Pizy

The thing with Lavia is that he’s still a kid. Which is why it’s probably better for him that he goes to Liverpool where he wouldn’t be expected to start every game and can be eased in by Klopp. That immense pressure to hit the ground running with top class performances week in and week out wouldn’t be there. Whereas if he came here he’d be thrown right into the fire and have a huge burden of being the primary defensive shield for a huge club. Asking that for a 19 year old is big. Doing it for a Southampton and doing it for Chelsea with our expectations is a massive difference.

I can’t even imagine who we’d panic buy if Caicedo doesn’t happen and Lavia then chooses Liverpool. I hope in that scenario we at least try to throw massive money at a world class player who may not even have been on the radar. Someone who may not technically be “available” but who could be sold if a huge offer comes in. If we panic buy Onana or that DM from Ajax who we were after Alvarez I’d be bitterly disappointed and worried that we won’t get near the top 4.

A good agent will know the market for their super desired client. Knowing that Caicedo would continue to have huge clubs interested in him, his agent should’ve told him “I would strongly advise you not to sign this deal because it will give Brighton all the leverage if a big club comes in for you.” Him signing a 4 year deal and getting a wage bump for the reminding 6 months of last season when he was going to get an even bigger wage bump at his new club in the summer anyways is mindbogglingly stupid. In fact, it’s extreme incompetence.

He should fire his agent for allowing him to sign that deal without a set release clause. And he should also be extremely pissed at Brighton for assuring him he could go if a reasonable offer came in in the summer and rejecting £80m.

So now we’re going to go after a player that has his head set on and has one foot in the door at Liverpool. So if we throw in a panic bid and he decides to go to Liverpool we look like clowns. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ I mean, how does that look from Lavia’s POV? ‘You could’ve signed me at any point this summer but only came back in for me after the player you really wanted fell through?”

We sadly just have zero leverage in this Caicedo negotiation. Brighton aren’t in a position where they need the money. They’ve just seen another PL proven midfielder in Caicedo’s exact position go for £100m+ and they rate him at Rice’s level or higher. And then perhaps most crucially Caicedo himself isn’t kicking up a fuss or forcing the issue. That third point is probably the only thing that can change the impasse. Caicedo has to start making things uncomfortable. Because I can’t see us paying £100m for a fucking DM.

Inter are always in terrible financial order. I doubt they could say no to £80m. Whether Barella could be convinced to leave Italy is another matter but I bet we could.

That money can probably get you Barella. If Brighton still rejected £80m then fuck off and go for Barella.

If Liverpool have or will bid more than once it’s because Lavia is keen to go there. Probably already has his mind set. Doubt we have a chance at him any longer.

It’s honestly incredible that we don’t appear close on anyone.

Chilly is a great player. Hating on him is silly.

Solid showing overall. These youngster are legitimately impressive. Humphreys, Santos, Moreira, Casadei, Maatsen. All impressed me. One thing is for sure, though. An injection of quality in certain areas is needed. But with enough training time and match rhythm we have a serious side on our hands.

Sterling has been the only genuinely terrible performer so far in preseason. Very concerning. Andrey Santos looks very nice on the ball here, though.

So many changes for both sides has made the game very choppy and poor. Not sure either will learn much from this. This is just a good fitness session now.

No minutes for Colwill? Injured?

Newcastle pass the ball around comfortably 50 times every time they get it. We meanwhile can’t string 3 passes together. So damn frustrating.

Considering the players we’re linked with I’m not sure that’s the long term thinking. Think Poch is just trialing him everywhere to get a good look at him. He was brilliant as a fullback for Burnley.

I’ve been one of the few (maybe the only?) one here advocating for Cucu to stay one more season to see if he can turn his fortunes around. But damn does he make a lot of David Luiz like errors. Now that we’ve seen Maatsen firsthand maybe we should cut our losses and sell. If we can find a buyer, this is. He AND Kepa who is also prone to brain farts in defense is a recipe for disaster.

Enzo has been good on the ball as you’d expect but clearly isn’t up to pace defensively yet. A couple of times Newcastle players just ran past him quite easily. Embarrassing defending from Cucu aside, that’s the sort of move that should’ve been cut out in midfield before it even reached him. Caicedo or a proper DM would’ve dealt with that easily. Anyways, lots of positives there. But what I would really like to start seeing is more composed, deliberate build up in possession. We look great in the counter but not so much at building. Both Brighton and Newcastle in each first half have used the ball better than we have. Lots of passing moves and combinations. Hope we can put it down to a bunch of new players, new manager, and new system. But we need some serious training hours to get better in possession.

Yet another positional shocker from Cucu. Jesus.

Jackson looks like he’s going to terrorize lots of defenses with his runs. Proper, proper striker. Also, not to jinx it this early, but Humphrys looks damn smooth. Very Colwill-like calmness.

Chalobah. That’s why he’ll never be a Chelsea first XI player. Too many silly errors.

Midfield pairing looks very light defensively and again highlights our need for Caicedo.

Don’t care about the result. Just hoping for no injuries and to see some gradual improvement.

Hopefully someone posts a working stream again here. The Chelsea app restricts US viewers annoyingly.