Vesper

I am at wit's end. We cannot even get our managerial situ sorted. The transfer window slams shut for incoming in exactly one month, and the EPL season kicks off in 33 days. BEST case scenario is we have Sarri and all signings done and dusted in 2 to 3 weeks. That gives him ONE OR TWO WEEKS to install a completely different system vis-a-vis Conte's. The only outcome that can likely occur from that is probably shambolic chaos for at least a month plus, which scuppers any real shot at the title (that is a pipe dream anyway) and certainly puts a top 4 finish in jeopardy as well. Roman just doesn't give a shite anymore, I fear. Hard to blame him when the cocked up government is blocking him from coming into the UK, and this after he has pumped in billions over the last 15 years.

You honestly say that Icardi is not a target man? He is a textbook number 9. Dybala is also a textbook secondary striker, the only one in the world you might argue who is better at that position is Roberto Firmino from LPool, due to his amazing trackback play. Surely a creative, expansive coach could find a way to have Messi, Dybala and Icardi work together as a lethal unit. I am not saying you are wrong at all, just positing that a system could be put into place where all three could flourish. I simply do not believe it couldn't. Argentina went out, and played poorly overall, IMHO, mainly due to a horrific back four and goalkeepers. Otamendi is (with strong competition from a year plus plummeting Jerome Boateng) arguably the most overrated centre back in major world football. Gabriel Mercado, Nicolás Tagliafico, Cristian Ansaldi, Federico Fazio, Marcos Acuña, Marcos Rojo were and are also hardly the quality upon which World Cup's are won.

In a perfect world those would be either Thiago from Bayern or Pjanic from Juve for PMCMF, and for RW Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen or Malcom from Bordeaux. I am not holding my breath.

I would be more than happy with Thomas Strakosha from Lazio or even Alex Meret from Udinese.

Thank you!!!!!

It's all on Messi, He hates Icardi (arguably the best pure striker, maybe second after Kane, in the world today), so Icardi doesn't even make the squad. Messi also has said before that Dybala and and himself play exact same way/position (bollocks) so again, blocked. I detest Ronaldo, but at least he performs on the big stages with regularity. CR7 has even worse surrounding teammates too, although Argentina's back 4 are truly a joke. Otamendi is most overrated centre back on the planet with possible exception of the Jérôme Boateng of last 2 years (was a BEAST before that, Otamendi always was shit). John Stones for 3rd. Pep needs to get help back there if they want to win the CL. I am shocked he has not splashed the cash on Marquinhos and/or my favourite for us, Koulibaly (as City WOULD pay the £80 or 90m it will take to prise him away from De Laurentiis, and we never will ).

If we loan him out AGAIN I am going to bloody fucking lose my mind!!!

I agree on most I would sell Courtois £40-50m (as he will leave on a free next summer if we dont sell now) to Real (AFTER we sign Alisson or Donnarumma or Strakosha, the first 2 being a net £10m to £30m spend, Strakosha being a net gain of around 10m) David Luiz (£20m) Tomás Kalas £5m Cahill (lucky if we can get 20m, probably get 15m max, maybe less, should have sold him last year, huge mistake) Alonso to Barca (£40m) and buy José Gayà (around £40m so a wash) or Alex Telles (30 to 35m so net gain of 5 to 10m) Kenedy £20m Davide Zappacosta (trade him plus £10 to £15m to Inter for Vecino) Danny Drinkwater (£25m) he is English, so can get that extra 5m (still want to know why the feck we wasted cash on him!) Cesc Fàbregas (£15 to 20m) time to sell! Pedro £15 to 20m Lucas Piazón £5m Bakayoko £35m (Monaco wants him back) Pašalić £10m Willian £50m Morata £55m that would yield (counting the buys/swaps plus cash listed above, PLUS adding in the £60m from Abro) around £290m to spend ( and remember I have already added a goalkeeper (I picked most costly option, Alisson, to be fair) a new LB (again I picked most costly option, Gaya) and a new creative CMF (Vecino) I also did not sell MVG, I think he REALLY deserves a shot at main club so now the pure needs.based buys (after those above) BUY RB Elseid Hysaj or Sime Vrsaljko who would be 40m and around 30m respectively CB Kostas Manolas (£35m or so activates his release clause) or Rugani (same price roughly) CHMF Jean Michaël Seri (£40m) RW Leon Bailey (£65m) CF Mauro icardi (£110m) £280-290m <<<<<<<<<<<<< Total cost for those five so yes we can DO THIS for a £60m NET spend

