Superblue

At the moment it's quite impossible to predict. What you've said could well be absolutely spot on. But on the flip side with budgets slashed, we might find the loan market is more popular than ever before for teams to try and refresh their squads and we're still able to move players on. We might also find that a £100 - 150m transfer budget which many of us fans thought would be available may be little different to now a £50 - 75m transfer budget, which may still allow us to be potentially very competitive in the market without spending as big as what we may have been expecting. I mentioned a while back it'll be interesting to see just how good value Ziyech will prove to be. If we had waited until after this situation may we have got him for £20-25m? Or if we had waited perhaps teams would have viewed him as a cheaper alternative to someone like Sancho and there would have been much more competition for him? I think the club needs to sit tight and see what the first moves are in the market by some teams to assess just where the market might be at currently. Hopefully there will be a transfer budget for the summer, but like just about every team I don't see it being what we were all expecting or hoping it would be a couple of months ago.

Given the options that may or may not be available for next season, not to mention the financial state of football (and our club more specifically) would Icardi be worth the risk to try and get on a loan deal? I'm sure I read that PSG wouldn't be buying him permanently and Inter obviously don't want him back, so there may be an opportunity. He's obviously a complete prick, but sometimes the better players are and they just need to be managed well, but their output for the team outweighs the drawbacks of their personality. It can work either way, sometimes that type of personality can be negative to a young group of players, but in other instances it can actually be a big positive for them to have a talisman to feed off. I've always wondered whether he'd thrive in the Premier League. He's not the quickest or strongest player, but he knows where the goal is and if chances are created he'll put them away which has been much of the problem we've had this season, just missing that presence that is alive to things in the box. Inter in turn seem to have an interest in a few of our players, so I'm sure a deal could be sweetened by us sending a player or two their way whether on loan or permanently (e.g. if they want a few million as a loan fee, offer them Moses permanently or Alonso on loan as an exchange) If we could get him on a loan deal for a season to assess both his personality and his ability to adapt to Premier League football, it could be a great deal in the current climate.

I think despite the age of Mertens and Giroud, if we were to go into next season with a trio of them and Tammy as our striking options I would still view it as a significant improvement on this season. The hope is that Tammy will continue to develop, and for me he was better earlier in the season when he had to fight to become first choice. Better competition I would like to think will bring out the best in him and from what I've seen his personality suggests that he will thrive better in that environment. I think even at his age Giroud still offers something that would be very difficult to replace in that target man that runners behind him can benefit from. He's definitely a very credible plan B option that I think has been Lampard's biggest mistake this season choosing Bats over him as the second choice. However I think Lampard seems to have realised this and also just what Giroud can bring to the table in terms of varying the way we can play when he's on the pitch. Having an option like him next season where Lampard now knows how best to use him, compared to having him as a last resort option this season I think should be viewed as a positive. I think with Mertens, anyone is a risk coming into the Premier League at that sort of age and expecting to make an impact but I think given the other two strikers we have and his versatility to be able to play as the central striker, but also behind a main striker, gives Lampard more options and more firepower because there's no disputing he knows where the goal is. If he could have a similar impact to Eto'o in his sole season here and add an extra 10+ goals to the team it could work really well. The biggest thing is that Lampard trusts and has confidence in them all. If that is the case I think we'll look well equipped in that area of the pitch. We've looked threadbare and so reliant on Tammy this season because it was clear as day that Lampard didn't fancy either of Bats and Giroud. I think Giroud has changed Lampard's mind in the last couple of months and it's helped reinvigorate the group somewhat rather than trying to roll Tammy out at half fitness. If a long term striking target isn't available or simply not attainable in the current climate, we could go far more wrong than a free transfer for Mertens. If anything, I can see demand for him getting bigger as clubs will be reluctant to spend big this summer in my opinion both from an economical and moral perspective.

