drool winner

If this forum consider Chalobah to be on the level of Saliba and Van Dijk at Southampton then we're all just going to have to violently agree to disagree. And I won't be attending your protests outside of Stamford Bridge when Winstanley sends him packing to Fulham or Brentford. We can do far better, and you should demand far better for a club of this stature. Even casual centre backs around the league like Nathan Collins, Marc Guéhi and Illia Zabarnyi would be immense upgrades.

Similar to what happened to us and Olise in 2023. They made a strong pursuit for Van Dijk in the Summer of 2017 and were threatened by Southampton for illegal contact / tapping up & so they backed off. BBC SportVirgil van Dijk: Liverpool apologise & end interest in So...Liverpool apologise to Southampton over "any misunderstanding" and end their interest in defender Virgil van Dijk.Public apology and all, and then returned that following window and broke the all time record for the position to secure his services.

Top two for shots for, chances created and big chances created? If that's boring you just don't like football. Mourinho was far from an entertaining coach and routinely complained about the atmosphere at the Bridge. At this level the coaches that are serious about their craft put winning and control over all. Not interested in turning every match into a basketball game with zero midfield presence like that Spurs scum Pochettino.

Liverpool nearly got sued, had to return 6 months later and broke the world record to secure his services when he was Chalobah's age. Let's just be honest, it's hard to rate him when I see what's out there. Arsenal having Saliba and us pretending to enjoy Chalobah as some sort of five star meal is just wrong and antithesis to the heritage of this club. We're supposed to be the ones trotting out the rolls royce CB. He's a good squad player but fans need to stop with the victory lapping as if this is some sort of pinnacle CB. Fans overdid it with Gallagher the same way last year. You couldn't convince some people that Caicedo was actually far better than him because the club wanted to sell Gallagher and that made him some sort of marquee pawn in the overly elaborate game of five dimensional chess against the club and everyone that runs it.

I've talked with people leading up to the CWC final that refused to admit Sanchez was a good stop stopper because they mix-up his decision making and mistake proneness with his dominance inside the 18Y box and on set pieces. I'm still awaiting Mike Penders and hope he pans out because he looks like a rare GK prospect, but it's the same thing with Gusto. He's robust out of possession and works very hard to win the ball back and combines with Caicedo/Lavia/Enzo in the middle of the park to be legs there to keep our connective press alive. That matters to Maresca if you weren't aware. Gusto having a limp noodle for leg in the final third and braindead decision making hold him back from being a first name on the team sheet staple like Caicedo and Cucurella are, but he's clearly a player Maresca likes for those very reasons. Not sure why our fans struggle to understand what Maresca values and what he doesn't.

They played with a 3 ATB so that's a bit misleading. Guéhi who I only value as a good and not great CB was clearly superior to him and so was Maxence Lacroix. He cannibalized Chris Richards minutes, but they ended up improving once Chalobah left anyways. While Chalobah was at Palace they only won four league games in three months and he was tripping over his feet constantly like as typical with him. After he left once Richards was reintegrated back alongside Guéhi and Lacroix they won 14 of their next 22 with only four draws and losses. He's just not a very good CB. If he were Palace property no big club would have been looking at him ahead of the other options they have there which says it all really. He's a midtable CB that has struggled to garner interest in the past abroad. The club tried very hard to get Huijsen leading up to this summer window and Chalobah's name will be in the media constantly teasing sale because it's understood by those that aren't carrying a rampant agenda that he's average on his very best day and not at the level required to compete at the highest level. Same thing with Jackson and Madueke. These aren't inherently horrible footballers, but any serious club with aspirations greater than top four challenges every year can easily upgrade and move past these entities.

Physically he is. He's not a frail twink. He's fast and can deal with wingers 1 on 1 in isolation and does a good job. He also covers ground and has a good engine. We're doing the thing where a player has an obvious flaw and then we use that to exaggerate every attribute. People do it with Sanchez too. He's braindead with the ball at his feet and people use that to say he's a poor shot stopper which is just objectively false. We had the third best defensive record in the league last season and he was part of that. Also Maresca is obviously a mad scientist, how many different shapes and orientations did he attempt to play with this past season or even in the CWC? He's also fine tuning and adjusting and trying new things with players in different roles.

