Cornel

Sorry, but while I do think Schuerrle has potential, calling him the major reason Bayer have done well this season is pretty far fetched with Kiessling scoring 25 goals in the league compared to his 11...

Yes, but that was the release clause he had in the contract he signed with Gladbach before his break out season. I am sure they were smart enough to fix a much higher transfer fee in his current contract. Having said that, they are clearly not that smart, given that he was a Dortmund youth player...so they could have just kept him in the first place...

I read that KdB likely won't be playing as he is injured but he did make the trip. In answer to the question, I see him play pretty much every week. In terms of raw talent on the ball, absolutely. Definitely a greater talent than Ba, let alone present day Torres. He does lack consistency though and tends to be a little too selfish, often going it alone when passing the ball would be more effective. I don't think he is as good as Reus, but I am not sure that's a meaningful comparison as there is no chance Reus would be on the market, let alone for £20 million.

Apparently Bayer have said they are not selling if they don't get de Bruyne for either 1 or 2 years on loan to fill the hole Schuerrle would leave for the mid-term. Off topic, but the German Bild also claim that Mourinho's return to Chelsea is a definite now, They are worse than The Sun in terms of journalistic standards but quite often right about these things - also broke the Goetze news first.

They have kept contradicting themselves in the same article and subsequent ones. The €15 million price tag is definitely based on KdB going the other way for good. I think €25m plus a KdB loan is the more realistic option anyway though.

*buy, not by

There was general bewilderment he'd move to Juventus when he left Leverkusen. We all thought he is Barca or Real calibre. There was a bit of a back story in that Bayern Munich were very keen but Bayer wasn't going to sell him to a direct competitor. In terms of technical ability, commitment, and tactical skills, he'd be a great addition.

Since Chelsea seem to have decided to by anyone who has ever played for Bayer, I better make my contribution as an exil Leverkusen man. The generally feeling among Bayer fans is that if Chelsea pays £20 million plus, he is welcome to leave. In terms of potential, he is no doubt outstanding, but his actual performances have been fairly mixed. My personal guess that he may well prove to be a pretty good signing, but one that drives a fair few people up the wall because he does take risks and seeks out a lot of one on one situations when he'd better just play a simple and effective pass That said, getting the wages he will here might keep his need to show that he's the man in check more. De Bruyne certainly has a lower ceiling than Schuerrle, though quite a few Bayer fans would be happy to see see a straight swap (plus £12 million or so). P.S. As for his position, he tends to play as a left striker in in a 4-3-3. I don't really see him in a central position. P.P.S. If I read things around Leverkusen correctly, this is pretty much a done deal. The only thing no reporter seems to have figured out is whether it will be a higher transfer fee with a KdB loan thrown in or if it will come to swap. It's further complicated by the fact that his former team, Mainz, will get 20 or 30% of any transfer fee over €10 million.

I don't normally post here, but as a Leverkusen fan, I only have the highest respect for that man, even though he jumped ship and went to Munich. I never used to rate him before his time in Leverkusen and he had a reputation as a fairly stubborn hot head, but with age, he has become of the best European managers, I think: he is calm, at peace with himself, doesn't have anything to prove and his players highly respect and rate him. Munich isn't that easy a club to coach and he and his assistant coach have done an excellent job there. It's unlikely Abramovich would want him as he lacks the glamour factor, but if Munich win the Champions League (though I hope they don't) this year, you never know...

Dear Chelsea Fans, My name is Cornel and I am Senior Lecturer at the University of Surrey. About 13 years ago - in the heydays of Gianluca Vialli, Tore André Flo and Dan Petrescu - I focused on Chelsea fans in my PhD research on football and globalisation (later published by Routlegde under the title "A Game of Two Halves: Football, Television and Globalisation"). Recently, I was asked by a French journal, Politique Européenne, if I was interested in conducting some follow-up research. One of the things I am particularly interested in, is how your interest in other teams and players has developed over the years with football becoming more and more international after the Bosman Ruling. So I would love to hear your views on the following: Do you follow any other teams or leagues, either domestically or abroad? If you like, maybe tell us a word or two how you came to be interested in them. Are there any particular players (including current or former Chelsea players, but also other players) whom you follow with particular interest? How important are European competition such as the Champions League to you? How has your interested in national teams, including England, developed (sorry for once more opening up the old club vs. country debate :-) ) If you fancy it, just post your answers here, maybe this is a discussion that interests a few others as well. Alternatively, if you don’t mind me emailing you a few questions, you can contact me at [email protected]. Many, many thanks for your help!!! Cornel