I so hope this is just idle chatter, but I fear it is not. I see us sliding down into a realm between the big 5 and the rest of the flotsam. Maybe it is time for Roman to sell to someone willing to spend what it takes in today's hyper-inflated market.

Would rather we have a go at signing Carlos Soler (21 yo) of Valencia or Trigueros's teammate, Pablo Fornals (22 yo) especially Soler, what a talent!

We are on the exact same page.

The main reason he got this was because the overall state of Left Backs in the EPL this season was horrid. Benjamin Mendy was injured and out for the year very early. 95% sure he would have won if not injured. Man U and Man City mostly use backup MF's as makeshift LB's (Ashley Young and Fabian Delph, with Man U not playing Daley Blind) Danny Rose was hurt for ages and shite when he came back for Spurs, his replacement, ben Davies is nothing special at all Sead Kolasinac has been a semi bust at Arsenal, he barely starts anymore All the rest left in the EPL are worse than those already listed EXCEPT one Andrew Robertson at Liverpool, who has been a revelation. One could make a case he should have won, but he didnt start much for the first part of the season.

Leo Jardim FTW, if we cannot get Simeone

Julien Faubert, another West Ham fullback (see this tosh http://www.talkchelsea.net/transfers/chelsea-and-tottenham-battling-to-sign-west-hams-arthur-masuaku/ as to why I say another) to Real in 2009 was yet another bizarre one. Julien Faubert: I didn’t fall asleep at Madrid – I just closed my eyes because I was bored https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/julien-faubert-i-didnt-fall-asleep-real-madrid-i-just-closed-my-eyes-because-i-was-bored LOLOLOL

I would be SOOOO happy with any of these 6 if we lost Courtois Jan Oblak Alisson Thomas Strakosha Alban Lafont Gianluigi Donnarumma Mattia Perin and wouldn't not lose my mind at all with these Kepa Arrizabalaga Alex Meret Gerónimo Rulli André Onana Alphonse Areola Sergio Rico

Figo was a boss!

he is pure SHITE, what a massive, massive disappointment. SELL HIM

I assume that this slant is that May, if she and Parliament go all out against Russia over the spy poisoning, etc, may do things like seize or freeze Abramovich's assets here in the UK, or revoke his residence permit, etc. Abramovich is thick as thieves with Putin for ages, so it could get ugly.

The main reason I posted him was to answer the other poster as to why dont we buy our own young potential (emphasis on potential) top strikers. Last year was the year to get him on the cheap. I say we revisit this in 3 years and see how good Pelligri turns out to be.PiPetrPell

Pietro Pellegri, we could have signed him for £25-35m or so in January 16 yo, youngest player to score a brace in Serie A history, joint youngest Serie A player ever, already big, tall, strong, fast, cannon shot. Monaco have him now, so in 2, 3, years , if he lives up to his vast potential, he will sell for well over £100m

We are close to being on the same page, I just went for a complete sell off and replace. the centre back I want is, as stated, Kalidou Koulibaly, he is unreal. I have wanted him for 2 plus years now. As for the midfielder (we obviously will not be able to pull off my 1st and 2nd choices Saul Niguez or Sergej Milinkovic-Savic) I think Radja Nainggolan might be an option, although he turns 30 in a few months. He is also a 2,3 times fail-to-get Italian disaster transfer nightmare (along with Alex Sandro and Koulibaly). Those 3 were so damaging to us when we didn't get them as we waited for all 3 multiple times and ended up settling for players nowhere near the level of those three. Thiago from Bayern might be an option as they are bringing in another target I screamed for last year (Leon Goretzka, PLUS another they also bought ANOTHER MF player we should have also tried to buy last year, Corentin Tolisso) For RW Chiesa or Malcom, either works for me.

