MetsajCFC

Only thing over Cech is experience? That's the absolute number one thing for goalkeepers. Courtois isn't on Cech's level, be realistic. Goalkeepers also have longer top-level careers, Cech is far from finished, good 4-5 years at the very top level left atleast. What makes Courtois better - just because he has played 3 seasons at Atletico and has had 2 good seasons in his whole career? Cech's been at it for over 10 years and is surely one of the top keepers in this game. Show more respect, just think of the Champions League campaign few years back. I swear people go along with media hype sometimes. Headline says "Courtois world class" (he's a great goalkeeper, don't misunderstand me) and some people automatically see him as the actual world number one and discard anyone else who has been constantly performing thus not making it to the front pages for one or two brilliant matches. By your logic Courtois is better than Buffon aswell? Christ... Like a kid in toy shop where new "generation" of that toy comes out in a new and exciting flashy package - it's automatically better than the "old" one. You got one thing right - Courtois is the FUTURE.

One of the softest red cards I've ever seen just given to Ronaldo. This is why Premier League will always be better than La Liga for me. Shame to watch play-acting like that...

Yeah it's pain to get someone who suits the team and doesn't cost the whole budget Your team is very competetive though

Sure you haven't signed Andy Carroll?

Seven

Evans got injured early on, was it serious? Jones' head collision seemed no joke, took a while to get him off the pitch and respectively 6 minutes added on.

"This is not Premier League, this is not the best league in the world. This is football from the 19th century," Mourinho told reporters. "It's very difficult to play a football match when only one team wants to play. A football match is about two teams playing. "I told Big Sam, they need points. To come here the way they did, is that acceptable? Maybe it is, they need points." Mourinho insisted there was little more his side could do to break down West Ham, who came away from Stamford Bridge with a point for only the second time since September 2002. He joked: "The only thing I could bring more was Black & Decker - a Black & Decker to destroy the [West Ham] wall."

Window shuts this friday if I'm not mixing something up

Whats with this negativity? So we dropped 2 points, stressing out and slating players won't help. One thing you can't blame Chelsea players for is effort - they gave it their all and sometimes you need that luck which we didn't have unfortunately. There's a saying - days aren't brothers. Anyone who has played any competetive team sport themselves would understand the frustration of Chelsea players and know how hard it is to stay cool and level-headed in a situation like that. I was afraid Ivanovic would murder one of those pricks by the end of the night. Credits to Mourinho for the brave tactics, I don't even know if we played 3-5-2 or 4-2-4 in the end, was very intense game from start to finish. See the positives in negatives, right? Mentioned it already but my word, Eden Hazard is something else. Hope Thorgan will break into our team someday aswell, imagine that.

I think we did alright, didn't score - sure, but West Ham came into this game parking the bus, playing dirty and wasting time. The amount of blocks made by their defence is unbelievable. Eden Hazard Ballon d'Or 2014?

Probably Hazard or Oscar but I gave it to Matic for amazing full debut. Well done to everyone

Read a funny comment from a Liverpool fan: "Someone better tell Rodgers because he still thinks we have a chance of signing him."

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3639269/title/salah-move-completed Number 15

People, it's barely been half a season. Let's not get ahead of ourselves as if we're about to win the title and United have missed out on top four. Stay respectful, don't go as low as some provocators here, just ignore that, you're better!

All the best to Juan Mata. Top professional, top personality.

Not sure I'd like Salah here, doesn't seem Chelsea quality player yet, although with lots of potential and still very young. Lots of reports on him I've read describe him as inconsistent performer with flashes of brilliance under certain type of pressure. Reality is that he won't be an automatic starter here, he will be on the bench more times than not unless he proves Mourinho his qualities on the pitch as time goes on, but he's just a squad player. I just feel we've got enough young prospects that deserve the chance instead of getting in an unproven player from Swiss league (not that it matters that much, but Swiss league isn't English/Spanish/German/Italian or French league).

Confirmed by United aswell... http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2014/Jan/manchester-united-agree-deal-to-sign-juan-mata.aspx

Sad to see him go. Great memories, at his peak surely one of the best in business if not the best in his position. Great personality, humble, loyal. Good luck to him!

