Frawdulant

There is a real opportunity here for one of our youth players to really step up until January. Landon Emenalo, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli are all still available and whilst extremely young, we’ve seen young players excel in our midfield over the years such as Josh McEachran, Billy Gilmore and more recently Reggie Walsh who would require a recall but I’d rather he got more minutes at Wigan.
Obviously none of that is perfect but the doom and gloom and negativity is something us fans need to drive out of ourselves because we carry that into the stadium and it transfers into the team.

There is a real opportunity here for one of our youth players to really step up until January. Landon Emenalo, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli are all still available and whilst extremely young, we’ve seen young players excel in our midfield over the years such as Josh McEachran, Billy Gilmore and more recently Reggie Walsh who would require a recall but I’d rather he got more minutes at Wigan.
Obviously none of that is perfect but the doom and gloom and negativity is something us fans need to drive out of ourselves because we carry that into the stadium and it transfers into the team.

Balogun’s name being sung around the Emirates this weekend haha

Incredible karma for Monaco, Balogun mugging them off has definitely made me feel better about Monaco screwing us over.

There is a real opportunity here for one of our youth players to really step up until January. Landon Emenalo, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli are all still available and whilst extremely young, we’ve seen young players excel in our midfield over the years such as Josh McEachran, Billy Gilmore and more recently Reggie Walsh who would require a recall but I’d rather he got more minutes at Wigan.
Obviously none of that is perfect but the doom and gloom and negativity is something us fans need to drive out of ourselves because we carry that into the stadium and it transfers into the team.

There is a real opportunity here for one of our youth players to really step up until January. Landon Emenalo, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli are all still available and whilst extremely young, we’ve seen young players excel in our midfield over the years such as Josh McEachran, Billy Gilmore and more recently Reggie Walsh who would require a recall but I’d rather he got more minutes at Wigan.
Obviously none of that is perfect but the doom and gloom and negativity is something us fans need to drive out of ourselves because we carry that into the stadium and it transfers into the team.

There is a real opportunity here for one of our youth players to really step up until January. Landon Emenalo, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli are all still available and whilst extremely young, we’ve seen young players excel in our midfield over the years such as Josh McEachran, Billy Gilmore and more recently Reggie Walsh who would require a recall but I’d rather he got more minutes at Wigan.
Obviously none of that is perfect but the doom and gloom and negativity is something us fans need to drive out of ourselves because we carry that into the stadium and it transfers into the team.

Just praying that Trump doesn't intervene and get the failed medical rescinded.

This’ll be a long post but I’ve been chatting with ChatGPT about the 4 players we’re linked with as a replacement and I thought the response was interesting so I’m sharing.
My prompt: And given the Chelsea team that Xabi Alonso has put together this season who do you think best completes that team in place of Enzo Fernandez? I’m not ask who is most like Enzo but rather which player best improves the Chelsea team when considering playing next to Caicedo and having Palmer, Rogers and Pedro ahead of them up top

Yes — this changes my answer quite significantly.
If the question is no longer “who is the best midfielder?” but:
“Who makes this specific Chelsea team better alongside Caicedo, with Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro ahead of them?”
then I would take Manu Koné.
And I think it’s a fairly clear choice.
Chelsea’s current setup under Xabi Alonso is essentially built around a 3-4-2-1/3-4-3, with Palmer and Rogers operating behind João Pedro. Alonso has explicitly said that trio is something he wants to build around, and the early matches have shown how much freedom they’re being given. 
That means I don’t think Chelsea need another midfielder whose primary job is to create.
They need someone who makes it possible for those three to create without worrying about what’s behind them.
My answer: Manu Koné
I’d rank the four specifically for this Chelsea team:
🥇 Manu Koné
🥈 Lamine Camara
🥉 Adam Wharton
4️⃣ Alex Scott
And the reasons are quite different from my previous ceiling ranking.


