Superblue

Only has a year left on his deal come the summer I believe. If we got anything around 20m I'd be pretty happy with that to be honest.

I agree with this if it was my choice, but at present we're all speculating what we think Poch may do and how he may set up. Going back to what I mentioned with Victor Moses, no one would have expected him to play that role for us. If there is a plan for him that Poch has, then in my opinion the manager needs to be backed when it comes to selling players.

There's no question the fans have to hold some responsibility. There will always be some players who struggle to win over their own fans, no matter what they try to do and the whole situation is amped up even further now in the days of social media, much more discussion and analysis on TV, radio, youtube, etc. Ultimately though it does come with the territory. Players do need to be able to cope with the pressure and demands at the top level to be successful.

They do go hand in hand though. The idea of the step up to a bigger club is the extra pressures involved, media scrutiny, bigger number of supporters eyes on you. Added to further if the move has been made with a large transfer fee. This is where a lot of players can fall down or take a while to adapt to the situation. In the case of Cucurella, would a few poor performances or a dip in form at Brighton or Getafe result in the level of criticism it would at Chelsea by fans? Would a string of poor games be such a big deal in the media after a £10m move to Brighton, compared with a £50-60m move to Chelsea? Cucurella has no doubt struggled with those pressures this season. He's not the first, and won't be the last. Confidence can be a fragile thing and no doubt criticism will have damaged that this season. But those pressures at a club like Chelsea aren't going to do away next year either. The biggest question is whether there's a good enough player with the right character and mentality there to move forward after this season and get better for this club. Again plenty of previous examples of players who just can't, but plenty of players who do improve in time and become important players at a big club.

Whilst on the face of things, Gallagher seems very much someone who I would look to sell, it would be foolish for the club to sell players that Poch wants to keep unless there is good reason for it (e.g. expiring contract). At present Gallagher just looks at times like a headless chicken, maniacally pressing anything or anyone with a pulse. But in fairness, he is hardly being helped currently by a squad of players that look unfit, unmotivated and uncoached to press together as a unit. Would Gallagher find himself a more effective player with a coach who can get hold of him and hone his strengths into his own system of football which involves a lot of running, a lot of pressing and a high tempo? Some players fit, suit and flourish under different managers and circumstances. A great example of this would be Victor Moses under Conte. Very much on the outer at the club but Conte saw something in him that he liked and good utilise and once we switched to the wing back system, there wasn't a better player in the squad we had at the time to play that role. Put simply, Poch doesn't strike me as someone who is going to throw his toys out the pram if we fail to sign a transfer target. But on the flip side, we should at the very least back him in his decision making with players already in the squad. He has a track record behind him for being able to develop and improve players so if Gallagher is someone that he sees something in, then I think he needs backing on that.

The only thing I've noticed watching West Ham a few times this season (my brother in law is unfortunately a hammer) is that Rice does seem to play a similar role to this also for West Ham. I find he's regularly more of a box to box and Soucek ends up sitting more like Matic used to in our midfield. They interchange a little but West Ham do seem to like to try and utilise Rice as the more dynamic of the two to push on at times when they counter attack. My biggest worry with Rice is that evolution in a team that are regularly set up defensively to try and hit on a counter attack against higher lines, compared to a top team playing with much more of the ball and looking to break teams down. I know this will be primarily Enzo's role to dictate play from deep but Rice still needs to prove he has that part of his game in his locker. There are times I watch him and he looks like he has that and other times he can look very limited in that area of his game. Whether it's Rice or someone else though, I would like to see a physical presence in that midfield which Rice definitely would provide. We've become such a small team over the past few seasons that just looks like it could end up getting bullied by some teams (and I feel at times that's what happens).

How many top teams have had job openings in these last 12 months though? Besides the Chelsea and Spurs jobs I can only think of Bayern and that seemed to be a decision made purely on the basis of Tuchel being available. Not sure what else has come up. The curious one to be honest is why Spurs didn't go back for him. Can only think that there was perhaps a bigger falling out than was made out between him and Levy, or Levy is that stubborn that he isn't willing to admit it was a mistake getting rid of him as you'd think bringing him back would have been an easy deal to make and a bit of a crowd pleaser with their fans. Hopefully Poch can come here and win some trophies to really rub some salt into their wounds.

