Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 28,373]

9 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Tbf, we’ve apparently just laid over Nkunku’s release clause to ensure that we got him before a bidding war started. But yeah, the idea that we’d spend over 100m on a midfielder when we’ve currently got a million of them on our books makes no sense.

 

IF we buy Enzo, then no more MFers other than the young Russian AMF, Arsen Zakharyan and maybe Manu Kone (IF we are going to use Manu as a DMF)

screw Rice for £100m plus, and zero chance we buy both Enzo AND Bellingham (I am sticking with my Bellingham ends up at Real prediction, if they want him, no one can stop that, not even for a British player, barring Citeh going WILD and dumping £140m-150m in T-fee and paying him £40-50m per year or so in salary)

 

[Vesper 28,373]

6 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

We need upgrade in MF more than other positions. If we already know Jude wants something else and many of us dont rate Rice at all we should do it. Jorginho and Kante are leaving for free most likely.

I also think that the owners and all these new directors may well be thinking Mount may not renew at a price we want to pay

it's all so fluid atm

I know we should sell the fuck out of RLC and Gallagher whilst we can get a decent price for them

so sick of watching players leave for free on Bosmans

[NikkiCFC 7,901]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

that is around £525m or so spend

lol

good luck with that, especially as we may well have no CL to offer

at least you didn't say Bellingham too

and we need a RB (£30m to £40m or so), GK (£40 to £60m or so, depending on which one), and another CB (Badiashile?) soon (£35 to £40m or so)

£630m to £665m total spend, hell, make it £666m 

and that's not counting all the new and coming youth buys, which kick it to over £700m likely

 

U are right, sounds unrealistic. Nkunku and Badiashile also seems already done. If Gvardiol indeed is not available till 2024 we should leave it like this imo.

I know many wont agree with me but I am fine with Kepa, Chilwell, Fofana, James, Kovacic, Havertz and Nkunku being starters in the years to come. I expect them all to perform at high level.

Zero issues with Kepa last season and a half. I expect Fofana to explode when he is back. Lets hope Badiashile is a hit and we dont have injuries next season. Plus Silva extend one more year and continues to play at top level. Chalobah would be 4th choice. Slonina can take 2nd spot so for GK and defense we just need Reece backup which should be cheep. MF is biggest issue for me. One top DM and one top CM are priority! Caicedo from Brighton and Enzo and I would be over the moon. So these two with Reece backup is around 200m pounds. Leao will have one more year left on contract next summer so we should be able to reduce the price a lot. And because of money issues lets give up on Vlahovic and take Moukoko for free. We will raise some money from Mendy, KK, RLC, Pulisic, Ziyech. Shame we are losing Kante, Jorginho, Azpi for free. Auba should also be dump for free.

A lot of guessing but this would be my choices.

Edited December 28, 2022 by NikkiCFC

[MoroccanBlue 5,281]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

So who should we get for the left sided CB now? We need help now, did you watch KK struggle again, in the Bournemouth game?

these are the top left footer CBs remotely available as of now, or in the summer (or if he does have that release clause, Gvardiol in summer 2024)

no way some would be sold for a January move

Josko Gvardiol  (the best option BY FAR, but he very likely is not available until the summer, and IF he does have that release  clause for 2024, he likely wont leave in the this coming summer barring some insane 130m or so quid offer)
Alessandro Bastoni  (will never leave in summer if Skriniar does)
Pau Torres (I can hear the howls now if we drop big cash on him)
Benoît Badiashile
Aymeric Laporte (is too old for the money Citeh will demand, and his pace seems to have went too much, not that he was ever a speed burner)
Evan Ndicka (my choice, and he is free in the summer, so a toekn bid for January would work)
Nathan Aké  (really?, again?)
Piero Hincapié 
Gonçalo Inácio

drop off

Castello Lukeba (was 19yo until 10 days ago)

drop off

Strahinja Pavlovic 
Max Kilman 
Alessio Romagnoli (that ship has sailed)
Iñigo Martínez  (but turns 32 before this season ends)
Facundo Medina 
Attila Szalai  
Abdou Diallo  
Mario Hermoso
Abakar Sylla 

 

 

Based on what I’ve seen and read from French supporters, he’ll get eaten alive in this league. Not sure why we can’t recall Colwill and asses in the summer. 
 

