Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 28,765]

17 minutes ago, chelsea_4_eva said:

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.

a massive loss, and we will likely have to eat a huge chunk of his salary too (if he is going back to Inter)

I would say we take a £50m plus hit when the books are closed

disastrous buy

nightmarish

we spent/committed to, counting salaries and fees and add-ons, around £325m on KEPA AND LUKAKU

let that sink in

when the final books are closed, from summer 2016/17 onward to the end of Roman reign (so counting this coming summer window, plus any player still here from Roman times who is sold or lost on a free later), the total losses in fucked up sales, fucked contract management, shit buys, fucked up non buys, non sales, shit sales, etc etc

are going to be over 3/4ers of billion quid, with a good chance at being over 1 billion USD

Edited April 25, 2022 by Vesper

[OhForAGreavsie 5,890]

39 minutes ago, Vesper said:

when the final books are closed, from summer 2016/17 onward to the end of Roman reign (so counting this coming summer window, plus any player still here from Roman times who is sold or lost on a free later), the total losses in fucked up sales, fucked contract management, shit buys, fucked up non buys, non sales, shit sales, etc etc are going to be over 3/4ers of billion quid, with a good chance at being over 1 billion USD

I think anyone who wasn't previously aware of it now knows that Chelsea fans love what Roman has done for our club and that we are very loyal to him as a result. We are not blind however and what you say here, if read the right way, shows why we should all be massively optimistic about the change of ownership. Roman has done brilliantly for us but his stewardship has featured many, many poor decisions and some poor policies. Despite the fact that we have been the most successful English side during his time in charge there is a lot of room to do things even better.

There is no guarantee that the new owners will do things better, but the opportunity is there so there's plenty of room for the optimism I mentioned above. If the new owners can draw on their experience of running major sports businesses then there are many things they can improve which would make a positive impact on our team and save money at the same time. For this reason I prefer the Pagliuca and Boehly bids. It's fairly certain that the new owners won't throw in more and more cash to cover for mistakes in the way Roman has done but they shouldn't need to. Do it right and the new people can play Jesus to Roman's John The Baptist. The rest of the Premier League had a tough time outperforming Chelsea during the Roman era. Things could be about to get even worse for them.

That's the positive take anyway. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[Vesper 28,765]

13 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I think anyone who wasn't previously aware of it now knows that Chelsea fans love what Roman has done for our club and are very loyal to him as a result. We are not blind however and what you say here, if read the right way, shows why we should all be massively optimistic about the change of ownership. Roman has done brilliantly for us but his stewardship has featured many, many poor decisions and some poor policies. Despite the fact that we have been the most successful English side during his time in charge there is a lot of room to do things even better.

There is no guarantee that the new owners will do things better, but the opportunity is there so there's plenty of room for the optimism I mentioned above. If the new owners can draw on their experience of running major sports businesses then there are many things they can improve which would make a positive impact on our team and save money at the same time. For this reason I prefer the Pagliuca and Boehly bids. It's fairly certain that the new owners won't throw in more and more cash to cover for mistakes in the way Roman has done but the shouldn't need to. Do it right and the new people can play Jesus to Roman's John The Baptist. The rest of the Premier League had a tough time outperforming Chelsea during the Roman era. Things could be about to get even worse for them.

That's the positive take anyway. 

Pagliuca is a liberal yank democrat, so that makes me feel better

I just want owners who love the club and will send proper money

I still wish the fucking Kuwaitis would have bought us and but some brilliant brit (hell add Boehly too, I really like him) in as the front person and given them a lot of control (to a point)

I feel like thus Broughton/Coe bid is being rammed down the our and nation's throats as proper 'union jack' (and it is barely fucking British money-wise)

[Tomo 21,733]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

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.

How realistic is the possibility of getting Lamptey back? I had my heart set on activating Livra's clause but his injury could take a while to recover from even when back. I know Tariq doesn't exactly have the cleanest bill of health but none of his injury's seem to have affected his performance so far.

[Superblue 6,370]

Just now, Tomo said:

How realistic is the possibility of getting Lamptey back? I had my heart set on activating Livra's clause but his injury could take a while to recover from even when back. I know Tariq doesn't exactly have the cleanest bill of health but none of his injury's seem to have affected his performance so far.

Like Cash, you'd imagine it would cost a decent chunk of change and is Lamptey going to be prepared to go back to a position he foresaw himself in before he left the club with Reece James there?

I wouldn't be against bringing Lamptey back but realistically I think we need 2 starting quality centre backs and a quality midfielder this summer so it's a situation of spending in the right places. 

