Superblue

In an ideal world so would I, but I think it will almost certainly be Maatsen we cash in on. He's only got a year left on his contract and can be sold for pure profit. There will be a market for him too, possibly not just from Burnley which will hopefully help bump his price up. I don't see why the club can't push for £15-20m at least and possibly even factor in some additional add ons or even a buy back to cover ourselves. The problem we have with Cucurella is we're getting nowhere near his FFP value this summer if we tried to move him on so it's just not going to happen. I just hope that with a more settled environment and a top manager next season we'll see a better version of him. There's clearly a player in there, perhaps not quite the level we thought we were paying top money for, but his player of the year at Brighton last season should suggest at worst he can be a solid squad player and second choice to Chilwell. There's been many cases of players taking time over the years here and being much improved after a year or so. At times, the club hasn't shown that patience required and its ended up costing us some bloody good players. Hopefully there's a couple or more here already that haven't performed this season but will step up and push on next.

I mentioned this on another post, but these accounts were signed off back in October so you'd like to think the ownership knew what they were doing in January with these figures in mind. I agree with you, I think we'll see a couple of additions in the summer as opposed to another huge influx. Keeper, Defensive Midfielder and Striker are the key areas and I think if we can get two of these sorted out in the summer we'll be in a much stronger position, unless they already view Nkunku as the source of goals we're lacking? But there will be a huge number of outgoings. The wage bill will be reduced drastically - a number of the players signed particularly in January are reportedly on lower base salaries and higher bonus structures and many of the players are now also reportedly on wage reductions if they don't play in the Champions League. Note that there are wages to turnover limits being introduced so the club has to get a handle on this and it does appear with recent moves that there is a plan to reaching this. And obviously with outgoings there should also be monies coming in. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of players like Mount and Gallagher are moved on if it allows more flexibility with a summer spend but ultimately I can see 10-12 players being moved out, and depending on who that might be could easily fetch anywhere between £100-200m (Mount and Gallagher on there own could probably raise the low end of that estimate).

That's big news because it dispels any question marks over his future with City sniffing around. I know we will need to sell players in the summer and at least one of the left backs will need to move on (Maatsen, Cucurella and Chilwell) but Chilwell is the absolute last on that list that should be considered cashing in on and based on current form and problems we have within the squad he's probably one of only 5 or 6 at most who you'd argue their place is safe and secure.

There's not even a source on this post, so it just sounds like complete guesswork. Having said that, I think every man and his dog can see we need a striker (and a mobile one with which to lead a press against teams would be extremely ideal) and a defensive midfielder so if this is indeed true and he's identified those two areas as key to be sorted then that already fills me with confidence. The wide one if true is a bit of a question mark, but Luis Enrique has regularly set up with a 4-3-3 so the wide positions are pretty important to the overall dynamic of the team and the attack. Although we're currently well stocked in that position, the likes of Pulisic and Ziyech are almost certainly going to leave in the summer, and Mount is looking likely too. I'd be surprised in all honesty if we made Felix's move permanent. Depending on what the plan would be for Nkunku, it leaves us realistically with Sterling as the only real genuine experienced wide player in the squad and although big money has been spent, Mudryk and Madueke are still young and need to develop.

Let's see how this all plays out. The accounts were reportedly signed off back in October, despite only just being filed, so the ownership will have known the position of the club before their January splurge. I know the Nkunku deal is reportedly done and dusted and isn't just a few quid, but I don't foresee anywhere near a summer window the scale the last two have been. Particularly as not only Nkunku but Gusto will also be coming in the summer, and potentially the likes of Andrey Santos, Colwill and Maatsen too. The squad could have a very real different look to it without another 5, 6, 7 players being signed from hereon in. For me, I look at three positions which I feel we need to quite clearly improve in which is goalkeeper, defensive midfield and striker. Even if we could get two of those sorted this summer and install a top level manager to work with this group I don't think we'll be too far away from competing again. It's difficult to envisage that currently with how bad we've been playing but a manager with a clear structure and philosophy, and a smaller group to coach should provide a stability this club hasn't had for the last 12 months. But it's pretty clear there will be outgoings and lots of them. We already have 8 - 10 players too many at the club right now and that's before factoring in the 5 players above and others returning from loan like Lukaku.

