The only place to be

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.

So his taking set-pieces won't have any impact on the number of assists or key passes he makes per game? What's the split in the numbers of key passes attributed to him between those from set-pieces and those from open play? How many set-pieces did Luke Shaw take last year?

Just looking at that and Pogba has a 7.51 rating. Mile Jedinak has a 7.55 rating. He also manages 1 more tackle and 3 more interceptions per game. Think we're missing a trick by not trying to sign a player who is scientifically proven to be 0.04 better, although his age might be against him.

Do whoscored factor in set-pieces as part of this statistic?

Cool dog. Then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

The level of opposition matters, as do the differences in the league. The Premier League is much faster-paced than the Bundesliga that has a big impact in my opinion. Quite frankly it comes down to individual opinions and I think they're both extremely promising youngsters but I simply don't believe there's a massive difference in the risk attached to buying either one of them. Shaw has proven that he can handle the Premier League and Rodriguez has yet to do that. Yes his whoscored rating is great, but so was De Bruyne's at Werder Bremen (7.58....coooo) and he struggled with the rigours of English football.

Exactly. He isn't the finished article so I don't quite understand the argument that he's far and away the better choice compared to Shaw. Shaw for my money is better defensively whilst also having a good attacking game. He's also starting in the toughest league in the world at the same age that Rodriguez was still in the Swiss league. Personally I'd rather spend a bit more for a guy who has the intangibles Shaw does. If you want the finished article the Luis is the man though, and he's cheaper than both. Actually I guarantee that every user on this forum is well aware that Chelsea use stats as part of their scouting and tactical analysis of their own players and their opposition. But they also realise that it's just one tool in doing this and that stats never tell the whole story.

It's a very different league and the demands are different, as Kevin De Bruyne's experience here showed. Some players can make the transition whilst others can't and whilst Rodriguez looks very good going forward I think there are some questions about his defensive game. That's something Jose won't accept. Not as popular as presenting them without context or interpretation. Stats on whoscored aren't the be all and end all. £20 million for someone like Rodriguez is still as big a risk as £30 million for Shaw in my opinion, and the potential rewards are probably greater going for a young English talent. Don't forget that Shaw is MILES ahead of where Rodriguez was at age 18. Development paths are not linear but you would hope that Shaw would continue to improve.

Stats never tell the whole story. They need context. As for Rodriguez being a 'proven left back', I don't quite see it. He's unproven in the Premier League, unproven in Europe and unproven at a top club. If you want a proven defender then Filipe Luis is the man.