If Chilwell can get back to full fitness and the situation seems to be positive for now that he's already back in light training and delaying the surgery was also apparently a positive towards recovery, then I'm not against Alonso staying on another season and rolling with the pair on the left hand side. Alonso is more than competent as a squad player but has been completely flogged to death this season by Chilwell's absence. 

On the right though, we definitely need an alternative to James at wing back but realistically we're not getting someone in over him but instead to back him up. As a result I wouldn't want to see us spending a fortune on doing so.

[Strike 7,217]

30 minutes ago, Tomo said:

How realistic is the possibility of getting Lamptey back? I had my heart set on activating Livra's clause but his injury could take a while to recover from even when back. I know Tariq doesn't exactly have the cleanest bill of health but none of his injury's seem to have affected his performance so far.

Livra's clause kicks in next year too. There is a need for a wingback this summer itself I'd say.

[Superblue 6,370]

44 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I think anyone who wasn't previously aware of it now knows that Chelsea fans love what Roman has done for our club and that we are very loyal to him as a result. We are not blind however and what you say here, if read the right way, shows why we should all be massively optimistic about the change of ownership. Roman has done brilliantly for us but his stewardship has featured many, many poor decisions and some poor policies. Despite the fact that we have been the most successful English side during his time in charge there is a lot of room to do things even better.

There is no guarantee that the new owners will do things better, but the opportunity is there so there's plenty of room for the optimism I mentioned above. If the new owners can draw on their experience of running major sports businesses then there are many things they can improve which would make a positive impact on our team and save money at the same time. For this reason I prefer the Pagliuca and Boehly bids. It's fairly certain that the new owners won't throw in more and more cash to cover for mistakes in the way Roman has done but they shouldn't need to. Do it right and the new people can play Jesus to Roman's John The Baptist. The rest of the Premier League had a tough time outperforming Chelsea during the Roman era. Things could be about to get even worse for them.

That's the positive take anyway. 

I want to see someone with some big bollocks coming in and laying out a strategy for the club and in doing so, being prepared to potentially make some big decisions.

You and @Vesper are absolutely right, there has been far too many poor decisions the club has made particularly in the transfer market. Some of it clearly stems from chopping and changing managers and ending up as a result with a squad that has been built across multiple managers with differing styles and philosophies. It's hard to argue against the managerial changes when trophies (and especially the Champions League) rock up, but ultimately I feel it is a big factor why we've struggled to maintain consistency across a season to compete in the league for the last few years.

The signs seem to point to all the remaining bidders being high on Tuchel and providing him with some stability to rebuild the team will be a positive. I'd much rather he be looking at how to shape the club with the next few years in mind, rather than just "how am I going to keep my job this season?" To me, that always felt like why Tuchel seemed to get on board with the Lukaku transfer. He clearly wasn't a fit but he seemingly filled a need in a squad that lacked a genuine goalscorer, which was a weakness that Tuchel knew very well could end up costing him his job. 

It's alarming that a number of our highest earners are amongst our poorest contributors to the squad and this is something that I think definitely needs addressing. The likes of Lukaku, Kepa, Werner are all being linked with moves away and it potentially offers an opportunity to bring down the wage ceiling to a more manageable level at a time when we also should be looking at locking down some of our players such as Mount, James, even Havertz to long term contracts to help learn from the Rudiger/Christensen situation.

There has to be a big decision made this summer on Jorginho and Kante, both with a year left on their contracts and both now into their 30's. I don't think either has performed anywhere near the level they produced at the back end of last season but both still carry high stock and I wouldn't be against the club cashing in on either or even both this summer. I know letting Kante leave would be highly unpopular amongst a number of Chelsea fans, and the media will have a frenzy over it but it may be the intelligent move because we've had his best years and for a player who relies on his physical abilities over his technical ability, as this starts to diminish we'll see a shadow of the player we've grown to love. That's why it may need someone coming in with the conviction to make a decision which may be unpopular at first but may also be the right one long term for the club.

[Tomo 21,733]

23 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

Like Cash, you'd imagine it would cost a decent chunk of change and is Lamptey going to be prepared to go back to a position he foresaw himself in before he left the club with Reece James there?

I wouldn't be against bringing Lamptey back but realistically I think we need 2 starting quality centre backs and a quality midfielder this summer so it's a situation of spending in the right places. 

If Chilwell can get back to full fitness and the situation seems to be positive for now that he's already back in light training and delaying the surgery was also apparently a positive towards recovery, then I'm not against Alonso staying on another season and rolling with the pair on the left hand side. Alonso is more than competent as a squad player but has been completely flogged to death this season by Chilwell's absence. 

On the right though, we definitely need an alternative to James at wing back but realistically we're not getting someone in over him but instead to back him up. As a result I wouldn't want to see us spending a fortune on doing so.

