Rumoured Marouane Fellaini

[Spike 12,049]

We've been scouting Fellaini for over 3 years now. He's proven himself in this league. I also think his passing skills are tremendously overrated. But having looked at the statistics I do see your point.

Fellaini the terrible passer has a completion rate of 78.1%

Benat (with the 'great long passing skills') has a completion rate of 79.3%.

But to his credit that extra 1.2% of passes that actually reach their target have created an extra 2 assists.

Plus Fellaini's oft-criticised aggression is a black mark against his name.....except Benat does seem to have DOUBLE the yellow cards against his name (10).

Now I'm the first to point to the flaws in statistics, but come on.

I don't care much for stats or anything like that. I'm talking more about their technique. Benat from what I've seen has tremendous passing technique and goes for a lot of long balls, which can often be intercepted.

Fellaini on the other hand just looks like he jabs at the ball in hopes that in goes in the right direction, he is so clumsy. He often overpowers or underpowers passes and his overall technique is sloppy.

Imagine Mikel and Fellaini in the midfield. That would be so static and within 10 minutes of their match together the forum would go into overload about how much they hate Mikel and Fellaini. I'm cringing just thinking about those two in the midfield.

Defensively I can't really comment on who is superior.

[Billy. 2,742]

Thing with this one is that Davis Moyes is always open with transfer lets see f he comes out and says anything.i

[The only place to be 11,313]

I don't care much for stats or anything like that. I'm talking more about their technique. Benat from what I've seen has tremendous passing technique and goes for a lot of long balls, which can often be intercepted.

Fellaini on the other hand just looks like he jabs at the ball in hopes that in goes in the right direction, he is so clumsy. He often overpowers or underpowers passes and his overall technique is sloppy.

Imagine Mikel and Fellaini in the midfield. That would be so static and within 10 minutes of their match together the forum would go into overload about how much they hate Mikel and Fellaini. I'm cringing just thinking about those two in the midfield.

Defensively I can't really comment on who is superior.

I think Fellani suffers from 'tall man syndrome' where he looks a lot more sloppy than he actually is. You can make excuses for Benat's % being low, but Fellaini plays in a more advanced, congested position and the pass completion % seems to be higher the further back you go as there's less pressure on the ball. I'd also be interested to see if headed passes are included as well because he wins a lot of knock-ons.

So in essence, I think you're completely wrong about him technically. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a current Belgian player who isn't technically sound.

I think having alongside Mikel would be strong, but creatively lacking something. That's why I'd love for him to play alongside someone like Oscar or McEachran. He'd essentially be the enforcer, the third central defender and the point around which the team plays. That pass percentage would leap about 10 points if he was asked to do what Mikel does, but you just benefit from everything else he brings to the team.

[Marvin123 538]

Absolutely brilliant signing and I have a lot of faith in l'equipe too after telling us about Hazard!!

[dumps 284]

Im not sure about this one. for ~£27m you are expecting a key player. He seems to be better used as an attacking midfielder though i would imagine we would use him as a defensive midfielder then stick im in attacking mid during rotation. but i cant see him being worth his money and wages. dont get me wrong, he is good and i think he will be a great bonus for the team, I just dont think its good value for money.

the good thing about Chelsea is that money doesn't matter.... so bring him on i guess! Maybe him an hazard will get along. and lukaku when he returns. The Belgium dip.

[DanishBlue 426]

Guys, relax (im only saying this because I dont want to see too many people get upset if this turns out to be false).

Fellaini bought a house in Manchester 5 days ago (or something like that). Wouldn't it be crazy if he had to live in London like 7 days later?

I know things happen fast in football and maybe he didn't know about Chelsea 5 days ago, but seriously, it doesn't make sense that we (even without any rumours the last 4 or 5 days) suddenly buy him for that kind og money.

Beside that, I love Fellaini and I love to watch him play because of his style and his hair

But where would we use him? He fits well in Everton but I don't know if he is the right answer to our problems in midfield. We need a deep lying playmaker type to play with someone like Mikel (or someone else who can stay a bit back).

[Xtraxion 100]

Im not sure about this one. for ~£27m you are expecting a key player.

27m euros.

[Leif 6,006]

There's people now comparing him to Essien a few seasons ago lol. what. just what.

