Vesper

too many games all at once!! it is madness it is really hurting the quality of football and the teams themselves, not to mention (obviously) the players I HATE Liverpool, but it is ridiculous to force them to chose between the FWCC and the league cup IF they had won the CS versus Shitty, they would have had a chance to be the first team in football to win 7 trophies not just linearly, but in the same season, ever, in major world football history they will perhaps have the chance again next year (all they have to do (not easy) is to win the CL again and they have the same shot at the Septuple) next year is their last year to have a truly (provided they win the CL and the EPL and the FA Cup, by far the 3 hardest things to do) decent shot, as the FWCC changes to a MUCH harder 24 team format in 2021 (we will be in it due to our EL win last season) If an EPL teams pulls off a 2021 and beyond Septuple, that would be the greatest seasonal achievement in the history of team sports (even a 'regular' one now would perhaps be) Finally, as it stands, we have all these fucking international breaks eating up weeks upon weeks, weeks that could be used to even out the schedule (and also avoid players getting hurt whilst playing for shit national teams on shit pitches in shit, often meaningless-in-reality games)

Jose Mourinho wants time to shape Spurs squad as Tottenham will ‘never be the transfer window king’ Spurs boss believes it will take numerous transfer windows to get the squad that he wants as the club cannot spend like he did during his Chelsea and Manchester United days https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/tottenham-transfer-news-jose-mourinho-signings-squad-spurs-latest-a9279321.html

REMEMBER WHEN... THE BLUES BLEW BURNLEY AWAY https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/01/11/remember-when----the-blues-blew-burnley-away?cardIndex=0-2 Eden Hazard was at the centre of things when Burnley came to town early in 2016/17, as club historian Rick Glanvill recalls here... Back in August 2016 this fixture signalled what quickly appeared to be a false dawn for Antonio Conte’s new regime. Freshly-promoted Burnley were only the second league visitors to Stamford Bridge that season and they were brimming with confidence after shocking Liverpool 2-0 at Turf Moor, despite just 25 per cent possession of the ball. Their coach Sean Dyche had already scouted Conte’s version of the Blues. ‘I think that the manager will make a difference and the way they play will be slightly different,’ he predicted. ‘However I don’t think it will be a drastic change.’ There were personnel tweaks too at the Bridge, of course. A few weeks earlier N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi had made their bow for the Blues, while Cesc Fabregas’s magic hat seemed out of favour and Willian had been troubled with a calf injury. Instead Chelsea’s creative inspiration against the Lancastrian visitors came from a revitalised Eden Hazard. The Belgian opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, tearing towards the Burnley rearguard then steering a shot into the corner, and he was the dominant figure throughout. snip

Video: Conte: I wanted Zlatan at Chelsea https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/chelsea/11905929/conte-i-wanted-zlatan-at-chelsea lol, so did I!

delete , another pure lie made up by The Sun

Lampard really doe not rate him SMDH not saying Giroud is the bee's knees, but FFS, I can think of so many games where Giroud would have been a good super sub option Bats is pure pants, but he stays unless a miracle CF buy is pulled outta the old rabbit hat A rapidly ageing Pedro has been dreary and dreadful for the entire year overall, but now is elevated to a 'vital part of our team' per Lampard's own words. Dog help us if (I cannot believe I am even typing these words) Willian goes down injured our LB's (Azpi included) are overall dregs but no movement, it is killing us in most games, it crushes our left-side buildup play unless Alonso is playing at LWB Speaking of offence, we desperately need creativity but instead are 95% reliant on Mount and a probably not-going-to-be-fit all the rest of the season wish n' hope RLC return. Barkley is dire yet he stays and likely will stay even next summer if we maintain the relentless hesitancy to pull the trigger on sales attitude CB's have been overall very poor at ball play, but nothing done to sort this, even with a buyback clause saving us £10 to £15m on true market value for Ake (a rare left-footer who has also played at LB) HG young EPL proven veteran CB's are PRICEY as fuck, look at the insane almost £80m Maguire cost, and he is not a WC player, regardless of however much the delusional Brit press and the Manure fanboy scum plumps for him) Watch Ake get snapped up by a DIRECT top 4 contender, I can so feel it coming, and he greatly improves ALL of them, literally all, especially the two Manc teams, and even more so, Spuds and (dog forbid) Arse DMF has been a large issue (and overall MF defence, Kante most definitely included at his forced-in CMF position) and again, zero done

