The only place to be

But we need a midfield option, and Jose wanted Guarin when he was at Real Madrid apparently. In this instance I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt especially if it means Mikel and Essien play a few games less.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-qpr-stadium-plans-throw-the-spotlight-on-to-chelseas-dilemma-at-stamford-bridge-where-there-is-no-obvious-solution-9006467.html Decent article on the problems facing the club in light of QPR's recent news. Can only see ticket prices going up in the future.

Leaving Mata, Oscar, Willian, Schurrle and Hazard fighting over two spots? Ain't gonna happen. He's had a couple of good games, but mostly he's just filled a shirt. His impact on matches is minimal.

The views run the gamut on that thread with the overriding view being that he's inconsistent. Some say they're selling him too cheap and most are just moaning about those running the club (how weird ), and one person mentioned getting Mata in a cash + Guarin deal. Normally I'm the first to hate these types of deals, and I'd have loved to have seen Chalobah given a go but that seems unlikely. What we have in Guarin is a guy with so many tools to be a great player, but he really hasn't put it all together. He's approaching his peak and maybe Jose thinks he's the guy who can make him really shine. £15 million isn't the worst price in the world and he has tremendous upside. Worst comes to the worst we have another Mikel on our hands....although I think this guy might actually signal Mikel's exit.

I think you've got that wrong. We signed Eto'o before the Bayern game and it was after that Lukaku was reported to have 'gotten unhappy'. What we need is another body who can put in a shift alongside Rami, and maybe even give us a chance to rest him. Like I said, this transfer could go either way. He has good technique and great physical tools but the knock on him has been his inconsistency. Maybe Jose sees him as a project, a guy who he can turn into the midfielder we need. He's not the ideal signing, but 'young Xabi Alonso' might not be available at this moment in time.

Interesting signing and could be a nice marriage of league and player. He'll add a lot more energy and drive alongside Rami than any of our other options, especially in those home games where teams sit deep and we just knock the ball around 35 yards out from goal. He can do that, but he might also be the guy who decides to take some of the responsibility of trying to create something simply with a burst of pace through the lines. Could go either way this one.

Exactly my point. Luiz is who Luiz is and you can't change that (apparently....sadly). Maybe it's personal preference but I like stability and predictability in my defenders. My time supporting Chelsea has been with players like Erland Johnson, Desailly and Terry. It's why I hate that we missed out on Vincent Kompany.

1. I base it on watching the matches, same as everyone else. Plus it reads fine to me. 2. I'm referring to what I see on the pitch, same as everyone else here. 3. I disagree. I agree he's faster and capable of making interceptions and passing the ball out of defence better than our other options - in fact I've never said any differently. My point isn't about what he's capable of, but what he actually shows on the pitch week-in and week-out. Let's put it another way. David Luiz is one of my favourite players on FIFA 14 because he has fantastic stats. He's fast, technically fantastic, good in the air and that's all very true to life. The problem comes with who is controlling him. Great sportsmen aren't just great because of their physical tools. What sets them apart is their mental make-up and that's where EVERY SINGLE CRITICISM of Luiz stems from. You will never see anyone criticise him for being too slow or having a poor touch (like you might hear of Cahill). It's the top two inches.

I watch the Cardiff game and see a guy who looked like having to play this team was beneath him, but it doesn't cost the guy who has brought his kid on the train to the match, got him a burger and been dragged around the club shop any less. Then I see him shirk a challenge away to Newcastle in front of fans who have travelled hundreds of miles to support the club. You don't make the class clown captain. To me, Luiz is the guy you put next to the rock of your defence.

Form is one thing. This season he's been dropped twice and not unjustly. My problem is his level of commitment, especially in what he might consider 'smaller games'. I don't think he's underappreciated either, I just think Chelsea fans expect defenders to give their all in every game and not throw in boneheaded mistakes. It's not a media myth either. When he does something stupid like he did for Mutch's goal, the reaction isn't one of surprise but exasperation.

I wouldn't include Ramos or Dante in that list to be honest. Players like Kompany, Vidic, Silva and Puyol always seem to give 100% for the cause and when a player makes a mistake whilst doing that, it's easier to forgive them. Luiz's mistakes come from brainfarts. That's a lot harder for supporters to overlook because it can come off as not caring (look at the Cardiff performance for one of the most disrespectful performances I've seen in a long time).

Turkish football - so shit you need to support an English team as well.

Can you stop using the word retarded. It's not that it's offensive, it's just incredibly fucking boring reading it in every one of your insult-laden posts. We judge players by what they're capable of. Cahill is a far more limited defender than Luiz but he tends to maximise his potential ability in most games. David Luiz is one of the most gifted defenders in world football IN THEORY. He has tremendous physical tools, he has fantastic technique and is possibly one of the most complete footballers in the world relative to their position IN THEORY. The knock on him is that he doesn't play to his limits in enough games and that seems to be a mental thing. To be that main guy, that rock like Terry or Kompany then you need to give 100% in every game and Luiz doesn't do that.

Actually I think Suarez's conversion rate this season is in the mid-20s as well.

He was okay last season, but how many of those games came in a DM role? What we need from him is consistency. That's what sets the top defenders apart from the 'lesser' ones.

And Luiz (in a year or two).

This isn't about recent form. This is about a man who has been at the club for almost three years and has seen himself dropped twice since the season started. For the goals against Sunderland I would've liked Drogba back to clear some of those corners, and for the Stoke game I'd have liked a decent central midfielder to provide cover for the defence. This guy has been dropped twice for a reason.

So you're saying that David Luiz is as much the finished article as someone like Kompany is? We bought him at age 23 for his potential and he still has the same deficiencies. Maybe Bayern and Barca could cover those in their team better than we can but that's why not many fans would turn down one of the bids being touted in the press.

Steve Clarke gone. AVB gone. Rodgers must be looking over his shoulder. (maybe not) Reading a few of the forums it did look like even his staunchest supporters were starting to ask questions. Capello next for them? Where's Harry Redknapp?

Wonder how much of that was Baldini though. Lamela? Do we still need someone to edit the DVDs?

Galatasaray............. Fucking knew it....Hi Didier.

Oh Dennis Wise!!!... Oh wait. Shit. Thought we were destined to get Milan and Balotelli. Good for Courtois.

City have the players to do what we did....I don't know if they have the coach to shut up shop though. Fuck off United....fucking Olympiacos. Cunts.

I think that's the plan. If Vitesse keep it up then they qualify for the CL next season and that's what Chelsea wants. I think they'll consider it more important to have an established CL side that we can loan players to than it is to bring Piazon back next year. Or they could just replace him with another young player who will probably qualify for us as 'club-trained'.

Beat me to it. Another Vacancy Beckoning. Right, everyone to the bunker....where do we send Agent Andre next? United