Chelsea Transfers

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Rice for £100m is simply unnecessary when the likes of Kamara and Tchouameni would be available for less. 

[Pizy 18,944]

21 minutes ago, Blues Forever said:

Rice for £100m is simply unnecessary when the likes of Kamara and Tchouameni would be available for less. 

Both of them are projects, though. They are super talents, yes, but still need time to grow. Rice is already top class.

And most importantly he wouldn’t need any time at all to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Rice is literally a guy you can plug in and forget about and he hits the ground running with ease. The other two could take months to acclimate like we saw with Havertz, Werner, Ziyech etc. And the latter two still never adjusted. 

We need to have a summer where we go after players who we know will be “safe.” 

[Superblue 6,372]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

hard pass on Kounde

mark my words, and have said it for ages

do not buy

especially for bloody £68.5m

Watched Kounde a couple of times and I think he ultimately depends on what Tuchel is planning with this team. All the players that are either leaving or might leave opens up the opportunity for Tuchel to move away from the back 3 if he wants to. Besides possibly Silva, all the players that benefit from a back 3 to hide their deficiencies are likely to leave (Rudiger, Christensen, Azpi, Alonso, Jorginho).

If Tuchel wants to carry on with the back 3 then I do think Kounde is a solid shout for the RCB role. Similar to Rudiger I think his strengths are maximised in this role, and his rashness and decision making can be covered. In a back 4 though he just doesn't strike me as someone reliable, and would definitely be a poor fit.

Ultimately though you're right either way with the price. £60-70m in my opinion should get us 2 centre backs if we do our homework. There are so many gaps in our squad that need plugging that wasting that sort of money on Kounde I feel is the wrong move. 

Really is price dependent, but I wouldn't be against us looking into buying Koulibaly. I know he'll be 31 in the summer but with his age and a year left on his contract, if we could get him for circa £20m (give them Sarr as part of the deal!) I think he still has 2 - 3 years at the top level and not just fills a hole with an exceptional player, but also adds an experienced player into the ranks when it looks like we could lose a lot of them this summer.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

When Tuchel has switched to a back 4, the defence has really been poor. Even if just a couple of players could help with that change, I think the fact that it has been so poor may influence his desire to go with a back four.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

17 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Both of them are projects, though. They are super talents, yes, but still need time to grow. Rice is already top class.

And most importantly he wouldn’t need any time at all to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Rice is literally a guy you can plug in and forget about and he hits the ground running with ease. The other two could take months to acclimate like we saw with Havertz, Werner, Ziyech etc. And the latter two still never adjusted. 

We need to have a summer where we go after players who we know will be “safe.” 

Projects? Both of Tchouameni and Kamara are only 1 year younger than Rice. If your argument is they still need time to grow that also applied to Rice. As for PL proven argument is just silly, it doesn't 100% guarantee someone will succeed at here.

[Superblue 6,372]

3 hours ago, Strike said:

Couple of reports saying Boehly and group will look at making a statement signing. Hope they don't go for glamour signings like Pogba over Tchouameni  

What is a statement signing to him? Is a statement signing a huge transfer fee like Rice or Tchouameni but they aren't necessarily marketable players. 

Or is a statement signing to him, someone he can really pin a new era to. Haaland would have probably been ideal for this but that is out of the window. 

A proper holding midfielder is essential. I'd love to see us revert to 4-3-3 next season as the likely midfielders who stay are better suited to playing as two box to box midfielders - Mount, Gallagher, Kovacic, RLC. You could possibly even play Havertz in this role too with a holding midfielder. Our two wing backs are more than comfortable playing as full backs in a 4, and gives us an extra body in midfield. The obvious two are Rice and Tchouameni and neither is going to be cheap. Unless the club has an alternative, cheaper idea. That would be my preference for a 'smart' statement signing as it helps reshape our midfield for the rest of this decade.

But if they want a statement signing that also provides marketability then in my opinion there is only one player in that bracket who would also hugely fill a problem area and that is Harry Kane. I personally don't see it due to the rivalry, but in the summer he'll have 2 years left on his contract. It might be now or never for both himself and Spurs in terms of cashing in at top dollar. City are getting Haaland so that ship has sailed and with Ronaldo, I think United will target other key areas this summer. If Lukaku could be moved on, he would be the ultimate pick up in the striker role and really send shockwaves through the league if that is what Boehly is looking to do.

[Clockwork 1,794]

1 hour ago, Pizy said:

Honestly, I’d do that deal at this moment. He’s very young, he’s English, supports the club, and will give 100% to fight for the shirt. He would lock down a place in a key area of the team for a decade.

Yes, £100m sounds crazy on its face, but we desperately need a refresh in midfield. Kante and Jorginho need to be phased out if not sold. If you get even 5 years of world class DM play that £100m is worth it.

