Chelsea Transfers

[Superblue 6,331]

For me I'd be against Lewandowski for the same reasons I'd be against Ronaldo.

Whilst it was far from perfect, in Tuchel's first 6 months he didn't just make us solid but we were playing some really effective football, it just wasn't being reflected in score lines. We played Liverpool off the park at Anfield, deserved our wins against City and really should have won by 4 or 5 against Madrid in the semi amongst others.

What we should have done last summer is continue to follow that path but improve the quality of what we had. In buying Lukaku we moved completely away from what brought us that initial success under Tuchel. Lukaku's attitude was wrong, and his ability on the ball hampered us, but his lack of both ability and willingness to press created significantly problems in my opinion last season for being able to win the ball higher up the field and build sustained pressure on opponents. Add to that his price tag and perceived notion of a big player who becomes difficult to drop just adds to the overall issue. 

In my opinion the best three performances last season were at home to Juventus, away to Southampton and away to Madrid. They felt more like the Chelsea from the season before and how Tuchel wanted us to play. Lukaku didn't play in any of them.

I feel adding Ronaldo or Lewandowski to this squad will have some advantages. Let's not forget that Lukaku still finished top scorer last season so someone or some players have to step up and replace those goals and one of the above would certainly fill that spot. But at the age that both are, neither are going to allow us to play with an aggressive pressing game and both have a status that makes it difficult to drop them or utilise them as squad players like the rest of the attack.

As I alluded to, it's a risk because can our attack give us enough goals to win most games and compete for trophies. But I definitely prefer the moves we seem to have been going for in Sterling and possibly Raphinha, as they suggest moving away from the Lukaku experiment and back to a more energetic and fluid attack, but hopefully with a bit more quality and clinical edge in front of goal.

[DDA 9,570]

3 hours ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I’m sorry, weren’t you the ones last week that told us to be patient? 

I can't remember what I said 5 minutes ago mate.

[Tomo 21,681]

12 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

In my opinion the best three performances last season were at home to Juventus, away to Southampton and away to Madrid. They felt more like the Chelsea from the season before and how Tuchel wanted us to play. Lukaku didn't play in any of them.

I'd add Burnley at home (despite the result) and Leicester away in that too.

Although (you would think) they wont flop like Lukaku i'm delighted Liverpool and City have forked out hugely on out and out 9's.

[Superblue 6,331]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

I'd add Burnley at home (despite the result) and Leicester away in that too.

Although (you would think) they wont flop like Lukaku i'm delighted Liverpool and City have forked out hugely on out and out 9's.

There might be a couple more but the only game I can really think of where we played well with Lukaku was his debut against Arsenal and they were an absolute shambles at that stage. Even the game at the start of the season at home to Villa where we won 3-0, we got completely played off the park and were far too easy from front to back to play against and in hindsight it was a pre cursor to what would follow.

I know there will be games where it doesn't happen and the usual question marks will come up about having a genuine out and out goal scorer but I'd rather see Tuchel go back towards that. If he wants to evolve us into a 4 atb system or stick to the back 3, that's for him to decide but in my opinion we are currently much better suited to playing with a more fluent attacking unit without necessary a more focal, static point, but with the ability and willingness of all to press together properly as a unit.

Sterling I think fits what Tuchel wants us to become like a glove, and I feel Raphinha does too if we managed to get him. If we could bring those two in, possibly alongside Broja in exchange for Lukaku and Ziyech I'd be delighted with those moves. 

[LAM09 6,547]

2 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

I don't think it was expected that Marina, Cech & Co. would up and go at the start of the transfer window.

Their departure might be a beneficial move long term, but if it somehow impacts our transfer window and a top 4 finish this year, then we're going to feel the burn for a lot longer than that.

Did we want those behind the Lukaku deal to remain & cause more damage?

