Chelsea Legend 11

What are you a luddite? 80m is the new 70. There is more revenue in the game now so naturally player salaries and transfer fees will rise.

Well there you have it. You prefer to play like Barcelona and Arsenal, I prefer good old fashioned Jose Mourinho football that adapts to whatever the game needs. That's why I want Pogba because he is capable of playing in any sort of game.

Thiago does SOME things better than Pogba, but not all things. He's more creative and perhaps has better technique and passing but he's not a better tackler, not faster, not stronger, not a goal scorer, not a threat in the air and not versatile enough to play in multiple systems.

Agree. I actually thought Pogba played a good game yesterday without being sensational. So why do you think we need Koke or Thiago when we have Fabregas? Part of the reason he tired in the second half was because he had more responsibility. If we get a Pogba he alleviates his responsibility and makes him freer to dictate the tempo. Oh so Koke and Thiago can operate in a midfield two? What are you even talking about? firstly who said we want Pogba to play a two man midfield? Secondly, I am will to bet good money that neither Thiago or Koke would play well in there either. The reason we struggled in the second half is mainly because Cesc CAN'T function well in a two man mid. We often pushed him into the 10 or played 3 in the middle to accommodate. When have you ever seen Thiago play a two man midfield??? LOL under pep the midfield is flooded with players and also wingbacks. We're not talking about Messi or Ronaldo, we're talking about TODAY'S MARKETPLACE where there is more revenue and where one of a kind players go for a mint. I can name you dozens of Koke's and Alcantara's, you can't name me one player who can do the amount of things Pogba can. You can't even tell me what price Pogba is commanding other than the bullshit media stuff that is designed to make you talk. So now we're trying to be Barcelona? is that how you see Chelsea??? Because I doubt Jose see's it that way and I bet Cesc doesn't see it like that either. We're Chelsea our game is founded on Pace and Power... You can't ever convince me that we're better suited if we got Alcantara(LOLOLOL glass man in the prem??? hahaha) or Koke(perhaps an okay solution box to box) is a better fit for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.... You just can't

Lol. You guys are crazy. If you think Thiago is better than pogba. Entitled to your opinion but I really think you're wrong. And I love how you say it with such assertion too.. "they're different players but he's definitely better" that make no sense btw.

Tell me I didn't just read Yaya Toure in his prime isn't that good... Please someone tell me I didn't read that my eyes hurt too much to read on but seriously, that is one hell of a statement.

I don't see it like that at all... You think Matuidi has more influence in big games than Pogba? based on what his play against Monaco? It definitely can't be his play in the Champions league where he was never really a standout and bang average. I mean the fact that these are his best years and he's just a cog should tell you what type of player he is. And while I agree that certain managers covet certain players more than others, its hard to think of one manager who wouldn't love to have Pogba because he has the ability to be one of the more complete midfielders in the world. I'm mystified at the fact you guys don't see this... We are having this discussion about a 22yr old CM who hasn't even scratched the surface of his ability and is already considered one of the best at what he does. You can debate it all you want but CM is a position where there aren't a lot of sensational options. If given the proper instruction, Pogba can be any type of mid you'd like him to be. To put it short, he is tailor made for Jose Mourinho and his highly adaptable systems. Age is more of a factor now than in the past since FFP makes it extremely difficult to buy a player who you know will only give you one contract. Take Vidal for instance, he's 28 and on top of his game right now, what fee would Juve accept to move him on? 35-40m? What wages will he be on? 120-175k? An amortized contract for each year would be £17,100,000m each year of that contract with likely no desire for the club to want to renew a deal once he hits 30.(one year contracts from that point on) and his declining physical tools. I don't know about you but 17m a year for Vidal is Torres bad! Great player but just not what we can afford for a one contract player. Pogba on the other hand can likely sign 2-3 contracts! so if we sign him at 65m and give him 175k his amortized fee would be an incredibly high 22m a season.... However in two years time we can look to re-sign him and that number is halved to 11m and then in another two years if he is still a world beater we can re-sign him again and that number is miniscule. We can also have the option of selling him at any point for a lump sum. FFP has made it next to impossible to sign players in their prime to ridiculous contracts and long term deals. Only a small handful of clubs are capable and that doesn't inlcude PSG or City or to be quite honest with you, Chelsea. It would just throw us out of line in terms of trying to comply. Pogba is an incredible talent, one that every club in the world would love to get their hands on because he is supremely talented and if his trajectory continues to go upwards as sharply as it is now I don't know how you can say with any certainty that he won't help us in the champions league, like we're miles off the pace now. You give Jose a player like Pogba and let him mould him into that player for us. Who are these RW that are available? Pedro? If I hear Reus(who plays on the left and is injury prone) I'm gonna flip out.

