Chelsea Transfers

[Blue Armour 4,448]

Remember the days when guys like Drogba and Ballack would practically be pining to have their contracts renewed by the club?

Our standards had started to fall well before the sanctions hit, making it more likely for players to be stand-off'ish in their contract negotiations. 

Before Hazard and Courtois left, the best players wanted to stay and fight on.

On a side note, have a feeling that Courtois and Hazard were egging on Rudiger to join Madrid.  They've known each other pretty well from Chelsea.

Hope the next generation of Chelsea players like Mount, James, Havertz and Callagher again make Chelsea the attractive destination it used to be.

[Superblue 6,372]

6 minutes ago, Blue Armour said:

Remember the days when guys like Drogba and Ballack would practically be pining to have their contracts renewed by the club?

Our standards had started to fall well before the sanctions hit, making it more likely for players to be stand-off'ish in their contract negotiations. 

Before Hazard and Courtois left, the best players wanted to stay and fight on.

On a side note, have a feeling that Courtois and Hazard were egging on Rudiger to join Madrid.  They've known each other pretty well from Chelsea.

Hope the next generation of Chelsea players like Mount, James, Havertz and Callagher again make Chelsea the attractive destination it used to be.

The difference here is the likes of Drogba, Ballack, Terry, Lampard were towards the end of their careers so staying at Chelsea would have been the goal.

Unfortunately the pull of Barca and Madrid has and probably always been there. We're not the only team to lose top players to them. I think Courtois and Hazard there was always the likelihood it would happen at some stage.

Maybe it's just me, but as an Englishman growing up when I played football I dreamed of playing in the Premier League and for Chelsea. Spanish football wasn't really a big thing, if anything Italian football was the most attractive foreign league over here because it was on TV but there was no pull of Barca and Madrid. I'm a generation further in front, but I get the impression that most English players don't have that same drive and will to play abroad like their foreign counterparts. We as a country are pretty content with our own language and culture and I don't think the same appeal is there. 

With the academy graduates it's something that we definitely have to push that they're in the best place, playing for the team they've grown up with challenging for the top trophies and hopefully like you said if you can build a squad that has those mainstays within the group who know what it means to pull on this shirt it hopefully helps other players coming in to understand it to.

[turgi 71]

On 29/12/2021 at 15:45, turgi said:

Losing Azpi, Christensen and Rudiger in one summer seems like a bit too much.

 

This was in December

[Vesper 30,202]

oh ffs

as soon as I add him (Marquinhos) back onto my CB list (as he was freaking out about the fans revolt and saying he could see leaving) after dropping him a couple months ago

now he IS staying after all

 

[Vesper 30,202]

5 hours ago, Nero said:

 

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?

wow, I thought it would be 2023 they go for Reece, not this summer (IF that account is real, which it up for serious debate)

[Vesper 30,202]

Tuchel may well walk IF we lose enough of these players

chances (some for sure, some iffy, some really good) of all (or many) of the following leaving (some are not necessarily bad if they do leave and some are a damn good thing)

ones I wish would stay for are in bold

Kepa Arrizabalaga (mixed emotions)
Antonio Rüdiger
Andreas Christensen
Malang Sarr  he better be fucking GONE
Marcos Alonso (mixed emotions for one more season)
Reece James
César Azpilicueta  (mixed emotions for one more season)
N'Golo Kanté 
Jorginho (sell him)
Saúl Ñíguez (zero chance we buy him)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (he may well stay)
Ross Barkley 
Kenedy (how shit is he??! LOL he cannot even beat out SARR for LB time)
Charly Musonda Jr. (released at end of season)
Callum Hudson-Odoi  
Romelu Lukaku
Timo Werner  

Loanees

Dujon Sterling (if we lose Reece and and Azpi and fail on a RB, he likely stays)
Jake Clarke-Salter
Ian Maatsen (not at all convinced he is Chels quality yet)
Juan Castillo
Ethan Ampadu (he may stay, I remain unconvinced on his future here)
Matt Miazga
Baba Rahman
Emerson 
Tiémoué Bakayoko
Danny Drinkwater
Tino Anjorin (not really sure what is up with him, obviously the sale to Lokomotiv Moscow is off)
Michy Batshuayi

