Superblue

I wouldn't be against this. Albiol is far from a world beater but the likelihood is that if Luiz leaves and Azpilicueta reverts back to full back, we probably need an extra centre back. We are still well stacked at the back with Rudiger, Christensen and Cahill too, and we need to be spending good money in other areas of the pitch so I'd rather be spending £5-6m on a squad signing then £30-40m like Savic would probably end up being. The other thing to consider is that if Sarri comes in, our style will change massively and as a result will take some time for adjustment. Having somebody come in who has worked with him and can be trusted for the short term makes sense. Especially as he demands his defenders play the ball out of pressure, having a player already drilled in this way will hopefully help the rest of the defence to adapt quicker.

Is he much improved, because the Savic at City was fucking terrible.

Atletico Madrid have an agreement in place for Thomas Lemar. And if we can get the Sporting boys on free transfers we should be all over that!

I'm sure if Chelsea have held key meetings with managerial prospects then transfer targets have also been discussed and are being worked on. A bit of calm is needed, i have faith the club will make the decisions needed and so long as the manager is sorted ready for the start of pre season i don't see the huge worry and problem.

With what has happened this season and Conte's attitude, that would be the worst possible outcome.

Sarri is now 1/4 in the betting market and blanc is next at 5/1. I know sarri was short previously but those odds are practically unbackable now which would suggest hopefully something is imminent.

Lyon have said they've pulled out of negotiations with Liverpool. I wonder if people are still gushing over their summer so far. Until everything is confirmed anything can happen. Just because Chelsea don't have any real concrete rumours on transfers doesn't mean they're not working on deals. We've always kept things well under wraps.

I thought he played pretty well for England tonight. He definitely has the technical ability and strikes me as a player who would raise his game alongside better players. He definitely looks an option in a midfield three, and based currently, I would much prefer him in our midfield over Bakayoko and Drinkwater. His fitness carries a bit of a question mark, but that is what a squad is for.

Being reported by BBC too.

Just for the sake of this forum, let's hope this is true.

Although we won the league, we didn't play in Europe, not even the Europa League so the accounts would have taken a hammering both in TV money and gate/merchandise revenue. 2017/18 I would expect to look far healthier, whilst 2018/19 will drop again without the Champions League but I don't think will drop as much as that year.

Really hoping that Madrid take a punt on Conte. He's starting to get linked with them a bit now. Can't help but feel if we manage to get Conte out without hefty compensation, we'll become more flexible negotiating with Sarri. It is a difficult waiting game for us fans, but can only trust the board have a plan and are laying the groundwork for things this summer, not just sitting around waiting for things to fall into place. This is a very important summer and they have to get it right. If saving £20m over the Conte and Sarri deals allows us more flexibility to buy our first choice targets for £50-60m, rather than second or third choice targets for £30-40m then it will be worth it, and hopefully also be a boost to the players already at the club such as Hazard and Courtois to commit their future too.

Just because someone is tall doesn't mean he is suddenly going to impose himself and physically dominate others in the midfield area. I would far rather my players be technically better and faster and fitter to get around the pitch than being big and strong. I never used to see anyone dominate Makelele or Essien in the midfield and I sure don't see anybody dominating Kante. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in heart, desire, speed and ability (is their a better ball winner in the world?)

Out of curiosity when does pre season start?

I don't see the need for Hysaj (or at least spending such a large sum of money on him) when we have Azpilicueta.

Very good point, although United and Liverpool could well be in similar boat losing their assistant managers. I guess you don't know until he's done something without him.

I'm not saying he's going to be the next manager, I'm questioning why people are so against it if it did happen. Media reports linking him, short odds in the betting market, availability have to suggest he's got a pretty reasonable chance though.

