Vesper

I couldn't agree more. It fucking sucks that Hazard is a LW, as if he was RW, Willian could play his natural position, where I have FAR FAR FAR fewer issues with him at. He is (at least twice, if not more) a radically better player at LW. 2 of our 3 huge problems (striker being the third, of course) revolve around positional issues. Willian being played out of position (and an ageing Pedro being hurt all the time), and Kante as well. We can do nothing about Kante unless we sack Sarri (which I so so so so do NOT want to do for years) as the system will not be changed. Barcelona wanted Willian for LW, so they could then ditch Dembele. Now they still want to sell Ousmane so maybe still want Willian, BUT if Hazard leaves, Willian can then play LW until we get a truly WC replacement for Eden. This sounds crazy, BUT, if Eden does go, I would rather us go for Mbappe at RW and just let Willian play as LW starter for 2 more years. IF we got (we wont, obviously, due to contract wind-down... THANKS MARINA, you fucking cunt!!!) what Eden is truly worth (£200m or so) then it is NOT insane at all to make a stab at Mbappe, as he would only cost £50m to £100m more, which is certainly doable (striker buy or not). THEN we would also finally be able to play CHO a lot, and as Willian would be 31 next season, CHO would KNOW he is soon given all shot at being the starter. Lets say we do end up with Piatek as striker, and he is as good as he has shown. Imagine a front 3 (within 2 years or so) of CHO Piatek Mbappe! or any other good/great striker. If you insert Icardi or Dybala in there, and CHO truly comes good to Jadon Sancho (so far) level, that's a front 3 that can win EPL and CL as long as we keep Kovacic. and the back 4 are shored up (just selling donkies ,Morata, Moses, and Bakayoko, even at loses, completely covers de Light buy, or we could offer Ajax AC plus £40m or so) and we still have Cahill, Bats (if sSarri refuses to play him), Zouma, Drinkwater, Cesc etc etc etc to dump to fund the striker.

Agree. £33.8m for him is a steal.

Suso?

£33.8m is a steal for him if we can get it done. We obviously are not interested in Bailey, and he is in a big slump. Of course I would rather go for Dembele or Federico Chiesa (who now, for whatever reason, as completely stopped playing inverted LW and has started and played every game this year as a rf RW. I still would take him as a LW IF we lose Hazard, plus Dembele, who can play either wing) or Federico Bernardeschi BUT Suso would be the next one (as Mbappe is a 300 million quid pipe dream and Shitty will NEVER sell us Bernardo Silva, who are my top 2 RWers if we could have anyone, sorry Salah, but Bernardo is a better all rounder and can also play AMF/No 10 roles to a superb level as well) Bailey on the back burner until he starts playing better and also grows the fuck up and ditches his rotten Yardie entourage of clingers and asshats. I do NOT want JA trash fam/fake fam and so-called 'advisers' coming here and causing mad drama. SO SICK OF HEAD CASES!!!!!!!!!

I am going to go batshit crazy if Sarri starts fucking Moses over CHO and ends up not playing CHO at all or only at the death of the game. Moses needs to be in the stands with Drinkwater, and never see a second of field time again for us. FFS sell Moses, Cahill, Drinkwater, and Bakayoko ASAP. Give Bats and Baba 2 LONG looks next year, in preseason, and sell them too if they are not going to be played. Same for Zouma as well, although I am sure he is never going to return to his pre-injury level. It's been years now. Damn shame, he would have been a beast of a CB.

Reminds me of this

Leyton Orient’s 2018/19 Fourth Kit Commemorates The Great War https://www.uksoccershop.com/blog/11864-2/ The fourth kit commemorates the club’s role during the First World War. Leyton Orient was the first English club to enlist “en mass.” 41 players and staff members joined the ranks of the British military. Furthermore, three players were killed in action. The commemorative kit will be worn in their games surrounding Remembrance Sunday, accompanied by two minutes of silence.

I was just going to watch some footage of him, seems like he might be worth investigating. Tracking to 18 to 20 goals in Serie A and 10 to 12 assists. Udinese has a great young (21yo) Italian CMF as well. Rolando Mandragora who they got from Juve for 20m euro. I mentioned him here ' Those 2, and their relatively young (turns 24 in December) Brasilian CB, Samir, plus 2 other young (both 23) CMF's Antonin Barak (Czech, I rate him fairly high) and Seko Fofana (French, ex Shitty youngster) are by far their best players. They are weak at fullback (they do have 2 really young ones, 20 yo Italian LB Giuseppe Pezzella and 21yo Dutch RB Hidde ter Avest, who may step up in a year or two) , DMF (their captain, the Swiss Valon Behrami will be 34 in April and is on the rapid decline) , and CF.

I will post HD stream links before the game.

