Thor

Mata is worth half that, and no thanks. He isn't a big club player.

I wasn't too much of a fan when he left us in shambles, and now I definitely am not with him at Man Utd. It makes things interesting in the PL now, but for him to talk how much he loves this club, and all the other jazz... It is apparent he doesn't. I truly believe he'll make more of an effort than he ever did here, mainly due to the "prestige" of it being Man Utd. I say that, but I could be wrong. He was at one point at an even bigger club, Real Madrid, and he pouted and moaned during his time there. So who knows, maybe we kick his ass a few times, and so does Pep, and so does Klopp, and he leaves again. I can't be a fan of his anymore. I know some can, but you don't preach your love and loyalty to one thing then go join the rival. Much like how I lost a lot of that legend feeling for Lamps once he went to Man City... It just isn't something you do, especially if you want to be seen as a club legend or some sort of hero. Throughout all this, the main thing you can deduce is Mou is a great bullshitter. The man always speaks for effect, rather than sincerity.

Much rather Koulibaly over Bonucci. Much younger, and is a signing for continued success for the future IMO. Not to mention his pace, and physical advantage over Bonucci sure us up at the back, even though he clearly isn't as technically proficient. Signing both Koulibaly and Bonucci would be fantastic though.

I'd love him here. Such a class player, and the complete opposite to Costa. Would create a nice dynamic I think if we go with two up front. He can create, and is a clinical finisher too. He'd have a bigger impact than Martial coming into the league IMO.

Why is Matic constantly being linked to being on the way out? He is a top 3 player at his position. In any league. Him having a down season after the whole team falls flat on their face, and he gets the majority of the blame it seems. It makes no sense, particularly if you look at last season and realise himself, Hazard and Costa carried the damn team. His season last year has been replicated by how many players at his position over the years? It was that damn good... Looked on par with prime Yaya Toure. And we want to get rid of this guy? I realize some fans on here can get carried away, since they want the newest wonder kid and hot shot, but I sure as hell hope management have their heads screwed on. Fabregas looks way worse all season, and people are content if he goes or not. Yet Matic has a few bad games, and people are calling for him out... Wow. End of rant I guess...

People on here constantly want world beaters or no one. The fact is, most of these guys weren't world beaters before these teams took a chance on them. Guys on here asking for them after 1 or 2 good seasons need to realise there are plenty of great players on average teams, that with a move to a team like Chelsea with other quality players around them, will become that world beater type. I mean 70% of the players everyone wants to buy on here are exactly that. Kante, Griezmann, Radja, Stones, Pogba, etc. All teams that saw something, gave them a chance, and look what they turned into. People on here wouldn't have had you buy them two or three seasons back. lol...

There are so many options as good, or better in the price range of 20 mil. Also, how much better is he then Christensen? Asking as someone who hasn't really followed the Bundesliga this season.

And a bullshit red to top it off. A player going for the ball while the other wankers time waste is never a red.

Their keeper is a wanker. Hope Sunderland get relegated just because of him.

Can we stop judging these creative midfielders that break down defences based on their stats? When did football become this? SMH... Same thing when people were saying Sanchez was better than Hazard based on those very stats. Not the same thing when one guy passes 2 of your guys and then draws another 3 defenders his way and opens up a massive gap for your striker or playmaker to distribute the ball. Use your eyes and you can clearly tell which players have a massive impact on the game.

Please stay mate. Especially if you're gonna play like that. People on here asking for you and Thibs to leave don't have a clue.

I actually think he is one of the best strikers at passing back, and peeling off, finding good runs. It is more when he is asked to face forward and make plays, and like you said, he gets caught trying to dribble past too many players.

I'd take most over Cesc at the moment.

I wasn't on board with signing him originally, but to top it off as far as the midfield goes, I think he would be perfect now. Would probably give us the strongest and most aggressive midfield in the league, and maybe all of football.

I really hope this is true. With Matic returning to form, RLC progressing further as a player and adding a player like Radja, our midfield is going to be a physical nightmare for teams. This is exactly the type of player we need in the middle to take the defensive pressure and workload off of one player; Matic. Can't believe people actually sit on here and blame Matic for his effort and play this season... He spent a whole title race the previous season doing the defensive work of 3 people. Of course the guy is going to be tired. Great signing once again. A step in the right direction. Not all of them have to be huge names. Arsenal fans were whinging when they were being linked to Mahrez due to him not being a big enough name... Look how that worked out.

This seems to be done now. You can't see Leicester bottling it from here. I know it is a little off topic, but I didn't really know where else to post... Do we have a chance to play Europa League football next season? If United win the FA Cup, then they qualify and their spot based on standings goes to West Ham, correct? And if Liverpool win the Europa League, then they qualify for Champions... So, they are excluded if they win, so naturally they don't go in it. Then the Capital One winners Man City are already going to either since they will finish top 5, so their spot goes to the team in 8th? Correct? Then all spots are accounted for?

