Paulinho

[Jusek 2,031]

Signing Paulinho of all CMFs would be such a buzzkill.

[Styles 9,790]

I've thought to myself we need a midfielder and I'm sure the club have thought the same.

Like I said without knowing the price and the plans for Rami, Mikel and Luiz then it's hard to say it's an idea without merit.

Kroos, Martinez, Pogba, Vidal....all these players would likely cost double what Paulinho's market value right now would be.

But what kind of midfielder? What you're essentially saying is that buying a stop-gap who doesn't impove us makes perfectly good sense.

[lionsden 4,689]

Hands up, everybody here, who has watched Chelsea this season and thought to themselves 'you know what? We could really do with a Paulinho'.

Anybody?

No one?

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?

Paulinho ffs. I'm convinced some people could talk themselves into backing an Andy Carroll transfer if he was linked to the club.

I wasn't thinking that when we were getting outplayed in midfield by Atletico, Man city (stamford bridge and FA cup), Schalke et al or struggling to unlock the defence of Westbrom, Palace,basel et al that's for sure.

I don't even think he's better than Ramires and that says a lot. we should be aiming much higher and the "it's a squad game" argument which is often use to justify any signing makes little sense as there are players out on loan or in the academy who can fill in that role and imo be an upgrade over him regardless of age and experience.

A player in the ilk of Modric is what we badly need.

[The only place to be 11,313]

But what kind of midfielder? What you're essentially saying is that buying a stop-gap who doesn't impove us makes perfectly good sense.

I'd say we're almost certainly losing Mikel and Luiz so we need to replace them with guys who are in their prime. Van Ginkel, Chalobah, RLC - they're the future but they're young so need time. Lamps is going to be 36. That leaves just Matic and possibly Ramires in their 'prime years' so why not go for a guy who knows the league but is possibly undervalued because he's had a poor year in a poor team with two poor managers?

Some people need to introduce themselves to FFR - Financial Fucking Reality. We need a striker this year and we need to remodel the squad not just this year, but next year. You can't just buy every top player in the world. Paulinho to me is a nice squad player on decent wages. He earns less than half the wages some outlets are reporting for Kroos and is probably going to cost about a third of what Vidal would cost.

And if it doesn't work out, he's still only going to be 27-28 which means he has residual value in the market should we decide to sell. There's also no financial reason to keep on playing him like we do with a certain Spanish 'striker'.

So you have a player who is undervalued, has tremendous upside and isn't actually likely to be that expensive (although that is the key point in all this - cost).

Therefor it makes sense to throw in someone like Modric's name - a player who would cost at least double in transfer fees, double in wages and oh....isn't available.

[dee25 1,044]

Totally agree.

Although if we get rid of David Luiz, Mikel, Lamp doesn't really come into the equation since he's on his last we will be left with Ramires and Matic.

Don't want to count Van Ginkel yet, because it's like Kalas. Might have some promises, but Mourinho might not trust him.

So that's a wild card to put your eggs in.

Paulinho would be a decent addition but we would still need another CM. Unless we promote from within.

Fair point. Marco is just returning from a serious injury and has lost a year in his development. Still though.... spending 20m on a signing that won't take us up a level? It's a waste of money. Paulinho is a good player to have in the squad IF you already have strong central midfield options and you're just looking for someone to play a rotational role. Our problem isn't that we don't have squad players for central midfield, it's that we don't have enough top class players for that position. Paulinho isn't the answer at all.

[Styles 9,790]

I wasn't thinking that when we were getting outplayed in midfield by Atletico, Man city (stamford bridge and FA cup), Schalke et al or struggling to unlock the defence of Westbrom, Palace,basel et al that's for sure.

I don't even think he's better than Ramires and that says a lot. we should be aiming much higher and the "it's a squad game" argument which is often use to justify any signing makes little sense as there are players out on loan or in the academy who can fill in that role and imo be an upgrade over him regardless of age and experience.

A player in the ilk of Modric is what we badly need.

Summed it up perfectly. Justifying mediocre signings who will cost the best part of 20m because we need an extra body is laughable.

I'd say we're almost certainly losing Mikel and Luiz so we need to replace them with guys who are in their prime. Van Ginkel, Chalobah, RLC - they're the future but they're young so need time. Lamps is going to be 36. That leaves just Matic and possibly Ramires in their 'prime years' so why not go for a guy who knows the league but is possibly undervalued because he's had a poor year in a poor team with two poor managers?

Some people need to introduce themselves to FFR - Financial Fucking Reality. We need a striker this year and we need to remodel the squad not just this year, but next year. You can't just buy every top player in the world. Paulinho to me is a nice squad player on decent wages. He earns less than half the wages some outlets are reporting for Kroos and is probably going to cost about a third of what Vidal would cost.

