King Kante

Lukaku when he isnthe biggest and fastest player on the pitch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NiumzzcmEI

Torres wasn't worse than Kepa. He was bad but Kepa is the all time winner in the worst signing stakes. £72m with £170k a week for seven years for a funsized GK with T-rex arms who is essentially a training cone when shots are placed in a corner has no equal.

Me if Lukaku signs:

Apart from City and the Dippers, who gives us open space to run into in the PL?

Take away last Summer and the club have been an absolute disaster (if this happens) in the transfer market since the end of the 2015 season.

If we are going to a back four we better not be thinking of playing Kounde in that.

Fairs, I didn't see that.

To me it reeks of a 2015-18 signing.

Mount may be pushed back to the Pivot which may explain the lack of bids/news on a CM. Not sure this will work but it may be being considered.

Yeah, against the low to mid rank sides. He always disappears in big games as his weaknesses are so obvious. Honestly see TT having an aneurysm watching him playing upfront.

If I bump into Granny, I am recreating this sceen: https://youtu.be/DDLpKrTVJKc

He is the same as ever. Just that he now plays in a worse league so his touch doesn't look that bad. £100m on him at this point is madness.

He does look older than he is, but he was born in Belgium so faking his age is a lot harder to do than in some other countries.

Indeed, I can't see someone from Dortmund running into their boardroom, phone in hand with Law's article, shouting "sell, sell, sell..........you never guess what Chelsea are about to do if we don't budge! Their going to call our bluff and buy Lukaku for £100m! 😨😨😨😨😨"

For me it is pretty clear that the board since around 2007 have had a policy of scouting/picking the players with the manager getting one pick (maybe two at times), and particularly post 2012. An example of this would be Jorgi for Sarri, Chilwell for Lampard, Torres for Ancellotti, Robinho (failed) for Scolari, Costa for Jose (Cesc may have been a pick but not sure as Jose hasn't ever really gone for many Cesc type players.) AVB's I think was meant to be Rodriguez (or whoever that FB from Porto was that we didn't get.) Additionally, I see no real change in transfer strategy from pre-Conte to Conte's regin to post-Conte (bar last Summer which was kind of like 03-06 again) if you look at the age demographics of the players. If you scan the period from 2012-18 we seemed to have a policy of primarily using funds for players u26, then adding the odd experienced player via buyout/gentleman's agreement (Luiz, Cesc, Pedro) or using a loan/emerangy buy when desperate (Giroud, Pato, Higuain.) Personally, I really don't see the majority of the signings under Conte as being any different to what went before and after. It was more that the players brought were just bad and he was a lighting rod because of how he carried on in his second season. I mean the season before Conte we went on a spree to buy Baba, Hector, Papy and Pedro (the buyout/gentleman's agreement buy) with loans for Falcao and Pato then after he left, we went to buy the biggest dud of all in Kepa. The idea that 2017 was all on Conte doesn't really wash with me as we were still making disastrous decisions either side of him. I mean, lets's be real, if we go out and buy Lukaku at 28 for £100m, when he clearly doesn't fit the managers style of play (the irony of doing this now when Conte clearly wanted him in 2017 is not lost), how is the strategy been different in anyway? Some people point to players coming from Italy, but their are numerous examples of us buying from one location at points - Belgium 2012, Spain 2015-2016, France 2016-18 (think we brought just as many players from France as Italy during Conte's time) etc. If people want to complain about how Conte behaved in his second season, I don't really mind (as whilst I have sympathy for him in that the club weren't providing him with the players he wanted) he did give up and appeared to behaving in a manner to get himself sacked to get his payout.

Well what could he do with some of them? Who was behind Baka and Morata if they weren't picked?

Yeah, but the club gave him Morata instead. Kind of sums up why I find it amazing so many people think Conte was directing the transfers. Personally, Lukaku in Conte's counter attack system makes sense, in Tuchel's counter attacker/high press one it makes no sense.

Wants to leave England.

If we buy Lukaku for £100m, I don't ever want to hear again that Summer 2017 was on Conte when since then we have brought Kepa for £72m and then potentially doing this.

£130m wasn't ever doing it. Dortmund know what they have got and have a history of turning down money when they know one year down the line they will never get as much. It'll be €175m or not happening.

I just don't see it with Grealish. He is a very good player, but is he world class? I am really not certain. When I watch him he reminds me a lot of a more physical Joe Cole. That isn't a £100m player in my book.

As for the game, good first half then it all kind of fell apart in the second owing to the changes. Personally, not a fan of doing bulk changes in one hit. As for the players, I will focus on a few: RLC: Good first half were he played deeper. In the second were he got pushed forward a bit he was his usual self. CHO and Pulisic: Didn't do themselves any favours in a WB position as defensively they're not good enough. Grew into the end of the first half but wanted to see more. Sarr: Really bad. Chabolah: Thought he did ok. Sterling: Some very good flashes but a few silly positional mistakes. Don't see him staying. Bats: Needs to leave Tammy: Usual self which doesn't bode well for his long term future here. Mendy: Very good Rudi: Very good Zouma: Still struggling in a 3atb. Barkley: Very poor. Havertz: Excellent Werner: Typical self.

I thought he was really bad. He got caught out on a number of occasions and he gave the ball away a few times. Sterling also had to come across and bail him out on a really dangerous counter. Personally, I thought out of everyone, he was the worst with Barkley a close second.

Be interested to see where he ends up. Some rumours he may end up at Rangers if they get CL.

We do have a history of this so I am not saying this isn't happening again, however we need to see how things play out this month before complaining. Personally if we were laying out £100m for Grealish I would be going bananas.