Superblue

Azpilicueta is first choice for marseille so he too would want first team football. However we have to consider the club will play around 60 games this season, and the facts that brana may have to fill in at centre back sometimes, that any RB that joins should get at least 30 games. I am actually not one of these against van der wiel but i wouldn't mind debuchy, he's a very accomplished full back. Telegraph has linked us with Piszczek from Dortmund aswell.

You're suggesting second rate players, some of which aren't even in their natural position out on the wing. Ever since the breakup of Robben, Duff, Joe Cole, SWP we have been left with playing players out of position on the right hand side. I'm not saying players haven't done a job - Anelka did an admirable job, Sturridge started brightly and Ramires was excellent there as a defensive counter attacking option but none of them are natural. Hulk is a natural RW, and taking out the price element for a few seconds, he is the best RW realistically available on the open market this summer. Now I agree if it comes to a breaking point in negotiations with Porto then we have to stand back, but if that is the case then we need to still buy a RW of genuine quality and unfortunately I don't see it on your list. And come to think of it, I can't think of hardly any, which makes this Hulk deal all the more important.

Agreed but he's a confidence based striker and is at his best when playing on instinct as opposed to thinking too hard. Naturally when you are not confident you think more because you don't want to cock up, but this makes things worse. The movement is excellent, the Spain match showed that. We also saw what he could play like when he did have confidence, but ultimately he was never going to usurp Drogba as the main striker. I do believe that Chelsea will get a better Fernando Torres next season when he knows he's number one. Personally with the other potential attacking threats we have alongside him/are hopefully going to buy, I will be delighted if he gets somewhere in the region of 15-20 goals in the league and 20-25 in all competitions next season. He doesn't need to score 30-40 goals because we have goals in other players within our squad, and I wouldn't want the club to become too reliant on one player á la van Persie and Arsenal.

Agreed. Hopefully there will be a clause if he wins any of the major trophies that keeps him effectively bullet proof. I can also remember the praise he received for how West Brom played football. I believe he will slowly go about improving Chelsea's style, particularly with a full pre season and summer transfer window to make the most of. There are reports I have read that Guardiola is interested in a move to Shakhtar apparently next summer. With a bit of luck he'll decide the job isn't for him, and Di Matteo will be given the opportunity to build a new dynasty at the club.

Aren't psg seeded in the 4th pot for next seasons champions league?? Drawing them as the 'weak' team in our group would be a fucking nightmare! They might not win it but i can see them being a bit like napoli - capable of doing a job on the big teams. I can envisage us getting drawn in a 'group of death' as punishment for the luck we got this year.

Agree with the general consensus - 2004/05 through to 2006/07 were stellar seasons, as was 2009/10 but the expectations were always there. This season was definately the most satisfying, a fairytale against all odds journey that took me through a number of emotions i never thought i had! I think the feeling after drogba's penalty is also one i have never had, and never will have ever again.

I went to the 1997 FA Cup final with my dad. I was 10 at the time and the people in front of me kept standing up and blocking my view. When Di Matteo broke through the middle they all stood up, and by the time I had stood on my chair to see the ball was nestling in the back of the net I was at the 2000 FA Cup final aswell when Di Matteo's goal beat Villa. Unbelievable memories. What a legend. (That Arsenal goal was fucking amazing!)

Firstly he deserves a chance. The whole club would look ungrateful brats if we were to let him go having finally won us the big one. But secondly, something I have made a point of a few times is that when a player or manager represents 'their' club they are always willing to go that extra mile and find that extra 10% to get a result. Barcelona is Guardiola's club, and it would be interesting to see how he adapts to managing a club which isn't Barcelona - I would be worried to take that risk with it being us. Chelsea is Di Matteo's club. It's where he served the best years of his career, won trophies, and already had massive report with the fans before his success as manager. Coupled with Eddie Newton alongside him, they are prepared to go that extra mile for the club. He may be our answer to Guardiola, and I hope he gets a proper chance to do just that.

I think you'll find Hulk has started the last few matches for Brazil and is starting to prove himself as a first choice. And anyway this is the same Brazil that can't even find a place for Ramires in their squad, let alone the first team, and I don't think he has done too shabby for us!

Modric - we've already fucked them in the arse taking the Champions League place, so I don't want to make it easy for that twat Levy by giving them £30m+. Walcott - So overrated. Anyone from Liverpool - Our new feeder club haven't done us too proud yet! Anyone but Robbie Di Matteo for manager - Robbie deserves a chance, even if it's only a season.

