We know Alex and Anelka are out. Any good skinny on incomers?

I have no ideas what so ever but over everything I've seen this season so far...

I like Demba Ba. I thought he was really good for Newcastle and could maybe start for us, but I am sure that idea will go down a like a ton of bricks so it can fade like a bad smell.

lavezzi and hamsik were excellent for Napoli but that isn't happening either.

What does the team really need?

- We need to cover for the ANC, mikel, Kalou and Drogba. Torres will replace Drogs and that will be his last chance at Chelsea, either he does the business or he and the club have a big problem.

Personally I think that A Cole is getting on, but his replacement can emerge over the next 12 months. Right now he's a starter but not carrying the team in the way he has.

We need another first choice defender. If Boswinga isn't going to be a starter let's shift him on and get someone that can be.

We need a power midfielder. We have guile from Mata, and speed from Ramires but neither Meireles or Lampard are the guys to win us future premier ships. The will both be important members of the squad for the next year or two but we need more.

On my count there fore we are short on 3 players of starting 11 quality.

Javi martinez or hamsik for replacement of lampard. But then we have a midfield or romeu, ramires and martinez. I would rather us get someone creative and let ramires play the lampard role. So have mata in midfield, with romeu and ramires, bring in a left winger.

There are persistent rumors, linking us to Cheick Tiote from Newcastle. Normally most of the transfer drivel tavbloids come up with has nothing to do with reality, but I for some reason believe there's something to to this one. Whether he's seen by AVB as a replacement for injury prone Essien or ineffective Mikel, I don't know, but I do believe we're interested.

With Alex gone, we'll need another centreback. In fact ousting him in November, with several weeks to go before January was a bit odd, if you ask me. AVB claims that we're not considering Cahill, which came as a surprise to me, due to him being English and relatively cheap. There are a few names being bandied about, among them Jan Vertonghen(Ajax), Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic(Borussia Dortmund), Diego Godin(Atletico) and Rolando(Porto) among others. Could be someone papers haven't even thought about.

We do need a new right back, or two. Bosingwa's performances vary between average and poor and Paulo is done at this level.

Right sided attacker would be great,too. If we're taking serious overhaul, we'll need to look a couple of creative pacy players in entral midfield and with the possibility of Kalou and Drogba leaving, another striker is a necessity,too.

Whether these moves are better done in the summer is a different issue. The better question is, why so little was done before the end of August. Even Stevie Wonder could see this squad needed serious rebuilding.

Mikel isn't going to the ACN, Nigeria didn't make it.

Greg van der Wiel (sp?) anyone?

Ajax are in the Europa League and he is cup-tied, but we could sign him in Jan and have him move in June.

Greg van der Wiel (sp?) anyone?

Ajax are in the Europa League and he is cup-tied, but we could sign him in Jan and have him move in June.

He just reminds me of another bossy.

I was going to start a thread saying AVB Is A Big Fat Liar. He keeps doing what he said he wouldn't do.

Now he says he's not interested in Cahill or any Porto players (too pricey.) That he's happy with what he has. I don't believe him.

I see Sturridge as our long term option for the right wing. Don't really see him being as effective in a lone striker role imo.

Its been said enough times that we need a right footed winger. I have no idea who will be available in Jan that can step in right away(wonder if the Robinho links have any truth to them). Or maybe go with someone with real potential, like David Hoilett

Ivanovic is our right back for me, so a replacement for Alex is obvious. Again, no names really jump out other than Cahill but we really should get that guy(I wonder if the Mancs will be after him now that Vidic is out for a year).

To be fair there are about 8 threads dealing with this topic indirectly. But 'tis the season I suppose.

As for you're comments. Demba Ba is quality, he was quality for West Ham and quality for Newcastle. But he won't be moving.

I don't think anyone lest alone the club have any idea who will be coming in or who is going out. There are more players on the fringe than you can possibly count. Ideally I think they'll be kept till the summer as you can only make so many changes to the CL squad list for example. However, if we got a great deal for Mikel, Malouda or Bosingwa then they might join Alex and Anelka.

