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I said a few times I would have liked to have kept Willian at least another year and wouldn't have had a problem giving him a 2 year deal to retain him. But you can't blame him for leaving for one last big contract. I think Arsenal reportedly offering £220k per week and 3 years is madness personally. They may get a good year out of him next season and he could be a good rotational player perhaps thereafter but as his physical abilities start to decline I think they'll be left to regret what they've done over the last 12-18 months of that deal. He's been a good servant though. Was always in Hazard's shadow here and I was always personally a bigger fan of Pedro who was the more clinical player of the two but he's been a good player and at times, stepped up this season when we needed him to be the experience in our attack. As usual with the recent spate of Chelsea to Arsenal signings, we've had his best years and Arsenal will get the twilight of his career at the top. Once again I think it shows where both clubs are in the food chain at present.

The first thing that came to my head when I was reading through and teletext was mentioned! Kids nowadays missed out on so much...

We've gone from two of the hottest days in the year with unbearable heat and humidity at night, to huge thunder storms, strong winds, flash floods and about 10 - 15 degrees drop in temperature in the last 24 hours. I'm sure there's many reasons for people to live over here but the weather isn't one of them.

I think if the likes of Werner, Ziyech and Havertz perform to what they are expected to, then it will lessen the load on Pulisic a lot and he can also be afforded to be rotated more regularly which could also be key to keeping him fit more. His track record does seem to suggest he doesn't heal very quickly and takes the longest usual expected recovery from his injuries which is a bit of a concern. I'm not at all convinced he'll be ready for the start of the season.

His season playing here was one of the worst I've seen at Chelsea, definitely within the Abramovich years. However from what I've heard he's had two good solid years out on loan at Milan and then Monaco, alongside the good season at Monaco so is his bad year here an anomaly rather than the norm? I personally think his technical limitations are exposed much more with the pace of the English game, however based on the assumption that Lampard wants to develop a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder that is more protector rather than creator, is his skill set more suited than that of Jorginho?

With all due respect to the Bundesliga, Bayern could afford to stick with Robben because their squad was so much stronger than pretty much everybody else in the league bar a couple of years for Dortmund. Given the strength and competitiveness in England, it'll be much more difficult for us to place reliance on a player that struggles with injuries. As I said, he has huge potential and could become one of the very best around, but if he continues to be plagued by injuries it could have significant consequences for both him and us.

He has to get past the injuries that regularly disrupt his season (not just here but in Dortmund too). If this carries on for the next 12 - 24 months, he'll be less Hazard and more Robben by which time the club would have a very important decision to make regarding his future because how much can you realistically rely on a player who struggles to stay fit for large portions of the season. If he can get over the injuries, there's incredible potential there. I think he's a very different player to Hazard in a number of ways but one area is he is much more direct which could help him rack up raw goal and assist numbers.

To be honest even if Rice was being brought to play in midfield I think it would still have a significant positive effect on our defence because they've been given little protection most of the season. Cutting a good percentage of attacks off before they really start would help a lot. I heard something the other day that PSG may make a move for Ronaldo. They look like they are in 'win-now' mode for the Champions League as I don't think they'll keep Mbappe away from Real Madrid for much longer. I just wonder whether we could shop Kante to them for a good fee whilst his stock is still high (i.e. similar money to what Rice would cost). There will be lots of media and pundits calling us mad for selling Kante and replacing him with Rice but bringing in a young player yet to enter his prime to play in a position that looks natural to him compared to a player who has been decimated by injury the last 12 months and doesn't naturally fit into the system we're trying to play would be a sensible move.

I think it may ultimately depend on whether we buy Havertz. If Havertz joins as is strongly expected, I think he'll be the one that plays a central role in the side either as an 8 or 10 depending on how Lampard looks to set up. I think there will be times, particularly in game, where Ziyech may adopt a different position but I believe he is being predominantly brought for the right side so that Lampard has two inverted wide players to either cut inside to shoot/attack the goal or to cross from a different position, with the natural width then to be provided by the full backs. Like was mentioned previously, Ziyech needs the time and space created for him because he's less likely to carry the ball in the way Willian does, but so long as we can set up to play to his strengths I believe his delivery is much more dangerous and consistently threatening than Willian. You're still relying on players getting on the end and finishing but I would be surprised if he's not racking up more assists as a result, and his set piece delivery looks an upgrade on Willian too who was far too inconsistent over the years with this. I also think his willingness to shoot more often around the edge of the box could also prove to be a positive. It will at times I'm sure be frustrating because there will likely be times where a shot may not feel the right decision but far too often in recent years our players try to play through instead of peppering the goal from all angles to break a team down like we had in previous years. How many times did Lampard or Drogba score from outside the area to break a team's resistance? It also prevents teams from sitting too deep and drags players out to close down when there is that threat from outside the box, helping further to find and create openings and pockets of space.