How Premier League table would look without VAR - with Liverpool's lead affected (cut in half) Latest research has worked out how VAR decisions would have altered results if the technology had not been implemented this season, with Man City suffering while Man Utd have profited https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/how-premier-league-table-would-21252372 Scouser title protection squad and Manure's little helper quelle surprise

very worrisome stat https://www.football.london/premier-league/boubakary-soumare-january-transfer-rumours-17549546 Of the 44 central midfielders to have amassed over 1,000 minutes in Ligue 1 this season, Soumare placed 43rd for defensive duels per 90, which indicates that he is not particularly inclined to engage in taking on opposing players for the ball, compared to his contempories. not acceptable

IF we lose to these cunts it really is panic time not joking at all

Multiple points: A MF of Kovačić-Kante-Jorginho is never going to work, it is horrid in terms of creativity, if we try to make that our regular MF for the next 2 or 3 years, I predict a large fail, as in no CL and forget even remotely chalenging for the title. Kante needs to be sold come summer IMHO, he is never going to pan out as a forward-playing CMF and this summer is our last chance (he turns 30 in a little over a year) to cash in huge on him. We cannot sell Willian (unless we did it in the next 3 weeks) as he walks on a free in the summer, unless we renew him for 2 years (and do we really want to pay 15m quid or so in salary for a 32/33yo winger over the next 2 years?) He will not accept a one year contract (as there are 10 plus clubs who will give him 2 or even a 3 year contract next summer) We may end up doing that, but it is going to get ugly over the next two seasons if he is trotted out as the starter game after game, especially if we fail on Sancho, pass on Zaha and CHO and/or Pulisic regress. Mount is not a winger (playing him there is almost as stupid as playing Azpi at LB) so Sancho has no bearing on that.

Sigh, it figures we are now reliant on the 2nd oldest winger (almost the oldest, missed it by three months) and the 4th oldest (Willian) to save our arse. If either plays at LW, they are by far the oldest LW in the League (there is only ONE over 27 EPL LWer atm, the just turned 30yo entirely blääää Junior Stanislaus.) Well Atsu just turned 28 yesterday as well. But you get the point.

Absolutely, especially if we can get that much (he turns 30yo next season) But it will not happen I am afraid, and the mere suggestion will make some burn with poutrage. We are so misusing him IMHO. He is a so not WC as a forward playing CMF. We keep trying (have been since Sarri) to ram him into the lineup and it unbalances us as he is just not tailored for the style of play we have been attempting to do for a year and a half now. I thought at first we could change, due his incredible talent, but on balance it sure does not look that way. He has had some horrid games as of late as well. His passing and his turnovers have been disasterclass at times.

I think it will end up being 6m euro (£5.1m) which is what I have said all along for months we should get for him, plus £5m for Pedro (now it looks like, foolishly, we are just going to hold onto Pedro and let him walk on a free in summer) I see many on here still think there will be some significant business done this window I do not see it happening certainly no CB is coming in (so we are burning the buyback for Ake (who is left-footed and who has played at LB before) AND we are saving Bournemouth's arse from relegation perhaps, which pisses me off!) No LB coming in as there is zero linkage to Telles, who is the only really high quality one doable (and he is a great price) as there is zero chance we dump out 60m euros on Grimaldo now (at east I hope not as I am not sold on him at all, especially at 60m euros), let alone 100m on Gaya No DMF (which is a vitally needed position few talk about) unless we snap up Boubakary Soumaré , but I think he goes elsewhere (even the giants like RM, Manure, Barca, Bayern, Juve are now in on the frenzy as Lille says he is deffo being sold) No AMF as I see zero links to anyone as of late at all, RM said basically give us around $43m and Isco is yours, and we did nothing, so I do not see Ziyech or any other happening at all, and again, no links at all of any sort of credibility to any AMF No winger unless there is some secret plan to buy Zaha (and that would mean Lampard has been basically completely bullshitting anyway over the whole thing, which I so hope is NOT the case) I think all the other links were rubbish (Leon Bailey, Samu Chukwueze, etc) I see nothing in terms of any links with Zaniolo, who is also a AMF and is a left footer since a year ago. Finally, I see no Dembele buy at CF (Lampard went out of his way to throw water on the very notion, plus Lyon is quite adamant he is not moving now, and it would take a huge overpay to change their minds), and all the others of any proven big 5 league quality are not moving in January that I can see. Habib Diallo, ffs, of Metz, even turned us down! LOLOLOLOLOL He doesn't want to come here and wants to stay at Metz at least until the end of the season (no great loss at all IMHO)