CHELSEA, LIVERPOOL, ARSENAL? THREE POTENTIAL DESTINATIONS FOR OUSMANE DEMBELE http://www.thehardtackle.com/blogs/2018/10/30/chelsea-liverpool-arsenal-three-potential-destinations-for-ousmane-dembele/ Ousmane Dembele’s future at Barcelona. The Hard Tackle takes a look at three possible destinations for the out-of-favour French winger Ousmane Dembele’s woes at Barcelona have not eased one bit despite a strong start to the season. The Frenchman has been trying to shake the cobwebs of a difficult first season that was riddled with injuries and poor form. And he did start his second campaign at Barcelona quite brightly. After the first month or so, Dembele had found the back of the net in the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla as well as in Barcelona’s league and European wins over the likes of Huesca, Real Valladolid, Real Sociedad and PSV Eindhoven. However, over the last six weeks or so, the 21-year-old has gone off the boil massively. His drop in stature has been so significant that Dembele has lost his place as a regular, and is not even being named in the starting lineup in the absence of Lionel Messi. The situation has now come to a head, with Barcelona reportedly prepared to let him depart from Camp Nou, even as early as January. With Ousmane Dembele possibly being put on the market in the January transfer window, and with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal being named as possible suitors. The Hard Tackle takes a look at three possible destinations where he might end up. Chelsea Chelsea have started the 2018-19 season quite well, having taken very little time to adapt to Maurizio Sarri’s possession-based system. But, the team is still lacking some oomph and dynamism in attack that will elevate the Blues to the next level of being a force to be reckoned with in league and Europe. So far, Chelsea have have been heavily dependent on the performances of Eden Hazard, with the Belgian directly contributing to 42 percent of the goals that they have scored in the Premier League. In his absence, the Blues did step up quite well last time out against Burnley. But, a closer look at their squad would suggest a need to reinforce their wide options. Apart from Hazard, Sarri has Pedro and Willian as the only natural wingers at his disposal. With both players on the wrong side of 30, an injection of youth in the form of Ousmane Dembele could be just what Chelsea need to take some pressure off Hazard and phase the two experienced campaigners out. Additionally, if Dembele’s exploits with Borussia Dortmund are anything to go by, Sarri will have an exciting prospect that he can develop in his mould and prove that the 18-month Barcelona stint – should he indeed call it quits in January – was only an ill-fated blip. Another scenario that Chelsea could find themselves in, is the exit of their talisman himself. Eden Hazard has made no bones about wanting to don the famous white strip of Real Madrid, who still have their sights set on him. Should Hazard end up leaving, Sarri will need someone to step into his boots. Who better than a player who has shown that he can be a creative force from either flank while also having an eye for a goal. Either way, Dembele is a player who has the potential of fitting perfectly into Sarri’s system and resume his development, while also aiding Chelsea’s rise up the European ladder. snip

I can see your point. Especially if we have a healthy Eden.

I am 80 to 90% convinced our strongest MF for Sarriball is Jorginho at DH DMF Kovacic at CMF B to B Hybrid role Barkley at AMF We lose too much fluidity and overall offensive conceptualisation when Kante is in there. Only way I see to get all four on pitch at same time is to try something like the 3-1-3-3 we came up with, with Azpi as the 3rd CB, Kante in back of Jorginho as pure floating destroyer, and turtle Alonso on the bench. Or, lolol, sell Hazard (if he refuses ro renew) buy Icardi AND Dybala and play a 4 4 2.

Strawman argument. I have not seen one post questioning us signing Kovacic. I also think the real argument is not Kovacic v Barkley/RLC but Kovacic v Kante.

Its what UJ and myself whinged on about for entire window. I am still at it, lolol. I am not sold on dropping £60m plus for Piątek yet. He has only 1 goal in last 3 games, and 2 of those matches were against shit teams, in fact all his goals but one (1 v Lazio) have been against shit teams) and Icardi/Dybala are just my pipe dreams. Just watched Icardi bang in 2 more. Grrrrr. Maybe Morata is finally on right path.

Big Nose visual maths for how many goals he let in last game

Dele Alli signs new Tottenham contract: Spurs star pens fresh six-year deal https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/dele-alli-signs-new-tottenham-contract-spurs-star-pens-fresh-sixyear-deal-a3860356.html lololol He will still now be making £30,000 PW LESS than DRINKWATER.