It's not outside the realms of possibility that some players could negotiate a net wage so their gross wage will go up or down dependent on the tax laws of that country. But I guess when a lot of these tabloids talk about a player's net wage it could just be reflective of that point in time and like everything we're probably dealing with a "ball park" figure anyway. I vaguely remember reading an article years ago that Ballack's wage was protected against the Euro exchange rate so as the Euro got stronger, it actually cost Chelsea to pay him more (how correct this is nobody knows but I remember reading a rumour regarding this) As ridiculous as it may sound my understanding is the wage information on Football Manager, at least the basic wage has always been pretty accurate but no idea where they obtain this information or if it's just a reliable guess based on a lot of the reports we read about a players wages? To be honest when I say accurate, that is only based on what I may have read or seen about a player's wages myself and as our own ideas and assumptions are based on the news reports we are provided with, that data within the game may seem reliable but could be incorrect.

The problem I find is in this country wages are stated as gross, whereas a lot of reports abroad state wages as net. I think this is why there's always so much confusion in this country with press reports over just how much some players abroad are earning.

Would Havertz be worth the sort of figures being talked? I know he had a superb season in 2018/19 but my understanding is he hasn't reached those heights this season which would be a worry to me. I don't really watch any German football however so maybe I'm wrong and he's still playing well but his goal output definitely isn't anywhere near as good as it was the prior season.

Been reading today that Arsenal could be one of the biggest teams impacted in the wake of Covid-19 and their owner is feeling the pinch because his new stadium for the Rams is massively over budget and development is behind. With this in mind, and really depending on just how bad Arsenal's situation may be, but a left field option may be to look at Saka. He's not an orthodox left back but neither was Alphonso Davies. I've been extremely impressed with him this season and he's at an age where the defensive aspect of his game can be worked on and improved significantly. Arsenal already have Tierney if they can get him fit, so if they received a good offer they may be receptive to it.

I actually think City may struggle in a couple of years time. They're not going to go away but I think they may have similar problems to what we've experienced at times over the last few seasons with regards to refreshing the team. Not all of Guardiola's signings have been great and he's relied massively on a core group of players during his tenure that were already at the club before him (Kompany, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero). The same can be said about his time at Barca and Bayern, where both times he relied heavily on players already at the club and not all of his signings were successful. Agree with what you've said about us. It's important to not be reliant on the academy only, but it's also important now to embrace it and not move back away from aiming to get some of these players into the squad. I've said for years that the club should have only been looking to buy players that would make up the first 16 players in the first team and when looking to refresh the squad fill around this should have been done with the academy. If we keep doing that and ensuring there is always space for one or two to get a look in and breakthrough we should still get a steady flow coming in, so long as they're good enough whilst allowing us to focus our budgets on players who can come in and make a much more expected immediate impact on the first team. If we had more goals in our team, either a 20-25 goal striker or a 10-15 goal midfielder to share the burden with Tammy this season I think we'd be sat in 2nd place right now. That gap looks big at the moment, but it can be bridged and done pretty quickly if the club are clinical with their decision making at the end of the season. It's been done before.

I've said this a number of times and will continue to stand by it. All of the young players who have played this season (Tammy, CHO, Mount, James, Tomori, Gilmour) have all at the very least shown that they are good enough to play at the highest level but all have shown in different stages consistency issues and a rawness that can only be improved with experience. I think all have a huge part to play in Chelsea's future and it's incredible the number of players we've managed to bring through on mass this season and remain in a competitive position in the league. A lot of people have short memories and many were extremely worried about this season without Hazard to bail us out, with RLC, CHO, Kante and Rudiger all injured at the start of the season and what looked to be a stale, ageing squad. We have a refreshingly young, vibrant squad now that (1) needs experience (both young players and manager) and (2) a couple of quality additions in key areas of the pitch, to kick on further. On the position of Mount, I think he's had a solid season. His form, like many, dropped and coincided with the team's struggles but he seemed to be playing much better before the break. His final product (goals and assists) needs to improve for the advanced position he plays in to reach the next level but again I think this will improve over time. I will not make a full judgement on players in their teens or very early 20's that have been exposed to only 6 months and about 30 odd games at the very top level of football.