Completely different players like you said, so it will both take some getting used to and adjustments to the team to bring the best out of Ziyech compared to Willian. As you mentioned, Ziyech doesn't have that 5 yard burst that Willian does to shift the ball out from his feet and get a cross in, but if James is to play right back he needs to be prepared to overlap much more regularly to provide the width and give Ziyech the opportunity to either cross with his left or give to James to cross from the byline. I think having a left footer in this position provides a dual threat and will also aid James with one of his better attributes (his crossing). When Willian played there the attack could end up being one dimensional with both Willian and James looking to cross from the same spot, making it much easier to defend against. Just being able to mix up the variety of crosses between a left footer and right footer should make us harder to defend against (hopefully we'll also sort something similar for the left hand side also). I think we do have some players also that will play to Ziyech's strengths. Giroud obviously is a huge aerial threat when he plays, but those whipped in balls to the back post could be carnage for teams trying to defend against Pulisic and Werner who both have excellent movement and could aggressively attack that space. I think there will be parts of Willian's game that will be missed at times next season, particularly on the defensive side and also his ability to take and carry the ball from deeper positions. However from an attacking raw numbers perspective (goals, assists, etc) I would be surprised if Ziyech over the next 2-3 seasons doesn't put up better numbers than Willian has consistently produced.

It will be interesting to see what the club's transfer strategy regarding the defence is this window. I think most of us are in agreement that at minimum we need a GK, LB, CB and preferably an alternative to Kante to play the holding role (or possibly replacement for him). We are not going to raise enough in my opinion to go for the most expensive targets in each position that we are being heavily linked with. (Based on the rumours if we moved for Pope, Rice and Chilwell that would be around £200m). So somewhere there needs to be a compromise. Either it's in the way of the 2017 summer window where we settle on alternative targets to our first choice ones. Obviously that window was a disaster, although in this situation I think that potentially better targets can be secured over the likes of Chilwell and Pope for example for a fraction of their prices quoted. We're also not trying to fill the squad like Conte was trying to do in that summer so our focus is on improving the starting XI, not beefing up the squad. Or the other option is to sort out a couple of these positions this window, whilst making do in the other areas before correcting them next summer. It's interesting that a lot of articles have talked about a 3 year plan which is what has been sold to the likes of Werner and Havertz (whether that is challenging back at the top in the third year or at the end of three years I'm not quite sure). Lampard still has to be hitting and achieving targets to stay in the job to see us through to that point but it's the first time in a long while where there seems to be a much longer term plan in place rather than a shorter term focus and it makes me wonder whether the second option may happen. If we're not going to sort everything out this window I would much rather sort out the keeper situation over the left back situation and if we were able to get Rice his versatility would help next season at playing centre back or an alternative to Kante in defensive midfield depending on circumstances. I guess the other option is to not pursue Havertz and instead focus on the defensive areas of the squad but I think this is a unique opportunity to snap up one of the best young players in world football. I think if he were to develop into a world superstar over the next 3-4 years, it would be gutting to know we had a free run at him and didn't take the chance.

Too many factors and variables but based on a simplistic overview i'm pretty sure we made around £170m net transfer profit last summer after the purchase of Kovacic. So there is a real possibility that the deals of Werner, Ziyech and Havertz are covered by this. There may be some 'budget' too for last and this summer which may get us another player or two and anything beyond this will be funded through sales.

A loan move for Tomori as part of the deal could be a good move for all parties involved.

Ironically I think Cahill would have found himself playing regularly this season, particularly as the season wore on as his leadership and experience would have anchored the defence. It would have still been far from perfect but I think the likes of Zouma or Rudiger would have benefited playing alongside him. Somebody like Lewis Dunk wouldn't be the worst option. It's not a flashy signing but it could be a sensible one, somebody who is a defender first and foremost and I think would be willing to stand up with the personality to lead and organise a back line embarrassingly short of such characteristics. It could be similar to United's purchase of Maguire. He is ridiculously overpriced, but his presence in United's defence has improved it. If it's another player we're going to be quoted a ridiculous figure for like £50m + then it's too much. But at a reasonable price, I wouldn't be against it.

