Superblue

I'm glad the club aren't being held to ransom over deals. If we manage to negotiate a deal with Sevilla for Kounde which is acceptable to both parties (maybe a few million extra in bonus payments) then fine, but in no way should we hit the panic button and pay the release. In the same way with Saul, if we aren't fully sold on him then we don't agree to an obligation to buy. £40m will eat into budgets next season and he'll be a high earner so if he doesn't work out we'll be left with another player we can't get rid of. It's not ideal as we are thin in midfield, especially given Kante's recent injury history but we've got the base of a really top team now that has been built well in the last couple of years. I would prefer to wait for top targets than make do with alternatives.

I think what Tuchel has said is to be believed. The difference that Chilwell has experienced compared to the other boys is there is a player in his position that Tuchel does trust who started the pre season at the very start and has been playing pretty decent, so it is probably assumed by Tuchel that it's a risk to change to an undercooked Chilwell at this moment. I think if a lesser side would have been opposition last weekend rather than Liverpool away we may have seen Chilwell play. The options at right wing back and centre midfield have been either a bit thinner or Tuchel doesn't place enough trust in backup/squad options hence why James and Jorginho have found their way into the team quicker. Mount is probably a different case because Tuchel seems to be a huge fan of him playing but even then we've had injuries/illness to Pulisic and Ziyech leaving us thinner in this position too. I've no doubts as things settle that it will be evident that Chilwell is first choice here, but I also think that Tuchel has enough faith in Alonso to play when he's needed. Alonso as a squad player for the wing back role is actually a pretty good option to have. He has obvious weaknesses in his game but in a wing back formation some of them are covered by the back 3 behind him. He will always chip in a healthy goal rate too for a defensive option. I have a massive problem with Alonso playing in a back 4, but as wing back no issues from me as an option in the squad.

Nothing the club can really do about it if France want to call him up. Ever since Deschamps and Lampard had disagreements over Kante being used for France, it feels like he'll be called up and flogged by them regardless.

You have to take into context that we brought six players in last summer all of whom could make a case for starting in our team and regardless are all very important players in the squad. I think all of them have or will benefit from the change of manager we made. If you look at our starting/strongest XI it was clear that there was only one glaring position that needed strengthening. We could all debate over whether the wing backs are good enough, or another attacking midfielder could be signed, etc, but ultimately a goal scorer always felt like the missing piece for us and we addressed that with a huge investment. United have brought three quality players but did they really need to add to their attack two more players in the area that is strongest in their squad. They're biggest hole is in midfield, and Ole never seems to address it. It's like Wenger back in the day with defenders and keepers, it's a weakness that every man and his dog seem to think is there except him. We could do with another defender now Zouma has been sold, and a fourth centre midfielder but like some have said on here, that's not the easiest sell given the players already here. You also don't know behind the scenes what future transfer plans the club has, or the long term views Tuchel and the club have on a player like Gilmour for example who they may be hoping will benefit from this season on loan and can slot back into the squad next year. If we make more signings they have to be the right ones and not just settling for second best. We've done that before and it has set the club back as a result. If we don't make any more signings then we roll with what we have. I think the addition of Lukaku makes us a stronger prospect regardless of anything else, and a core of our team are still young and will hopefully kick on again this season. It may mean we just retain a couple of players even as backup this year, like Sarr and RLC as an example.

I had read that he wanted to go to Leipzig.

I'd be interested to get your take on Kounde as a Sevilla fan and obviously somebody who has watched him far more regularly than most of the people on this forum. Is he worth the hype and the big transfer fee? For you, what are his biggest strengths and weakenesses? I know that a number of people on here are worried about his height, especially with some of the players he'll come up against in England although I don't think this is as critical in a back 3 as it is in a back 4.

These are also established and respected members of the forum, so it's easier probably for them to keep their username as people already know them for that such name on here. I'd much prefer to read a coherent and interesting post then worrying about what that person's username is. Maybe that should be food for thought for yourself?

Completely agree, yesterday just emphasised how solid and organised we are defensively both individually and as a unit. We are being coached phenomenally right now. We didn't even concede a "big chance" in that second half yesterday. Survived the initial onslaught with the home crowd baying and after the first 15 - 20 minutes of that second half Liverpool looked to have run out of ideas and on another day we might have nicked a smash and grab goal ourselves. There seems to be a real tough mentality about the group that Tuchel has instilled. It might not be the most exciting aspect, but our defensive strength is critical on building towards a title push. If the attacking boys, and in particular Lukaku, can get the goals this season we'll be right up there. It's starting to feel a little like the early Jose days where if we get a goal early it'll break teams spirit because they'll know how hard it is to get back into the game from there.

We still lost our heads in the first place as we were 1-0 ahead and should have been able to see the first half out and re group. Either way the difference in quality and circumstance between West brom at home and liverpool away is like night and day.

