Rekin

Our midfield play is simply atrocious, pure garbage. We have no control or ball retention in the central midfield. Mount and Havertz are not at all involved in the play in the first half, Kante is mostly disrupting Brighton, while Jorginho gets to play a pass or two when he drops deep. Otherwise it is just CB/FB hoofing the ball up. I really, really hope that this is down to missing players and when Havertz and Mount play more centrally supported by Kovacic/Kante we will see more quality in possession. The wing play is just not going anywhere currently. Really liking Werner so far, great work rate without sacrificing the offensive threat. Him and Zouma primarily have been looking good. RLC is not really doing anything currently, and as mentioned above Havertz and Mount are barely involved so far.

I think it will be mostly as you show for the preferred starting eleven. Havertz will most likely be more of an 8 than a 10, and I'm not sure if Frank will prefer James and Zouma over Azpili and Rudiger. I also don't think Rice will join, so Mount and Kovacic will probably rotate for the third midfield spot. One way or another, I suspect we wont see the "true" 11 until October. Chilwell and Pulisic are still recovering, we don't know the status of Ziyech while Havertz, Silva and Mendy will be very fresh and might need some time to adapt to the team.

Surely a week is enough to assess the damage? The fact that the club hasn't released a statement should indicate that it is no major injury. It is possible though that he will miss the first few games I guess.

I appreciate the effort you put into your post, but I honestly dont know what below is referring to: "some of your tall ones are shorter than some of your shorter ones" The point was just that all the names and Cech/Lollichon connections so far were tall keepers playing in France, there was no further analysis on height or anything from my side. My preference of the other three names was not so much coming from their height, but other qualities they contribute with.

Compared to the 19/20 season we have: The above three points do not guarantee X amount of points in the 20/21 season. Other teams have also improved, we will have up to 6 new players starting that need to find a flow with each other, injuries could take place etc. Still, it would be extremely unambitious to plan on staying on a status quo. Personally, I expect at the very least 15 points more compared to previous season, plus a much more convincing run in the CL (its not about winning it, its about sweeping teams like Lille and Valencia out of the way, while not getting humiliated by teams of Bayern's caliber). An acceptable allowance for Goals Against would be up to 40 imo. We should also be justified in targeting scoring around 80 goals in the league. Goal difference is not a target itself, but it is a relevant statistic. Being around +40 is what I expect for 20/21 (clear improvement from this season without being at the level of Pool or Man C just yet).

It's a shame our scouting team seems so dead-set on tall GK's from France currently (Areola, Maignan, Mendy like wtf maybe stop being such a broken record). Italy in my opinion has some of the most promising GK's out there, and while few would be cheap it still feels like better investments than spending 30-40m on what seems like competition for Kepa. Alex Meret, Strakosha and Musso are all players I would take ahead of any of the French options. If we took someone like Areola for a loan then it would be fine, as we could focus the next summer window fully on GK and CB, but buying say Mendy for 30-35 m just increases the total spending on the Gk position without a clear WC GK between the posts. Onana would also be fine with me, I like him quite a bit.

Incredible window so far, can't wait for the season to start. The only thing I am missing right now is this complete bastard of a player in the team (think Ballack/Terry, not Costa), someone to make the others around him fire up and give 100%. A true leader. We have so many young and "nice" players and I'm concerned that many of them might crack under the pressure during the season. Who is currently expected to drive the others? We are looking at up to 5 new starting players, a GK who is probably close to a mental breakdown and a constantly changing CB pairing. Thiago Silva is a great addition and will help a lot, but I have never seen him as a strong leader on the pitch. Giroud is actually a good shout, but between Werner and Tammy I doubt he will be starting most games. Jorginho could work, but is also unlikely to start most games (if he even stays). I have heard that Rice has the potential to be that type of player. it is one of the primary reasons why I really wish he joins us this summer.

It's only a friendly so I'm not going to read into it a lot, but I am concerned about our central midfield. The way we play now Kante/Kovacic/RLC are mostly disrupting the opposition and instantly passing it to the flanks, reducing the chance for our wingers to make space for themselves. We need a CM that can carry forward the ball to some degree and pull the opposing defence to him, and only then go wide. If Ziyech gets it too close to the middle of the pitch, he cant make any dangerous runs and has to pass it back to the defence. It makes our plays very predictable, while also slowing the tempo. I think Havertz could be the right player for this, but it concerns me that this issue is carrying on from the previous season.

I saw the game too and in no way thought he was a beast in any aspect. Not to say that he was poor, but there were in my opinion few occasions on either end of the pitch were he did anything of note. A typical 7/10 performance as he worked hard, had enough positional awareness to not be a liability and caused no goal for the other team through any errors.

Excellent price, the only concern is how fast he will be back in form following his injury. There is nothing indicating that Reguilon, Tagliafico, Gosens or Telles would have been a better signing. Furthermore, the board is never going to spend 50m+ on a player just because Frank fancies him, there is certainly a lot more belief in the player than from one person. We should be happy to be honest. The worst outcome is when you have a coach with a specific idea of how to play, but then go and buy players who don't necessarily fit (Gosens or Tagliafico for example). 50m is also not a fortune in this day and age for an English national player who also has a long contract at a rival team.