 
 

[Vesper 30,202]

On 23/04/2022 at 07:59, Strike said:

I'm still hopeful Rudiger will have one conversation with new owners and he can be convinced to sign up

 

not happening Tuchel confirmed he is leaving 🤬

[Vesper 30,202]

final 5 narrowed CB targets

Milan Skriniar  (last big go-round for me with him, as he turns 29 in the middle of the season after next, and it is insane to buy a CB for £65, 70m and only get one full sub 30yo year out of them

Pau Torres (he has finally won me over, very near to, if not now, WC, would much rather take him than Kounde)

Bremer   (a beast, has developed into a rock solid CB)

Merih Demiral (has been immense for Atalanta)

Josko Gvardiol   (great young Croatian)

[Vesper 30,202]

RB is simple (it is staggeringly weak worldwide, the worst position by far I have seen in ages, Pedro Porro, lol, is ranked 8th, Livramento (now maybe out until 2023 due to a possible horrific knee injury, sob) is ranked 9th, Emerson Royal 10th! ffs ) Unless you add back Kimmich as a RB, there are only 4 WC RBs atm (Hakimi, TAA, Reece, and João Cancelo, who is now a LB mostly atm) then Walker (who turns 32yo in a month), then a massive drop off 

one name (as we've no chance with Hakimi)

Matty Cash

I am at a loss whom we should go for if we don't pull him, not at all sold on Sergiño Dest
 

I would buy Djed Spence from Forest for Cash's backup IF Reece disastrously leaves
 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,202]

CF is also simple

sell Donkeykaku

bring back Broja, keep Werner, roll with Kai and Broja and Werner

none of these 10 are happening

Kylian Mbappe 
Erling Haaland  
Harry Kane    
Dusan Vlahovic   (massive cockup by the board)
Victor Osimhen    (this is who I would buy, but zero chance we drop £85 to 95m on him)
Robert Lewandowski    
Lautaro Martínez   
Darwin Núñez   
Gabriel Jesus 
Alexander Isak (he has slumped massively as well, only 5 league goals, 9 overall)

I doubt we make a move yet for Karim Adeyemi or Hugo Ekitike

Not convinced on Amine Gouiri

[Blues Forever 1,232]

The priority for this summer should be 2 CBs, backup RB and LB, DM, and 2 wingers. 

LB: Sosa or Raum

RB: Cash or Spence

CB: Gvardiol, Kounde or Timber

DM: Kamara (free)

RW/LW: Dembele (free), Raphinha or Gnabry

Edited April 25, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Vesper 30,202]

1 hour ago, Blues Forever said:

The priority for this summer should be 2 CBs, backup RB and LB, DM, and Winger. 

exactly, and pray Reece stays

right now for you picks

CB Milan Škriniar

CB Bremer

LB Borna Sosa (I cannot see us rolling the dice on Spinazzola due to his Achilles rupture)

RB Matty Cash

DMF Aurélien Tchouaméni (or IF fucking Real Madrid also grab him, (a big possibility ffs, thanks board!), then we MAY have to just plonk down £100m for Rice. If not either then Rúben Neves and Kalvin Phillips are the only 2 other options I might go for, and to show you how time truly flies, Neves turns bloody 26yo next season, Phillips 28)

 

Winger (must be a Pool type potential danger danger type) Chiesa is also off the board due to his horrific knee injury so that leaves

Raphinha (looks to be maybe Barca bound, a big miss)
Christopher Nkunku  (Insane production at AMF/winger, 30 goals, 20 assists already, in just 3500 minutes)
Serge Gnabry (if he doesn't renew with Bayern)
Ousmane Dembélé (if he doesn't renew with Barca, but it now looks like he will, ffs)
Moussa Diaby
Jarrod Bowen
Pedro Neto
Kamaldeen Sulemana (potentially a Mane type, just turned 20)

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,202]

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/player-analysis-kamaldeen-sulemana/

Player Analysis: Kamaldeen Sulemana

April 14, 2022

 

Player Analysis

Somewhere in the largely unknown Danish Superliga, scouts from clubs throughout Europe were coming to watch a teenager from Ghana who’d been turning heads with his blistering pace and defence-distorting dribbling abilities.