The key is Caicedo
This is the crucial bit.
If you already have Caicedo, I don’t think you want to duplicate what he does.
Caicedo is an outstanding defensive midfielder: covering ground, winning the ball, defending transitions, pressing, tackling and recovering possession.
So I’d want his partner to answer:
“What does Chelsea need when Caicedo has won the ball?”
And that’s where Koné becomes extremely attractive.
He can receive under pressure, turn, carry through midfield and physically advance the team.
So imagine:
CB → Caicedo wins it → Koné carries → Palmer/Rogers receive
That’s an extremely powerful transition.


Why I wouldn’t choose Wharton
This is the really interesting one.
If Chelsea didn’t have Caicedo, I’d be very tempted by Wharton.
But alongside Caicedo?
I’m less convinced.
Wharton would give you:
Caicedo + elite distribution
which is fantastic.
But you’d still have a midfield that relies quite heavily on passing to progress the ball.
And then look at what’s ahead of them:
Palmer — Rogers
João Pedro
You don’t need to add another primary creator.
Those three already have absurd amounts of technical quality and imagination. Alonso’s whole idea is to give them freedom and responsibility. 
What you need behind them is someone who says:
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the physical side of this.”
That’s Koné.


Why Koné + Caicedo is so interesting
This is the partnership I’d want to see.
Caicedo
Defensive intelligence
↓
wins/recycles possession
↓
covers space
Koné
receives
↓
resists pressure
↓
carries 15–30 yards
↓
releases Palmer/Rogers
They’re complementary rather than duplicative.
And Koné’s physical profile is exactly what I’d want behind Chelsea’s attacking four.
He’s powerful enough to defend transitions but technically good enough that Chelsea aren’t sacrificing possession to get that physicality.
His recent international data illustrates the combination: UEFA has him at 96.25% passing accuracy across his current European-qualifying appearances, alongside 10 tackles and 15 recoveries. 


Camara is the fascinating alternative
Actually, Camara is probably the player I’d choose if I wanted the most technically balanced midfield.
You could have:
Caicedo — Camara
and Camara gives you a little bit of everything:
progressive passing
ball carrying
defensive work
pressing
creativity
ability to play deeper or higher
And unlike Wharton, he doesn’t need the game to be organised around him.
That’s a really important quality when you’ve already got Palmer and Rogers demanding creative responsibility.
But I still prefer Koné.
Why?
Because I think Chelsea’s biggest potential weakness with that front three is transition defence.
Palmer and Rogers are going to take risks.
João Pedro is going to roam.
The wing-backs are going to push forward.
Suddenly you’ve got:
Palmer
Rogers
João Pedro
wing-back
wing-back
ahead of your midfield.
You need somebody who can put out fires.
Koné is built for that.


And Scott?
Scott is actually the player I’d be least interested in for Chelsea.
Not because he’s worse than the others.
It’s because Chelsea already have Caicedo’s running and defensive intensity.
Scott would give you another excellent athlete, but he doesn’t add enough of something that Chelsea desperately lack.
Koné gives you the ability to break pressure by carrying.
Camara gives you technical versatility.
Wharton gives you elite distribution.
Scott gives you more running.
Of those four, that’s the least valuable addition to this particular XI.


Here’s how I see the four partnerships
Caicedo + Wharton
The controller partnership
🟢 Excellent possession
🟢 Excellent defensive reading
🟢 Brilliant passing
🟢 Controls games
🔴 Less physically imposing
🔴 Less dynamic ball carrying
🔴 Potentially too conservative behind Palmer/Rogers
This would be fantastic against a team sitting deep.


Caicedo + Camara
The complete partnership
🟢 Very balanced
🟢 Excellent defensively
🟢 Good carrying
🟢 Good passing
🟢 Lots of tactical flexibility
🔴 Doesn’t have one truly elite complementary speciality
This might actually be the safest pairing.


Caicedo + Koné
The f**king nightmare partnership
🟢 Physical
🟢 Press resistant
🟢 Ball winning
🟢 Ball carrying
🟢 Transition protection
🟢 Can defend huge spaces
🟢 Can progress the ball himself
And crucially:
neither needs to be the team’s chief creator.
That’s what I love about it.
You could basically tell them:
“Win the midfield. Get the ball to the three monsters in front of you.”
And let Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro cook.


