Ramires

[Guest THE BEAST]

All right he had one mistake in Champions League against Apoel. Let's get rid of him! He's not worth playing in Chelsea... I don't know if you remember how we played without him and Essien. We were so unstable in the middle it's beyond any reach. Good thing Ballack was there to keep midfield for us. You just don't appreciate players like Ballack and Mikel. Maybe you don't see how much they do. Mikel is our future. I think he's the guy we'll see to play alongside Essien and possibly Matic after Lampard quits. And I like that idea. That 2 big guys like Mikel and Matic will keep our midfield running and with their vision and passing abillity + Essien? It's a good and promising thing to look forward to.

if that is to be our midfield (mikel - matic - essien) then get ready to suck big time .... we will be without any creativity and essein will be in his 30s so don't expect him to be the same running machine . and both mikel and matic doesn't have the needed enegy in midfeild i would rather have only one of them on the feild not both .

the reason why our midfeild is not as good as it was is not mikel and ballack it's that they were both put together on the feild in essien's abscence .

when essien plays we have only one midfeilder without running legs as he plays along with lampard and either ballack or mikel ..

[Manuf 1,448]

if that is to be our midfield (mikel - matic - essien) then get ready to suck big time .... we will be without any creativity and essein will be in his 30s so don't expect him to be the same running machine . and both mikel and matic doesn't have the needed enegy in midfeild i would rather have only one of them on the feild not both .

the reason why our midfeild is not as good as it was is not mikel and ballack it's that they were both put together on the feild in essien's abscence .

when essien plays we have only one midfeilder without running legs as he plays along with lampard and either ballack or mikel ..

How come Matic doesn't have needed energy? He's a beast. Yes we do need creativity but for bigger games where we have to control our opponent like for example Barcelona where they like to pass the ball all the time Matic and Mikel would be crucial.

And if the wage is true I don't mind losing 20 mln for this lad. It's a good deal than.

[Guest THE BEAST]

How come Matic doesn't have needed energy? He's a beast. Yes we do need creativity but for bigger games where we have to control our opponent like for example Barcelona where they like to pass the ball all the time Matic and Mikel would be crucial.

And if the wage is true I don't mind losing 20 mln for this lad. It's a good deal than.

matic is a very good prospect but you can't say he can run like essein it's not because he doesn't make the same effort it's a matter of pace and his gamestyle.

i mean you will never find essein standing or walking in the midfeild like mikel he is always running in defensive and attacking situations he never stops he is full of energy . the same goes for lamps offcourse not as much as essein but he doesn't stop as well that is his gamestyle .

[Gianfranco_Z 202]

£20m no thanks

[Manuf 1,448]

matic is a very good prospect but you can't say he can run like essein it's not because he doesn't make the same effort it's a matter of pace and his gamestyle.

i mean you will never find essein standing or walking in the midfeild like mikel he is always running in defensive and attacking situations he never stops he is full of energy . the same goes for lamps offcourse not as much as essein but he doesn't stop as well that is his gamestyle .

Actually Lampard is moving really fast not running and there are games where he just stands in the midfield. And I don't know if you watched game against Palace because you'd see that Matic was all over the place. Let's hope he proves you wrong in 12 and half hours

[Steve 10,227]

Chelsea needs another DM, since Makelelé left we only have Essien, who got injured every season for 4 or 5 months. Essien is a superb player, but I prefer him playing as a right midifilder. Mikel is the kind of guy who can lose an easy ball and in the last minute of a Champions League final, and concede a goal when the match is 0x0.

What position do you think Mikel plays?

When Mikel and Essien are the in squad together, Mikel tends to sit in the defensive role and Essien sits on the right or more central. Mikel makes very little mistakes when he is playing but when he makes one everyone seems to get on his back about it and will not forget it. If i remember correctly he cost us a goal last season against Apoel. That is one big mistake, Drogba almost did the same thing last season against arsenal that almost cost us a goal but people quickly forget about that. Mikel always works hard for the team. A lot of Chelsea fans contradict them selves by saying we do not play enough youth but the ones that are in the squad do not get the time and day to prove them selves and get better because some people are on there back constantly for a single mistake.

