The Big Drog

Is kick off 3:30? Cos Sky Sports say its at 3:00

That was something special today against Spain in the Under 19 final. It certainly wasnt his best performance in the tournament but one mazey run, taking on and beating two defenders, getting a shot away but seeing it saved only to play an inch perfect lobbed cross to the back post for his team mate to head into the empty net, simply put one moment of magic from Kakuta won France the Euro Under 19 Championship. Gael was the star of the tournament, like Torres was when he played in it, like Aquilani was when he played in it. Its easy to see why so many people are excited about Kakuta, who is different to anyone else we have in our squad, we can take a player on and beat them, he spots so many clever passes and he has a real football brain, I cant wait to se him in the first team.

At the risk of sounding like a mad man I've wanted the Ramires signing more than any other player we have been linked with, more than Aguero, more than Torres. We play a 4-3-3, which means we play with one striker, Didier Drogba is the best lone striker on the planet, he doesnt need replacing. On the wings we have Florent Malouda, Kalou, Benayoun, Sinclair(if he sticks about) and Kakuta can play out wide if needs be. Neither Torres or Aguero are natural widemen. I thought last season holding midfield was a problem. While Essien is a beast in there, playing him so deep takes away the great attacking threat that is Michael Essien, Obi Mikel showed signs of improvement but the man is so slow and was badly shown up by Sneijder against Inter, I thought last season at times the midfield trio of Ballack, Lampard and Mikel looked insanely slow, add Essien and Ramires to that midfield and its an entirely different outlook. I rate Ramires highly, I saw him play last Summer in the Confederations Cup on the right wing and I wasn't quite sure why an unknown lad was starting ahead of the likes of Pato. By the end of the tournament, a tournament which Brazil won, I understood why, he was magnificent for Brazil, one of their stars. Even with the limited amount of time he got at the World Cup he still shone in his prefered holding midfield role, entering a man of the match performance against Chile. I really hope Chelsea can wrap this deal up, Id love to see him ready in time for the Community Shield game.

Getting both Ramires and Torres this Summer might seem like a bit of a fantasy, but I like fantasies so ye.

On one hand I can se your point nd I would agree that our attack could be improved upon, in particular I think at times it looks a little slow and perhaps age has something to do with that so in one respect you are correct. However you have gone completely overboard. You list Man Utd and Arsenal's injury woes but Chelsea were missing starting right back Jose Bosingwa for practically the whole season, our best all round midfielder Michael Essien missed the entire second half of the season, our star man Drogba was away for a month on ACON duty and also played the last month or so with a groin injury, our starting centre back Carvalho was regularly missing during the season, our first choice left back was gone for 3 months. Man Utd and Arsenal weren't the only ones with injury problems. Also you say you dont think Drogba is good enough to get the goals we need? The man is the top scorer in the Premier League and unlike Rooney who did it against the likes of Hull but faltered when it came to the big boys, Drogba scvored against Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd, not to mention the winning goal in the FA Cup final. Why cant he have another top class season? To say he, Malouda and Anelka cant score the goals required despite playing a huge part in us scoring a record amount of goals last season is nothing short of bizzare and quite poorly timed.

I think currently Paulo Ferriera is wonderfully random, almost an enigma.

Sounds like an overreaction but players I never wish to see in a Chelsea jersey again are as follows. Ross Turnbull unless he signficantly improves, both goals could be blamed on him and certainly the second one is entirely him. Ryan Bertrand at centre back just should not happen. Im amazed a club our size dont have a proper centre back for the 2nd straight running ore season game. Di Santo simply because he brings nothing to a team. He is tall but isnt very strong, he isnt very fast, his lack of goals is well documented, he doesnt work particularly hard, he rarely gets on the ball and makes things happen. What does he do?

Ye Mikel is a good player and has improved in the last 2 or so years and Im not saying he should be released or anything but I think Ramires would be a better option in midfield. Last season after Essien's injury, the 3 man midfield with Mikel, Lampard and Ballack was painfully slow and probably the real cause of the loss to Inter in the Champions League. Inset Essien and Ramires into that trio alongside Lampard and suddenly the midfield has an entirely new outlook with a much faster pace.

