robsblubot

fair enough, but I'm not only talking about press, which I think Lukaku is incapable of doing. I'm also talking about being able to retain possession (part of defending), move the ball quickly which we've been able to do really well least season, and finally join the middle as needed. And sometimes it's really not about Lukaku, but rather the player who leaves the team for him to play.

let me ask you a serious question then, because I think our disagreement here is a bit more subtle than that. Let's assume what you are saying happens and to the dot. I don't actually doubt Lukaku will score a bunch of goals for us (unless he regains weight and goes back to United form...he was not fit then!). Now, what if the additional goals, and the fact that we'd be employing a dedicated striker, who does not really contribute a whole lot anywhere else, makes us concede a bit more goals here and there. Kai also does not run like a dog, so having Kai and Lukaku in the team will likely make us a bit softer. The additional attacking prowess helps against certain smaller sides, like you said, so we climb up the table. Not enough to beat City, a strikerless club that wins the PL every other season (or Liverpool). Now we lack a bit of steel to compete in the CL, so we don't get anything there; it's hard anyway, but this time we are also not even in the whereabouts. Now we end up the season in 2nd or 3rd, but no silverware. Would this be a completely unlikely scenario? Would this be success? As long as he scores gols, would Lukaku have been considered a success then? Or would people ask the right question, which is, "has Lukaku improved Chelsea?"

It's like wanting to replace an old Volvo with a Ferrari/Lamborghini, and ending up with a Corvette. Don't think I have to spell out who is who in the above analogy.

The irony here is that the same majority who wanted the club to go after promising younger players, which we did, are now asking for a "ready" striker in Lukaku, which will definitely impact far better players, like Kai. The point of promising younger players is that they will improve over time; that you don't buy them at their peaks. Regarding the argument that Lukaku is the difference between fighting for the PL or not, I'm still looking for the Lukaku type in the City roster and find nothing.

same. Considering his strengths, pace and power, it is a worry that he did so poorly at United (the PL) and did so well in Italy, a far slower league. Even at Everton, he was more of a counter attacking weapon. Risky signing and ridiculously expensive considering who we'd be getting.

If we do get lukaku, which one would it be? The one who struggled in the PL or the one who thrived in Italy?

James Rodriguez is available.... 😄 Does not do shit most of the time, and then once in a (very long) while produces a moment of magic. I honestly thought Everton was his level... guess not even that.

A player like Lukaku would force his way into the starting XI (esp at this price tag), which would disrupt the system that should be improved upon, not undone. Unless we get Haaland, who just fits in any system because he's got everything in his game, I'd rather go with a younger FW hungry for success... similar to the current squad.

couldn't agree more. Very good news for non-City fans. He'd be more of the same, while they don't really address their weaknesses.

Well, unless it's Bayern Munich. 😉

Neither. Griezmann is the better player, but is the wrong player for us and would kill our strategy of high intensity and pressure.

slay clear... all prima donnas who will ruin our team same way they've ruined theirs.

We all hope the newcomers improve in that regard. In theory we should have plenty of goals between Pulisic, Werner, kai, and Mount. I also agree with @Jas that maybe Abraham ain't gonna cut it when Tuchel would like to switch gears during a game and have a striker presence up front (he does not quite provide that atm like Giroud did). My concern is that a player like Lewa would not come to sit on the bench, which would definitely change the way we play. And the question remains, do we really want to change the way we play?

Who plays with a striker these days? Not the teams who played the CL finals, that's for sure. It does not seem to prevent City from winning the PL every other season. Not Liverpool... do they even have a striker in roster? Certainly Arsenal and Tottenham employ dedicated strikers... and have been doing so well. United with Cavani now, but not that powerhouse either. Real is the only strong competitive team which employs a dedicated striker atm, or am I missing someone? I'm absolutely not saying that one can't be competitive with a striker, but rather that most competitive teams nowadays choose to exchange that specialist with more mobile players who can press. Agreed with the above post: either get someone like Haaland or don't break what we have.

Bringing him in at this time makes no sense to me. He would come to start, despite his age, and will disrupt the team. We won't be able to play to our strengths anymore.

Good point, but I do see him a bit like a soft footballer. So, not sure he can consistently turn up, and by that I don't mean the occasional goal and assist, but I mean really compete. Can't imagine he trains a whole lot better hence why he does not play often regardless of manager. Mata was like that too, got that goal and assist in, but wasn't a participant for most of the game. This is one of the occasions I'd very much like to be wrong, but don't think I am.

He was not at fault for the goal, but I've been noticing a couple of things in his game. Just a tad slower and sloppier on the ball. Dunno, but I suspect it's his last season at this level and even that would be pushing it.

Zouma is sellable, but not sure Ziyech - we are prob giving him wages he couldn't get anywhere else, which makes it hard to get him out of the club. I suspect he's an easy game performer. Will do his MotM performance against a small club, but vanish against anything tougher. Laporte on the bench for City looks attainable indeed, and a ball-playing CB at that. I understand why you are not optimistic about Werner, but I think even small tweaks in his game can turn him into a much more lethal weapon. Yes, easier said than done, but have faith. The issue with the striker position is that either we get a Haaland type, or it's simply not an improvement over the players we've got. We are not going to bench Kai to field a mindless standing pole, regardless how many goals he can tap in. BTW, United will be held back by Fred, the same way City has been by Fernandinho - both not good enough at this level for very different reasons.

Smart business. Let the far less important player go for big bucks and keep the difference maker, who will not lose any value anytime soon.

Causality is misrepresented here. he did not "have the privilege" but rather took different teams to those finals. Winning the most important of them all? 😄 He made England more competitive in my view. How do you know England would've even made to the PKs without him? England played a far superior team, and were able to shut them down for the most part (with mount's help). You see the problem here? He did play in the final, so (mentally) removing him from the game goes into what ifs. It is very likely Mount will start for Chelsea for the next 10 years. So, suggest getting used to him and appreciate what he brings to the team.

Mason mount is a team fixer. he makes the team more competitive, which in turn makes it more likely to win silverware. some folks don’t like that and prefer flashier players, but consider that if it’s not mason it’d have to be another player like him elsewhere. I reckon he’s one of the best at what he does. we don’t have Messi, Neymar, mbappe… we are not a powerhouse. If we play as equals with them, will lose more often than not. We can level the playing field with intensity, tactics, and smarts -and Mason mount helps with all that.

Dunno if already posted, but this is the typical low-key that can strike gold. https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2021/marseille-strike-e20m-deal-to-sign-gerson-from-flamengo/ Not without risk, as this is his second stint in Europe - his first was in italy and he did not do so well. He then moved back to Flamengo and did amazingly well and is now a contender to take over the Brazilian midfield (since Juve's arthur seems to be a bust). Characteristics wise, he's an extremely skillful center mid. I'd say he has much better control than Kova, and similar dribbling skills. Now, the opposition was vastly different, so again, need to see how he fares back Europe, even if France.

Which brings the question: What exactly does Jorgi need to do and accomplish so that some folks will see that he's actually a very good player (let's leave it at that 😉) ?

good one 😆 Now maybe clubs will remember Emerson exists and looks like a fullback (has been his key advantage over Alonso). Because boy isn't he bad?! He's absolutely diabolical in defense and produces nothing in attack. It's really hard to see what he does on the pitch. The issue of having him around is that he ends up playing at the worst possible moment, which was showcased by the Euro final.