Strike

Next person to quote the Daily Mail

City are in a similar transition as well. New manager, new system etc. Jose is better equipped than Moyes or Pellegrini(?) to perform in the league next season.

But Bertrand will edge because there is some rule about 4 club-developed players or 8 English-developed players. edit: Does van Aanholt count as HG?

Oh yeah. Piazon. Kinda slipped my mind. He was decent. Obviously a backup but an injury to Eliseu saw him get a role in the first team. Did not set the La Liga on fire but he has made good progress. I wouldn't loan him to a club like Malaga. Would love to see him get more game-time at a mid-table club

I wanted to put up a poll of who should be retained with multiple options but then there were too many options. since, this question pertains to the past, there is a group of 4-5 players who have been a cut above the rest. if someone would change the topic title, i wouldn't mind. it is basically about this season anyway

Why not keep him around even if we sign a striker? Chelsea have a very thin strike-force and as United have repeatedly proven over the years, a good strike-force will hide a lot of problems in the team. Lukaku will get good game-time even if we sign a top striker, whether it be as an impact substitute or backup striker. To me, he is ahead of Ba and Torres in the pecking order Ideal attack options next season - Lewandowski - Lukaku - Ba - Torres Schurrle

I think there are much better forwards than Villa. Would take someone in their prime I think Lewandowski has to be the priority in attack now. Otherwise, someone of the level of Benzema, Rooney, Gomez, Higuain... Maybe Jackson Martinez from Porto.

No Falcao. No Cavani by the looks of it. Lewandowski please.

Feel free to add your two cents on the loanees situation. @, Are you convinced about Kalas? Or do you think he will add depth to the defence?

Chelsea FC had an astonishing TWENTY-FIVE players out on loan during the 2012-13 season and several of them had stellar seasons with their respective teams. Nathaniel Chalobah fired Zola's Watford to the Championship play-off final, Lucas Piazon got a taste of Champions League football at Malaga, Romelu Lukaku scored 17 league goals for West Brom while Thibaut Courtois won the Copa del Rey with Atletico Madrid with an impressive performance in the final last weekend. So, as the season is ending, who do you think can stake a claim in the Chelsea first team in the near future? First-team Candidates 1. Kevin de Bruyne: The little Belgian christened "Prince Harry" upon his arrival at Chelsea had a brilliant season on loan at German side Werder Bremen. Although Bremen struggled for consistency, de Bruyne was one of the stars in their team and in my eyes, he was easily one of the best player in the Bundesliga outside the 2 big teams – Bayern and Dortmund. He has been ever-present in the Werder side making 33 appearances in the Bundesliga. He was used in a variety of positions during the season most often, lining up in a central position alongside Zltako Junuzovic – a defensive midfielder. He sees passes that others don't and he shows an ambition in his passing that only Mata can match at Chelsea. The picture below, although outdated now, shows the comparison of de Bruyne with our current midfielders upto March. Firstly, don't read too much into that because of the difference in the pace, style of play at Werder and Chelsea but one statistic stands out for me – his crossing accuracy. That is a big improvement from our current players even when taking into account the different challenges they face. de Bruyne’s ability to pick out a long pass or a through ball to unlock the defence highlights his playmaking ability. His pass-completion rate (76.2%) is something he needs to work on but do keep in mind that he's played on the wings at times this season. I think de Bruyne is ready for first-team football at the top level. Yes, he will have competition but he's shown his versatility at Werder and will definitely offer better depth for the Attacking Midfield position than Marko Marin 2. Romelu Lukaku – Another Belgian who’s had a storming season in the Premier League under former Blue Steve Clarke at West Bromwich Albion. Lukaku started the season with heavy competition for the Striker position at WBA with Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie and Markus Rosenborg in the club’s books. But it didn’t take long for the Belgian to ease into the side and by the end of the season, Lukaku’s stock had risen significantly enough to warrant a nomination in the Young Player of the Year category. Lukaku’s power and workrate were already good as Chelsea caught a glimpse of him in pre-season but his first touch and ball-control left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, those are aspects of the game that can be worked on and Lukaku has done just that in his season on loan. He is definitely ready to challenge for the Striker’s role at Chelsea even if the board decides to get another striker. Promising Prospects 3. Tomas Kalas – The Czech Republic young player of the year had another solid season helping Vitesse to a respectable 4th place in the Eredivise. He had a dip in form around Christmas and looked a bit jaded in some games but recovered towards the end of the season. The move to shift him to Right Back was strange given how well he had performed at CB. Either way, I would like to see him given an aggressive loan for next season. Hopefully the news that Steve Clarke wants to take him to the Hawthornes pans out because i. West Brom have a shortage of defenders and ii. Steve Clarke will be a good influence 4. Patrick van Aanholt – The best season of his career till date. Patrick van Aanholt bossed the left flank for Vitesse, defending well and bombing forward with intent. I will say he is a better athlete than current Chelsea backup Left-Back Ryan Bertrand but not necessarily a better defender. With Ashley Cole staying on for another year, another loan should see PvA develop into a credible challenger for the Left-Back spot. 5. Nathaniel Chalobah – Another youngster who has shined this season. Chalobah has been an important member of Watford’s promotion push this season. Chalobah has slotted into the rigours of the Championship effortlessly. His athleticism and mobility have helped and as the season has progressed, he has started getting forward often to help in attack. I think he’s the best midfield prospect we’ve got but now that Frank has signed an extension and with another midfielder imminent, Chalobah would benefit from another loan to a Premier League side 6. Josh McEachran – While not in the level of Nathaniel, Josh McEachran has quietly gone about this season to improve aspects of his game. Middlesbrough fans have hailed him for his ability to spot a pass and execute it and by all accounts, he had a good season up until Christmas after which Boro went into freefall. He was played on the flanks especially early in the season but the physical side of his game is not cut out for it. This season is certainly an improvement on last season after the disappointing Swansea loan but McEachran is still some way of making it at Chelsea. Another loan please, maybe Boro again or a Premier League team that will assure a first-team role 7. Thorgan Hazard – The after-thought in the Eden Hazard transfer saga, brother Thorgan has had a great season with Zulte Waregem in the Belgian League propelling them to 2nd place and Champions League qualifying spot. He is clearly more than good enough for the Belgian League but to trust him at Chelsea now will be a big leap of faith. A more aggressive loan, Vitesse perhaps. 8. Thibaut Courtois – Cech is in the way. A 3rd season at Madrid beckons 9. Kenneth Omeruo - Started the season at Right-Back but was then increasingly used at CB especially after his excellent performances in the African Cup of Nations. There are reports of Kenneth being included for the pre-season tour to Asia but another loan is on the cards. Deadwood 1. Michael Essien – Age has caught up with Michael Essien and although he’s been okay at Real Madrid, his best performances have come at Right-Back rather than central midfield. Time to cut our losses with him 2. Sam Hutchinson – Injuries have crippled him all career and he is just there to add to the numbers at Chelsea. 3. Jeffrey Bruma – Hamburg have declined the option of keeping Jeffrey Bruma and that speaks volumes of his current situation. Sell him while we can 4. Gael Kakuta - Enjoyed possibly his best season to date but with the Mata, Oscar and de Bruyne, he simply doesn't have a way through credit:whoscored.com