Whilst it seems to be a focus on long term planning at the club, which I don't have a problem with, we still need to retain some experience within the squad. Jorginho and Rudiger have both left in the last 12 months, and question marks over the futures of players like Kova, Koulibaly and Azpi, we can't just let all of the experience out of the door in one go. It is probably now the time for players like Chilwell, James, Mount if he stays to become 'leaders' within the group but we shouldn't be ridding ourselves of all the top tier experience we still currently have at the club. It's not the sole reason, but it isn't a coincidence that we saw drop off's in Jose's third season when Cech and Drogba both left, and Conte's second season after the likes of Terry, Ivanovic and Mikel had left despite none of these players playing big roles on the pitch the title winning season before. They still play an important role within the squad to guide and mentor younger players, as well as drive and ensure high standards of professionalism and application in training. If we were to go into next season for example with 4 centre backs being Silva, Fofana, Badiashile and Colwill - that's three young centre backs at the start of their careers and one with 3 or 4x the amount of games and experience under his belt than the other three combined. His role potentially next season may find himself playing less games (although that's up to the rest to get above his level), but that in no way should detract from how important he could be to that group of young players and their development next season.

Really looking forward to next season now and intrigued to see how he'll fare here. I was always a bit sour on him being a possibility but having read a number of things on him, I do think the position this club is in currently and the group of players we have, on paper he appears to be a very solid choice. I think the timing is right for him too, as one of my fears was that he would not be afforded any sort of time being ex-Spurs and the first sign of poor performance or a bad result could see fans turn very easily, but after the season we've had, I think there will be a much softer feeling around that too. If anything I think a lot of fans will be happy to embrace him now because he's such a big upgrade on Potter and Lampard. Let's get this squad trimmed this summer and see what he can do. He's going to have a full pre season, and an uninterrupted season without European football to really stamp his mark on this squad, build relations, time on the training pitch, etc. I do believe without European football and one or two key additions, top 4 should be very feasible next season and that should be the primary aim next year. But I'd also like to see a squad that is fit and plays with purpose and intensity on the front foot from the kick off, something I feel the club has lost and lacked probably for the last 18 months.

Agreed, he's in a position where he knows he's clearly the first choice and where we're in no immediate rush to appoint ourselves, it gives him the opportunity to effectively interview us as well and make sure everything's compatible and any little bits of influence in decisions to try and eek out now before he's signed on. I don't mind that at all. We ultimately need someone who is going to work with the structure being put in place, but we also need someone with a strong enough personality to come in and stamp their authority and influence on this club.

I think letting Jorginho go in January was the right move, unless you feel he should have been given a new contract. If we had been anywhere near challenging for the league with Arsenal then maybe it would have been more of a consideration but in our position as good as writing the league season off and having just signed Enzo, it was a good amount of money to bank on a 31 year old who would have been leaving on a free 6 months later. Kova falls into a similarly difficult category with what to do with him next season. He'll be 30 during next season, has never had the best injury record and I don't think has played particularly well this season. With a year left on his contract, do you renew and look at keeping him here on a 3-4 year contract? Especially if Kante signs back up as we'll have two similarly aged, similarly injury prone players in the same position being relied upon. As a side note, there's also been a lot of talk that Kova doesn't want to sign a new contract and would like a new challenge anyway. With this in mind, it makes sense to sell now than let him leave on a free in a year's time. I understand the position the board are taking with this, especially when they walked through the door to see two players worth millions leaving on free transfers last summer.