[Vegetable 787]

I hope the club had actually given up on Raphinia. It's a pure disgrace to the club to be basically called second choice worst case scenario in media by agent and player in some teeny-tiny games with Barca, no place for those guys here. And he's hardly an improvement anyway, I'm sick of buying players who are way below Chelsea level and then surprisingly turn out to be way below Chelsea level and and purely financial burden season later.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Vegetable

[Blue Armour 4,164]

1 minute ago, LAM09 said:

Did we want those behind the Lukaku deal to remain & cause more damage?

They had to go at some point.

I'm only questioning the timing. 

[LAM09 6,547]

Just now, Blue Armour said:

They had to go at some point.

I'm only questioning the timing. 

A fresh start from the get go was probably the only option. I couldn't see getting rid of them midseason or a year from now being practical. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,197]

Lewa would be fantastic 

[Pizy 17,860]

If the club are somehow in the position to choose between CR7 and Lewa, I’d 100% take Lewa. I think he’d slot in our team much more seamlessly. And he doesn’t consume all of the oxygen and demand all the spotlight that Ronaldo does both on and off the pitch. He would never be a distraction or dressing room controversy.

I still have a faint hope or feeling that Barca’s incompetence will somehow play to our advantage with one of these dominoes. Whether it’s Raphinha, Dembele, or Lewandowski. Still be shocked if they can afford all 3 whilst also adding the wages of Azpi, AC, Kessie, and Alonso to their books.

[Superblue 6,331]

30 minutes ago, Vegetable said:

I hope the club had actually given up on Raphinia. It's a pure disgrace to the club to be basically called second choice worst case scenario in media by agent and player in some teeny-tiny games with Barca, no place for those guys here. And he's hardly an improvement anyway, I'm sick of buying players who are way below Chelsea level and then surprisingly turn out to be way below Chelsea level and and purely financial burden season later.

I see this comment and loads on social media claiming Chelsea, Tuchel, Boehly, etc have no "pull" etc and it's laughable.

People seem to think a club just decides to buy player A and within a couple of days it's done. In the same way any one of us would want time to decide on moving home, changing jobs, etc don't think that football players don't want similar, particularly the top level ones that may have multiple options. For many, they have to decide on moving cities, or even countries. Many have young families to also take into consideration. For some they like to find out about a club interested, maybe speak to other players there. 

Many of the top clubs will make initial moves for players months in advance. City will have laid the groundwork to sign Haaland for a few months. Barcelona laid the groundwork to sign Raphinha reportedly 4 or 5 months ago. Bayern have likely shown an interest in De Ligt for a while now themselves.

We've gone immediately into a transfer window cold and we're mostly competing with other top clubs for players we want, some of which will have already shown their interest and made their pitch to these players way before now, and given them time to think about such moves. It's reported that Sterling was really appreciative of Tuchel and Boehly giving him time to consider moving to Chelsea, and if something positive comes out of Raphinha I would expect he will similarly feel appreciative too. 

Some of this window is going to have to result in the club being a bit more patient to work on deals. Hopefully in future windows a structure can be put in place and the right personnel to be able to be far more efficient in identifying and securing targets much earlier in a transfer window, but for this summer we just have to accept how much we've been hindered by the sanctions and the fall out within our ownership and hierarchy at the club.

[Tomo 21,681]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

There might be a couple more but the only game I can really think of where we played well with Lukaku was his debut against Arsenal and they were an absolute shambles at that stage. Even the game at the start of the season at home to Villa where we won 3-0, we got completely played off the park and were far too easy from front to back to play against and in hindsight it was a pre cursor to what would follow.

I know there will be games where it doesn't happen and the usual question marks will come up about having a genuine out and out goal scorer but I'd rather see Tuchel go back towards that. If he wants to evolve us into a 4 atb system or stick to the back 3, that's for him to decide but in my opinion we are currently much better suited to playing with a more fluent attacking unit without necessary a more focal, static point, but with the ability and willingness of all to press together properly as a unit.

