Axel Witsel

[mediator 2,026]

I like him but if i had the choice, i would pick Nainggolan before him

[oldportblue 547]

I've loved this guy for a while and he's been solid for zenit, if unspectacular.... truth is the russian league is below his level and he probably isn't as motivated there as he would be in a real top european league like the premie league. I rate him much more than schneiderlin who has only been somewhat ok at a midtable club, witsel has european experience with zenit and benfica as well as with belgium. would love to have him here to replace mikel, he is like mikel but with better attacking prowess and overall more dynamic.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

We did well towards the end of the season when we played with Rami to help Cesc and Matic with Willian further up, instead of trying to play Cesc up the pitch which did not work regardless of who was playing behind him simply because Cesc does not have the pace and physical strength to play that role.

No great player will accept to come here just to be a backup player especially with Jose's rotation policies. At the same time, we can't pay those ridiculous amount for a squad player. Mikel is our least expensive first team player (RLC aside) on our FFP books, Ramies our fifth least expensive. We need squad players like that.

We need an attacking midfielder first and foremost, we need a CB because we only have one of those and he's 34! We need a good back up keeper, we need someone to replace Luis if he leaves and we need a striker, two if Remy leaves as a result of us signing Falcao.

Also signing a central midfielder means burying RLC's Chelsea career. Witsel or almost any new CM would get more minutes than what Mikel is getting, minutes that will most likely be cut out of RLC's time.

Witsel is not a GREAT player, not considered one at least, he plays for Zenit and he's 26. He can sit on the bench and replace Ramires in the amount of games he gets, and if he'll be great he'll get more games. i didnt say we should bring him specifically, but i assume he'll be happy to come here from Russia where he played for 3 long years, same goes for other options for this role - Kondogbia, Imbula, Allan, all come from 2nd-3rd tier clubs.

Wages? im not getting into that, i dont know how much can we pay and how much those players asks.

I dont think we ever did good enough with Cesc-Matic-Ramires-Willian/Oscar-Hazard, i dont think this line up will take us far in CL or even be impressive enough in our big games in PL. And the main problem is Ramires who's terrible on the ball.

Ramires imo cant be a key player in a top 4 team in Europe (where we want to be). I cant think of any reason why he should keep getting all those crucial minutes in the big games.

If we bring a box-to-box midfielder who can pass the ball good enough, Cesc can stay as the DLP or turn into the #10, i dont see a problem, and i dont think Ramires is the only solution possible to add more balance to the Matic-Cesc midfield, like it seems you're suggesting.

I think the main issue is a CM. A top Right Winger would be nice but it looks too difficult to find someone.. looks like Sterling and Griezmann are the only viable options and i wouldnt say either is a safe bet for 40-50 million pounds.

Also there's Cuadrado who maybe Jose wants to give him a real chance, and Oscar that Jose probably thinks he can be great.

I agree we need another CB. Luis and Remy? i dont know what will happen, but if they leave we'll get decent money for them and use it on their replacements... shouldnt stop us from improving other positions we certainly need improving.

CM for me is the most crucial for our progress.

[Stingray 9,441]

He didn't develop as well as he would have in a better league, he's stalled his progression a bit. He's still a top midfielder in my eyes who could suprise many when he finally comes out of obscurity

I 100% agree with this. He has stalled a bit, but he could turn out to be one hell of a deal imo. Entering his prime under Mou in the EPL. I think it is just the boost he needs. He got the skills for it too.

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

He's a good holding mid. Doesn't win the ball enough. He'll be an upgrade over Mikel and Ramires though, so won't complain. I rather have Schneiderlin though, he's a better ball winner.

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

If you ask me, he'll go to Juventus.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Not signing a new CM could potentially be suicidal.

Not even taking into account how much all of our rivals will strengthen, imagine if Matic suffered a long term injury. We'd be totally fucked. Ramires and Cesc as a partnership would get torched, Mikel is far too limited to be any sort of solution over a lengthy period, and no chance is RLC ready to step in for big minutes.

We should ideally have 5 options for CM. Matic, Fabregas, Ramires, RLC, and a new one. Witsel, Schneiderlin, Song, whoever.

Suicidal? We're talking about a slightly better backup player!

5 players for 2 positions would be a total waste. May I remind you that throughout lasts season we had 3 CBs for 2 positions. The third CB was Zouma who barely got a few matches at CB. Jose does not rotate or change his team.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Witsel is not a GREAT player, not considered one at least, he plays for Zenit and he's 26. He can sit on the bench and replace Ramires in the amount of games he gets, and if he'll be great he'll get more games. i didnt say we should bring him specifically, but i assume he'll be happy to come here from Russia where he played for 3 long years, same goes for other options for this role - Kondogbia, Imbula, Allan, all come from 2nd-3rd tier clubs.

Wages? im not getting into that, i dont know how much can we pay and how much those players asks.

I dont think we ever did good enough with Cesc-Matic-Ramires-Willian/Oscar-Hazard, i dont think this line up will take us far in CL or even be impressive enough in our big games in PL. And the main problem is Ramires who's terrible on the ball.

Ramires imo cant be a key player in a top 4 team in Europe (where we want to be). I cant think of any reason why he should keep getting all those crucial minutes in the big games.

If we bring a box-to-box midfielder who can pass the ball good enough, Cesc can stay as the DLP or turn into the #10, i dont see a problem, and i dont think Ramires is the only solution possible to add more balance to the Matic-Cesc midfield, like it seems you're suggesting.

I think the main issue is a CM. A top Right Winger would be nice but it looks too difficult to find someone.. looks like Sterling and Griezmann are the only viable options and i wouldnt say either is a safe bet for 40-50 million pounds.

