Blue Armour

Hope the club doesn't try to woo Lukaku by launching some awful campaign about 'unfinished business'. He has no unfinished business. He took his ball and left for Everton.

The one thing that bothers me about the club sniffing around for Lukaku, is whether this is actually a Tuchel backed target. Is this another 'board knows what's best? We bring on a player that wasn't really wanted, and he becomes the elephant in the dressing room.

Unless we sign an inexpensive nobody, like Kalajdzic. Definitely not a Lukaku or Kane.

Can't believe we're actually flexing our financial muscle over Lukaku of all players.. I would rather not sign a new forward than have Lukaku. Lukaku would want to start every game. He's not going to be a squad option. And I can't see how he would fit in this team for every game.

Well, if the Arsenal friendly game was any indicator, we are well on course to repeat. The number of glaring misses from great positions was all too familiar from last season. We could've drawn the game too, because of our wastefulness.

Even if we accept that false 9 will work well, don't we need alternate options given how different teams are in the league? How about a forward with aerial threat? We no longer have that with Giroud gone.

Yeah those are good questions..and you're probably right, even if the answer is frustrating. Timo's numbers before he arrived were superior to some of the other targets we've been linked with (barring Haaland). I don't really care about the other teams apart from City/Pool, but I wish our attackers had guaranteed improvement. Maybe Broja could be a surprise package. Hopefully

Maybe not as downbeat as Mana, but I'm not overly optimistic either. Everyone is hoping there will be improvements from our attacking crop this season., but we've just had a lot of key players participate in a major tournament, and those players are returning late for a very short pre-season. And right before the toughest set of opening fixtures we've had in ages! And no fucking attacker signed yet to help make things easier for the rest of the squad. That is a recipe for disaster and could really have a negative impact on the rest of the season. I don't care if Haaland is mission impossible...what's our plan B? You can't tell me there aren't any other half decent alternatives out there. This kind of shit has become a recent trend for us following a good season. No wonder we tend to bungle up the super cup.

Black and yellow to attract someone from Dortmun...oh never mind.

The legend returns

Tyre tracks in the front and chess board in the back. Style.

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?