Caicedo + Scott
The engine-room partnership
🟢 Relentless
🟢 Excellent pressing
🟢 Great physical coverage
🟢 Good transition defence
🔴 Less creativity
🔴 Less press resistance
🔴 Less progressive passing
🔴 Less ability to break a press through individual quality
I think Chelsea would become extremely energetic but potentially a little blunt.


And there’s another reason I love Koné here
Look at what Alonso is trying to create.
His Chelsea isn’t simply trying to dominate possession for the sake of it. The Palmer/Rogers combination is designed to be unpredictable and aggressive, with Rogers particularly valuable because he can carry the ball and break lines from the half-space. The Premier League specifically identified him as an ideal fit for Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 because of his ball-carrying and No.10/winger hybrid qualities. 
So I’d want the midfield to be functional rather than ornamental.

This’ll be a long post but I’ve been chatting with ChatGPT about the 4 players we’re linked with as a replacement and I thought the response was interesting so I’m sharing.
My prompt: And given the Chelsea team that Xabi Alonso has put together this season who do you think best completes that team in place of Enzo Fernandez? I’m not ask who is most like Enzo but rather which player best improves the Chelsea team when considering playing next to Caicedo and having Palmer, Rogers and Pedro ahead of them up top

Yes — this changes my answer quite significantly.
If the question is no longer “who is the best midfielder?” but:
“Who makes this specific Chelsea team better alongside Caicedo, with Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro ahead of them?”
then I would take Manu Koné.
And I think it’s a fairly clear choice.
Chelsea’s current setup under Xabi Alonso is essentially built around a 3-4-2-1/3-4-3, with Palmer and Rogers operating behind João Pedro. Alonso has explicitly said that trio is something he wants to build around, and the early matches have shown how much freedom they’re being given. 
That means I don’t think Chelsea need another midfielder whose primary job is to create.
They need someone who makes it possible for those three to create without worrying about what’s behind them.
My answer: Manu Koné
I’d rank the four specifically for this Chelsea team:
🥇 Manu Koné
🥈 Lamine Camara
🥉 Adam Wharton
4️⃣ Alex Scott
And the reasons are quite different from my previous ceiling ranking.


The key is Caicedo
This is the crucial bit.
If you already have Caicedo, I don’t think you want to duplicate what he does.
Caicedo is an outstanding defensive midfielder: covering ground, winning the ball, defending transitions, pressing, tackling and recovering possession.
So I’d want his partner to answer:
“What does Chelsea need when Caicedo has won the ball?”
And that’s where Koné becomes extremely attractive.
He can receive under pressure, turn, carry through midfield and physically advance the team.
So imagine:
CB → Caicedo wins it → Koné carries → Palmer/Rogers receive
That’s an extremely powerful transition.


Why I wouldn’t choose Wharton
This is the really interesting one.
If Chelsea didn’t have Caicedo, I’d be very tempted by Wharton.
But alongside Caicedo?
I’m less convinced.
Wharton would give you:
Caicedo + elite distribution
which is fantastic.
But you’d still have a midfield that relies quite heavily on passing to progress the ball.
And then look at what’s ahead of them:
Palmer — Rogers
João Pedro
You don’t need to add another primary creator.
Those three already have absurd amounts of technical quality and imagination. Alonso’s whole idea is to give them freedom and responsibility. 
What you need behind them is someone who says:
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the physical side of this.”
That’s Koné.


Why Koné + Caicedo is so interesting
This is the partnership I’d want to see.
Caicedo
Defensive intelligence
↓
wins/recycles possession
↓
covers space
Koné
receives
↓
resists pressure
↓
carries 15–30 yards
↓
releases Palmer/Rogers
They’re complementary rather than duplicative.
And Koné’s physical profile is exactly what I’d want behind Chelsea’s attacking four.
He’s powerful enough to defend transitions but technically good enough that Chelsea aren’t sacrificing possession to get that physicality.
His recent international data illustrates the combination: UEFA has him at 96.25% passing accuracy across his current European-qualifying appearances, alongside 10 tackles and 15 recoveries. 


