Chelsea Transfers

[OhForAGreavsie 5,806]

1 hour ago, YorkshireBlue said:

We are a top 6 club and we finished in the top 6, getting top 4 isn't as easy as it once was, throw in the fact new ownerships a complete overhaul of the club and players staff etc really isn't as bad as some make it out to be.

I'm repeating myself I know but beat Aston Villa at home in October and we would now be preparing for a Champions League season. Because we endured last season we know that the team felt a very long way short of Champions League quality but, in the end, we were actually closer that it feels we were. I'm not looking for the team to go from near zero to hero in the upcoming season. I want clear progress and reason to believe in the direction of travel.

Edited Thursday at 20:26 by OhForAGreavsie

[Pizy 18,023]

11 minutes ago, LAM09 said:

It's hard to get a read on what the club actually want. I just hope there's more to whatever their plan is than loading up on youngsters from all across the globe.

After buying a completely unproven 18 year old kid last week in Guiu surely the club know that any further signing in that area has to be an experienced, finished product of a player. Since Nico Jackson is young and inconsistent himself.

If we do buy someone else (which I’m skeptical that we will) it better be someone in that 23-28 range. Someone whose got multiple seasons of consistent output like Jonathan David.

More likely than a striker I think we’ll get another wide attacker and trust that we get enough goals from Jackson, Guiu, and the attacking mids.

[OneMoSalah 8,669]

56 minutes ago, Superblue said:

The biggest issue is we're back into unknown territory again.

Whatever people think of Poch, and whether he should have been given this season, we're changing managers and someone who sounds like they'll play very much in a different way and style to Poch.  

Precisely we’ve changed manager again and it will be a supposed radical change in playing style, with a young and inconsistent squad lacking leaders and proven quality in key areas. And the manager is someone who has managed one full season in the Championship with a PL level squad - not a Jose Mourinho-esque manager when he first arrived from Porto or Antonio Conte when he came here. A lack of continuity, particularly after a reasonably strong finish to the season, undoes some of the work from last year. 

@Pizy Mentioning not finishing far off of Spurs & Villa last season isn’t a good barometer to go on for this upcoming season though. They still have the same managers so that continuity as well as adding players to their group to suit their managers philosophies will allow them to build on what they achieved last season.

That’s what happens when you have an actual plan/structure in place and aren’t chopping and changing because you don’t have the right people in place to make sensible and well calculated footballing decisions. We’ve gone from the football Tuchel played to Graham Potter to Lampard to Pochettino and now to Maresca. Not one of these footballing philosophies are even remotely similar. The squad is also littered with inconsistent young development players and no real senior pros or leaders of the top bracket who can carry the burden. 

 

Edited Thursday at 20:53 by OneMoSalah

[LAM09 6,622]

19 minutes ago, Pizy said:

After buying a completely unproven 18 year old kid last week in Guiu surely the club know that any further signing in that area has to be an experienced, finished product of a player. Since Nico Jackson is young and inconsistent himself.

If we do buy someone else (which I’m skeptical that we will) it better be someone in that 23-28 range. Someone whose got multiple seasons of consistent output like Jonathan David.

More likely than a striker I think we’ll get another wide attacker and trust that we get enough goals from Jackson, Guiu, and the attacking mids.

There's been talk of us still being interested in Osimhen & Conte's love for Lukaku, which is known to all. It honestly seems like a no brainer unless offering high wages for one marquee signing is too much, as things stand.

[Mário César 907]

with the absurd competition for places in the Champions League, coming 6th, given that we came 12th last season, is decent progress.

despite everything, we're above united and newcastle and close to tottenham

it would have been much more problematic if we had finished 12th again

there's city, arsenal, liverpool, united, tottenham, newcastle and Chelsea
that's 7 clubs for 4 champions league places, not to mention underdogs like villa or brighton

we're going to see more and more of the big clubs fighting for the top 4 finish in 6th place. it's becoming more and more normal  

so losing players to bayern or arsenal is no big deal, especially for bayern

we have to be smart in the market, because the foundations for the top four are already there.

more than the signings, we need to avoid injury problems 

[robsblubot 3,349]

36 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I'm repeating myself I know but beat Aston Villa at home in October and we would now be preparing for a Champions League season. Because we endured last season we know that the team felt a very long way short of Champions League quality but, in the end, we were actually closer that it feels we were. I'm not looking for the team to go from near zero to hero in the upcoming season. I want clear progress and reason to believe in the direction of travel.

