Mhsc

I would be happy with Alvarez personally but equally top players are being unearthed all the time and City picked him up for like £15m not long ago, the club should absolutely be able to do likewise without going after a big name signing from the PL winners. Happy if it happens and feel like people here are really underselling how good he is, but you just know there is some guy available for <£30m who none of us really know anything about right now but the club with everything they've invested in scouting absolutely should. Joe Shields has already proven he can do it.

Certainly an interesting signing. I think with Thiago leaving we will surely now move to playing a pretty high line, and he should suit that very well. I'm a bit concerned about his ability at short/medium passing and playing out from the press, but lets see - he will obviously be drilled hard on it.

I'm assuming Jan 2025 is BEST case for him to really be match fit. Can't imagine even if suddenly is no longer injured he can play for a long time. He's basically not played or had a chance to maintain his fitness since joining. Its hard to not write him off but there is still a real chance he could have a proper career here. Gundogan was considered perma wrecked for a while too and then ended up being a vital player for Pep and had a real career.

If he played for Dortmund and had a £21m release clause we'd be buying him right now to sell in a couple of years time, would be pointless to sell at that price £35m very fair / good price for him, someone will bite on him sooner or later, keep him for a year at Chels as a LB option and give him minutes and he'll be gone for £35m-£45m in a years time to another PL team, no doubt in my mind. They can get lost. Thanks for developing him for us and making him famous, we'll have him back now thanks.

Alvarez for the right money / salary no brainer imo. Hard to say what the right price is though. I think it is pretty normal that when you're stuck playing second fiddle to Haaland your form / confidence / motivation drops off. I'd go after him or Sesko to compete with NJ and open up the option to play one of them as a LW in a 4-3-3, similar to how we had Malouda or Anelka playing out there when really they were more of a forward and a clinical finisher. Those were the golden days...

I do hope we don't fuck about this summer, get all buying done in time for everyone to have a full and proper preseason and spend the rest of summer just working on flogging players. Look at how much Caicedo struggled arriving so late in the window... Lets not fuck about this time. Much less business to do as well, and the club have had all year to think about specific targets. The only difference now is to focus in on ones suitable for the new manager maybe.

I don't really think we need a left winger tbh. Might be more tempted to look at Sesko and then have both NJ and Nkunku as wide options all of a sudden in the mix. Good choices at GK, CB and ST would be an amazing window and all we need (maybe more than we need). I just want some stability. Least number of changes we can that will drive the team forward.

Edit: nvm parody account lol

Today twitter has simultaneously told us that Sanchez is transfer listed and also that he's viewed as Enzo's no.1 choice Lets see what actually happens. I'll honestly be very surprised if they don't move for a GK, it is our only glaring weakness for the new setup, aside from maybe CB. The squad otherwise is basically good to go to play the system.

If there are legit goalkeeper options who can play the part properly for <£25m then honestly that is nothing compared to the money we're spending on random kids who wont play for years. I don't believe that we're not going for someone but I do think it is the right thing to put out there that Enzo backs the keepers and thinks they're great, and make the directors the bad guys if they decide to sell / buy. Honestly don't believe it one bit tbh

I think GK is the only position we HAVE to make a move in, it is almost unforeseeable to enter season trying to play that style of football without a new GK, sets new manager up to fail. I don't see why it would be hard to get rid of Kepa with his contract being so short - surely at this point a sale on close to nothing is good for all sides. And he did just win the champions league and played a bunch of games for Real Madrid. Teams will want him at the right price. One of Petro or Sanchez to stay and compete after that. Don't really see it as some kind of huge drama or problem tbh

His famous man management came down to just being really nice to the players all of the time, hosting BBQs, playing them even when they're in shit form (if he likes them, like Chilly and Sterling), reading players auras/chakras by touch and looking into their eyes (his words not mine), and of course using a bowl of lemons to absorb the negative energy from players. No understanding of tactics or strategy. Pre historic views on fitness and injury management. No in game management whatsoever. I am thankful at least he let didn't get in the way of Cole Palmer shining (his chakra must have felt alright), and he gave Gallagher a chance to show he can have a serious role at Chelsea.