It's a very real situation everyone is experiencing right now and it's foolish to not expect the whole football world suffer somewhat, including ourselves. We've already signed Ziyech which I think will prove to still be a great value signing, and if we can bring in a top quality left back and striker this next window also, I'd be pretty happy with that considering the circumstances. Anything else I think should be considered a bonus. As a side note though there may be clubs across the continent willing to sell players at a discount price depending on their finances and if we are in a position of strength we may well be able to take advantage of this. Particularly if we're prepared to pay more or all of the fee up front which will help clubs much more in the short term.

That's very true and Desailly is a much better player to celebrate with such a moment in the club's history. I am certain that if Gronkjaer didn't slip he would never have finished that goal. He probably would have swung his boot at the ball and sent it out towards the corner flag.

That goal will always be a great moment in Chelsea's history considering everything since but christ was Gronkjaer rubbish. People moaning about Willian's consistency need to watch a few matches of Gronkjaer!

I understand what you're saying and I think when players do reach 32-33 it would have to be a very special case or perhaps a goalkeeper to command longer than a year contract. However I'm sure there have been a number of situations where the club in the past few years have extended a 28 or 29 year old to a new 3, 4, 5 year contract. In that situation, is it really much different to a player who is 30 wanting a 2 or 3 year contract? I think the players that we currently have in that position such as Willian, Pedro and Giroud the club are probably right with what they are doing. Maybe Willian could get a 2 year contract if the club were really loathe to let him leave for free, but in no way a 3 year deal. However look at some of the top players in world football on the wrong side of 30, especially strikers. If the club had Aguero or Suarez or Lewandowski at the club, would you be happy to see them leave for free and move to a rival big club either domestically or in europe because we would only sanction a one year contract instead of perhaps a 2 or 3 year deal?

I can remember us being linked with Pirlo and the talk was a swap deal involving Essien. At the time I thought it looked the most ridiculous deal I'd ever seen. In hindsight it could have been an incredible deal for Chelsea as that year was pretty much the end for Essien at the top level.

I still think it needs to be a case by case basis rather than a blanket decision. When you consider how well the likes of Terry, Ashley Cole, Lampard and Drogba all played well into their 30's, it would have been a monumental cock up if we'd lost any of these at the age of 30-31 because of a one year contract offer. I agree that the vast majority of players will start to decline into their 30's but usually you can still get good mileage out of players at least in their early 30's and different positions usually do not see the decline so drastically (e.g. centre backs and strikers compared to full backs and wingers) On the point of Willian I would agree however. Three years for a 31 year old who can be frustratingly inconsistent would be silly. If the player in question however was somebody like Hazard or one of the players mentioned above, in my opinion a 2 or 3 year contract should be considered if it ties them down to the club rather than letting them walk into another team on a free.

In my opinion the position that everything is now in and at present no real light at the end of the tunnel currently (I believe we are at 4 -6 weeks away from this lockdown being scaled down and that's being optimistic and when people's lives and livelihoods are in jeopardy I don't think it paints football or any sport in a good light if they try to commence any time soon), I believe they would be much better served to plan properly for next season than cramming in this season and next before the Euro's next summer. If they're not careful, there will be essentially one and a third seasons plus an international tournament back to back with little or no rest. I would bring Leeds and West Brom up and not relegate anyone for a 22 team league next season. The season could be started a couple of weeks earlier (assuming things have cleared up by then to allow this) to accommodate another 4 games to teams schedules or the Carabao Cup doesn't include Prem teams or possibly just teams in Europe to avoid fixture congestion. If the leagues down the pyramid need to do the same to next season in order to keep numbers as usual then that's fine. However next season you have five teams relegated and three promoted to revert back to a 20 team league. I believe with an international tournament at the end of the season, it is more important to get next year right for clubs, leagues and players than this one.

Very sad news. Obviously before my time but my dad always speaks so highly of how good the cat was and I know looks back with great fondness on that early 70's team much in the same way as I do our late 90's team. I understand he was suffering from dementia and having seen first hand how devastating that can be I'm pretty sure he's in a better place than the suffering he's had to endure in recent times.

