Superblue

I guess in a situation like this if his contract is expiring and he's not going to command stupid wages, it might be a case of trusting Tuchel on this one. I've just checked and he played for Dortmund II until 2019 so I expect Tuchel knows of him or has possibly worked with him in training.

I've mentioned Djed Spence as a possible RWB option but I wouldn't be against Sterling coming back and seeing if he can make the grade. At the very least I'd expect him to return for pre season which gives him an opportunity to show Tuchel what he's worth. The example is there last season with Chalobah for someone who looked like they just would not make it at that Chelsea level but something suddenly clicked. I remember reading Tuchel liked him last summer but felt he was better going out on loan so maybe he's enthused to bring him back into the fold this summer.

@Vesper who is this?

Out of curiosity if our budget only stretches to either 2 centre backs or a centre back and a centre midfielder which would be the preference for everyone?

I have a lot of respect for Paul Canoville with regards to what he went through in his own era because some of it was truly horrific. I think in all honesty he's probably been given too much of a platform as part of the overall bid as the Supporters Trust I think could have dealt with a lot of the matters regarding the foundation, charitable and social issues and responsibilities, etc at this point with the bids and it's probably more so due to the Rickett's requesting to meet with him that has escalated in him becoming someone all bidders have decided to meet with. However, having met all of the bidders, and with little information us fans have in order to form our own opinions on who might be our favourite, etc any opinions or information at this time is welcome. I've felt that the Boehly bid has probably been the strongest, least controversial and my most favourable since the start and the above I feel cements this further that he seems to be overall a bloody decent guy with a well thought out plan in place which you'd expect him to have as he's done his due diligence in the past on the club.

This is pretty interesting to get a bit of an idea of the bidders. There was also this from last week which kind of firms up the above.

Gvardiol actually looks a helluva centre back and given his age, he has the potential to be a huge signing. Leipzig however are a great example of what we need to be looking at in the future. I know they have at times benefitted from their links with Salzburg, but they've also made a lot of shrewd young signings in recent years and made a lot of money selling some of these players on. They've lost Upamecano and Konate and managed to replace them with a talent like Gvardiol, their scouting and recruitment has been admirable.

I'd argue the 2011/12 comeback against Barca was better given the disparity in quality between the two sides and the sheer task we had to turn that tie around mid-game. But my personal favourite European comeback will always be the Cup Winners Cup semi against Vicenza. The bullet header from Zola and then Mark Hughes with, well, a typical Mark Hughes goal out of nothing. Only a year too after THAT Liverpool comeback. Great times.

I think we'll actually feel the loss of Christensen in ways just as much as Rudiger. Christensen is the only other player who currently looks comfortable playing in the middle besides Silva, which potentially creates an issue next season as not only do we really need to find 2 centre backs that will flank Silva but we also need probably one of them to be able to deputise and maybe even replace Silva after next season in the same way Christensen had been.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Arsenal go in for him. Maybe they'll be able to knock the price down a little, especially if there's no one else really in for him but I would expect Brighton to be wanting at least £30m for him.

I would agree but we go back to the price point. A top team moves for him, Brighton will probably demand £40-50m for him - does he and has he justified that outlay? His injury record worries me too. Not so much major injuries but he seems to miss a lot of games or struggles to finish many games with niggles and knocks.

I want to see someone with some big bollocks coming in and laying out a strategy for the club and in doing so, being prepared to potentially make some big decisions. You and @Vesper are absolutely right, there has been far too many poor decisions the club has made particularly in the transfer market. Some of it clearly stems from chopping and changing managers and ending up as a result with a squad that has been built across multiple managers with differing styles and philosophies. It's hard to argue against the managerial changes when trophies (and especially the Champions League) rock up, but ultimately I feel it is a big factor why we've struggled to maintain consistency across a season to compete in the league for the last few years. The signs seem to point to all the remaining bidders being high on Tuchel and providing him with some stability to rebuild the team will be a positive. I'd much rather he be looking at how to shape the club with the next few years in mind, rather than just "how am I going to keep my job this season?" To me, that always felt like why Tuchel seemed to get on board with the Lukaku transfer. He clearly wasn't a fit but he seemingly filled a need in a squad that lacked a genuine goalscorer, which was a weakness that Tuchel knew very well could end up costing him his job. It's alarming that a number of our highest earners are amongst our poorest contributors to the squad and this is something that I think definitely needs addressing. The likes of Lukaku, Kepa, Werner are all being linked with moves away and it potentially offers an opportunity to bring down the wage ceiling to a more manageable level at a time when we also should be looking at locking down some of our players such as Mount, James, even Havertz to long term contracts to help learn from the Rudiger/Christensen situation. There has to be a big decision made this summer on Jorginho and Kante, both with a year left on their contracts and both now into their 30's. I don't think either has performed anywhere near the level they produced at the back end of last season but both still carry high stock and I wouldn't be against the club cashing in on either or even both this summer. I know letting Kante leave would be highly unpopular amongst a number of Chelsea fans, and the media will have a frenzy over it but it may be the intelligent move because we've had his best years and for a player who relies on his physical abilities over his technical ability, as this starts to diminish we'll see a shadow of the player we've grown to love. That's why it may need someone coming in with the conviction to make a decision which may be unpopular at first but may also be the right one long term for the club.

