MrExcalibur100

Have we even constructed a decent passing move? It's like we don't even know how to play football. With all the quality players we have. Negativity has been instilled into what was supposed to be an attacking team by our beloved manager. Our wingers are fullbacks. Hazard can't even take gambles by staying in advanced positions anymore lest Mourinho loses his shit as he usually does. A manager who is more pleased for his attackers to be more like defenders than like attackers. On the rare occasions we do attack, no one is taking a gamble to get at the end of crosses because we attack with such little numbers. I was amazed to see how many picked us to be "Champions" this season in the predictions thread. Wake the fuck up! We'll struggle to scrape 3rd next season with this lot. The players look bored and uninspired. The manager lacks ideas. Europe?? Out of the question. We are going backwards!

Obviously, as we all know, this has a lot to do with our manager.

Begovic is saving us from another humiliation.

Mikel and Matic is such a dreary pivot. Mikel is just a waste of space if Matic is on the pitch. Imagine the difference Witsel will make paired alongside Matic.

Oscar's the new Mikel. Some think he's crucial. Others think he's bang average. Usually, that's not a good sign. Truly great players are universally recognized as being great.

Maybe his hands are tied and the board/owner isn't making funds available. Of course, if that's true, he won't come out and say it publicly. All in all, it's been a very strange and frustrating transfer window.

49 mil for mostly potential. Feck me, the world's gone mad. Absolutely ridiculous.

This is eerily reminiscent of the 2007/2008 transfer window. Or the 2010/2011 one.

Oscar an untouchable? Does he even start that many big games?

Meh.

PSV a lot higher in level than Ajax? C'mon Skip. Ajax have more quality in their side, PSV just had the better season. And without Memphis, they aren't coming 1st next season. And as for Musonda, I don't see him starting in either Ajax or PSV's first XI. No chance. He'll be better suited to a lesser team in that league. Monaco is out of the question.

No comment since 14th of May for this monster of a player? Riiight. Okay, let me leave this here as a reminder.

On a different note, just to add this. The thing is Mourinho can't really seriously oppose Cech going to Arsenal and not be viewed as being disingenuous at best and a hypocrite at worst (not that I'm calling him one, because I'm not) since he said something to the effect of, and we all know Jose loves his own voice, "if Abramovich lets me go, he has no qualms about managing an English rival".

The benefits of Mendes as your agent. Connections in high places means your client gets linked to the top teams.

Disappointing summer so far, in terms of the players we're being strongly linked to and Cech's imminent transfer to those cunts. What made us so great last season was the amazingly decisive transfer window we had. I thought in this window, we should have been in a position to shop at Harrods, now we're going for bargain buys. I understand we were need to bulk up the team a little with more squad players, but the lack of a world class superstar addition is a let down. The simple fact is that outside of Hazard and Costa, we have no reliable scorers in our main XI. You need at least a 3rd reliable goalscorer to take the next step in the Champions league. I'm not naive to believe that Oscar is all of a sudden going to metamorphose into Zico or be "next season's Hazard" or whatever fairytale being spoken out there. It ain't happening.

Why are we not trying to sign Firmino as our 3rd choice striker and potential starting 10 alternative to Oscar. Killing two birds with one stone for a fantastic young player. No, instead, we choose to go for the has been Falcao on silly wages. Makes sense.

It also means less of Ramires pretending to be a footballer, his awful passing, positional sense, composure on the ball were a sight to behold last season. We all know Mikel's problems too i.e ultra conservative, not mobile enough and in the event were Matic plays 90% of a season, Mikel becomes redundant. I remember Witsel in his Benfica days playing as an attacking midfielder, on the wings, central or as a DM. The guy can literally play anywhere. My only slight concern is that it will take some time for him to adapt playing in a competitive league after all these years. I can't see how any Chelsea fan can be against this move if it's for a reasonable fee.

This will be an amazing transfer. I don't know or care if he's better than Schneirderlein, prior to last season, it wouldn't have been debatable, but I see Witsel fitting into our team better and being a better partner for Matic due to his mobility with the ball. The thing I like about Witsel is he's a solid 8 at almost everything you want in a central midfielder. Technically, tactically, positionally, ball distribution wise, football IQ, ball retention wise, even flair and so on. Schneirdelein is a little too much of a defensive midfielder. In games were Hazard, Fabregas and Willian are having problems finding space against deep lying defensive teams, we need a player who can drive with the ball from deeper positions and help create/divert attention away from our 4 advanced players. Schneirderlein isn't going to do that for you.

wtf? I mean, WTF??????

He was on 250,000 a week before. He will have to take a massive pay-cut for this to make any sense and he is likely to be a 3rd choice striker. Even if he takes a 100,000 pay-cut, that is still 150,000 a week for a 3rd choice striker, which is about 20 to 30k less than what Diego Costa is getting. Regardless of how we look at it, this is a bad deal for both us and the player.

If Falcao wants to recapture some of his former glory, he should move to a club were he will play regularly all the time, not be a bit part player/3rd choice striker. This deal makes little sense for either party and just reeks of Jorge Mendes trying to keep one of his biggest clients in Engand and relevant using another one of his clients, Mourinho, to make it happen. Apart from an appearance here and there in the cups, what is he going to accomplish here? Nothing.

It will be a disaster if we let him go to Arsenal. They are arguably our biggest rivals for the title next season. Giving them Cech and just the thought of him playing there will be unbearable. The guy is still one of the top 5 keepers in world football, easily. The thing is though, Mourinho has already come out and said if Abramovich lets him go, he will manage another club in England, so how can Cech not be entirely justified in doing likewise?

Not enough goals (we need another goalscorer in our XI besides Hazard and Costa IMO), assists, inconsistent, volatile displays, not as good as Willian or Oscar, not decisive enough. Just another skillful, flair player but we have that already. Yes, he has good long range shooting and takes nice free-kicks and If we didn't have Willian, it could make sense. I'm not surprised many fans are underwhelmed after strong Griezmann rumours. In general, i'm kind of underwhelmed with our activity so far. I was expecting 1 or 2 world class signings and 1 or two academy players pushing on for next season.

So Oscar can play like an absolute shithouse for half of the season and not get slated but Loftus Cheek who has played 2 pointless games all season, (games which he worked had with and without the ball, mind) gets slated publicly in a pointless post season friendly? This isn't "tough love", it's just really bizarre.

Last Hazard comp of the season , with proper video quality . Typical Hazard performance in the 2nd half, bordering on the "unplayable". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFPF48u-ZQ