Rumoured Mehdi Benatia

[Saeed_BK 6]

If we really need a CB that can give us 100% in defending I suggest we buy Hummels . This guy proved he can play at top levels in club and national games plus he is still young which means he can give his very best for at least 4 to 5 years. Don't get me wrong Benatia is an amazing CB but if I had to chose ill go with the German. Just my thoughts

[calculatingInfinity 1,443]

What an idiot. Smh..

Well if no other premier league clubs were interested, it's easy to understand him. But yeah, seems like he should be able to go to a bigger and better club.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Besides being insanely expensive, CB is simply not a need right now. Last year, our 4th choice CB was Ivanovic. How many games did he play in that position all year? I can't remember exactly, but it wasn't many. Can Zouma handle those few games? Certainly. Yes, if Terry and Cahill both get hurt we're screwed, but every team is screwed if they lose multiple players at the same position. (and most are if they lose one player) We will need to replace Terry but in Mourinho's system, that won't be this year. If we got a player who was a great deal, I'd be for it, but spending massively on a hot defender we can do a year or two from now. There will always be players like this available. Spending big on someone like Verane I could understand as you would likely never be able to get him again.

[Tomo 21,733]

I hope this can happen if possible, yes it would be nice and romantic for Zouma to come in and instantly hit the ground running, but this is the real world.

My worry about CB position is there is no one really top class in their prime, Terry is still good but father time can hit any moment at his age, Cahill is good but not world class I love his commitment and attitude and has improved ten fold under Mou but can he be the 'main man'? I have serious doubts. Zouma is a talent but still very raw, I would rather he builds up games for the next couple of years, not close to being ready for a major role yet and I seem to be one of a very few that prefer Brana at full back, always have.

What Benatia will give us is a CB at his prime and in the form of his life, because im not convinced going into the season with the current batch, especially as we will likely be more attacking against the lesser sides at least.

£30m for some one regarded as one of the best CBs around is maybe not a bargain but a fair price in this market.

[Stats 7,054]

Considering he would be expensive as fuck and not homegrown so we would have to make space for him, why not simply sign a homegrown CB with some EPL experience? We only need a 4th CB with some experience who could be solid when called upon. IMO we would be far better off with an a cheap but homegrown and proven acquisition like James Tomkins, Ryan Shawcross, Onouha, Ashley Williams and even STeven Taylor. Above-average players in the best age, who know the epl inside out, are more or less in the form of their lives and would not mind sitting on the bench as 4th choice. Recent experience has taught me, big money centrebacks are often not worth what you pay for. People in football pay extra money for players who are popular and do eye-catching things. This might be because of special skills which a CB usually does not require see Luiz or are at a high level in a particularly young age like Rio Ferd. Either way they overpay, cos you can easily get a cheap, experienced CB who never attracted to much attention and suddenly at a top club they make a big step up just as it has been the case with Dante, Sokratis or Cahill. IMO we are in a position where we can easily afford to take that gamble on a 4th choice CB.

Just... NO, NO, NO. Let's not go there

[Tomo 21,733]

Also to expand further I was initially happy going into the new season with a band of 6 largely versatile defenders due to lack of rotation last season however now I think about it, could be a disaster.

One injury to one of the five senior defenders and we would have to flog the other 4 because the back ups beyond that are teenagers in Zouma, Ake then im guessing Christensen.

[Behemoth 266]

City are preparing a bid but according to numerous sources he prefers London.

Now lets get it done.

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

Also to expand further I was initially happy going into the new season with a band of 6 largely versatile defenders due to lack of rotation last season however now I think about it, could be a disaster.

One injury to one of the five senior defenders and we would have to flog the other 4 because the back ups beyond that are teenagers in Zouma, Ake then im guessing Christensen.

Yes but if we sign Benatia...who would you sell/loan out to make room?

The only viable option, IMO is Petr Cech (considering there is no interest in Mikel...and Torres is the only backup striker we have)

[Special Juan 27,424]

City are preparing a bid but according to numerous sources he prefers London.

Now lets get it done.