We can't buy world class for every single position in one summer. So far our window is looking like adding at least the following: Werner - The most prolific young striker in Europe. At least Liverpool and Bayern have recently shown interest in him Ziyech - Best player in Eredivisie several times, great performances in CL. For sure one of the top available RW's out there. Havertz (not done yet) - One of the most hyped up talents out there. Massive potential combined with already existing skill. Another great season from him and I doubt we would even be able to get him in the future. Chilwell (not done yet) - People act like the board is crazy for not buying Telles, Tagliafico or Reguilon, but Chilwell is actually the most ambitious buy. For sure top 3/4 in his position in the league, 23 years old and has several seasons under his belt in a good team. He is expensive yes, but it is a calculated risk from the board. No doubt the club wants more leadership and communication on the pitch, and Chilwell would for sure help us move in that direction. Reguilon in particular is annoying, as not a single person would have written the same things about him one year ago (at which point he was 22, not some 17-year old talent). He is so obviously riding the hype-train right now as he is cheap, available and comes of a good season. Suddenly ITK links and youtube compilations are being spammed, and people start thinking he is either the solution to every problem, or a cheap player to be discarded in case he fails. I too see him as a decent purchase, but only if Chilwell's fee would be blocking other purchases. That is something we simply have no information about currently. What we do know is that LB is seen as a priority, and that we have a clear idea of which player we want. CB & GK are unknown factors at this point. They are both needed, but it seems that their importance is secondary based on what we have heard. We have read about Oblak, Rice, Onana and other players, but way way less than the four above. Even with good sales it seems unlikely that we will buy 6 clear improvements to the starting eleven in one summer. Overall, I think the board has shown great ambition and coherence in pursuing even those four players above. For GK and CB it would make sense to find cheaper options that are still slight upgrades. It could even be about having an older player in either position who shows leadership skills. Foster or Dunk are in no way sexy signings, but if similar players like them come together with the four above, it will still be one of our best transfer windows ever imo. Perfect combination of potential, ability, experience and targeted problem-solving.

Can we try to remember that Chilwell is a decent player that has not peaked yet? I strongly suspect that Chelsea knows what they are trying to accomplish, and if they are prioritizing Chilwell over other signings (not counting Havertz as I am confident it will happen) then they do so because they strongly believe in the player's quality. Let's keep in mind that we live in a world where Maguire and Rice are valued at 80m.

Same problem every time I watch Leverkusen, Havertz gets isolated on top when they play better opposition. In this game their central midfield might as well not be there. Completely wasted.

White is 182 cm from what I can see. Not exactly what we need when we already struggle in the air.

If I remember correctly, Fjortoft is actually not a good source. Mostly just repeating what others are saying. Either way, if it was always the case that Havertz was staying until the end of EL, then it is normal that negotiations continue. Imagine confirming the transfer last week and then he breaks his leg against Inter on Monday. Might as well use the time until EL ends to negotiate and try to save as much as possible. In the end, what we save goes towards the next signing. There is no umlimited amount of funds. Almost every Tier1 source has been clear that Chelsea are the only club trying for the transfer, that Havertz insists on going there and that negotiations with the club is the only remaining part. It has also been written that Lampard and the club hierarchy itself sees this as a absolute key signing. I would be very surprised if the deal isnt done a week from now.

You didn't ask me, but if it was up to me Dunk would be the nr 1 CB target this summer. He will not set the world on fire but is actually a very good player. We could do with an experienced player rather than buying potential that might go in either direction.

I really dont mind Chilwell, he is not a bad player. It is also unlikely that he peaked at 23 years old. Everything over 45m is too much though, and I doubt Leicester will let him go for that. I have seen Reguilon a few times this season and he has looked above average, but at the same time the guy is 23 and only has 1,5 seasons of senior football under him. I think personally that Tagliafico is the most reasonable signing. Not a flashy player but solid and experienced. Reminds me a bit of Azpilicueta. The only issue I have is that we are building towards a more attacking possession-based gameplan. I love Cesar as much as the next guy, but we want to move away from solid defensive fullbacks who can spot the safe pass, and have fast players who can dribble and cross. In the end, what is the point of having a specific gameplan if we dont recruit players that fit it? I guess maybe after all I prefer taking a risk on Reguilon over Tagliafico

He is such an interesting player overall, amazing how versatile he is. If you put him as a striker, you get excellent runs between the lines into goalscoring positions and good aerial ability. If you play him as a 10, you get his through balls, distance shots and lampard-esque runs into the box. If you play him as an 8 you have someone who can make excellent progressive plays, win balls in the air and hold on to the ball very well. It is the dream of a manager, whenever you want to switch formation or cope with injuries you can just slot this guy in like 4 different positions where he will do well. I don't want to overhype him, but I really get why he is considered a generational talent. Even if he just improves a little bit more over the next few seasons, we will have a world-class midfielder for 10 years+.