OMG those 2 videos were sooooo depressing (and so accurate) Bakayoko is to Conte what Branislav Ivanović was to Mourinho and Guus Hiddink in 2015-16, they both kept getting started when they were absolute shite.

Horrid news. We so so need Giroud to pull a superman in a phone box (a BLUE one!) Also Hudson-Odoi will have to have baptism by fire too. I wish we had signed Anthony Modeste in the summer as backup, instead of watching him go to China, he is a BEAST!!!

A couple thoughts 1 It was/is my dream team moves, and I prefaced it being in a perfect world, which unfortunately (just hearing Morata may be lost for the year!!!!!, FOOOOOK) we do not exist in. 2. The one that I admit is the least likely is Alaba, as Bayern simply never sell top players no matter what the price. I just added him as I am so sick of the whole Alex Sandro saga, and I just wanted to put out my true, by far number one choice. He is the best fullback on the planet, IMHO 3 I already stated that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was not going to happen because of price. I truly think he will go for around £120 million, probably to City or PSG. 4 Varane was only added as he is definitely in the mix for a Hazard and/or Courtois swap deal. Perez at Real doesn't rate him as much as he did 2 or so years ago, nor does Zidane. I have seen this for the last 6 months or so. 5 By far my number one choice of all centre backs in the world is Kalidou Koulibaly. I have seen so many games he has played. Absolute BEAST and I think we actually might finally be able to prise him away from Napoli. 5 You are probably right about Romagnoli, but again, he has regressed (in Milan's eyes) or at least not taken the giant leap forward they all thought, AND they will have to sell somebody to balance the books after that crazy spree. Again, Romagnoli was 2nd choice, and I would be more than happy with Varane (again only if he was involved with a swap) or someone like Stefan de Vrij, Konstantinos Manolas, Jonathan Tah, Milan Skriniar, or even one of 2 very young potential stars, Matthijs de Ligt or Dayot Upamecano. The key is Koulibaly, I SO want him at the Bridge. 6 As far as Saúl Ñíguez goes, yes, I know he signed a 9 year contract in July, BUT I also saw an interview after we beat them in the CL in Madrid where he said (when asked about the EPL) that maybe someday he goes, that it was the main foreign league he was interested in, and that Chelsea had made a £71m offer, and that had really made AM hurry up and offer the long term contract, as the money was tempting. I added £20m to that offer above. Finally, and another big reason, is that he also said that Diego Simeone as coach was a HUGE reason he wanted to stay at AM, soooooooooooo, lol, (as their has been some tension with Simeone and the AM board, especially over their blow out in the CL) I also wished for (at the very end of the OP) Diego to replace Conte. I know that is is a HUGE reach all around, but who knows. I guess I should have taken off a luxury signing ( say Dendoncker in MF) take that cash, and just said BUY Milinkovic-Savic (and he IS much better defensively than Saul), even if it takes £120m. I think he is that good,and by removing one of those luxury buys, the total money spent (as long as we sell all that deadweight I listed) the money spent nets out to a more than doable level. 7 (and lastly) Hell yes I rate Icardi that high. I would take him over Griezmann any day, certainly over Suarez (who will be 32 next season), and Gonzalo Higuaín is fat and will be 31, he could never stand up to a full EPL season at his fitness level and age, next year or FOR SURE the year after. Icardi is SO SO efficient, a deadly sniper, and is doing this all on a pretty dodgy offensive team (go look at Inter's roster in MF and wingers, it is surely not the equal of any of the top 10 teams in the world, not even close, probably not even in top 20). I would take Kane over him and if Lewandowski was 2 years younger (he will be 30 in August) would take him over Icardi too. Those are the only 2 I rate higher atm. That is the beauty of football, we all have our own ideas, lol. Thanks for the reply, hope I fleshed out my crazy wishes a little better. Vesper <3