Given the market? I'm not so sure its too far off. What is his rumoured fee anyways? And I hope you don't subscribe to that ridiculous rumour that Barca put in a bid for 80 and got turned down.... Market dictates value, there just aren't that many players who tick the boxes Pogba does. If DiMaria(LOL) is 64m or whatever and Luke Shaw is 30m (potential but a LB) then what price do you put on Pogba? Who else out on the market is an alternative? and no Koke isn't a direct replacement, you would have to rethink how you'd like to set up with him.

This is true but none of those players you mentioned have WC potential, -Matuidi is a better version of Ramires, he marginally improves us at best. -Vidal is exceptional would certainly make us formidable but what's his price? does he want to leave? Its one thing to say we like that player quite another to even dream about someone we haven't even remotely been linked to. -Koke would cost upwards of 50m if his buyout is met. I for one don't think he's nowhere near that fee.

You'll all be singing a different tune if he signs for us. You'll all be on his nuts saying how great he is and how lucky we are.... Typical CHelsea supporters, anyone that won't sign here "good he's overrated and that's way too much money!" when its the other way around "Oh man thank you Roman! Christmas has come early! Yay!!"" I do think we have the ability to sign Pogba, we have the resources and are a big enough club with a great owner and manager. The reason we don't get him won't come down to money because everyone will be in and around the same number, it will basically come down to where Pogba see's himself maximizing his full potential. I'm not so sure that's at Real Madrid or Barca but what I think and what he thinks are completely different.

I'm pretty sure I read you saying Thiago Alcantara is 100 times better than Pogba... When I read that I almost choked on my beer in laughter. You don't know what we're getting in Pogba, its goals, athleticism, Power, pace, technique... To sum it up you're getting a player similar to Yaya Toure(one of the most dominant/unplayable figures in the modern era) at the age of 22. The fact that you think Alcantara is even anywhere near as valuable let alone 100 times better leads me to believe you haven't quite worked out in your head why everyone is after Paul's signature. And its funny too because a couple of weeks ago you weren't saying anything close to that. What's changed your mind? The game against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the semis of the Champions league in the second league against the defending champs??? When this is his 2nd game in three days after a lengthy period out injured??? Really??? You guys kill me with laughter, seriously I LOVE THIS BOARD! Regards

HahahabahahhahabaHahhahahahaha you clearly don't know anything about pogba or why every big club is after his signature. It's not by accident I assure you.

Have a feeling you'll be eating your words in year or two. Hell you should be now but I would agree 70m (if that is the number) is pretty high. Look at it like this, if koke is 50m pogba is certainly a great deal higher to that number.

I'm actually willing to bet excellent money you've never watched prime eto'o play youngin.

Why would Mendes meet with Jose about Griezmann? my spidey sense is tingling... Wouldn't he be meeting with him over his own new contract??? Journos are so dumb.

If you want a former player in Jose's system who is comparable to Griezmann look no further than Samuel Eto'o.

agree to disagree on pretty much everything you've written except how we defend 4-4-2 which we only utilize when pressing high. You don't turn down an opportunity to sign one of the best homegrown products in the league at 20 because you're worried about consistency. He's already shown that he is more than capable to play at a high level and what he brings aside from his skill level is much more important to the club's continued evolution than a couple of players who you'd like to play out of position. He's homegrown and very good! These are the types we need in our squad.

