Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[The Skipper 20,593]

Apparently Thiago of barcelona is unhappy with lack of playing time and barca are also prepared to sell him(With the buyback clause) to make funds for neymar.Any takers?

If we can mould him to play for the pivot he'd be brilliant (not sure how good he is defensively) - we tried to get him a few seasons ago I remember. Fantastic little player, underused by Barcelona.

[communicate 2,703]

If we can mould him to play for the pivot he'd be brilliant (not sure how good he is defensively) - we tried to get him a few seasons ago I remember. Fantastic little player, underused by Barcelona.

He is not going anywhere, He is going to replace xavi

[didierforever 7,349]

Thoughts on David Villa leading the line? I know he's been linked with Spurs/Arsenal but if we are to buy a forward, the top quality options are looking increasingly unlikely.

31 and definitely past his prime. this move would be going back a step in my opinion. plus its anther player who can be bullied off the , wont fight for the 50-50 aerial balls etc etc for which we already have the MAZACAR. need some1 who can get in the defenders faces. anyways in a year or 2 we will have our own NEW drogba leading us (LUKAKU).

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Im starting to think this could be our team next season -

Cech

Azpilicueta - Varane - Luiz - Cole

Ramires - Khedira

De Bruyne - Mata - Hazard

Lewandowski/Rooney

Subs - New GK, Ivanovic, Terry, Lampard, Oscar, Schurrle, Lukaku/Torres

[The Skipper 20,593]

Im starting to think this could be our team next season -

Cech

Azpilicueta - Varane - Luiz - Cole

Ramires - Khedira

De Bruyne - Mata - Hazard

Lewandowski/Rooney

Subs - New GK, Ivanovic, Terry, Lampard, Oscar, Schurrle, Lukaku/Torres

No link from defence to midfield. I wouldn't play Ramires and Khedira together.

Wouldn't even buy Khedira to begin with. Don't think he offers our team much.

[Reddish-Blue 2,232]

Our number one priority should be a midfielder. Luiz isn't good enough at DM, Lampard is a goalscorer not a playmaker, Ramires is a B2B midfielder, Mikel isn't good enough and Romeu lacks the athleticism to be a reliable option there.

Tired of us getting outclassed in the big games and constantly losing the midfield battle.

We should be signing Banega this summer if the likes of Gundogan, Schweinsteiger and Modric aren't available.

Bit harsh on Romeu...he's barely had the chance to establish himself in the first team.

I do agree that we lack that bit of steel in midfield...would of been interesting to see the likes of Essien, Ballack in their prime supporting our 3 maestros...

[Reddish-Blue 2,232]

Im starting to think this could be our team next season -

Cech

Azpilicueta - Varane - Luiz - Cole

Ramires - Khedira

De Bruyne - Mata - Hazard

Lewandowski/Rooney

Subs - New GK, Ivanovic, Terry, Lampard, Oscar, Schurrle, Lukaku/Torres

Nice team....but I'm not sure if we'll get Varane. He's a potential world-class CB...Madrid would be fools to sell him!

[Pacquiao 1,834]

No link from defence to midfield. I wouldn't play Ramires and Khedira together.

Wouldn't even buy Khedira to begin with. Don't think he offers our team much.

I think he would be perfect with Ramires in our team managed by Mourinho! he will obviously turn us into a great counter attacking team and Rami and Sami would suit that counter attacking style nicely!

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Nice team....but I'm not sure if we'll get Varane. He's a potential world-class CB...Madrid would be fools to sell him!

I agree it wont be easy to sign him, we just have to hope Carlo wants a more experienced CB in his team.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Ramires-Khedira = No significant improvement in midfield.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

Khedira is basically a worse version of Ramires. Amazes me how people overrate him because of the teams he plays for. There's nothing remarkable about him and he wouldn't fix our weaknesses in midfield.

[IliyaDamyanov 43]

what about this

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Ramires-Khedira = No significant improvement in midfield.

why? because you want flashy players in there like Modric or Moutinho? we are not going to be a possession team like Barca under Mourinho! we will be a counter attacking team so what would be the point of having players in midfield who are excellent in possession ect? Ramires and Khedira are much better suited to a counter attacking team, they can both do a job defensively and Ramires has his crazy pace on the counter and Khedira has power and pace like Essien used to. They wouldn't improve us much if we try to play like Barca next season but if we are going to be a successful counter attacking team they would be well suited for our style under Mourinho.

[IliyaDamyanov 43]

Khedira OMG ??? Go home , you're drunk

[The Skipper 20,593]

why? because you want flashy players in there like Modric or Moutinho? we are not going to be a possession team like Barca under Mourinho! we will be a counter attacking team so what would be the point of having players in midfield who are excellent in possession ect? Ramires and Khedira are much better suited to a counter attacking team, they can both do a job defensively and Ramires has his crazy pace on the counter and Khedira has power and pace like Essien used to. They wouldn't improve us much if we try to play like Barca next season but if we are going to be a successful counter attacking team they would be well suited for our style under Mourinho.

Are we really going to primarily be a counter attacking team when we have someone like Mata in our team? We need to utilise the strengths of our team which are Hazard and Mata, not Ramires and Khedira if he came. Real Madrid are a counter attacking team according to you, so why don't they have 2 Khedira's in midfield? Why is Xabi Alonso, who's not your archetypical counter attacking player, playing next to Khedira? If you want us to be a counter attacking team, why do you have KDB as our right winger?