 

FC Nordsjælland’s Kamaldeen Sulemana was taking Denmark by storm during the 2020/21 season, terrorising opposition defenders with his unpredictable moves and gradually improving end-product.

 

He finished the season with an impressive 10 goals and 8 assists in all competitions for Nordsjælland and it soon became evident that he would be moving on from the Danish club and taking the next step in his promising career.

 

Kamaldeen was briefly linked with a move to Manchester United, but it was evident that such a move was far too big a jump at this stage in his career. For a while, he seemed destined to end up in an Ajax jersey as most reports suggested a deal was all but done.

 

How a Forward-Thinking Focus On People Made FC Nordsjælland Great

 

Ultimately, however, it was Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais that would acquire the services of the Ghanaian winger from right beneath the noses of the Dutch champions.

 

There was evident frustration from Ajax as Kamaldeen was very highly-rated in Amsterdam, which is a good sign considering Ajax’s fantastic track record for talent identification.

 

It’s possible that Kamaldeen felt that his playing time would be more consistent at Stade Rennais as he likely would’ve had Dušan Tadić, David Neres and Antony as preferred options ahead of him at Ajax.

 

There was plenty of excitement surrounding Kamaldeen upon his arrival in France. A player with his skillset can light up stadiums every week and that was the expectation, despite his considerably young age.

 

He made his Ligue 1 debut against RC Lens and made an immediate impact, scoring a goal and completing 4 dribbles. Stade Rennais supporters had already received a taste of what to expect from the Ghana international.

 

It’s been made rather clear at this point but, to reiterate, Kamaldeen is a truly elite 1 v 1 dribbler. His combination of speed, agility and creativity make him an absolute nightmare for opposition defenders.

 

Photo: Kamaldeen per 90 stats [FBref]

 

High-level 1 v 1 dribblers are incredibly difficult to find and should therefore be treated as extremely valuable commodities.

 

With a skillset like Kamaldeen’s, you have a player who can create something out of nothing, and significant focus can therefore be dedicated towards polishing up his end-product.

 

For Stade Rennais, not only is this an investment in Kamaldeen’s potential, but it’s also an investment in the club’s ability to develop a player with his raw ability.

 

During the French club’s 3-3 draw with Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Kamaldeen completed a highly impressive 7 dribbles, according to SofaScore.

 

Mohammed Salisu: Southampton’s Ghanaian Rock in Defense

 

In fact, the mercurial Ghanaian ranks 5th in the Europa Conference League in successful dribbles per game (3.0) at a 79% completion rate. That’s a remarkable success rate considering his high volume and it puts him in an elite tier of young dribblers.

 

He also ranks 5th in Ligue 1 in successful dribbles per game (2.7) at a 59% success rate. Adjusting to a new league is never an easy transition, especially for such a young player, but Kamaldeen has handled it rather well and should only go from strength-to-strength.

 

Kamaldeen heavily favours the left flank in possession. He often uses the full width of the pitch to drag defenders wide and beat them in 1 v 1 situations or draw double teams, subsequently creating space for teammates in more central positions.

 

 

Kamaldeen’s legend and action graphic [Smarterscout]

 

Kamaldeen’s heat map [Sofascore]

 

As the graphics show, Kamaldeen is heavily left-wing focused in his style of play. Part of that is likely the manager’s tactical approach, but it’s also evidently the way in which the former Nordsjælland starlet prefers to play.

 

By having a wider starting position, he gives himself more room in which to pull full-backs away from a compact block and use his dribbling abilities to win 1 v 1 duels.

 

His electric pace also means he can beat defenders down the line and get into more advanced positions where he can either cut inside or use his weaker left foot with which he is a capable playmaker, although he could still improve his weaker foot.

 

That said, Kamaldeen is not positionally one-dimensional. He is capable of being productive off the right flank, which makes sense considering his particular skillset.

 

His goal against FC Metz is a good example of what the Stade Rennais star is capable of when he finds himself on the right-wing.

