Superblue

There's a real argument that the success of Roman's tenure could and should have been even greater. We don't need to be the biggest spenders to compete, we've been crying out for changes in strategies behind the scenes, particularly regarding recruitment and squad building. Let's see what the new ownership put in place. Probably worded that a bit too dramatically and meant more with regards to his standing amongst Chelsea fans, than necessarily his ownership on the line. Having said that he's not majority owner so there will be pressure within the board room and consortium for him to get things right.

I disagree. I think with the stipulations in place regarding future investment into the club and their inability to profit from the club for the next decade, prevents the idea of early returns. With a £4bn takeover, they won't get return on investment by the club paying out £10-20m a year in dividends. They'll get the return on investment down the line by building the value of the club up and eventually selling all or some of their shares. They will definitely want to do things differently to Roman and I've no doubt in my mind that the club will move into a more American model with regards to how it's brand is marketed. There will be internal changes in the board room and structurally which may mean the club has to take a step backwards before moving forwards but ultimately if the club doesn't continue to remain competitive and successful the value of their investment will diminish. Ultimately we're not going to know right now what is in store for us in the next 5,10, 20 years but I like the owner. He comes across very well, and he's an astute businessman but his prior dealings with sports teams in America have also centred on winning. He seems like he's got the balls to front the whole thing up and take over the reigns from the old establishment of Buck and Marina when it probably would have been easier for the next 6 - 12 months to let them carry on and smooth a transition. His neck is on the line this summer and I'm pretty sure he and the club will do the upmost to ensure the new ownership doesn't get off to a bad start.

Open it, reload the page but stop the reload before it goes through and you'll pass through the paywall. It's a rehash though to save your time.

It's crazy to think that in this day and age, it doesn't take much to reach that £200m.

I would agree with this. I don't think it takes too long in sport to build the foundations of a brand name if the club is successful and I would argue that our name and standing around the world is now above Arsenal and sitting comfortable in third behind Liverpool and United for English teams. However it does take longer to build that 'hardcore' fanbase and it is very likely that Arsenal still hold a more hardcore fanbase currently than us which as you said will likely spend more money on the club. I think Arsenal are in danger of losing that position if they don't start showing more success on the pitch, and there's an argument that Chelsea will be building that 'hardcore' fanbase right now. Unless you have family links, most children are drawn to the more successful sides and over the last 15-20 years that is what Chelsea will be looking to build. Draw those new football fans in who in time will be the ones more likely to spend money on the club. As I don't live anywhere near London and grew up in the 90's I was the only Chelsea supporter in my class at school but I know this is no longer the case with my kids going to school now. The new ownership have bought us at the top and had to spend in order to do so. They won't be looking to just watch this investment slide into obscurity. The returns they'll see on the club aren't through milking a few million out of the club each year. It's why they had no problems agreeing to not draw money from the club for the next 10 years. They'll see their investment in 10, 15, 20 years time when the club is hopefully worth a multiple of what they paid. Whether they can do that or not, we'll see but they're obviously confident that they can make good money from their investment, and sustaining success within the club is going to be incredibly important to ensuring that happens.

There's talk that Juventus might take €70-80m in the knowledge that he won't be extending as next summer they'll struggle to get more than €40-50m. If Sevilla are valuing Kounde at €60-70m, I think De Ligt is the better option on paper, because I think it opens up doors to possibly only needing to bring one centre back in this summer. Kounde I cannot see playing anywhere but RCB but I think with De Ligt he would be capable and comfortable playing across the backline. We need someone that can reliably rotate this season with Silva in the middle which I think he can do, and I think he would be earmarked as Silva's long term replacement (assuming we carry on with a back 3). He would likely come in as first choice LCB initially but could rotate there with Colwill. I'd have no issues to be honest going into next season with Chalobah as the starting RCB so long as he continues to develop. It says something that Tuchel started him in both finals against Liverpool and he performed well in both games. If we also buy Clauss who we're linked with we also then have a genuine RWB option to rotate with Reece which allows him to fill in at RCB in some games too. I also still wouldn't be surprised to see us play hardball and keep Azpi too in a utility role. His experience could still be crucial next year as when Silva doesn't play, that backline becomes extremely young. As I've mentioned before it's not about getting signings in this summer, it's getting the right ones. If De Ligt is Tuchel's preferred signing at the back but he's a bit more expensive but a deal can still be done, then make it. Especially if Tuchel is then comfortable with finding solutions in other positions possibly in house. I'd rather one top signing and an academy prospect over two mid signings. And who knows, if Tuchel has to show some reliance next season on Chalobah and Colwill he might end up pleasantly surprised and the club suddenly isn't as desperate for defensive signings anymore.