I would try to sell Jorginho to Juve for 25-30m and go all out for Rice. We simply cannot allow him to go to United. He would totally transform their midfield just as he would ours and he would haunt us for 10 years. They’ll be losing Pogba and Matic so they’ll be going all out for Rice I think.

People made the same statement regarding Luke Shaw and John Stones, Rice is a solid player.

Playing in a two man midfield is tough, if Tuchel tries to plug him in for Jorginho or Kante he would be extremely exposed.

I don’t think Jorginho or Kante needs to be phased out, they need help. By playing 3 man midfield and no none of that 3-5-2 nonsense that makes the team more unbalanced.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[chelsea_4_eva 1,182]

I think us buying Lukaku for 100M made us subconsciously see what a 100M player looks like, thus lowering our expectations, but we often forget that 100M is a LOT of money.

I dont know if I come across clearly.. I mean, its like us seeing Lukaku play like he does for 100M and seeing Rice shine makes us think that yes, Rice plays better than Lukaku so 100M is justified.. but Lukaku at 100M was overpriced and we were stupid enough to do the deal.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

6 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

What is a statement signing to him? Is a statement signing a huge transfer fee like Rice or Tchouameni but they aren't necessarily marketable players. 

Or is a statement signing to him, someone he can really pin a new era to. Haaland would have probably been ideal for this but that is out of the window. 

A proper holding midfielder is essential. I'd love to see us revert to 4-3-3 next season as the likely midfielders who stay are better suited to playing as two box to box midfielders - Mount, Gallagher, Kovacic, RLC. You could possibly even play Havertz in this role too with a holding midfielder. Our two wing backs are more than comfortable playing as full backs in a 4, and gives us an extra body in midfield. The obvious two are Rice and Tchouameni and neither is going to be cheap. Unless the club has an alternative, cheaper idea. That would be my preference for a 'smart' statement signing as it helps reshape our midfield for the rest of this decade.

But if they want a statement signing that also provides marketability then in my opinion there is only one player in that bracket who would also hugely fill a problem area and that is Harry Kane. I personally don't see it due to the rivalry, but in the summer he'll have 2 years left on his contract. It might be now or never for both himself and Spurs in terms of cashing in at top dollar. City are getting Haaland so that ship has sailed and with Ronaldo, I think United will target other key areas this summer. If Lukaku could be moved on, he would be the ultimate pick up in the striker role and really send shockwaves through the league if that is what Boehly is looking to do.

When his group took over the Dodgers they bought a pitcher for $200M that had never thrown a ball in the major league. They were criticized heavily for the buy. The kid went on to be an absolute beast.

I don't know that Haaland will want to come to Chelsea? There still is an air of uncertainty of how all of this will end? 

[Pizy 18,944]

6 minutes ago, Blues Forever said:

Projects? Both of Tchouameni and Kamara are only 1 year younger than Rice. If your argument is they still need time to grow that also applied to Rice. As for PL proven argument is just silly, it doesn't 100% guarantee someone will succeed at here.

Yes, projects. And that’s not about age. Both are still raw and are playing in a farmers league whereas Rice has been a PL regular for a while now. He is essentially the finished product already.

And for me Premier League proven absolutely matters for certain positions on the pitch. It’s particularly beneficial for a midfielder. It is not a 100% guarantee of success in every case but Rice for me is as close to that as possible.

Unlike Grealish who was PL proven and cost £100m, Rice won’t have nearly the same sort of burden on his shoulders. Grealish has the constant pressure of having to score and create. Rice just has to continue to do the simple things he is doing now. Screen the defense, break up play brilliantly, and carry the ball forward from deep when necessary. Having been in the league for years Rice will know exactly how to handle it.

 

[Vesper 30,216]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

34 goals, 20 assists so far

He has 2 games left (if RB had not collapsed against Rangers, and if the Bundesliga played the normal 38 games that all the other big leagues do, and if their Europa League tie with Spartak Moscow (they would have won that tie, 95% for sure) was not cancelled due to Putin, he would have 5 games left plus 4 more already played

He has already broken the all time European MF single season goal scoring record (in terms of the top 15 leagues) with 34 so far

If he had those 9 games more (4 played already plus 5 or so more to come, depending on how a 38 game Bundesliga schedule is sorted, so probably he would have played at least 2 more of those 4 added matches already), I would wager he would have scored 40 goals for the season and ended on 25 or so assists (as the 4 missing league games would all be against shit teams (19th and 20th teams added via promotion to the 18 now), plus the one league game he IS going to play is also against a horrid side (Armenia Bielefeld) 

 

only 2 of his topflight goals ever have been pens btw (both this season) so he is not a Penendes stat padder

[Blues Forever 1,232]

6 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Yes, projects. And that’s not about age. Both are still raw and are playing in a farmers league whereas Rice has been a PL regular for a while now. He is essentially the finished product already.

