petre.ispirescu

Although I hate everything about Liverpool and would like to see Coutinho go as it would weaken them a lot, I am glad that Barcelona are starting to finally have a taste of their own medicine. Hope Dortmund take the same approach with Dembele and make it hard for Barcelona. There is tons of money on the table now, clubs should be in the driving seat when negociating a deal with Barcelona. If they don't want to pay the amount asked then tell them to fuck right off. Barcelona and the disgusting Catalan media tried to unsettle Verratti earlier this summer thinking this would work forever. Glad the Arabs at PSG got mad and prised one of their best players away. Of course this has ruined the transfer market completely, but if it means big clubs won't be bullied from now on into selling their best players to the Spanish league then I am all for it. Wenger is a deluded geezer but I completely agree with him on the future of transfer deals - If crazy amounts like this will be a "normality" from now on, then yes, in 6-7 years I can see players coming to a club on three-year deals tops, then leave on a free at the end of it. Look at Sanchez - A player like him in the last year of contract would have gone for 30M a few years ago. Now he's being kept at Arsenal against his will and even if an offer would be on the table, I think with the crazy money being thrown these days, Arsenal would only consider something in the region of 60-65M. So why would players commit themselves to long terms contracts in the future? Short term contracts would put them in the driving seat to negociate big contracts for themselves as they are free agents and they don't have to worry about their preferred clubs they want to join being put off by the asking price either. It's going to be easier for young talents in their early 20s that want to join the likes of Chelsea, PSG, Bayern, Madrid at some point - they know they are on three-year deal only, after that they can choose whatever club they want w/o thinking of price tags and other shite going around, such as current clubs they play for keeping them against their will because they don't want to sell to this club or that club. Investing big in the Academy and giving the local Chelsea through and through kids raised from since they were 7-8 years old is the way forward. This would of course help you big time saving money with all the crazy amounts going around and at least you would not have to think about them wanting to leave at the very first offer as they finally get to play for the club they've supported since kids. Of course some might want to go elsewhere at some point, but not all, unlike all the Brazilians, South Americans etc etc that only dream about Madrid and Barcelona.

Agreement reached for 45M Euros. Problem is Chelsea want half the money now - Atleti want to pay in three instalments.

No way this squad is as unbalanced as the biased media likes us to believe. Add three more signings (Van Dijk, Drinkwater, Ox) and we're good to go. Courtois, Caballero, Eduardo - (Van Dijk), Cahill, Luiz, Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Moses, M.Alonso, (Ox) - Kante, Cesc, Bakayoko, (Drinkwater), Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Musonda, Boga, Baker - Morata, Batshuayi, Remy. Did not include Tomori. And Kenedy (from Conte's words at the presser I believe the club is pushing for a loan move). 25 man squad for basically three competitions at the beginning (FA Cup only starts in December).

Mancs getting excited over this lol. Truth is his first season here was very good, but he's declined so much after that, instead of raising his game. Good player to have against lesser sides, but looking forward to seeing United play the big dogs in PL and Champions League nights with that midfield. Pogba can't track back and tackle for his life. Pressure is going to be on Matic and Herrera to do the dirty work and frankly this is the only thing they are good at. Any decent midfield will run this United team over. Matic was good for Chelsea against lesser sides, but I can't remember any big game past his 1st season here where he was of any use. Every single decent midfield pair we've faced with Matic in the middle of the park was a shit show. He even looked like a crippled Lee Cattermole against a Ramsey - Xhaka pair in the FA Cup Final. Bottom line is Matic will provide the protection they need in some games, but against the big teams a midfield pair of Matic and Herrera is going to be fun to watch. I'd have tried hard for Spurs' Dembele if I was Mourinho and ready to spend silly money on 30 year olds. At least Dembele is different class from Matic. Already 30 but who cares. Matic will be 30 in a year too. And certainly not going to get better. Great money for a 29 yo going into his final year of his contract next summer. We've already brought his replacement in a better player, Bakayoko. Now time to bring in at least two back-up central midfielders of decent quality.

Reckon it's going to be one new important arrival before Burnley, then I think two more players (maybe three if we are lucky) in the last days of the market, to complete the squad, a la Marcos Alonso last summer. Not top players, but decent, to play a rotation role.

Conte said in one of his last interviews last seasons that Hazard and Pedro/Willian are actually no. 10s in this 3-4-3 and not inside forwards/wingers. The wing backs take this responsability (to play as wingers) when the team is on the front foot. So we could see more of Cesc in the front three with Hazard and Morata next season judging by Conte's words. Bakayoko - Kante as the holding midfielders. But in this case we need at least two new central midfielders to act as a backup.

What a weirdo this guy is. From Madrid bench to City bench. Walker could be the worst full back that football has ever seen by winter and still be playing because of his transfer fee.

Forgot about those lol. Got used to them being loaned haha. So still over 75M to spend and still be on profit...