Camara is the fascinating alternative
Actually, Camara is probably the player I’d choose if I wanted the most technically balanced midfield.
You could have:
Caicedo — Camara
and Camara gives you a little bit of everything:
progressive passing
ball carrying
defensive work
pressing
creativity
ability to play deeper or higher
And unlike Wharton, he doesn’t need the game to be organised around him.
That’s a really important quality when you’ve already got Palmer and Rogers demanding creative responsibility.
But I still prefer Koné.
Why?
Because I think Chelsea’s biggest potential weakness with that front three is transition defence.
Palmer and Rogers are going to take risks.
João Pedro is going to roam.
The wing-backs are going to push forward.
Suddenly you’ve got:
Palmer
Rogers
João Pedro
wing-back
wing-back
ahead of your midfield.
You need somebody who can put out fires.
Koné is built for that.


And Scott?
Scott is actually the player I’d be least interested in for Chelsea.
Not because he’s worse than the others.
It’s because Chelsea already have Caicedo’s running and defensive intensity.
Scott would give you another excellent athlete, but he doesn’t add enough of something that Chelsea desperately lack.
Koné gives you the ability to break pressure by carrying.
Camara gives you technical versatility.
Wharton gives you elite distribution.
Scott gives you more running.
Of those four, that’s the least valuable addition to this particular XI.


Here’s how I see the four partnerships
Caicedo + Wharton
The controller partnership
🟢 Excellent possession
🟢 Excellent defensive reading
🟢 Brilliant passing
🟢 Controls games
🔴 Less physically imposing
🔴 Less dynamic ball carrying
🔴 Potentially too conservative behind Palmer/Rogers
This would be fantastic against a team sitting deep.


Caicedo + Camara
The complete partnership
🟢 Very balanced
🟢 Excellent defensively
🟢 Good carrying
🟢 Good passing
🟢 Lots of tactical flexibility
🔴 Doesn’t have one truly elite complementary speciality
This might actually be the safest pairing.


Caicedo + Koné
The f**king nightmare partnership
🟢 Physical
🟢 Press resistant
🟢 Ball winning
🟢 Ball carrying
🟢 Transition protection
🟢 Can defend huge spaces
🟢 Can progress the ball himself
And crucially:
neither needs to be the team’s chief creator.
That’s what I love about it.
You could basically tell them:
“Win the midfield. Get the ball to the three monsters in front of you.”
And let Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro cook.


Caicedo + Scott
The engine-room partnership
🟢 Relentless
🟢 Excellent pressing
🟢 Great physical coverage
🟢 Good transition defence
🔴 Less creativity
🔴 Less press resistance
🔴 Less progressive passing
🔴 Less ability to break a press through individual quality
I think Chelsea would become extremely energetic but potentially a little blunt.


And there’s another reason I love Koné here
Look at what Alonso is trying to create.
His Chelsea isn’t simply trying to dominate possession for the sake of it. The Palmer/Rogers combination is designed to be unpredictable and aggressive, with Rogers particularly valuable because he can carry the ball and break lines from the half-space. The Premier League specifically identified him as an ideal fit for Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 because of his ball-carrying and No.10/winger hybrid qualities. 
So I’d want the midfield to be functional rather than ornamental.

This’ll be a long post but I’ve been chatting with ChatGPT about the 4 players we’re linked with as a replacement and I thought the response was interesting so I’m sharing.
My prompt: And given the Chelsea team that Xabi Alonso has put together this season who do you think best completes that team in place of Enzo Fernandez? I’m not ask who is most like Enzo but rather which player best improves the Chelsea team when considering playing next to Caicedo and having Palmer, Rogers and Pedro ahead of them up top

Yes — this changes my answer quite significantly.
If the question is no longer “who is the best midfielder?” but:
“Who makes this specific Chelsea team better alongside Caicedo, with Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro ahead of them?”
then I would take Manu Koné.
And I think it’s a fairly clear choice.
Chelsea’s current setup under Xabi Alonso is essentially built around a 3-4-2-1/3-4-3, with Palmer and Rogers operating behind João Pedro. Alonso has explicitly said that trio is something he wants to build around, and the early matches have shown how much freedom they’re being given. 
That means I don’t think Chelsea need another midfielder whose primary job is to create.
They need someone who makes it possible for those three to create without worrying about what’s behind them.
My answer: Manu Koné
I’d rank the four specifically for this Chelsea team:
🥇 Manu Koné
🥈 Lamine Camara
🥉 Adam Wharton
4️⃣ Alex Scott
And the reasons are quite different from my previous ceiling ranking.


