Blue Colored Sky

There are so many options. We don't know if Fabregas will be central player in the team. If he does play in front of the defenders he has to have 2 B2B midfielders ahead. I'm thinking that either Nainggolan or longer shot Vidal plus one young midfielder. Riechedly Bazoer ? What do you think of him ? I read that we're linked with him. That's nice age gap between Nainggolan/Vidal and him. For the Oscar place I'd love to bring James. Either him or Isco are out from Madrid and pairing James with Hazard is something that should make whole football world excited.

Jose speaks French so it wouldn't be a problem going there straight away. Also somehow methinks that his dig towards PSG, especially that last season when he said that Chelsea have harder training sessions than their last match, was a wind-up. IMO it's plausible. More than that when you think that he was really pissed off by the lack of quality signings last summer ...

1) I noticed that this current team is much more about collective team than individuals. I generally am not very interested in youth team after Boga and Musonda graduated because you can't simply have better prospects than them, however I watched both semi-final and the final of the Uefa Youth League. Team understanding, cohesion, patterns and familarity more than individual efforts. It's clear to see that those boys are well-trained players, technical and physical. Practically everyone of them looks like potential good player. That's big indication of fantastic work of Academy throughout age groups. 2) However it's players that graduate and not teams. I simply cannot see any of them being THAT player for Chelsea. Our first team is much different than any of the age group from the way we play. Familarity comes to nothing here. So generally there has to be a special talent to break to the first team. This current youth team has many, many good all-round players but none of them is "special" (apart from Jay Dasilva). They should though generally push the level of English football higher when they will play for Norwich, Southampton, Aston Villa etc. I'm predicting bigger carrer for players on the losing side like Augustin who looked great in pre-season for senior PSG team or Ikone that looked like a baller when he came on.

He should be sold before Conte sees him. Somehow both Mourinho and Hiddink have underlined how amazingly naturally gifted Oscar is. I think he really is a master in training.

He was ours for 9m€. Now he wouldn't be ours for 90m€. Seems legit. Anyway. He was bad against Swindon in September 2013, the game in which Torres scored, so there you have it, good riddance. Also his 16m£ fee almost covers Matic transfer. He doesn't want to fight for his place, look at Mata, Schurrle and Oscar #ThrowbackJanuary2014 ^^ Good memories. Also "from what I saw Schurrle is better than him" and "we can't have two non-working Belgians in the squad, between Hazard and KdB it's obvious who should we choose". The last part actually happened and I actually spend a day to fight on Twitter against it. Even against certain Dan Levene who most know very well. Now I think you have to be really brainwashed to believe that you can only have one creative player and the rest are donkeys but that's what Mourinho does to you

KEEP : Courtois, Begovic, Azpi, Baba (?), Zouma, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta, JT (?), Matic, Fabregas, RLC, Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Diego Costa, Traore, Kenedy LET GO : Cahill - it's between him and Ivanovic. They're not up to this level and Cahill just keeps on giving. He should reunite with Villa at the Championship IMO. Ivanovic is next in the queue but I don't think it's plausible to get rid of them in the same window. Mikel - time's up. I think Matic can still recover and you can't have them both. Oscar - you know why. Also apparently can fetch a decent sum. Remy - always injuried and Traore is already at his level if not better, plus he is injury free, why keep 90k£/week patient ? Pato + Falcao - loan and only loan Miazga - better to play somewhere than be 5th or 6th choice THE (?) : Baba - ideally it should be between him and Kenedy. One of them should give a way to senior left-back. I just don't see any left-backs out there, there was left-backs merry go round last year, I think this 25m€ investment will stay. He certainly has potential and with right system and belief who knows. JT - I think he will leave sadly. He should be kept but nothing indicates so. If he leaves then Ivanovic AND Cahill will stay which saddens me even more.

At the moment I just feel that Cahill has to come back to Villa at the Championship - I'm not too bothered about the rest.

Yet Courtois moans that he has to train with them !

Ok, thanks. I think the clubs are drawing attributes first then try to match player to that, especially before the transfer market opens, no the other way around. But then they have to compromise. It's very rare that you have right player available at the right time. Diego Costa is the buy of that compromise as are several other players. We have an example how going for "perfect" players can turn out last summer. I certainly don't believe that there are many right players for Chelsea somewhere out there when they can be bought ouright. Hidden gems ? In these times ? They are looking for them arbitrally But we want energetic midfielder with high amounts of tackles, right ? Then Nainggolan/Kante is the best we can get. Even though it's not perfect.

Buying Salah instead of Griezmann also counts ? http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/antoine-griezmann-could-have-joined-chelsea-last-january-mourinho-bought-mohammed-salah-instead-1500739

Poor man's Ivanovic

Thanks, because I really did search in the wilderness. But that's what I said. You again suggest that imaginary player ! Who's that ? I really want Chelsea to sign him, he is ticking all the boxes with those attributes, I want him. And that striker you're talking about too. And that improvement on Oscar. Great set of players, hopefully they have an ID and not Levy-like chairman. And speaking stricktly of Kante, knowing that you were cold on Essien attributes on the ball then it's not surprise you are on Kante's too ! But I have a big reservation to that, I hold them both in higher regards.

Nah, I know that Fabio Borini is average. Look, even Fabio Di Santo had purple patch recently (scored 13 in the league last season). But KdB is a gem, bought for 9m€, since he started playing for Belgium he was their best player immediately, at the age of 21. And everyone knew his potential, even Mourinho said so many nice things during pre-season. That's why it's so hard in this particular case as it could have been avoided ! But I get over it because we have Boga, Musonda who are gems, ridiculous talents.