Also there's Cuadrado who maybe Jose wants to give him a real chance, and Oscar that Jose probably thinks he can be great.

I agree we need another CB. Luis and Remy? i dont know what will happen, but if they leave we'll get decent money for them and use it on their replacements... shouldnt stop us from improving other positions we certainly need improving.

CM for me is the most crucial for our progress.

Sorry I don't have enough time now to answer this point by point, but generally, why would Witsel come here when he can have a much bigger role at Juventus who are already a top European team.

Ramires won't lose his role in the team. There has been no such indications at all and Jose is obviously a very big fan of his.

Can't see how CM is the main issue when we are only talking about possibly signing a backup player. Even Jose has said that this the area where we are most stable in.

[LAM09 7,069]

At £15-20m, he's a decent buy.

[Oscar 441]

If you ask me, he'll go to Juventus.

How does Juventus plan on playing all their cms

[Kieran. 6,317]

Worth a punt at 18m. Always been a fan of his.

[LAM09 7,069]

How does Juventus plan on playing all their cms

And strikers.

[lucio 5,418]

Sorry I don't have enough time now to answer this point by point, but generally, why would Witsel come here when he can have a much bigger role at Juventus who are already a top European team.

Ramires won't lose his role in the team. There has been no such indications at all and Jose is obviously a very big fan of his.

Can't see how CM is the main issue when we are only talking about possibly signing a backup player. Even Jose has said that this the area where we are most stable in.

Mourinho said we will get a midfielder. And it wouldn't be just a backup , as I said before matic - cesc is insufficient to tackle europes best and Manchester city ect. Mikel and ramires play their part , but are poor like 50% of the time and have had some injuries.

And if we are concerned with rlc , he might be better off playing cam for now anyway.

[Pizy 18,994]

Suicidal? We're talking about a slightly better backup player!

5 players for 2 positions would be a total waste. May I remind you that throughout lasts season we had 3 CBs for 2 positions. The third CB was Zouma who barely got a few matches at CB. Jose does not rotate or change his team.

So you're fine with completely burning out Matic and Cesc so their level craters towards the end of the season like last campaign? I wouldn't bank on our rivals being as shit or inconsistent as they were last season.

If EITHER of our first choice CM's get long injuries the quality of their backups falls off a cliff.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Sorry I don't have enough time now to answer this point by point, but generally, why would Witsel come here when he can have a much bigger role at Juventus who are already a top European team.

Ramires won't lose his role in the team. There has been no such indications at all and Jose is obviously a very big fan of his.

Can't see how CM is the main issue when we are only talking about possibly signing a backup player. Even Jose has said that this the area where we are most stable in.

Juventus arent going for Witsel yet, i think he's an option if Pogba leaves this summer. But again, Witsel is only an example, not the only option.

I dont know what do you mean by "indications". And i dont buy Jose's words from the beginning of the season. 2 weeks ago he said he wants a Midfielder... so?

I dont see it as a "backup player" when this player is going to start in almost every big game we play (like Remires/Mikel/Zouma this season).

Obviously you dont see it the same way, and you think Ramires/Mikel in our XI in a lot of games is fine (including CL games against Bayern, Barcelona, PSG, Real, Juve.. what a joy to have them against those teams) , so i dont see the point in continuing this discussion tbh.

Im thinking the opposite. imo going with Matic, Cesc, Ramires, Mikel would be an horrible idea, i dont even want to think its possible, that would mean we dont really want to improve and Mourinho is fine with his side (when i dont believe we're signing an elite RW).

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Guys, I know you're all trying to make a point but can we please have a bit more respect for Ramires and Mikel?

Let's agree to disagree about Mikel and Rami being adequate backups but let's please also agree to stop disrespecting them and saying and implying that they are beneath us especially when those two helped us win so much in the past.

[DavidEU 2,023]

Guys, I know you're all trying to make a point but can we please have a bit more respect for Ramires and Mikel?

Let's agree to disagree about Mikel and Rami being adequate backups but let's please also agree to stop disrespecting them and saying and implying that they are beneath us especially when those two helped us win so much in the past.

Don't bother trying to convince a lot of these guys. I spent most of my summer 2014 trying to get people to show Mikel a tad of respect.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Thats a very weird comment... respect? its not about respect, i just dont think they're good enough for crucial roles in a top european team, in a club that aims to be the best. Everyone has his own opinion about players, and its just football after all.

And im saying that when i actually like Ramires as a player, in some periods he was awesome for us. Mikel also helped us during his long time in the club, never rated him but i do remember his good performances. With that being said, i dont think we should rely on thier talent anymore when we're trying to improve (well, Mikel didnt played a lot last season anyway).

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Mikel and Ramires are fine squad players, the exact type you want in a lot of ways. Ramires is all action, scores goals, covers a lot of ground and positions. Mikel will go months without playing and come into the champions league fixture and play a blinder. These are the types you want in your squad, they don't publicly complain about playing time and when called upon they can deliver.

Witsel will have to show that he can perform in a limited role to be compared to either of these two, its not as easy as some might think!

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Mikel and Ramires are fine squad players, the exact type you want in a lot of ways. Ramires is all action, scores goals, covers a lot of ground and positions. Mikel will go months without playing and come into the champions league fixture and play a blinder. These are the types you want in your squad, they don't publicly complain about playing time and when called upon they can deliver.

I dont care if they stay in the team for limited roles, but i think you can agree Ramires shouldnt start the big games for us, when you always talk about Pogba coming here. Someone has to come, even if its not Pogba.