OneMoSalah

Yeah he's 19 or 20but people were saying he was ready to be in the squad here after his season in Spain. He still needs a whole lot of work. Wouldn't mind Martial coming here, looks like he will be a top striker eventually. He only cost Monaco 5M euros... although he was 17 at the time but still..

Thank fuck somebody said this. But honestly by the sounds of this thread, I suppose we might as well sell Hazard, Willian, Oscar and Costa too considering they've not shown up in big games as well.

Hopefully he will get a start v WBA, his running in behind defences for a winger is exceptional and I feel he could really give us another dimension in that regard. Can't believe people were saying we had to be more ambitious/sign a better player... absolutely crazy. Cannot wait to see him play to be fair.

I think if he played anywhere that wasn't Italy people would also think the same but I personally feel he is just as good as Stones if not better. If he were English and playing in the PL he'd be rated at 30-40M too.. don't see the whole Stones wankfest, he's a decent English prospect but personally I think we should of looked elsewhere as soon as they turned down the 24 or 26M bid. There are so many CBs out there, it baffles me we are constantly trying to get Stones without actually having a plan B by the sounds of it incase Everton don't sell.

He is the one player along with Hazard and Azpi who has developed a lot under Jose, he needs to stay here, definitely.

Fuck me after however many years of guys like a past it Lampard, physically struggling Essien, Ramires with his 'shite technique', naive and clueless David Luiz and average Meireles you'd think we'd be fucking glad to sign a boy of this calibre for central midfield.... a season later and we need to drop him for big games/sign another midfielder to replace him in those games. We should probably play a 433 and yes we should of perhaps signed another central midfielder but to play in tandem with Matic and Fabregas, not replace either of them but we haven't and that is not his fault. Sometimes when I read this thread and also Costa's and see all the shite about needing to replace them in big games/sign somebody better it makes me wonder what the fuck you guys have been smoking because those two along with Eden were absolutely vital to us winning the league. Without Costa or Fabregas we wouldn't have won the league, Hazard was very good but there were times Cesc and Costa were the difference. Hazard didn't carry us by himself, despite what you'd think reading some stuff on here, Cesc was just as vital in periods of the season and so was Costa.

Possible alternative to Stones? Dutch CB at Lazio, 23 years old, 28 caps for Holland was at the 2014 World Cup. Seen him in the World Cup and thought he was good (well the whole Dutch team was surprisingly better than we probably all expected), surprised he went to Lazio and not United with LvG like most people the other year. Good in possession, reads the game well, for his age someone quite a lot of experience and also was captain at Feyenoord for a bit but was then stripped of it due to poor form. I watched the Lazio-Leverkusen game and also the Lazio-Juventus game where they lost the final (which was expected Juventus are a class above most teams in Italy)... but against Leverkusen he looked very very solid and looked to play forward when he could when they were building from deeper, at times when he was under pressure too, he could be an alternative to Stones who many believe we are wanting due to his potential, distribution and age, I'm not sure if he is as quick across the ground as Stones is but he is undoubtedly a good CB, just as good if not better (there are actually a fair amount of CBs out there we could go after instead of Stones for the money mentioned). Obviously we haven't been linked with him and it is more than likely he will stay in Italy but he is good enough to play in England, only a matter of time before he makes the move, still surprised United haven't been linked with him at all this summer.

Meh he wasn't that great, few decent passes and runs but other than the goal he didn't stick out. The boy Parejo who plays for Valencia looks a good player, Martial was also Monaco's best player by a mile. Clever footballer, I don't want to hype him up too much but he looks like he has all the attributes to be similar to Thierry Henry in terms of playing style: pacey, strong, good dribbler, drifts out to the left wing a lot to cut in, links well and can find his team mates.. obviously he didn't score but he got a rebound goal that was from his own shot, the reaction speed was quite impressive, be interesting to see how he does but he looks like someone who will be a top player.

Generally excited. He's someone who will make good runs off the ball which I feel Hazard or Willian don't do enough for wide players. He could score 10 goals or more this season, especially with Cesc and Hazard in the team. Willian must play more as a 10 now.