KdB started his last Premier League game in August 2013, then he had 4 idle months before being sold in January. It's completely diffrent ! We can't even say if KdB couldn't "cut it" in Chelsea as he hadn't got opportunities to do so. I don't know what attitude KdB showed but people please remember that Mourinho couldn't stop praising Kevin during pre-season !

Have you deleted your posts ? Which are you refering to ? I just scrolled through last 5 pages.

And another one. Again you are suggesting the imaginary player we should sign ? Dismissing the particular because of something and the proposition is that super player with all those qualities, who is available to us and who surely is there somewhere. His name ? Mr. Riddle. Still look for that striker you like to mention on regular basis, who is improvement on Costa and has all those attributes and availability and want to come here.

It's absolute true but then you have people bashing Emenalo who bought world-class player for 9m€. Mourinho already tried to repress Musonda in the summer and he could have very well leave if Mou was still here. Yes, we have Boga and Musonda, 2 players of similar potential to KdB but we have to stop doing stupid thing again.

Still don't know why he was completely dropped after the Man United game. He wasn't even on the bench for the Supercup game against Bayern when Lukaku and Essien made the cut. It's one big farce but the problem is and it's something I said all along, that even if we had Neymar, Messi, Bale, Reus, Hazard, Douglas Costa combo then with lack of inuries 2 of them would be completely omitted by Mourinho. We had way less quality than that but Schurrle, Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Willian and KdB is still 6 AMs and still 2 too much. Wouldn't it be shown more glaring last year when we won the title with basically 3+1 AMs, the one coming from the bench (Salah, Schurrle or Cuadrado), so you have the idea that regarless the attitudes, form etc. 6 AMs we had in 2013/14 was too much for Jose and 2 of them left the very next transfer window (KdB and Mata). But still I cannot stop the smile when I remember those tweets after KdB left "look on Mata, he fights" - Mata's gone withing a week, "look at Schurrle" - Schurrle gone within the year, "we bought Matic for KdB money" - now the same people want to get rid of him ASAP, "look at Oscar" - now everyone want to get rid of him ASAP.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/10/chelsea-transfer-news-radja-nainggolan-signing-chance-boosted/ This caught me off guard tbh. His agent does not speak English ? A football agent in these times ? So now media has convenient excuse why Salah's agent is involved, who can very well be responsible just for Salah's matters.

Thanks for updates and your overall great work on this forum. 40m€ is too steep but if that's the price so be it. Desperate times etc. Think about for a moment though. 40m euros for a guy who had 2 good seasons in recognized team and is soon 28 and done nothing on international stage. 40. Million. Euros.

Baba has big potential in my opinion. I really don't see those left-backs apart from Coentrao. Rodriguez is a no go as his father said that he will move to Real sometime in the future.

I read that Kasey Palmer, Ola Aina and Charlie Colkett traveled with the squad. You see, that's something I don't like. I'm all for promoting youngsters but don't do this just for the sake of it. The worst thing is wasting this opportunity and give another plethora of adolescents a debut. You have to choose a couple of players and try to establish them. You can't promote them all. But 1-2 youngsters each 2 years is doable and focus on them, give them every chance you have to these exact players. If you spread the minutes over multiple players then what's the point ? Same old and players like RLC, Traore and Kenedy are treated light-hearted and not serious as they place can be easly taken by another youngsters. They have to play as much to be considered a true first team players and not youngsters anymore. Look, even Mourinho as far as I remember gave debut to 18 youngsters (!!!) during his time in Real and we know how well he promotes youth. It was giving debuts just for the sake of it as no one was then seriously considered for selection (apart from Morata). Ok, maybe giving Colkett a spot ahead of this season Matic is good but that's an exception.

Would be a good start. He is like improved version of Ramires and much more tactically aware though I don't think he can hit the heights of 2012 Ramires. But certainly better option to have in the squad. He is not as easy to bypass and can hold his position much better. Brings energy and tenacity, tackling and aggression. Fabregas, Matic, Mikel, Nainggolan and RLC is still underwhelming though. There must be another player to follow that.

I doubt that his job will be ever under the threat when Chelsea is around the top 4. I put an interview with Emenalo in his thread earlier in the year, he said that top4 should now be considered a trophy and since big Mike is mastermind behind everything, you should pay attention to him ! Voice of the reason, voice of Chelsea. Michael Emenalo. So yeah, any talk that if Conte won't be challenging for trophy he will be axed is unfounded and far-fetched. Considering that Chelsea will start with this new stadium not long from now, top 4 is THE TARGET. Oh btw, Chelsea starts pre-season trainings in the first/second Monday of July from what I checked in the last few years, that should be 4th of July 2016 this year considering that Premier League begins on 13th of August 2016. And UEFA Euro 2016 ends on 10th July 2016. So Conte should be available for almost whole pre-season in worst case scenario. And almost surely he will be behind pre-season training planning, regardless when he joins.

Where's the praise for the board ? Not long ago Chelsea were linked with Hughes, Howe, Pellegrini. Not they signed one of the best in buisness 3 months before pre-season begins. Back to the good that was produced in 2014 and prior. It's great that everything is now settled so for this one they're due respect. And it just confirms they're not as clueless as some people think they are. Last summer just clouds your judgment. I guess they have to pull this Pogba off for some to believe in them again.