Chelsea Transfers

[Special Juan 27,393]

If not Oshimen it has be Ivan Toney, Toney is a quality player

[MoroccanBlue 5,281]

3 hours ago, Special Juan said:

If not Oshimen it has be Ivan Toney, Toney is a quality player

Going to be banned for up to 6 months it seems. 

[Special Juan 27,393]

7 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Going to be banned for up to 6 months it seems. 

We will defo buy him now

[NikkiCFC 7,906]

For me if no Oshimen I want David. 

[Tomo 21,730]

I'm really not convinced an out and out striker is the way to go in this system.

[DDA 9,685]

1 hour ago, Tomo said:

I'm really not convinced an out and out striker is the way to go in this system.

Don't let this narative become an obsession. We don't have a top goalscorer or player with registered assists in the top 20 of the BPL. We need a goal scorer... Osimhen would be excellent in our system. Some players don't need systems, sometimes a player just fits the badge and it works... football can be weird that way.

[Tomo 21,730]

43 minutes ago, DDA said:

Don't let this narative become an obsession. We don't have a top goalscorer or player with registered assists in the top 20 of the BPL. We need a goal scorer... Osimhen would be excellent in our system. Some players don't need systems, sometimes a player just fits the badge and it works... football can be weird that way.

We didn't in 20/21 either which led to us panic signing Lukaku because he "guarantees goals". While Osimhen won't be a dickhead he's a big big risk for the price he'd command. 

I want us to do what we should have done then, source the right fit for the way we play and if there's no one avaliable wait. If we really want to centre our system around one player hopefully producing big numbers then I'd rather we played Sterling as an on the shoulder inside forward, hopefully we've learned from just looking at the top line without factoring the fit for the way we play as frankly that's a big part of whats got us in this mess in the first place.

[TheHulk 1,825]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

We didn't in 20/21 either which led to us panic signing Lukaku because he "guarantees goals". While Osimhen won't be a dickhead he's a big big risk for the price he'd command. 

I want us to do what we should have done then, source the right fit for the way we play and if there's no one avaliable wait. If we really want to centre our system around one player hopefully producing big numbers then I'd rather we played Sterling as an on the shoulder inside forward, hopefully we've learned from just looking at the top line without factoring the fit for the way we play as frankly that's a big part of whats got us in this mess in the first place.

I agree, he is no way near worth 150M and the risk he carries with it, I read comments his technique isn't even that good many saying he is a more polished Lukaku. I'd rather play 2 of Felix, Havertz, Nkunku up top and work with that, I think under a good attacking coach all would improve the numbers drastically.

[Magic Lamps 11,636]

53 minutes ago, TheHulk said:

I agree, he is no way near worth 150M and the risk he carries with it, I read comments his technique isn't even that good many saying he is a more polished Lukaku. I'd rather play 2 of Felix, Havertz, Nkunku up top and work with that, I think under a good attacking coach all would improve the numbers drastically.

He is definitely more mobile than Lukaku and runs more off the ball, presses more (less is hardly possible tho). But he is not technically clean either. If we continue 3-4-3 and sacrifice Sterling/Felix/Kai playing in the middle of the three als false 9 and plug Osimhen we will indeed lose some technical ability in attack.

Moreover, I do not think we should pay 150m for him esp if we still have Donkeykaku on the book who will continue to cost us almost that much in wages as well. But he is the best striker on the market and probably top 5-10 overall. However, like you say, we need to be aware of his limitations and consider what type of striker even fits us. He will not score as many goals as in Italy and he does not have the positional instincts and reliable finishing of a Haaland, so we should not expect him to become a wonder striker here. Osimhen is good but he is pretty much a finished product. He has improved his output gradually but not really developed his game this season anymore.

IMO we need a striker who is fast but can also play with back to goal, is aerially competent and presses like mad but also at least reliably converts the easy chances. Tragically, the arguably best fit for this is our very own but possibly perma-wrecked Broja if only he was more clinical. Osimhen comes close enough, so I would not be mad at all if we bought him.

[Mário César 970]

mayb we can swap lukaku with oshimem 

80 + Lukaku 

[Clockwork 1,794]

We should try to replace Mount with Florian Wirtz.

[Vesper 28,415]

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing

 

Jonathan Johnson's Mercato Magazine - Liverpool may have ideal Bellingham alternative, Martial's Man United future, Lloris' time at Spurs coming to an end, and more

Our French football expert with the low down on this week's big stories.

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/jonathan-johnsons-mercato-magazine-868

Liverpool have a possible alternative to Jude Bellingham and why they failed to sign Aurelien Tchouameni last summer…

This week’s big story came from The Athletic’s reliable David Ornstein, who reported that Liverpool are ‘unlikely’ to sign top target Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund with Real Madrid and Manchester City both ahead in the race for the Englishman’s signature.

Even though a lot of fans have their hopes pinned on Liverpool signing Bellingham, all hope of the club making a good signing is not lost and that is because the next player that I can see a number of European giants turning their attention towards is Monaco's Youssouf Fofana.

