Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 30,085]

4 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

 

Call me naive, but I have huge hopes for Muddy, Jackson, and Santos (hopefully Malo too) under Poch

[Vesper 30,085]

3 hours ago, Reddish-Blue said:

Bernardo has mentioned that he'd be open to move to Benfica/Barcelona, think he was offered a good deal to go to Saudi League as well...

yes, I can so see him going to the Saudis for insane cash

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

12 minutes ago, Vesper said:

yes, I can so see him going to the Saudis for insane cash

He turned down a move there already. Weeks ago. Can see him waiting for Barca or PSG as opposed to Saudi’s. Or even again staying another season at City if one of those 2 don’t come up as he wanted to leave last summer also.

[robsblubot 3,595]

21 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I rate Bernardo and he certainly would help is creatively and he is a left-footer who can play RW

unpopular opinion (perhaps)

IF Citeh lose both Gündoğan and Bernardo and do not adequately replace them, it will deffo sting, maybe hard

those two were massive keys to that team last year

Kova is not not a goal scorer, nor really an assists machine

if Mahrez (who turns 33yo this season) has a similar drop-off that he had from 2021/22 to 2022/23 and then you remove Bernardo, they are down to only two great wingers (and only 3 overall, counting Mahrez) and both Grealish and Foden prefer the LW. Pep will simply have to (if they buy no RWer and Mahrez does continue to deteriorate) likely force Foden to play on the RW, (I see no reason why the lad insists on the LW, as he is a left footer and should make a great RWer)

they REALLY (if they buy no one to replace Bernardo) need Cole Palmer, the youth to step up (big plus, he is a left footer and can perhaps fill in at RW) BUT they are tlking about loaning him out

they also (as I have said for ages) have real fullback issues (they are for sure dumping Cancelo, and Walker is both ageing and likely leaving)

if they do not get Gvardiol and they lose Laporte, then the fill-in fullbacks (the erstwhile CBs Ake and Akanji) will forced to play CB enough that they (at least one) cannot be considered a full-time FB. 

If Ake is not the LB, then they are down to the dire Sergio Gómez, and if Walker and Cancelo leave, then Citeh had best hope the 18yo Rico Lewis is indeed the real deal, as their only other RB option is the CB Akanji.

If Cancelo and Walker leave, and they do not pull Gvardiol (or another CB) and add no fullbacks and Laporte also leaves (another IF: they do not use the young, non topflight-proven Taylor Harwood-Bellis at CB, they loan him out again or sell him) 

then this is their entire set of defensive backs:

CB Rúben Dias 
CB Nathan Aké  (often was the starting LB)
CB John Stones (and often played in a hybrid DMF/sweeper role, as Kalvin Phillips was a major bust and Máximo Perrone, the Argie youth, was not ready. perhaps this is where Kova goes)
CB Manuel Akanji (often was the starting RB)

LB Sergio Gómez  (shite IMHO)
RB Rico Lewis  only 18yo (and small, 1.69m, and vulnerable in the air)

Yan Couto (RB) is back from loan but he is so not top quality (was not even remotely a full timer at the meh Girona) and is a dwarf

Which makes all the more bizarre, if reports are right, that they are willing to let Bernardo go. He's 28 and looks pretty energetic when on the pitch.

I think I see it--which is the reason I don't rate him as a key player (for me City has 2 of those and that's it)--he struggles in certain types of games. I agree he's good enough esp in the PL, so he'd fit right in that right wing just fine.

They may have something lined up which we don't know about.

Edited July 6, 2023 by robsblubot

[Pizy 18,849]

Jeez, I didn’t realize Dybala is nearly 30. Feels like he’s been around forever but I figured he was still like 25 or something. 

