Chelsea Legend 11

Weird because on my count every single big club are in for him Real, Utd, City, Chelsea, Barca, PSG all we're waiting for is Bayern and its complete. Do you know something those teams don't? Real head scratcher this...

If I were you I'd go back and do some homework. There were tons of teams in for Cesc he made the choice difficult because he only wanted to play in London... Teams were in for Costa too, go check out the january transfers before we got him... And clearly you haven't been keeping up with Matic, the summer before we signed him Utd were WELL in for him and they fucked it up. And no one was in for HAZARD??? Dude he has his pick for whichever team he wanted PSG, Arsenal, Tottenham, Both City and Utd and a whole host of others. Please show me where Barca activated Koke's buyout?? anyways I digress the fact that no one is in for Griezmann or Koke is neither here nor there, they are good players that can help any team but they aren't going to put us into that upper echelon... That's what I'm talking about. We have a lot of good to great players and are short on the elite/special types. Pogba is gonna be a Ballon D'or candidate with 3-5 yrs, thats the kind of talent we need. And no I'm not saying Pogba or bust, I'm saying Pogba makes us a world beater in the making, whereas the other "targets" continue us on the status quo of 'one of the top clubs in the prem but not exactly one of Europe's finest' If you look at the other teams in that upper echelon they all have one thing in common, 2-3 elite players in their squad.

The guard of honour is the only talking point left.

Its not about why its can they? That's the type of player we need in our squad right now. Hazard can take over games and he is the type of player we need to get to the next level. In my estimation Pogba IS the only option available AND capable of taking us to the next level. Its precisely why every team wants him and next to no one wants Koke or Griezmann. We need Elite to be with the Elite.

Can Koke or Griezmann boss a game? I haven't seen it. At this point its less about more adequate players and more about elite players. We have enough middling/good players, what we need are players who can take us to another level and I'm not so sure Koke can or Griezmann for that matter. Regardless of what the situation is Pogba is the best midfielder for Jose because of his flexibility. He can play in a variety of systems and Jose would covet that greatly.

All I'm saying is elite level teams have elite level players. If we want to compete on that level we need more than just hazard. Pogba will go to the highest bidder no doubt but we need to be amongst the bidders. I don't buy this suggestion that buying two or three good players will get us to the next level. We need the elite and few will argue that a midfield of pogba, matic and cesc with Ramires and a young Ruben wouldn't rule the roost for years to come. If you win the midfield battle you will likely win the game. At some point we're gonna have to break the bank again for a big time player and I just don't see that many im willing to break the bank for. Sure we can sign Griezmann and Koke and we would likely strengthen our already strong grip on the prem but in my estimation that still leaves us short of the big guns. We can't let Shitty or psg out bid us for pogba. I will accept him going to real or barca but not for the others.

With that said your ideal 4-3-3 involves an anchor(matic) a box to box(pogba) and a playmaker (fab) No matter how you want to slice it pogba is a great addition. Even in 4-2-3-1 he can function as a box to box like Ramires.

I don't think we need that much. But having said that I do think we have the ability to sign one of them and also another 30-40M player. The new money and the TV deal is significant

Market dictates price. He is pretty much the only player of his kind on the market. He's young and looks great now but could win the ballon d'or in the future. That's why 60m isn't really a ridiculous fee. If he and hazard reach their full potential with us????? All I'm saying is we better be all the way in for him. Neville thinks the guy to make us unbeatable is bale I happen to think it's pogba

What makes him overrated? You think the sporting directors of these big clubs are just watching YouTube videos? He is destined to be one of the best CM in the world and he's 22. Even if 60m sounds like a lot, if he stays long enough to renew a contract the amortized fee goes down significantly. Also at 22 you're likely getting a player who will only get better and will give you 10 yrs of prime time football. As is right now he is the type of player who can adapt to a variety of shapes and systems, there just aren't that many cm's who tick as many boxes as pogba. If you are looking for a versatile cm and I willing to bet most are few can argue pogba isn't the best choice.

I don't think his move will come down to money.

