Superblue

Completely depends on the reasons behind the request. If the transfer request is purely on the basis that he's adamant he wants to move specifically to Bayern Munich because that's where he sees his future then agree it will be difficult to convince him otherwise. But I think his request is down to forcing the issue with game time. You only have to look at his social media posts, interviews, etc to see he loves the club and enjoys playing for the club that he's been at his entire youth career. Being a main player for Chelsea I think is the first choice for him but playing football is main priority. Before the transfer request he hadn't been used enough by Sarri in the first half of the season. He should have been given games in the Europa and League Cups as well as the odd sub appearance in the league. However since December his game time has increased significantly and he is in the process of establishing himself within this squad. If Hazard leaves in the summer and the club go all in with him to take his place, ban or no ban, then I believe he would be happy to sign a new contract and stay here. It's all about opportunities to play and develop for him.

He's definitely ready to play more games and make a bigger impact, but I do think Sarri for the most part has used him the right way this season so far. It's important for him to keep getting opportunities moving forward and the first Premier League start should also be due now, but there are a lot of positives for his development so far for a lad who has only just turned 18 a couple of months ago. He should have been used more earlier in the season in the Europa League and League Cup games. I think not being given opportunities in those is a big reason for the drama in January over wanting to leave over lack of game time. The league minutes doesn't look great, but his overall game time recently has been pretty good. The league is always going to be the final step, now he's cut his teeth in the other competitions. I think the Everton game did say something about his role because it's easy to say let's chuck him in when we're 2-0 down, but Everton aren't a great team and only the week before were 2-0 ahead before losing. Getting a goal with another 10-15 minutes to go could have easily changed the complexion and momentum of the game and the far easier option for Sarri would have been to put Willian on but he put CHO on instead. Sarri needs to keep giving him games and I wouldn't be impressed if he isn't trusted in the Europa League games and doesn't start a couple of the Premier League games before the end of the season, as well as being involved in some way in the majority of them. But with the hope of the football he will still play until the end of the season, I think his development and game time can be looked at overall as a positive this season and puts him in real good stead to force himself as first choice next season if, as expected, Hazard leaves. That opportunity next season is potentially huge with us banned from buying players. And this is far from a support post for Sarri as I'm fed up and bewildered at a lot of his tactics and behaviour and believe it would be for the best to part ways.

There will be even more clamour for him to play more regularly now but hopefully sane minds will realise that his development this season has been very good and to be called up to the England side a couple of months after your 18th birthday having been playing for a top 6 club is very good going. With hazard almost certainly out the door in the summer the opportunity is there for CHO to replace him and cement a first choice place.

I haven't said top level doesn't matter. I've said that squad players don't need to be top level. No club in the world has a squad full of top level players. But you do need some players who are experienced and reliable professionals who will look after themselves and come in to do a job when called upon and Azpi strikes me as that sort of person. There are plenty of players who have played into their 30's at big clubs and won trophies. Ivanovic and Ashley Cole did for us. Gary Neville, Evra, Valencia, Lahm. Are they on the decline? Yes, but they are still capable of doing a job for their club. If Reece James for example came in and either shared workload next season with Azpi or developed to a level to be first choice and Azpi as backup then I would be very happy with Azpi being a reliable, 'servicable' and versatile squad player. I'll put it to you as such - Reece James comes in and plays well and becomes first choice. Towards the end of the season we're in a cup semi or final, or a big game in the league and he's injured. Would you rather Azpi to come in and fill in for him who you know is defensively and tactically reliable or Zappacosta who might be better attacking (which I actually think is even up for debate) but defends worse than most wingers? They're the only choices we have if we're stuck, as likely, with this transfer ban. Or, say Reece James comes back and struggles. Would you be more comfortable with Azpi in the team for a period or Zappacosta? I want the rebuilding to start this summer with or without this ban, but we can't just sell half the squad and hope for the best. Players already on the periphery like Zappacosta can be sold because they haven't been good enough since they arrived and their game time could be given to someone else like Reece James who would also then hopefully start chipping away at Azpi's game time too until he's first choice. But I think completely selling Azpi would be a big mistake. We're not going to get big money for him this summer. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't much difference in transfer fees we could get for Azpi and Zappacosta. And on that basis you sell the worst of the two which is Zappacosta and in my eyes there's no argument to that.

