Greg

Yeah, I've completed Max; just need to finish Guacamelee now. There's another two titles coming in the next Games with Gold so I suppose they can keep me occupied for a little bit.

Can't wait for some new games to come out for the Xbox One now. Titanfall was fun while it lasted but hasn't got longevity. The only reason I still own CoD: Ghosts is because I want to get the achievements on the last DLC pack seeing as though I own the season pass. Forza is enjoyable but I don't want to burn myself out on the game. It's times like this when I regret trading FIFA 14 in after getting 1000G...

Personally, I think if Drogba's been brought back to influence any striker of ours, it's Costa and not Lukaku. Mourinho has made it quite clear that he sees no similarities between Lukaku and Drogba. We all notice similarities on the pitch, but perhaps what he was talking about was off the pitch such as his attitude and work ethic. Costa has the potential to play the 'Drogba' role due to his robust nature, whereas I don't think Lukaku has that in him and can see him going missing on numerous occasions if he was left up top on his own. Secondly, even if it wasn't written into his contract, both Lukaku and Costa will be aware of Drogba's legacy at the club and his presence and behaviours on and around the pitch will probably help Lukaku and Costa learn how they should act, both on and off the pitch. Drogba was, and still is, a fan favourite - they'd be stupid not to take note of how he conducts himself, whether Drogba is being told to mentor them or not.

I think what he was getting at was that when we signed him, we did so because of the potential and raw talent he possesses. By no means was he the finished article and a lot of people are aware of that. It's very difficult to be young and be a great centre back as half of being a centre half is all about experience and how to read situations - this comes a lot easier if you're surrounded by other experienced professionals day in, day out. We couldn't sign 'anyone' by that logic, I think you either misunderstood what he was getting at or your attempted humour failed miserably.

I know replying to this comment is going really off-topic but I have to agree. Pique is distinctly average, in my opinion. I don't like Pepe or Ramos either but I hate to admit that I think Ramos is a good defender, albeit lacking the discipline he should have for a player of his calibre. Onto the topic at hand, Kroos for £20m is a tidy piece of business by Real as even if he doesn't become a regular starter there and does look for a move elsewhere in the next year or two, they should be able to get more than £20m for him. Not saying he will be sold because I think he could definitely cement his place in the Real starting line-up, but it is an astute piece of business either way. It is disappointing, however, that all the best (by best I mean world class) players only seek a move to one of two clubs if they are to move anywhere in Europe - Barca or Madrid. It just goes to show how far behind football in England really is. Yet people still wonder why we never succeed on an international level...

It's worth trying out, if nothing else. It can get quite addictive, though, so don't say you've not be warned!

We really shouldn't be taking Luiz's fee into consideration regarding the sum of this transfer. If we were to sign an 18 year-old full-back that arguably wouldn't make the starting eleven every week, we shouldn't be spending almost £30m on such a player. I'd be reluctant to pay upwards of £15m for a player that would take up that role. We can't just use the Luiz fee to justify a transfer that is massively inflated.

A very likeable chap but also a very unreliable, inconsistent player. I would be displeased (to say the least) if we were to splash £50m out for a player that is not yet fully developed. I know fees have become more inflated of late but £50m for him is, to put it bluntly, daylight robbery. To be spending that sort of money on a player that still has unearthed potential is crazy, but when you have the money PSG have at their disposal I suppose they do whatever is necessary to get what they desire. Oh, and before any Luiz fan-boy has a little hissy fit I am fully aware we forked out £50m for Torres but he was at the top of his game when we signed him and was widely considered to be a world-class striker. For some reason it just hasn't quite worked out, why that is I guess we'll never know but that's for another discussion at another time. I am sad to see the back of him (and his hair) as he is one hell of a "geezer". He has so much talent but he really does lack discipline; I hope Blanc can instil this into his game because I really want him to live up to his potential. He has the ability to become one of the best centre-backs in the world if he could just improve his concentration and defensive nous, at times. All the best, David. It's been a pleasure.

Let's not forget the fact that Shaw was a blue growing up so if he has any say in where he ends up, there's no doubt he'd come back to London.

This is a forum - a place for discussion - if you weren't already aware of that. What do you expect us to discuss during the close season? Want us to post nonsense about transfer rumours for three months? Sorry but that's not what keeps bringing me back to this place. I come for discussion and debate, it's interesting to see different viewpoints on certain club affairs. This has been the best topic I've seen on any football forum for quite some time because it is challenging. You can't just post a one-word reply in a thread such as this which is what makes it so good. I'd much rather reply to a thought-provoking thread than to a load of transfer gossip that has been copied and pasted from all sorts of unreliable "sources". Finally, you can't just blame our strikers for our downfall this season. They haven't had consistent good service throughout the season and in the system Mourinho plays they are often isolated up top. Most strikers revel with players around them who they can feed off. Drogba was the perfect fit for Mourinho's system as he was something special in that he could hold the ball up; turn players; beat players; find a pass; score goals; win headers. He didn't need players nearby to create a chance - he was Mourinho's idea of the perfect striker and went hand-in-hand with his formation and strategies. It's going to be hard to find another striker of that ilk so I wouldn't blame the strikers too much because not many strikers in their place could have done much more.

We're all aware Lukaku is by no means the finished article yet and still has a lot of improving and developing to do in terms of becoming a great all-round striker. However, what we, the fans, could question is would he have done a better job than Ba, Eto'o and Torres this season if he was at the club? Probably so. During his loan spells Romelu has proved he's ready for the step up and I really do hope we give him a fair chance this season or we will end up shooting ourselves in the foot and lose a player that we worked so hard to get a hold of in the first place. In response to the question at hand, I'd obviously opt for Lukaku if that much wasn't evident already. Bamford has a lot of potential but should be given regular Premier League experience elsewhere first.