 

 

 

Kamaldeen shows many of his best attributes for this goal. He draws three defenders to him, two of whom mark him closely, and this subsequently forces the rest of the Metz defenders deeper into the box to cover the rest of the Stade Rennais players.

 

The Ghanaian winger eases past the two defenders with a wonderful move before stabbing the ball off the underside of the bar and into the net. It was a sensational goal from an exhilarating youngster and it showed what he’s capable of coming off the right flank.

 

In fact, his attributes might be better suited for a right winger who stretches the pitch and can beat his defender down the flank with his blistering pace or dribble into more central zones and be a playmaker from there.

 

One of the greatest benefits of Kamaldeen being so young is that there’s plenty of time to mould him into a particular kind of player whilst still retaining the skills he’s learnt up to this point.

 

Despite these capabilities off the right, however, Kamaldeen has still done most of his damage playing off the left. His assist against Paris-Saint Germain is a great example of how dangerous he can be playing off his favoured left wing.

 

 

The mere threat of Kamaldeen dribbling forces his defender to step back and give him extra space in which to operate.

 

He uses this space intelligently by cutting onto his right foot and whipping a devastating cross towards the back post for Gaëtan Laborde to finish and give Stade Rennais the lead against the Parisian giants. 

 

This goal also provides insight into Kamaldeen’s potential as a high-volume goal and assist provider if he polishes up his end-product.

 

That said, he still has some way to go to truly reach that level as a consistent threat in scoring or assisting goals.

 

According to transfermarkt.com, the Ghanaian prospect has scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists in 27 appearances for his club this season — 15 starts and 12 appearances off the bench, to be specific.

 

 

This isn’t a terrible return, especially in terms of goalscoring, but there’s evidently significant room to improve and increase these numbers and, subsequently, become trusted as a more regular starter.

 

His decision-making is probably the biggest hurdle for him to overcome at the moment. At just 20 years old, Kamaldeen has plenty of time to improve in this regard, provided he applies himself to make these required improvements.

 

Many of the world’s most prolific forwards have shown us how impactful off-ball movement can be in improving one’s end-product.

 

 

The likes of Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah evolved from being exciting, mercurial dribblers with good numbers to being more calculated dribblers with elite numbers.

 

A large reason for that has been their willingness to use their athletic gifts and offensive instincts to move off the ball and get into dangerous positions.

 

This is something Kamaldeen must do to enter the top echelon of his fellow African forwards as a goal threat. That said, the youngster has shown glimpses of being a willing and capable threat off the ball.

 

 

On his debut for Stade Rennais, Kamaldeen scored a lovely goal against RC Lens. A counter-attack begins and Kamaldeen sprints down the left half-space and uses his pace to get ahead of the Lens defenders.

 

He then squares up to his defender in a 1 v 1 situation before cutting onto his right foot and bending a shot past the motionless goalkeeper.

 

If these movements can become a regular part of his game, Kamaldeen can become a significantly more dangerous player in the final third.

 

As previously mentioned, he’s still very young and, therefore, these improvements can be made. He’s such a dynamic player and this feels like the natural progression in his footballing evolution.

 

Photo: Crab Stats Graphics

 

I believe the player progression Kamaldeen should aim to follow is that of Vinícius Júnior. The Real Madrid starlet had very similar traits to Kamaldeen when he was first emerging for Los Blancos.

 

He was an exciting, unpredictable dribbler who was almost purely focused on being an on-ball threat, at the expense of being dangerous off the ball.

 

Vinícius was also a fairly poor finisher and many Madrid fans were worried about whether he’d be able to improve his end-product to the point that he’d become a key player for the team.

 

Those fears have now been alleviated and Vinícius looks like the player that was promised when Real Madrid splashed a reported €46 million on the young Brazilian.

 

 

Kamaldeen shares many of the traits and attributes that were displayed by Vinícius Júnior early in his career, so the hope should be that he can make similar improvements in that regard.

 

The former Flamengo wonderkid is now one of the best wingers in world football, so it’s certainly a high bar for Kamaldeen to clear, but I believe it’s a realistic one too.