[NikkiCFC 8,286]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

I rate Bernardo and he certainly would help is creatively and he is a left-footer who can play RW

unpopular opinion (perhaps)

IF Citeh lose both Gündoğan and Bernardo and do not adequately replace them, it will deffo sting, maybe hard

those two were massive keys to that team last year

Kova is not not a goal scorer, nor really an assists machine

if Mahrez (who turns 33yo this season) has a similar drop-off that he had from 2021/22 to 2022/23 and then you remove Bernardo, they are down to only two great wingers (and only 3 overall, counting Mahrez) and both Grealish and Foden prefer the LW. Pep will simply have to (if they buy no RWer and Mahrez does continue to deteriorate) likely force Foden to play on the RW, (I see no reason why the lad insists on the LW, as he is a left footer and should make a great RWer)

they REALLY (if they buy no one to replace Bernardo) need Cole Palmer, the youth to step up (big plus, he is a left footer and can perhaps fill in at RW) BUT they are tlking about loaning him out

they also (as I have said for ages) have real fullback issues (they are for sure dumping Cancelo, and Walker is both ageing and likely leaving)

if they do not get Gvardiol and they lose Laporte, then the fill-in fullbacks (the erstwhile CBs Ake and Akanji) will forced to play CB enough that they (at least one) cannot be considered a full-time FB. 

If Ake is not the LB, then they are down to the dire Sergio Gómez, and if Walker and Cancelo leave, then Citeh had best hope the 18yo Rico Lewis is indeed the real deal, as their only other RB option is the CB Akanji.

If Cancelo and Walker leave, and they do not pull Gvardiol (or another CB) and add no fullbacks and Laporte also leaves (another IF: they do not use the young, non topflight-proven Taylor Harwood-Bellis at CB, they loan him out again or sell him) 

then this is their entire set of defensive backs:

CB Rúben Dias 
CB Nathan Aké  (often was the starting LB)
CB John Stones (and often played in a hybrid DMF/sweeper role, as Kalvin Phillips was a major bust and Máximo Perrone, the Argie youth, was not ready. perhaps this is where Kova goes)
CB Manuel Akanji (often was the starting RB)

LB Sergio Gómez  (shite IMHO)
RB Rico Lewis  only 18yo (and small, 1.69m, and vulnerable in the air)

Yan Couto (RB) is back from loan but he is so not top quality (was not even remotely a full timer at the meh Girona) and is a dwarf

Looking at that new Pep formation 3241 or 3223 doesn't look like he needs full backs. 

[Vesper 30,085]

Chelsea set to complete the signing of leftback Ishé Samuels-Smith from Everton

https://theathletic.com/4668807/2023/07/05/Chelsea-samuels-smith-everton/

Chelsea are set to complete the signing of Ishe Samuels-Smith from Everton for a fee close to £4m.

The 17-year-old defender has agreed a three-year deal with the London club.

The highly-rated teenager featured prominently for Everton’s youth sides this season and was named on the first team bench for the 4-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Bournemouth on November 22 as well as the 3-1 defeat to Fulham on April 15.

Samuels-Smith, who was born in Manchester, first began to represent Everton as a nine-year-old and featured for the under-18 and under-21 sides this campaign.

He has also represented England at Under-15, Under-16, and Under-17 level, and was the only Englishman named in the UEFA team of the tournament at the UEFA under-17 European Championships earlier this summer.

GO DEEPER

No signings, a thinner squad and the wait for investment drags on - the state of play at Everton

 

Samuels-Smith has a twin brother, Odin, who also plays for Everton.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Vesper

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

Please Todd get this done now.

AC Milan have made an improved $24m (£18.9m) for Chelsea and United States winger Christian Pulisic, 24. (Mail)

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

Sorry to have to post on this subject again, it's really dragging on..

Chelsea are preparing an offer worth £85m for Brighton's 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo. (Diego Arcos, via Football.London)

[ZAPHOD2319 4,799]

U21 purchases, transfer fees and salaries do not count toward FFP. Only the profit of future sales.

[Strike 7,474]

44 minutes ago, bigbluewillie said:

Please Todd get this done now.

AC Milan have made an improved $24m (£18.9m) for Chelsea and United States winger Christian Pulisic, 24. (Mail)

Last year of his contract too. Need to sell

[Special Juan 28,091]

Pulisic is gone, deal was shook on late last night- Plans are to travel this weekend to Milan