Chelsea Transfers

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

6 hours ago, Vesper said:

Ross Barkley named 'top flop' and gets 3/10 rating on nightmare full debut for new club

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ross-barkley-nice-Chelsea-everton-28134994

 

Former Everton and Chelsea playmaker Ross Barkley will not look back fondly on his first start for Nice - which saw him earn a humbling 3/10 rating in the French press.

The Englishman, still only 28, signed for the Ligue 1 club this summer after his release at Stamford Bridge, joining a host of former Premier League players at Allianz Riviera. He made two substitute appearances in September before manager Lucien Favre thrust into the starting XI which took on defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

Barkley played just over an hour before he was hooked at the Parc des Princes, with the scores level at 1-1 after Gaetan Laborde cancelled out a stunning free kick from in-form Lionel Messi. The visitors defended resolutely in the second half but their resistance was broken as Kylian Mbappe swept in with seven minutes remaining following a poor pass from former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Much of the blame for Nice's defeat has been pinned on Barkley, with L'Equipe branding him the 'flop' of the match and handing him a brutal rating of just three out of 10 - the lowest of any player involved. The French newspaper wrote: "Starting for the first time, the Englishman never managed to be useful and his most remarkable moment was the loss of the ball which allowed Messi to force Dante into a foul that brought the first goal. Replaced by [Nicolas] Pepe, without influence."

L'Equipe are notorious for their harsh ratings and only two players who started the game were awarded an above-average score of seven: Messi and Nice midfielder Mario Lemina. Schmeichel will also be disappointed with his review, as he was handed a rating of just 4/10.

However, Favre insisted his side deserved more from the match and claimed it was "cruel" that they fell behind with so little time left in the capital. The Swiss said: "It's disappointing because we played a good match.

"We could have got the draw and then we concede that goal with 7 minutes to go. It's cruel, especially as we didn't leave Paris that many chances to score."

Discussing his side's performance, Favre added: "I think it was pretty good. We have already played in this system. The problem is that some players can play in this system but less so in another."

Barkley's 'flop' rating comes after a challenging few seasons for the former Three Lions prospect. He fell down the pecking order midway through his four-and-a-half years with Chelsea and failed to revive his career during a loan spell with Aston Villa before Blues chiefs decided not to extend his contract.

3/10 nothing new with him.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,512]

 

[bigbluewillie 1,859]

Chelsea wanted to keep news that Christopher Nkunku had already had a medical with the club a secret as they have yet to agree a fee with RB Leipzig for the 24-year-old France forward. (Fabrizio Romano)

[OneMoSalah 8,783]

2 hours ago, bigbluewillie said:

Chelsea wanted to keep news that Christopher Nkunku had already had a medical with the club a secret as they have yet to agree a fee with RB Leipzig for the 24-year-old France forward. (Fabrizio Romano)

Amateur hour strikes again. If we don’t get the deal done it will almost be as laughable as when we got Willian after he had done a medical at Spurs.

How the fuck is shit leaking every second week?

[DDA 9,689]

Fabrizio is saying he is ready to accept. Up to the clubs.

If we trigger the release clause, can he join in January?

[Reddish-Blue 2,350]

11 minutes ago, DDA said:

Fabrizio is saying he is ready to accept. Up to the clubs.

If we trigger the release clause, can he join in January?

From memory, his release clause only comes into effect in June 2023.  

There is zero chance of us getting him in January....surely the focus in January would be improving the midfield considering Jorginho & Kante's contract situations

[Reddish-Blue 2,350]

37 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Amateur hour strikes again. If we don’t get the deal done it will almost be as laughable as when we got Willian after he had done a medical at Spurs.

How the fuck is shit leaking every second week?

Until we get a Director of Football in place, we will continue to look like amateurs in the transfer market. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[milka 3,349]

 

[Pizy 18,401]

Very, very exciting player. Just wonder where we’d play him along the front 3. Impossible to know until we’ve seen how this season plays out. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Superblue 6,370]

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I watch lots of football outside of the Prem and European games. 

From clips, videos and limited full games I have seen I do think Nkunku benefits in a similar way to Werner from a lot more teams playing with higher lines in the Bundesliga compared to the Premier League. Having said that, he looks significantly more talented on the ball, creative, comfortable with both feet, working tight pockets of space, etc. 

I think clearly for the price being touted for his release clause; he looks to be undervalued in that regard making it an extremely attractive deal. We do need to make sure however that we have a proper plan for how to utilise him. I feel too many times in the past we've bought players for the deal on the table rather than the fit for the team and that's part of the reason why we've suffered so much and had such an imbalanced squad for a sustained period of time. If there's a plan to get the most out of his talents though he could be a seriously good pick up.

[MoroccanBlue 5,318]

Hopefully takes Havertz spot as that CAM/False 9. 

[DDA 9,689]

Fucking gassed.

I mean literally fell off the toilet when reading Nkunku is done.

He is an absolute baller.

Trust me, he is legit.

Gvardiol and Leao next..

Get the fuck in.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Nkunku to Chelsea is set to be announced soon.

[Clockwork 1,794]

What is the player comparison? Because that really turns me off, because he doesn’t have the speed acceleration and 1 vs 1 that is typically found in successful wide/inverted wingers.

 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

8 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

What is the player comparison? Because that really turns me off, because he doesn’t have the speed acceleration and 1 vs 1 that is typically found in successful wide/inverted wingers.

 

Nkunku isn't a winger, he is a second striker. 

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

A signing like the Sterling one. great player, goalscorer but not a real cf and also not a left footer. Still delighted he will improve our quality in depth and add even more pace being one of the fastest players in Bundesliga. Surely either Kai or Pulisic have to make way tho next summer.