petre.ispirescu

Guy seems legit, photos look real, has interviews with Sandro, Miguel Britos, Robert Pires, Marco Amelia etc. on his Youtube page. Seen a lot of people confirming that indeed it is Chelsea Harbour's lobby that. It was Conte's day off from Cobham, too, probably had appointments to do interviews and discuss certain transfers (Santos president apparently was there too). So the guy was there, no doubt, whether Mahrez was there to talk to Conte, too, remains to be seen, although I'm a bit skeptical about this.

Santos president in London to listen to Chelsea's offer for Thiago Maia. http://www.goal.com/br/news/15062/ora-bolas-por-bruno-andrade/2016/08/08/26329212/ora-bolas-presidente-do-santos-está-em-londres-por-thiago-maia-e-?ICID=SP_HN_1

Andre Ayew to West Ham for £20.5m. Let that sink in. In a market where Jordon Ibe is worth £15m and Wijnaldum £25m, Koulibaly at £34m is a steal. Chelsea should stop penny pinching for Christ's sake and close the deal. Add a few more millions, who cares, prices are already inflated. Next summer with the new TV deal even Scott Dann will likely be worth at least 40m.

Chelsea's biggest advantage in this negociations is Koulibaly himself IMO. He is on a £680k per year deal at Napoli, and from what I have read, Napoli have made him a new offer worth only £1.7m per year. He has expressed his desire to leave and the news today say that Chelsea have doubled Napoli's current proposition, offering him £3.4m per year. Think the club have already tapped him up and his agent. If only they can sort out a deal with Italy's Daniel Levy..............

Yes, I know the interview, it was for Catalan newspaper Sport (Barcelona was always interested in him) and I read it. He said that he went to the PSG offices to ask for a transfer, but the PSG officials denied him the request because they did not know about the new coach's intentions. This was before Emery was appointed as a manager at the beginning of July. Back then it was the obvious choice to deny him the request because no one knew who is going to be the new manager and what was his plans. But right now, I don't know if Marquinhos can come from the Olympics and slot into the first team instantly. After he's missed the pre-season and Emery has tried different tactics with him nowhere near the squad. I still think he would be available for the right price.

Paris' Marquinhos. Unai Emery has had a successful pre-season with Paris and has his team for the new season already pictured in mind with David Luiz and Thiago Silva as centre backs. Kimpembe on the bench and Aurier and Stambouli can slot in there, too. With the right offer, Marquinhos can be prised away because he is unhappy and does not want to spend another season on the bench.

Romanian version of MOTD on air from August 15th. Two-hour show every Monday live on Eurosport. About time, really, since every other big European league has it's own shown during the week. Excited about this because it gathers Romania's finest commentators together. Eurosport (only broadcasts Premier League, Bundesliga, MLS and Polish league) do have the best commentators and the atmosphere is really similar to as of watching Sky or BT.

Shades of last summer and this is the most worrying thing. One year ago I was one of those who thought that chemistry is the most important thing in a title winning team and no signings was needed. All this when everybody else was screaming for at least two or three top transfers. Thought that keeping the same "11" would be the best thing and a big advantage for Chelsea since the players had come to know each other very well and Mourinho was entering his 3rd season with Chelsea. I could not be more wrong. Last season was the epitome of what a poor pre-season and an awful job in the transfer market looks like. Fortunately there is still more than three weeks to go until the windows shuts. But if come September the 1st we're still left with Azplicueta, Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic then I don't know, all the excitement of going into the new season with a new manager would probably be gone knowing that nothing is going to change. And this is going to hurt the club in the long run, too, because Conte has no magic wand, it is highly probable that Chelsea could miss the top 4 and be sure that if this happens, then we can say goodbye to the likes of Hazard, Diego Costa, Courtois for sure, 100%. Terry and Ivanovic's contracts will run out next summer, too, they won't get new deals (hopefully!) and Conte would have to start the reconstruction one year too late. Wouldn't it be stupid to happen like that? Wouldn't it be so damn pathetic to be trying to replace AT LEAST five or six starters next summer, when all can be taken care off right now, this summer, by only bringing two new defenders? That could turn us into a title challenging team, too, rather than one that is going to have to sweat for a top 4 finish to avoid another trainwreck of a season and a potentially super busy summer?!

What type of player he is? What is his best/preffered position on the pitch for Santos? Is he tactically disciplined or likes to bomb forward like all the young talented Brazilian players? And for those of us who have never watched him play, can you name at least two or three other well known players that are similar to him?

