🇪🇸 Diego Costa

[Jype 6,398]

extremely wary of this.

remember when the same Sky Sports news posted this - !!!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/8037167/spurs-agree-moutinho-fee

Sky Sports understands Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a club record £22million deal with Porto for Joao Moutinho.

....

just got to wait for the club statement.

If I remember correctly Spurs did agree a fee with Porto but couldn't either seal the deal in time or couldn't agree personal terms with the player. On deadline day plenty of deals get agreed in principle but for one reason or another are never finalized, shouldn't be the case here because we're still over three months away from the transfer window deadline so there's still plenty of time left agree on the contract terms etc.

Of course the deal can still fall through but the fact seems to be that a fee has been agreed by the clubs and usually that won't happen if the player is not keen on moving. Sure, he could get a bad injury in the remaining two huge games or just simply change his mind if Atletico win the double and he receives a huge new contract there. Atletico usually haven't stood in the way of their players wanting to leave for bigger and better things but then again, they have never won the biggest double before. Just need to wait and see.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

extremely wary of this.

remember when the same Sky Sports news posted this - !!!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/8037167/spurs-agree-moutinho-fee

Sky Sports understands Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a club record £22million deal with Porto for Joao Moutinho.

....

just got to wait for the club statement.

To be honest, it is ridiculous rumour to begin with at that time.

[haranr 485]

It's almost certain. It's very unlikely a deal like this will blow up in the final seconds.

[toojunk 19]

I have traumas when Chelsea sign strikers. Let's hope for the best.

[Madmax 9,219]

extremely wary of this.

remember when the same Sky Sports news posted this - !!!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/8037167/spurs-agree-moutinho-fee

Sky Sports understands Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a club record £22million deal with Porto for Joao Moutinho.

....

just got to wait for the club statement.

Spurs DID agree a deal, Moutinho just didn't want to play for them

[quickpassnmove 924]

Is it the system or the players? Other teams play better with far less resources and quality. Look at Everton. Except from Barkley, they barely have any flair players in their side. Chelsea have the greatest amount of flair players in the league.

Costa doesn't worry me though. Just look at the guilt edge chances our strikers have missed all season. You would expect Costa to gobble those up.

Everton keep the ball moving, like Liverpool, ManUtd when they've played their typical way. Everton lack the striker they need but have some flair in Barkley and Deulofeu.

Chelsea don't need flair, they need more solid CMs like Matic and a capable fullback on both sides. Matic is the first top CM since Ballack, Makelele, and (somewhat) a healthy Essien, or Tiago. when was the last time Chelsea had two solid CMs on the field simultaneously, like Barry and McCarthy? when we had Ballack and a slightly diminished Essien together?

To answer your question, I believe that the players need to make it happen on the pitch by playing quicker, cohesive teamplay on the attack. I don't see players like Luiz, Lampard, Mikel, and Ramires being the kind of players we need in a two-man CM. Lampard has always been a passenger CM who poaches & puts in some good aerial balls sometimes but not an all-around CM who defends well, recovers and plays good ground passes from deep (and lost his ability to beat defenders years ago on the dribble if he ever truly had much to do that). MIkel never had it, full stop. Ramires lacks the tempo and brain for it, and Luiz either simply doesn't fit at Chelsea or isn't a top player in any position.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Cech

Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole/ New LB

Oscar/Willian, New CM, Matic, Hazard

Diego Costa, Lukaku

The most free-scoring teams of the past 3 seasons, us, Liverpool and Man City have done so playing with two strikers. Now that we have Matic at the base, a player who covers every blade of grass, an ever reliable defense and the prospect of having both Costa and Lukaku, this is an option Jose HAS to at least consider. Playing two strikers means you give the bus-parking teams that come to Stamford Bridge two monsters to think about. I can't see to many teams being able to shut-out both those players for 90 mins.

I'm very excited at the prospect of a flat 4-4-2 in home matches against lesser teams especially.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

To answer your question, I believe that the players need to make it happen on the pitch by playing quicker, cohesive teamplay on the attack. I don't see players like Luiz, Lampard, Mikel, and Ramires being the kind of players we need in a two-man CM. Lampard has always been a passenger CM who poaches puts in some good aerial balls sometimes but not an all-around CM. MIkel never had it, full stop. Ramires lacks the tempo and brain for it, and Luiz either simply doesn't fit at Chelsea or isn't a top player in any position.

