Sideshow Luiz

We've seen the story quite a few times. To be fair, January isn't typically that busy. However, in our case, we didn't get our business done in the summer, so January felt/feels like an opportunity to finish what we were supposed to do in the summer. But.... we'll see. I really do think we'll get a LB/LWB, but that's it. I can't see us getting a CM or RW.

On the plus side of not getting anyone in: pretty soon we are going to be out of 2 (maybe 3) competitions, so depth won't be as much of an issue. Silver linings, huh?

I understand where you're coming from. Just get better. I understand. But, from a business point of view, and let's face it, that's the focus of the club these days, you can't smash your wage structure like that. No companies do it. They don't bring in other middle management people that will make twice as much as the current staff even if it makes them better overall. And yes, I do think you will be rewarded for your efforts, or transferred away if not good enough anymore, but no, I don't think that everyone is going to get a 50-100% pay increase. From a fan's perspective, yes I want them to splash the cash. But, my point was more about people asking why we aren't in for Sanchez. And that's my opinion, I don't think we're in for him because his wage demands are too high. And from a business point of view, I can understand that.

For sure, that's it. Hazard and Fabregas are the highest earners at the club right now. Can't have Sanchez rock up, having done nothing and make twice as much as these guys. Imagine if your/people's work did that? Have you around for years, you play a big part in winning department/group/whatever of the year. Some dude shows up, joins the team and makes twice as much money as you? If he came here, the whole wage structure would be in shambles.

Can't even get this shit over the line.

He could score a hat trick against us in a final and I'd still rate him as one of my favourite players. His class extends well beyond the pitch.

Good read. Made better by the fact that it encapsulates everything we've been saying for the past couple of days, not to mention the past few years. Nice find.

As soon as Barkley signed his contract with us, he became worth about 30. He's also on about 1/4 of what Sanchez will be on at Utd/City. I think, with the way the club has been operating lately, that resale value (or potential resale value ) is highly valued at board level.

Dolberg has all the potential tools. Still a year or two away from a step up, from what I've seen (limited). Napoli already signed the previous style player from Ajax (Milik). In midfield, Ziyech, Van de Beek and De Jong look good.

This is depressing. It's depressing that it's not being dismissed out of hand. I don't know what to think if it goes through. It has to be a joke, right?

https://statsbomb.com/2018/01/how-good-is-malcom/

No it wasn't. In fact, you could really say it wasn't his fault ultimately. He's the manager, he works for the club, so does the technical director. Jose says, "I can't use him, get me such and such instead". You just say "No, he did brilliantly while out on loan, he's our player, play him, we're not selling him nor are we buying someone who will play instead of him". The way the board are acting with Conte is what they should have done with Jose. Problem is, that experience scarred the club so badly, that they've gone completely the opposite way, IMO. It all comes back to having a footballing identity as a club, it would make these things much less of an issue. If you want to build up an exciting young team like Monaco (we had the right technical director for that) and we were doing our business in that manner, that's fine, I wouldn't mind be entertained when I get up early to watch Chelsea play. But, you can't then hire a win now manager and tell them that they have to win something or they will get sacked. Can't have it both ways. Every couple of years we go through the same questions. And it always comes back to "What is it that we are trying to do?" Maybe this is the plan. Win/challenge for the title every 2-3 seasons. Implode. Get in a new manager.

When Barcelona need a new manager, they will come from a background of playing a possession style, attacking brand of football. Ajax, the same. Liverpool will always get in someone who will put an entertaining product on the pitch. Our new manager could be anyone.

This is why you can't give the manager too much power. Having said that, it wouldn't be an issue if the club had a vision for the team and hired the right manager that fit that vision. Which was not Jose, the second time around. We were buying young skillful, promising players, which are of absolutely no use to Jose. This is why it will hurt when Conte goes. Our vision right now is the new stadium, IMO. The mandate for the manager seems to be "Here are some various players. Some of them are very good, some of them are very shit. See what you can do". Don't know who would do better than Conte with that.

That's exactly what I'm doing now, LOL

Highlights a fundamental difference in the 2 clubs at the moment. Liverpool don't spend a ton of money (net) but they get the right kind of players that the manager needs. Build the squad around what he's looking to do. We get players in, then ask the manager to make a 3* Michelin meal out of whatever's in the fridge.

No problem, man. It was a fairly obscure reference. The tongue in cheek part about it was more of a reference to people who actually believed that. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm shitting on those people. In fact, I love them, and I have some magic beans that I'd be willing to sell to them as a token of my love. Dybala is a pipe dream, but I'd love to see Fekir here on the opposite wing from Hazard. No, I wouldn't sell Hazard. Without getting in to the is he overrated/world class debate, the truth is, I love watching him play when he's on song. The Jose season of 2 years ago taught me that while winning trophies is great, I've seen them win everything (except the World Club Cup and Euro Supercup). If we're not going to splash the cash anymore (which equals trophies), which is fine, then I'd like to see a young attacking team, like Monaco of last year (maybe we should steal their technical director ). I was okay with not winning that season, but it sucked because we were still playing shit football. Let's face it (even when we had him) Jose without trophies is Pulis. The silverware at the end of the season is what made it enjoyable.

My comment was in jest. Back in the summer, when nothing was happening, some people were convinced that deals were done, but we were waiting until July 1 after the new Nike deal took place so we could unveil them in the new Nike kit. Of course, July 1st came and went and here we are. Still need a LWB, a RW, depth at ST and in the middle of the pitch.

I put it in some thread earlier: We're waiting for the new Nike deal. Everyone knows that.

I'm not sure, to be honest, I don't remember the last time we bought anyone around 28, 29 and offered them a contract that took them to 31,32 + I know new players get longer deals, like Barkley's 5.5 year deal, but he's only 24 (ish?) Either way, it's moot. Everyone knows it. This isn't even a thread about a transfer rumour anymore, it should be re-named "Bitch about our transfer strategy". I do think we'll get a LWB, but I wouldn't wager on the quality.

If anyone missed the match and wants to see the attack we mustered: https://www.trollfootball.me/videos/view/moses-shot-at-end-of-game-vs-leicester-best

He's the only one in our midfield even remotely interested in passing the ball forwards.

I agree. But, I think it really comes down to his age. We don't give multi year deals to anyone over 30, he's 29, so how many years are we going to give him in a contract? 2? If he were a steal, then sure, maybe the club could make some sort of concession. But not at 300K + a week, plus 30M in transfer fees, plus another 10M to the agent. Nothing over the past 5 years suggests to me that the club is going to do anything like that.

There appears to be an agent fee as well, a la Lukaku. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/01/13/manchester-united-may-have-pay-10-million-agent-fees-land-alexis/

Or don't bother stopping Moses and let him slam the ball aimlessly in to the box or out of play. Alonso wants to cut inside because he's not going to beat you for pace. Basically, they stop themselves, I guess is what I'm saying. Kante and Bakayoko won't pass the ball forwards, and that leaves Cesc trying to take the top off the defence. Now that everyone is closing down Azpi, there goes our "goal move". That leaves Morata on the ground trying to get a cheap free kick or Hazard looking at 5 players all facing him up.