Vesper

The clan of camel herders and pearl fishers lived in mudbrick homes beneath palm fronds -- and one can assume that for several ensuing decades, the idea of sky blue-clad football players was just as foreign to them as desert heat was to the Mancunians. But 128 years later, in September 2008, England's "Capital of the North" and the Al Nahyans, who had become a multibillion-dollar oil dynasty in the ensuing years, found their way to each other. And the consequences have been dramatic.

Transfer ban their fucking arses! 2 years. Europe ban for same length. Cheating cunts.

14 games, 1 goal, crazy drama with JA national team. Yep, his career at BayArena is looking sparkling. His output so far this season is making Willian look Salah 2017-18 like. Huge disappointment so far. Leverkusen would be in relegation battle if not for Kai Havertz. Still may be. I think their manager is shit, given the insane young talent that squad has.

Malcom + £20-25m for Willian. Take that cash and buy Sandro Tonali. http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/16711-22-willian/?do=findComment&comment=1376945 2 birds one stone.

Won everything there is to win? Remembering Brazil 1-7 Germany, a ghost that still haunts the Seleção today https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/brazil-germany-2014-rematch-2018-world-cup-tite-neymar-sane-a8276136.html

Well, maybe not cheaper if you want a ready made big league plug n' play DH DMF. They are actually a very rare breed if one wants true quality. Sandro Tonali is potentially the best one, Sarri desperately wants him, he will only be around £25m or so, but he is only 18 and still playing in Serie B. Here are the already established ones who are of sufficient quality. The list isnt long. Sergio Busquets Barca (will never leave them and is already 30) Ruben Neves Wolves They are demanding £100m plus for him. Only Shitty would drop that much IMHO. Pep wants him badly. He is by far the best scorer out of all the top DH DMF's as well, and can play anywhere in MF. Rodri Atletico Madrid They just bought him, he is seen as the new Busquets. He won't be sold Frenkie de Jong Ajax Can play anywhere in MF, and also plays at CB, and even has had runouts at fullback. Bidding war for him will be crazy. Would love to have him, especially if we lose Kovacic. Julian Weigl Dortmund (Shitty on him too) Has been up and down a bit, but so young and huge potential and then the most realistic I think, for us (if we fail on Tonali) Leandro Paredes from Zenit (Roma had to sell him and Rudiger to meet FFP) and Stanislav Lobotka (23yo Slovakian) from Celta Vigo often plays in a kind of Jorginho role too, and Spurs and PSG are all over him, Spuds has a £31m bid turned down at the window's end this summer. Some others Marco Verratti can play that role as well but would be over £100m Giovani Lo Celso on loan to Real Betis from PSG has also played DH DMF, and would be far less than Vertatti, but still not cheap, probably in the £50m range Asier Illarramendi Real Sociedad poor man's Busquets/Xabi Alonso , but he turns 29 in March Rodrigo Bentancur from Juve. He has also played that role, but is more of a CMF. Arne Maier Hertha Berlin 19yo wunderkind, 2nd best teenager DMF after Tonali IMHO, some would argue better, but I think Tonali is just perfect for the DH DMF role. Maier may end up a Kroos type which is also amazing.

Big Nose was 1.99m. 6 feet 6 and a third inches. Same same as my shortest brother.

That was brilliant keeper play. Watched him do similar feats at Athletic Bilbao for several years. Btw, Bilbao have never been relegated, ever. They are now in serious danger of it.

Sarri has the perfect back-up, future Jorginho on his shopping list, Sandro Tonali. The lad is going to be something special I think.

1000000% agree on all points. Only thing we differ on is Varane over Umtiti, but they are both top 5 in world.

I am NOT a GUY. And if you dont like what I post, DONT READ IT. And.......Don't you EVER tell me what to do, EVER. You are nothing to me.

Kovacic is miles better defensively than Barkley and RLC. He needs to be given a shot at playing the B to B hybrid role that wee baldy is struggling at now. Kante has not been remotely close in his defensive play to last year, let alone his offensive failings. He is really out of sync overall. Sarri needs to sort him by seasons end or I am all in for cashing in, unless we are going to sack Sarri, then it is madness to sell Kante, as almost every other manager would just put him back at pure DMF destroyer role. We are betwixt and between at so many points and levels. We deffo are the most complicated club in world football atm, no one else that matters is even remotely close.

20 if you count missed regular sitters, lololol Hopefully he keeps up his hot streak, it would be SO good to have to stop worrying about striker for a bit.

If we did buy him, I truly hope he would sit Alonso down on the bench permanently. I still am more interested in him as left back, BUT you have deffo piqued my interest. I think atm only Alaba is better at LB in the world (I detest no defence Marcelo and even more so Jordi the twat), but I am intrigued with him playing rotational CB. I really have to question Sarri's truthfulness when he says Alonso is on verge of being left back in the world. I think he is full of shit. There is no way he is that stupid, lololol I am all in on going after him and Pavard (who is the reverse, he is a CB who can play RB) Board will never cough up the £130m plus it will take to buy both though. Btw, Frenkie de Jong can also play CB. I LOVE multi-dimensional players. It is probably why I am being such a cunt about Kante and his struggles to adapt to his new role. I was sure he was far too good an athlete and footballer to not just slide in and dominate. Unfortunately I was very wrong. The thing that is killing me about it the most is that even his defence has lagged off.

Every single EPL champion for the last 9 years in a row has had a 20 goal scoring CF.