So, apparently it's OK to spend *billions* to become a top6 side in the PL? I think we deserve a medal for such an achievement. 🙂 
Seriously tho, I think folks are ignoring United and Tottenham struggles last season; I fully expect at least United to be much much stronger in the upcoming season.

[Mário César 907]

28 minutes ago, robsblubot said:

So, apparently it's OK to spend *billions* to become a top6 side in the PL? I think we deserve a medal for such an achievement. 🙂 
Seriously tho, I think folks are ignoring United and Tottenham struggles last season; I fully expect at least United to be much much stronger in the upcoming season.

this 1 bilion it is out of the context

how much money for young players that didnt play for the senior team?

[Superblue 6,353]

1 hour ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I'm repeating myself I know but beat Aston Villa at home in October and we would now be preparing for a Champions League season. Because we endured last season we know that the team felt a very long way short of Champions League quality but, in the end, we were actually closer that it feels we were. I'm not looking for the team to go from near zero to hero in the upcoming season. I want clear progress and reason to believe in the direction of travel.

I personally have no problem with a bit of patience at my end. I know some here will have watched far worse in the late 70's and 80's, but I remember us being shit in the early 90's (pretty certain we were second bottom at Xmas 1993, only being saved propping the table up by Swindon Town) and take that full circle to watching us win everything there is. I'm fine to see a long term plan mapped out, take the rough with the smooth and progress over time.

My biggest fear is I don't think this ownership are prepared for that. I don't think the financial landscape of the Premier League and football in general will allow for it either. Whilst they haven't won anything yet (and hopefully don't) there is a realistic chance of Arsenal being potentially well rewarded over the coming seasons by persevering and backing Arteta. 

Would progress be Maresca implementing his style and philosophy on this group but still only managing to get 5th or 6th or is it simply top 4? You have to feel it's more important for Maresca to get top 4 this season than anything else in order to buy him time for a second season here.

[YorkshireBlue 2,941]

1 hour ago, robsblubot said:

So, apparently it's OK to spend *billions* to become a top6 side in the PL? I think we deserve a medal for such an achievement. 🙂 
Seriously tho, I think folks are ignoring United and Tottenham struggles last season; I fully expect at least United to be much much stronger in the upcoming season.

We spent money before, difference is we bought an entire squad in like 2 windows, it's unheard of, and if your are using the spending billions argument then you have to look at what it was spent on "potential" we haven't bought players to win the league last season or the season before. If we had bought ready made world class players and finished 12th then the argument of spending billions would stand. For me we are buying and moulding a team into what the owners want, I imagine the big names will come eventually, but these are trying to lay the foundations first, rather than starting with the roof.

[Tomo 21,709]

2 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

Precisely we’ve changed manager again and it will be a supposed radical change in playing style, with a young and inconsistent squad lacking leaders and proven quality in key areas. And the manager is someone who has managed one full season in the Championship with a PL level squad - not a Jose Mourinho-esque manager when he first arrived from Porto or Antonio Conte when he came here. A lack of continuity, particularly after a reasonably strong finish to the season, undoes some of the work from last year. 

@Pizy Mentioning not finishing far off of Spurs & Villa last season isn’t a good barometer to go on for this upcoming season though. They still have the same managers so that continuity as well as adding players to their group to suit their managers philosophies will allow them to build on what they achieved last season.

That’s what happens when you have an actual plan/structure in place and aren’t chopping and changing because you don’t have the right people in place to make sensible and well calculated footballing decisions. We’ve gone from the football Tuchel played to Graham Potter to Lampard to Pochettino and now to Maresca. Not one of these footballing philosophies are even remotely similar. The squad is also littered with inconsistent young development players and no real senior pros or leaders of the top bracket who can carry the burden. 

 

Manager continuity only works if it's the right guy.

While you could argue he was an okay ish stop gap appointment to bring a decent culture back after 22/23 from a tactical point of view the game has past Poch by every bit as much as it has Mourinho and did Wenger, it just doesn't get the same attention because he wasn't THAT good in the first place.

[robsblubot 3,349]

51 minutes ago, YorkshireBlue said:

We spent money before, difference is we bought an entire squad in like 2 windows, it's unheard of, and if your are using the spending billions argument then you have to look at what it was spent on "potential" we haven't bought players to win the league last season or the season before. If we had bought ready made world class players and finished 12th then the argument of spending billions would stand. For me we are buying and moulding a team into what the owners want, I imagine the big names will come eventually, but these are trying to lay the foundations first, rather than starting with the roof.