He is playing vs Rangers currently. Missed two one-on-ones and hit the woodwork, but you can really see his quality in reading the game. Excellent first touch and movement. He is playing high on the pitch today which limits his involvement in the build-up. I think once he moves to the central midfield he will be even more dangerous.

Personally I would love to see the following (which I think is realistic too from a financial point of view if we make at least 2-3 sales this window): Onana James----Dunk----Rudiger----Reguilón Rice Havertz----Kante Ziyech Pulisic Werner Kante is not really a pure DM, he benefits from a roaming role. Rice is decent DM with good ballplaying skills, would do well in DM for us. Rice is also crucial as we need a leader on the pitch, really missing it now. I don't see us being able to buy any world class CB this window, I would take Dunk for a few seasons as he is decent. I still have at least a bit of faith in Rudiger. Reguilon is a wild card as he has so few senior games under his belt, but did well Sevilla from the few games I saw, and seems very cheap. You can't buy world class for every position in one window. Id love ATS or Oblak, but I just dont see them or any other top5 keeper moving this window. Onana is also quite cheap. Squad would also offer good options from the bench for most positions. Whether this eleven can compete for the PL depends on how the squad gels, fitness and how the new signings perform. Getting Werner to hit 25 goals/season and consistent performances from Pulisic, Ziyech and Havertz will be enough to win a lot of points. Lampard developing as a coach is also very important to how we perform, its not just the players. We managed to get some results this season against Liverpool, Man C, Man U, Arsenal and Spurs. In my opinion the above eleven is vastly superior, so why wouldnt we be able to provide a greater challenge next season?

This deal being dragged out is to be honest not surprising at all. I would not take it as something to be concerned about. There is no clause, Leverkusen does not need money and wants to keep the player. They hold all the cards here, and Chelsea knows this. It was never going to be a simple negotiation. If Chelsea believes that they can save 10-20 m or get a better structured deal by playing this longer, they will 100% value that higher than Havertz having a few more days in training with us. Leverkusen is of course not completely invulnerable here. Havertz does not a long time left on his contract, and is apparently very interested in joining Chelsea. There is a risk that the player will be very unhappy with the club, and that his value next year will fall heavily due to the contract only having one year left at that point. There is also the EL competition. Missing CL is of course a disaster for them, and EL is the last chance for them to get it. They will not want to lose their best player before they are finished. My guess is that there is some heavy negotiation surrounding this issue. Overall it is a bit of a "who blinks first" situation right now. Both sides can afford to wait a few more weeks, but the longer it goes on the more of a risk it becomes. They most likely know this, and are trying to find a compromise, which will take more than one meeting. If you think of recent high price deals such as Maguire, Mbappe, Pogba, Griezmann, Coutinho etc they all dragged on for quite some time. These kind of high price transactions should never be rushed, even though fans like us would love our new toys asap.

I think there is an unhealthy obsession with the G+A stats of Pulisic considering his age. Far from all the top wingers of today were boasting impressive numbers when they were 20. Robben just joined Chelsea having already had injury problems and not exactly scoring a lot in PSV, Ribery was in Brest with not too much end product, Bale was still associated with never having won a PL game for Spurs (and was often benched for Assou-Ekotto), Salah was a promising speedster in Basel, Alexis Sanchez had 5+3 in 25 games in Udinese. There is a pluriad of examples, and I find it lazy to just look for reasons why he will fail. He might, but he can also show the development that all of the examples above did and end up one of the top wingers in the world.

Excellent business, very happy with this signing and the accompanying deal. If he sucks in the next 6 months (even then I doubt he will be worse than Morata) then we can go all in on an established striker in the summer. If he proves a success then we could keep him for another 12 months and buy a younger striker prospect to act as an understudy. Honestly, this is probably the best we could do in a January window. It's all fine and well to point to young strikers as the "obvious" solutions, but success does not always carry over. We might as well have anded up paying a lot of money for Piatek only for him to fail hard. You never know these things in advance, and what we need now is not a prospect but a finished product. Paredes, Higuain and Pulisic in the summer is at the very least evidence of the club having ambition.

I think it is potentially a very good signing by Chelsea. At 20 years old, he is far from his peak. He is for sure not good enough already to come in and be the perfect RW/LW option, but he is a talented player. He already has a lot of experience from a good team in a good league. Many of the current star players had a lower profile than Pulisic when they were 20. For sure his reputation has taken a hit from how well Sancho has been playing, but perhaps that should be a reflection of Sancho's ability rather than Pulisic's lack of the same? The price is also likely to have several clauses, and in this market it is not as expensive as it has once been. Chelsea needs better revenue streams if they want to keep competing, and this signing is likely to do very well in the American market. Overall, an ambitious purchase that will be exciting to follow. Having said that, this should not be the only one we make.

Im curious, have we actually had a good performance this season aside from away to Atletico? This season has been a huge drag, players do not feel fired up, underperform and even the tactics feel so negative. It feels like there is zero confidence right now. Watching the last couple of games have felt like having my optimism drained away, bit by bit.