fester

Surely transfers should work like this: Chelsea: We'd like to sign Moises Caicedo please. We're willing to play £60 million. Brighton: If we wish to buy Moises he will cost you £100 million. Chelsea: That seems a little steep. We could probably stretch to £70 million. Brighton: No, sorry old chap, it's £100 million Chelsea: £75 million? Brighton: No, £100 million Chelsea, £80 million final offer Brighton: No, £100 million Chelsea: No can do. So long and thanks for all the fish! I'm with Coombsie we should walk away and look at alternative (ideally the guy Brighton have lined up as replacement - but I suspect that's Billy Gilmore 🙈} There could be a stage in there where we buy a 'keeper off them, but...

Do any of you listen to any Chelsea podcasts? I enjoy "Straight out of Cobham" and "London is Blue", and sometimes listen to "The Chels". Any others I should be giving a listen?

Good luck to him. I like Kova, his drive and energy, although he lacked a regular goal threat, however, those he did score were memorable. Our midfield needs a rebuild round Enzo, let's hope that the replacements are being lined up, if not announced until after 1st July.

Mendy / Kepa - in both cases we need keepers that Pochettino is happy with. Keep both, let both go, not too bothered, both can be brilliant and awful. Happy to wait for Slonina. Kante / Kovacic - I'd like to have kept, but sounds like both are on their way. 😪 Aubamayang - Bye, bye Pulisic / Loftus-Cheek - Bye, bye a few short spells of promise, between injuries. Hope he finds a club that gives him regular football in a less physical environment. Chalobah - Needs to play, if not going to get regular football here let him go. Sterling - keep. I think Pochettino will get him firing (like Deli Ali) Mount - If he wants to go, let him. Skillful player, but not a game changer IMO. Enzo - Let's admire him for the couple of seasons we have him, before Real Madirid / PSG / ... come calling $$$ (we will make a profit on him). Mudryk - I believe he will develop in to a Hazard-esque legend Chilwell - Keep, Englands no. 3 Ziyech - bye,, sorry they messed up Janurary transfer Gallagher - keep, a real Pochettino type midfielder James - going nowhere Koulibaly - bye, bye. W Fofana - keeps Havertz - if Pochettino can find a role for him, definitely keep. If we let him go I think he will star in the right team and role (like KDB) Cucarella - if Maatsen staying let him go. If not worth keeping as defensive cover/-

R I P John, one of my favourite players when I was growing up in Chelsea blue. 😢

If we signed nobody else, and started the season with what we have... Kepa (Slonina) James (Gusto) Fofana (Chalobah) Badiashile (Colwill) Chilwell (Maatsen) Enzo (Gallagher) Ampadu (Hall) Havertz (Chukwuemeka) / Casadei (Santos) Mudryk / Sterling / Broja / Madueke / Lukaku / Nkunku I'd keep Tiago Silva as backup/mentor. Giving a squad of 24 (25 with Silva) Bye bye: Mendy; Koulibaly; Cucurella; Kante ; Kovacic; RLC; Mount; Zakaria; Aubameyang; Pulisic; Felix; Ziyech. Looks competitive to me with a coach who has some tactical awareness. I'm thinking 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 diamond.

Lewis Hall on the left please

If we let Harvertz go we will regret it. In two or three years we will be viewing him in the same bracket at KDB and Salah as ones that got away. Play him as a 10 or attacking midfielder and he will shine, he is not a number 9. Keep him, play him in a correct and he will be player of the season in the next few years.

Pochettino wasn't my choice at the start of this process. In fairness I didn't have a string favourite being unsure how the likes of Nagelsmann and Enrique would adapt to the EPL, I would have been happy to go back to Ancellotti, but that always seemed unlikely. However, over recent days from stuff I have heard (on radio/podcasts) and read I am warming to Pochettino as the next manager. Spuds played their best football in living memory under Pochettino, and remember that in recent years those who have managed at both clubs have been much more successful at the blues 🤣

I was expecting them to stick with GP until the start of next season. I only watched the first half on Saturday but thought we looked a lot more threatening than we had done, but the calamities at the back let us down.

Whether someone starts before the end of the season or not I think we need to select a full-time replacement, We desperately need to clear out our bloated squad, so we need to know the tactical preference of the new guy to determine who goes up for sale. For example, does the new guy want to try and re-introduce Lukaku or move him on.

Or even better a fit Kante back.

And there ladies and gentlemen we have the Jorginho conundrum. 🤣

If it's happening I don't think any pre-contract agreement will be announced before the January transfer window.

