Superblue

Anyone know much about him? Is he an upgrade on Giroud and Batshuayi?

I think it's pretty safe to say we're fucked at left back whoever Lampard plays at the moment.

His best position has always been in a midfield two in my opinion. It's where he excelled at Leicester, and with us alongside Matic. I just think the style of play we're trying to implement doesn't suit his game. Those two teams were built to counter attack. It suited his attributes to win the ball back and help the team get up the pitch quickly. The last two seasons he's being expected to help build attacks, etc and it's not a strength of his. It is ironic that we were much better earlier in the season when we had even less options than we do now and key players such as Kante and Rudiger out. It was almost that the players then knew it was just up to them to win games. Now it seems like too many (and it seems to be different players each time, not just the same culprits) are almost waiting and expecting another player to pull something out of the bag and it's not happening enough, with the exception of perhaps Willian against Spurs and Jorginho against Arsenal. That is a mentality issue that needs correcting but it's nothing new. This has been our biggest issue for years with Hazard in the squad, others not prepared to take some responsibility themselves and just too easy to give the ball to the best player and hope he makes something happen.

So are you saying then that because the young players are better than you anticipated we should be doing better than fourth? I can understand Lampard not playing Bats much, he's not good enough. Tammy has been inconsistent recently but the drop off when Bats starts or comes on for him is clear. I'm all for getting a replacement for Bats and Giroud who is going to either challenge or be capable of playing alongside Tammy when the situation permits. I know that it's difficult to expect the likes of Giroud and Pedro to perform when they are given chances because they're not playing regularly but both have really looked their age this season and I think where Lampard wants the team to play and press with pace and energy the two simply don't fit into his plans. Maybe you're right with Giroud being an option to hold the ball up and take away the pressure when we're winning a tight game, but I guess then that comes down to Lampard deciding what is best to have on the bench - someone maybe better to defend a lead or someone maybe better to chase a goal. I don't think you can have both on the bench because they are both such one dimensional players, it takes away from the flexibility you can have with the other options on the bench.

But that is the whole point. You've just said yourself that you didn't think we'd be good enough for top 4 this season. A lot of people didn't so overall our season hasn't been anywhere near as bad as most are making it out to be. We've been inconsistently in and out of top 4 in recent seasons and last year we sneaked 3rd but lost our one world class attacking player whilst the teams who finished mere points behind us in United, Arsenal and Spurs all strengthened in the summer and had the added advantage of not changing managers. We've been inconsistent in the last couple of months but no different to all the teams mentioned above which is why we're ahead of them all. We are exactly where we should be and deserve to be at present which is challenging for top 4. Until we can strengthen a couple of areas and the younger players develop a little more, we're not going to be any higher or better off in the table.

I'm aware of that, the point I'm trying to make is a wider one. Tammy is similar to the likes of Mount, Tomori, Pulisic, though with inconsistency etc. He has had games recently where there's very little space and he's struggled. He has to learn to adapt to those situations and that comes with experience, but the problem is we have no viable alternative to him. Similarly we have no one that can play the role that Mount plays, with CHO struggling our options drop off after Pulisic and Willian, Zouma is the alternative to Tomori, etc. The squad just isn't strong enough at present to withstand when the first XI or 14/15 players in the squad aren't at it.

The problem is the lack of alternatives we have. Beyond about 14-15 players our squad is not great and there are a couple of areas in our strongest XI which are weaknesses to boot too. When Tammy has had a few games struggling, there isn't a good enough alternative off the bench or to start in front of him. When Mount has struggled, the obvious alternative to his position is RLC who's injured. Hudson Odoi is the 3rd choice winger and is struggling. Our options at present just aren't good enough. We're pretty lucky to be honest that some of these young players stepped up earlier in the season to put us in the position that we're in because I wouldn't envisage Giroud or Bats having scored the goals that Tammy has, or Tomori stepping in when the alternative was a Christensen and Zouma partnership which looked atrocious in the first games.

No cutting edge, we're just not clinical enough. The likes of City or Liverpool would get a couple of goals in periods where they are dominating, we simply don't. The problem was not getting a second in the first 20 minutes of the second half when we were on top. The move to bring Kovacic on seemed the right one to try and control the midfield and prevent them from dominating but it had the opposite effect. Kova, Kante and Jorginho were all pretty poor today.

There has to be a balance. You are right, there's no point having the world's best attack with the world's best defence. But what @Tomo is saying is that the likes of Pep and Klopp refused to buckle to their ideas and philosophy despite not having the personnel in place to maximise it at first. This is where somebody like Mourinho comes into his element as he'll adapt to his players to protect areas of the team that could be exposed. It's great as a short term fix and has won him countless trophies, but it's not a long term model and is why he struggles beyond a couple of seasons anywhere. Pep and Klopp have ensured that their philosophy is being worked on even when some of the players weren't the correct fit. When they've had the chance to bring players in to suit their style they've mostly hit a home run and have both had huge success since. I like what Lampard has been trying to do with the team. The early part of the season showed how impressive we looked offensively. For it to fully work however you need width, similar to Klopp's style. Teams have cottoned on that restricting space centrally forces us out wide where our full backs have no offensive threat. The quicker Reece James can be integrated into the team as first choice and show on his early promise, and we buy a left back in a similar mould, we'll be a huge threat because teams will be unable to simply force us wide as we'll have threats from all areas of the pitch when attacking.