As for who comes in, safe to say we'd want them to be eligible for the CL and also reasonably flexible. Anelka fills a lot of holes for us right now, and someone new needs to be able to do something similar.

Anelka fills a lot of holes for us right now.

Heh.

He just reminds me of another bossy.

Supposed to be defensively more stable (FM reference only, mind)

As for who comes in, safe to say we'd want them to be eligible for the CL and also reasonably flexible. Anelka fills a lot of holes for us right now, and someone new needs to be able to do something similar.

Not a lot of players in that category, but I am seriously liking Edin Hazard. That boy can run! Maybe Douglas Costa. Having said that, I think both those players are CL-tied.

Would love us to go after munian. Avb definatly likes spanish players. He's clever like mata. Also would love spillers man love ... Reus.

Van der Wiel is just a younger version of bosingwa. Suspect at defending, average going forward. Ivan is better at RB than CB anyway. I hope Bosingwa is sold, and with Alex going away, we will need a few defenders coming in. If we want a great defender, who is relatively young and world class, I'd go for Thiago Silva from AC Milan. Alternatively Cahill, but he is a very average player, and any idea of starting a Champions League final or replacing JT in the long haul is just wishful thinking. Scott Dann, we've been linked with, but he has been poor. Samba is 28, and while a good purchase, doesn't represent good value, as he would only have 3-5 years max. I disagree with the fact that we need muscle in midfield. Tiote is a good player, but not what we need. We still have Essien, but it is not known whether he still has his physical presense due to injuries, or whether he will ever be any good again. As for Mikel, I'd like to see him go. If we can get a 15m fee, I'd be happy, and I think he would be a wonderful player in Seria A. We need a creative midfielder, and there isn't a better one than Modric who we have a chance of signing. Obviously will cost a fortune, that's if we can even get him. Alternatives are Joao Moutinho, who will only be sold if his release clause is met (due to our relationship with Porto), and at 35m, it doesn't make sense to go for a player who is frankly, as good as Meireles at best. If we want a Lampard replacement, then Hamsik is your man. Great player, but not sure he's what we need. Another shout for creativity Montolivo from Fiorentina, relatively cheap and doesn't want to sign a new contract with them last I heard. Also from Fiorentina, Jovetic, but he's more of an attacking midfielder.

As for forward department, Nico has agreed terms with the Chinese club. Kalou and Malouda should be next to leave. Torres, possibly too. Should we get a fee of 20-30m from a team, we should really consider it, as we risk losing all the investment and 180k p/w on wages. 50% we could still recoup this January. If these four go, we would be dangerously short on forwards, with Drogba leaving for ACON and possibly leaving in the summer. We would only have Sturridge and Lukaku, and one is not yet ready. Should Torres go, alternatives would include Pato or Hulk. I really can't see many alternatives here, there aren't really any good strikers on the market (barca, City and Madrid have them all). Pato is very injury prone, and at 35-50m is a gamble no less than Torres. I'm not sure we could get hulk, as Porto will not accept anything other than a release clause from us, which is something like 100m.

Pato and Hulk are also CL tied, meaning that if the four go, we are stuck with only Danny, Drogba and Lukaku for central striker.

I also agree with you that Demba Ba is a great shout. He reminds me a lot of pre-Chelsea Torres. Im sure we could get him, but he has knee problems in the past, and again, is a gamble. He is a great option due to not being cup-tied.

From La Liga, there are Falcao, Llorente and Soldado. I don't follow La Liga, but Falcao was on fire last season. He has cost Atletico roughly 40m and they will want slightly more, which is a turnoff. Llorente is a good shout. Great target man. Soldado has also been very good this season, but is cl tied and doesn't have many outstaning qualities other than goalscoring in my opinion.