Agreed on next season. The target, in my opinion, should be looking to add 10-15 points on this season. When you think we got one point from a possible twelve against West Ham and Bournemouth, I think that is a very realistic aim and should keep us in the top 4 places whilst pushing closer to the top of the table. Whilst defensively we have problems, I think a large part of our problems against the teams in the bottom half this season has been our inability to convert a raft of chances we've created against them and in many circumstances we've been routinely punished off one or two chances for them. Hopefully this is something that the new signings will address next season with additional creativity and goal threat because our record this season against teams in the top half has been pretty reasonable. People have mentioned we've been lucky getting top 4 this season with our points total but it shouldn't be compared to previous years. We're nowhere near as good a team as we have been in previous years and a number of teams have been catching up over time. There's no longer a huge gulf between us, United, Spurs and Arsenal compared to the likes of Wolves and Leicester. The league table never lies, and this season us and United have proved good enough for top 4. Maybe next season an extra 10 points will only just be enough for top 4 or maybe it moves us further away from the pack. Who knows?

You learn something every day! I think the biggest thing this season for Lampard was getting through it. Lots of people outside the club, pundits, opposition fans, had us around mid table. I think a few of our own fans probably did too (I personally felt if we remained in the top 6 it would have been acceptable given the circumstances). Now though is where the pressure cranks up because it looks like we'll spend big. The club is trusting Lampard to use those funds wisely and start rebuilding a squad which has needed a real refresh for a long time. I think there have been signs this season of him becoming a top manager. We at least one, beat all the top teams this season and have had some really excellent results and performances. But there have also been times where Lampard has been outdone tactically and made to look the somewhat rookie coach that he is. Those inconsistencies have to be drastically reduced next season for us to continue to progress. Either way though, I feel the opportunities he has given to academy players has put some on the road to hopefully making it at Chelsea, and opening the door in the future to more coming through (with or without Lampard) and the signings look highly promising and with the long term in mind, no longer short term stopgaps. This feels like the start of something. Hopefully Lampard can develop like the team and prove up to being the one to lead it.

Agree on the first part. It's not just the players. Lampard currently is inconsistent himself tactically and we've suffered at times this season as a result. That has to improve, and I would like to believe that bringing in his own players next season to play what is hopefully going to be in his own image and preferred system will allow us to become more focused specifically (both players and coaching) rather than the regular changing that has been done this season. Don't agree on the second part. Hazard's output last season accounted for around 50% of our goals in the league. To lose that quality without being able to adequately replace it was going to be a huge problem. Our overall record without Hazard might be pretty good i don't know, but the overall quality in our squad has reduced over his time here. Players like Mata, Costa, Fabregas, Pedro were either left to decline or not sufficiently replaced and last season I felt was a boiling point whereby we were fully reliant on Hazard to carry us through the season, because there was very little to support him. I feel getting through this season without him was a huge thing. And hopefully the recruitment this summer will be spot on. The signs are encouraging that we're no longer settling and instead moving for the best that are available and attainable.

Lampard said after the game that he pulled up in training on Friday. That's all we can base it on for now. If that theory was true however, I would be disappointed that Willian couldn't be trusted to put everything in for Chelsea. After all, there is a trophy and medal opportunity to add to his collection. One which at his stage of his career, may not present itself again. I can remember us agreeing to sell Brian Laudrup to Copenhagen before playing them in Europe and he still played and scored the goal to knock them out. In my opinion you give your all for your team that you are contracted to, no matter the circumstances. There are no excuses for anything less.