Because Gusto is robust out of possession. People ignore that while Maresca is a mad scientist regarding build-up and woke in and out of possession shapes with inverted strikers and overlapping goalkeepers, he's still a manager that builds his team from the concept of how they're going to set up without the football. While Gusto might not be the most comfortable in central areas on the ball, he's still fast and strong and good at man marking out of possession. He wins the ball back and is fantastic apart of the press. He just asks him to not be a liability on the ball and get it to Caicedo / Palmer / Enzo so we can move forward. I believe the vision with Hato is the same. Strong kid, who's probably a bit better with the ball than Gusto, but will be able to fill into his formation defensively and with the high pressing seamlessly.

Special manager.

No and it's all hypocrisy at the end of the day. Nobody was able to match how Ferguson was spending in the 90s that led to United's dominance. Arsenal were the original "BANK OF ENGLAND" club that paid their way into the English top div. At the end of the day the fear mongering and such are just rivals preemptively coping with the obvious blue typhoon that's coming. Slowly year by year we're starting to establish more talent on our roster and clear out the dross. We're fighting for the top talent in the sport, we're maximising the multi-club model in a way which other clubs aren't. We have a premier superstar again in Cole Palmer. We're the best selling club in world football (values are pre Madueke / Petrovic / Felix / ISS) and soon to be Nkunku and hopefully more.

Liverpool especially.

I'm sorry but he's just not at the level required. Do you think he's on tier with Konate or Saliba or Van Dijk or Gabriel? Let's even think back to recent Chelsea CB. Is Chalobah on the same level as Christensen when he was here? Rudiger? Silva his first two seasons before he fell off a cliff? Absolutely not. I've never seen a player with a lower bar to clear than Chalobah. Even Colwill who's far superior has to do far more to get less praise. He was Palace at was their 3rd or 4th best CB, left and they improved and won a trophy. He's like our Joel Matip, but worse. Fine as a rotation level CB, but you don't want him starting week in and week out. I'd also prefer developing a pathway for Acheampong who has more ability and deserves a runway to showcase it. I'd say sell Tosin and keep "Trev", but Tosin seems far better for squad harmony and is less 'pick-me' in the media. Constantly attempting to cause division and farm sympathy. The same way Madueke was shipped out for being obsessed with instagram wenches and being a strip club addict, the same way Raheem Sterling was an unserious professional and a detriment to the locker room, Chalobah and Fofana also fall under this bracket. Always something going on outside of football that's creating an unnecessary distraction. Honestly I can't wait until he's sold because it's quite clear hierarchy do not rate him.

Was Chalobah Palace's first choice CB when he was there? He's not better than Guehi, Lacroix was performing better than him too. The level of being Chelsea's starting CB should be a player that's showing they're too good for a mid table side like Olise was. Or Huijsen and Zabarnyi at Bournemouth. I get he had his best match against PSG, but so did Sanchez. Can't be prisoners of the moment and use that erase everything we've known about these players prior. He's just not at the level of player that we need him to be to compete over a 38 game calendar. Far too mistake prone, average on the ball and indecisive at times defensively in 1 on 1s. I consider Chalobah & Tosin to be good squad options at best. Prior to the PSG masterclass (all thanks to Maresca) Chalobah was on an uncanny run of performances unable to keep a clean sheet, while they were occuring when he was stapled to the bench. Feels like a player people excessively rate as a way to dig at the ownership and the directors. This used to be the home of Carvalho, Terry, Luiz, Brana and even Cahill. Sell this bum immediately for $PURE, helps us in terms of UEFA registration and allows us to take a step forward as a club.

I feel for him because we never actually got to see the player we purchased in Chelsea blue. Pre-agreement transfer and he goes and does his knee badly leading up to the World Cup. I just don't think he suits the intensity of PL football. He can't press and only ever shows any sort of eagerness when the ball is near him. He moves around like he's Hazard or Messi but with a fraction of the actual ability. Too fat and slow to play up top, and his touch, technical ability or eye for a key pass are too limited for him to play behind the striker. Xavi Simons seems like the profile the club and Maresca hoped Walkunku could be. Much better in tight spaces, much more press resistant, works like a dog off the ball, elite technician, superior athletically and positionally versatile. Pretty sure Nkunku's name alone carries enough clout to return back ~£45 million and I do that in a heartbeat.