Transfer Talk Topic

[Chelsea_Matt]

22 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

He can also play the 10, which, if we are going to play 4-2-3-1 then for those 3 positions we'll have Olise, Mudryk, Sterling, Madueke, Nkunku, and then Enzo maybe centrally in some games, with Lavia / Caicedo behind. 

It’s too many players. What’s Madueke done? Is he injured?

[Mark Kelly]

2 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

It’s too many players. What’s Madueke done? Is he injured?

I believe he's returning from the ubiquitous hamstring injury 

[Miguelito07]

Just now, Mark Kelly said:

I believe he's returning from the ubiquitous hamstring injury 

and Olisse is out injured till the end of September

[Sleeping Dave]

With Olise incoming, I reckon we may see something like this in terms of midfield/attacking midfield;

CM: Enzo, Caicedo, Gallagher, Lavia, Santos

AM: Nkunku, Olise, Chukwuemeka, Sterling, Madueke, Mudryk

That's 11 players for 5 positions. Nkunku and Sterling can also fill in at S. I reckon that Broja is off and only Burstow is kept around as cover. 

[Bob Singleton]

Is it "too many players" though?

Not included: W Fofana (likely out for the whole season), Nkunku (unlikely to return this side of Christmas), Cucurella (hopefully off to Newcastle... we can but pray!), Chalobah (probably surplus to requirements and "pure profit" on any sale for FFP  reasons), Ugochukwu (always seemed likely to go on loan in spite of a few minutes against Liverpool), Hall (a loan playing a full season with 'men' will do him good),  Broja (some say he'll be kept as back-up to Jackson, some say he needs a loan to get match minutes into him after a whole year out), plus the four who have no squad number and need to be sold (Sarr, Lukaku, Ziyech & Hudson-Odoi)

I've listed players alphabetically rather than any particular preference

[Spawton]

Casadei's loan to Leicester has been confirmed. 

[paulw66]

22 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

It’s too many players. 

No, it's about right, IMO especially with Nkunku's injury. 

[paulw66]

8 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

With Olise incoming, I reckon we may see something like this in terms of midfield/attacking midfield;

CM: Enzo, Caicedo, Gallagher, Lavia, Santos

AM: Nkunku, Olise, Chukwuemeka, Sterling, Madueke, Mudryk

That's 11 players for 5 positions. Nkunku and Sterling can also fill in at S. I reckon that Broja is off and only Burstow is kept around as cover. 

5 subs gives plenty of opportunities too. 

[Spawton]

5 subs + our injury record + the hope that it will only be this 1 season without European football. If we kept the squad much thinner than that we'd need to go out and get reinforcements next summer if we qualify for Europe. I don't see it as a major issue that we're getting them in a season early. 

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Spawton

[martin1905]

3 hours ago, Bob Singleton said:

Quite refreshing from Sky Sports.  Now all they have to do is get rid of all the former Liverpool and United players who haven't kicked a ball for ten or more years from their match day studio.

I know some on here have discussed how we're being and will continue to be pilloried in the media for our spending, BUT... what I've noticed recently is an increase in the number of articles and podcasts/broadcasts explaining FFP, explaining over a billion in player sales over the last ten or so years etc., and explaining how we're NOT breaking rules but being clever in using the system (as it then was prior to the last minute rule changes) to our advantage. In other words, we've been smart (certainly in the short term... we now need to win things and get new sponsors in to help in the longer term) and with younger 'voices' with a less 'stuffy' and north-west centric bias, the old narrative pushed out by the likes of Neville, Carragher, Nichol, Murphy, etc., is starting to get drowned out.

 

 

That Olivia, not sure of her surname, is a breath of fresh air, really knows her football and I'd go as far as saying she's one of the best pundits anywhere at the moment.

[paulw66]

4 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

That Olivia, not sure of her surname, is a breath of fresh air, really knows her football and I'd go as far as saying she's one of the best pundits anywhere at the moment.

Buzaglo. 

A*

[Sciatika]

She (Olivia Buzaglo) does Chelsea TV prematch as does Dan

[martin1905]

Olise for that sort of money is a no brainer. We are one short in the AM positions with 5 players for 3 positions plus one of Nkunku or Sterling possibly having to fill in for Jackson at times.

LW Sterling/Mudryk

AM Nkunku/Chuckwuemeka

RW Madueke/Olise 

It's the perfect number, especially with 5 subs being allowed and how hard they will need to work during every minute of every game.

 

[east lower]

1 hour ago, martin1905 said:

That Olivia, not sure of her surname, is a breath of fresh air, really knows her football and I'd go as far as saying she's one of the best pundits anywhere at the moment.

Her father (Tim) was a decent player, I played in a few league representative games with him way back. He got a move to Woking and a few might remember their famous FA Cup run, where they beat WBA by 4 something.

I think he got two or three of their goals that day.

 

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Bob Singleton said:

Not included: W Fofana (likely out for the whole season)

 

Was told at the weekend that the issues with Fofana's injury are chronic and might not ever get 100% fixed.

