JDY

These sort of options will certainly be a dent to Moses' dream of playing for Barca But seriously, so excited to see the destruction our attacking trio's can cause, whoever ends up starting. Exciting times.

^ I reckon Dzeko will still go if they sign Negredo. For me it's a definite improvement on what they had, removing 3 players on massive wages & frequent problems off the pitch (Tevez & Balotelli).

I don't see why that is facepalm worthy in all honesty.The role of a 'specialist' is dying out in football and the demand of a player that can do it all is much much higher now. Oscar has more going for him in a tactical sense than Mata. Look at Bayern this year, every player had to contribute to both attack and defence, they didn't need any players in specialist roles because the team as a whole worked as a cohesive unit and covered the space & applied pressure expertly, reminisce of Sacchi's old Milan team. There's been a growing trend where clubs are now seeking the midfielders that can do it all, and is probably why they are so expensive right now. Just look at Martinez last year, Fernandinho, Witsel, Paulinho, Illarramendi recently.

I guess he's officially an unknown player now that he's gone to Porto. People love to praise their scouts even though they are just taking advantage of the lack of rules regarding non-eu transfers/registration.

He's awesome! It was only a matter of time before he moved too a bigger club after a great season. He spoke of how he & his family loved life at Sociedad, but I guess the chance to join a team like Madrid doesn't come around too often.. Big fee but if he carries on how he's been playing he will live up to it

I was hoping next summer if Ash leaves, but good decision for him for now.

Southampton FC ‏@SouthamptonFC47s We are delighted to announce that @Luke_shaw3 has signed a new five-year contract on his 18th birthday.

Teams that can spend freely without any adverse ramifications

A risk paying his full buyout clause now but if he carries on how he has been playing he will be worth it and more. These type of midfielders are rare in today's market so they come at a premium. Fantastic signing.

Eóin - Valencia News ‏@XimoVCF11m Oriol Romeu has joined Valencia on a one year loan deal from Chelsea. Reported by several local media outlets. Good news if true. For him & it might also hint we are getting a new DM ( DDR).

He seems happier in his old Q&A vids

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10170336/Footballer-John-Terrys-father-charged-with-racist-attack.html

I really can't stand people who hold grudges, just move on.

I think this is good for Cech also. Mark seems like an intelligent guy, and him and Petr will be spending a lot of time together. I'm sure he will enjoy his company much more than if we just promoted Blackman & Walker.

Finally a decent no.2! Great business all round.

He has number 15 on his training kit today

I've seen Pirlo mentioned a few times so I thought I'd add this. Part of the reason he's still playing at a high standard isn't just because of his quality, but the facilitators around him that allow him to perform to his maximum. Without Marchisio and Vidal his effectiveness would be halved. I think if he came to Chelsea all those years ago he would've had to be accompanied by two other dominant midfielders. But on the topic of De Rossi, he would be a brilliant addition so fingers crossed something will happen. I assume Mikel will be out if he joins?

Oh God, nearly as bad as that picture of T.Hazard

Nope. Potentially maybe, but not now.

The talk from some respected journalists in Belgium is that of surprise at how well Benteke did in his first season. Apparently very hit & miss infront of goal for Genk, constantly spurning chances. Sometimes for strikers it only takes a good run or something to click and you are scoring purely on instincts. I don't think he should move from Villa yet, and I'll be intrigued to see how he does in his second season. We've seen the likes of Cisse fall for Newcastle after his spectacular start, and at the opposite end Giroud has done everything right except it isn't clicking for him in front of goal. Think he'll surprise a lot next season.

He seems very confident and natural in that video, which I like. I also noticed he mentioned Torres as a player he'd like to work with, but there is no mention of Torres on the Chelsea website article, only Lampard & JT. Interesting.

No surprise there (if true). Great signing.

Good luck Marco!

I don't get why they are so desperate to keep him. When he was injured Mark Bunn stepped in and was fantastic, & their U18s GK also looked very good in the Youth Cup.

What a fantastic goal. This guy oozes quality.