I just don't see a situation where Ivan Toney doesn't get a long ban for his betting infringements. Given the numbers in circulation that he has been charged with, I'd be assuming there could be a 6 - 12 month suspension for him and no one is going to go near him currently when he has that hanging over him. I genuinely think if Chelsea can clear the decks somewhat early in the window, we'll make a play firstly for Harry Kane over every other striker target. Not saying we'll get him and I think it's unlikely at best, but his options I think will be limited and could well end up being only ourselves and United as realistic suitors, and if United don't sort their ownership position out sharply, they may not be prepared to make a move. United are the easy choice for him from a rivalry standpoint, but I think the club has to explore the option first and whether the pull of Poch can do anything. It's easy to say Levy won't sell to us, but if we're the only club willing to put a strong offer on the table and he's not prepared to sign a new contract, there is no way he is letting a £80-100m star player walk on a free 12 months later. When we're talking strikers who might potentially be on the market in the summer, he is the best by a country mile and it would be foolish to not at least explore that option before considering any others.

I think a lot is going to depend on what (we are assuming Poch) the manager wants to do with this squad. I think he'll want to try and get us playing in a 4-2-3-1 similar to what he had at Spurs and if we operate with essentially 4 attack minded players and 2 full backs who will look to push forward, then in my opinion we need two robust players in that 2 man midfield. As Enzo can act as a playmaker from deep too, I'd prefer us to pair him with a defensively solid player. I've watched a reasonable chunk of footage of Enzo before he came to Chelsea and I think we're doing him a dis-service if we think he's just going to be the teams holding midfielder for the rest of his career here because he has so much more to his game than that. Give him a partner who is disciplined and reliable to share the defensive work with him and give him the opportunity at times to push forward. If Rice wasn't so expensive I'd say to go for him. Maybe we could package a couple of players up in a deal but ultimately when we also need a striker this summer, I feel he'll end up being too pricey unless we manage to offload some of our squad players for better fees than we're hoping for. I've blown hot and cold on Rice for the last couple of years but it's mainly his price which puts me off, if the money wasn't a consideration I think he'd be a really good fit to slot into this squad/team.

Noises seem to have cranked up again over this weekend and would suggest completion is imminent. I've partly wondered whether a commitment from both parties was actually waiting on Chelsea to confirm themselves 100% safe from being relegated, despite it always being extremely unlikely to happen. It would be good to draw a line under this saga now. Like you mentioned, I'm glad they've taken their time with this appointment and hopefully that due diligence pays off. However it has seemed like being Poch's for a while now. It'll be good to get everything completed so he can start planning pre season, discussing transfer strategy with the football directors, etc - any small margins to try and hit the ground running.

I'm not sure to be honest whether he's positionally disciplined enough to really flourish in that role like a Makelele for example. He could perhaps form a successful partnership in time with Enzo in a double pivot where they take turns with who to sit and who to push but ultimately his best role is being given licence to go and win the ball just about anywhere he can on the pitch. He may have to refine his game to extend his time at the top as he regresses physically and maybe it will work but I have my doubts.

I do think if we get this summer right (and in that I mean the managerial appointment, shipping out the squad surplus and adding a couple of key additions), top 4 is right there for the taking to jump straight back into it next year and this weekend has only strengthened my feelings on this. I think Arsenal and Newcastle will both find it much harder with Champions League football (assuming Newcastle get it) and the increased schedule. I know Arsenal were in the Europa this season but they won't be able to rotate and treat the Champions League in the same way. United are the best of a bad bunch this season in my opinion going for top 4. Liverpool could well improve, really depends on their recruitment this summer as some key players are starting to get older. Spurs are Spurs and could be in dire straits if Kane leaves.

He's never been a proper CDM in the sense of the deepest, holding midfielder. People mix up his ball winning abilities with an assumption he's a CDM when really he's excelled more as a box to box midfielder. His main two midfield partners at the club have been Matic and Jorginho, both very different but both play that CDM role and allow Kante to roam and hunt the ball which is where he's been best over the years for us. Granted under Lampard, he's been played too advanced in some games, but yesterday I thought he played a more 'normal' role for him.