I'd like to think that Lampard viewed the Wolves game as an opportunity to go back to a back 4 to see if that would make a difference in our attacking play. He's played a back 3 at stages of his managerial career, including here, so I don't see any reason why he wouldn't revert back to that for the Madrid game. Especially away from home, keep it tight, give ourselves a chance by taking the tie back to the Bridge. The only issue with the back 3 with Silva injured and Badiashile unavailable is there's limited options for that backline which means Cucurella is likely, and he could be a serious weak link against that Madrid attack.

Irrespective of Mount, we're so incredibly toothless in front of goal, and it's hardly like Felix has made himself undroppable. Absolutely under no circumstances should we be splashing out circa £80m on Felix. Lots of style but unfortunately just not enough substance to justify the price tag. I'm trying to look at this in the same way. It feels like the whole club is just in a general air of malaise, arguably since the sanctions started and that translates to the pitch and players also. If there is one thing I hope that Lampard can do, it's to re-energise the atmosphere at the Bridge and to make it abundantly clear what it means to play for this football club. Nobody is expecting some tactical masterclass!

There are conflicting reports in both cases whether they'd be prepared to join now or would want to join in the summer for starters. And who's to say that until meetings and due diligence has been conducted, that a better fit isn't available than both. I think the board are completely correct to take their time here.

Whilst I'm lukewarm on Lamps returning, I do think there are a couple of key considerations amongst this decision which perhaps make it less shambolic than it looks on paper. The first is it's reported that Bruno doesn't want to stay here as the interim manager, he has agreed to it being under contract but he wants to leave and essentially is no different a voice to that of Potter. I believe he remained on out of respect to the club for the Liverpool game just to buy some time but not as a longer term option to the end of the season. The second is just look back through this forum. I don't think there's a truly obvious candidate at present. I think there's a couple of strong candidates in Nagelsmann and Enrique, and perhaps others too, but I think the board are completely in the right not to rush this decision on the basis of salvaging something from this season. They made a huge mistake by appointing Potter so quickly after dismissing Tuchel and not really considering other options properly. They won't want to make this mistake again. Making the right appointment for next season in my opinion is more important than this season's Champions League. With both of the above, you're left with an interim option and on top of that left in a position of who would be willing to take it. The situation isn't ideal, but the next appointment should not be rushed, it's vital we get it right and back on track next season.

Yeah it's been well reported his man management of players is top notch, whilst still being able to keep that distance and high levels of discipline.

I like Colwill a lot too. To be honest we're in a really good spot here with three of the best young centre backs around and Thiago Silva who at present, might just play until he's 45. Whoever becomes the next manager also needs to decide on whether this group is better equipped to play as a back 3 or back 4. Chilwell and James are legitimately two of the best wing backs around and unless someone can devise a way in which they can attack in a similar manner within a back 4 set up, there has to be serious consideration over how to get the best out of them. At least if the wing backs were to remain, we have a strong crop of centre backs to add to them.

His Celta Vigo job would be comparable I think to Potter at Brighton, the difference being Enrique has then proven he can cope with the demands and expectations to win with a big club which Potter completely fluffed. Of the candidates currently available and realistic, I'm torn between him and Nagelsmann as I think both have some positives and negatives, but I do think both are well ahead of other options.

It's taken its time but if Fofana can stay fit I think he'll be a massive player long term for us. Looks very good in that RCB in a 3 but I also think long term there's a lot of potential in a partnership of Fofana and Badiashile. I wouldn't give up on Sterling either. I think in the right system and with the right manager, he can still be an asset here and I certainly would look at getting rid of other attackers like Pulisic and Ziyech before him. But overall can't get away from it, that summer window is shaping up as a bit of a disaster. The January window looks significantly more positive and at least had a much longer term approach.

