Schurrle signing confirmed; will wear #14

[Rmpr 8,977]

It is an issue. We have five players who should be starting regularly at attacking midfielder. Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Schurrle, and KDB. Oscar is best as a #10, the rest of them are all #10s (more or less) or play on the left side. Moses is our only natural right-sided player but he's our 6th best attacking midfielder, so giving him a lot of playing time doesn't really make sense. None of this sort of thing matters against Sunderland or Palace because we are so much more talented and should beat them regardless, but against an organized side, it will matter. Someone is going be played out of position next season a fair bit.

Exactly!

This is why I am against this deal. If we had a great RW instead of one of Oscar, Mata or KDB, signing Schurrle would have been a hell of a transfer. However, adding Schurrle doesnt solve our chronical RW problem. He brings depth and quality, but he is a luxury a squad with the problems Chelsea's still has, shouldnt be focusing on...

Schurrle is not the player who is talented enough to break into the attacking trio of Hazard-Mata-Oscar, so he is basically a 18mi pound bench player who won't be able to balance the right side of our attack. That will mean another season with Oscar playing on the right and all the inbalance it brings with it. He will also not add the width and natural wing plays many want. Which, again, wouldn't be a problem if we had a true RW (but that isnt the case).

For instance, Hazard-Mata-Oscar or Schurrle-Mata-Hazard is worse than Hazard-Mata-RW. A bench of Oscar, KDB and Moses is more than good enough for any team in the fucking planet. The squad would be more equally distributed and there are good RWs on the market for a bit more than 18mi (which isnt all that cheap) that we could have gone for.

Schurrle is a decent player, but doesnt carry th bags of potential people think. It was better for us to have bought a true RW!

He gets my instant support because he is now a Chelsea player, but I will only be convinced if he prooves to be above all my concerns listed in this post!

[TrippingStep 336]

Hazard is lethal no matter where he plays, if you can't recognise some of his best games for us have been where he has drifted to either wing (key example being West Ham at home), then....

I disagree.

On the left he's much more effective, he can be lethal in all kind of situations while on the right it's not the same, he can be dangerous too there but in a more limited kind of scenario.

The game against West Ham is not a good example, Ok he did damages on the right but Him and Mata were playing deeper than usual, they were playing very close too each other starting their actions 40 meters away from the goal because west Ham were sitting deep and not pressing, they were attacking their line of midfield, passing the ball to move their midfield and create a lot of space for other players and themselves.

[Spike 12,049]

Everyone is so pessimistic about this transfer. It's getting really ridiculous.

[TrippingStep 336]

Shürlle could play as a second striker.

On the right wing also, with his running, he could do call behind the defense and offers easy tap-in for the striker or shoots himself.

Hazard when he played at Lille, the year when they were champions, played mostly in trequartista role behind Sow and gervinho, drifting left, center, right. Schürlle could play the Gervinho role of Lille quite effectively, running into the spaces.

It seems to me that Mourinho used this formation quite a lot when he was at Porto with Deco behind two forwards.

[SinineUltra 1,170]

To my mind the only reason someone wouldn't want Schürrle is because he could jeopardize the chance of some of our Belgian/Brazilian lads playing time/development. Truth is, though, that everyone has to fight for their chance and grab it with 2 hands. Let them all do their talking on the pitch.

[Stingray 9,441]

De Bruyne played 3 games on the right last season. He's barely played on the right in his career and I don't care too much about a handful of national team performances. Like any of the players, he can play on the right, it's just not where he's used to playing and not his natural position.

Im talking about this post of yours in my previous post Toronto ..... 'Barely' is bullshit. Sorry to say. Have you actually watched Genk and Kevin from 2009-2011 back in Genk? I did, you obviously didn't. Thats why I say you confuze your opinion with fact. He did play there regularly. I think @hamilton on here also watches a lot of Genk and will surely confirm. Also Kevin is born in my hometown - local boy here.... During his youth years he played rw a lot as well.

