Nicolo Barella

[DDA 9,690]

46 minutes ago, Vesper said:

@DDA

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/7754668/chelsea-transfer-ban-academy-youngsters-players-chance/

That article must have been written by a Chelsea fan. I have never read a peice in the papers that speaks soo positively of us. 

[Unionjack 7,531]

5 hours ago, Vesper said:

Yes, IMHO

WOW!!! That comments blown me away by itself mate.

[Clockwork 1,794]

4 hours ago, the wes said:

I hope we get him I'm hearing good things about him 

With Cesc foot pretty much out of the door, and the injuries pilling on i would think this deals happen. 

[11Drogba 2,000]

Why Barella will give Chelsea the look of Sarri's Napoli

The chatter on Twitter about Nicolo Barella has been of a diverse variety. Some say that the Cagliari man isn't good enough for a club like Chelsea, with others saying that he can't play in the same team as Jorginho. Some even say that with N'Golo Kante in the side, Barella can't break into the Blues first team.

While Chelsea are yet to sign the young Italian, the fact is that he has almost carried Cagliari on his shoulders, despite being only 21. That, over the last two seasons or so. While Leonardo Pavoletti  and Joao Pedro come up with the goods in front of goal, Barella has become the driving force of the side.

Comparisons with Radja Nainggolan- a former teammate of his, are very much justified. The 21-year-old is fiery character, who never gives up and has a tremendous work-ethic in the heart of the park. He is box-to-box and thrives on winning the ball back and circulating it forward. He isn't a deep-lying playmaker or a defensive midfielder, remember. He likes to get the ball in midfield and play it to forward players around the final third. He can go past defenders and can make lung-bursting runs for the good of the side.

Perhaps, Nainggolan was in a similar spot before he was used as a number ten in the 2016-17 season at Roma. That hunger and desire that the Belgian had playing as a deeper midfield player than an attacking midfielder is very much visible in Barella. He doesn't play as a defensive midfielder like Nainggolan does, but the approach to the game in very similar.

Maurizio Sarri's 4-3-3 formation at Napoli had midfielders who had distinct roles to play in. Jorginho acted as the deep playmaker. His compass-like vision and ability to find teammates around him by playing all sorts of angled passes stood out. He set the foundation to everything. Allan played alongside him- acting as the box to box midfielder. Someone who would compliment Jorginho a lot of times when things got tough defensively. He would be the graft to Jorginho's craft. Marek Hamsik played a slightly more attacking role, having a lesser burden to drop in and defend.

And it is Allan's role that Sarri wants Barella to play. And the Italian suits that more than N'Golo Kante does, to be very frank. Kante has been forcibly dislodged from his best position by Jorginho and he's playing out of position and at a position where he isn't the best at. The Frenchman is probably the best in the world at defensive midfield, helping Leicester to the Premier League title, helping Chelsea to it and helping France to the World Cup. And it will be fair to say that a player who has played in that position all his career and thrives in that role would be better playing there, as compared to someone who is playing out of position.

Sarri seems to have this obsession for Jorginho. Rightly so, the former partenopei star is a key part of his style. Jorginho's passing and persistence on the ball keeps a Sarri's sides ticking. Since the former banker's approach relies on possession and constant penetration, Jorginho is the anchor. His passing attributes are certainly better than Kante and his eye for a pass makes him a machine- just what Sarri likes in a player in that position. That's exactly why he has been brought along from Napoli.

Whether Kante should play ahead of Jorginho in that position is an argument that doesn't make for Sarri. What Jorginho is for Sarri's Chelsea is what Busquets was for Guardiola's Barcelona. They're irreplaceable.

And since Barella has played alongside Jorginho for Italy in a similar 4-3-3 formation and he has done very well in the four games he's played. The role he has performed under Mancini is the same- box-to-box. 

Chelsea do have Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic, but both of them are practically vying for the position Hamsik played in for Sarri at Napoli. Consider Jorginho's position absolutely fixed and nailed in deeper midfield. If Barella comes in, he will give Kante stiff competition for his current position. Don't be surprised if he takes it away and makes it his own.

https://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/why-barella-will-give-chelsea-the-look-of-sarri-s-napoli-76856?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=account&utm_campaign=autopost

[Unionjack 7,531]

16 minutes ago, 11Drogba said:

Comparisons with Radja Nainggola

Always liked Radja

[Unionjack 7,531]

Chelsea transfer news LIVE: Maurizio Sarri hijack TWIST; club plan player-plus-cash offer

Chelsea news, transfer gossip and updates are coming thick and fast. Express Sport is on hand to bring you all the very latest from Stamford Bridge.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1067903/Chelsea-Transfer-News-Live-Updates-Edinson-Cavani-Maurizio-Sarri-Eden-Hazard-Latest

[Vesper 28,796]

1 hour ago, Unionjack said:

Chelsea transfer news LIVE: Maurizio Sarri hijack TWIST; club plan player-plus-cash offer

Chelsea news, transfer gossip and updates are coming thick and fast. Express Sport is on hand to bring you all the very latest from Stamford Bridge.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1067903/Chelsea-Transfer-News-Live-Updates-Edinson-Cavani-Maurizio-Sarri-Eden-Hazard-Latest

Shit, we can WAY outmatch them in a swap plus cash deal! We have sooo many players to offload.

Gabigol is shite, but Alessandro Bastoni will turn their heads, even though he is only 19. He and Gianluca Mancini (I just wrote about both yesterday) are by FAR the only 2 potentially great under 23to Italian CB's atm.

That said surely we can outgun Inter.

Barella is real deal level superb young MF.