I know you're trying to be controversial, intriguing and witty but with some of your posts these last days in this thread just depict you as childish and ignorant. If you don't anything meaningful to say, then don't. All this "Mata makes us a cup team again" and "Mata being the most unwanted man in football" is growing old and it's beyond belief stupid. You're over emphasising Mourinho, we are and will be a winning team with or without him. Don't get me wrong, I trust in Mourinho completely but blatantly disrespecting Chelsea's most influential player for the past two seasons is just wrong. Mata doesn't deserve this kind of attitude. He has been amazing for us, very down to earth guy, works hard and has been rewarded with most prestigious titles last couple of years - World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Europa League and so on. He is a winner, give him the respect he deserves.

Probably when Luiz and Torres signed but back then this site was on slower servers so everytime something was about to go down, you already knew it because forum crashed

Last two seasons Mata was described as irreplaceable and Mr.Chelsea... let's wait a year or two and see how that changes

I swear some people here would take 60 million from City for Hazard if they came calling just because "it makes financial sense and no player is bigger than the club".

1. Summer would have been excellent time for changes like this, not end of January. 2. I'd rather take financial loss than sell to a direct rival. Don't get blinded by this 40 million figure, in todays market you'll be lucky to get a good player for that sum, especially if you're Chelsea, people know the club has money. 3. Same explanation as second point. Since when did we become selling club and bend down to get those extra 5-10 million? Embarrasing. 4. We'll see that when either Hazard, Oscar or Willian get injured or hit bad form patch. Squad depth is what counts, especially for English clubs with constant two fixtures a week games, prime example is City who have world class stars on bench, don't see them selling for profit, all I see them is being absolute favourites for the title. Look how thin squads suffer when they're in Europe - Newcastle and Swansea for example. Last year Newcastle suffered massively in the league because with their squad they also had to play in the Europa League, what did they do? Panic buy 5 or so players to survive. Look at Swansea this year, shadow of themselves compared to last season in the league. Depth is everything, this isn't FIFA14 where you push "Rematch" and everyones rested and healthy. 5. FFP is just an excuse to be more creative with bookkeeping. There was even an article about FFP's loopholes, Chelsea is and always will be comfortable with meeting those standards. Selling players is candy money for Chelsea compared to sponsorship deals, merchandise selling, world wide promotion and so on. These extra 10 or so million we get now compared to if we sold Mata in the summer won't make us any more competetive in the summer transfer market. Let's stop being naive. 6. Woah, perfect deal you say? Last time I checked you can't field 40 million quid and points aren't given based on how good of a mathematician our board is, but how well balanced and adaptive our squad is. Anything can happen. We might not get any injuries but then again we might lose 3-4 players at the same time, then I'd like to see your face. "Not weakening our squad" wow

I think some people misunderstand why so many of us are against this transfer. - Selling to Manchester United - why? It doesn't make sense after the Rooney saga. Even if the figure goes as high as £42m, then unless we spend in the next 9-10 days it won't benefit us in any way what so ever. So unless we either by some miracle do get Rooney or strengthen before THIS window shuts, it doesn't make sense. Chelsea isn't a club who has to sell just because that'd make 10 million profit, it's peanuts in this industry on this level. - The argument of Mata deserving game time - I'm sure there would be clubs interested in taking Mata on loan, for example Atletico Madrid. - The argument of we not having to play with United again in the league this season while Arsenal and Manchester City have games coming up - that's so short term thinking that it's embarrasing really, what about next season when United have re-built their squad in the summer, perhaps even swapped managers, hate to be in that position. - 433 tactic, what kept us from trying it even with Mata in the squad? It's not about Mata being sold, it's about the fact who we're doing business with and the timing of it. Little hope in me still that this really is our way of getting back to United for Rooney saga and we're just wasting their time and running down the clock for transfer window.

One of the channels did ask. I remember the question "Maybe next year? [Champion's League trophy]" and he said something in the lines of "Maybe not, I want to be where people love me to be"