Other options are Van Persie, who is on fire and Tevez. RVP is a great player, but at 29, cl tied, and from arsenal, likely to cost a fortune, would be absurd. Tevez, even more so. He's a giant c*nt and cuptied. Loic Remy from Marseille, possibly too.

As for wingers or forwards who could play out wide, there is a giant list. Shaqiri (sp) from Basel is a great, cheap shout though I am not precisely sure where he plays amonsgt the front line.

Ayew from Marseille has been linked with us, and at the reported 10m, would be a solid Malouda replacement.

Then there is the expensive option with the likes of Hazard, Gotze, Neymar. I personally would like to stay away from these players. No doubt great, with promising futures, but at roughly 40-50m represent a great risk, a theory that CFC can be shat on in the transfer market and that we haven't learned our lesson with marquee signings. Two of them are cl tied. Kevin de Bruyne from Genk, we have scouted a lot. Would be cheap but not too sure if he would be a starter yet or would be loaned to another team.

As for ashley Cole, he has been relatively poor by his standards, especially in the big games. He was torn apart at OT both this, and last season by Valencia and Nani. Lets not even talk about the liverpool game... His defending has been mediocre, but he has a few assists to his name. I dunno about this one, and if we should replace him with Perreira. IMO Perreira is still worse than current Cole, but should AVB go for him, I'd trust him. Not sure about the price, at 25m. We have Bertrand too, who is a good player and IMO should be given more gametime.

Out: Anelka, Kalou, Malouda, Mikel, Bosingwa, Alex

In: Modric, Hazard, Cahill or Silva, Ba, KDB, Ayew

Loan: McEachran, Lukaku

Reus is probably one of the best players not cup tied. Honda I don't think is cup tied either as he has been injured for CSKA. Beyond that there aren't a lot of those quality flexible forward players who aren't cup tied.

Question may be whether to wait for someone of real quality like Rossi for example in the summer, and give Kakuta and Lalkovic some more time in the second half of the season.

EDIT: Hd12351, you know that you've just bought about 200m dollars worth of players right, and that we lost about what 70m last season and need to break even in two years?

Edited December 12, 201114 yr by Spiller86

Reus is probably one of the best players not cup tied. Honda I don't think is cup tied either as he has been injured for CSKA. Beyond that there aren't a lot of those quality flexible forward players who aren't cup tied.

Question may be whether to wait for someone of real quality like Rossi for example in the summer, and give Kakuta and Lalkovic some more time in the second half of the season.

EDIT: Hd12351, you know that you've just bought about 200m dollars worth of players right, and that we lost about what 70m last season and need to break even in two years?

Only three players on that list are expensive, and I could easily do without one or two or all three, because like I said, these players are big risks at their prices. (Modric, Hazard, Silva)

The rest are relatively cheap.

Cahill: 7m

KDB: 5-7m

Ba: 15-18m

Ayew: 10m

Montolivo: ??m

Still a hell lot better than doing the normal CFC routine and smashing 50m on a sh*te over the hill player.

Edited December 12, 201114 yr by Hd12351

I don't think you can delete them, so don't worry too much.

To be fair I think alot of us thought we had paid massive overs for Torres, but I don't think anyone predicted he'd struggle as much as he has. It's easy to make judgements in hindsight.

A couple of good shouts in your revised list. Montolivo is an interesting one, he's off contract as you say. Andre Ayew isn't a bad player either. But again it's a question of everything coming together. Ayew would be valued highly by Marseille and is cuptied and Montolivo it is thought has his heart set on heading to AC Milan next season on a free.

Torres' struggle has been sad and long. We have seen glimpses of what he can do but with the system we have utilized against Newcastle and Valencia Torres has no business in that. He is useless playing as a target man. If we'd get a left sided winger who really is fast and accurate in passing we could have him back in business.

I don't think Van der Viel would give that much to us. We need the CB for sure.

..but with the system we have utilized against Newcastle and Valencia Torres has no business in that.

Torres has no business in a fast counter-attack based team? How does that work out?

