English Freak

We don't even know if the new manager will keep the pivot for next season or use a different tactical system.. He's a good player but I don't see him coming to Chelsea..

De Bruyne has to come back to Chelsea next season. Hopefully our new manager can help him develop into a top-class midfielder..

Would love to beat United...but I just get the feeling, they'll snatch the win with a late goal...

I'd have to agree with that. Not sure if JT would become a good manager. Would be great to see him become part of Mourinho's coaching staff at Chelsea..

I was surprised Woy only made 1 substitution...when you could clearly see England's midfield was pathetic throughout the game.

I'd be happy to see Strootman at Chelsea...but from what i've heard, he wants to play for Man United.. That would be awesome and any potential deal would benefit both Luke Shaw and Bertrand...as-in: Shaw would learn from Cole & take over the LB spot and Bertrand could develop his game by playing regularly without any pressure (e.g. like Jack Cork who is starting to impress for Southampton) But for now, this is just a dream.

How would you assess a player if he's better than the reserve team but not good enough to be in the first team yet? (eg McEachran)

Emenalo is the director of football and part of his job is to look after youngsters on loan... He's meant to tell the board which players he recommends calling back and which players could be considered for future loan spells... Therefore, Emenalo will have an influence on whether KdB returns to Chelsea next season..

Good post. I hope McEachran can add more tools to his game. He needs to build on his physical and mental aspects in the coming seasons... At the moment, I see McEachran becoming a squad player at Chelsea..hopefully by the time he's 23-24 he'll be ready to break into our first team. Hopefully Chalobah isn't rushed.

http://youtu.be/kD92qrMDSr4 http://youtu.be/qzH0BX6Awo4 http://youtu.be/XSDZGiD4g0M

Leverkusen (if Carvajal goes back to Madrid) or WBA would be good options for Kalas.

Exactly. I'm just hoping he doesn't fall flat on his face

A midfield pairing of Fellaini and Mikel...that would probably one of the worst combinations in the premier league. I'm struggling to see how Fellaini would improve our first team. We need a DM/CM who can control the tempo of the game...not someone like Fellaini who is better in or around the box.

My only concern about bringing in a 'younger' manager is time. Would he survive in the job if the players go through a rough patch trying to adjust to his tactics? I'd be happy to see Laudrup as long as he is guaranteed at least 2 seasons in the job.

I don't think Kakuta lacks the mental aspect, he's just always been a confidence based player... He needed consistent game time to keep developing and maturing. Kind of like how Matic is starting to fulfil his potential at Benfica.. As for the board, they need to put faith into youngsters from the academy and reserves...I really hope they don't screw up Chalobah's development, that kid has it all.

I'd be happy to see Falcao at City, that way..we'd save the 40 million on a striker that we don't really need...and spend it on fixing up our midfield / CB problems.

Glad to hear the news that Simeone is interested in taking Torres back to Atletico Madrid.. Hopefully we can offload Torres and move on from the nightmare.

I don't think Forster will come to Chelsea because he doesn't want to be the backup keeper. Unless we can guarantee him 30 games a season, he's not gonna take a higher wage to just sit on the bench.. Butland already turned us down cause he was worried about playing time...Forster will probably do the same thing.

I don't get why we need Falcao.. He's being hyped up...he'll cost ALOT of money (both transfer fee and wages)...and he might not even suit the new manager's system... Sounds like another Torres saga.

I don't see how Ivanovic -- Kalas would work..because Ivanovic is a better RB than CB...and Kalas is starting to feel comfortable at RB for Vitesse...

What is Chelsea's best CB pairing? I think that's something we need to resolve sooner rather than later.. Do we need to buy a new CB or is a combination of Brana, Cahill, Luiz and a younger defender enough to win the EPL title..

It'll be unfortunate if we never see Kakuta in a Chelsea jersey again...he's got all the talent in the world just had some bad luck trying to find his feet on loan spells at Bolton, Fulham... Good to see him doing well at Vitesse....would love to see him replace Marin as a squad player...but I see his future away from Chelsea.

Good article. Definitely agree about Gary Cahill He's a decent CB...but he'd be third choice on other top European clubs. About the LB position, I wanna see Chelsea give Van Aanholt a proper chance. He seems to have that explosiveness going forward and he's decent enough in defence..and he's still got time to improve his defensive game.. As for the CF position, I hope the club signs the right player to fit our system...

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/22/liverpool-eyeing-mamadou-sakho-as-jamie-carragher-replacement-3555473/ What do people think of Sakho? I reckon he's good enough to challenge Cahill/Luiz for a CB spot... Would hate to see him at Liverpool.

Wasn't Mikel supposed to sign for United all those years ago..? He's probably happy that he ended up at Chelsea...cause at United, he'd either be a top player or sold-off to some decent club by now...