The key is Caicedo
This is the crucial bit.
If you already have Caicedo, I don’t think you want to duplicate what he does.
Caicedo is an outstanding defensive midfielder: covering ground, winning the ball, defending transitions, pressing, tackling and recovering possession.
So I’d want his partner to answer:
“What does Chelsea need when Caicedo has won the ball?”
And that’s where Koné becomes extremely attractive.
He can receive under pressure, turn, carry through midfield and physically advance the team.
So imagine:
CB → Caicedo wins it → Koné carries → Palmer/Rogers receive
That’s an extremely powerful transition.


Why I wouldn’t choose Wharton
This is the really interesting one.
If Chelsea didn’t have Caicedo, I’d be very tempted by Wharton.
But alongside Caicedo?
I’m less convinced.
Wharton would give you:
Caicedo + elite distribution
which is fantastic.
But you’d still have a midfield that relies quite heavily on passing to progress the ball.
And then look at what’s ahead of them:
Palmer — Rogers
João Pedro
You don’t need to add another primary creator.
Those three already have absurd amounts of technical quality and imagination. Alonso’s whole idea is to give them freedom and responsibility. 
What you need behind them is someone who says:
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the physical side of this.”
That’s Koné.


Why Koné + Caicedo is so interesting
This is the partnership I’d want to see.
Caicedo
Defensive intelligence
↓
wins/recycles possession
↓
covers space
Koné
receives
↓
resists pressure
↓
carries 15–30 yards
↓
releases Palmer/Rogers
They’re complementary rather than duplicative.
And Koné’s physical profile is exactly what I’d want behind Chelsea’s attacking four.
He’s powerful enough to defend transitions but technically good enough that Chelsea aren’t sacrificing possession to get that physicality.
His recent international data illustrates the combination: UEFA has him at 96.25% passing accuracy across his current European-qualifying appearances, alongside 10 tackles and 15 recoveries. 


Camara is the fascinating alternative
Actually, Camara is probably the player I’d choose if I wanted the most technically balanced midfield.
You could have:
Caicedo — Camara
and Camara gives you a little bit of everything:
progressive passing
ball carrying
defensive work
pressing
creativity
ability to play deeper or higher
And unlike Wharton, he doesn’t need the game to be organised around him.
That’s a really important quality when you’ve already got Palmer and Rogers demanding creative responsibility.
But I still prefer Koné.
Why?
Because I think Chelsea’s biggest potential weakness with that front three is transition defence.
Palmer and Rogers are going to take risks.
João Pedro is going to roam.
The wing-backs are going to push forward.
Suddenly you’ve got:
Palmer
Rogers
João Pedro
wing-back
wing-back
ahead of your midfield.
You need somebody who can put out fires.
Koné is built for that.


And Scott?
Scott is actually the player I’d be least interested in for Chelsea.
Not because he’s worse than the others.
It’s because Chelsea already have Caicedo’s running and defensive intensity.
Scott would give you another excellent athlete, but he doesn’t add enough of something that Chelsea desperately lack.
Koné gives you the ability to break pressure by carrying.
Camara gives you technical versatility.
Wharton gives you elite distribution.
Scott gives you more running.
Of those four, that’s the least valuable addition to this particular XI.


Here’s how I see the four partnerships
Caicedo + Wharton
The controller partnership
🟢 Excellent possession
🟢 Excellent defensive reading
🟢 Brilliant passing
🟢 Controls games
🔴 Less physically imposing
🔴 Less dynamic ball carrying
🔴 Potentially too conservative behind Palmer/Rogers
This would be fantastic against a team sitting deep.