Lets face it, if James Milner costs 30 million pound then Ramires is always going to be constly. Personally I think this guy will be worth every penny of that 20 million. Last year he played in the Confederations Cup for Brazil on the right wing and he was very impressive, at the World Cup he had fallen out of favour but when he got his chance to play in the holding role the lad looked and played like Makelele in fast forward. I thought last seaosn the midfield lacked a bit of pace and zip about it, Ramires provides pace, energy, good on the ball and a very good reading of the game, I would love to see this happen.

Im not gonna lie to you, while Im sorry that your team didn't do well Im delighted that Kakuta posed such a problem and played so well.

I feel really good. Yes the bid was rejected but at least we know we are in the market for a striker and we are willing to spend big, not only that but we are looking at the right kind of players, young, fast with potential.

Tough one, Ramos ran him close but my choice is Pique. Rated by a surprising amount as one of the top centre backs on the planet and even in Uefa's 3 man shortlist for European defender of the year last season, all of this and yet the man is a very average at best defender. Playing at Barcelona he is rarely exposed because Barcelona have possession for 66% of the game, when he is called upon to defend it often becomes a shambles, he was exposed a few times at the World Cup and for Barca last year and also when he played for Man Utd, not even close to being one of the best centre backs on the planet.

To me it looks like some people are just on a hate campaign against Benayoun, they will attack him any chance he gets even if its for practically nothing (such as on this occassion) when in fact its Ray Wilkins talking to the media, not Yossi.

I like him already.

Count me in on some of that action.

Thanks mate.

Can anybody help me out, does anybody know if this match is being shown on a tv station, if so which one?

Reports today claim the bididng will begin at 30 million, I cant see Torres costing the same amount as James Milner no matter how cash strapped Liverpool are. If this were to happen I would say anywhere between 40-50 million might do it and I think it would be worth every penny.

Essentially Ivanovic is a centre back playing out of position at right back and although he had a tremendous season last year I wonder if he will actually get the nod to play at centre back beside John Terry. Its a tough one, Alex is a wonderful defender but then Ivanovic is an excellent centre back when he is played in that position too.

Its a huge claim to make and the guy writting it sounds confident. It would be such a brilliant deal if it were to happen but I am not getting my hopes up.

Im not sure if there is already a thread for this player, if so sorry for creating another. Taken from Sky Sports News.com Chelsea have expressed interest in bringing Brazilian midfielder Ramires to Stamford Bridge, according to the player's agent. Benfica star Ramires, who has four years left on his contract with the Portuguese club, played four games for Brazil at the World Cup but was absent from their quarter-final defeat to Holland due to suspension. The player's agent, Luis Carlini, says both the Blues and Bayern Munich have made enquiries about the 23-year-old midfielder. "Many clubs from the big European leagues have been in contact about Ramires," Carlini told the News of the World. "Chelsea and Bayern have spoken to Benfica, but I can't say more." Ramires, who joined Benfica last summer for £6.5million, admits he could be tempted by an offer from a high-profile club, but insists the decision lies with the Lisbon outfit. "I came to Europe to win championships," he said. "It is normal that I would look at any offers from clubs in bigger leagues but I am currently under contract and Benfica will have the final say" I think it would be a tremendous signing, I've been a fan of the player since I saw him play at the Confederations Cup. He is quick about the pitch, good on the ball with a good awareness of breaking up opposition moves, almost reminiscent of Makelele. Playing him in the holding role, allowing Essien a more attacking role with Lampard also in the midfield would be an excellent trio and would have some energy in it.

With that catchy jingle you certainly could.

:tiphat:Come on, after seeing that Benayoun video on this thread with that music in the backround who can't be even a little bit upbeat about this signing

Bit premature don't you think?

I understand the frustration, Man City are signing David Silva and Yaya Tore while we are signing 30 year old scouser Benayoun. I want big name signings as much as the next person but Im glad that the club are not going to be ripped off, if we complete the signing of one big name by the end of this transfer market and Benayoun and we promote some young players into the squad then I will be happy. Look at the benefits of Benayoun, he is experienced, he wont be one of those demanding a first team place every week, he is a creative player who is versatile, there are worse signings than Benayoun especially for the cheap price we are getting him at. At the end of the day he is going to be a squad player, nothing more, nothling less.