I think it is more about those players' power at the club, rather than anything else. Pretty much everybody and their dog agrees that Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic are past it, but nothing can be done unfortunately as they have too much influence in the locker room. This is why I think that come next summer when Terry and Ivanovic's contracts are due to end, the club must shake their hands, schedule something big at the Bridge for the fans to say their goodbye and that's it. And Cahill sold of course. I want (like many others I guess) Azpilicueta at RB, Zouma at CB and a new CB and LB starting right now, this season, but this is only a dream because there is no way Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic would be dropped to the bench, all three simultaneously. If Azpilicueta - Terry - Cahill - Ivanovic is Chelsea's back four going into the new season then I am ready to just enjoy this season, wish Conte good luck (he'll need plenty) and pray for patience from the board because we are going to probably sweat for a top 4 finish. If it's going to be a top 4 finish in the end, you know....

Lol from being one of the most active football players on twitter to deactivating that account because of some low-life inbred hillbillies... If the glamour life is what you've chosen then you must be ready for this shit, too. Makes me think what would he do if somebody at the Bridge shouts something nasty during a game? Ask to be subbed off? Should man up and block them bastards on twitter and get over with. I know what those fans did is disgusting, but this is social media nowadays. If you can't take it like a man then I don't know, you are probably mentally unstable and crack under pressure very easy. It's not always honey and milk and people praising you for everything.

Guardiola must be completely nuts if he thinks he can play the kind of fancy football he likes with that City squad. Especially against the bigger sides. That 3-4-3 he's tried in this summer's friendlies is like a ticking bomb ready to explode. Think this is the biggest challenge of his career so far, his ultra offensive and risky tactics scream for top defenders and he's had those wherever he's been. Now he is left with a pretty much average defence and probably Stones who is decent, but not a world class defender. If he can sort out that back line they are going to win the title with ease, if not they will be in for a goal fest every single week.

For those of you who speak French, have you noticed Martial's reaction when substituted? Said "putain" at least two times while watching angrily at Mourinho over his shoulder. Well, at least we got an introduction to the "new Mourinho" who has probably only changed his hairdresser and his aftershave, because other than that he's still vile, playing dull football. There is so many ways to humiliate a player during training sessions or video analysis, but he decides to do it once again in front of a packed Wembley. What a donkey. So desperate to show he is the boss at the club that when a bad period will come, he is going to burn bridges with everybody.

Antonio Conte I beg you not to go into the new season with this back four. And Matic.

Yep, unfortunately a back four that I expect to be on the pitch, rather than a one that I would like to see.

Superb day for the young lads. Nathan with a brace for Vitesse, too.

You call it a day and move to the next target, I agree. But what makes me think Napoli was ready to negociate is the amount of offers that Chelsea has made. It was just that Napoli wanted a certain amount, whereas Chelsea was always close, but never there. That's why probably Napoli got frustrated and quit the negociations.

My thoughts exactly. Chelsea MUST buy a new CB to slot into the starting line-up automatically, but unfortunately I do not think Mustafi is the answer. Seems like your regular defender to me and frankly nobody would have heard about him if it wasn't for Reus' last minute injury before the World Cup in 2014. We was basically called up for the NT just hours before they departed for Brazil. Do not get the hype, not really an improvement on Cahill IMO and he was pretty much poor since arriving in La Liga. Chelsea should have made the move for Napoli's Koulibaly in big style, from the very first offer, instead of penny pinching hole summer. Call them Italians, ask them how much they want and pay the money. In the end we're probably missing on a very good defender (and an ideal partner for Zouma), all for something like 7-8m difference in what the club was ready to pay and what Napoli wanted.

I beg you to read the comments in that video

Really don't understand why Arsenal didn't stay in London for the summer. Could have invited a few Championship clubs at the Emirates, trash them and get over with this pre-season. They had to move from country to country to play a bunch of losers from Norway and League 2 in France, plus a "team" full of old timers playing in MLS. Think Wenger was against playing top opposition, was afraid that the "Wenger Out" crew would be out in full force from August.

I have not watched him that much to be fair, but from the very few games I have seen mostly in UCL against Bayern and Zenit and the three matches at the Euro in France, he looks very similar to Bonucci. Maybe this is the reason why Conte is interested and ready to swoop for him. If indeed he is the one to push for this transfer, and not the board.

Hope he stays put and not because I think he is not good enough (I would actually love to have him at Chelsea one day), but maybe Conte and the board wake up and see that the club's going nowhere with that defence. If we're to spend that much money rather do it wisely. Diego Costa, Batshuayi, Traore, Loftus-Cheek is more than enough for a season with no European competition. Hazard can play there too. With absolute ease.