And for me Premier League proven absolutely matters for certain positions on the pitch. It’s particularly beneficial for a midfielder. It is not a 100% guarantee of success in every case but Rice for me is as close to that as possible.

Unlike Grealish who was PL proven and cost £100m, Rice won’t have nearly the same sort of burden on his shoulders. Grealish has the constant pressure of having to score and create. Rice just has to continue to do the simple things he is doing now. Screen the defense, break up play brilliantly, and carry the ball forward from deep when necessary. Having been in the league for years Rice will know exactly how to handle it.

 

Anyone who cost £100m will automatically have the burden to deliver. Few bad performances and ppl will start calling for his name. Ligue 1 is the closest in term of style to PL, and neither Kamara and Tchouameni are raw.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Superblue 6,372]

1 minute ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

When his group took over the Dodgers they bought a pitcher for $200M that had never thrown a ball in the major league. They were criticized heavily for the buy. The kid went on to be an absolute beast.

I don't know that Haaland will want to come to Chelsea? There still is an air of uncertainty of how all of this will end? 

I think they will definitely be looking to make Chelsea 'theirs' with the transfer activity this summer and usher in a new era.

Moving players on has to be just as efficient as players in this summer. The biggest one I worry about is Kante. He's a massive fan favourite and I think there would be a lot of outside criticism if we moved him on or didn't sign him to a new deal but ultimately he doesn't justify a new contract now at his age and seeing the decline this season. I heard Matt Law on a podcast the other day and he was spot on, he said if it was him he'd sell Jorginho this summer and he'd either sell Kante or keep him next season but not give him a new deal. 

After this summer the club has time then to put plans in place to play the market better. More players are running down contracts and we should be looking to position ourselves to be in the market for options if they occur. We've been stung ourselves this season with Christensen and Rudiger and there were options we could have looked at if we weren't sanctioned. Mazroui at Ajax could have been a tempting free transfer for the full back/wing back role to compete with James for example but I think he looks primed for moving to Bayern.

[Vesper 30,216]

Christopher Nkunku career pens

 

 

Bruno Fernandes career pens

[Superblue 6,372]

5 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Yes, projects. And that’s not about age. Both are still raw and are playing in a farmers league whereas Rice has been a PL regular for a while now. He is essentially the finished product already.

And for me Premier League proven absolutely matters for certain positions on the pitch. It’s particularly beneficial for a midfielder. It is not a 100% guarantee of success in every case but Rice for me is as close to that as possible.

Unlike Grealish who was PL proven and cost £100m, Rice won’t have nearly the same sort of burden on his shoulders. Grealish has the constant pressure of having to score and create. Rice just has to continue to do the simple things he is doing now. Screen the defense, break up play brilliantly, and carry the ball forward from deep when necessary. Having been in the league for years Rice will know exactly how to handle it.

 

What I would say about Rice is the more I carry doubts about him the more he does continue to prove me wrong. He has improved season upon season, and there's possibly another level or two he can go upwards still.

You mentioned Grealish and that does have to be a bit of a worry. That sort of price for a player from one of the clubs outside the big six in the league does carry a lot of risk. In the same way Grealish has to adapt to City compared to Villa, Rice will have to do the same thing. We will dominate the ball a lot more than West Ham do and he'll be playing against teams that are happy to sit back and deep, which means he may have to be more progressive in the way he plays but with less spaces to find. At present his passing statistics at West Ham are excellent and he does a very good job in that midfield but there does have to be consideration whether he can bring the same or better qualities to a Chelsea midfield that will ask or even demand him to do more.

[Vesper 30,216]

Kounde scored an OG v Villarreal yesterday with a shit defensive header straight over his GKer's head (completely due to Kounde's lack of height) off a corner, but it was chalked off due to an offside on Villarreal

he did score the game tying goal of a their own corner, after some horrid clearances and a ping pong rebound that came to him

Emery is jinxed v his old side, Sevilla, only has won one of 9 games

[Fernando 6,585]

We should get Raphina if leeds go down. 

Don't let him go to Barcelona. 

If Everton go down which I doubt we should get Richarlison. 

[DDA 9,941]

😂

Edited May 9, 2022 by DDA

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

On 04/05/2022 at 17:19, Superblue_1986 said:

He mentioned he see's 2 new defenders and a 'statement' signing but unsure what position they would look at for that.

Statement signings are all well and good, but it has to be the right signing. Look at Lukaku. 
 

Backing TT is absolutely crucial though. We are only where we are because of him and his tactical nous has definitely made up for inconsistencies from players. Any other manager and this group wouldn’t be 3rd IMO.

Edited May 9, 2022 by OneMoSalah