I agree. It's completely unheard of because it's a very risky approach for a big club -- so much so that it isn't done. The lack of CL for and for such a long time is risky on its own.
So, basically we shot ourselves in the food, and as result have been walking around on crutches, but we need to feel good because it's all part of a plan? sorry, I'm not that much a believer.

Also, potential is just what the word means, a possibility of something. I feel some are using the word potential as (almost) certainty, which couldn't be farther from the true. It's very possible, even likely, that many of our signing end up nothing better than good PL players in the future. e.g. not providing the competitive advantage many here expect.

And to emphasize my point, United had a very poor season -- still better than ours given they've got silverware -- but I'd not count on them being out of contention next season.

Edited Thursday at 23:11 by robsblubot

[Thor 2,254]

So we went from 12th to 6th and the plan isn't working? 

We have one of the best RW players in the world. We have one of the best RB pairings in the world. 

We have two of the most recently sought after MFs in the world. 

You never get 100% of the moves correct. Since the bad start, their business on the market has been superb. 

They are literally going to turn this into a massive profit making machine through asymmetric risk plays. Initial capital expenditure to get a bright, young team setup. Then buy further youth prospects who are touted as world best talents. Have them come through the ranks and keep replacing with players you bought at a super cheap fee. Those that don't make it, on sell for a profit with inflation going as it is, etc. 

All the while you have your academy players doing their thing and those being sold for pure profit. 

City has done the best job of this so far, but this guys seem even more hell bent on it. All that while being more in line with the rules and more cyclical with how the money will flow (mainly because they don't have trillions like the Oil money merchants). 

The reality is that most Chelsea fans are spoilt brats and want instant gratification. As if somehow since 2017 we have been on an upward trajectory. We were literally in a shitty holding pattern that was masked as successful because of an unexpected CL win that clearly wasn't sustainable - as per our short lived success.

[Pizy 18,023]

You’ll all see. In 2030 when we have all these teenaged wonder kids in the team and win 5 straight PL titles we’ll look back at people slaughtering Clearlake and laughing.

😉

[robsblubot 3,349]

10 minutes ago, Pizy said:

You’ll all see. In 2030 when we have all these teenaged wonder kids in the team and win 5 straight PL titles we’ll look back at people slaughtering Clearlake and laughing.

😉

It's going to be a "fun" ride watching all these teenagers learn to play football and become adults one day.

BTW, Estevao just scored a wonder goal against Gremio in the south so away from home -- tying the match too. Commentators are calling him Neymar-like talent as in same skill on the ball.
For the record, I consider Neymar skill on the ball second only to Messi; it's everything else in him that hindered his career, which happens very often with younger players too.

Edited Thursday at 23:45 by robsblubot

[Pizy 18,023]

7 minutes ago, robsblubot said:

It's going to be a "fun" ride watching all these teenagers learn to play football and become adults one day.

BTW, Estevao just scored a wonder goal against Gremio in the south so away from home -- tying the match too. Commentators are calling him Neymar-like talent as in same skill on the ball.
For the record, I consider Neymar skill on the ball second only to Messi; it's everything else in him that hindered his career, which happens very often with younger players too.

Yeah, I’m seeing the Estevão goal all over Twitter. He and Paez both look insane for their age.

I just pray that they join up into a team that’s coming off of a great season where we’ll have UCL football. Imagine how good the vibes will be with Estevão, Paez, and Anselmino all arriving.

[robsblubot 3,349]

13 hours ago, Special Juan said:

It's a massive issue

it is.
City and Liverpool come to mind.
Quality is tested, and is the most needed, against stronger opposition in decisive moments. We did come short in both moments, and that's a fact. We can hope for something better or do something about it.

I like Kiernan move, and expect another striker/FW in the same mould to drastically improve our changes next season.
 

[robsblubot 3,349]

Highlight of the match (Estevao goal is the last one): 

This was not at Gremio stadium because of the floods which ruined Porto Alegre last month. So, they play in Caxias (smaller stadium) in the Sierras 2h drive from the Porto Alegre.

[NikkiCFC 7,772]

If we miss on Calafiori take Hincapie. Great player. Completely stopped Argentina. Pacho one to watch also.