Will be heartbroken if we fuck this up and looking for rope aad chair if we also miss out on Sandro Tonali (Juve and Inter again, grrrrrrr).

I feel the old Italian salami in the arse coming on. SOB

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

4 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Shit, we can WAY outmatch them in a swap plus cash deal! We have sooo many players to offload.

Gabigol is shite, but Alessandro Bastoni will turn their heads, even though he is only 19. He and Gianluca Mancini (I just wrote about both yesterday) are by FAR the only 2 potentially great under 23to Italian CB's atm.

That said surely we can outgun Inter.

Barella is real deal level superb young MF.

Will be heartbroken if we fuck this up and looking for rope aad chair if we also miss out on Sandro Tonali (Juve and Inter again, grrrrrrr).

I feel the old Italian salami in the arse coming on. SOB

 

Hard to tempt the Italians to the PL sometimes eh.

But MAYBE he might like the idea of working with Sarri?

We dont really know if the 'club' is interested in him.

We are total mushrooms. Kept in the dark and fed shit!

[Vesper 28,796]

2 hours ago, Unionjack said:

Always liked Radja

One of our biggest multiyear board fails ever. Was begging for him since summer 2014.

If we had gotten Conte him, Romagnoli and Alex Sandro, we might have won the CL in that title year.

Naingollan was insanely good with Roma, His 2016/17 season was on verge of all world level. almost the perfect example of brutal attacking MF with combined with viscous defensive instincts, great athleticism, and a pitbull temperment

.

[Unionjack 7,531]

3 minutes ago, Vesper said:

One of our biggest multiyear board fails ever. Was begging for him since summer 2014.

If we had gotten Conte him, Romagnoli and Alex Sandro, we might have won the CL in that title year.

Naingollan was insanely good with Roma, His 2016/17 season was on verge of all world level. almost the perfect example of brutal attacking MF with combined with viscous defensive instincts, great athleticism, and a pitbull temperment

 

Yep loved the guy. THINK he was left out of WC because he made that interview about why shouldn't he have the odd drink and smoke.

And his twin sister came out defending it too then she got bad press for being a gobby lesbian lol

[Vesper 28,796]

19 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Hard to tempt the Italians to the PL sometimes eh.

But MAYBE he might like the idea of working with Sarri?

We dont really know if the 'club' is interested in him.

We are total mushrooms. Kept in the dark and fed shit!

No, interest is confirmed

Matt Law

and Magic Box

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 minute ago, Vesper said:

No, interest is confirmed

Matt Law

and Magic Box

Told ya! Its just us jumping the gun and dreaming as per usual.

I fuckin hate transfer season. Sends me doolally!

[0007 511]

The board can’t do anything if our target doesn’t want a transfer.And some players just don’t want to get out of their comfort zone(a lot of Seria A ones strike me as that type) or maybe don’t want to play under a manager like Conte.

Don’t get me wrong,our board has failed us many times,but the market is very complicated and sometimes you have to be wise and have a good back-up plan.

PS Sorry for the offtopic

[Vesper 28,796]

5 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Yep loved the guy. THINK he was left out of WC because he made that interview about why shouldn't he have the odd drink and smoke.

And his twin sister came out defending it too then she got bad press for being a gobby lesbian lol

Riana, his twin.

http://www.heroesoffootball.eu/news-article/riana-nainggolan-opens-story-professional-football-player-joins-heroes-football-team/

[Vesper 28,796]

5 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

Told ya! Its just us jumping the gun and dreaming as per usual.

I fuckin hate transfer season. Sends me doolally!

You misread I think

it is REAL

not just a web rumour

[Vesper 28,796]

7 minutes ago, 0007 said:

The board can’t do anything if our target doesn’t want a transfer.And some players just don’t want to get out of their comfort zone(a lot of Seria A ones strike me as that type) or maybe don’t want to play under a manager like Conte.

Don’t get me wrong,our board has failed us many times,but the market is very complicated and sometimes you have to be wise and have a good back-up plan.

PS Sorry for the offtopic

Fair points, but I am all for buying Italian leaguers from the smaller teams before they blow up to mega level stars on the trad giants

Like Barella, who is now at Cagliari 

I was all over Nainggolan whilst he was at the exact same club.

Sandro Tonali at Serie B Brescia

Dybala at Palermo

Icardi at Sampdoria

Bryan Cristante when at Atalanta

Antonio Candreva when we could have gotten him on a free in 2013 from Udinese

Rolando Mandragora at Udinese now

Alessio Romagnoli when he was on loan at Sampdoria from Roma, and then AC Milan got him for on around £21m

my 3 young CB's right here

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 minute ago, Vesper said:

You misread I think

it is REAL

not just a web rumour

Ohhh - Well thats OK then

[Unionjack 7,531]

19 hours ago, 0007 said:

The board can’t do anything if our target doesn’t want a transfer.And some players just don’t want to get out of their comfort zone(a lot of Seria A ones strike me as that type) or maybe don’t want to play under a manager like Conte.

Don’t get me wrong,our board has failed us many times,but the market is very complicated and sometimes you have to be wise and have a good back-up plan.

PS Sorry for the offtopic

Totally agree mate.

Its not always easy to take someone away from a place where they have all they need. Supporters,team.manager that loves them,regular playing time, family comfortable where they are etc etc.

Add to that we have never been one of those teams that players in general dream of playing for.

We have to hope they see at least something about us they like - manager,playing style,other players etc - to convince them to come join us.

Mostly tho unless we offer them high wages and willing to pay up for them we have tough times in getting those top players. Lets hope our delightful board want to add a few to join Pulisic. And keep everything crossed someone to join us sooner other than later! Lets start with this lad!!