Blue Armour

Also, Ole has finished in the top 4 for consecutive seasons. I don't care if he has bungled trophy finals, but the thing is at this point, we are not yet a league title challenging side and our competition in the league is still against the likes of United and Leicester. Even if the likes of Sancho and possibly Varane take time to integrate, their old squad is still there. You can't tell me they are weaker for making new signings.

I hope he can be a surprise package this season, if we do end up not signing another forward.

Sky Germany reporter Jesco von Eichmann explained how Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland’s reaction to Chelsea’s reported £150million bid for him. At this point, it is safe to say that the 21-year-old is pretty aware of the rumours about his future and Chelsea’s interest, in particular. Based on Eichmann’s claim, the striker even seems to be curious about what the media is saying about him “I had a little chat with him today, actually,” Eichmann told Sky Sports (via Football Daily). “He passed by and asked me, ‘Hey are there any news about me?’ “I said, ‘No, actually, no. Chelsea still at £150 [million]. “He was smiling and said, ‘No, I’m not [worth] that.’ “He’s very satisfied here at Dortmund, he loves to play for Borussia Dortmund and everything is fine to him. “He doesn’t seem to want to leave, so I don’t think he will.” Not sure if Jesco is reliable mouthpiece in Germany, but to me the biggest deterrent to this deal is Haaland's lack of significant interest to join Chelsea. When Eden Hazard joined us in 2012, players like Drogba and Joe Cole were constantly in his ear convincing him that we were the right club for him. Does Haaland have any such connection? The only thing I've heard him say before is that he would have loved to play with Lampard. And now the latter is not even here.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, the reports also directly quote Tuchel as saying that he absolutely sees the need of bringing in new signings. I won't say that the club threw him under the bus just because they failed to pull off a tough signing like Haaland, but there will be scrutiny if we haven't looked at alternatives despite allowing Giroud and Gilmour to move on.

Sigh..I forgot about our tough start this season. If we're going to integerate any new signings really late on without having a proper preseason with the club, this would be one of the worst seasons to do so.

Is it possible that the club wants Tuchel to do a full assessment of the loan army with at least a few friendlies before jumping into the transfer market? Hence the lack of real news on the transfer front?

🤣🤣😅🤣 It's probably going to happen isn't it. 😪

We have too many lords in our squad atm. Lord Drinkwater. Lord Bakayoko. Lord Barkley. And don't forget the enigmatic Babayaga.

Is Tuchel really content though? He already made post-season comments about needing to bring in new talent to challenge the squad., and bring in new ideas. He might not complain now, but if we don't sign anyone significant now and the season starts going sideways, he could very well change his tune then.

I dont think it's really about having a striker, but about having a consistent goal threat. If we had someone even from midfield filling that description, we would be in a better position. No one from our team meets that description. Yet.

Not one of those clubs will accept a bid that late in the window. If we're targeting any of those 3 strikers., this month would be the time to get it done.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theprideoflondon.com/2021/07/22/Chelsea-transfers-kalajdzic-realistic-up-top/amp/ Chelsea are considering a swoop for 6ft 7in striker Sasa Kalajdzic as their move for Dortmund hitman Erling Haaland stalls... so, what could Blues fans expect from the Stuttgart giant who has named Man Utd midfielder Nemanja Matic as an inspiration? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9806561/amp/Chelsea-Blues-fans-expect-Sasa-Kalajdzic-Erling-Haaland-stalls.html Interesting alternative, IMO

I'll admit, if the Haaland situation doesn't improve, Kalajdzic is an intriguing option, especially its for relatively low transfer fees and wages. I like the fact that he seems to be more than a striker, and rather a true CF that can set up others for goals too. However Havertz and Werner can do that too.The question is about what he offers that our current forwards can't. Aerial ability, maybe? With Giroud's departure we are lacking in that department for sure.

Not sure why Nike takes such liberties with our kits. You look at the Italian clubs, Milan/Inter/Juve....you don't see such monstrosities from either Nike or Adidas. Is it just because Italy is like the fashion capital or something? That they actually need a minimum standard?

Yeah, I'll have to admit we're in a hard place. No realistic good options out there. It's either Haaland,..or worse, Kane? Don't think the latter will happen anyway. Dearth of forwards. Funny how a few seasons ago, there was a shortage of good fullbacks when Cole left., and now there's plenty in the English national team alone. Now it's the same situation but with strikers.

I was thinking of posting out @Tomo s mistake., but didn't want to be that guy. Hindsight!

Yeah, I agree that some of the key players are yet to peak, so there's some hope there. And yeah, I admit Liverpool did alright following their UCL season. Could still be the exception to the rule though. Chelsea have tended to do this after after every successful season and it's led to problems. Also, not sure Tuchel will feel happy about not getting new signings, especially since he has been vocal about strengthening the squad.

Based on the transfer window so far, not very optimistic. Top 4, doable, but not sure about challenging for the title based on what we've seen. Only accomplishments so far have been offloading Giroud and Gilmour. I'll be concerned about Tuchel too., if we don't strengthen significantly this season. He's already made comments about needing to freshen the squad every season. The only player we've been linked with is Haaland and no plan B if that one falls through. Retaining more or less the same squad has never worked well before., and is a recipe for disaster.

Fine then!

We need a new version of this thread! Especially because it looks like it's shaping up to be a hit or miss transfer window...SO far. The only thing that's been accomplished is the loss of Gilmour and Giroud. And no certainty on reinforcements.

Still don't like the idea of sending a player out on loan before even having a preseason. We still have 2 first team midfielders playing in the Euros and we're hoping they come back fully fit. I hope this also means: a. We are getting another midfield backup in the transfer window or b. Try to reintegrate one of RLC or Barkley into the squad again in a different formation. With all the competitions we're in, rotating between Kovacic, Kante & Jorginho alone for CM won't be enough. Mount could be wasted playing in a double pivot. Also, for Billy's sake I hope we have a clause that allows us to recall the player. Norwich could be in a relegation battle, so if they lose their manager or become desperate for points Billy could end up on the bench. Still skeptical of the move, and hope if nothing else, he gets to start most games. When was the last time we've had a player who went out on loan to a PL side successfully reintegrate into the squad in the following season? RLC? McEachran was wasted, and Ampadu went no where. Ake at least wound up in Man City, so I guess there's some hope.

FFS, does the club always need to shoot itself in the foot after every successful season? Sending out someone from the squad on loan, even before we've had a chance to have a preason game to evaluate. Also, where is the depth in Central midfield going to come from? We barely made it last season because only 1 of Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic were injured at a time. He would have got., and would absolutely be needed for rotation in games next season. Also, I hate loans like these to tinpot teams. Players like Gilmour thrive when surrounded by better players., allowing him to showcase his passing range and skill. Call me cynical, but this has shades of McEachran all over. The only hope is they don't stick him on the bench at Norwich, and actually make him start every game. Hope this loan doesn't happen.

Crap..I forgot about that. When Drogba left in 2010 for ACON, we had Malouda and Anelka on fire,..team never suffered in pushing for the title. GK position is far more crucial.

Lmao,. Club's Twitter account got it right. 'Agenda' is the word I would choose myself. The FA's agenda., that is.

Apparently UEFA is set to axe the away goal rule, after more than 50 years since it was introduced. Stupid if it goes through.