 

Evidently, I believe Kamaldeen Sulemana has the potential to become a genuine world-class player. He’s extremely raw at the moment, but there are so many directions in which his talent can take him.

 

It’ll largely come down to how he applies himself in his own development as a player, but it’s also important that Stade Rennais develop their upstart winger into the player they hope he will become so that he can be a legitimate star for them, before likely moving on to a bigger club in the future.

 

Such a move, however, is a distant thought right now, and the only concern for Kamaldeen should be how to go from a promising young prospect to a genuinely elite player.

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Vesper

[Strike 7,492]

38 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Winger (must be a Pool type potential danger danger type) Chiesa is also off the board due to his horrific knee injury so that leaves

 

Raphinha (looks to be maybe Barca bound, a big miss)
Christopher Nkunku  (Insane production at AMF/winger, 30 goals, 20 assists already, in just 3500 minutes)
Serge Gnabry (if he doesn't renew with Bayern)
Ousmane Dembélé (if he doesn't renew with Barca, bur it ow looks like he will, ffs)
Moussa Diaby
Jarrod Bowen
Pedro Neto
Kamaldeen Sulemana (potentially a Mane type, just turned 20)

 

Yep. there are good options for the winger position - hardworking, off-the-ball workers. Need to ensure this signing is a good finisher.

[Vesper 30,202]

10 minutes ago, Strike said:

Yep. there are good options for the winger position - hardworking, off-the-ball workers. Need to ensure this signing is a good finisher.

Gnabry on this glorious night in north London 2nd a half years ago

😛

 

[Alabama 1,992]

3 hours ago, Vesper said:

final 5 narrowed CB targets

Milan Skriniar  (last big go-round for me with him, as he turns 29 in the middle of the season after next, and it is insane to buy a CB for £65, 70m and only get one full sub 30yo year out of them

Pau Torres (he has finally won me over, very near to, if not now, WC, would much rather take him than Kounde)

Bremer   (a beast, has developed into a rock solid CB)

Merih Demiral (has been immense for Atalanta)

Josko Gvardiol   (great young Croatian)

Bremen plays for which club?

Have loving the look of demiral...currently linked to us as Rudiger replacement....

[Vesper 30,202]

1 minute ago, Alabama said:

Bremen plays for which club?

Have loving the look of demiral...currently linked to us as Rudiger replacement....

Bremer (he is Brasilian) also called Gleison Bremer or just Gleison

full name Gleison Bremer Silva Nascimento

He plays for Torino

Bremen is a large old ex Hanseatic League city in Northern Germany, the 2nd largest there after Hamburg (Werder Bremen is the main team, and their hated rivals (the cities have hated each other for 1200 years, especially the past 800+ years) in the Nordderby are Hamburger SV, der Dinosaurier )

 

anyways, back to Bremer

watched him earlier thus season v Juve (also other games, like 10), he was a beast in a 1 1 draw at Juve

Former player suggests £25m defender is perfect for Chelsea, the Blues have reportedly scouted him already

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/former-player-suggests-25m-defender-is-perfect-for-Chelsea-the-blues-have-reportedly-scouted-him-already/

Former Torino defender Ezio Ross has named Chelsea as one of the ideal next destinations for Gleison Bremer.

Speaking to TuttoJuve, Ross suggested that Stamford Bridge could house Bremer extremely well if he ever fancied a move to the Premier League.

Why is Gleison grabbing all the attention?

It probably won’t be long before the current Torino centre-back heads over to England.

His performances for the Serie A side have certainly been attracting interest from British shores, as well as those stationed across Europe.

Newcastle United reportedly made a £25m (Corriere Granata) offer to sign the 24-year-old last month, but saw their advances rejected.

Instead, Torino confirmed that Bremer had signed a new deal, keeping him in Turin until at least 2024.

Of course, this timeline could be hindered if another, arguably even bigger club that Newcastle come wading in with the cash.

Perhaps Juventus for example, who have been linked to the Brazilian already this season.

However, Ross adamantly advised Bremer to look past the Old Lady and link up with a new, younger model.  