just ughhhhhh

I can sum up this entire thread Either Lampard is flat out lying for days (weeks?) now OR most every single story linking us with every player we have been talking about (and also so many of our sales) has been totally made-up complete tosh (even Ake, ffs, which just boggles my mind as he is left-footed and has played at LB before multiple times in the past and now we will lose his buyback as well) I admit, I know that often, and in every window too, so much of the press speculation is rot but I never have seen it to this level before, where it is looking like it ALL was fantasyland spew Really makes you wonder if Sancho, Werner, and Chilwell attempts supposedly coming in the summer are pure made up pish as well we might be going into Victimpool transfer-mode (except without the Scousers' quality and certainly without their results)

Frank Lampard has hinted that he is not looking to sign Issa Diop despite Chelsea being linked with the West Ham defender. http://londonfootballnews.co.uk/chelsea/lampard-hints-that-chelsea-are-not-chasing-west-ham-star/ snip And the former England midfielder also suggested reports he wants Lyon forward Moussa Dembele are wide of the mark – and that other stories linking players with Chelsea have been inaccurate too. “He (Dembele) is a player I know and a player the club know,” Lampard said. “But I’m surprised to see his name pop up so regularly when it’s not popping up in my conversations so regularly, to be brutally honest, and there’s quite a few players in the last week that I could say the same about.” As for Christensen, Lampard insisted there was no prospect of the centre-back leaving. He said: “I can rule it out. I like Andreas as a player. What I want Andreas to be is the best he can be.”

4 months earlier, same thing Sarri says Christensen left the bench early vs Arsenal because he suffers from nerves https://www.givemesport.com/1446130-sarri-says-christensen-left-the-bench-early-vs-arsenal-because-he-suffers-from-nerves

I honestly do not think LB, DMF, AMF, CF, and probably perhaps even winger are going to be addressed this January hell if things go truly pear shaped this summer, they might not be fixed then either, especially if we do not get CL for next year (as that crushes reveniew and hrts top-noth player recruitment versus other huge clubs who will have it)