Well if he's turned down £212k/wk from Paris its clearly not about money so what is it that Pogba is after here? Is it a chance to compete at the highest level? Is it to be a highly visible world star? Is it to position himself to win titles? I'm not sure what it is but one thing is for sure he isn't gonna come cheap so that puts only a handful of teams in the running. Barca have a transfer ban so any deal they have with Juve will have to wait and I seriously doubt his agent will advise him to wait on Barca when the market is hot for him now. He's already turned down PSG(allegedly) but even that would've been hard to negotiate since they were sanctioned and their spending is limited. City are in the same boat and will be without a manager in the summer, it would be hard to see Pogba choosing City especially if money is not an issue. Real Madrid truly are the only team that can rival Chelsea in terms of making a compelling offer and there's no reason not to believe Pogba would like to go there. Khedira, Bale, Chicharito and Casillas out, Pogba, Aguero, DeGea in? Sounds like the typical Real Madrid summer. Personally, I think we're the perfect fit for him. He's already one of the best CM's in the world and will only get better so giving him a Hazard-like contract(185k with performance bonuses) shouldn't be a problem, the question is always gonna be where does he see himself? and whether or not Chelsea can meet his ambitions? I have no doubt we can, what we can't match is a boyhood desire to want to play for Real Madrid or Barca... If that factors in its a wrap. Right now I see our only real ace in the hole being the massive TV deal and the allure of the Prem. He would be a marquee player in the league and not just another name on a star studded team. If Matic is rightfully getting his due here in the Prem then surely a player like Pogba who has all the tools and the personality of a big star will seize the limelight the prem offers. My problem is I don't know how to gauge what will motivate his move... The PSG thing(if true) make this players' acquisition a tough one to decipher.

they all do it. Go back and look at the Matic transfer, Oscar transfer, Schurrle transfer etc... doesn't matter though I'm able to cut through the bullshit.

I'm not against offering for him but it would have to be at a severe discount and his wage demands would have to come down considerably. His hamstrings go a lot and he hasn't really been setting the pitch ablaze lately. He's a threat that hasn't really shown why he is one... Proceed with caution

He's been that but the jury is still out on whether he can be it again. The transfer fee is one thing but wage demands are another... He'd make more than Hazard and that's just wrong on all levels.

I think he suits them perfectly. They want to play on the counter attack and when they play against teams that come at them he is a great outlet... The problem is teams have figured it out and he's not the best at breaking you down with a dribble. Depending on a fee I'd be interested.

Its not the first time they've done this and its also not the first time I've seen a price on Griezmann change from € to £ it happens all the time.

I'm 100% certain we will not be buy Griezmann for anything near 43M.

Put it this way, if its £43M we won't be buying him. There will be a tax associated with that 43m in Spain and that will take it over 50M

I swear € and £ are so easily replaced by journos in England... £43m is his buyout now??? Lol

We've earned the right to play whoever we want, the job is done. If Jose wants to start giving our youth a look in for next year I don't see a problem with it at all... What you don't want to see happen with our preferred XI is they take their foot off the gas and encounter an overly aggressive team and injuries occur. These are squad player games, they have something to prove to the manager so they will have the right mentality.

That would be so lame.

Let it be known I don't think we need a lot! We are the champions and to retain it we will need to add pieces to ensure the club keeps evolving. I actually think there will be two schools of thought, who can we add to continue our assault on the Premier League and second, who can we add to be real contenders for the champions league? Is this team nearing levels where we can contend on both fronts? For the Premier League title to be retained I'd like to see these changes. Out Cech - He deserves to be playing every week and he's been nothing but a champ for us. Mikel - I actually like him but we are moving away from anchors and need more ball winners and box to box Drogba - without question my favourite Chelsea player of all time. He is well past it now though.... Luis - didn't understand his signing and he hasn't really adapted either. He'll be 30 and will be looking to play more regularly. In Clyne - We've been watching this guy for years now and its a good time to put in a solid bid, he would compliment Azpi perfectly. Benteke - He is without question the best targetman in the Prem, for my money anyways, the perfect replacement for Didier. Green - HG grown backup keeper. lives in the capital.... Allan Loureiro - Not many will know this guy but he plays for Udinese and is a no nonsense midfielder with very good technique. Would add something different to the Ramires, Matic, Fab midfield. Ruben Loftus Cheek - Let the evolution begin. With those players we will retain the title when coupled with the mastermind that is Mourinho and the improvements to our other players. Now if we're hell bent on winning the Champions League I think we need to look at things differently. First, are our core players ready to compete on that level? I'm inclined to think we're a year away. But could accelerate that process with a few key signings. I know its impossible to get all of these players but 2 of them would be awesome. In Pogba - He is a boss; no one can convince me of anything of the contrary... We get him and we will rule the roost for years. Varane - He would give Terry another 2 yrs and that would be invaluable for a squad needing a leader. Bale - He would basically provide what we wanted in Andre Schurrle... Direct running and a goal scoring threat. Bacca - very good striker in his prime right now. would offer something different to what we have. Rodriguez - Lovely attacking LB who will get goals and create too...

I think Pellegrino has a few screws loose. Yes, you had the same amount of points as Chelsea have now but we still have 3 games to play you wingnut. You're so getting sacked its not funny.

Doesn't have to be! One win in the last 4 and we're still champions! Just a formality...