Although it's upsetting to see him leave when I feel he still has a lot to offer us, I can't say it's an absurd decision to let him go at this stage in his career. As many have said already in here, his wages will be amongst the highest in the club currently and the club probably does right to let him go. In letting Ash go we'll be reducing the wage bill and we also have a more than adequate replacement in Azpilicueta. If ever there was a "right time" to let Cole go, it would be now. I'd much rather see Ash walk out of the club with his head held high after putting in consistent solid perfomances (as per usual) as opposed to paying him a lot of money for him to spend over 60% of the next couple of seasons on the bench. He will be a great acquisition for whichever club obtains his signature as he is still one of the best defensive left-backs in world football - however, people seem to disregard a full-backs need to defend in this day and age. I, personally, hope he goes to play outside of the Premier League so he can face a new challenge. He's achieved everything he can here in England and if we've gotten to know Ash over the years, he loves a challenge. If the rumours about Carlo being interested in taking him to Real Madrid are true, I'd be delighted. Ash still deserves and warrants a place within a team competing at the highest level and if he was to leave for America or France he would miss out on that. Did all the doubters believe £5m plus Gallas to be an astute piece of business at the time? Probably not, but... they do now!

This topic seems to have descended into a discussion about Man United and their back-line as opposed to Luke Shaw being Ashley Cole's potential successor. I'm going to say my piece, regardless. As much as I think Luke Shaw would be a fantastic signing and an adequate replacement for Cole - who's been outstanding for us over the years - we have no desperate need for a left-back as Azpilicueta has shown he is more than competent playing there. Taking this into account, I don't think José will prioritise signing a left-back that will fit into our starting eleven as a priority. He may be after a left-back, but I doubt it will be Shaw as he's probably looking for an understudy to Azpilicueta. Shaw, in my opinion, will end up at Man United as their need for a left-back is more severe than ours. Evra has been disappointing for a couple of seasons now but they've been without an adequate replacement to take his place hence why he's still the club's first choice left-back.

They seem to think it may be on the cards again this summer, too. Delusional Man United fans, eh, who'd have thought it?

I've not had the game too long but it's a great pass-time. I definitely agree that Clan Wars has taken it to a new level as it enables players to earn a lot of gold and elixir in quite a short period of time. I'm just upgrading my defences on TH6 and then I'll be ready to upgrade to level 7. Pretty stupid that you only unlock the dark elixir storage on that town hall level and not the drill as well.

From what I've heard and seen, it's supposed to have been a "done deal" for the past few weeks but I'm yet to see any official advancements of the rumours.

Here's an article I've written on his departure. Don't worry, admins and mods, it's only a link to my personal blog. I tried copying and pasting but all the formatting messed up!

What I don't understand about Mikel is how calm and composed he is in possession of the ball when under severe pressure. He's unbelievable at retaining possession in the tightest of areas, and for that, you have to applaud him. However, he is prone to the odd defensive lapse and his concentration levels do seem to waver sometimes. He's vastly improved from the Mikel of old, and has become an extremely useful defensive midfielder. He does have a lot still to learn though, but most of what he has to develop he can only enhance by spending more and more time on the pitch. Like you say, though; I don't know why people seem to hold such a vendetta against the lad - he's a good player.

I don't condone the transfer given how light we are in the midfield department, but I wish him the best of luck there and hope that he settles down and can be a permanent (and prominent) fixture within the Fenerbahce squad. I'm not his biggest fan but he has improved a lot recently and I do believe he would have become a good player for us this season. Anyway, time to move on and hopefully bring someone in on a free. If not, start scouting for talent to molest in January.

Did anyone buy Collection 1 and 2 whilst they were on offer as part of Xbox's 'Deal of the Week', this week? I'd already succumbed to purchasing the first DLC before this half-price deal. I did pick up the second whilst it was on offer, mind you, along with the 'Rezurrection' Black Ops DLC pack.

Man; mountain; legend. You, sir, will never be forgotten - the best, and most complete, striker in this generation. Thanks again, Greg.

She wouldn't 'need' to be on TV over there, though, would she? If I had to choose one to depart, it would be Terry. Lampard is simply irreplaceable.

As much as I'd love us to take a punt on Moutinho too, there's no way we'd be able to prize him away from Porto for anything other than a ridiculous fee.

He's never been, nor ever will be world-class, but he's always given it his all and is a player I trully admire for enjoying every second of his time here at the Bridge. He may be subject to criticism from a section of fans - myself included at times - but he never let this affect him and still continued to give his all for the club. Plus, he's leaving as a Champions League winner - an accolade not many players can boast. Farewell, Salomon...

Great post that I fully agree with. Fortunately, it seems that we're not too far away from having all three components you listed. Our defence looks resolute and composed, especially since Di Matteo took over. There's only Luiz that can seem a little suspect at times, but he certainly has the potential to develop as a player which is good to know. Cole, Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic leave us with a very strong back line, however; arguably the best in the league. Our acquisitions in the window thus far has seen an influx of attacking flair and pace, which is another thing we were lacking last season at times as you noted. The key component for me, though, has got to be the consistent cutting edge up front. Hopefully Torres will provide that if he's the heart of our attacking force with players seeking to play the ball in behind and to his feet, as opposed to bypassing him with hopeless balls in the air. Drogba was good at retaining possession in that fashion, whereas Torres has no chance. Hadn't Di Matteo been in contact (apparently) with Hazard before he signed, though? If that's the case, then Robbie will have been consulted before the deal was concluded.