Chelsea Transfers

[Superblue 6,331]

5 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Sadly the club seems set on Rice for what ever fucking reason. Chelsea through and through will always be a laugh to me when three years ago this lad told the Matthew Harding Stand to "fuck off" after they beat us at the bridge. Philips is a more natural DM than Rice is either way yet we aren't interested. 

I for one see the midfield as an absolute priority over others. At the very least I will take Bissouma + Gallagher into next season, and hope by some miracle Jorginho elevates his game with the time off during the World Cup. 

Personally I'd take a chance on Bissouma if he didn't have the sexual assault charges ongoing. He's a dominant, physical presence in there that is also very comfortable on the ball and has proven to be an important cog in a possession heavy side already. I think he'd be capable of making the step up and wouldn't cost the earth. Besides him though I don't see anyone standing out at the moment as an obvious and realistic option and the worry is reaching for someone because we've done enough of that in the past and we've been burned badly as a result. 

I agree with you the midfield does need to be addressed amongst other positions, but we're no longer in a position like we were under Roman to write off poor transfer decisions. Unless the club have someone scouted under the radar for this summer, I'm reluctant to see us spend huge money on someone who clearly isn't one of our top targets for that position.

[Stats 6,980]

14 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

This thread has more information than just the first tweet.

 

I get he wants the move, but we need to be rigid and not just rid of him because he wants out. So we loan him out, want him to agree to wage cut but we still will pay him partly while at Inter? Come of it. Are we mugs?

[MoroccanBlue 5,194]

7 minutes ago, milka said:

true professionalism 😂

 

 

Just all the more reason to get rid what ever possible. 

Cannot have him sulking up the dressing room and training ground knowing he did well try and leave from the beginning. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

2 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

 

Sounds like they might just be playing everyone off against each other trying to push the price up.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

1 hour ago, LAM09 said:

RLC "helped" Fulham get relegated and still had a notable role within the squad last season.

It's all just opinion of course but, as I wrote at the time, if Ruben suddenly looks a good fit for your squad then that's evidence of an issue with the squad. An issue borne out by the wildly inconsistent performances I'd say.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

What notable role was that? [For RLC]

 

1 hour ago, LAM09 said:

Playing in a FA Cup semi-final and starting a CL quarter-final. Those are two that come to mind.

Again, I say this is evidence of issues with our squad, not evidence of Ruben's output. If our midfield was as strong as we all agree it needs to be then Ruben wouldn't be in it.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

1 hour ago, King Kante said:

Not really fair. Yes, he isn't a world beater where he can go in and drag those teams to safety by himself (especially as both those teams where of a standard that meant they should be relegated.) However, equally I would say Ampadu is someone we can use as a means to fill a squad place if we flush Sarr and RLC to get some capital to fill the holes we have. 

If it goes that way then lets hope you are right but my own view, expressed during 2018/19, is that Ethan is not good enough at either of his positions.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

58 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I for one am not fickle enough to believe our season went to shit because we lost Chilwell and James for the majority of it. Issues were there from the get go.

Yep.

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I really hate doing this but I am keeping receipts on the members who feel there isn't an issue going into next season with the same midfield. They are well in for a massive, massive disappointment. 

This is gonna be fun. 🙂

[OhForAGreavsie 5,773]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I'd like to see us address the midfield this summer but when you have to start questioning who really is out there who can come in and be almost a guaranteed improvement on what we currently have, there has to be concern.

There are a number of positions we need to improve in not just this summer but likely a project over the next 2 or 3 years. 

What we cannot afford to do is fall into the same trap as last year where we went and spent a fortune on Lukaku who wasn't the elite player we wanted for that position but was the best available player for that position at that time. The sanctions not withstanding, had we not bought Lukaku last summer we may have had a really good chance at Haaland this summer having done some leg work into the transfer last summer.

If our first choices are available for defenders, wing backs, attackers this summer then that's what needs to be concentrated on and midfield will need to be addressed in a later window when maybe we have a chance of buying someone like Rice or Bellingham who would be top tier targets on our radar. We have to start being smarter with our transfer activity. When Liverpool couldn't get Van Dijk they waited for him. When City couldn't get Kane last summer they didn't panic buy and now have Haaland. The last thing we should be doing is buying for the sake of buying.