I think most know he was bought when injured. Got told that he failed the first medical undertaken in this country. He then was sent to America for a 'second opinion' that came back with a more 'positive outlook'. First one commissioned by the club, second one driven by the agents who disputed the findings of the initial consultation.  

Allegedly the knee is falling apart literally. Info came from ex-Chelsea player, who still has dealings with them.

Hope we're well insured.  

[Spawton]

Not good. When he comes back in a year's time he'll still have 5 years left on his contract.

[east lower]

13 minutes ago, Spawton said:

Not good. When he comes back in a year's time he'll still have 5 years left on his contract.

Well, there's a downside to the longer-term contracts. You spin the dice...................occasionally it'll land on the wrong number 

[RDCW]

I thought I'd tune in to Talksport this evening in order to take in the outrage about CFC's shameless manipulation of the FFP rules. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the supportive nature of some of the opposition fans' calls: most of them, notwithstanding their instinctive dislike of CFC, saying that FFP was an artificial construct to keep the traditionally affluent clubs at the top of the tree and prevent newly rich clubs from climbing the branches and competing with them. This included a Spurs fan who said he doesn't blame us for playing the system. 

Most fans have no faith in FFP and it is self evidently both an immoral construct and a blunt instrument. For those reasons, as well as the new threat of an unencumbered Saudi League, we could be seeing the birth of the new Super League environment, this time with more inclusivity and more jeopardy.

Edited August 15, 2023 by RDCW

[Box of Tricks]

Pretty extraordinary window all round, I'd say. I don't think we need to do much more apart from nab another keeper on loan for a year.

Olise excites me. He has that final ball in his locker and from the looks of it, loves to create. 

 

 

[RDCW]

17 minutes ago, Spawton said:

Not good. When he comes back in a year's time he'll still have 5 years left on his contract.

Or 4, depending on what they decide to do about his knee. If he can't come back I suspect insurance will cover it.

[Bob Singleton]

32 minutes ago, east lower said:

Was told at the weekend that the issues with Fofana's injury are chronic and might not ever get 100% fixed.

I think most know he was bought when injured. Got told that he failed the first medical undertaken in this country. He then was sent to America for a 'second opinion' that came back with a more 'positive outlook'. First one commissioned by the club, second one driven by the agents who disputed the findings of the initial consultation.  

Allegedly the knee is falling apart literally. Info came from ex-Chelsea player, who still has dealings with them.

Hope we're well insured.  

Awful news if true. Seems a really likeable guy, and a  decent defender for his age with what looked like a pretty high ceiling.  Let's hope he gets all the help he needs if the worse comes to the worse.

From a club point of view; yes I hope we've got decent insurance cover for him.  From a squad perspective, I think we're OK with what we currently have.

 

[Chelsea_Matt]

48 minutes ago, east lower said:

Was told at the weekend that the issues with Fofana's injury are chronic and might not ever get 100% fixed.

I think most know he was bought when injured. Got told that he failed the first medical undertaken in this country. He then was sent to America for a 'second opinion' that came back with a more 'positive outlook'. First one commissioned by the club, second one driven by the agents who disputed the findings of the initial consultation.  

Allegedly the knee is falling apart literally. Info came from ex-Chelsea player, who still has dealings with them.

Hope we're well insured.  

F**k  me. Seriously?? £70m?! I remember saying on here he had had a “second opinion” from the US. If this is true then someone needs firing. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Chelsea_Matt

[Bob Singleton]

Ben Elliott joins Reading on 3 year deal. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66515967

 

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2023/august/15/ben-elliott-signs-for-reading-fc-from-chelsea-fc/

[east lower]

12 minutes ago, Bob Singleton said:

Awful news if true. Seems a really likeable guy, and a  decent defender for his age with what looked like a pretty high ceiling.  Let's hope he gets all the help he needs if the worse comes to the worse.

From a club point of view; yes I hope we've got decent insurance cover for him.  From a squad perspective, I think we're OK with what we currently have.

 

You're 💯 right to remind me and others of the human side of career inhibiting/ending injuries and the mental health matters that these things can result in. He's never really had an uninterrupted half-season for us, but is is potentially an example of 'buyer beware'

3 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

F**k  me. Seriously??

That's the story,  wouldn't be the first time I've heard of failed medicals and other opinions sought to get deals over the line. Some of the tales around Portsmouth when Peter Storey was Chairman and a certain East-End originating Manager was in charge would make toes curl.

[Chelsea_Matt]

5 minutes ago, east lower said:

You're 💯 right to remind me and others of the human side of career inhibiting/ending injuries and the mental health matters that these things can result in. He's never really had an uninterrupted half-season for us, but is is potentially an example of 'buyer beware'

That's the story,  wouldn't be the first time I've heard of failed medicals and other opinions sought to get deals over the line. Some of the tales around Portsmouth when Peter Storey was Chairman and a certain East-End originating Manager was in charge would make toes curl.

Omg. I can only imagine it mate. Someone’s made money on the Foffers deal; you can count on it. I wonder how the medicos felt at Chelsea with Todd ‘n’ Eggy wanting a “second opinion”. Leicester must be laughing.