Like Cash, you'd imagine it would cost a decent chunk of change and is Lamptey going to be prepared to go back to a position he foresaw himself in before he left the club with Reece James there? I wouldn't be against bringing Lamptey back but realistically I think we need 2 starting quality centre backs and a quality midfielder this summer so it's a situation of spending in the right places. If Chilwell can get back to full fitness and the situation seems to be positive for now that he's already back in light training and delaying the surgery was also apparently a positive towards recovery, then I'm not against Alonso staying on another season and rolling with the pair on the left hand side. Alonso is more than competent as a squad player but has been completely flogged to death this season by Chilwell's absence. On the right though, we definitely need an alternative to James at wing back but realistically we're not getting someone in over him but instead to back him up. As a result I wouldn't want to see us spending a fortune on doing so.

That post regarding James agreeing to join Madrid I think was posted as a joke so let's ignore that and assume he's staying put. I like Cash, but unfortunately like you mentioned Webster, is going to be so expensive coming from the Prem. Villa have no reason to sell him so you'd probably be looking £40-50m realistically. He's not going to be first choice ahead of James, unless Tuchel employed him within the back 3, so I think if we're looking at a backup it needs to be more cost effective. That was part of the reason for bringing up Djed Spence. He looks like a good fit at right wing back but wouldn't cost the earth and will probably be happy to join as a squad player currently. There will be times where Tuchel feels like playing James in the back 3 and he's also shown in the last 3 seasons he's not the most durable player and needs to be managed so there will be plenty of opportunities. I think realistically he'd probably be around £12 - 15m with some bonuses. It's not a huge outlay for a young player with room to grow and develop.

Would be interested to know this myself!

The difference here is the likes of Drogba, Ballack, Terry, Lampard were towards the end of their careers so staying at Chelsea would have been the goal. Unfortunately the pull of Barca and Madrid has and probably always been there. We're not the only team to lose top players to them. I think Courtois and Hazard there was always the likelihood it would happen at some stage. Maybe it's just me, but as an Englishman growing up when I played football I dreamed of playing in the Premier League and for Chelsea. Spanish football wasn't really a big thing, if anything Italian football was the most attractive foreign league over here because it was on TV but there was no pull of Barca and Madrid. I'm a generation further in front, but I get the impression that most English players don't have that same drive and will to play abroad like their foreign counterparts. We as a country are pretty content with our own language and culture and I don't think the same appeal is there. With the academy graduates it's something that we definitely have to push that they're in the best place, playing for the team they've grown up with challenging for the top trophies and hopefully like you said if you can build a squad that has those mainstays within the group who know what it means to pull on this shirt it hopefully helps other players coming in to understand it to.

I'm not against us potentially buying Rice in a season or two when his contract starts to wind down but (1) I don't think he's worth pursuing this summer for the sort of money West Ham will demand, and (2) for that sort of money, I'd play him where he's proven in midfield and not have a project in mind for him as a centre back. There's been talk of United being interested but Rudiger wouldn't consider them not being in the Champions League. The signals seem to point fully to Madrid, but unfortunately if it's true that we offered up to £230k a week and he still turned it down wanting more money, then there's always the chance he looks to the biggest offer on the table and I wouldn't be surprised if United made that offer given their track record of the types of wages they'll pay.