Also realistically you'd think if the issue was that big, Boehly very easily could have walked away from the deal.

Sounds more like something has been treated incorrectly for tax purposes as opposed specifically for FFP. I think according to the reports, Boehly kept £100m of the purchase price aside because there were a couple of issues found with the finances/taxes owed but the expectation is these issues are a fraction of the £100m currently withheld. I think certainly if the club have informed HMRC and the FA regarding this, I don't see it being a massive issue if it's been declared and any tax owing is paid up. It would be far more problematic if something was picked up first by HMRC or the FA in our finances.

One thing about Gnabry is whilst he's not slow, he isn't a pace merchant relying on raw pace and high lines. His movement and technical ability, especially in tight spaces are very strong. Put it this way, I love Timo's attitude but if the option was there to swap him for Gnabry, I'd take that punt every day.

If Lewa leaves this summer, I do think Nagelsmann would fancy a reunion with Werner. Just depends if the Bayern board back him or decide on an alternative target. Perhaps opens up the possibility of swapping Werner for Gnabry??

It would be interesting to see whether the Chelsea board are prepared to wait for him. I've referenced previously that the club should only take top targets in the transfer market and if a top target isn't available this summer then wait for them. If Edwards is the man they want but he wants a break could the club make do now and perhaps look at bringing him in after the World Cup with a view towards looking at next summer? It's almost certain that the club will have to operate without a sporting director this summer, so would it pose issues if that role was left vacant for a few extra months once the season has started if it means the club getting their number one target?

The TV revenue distribution is correct in my opinion. Yes the top 4 - 6 teams are what drive the revenues but you still need the other 14 teams to make the league and its competitive nature is definitely a selling point in the marketability and brand. It is also vitally important for the whole football pyramid that these revenues trickle down. There is certainly an argument on possibly a greater share or greater disparity in payments for league finish, but the overall TV distribution should remain equal. The parachute payments however I don't agree with as it does create yo-yo teams and disproportionate quality in the Championship. In my opinion it should be a mandatory requirement for clubs to have written into player contracts both wage cuts as a result of relegation (25-50%) and reasonable relegation release clauses. If a club has failed in the Premier League it should be their responsibility to restructure their club in the Championship, not be given a chance to retain the bulk of their team to have a crack at getting straight back up.

It's not hate, it's a general dislike from fans that buying him has brought with it (and this is in no way a dig to the American's on this forum) a fan following of people that either have no real interest in Chelsea but an interest in Pulisic/USMNT, or no real great interest in football but an interest in Pulisic because he's the most identifiable American playing soccer. There's too many people that see him put a top performance in against Haiti or the Solomon Islands and think he must be the greatest player in the history of the sport. Even people you'd expect to have a shred of knowledge or understanding like ex footballers seem to hype him like he's too good for Chelsea. He can't help this and I'm sure would rather not have it, but it's infuriating when you see countless streams of Pulisic fan boys on social media question why he isn't playing, or excuse his form because Tuchel apparently plays him wing back every game. He is what most of our attackers are, on his day fantastic but most days forgettable. For me beyond Mount and Havertz, all of our attackers are dispensable but there are others I think I would sell before him. (like you mentioned with Ziyech for example) He has shown what he is capable of doing but that is now 2 years ago. He has to become more consistent and decisive. He definitely needs to sign a new deal though this summer or be sold. We can't go into the last 12/18 months of his deal.