I think contrary to what we've seen so far, Jose will back his youngsters and stay here on the long-term. Abramovich maybe trigger-friendly but he did stick with AVB till March which was longer than both Scolari and di Matteo. AVB was thought of as the 'long-term' manager but in the end he had to be sacked. If Jose start well, then i see no reason why Abramovich will pull the trigger this time

YESSSSSSSSSS!

Neither affects Chelsea. We will get Mou for free either way

The new kit looks German

Happy Birthday mate and you share yours with Cech! Brilliant.

Justice for us from the east

@CHOULO19, "Naturally, when your opposition are in control and are committing men into the box, your DM should get into the box because 2 CBs to defend the area wouldn't be enough" This is where you're wrong. Defending Mikel's contribution as the starting point of attacks is fine but there isn't an excuse for a defensive midfielder slotting in between the CB's that often. that mentality puts us under more pressure because as soon as the CB's get the ball away, the opponents will regain control of it. Unless we are playing Bayern/Barcelona OR defending a lead very late in the game, that is not acceptable. It rounds back to your initial point of gaining control of the midfield - Mikel unbalances the double pivot by falling too far back. Won't stand for Vidal with you being a Juve follower, I'll assume you know more. Yacob started of brilliantly and then went unnoticed a bit but about the "out-of-position" argument against Yacob - he has Mulumbu next to him - another defense-minded midfielder. Mikel doesn't have that security. I am quite bemused by the Sandro criticism. He had a great season up until the injury As for "Cant pass to save his life" Arteta - He has a 91.5% Pass-Completion rate this season in the Premier League (whoscored)

Nathan Ake - Take a bow

This is what is wrong with Arsenal now Celebrating scraping a Top 4 finish. What the actual fuck? Even when Chelsea declined after the double-winning season in 2010 and even when Chelsea finished 6th last season, we were ALWAYS competing for the cups. Always tough to beat in a knockout competition. That mentality/expectation never changed

Sign Eva Carneiro on a 8-year contract

Turnbull Azpi Cahill Ivanovic Cole Ake Mikel Moses Oscar Feruz Torres Give game-time to Christensen and Baker perhaps

@CHOULO19, I understand that sometimes committing to a tackle can give the opponent an opportunity to get past but I think ball-winning or atleast interceptions count under a holding-midfielders job description. Vidal and Fernandinho get stuck into 50-50's and come away with the ball. Mikel doesn't have that ability nor the tendency to go for the ball. He's a holding midfielder - who doesn't recover possession. Chelsea are settling for Mikel in DM. He's not mobile enough,(that's also a reason why he doesn't win or intercept the ball) and also, he backs off instead of cutting off the angles as you said. Very often he backs off all the way into the penalty box to slot in as a 3rd CB, which is one more reason why Chelsea lose control of the games btw, Arteta, Lucas, Yacob, Schneiderlein, Sandro all better for me this season

Neuer was covering that post! He had no chance even though he got a hand on it because he had no time to react and punch it away. Bullet

Thank You Paulo Ferreira, Florent Malouda, Ross Turnbull, Henrique Hilario and Yossi Benayoun Will never forget some of the moments - Hilario saving Ronaldinho's freekick on his debut, Malouda's brilliant run in 2010 and Paulo Ferreira - The right back under Mourinho and a servant at the club all these years.

Supporters had a laugh at Spurs after the game. Were even chanting for Jose Mourinho