I know others may have their own thoughts and preferences on this but for me, an absolute must with the manager is being able to speak English. We don't need Shakespeare but at the very least the ability to at least be able to conduct a press conference in English I would view as the measuring stick (think the likes of Ancelotti and Conte when they first came in). How many of these on your list are you aware of that you think speak a good/reasonable standard of English?

Whoever we get, the main thing I want to see improved is this squad's fitness and ability to press teams. Under Potter, we looked so passive and there never seemed to be a unity in a collective press, nor a hunger across the team to win the ball back high up the pitch. We've struggled all season long being able to sustain attacks and pressure on opponents and this is a main contributor to that failure.

I'm on the fence with Luis Enrique, probably for the exact same reason as most in that whilst what he did with Barcelona was nothing short of incredible, he had a phenomenal team at his disposal, many of which were at the complete peak of their powers so it's difficult to measure just how big his contribution was to the overall in that team when the rest of his managerial career has been solid, but unspectacular. I think when looking at the options currently available, him and Nagelsmann seem the two most likely candidates and I have question marks too over Nagelsmann as at least in Luis Enrique's case when he had a top team at his disposal he absolutely dominated with it. I do however think some context needs placing on your post. Firstly, we don't know whether teams have contacted him and he's decided against joining them. But his career since Barca consisted of a year break (similar to Pep), and then taking over the Spain national team since then. He also suffered the loss of his young daughter to cancer during this time. We don't know the details of this, but I would expect it to have potentially played a significant bearing both pre and post her death on his decision making with sticking in a job which wasn't all consuming on a daily basis and didn't require him moving abroad.

Funnily enough, JT did a recent podcast interview with Stephen Hendry and mentioned he was no longer interested in being a manager so I wouldn't foresee a situation where we couldn't back away from him, and ultimately I'm looking at him stepping up as part of the coaching staff, not the interim manager. I think he could easily step back into his academy role or retain a first team coaching role with a new manager.

One thing I'm surprised about with the current interim position of Bruno is we've lost Potter, his main assistant and Barry is leaving too so it seems extremely light in this department, alongside someone given the reins with absolutely zero experience in that position. I'm amazed the club hasn't looked to John Terry to perform something in this current set up for the rest of the season. He has some solid experience as an assistant manager at Villa and in a young group of players, he has the aura and a different voice in that dressing room that could get a reaction and shock out of this group. When we've lost three coaches in the setup and we're dealing with a stupidly large squad anyway, it seems silly not to make full use of resources at the club.

Despite that he's still managed to win the league in all five countries he's managed in, and his CV reads better than all the managers we're being currently linked with combined (besides Mourinho). I think forget about putting it to Pep at the moment, we need to first make sure we're back in position to at minimum be making the top 4. In Carlo, you have someone who keeps things simple, calm and is a masterful man manager. The biggest thing we have to be careful about is this season isn't repeated next. We have consecutive seasons outside of the Champions League spaces and it may become that much harder to get back in them in the future. Someone like Carlo wouldn't be a long term solution but for a couple of seasons he could just lay those foundations for someone else to take the team on in the future.

Disappointed that it came to this, but was inevitable. Ultimately the job was too big for him and he was given more than enough time to at least show some progression in his work here and it simply wasn't there. Whilst the ownership will take criticism for employing Potter in the first place, I do think they need to take a bit of credit for making this decision now. It would have been easy to wait or remain stubborn with their own appointment but in this situation they've shown that they're prepared to accept when they've made a mistake and move on. At the very top level, it's necessary. If a decision isn't going to be made until the summer for a full time appointment then another possible name to throw into the ring would be Carlo Ancelotti. There's been quite a bit of talk of him leaving Real in the summer and possibly even taking the Brazil job but if we're looking for an experienced coach with a winning mentality and track record of success, who can offer stability without the controversy and ego, we could do a lot worse. I understand the ownership craving a long term manager at the club but they may never get that, if it happens it will be organic. In the meantime however, having a more experienced hand at the helm for a couple of seasons whilst they build their own experience of owning the running the football club could well be the best solution for everyone involved.