Food for thought Morata is now level on goals with Salah, lolol (should be plus one after that breakaway he missed tonight)

He is now their captain, and has said dozens of times he doesn't want to ever leave Milan. It figures that Sarri has picked him as his number one target at CB. Maybe it's a secret plot to make Marina look even worse when she FAILS at trying to land a big time Serie A player for the 20th time verses a few wins (Alonso, who was a big surprise) Zappacosta and Emerson (meh, waste of around 50m, and made worse that we bought Emerson KNOWING he was knee damaged) and,Jorginho, who was deemed surplus goods by Ancelotti. Sarri thus has an excuse, ie. her ineptitude, lololol.

Kovacic is a superb football player, he needs to play where Kante is. His football intelligence and grasp of the game are truly WC,IMHO. Kante is one dimensional (it just so happens that his one dimension is to be the best DMF destroyer in the last 10 years of world football) so Sarri needs to either change his role, or just be prepared to always have (unless something changes) one hand tied behind out back in terms of MF offensive flow. Palace are simply dreadful in MF, and still he couldn't crack many nuts. I absolutely fail to see why Sarri cannot come up with a scheme to unleash Kante AND keep a three man midfield. Kante and three CB's (like I have said many times before>) with all 4 handing off to Jorginho to start the ball a flowing. Those back 4 (Azpi as right CB) could surely provide enough width for adequate cover. and dropping Alonso will be no huge loss, as Kante can also provide left side cover (or right) as the situation warrants in the back third of the field. 3 CB's also takes pressure off Luiz (as he would be in the middle CB) to also push ball up a bit and take advantage of his true strength (passing). Kovacic would also be on the left (B to B MF) and is superb at track backs and is more than capable of high pressing as well. I am a BIG proponent of playing to the strengths of your players. Kante is being square-pegged into a round hole atm. Kovavcic is not a pure AMF. If we simply let Kovacic go back to RM and do not bring in a another gifted CMF, I predict doom in terms of truly world class results. It just isnt going to happen, especially with the rest of the moves/lack of moves that appear to be on the horizon.

De Ligt is already at starting level for any team on the planet IMHO. He bossed Bayern Munich like they were tin soldiers. De Jong is close as well.

Was an absolute shit show of a game for 96 minutes. I thought Suso looked terrible (and I am a huge fan), but so did ALL the players on both sides. Donnarumma is a goddamn mess, Bakayoko was Bakayoko. Udinese have not scored a home goal since last DECEMBER, lolol. Romagnoli scored the winner with a superb strike. The assist was negligible as it was off an in-box scrum, not a nice build-up play.

Yes. EPL rookie managers.

I would like to see it 25m quid, not not 20m euros (17m pounds) Marina already tried (fucking cunt) to gouge Barca for £75m for Willian, and flat out turned down £65m (Idiot!) Barca paid £37m for Malcom add £17m Thats only £54m. ZERO chance Marina agrees to take 21m quid LESS that what she wanted just 5 months go £62m is only £3m less than Barca offered before, and Willian is now 30 and half years old, so that $£3m less is to be expected. We are insane if we can get them to cough up £25m plus Malcom yet turn them down Just watched Suso again, tonight, he had a HORRRRRRRRRRRID game versus a relegation bound really shit Udinese side. Missed 2 absolute sitters, and his passing was SHITE. If we had scouts there, that deal is in big jeopardy, lolol. Bailey has also been absolute shit so far this year., so no way would I say we should spend the 70 or 80m on him, atm, that Bayer Leverkusen want. Ousmane Dembélé is super pricey, but has the highest upside of anyone in this post, and is ambipedal so can play both wings as well. I really would prefer Federico Bernardeschi and also buy Chiesa (if Eden leaves), but Malcom is more than adequate, especially at that price and especially if if gets Willian the fuck out of here for big money value. Hate to be a bubble burster, but I just cannot see ANY of this going down, the board is paralysed and Sarri seems to worship fucking donkey Willian. In Bim (Barbados) we have a saying Hard ears dun hear, hard ears gun FEEL Its probably going to take the pain of a super fail if Eden leaves and CHO leaves, and we end up destroying our front line (as I also see massive hesitation to fix striker) That IS what will happen unless we make smart moves The CFC board and also the status quo lovers on here just couldn't be more wrong. I so hope we sort it, it is probably going to take a change of ownership

shit tonne of options, it is just that some are really speculative, and if Morata goes back into the tank, something REALLY has to be done, as in bring in a PROVEN scorer, of this there surely can be no debate (the debate will be who, not if) If Morata tanks again and a poster says we don't have to make a move (NOT saying this is you at all, lol) then they are a pure troll, full stop. anyway, here are links to just about every possibility, discussed in some detail (obviously there will be a lot of duplication of names in those posts) A week before the winter window I will size up all the options are make a meta post of what we are looking at I am not holding my breath on the board doing anything I really think we are in close-down mode due to the political situation with Roman (which will potentially become hellish if the Democrats take back both houses of Congress in the States and go all out RUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIA!!!!!! hysteria (more than they already have) and make a move to impeach Trump. Brexit is also going to be a factor, as the UK will suck up to the US even more, and if the US is on a 'destroy Russia' kick, they will surely pressure the UK as well, even more, as a condition of a closer relationship.

I didn't see anything in terms of high up pressing that Kovacic is not more than capable of doing as well. Kante is now isolated to one side of the field, more or less. We had multiple streams up after the game to hear what all the presenters said (not just about Kante) and all brought up the points I am making, literally every one (was a total of around 12, counting the field presenters and the in-studio ones.) I am not using an appeal to authority logical fallacy here, just pointing out that a shit tonne of other people see this as well. Some of them also (foolishly, as Sarri will never change the system in this fashion) called for a return of Kante to DMF pure destroyer.

They should have been sold this past summer!