And if it doesn't work out, he's still only going to be 27-28 which means he has residual value in the market should we decide to sell. There's also no financial reason to keep on playing him like we do with a certain Spanish 'striker'.

So you have a player who is undervalued, has tremendous upside and isn't actually likely to be that expensive (although that is the key point in all this - cost).

Therefor it makes sense to throw in someone like Modric's name - a player who would cost at least double in transfer fees, double in wages and oh....isn't available.

Who cares if Paulinho is in his prime if his prime is nothing to write home about? He literally brings nothing new to the table.

And you're having a laugh if you think Levy will undervalue Paulinho and sell him to Chelsea, of all teams, at a loss.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Who cares if Paulinho is in his prime if his prime is nothing to write home about? He literally brings nothing new to the table.

And you're having a laugh if you think Levy will undervalue Paulinho and sell him to Chelsea, of all teams, at a loss.

He's more composed and consistent on the ball than Ramires and he's better at finding space in the box. I'm not saying he's the next Lampard but I'm simply trying to be constructive and look at this transfer within the context of REALITY.

I'm sure 6 or 7 people will find something to moan about with this transfer before we know how much he costs and what he actually does for us on the pitch, and that's the same with a lot of transfers. But we need somebody alongside Matic and Paulinho is potentially an upgrade on Luiz, Mikel and Ramires in that role if he reaches his potential.

Summed it up perfectly. Justifying mediocre signings who will cost the best part of 20m because we need an extra body is laughable.

And slagging off signings when you don't actually have anything constructive to say is equally laughable. But hey, why change the one-note when you've become so good at playing it?

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Honestly, at this point I'd be surprised if we did bring in a new midfielder. Even though I think it's time Lamps moved on it's pretty clear he'll be back and Luiz I feel José will keep due his versatility. Mikel is the only one who I think will be off and we may just think MvG will fill his spot. Hope I'm wrong and I'm pleasantly surprised by a shiny new CM.

If you're right, i think we should really question Mourinho. Not signing a CM would mean he lost it for me.

[different level 1,056]

Who knows he might be worth it for the right price as he could be a decent squad player. I just hate the idea of doing business with that cunt Levy and I have the feeling he'll just waste our time like he did with Modric.

[Styles 9,790]

He's more composed and consistent on the ball than Ramires and he's better at finding space in the box. I'm not saying he's the next Lampard but I'm simply trying to be constructive and look at this transfer within the context of REALITY.

Being more composed and consistent on the ball than Ramires doesn't deserve much praise. I can understand why you're for this transfer considering you've set the bar so low for the type of player we need. More composed than Ramires. Brilliant.

I'm sure 6 or 7 people will find something to moan about with this transfer before we know how much he costs and what he actually does for us on the pitch, and that's the same with a lot of transfers. But we need somebody alongside Matic and Paulinho is potentially an upgrade on Luiz, Mikel and Ramires in that role if he reaches his potential.

So there's nothing to be said for the kind of player Paulinho is and whether or not he improves us significantly?

And slagging off signings when you don't actually have anything constructive to say is equally laughable. But hey, why change the one-note when you've become so good at playing it?

I find it very hard to be constructive when I see links that suggest Chelsea will spend big money on average players. It's obvious you don't think we have a big midfield problem and that any signing will do, so long as he's a bit more composed than Ramires. Identifying/buying a long-term partner for Matic is just as important as signing a top-class striker this summer.

[Pizy 18,368]

If you're right, i think we should really question Mourinho. Not signing a CM would mean he lost it for me.

I just think he likes Ramires too much.

[The only place to be 11,313]

He's more composed and consistent on the ball than Ramires and he's better at finding space in the box. I'm not saying he's the next Lampard but I'm simply trying to be constructive and look at this transfer within the context of REALITY.

Being more composed and consistent on the ball than Ramires doesn't deserve much praise. I can understand why you're for this transfer considering you've set the bar so low for the type of player we need. More composed than Ramires. Brilliant.

I'm sure 6 or 7 people will find something to moan about with this transfer before we know how much he costs and what he actually does for us on the pitch, and that's the same with a lot of transfers. But we need somebody alongside Matic and Paulinho is potentially an upgrade on Luiz, Mikel and Ramires in that role if he reaches his potential.

So there's nothing to be said for the kind of player Paulinho is and whether or not he improves us significantly?

And slagging off signings when you don't actually have anything constructive to say is equally laughable. But hey, why change the one-note when you've become so good at playing it?

I find it very hard to be constructive when I see links that suggest Chelsea will spend big money on average players. It's obvious you don't think we have a big midfield problem and that any signing will do, so long as he's a bit more composed than Ramires. Identifying/buying a long-term partner for Matic is just as important as signing a top-class striker this summer.

