if City throw their hat into the ring. I've read that there could be no room for Olise at the Etihad because of Phil Foden. I don't see it that way however. Firstly, City have a clear strategy of a squad which represents two first elevens, rather than starters and backups. Secondly, Foden can play the KDB position, leaving Olise and Silva to cover the inverted right wing spot.

Those 'doubts' may very well be the writer's own for all we know.

The way that's written is suggesting that Guardiola doesn't appeal to Olise, rather than that Olise does not appeal to Pep. Somehow I doubt that's true. In fact I doubt it's true either way round. Maybe Pys just wrote it a bit carelessly.

A Chelsea player who is actually comfortable playing on the left wing. 🙂

Seems we are firmly in the, "It's the hope that kills.", stage now. 🙂

Agreed.

Maybe we can do another Eden/Thorgen type deal and beef up Richard Olise's contract a bit as a sweetener to Michael?

According to the BBC it was a free.

I think they were going for parody. I've been watching the women since 2015 and seriously following them since 2017. In that time, all but two players who left after a multi year stay were in tears when they left. I acknowledge that women are more open with their emotions but I think there is more to it than that. Players and staff do become genuinely attached to this team. That's partly because we win a lot and partly because the club treats its women's team spectacularly well. 'Spectacularly well' is the norm for male players in the top leagues but that's not been the case for women. CFCW get first class training facilities, first class coaching support, and first class contracts. Way better in most cases than they experienced previously. What's not to love.

This rumour has been around for the last couple of weeks. I don't believe it is credible. This kind of fee would not only make Bonmati the most expensive player in the world, it would make her more expensive than the last 10 world record transfers combined. Once upon a time spending on a club's women's team was excluded from FFP calculations but, beginning with the season just ended, such spending must fall within the financial calculations. This being the case, it simply makes no sense to pay this kind of fee in the women's game. The only conceivable justification for such a fee would be if the club believed Bonmati's arrival would drive a significant increase in average attendance for the women's matches at Stamford Bridge and raise the team's profile still further around the world. In short, if they saw this cost as being part of the promotional budget. The current world record transfer fee for a female player is reported to be €475,000 paid by us for Myra Ramirez in January. Myra was brought in after Sam Kerr and her deputy, Mia Fischel, both suffered season ending ACLs. Sadly Myra also missed the crucial month of the season during which we were eliminated from The Champions League by Bonmati's Barcelona despite having beaten them in the away leg. But for her absence and two horrendous decisions by the referee Bonmati would have one fewer Champions League winners medals than she does. 🙁

Phew! 🙂

I always boast that Guyanese people are basically bilingual. Speaking our regional version as well as the 'standard' version. What's more, most of us speak better standard English than many who are born here. There are obviously some exceptions I see. 🙂🙂

Agreed about the one-footedness. It's something I always think of as a weakness but for a striker, in the end, it's about what they can do with the tools they do have. Duran's lack of a right foot therefore isn't necessarily a fatal flaw.

We've already got a brilliant Colombian striker at the club. 🙁

In any case, what ever would we do with a right footed wide player? That would only confuse things surely. 🙂

Very few of those clips show him even in his own half, never mind actually defending. Once upon a time this would have been a crimson red flag. Now however; well we're not in Kansas anymore. Some of Lima's footwork reminds me of Clodoaldo's contribution to the CarlosAlberto goal in the 1970 world Cup final. Do I remember correctly that.Maresca likes to invert his left back, not his right back? This Lima kid looks a perfect the candidate to be inverted.

Did you mean to say flogging, instead of fleecing?

If Alvarez is determined to leave City then I think he may prefer a Champions League destination like PSG.