We're going to win the league

Is it a Joe Shields signing? That's all I need to know.

I am just assuming he's cheap (didn't even check) and they think they can spin him around after a few years and sell him for a bunch of profit in the future. That also puts them in a position to consider selling Reece in the next 1-2 years for huge profit too, if he has enough of an injury free run to get clubs interested. Not saying it is what I want, but the kind of cold reasoning I've come to expect from them.

In situations like this imo they should just sign him for Strasbourg and stick a release clause in his contract we (or anyone) could trigger in the future for a healthy markup on whatever they pay now. What the fuck is the point in the multi club model otherwise.

Yeah I really like him too, lots of amazing attributes but he also has big limitations and it is way too big of a risk for the money being discussed (~£115m+, ~300k+ pw?) For reference Nicolas Jackson is on £65k per week and cost £29.8m.

Conor is world class off the ball and at leading the press, as well as being a leader on the field, two things managers often prioritise despite fan expectations. I do think it is certainly not guaranteed he will be a key player anymore without Poch (and may get sold) but after thinking about it, wouldn't be surprised at all if he actually ended up being a key player, simply seen it so many times that managers will stick by players who have qualities like Conor's even if they're lacking in other areas, it is because they help so much out of possession that we get our chance to be in possession and that is ultimately what this guy wants.

Signing him for £100m+ on huge wages would be bonkers. The whole point of the setup is that the club should be able to find an Osimhen before he's at Napoli for £125m and wants £300k+ pw. The signing could very feasibly backfire horribly, leaving us crippled again. We have to learn and do better. Personally I think NJ could have a breakout season and become the player we need, and think he deserves the chance. We need to be giving players more of a chance than this before we write them off for a more expensive option. If we go for a striker, I would like to go for a very different profile to NJ to give the manager variety, and certainly be spending max £60m / 150k pw. You could argue only City don't need a no.9 in the PL, but only we are constantly linked with Osimhen for insane money. Wonder why?

When they first bought the club they told Tuchel immediately they had a vision to build a club/squad around an attacking 4-3-3 possession / positional play system. Weird that this is the first manager appointment that actually fits the strategy they said they had all along. Feels like every previous manager was basically guaranteed not to last. Maybe they thought managers were more adaptable than they are, and they would just play that way if asked?

No, but it feels inevitable, as we need to generate income and clearly selling HG talent is a core strategy. If we get good money for him, I am at peace with it, although its sad. I don't think he has the technical skill to continue with us with the new manager. I think Poch was his perfect manager and not sure we'll ever get his transfer value this high again, so if we're going to sell, sell now. If Poch had stayed and therefore Gallagher would remain a key / vital player, plus being a Chelsea lad, I would have lost my mind if we sold him. Now it just feels sensible for him and us.

If Poch got the Utd job surely we can sell him to them for 60m

With his physical assets he could certainly develop into a beast of a player... But so could lots of people. It is not like he's going on a £30m release clause like when we took a punt on NJ. We could certainly do a lot worse, I'd certainly be much happier if we got him than if we got Osimhen, I just don't really see it as an improvement to the squad if the tactical setup is what I think it is: holding midfielder, two 8s, wingers hugging the touchline, and a 9 who stretches the backline, with at least one fullback inverting for numerical superiority in midfield. In that setup when we have NJ (who I would see as really great for that role) we also have Nkunku who suddenly has to also probably compete for the 9 spot as we wont be playing with a SS. Dunno then why we need to go for a striker at all unless there is a very special opportunity in the market - but people might think I'm crazy...

I don't fully get the hype around Sesko, but I guess he is a decent finisher, tall and athletic so it is always good to have an option like that in the squad if you look at it from a squad building PoV. Maybe I'm harsh but to me he reminds me of Morata and we all know how that worked out here.

I dread the idea of getting Osimhen for lots of money. Literally dread.