The only place to be

What's Chelsea quality nowadays? Who is this 'new signing'? Mikel is looking like he's gone and he adds fuck all to our team so why wouldn't Tiago be better next season?

Jose has already said this would be his last season on loan and I've seen nothing to suggest that won't be the case. There is no reason to further loan him.

Tiago may well start a few games. He started a lot for Atletico and did pretty well in a system that is similar to our's so why not? Lamps started more than half our PL games last season so he could take those if Lamps left, whilst the younger guys could get the minutes that Mikel, Luiz and Ramires got. Buying a player under the age of 25 for £30 million+ to play alongside Matic is a great way to stop any young players coming though. Getting a 33 year old on a free is probably less so.

He's shit though. Offers absolutely nothing in a team that isn't looking to defend a lead or (urgh...) park the bus. Tiago is better defensively but also better going forward. Ramires can do a job in certain games although I wouldn't be too sad to see him leave. I disagree on the Chalobah thing though. If he impresses in the chances he gets then I think he's very much a Jose-type player. Physically strong, technically sound and Karanka has spoken highly of him. He just needs to apply himself over this summer.

I don't understand. Some people want to give youth a chance (which is fine) but also talk about us signing a £30 million+ midfielder?? If you want to give youngsters a chance then you have to do that whilst having a safety net if they struggle. Is Tiago on a one-year contract not perfect for that?

Lampard, Matic, Ramires, Tiago, Van Ginkel, Chalobah. Not going to please everyone but it's a decent selection.

Because they have no depth at that position. Sagna brings competition on a free transfer which is why his wages can be bumped up a bit.

Why, what has he said to you?

There is no racist undertone. It comes down to marketability and Toure really isn't all that marketable. Drogba on the other hand was and he was included in NBC's Premier League marketing as well as featuring in magazines like Time. Not sure what the comment about Ferdinand is all about but I think it's bull shit if it's alluding to the JT case which was no more than an isolated incident.

I think you're underselling the character of lots of the Chelsea players. If that match away to Liverpool wasn't one built on character, grit and determination then I don't know what was. People can mythologise Luiz if they must but we've sold a player who we couldn't trust in defence and wasn't good enough for midfield for a fee probably double what he was actually worth. The rest of our players will continue to grow and develop under the greatest character we could hope to have at this club - Jose Mourinho.

Once again, stats have their place but it seems like for some they are the be all and end all. I like Rodriguez. I think he's a good young player but I think his stats need context (do you even know if his key passes stats includes his set-pieces because that would skew his stats considerably?). The one thing I would say Shaw most definitely has over him is his composure. There's a remarkable maturity to Shaw's game and he seems to step up to tougher challenges whereas I've seen Rodriguez look a little dodgy at times. For proof, even whoscored says 'concentration' is a weakness for him (like omg )....is that something Mourinho would ever accept in a defender?

Random. As a replacement for Luiz and Mikel (possibly even Lamps) then he might make sense on a short-term contract whilst the younger guys ease their way into the first-team. There aren't many players who are free, know the manager, know the club, know this league (and how to win it) and whose last two games were winning La Liga at the Camp Nou and the Champions League final. Still....random. Smells a bit Manichey Also, this

But whoscored.com says that Rodriguez is strong at aerial duels but Luke Shaw isn't. That's a concern. I've also had a look on whoscored.com but can't see any mention of Luke Shaw having two legs. Until they verify this I think we should proceed with caution.

We should still have a fair amount of money leftover after the Costa purchase to do both, but unless the Pogba move is actually on then I'd be surprised if we spent that much on a midfielder.

£25 million is a lot but it's not too bad. If he's the full-back we all hope he can be for the next 12 years then it's actually a bargain. The problematic part is probably the wages to be honest. £100k p/w is a crazy amount and it sets him up to be earning 200-250k p/w by the time he's 27 with the way wages are going. With the money we've got from transfers and the wages we're saving then it's very doable, and it's not like we need to spend massively elsewhere (beyond Costa).

People are overblowing the English thing. Yes it's a factor in his price but don't forget that he's an 18 year old starting every week in the Premier League, and doing a damn good job at it too. He'd be expensive if he was Bulgarian or British.

Just give him the number 4 shirt and a chance in midfield. Could be our Pogba.

That is the answer though. I'm sorry it isn't what you wanted to hear but it's the honest, reasoned answer. We'll just have to agree to disagree though because you seem to be getting a little irritable.

Oversimplified question doesn't have a simple answer unfortunately. Neither Rodriguez nor Shaw is worth the prices quoted at this exact moment because what you're paying for isn't just their current attributes but also their potential. With Filipe Luis you're paying for an immediate level of play. So they're worth those prices because that's what the market dictates, but if you're looking at it from a value perspective then it's impossible to say until 10 years down the line.

I think you're denigrating Shaw to suit your argument for Rodriguez. It is possible to rate both players fairly despite favouring one over the other. I think Rodriguez is a fine player but he's not perfect and the issues he has are ones to do with the mental side of the game and they're sometimes tough to develop. I also think some people pay too much attention to his stats without actually understanding them. Shaw is a technically gifted young player who has the intangibles. Mentally it's phenomenal that he's stepped up so quickly and it's easy to forget that. In the toughest league in the world he's barely skipped a beat but of course there's no guarantee he'll continue to develop. There never is. Too suggest I like him purely because he's English and young and supports Chelsea is a little silly, but I won't pretend these things don't matter. Football isn't just about stats, it's about emotional connections. It's perfectly fine that you don't have that but for many supporters there's something romantic about having a player who is a local lad and who loves the club putting on the shirt. It's silly but sports are silly. Without that emotional connection what's the point? You might as well just watch football matches on ceefax.

Carroll wasn't a teenager regarded as one of the best young talents around. He was in good form but the transfer was a panic buy literally at the last-minute which is why he was vastly overpriced. And £20 million for Rodriguez is 'reasonable' now is it? Those are the figures being bandied around which makes no sense. Like I said if you want to develop young talent then that's fine - buy a proven top-level left-back like Luis who can have three good seasons whilst we look to develop our own talent like Dasilva or Aina. Personally I think we either go for Shaw and go all in on him being our left-back for the next 10-12 years or go for a short-term option like Luis. Rodriguez to me has more risk and less potential reward than either of them.

I don't agree with much of that post, but the comparison to Carroll is absolutely ridiculous. There are no similarities at all as far as I can see. Factor in the English tax, the fact that Shaw has proven he can handle this league and that he's also a Chelsea supporter and a local lad and the extra £10 million really doesn't seem like that much. The wages are probably a bigger stumbling block. Both could continue to develop and become excellent players but if we're going the young route then Shaw's the man. If we're not going for him then Luis makes more sense. Either way people need to actually investigate the stats their using to support their arguments than simply posting them without even knowing if corners are factored into key passes.

I'm just asking questions about points you're raising. If you don't know then just say. Stats never tell the whole story and need to be put in context. You said that he doesn't take set-pieces because he can't deliver them as well as Lallana and Ramirez...does he deliver them better or worse than Steven Davis?

How many set-pieces did Rodriguez take last season then? Isn't Luke Shaw a fairly capable dead-ball striker? What about Rickie Lambert and Steven Davis?

Real Madrid scored a record number of goals in 2012 under Mourinho. You're not talking much sense.