Caicedo + Camara
The complete partnership
🟢 Very balanced
🟢 Excellent defensively
🟢 Good carrying
🟢 Good passing
🟢 Lots of tactical flexibility
🔴 Doesn’t have one truly elite complementary speciality
This might actually be the safest pairing.


Caicedo + Koné
The f**king nightmare partnership
🟢 Physical
🟢 Press resistant
🟢 Ball winning
🟢 Ball carrying
🟢 Transition protection
🟢 Can defend huge spaces
🟢 Can progress the ball himself
And crucially:
neither needs to be the team’s chief creator.
That’s what I love about it.
You could basically tell them:
“Win the midfield. Get the ball to the three monsters in front of you.”
And let Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro cook.


Caicedo + Scott
The engine-room partnership
🟢 Relentless
🟢 Excellent pressing
🟢 Great physical coverage
🟢 Good transition defence
🔴 Less creativity
🔴 Less press resistance
🔴 Less progressive passing
🔴 Less ability to break a press through individual quality
I think Chelsea would become extremely energetic but potentially a little blunt.


And there’s another reason I love Koné here
Look at what Alonso is trying to create.
His Chelsea isn’t simply trying to dominate possession for the sake of it. The Palmer/Rogers combination is designed to be unpredictable and aggressive, with Rogers particularly valuable because he can carry the ball and break lines from the half-space. The Premier League specifically identified him as an ideal fit for Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 because of his ball-carrying and No.10/winger hybrid qualities. 
So I’d want the midfield to be functional rather than ornamental.

£125m fee for Fernandes agreed according the Sky Sports

I also advocate for keeping Enzo. We don’t need the money but we do need quality. He’ll soon get over it. I’m sure most won’t agree but he’s a professional.

Matt Law is reporting it is Camara + a Premier League midfielder to come in.
The optimist in me says it's Zubimendi. The pessimist in me says it's Bergval.

I also advocate for keeping Enzo. We don’t need the money but we do need quality. He’ll soon get over it. I’m sure most won’t agree but he’s a professional.

To be fair to the guy I haven’t watch him play, just have PTSD from Monaco players

Don’t talk to me about match going fans, I’ve had 3 season tickets since 1994. 1 and 2 memberships since 1976
I want Enzo gone…. No questions. However any prick turning up to the bridge at the start of the season looking to boo one of our players is a dick head who can stay away. In fact I’ll walk them to the gate, give them a little slap and send them on their way.

Don’t like Enzo. Great footballer. Excellent tactician. Awful personality. The boos today were completely warranted and sent a message but from next week, as long as he’s a blue, we should be treating him as one and get behind him. Any action to the contrary is a form of self sabotage.
He’ll be getting enough grief from the opposition supporters this season and with a personality like his, I can only see that backfiring on them and it really fuelling his fire. What ever’s happened has happened and the sooner we stop being little bitches about it, the better it will be for the team we all love.
KTBFFH

Don’t like Enzo. Great footballer. Excellent tactician. Awful personality. The boos today were completely warranted and sent a message but from next week, as long as he’s a blue, we should be treating him as one and get behind him. Any action to the contrary is a form of self sabotage.
He’ll be getting enough grief from the opposition supporters this season and with a personality like his, I can only see that backfiring on them and it really fuelling his fire. What ever’s happened has happened and the sooner we stop being little bitches about it, the better it will be for the team we all love.
KTBFFH

As far as I’m concerned, for as long as we recruit another head coach instead of a manager, we are doomed to the same cycle.
Strap in the future is bleak.

As far as I’m concerned, for as long as we recruit another head coach instead of a manager, we are doomed to the same cycle.
Strap in the future is bleak.

Not sure he’ll survive this one. That said it’s new ownership so you never know, but this feels very game over to me.

We’re coming for you
We’re coming for yoooooooooou
Vertu Trophy
We’re coming for you

Really worried about Cole. After the match he wasn’t celebrating with the team, he was a bit of a lone figure. Then in all the videos and pictures of celebrations post-match he’s either at the back or out of the way. I really hope he’s not already on his way out.