I agree I think the pathway for Maatsen may be too hard and is completely dependent on Potter or whoever the manager is deciding whether he's good enough to be here or not. Having said this, if we chose to cash in he's likely to have a newly promoted Burnley wanting him or a team lower down the Prem eyeing him up. It's certainly been a breakout season for him which if it doesn't mean breaking through at Chelsea, it means a lot more money for the club than would have been the case last season. I would expect him to comfortably sit in a £12-15m price bracket and depending on teams interested, that price may improve. We got £18m for Guehi on the back of a similarly successful loan in the Championship. Colwill I think is a given that he will come back. Whether that is next season I'm still unsure. I think it would depend somewhat on whether the club had a buyer to move Koulibaly on but if that's not the case we're still well stocked in the area but have two players in Silva and Koulibaly who are very much short term solutions. I wouldn't be surprised if Colwill is given a long term contract and one more season out on loan, but he could definitely play a role next season if we kept him here. The others I'd agree aren't good enough but they are still sellable assets, even if for just a few million each to move them on. I'm not sure on Lukaku though. I'd rather the club move on from him, but I wouldn't be entirely convinced that bridges have been completely burnt. If Inter aren't prepared to pay out to keep him there, then I could see a situation where he could end up back here without Tuchel. It's annoying because despite his limitations, he is a goal scorer and a focal point that at times this season we've sorely lacked - if he didn't have an ego the size of Russia, he'd probably have a decent role within the squad here still for a couple of seasons.

The way the papers and media portray it, you'd think Chelsea are in financial crisis and having to conduct a "fire sale" of its best players. We have a first team squad of over 30 players. Add to this the impending arrivals of Gusto and Nkunku, and potentially Andrey Santos. Add to this emerging young talent like Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall. Add to this a number of players coming back from loan spells in the summer, some of which will have a real possibility or hope of being involved in the first team set up next season - Lukaku, CHO, Sarr, Ampadu, Colwill, Maatsen. We are genuinely going to be looking at a squad come the summer to decide upon of 35-40 players. I would expect as a minimum a quarter of that group to be sold in the summer. 10 players at an average of £10-15m would be £100-150m in player sales and should not be difficult, and if someone like Mount was sold at a fee around £50m then that figure would be well within the low end of an estimate. We raised about £45m in this last season selling Werner, Batsman, Gilmour, Emerson and then Jorginho with 6 months left.

I can understand from the City perspective as they need some new full backs. From the Chelsea side, I can only think it's something that has been highlighted slightly because a big thing has been made over players being sold if they don't renew contracts and whilst it's not an immediate necessity, Chilwell will have 2 years left in the summer. I think given his form and return to fitness it's almost a guarantee the club would rather get him locked down than sell him. Even more so, if Potter ends up staying on beyond this season - I think Havertz and Chilwell will both get offered long term extensions in the summer.

If that was true, it would certainly fit with what Simon Jordan has said on TalkSport

My thoughts on Mase are that I'd prefer to keep him but it has to be within a bracket that the club deem to be financially acceptable. I don't think he's a player that should be amongst the very top echelon of earners within our squad but I do fear that's where he feels he should be. Having said the above, I wouldn't be too disappointed if he did leave for the right fee. I think the biggest issue for me with Mount is there are still huge question marks over his best role in the team. I personally believe his game is best suited to play as a number 8 in a midfield 3 but it's currently impossible to really know that as he hasn't really played that position here. That in itself raises question marks over his long term suitability here. If Potter decides to stick with the back 3 which I personally think suits us best then whilst Mount has played a good chunk of his time here in that front 3 in this formation, I think there are better suited players to play there. If Potter long term decides to go with a back 4 then I think it would be a 4-2-3-1 which places Mount as the number 10 and again I think there are better suited options than him in that position. He's not in the team currently, and I think people would struggle to argue his inclusion would immediately make us a better side. If an offer of £50-60m was put on the table with a year on his contract, and that gave us the flexibility to get another starting quality player in a position of need (striker for example), then I think the club would be silly not to consider this. I'd be furious if we lost him a year later to a rival on a free transfer.