Daniel1980

Are you saying that Hazard can shine only if he's #1 option? I really hope you're wrong about that. Next season, he might not be a #1 option at Chelsea, too, with Cesc and Costa's signings. I'm hoping that the opposite would happen--that with having less pressure on him to create, Hazard will improve.

About time. The wait was getting tedious. Hope he'll prove wrong all the people doubting him (me included).

This will seriously improve their team. Kind of disappointed we didn't get him, but we didn't need him.

Yes, I still remember the insane hype around Ganso. It seems ridiculous now, but back then, so many people and pundits were sure he'd be the next big thing. It shows that football is very fickle and unpredictable. Hazard has the talent and potential to be a true superstar, but he isn't yet and might never become one unless he seriously improves his consistency. Comparing him to the likes of Messi and Ronaldo is premature. Talent isn't everything. There have been many talented players who never quite realized their potential. But it's worth remembering that the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have other amazing creative players around them. It helps. It makes everything easier. Having Fabregas in the team will take some pressure off Eden on the creative front and should only improve his stats, considering Cesc's talent for providing the final ball.

Actually, the swiftness of Cesc's signing is kind of strange and might not mean much. It's possible that the agreement was reached several months ago--maybe even back in January when Jose sold Mata, already knowing that Cesc is coming. But of course there's a possibility that Jose is having second thoughts about Costa. Ideally, if it's possible, it's better to get the transfers done early so that new players had a pre-season training with the team. So the delay really is a bit baffling when Costa is clearly available and willing. Who knows... Hell, maybe Roman wasn't impressed with Costa's form in WC and told Jose to look for alternatives. On the other hand, the problem might be as simple as Spain's taxes.

He's very good for his age. Most importantly, he adds a valuable depth and experience to our squad.

There hasn't been any legitimate source linking him with us anyway. Just a Goal.com rumour, nothing more. It's a pity, but I can't see it happening.

I've seen somewhere that on July 9. Definitely at some point that week.

39 goals, 25 assists in 88 games for Barcelona. Last season 19 goals and 10 assists in 34 games. He was the fourth best goalscorer in La Liga after Ronaldo, Messi and Costa. In Barcelona only Cesc and Messi had more assists than him.

Monaco doesn't exactly need or want to sell James, so the point is moot. Even if we do sell Oscar, we won't get James. And striker is our priority.

To be honest, I don't see him becoming one of the best attacking midfielders. He doesn't have #10's attributes for that: great vision and the talent to provide the final ball. His passing is good, but nothing extraordinary. He doesn't do many through balls and isn't very good at keeping possession. That being said, he's still a good player with good work rate and tackling abilities. While I don't think he has the potential to become world class #10, I do think he has the potential to become a great midfielder, especially if he puts on some muscle and works on his stamina. Comparison: Fabregas, Hazard, Oscar, Ramires, Matic: Oscar makes almost as many tackles per 90 as Ramires and Matic, despite playing in an advanced position. His talents clearly aren't that of #10. He's still young. IMO, he can learn and improve and become a great CM.

A desperate but pretty good investment for United if he doesn't flop. But because of his price, the expectations and pressure on him will be huge. He's just a teenager. I wouldn't have minded if we got him, but I don't care that United did. He's good, but I'm not convinced that he's something special.

True. But he's good enough. Not great, but certainly not terrible. You're right that ideally, Oscar should be great at something to stand out. Perhaps someday he will be. It's true that he doesn't have attributes of a traditional #10, but it doesn't mean he must be sold as soon as possible. Though maybe he will be sold. We don't really know Jose's plans. It's widely assumed that Fabregas was bought to be #8, but it may not be true. Perhaps Jose wants to bench Oscar/play him on the wing/play him as a CM/or sell him. Until the end of the transfer window, we can only speculate. Until then, Oscar is still a Chelsea player and by far not the worst one.

He may not be a WC player (at least not yet), but he's a good player nonetheless. I like that he's quite versatile and can be used on many positions. Not every player has to be world-class to be useful. His work rate is good. There are much worse players in the team that I would like to see gone before Oscar. And defense is important. Though of course it isn't the most desired attribute of #10.

Too soft. A year of sitting on his arse might have taught him something. Maybe.

Had a similar thought, actually. While I would love to have a deep-lying playmaker in the team, I'm not sure it would be defensively sound. Fabregas is more of a true #10 than Oscar and it might be a waste of his vision and attacking abilities to play him so far from the penalty box. Besides, Oscar has a better workrate and tackling abilities than Fabregas, so perhaps moving Oscar to a CM position next to Matic and using Fabregas as a central attacking midfielder would be better. Hazard&Fabregas in the attack sounds mouthwatering. Damn, I really want to know what Jose has in mind. He has options, which is good, of course.

Again, what does it have to do with talent? There have been many amazing Barcelona players disliked by fans/team/manager and sold below their true market value. It means nothing. As The Skipper said above, they just weren't used properly. In a team built around them, they would have shined--and do shine. By the way, my wife is a Barcelona fan, so I watched a lot of their games, too, so it's a weak argument. Actually, I think both Ibrahimovic and Fabregas have the talent to win Ballon D'Or, but it's impossible in the same team as Messi, and I'm not convinced that Hazard wouldn't be just "one more player" at Barcelona--just like Alexis, Ibrahimovic, Fabregas, Yaya Toure, etc. Very few talents fit in Barcelona's system, and even those that do become nothing but "just one more player" after Messi.

I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with players' talent?

*Cough* Alexis scored 19 goals while he started in 27 games last season. Neymar scored 9 in 19 games he started. Alexis's goals per game stat is actually better, you know.

Nope, you aren't. They have pretty similar strengths and weaknesses. Kroos is like a less attacking, less creative version of Cesc, and they're both bad at defending. Anyway, it's a bullshit rumour, nothing more, IMO.

It's strange that he's lying so blatantly, but not surprising if true. Yaya is a c*nt.

It all depends on Jose's plans. After Fabregas's signing, Jose has options. If he wants to buy a hard-working CM, Fabregas will easily play in the middle as a CAM--many argue that's where he should be played rather than as a CM. And to be fair, while it's great that Oscar is winning the ball and retaining possession for Brazil, it's not really #10's main job. Creating chances is. Sometimes I think both Hazard and Fabregas would be better as CAMs than Oscar. They're both more creative.

It's good that he says he's staying, but until the end of the transfer window, everything is up in the air, no matter what players say. If PSG or someone else makes a great offer, who knows? We don't know Jose's plans.

lol They seemed almost more upset than Arsenal fans when we signed him. Reading 100+ pages Fabregas thread on redcafe was gold.

I agree, but I'm not sure about the bolded part. I hope he progresses and grows as a player, but can we afford to wait until he does(if he does at all)? We need a WC striker and, ideally, another reliable, good striker who can score if the WC striker gets injured. I'm not at all sure he'll sit on the bench quietly and be happy to be a sub. Maybe it's better(for both parties) to sell him.