Madmax

Ordinarily I'd agree with you but there are mitigating circumstances at work here. Tiago is clearly a stop gap signing and MvG is coming off an injury ravaged season. The squad as a whole is losing experienced heads and Mourinho is under pressure to win something of relevance. It makes sense for him to look to a good player who's also been around the block and knows the manager's ways and demands (not just on the pitch, but dressing room etc) rather than place that responsibility on a promising youngster. MvG (and Chalobah) would be better off on a loan somewhere challenging; it could serve as a preparatory ground for them to have their breakout seasons with us a year or two down the line while Tiago bridges that gap. We have a very good mix of options in the middle now with Matic, Fabregas, Ramires, Mikel and Tiago.

I hope they aren't selling Griezmann.

Not too big of an issue, imo. Fabregas is good enough to cover Matic's handful forward forays over the course of 90 mins.

Yep. I was referring to the Borussia Monchengladbach bid in the original Sky link.

Very good decision all around. Mid table team playing in a tough league (plus Europa) should provide an appropriate platform to judge his talents as it seemed like he'd outgrown the Belgian league. Edit : This guy says we've accepted loan offers from Schalke and Wolfsburg as well :

Hmm, come to think of it, you both are making good sense and are probably correct. I'll have to keep a keener eye on these mechanisations. Sorry Choo Choo

http://vimeo.com/99727761

Nope, not suggesting that. In a dynamic, extremely competitive industry like sports journalism what you get is 90% of the baying crowds fed by biased pieces and rhetoric (especially in this age of twitter and the like) drowning out 'informed, articulated' opinions. This 90% then becomes the general consensus.

Basically what I said a post above - reporters influence general consensus more than it being the other way around. The same fans who snickered and laughed their heads off when the guy was at Liverpool. Anything to make CFC look bad.

In my experience it's the reporters who influence general consensus, not the other way round.

No, you're overestimating when you say journalists write stuff based on the general consensus of which the forum is a part. Journalists don't give a fuck about the general consensus, otherwise they wouldn't have been praising Benitez to high heaven when most Chelsea fans (paying and virtual) couldn't stand the sight of him. They write stuff entirely based on their biases and observations - good and bad.

Is 'El Confidencial' any good? The link says they want Lukaku to sweeten the Luis deal - which sounds bollocks to me. They've already signed Luis' replacement and we've already paid Costa's buyout, which means Lukaku's not a sweetener for Costa either. The link also says Atletico are waiting for Courtois, but Mourinho himself confirmed to MARCA that Courtois will be with us this season.

Sorry but that's ridiculous. I think you're vastly overestimating the impact internet forums have on actual football and actual footballers, especially at a club like Chelsea and especially when we're talking about a bullheaded fucker like Costa.

I see, because users on an internet forum posting "he'll score 40 next season!" = 'fans and the media'

Don't know about the rest of you but it was a privilege for me to see one of the premier forwards of the last couple of decades donning the Chelsea blue. Not at his vintage best but still a few sparks here and there, reminders of exactly why he has the status he has. Thank you and good luck, Samu!

The less pressure on him? So you telling me Diego surfs TalkChelsea? "Shit, man. This Choulo fella doesn't want to pressure me. Thanks, Choulo19. Have a like!"

Michael Essien! (Dec 3)

Maybe 5 years ago.

Schurrle, Lampard and Oscar - 3 worse than him within the Chelsea squad itself.

https://twitter.com/FutbolSergi/status/482808965407842304

Perfect Liverpool player. Malevolent and delusional.

We don't have a Tiago thread? Anyway, don't know if this means anything but : https://twitter.com/FutbolSergi/status/482808965407842304

Yeah read that now. Still cheap for a pretty solid CB.

Avg goals conceded in 2013-14 by a Bundesliga team : 53.72 Premier League team : 52.60 La Liga team : 52.25 Serie A team : 51.75 Ligue 1 team : 46.55 Look guys, what wank leagues! Must bow down to the superior knowledge of zyzz!

Pathetic backtracking from the guy who brought up leagues in the first place.