A player who is past it? This thread is getting ridiculous at times. He is 28 years old, he has 4 or 5 seasons ahead of him where he can play at a very high level. Unconvincing displays? Hardly, you put Hazard in that Barcelona squad and he would probably sit on the bench for 2 or 3 years more often than not because of their front 3. As Peace posted on his stats last season, he hardly started but when he did and when he came on he made an impact. You in particular wanted us to sign guys like Fekir or Felipe Anderson, players who have done less, aren't as good at this moment in time and won't even improve our starting 11. You even said Pedro is another Schurrle/Cuadrado in terms of technical ability which is even more laughable. We won't get Marco Reus or Gareth Bale, so people have to get off FIFA and FM and realize that its not going to happen. I've made a list of things why I think he'd be a good signing: 1) he is affordable and open to moving 2) he is a very very good and complete player, plays both wings, scores goals, makes them 3) he is ultimately better than Willian,Oscar,Ramires,Cuadrado, Moses on the wing 4) he would bring a wealth of experience and in terms of trophies he has won everything at club&international level 5) he would be very hungry to prove himself again Why would he be a bad move or an underwhelming move? Ozil, Di Maria, Sanchez and Fabregas are all players who have left Real and Barca in the last few years and they are all top players. They only ended up at those two clubs in the first place because they were really good players and it really is the same with Pedro. They are only letting him go because like the rest of them, he has asked to leave. Its clear we need a player/players but not like we need 6 or 7 for our first 11 maybe one or two. City looked a different team with just Sterling in their starting 11 and guys like Kompany and Toure back at their best. We looked a different team with Courtois, Fabregas, Costa in our team last year. Few years before hand United looked a different team with Van Persie in their team. Sometimes it can take one or two top players to add something, sometimes just one, if he is the right player.

No it was very disrespectful, fucking hell.... Ok look at it this way, imagine being the manager... having your tactics and judgement constantly questioned and being repeatedly undermined by guys who at any other club would probably have been sold/released. I still don't know why Lampard wasn't either fined or shown the door for the way he was heavily involved to be honest, the same with whoever else from the squad who was at it. Think Roman was never completely going to back Andre though when it went shite but at any other club if a player or multiple players acted like that constantly, to question and undermine the manager like they did, they would have been sold/released. Winning a Champions League trophy and FA cup doesn't make how Lampard and whoever else, behaved/acted acceptable in the build up to his sacking AT ALL.

Tell them to go fuck themselves and look somewhere else. 30M bid was too much but now 40 or 50M? They can get to fuck.

I really hope we paying at least 15M in performance related incentives or add ons.. At least we are getting a bigger deal done, even if it is the 18th of August... took fucking long enough didn't it.

Mourinho said he would of played here but he wanted to go. A few years time we will see, people said that when he was at Anderlecht that he would be one of the best strikers if he moved to a top club in 3 or 4 years time and hes now 22 and he's bang average, I don't see him being a number 1 at a title chasing club. Does anybody here regret selling him? I certainly don't. Costa and Remy are both better players. Lukaku is bang average. Big fish small pond. Also mentioning Torres is pointless, he might of been shit but financially it would of been stupid not to play him. He cost a straight up 50M fee and nearly 200k a week wages or whatever he was on, yeah not using him at all would of been better for us perhaps but in terms of finances it made no sense. Would be like throwing money down the drain.

Watched Dortmund play against Mochengladbach on BT sports, despite Christensen looking horribly out of his depth, Reus was great. To be fair the first half was an absolute masterclass in terms of pressing, they kept winning the ball up high and if we tried to play like that it would be great, guys like Hazard, Willian, Oscar winning the ball high up having more space, in threatening positions.. really impressive performance by BVB.

I think up against a bigger physical player like Kolarov he would of been a better option than Ramires. I know thats maybe not always essential but Kolarov is a powerful boy, like Ivanovic is and Moses is a bit less flimsy than Ramires to be fair but City physically dominated us in every area of the pitch so it wouldn't of helped as much. He should of started on the wing ahead of Rami anyway, in a 4-3-3 Rami yes useful but as a RW in a 4-2-3-1 not always helpful.

Probably but at the same time they have Kroos and Modric who are nailed on to start as well as Isco, Kovacic himself, Casemiro, Illarramendi and also Lucas Silva to contend with for a place. James will probably be first choice in that more advanced role too. Can see Lucas Silva and Illaramendi going but Kovacic can also play closer to the striker too so it could fill both positions although Isco played in Modric's position too when he was injured for a few months last season.

