BlueLion.

Pornhub or UKIP could sponsor us for the amount Yokohama are paying us and I wouldn't give a shit.

You know what, I reckon he could do a really good job for us this season. Provided he tracks back and works hard, he's another option for the midfield positions. He's a threat in the air and actually a relatively intelligent footballer. I really wouldn't mind him being given a shot by José; his form for Stoke last season suggests he deserves that opportunity.

You have to be careful in September, that's when the White Walkers usually wake up.

Fair point, but in terms of "getting known", Yokohama's marketability will definitely rise because everyone will see it plastered over Chelsea shirts on Match of the Day every weekend.

I just think we're waiting until the shirt launch before announcing any signings. We want the shirts to be marketable, so no point advertising new players arriving with SAMSUNG painted all over the banners and hoardings.

I think you're doing Asmir a disservice there! Courtois isn't that much better than Asmir, who is one of the top goalkeepers in the PL. But I take your point, Mourinho has his favourites and the minute he chose Thibaut as number 1 over Cech twelve months ago was the minute he became an untouchable. My point, however, is that if Begovic gets a chance, people will be pleasantly surprised how brilliant he is.

Yokohama is "one of those" ones that you haven't heard of, but you have, if that makes sense - e.g. you've heard of them but they're not a massively marketed company. People have to realise that Samsung's first marketed phone release in the UK was the SGH-Z300 in February 2005. Around the same time our deal with Samsung was announced. Samsung took off in the UK at the same time that Chelsea did under Mourinho and Abramovich. The same will happen with Yokohama, it'll be a massively marketable company and instantly recognisable in a few years.

It's absolute bullshit. Nobody with even an inch of ambition would go to that sinking ship.

That is my greatest skill.

Exactly. I said this in another post, but, I'll repeat myself: we'll only buy if we need to, and it'll be a player worth investing in.

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't give a toss.

Winning sides don't necessarily have to have the best eleven players in the world. They need players who can do a job and be a composite part of a functional machine, which is what José has done at Chelsea. If Mourinho thinks Pedro is the right move, then I'll back that decision and not write him off before he's even kicked a ball.

We've gone from having the best back-up keeper in the PL to having the best back-up keeper in the PL.

Asmir Begovic has commented that it is the allure of working with José Mourinho - who he believes can make him a better player - that attracted him in joining Chelsea. The Blues today confirmed the arrival of the Bosnian international, who has put pen to paper on a four-year contract. After Radamel Falcao's season-long loan deal, Begovic is Mourinho's second summer acquisition. A homegrown player under the Premier League's existing regulations, Begovic move to Stoke from Portsmouth in 2010 after seven years with the south coast club, but the temptation of silverware and the chance to work with the world's greatest coach proved to be too much to resist for Begovic. 'After speaking at length to the manager, I feel like I can develop here', Begovic began. 'I am very happy to be joining Chelsea FC'. Begovic, who made 172 Premier League appearances for the Potters, is considered to be one of the better goalkeepers in England's top division - so much so that Manchester United had harboured intentions of pipping Chelsea at the final hurdle in the race for his signature. However, Begovic claims he was made to feel like he would be an integral part of the Chelsea set-up, claiming 'I feel like I can be an important part of this team. I am looking forward to meeting up with the team on Wednesday for the pre-season tour'. Last season, Mourinho regularly rotated first-choice stopper Thibaut Courtois with the recently departed Petr Cech, which gives Begovic the impression that he, too, will be given ample opportunities to impress for the champions. In a heartfelt goodbye to Stoke fans, Begovic stressed the importance of embracing the chance to win silverware with the Blues: 'I had to take this opportunity for me to continue to develop and challenge myself as a player. 'I am very proud of what we achieved during my time at Stoke', the Bosnian concluded.

http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/20448-1-asmir-begovic/

On 13 July 2015, Chelsea signed Begović on a four-year deal for a fee of £8 million. As part of the deal Chelsea also offered midfielder Marco van Ginkel in part exchange to Stoke on loan for the 201516 season. He made his debut nine days later on Chelsea's pre-season tour, coming on at half time for Thibaut Courtois with Chelsea 10 up against the New York Red Bulls, but the match ended in a 24 defeat. Manager José Mourinho defended Begović's performance, attributing it to fatigue. His first competitive fixture was the 2015 FA Community Shield on 2 August at Wembley Stadium, in which he was unused in a 10 loss to rivals Arsenal. Six days later he came on as a substitute for Oscar when Courtois was sent off for conceding a penalty with a foul on Bafétimbi Gomis, who converted it for a 22 draw. On 16 August, Begović made his first competitive start for Chelsea in a 30 away loss to Manchester City. Click here to view the record

Chelsea have today (Monday) completed the capture of Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Joining for a fee thought to be in the region of £8 million, the Bosnia-Hercegovina international joins Chelsea on a four-year deal. Making over 170 Premier League appearances for the Potters, Begovic once famously netted for his former side in a 1-1 draw with Southampton, as his long-range clearance caught out his opposite number, Artur Boruc, thanks to a freak bounce. The Bosnian, who will challenge Thibaut Courtois for the right to start for the club, will wear the number 1 jersey vacated by the departure of Petr Cech.

Pedro would be a top signing for us, IMO. In his prime, relatively cheap in the grand scheme of things, and a decent goalscoring return is highly possible.

He's currently wearing a promo version of the Nike Vapor Grip3 RS: But he'll most likely be wearing the new colourway that was released last week, for the start of the new season:

I'm not forgetting anything I'm just remembering that de Gea had to play like Superman because tactically, not personnel-wise, United were an absolute shambles defensively last season for an alarming percent of the time. They improved towards the back end of the season, but again, without a superb goalkeeper they would have struggled last season. There is no commanding presence in their defensive unit, it's as simple as that. They have players that have potential, but right now, I don't see any player in United's defence that I could see getting a place in defence for either of last season's top three. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, Skip.

Oh of course not, I forgot the rules were amended.

What a brilliant post. People have been crying out for youth players to be given a chance. José is doing that. We comfortably still have the best squad in the Premier League, IMO. But rather than spending mega money on a new CDM, José is going to give RLC an opportunity. Aké instead of another left-back. Let's give them a chance. Then, if the right player comes along at the right price, we make the acquisition. We did our big business with Costa and Fabregas last summer. We're bringing in a top, top goalkeeper as second-choice to Courtois, and we will most likely bring in another wide player as I'm sure Salah will be loaned again and Cuadrado has yet to make an impression. I'm satisfied with what we've got. People want us to sign players for the sake of signing someone. United, Arsenal, City - they all need to spend millions to catch up. And unless United fix their defence; unless City bring in Pogba to replace Toure; unless Arsenal sign a 30-goal-a-season striker (i.e. Benzema, Higuain, etc.), we're still top of the tree.

Colkett was brilliant in the first tour match, a shame he isn't going. Maybe the club have a loan move lined up for him. He's the best kept secret in our academy, IMO.

Champions.

Rojo doesn't impress me, Darmian isn't world-class, Shaw is still young and very raw. I like Blind but he isn't a special player, he's one of those utility players that can "do a job". Phil Jones is bang average, Smalling had a very good season last year but is still quite a distance from being a top notch defender, in my opinion. You can have all the firepower in the world, but whoever replaces de Gea next season is going to need to do a massive job because they are well behind us, City, Arsenal, and even Spurs as a defensive unit IMO.