Strike

Its been clear for more than a year that we have to upgrade in midfield. It is an area of the squad we haven't invested in since 2018 when Jorgi and Kova were signed. If we're spending heavy on any position right now, it has to be CM. I don't see people suggesting alternatives to Enzo. Rice is quoted at 80m and he is an inferior player, especially when he'll be in a bigger team with more of the ball. Have read Moises Caicedo quoted at 70m.

I am curious about one thing with all those saying Enzo at 100m was way too much - What would be your midfield signing(s) ?

You're right. Chelsea can't operate in the same way as Newcastle but there is a case for waiting to invest in the right player in the market than looking for immediate fixes. Club signed Koulibaly and Auba in the summer and are now replacing them in six months. The new signing Felix is a 6 month loan deal on big wages, very high loan fee with no option to buy. We will be back to the same situation in summer 2023.

Dan Burn has been weirdly good. Trippier too. Targett and Wood are doing their bit as back-up, helps with the team spirit. They now have positioned themselves to target a higher level of players.

Newcastle's thinking in the market has been great. Some good pickups

This is partly the reason the squad is a mess. Aubameyang was also signed because they just wanted any striker available in the market

This club will slowly finish me

Koulibaly quickly going in the bust section. Our bust : hit ratio with transfers has been so bad in recent years. Only Thiago Silva has been an unquestionable success and even that is with the caveat of free transfer, age meaning less expectations.

Good night

been doing that consistently. Has gotten old now It's been quiet with Moukoko. He's not said he will not join Chelsea. The Athletic reported his agent is keen to get him to the Premier League for next season after running down the contract. That probably explains why there seems to be no activity this month. Ornstein said this a month ago - A move to Chelsea is certainly not done but other Premier League clubs are under the impression it is advanced and are watching closely

Nothing in recent years

Jorginho over City (due to Sarri) Werner over Liverpool can be considered at a stretch

We have realised in the summer that when there is competition from the big teams, Chelsea are rarely first choice

Going by the strong reactions from Benfica calling it 'unacceptable', the negotiating team dropped the ball here. They should figure that Benfica are not desperate for cash - sold Nunez in the summer and have sold Felix in the last few years for similar money. This low-balling has made the chances of a deal very slim and it is not just in hindsight, there were plenty saying this before the official negotiation - that it would take an amount close to the release clause to have any hope of striking a deal

He did well. I have to say

Few positives to take from this - Zakaria and Kovacic did okay in midfield. I see many Chelsea centric folks praising them over the moon but I thought they were overwhelmed in the 2nd half. The kids and Connor ran about in the end. Put more pressure on the City backline than I've seen the seniors do in months.

Auba needed to be subbed

Ah damn. Kepa didn't throw himself at that weirdly

After playing out of their press with ease for forty five mins we haven't got out of our half so far

Has been a shaky restart. No longer the same game

Kovacic and Cucurella playing well so far I thought

1:30 over here. Will be up for the meltdown

Fans know no better but they are not the ones making decisions - Boehly and co are - and they need to face scrutiny. They have had a pretty long rope. They spent record figures in the summer and chased after many like Raphinha, Kounde, Kimpembe, De Ligt. How many of the signings they made are looking like they fit into their role? Koulibaly and Aubameyang could be moved on now and nobody would notice the difference. The team is still in the same level and results are worse since key players are injured. Has the board learnt from the summer? They don't seem to have a clear plan for January. One week into the window and they've signed a third CB in six months, are chasing a 120m who shot to fame in the WC and a winger who is eager to go to Arsenal. I'd wait and watch but it is true we've spent weeks before the window opened and the first week of the window negotiating for Enzo Fernandez. Compare that to Newcastle and their signings over last two windows. More sensible decisions even if there was only one seriously good pickup - Bruno Guimares. Others like Targett, Chirs Wood and Dan Burn are filling roles quite well and were relatively inexpensive.