“I like it a lot here” – Mateo Kovacic has nice things to say about Chelsea when asked if he will stay beyond loan deal https://www.chelsea-news.co/2018/10/like-lot-mateo-kovacic-nice-things-say-chelsea-asked-will-stay-beyond-loan-deal/ Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has lifted the lid on his stay in London so far insisting he will like to exhaust all the months in the loan deal before firming up whether he leaves or stays next summer. The Croatia international has become an important player in Maurizio Sarri’s squad this season after he was used as a bargaining chip by Real Madrid in their pursuit of Thibaut Courtois last summer. The central midfielder arrived at Chelsea in the dying hours of the transfer window but has quickly acclimatized to life in West London. Despite having more playing time that he was used to in Madrid over the three years he spent there, Kovacic is still leaving his options open. Snip

Manchester United target Jadon Sancho in £100m January spree http://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/transfer-talk/79/post/3683755/transfer-talk-manchester-united-target-jadon-sancho-in-100m-january-spreeP Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be backed to strengthen his squad in the winter if the right deals can be struck, with "more than £100 million potentially available" to him, according to The Guardian. Mourinho, frustrated in his summer search for another centre-half, wants a defender and a forward. Although he had been interested in Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng, moves did not materialise "because the board did not believe that either was an upgrade" on the defenders already at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, the Mirror reported reported United are the favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, the former Manchester City player who has attracted interest from around Europe after producing a succession of outstanding performances and earning a call-up to the England squad. City have a buy-back clause in the deal that sent Sancho to Dortmund but United are the likeliest leaders in any race for the 18-year-old, the Mirror reported. Snip

Real Madrid news: Chelsea star Eden Hazard delivers Antonio Conte ultimatum to Los Blancos REAL MADRID’s decision not to appoint Antonio Conte is down to Eden Hazard’s request for the club not to put the Italian in charge. https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1038196/Real-Madrid-news-Chelsea-Eden-Hazard-Antonio-Conte That’s according to respected Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda. Real Madrid announced the departure of Julen Lopetegui on Monday evening after just four and a half months in charge. Los Blancos have confirmed the Spaniard will be “provisionally replaced” by ex-player Santiago Solari and coach of B team Castilla. Many had expected former Chelsea boss Conte to take charge after the 49-year-old held talks with club president Florentino Perez. But a proposed deal seems to have stalled and Inda claims Hazard was behind it. The Belgian has long been linked with a switch to the Bernabeu but Chelsea opted not to cash in on him last summer. Hazard has made no secret of his desire to secure a ‘dream’ move to the Spanish capital but it appears he isn’t keen on a reunion with Conte. Inda claims the winger has indirectly communicated with Madrid that he ‘would never sign’ for the club if Conte was appointed. Snip Real, sign CONTE NOW!!!!!!

Carlo Ancelotti explains how loss of Jorginho to Chelsea has affected Napoli after Roma draw https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/chelsea-news-jorginho-sarri-napoli-15343212 The signing of Jorginho was one of the key moments of the summer transfer window for Chelsea. The Brazil-born Italian midfielder has slotted into Maurizio Sarri's new Chelsea system with ease, having been a key part of it during their time together at Napoli. For much of the window Jorginho had been rumoured to be making a move to Manchester City but joined Chelsea for a reported £50million on the same day as Sarri. Manchester City were reportedly 'furious' with Napoli about the way their proposed deal with Napoli fell apart, according to the Manchester Evening news, but less than a week later Pep Guardiola told reporters he was "not disappointed" by the move. That viewpoint is apparently one held by Napoli's head coach Carlo Ancelotti as well, who discussed the loss of Jorginho in his interview with Sky Sport in Italy (via calciomercato.com ) after his side drew 1-1 with Roma on Sunday. SNIP e navigatio

Chelsea must handle their CHO-sen one with care https://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/chelsea-must-handle-their-cho-sen-one-with-care So let’s get the staple sentences that are in almost every article about a Chelsea youth player out the way. No, the Blues haven’t had an English player come through their Academy and break into the first-team since John Terry. Yes, there have been a number of false dawns; Josh McEachran, Nathaniel Chalobah and probably Ruben Loftus-Cheek. And yes, the club do have a surprisingly large number of players out on loan. Right. That’s done. Nice to have ticked them off early, right? What is clear from the above is that it can be very easy to bash Chelsea for how they handle young players. The Blues haven’t had – and still don’t – clear pathways in place to the first-team. Of that there can be no debate. But the club deserve to be lauded for the quality footballers they are producing on a yearly basis. Chelsea haven’t won the past five FA Youth Cups, the last of which was by a 7-1 aggregate score against Arsenal, by accident. They’ve done so because of excellent coaching at various youth levels. The CHO-sen one The best example of this is Callum Hudson-Odoi, the talented winger who has been with the Blues since he was just seven years old. Clearly he had potential as a young boy yet it needed developing. And that is what Chelsea have done over the last decade. Snip

He had a great start too, but Messi hates him, and at Barca it's Argie Rules. Wonder what his price will be. He has just bags of talent, needs to chill on his non-footballing extracurricular life. I think he would be a monster under Sarri.

deffo not a tireless channel runner

His mid 1990's Ajax teams were crazy good 1994-95 especially