Vesper

Its not outrageous at all. it is called future-forward basic management and pre-planning in a complex market. The hedge fund I work at has tens of billions under management, and if we started to plan mergers and acquisitions only in their targeted closing period (in football terms, the transfer window), we would soon be liquidated and sued into the abyss for financial malpractice. Look at Bayern Munich, they are brilliant, with their year over year targeting and use of pre-contract tie-ups. You say that to lose those players I listed would cause utter chaos. What do you think we are in now? What do you think last year was? Give me a D I E G...... I am NOT suggesting we sell any of the core of the team. Ex-core perhaps, but many or all I listed are peripheral and even marginal players that we immediately or certainly within 3 to 6 months of season's end (in the case of Bakayoko for instance) knew were not going to work out to any sort of acceptable level. Drinkwater is even more egregious. He never should have been purchased, especially at the ridiculous overpricing we incurred. Also, IF we had been doing our due diligence for the last 5 years in a timely and professional manner(clue on professionalism, it IS NOT having Granny take the first month of the window off for a bloody holiday) this buildup of rot would never have taken place. All those dead-weights I listed could have been methodically pre-shopped, and parcelled out as soon as the window opened for official paperwork, or at least within a couple weeks span. It is not like our legal staff cannot handle multiple contract writing once the prices and terms have been agreed. Any legal firm in The City worth its salt could handle that. It is also literally insane to expect a 'one in only after one out' policy when you are talking about a multi-billion pound club in a highly fluid and hyper-compressed transfer window environment that the bellends at the FA have shackled all of us with. We are not in the Cock 'N Cow Sunday pub kick about league. If the firms I have dealt with in my financial career or have come into contact with via case studies in my academic journeys had played their cards like we have (again from the business/fiduciary end especially) they would all be in receivership or administration (something that seems to permeate the football world to an amazing degree already). We have not even filled the Technical Director position for months upon months since Emenalo left in November! Do you think any publicly traded company would leave its CFO or CEO position utterly vacant for a year??

I agree with this fine gentleman from the lovey part of England known as Kent

to move forward, you have to do more than just retain territory already possessed my gran could have accomplished what we have done (not sell Hazard and Courtois and Kante, one of which we will lsoe on a free next summer, and quite possible sell the other then for £50- 100m less than we could have gotten now) all she would have had to do was not answer the phone Also we will have lost another 75 to 100m plus or so in combined resale value on the ageing (all the following are over 30 or next summer will be damn close to it) Alonso, Willian, Luiz, Fàbregas, Drinkwater, Pedro, Giroud and the younger Moses and bakayoko (who will never be worth more than now as long as we have them) Add up the £80m courtois is worth and we will get nothing on a free or next to nothing if we sell him in January, the 50 to 100m (I split difference and call it £75m less) we get for Hazard (IF he doesn't re-sign) and the 75ishm in lost value from the rest that's well over £200m LESS cash we will have, just for sitting on our asses (and they STILL will need to be replaced, in an even more expensive market than thsi summer's) that's pure loss, all from poor management That doesnt even count the £75-100m plus we lost not qualifying for the CL it isnt surprising that Abramovich has lost 16 billion of his £25 or so billion net worth in the last last 5 to 7 years (he is down to £8.93 billion as of Jan1, 2018), if his team building skills (both in executive suite and on the field) are any reflection

Two of the 3 may think if they stay away long enough that we will sell them. Costa 2.0

If this transfer window (and the whole general direction of the club for the last year) is what a club pushing for CL places looks like,then I think we must think the entire top half of the EPL table qualifies for the CL. We have but added one new diamond to a broken bracelet that loses more lustre and links each week. We also brought in a new jewellery salesman and expect him to sell that broken bracelet for double the price the last salesman tried to and failed to do, and that was when it was in far better shape. As incentive, we are offering customers a 38 year old free box of Green candy.

we could have had him Kylian Mbappe reveals details of Chelsea trial as 11-year-old starred in scoolboy win over Charlton https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4408247/kylian-mbappe-chelsea-trial-arsenal/

What do you think about a straight swap with Barca Alonso for Jasper Cillessen? Cillessen has a 40 million euro release clause, that seems about right for Alonso at this point, and then we can sell Courtois and avoid losing him on a free. I watched Cillesson again yesterday and he seems FAR superior to all the other dodgy keepers we have or have been linked to. Alonso is only around 1 and a half years younger than Cillesson and keepers go much longer than LB's in career usually. Alonso is already slow, so when he loses a step he is well and truly shot. It should be SO easy to do a quick sale of Courtois then, and take that cash and buy a left back to pair with Emerson Barca is on the verge of selling Lucas Digne to Everton so they will need another LB some good ones still out there for us if we hurry Alex Telles from Porto (my first choice given the circumstances) José Gayà from Valencia Alejandro Grimaldo from Benfica (he scored yesterday v Juve) Layvin Kurzawa from PSG Wendell from Bayer Leverkusen Theo Hernández from Real Madrid (Lucas's brother, OMG would kill to have Lucas but ZERO chance AM sells him)