Seeing that second half resilience and mentality with 10 men against a real top attacking team in a hostile atmosphere is more satisfying than anything else. Remember how we capitulated against West brom last season with 10 men. This feels like a moment which signals we're ready to fight for the title this season.

It'll be intriguing to see how Ronaldo copes with the grind of English football again at 36 years old. It will no doubt give United a massive shot in the arm in the short term with such a talismanic figure. However it doesn't sort out their midfield which continues to be ignored by Ole, and besides their attacking options they look pretty lightweight in depth around areas of their squad (certainly quality depth). I still believe if we can add Kounde and Saul (or an equivalent central midfielder) in this window, we'll have the strongest and most balanced squad across Europe.

Excellent news. To say he's stepped up and improved under Tuchel is a massive understatement.

I think he may mean Lampard's playing career.

There's only one true 'power' in London 😉

With the greatest respect to West Ham, Zouma is probably about their level if he's expecting a starting berth (top 8 team pushing for top 4/6). I think it's a good, solid signing for West Ham but on the flipside he has some clear deficiencies on the ball which is why he's not been quite the right fit for us. Around 25-30m is good business and by the sounds of things if we're essentially bringing in Kounde for the equivalent of around 15-20m and Zouma then I think it's potentially more good business. It gives Kounde a season to really bed in, adapt to English football, without being under immediate pressure to hit the ground running and also having the opportunity to play and train alongside the likes of Silva and Azpilicueta. If we can add Saul too on a "try before you buy" deal we're bringing in two potential excellent players to significantly improve the squad strength and depth.

The bulk of our squad are on long contracts for starters. But realistically who are these big clubs similar or above our standing to come in and try to buy our players? The English clubs won't touch it, you only have to look at how hard it is for City to get Kane. The big English clubs will only usually deal with each other if one has a player that they're willing to offload. Juventus, Barca, Bayern aren't in position this summer to make big moves. PSG have gone down the Galactico route. Madrid have obvious priorities in Mbappe. We'll have to see how Lukaku changes things, but winning the Champions League I think was very much a team effort and the group collective has been far more important than big individuals for us. Manager included in that assessment, at the moment it just feels like a great mix all round. Exciting times.

I think it's just Tuchel managing as many of the late starters as he can up to the international break which he's already mentioned. Chilwell is in the same boat and James only made his first start on Sunday. It's only Mount and Jorginho who have slotted back in quicker and even then neither started the Super Cup. Silva will still play a good number of games this season but he will be managed at his age. Christensen is definitely in a position now to take over from Silva as first choice in that central position and I think over this season that will become apparent but it won't mean that Silva doesn't get his fair share of game time.

I can certainly understand the frustrations that Lukaku has experienced during his career. Even as dominant as he was on Sunday, there seems to be a focus on what Arsenal did wrong rather than on Lukaku himself. There does seem to be almost a reluctance to give him credit which does seem to be a running theme throughout his career (Neville saying he was a fit for Chelsea but not one for United, City or Liverpool I felt was dismissive of Lukaku). Can only be a positive for Chelsea though as it'll keep Lukaku hungry and wanting to prove a point. I would love nothing more than him to put that Liverpool defence to the sword.

There's a genuine argument that Lukaku needed the spell at Man United where things didn't work out as he would have liked, to give him the opportunity to re-focus and re-establish himself as a player and mature as a person. Obviously Morata was a complete bust so it definitely would have been better to get Lukaku in 2017 instead. However this version of Lukaku on and off the pitch appears a completely different prospect (in an all round positive way) to the one we would have had in 2017. He's here now, let's just look forward and hope the Arsenal match is just the beginning of a successful time here for him.

I think someone will be prepared to take a punt on Barkley on loan. I think we'll struggle to move Drinkwater unless we heavily subsidise his wage.

It's a big 'if' for now, but if we were to swap Zouma for Kounde within our squad and add a midfielder like Saul I would argue we'd have a very legitimate case for the strongest, deepest and most well balanced squad in world football with an excellent blend of youth and experience, and no glaring weaknesses. It's a far cry to how we were shaping up just over 2 years ago with Hazard leaving and a transfer ban in place.

If there is a possibility for a loan move then to me it's a no brainer. Especially if we can get an option in the deal too. It allows us to assess him as a fit for the squad, and to see like you said if his recent struggles are simply a case of needing a fresh start. If we get the Saul Niguez from 3 or 4 years ago, it could be a fantastic buy.

He'll probably be aware of the incident now it's across social media and the daily rags but I think he'll be far more likely warmed by fans showing their support for him and running that idiot out the stadium. He's already said how great a feeling it is having his own song as they don't have that in Germany. I'd be very surprised if this had a negative effect and impact on him.

He's confirmed he's taking the number 9.

I think Flo was only at the club for a few months with Hasselbaink. That would have been the days where there wasn't a set transfer window, I'm pretty sure he moved mid season. The partnership that clicked in that time was Gudjohnsen and Hasselbaink.