Barcelona the so called greatest club side ever that is supposed to strike fear into eveery opponent. How embarrassing it must be for them then that we are the side they dread drawing in the Champions League and have psychological problems trying to overcome us, whilst we simply see them as a glorified Tottenham

I would highly doubt with the likes of Hazard, Mata, Hulk (hopefully), Marin, Torres, Sturridge and still Lampard chipping in with a few goals that we would be too worried about whether Martinez can score a boat load of goals or not.

If £110k pw is gross then the post tax wage won't be as high as £170k as paye and nic is factored into the gross wage. There would be employers nic but this is capped at 13.8%.

My understanding is that lampard is on £150k pw while terry was on £130k. Terry's contract got upgraded to £160k but he wanted the highest earner clause which chelsea weren't prepared to give him but they agreed to in the end because city would have paid him the earth. So when torres joined on circa £175k terry joined him. Thats one of the reasons i find it hard to believe hazard is on £200k pw

Yeah and i'm pretty sure it's what held up new contract negotiations when city were courting him. I love terry but there's no way we should have caved into that. Roy keane got the same at united years ago and it caused a big problem when he started on the wane and united needed to pay younger more important players better wages.

Javi martinez would be my pick aswell if we are buying a midfielder. Defensively minded but sn excellent passer - he has been strongly compared with alonso and pirlo. And he can play centre back if required - i like versatile players!

It might sound stupid basing assumptions on a game but I've always based my understanding of player wages on Football Manager. Their attention to detail is excellent to the point where some clubs use the game as part of their initial scouting of players (true!), therefore I would confidently think they are pretty close. On that basis - Terry and Torres - £175k (I think Terry has clause in his contract to match highest earner at club, hence why his was upgraded when Torres joined) Lampard - £150k A Cole - £120k Drogba - £100k Cech - £90k (although has just signed new contract) Mata - £60k I'm interested to see what FM gives as Hazard's wages next season. I think it will be about £110k pw. The £200k seems so far fetched!

The history thing pisses me off the most with Scousers, and it's why I have no respect for them. Although I don't like Arsenal and United I respect them, but I fucking hate Liverpool and their arrogance. Before a golden period in the 70's and 80's their history was very average. That is exactly what Chelsea are doing now. We are enjoying our most successful period in our history and adding heaps of trophies. What is more we are doing it in a much more competitive environment, both domestically and on the continent. All these Liverpool fans banging on about their history, but in my opinion history means fuck all if you weren't alive to witness it. I would much rather a less successful club in terms of history but winning things in the present. And what Liverpool fans are quick to forget is we won a european trophy before them so they can fuck off!!!

I hope what Hazard says about 'the project' is true and we are going to have an exciting summer because I'm really going to miss Drogba!!!

His performance away at barca was also undervalued in the press. He actually played more centrally in the defence to help out and control bosingwa, hence why drogba dropped further back until he stayed at left back. Ashley cole marshalled the most makeshift defence in champions league semi final history against the best attacking team in the world with our 4th choice CB and two full backs in the centre and a midfielder and striker as our full backs. He needs to be rested more often next season like at the back end of the season because it not only keeps him fresh but also goves bertrand chances. However he remains easily the best LB in the world. And regardless if he came from the scummy neighbours, i love him here and he's definately a converted chelsea boy!

No willian was a top choice when we were europa league bound. Now we're in the champions league, as holders, we must go for top class. Hulk will be a fucking beast for chelsea on and off the field i have a great feeling about him!

Lampard's reaction was very similar to Ashley Cole's when Drogba scored. The slow motion picture of Lamps sliding down to his knees with arms pumping the sky, screaming out every ounce of pure adrenaline he had left inside his body will, for me, go down as one of THE iconic pictures in Chelsea history. I can just see myself looking at that in 40 years time and smiling. Anyone willing to make me a sig of it, or point me in the direction of one already made, perhaps with one of the slogans from the game, would get some serious rep!

And the knock on effect this creates is the player now has vital big game experience (there is no bigger game apart from perhaps the world cup final), and the confidence in the player from the club and the fans grows. But the important aspect is that Bertrand has played over 100 first team games and it is this experience that has helped him mature and develop to get him where he is today. He isn't likely to be first choice LB until he's 25. But he still has at least 6 or 7 years at the top level and it would be playing for one of the world's best teams. This is as opposed to leaving us at an early age and only managing to get upto a sub standard level that never realises their potential...somewhere like Liverpool