I think if we were going to do this then the obvious candidate becomes Cech given he already has some board experience and from what I understand, some aspects of his role entail what a sporting director would usually do. My understanding with the likes of Werner and Havertz was that Cech and Lampard did a very good job selling the club passionately, which shouldn't be a charade to them. It's essentially 'their' club. Whether you can rely on an ex player to fulfil such an important role with limited or no experience I think could be a bit of a risk. However you are right I think a number of clubs on the continent excel in maximising legends of the club is administrative and/or representative capacities. The likes of Bayern and Ajax have always done this well.

I'm getting the feeling that Kounde could well not happen. The links with him have been obvious given the failed attempt for him last summer, but nothing has moved with it and now there have been a lot of links to Barca with him. I wonder if Tuchel is being given more free reign over targets whether he has more preferred options and the deal has run cold.

Not everything will go smoothly, but I'm genuinely looking forward to the next chapter in our club. It's clear that there are a lot of things that could be done far more efficiently at the club and still keep us challenging for trophies, and I'm confident that Boehly, in time, will put things in place to make that happen. I like the idea of the manager being backed not just with resources, but with time and patience. I believe that of all the managers we've had during Roman's era at the club, Tuchel is probably the one that you'd want coming into this position. He's already built a rapport and bond with the fans (even more incredible considering he replaced Lamps), and won some trophies to prove his credibility as a coach. The last few months have also really shown the man, taking the club on his back and representing us through such trying times. He never bitched and moaned, he didn't bail out on the situation. This whole situation kind of feels like a reward to him for what he had to put up with last season. He has to make it work, it's pointless giving him the opportunity to build something if he proves incapable of doing so. But I have a feeling the whole situation will refresh him this summer and he'll get things back ticking again.

In my opinion Tuchel and Boehly should be making a list of players for each of the positions they feel need to be resolved. If the top one or two aren't available this summer, then move on to a different position. If it ends up where only 2 or 3 are available instead of 5 or 6 then get those and keep our powder dry for January or next summer. Personally, I feel we'll get Sterling and at least one centre back in. I would like us to do something in the wing back roles too but like above, unless they're top targets then I don't want us simply buying for the sake.

There's talk that the Lukaku deal will include an option to extend the loan again next season but triggering that extension will also include an obligation to buy. Will see how this plays out. Ultimately I think it's going to be a case of getting his wages off the payroll and minimising his amortisation hit to the books each season for the forseeable.

I actually think a market would potentially open up for him if teams realise we're prepared to send him out on loan, and the approximate terms to make a deal happen. No matter what we might think of him, he's still well regarded as a good striker and goal scorer on the continent. I think he's completely burned his bridges here forcing this move and there's no way back for him now so if Inter pulled out, he may have to be less picky with where he'd go. Knowing the front that he's got, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he'd have no issues going back to Italy and playing for someone like Milan or Juventus.

Marina leaving could have a big impact on our transfer activity this summer but she was never going to be staying long term after Roman sold. Let's see what Boehly is made of this summer as it sounds like he has taken control of the Lukaku negotiations. Will be interesting to see now what happens to Cech. I don't think his role is perhaps as intertwined with the old ownership as Marina and Buck were, and his affection and standing within Chelsea is way beyond the board room. He's been in his role at the club 3 years now learning and developing and from what it sounds like he is a hugely important link for Tuchel at the club so he doesn't have to manage upwards perhaps to the lengths he did at Dortmund and PSG, so I'm hoping Cech stays.

Yep, I might be starting to feel old at 35 but my Playstation is probably one of the only reasons I've not gone completely grey yet!

Is he any good? I won't lie the only thing I know about him is from playing Fifa he's had a lot of performance based cards this season which would suggest he's been playing well. Agree with the fullback past 30 thing, you can't really argue with it although from what is looks like he is a late bloomer and doesn't have much mileage in his legs. £8.5m is barely anything in this day and age. If he was deemed a very good squad option to back James up then cool but I can't pass judgement having not watched him.

Timo getting the partnership started

Reports from France suggesting we're in for Jonathan Clauss from Lens for around £8.5m.

Would have been interesting to know where he placed on the penalty taker list because in an interview after the game Cahill said he was sixth.