 

Enzo didn’t just help Argentina win the WC, he completely transformed their midfield. They played with so much more fluidity and were also strong defensively. He’s doing the same thing at Benfica as well. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

3 hours ago, Vesper said:

 

https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/Chelsea/transfer-talk/news/Chelsea-rejected-chance-to-sign-aurelien-tchouameni_495052.html

According to football.london, Chelsea identified Tchouameni as a potential target and years of work behind the scenes has be put in to build a relationship with the midfielder and his entourage.

The report adds that the Blues were one of the frontrunners to recruit the Frenchman and the prospect of representing the European champions would seemingly have appealed to the youngster.

However, The Telegraph claims that senior figures at Stamford Bridge, including former sporting director Marina Granovskaia, were not convinced that Tchouameni was ready to make the next step in his career and they were reluctant to spend big on the midfielder.

Chelsea eventually passed up on the chance to sign Tchouameni and instead recruited Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid on deadline day.

Niguez, however, ultimately struggled in West London and endured a forgettable temporary spell at the club, starting only 11 of his 23 appearances across all competitions.

snip

also

Boehly bemused by Granovskaia call not to pursue Tchouameni over ‘level’ concern at Chelsea

https://www.football365.com/news/boehly-bemused-granovskaia-not-pursue-tchouameni-level-concern-Chelsea

Todd Boehly reportedly ‘does not understand’ Marina Granovskaia’s decision not to pursue a deal for Aurelien Tchouameni.

The 22-year-old – who was reportedly at the top of Liverpool’s wishlist – moved to Real Madrid from Monaco for £72m in the summer.

The midfielder has already made a positive impression on the La Liga side, starting seven of their eight games in all competitions, all of which they’ve won.

Chelsea were heavily linked with a move for Tchouameni in the summer of 2021, with manager Thomas Tuchel a big admirer and director Marina Gravovskaia talking to his representatives.

But they decided not to make a move for the France international as, according to Sport, ‘they were not convinced he could have an immediate impact on Tuchel’s team’.

They didn’t make an offer at the time and didn’t go back in for him this summer as Madrid pounced.

With Tuchel still keen to add to his ranks Chelsea instead signed Saul Niguez on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, presumably as they believed he could make the ‘immediate impact’ they so desired.

 

🙂 You should know by now that I do not, and will not, believe these reports. They are undoubtedly nonsense. I ask again for people to interrogate the following scenario: -

Thomas Tuchel wanted the player, Petr Cech wanted the player, Roman Abramovich wanted the player, but he wasn't pursued because Marina was worried about his level? Do me a favour! It is simply not possible to believe such bollocks. Even for those of you with an agenda against our former director.

[Vesper 28,373]

5 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

🙂 You should know by now that I do not, and will not, believe these reports. They are undoubtedly nonsense. I ask again for people to interrogate the following scenario: -

Thomas Tuchel wanted the player, Petr Cech wanted the player, Roman Abramovich wanted the player, but he wasn't pursued because Marina was worried about his level? Do me a favour! It is simply not possible to believe such bollocks. Even for those of you with an agenda against our former director.

no agenda, I see the carnage left over the years

and you are just in denial about the power she had

Scott McLachlan is also to blame in the case of Tchou and other shite deals or turndowns

 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

7 minutes ago, Vesper said:

and you are just in denial about the power she had

One of us is. 🙂 🙂 

In any case, read the material you linked. When all is said and done, even it does not support the headline being used to push it. Instead, we find phrases like, "They made the decision not to pursue the player." THEY.

Even if Marina communicated the final decision, she was either channelling Roman, or giving cover for a different factor which was the true reason.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

11 hours ago, DDA said:

I hope this is true... when he was mentioned in here before I couldn't stop watching vids of him. Looks fantastic.

So did Denis Zakaria. I desperately want it to work for Denis here but yesterday was another setback for those of us with hopes for him.

Edited December 28, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

On 25/12/2022 at 13:23, DDA said:

I was watching a video if him the other day and have to say his skill set is pretty impressive 

I've only seen him twice and, so far, he looks to me like a tricks and flicks player. A type of player that I really don't like.

[Vesper 28,373]

5 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

One of us is. 🙂 🙂 

In any case, read the material you linked. When all is said and done, even it does not support the headline being used to push it. Instead, we find phrases like, "They made the decision not to pursue the player." THEY.

