Rekin

I honestly cant bring myself to believe these rumours. Pogba, the most sought after player i the world, being a realistic option for Chelsea? I would love the transfer, but it just seems like a fantasy created by twitter know-all know-nothings. Then again, the guardian did mention a few hours ago that Chelsea are in fact after him, so until I hear/see that there is actual progress I simply wont get my hopes up. What would be the best way to use Pogba in our team?

I prefer Stones, but the club needs a plan B. You know the same people complaining about going for Garay would complain even more if no CB was signed. Honestly, Garay is an experienced and skilled ball-playing defender. Mou also knows him having trained him before. My main concern is with his lack of pace, I like playing a higher line and a slow CB is always going to make this difficult. It all comes down to the price, he is going to be 29 soon, and while defenders last longer I would prefer someone around the age of 25-27. If it isnt too expensive I would be quite happy with this purchase.

I dont want to make too many assumptions based on that one performance, but there are a few things that stand out for me. First of all, he had a better game on the right wing than, in my opinion, any of Willian, Schurrle, Salah or Cuadrado have had. Sure, Willian and Schurrle both had some very good games, but I can not honestly remember a performance that was as complete. Pedro worked hard to get back, he played intelligently and knew when to pass and when to shoot, he showed that in difference from Cuadrado he is capable to move quickly in tight spaces without speed, and if I got one feeling from him today it was that he is a team player 100%. Second of all, this is a few days after signing to a completely new team, on a wet surface against a physical Pulis-team. If you can do well here, you should be able to do well against other physical teams. Lastly, this performance will buy him more time in the starting eleven. It is important to get a good start for the confidence, and he will enter the next game feeling less nervous. I was in favor of buying Cuadrado, but Pedro is putting him to shame in a huge way.

It sounds like it all depends on the next bid. Martinez would not say that if there wasnt something going on behind the scenes. Awesome, very few centre back I would prefer in the world, if any all things considered.

We cant rely on JT forever. The team has to adapt to him and his limitations, so it is only justified as long as he can be in the form of his life. The moment he drops below that, he instead becomes a burden on the team. He has often relied on his interceptions and reading of the game rather than speed, but even those things can become worse with age. Please understand, Im not saying that he is shit or anything, but I have already accepted that he is nearing the end of his career, I would just rather that the team slowly starts preparing for this now rather than playing Terry all of this season and than drop him completely the next one.

I actually think he has showed why he is worth the amount rumored in this game. Calm under pressure, strong in duels and good passing and positioning. He is young and going against the best attackers of the league, of course he will not be without errors. Besides, during the goal he had to cover two players, not an enviable position.

So if you were good last season you are above all kind of criticism? Only by constantly expecting the best can Chelsea remain in the position they are. Besides, wanting to rotate Terry out of the team is hardly throwing him under the bus, blind loyalty is not a good thing.

Terry has had an amazing career here, but there is a reason so few CB's stay at absolute top level past a certain age. He is just too slow nowadays, and Chelsea cant keep adapting tactics to cover him because of it. Truth be told, it seems Mourinho is aware of this, which is why Stones is being pursued so heavily. Terry deserves respect, but also to be rotated out when his performances call for it.

Honestly, this is what I have wanted from our right attacker this whole time. Directness, speed, hard work and positional awareness. Its only been one half, but considering he just joined I am very impressed. Excellent purchase and good value. Compare this with Willian who works hard but delivers nothing in front, and with Cuadrado who does neither.

He didnt even follow his own superficial timeline

BBC have confirmed an agreed deal. Pedro is our newest player, and I think it is a sound piece of business.

The Guardian has now had roughly 8 articles on what happened to the medics. Are these guys fucking insane? Im not even joking, does this newspaper have such an obvious agenda?

A team is built up over more than a years worth of transfers. Getting some young talent meant for the first team is a great step, and I believe Baba and Stones can serve the club for a long time. Having said that, last season showed weaknesses in the squad that have not been adressed this summer, and the team will suffer the consequences. The depth in midfield, fitness issues up top and still not having the right candidate for the right wing need to be dealt with. Like Mourinho said though, these things are not always solved right away, they might already have candidates for those positions, but for one reason or another wont make their move until winter or next summer. We need to see this as a long game, rather than just "this season". I think Chelsea will struggle to retain the league though (but still have a great chance to win), and will not win CL.

Seriously, the way media is portraying this is insane. I have been reading headlines like "Mourinho needs to bring Eva to a PC and apologize", "Mourinho said son of a bitch", "Eva can sue". What is this? Such sensationalistic garbage that it makes me sick. I mean, these newspapers really betray their hunger for controversy when 99% of the focus is on Eva, rather than the fact that Fearn was given basically the same treatment. Would that be as interesting for the readers? Hell no. Looking for objectivity in a newspaper is like looking for fish at the top of a mountain.

That sounds amazing and horrible at the same time. The closest thing PL has to Barcelona, but at the same time I feel like those players wold get bullied a whole lot. While the focus on tracking back is a bit overrated, City would have the defensive power of Yaya, those three and Aguero, as in none. They better hope Fernandinho has the season of his life.