Top priority has to be a left back in my opinion. Recent home games and again today just highlighted how one dimensional we can be when teams are defending deep. This isn't Lampard's fault, he's kicked us on from Sarri last season starting to have the lion's share of possession in most games but large parts in our own half or middle of the pitch, to now dominating both possession and territory. The problem we have with our personnel is that they all operate at their best centrally. Pulisic, Mount, CHO and Willian all like to drift inside where we already have the likes of Jorginho and Kovacic trying to operate. This would be fine if we had width from our full backs but we simply don't at present. Teams are defending deep and sending us wide and we don't have the players to damage teams here. Hopefully Reece James will tie up right back over the course of this season and kick on next with a year's experience, but we need someone on the other side so that we can stretch teams, get good quality into the box and overload teams then with our 3 or 4 attacking players. It would be great to get another attacking player into the side, but I don't see how things will change hugely without sorting out the width from our full backs. Unless we were able to bring in someone the equivalent of Hazard who could literally open up the tightest and deepest of defences with an absurd piece of magic.

I've no problem with us buying Ake and I think he has what it takes to be first choice centre back here, but we shouldn't be buying him to play left back. The versatility aspect is a blessing, and is part of the reason why I would want us to retain Azpi after this season as a squad player (capable of playing across the defence, back 4, back 5, etc). If he were to come in and due to circumstances, play left back and be a revelation then great as it solves a problem position. However his left back appearances throughout his career are somewhat limited and therefore I think a left back berth would at best be in a backup capacity. Chilwell even in the summer I think would be incredibly difficult to prise away from Leicester I feel. And to be honest for the numbers being talked about, I'm really unsure he's worth it. Alex Telles I think is the most interesting option given price, level of experience, stats (particularly offensively), etc. Two things though that do concern me a little regarding him is (1) difficult to assess just how good he is playing in a pretty poor league and (2) given his relatively low release clause, I'm surprised no one else seems to have been in for him. Is that perhaps saying something?

There's been some rumours for a while that if Boris was elected he'd sort out his visa, so it would make sense if said rumours are true. And with the uncertainty around Brexit hopefully coming to a close, it actually ties in nicely with Chelsea's official reasoning behind delaying the stadium (whether true or a smokescreen), to hopefully get the thing back up and running again.

I'm not really fussed who we buy at this stage I just hope we don't panic buy with a view to the short term and trying to get top 4 this season. I think the idea of being unable to attract players without Champions League football is a bit of a myth in all honesty. It perhaps applies to the very top tier of players but in the market below this which is where we would likely be shopping, I don't think it holds up nearly as much. But we are now paying the price for this short term outlook, with both players and coaches, for years putting a band-aid on the squad. It's fully justified with the trophies we have won through those times but it still doesn't change the suffering we have now. There are some big deficiencies within the squad at present, but I think it's easy to forget a lot of the positives earlier in the season with the younger members of the squad and the attacking swagger we had. A plan does seem to be trying to be implemented but we are very much in its infancy and everything needs time and patience. Ironically I was reading an article on Chelsea's academy recently and it discussed when Abramovich first came into the club the long term plans which were put into place with regards to youth recruitment, development, coaching, etc. It took a fair few years before that machine started to produce the goods at youth level and is only now that the first team is benefiting too. But a plan was laid out and stuck too. We need something similar at first team level. I believe that something is trying to be implemented with a much longer term view, but I just hope that the board and club don't make knee-jerk reactions like they have done historically which may get a reaction for this season but leaves us right back at square one again for next. If the right players are available in January then go and get them and hopefully they can contribute in both the short term and longer term. However if they're not, I'd rather we don't settle for lower and lesser targets on our list, and instead get through this season and bring the right players in the summer.

The key with a player like Werner is that he can also operate out wide in a three or possibly as a second striker to Tammy. It gives Lampard more flexibility and genuine options, but also then provides us with an alternative quality central striker if the other is unavailable or out of form. There are similarities between this and the late 00's/early 10's when we had Anelka and Drogba. Anelka was good enough to play on the right, but he was clearly best centrally. However (despite all the talk about his attitude) he was a very selfless player and sacrificed himself to play out wide in order to play. However at times when Drogba was unavailable he played as the main striker and was top drawer. At the time he was one of the very best backup strikers in world football (the one year Drogba struggled for fitness, Anelka finished the season top scorer in the whole league). Since that time we've struggled to get a similar blend in the squad. Torres was brought in essentially as the replacement for Drogba and got eaten alive. Then Costa came in and similarly to Drogba, dominated the central striking berth. Now Tammy is staking his claim to do the same. If we can get someone of that mould who will get a lot of games as they're versatile enough to play wide or centrally and more importantly would be a higher quality to simply a backup striker (like Bats and Giroud) then we'll be in a far stronger position.