So again, very little constructive in that post. I think the fact that he's more composed on the ball and is a goal threat immediately makes us a better team going forward. I think he's able to spread the play better whilst also providing an extra body in the box - two of the problems I have with our midfield.

I also think he fits our financial model well, he offers value whether he works out here or not and he's not a massive impediment to any young players looking to break through.

The simple fact is that you're moaning without providing anything else. Ideally I'd like to see Chalobah and Van Ginkel (and longer term RLC) groomed to take a role at this club and that requires giving them a chance....so of course we should invest massively on a player whose name you can't quite recall at this time. It's laughable. The people who moan about us not giving youth a chance are now moaning because we're not investing £30 million in a player who would provide a significant impediment to them getting a chance.

Feel free to randomly pluck a player's name out of your arse who you actually would prefer us to sign - ignore things like transfer fee and wages. Just kidding....as if I need to tell you that.

[Styles 9,790]

So again, very little constructive in that post. I think the fact that he's more composed on the ball and is a goal threat immediately makes us a better team going forward. I think he's able to spread the play better whilst also providing an extra body in the box - two of the problems I have with our midfield.

I also think he fits our financial model well, he offers value whether he works out here or not and he's not a massive impediment to any young players looking to break through.

The simple fact is that you're moaning without providing anything else. Ideally I'd like to see Chalobah and Van Ginkel (and longer term RLC) groomed to take a role at this club and that requires giving them a chance....so of course we should invest massively on a player whose name you can't quite recall at this time. It's laughable. The people who moan about us not giving youth a chance are now moaning because we're not investing £30 million in a player who would provide a significant impediment to them getting a chance.

Feel free to randomly pluck a player's name out of your arse who you actually would prefer us to sign - ignore things like transfer fee and wages. Just kidding....as if I need to tell you that.

Just be honest; you're going to back any possible transfer this summer because apparently Jose's making the calls. Making up nonsense about Paulinho spreading the play doesn't do much for your cause.

Paulinho spreads the play ffs. Yeah I think that's enough for me today, thanks.

[lionsden 4,689]

If you're right, i think we should really question Mourinho. Not signing a CM would mean he lost it for me.

"Ramires and Matic offer us stability" Brace yourself for the inevitable disappointment.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

I feel brasil players perform completely different than they in clubs. At least most of them. Paulinho plays better there because he has bunch of brasil teammates around, added motivation and specific coach. From Luiz, Paulinho, Gustavo, Oscar, Fred, Neymar even all play better there. They aint wc player, but work fantastic as team. One individual here wouldnt perform as good.

[Pizy 18,368]

"Ramires and Matic offer us stability" Brace yourself for the inevitable disappointment.

Agreed, unfortunately.

Think it's going to take another shit season or half a season before José decides Ramires isn't good enough. Or maybe we'll luck out and he'll regain the form that made him so highly rated by José when he first arrived.

[lionsden 4,689]

Summed it up perfectly. Justifying mediocre signings who will cost the best part of 20m because we need an extra body is laughable.

The one that pisses me off the most is the "wait until we see how he performs for us before judging"

By that logic we might as well acquire a bunch of dross players from the conference league in hope that they exceed expectation. afterall we don't know how akinfenwa might perform for us, he might turn out to be another Drogba. like our jersey has supernatural powers that transforms dross into worldlies.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Surely that depends on the price. If Spurs are willing to cut their losses then maybe he's worth a punt.

To me he seems like a Ramires with better technique, a better eye for goal and less...impulsive (<--- code word for 'a bit thick'). Considering we could be losing Luiz, Mikel and maybe even Lamps and Rami, we're going to need midfielders.

It's not hard to have better technique or a better eye for goal or for any player to be less impulsive than Ramires... That doesn't automatically make you an impressive player and it doesn't mean the Paulinho signing makes sense. If we sell Luiz and Mikel and lose Lampard we'll have more than enough funds to buy a top class midfielder, not an average one that's slightly better than Ramires (which again is very debatable - IMO an in form Ramires is better than Paulinho) + they are essentially the same type of player. Besides, do you really think Levy would sell him for a cut price to us? He'll try and extort the highest amount of money from us, surely the Modric debacle proves that? There's no point in signing him if we have Ramires here, even as a squad player. I'd rather give the likes of MVG, Chalobah and RLC a chance than sign Paulinho. It would be a stupid signing not worth stunting the growth of the former three.

Again I reiterate we can do so much better than Paulinho especially if we raise the funds this summer. He would truly be an awful, awful signing. He is not the sort of midfielder we need at all at this moment.