Pizy

I'm starting to feel like if we were going to get Koulibaly he'd be here by now. For ages it seems like he's been our #1 CB target. He wasn't a player who was at the Euro's and he's not wanted by the very biggest clubs apparently that we'd have to compete against which would drag negotiations out. So why is it taking so long? CB is the biggest area of concern in the entire squad yet we're stalling here.

How so? If we miss out on both Manolas & Koulibaly we'll be stuck with Cahill and Ivanovic starting again. Or that random Swedish dude.

Options quickly running out...

Didn't he have a terrible season? I think I remember hearing that.

Forgetting Morata?

All that cash for someone who won't start. You could probably form an XI composed of Barca & Madrid bench players that could compete for the title in the PL.

Was still holding out a slim hope we'd still be after him. Shame. Yet another player who could be a featured starter at a big PL club but chooses the bench or squad player role at one of the two Spanish giants. What, will he ride the bench and rotate with Rakitic and Busquets? Lame.

It would just be so cringey and embarrassing if our fans are singing his name throughout the match and then United win. He's forgotten about us with the snap of a finger and couldn't wait to go to a rival. Hopefully our supporters do the same. Don't boo him but maybe just ignore him and cheer Conte's name instead. I'm gonna face palm if I see that "One of Us!" signs. One of us, my ass.

But I bet you our match going fans will cheer and sing his name when he returns to the Bridge. Like Special Juan just said, I can't stand the sight of him anymore. Now I know how fans of every other club has felt over the years. Love him when he's yours, despise him when he's not. Hopefully Conte and Pep can gear up enough to prevent him from winning shit for a few years.

Is the lady on our bench a physio or what?

Media saying we're bidding for a different striker every day. Silly season indeed. Wouldn't want him here. A big part of what makes sense and is great about Morata & Lukaku is that they haven't even peaked yet and will only get better. They could give us years of top class football. Cavani will only decline and is almost 30. No thanks. Anyways, with all these links to strikers you would think its 2013/14 when we were desperate for them. Now we have two great ones and need a whole new defense yet are only linked with huge money strikers.

Just can't see how we could play with two technically subpar, physical, battering ram strikers together. You need to partner that kind of striker with a technically superb one like Batshuayi. Lukaku and Costa occupy the same areas and play a very similar style. They love to make runs in behind and like receiving the ball on the run. Their game relies on beating the offside trap and running like a freight train in open space. Dont see how it would work.

Yep. Can't see how Lukaku and Diego fit together. If Lukaku comes, Costa is off.

Long as we buy a classy CB, don't mind who else we buy. Lukaku? Sure, why not? All he does is score, score, score and you know he loves the club. Conte can make him unstoppable.

Will we finally have a manager who plays players based on merit rather than reputation like our last two? I think we might. We'll soon find out with Aina. If he continues these performances and Ivanovic starts against West Ham I'll be pissed.

Yeah, his body language looks kind of...off. Like he knows he's playing in a meaningless match so he can't bring himself to really try or care. Pretty poor attitude to have to be honest, but that's just who he is. Truthfully, though, it's probably for the best that he doesn't exert himself too much before the season kicks off. We need him 100% fit from the get go.

I think we've found our new RB. And I think I'm in love with him. Ola Aina is fucking superb. Surely, surely he'll get the nod over Iva?

Pace of play was MUCH improved from the first match. Conte has clearly been drilling them well and instructing them not to hold on to the ball for as long. Lots of quick play and interchanging.

Or he's still living off his past reputation and Conte will be fooled into thinking he can "resurrect" him. Nah, he can't be that dumb. I hope.

Bullshit, we've offered that. Even more bullshit that they'd reject that amount for one of their squad players. Think they'd bite our hand off for that offer and throw it at Pogba.

Seriously, how can a man as intelligent as Conte play Ivanovic as a RB? At best he should be a backup CB. He's finished at this level! Will Conte be the 3rd manager in a row to not notice what even the supporters can see?

Starting to seem like a real possibility. Ivanovic as well. Fucking hell.

Not here. Another YouTube stream again for me.

Is this supposed to be in addition to a top CB signing or instead of one? If it's the latter I'd be extremely disappointed. We need essentially a "can't miss" signing at CB not a project or someone that may or may not be ready for the top level like this guy. We need someone who is a clear upgrade on what we have.

I dread hearing more "I'm happy with the squad I have" shit like Mourinho kept spouting. That'll mean we're stuck with Ivanovic and Cahill playing significant minutes for us again. Until I see a new CB holding up a Chelsea shirt I'll be worried about that.