Chelsea Legend 11

They haven't found a loophole at all, this is an illegal action no matter what stance you take on it. http://www.hudsonriverblue.com/2015/1/8/7514871/unraveling-frank-lampards-contract-situation

He was. A shame he can't play as unselfishly as he did then. Not sure now is the time for this sort of move though, we still have Champions league to think about and the suitable replacements are cup tied.

What I don't understand is how Frank can sign a contract with 'City Group' and for them to have control over what team he registers to. Isn't that a form of a third party agreement that is illegal? He hasn't been loaned to City and he's been signed by City Group for Man City? Seems like some more Man Shitty bullshit here.

I don't think its nothing at all. If he's unhappy and clearly he is, there are only a few clubs who can legitimately be interested in acquiring him. Its real, its just not certain whether or not his unhappiness will lead to a move away from the club

That's a sell... He doesn't fit the team's philosophy. 30m is once again a profit for a guy who isn't working out.

Because Tottenham are shit.

Frank Lampard is taking over https://twitter.com/NYCFCright now for a quick Twitter Q&A. Ask anything you want with https://twitter.com/hashtag/AskLamps?src=hash. Go. http://t.co/oRg82Gdnfc — New York City FC (@NYCFC)

Oh well.... Only the best can make it. Only the strong will survive...

Frank is a wanker, I'm officially done with him and my focus now shifts to the players who are fighting for the club.

I'm not even sure he's changed all that much. Yes were are on the front foot more than in the past but I don't see our style being much different to that of Real Madrid who in big games sat back and tried to hit on the counter.

Yes haven't you heard? These posts are so dumb.

Much worse! And also the club's actually protect their players, not the case in Spain where Casillas, Alonso and a few other have all had to pay fines. Messi's case is worse, he's already paid upwards of 50m in fines and still has to appear in front of a judge, not exactly ideal for the best player in the world.

Who has the time or resources for that? These are men we're dealing with here! Only the strong will make it...

I think you need to go back and look at the mitigating factors that surrounded Pogba leaving. First, and certainly the most obvious was he felt he was ready to start featuring more regularly and Sir Alex never gave him a chance. Many people say that had more to do with the fact that he hadn't put pen to paper on a new contract more so than Alex thinking he wasn't ready. From Pogba's perspective he was willing to wait but only if Utd were willing to show a real commitment in dollar amount, he was looking to double his wages in order to sit and wait. When Juventus came along(Pogba's agent is Mino Raiola) and promised him more money than he was on AND an opportunity to play regularly Paul took the deal. Few can argue that it was the right one... Pogba left because he wanted to play and wanted assurances that he would, not because he hadn't shown he was ready. Also, Paul is not only showing his quality at the best club in Italy but also internationally, where he was one of the best players for a french team that went to the q-finals of the World cup, he is without a doubt an incredible prospect at the age of 21. As for his flashes of brilliance what do you expect at his age? He has world class potential, he not yet world class. His name is out there because he is showing he can perform on big stages, has nothing to do with a subpar league or Juventus, he's young and already playing/excelling at a high level. Now, when you look at the Chelsea situation it is much different. Players like Ake, Baker and Loftus-Cheek are very talented indeed but in order for them to reach their potential(whether that is good pro or great player) they need to play and that isn't going to happen when the club is in it to win everything. Loic Remy and Luis are't even playing much less Baker. Our youngsters are very good but the level they're being asked to play at is extremely high and they may not get the looks they need in order to show that quality. Today is a good day for Lewis Baker, he is getting loaned to a championship squad and will likely play for them. If he performs admirably for them he will get a look in next year and perhaps make Van Ginkel(who was suppose to play before his injuries) expendable. As is the case at all top clubs in the world integrating youth is very difficult and at Chelsea its definitely not a priority.

You think its just down to the coach? I don't... I think it has more to do with his tax problems and how little the club did to protect him. Spain is using Messi to reduce their debt! hahaha.

We all knew it was coming... The FA have charged Jose with misconduct.

Would agree with that too but adding Messi goes beyond the on pitch performance. He singlehandedly would raise the profile of the club immensely. Chelsea FC would have had the one of the 3 greatest players of all time at the club and not when he's a broken down golf cart, to me that is priceless.

Try again. Messi in the 10 with a harder working winger like Willian or Schurrle. The reason for Messi initial unrest was because he is being moved around too much

I guarantee that if Messi demands a move in the summer it will not be for his buyout, it will be for a number significantly lower. This will likely be his last chance to move and also his last good contract so my guess is a 28-29 yr old unhappy Messi is worth no more than 120M. Barca won't stand in his way after all he's done for the club. I think this is on about as much as it was when the story came out. It will also be the last time Messi gets for a big move where he can fully reap the benefits of a big contract, he's in tax hell in Spain.

You sometimes get lost in the fact he's so special. Great vid... His brilliance is starting to show each week

For heavens sake! No team has 200m just lying around. The reason this deal hasn't been ruled off completely is because of our ties with Adidas and Turkish Airlines(who don't come into the equation until next year). If they come in, and many believe it would be in their interest to do so, then we can go ahead and think about messi's buyout. This wouldn't be true for any of Pogba, Varane or Reus so please stop throwing their names around as alternatives... Also, a buyout clause is a deterrent, meaning the amount is set to ward off potential buyers. In Messi's case if he decides he doesn't want to be at Barca anymore then his release clause won't have to be triggered in order to get Barca to sell, an unhappy Messi would be enough to make sure the clubs involved can reach an agreement. This is something for the summer now as it always was... I don't know why people think that because we're rumoured to be in for Messi it means we have 200m to spend, it doesn't.

It would be Messi in a heartbeat if we could get him in either this window or the next. He'd still have 4 quality years for us and having a living legend on our roster only boosts the club's overall appeal and value... anything after these two windows and I'm starting to question it. Pogba is the next target on my books. He is a special talent and if you look at the midfield trio of Matic, Fab and Pogba you instantly salivate at the glands... The most dominant midfield for the next 5 yrs, no doubt. Reus is next because his buyout is affordable. I don't like his injury history so he's not too high on my want list... I'd take a crack at him for 20m though. Varane is a beast but in what world will Real Madrid sell?

anytime a watch him in a kit that isn't Chelsea's it brings a smile to my face.

Because the best player in the world doesn't want to be there. He's getting killed on taxes, he's missing practices, he's hating the management and that generally doesn't end well for the club. If Messi forces their hand by airing his grievances they will have next to no choice but to appease him... As far as agents go they have loads of money! and also keep in mind buyouts are rarely triggered, let alone a buyout the size of Messi's usually we're talking about a few million not 150m. When it comes to that I would assume the club will just accept a little less and let the disgruntled player leave. almost sure it is the player who has to pay it.