kellzfresh

If we cant get him, then get Navas from Madrid. But he would fit Sarris Sweeper Keeper role and build up play from the back like a glove.

What a player Mbappe is. That directness, that skill, that speed, Incredible

Good, their priority remains Neymar, both for marketability and goalscoring of Ronaldo

COPE: Courtois to Real Madrid could be a done deal as soon as today. https://www.cope.es/noticias/futbol/real-madrid-courtois-17-08-2018_240102 The whites want to rejuvenate the goal and after the frustrated signing of Kepa in the past winter market , the bet is clear for the Atlético de Madrid exporter. The contract of the recent Gold Glove of the World Cup with Chelsea ends in 2019 and therefore the English would welcome the sale. A price between 30-35 million euros is spoken in the foreign press. In addition, the Belgian goalkeeper wants to return to live in the capital of Spain since his children live there with his ex-wife. As our colleague Melchor Ruiz has reported in Deportes COPE, this same Tuesday we can close the arrival of the Belgian goalkeeper

Please let this happen. Since Allison is going to Liverpool, sell willian to Barcelona, in a player plus cash deal and get Cillessen from them in return. Win win

That would be bad. Courtois has come off as a very toxic player to me. Criticizing Pickford, mocking Brazil, calling France a defensive team, proudly stating his intent to leave Chelsea and publicly showing he has all the leverage. I wouldn't be shocked if he's the one pushing hazard to try and make moves to go.... Get rid. Get Cillesson if Allison is too expensive.

Get Cillesson from Barcelona. Great with the ball at his feet and is a good shot stopper. We're going to be keeping a very high line now with Sarri. Sweeper keeper and Goalkeepers play from the back is now crucial for Chelsea, we can't hinder Sarri's build up play now after we've got this far.

Instead of Higuain, I'll rather play pedro in the striking position, just like Sarri turned mertens to a good striker.

Give him the 330k we cant get another player as good as hazard in the market right now.

That just shows the difference when an attacking manager enters. They target technical players even in defensive positions.

Jorginho is a DM. Kovacic is a CM, he used to play attacking midfield in Inter before Madrid bought him. Highest dribble success rate in Laliga last season, He's can play higher up the pitch easily, especially in the Hamsik role.

Not a chance we get isco. He was Lopetegu's star player in spain and as Madrid manager now he won't let him go. Kovacic on the other hand is a realistic target and we should aim for him if Hazard leaving is inevitable.

All training ground pictures with Sarri and Jorginho here https://www.gettyimages.nl/fotos/darren-walsh?mediatype=photography&phrase=darren walsh&sort=mostpopular

With Hazard declaring his intention to leave, his job just got much harder. Hopefully Madrid disappoint Hazard and dont bid for him.

He wants to go, trust me. He has been giving signs of his love for Madrid here and there, but he's finally come out truthfully. For him to say "After a wonderful 6 years" means he's had enough. Hopefully I hope we land Kovacic + 150 and come out of this with the best midfield in England at least (Kovacic-Jorginho-Kante)

There it is.... I hope we miraculously manage to keep him, we'll probably never get another player on his level again. But if we're forced to sell as he's now pushing for it, then we need to get 150mil plus Kovacic from Madrid. Then use the money to secure Allison, Hirvin Lozano and Bailey.