Are you sure we weren't playing 4-3-3??? The other option we saw a lot was Cesc in the 10. regardless I highly doubt Jose purchased Cuadrado to start and then decided to give him spot duties at the end of matches... We had our preferred XI and Juan was cover. Also you say we left ourselves no other options but clearly we didn't need them since we won the league comfortably. Had we had an injury Cuadrado would've been thrust into that role... If you know Jose you would know that you have to earn his trust, especially in the pursuit of trophies. When we first bought Willian he was barely used, now he's a lynchpin player. Give cuadrado a preseason at least before you write him off or use him as an example of why things can go wrong. Neither Schurrle nor Salah were lighting the pitch ablaze when given their chances, offers came in for them and we took them, its not so much that we were shopping as much as offers came in that we deemed worthy to look for other alternatives. You're looking for consistency from a 20yr old? where is your foresight? He's already shown more than a few glimpses of brilliance, enough to suggest that if given the proper tutelage he could blossom into a world beater!

Yes its needless mainly because Willian played there most and Cuadrado, who hasn't even been given a run in the side, was a replacement for Schurrle. The fact that you think its a given he was bought to be a starter and furthermore that his handful of appearances thus far serve as an example as to why we shouldn't buy Sterling is mind boggling. First off, the options you've presented as alternatives don't even play on the right side, they play through the middle or on the left. I find it to be much more of a waste to pay big money for players to play them in positions where they haven't shown they can be effective. Secondly, you mention Cuadrado and how poorly he's performed (mainly up to adjusting to the pace of the league) then you mention two players who will without a doubt have to also adjust to the league as better options to a 20 yr old who is already well adjusted to the Prem and HG... Nah man. BTW I'm not opposed to buying Griezmann, I feel he can be a useful striker in our squad.

the first line of what I wrote wasn't inferring anything, I was just pointing out how needless it is to make reference to Cuadrado. The next part of my post was just what I think Raheem will bring to the team, if you noticed I made no further reference to Cuadrado just what I thought Sterling could bring to our team.

Really? we're gonna use Cuadrado as a comparison? Not only is a Raheem well adapted to the Prem at the age of 20 but he's also English, something we lack in our roster. There is no doubt he will improve playing with the players we have and also under the tutelage of Jose. He's not exactly raw and his physical tools i.e. speed, acceleration make him an athlete that can be useful in a lot of teams.

That number is insane. I like him but I'm not sure if buying him for his buyout fee plus the taxes associated with it are the best options we have available to us. He'd be our record signing, and while he'd be markedly better than Torres paying over 50M for a 2nd striker or to play him out of position is not what I call prudent. His first touch, finishing and movement are EXQUISITE! And I would like to think that he possesses enough skill to come off the right flank and be effective but I haven't seen enough to make me a believer. Having said that, as another striking option off the bench he would be fantastic! At what price though?

Well said. I agree with everything.

Hilarious how these forums swing so heavily. I think the characterization of his performance but good and bad when put in front of 1000's to read gets blown out of portion. Its impossible to get the accurate sentiment when you're battling language barriers and tone... I'm just sitting here reading this stuff completely amused. Do I think he was terrible? no, I just think he needs to be more assertive and utilize his strengths more. I also think that in order to keep us from buying another midfielder he needs to show a bit of dynamism. Yes he is 19 and played as a 6 but our 6 needs to provide something going forward. Loved how he used his body and how he instinctively went in for tackles. He also looked physically ready for the rigours of the Prem, perhaps even more so than Pogba at the same age(?? not sure though) Bottom line is his physique and quickness will always give him a chance to play, but everything else about his game needs to be markedly better if he's to feature regularly for us. I know there are some who feel he's gonna get the Zouma treatment next year(spot starts) and if he does that would be fine but to keep us from buying another CM, I'm not sure he's there yet and we'll need to strengthen this summer.

Not trying to hear no 50m for him but in the 30 range i'd take a pop at him...