I was supportive of the idea of giving Lampard the job last summer, mainly because I felt with the loss of Hazard and the transfer ban it was a complete free hit for someone to come in who cares about the club and I'd expect to be prepared to lay down a long term plan for the club which would involve trying to integrate some of our youth players to freshen up the squad. Some of them the jury is still out but 2 or 3 of them will definitely carry on playing regularly into next season and beyond, and very likely 2 or 3 more will at the very least be squad players. That's a huge bonus moving forward for the club. None of them are at the level they need to be yet to be challenging for the league but a year under their belts will help on the way to that. Somebody like Rashford seems to be getting lots of headlines this season but he's been around the United first team for 4-5 years and is only really now going up a level. I think Lampard placing faith in a number of them at times throughout the season will be a long term benefit to the club. To get top 4 I think was the absolute peak of what we as fans could have expected this year having lost our best player, and arguably the best player in the league. So just on a basic overall of the season I think Lampard has done a good job and achieved. However make no mistake, next season we do need to improve. Even if they don't make many signings, I would expect Arsenal and Spurs to improve next season with a full season of their managers. Wolves have been there or thereabouts for two seasons now and if they can add one or two, there's nothing to suggest they won't be again. And United I expect will kick on based on their form in the second half of the season as opposed to the first. We've been consistently inconsistent throughout the season. It was enough this year, but it won't be next. I like the signings that Lampard has made and the Havertz potential signing could be a huge one. The presence of Lampard as manager seems to have been a great pull for all of them too which could be a big thing moving forward in our recruitment. I don't think Werner or Havertz would have been viewed as attainable targets a few months ago but the uncertainty of times and Lampard seemingly a very persuasive influence has presented an opportunity that the club look to be taking. These three signings will hopefully address one issue in our team that we're not clinical enough, especially against teams in the bottom half of the table which is a big reason why we've dropped silly points. Lampard now has to address that defence with at least a couple of signings. And then there are a number of aspects of his coaching that need to be worked on. Particularly the defensive shape when we have the ball (because we always look susceptible to the counter) and defending set pieces. Maybe it's possible to develop a more solid shape next season if we have a better crop of attacking players. Sarri was able to do this in the second half of his season with Hazard in the team to bail out a toothless attack. But with the players coming in, we should have as strong a midfield and attack than we've had in years. I don't mind Lampard being versatile also, but like others have mentioned, I think he needs to decide on what his primary formation and set up is going to be and predominantly stick with that moving forward. I think it will be a 4-3-3 with a more defensive minded midfielder and two 'number 8's' but that remains to be seen. He's chopped and changed a lot this season and has seemed to overthink at times. He's in a difficult spot because we have a lot of players in the squad that have been brought under Conte to suit a back 3 system when I think he wants to use a back 4 moving forward. Sarri had the same problem last season. But that is something he needs to address with the personnel at the club. I think there is a ruthless streak there in him because lots of players have been dropped and/or hooked this season and he must show that this summer in the market. I think if Lampard fails to address certain problems that we can all see from this last season in the transfer market, or does look to address them in the market and they are still apparent next season, then there will be a lot of questions asked of him and whether he'll be the right man to take us forward. I think for this season though, and given that we managed top 4 under testing circumstances, he can be given a large benefit of the doubt. But that won't be the case next year, and strides will need to be made.

Maybe but Conte has always been one that wants a big pool of players to choose from if they're in multiple competitions. He also seems to prefer players that he's already worked with previously too, making it more seamless to fit into his system. It'd be interesting how much each club values those players at. N'dombele, for me, given the money spent on him has probably been the biggest flop in the league this season and there's surely no way Spurs feel they can recoup full value back on what they originally signed him for. So what would that value Skriniar at?

Cash + Emerson + Moses to hijack? Or chuck Bakayoko in too if Conte still likes him.

I know there is a pull with them because they are such a huge club, but any top player with half a brain at the moment would surely think twice about going to Barcelona. There is no direction at the club and they've essentially tried pushing for one last hurrah whilst Messi is still capable. An old team that have spent fortunes, but still reliant on one player time and again to produce the goods.

Agreed. I love the success and great players we've had in the Abramovich era, but some of my favourite memories are growing up watching Chelsea in the 90's. In awe at Gullit and then Zola joining the club. Going with my dad to Wembley at 10 years old to watch the 97 cup final win. And a pair of incredible comebacks which still stick clear in my head to this day, and ultimately led to silverware in both instances. The 4-2 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup when 2 down at half time and the 3-2 aggregate win over Vicenza in the Cup Winners Cup after being 2-0 down mid way through the second leg. Magic times.

All the talk of Dean Henderson, what do people think about United's other keeper Sergio Romero? I can't say I've watched enough of him to pass judgement but a couple of my friends are United fans and rate him highly and feel he should have played a lot more than he's been afforded over the last couple of years during De Gea's slump. If we were going to go down the route of an older, experienced keeper (think he's 33) for a couple of years who shouldn't cost a huge amount (think he may be going into the last year of his contract), he might be one to throw on the list?

I don't think anybody would dispute how good a player Carvalho was. But the leadership of Terry was critical for our success defensively. We won premier league titles and multiple cups with Terry as the back bone of the side. Whether it was Carvalho, Gallas, Alex, Cahill the common trend was Terry. I always felt that when Terry was in his prime we would almost always have a solidity in the defence no matter the partner he had alongside him. I would look currently at that Liverpool defence and in my opinion if you cherry picked any of Gomez, TAA or Robertson and put them in our side i don't think it would make much difference to our team as a defensive unit. Put Van Dijk however in our team to lead the defence and it would automatically raise the game of the rest. Honestly I struggle to give transfer targets for centre back currently because I think so few nowadays offer that (Van Dijk is an excellent player but i think he's lauded even more so because the pool of world class centre backs around now is not what it was 10-20 years ago). But we need someone to lead and organise our defence. Ake for me, may be an upgrade on Christensen or Zouma, etc but he's still the secondary centre back that they are. We need a primary centre back to come in and elevate everyone around them.