The worry is that many of our first team players are performing so poorly at present, the hype for our youngsters coming in and being blooded during the ban could reach fever pitch and we'll end up with people expecting Reece James to come in and play like Cafu. He has huge upside but he is also still very young and very raw, with a number of things to improve on. But he needs the experience and we need to freshen up our squad and options. If he and some others were given the right platform and manager for a season, I think we would come out the other side far better for it with potentially 3 or 4 players proving good enough for this Chelsea squad, possibly the team to be added to Christensen, RLC and CHO. One step backwards could lead to two or three steps forwards. It just depends if the board are prepared to take that step backwards.

I'm not expecting him to be world class. Your point may be valid with regards to the absolute top level, but a number of full backs are still good, reliable and serviceable at that age even if they are no longer in their prime. Azpilicueta 5 years ago would still have had limitations offensively if we had played in a way which needed him for width so nothing really is new there. I think a fresh Azpi who isn't slogged to death in the right circumstances can still be important, especially when needing to see games out. He needs phasing out, but I don't think he needs bombing out.

He's definitely not had a good season. He shouldn't be rapidly declining at 30 years old, this isn't 20-30 years ago. The number of games I think is more likely having a negative impact on him and he's also been shunted around his entire Chelsea career to suit the needs of each manager. I've already mentioned on a few posts here that I would love the club to take a chance next season on Reece James. He has all the attributes of the archetypal modern day full back, and I believe he would thrive if given the opportunity here. However Azpilicueta is one of the players I definitely wouldn't discard entirely. For one his versatility is priceless. He's played across the entire back line for the club throughout his career and can still fill in those spots still. Also, with the likes of Hazard, Cahill and Luiz potentially on their way out he is one of the few left who played at Chelsea with the old guard. He saw first hand how influential and important the likes of Cech, Cole, Terry, Lampard, Drogba all were not just on the pitch but behind the scenes in the dressing room. He can still play an important role off the pitch following their roles and offering vital experience, especially if the club were to finally put some trust in our youth.

The club needs a complete rebuild/reboot. If, as looking likely, we fail to make the top 4 again this season then that will be 2 years in a row with pretty much the same squad. Even with a transfer ban, how does the board seriously think we'll make the top 4 next season with the same group of players a year older? For me, next season would be perfect for a young bright manager to come in under far less pressure than previous managers here have been under and freshen up the squad with younger players. We are not going to suddenly be fighting relegation (to be honest I'd be surprised without significant investment and some luck if anybody knocked us out of the top 6), but lets freshen up what is looking an old, stale side lacking pace and ideas. Put some of these young talents we have in a squad and with a manager which shows trust and faith in them and see if they are as good as the hype. If they're not then the following summer we can look to rebuilt the squad through the transfer market which we will be doing anyway if we try and do the same shit next season we're doing this one. But you never know we could find 2 or 3 players good enough to play and grow with the Chelsea squad, maybe more. And then suddenly summer 2020 we could be set up with a much younger vibrant group which needs 2 or 3 top players to be added to rather than 6 or 7 (which won't go well, it'll be like summer 2017 all over again).

You'd think we were 2-0 up how casual and laboured our build up play is.

Why in the clubs eyes are they the only options? I'm not saying he's good enough because I haven't seen anything really of him but we have a transfer ban looming and Cahill and Luiz potentially out the door. It would be silly for a number of players like him not to be given some time in pre season under the eye of Sarri or whoever the manager might be to decide if theres any use for them. It just seems our loan players are automatically dismissed and people wonder why none ever make it at the club.

I guess the positive would be that we're not completely prevented from technically buying in the window. So if there is a player we really like, say for example Jovic we could feasibly still strike a deal for the following season. For players such as Jovic and Barella who play for smaller clubs it might actually give us a potential edge by giving their clubs an extra season with the player.

Completely agree. I do think that Tammy has shown this season that in such a circumstance he should be given an opportunity next season within the first team squad. His record in the Championship is excellent and its difficult to judge him on last season at Swansea because they were one of the most un-creative teams in recent year when Sigurdsson left them. He has some flaws and would still be raw at that level but he does know where the back of the net is and could score a few goals for us given the chance. No guarantees, but as we've experienced with many strikers over the years there's no guarantee a new £40-50m+ striker would settle , adapt to the league and be more effective. The other alternative would be Sarri using one of the attacking midfielders like he did when he converted Mertens. Hazard can work against the top teams, but I don't like him playing there against anybody else as it wastes his talents. There's also no guarantee he stays. Is it possible with some time in pre season that Sarri could go that route? I actually think with a bit of time and patience that CHO could potentially adapt into that position if we were that unsure of our other options. That would however depend on either or both of Hazard staying and/or Pulisic hitting the ground running otherwise we'd be then looking thin in our midfield options suddenly.