I feel the situation is a bit different now from when he left. Back then we looked at playing a back 4 and James was there aswell as Azpi still playing well, and Lampard never played him even when we went 3atb (nor gave him any more chances to build on that Arsenal cameo).

James it appears can't really play in that position week in week out and with the CB's departing he may be needed more at RCB (don't think we will sign two established CB's it will be one plus Colwill I feel) a bit more often which opens up the space at wingback and that's before we mention James' injury record and Azpi probably has one year left here at most.

There's an opening for him now.

[Superblue 6,370]

1 minute ago, Tomo said:

I feel the situation is a bit different now from when he left. Back then we looked at playing a back 4 and James was there aswell as Azpi still playing well, and Lampard never played him even when we went 3atb (nor gave him any more chances to build on that Arsenal cameo).

James it appears can't really play in that position week in week out and with the CB's departing he may be needed more at RCB (don't think we will sign two established CB's it will be one plus Colwill I feel) a bit more often which opens up the space at wingback and that's before we mention James' injury record and Azpi probably has one year left here at most.

There's an opening for him now.

I would agree but we go back to the price point. A top team moves for him, Brighton will probably demand £40-50m for him - does he and has he justified that outlay? 

His injury record worries me too. Not so much major injuries but he seems to miss a lot of games or struggles to finish many games with niggles and knocks.

[Vesper 28,765]

by far our best players this season (Mendy made too many huge mistakes, but was a positive overall, just not in the 'best')

Antonio Rüdiger 
Thiago Silva  (IF he plays every game to full time left, he will hit 4000 minutes, which is insane for a 37 year old  (38yo 3 months after season ends)
Reece James  (when healthy, and his production is insane)
Mateo Kovacic 
Mason Mount   
Kai Havertz 

 

Silva is my POY

Mount 2nd (if he had scored one of those 2 misses in the League Cup final and if we beat Pool in the FA Cup, he could have been my POY)

Kai 3rd

Rudiger 4th

Kova 5th

Mendy 6th

Kante 7th

Azpi 8th

Jorginho 9th

Alonso 10th

Ziyech 11th

Pulisic 12th (super sub)

 

Werner, for all his huge faults, and shit he gets, in a 4000 minute season is tracking to 35 goals produced (he has 17 (11 and 6) in 1900 minutes)

if he could shoot, he would have produced 45-50 total goals or so in a 4000 min season, more than likely

 

 

[Vesper 28,765]

I have no interest in Lamptey

pass

too short and injury prone

[Vesper 28,765]

15 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

 Brighton will probably demand £40-50m for him - does he and has he justified that outlay? 

no team on the planet will pay that, come on

he is a dwarf and injury prone

[Superblue 6,370]

Just now, Vesper said:

no team on the planet will pay that, come on

he is a dwarf and injury prone

Wouldn't be surprised to see Arsenal go in for him.

Maybe they'll be able to knock the price down a little, especially if there's no one else really in for him but I would expect Brighton to be wanting at least £30m for him.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

2 hours ago, chelsea_4_eva said:

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.

Should be around €70m - €80m. Higuain at the same age costed Juve €90m.

Edited April 25, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Vesper 28,765]

2 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

Wouldn't be surprised to see Arsenal go in for him.

Maybe they'll be able to knock the price down a little, especially if there's no one else really in for him but I would expect Brighton to be wanting at least £30m for him.

I would not pay £30m for him

he is almost 22, so he really needs to start showing something the next 2, 3 years, or he goes into RLC territory, all promise, not true delivery of the goods

he is always injured (now a knee)

he is 20, yes 20, cms shorter than me, a cisgendered female (granted I am on the tall side, but still)

and when he does play, he is not that productive

no goals, 2 assists (one of them against a horrific Watford side) in 1600 minutes

pass

[OhForAGreavsie 5,890]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Pagliuca is a liberal yank democrat, so that makes me feel better

Tick.

[Stats 7,053]

8 hours ago, Tomo said:

How realistic is the possibility of getting Lamptey back? I had my heart set on activating Livra's clause but his injury could take a while to recover from even when back. I know Tariq doesn't exactly have the cleanest bill of health but none of his injury's seem to have affected his performance so far.

I like Lamptey a lot but I still think he has more to work on. Especially his end product. Good at beating a man etc but needs to be more consistent. Has very good balance so doesnt get bullied of the ball but his height can be a issue which other teams will target. Misses way too many games as well. Think someone mentioned him earlier, but I really like Djed Spence. Looks a brilliant prospect. But I think he will be looking to go to a PL team to start which he can easily do. At us would not be guaranteed starter.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,476]

Lamptey has had some injury issues since leaving also. I do not think his height effects his one on one defending, but it does hurt us on set pieces.