It'll be interesting to see how the market pans out this summer in the face of Covid-19. Will we still see the great value in Ziyech that we felt we had a couple of months ago? I think it will still show good value and if anything, I can see teams reverting to an option like Ziyech instead of an option like Sancho or Coutinho which will cost far more so for us to already have secured an option like this I think looks very solid still.

Zouma is also probably the most saleable and disposable out of the defenders we have. The club for a long time has adopted a "one in, one out" policy and don't see why this would change. A new signing coming in who I assume will be earmarked as first choice means Zouma is a backup and if teams are interested in him for a good price I see no reason why we wouldn't consider selling him.

Don't know much about Gabriel but it appears he is highly rated. Whilst I wouldn't place it as an important reason to buy him, being left footed would help hopefully strike a better balance in the defence too.as it seems that everyone bar Tomori isn't comfortable with playing as the left sided centre back. Personally if we're going for a top young centre back, I'd be all over Upamecano who looks a serious talent from the games I've seen but what I've read and heard about Gabriel seems very promising and the price again doesn't seem to be ridiculous. I would assume the fall guy in this would be Zouma, especially if teams like Everton are after a centre back. I think we could sell him for a similar price (£30 - 40m) to what we're being quoted for Gabriel. I think with Zouma he's a good centre back but will never make a great centre back. I'd far rather trust having Zouma in my team for an extended run of games than other teams options like Lovren, Phil Jones, Mustafi, etc but I don't think he'll ever be a level to be a permanent first choice centre back for a side who's aspirations are top 4 and/or challenging for the title. With the keeper situation, I struggle to see a scenario where we can sell Kepa without making a substantial loss on him. I also don't see us bringing in a keeper to compete with him for big money unless there was an absolute steal available. I'd love to see if we could take advantage of Henderson's contract situation at United but I've a feeling United will give him a big raise and allow him to go back to Sheffield United for one more season on loan before coming back to replace De Gea. If Kepa remains and essentially is first choice by default, one player I think would be worth a look at next season is Ben Foster. His contract I believe is up so he'd be a free transfer and he would present a solid, experienced alternative to put a bit more pressure on Kepa. I think Lampard would have more confidence in him too than Caballero.

They will have to come to some form of decision in my opinion because I don't see this season resuming anytime soon, as the virus in this country is only going to get worse over the coming weeks. I can't see how it's possible to resume the season or have it still operating after June. Clubs, including ourselves, have players out of contract at that point who are under no obligation to continue playing for us beyond that point. We also have the Ziyech deal already in place so are we going to continue a season whilst the transfer window is open? I've heard some rumours that there's a rule in place that the final places stand if the league is 75% or more complete and cannot be finished. This would mean 29 games played which most have, but in some cases teams have only played 28 games. Whatever they decide to do, some teams will be affected in a negative manner and I believe with the amount of money riding on things, there will be legal battles to follow in some circumstances.

Typical that we finally start finding some home form, and our next home game now is over a month away.

For Troy Parrott at present, he has to be considering his future. Yes he's only just turned 18 years old and obviously has a lot to learn and develop but he has already been capped by the Republic of Ireland. If he can't get a game at present when Spurs have no fit first team strikers, and keeps hearing Jose Mourinho talk about no options in press conferences, you have to wonder if he'll ever get chances under him. He's not even making the bench in some games. Lampard has placed faith and belief in a player in a similar circumstance and is reaping the rewards whilst Spurs continue to falter.

Thought he played well tonight when he came on, and I think he's played very well in general since the winter break to be honest. I agree that those numbers in goals and assists need to improve but I think they will do in time.

Slightly off topic but available on BBC iPlayer at the moment is the full game of Chelsea vs Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round in 97. Anyone who is able to watch it, I'd fully recommend. The 2012 Champions League final aside, it's probably my favourite all time Chelsea game and the one game I can still remember as clear as day watching with my dad as a 10 year old. The football we played in the second half of that game was something else.