 

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Fofana is still only 24 years old and is already one of Monaco’s most highly-rated midfielders. He also has an attractive contract situation which is set to expire next summer or the following year if Monaco decides to trigger his one-year extension clause.

As for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and why Liverpool were unable to sign him last summer, the Frenchman’s replacement was ready and waiting at Monaco which enabled the principality club to move him on for a big sum and that is exactly what they did.

Tchoameni was wanted by a number of top teams when he was leaving Monaco and Kylian Mbappe was very keen that PSG tried to sign him as he rejected Real Madrid to extend in Paris. However, once Real Madrid came in for Tchouameni, he only had eyes for them and there was only ever going to be one outcome once the fee was agreed.

Spurs will be in the market for a new goalkeeper…

One of the positions Spurs will undoubtedly be looking to reinforce in the coming windows is their man between the sticks. It would not surprise me if Spurs look to move on from Hugo Lloris sooner rather than later and Mike Maignan would be a good fit. He has already replaced Lloris as France's number one and he showed his value for AC Milan in their recent Champions League tie.

 

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Top-quality goalkeepers are hard to find so he will likely be wanted by a number of sides, but Spurs could offer that guaranteed starting role that he would require. It is also a question of what happens with the project moving forward given Antonio Conte's situation and the club's need to change tack.

Ousmane Dembele’s injury history is putting clubs off…

Ousmane Dembele has flirted with the idea of a move away from Barcelona for a while and was being lined up by PSG before sporting director Leonardo was dismissed when Mbappe's future was secured.

His injury history puts many clubs off, but he is attractive as a potential free agent or low-cost signing when his deal runs down. Regarding the Premier League, it could be a destination that interests him, but I think that many clubs are wary that he can be difficult to handle away from the pitch.

A return to France is possible for Anthony Martial…

Expectations were sky-high for Anthony Martial when he arrived at Manchester United and made a fast start to life. He was in great form with Monaco and that continued at Old Trafford.

 

(Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

However, once that wore off, it was clear that he was perhaps not at the level many thought he was at based on his early form. Mixed with behavioural issues and injuries, it has been a tough past few years and he has lost his way at international level too. A return to Ligue 1 could be a smart move for him given that his La Liga experience was not a roaring success.

Taking charge of Lyon would make sense for Patrick Vieira…

I did wonder if this might happen a few months back. We saw something similar at Nice and now Patrick Vieira has lost his job with Crystal Palace too.

I think it was perhaps a little harsh based on where the team is right now and the fact that Roy Hodgson has come in once more. It is hardly progressive stuff.

What Vieira decides to do next will be critical to his coaching career given his two most recent setbacks and recurrent questions surrounding his management. It could be that he returns to France and takes a lower-profile job to rebuild his reputation before chasing a high-profile one. Lyon might be a good fit given John Textor's Palace and Lyon links and the fact that Laurent Blanc continues to underwhelm.

 

[Strike 7,204]

13 hours ago, Tomo said:

I'm really not convinced an out and out striker is the way to go in this system.

I'm all for backing the system over the player. But Havertz, Felix and Nkunku look like they are going to be around next season and none of them seem like the striker to lead the line and be a source of goals. One signing will be needed - a striker who's great at pressing and is able to soak up pressure from defenders and keep attacks alive - Osimhen, David, or Toney. Havertz, Felix, Nkunku will be vying for spots behind the striker. 

 

[Reddish-Blue 2,325]

2 hours ago, Strike said:

I'm all for backing the system over the player. But Havertz, Felix and Nkunku look like they are going to be around next season and none of them seem like the striker to lead the line and be a source of goals. One signing will be needed - a striker who's great at pressing and is able to soak up pressure from defenders and keep attacks alive - Osimhen, David, or Toney. Havertz, Felix, Nkunku will be vying for spots behind the striker. 

 

I feel like it would be a bit of a waste to have all three of Havertz, Felix and Nkunku in the same team as they all have the same preferred position which is the old school "#10" or support striker role.   

Without proper width in the side, we will continue to look predictable in attack. 

[TheHulk 1,825]

9 hours ago, Clockwork said:

We should try to replace Mount with Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz is Musiala level, absolute baller but can't see it with Havertz, Nkunku and Felix here unless he can play wide.

[TheHulk 1,825]

 

[Vesper 28,415]

1 hour ago, TheHulk said:

 

hard pass on the dwarf

[Tomo 21,730]

8 hours ago, Strike said:

I'm all for backing the system over the player. But Havertz, Felix and Nkunku look like they are going to be around next season and none of them seem like the striker to lead the line and be a source of goals. One signing will be needed - a striker who's great at pressing and is able to soak up pressure from defenders and keep attacks alive - Osimhen, David, or Toney. Havertz, Felix, Nkunku will be vying for spots behind the striker. 

 

Maybe not but Sterling does have a track record of such all be it in a super team.

If we were going to centre around one player banging them in I'd rather gamble around him doing such than panic buy a player who would need to score approaching 1 goal a game figures to make up for what they take out.