Sterling I think fits what Tuchel wants us to become like a glove, and I feel Raphinha does too if we managed to get him. If we could bring those two in, possibly alongside Broja in exchange for Lukaku and Ziyech I'd be delighted with those moves. 

I think the time I started to worry was as early as the second half at Anfield. The first half was an uncharacteristically decent display in a big game for him but the second half worried me because a) he was kept on when he should have been the first off with a backs to the wall performance required which hinted that he'd be playing 90 minutes unconditionally and b) he jogged around while the rest of the team were working their bollax off to maintain a draw with ten men.

The City and Juve games were when reality truly hit me. Well I say all that above i always knew but once his return was at the point of quite clearly going to happen I tried to convince myself he did improve under Conte (tactically that is, I didn't have any illusions that he'd come back technically decent but I held some delusional hope he had learned to work around his lack of technique ala Diego Costa).

Edited July 9, 2022 by Tomo

[Vegetable 787]

54 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I see this comment and loads on social media claiming Chelsea, Tuchel, Boehly, etc have no "pull" etc and it's laughable.

(snip)

Yeah, that's all true, but not where my point actually is; I'm aware big transfers are big process with lot of people and time involved (even if I can imagine Chelsea is known for shithouse madness style of business like in Sunderland documentary, lol) and players are dealing with several clubs to very last moment, but in this particular case facts are one thing and politics is another one - you cannot shit on your potential employer in media, Lukaku-style, it's a no way to start any sort of relationship, even if purely business one. Especially that we are talking player who is mediocore at best and he and Deco are making us look like we are begging a guy, who, for me, could as well go to Turkey or whatever, to come here. From freaking Leeds. Depreciating other side of deal is a negotiation tactic, but club of CFC level shouldn't let itself be played like this.

And well, the "pull" is part of properly working business. Oil money aside, big clubs can attract big players. Our inability to do so was excused with it being "smart business", but it only goes so far. I can understand some upcoming star prefers living in Spain instead of London, but if players prefer Bayern over us, that's a worrying sign.

Of course, I can understand that the club is in transition as a company and it hinders it's initial workings, but Boehly isn't a child in the dark; If we can't do good in this window then f**k it and roll with Kennedy and academy instead of getting another Drinkwater-Batsman-Bakayoko-core fella or replace Zyiech with 0,003% better version of him for only 60 mil pounds. 

Club of our calibre should either do spectacular business like RM or a smart one like we did on several occasions, but recently I feel like we do neither and it's worrying. 

 

If we are seriously aiming for Sterling, Ake (why sell with no buyback then?), Raphinia and Kondue, who, with all respect, are not topmost of dream transfers, not to say they sound rather mid-table, and cannot secure any of them, that's not a good sign either. Planning and life changes? True, but if Real calls, most of guys are there next morning. And us?

Edited July 9, 2022 by Vegetable

[Mário César 812]

 

I start to believe that neither Koulibaly neither De Ligt will be sold, tbh

[xPetrCechx 13,546]

18 minutes ago, Mário César said:

 

I start to believe that neither Koulibaly neither De Ligt will be sold, tbh

Especially to us...

[Mário César 812]

7 minutes ago, xPetrCechx said:

Especially to us...

Even to Juve or Juve selling to Bayern

If Juve don't get Koulibaly I have very doubts that they will sell MDL to Bayern... 

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

 

[Jype 6,398]

34 minutes ago, Vegetable said:

Especially that we are talking player who is mediocore at best and he and Deco are making us look like we are begging a guy, who, for me, could as well go to Turkey or whatever, to come here. From freaking Leeds.

Did Raphinha shag your missus or what? 😂

17G + 12A in 60 league starts for a relatively low-scoring side like Leeds is not a bad feat by any means. Raphinha is far from mediocre and I'd take him any day ahead of players like Pulisic, Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi.

Nothing wrong with him taking a week to see out his options before making the final decision on his next club.