“He is a very good defender. (Torino coach Ivan) Juric has improved him considerably. Only compliments!” he said.

“Bremer is not for Juve; he’s for Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester, Inter!”

Bremer in blue?

It is perhaps no surprise that Chelsea make it onto the list.

After all, they reportedly scouted Bremer in December, eager to locate replacements for one of their potentially departing defenders.

Not much has been mentioned since about a possible switch to South West London.

Such conversations shouldn’t be ruled out over the summer, as the Blues will most likely be in the market for another centre-half.

There remains a strong chance that at least one of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen or Cesar Azpilicueta shall wave farewell to Cobham and all its assets.

Maybe then Ross’ hopes for Bremer will come true.

 

Player Comparison: Gleison Bremer vs. Merih Demiral

https://fbref.com/en/stathead/player_comparison.cgi?show_form=1&request=1&sum=0&comp_type=by_type&dom_lg=1&player_id1=5fd5ed86&p1yrfrom=2021-2022&player_id2=e3cceee6&p2yrfrom=2021-2022

[Vesper 30,202]

Inter Milan wants a Tottenham transfer target to cut his wages by more than half to leave Chelsea

 

https://theboyhotspur.com/inter-milan-wants-a-tottenham-transfer-target-to-cut-his-wages-by-more-than-half-to-leave-Chelsea/

 

 

Tottenham Hotspur is looking for a forward this summer to take some of the goal-scoring responsibilities off the shoulders of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. One rumor that has surfaced is the possibility of seeing manager Antonio Conte reuniting with Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku hasn’t worked out at Chelsea, and after one season, it appears as though the two parties are heading toward a divorce. Calciomercato reports that the 28-year-old would like a return to Inter Milan; however, the Serie A side has no intention of making a large investment for Lukaku.

Any return to Italy would be at a loss for Chelsea, who won’t get everything they invested for the return of Lukaku to Stamford Bridge, but they’ll look to recoup as much as they can. 

Furthermore, Inter Milan has no interest in paying his current salary, which stands between €13 and €14 million net. The Italian club cannot go beyond €6 and €6.5-million in annual wages.

If Conte is keen on reuniting with the player, perhaps taking advantage of this where Spurs can offer a contract, Lukaku might not lose more than half of his wages. However, a journalist recently stated that he isn’t sold on the idea of a reunion since it would be out of character for Tottenham.

[Superblue 6,372]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

RB is simple (it is staggeringly weak worldwide, the worst position by far I have seen in ages, Pedro Porro, lol, is ranked 8th, Livramento (now maybe out until 2023 due to a possible horrific knee injury, sob) is ranked 9th, Emerson Royal 10th! ffs ) Unless you add back Kimmich as a RB, there are only 4 WC RBs atm (Hakimi, TAA, Reece, and João Cancelo, who is now a LB mostly atm) then Walker (who turns 32yo in a month), then a massive drop off 

one name (as we've no chance with Hakimi)

Matty Cash

I am at a loss whom we should go for if we don't pull him, not at all sold on Sergiño Dest
 

I would buy Djed Spence from Forest for Cash's backup IF Reece disastrously leaves
 

That post regarding James agreeing to join Madrid I think was posted as a joke so let's ignore that and assume he's staying put.

I like Cash, but unfortunately like you mentioned Webster, is going to be so expensive coming from the Prem. Villa have no reason to sell him so you'd probably be looking £40-50m realistically. He's not going to be first choice ahead of James, unless Tuchel employed him within the back 3, so I think if we're looking at a backup it needs to be more cost effective.

That was part of the reason for bringing up Djed Spence. He looks like a good fit at right wing back but wouldn't cost the earth and will probably be happy to join as a squad player currently. There will be times where Tuchel feels like playing James in the back 3 and he's also shown in the last 3 seasons he's not the most durable player and needs to be managed so there will be plenty of opportunities.

I think realistically he'd probably be around £12 - 15m with some bonuses. It's not a huge outlay for a young player with room to grow and develop.

[chelsea_4_eva 1,182]

How much do you think Lukaku can fetch? If we can sell him at a decent price, (probably a loss) it would be helpful for our transfer budget.