[Spike 12,049]

I think Fellani suffers from 'tall man syndrome' where he looks a lot more sloppy than he actually is. You can make excuses for Benat's % being low, but Fellaini plays in a more advanced, congested position and the pass completion % seems to be higher the further back you go as there's less pressure on the ball. I'd also be interested to see if headed passes are included as well because he wins a lot of knock-ons.

So in essence, I think you're completely wrong about him technically. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a current Belgian player who isn't technically sound.

I think having alongside Mikel would be strong, but creatively lacking something. That's why I'd love for him to play alongside someone like Oscar or McEachran. He'd essentially be the enforcer, the third central defender and the point around which the team plays. That pass percentage would leap about 10 points if he was asked to do what Mikel does, but you just benefit from everything else he brings to the team.

Don't quote me on this but I'm almost positive that his [Fellaini] passing completion rate was about the same when he playing deeper in the midfield.

Once again don't quote me on, this is SeB's territory.

[Spike 12,049]

There's people now comparing him to Essien a few seasons ago lol. what. just what.

It makes more sense juxtaposed to those ghouls on the Bleacher Report comparing him to Zidane.

Yes, you read that right...

[Kezza 1,965]

Him buying a house in Manchester means sweet fuck all! If his new house location was proportional to where he was playing, he would of signed with Man U by now.

Seems people just enjoy to look at something new on the field without actually taking into consideration what the player can bring to the team. i.e Marin, people want him to play 'because he hasn't in a while' or whatever. He hasn't played because he's not that good to start.

Similar scenario with Fellaini, is he actually suited for the team? Probably. Will he make a positive impact? Who knows. Will we have a midfield full of hair? Yes. Is it something new to look at? Yes, that's where I think most people make their decisions on whether we should sign a player or not. Don't want this club to turn out like man city as signing players because we can.

In saying that, with Lampard destind to leave, I strongly suggest we sign him.

[Gily 37]

I think Fellani suffers from 'tall man syndrome' where he looks a lot more sloppy than he actually is. You can make excuses for Benat's % being low, but Fellaini plays in a more advanced, congested position and the pass completion % seems to be higher the further back you go as there's less pressure on the ball.

His stats were similar when he was playing as a DM, he's not creative, he's not a good passer, he's a destroyer type who is out to win the ball and then lay it off asap.

I actually think that he's gotten worse this year but everyone is so focused on his scoring that they neglect to see how his general play is suffering.

I think having alongside Mikel would be strong, but creatively lacking something. That's why I'd love for him to play alongside someone like Oscar or McEachran. He'd essentially be the enforcer, the third central defender and the point around which the team plays. That pass percentage would leap about 10 points if he was asked to do what Mikel does, but you just benefit from everything else he brings to the team.

Playing alongside Mikel is impossible unless you're going to play against Barcelona, his pass percentage wouldn't leap 10 points with someone creative next to him though because it's THAT bad, even shocking currently.

I do believe he brings more to the table than Mikel but you need the right player next to him to bring that out, the right player Chelsea currently do not have.

[Hutcho 8,443]

just turned my comp on, go to tc as always and there were 61 people viewing it... I was like OMG we have signed him, but alas no, though i suppose we seem much closer than we have previously. 27 mil seems a bt high i think, but not extortionate for him. Also, his versatility would be very useful as well as another tall powerhouse, and another belgium which fits in nicely. I hope it happens.

[The only place to be 11,313]

His stats were similar when he was playing as a DM, he's not creative, he's not a good passer, he's a destroyer type who is out to win the ball and then lay it off asap.

I actually think that he's gotten worse this year but everyone is so focused on his scoring that they neglect to see how his general play is suffering.

Playing alongside Mikel is impossible unless you're going to play against Barcelona, his pass percentage wouldn't leap 10 points with someone creative next to him though because it's THAT bad, even shocking currently.

I do believe he brings more to the table than Mikel but you need the right player next to him to bring that out, the right player Chelsea currently do not have.

This is the weird thing about him. People say he's 'not creative', yet he creates opportunities for other players because of his presence. It's this weird mental block people have where players can only be deemed creative if they are like Mata or Pirlo, putting the perfect pass in. Yes that's one way players create opportunities for others but it's not the only way.

My opinion is that if he comes to Chelsea, he plays a much simpler game where he's not asked to find a pass in the final third but looks to lay the ball off around the halfway line, laying it off to defenders and simply pulling the opposition around the pitch. It might not be the final ball but it creates opportunities for that ball to be made.