Completely agree it's not good enough but this is the argument for why Chelsea use the loan system. If somebody like Mount was relied upon to be in our first team and started struggling like that he would be shipped out or replaced at the first opportunity and likely not trusted again. It is partly why I agree to an extent with Sarri not just throwing Hudson-Odoi into the fire and is instead taking time and patience (although his contract position makes this stance far more difficult to accept at present). The loan plan isn't the issue, the problem is that the loan system to the first team is not working. The only couple that seem to be breaking that are Christensen and RLC and even they're not first choice at present (Courtois did too but I think he was a special case going straight in as first choice at a club on a similar level to us, he was always guaranteed to come back as an important player). This presents the opportunity to finally make it work. The club cannot continue relying on the transfer market to both bail us out and build the team (we're no longer top dogs like we once were and the market in general now is beyond crazy). Nor can we rely on simply building a new team entirely with youth and academy players. It needs the blend and mix of both and if we can get that right with cherry picking the best young players like Christensen, RLC and CHO to phase into our first team and buy key players around them we'll be successful. This seems a perfect opportunity to finally get some trust into delivering on the youth side of that equation.

His form has declined but I don't think he was ever going to keep it going all season. He has had some injuries too, and Derby's form as a whole has suffered. He'll be all the better for this season and it shouldn't be forgotten just how good a season he also had at Vitesse. He will need to get used to Premier League football, but he wouldn't be coming in as first choice and as a result he should be given the opportunity to adapt without being "thrown in". There is a reasonable and genuine argument that we have the best youngsters in their respective positions in the Championship (certainly amongst the top 2 or 3) in Reece James, Tomori, Mount and Abraham. If we don't give these players the platform to see if they can progress to the Premier League then somebody else will.

Personally I think these should be the least of our worries. Yes next season our depth in our squad may look on the thin side but that is only because we may need to rely on some younger players to provide the depth and until we show that faith and trust in them we'll never know if they're good enough. However our first choice options in those areas I don't see as a downgrade. Kovacic already shares duties with Barkley as it is. Barkley has some flaws and still needs work tactically, but he has played far better and given a much better contribution than I expected of him last summer (was already prepared to write him off). As well as this, RLC deserves more opportunities and would be prepared to get them. Similarly Christensen is a good enough player to take Luiz's place in the first team for the long term. If it means the likes of Mount, Ampadu and Tomori being next in line in the squad next season then so be it. If they're not going to be given those opportunities now then they'll never be given them. I'd still be inclined to let players such as Cahill leave at the end of their contracts and move on the likes of Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Bakayoko and Morata and promote in mass because they won't be pushed straight into the side as first choices. The biggest worry for me is striker. Higuain won't be able to stay, Morata won't want to come back so we will be left with a choice of Batshuayi, Giroud and Abraham unless one of the attacking midfielders could be seen as an option there. I actually think CHO could potentially do a job in that position if the movement is fluent enough. However we'd have to rely on either two strikers who have already shown at Chelsea they aren't good enough to be first choice, or take the punt on Tammy.

In usual circumstances I would actually say Sarri has done a pretty good job with CHO this year. He's protected him but still given him some gametime and experience. He mentioned in a recent interview that 20 games this season should become 30 the next and 40 the year after. I agree with this, and by the time CHO is 20 he would be sat on about 100 appearances and primed to be number one in his position at the club. However due to his contract position and the hype over Jadon Sancho and English players playing in Germany, we can't afford to be as conservative and Sarri needs to give him at least 4 or 5 starts and the same in sub appearances between now and the end of the season. I still believe the best option is to keep him next season too and still prove to him he can make it here because I believe if he sees the pathway here to be first choice, staying here would be his preferred option.

I could be wrong but I don't think it works like this as the loan is a temporary registration for a set period of time. I would expect a new loan or permanent transfer would amount to a new registration being required.

I'd be amazed if they did do this because they are essentially then suggesting the appeal will fail. If Chelsea served a ban and then were found innocent and cleared I would expect there to be a huge legal suit against fifa which they will not want to get drawn into.