Whilst I'm disappointed to lose him, it'll be interesting to see how Rudiger does at Madrid (assuming that is where he moves to). He was good under Conte, especially later in the season and he's obviously been exceptional under Tuchel but in a back 4 for both Chelsea and Germany I think he's been decent at best and abysmal at worst. There is a very real possibility he's a system player. Now don't get me wrong in our system he's proven to be bloody important but I don't think he's the same player in a back 4. He can be prone to switching off, he can be rash and over-aggressive at times with his defending and one of his strengths is being a spare man in attack to drive the ball from deep. On the side of a back 3 it helps limit his weaknesses and highlights that strength to his game. In a back 4 I think those weaknesses can be more noticeable. I believe @Vesper mentioned similar traits in Kounde's game and although I haven't seen too much of him, from what I have seen I would agree but I think he's a similar sort of player that would benefit from playing in a back 3 rather than a back 4. Ultimately it's raw now, but we will find a way to replace him. We've continued to win trophies after bigger players have left the club in recent years. I think the biggest concern is we are going into the unknown with the ownership. In previous years, I wouldn't have had much concern that the club would look at bringing in a couple of highly rated centre backs. We just have to see what sort of budget will be made available for next year because if Tuchel plans to continue with the current system we almost certainly need 2 centre backs, a competent backup to James at right wing back and preferably a top centre midfielder.

Looks like a fake account.

We should never have given Milan an option on Tomori. But that was already done come the summer, I just don't understand how we let Zouma and Guehi both leave permanently without having others tied up to contracts, it seemed incredibly arrogant on our part and we're paying the price for it now. Biggest issue with someone like Webster is we won't get him on the cheap which then poses questions is he worth paying Premier League tax on? Bearing in mind there was talk at one point Brighton wanted £40-50m for Lewis Dunk.

The Guehi and Zouma sales last summer represent either really poor planning or complete arrogance by the board that they felt confident enough going into a season with their 4 main centre back options contracts expiring the following summer. In hindsight at the very least I feel Guehi should have been given a Premier League loan rather than being sold to track his development a bit more before making decisions and maybe with the Kounde deal falling through, Zouma should have just been loaned too (or the Kounde deal should have been revisited in January). If we had only loaned Guehi I'd feel much more confident going into next season than I am now because we would still have Silva and Azpi as experienced options, Chalobah and Guehi both with a year experience in the Prem now behind them and Colwill could perhaps come in and play the backup role that Sarr has performed this season. It would maybe leave us needing to look at buying one centre back in their mid to late 20's (prime years) to slot in. But now the defensive backline looks ravaged and we need major surgery on it, whilst also being thin in depth at wing back too. If Chilwell comes back to full fitness and we can hopefully rely on him next season we can maybe roll with him and Alonso for one more year before looking at a replacement for the latter but we definitely need a backup for Reece on the right hand side (If we're looking at bringing someone in who won't cost ridiculous sums of money, I'd have a good look at Djed Spence as a possible option). There was a lot of talk a while back about Szalai at Fenerbahce which then died down. Maybe that's someone we look at as a possible option I don't know. I've seen him a couple of times for Hungary and he looks decent but I haven't seen enough of him to say he'd be capable or not. One thing that does fill me with hope is at least in defence our track record with recruitment over the years has been a lot better than it has with attackers and especially bringing in some defenders for relatively low transfer fees so hopefully we can find some value in the market. I'm with you I'm unsure on Kounde, although I feel his style may be better suited to playing as an outside centre back in a 3, which is possibly what the club see in him. Ultimately though we also need to find a long term player for the centre of the three too because we can't rely on Thiago Silva playing 40-50 games next season at 38 (even though he probably could).

I personally don't think the Chelsea fan thing holds weight because I think big decisions could easily be influenced by that. He even said himself recently in an interview he felt Lampard was sacked too early and should have been given more time, but in hindsight bringing in Tuchel was the right move. That, for me, is the difference between someone far too emotionally invested and someone capable of stepping back and making decisions with a clear head. I know Broughton is a lifelong Chelsea fan, but he's also had experience working within a football environment and just strikes me as someone who would be able to pull himself outside of the Chelsea bubble to make strategic decisions.

Reece has a contract until 2025. I'm pretty sure over next season we'll be looking to get him, mount and havertz all signed up on new long term deals and with Reece and Mason in particular I see no reason we'll have much trouble getting them signed up to new, improved terms that reflect their importance within the squad.

I struggle myself to see any huge positives that Candy can add to these bids.