Grrrrr Maurizio Sarri sends warning to Chelsea fans over Callum Hudson-Odoi Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/29/maurizio-sarri-sends-warning-chelsea-fans-callum-hudson-odoi-7772461/?ito=cbshare

I did post the link, and explained they said recently that the offer still stood I think it was in another thread, dont know it got into here

EVERY top 10 Italian team is a nightmare to deal with, Juve just shivved us on Rugani, an instant replay of Alex Sandro. Instant replay of Nainggolan. Instant replay of Kouibaly. etc etc Lazio at least will sell to EPL teams when you wave the right cash at them, then they don't dick around. Felipe Anderson to the Hammers being an example.

Fuck Juve!! They fucking pulled another Alex Sandro on us. Strung us on the whole time, each time we met increased price they raised it again. Claimed Rugani didn't want to go. Now he fucking agreed terms over weekend and they say NOW... "Oh, we changed mind, he isnt for sale" Fucking cunts. Its not even that we needed him that badly, its that they wasted all our time bending us over. Top 23-year-old agrees five-year deal with Chelsea FC Daniele Rugaini has agreed personal terms with Chelsea FC, but Juventus are not currently willing to sell the defender, say reports. https://www.thesportreview.com/2018/07/chelsea-fc-news-daniele-rugani-update-latest/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4011859/real-madrid-transfer-news-alvaro-morata-chinese-super-league/ they said awhile back offer still stands

The country (well one of them, we were in 10 actually) my wife and I were in for almost 2 months of a 6 month holiday between November 2017 and May this year Alvaro Morata offered staggering £500,000-a-week by Tianjin Quanjian 500K quid a week buys a LOT of hair gel https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4011859/real-madrid-transfer-news-alvaro-morata-chinese-super-league/

American Exceptionalism run riot!!

I personally don't read into these cocked up WC-year pre season matches I am all about the future-forward actual squad and doing a SWOT analysis based off past performances and meta trends that I see I am very good at finding players who will fill certain roles and also know when others are not up to the task at hand all that said I do have a few takeaways from the 2 games Jorginho was a masterstroke Pedro looks aces, rejuvenated (I do realise he cannot play every minute of most games though) our GK situ, if Courtois leaves and no one is brought in is FUCKED we need to keep Ampadu and CHO on first team unless more players are brought in I have little problem with RB compared to LB in terms of LB Emerson may work out, but beyond all others (expect maybe Caballero, but he was a given that he is SHIT) Alonso needs to be sold ASAP, we can get a shit tonne for him and he will be a disaster defensively in Sarri system It is getting to the point where we cannot sell Willian (UNLESS its a swap plus cash or even for Martial, which saves our arse), there are 12 days left in window, and 3 of those are weekend days I think we are oki with Barkely and RLC at AMF BUT BUT BUT we SO need to buy Anderson Talisca in the January window when his loan is up in China, he is EXACTLY what we need there, I have been watch a lot of his games, he is PERFECT for Sarriball, and scores a tonne for MF, I so so rate him over Golovin I am getting resigned to fact that Morata is going to be our striker, I have never hoped for a bigger comeback, he has IMMENSE talent and physical skills, he was fucking deadly for Real Madrid and the first 10 games with us 21 goals or so in 22 game (I may be off a couple but not by much) stretch between the 2 clubs, plus 10 assists, all against high level competition, not some kickabout pre season or joke of a CL group stage I really dont care about Vecino or Rugani at this point, we sink or swim with Luiz backing up AC and Rudiger, , both of whom I LOVE plus Ampadu , screw Cahill I have one wish (other than GK if Courtois leaves,and probably a LB to help Emerson)......... Leon Bailey, especially, especially if Willian is sold, and no swap for Martial, bailey can play BOTH wings,I don't mean get stuffed into one, he truly can play both its the one buy (as long as Courtois stays) that we most need (especial if martial comes in as Striker,removing that issue) we simply have to have more wing firepower in this system and unlike Morata, who has potential to score 25 to 30 goals in all comps, we dont have it other than Hazard for sure atm, especially if Wilian is sold, and even then I still want him IN I think that's a fair breakdown of where we stand

I have the solution brain transplant Chopper into his

what about the biggest of all??? STRIKER if diving and whinging were goals we would top Shitty and the scousers and Manure for sure but, alas they do not

I love Thilo!! another one I have tossed out there good call!!! LETS GET HIM!!!!!!!! some others Malang Sarr from Nice, 19yo massive upside the best on this list probably Rúben Dias 21yo from Benfica Nico Elvedi from Borussia Mönchengladbach 21 yo Ohis Felix Uduokhai 20yo from Wolfsburg 1.92m, pacy as hell Panagiotis Retsos from Bayer Leverkusen and young (19, turns 20 in August) Filip Benkovic from Dinamo Zagreb 21 yo, also great on the ball