A detailed guide by a Napoli fan on how Maurizio Sarri might operate as Chelsea manager There's been a lot of talk about "Sarriball" recently and how Chelsea will operate under Maurizio Sarri. Now that Sarri has officially been appointed, I wanted to give some insight into Sarri himself and how Sarri may operate while in charge at Stamford Bridge. I started following Napoli the season before Sarri took over. I have watched almost all of Napoli's matches for the past 3 seasons under Sarri. I do follow Chelsea and the rest of the Premier League, but I may make some errors regarding Chelsea's players — please feel free to correct me if I've made any mistakes or misjudgments. Sarri: The Man He was born in Napoli, which is one of the reasons he was so beloved while Napoli manager. He actually began his professional life as a banker, a vocation he practiced for 10 to 15 years. He worked in London for some of this time, but I do not know how fluent he is in English. He started coaching for fun after work, and gradually transitioned to becoming a full-time manager in his 40s. He's a really cool customer and can often be seen smoking and drinking coffee during training sessions. Although he may look cold and aloof, many of the players who worked under him have described him as a fatherly figure. He is a bit of a sore loser and does his fair share of complaining after losses. As a native napulitano, he of course hated Juventus and even showed Juventini the middle finger on Napoli's bus journey into Turin. Like most old Italian men, he is casually profane, and is known for swearing in press conferences (probably won't do this in England though, unfortunately). Sarri: The Manager Managerial History Empoli He first came to attention in Italy when he became manager of Empoli in 2012. After 2 seasons in Serie B, he took Empoli to Serie A for the 2014-15 season. Despite being expected to go straight back down, the Tuscan side defied expectations to finish† in 15th. Napoli's owner Aurelio de Laurentiis was impressed by him during Empoli's 2-2 draw with Napoli during that season, and approached him to manage his hometown club after Rafa Benitez's departure in summer 2015. Here are 2 videos by the official Serie A YouTube channel that discuss Sarri while he was Empoli manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPXhXPhN1CQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNAg1brmgJw Napoli It took a few matches for Sarri and the Napoli squad to settle into a rhythm and set formation, but eventually Sarri settled on the 4-3-3 in this formation. This lineup and formation was essentially the same throughout his three seasons in Naples, with the exception that Gonzalo Higuaín was the main striker in Sarri's first season rather than Mertens or Milik (who wasn't at the club). This lineup was very successful, and put up a strong but ultimately futile fight against Juventus last season. Managerial Style Disclaimer: I'm not very good at tactical analysis so this might not be the best summary. Feel free to pick this apart. How Sarri might operate as Chelsea manager I see a lot of similarities between Napoli's and Chelsea's squads, which is one of the reasons I think Sarri will be successful for Chelsea. My expectation for the formation he will play (X# are unknowns): Hazard - X1 - X2 X3 - Jorginho - Kanté X4 - Christensen - X5 - Azpilicueta X6 X1: For Napoli, Sarri really only had 2 options for the striker role: the more mobile, creative Mertens and the target man Milik (when he wasn't injured). Who he started mainly depended on the circumstances (i.e., strength of opponent, European competition or not, etc.) From what I've seen, Milik is kinda similar to Giroud, but I can't say for sure who he will prefer. X2: With Barcelona's reported interest in Willian, it's hard to say who this might be. I see a lot of people writing off Victor Moses as a benchwarmer, but I could actually see him being the starting right-winger considering his defensive ability. If Sarri intends to mirror his tactics from Napoli, Moses would be a great fit for a winger willing to run his legs off in attack and defense. Pedro seems to have regressed so probably won't be him. X3: I have no idea who this will be — Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, even Golovin (have only seen each of them play once or twice) and Fàbregas could all make this spot their own, it's a tossup. X4: Apparently Marcos Alonso is a terrible defender so idk if he can play this role. From what I've seen of Emerson when he played for Roma, he is a pretty good defender so it will probably be him. X5: Will probably be Rüdiger. I've read that Cahill has regressed a lot, but I don't know enough to say if he will be a starter or not. And who knows if David Luiz is going to stay or leave. X6: If Courtois stays, it'll be him, otherwise it'll be whoever Chelsea sign as his replacement. Note on Rugani Juventus' Daniele Rugani has been linked to Chelsea. Despite falling down the pecking order for Juventus, Rugani played his best when he was on loan at Empoli under Sarri, so there is a strong chance he can improve a lot under him again. Note on Jorginho He is such a humble and nice guy. I strongly recommend you watch this interview he did with the official Serie A YouTube channel, he is really genuine and comes across strongly about his values. Also follow him on snapchat/Instagram because his laugh is contagious!

Fantastic signing. We've been looking for a controlling/creative midfielder for years that is not a defensive liability like Fabregas and we've finally got one just because we got an attacking coach. Hopefully many more signings like this to come

Fantastic signing. We've been looking for a controlling/creative midfielder for years that is not a defensive liability like Fabregas and we've finally got one just because we got an attacking coach. Hopefully many more signings like this to come

Napoli Lineup: Reina Hyzaj - Albiol - Koulibaly - Ghoulam Allan - Jorginho - Hamsik Callejon - Mertens - Insigne Chelsea Lineup: Courtois/Allisson Azpi - Rugani/AC - Rudiger - Emerson Kante - Jorginho - Barkley Pedro/Willian - Morata - Hazard Pedro gets the nod ahead of Willian for me. Not because he is better than Willian but because that Callejon role for Napoli is for endless running with players willing to make runs off the ball consistently. Willian prefers ball to feet a lot, unless Sarri can change him. And Callejon is two footed like pedro so he can use his left to shoot, Willian rarely uses his left to even pass. Where i'll even love to see Willian is in the Hamsik role, it will be a masterstroke if Sarri can convince him to play there, his excellent ball control will be put to good use there. Alonso is too slow to play in a back four. He can get away with it in a back five, because Cahill/Rudiger covered for him but im not sure now. Emerson is faster and a dribbler like Gholam so he fits the bill more.

Good. Honestly i didnt really want him here. I was not impressed with any match he played at the worldcup. He doesnt look like he'll score a lot of goals, his passes were under-hit a lot, and he is not as good a dribbler as I thought. A fit barkley is as good as him IMO.

Honestly this would be a very good signing if we can get this done. He will blend into Sarri's philosophy much quicker than TBO because Alisson passes out from the back, and maintains a high line as a sweeper keeper. TBO on the other hand is a better shot stopper and good against crosses but will boot the ball into throwing/pick the wrong pass when pressured and is too slow to play the sweeper role.

Incredible piece of play there. As good as Barcelona in terms of passing out of the back.... If he is able to accomplish that with us, that would be fantastic.