Torres' struggle has been sad and long. We have seen glimpses of what he can do but with the system we have utilized against Newcastle and Valencia Torres has no business in that. He is useless playing as a target man. If we'd get a left sided winger who really is fast and accurate in passing we could have him back in business.

I don't think Van der Viel would give that much to us. We need the CB for sure.

What are you on about? The Torres from Liverpool was based on fast counter attacks, precisely what we did against Valencia.

We haven't seen even 10% of Torres actual ability. He almost had a goal a game ratio during his bindipper days, the only thing stopping him from getting 20+ a season in the league was injuries.

For me our mdifield is good to go at least until summer. Ramires and Romeu are definite starters for every big game with Lampard and Meireles sharing the third midfield role depending upon the opponent. In case of injuries or suspensions, we have Mikel and possibly Malouda filling in. Not ideal, I know, but we cant and shouldn't expect a City-esque squad. That leaves Josh who should definitely be out the door in Jan along with Anelka and Alex, albeit on loan. If Lukaku could be loaned out then very good because he isnt ready to help us this season. Apart from these four, I dont see anyone else leaving in January.

In summer we would definitely need a creative midfielder and if that guy could be Josh, its a win win; if not, then we'd need to buy someone and give Josh another year on loan. But thats for summer.

In January, our main priority should be a wide player. Ideally someone who can play on both wings. This serves two purposes. Moving Mata to the center and putting the new winger on the left or moving Sturridge to the center and putting the new winger on the right. I'm not putting any names forward as I dont know how feasible it would be to get any of them.

Another player definitely needed in January is a replacement for Alex. Ideal candidate is Cahill and I dont believe AVB one bit when he says we aren't looking at him. Dont be surprised if he becomes our first signing in Jan with someone going in the opposite direction on loan. We can perform a bigger overhaul to our backline in the summer with possible exits of Bosingwa and Paulo.

Doing a lot of business in Jan is never a good idea so I'd be content with the above two arrivals. I expect a big summer in terms of transfer activity.

Agree with that rahul. One flexible forward and a centre half should be the extent of our business.

I'd rather see us sign a top right back if any are available than a centre back. Ivan can cover centre back, which is effectively what we'd be asking Gary Cahill (or whoever) to do. I fear for Ivan's turning circle and acceleration at right back at times but of course the rest of his game is right at the top, it's just something that the better wingers can exploit.

Also, I think that the creative player we need depends on the formation. If AVB wants to move Mata inside, we'd need a winger, Romeu and Ramires would be the starting central players and we'd have no real need for anything other than cover. Either that or Mata stays on the left and then it's about improving on the position Meireles/Lampard fill at the moment. My preference is Banega, but who it is doesn't matter too much as long as they offer improved creativity there and help the style in the way that AVB wants to mould things.

We should raid Bilbao for the likes of Martinez and Llorente

Spainish players always seem to do well in England

We should raid Bilbao for the likes of Martinez and Llorente

Spainish players always seem to do well in England

And muniain

Reus is probably one of the best players not cup tied. Honda I don't think is cup tied either as he has been injured for CSKA. Beyond that there aren't a lot of those quality flexible forward players who aren't cup tied.

Question may be whether to wait for someone of real quality like Rossi for example in the summer, and give Kakuta and Lalkovic some more time in the second half of the season.

EDIT: Hd12351, you know that you've just bought about 200m dollars worth of players right, and that we lost about what 70m last season and need to break even in two years?

Right there... Reus imho should be one of our targets. He's versatile and young so he won't cost us very much.

I believe if we grabbed him and Cahill, that we'd be in pretty good shape. I wouldn't spend a boatload during the January window and focus more on the summer transfers.

We should raid Bilbao for the likes of Martinez and Llorente

Spainish players always seem to do well in England

Not always. English Premier League has also seen such superstars from Spain like Morientes and Luis Garcia. However, the current crop of Spaniards seems to be doing really well in England.