In: Morata 58M, Rudiger 32M, Bakayoko 40M, Caballero (free) - 130M. Out: Oscar(60M), Bamford (6M), Cuadrado (17M), Begovic(10M), Atsu (6M), Bertrand Traore (10M), Solanke (5M?), Matic (45M?), Diego Costa (25M?) - 184M. 54M difference. Would invest it in Virgil van Dijk. Then concentrate on Ox and a left full back or a backup for Alonso and we're done. GK - Thibo, Caballero, Eduardo CB - Van Dijk, David Luiz, Rudiger, Cahill, Christensen (Azpilicueta). RB/RWB - Azpilicueta, Moses (Ox). LB/LWB - Marcos Alonso, Kenedy, new LB/LWB. CM - Kante, Cesc, Bakayoko, Ox, Baker. Wingers - Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Ox, Musonda. CF - Morata, Batshuayi. http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=f2fy6

It's similar to Juventus' pre season during Conte's time there. He works hard on physical condition in this period, wants everybody to be super fit at the start of the season, probably thinks that he can still adjust tactical aspects during weekly sessions even if the season had already started. But they have to be fit first, otherwise everything is in vain.

Courtois - Azpilicueta Christensen Cahill - Moses Cesc Kante M.Alonso - Pedro Batshuayi Willian

Being German maybe you know more - is the Aubameyang "saga" over now or Watzke is bluffing in order to speed up the whole thing? Maybe he's thinking - "Now that we say he's off the market, teams will panic and finally make their move." After all Dortmund need to find a replacement, too, can't wait until August for Chelsea to make up their mind.

Was excited about the idea of Aubameyang, but now that he's apparently off the market, I'd rather stick to Batshuayi. Humble and never complained throughout the whole last season, maybe he deserves a chance. Not the ideal replacement for Diego Costa, but nor is Morata and Belotti. They are not worth 80M. These two players to be valued 10-15M more than Aubameyang is a travesty. Morata's goalscoring record is piss poor and not worthy of that crazy amount. Overrated because he was a Real Madrid youth - He is going to be 25 in a couple of months and has done nothing so far to suggest he is a 80M. Belotti - also a few months from turning 24. Nobody had heard of him before last summer. Had his breakthrough season and now he's worth over 80M? Give me a break. My opinion.

El Confidencial the Spanish version of BBC when it comes to the two big Madrid clubs. Deal pretty much done and dusted. Basically they say in the article that Florentino Perez wants to totally get rid of Jorge Mendes' influence at the club following the tax fraud allegations and Danilo is now the last player in Mendes' books he needs to get rid of. Coentrao, Pepe and James have already left this summer - Danilo the last one standing will be gone too. Danilo is not represented by Mendes' agency directly, but the influencial agent intermediates Danilo's every move/contract. Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo is also managed by Jorge Mendes. But Ronaldo is Ronaldo... Danilo was offered to several clubs - Juventus and Chelsea the most interested ones. Juventus have offered £18M, which Madrid did not accept. Chelsea have made a £28M offer and Danilo is soon to be a Chelsea player. Danilo's replacement at Madrid - Achraf Hakimi. A player Zidane likes very much (Maghrebi as well), already with Madrid on the US tour.

We are Premier League's reigning champions BECAUSE OF HIM.

Aguero and Aubameyang as the rumoured options for the centre forward position. Fucking get in! Better not end up with Belotti or Morata - really have no ideas how my brain and my heart would react to that.

I second to that. Danilo needs a fresh start, looks completely lost at Madrid and worst of it all - has Carvajal, probably the best right back in the world ATM, as a direct competitor. The Danilo of Porto was an animal on the right hand side, a joy to watch, think the RWB position would fit him like a glove. Very excited about this and truly hope he ends up here. The Danilo of Madrid - would not touch with a barge pole. But his two year spell in Spain does not tell the whole story. There is a tremendous player in there that has lost his confidence. Under the right guidance of a terrific manager Antonio Conte he will go back to his old form.

Listen, I would do this - let him go to Atletico on the cheap, even 20M maybe and ask Atletico for the 1st option on Griezmann. Not a swap + money deal, not a discount, just the 1st option to a future sale. Kante, Bakayoko, Hazard, Aubameyang, Grizmann - basically the front five - all French speakers haha.

These "Sky Sports sources" been dog turd this summer, better be right on this one!!!

About damn time haha Welcome Timmy!

Since we're on a football forum why not pretend you're Conte and do it? Except for moaning and bitching around, it's not like you're contributing a lot these days.

http://www.espn.co.uk/video/clip?id=19932714 Have United and Liverpool swapped the PR teams? Cried when visited Stamford Bridge for the first time saying Chelsea it's his dream club. Nevermind his room in Belgium all in blue filled with Chelsea stuff. Now United are the biggest in the world and have the best set of fans Bonds very well with the other Chelsea through and through "ready to defend the club as a pundit when he retires" Jose Mourinho that overnight felt a sudden chemistry with the United fans haha. Felt like his agent made him into joining United just to milk them of that outrageous agent fee, but interviews like this make me sick to my stomach. Fake people in a world ruled by greedy agents.

Please God for once in this lifetime have Express spot on this one

Ain't got no spare time to do it myself, but I bet that if you would look in the Lukaku thread at RedCafe there is at least 20-25 people that three weeks ago were laughing at the prospect of Chelsea getting him, calling him different names, but now the exact same guys are creaming their pants over United's announcement. A post with "then and now" comments would be glorious

The only centre forward option that would get me off my seat this summer. Been made available weeks ago at 63M and still can't understand why there is no links to him. A Real Madrid cast-off or a one season wonder from Italy? None, simple as that. Are we forgetting it's Diego Costa we're supposed to replace? He's no Andre Gray or Troy Deeney, he's a world class centre forward, two times PL winner in the last three years. Must replace with someone else who's in the top tier, too. Morata, Belotti? Not fit to tie Aubameyang's laces. If this guy isn't our first choice then something must be wrong.