This feels a little like when we signed Hazard, he was going anywhere but Chelsea, and then we signed him. This time Haaland is not going anywhere, and next summer there will be a battle for him which Chelsea won't win. Hopefully 🤞, Marina can perform some magic 🪄.

Don't under estimate how tactical the transfer market is. Maybe we are bidding for Lukaku in order to get Dortmund thinking that the £130m being offered might just disappear from the table to be replaced by £70m next summer, leaving Dortmund with a loss of £60m when Haaland could get injured for half of next season. I have no inside knowledge, just too many years of watching the games played in the transfer market. I suspect we won't get Haaland, we may get Lukaku who I have mixed feelings about, but he looked good in the Euro's and will get good service for TT's Chelsea formation. Personally I'd go for Ings, I think he would thrive at Chelsea with the service he'd get, then go back for Haarland next year the money "saved" can go to wages/signing-on fees.

I also think that the fact that Tuchel was available was a BIG factor.

Firstly, I am against the idea of a European Super League, and who knows if it will come to anything or is just posturing. However, if it does go ahead I am glad Chelsea are in the cut. I am enjoying all the outrage in the media. If Talksport are so anti the idea will they refuse to broadcast it if it does happen? Will all these ex-pros refuse the lucrative contracts to give their expert opinions? I am a Chelsea fan and will support them in a European Super League, as I have done in: Division 2; Division 1; The Premier League; The Anglo Italian Cup; The FA Cup; The League/Milk/Rumblows/Carling/... Cups; and other trophies. I still don't like the idea, but it's really just a progression from The Premier League; The Champions League; and all the money making media-fests that have materialised in the last 30 years. What the fans want doesn't matter, if it's going to happen it will happen, and I will probably end up sat at Stamford Bridge watching one of the games someday. If I (like most football fans) had any integrity we'd be supporting our local, non-league club as they might appreciate your support...but that wouldn't be watching Chelsea would it.

Firstly, I think Lamps should have been given more time, but if he had been I don't think we'd have qualified for next seasons UCL. I suspect that we moved for TT as he was available and before someone else took him on. There was a lot of talk that Chelsea felt that by sticking with JM so long in 2015 they missed out on Klopp, so maybe they didn't want lightening to strike twice. What I saw last night was a team that managed the game better than any Chelsea team since Conte's championship team. Under Lamps we would have been forced back after taking the lead, and undoubtedly conceded at least one. We are looking much better defensively under TT, and he is getting a tune out of Christiansen in Silva's absence, we missed one of that pair inn the middle of the back three against Soton. I agree that the possession football with no end-product is frustrating, but when recently have we been able to break down teams that sit deep? It's nothing knew, hopefully Havertz, Ziyech and Werner (& CHO & Tammy & Pulisic) can start to thrive under TT in the last part of the season, and we can secure UCL football for next season.

That should probably say "dreams" or "hopes" rather that "expectations" ?

Aged 5 or 6 growing up in Billericay, my older brother was (is) a Spammer, so I couldn't support them. However, his best mate supported Chelsea and I thought he was so cool, so I supported Chelsea too. It would have been around 1970, so I suspect brothers best mate supported them because of the cup final (which makes me a glory hunted by proxy ?). In common with all those who started supporting the Blues at that time the last 20 years of success, compensates for the previous 30 years of repeatedly crushed expectations.

hours ago Kepa - 5 Alonso - 6. Zouma - 7 Christensen - 7 - Not his biggest fan generally, but thought he played well last night. James - 7 Kante - 7 Jorginho - 6 Loftus-Cheek - 3 - Did nothing, I'm a fan of his, but this was not good enough Havertz - 4 - Along with RLC he did not contribute enough. He get's one more point than RLC because he's so new. Mount - 6 - Not his greatest game, but not helped by poor perfaormances by RLC and Havertz Werner - 8 - Worked his socks off and looked threatening, Will look even better with Pulisic and Ziyech Subs Barkley - 7 - Team looked better as soon as he came on Hudson-Odoi - 5 - Want him to be a star, but I just don't see it at the moment Azpilicueta - 6 Lampard - 7 - Did OK, I thought he could have removed RLC or Havertz earlier, as midfield struggling to create much. I accept that they both need on-field time though. Opposition score - 6 - Brighton will do OK this season, solidly mid-table.

Surely that red should have been overturned ?

Kepa James - Zouma - Rudi - Alonso Mount - Kante - Havertz CHO - Tammy - Werner

Why does any team need a third kit? The second kit should be designed to counter all clashes with the first kit. So a blue kit and a yellow kit should do the job!