This is a really weird situation. Obviously its hard for the docs in that position, as they will get flamed hard if they leave a player on the floor (especially if he is injured). Mou not wanting them to remove Hazard from the pitch might make tactical sense, but neither they, or most doctors I bet, are really tactical masterminds (nor is it why they are hired). Unless this is something he has specifically discussed with them before (and even then its really a hard call) then he has little right to be angry for any longer amount of time. As for demoting them, the timing is crap. If it is based on a long-standing issue, then summer would have been the better time. If it is based on the reactions from the doctors after the game (mouthing off, being disrespectful etc), then it is understandable but should perhaps be leaked to the media (as they will of course otherwise make Eva a victim). IF it is based solely on the match incident, and the one Facebook post, then it is extremely harsh and petty, and something I have a really hard time standing behind. We all know that Mourinho is quite smug and self-serving (and I say that as someone who likes him and think he has many redeeming qualities). The only question is if he would deflect blame and follow a personal vendetta to this degree, as it has cast a huge shadow over Chelsea's PR.

Baba is obviously not being bought to be loaned out, or to remain on the bench for a longer amount of time. He is too expensive to be farmed out for a higher fee, and too young and raw to be a good back-up. I reckon he is supposed to take over the left spot, whether right away or next season (provided he justifies his price tag) with there being a change on the other flank. I suspect that with Terry being phased out in favor of Zouma/Stones, the backline will not be as deep and Mou can relax the expected characteristics in full backs that made Bran such an obvious choice before.

I would be ok with the club going up to £35m, since the squad is already pretty strong and some money is likely to come in from sales of Salah, Luis and maybe a few others. I rate Stones highly, and his purchase is unlikely to stop CFC from going for another player, as it seems pretty clear already that no star-signing is happening. Most likely we will see backup-players on CM and LB (if even that, maybe the talk of a CM was before Mikel decided to stay) and Chelsea can easily afford that, an expensive Stones or not. Young CB's that are as comfortable with the ball as Stones is do not grow on trees. A buy here will also make sure our strikers arent stopped by him when we play our rivals in the future (as he will be picked up by a top club for sure). I also strongly think that Terry from this season onwards will be shifted out more and more, as we already know CFC play in a certain way to protect him, it is not sustainable in the long run.

What the fuck is going on, every NY shot finds the net now.

haha, I am honestly laughing right now.

I personally think that Kurt Zouma took huge strides last season and is an extremely large talent that Im delighted to have in the team. Having said that, it goes without saying that having Cahill, Terry, Stones and Zouma will lead to one youngster having minimal playing time, which will impact their development. To me, the options are to either not buy Stones and keep Zouma, or to buy Stones and loan out one of the two to Everton. Their CB situation almost guarantees playing time, while at the same time the other player can get some decent minutes here. I am happy with that, as we are still a few years from seeing a CB pairing of Stones-Zouma (although I really want to see that happen).

Again, a price must be put into context. Sure, £30-35m is a huge amount, but prices are also hugely inflated for most young talents that come from savvy clubs. If we look at two comparable youngsters such as Laporte and Varane (sure, Varane has a lot more experience, but both belong to top tier young CB's) then they would cost even more. The important question here is not only what we are paying, but also what we get. Stones is young, with moderate pace, good technique and passing range while at the same time being strong physically. He is young, which means it is still possible that he will improve very much, which would be great considering that he is already a quite good CB by PL standards. In other words, both his current ability and potential justify a purchase. Moving forward though, there is the english factor. We know the FA have their HG quotas, so it is a huge advantage to have a player in the team who justify his place primarily based on his performances, but with the added bonus of being english. Furthermore, I like the idea of having english players in the team, especially in a position of influence such as CB. It is often overlooked, but there is a reason why for example Terry and Ferdinand drove their teams to success as captains in that position. From a financial point of view he might be costly, but if we attain a player that will be important for a decade it is actually good business. All depends on how well Stones would fit now, and how close he is to hitting his ceiling.

All things considered, I would be very happy if we this summer signed: Begovic, Baba, Pedro, Stones and a CM cover. This way we have an incredible backup GK (deal already done, so yay!), two of the most exciting defensive prospects in the world, a proven and experienced right winger and finally a better option to throw in the middle of the pitch than Mikel. Costa Hazard - Willian - Pedro Fabregas - Matic Baba - Zouma - Stones - Azpilicueta Courtois That is a fantastic lineup with a huge amount of potential right there.

One of the best possible transfers right now. Young, with two full seasons in a good PL team where he has shown not only promise but current capability. I would seriously not mind him being bought for up to £30m, we are talking about a player that could be a rock in the defence for over 10 years. He would also complement Zouma in the future, as he is the better one with the ball at his feet. I feel that he in many ways is like a younger and slightly quicker version of Terry. Zouma - Stones would in my opinion be the best young centre-back pairing in the world.

Honestly, the fee mentioned should in now way be a deterrent of getting Pedro. The greater risk is that Pedro stands in the way of someone with a higher ceiling. As it happens though, I do not really see who that would be. Traore might be one if RW is where he is meant to be, but we know very little of Mou's plans right now. Overall though, to get a RW that is better than Pedro would be quite difficult. Even if you look at players with more than 20 games on that position you will not see any obvious transfer-targets. Hell, believe it or now, but Willian actually got the 10th highest ranking of all the RW'ers (the list include players who are more of FWR's than AMR's as well). The others include players like Messi, Bale and Moura. Unless we are looking at someone like Bellarabi or Berardi, Pedro is a really, really solid option. If we sell Moses and Salah, two players with arguably no future in CFC, they would not only fund Pedro but actually most likely bring in more with their fees. Having said that, Pedro just seems like the opposite of a sexy transfer. I think it is the name, sounds like we are buying a Spanish golden retriever.