The handfull national team performances you kinda denigratingly talk about with so much aplomb were performances where he actually was the best of the whole qualifying campaign- the engine of the entire team. And yes, on the right wing.

I'd say he is an accomlished right winger allright, the best we have actually. Not because he ALWAYS plays there or because he played there for years in a top CL team, but because he PERFORMS there. See the difference?

Anyway .... Thats why i said, not this again. Its like a broken record playing the same tune over and over.

Back on topic.

[nono 791]

Everyone is so pessimistic about this transfer. It's getting really ridiculous.

Coming into the transfer window the biggest concerns for me are striker, then central midfield and then center back. These still haven't been addressed and as long as that is so there will be some unease at spending this much money on Schurrle.

[Mceachran 109]

I don't understand how this is our first priority this transfer season. We have three of him already; and they're all better.

[Barbara 15,149]

I don't think it was the priority.

I think they have targets and as the bids are accepted they'll confirm the deals.

I guess Andre's just happened to be the first bid that got accepted, not the priority.

They're thinking long term here.

Instead of counting only in forming new talents, they're aiming team's young talents so they can mold them in Chelsea.

It's more expensive, but still it's less money than buying them when they're on their prime.

Also with a manager like Mourinho, they should keep investing in boys under 21 imo, but of course we need a new reinforcements in a few positions that I wouldn't mind finding someone already ready.

I like the new policy

[Leif 6,006]

Perhaps a tad unrealistic, but I really do hope he can adapt to the right-hand side of our '3' and act as a workhorse winger like Muller does at Bayern. That means we keep Hazard in his better role basically playing similar to how Ribery does with Mata also retaining his preferred position. That would be balance.

[Duppy Conqueror 1,494]

I don't understand how this is our first priority this transfer season. We have three of him already; and they're all better.

Since when have players been signed in the order of priority?

Glen Johnson was the first signing Roman paid for...

We Don't have 3 of him atall. We have players that can also play on the LW. None of which can play in every attacking position like him.

[Hutcho 8,443]

I don't understand how this is our first priority this transfer season. We have three of him already; and they're all better.

We have Hazard who is better than him. Mata and Oscar don't really come into it, as they really want to be played centrally.

The transfer window technically isn't open yet, so i think its a bit early to be wondering about priorities. If we still haven't signed a DM or DLP by august then it is a valid concern.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I don't understand how this is our first priority this transfer season. We have three of him already; and they're all better.

This was our priority because our main issue last season was squad depth especially in the attacking midfield area. Hazard and especially Mata were worked to death last season and it was a miracle neither of them suffered long-term injuries.

Our next priority, imo is a central midfielder and a goal keeper.

[remains of the day 564]

A stat that might cheer everyone up about this signing - has anyone else wondered why we don't seem to do a lot of through balls? From whoscored, the top two players with the highest percentage of accurate through balls....

Cazorla 33 (accurate) - 66 attempts

Silva 17 (accurate) 46 attempts

Compare this to our playermakers - Mata has the highest, 8 out of 16 attempts and hazard 2nd highest, 5 out of 9 attempts. I checked the numbers for kdb & Schurrle to compare and even though kdb attempted more through balls, 18 to Schurrle's 12 however Schurrle completed 8 accurate through balls to kdb's 7.

So my point in showing this is that while I understand why some people might question this signing and why people might have concerns, however there is clearly a different dimension that schurlle brings that our scouts believe would benefit the team. It might not be apparent to the untrained eye, but we only have to look at his stats to see that 1. he takes on players more often than any other player in our squad and 2. he's more penetrative and incisive with his passes than the players we have. Here's hoping that he'll surprise everyone.

[NiclasCFC 2,582]

Its done! he will wear the nr 14 shirt, isnt that Kevins number?

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3219878/title/schurrle-signing-completed

[petr.breu 1,618]

So welcome :blue scalf:

[Billy. 2,742]

Welcome to Chelsea

[Melanicus 5,208]

'I am so happy now I have signed and it is an honour for me to play for this club, with this team and for these great fans,' Schurrle said. 'I am really looking forward to it.'