[Gianfranco_Z 202]

Mikel is a fantastic player I agree but most people fail to recognize this because he isn't being a "hero".

Like a previous post, 23 and captain of his country, all he will do is improve :blue scalf:

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Ye Mikel is a good player and has improved in the last 2 or so years and Im not saying he should be released or anything but I think Ramires would be a better option in midfield. Last season after Essien's injury, the 3 man midfield with Mikel, Lampard and Ballack was painfully slow and probably the real cause of the loss to Inter in the Champions League. Inset Essien and Ramires into that trio alongside Lampard and suddenly the midfield has an entirely new outlook with a much faster pace.

[Rambo 1,729]

Mikel haters

[Gianfranco_Z 202]

Resign Jarosik

[Henrique 9,133]

*according to the Sun we should find out soon if Ramires is ours or not...not a bad weekly wage IF the Sun are true on this *

BRAZILIAN World Cup ace Ramires will decide tomorrow whether to join Chelsea or Manchester City.

The Premier League champions have made a £20million bid for Benfica's defensive midfielder.

Yet Ramires, 23, who starred in Brazil's run to the quarter-finals in South Africa, is also wanted at Eastlands.

Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira will meet with both English clubs to thrash out a deal best suited to the Portuguese champs.

Ramires is ready to accept the four-year deal worth nearly £50,000 a week on offer from Chelsea.

Yet City hope to gatecrash the party at the 11th hour.

Ramires cost Benfica £5.5m from Cruzeiro last year.

Brazil boss Dunga said he was sorely missed after suspension ruled him out of his nation's 2-1 last-eight defeat by the Netherlands.

Bullshit, he wont decide. He will only tell to Benfica that he want to go to Chelsea. He said in one interview that he dream about playing for big clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. Manchester City still is a small megalomaniac club.

[danwkb 11]

Bullshit, he wont decide. He will only tell to Benfica that he want to go to Chelsea. He said in one interview that he dream about playing for big clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. Manchester City still is a small megalomaniac club.

Well you never know, he might say " I don't fancy playing for the champions of England, i'd much rather go and be man citeh's 15th midfielder, and I might even get to play in the 'your-ropey' cup " ! Lol

[EskWeston 696]

Benfica midfielder Ramires will join Chelsea next week in a £20 million deal, according to ESPNsoccernet sources.

Carlo Ancelotti wants the defensive midfield player having lost two experienced stars this summer in Joe Cole and Michael Ballack. Deco is expected to follow with only Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun coming in so far.

Ramires is now heading for Stamford Bridge with the deal virtually done and expected to be finalised in the next few days.

Ramires, 23, was one of the big successes of Brazil's World Cup campaign as they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa. Dunga, who was ousted as coach after the country's exit, stressed that Ramires was badly missed after suspension ruled him out of the 2-1 defeat by Netherlands.

Ramires is also wanted by Manchester City, who are ready to outbid Chelsea, but a source said: "He has opted to go to Chelsea, and the deal can be done in the next couple of days, certainly by next week."

Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira has met with intermediaries representing both Chelsea and Manchester City, but the player has chosen to move to the reigning Premier League champions. Bayern Munich and Barcelona have also been linked with the player but the two English clubs have the financial resources to make the deal happen.

Ramires said recently: "My agent has told me that a number of clubs are interested in signing me, but this didn't surprise me. We all know that the World Cup is the perfect stage to prove your worth.

"One good game could be enough to attract the interest of a big club. I don't know the names of the clubs that are after me, but it would be a dream for me to play for a big club such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or Chelsea."

Source: ESPN

[Corlett 202]

Great purchase.

[Manuf 1,448]

That's a signing we need. Young, proven, fast, strong, not needing huge wages. Yes to this!

[soccernut 2]

I like this signing as well....I wonder if Carlo is planning to use him as a holding Mid or more forward. I still hope that Mikel gets some playing time cause I thought he was coming on stronger near the end of last season and this season could be his breakout season.

[chrismada9 1,948]

Great signing!! I actually really hope this happens!! He's an excellent player going forward, and plays in all midfield positions, very handy signing indeed!

Definitely has my thumbs up!

Hope Aguero/Neymar is to follow! :blue scalf:

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I hope this is true.. Please please please!