Do you really think against the majority in the premiership we'll play on the counter? Of course we won't. Yeah, it'd be good to have players who can carry the ball on the counter, but you're having those players in the wrong area of the team. I'd rather bring in a player for the right side of the three, e.g. a Di Maria, who'd be far more devastating on the counter than Khedira would. You don't want a scenario where both Khedira and Ramires are running up the pitch because of a counter, which if failed, would completely leave our back four exposed. Mourinho's teams don't just consist of counter attacking either - you just have to look at their match up against United (both legs) in the CL this season to see that. They dominated in both games and ultimately won through good intricate play and not counter attacking.

We need a link between our defence and attack, and having Khedira and Ramires in your pivot does not provide you that. Even Mourinho knows that, and that's why he played Khedira with Xabi Alonso. You're just asking to surrender possession if you don't have a player of that ilk in your squad, as you should've seen with us this season, which is why we had to move Luiz to temporarily midfield because he has the ability. Just because you have a Moutinho or Modric in your team doesn't mean your side automatically becomes completely possession based. You need variety in the way your team plays - I don't like being a 1 trick pony.

Look at Bayern Munich or Borussia, everyone's favourite teams at the moment. Both are quite possession based but they're also lethal on the counter despite having a player in the ilk of a Modric or Moutinho in the likes of Schweinsteiger or Gundogan (previously Sahin even).

We need a Moutinho/Modric/Alonso type of midfielder more than we need Khedira. We get what Khedira offers mostly through Ramires. I wouldn't buy him.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Are we really going to primarily be a counter attacking team when we have someone like Mata in our team? We need to utilise the strengths of our team which are Hazard and Mata, not Ramires and Khedira if he came. Real Madrid are a counter attacking team according to you, so why don't they have 2 Khedira's in midfield? Why is Xabi Alonso, who's not your archetypical counter attacking player, playing next to Khedira? If you want us to be a counter attacking team, why do you have KDB as our right winger?

Do you really think against the majority in the premiership we'll play on the counter? Of course we won't. Yeah, it'd be good to have players who can carry the ball on the counter, but you're having those players in the wrong area of the team. I'd rather bring in a player for the right side of the three, e.g. a Di Maria, who'd be far more devastating on the counter than Khedira would. You don't want a scenario where both Khedira and Ramires are running up the pitch because of a counter, which if failed, would completely leave our back four exposed. Mourinho's teams don't just consist of counter attacking either - you just have to look at their match up against United (both legs) in the CL this season to see that. They dominated in both games and ultimately won through good intricate play and not counter attacking.

We need a link between our defence and attack, and having Khedira and Ramires in your pivot does not provide you that. Even Mourinho knows that, and that's why he played Khedira with Xabi Alonso. You're just asking to surrender possession if you don't have a player of that ilk in your squad, as you should've seen with us this season, which is why we had to move Luiz to temporarily midfield because he has the ability. Just because you have a Moutinho or Modric in your team doesn't mean your side automatically becomes completely possession based. You need variety in the way your team plays - I don't like being a 1 trick pony.

Look at Bayern Munich or Borussia, everyone's favourite teams at the moment. Both are quite possession based but they're also lethal on the counter despite having a player in the ilk of a Modric or Moutinho in the likes of Schweinsteiger or Gundogan (previously Sahin even).

We need a Moutinho/Modric/Alonso type of midfielder more than we need Khedira. We get what Khedira offers mostly through Ramires. I wouldn't buy him.

your acting as if we would play Ramires and Khedira every game! we would also have either Romeu playing in games that we should be dominating if not Romeu then a new signing who is good in possession and passing like Alonso! the point i was making is that against the top teams we will play on the counter! and that is why Mourinho wants to bring Khedira to Chelsea!

[The Skipper 20,593]

your acting as if we would play Ramires and Khedira every game! we would also have either Romeu playing in games that we should be dominating if not Romeu then a new signing who is good in possession and passing like Alonso! the point i was making is that against the top teams we will play on the counter! and that is why Mourinho wants to bring Khedira to Chelsea!

Well it looked like you were insinuating that that was the starting XI to me so I assumed you meant that. Romeu is tidy in possession but he isn't a Xabi Alonso.

I honestly see no need in signing Khedira when you've got everything he does in players like Ramires, Romeu and Mikel. He doesn't add anything new to the squad.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I like Khedira. I think he'd add steel to our midfield, but also seems to recycle possession well. As much as I love Rami he can be a little inconsistent with his passing and that Villa game showed that he can lose his head a little at times. I don't know how much you can rely on him, but he'll stick around because he's versatile and offers a more attacking threat from midfield.

Ake had a very good game at the weekend, contributing directly to our two goals with his distribution and also his ability to break up opposition attacks. Yet he's still not up to Chalobah's level which is why I'd definitely want to see him given a shot at this position. Then there's Romeu who could go either way. He's a very good player but he's coming off a long lay-off. Any three of these players could prosper under Mourinho.

But I still think that we need someone like Alonso alongside them. For me, he's the archetypal deep playmaker who also has a physical presence similar to Schweinsteiger and there really aren't many of them. Maybe it could be Oscar who has a tenacity and ferociousness in the tackle that belies his size or maybe Mourinho can coach Lamps on the defensive side of the ball a bit but for me that link between defence and attack has to be the priority in the summer. That's where we lost points at the end of games and that's where we failed to create enough in matches where we dominated possession.