LDN Blue

Oh dear.. Are we about to betray Zouma and Kalas then. 'Varane' promises indeed.

I was watching this the other night and pissed me right off. When the trophy was to be lifted it was almost like a mele.. JT and Lamps were telling people to move along so it could be done properly. It was shambolic. Even Drogba wasn't near and he was probably the most egotistical at times smh. That presentation was truly embarrassing. Bosingwa also did it in 2011 when Terry and Lampard were lifting the PL Trophy.

I'd take Negredo over Dzeko personally. The latter disappears too much for my liking and it's as much of a presence as he should be. That being said, Dzeko should be starting for a club anywhere else.

Haha that's an idealistic view Iseah! I don't see it happening, but we've made stranger signings.. Maybe the academy left-backs could show their worth in 3 years.

Maybe he's actually been planning for next season all along and that's why he went off form in January! Nothing to do with the World Cup...

Is he working his way towards 9?

Rumours are strong for Luis to Chelsea now, fueled by them seeming to agree a fee for their supposed replacement. Would've had Shaw anyday but let's hope Mourinho has a long-term plan for left-back and let's hope even more that he's not going to be back up to Dave at left-back either.

I think the meltdown would be if he DIDN'T actually lol!

I'm sure it's going to be one or the other. I don't see where both would fit, especially if we're going to pay £30m per player. Koke will probably be preferred but his Barcelona preference is well known. It's quite funny then because Barca signing him is reported on being hinged on us signing Cesc and we want both

While I agree about the finances, it's not like it's not in our m.o.. I remember Sturridge was on £60k p/w when he was just a reserve player ffs.

I'm sure most buying clubs will to be honest, risking inflated prices after the World Cup won't suit them.

I thought I was the only one

Is it wrong I primarily want this to happen to see the reaction of Arsenal fans to know we've now taken two of their gems? First Cole from them directly and Fabregas indirectly

Exactly. This is why it is so important we move to a new stadium. The controversy surrounding the Pitch Owner's argument hampered the development of this club severely. Fans and this group must put sentiment aside and understand that if we do want to self-sufficient a new stadium is key to this sustainability. This especially amazing because the ticket prices in Germany are extraordinarily cheap. Their financial model has its pros and cons though, their restrictions mean only commercial revenue will really allow them the extra finances required to make marquee signings since total ownership isn't allowed. The TV rights in Spain are awful as well. Real Madrid and Barcelona take an enormous amount of it which substantially prices everyone else out the market. It's why Atletico's success is so extraordinary when considering the lack of financial fairness. I wonder what this table would look like if TV revenue was shared equally. Indeed the club has done well in commercial aspirations lately. However I think there's still more, in the last few years Liverpool, Arsenal and United have signed shirt-sponsorship deals which have broken records and Chelsea needs to start capitalising on this emerging market. A new stadium is key, but so is maximising sponsorship and advertising. So I really wouldn't care if we sold our naming rights to SB in the meantime because the fans will still call it SB and it'll still be the same ground.

If he's actually signing for NYC, which starts in March 2015.. Couldn't we have signed him on a temporary contract until then?

Simply reminds me of a post you made earlier, about this as well. Mourinho/Chelsea have only sold player that have become surplus/aren't starting/Mourinho doesn't want. On what indication is Hazard fitting into any of those categories?

love it when anyone says they snubbed United, City, Arsenal or Liverpool for us. A la Hazard, Willian & co.

.Omg please let this happen. A mediocre defence of Kolo, Skrtel and Lescott at Liverpool would bring the funniest reactions out of Liverpool fans!!

Testimonial v Bolton would be brilliant

What a surprise.. More PSG-Chelsea transfer stories

13 years ago next Wednesday we'd have signed Lampard for £11m

Lmao and Thibaut?

I find this amazing and thus why I'm slightly cautious about this story. Wenger is a spiteful guy imo.. He would rather sign Cesc himself than let him come to us so we can bury Arsenal for another season.. It was different with RvP and Nasri, he had no control because they wanted to go, he can easily get Fabregas back if he wanted to.

Players still have a preference though. I remember in the lead up to Mata signing for us Benayoun gave up the 10 shirt to give to Mata. Hazard's already professed his wanting of number 10 too. I read Neymar wanted it for Brazil from Oscar..

Probably because it's not an iconic number per se. For example, I don't see us giving anyone Zola's "25" any time soon or upon him leaving, Terry's "26" because they're not your usual 1-20.. You can kind of excuse those. 1-11 especially is difficult, for marketing purposes among others.