There have been a fair few games this season we've had more than enough chances to win games and ended up losing to opposition with a fraction of our chances. Works both ways.

Certainly the longer this drags on, we leave ourselves open to someone else coming in for him. If Spurs suddenly came in for him, his connection there would likely make it an extremely difficult decision for him. As we seem to have completely dismissed Luis Enrique and Nagelsmann, if we lost out on Poch, we're almost certainly back in a similar position to Potter where we'd be taking a punt on a manager unproven at the top level which just seems needlessly risky in our current situation. I'm just hoping that the deal is that far advanced that it might just be perhaps waiting to make mathematically sure we're not getting relegated, or an announcement is being held out until the end of the season.

We are in a catch-22 with Lukaku because it's clear if he's on the pitch some areas of our all round game will potentially suffer as he won't press like other players and his hold-up/technical game is limited at best. However he is a goal scorer, if we're looking for someone who can score goals specifically then there are very few currently better than him that would be available on the current market. As frustrating as it is, anyone who thinks we wouldn't be at least a few points better off than we currently are, if we had kept him here they are kidding themselves. We will have to wait and see. He isn't Drogba, he needs players close to him to get the best out of him, like Conte did at Inter having Martinez playing up top with him. Perhaps if someone like Nkunku is coming in and playing as a genuine number 10, close to him, it could potentially work pretty well and make us significantly more dangerous in attack. He would actually be a really good 'alternative' striking option at the club regardless, if his ego didn't prevent him from embracing a role within the squad instead of assuming he should be treated like one of the world's best players. That is ultimately my biggest concern with him if things don't start that well, Poch could suddenly find himself with a difficult presence within the squad. It is a risk he's going to have to weigh up.

I do think signing so many players in a short space and then not having a manager prepared to focus on finding a settled starting team from that has contributed on the attacking front. Easier said than done, but I do think bigger and more experienced managers than Potter would have recognised trying to keep 30 players happy was impossible and as a result some would need to be simply left out. I don't think our wide options are too bad, particularly if a goal scorer can be added who can take that burden off the team, and some of these younger players like Mudryk and Madueke need the chance to simply grow and develop under a better coach in a settled and structured environment.

I don't think anyone is thinking or expecting that we can repeat that and win the league next season, but I think it should be realistic to be qualifying for the Champions League again, especially as I believe there may well be 5 spots instead of 4 next year (correct me if I'm wrong). If that squad can be trimmed down successfully and a goal scorer is added, we're not going to be too far off. Having no European football will give us full weeks to prepare tactically, stay fit and fresh throughout the season, less travel and enjoy a much more kinder schedule in general instead of being crammed into stupid time slots due to mid week games. For someone like Poch, it is probably a perfect situation for the first year to allow him more time to work with the group of players. For me, the aim at the start of next season should be qualifying for the Champions League for 24/25 and a couple of good cup runs domestically where both can be focused without European football. I don't see this as unrealistic.

It would be nice to actually hear from him directly to the Chelsea fans, as opposed to snippets of their thought process being leaked at American business conventions. I know we never heard from Roman during his time, but there would be someone from his inner circle at the time to offer that, whether it be Buck, Gourlay, Emenalo, Cech, etc. There doesn't seem to be that person currently at Chelsea, and this is where a lot more tension and frustration sets in with the fanbase.

The policy in general I think is a positive. Higher performance related bonuses should naturally be an incentive for anyone, and the wage drops based on lack of Champions League qualification also somewhat protects the club financially. There will always be an issue with regards to making a radical change like this which impacts some but not others at the club and unfortunately that's just something that the club has to stomach over the next couple of years as those on older contracts either move on or renew under new terms. If anything, the speed of squad turnover should get this done quicker as most of the players that we'll likely try to move on in the summer will be those on these old contracts. The mistake the ownership made was not implementing this from the start, especially when the first two signings were amongst the highest paid. Like you said, maybe as established players, they wouldn't have been prepared to accept the terms but that would have then come down to the club to hold their ground and implement this policy, even if it meant missing out on some targets.