wellll bläääääääääääääääääää looks like my last several days take that there is a good possibility we make no real moves this January is fast becoming a potential reality and then come summer it will be the old 'Well, we simply cannot make THAT many moves in one window', so only a few things might get addressed, if even those few really is a dangerous game of chicken we are moving toward if we shit out on Chilwell, Sancho (I do not see us spending the money it takes to buy him, I gotta call it like I see it am) and then Werner (plus perhaps even lose out on Dembele as a shit tonne of other clubs will be (and are now) chasing him), we are really going to be in a tight spot especially if we lose Willian on a free (and even keeping him is not really THAT great a prize, especially as he will be 32 and 33yo if we renew him for a 2 year) we also may likely still be stuck with most all of the loan dregs on the books still (and rapidly devaluing each window that passes) and be stuck with the same two (plus emergency Azpi) fails at LB Also we may very well have no remotely affordable options at CB (as Ake will now be off the table do to his buybackback, plus the other two young EPL CB's (Caglar Söyüncü (who is soon going to cost Maguire level cash is he continues to explode in quality) especially and then even Diop, who was NEVER going to be sold for only 40m, that was a pipe dream) be even more expensive) and IF our current CB's regress or simply do not play collectively well, we are then looking at £70m to 100m options across the board (or damn near it) other than Diop, who was always going to go for at least 50m, if not more, as well for wingers, if no Sancho, it will make even less sense to drop £80m on Zaha 6, 7 months from now, as he will be only a few months away from 28 if we do it in then, so hlf a year less than even the short peak time he has left no clue on CF if we miss on Werner and Dembele as my true first choice is a player the club will not spend the type of quid it will take to land him (Lautaro Martinez, who will not come here anyway, especially if we have no CL to offer) Kante will probably not even be discussed, so that square peg/round hole situ will continue to fester (and we can truly kiss goodbye to even getting even a remotely huge cash-out from him, as he turns 30 in a little over a year from now), and DMF IS A HUGE ISSUE. Our entire defence has been shambolic much of the time due to poor poor defensive play in MF. Kante has been a shadow in his new role when it comes to disruption. AMF (and a profound lack of creativity overall) will also quite possibly remain an issue, I cannot see us dropping the quid for a Maddison or Havertz type, and see zero links for ages with Zaniolo. Isco turns 29yo towards the final quarter of next season, so he is so not a long term answer (if he ever was) It will be Mount and a dice-roll (due to horrid injury) RLC or die perhaps. Barkley sure will be gone (although I can even see us bollocks up that) Dog help us all if we miss out on CL next year, as it will set up multiple negative feedbacks loops in terms of FFP revenues, spending and recruitment itself. It is very unlikely to happen (I so hope) BUT IF many, if not most of our young players simply do not fully blossom we are in for years of trouble in terms of getting back to a top 4 most every year level, let alone challenging for major trophies I am very unhappy with lack of problem addressing so far and a reliance, an over-reliance of 'hoping for reversals of form' and the settling for garbage like all our LB options I think most of us (I admit I did) thought the £150m spend figure was for January alone but as I have started to say, I now am worried it is the entire budget for 2020, period. OR it all is a sham, a gaslight job, and Roman and Marina have no real intention (after he dropped in a crazy amount of money and still ended up with an insane net £100m loss) of spending much of anything resembling these huge sums we envision (even though huge sums are (or can be) being brought in from sales and potential sales) TBH, I have never seen ANY figures officially quoted at all when it comes to budgets everything 'official' has been, nope, not selling this one or that one, and nope, not buying this one or that one the whole Ake no-go stance starting on the 1st of the year is what has lead me to rethink, and take a negative stance, combined with my fathers sources from several months back who said we were in contraction time (I think they were sorta tipping their hand about the big upcoming loss), and then the huge official net loss itself when it actually manifested via the club's announcement I do not like simply going with the old 'It will get better as I believe these players playing like pish will magically improve after years of play showing otherwise' shite and the lack of sales of dregs and/or petty cock-blocks over and with Conte/Inter (which is on Marina and Roman anyway, they fucked over a truly great manager)

some think Azpi at LB is just great, lolol

Vladimir Romanov gives interview in submarine as former Hearts owner claims he wanted to buy Liverpool and sell Steven Gerrard to Chelsea for £120m Lithuanian now writes poetry and denies any wrongdoing https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/latest-hearts-news/vladimir-romanov-gives-interview-submarine-former-hearts-owner-claims-he-wanted-buy-liverpool-and-sell-steven-gerrard-chelsea-ps120m-1361489

not the Spuds game, we played superbly IMHO

Crystal Palace want to sign Angers left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri this month https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2020/crystal-palace-want-to-sign-angers-left-back-rayan-ait-nouri-this-month/ L’Équipe report that Premier League side Crystal Palace have decided that they want to sign 18-year-old Angers SCO left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri this month. The player is contracted to Le SCO until 2021, who are asking for a considerable amount of money in order to sell a teenager whose interests are being managed by Jorge Mendes, believed to be in excess of €30m. Palace have accelerated discussions in recent days, with several conversations with Angers and the player’s entourage having already taken place. The fee demand is making the conclusion of any agreement complicated for Roy Hodgson’s side at the moment. Atletico Madrid remain in contact for the teenager, and Palace could face competition from them if they daddle much longer.

complete breakdown here unless we are the mystery team with the 30m euro bid for Rayan Aït Nouri, looks like it is Chilwell or bust in the summer as it stands, which is very risky on multiple levels

Mertens is nowhere near Cavani level he is pretty much done as a top rate player soon and is tiny and would get bullied in the EPL now that his pace is rapidly fading