I agree. The intrigue of Sarri is difficult to turn down. But there are huge question marks over the squad we've got and whether they would be technically and tactically capable of replicating that style. I know transfers will happen in the summer, but again it depends how flexible the club is in the market to make such a drastic change. Blanc's style isn't as offensive and attractive as Sarri's but he will demand far better football, looking to get on the front foot and dominate possession than Conte has. His style would be more suited to the current squad we've got where things will change but not to the drastic point that Sarri would. A bit of a rebuild and reboot is necessary and for me, I would love someone to come in and (1) play better football. I'm not expecting Guardiola esque football but someone backing our team to go up against anybody and give them a game, whilst also looking to dominate the smaller teams and put them to the sword., and (2) start using our academy. Again I'm not expecting someone to come in and play young players for the sake of it, but someone to come in and continue aiding Christensen's development and blood a couple more more prominently into the first team squad. It will potentially save the club millions in the future needing to keep buying expensive squad players which reduces our ability to go out each summer and buy 2-3 top players rather than 4,5,6 players the level below. And similarly it will allow us to fill our homegrown quotas with our academy players rather than again spending big money on English players from other clubs like Drinkwater and allow our non-homegrown players to be the very best possible.

I do think Blanc ticks a lot of boxes. I'm not sure why there is an impression given off of him being boring. He was a very good player, very good technically (he actually played as an attacking midfielder in his early years averaging a goal every 3 games for Montpellier. It was only later into his career he became a centre back). He prefers 4-3-3 and sets his teams up to play football and backs them to play to their own strengths rather than worrying about the opposition. He has a track record of giving young players a chance and has won a lot of trophies. The biggest question mark over him is he has only managed in France but Conte and Sarri have both only managed in Italy and have been/would be just as risky appointments. I can't understand people would rather we stick with Conte. That would be a recipe for disaster. The club needs change, the players need someone to come in and implement a different style to freshen things up. People are banging the club for wanting a 'yes' man. I don't think they want a 'yes' man but they do want somebody who is going to get on with the job at hand, be professional and not lose focus. Conte simply hasn't done that this season and it's cost us.

I'm pretty sure anybody that sets up Chelsea in a more offensive manner would be preferred by Hazard and the other attacking players in our squad than our current set up. However, this surely is the same as Sarri. A manager under contract which will cost money to get him out of it. It just feels like the media are chucking everything in the hope one will stick. I personally think Chelsea have something in place, or are much further down the road with something than is being reported.

Ridiculous statement, we need a manager first and foremost. Will we carry on with a back 3 or revert to a back 4? Are we looking to play a possession based game or look to improve on a counter attacking style? Until a manager is in place with a blueprint of how they wish to set the team up, buying players is not possible. I'm sure some groundwork has been done on summer transfers and the manager situation needs to be clarified before this can go any further. I don't believe for one minute Conte had no say in transfers. He may not have got some of his first choice options and had the final say but he had an element of influence on proceedings.

If it is going to be Blanc and not Sarri then I still prefer this over keeping Conte. The club has seemingly been a powder keg all season waiting to explode. The relationship between Conte and the board seems irreparable to me. It's like two people who cheat on each other and get back together. The trust is gone. And we all saw last year an unmotivated Conte is no good for the club. I've said on a previous post, I would prefer Sarri but Blanc's CV holds up pretty well. It comes across as a boring option but it's actually probably a more sensible option. He comes from the old Barcelona school of playing after his time there. His team is built on dominating possession but a balanced approach to attacking and defending. I would liken it more to Poch and Spurs than Klopp and Liverpool. One thing to note is that even his Bordeaux team that won the league were the best team in France during his tenure for possession and other attacking stats. Sarri is the exciting option but there are big question marks over the squad makeup to execute his tactics from Napoli. Blanc would bring a more attacking style than Conte which would be pleasing but in a more considered way that would probably actually suit the squad. I'm still intrigued by Sarri like most are, but I wouldn't shit all over Blanc.

Haha very good.

Haha you really couldn't make it up. No day is a boring day at chels.

I have to agree with the disrespect shown to Conte. The criticism he has had this season has been fair in my opinion but we are acting just as unprofessionally as he has at times by finding a new manager whilst leaving him in limbo just in case our search doesn't work out.