Lampard is one of the best CM's in history. Aside from the insane amount of goals, his general midfield play was impressive and oft underrated. Slow your role

[bethos1 802]

I know I should be happy because he is a good player but now I'm going to have to look at that cunt face so much ugh.

[cosmicway 1,333]

If you have Diego Kosta -at his best as expected- a midfielder of Essien class and a strong CB then all you need is 5-6 other blokes running around. Plus the moral of the other men is lifted when they play side by side with classy players.

[Beepu 1,714]

I know I should be happy because he is a good player but now I'm going to have to look at that cunt face so much ugh.

Better than looking at Nando's face.

[bethos1 802]

Better than looking at Nando's face.

Nah I don't have the urge to punch him in the face, I only have this with Costa.

[teignman 441]

I think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, although I am always a bit skeptical when it comes to transfer "news". "Sky sources" could mean any number of things. However, it is more than likely that we have a serious interest in the player and the means to complete the deal. Additionally, I would imagine the club, much like the fans, would like to see a transfer completed sooner rather than later.

[quickpassnmove 924]

Lampard is one of the best CM's in history. Aside from the insane amount of goals, his general midfield play was impressive and oft underrated. Slow your role

setting aside the goals, I was far from impressed. much like the England national team who are inept in center midfield. if he were so good or underrated in CM, he would have been able to adapt to playing either alongside Gerrard or two other solid CMs sometime in the past 10 years for England. it's just not there.

[bushman 2,043]

Nah I don't have the urge to punch him in the face, I only have this with Costa.

Too bad, you didn´t join us here on April 1st though.

[Madmax 9,219]

Once Didier was out of the door, we chose to invest faith in Torres while Sturridge sat on his arse, then flogged him off to Liverpool and brought in a stop gap in Ba. When Mourinho arrived he tried for Rooney but once the club realized United wouldn't sell they tried to be a bit too clever and penny-pinched on another stop gap in Eto'o (who, credit to him, has been our best striker this season). So if Costa does come, it would put right what should have happened a couple of seasons ago.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Once Didier was out of the door, we chose to invest faith in Torres while Sturridge sat on his arse, then flogged him off to Liverpool and brought in a stop gap in Ba. When Mourinho arrived he tried for Rooney but once the club realized United wouldn't sell they tried to be a bit too clever and penny-pinched on another stop gap in Eto'o (who, credit to him, has been our best striker this season). So if Costa does come, it would put right what should have happened a couple of seasons ago.

Come to think about it, we never have a physical based type striker like Didier since he left right? That, actually what convince me about Costa. Maybe we are more used to play with the strong striker up front.

[DavidEU 2,023]

The thing that is most promising about this transfer is that hes in a team currently not too dissimilar to our own. Atletico do not create too many chances, they counter attack like us. Their side is set up of a good back 5 and the rest of the team comes from that solid base. If hes scored 26 La Liga goals this year in that way, I see no reason why he can't come and be a beast here.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Come to think about it, we never have a physical based type striker like Didier since he left right? That, actually what convince me about Costa. Maybe we are more used to play with the strong striker up front.

It's not about physique, Demba is pretty physical but his all round game is average. It's just a general lack of quality in the striker department. And poor signings.

[lionsden 4,689]

Is it the system or the players? Other teams play better with far less resources and quality. Look at Everton. Except from Barkley, they barely have any flair players in their side. Chelsea have the greatest amount of flair players in the league.

Costa doesn't worry me though. Just look at the guilt edge chances our strikers have missed all season. You would expect Costa to gobble those up.

While I agree that how we play is mainly down to the system I have to disagree with the bolded.

By flair I'm assuming you mean technical ability and in that sense Man city,Liverpool and Arsenal thrump us in that regard. Only Hazard and Willian would get into those 3 teams on the basis of technical ability.

My point that our squad is overrated always gets strengthened on a daily basis with posts such as this and some opposition fans and pundits claiming we are only a striker short of having a better or equal team to man city.

Mind technical ability isn't necessarily the only benchmark for comparing player's quality, there are other factors that should also be considered before the, you are too negative and we have better players than team B,C and D brigade starts with their bullshit.