And I think we have players who can play alongside him and make those passes. One option is Oscar. Next season we might look at McEachran or De Bruyne. We have options to try n that position, whereas we don't have a 'destroyer-type' of Fellaini's calibre.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Fellani positives

Premier league experience

Height

Wins a lot of knock downs for team mates (could lead to assists)

has a knack for scoring crucial goals

Physically present to score a lot of corners

Nice hair

Another belgium team mate for hazard

Versatile, can play DM, CM, AM, and second striker roles

Negatives

Makes a few misplaced passes, similar to luiz

could collect a few cards with that aggressiveness

A good signing. At least we wont be bullied like against westham again.

[Stingray 9,441]

If anything, he will have an impact - good or bad - on our team. He is a lot of things, but 'neutral' doesn't seem to apply.

My worry more than the passing and the creativity lies in him not tracking back sometimes when the team looses the ball. He often seems to stroll around in the Belgian National team when we go into defence or even when he himself loses the ball. annoyed the fuck out of me when watching the national team. On the other hand - any time he is on the pitch - you seem to feel his presence. subjective as hell of course.

Anyways: I'd love him here for the warrior that he is. With our lightweight trio (or quattro if you count Marin) we can use a beast. I see him fitting in here. I used to watch a lot of Standard Liege matches and he will do just fine as a midfielder in a pivot. No worries there. Tactical discipline, however, to go to the next level as a DM/CM.... ouch.

ps: all the positive stuff is generated by a genuinely Belgian Bias :-)

[Eggman 118]

I agree that his strength is something that the current squad is lacking. It should be used in the pivot role, but then you need someone who is better at distributing the game to play alongside him. Someone like Pirlo, indeed, or Gerard or (closer to home and better for the future) Oscar and Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne is the man who is needed to link up the defense with the attack. He plays simple, always vertically. He speeds up the game when necessary, and his passing range and vision are spectacular. Even in the Belgian national team squad, when playing with Felaini - Witsel - Dembele, who are all 3 of them excellent midfielders, the game tends to slow down; 70% possession but no infiltration or tempo to the play. This immediately changes with Kevin in the team. He is like a metronome, always dictating the pace.

Perhaps Oscar can develop into this role too. He certainly has the skill and the vision, the speed of execution. Ramires, I think, is more of an infiltrating player and less of an architect. And perhaps even David Luiz can improve in this new position for him.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

FFS NOOO

We're going to play possesion based football meaning we're going to have to play out from the back.

Nr 6 is extremely important in this part as he's the one that needs to create the space by drawing the opponents towards him and giving quick 1 touch passes to free a player.

So why on earth would we want someone playing there who's crap at passing the ball ?!

[Stingray 9,441]

FFS NOOO

We're going to play possesion based football meaning we're going to have to play out from the back.

Nr 6 is extremely important in this part as he's the one that needs to create the space by drawing the opponents towards him and giving quick 1 touch passes to free a player.

So why on earth would we want someone playing there who's crap at passing the ball ?!

because he has such a nice fro? You don't see that fro- quality a lot these days :-) Can you just imagine the wig-sale augmentation?

On a serious not: even in a possesion based team we could use a powerhouse like him - this is EPL not la liga. But then again: he is less quality in build up and tends to be sloppy tactically/positionally. So I will postpone a definite verdict on him. It could go both ways like I sais: good or really bad.

[Muzchap 8,966]

This is the weird thing about him. People say he's 'not creative', yet he creates opportunities for other players because of his presence. It's this weird mental block people have where players can only be deemed creative if they are like Mata or Pirlo, putting the perfect pass in. Yes that's one way players create opportunities for others but it's not the only way.

My opinion is that if he comes to Chelsea, he plays a much simpler game where he's not asked to find a pass in the final third but looks to lay the ball off around the halfway line, laying it off to defenders and simply pulling the opposition around the pitch. It might not be the final ball but it creates opportunities for that ball to be made.

And I think we have players who can play alongside him and make those passes. One option is Oscar. Next season we might look at McEachran or De Bruyne. We have options to try n that position, whereas we don't have a 'destroyer-type' of Fellaini's calibre.

That's what I've been arguing about Luiz!!!

Luiz putting himself about has forced the opposition to fuck up - but stats don't record that...

Yes he tries long balls that don't work, yes he gives the ball away sometimes - but he's been a breath of fresh air.

I think Luiz can do the Fellani role if given more time - so not 'that' bothered about Fellani, but if we get him, GREAT

Would prefer ISCO this window though