I think if RLC had remained injury free over the winter he may well have established himself as first choice already in that midfield. If he stays fit I think he may have by seasons end and next season could be a real big one for him. I think even with the ban that Morata won't come back. Atletico have an option to buy him and if he continues to play well for him I don't see any reason why they won't go ahead and buy him permanently. I agree with Tammy but I think he has done enough to earn an opportunity. I'm not for one minute saying he is or could be as good as them, but I believe his goalscoring record in academy football was much better than Rashford and his loan spells at Bristol City and Aston Villa have been superb compared with someone like Harry Kane who hardly pulled up trees until Spurs gave him a chance. A season with a genuine chance at the club would soon see if he has what it takes. He may not be good enough to become first choice but may prove to be a very good second choice striker for the club. At the moment we need two new long term striking options, not just one.

I'm actually pretty calm about this. If the club hold their nerve and don't give in to giving longer term contracts to our older players, it forces us to give chances to some younger players and take a bit longer term approach. The year before Roman we were only able to buy in De Lucas (who was a bang average squad player) on a free transfer as we had no money available and we went from 6th to 4th that season when expected to start falling apart. It provided time and patience to help the likes of Terry, Gallas, Lampard and Gudjohnsen to develop further and establish themselves. That season in particular Lampard grew into his role. We have players in a similar position at present (Kepa, Christensen, RLC, Barkley, CHO) not to mention all the players out on loan. Some players such as Christensen and RLC will be given a proper chance to establish themselves as first choice, and our squad can be freshened up still with 3 or 4 younger players out on loan coming back in. There will still be a couple of holes in the team but we can finally see if some of these players are good enough to step up. If they prove to be, then we'll come out of this in a phenomenal position and potentially only need to look at adding 2 or 3 world class players around what we already have. We're not title challengers at present, and if we have a season of not being able to buy anyone then the club can get by with a season without Champions League football if we had to take a step back to make steps forward in the future. Striker is the big question mark if Higuain leaves but it would present a huge opportunity for Abraham and possibly bring Bats back from the wilderness. Both have limitations but both are goalscorers. Just for argument sake (and assuming Hazard were to leave still in the summer. If he stays its a huge bonus): Kepa Azpi/James, Rudiger, Christensen, Emerson/Alonso Jorginho Kante, RLC/Barkley Pulisic, Bats/Abraham, CHO That team is hardly going to get relegated and is still stronger than the rest of the league below the top 6. If the likes of Christensen, RLC, James, CHO, Abraham had breakout seasons we could be looking the following season at only needing to upgrade and tweak a couple of areas of the team to make a title challenge. Not to mention I believe once one or two really establish themselves out of our academy, I believe more will start to follow.

His job is to score goals and put the lesser sides to the sword which we've struggled to do a lot of the season. Not concerned with United and liverpool games, if he can help us win the other 8 games I think that would be enough for top 4. Hes no longer at his peak but is such a huge upgrade and boost still on morata.

The problem with Morata was mental fragility which is something he cant be taught. Unfortunately if he doesn't have the motivation and desire to succeed at Chelsea and in England it becomes a pointless exercise.

Like Bakayoko, we've all seen that he simply doesn't fit here but hopefully continues to play well and score goals at Atletico as it means maximising our returns on a big money signing that failed to impress here.

Agree the one difference in circumstances where I hope it isn't a false dawn however is that the last two games have shown some promise that Sarri is prepared to compromise at times to get the result over the performance (something I feel AVB never showed). Hopefully the tide is turning and his stubborn nature is eroding a little. He must know that this season for him is a matter of survival. If he can survive and oversee what could be a very busy summer for the club if the ban is deferred, he has an opportunity to bring in a few more players more suited to his style for next season to push on. I couldn't see a way back for him personally before the cup final, but the last two games have given me some renewed hope that he can still be a success here.

Not a vintage performance tonight but very pleased to see some fight and character on show, particularly after the disappointing and tiring way we lost at the weekend. There definitely needs to be an improvement in the attacking sense, but the last two games we have been far more solid and some credit is due for Sarri with regards to that seemingly learning from mistakes past. The run of games now is favourable and hopefully will help us build some confidence and consistency to our game. A personal highlight tonight also was watching Jenas squirm and frown after the game. Might as well have taken his mic off and ran into a corner crying.