Even if Marina communicated the final decision, she was either channelling Roman, or giving cover for a different factor which was the true reason.

you are simply trying to diminish her power

reduce her to a stenographer and mere spokesperson for Roman

she was the most powerful employee of the club when it came to the players in/out and their contracts

we are never going to agree

 

[Vesper 28,373]

8 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

So did Denis Zakaria. I desperately want it to work for Denis here but yesterday was another setback for those of us with hopes for him.

I thought he played well overall

[Vesper 28,373]

Enzo Fernandez has Chelsea ready to smash transfer record but Benfica resistance gives Man United and Liverpool hope

Fernandez was a star at the World Cup and Chelsea are ready to smash their transfer record to sign him.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/enzo-fernandez-Chelsea-ready-smash-28825310

Chelsea are prepared to pay a club-record transfer fee to Benfica in order to bring World Cup winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez to the English Premier League next month.

Record Sport understands that an offer in excess of the €127million Benfica took for the 2019 sale of Joao Felix has been proposed by Chelsea's new owners for the Argentina international. Benfica – currently on course to win the Portuguese League for the first time in four seasons and in the last 16 of the Champions League - do not want to jeopardise those twin campaigns by selling Fernandez mid-season.

Chelsea hope the midfielder will push the Lisbon club for an immediate move as they seek to turn around a difficult first season under Todd Boehly's leadership. Fernandez's performances at the Qatar World Cup and during his first half season in European football have been such that the 21-year-old has established himself as an alternative to Jude Bellingham amongst clubs looking to recruit in central midfield.

With Liverpool, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all keen to take Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, Benfica believe they can retain Fernandez until the end of the season and still secure a fee in excess of €80m for the player. Signed from River Plate for an initial transfer fee of €10m in June, Fernandez started every one of Benfica's Liga Portugal games as the club established an eight-point lead at the top of the division.

The midfielder also scored twice in the Champions League to help Benfica secure a knock-out round tie with Club Brugge before making seven appearances during Argentina's successful World Cup campaign. Fernandez returned to Lisbon on Tuesday and is due to discuss Chelsea's approach with his current employers. Benfica – who are contracted to pay 25 per cent of the midfielder's next transfer fee to River Plate – are understood to be open to agreeing the terms of a summer sale.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Vesper

[MoroccanBlue 5,281]

If true, Enzo needs to push for it because if we activate his release clause and he wants the move, nothing Benfica can do. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

28 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I thought he played well overall

I arrived in the 9th minute so I haven't yet seen that part of the the game. In what I did see, Denis had his moments but he frequently wanted more time than he had and gave the ball away a few times. One square ball across our D in the second half was picked off and led to danger.

I watched the game in the company of a young Australian coach of Irish decent whose Irish passport allows him to be here working for his B licence. We each raved about our memories of Denis at Gladbach, but we also agreed that yesterday was not a good outing for him. Well before he was subbed we knew it was coming even though we hoped it wouldn't. I really want GP to give Denis a run of games to get up to speed, because I still believe there is a player there.

Edited December 28, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[OhForAGreavsie 5,874]

27 minutes ago, Vesper said:

we are never going to agree

One day the truth will come out. 🙂

I am not diminishing Marina's power. I just recognise the boundaries of her autonomy.

[Vesper 28,373]

5 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

If true, Enzo needs to push for it because if we activate his release clause and he wants the move, nothing Benfica can do. 

I think it's perhaps 60/40 he turns us down, unless he is a long time Chels fan, which I doubt

We shall see, we are going to have to sell him hard on the project.

[Vesper 28,373]

4 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

One day the truth will come out. 🙂

I am not diminishing Marina's power. I just recognise the boundaries of her autonomy.

take solace I am not blaming her at all, zero blame, for De Bruyne leaving with no buyback, lolol

she had nowhere near the power then, was not involved anywhere in that area

Edited December 28, 2022 by Vesper

[Vesper 28,373]

Arsenal have £57m bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk... as Ukrainian side hold out for £85m amid interest from several clubs in 21-year-old winger

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11577309/Arsenal-57m-bid-winger-Mykhaylo-Mudryk-rejected-Shakhtar-Donetsk.html