Other than the bit about Haaland, which we see differently, I like what you say here. Nothing more really needs to be said. You are self-evidently correct and I hope no one here disagrees.

Edited June 6, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[Vesper 27,283]

1 hour ago, King Kante said:

FDJ is a premium player. If we actually have a chance of signing him, then he has to be signed even if I don't think (as I've explained above) CM is a pressing issue. 

Only CM's I would be interested in are: 

Bellingham 

Rice

FDJ

However, the first two are impossible this Summer and FDJ is questionable. 

Rice is a classic DMF, not a CMF

Bellingham can play anywhere in the MF (even AMF), but seems best as a box to box atm

De Jong is similar, just not at all an AMF possibility

[Vesper 27,283]

5 hours ago, Vytis33 said:

What's a fair transfer fee for Rice?  That 150M reported sounds bananas

£85-90m

£100m MAX

[Vesper 27,283]

7 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

So far only Tchouameni, Rice, and Sangare. There are other rumours about Bissouma and Phillips as well. 

Ibrahim Sangaré is deffo Bakayoko 2.0

will loose my mind if we drop £40m or so on him

[Vesper 27,283]

1 hour ago, King Kante said:

FDJ is a premium player. If we actually have a chance of signing him, then he has to be signed even if I don't think (as I've explained above) CM is a pressing issue. 

Only CM's I would be interested in are: 

Bellingham 

Rice

FDJ

However, the first two are impossible this Summer and FDJ is questionable. 

you are forgetting a BEAST

Gavi

and he is still not renewed

he is going to be an all-time Spanish great I wager, IF he stays healthy

I think he will end up better than Pedri (who is also a beast)

 

[Vesper 27,283]

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I for one am not fickle enough to believe our season went to shit because we lost Chilwell and James

🙄

losing both at same time for a long time was a MASSIVE blow

our system is so wingback dependent

and great wingbacks/fullbacks are SO rare,

especially RB's

only 5 remotely WC RB¨s on the planet unless you shift Kimmich back to RB

then the ageing (probably this coming season is his last top one) but still WC (especially on defence)

the drop off after those 5 (or 6 if you count Kimmich, and TBH, Walker soon drops off that list, he turns 33 next May, so its really 4 if you are looking long term)

is insane

Carvajal (who turns 31 midseason) had a HUGE CL final (best outfield player on the pitch, and I detest him, so hardly stanning), rolled back the years, but he was in decline all season

 

 

[Vesper 27,283]

1 hour ago, milka said:

true professionalism 😂

 

 

fucking assclown

[MoroccanBlue 5,194]

21 minutes ago, Vesper said:

🙄

losing both at same time for a long time was a MASSIVE blow

our system is so wingback dependent

and great wingbacks/fullbacks are SO rare,

especially RB's

only 5 remotely WC RB¨s on the planet unless you shift Kimmich back to RB

then the ageing (probably this coming season is his last top one) but still WC (especially on defence)

the drop off after those 5 (or 6 if you count Kimmich, and TBH, Walker soon drops off that list, he turns 33 next May, so its really 4 if you are looking long term)

is insane

Carvajal (who turns 31 midseason) had a HUGE CL final (best outfield player on the pitch, and I detest him, so hardly stanning), rolled back the years, but he was in decline all season

 

 

That for me is the issue. James and Chilwell need to be 100% for the system to be effective and that is not sustainable unless our goal is to become a cup team. 

[Magic Lamps 11,446]

2 hours ago, milka said:

true professionalism 😂

 

 

That makes me even less hopeful that we will get rid of him.... Once Lukaku wants to something happen he is destined to fail -.-

[Magic Lamps 11,446]

2 final thoughts on the CM/DMF and WB pressing issues:

We do not necessarily need world class players as WB backups IF Chilly returns to his pre-injury level. But what we need is players who are perfectly to play the position the way TT wants them. Given that our plan is to keep Emerson as LWB backup to Chilly I doubt we have much of an ambition to secure someone like hakimi for big money fo rthis position. So our scouting department will have to dig really deep to find someone compatible.

For CM/DMF i do not think we need to have a traditional holder. Many teams with double pivot roll with 2 box to box midfielder but they will nee to have a good balance of offensive and defensive capabilities. I think Kovacic-Kante DP has always worked alright defensively but just lacks end product. someone like bellingham could easily play with kovacic or Kante there. Maybe even Gallagher.