I completely agree. In my opinion we are completely fine in terms of going forward, especially once Hazard returns, and Cuadrado possibly coming back with a new lease of life, and a proper chance to play here. Costa can still clearly bang in goals with service being there for him. Maybe a back up striker as well would be a decent investment, but that is something that could easily come from the club itself. Like you said, a few midfielders and defenders and we're good to go. We have Matic hopefully coming back in great form next season, and we'll have RLC who would have only got better.

This was Leicester's second choice in the transfer window, and now somehow it has become a must sign for us this coming season? I'll be fair and say that I'd much rather have him than Fabregas, due to how dynamic he is and the fact he works on both ends. A midfield selection of him, Matic, RLC and possibly Nainggolan/Pjanic would be really nice.

I'm just wondering if some of you get sick of complaining about the same things each week? Clearly not though. We are a team with nothing to play for at the moment. We are fine, and we won't get relegated, and we aren't going to make it up top, so clearly motivation is lacking. The scoreline might say 0-3 against us, but I was actually quite happy with the movement and effort on offence, particularly at the start of the game. Next season with a healthy Hazard, Willian back in his great form, Cuadrado possibly returning inspired and maybe another striker option, we are fine IMO. As far as defence though, everyone needs to go aside from Azpi. Baba is a player that inspires the least amount of confidence ever. Cahill only seems to know how to scramble and simply isn't an intelligent enough defender. This is where out biggest changes need to happen. We desperately need some new centre backs, and a fullback. As far as Cesc goes... This guy shouldn't be here. He doesn't have it anymore. He is a mid table team sort of player. I know that is us at the moment, and consequently suitable lol, but we are a top level team, with top level funding and top level goals as far as a team goes. He is a player that lives off his reputation at the moment. Hopefully Conte as an outsider coming in can see that, and isn't in a position where he feels pressured to play the names. We need more dynamism in the midfield, and Cesc is the opposite of that. RLC and Matic are clearly a pair that belong. For all of the hate Matic got this season, how could anyone not understand that him playing defence for two guys (himself and Cesc) takes its toll after a while. I think we need to adjust our expectations at the end of the season. Clearly our excitement and activity should be reserved for the transfer market and new additions coming in. Not much will get better this late into the season with little to play for, or in situations where we play extremely young and inexperienced players. One more thing I will say, is that Kennedy always impresses me. Even if he doesn't have the best game, I've rarely seen someone with such grit and determination to prove themselves. This, for as much as I am a fan of him, is something I have never felt from Courtois while he was here. Even when we were winning the league, there was always something that told me he wanted to be back at Atleti... I guess it didn't take more than one bad season from us for him to really express those feelings in his body language. Maybe I'm wrong and he wants to fight here and grow with the team, but if not, we have to look elsewhere, and that is a shame, since he is a top 3 keeper in the world.

So much negativity in this thread. We get it, we are bad in the back line and the middle. The positive thing is, this team is very capable offensively. We've created a lot of chances in that first half and have been unlucky not to score. To be more specific about the negatives... Baba is quite poor, and Cesc is so overrated and done... He shouldn't be playing at a club the level of Chelsea. He isn't that calibre of player anymore.

Cuadrado is twice the player that Schurrle is. He needs to be given a chance under a coach who actually plays some offence. All of you are so quick to want new players in and out of the squad. Cuadrado has been fantastic everywhere apart from under Mou. It is no accident that Conte is a big fan. Cuadrado is clearly very talented. Having Hazard come back fit and healthy next season, and Cuadrado come back under a better offensive system would work wonders for us. Where we need some change is in the middle. More dynamic players are needed.

I've never been a big fan of his, yet he does have the occasional game where you wonder how good he could be. At this point though he is at an age where I'm beginning to care less and less. After all this time, he still has one of the worst and most inconsistent first touches I have ever seen for a "skilled" player like himself. He is infuriating to watch at times. I know someone mentioned it, but like Mata I feel he is a no impact player. They are both great at making things look harder than they are, and they simply aren't efficient IMO. I can't wait for us to get rid of him. His overrated technical ability is something I cannot bear to hear about anymore. He just doesn't have the capacity or skill to be a great player, and then you add onto the fact that he isn't physically top notch either in terms of strength or balance, and you're left with an average player. Now would be a great time to get rid of him with his stock as high as it is.

I don't know why we send the ball wide when we can't even cross the ball. Every single one fails to clear the first man.

Mikel has actually impressed me in the backline.

Literally saying every foul for Chelsea is questionable, and every foul against is dead set.