I could be wrong but I think Kovacic could be someone they have in mind for when Modric starts to decline, I know he's hardly 38 but long term it would work. Don't know if his game is too indifferent or not but I've not seen as much of Kovacic under Mancini. Someone will have to go at Madrid though, Kroos, Modric and James will be the starting players in that midfield. The fact they have used Bale as a 10 in a few pre-season games too is interesting but still yeah Kroos, Modric and James will probably be their first choice then they could have Casemiro, Kovavic and Isco as back ups. Lucas Silva and Illarramendi have very much been outcasts at Madrid since going there.

Juventus are trying to sign Isco because Kovacic is going to Real. They are apparently trying to offer 40-50M euros or one of these alternative deals 1) with Morata involved in it to lower the fee 2) 1 year loan 3) insert a buy back clause. Seen it on Marca. If he becomes avaliable he's the sort of guy we should look to get, he is a class player who has everything in his locker and is incredibly versatile. Would take him in a heart beat.

He is a good player but 40M euros plus the loan of a 32M pound CB they bought last year... weird.

I'm still shocked how he managed to have 2 decent seasons for Fiorentina basically playing as a second striker because by god he has some of the worst control I've seen since Torres and also Ramires at times.

Fuck me Mikel didn't even start today, came into one of the most one sided matches we've ever been involved in for however long and is STILL getting slated for wasting a 'squad place'. Typical... wankers. At least he wouldn't of been out of position as much as Fabregas or Matic both were, actually surprised he didn't start but it would of taken a lot more than Mikel starting to stop the demolishing we got today.

Cmon man Courtois is like 4 years younger, already a world class keeper and only going to get much better. Begovic is far too good to be a number 2 but he wouldn't of played if Courtois wasn't suspended.

He would of proved me wrong if he stayed here, knuckled down and stopped thinking he was that 18 year old who scored 30 odd goals in the Belgian league where it is basically mickey mouse level. He missed a penalty in the super cup and went on loan for some strange reason, which Mourinho told journalists to ask him about why he did, which is fair enough I suppose but to come back to Chelsea at age 21 or 22 and demand to lead the line ahead of Diego Costa? Who the fuck does the guy think he is? He would of played here as a second choice that is the funny thing, eventually he could of played as first choice or even in tandem with Costa but no he wanted to go play at an average club who will never compete for a PL title. How many 21, 22 or 23 year olds start at a huge club who compete for titles every year at a high standard? Apart from the exceptions like Neymar at Barcelona? Everybody starts somewhere, if you have to work your arse off to get into the Chelsea team so be it, he had the opportunity to and decided he didn't want to so asking to go to Everton because he wouldn't be first choice here, to me looked like he was showing a lack of ambition, you could go play every week for Everton again or you could come back, work hard, improve playing with better players, still play quite regularly... look how many games Drogba got aged 37 ffs... but no he chose not to. So to me, perhaps not others, a lack of ambition. His time will come when he gets a big money move? He's already had two big money moves really. For an 18 year old a potential 18M move is big and then for a 21 year old a 32M move is also big. Everton will never make a huge profit on him I reckon because they already bought him for so much. Where was Costa when he was 22? Ok use that argument but where was so many other top strikers when they were 22? Requesting a transfer to Everton because they weren't going to be number 1 at the top class club they were at, when they weren't ready to be the number 1 at such a club and got told they would be number 2? Nope.

Exactly. He will always be a big fish in a small pond. It was the same at Anderlecht. If he was all that he thought he was, he should of stayed here but he left after the Super Cup on loan and didn't want to come back unless he would be undisputed first choice (which was never going to happen because Diego Costa had basically just had a season where he made the difference for Atletico) but no he decided he would be better playing every week at Everton, where he had a shite campaign and lost his starting place for Belgium, so obviously it turned out to be a good decision. He will always be a limited footballer and he will never play for a title winning club. He clearly has no ambition... really to go play at Everton, a team who will never win a PL title or play in the CL, where he will always be comfortable as opposed to fighting for a place against a world class competitor in Costa and also against Remy who is a better striker and later Falcao under one of the best managers in the business in a team who won the title last year and also a domestic cup and got so far in the CL.