How is beyond me. They've lauded about how great their stadium is and how they can place a camera on every fan in the stadium so I struggle to see how this is so difficult if their technology is as cutting edge as made out. Have they also found those throwing missiles? This seems to have been lost in the story too. We're hardly a club that can get on our high horse, but let's all be honest a club that refuses to criticise their fans and make any effort to prevent the word 'yid' being used are always going to have issues. If your fans are widely educated that one racial connotation is allowed, then of course some will view other forms as acceptable too.

Definitely something that needs to be considered. If people believe Sancho would just come in and Willian would be never seen from again they'd be mistaken. It's not a like for like change and in order to do this, there would likely need to be adjustments in other areas of the pitch namely behind them in midfield with either 3 in midfield, or a more defensive minded midfielder in to add protection, or if you play a back 5 then to have a more defensive wing back like Azpi as opposed to James. The role Willian plays in the team at the moment is largely overlooked because he doesn't put up great stats from an offensive perspective, but he maintains the whole balance of the team with his defensive abilities. You can't just replace that with an out and out attacking option and not expect to look more vulnerable defensively.

I see that Arsenal have been linked with Mertens for around £8-10m. I know he's not getting any younger but he may be a decent short term punt for ourselves. Adaptable to play across the front line, but also as the central striker when Tammy is unavailable or needs a rest. He'd be an instant upgrade on Batshuayi. Just seems quite a low risk investment compared to the figures being bandied around for the likes of Zaha. It would give us a boost with a quality player being added in January, but also leave us in a good position to pursue top targets in the summer who may not be attainable in January. Even if someone like Sancho was added in the summer, Mertens could still play a role next season too as an attacking option due to his versatility.

Did anyone else notice Tammy's reaction when the referee gave a free kick against Alonso on the penalty decision?

Some of the recent criticism of Mount is justifiable to a degree (although I feel a little over the top) but Lampard got it spot on yesterday and Mount showed just how important he can be for the club. Before the game I liked the idea of the 3-4-3 set up but would have preferred Pulisic or CHO today to be given licence to run at Aurier who looks like a more rash clone of Bosingwa. However it became clear as the game went on why Lampard picked the front 3 because they're the hardest working trio of attackers we've got and never stopped running the whole game, epitomised deep in injury time when Mount was busting a gut to offer a run for Batshuayi.

I'd like to think he's above that bracket because both failed to justify their price tags.

I know the whole landscape of football has changed since the Neymar move and the market is essentially completely broken, but I still feel for that price you should be buying someone who is maybe 23-24 years old with the perfect blend of experience and youth on their side and likely just going into their peak years. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Sancho and would love him here. I just feel he has more to prove to be considered that level. Having said that, I would have said the same about Mbappe when he left Monaco for such a crazy sum of money and look at how that has turned out. Sometimes I guess you have to take that gamble on some players because if they do reach the potential expected of them they could become amongst the world's very best. On Ake, I agree. I also believe he would be perfectly suited to playing in a back 3 too. Like some have pointed out I don't expect the back 3 to be an ever-present formation for us, but it should be noted that our two best performances in the league this season (Wolves and Spurs) have come with that formation. Having another player suited and versatile to play both a back 3 and 4 can only help us long term.

I'm a big fan of Sancho but I actually think £120m is a ridiculous amount to be having to pay. Having said that, if the alternative is Zaha and he's £80m then Sancho should be prioritised.

I've never before seen or heard of an interpretation of this clause as that. Otherwise every club would sell their players in that way. So Burnley sell a player with first refusal and 2-3 years later this player develops into a top drawer player and Barcelona or Real Madrid want him but he is 'forced' to rejoin Burnley because they've matched an offer from those two?! I'm pretty sure it would be illegal to force a player to move back once you've signed over their registration. That level of control would not be allowed. Similar to a buy-back clause. If we triggered Ake's that doesn't mean he has to move back if he wants to remain at Bournemouth. You'd never want to bring a player in anyway that doesn't want to join your club, especially for £120m. Now a decision between us and City is completely separate. City are obviously hugely attractive but it's hardly like we are some little club fighting a European heavyweight. There would be lots of reasons why Sancho would possibly choose us over City.

My understanding is that Club A makes an offer and if it is accepted then the club with the first refusal has the opportunity to match the offer first before the deal is signed off. However this is just to be able to negotiate with the player and doesn't mean he has to accept that offer. He could accept the offer from Club A. It just stops a deal under wraps being completed before there is any chance for Club B to react before the deal is done as the selling club have to keep them notified.

As far as I'm aware right of refusal is they have the right to match any other offers on the table and it would have to be accepted. But that doesn't mean Sancho can be forced to sign for them. He can choose one of the other options. There is absolutely no way it would be allowed for City to force him to sign for them if he doesn't want to. All it does is prevent a club and Dortmund keeping from blocking them out of the market for the player.