Not a chance City will buy this guy as well as Mangala.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

He was the best CB in Serie A last season and is at his peak. 30m for him is a fair deal especially in this inflated transfer market. But I think we can wait till January to see if we actually need another CB. Honestly, I don't trust Zouma to be our CB for important matches if our other CBs are out.

[DH1988 1,273]

Only seen a few games of Roma this season as I do not actively watch Serie A however from what I saw I was not like "wow.. really good CB" just a decent CB, nothing special, very rash/'determined' in that way reminds me of Luiz (NOT as bad) however dives into positions that could potentially leave him open behind.

I'd rather save the £30m or spend some of it on a striker and go into the season with Terry/Cahill/Ivanovic/Zouma

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

There seems to be more credence in this rumour than the Loic Remy one, so I might as well post this brilliant compilation of Benatia. It's obvious why the best teams in the world are after him.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Metro + Dailystar...

[Special Juan 27,424]

Not an area we need to look, unlike the striker situation. If true then don't do it and go spend some cash on a decent back up striker.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

I said it last summer, last winter, two months ago and I say it again - there is no better centre back in European football to fill John Terry's boots.

Glad he didn't join City, now hopefully he won't join United either.

I know Chelsea can spend up to €70-80m this month w/o breaching the FFP rules, so Benatia and Remy would end this terrific transfer window on a high note.

[Mr_President 404]

I hope this can happen if possible, yes it would be nice and romantic for Zouma to come in and instantly hit the ground running, but this is the real world.

My worry about CB position is there is no one really top class in their prime, Terry is still good but father time can hit any moment at his age, Cahill is good but not world class I love his commitment and attitude and has improved ten fold under Mou but can he be the 'main man'? I have serious doubts. Zouma is a talent but still very raw, I would rather he builds up games for the next couple of years, not close to being ready for a major role yet and I seem to be one of a very few that prefer Brana at full back, always have.

What Benatia will give us is a CB at his prime and in the form of his life, because im not convinced going into the season with the current batch, especially as we will likely be more attacking against the lesser sides at least.

£30m for some one regarded as one of the best CBs around is maybe not a bargain but a fair price in this market.

Agree 100%. This is not only just about this coming season but the seasons ahead as well.

If we have enough money to bring him in for £30m + a backup striker like Remy then I think we should be doing it without blinking. We are going for titles this season and if we are going to be battling on all fronts (with several very strong teams in Europe right now) then it makes sense for us to do everything we can to maximise our chance of winning. Obviously this signing and the signing of a backup striker will create further issues with the home grown quota - so that has to be thought about.

[Stats 7,054]

Those saying we don't need him will be saying a totally different thing during some point this season when they realise another quality CB would do us the world of good with all the games we have. When Terry retires it is likely that we will go out and buy a big name CB anyway if we don't sign Benatia now. I am all for signing Benatia. Terry and Cahill need to know they have a quality CB ready to step in if one of their performances are not up to scratch. And Benatia would be a good rotation option as I don't think Terry will be starting every single game, even though he is still a quality CB.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Can see both sides of this one to be honest. First off, I think we can win the league with Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic and Zouma as our centre-backs.

But in terms of the future, we will need someone eventually. Terry and Ivanovic are both getting up there and there's been rumours about Ivanovic moving on for a while which might still happen next year if Azpi and Luis nail down the full-back slots and we have Ake and Wallace as back-ups. Personally I'd love for that new guy to be Varane but Benatia is in his prime and he does seem to be the best available centre-half at this moment in time (Hummels is unavailable surely).

The price seems high but he's the same price as Luke Shaw!! His wage considerations surely can't be that high considering he's rumoured to be on less than €1 million per year.

So I can see the upside in this. He undoubtably would make us stronger in the short and medium-term, but it raises questions over Kalas and Omeruo's long-term futures as well as Zouma's short-term situation.

Ultimately I'll trust Jose. His job is on the line, he needs to win now and our three main centre-backs will be 29, 31 and 34 before the season ends. If we don't sign one now we'll probably sign one next year. We could wait for the situation with Varane and Hummels to change or for someone else to emerge like Benatia did.

Personally I'm happy either way.