axman2526

This forum? No, signed up at some point earlier this year. I am assuming that means the poster I quoted before is seen as some sort of prophet?

Our success at buying straight from the Portuguese league cannot be underestimated as these players have helped to play a big part in our success. Tiago, Ricky, Paulo, David Luiz and Ramires. While those players have lasted for different lengths of time the former 3 made important impacts from the start of Joses reign and look what key roles Rami and Luiz played in delivering the CL this season. Hopefully Hulk will add his name to that list. They may have cost a fair wack but one thing we usually get is quality from Porto or Benfica, they develop their talent well, and condition them for the top leagues, with a few exceptions along the way (as Arruda pointed out).

Now why are you so confident he will join us when every source in the media say it is between United and City?

Cannot see us getting 2 in addition to Marin. Think of two midfield for us next season: Mikel----Lampard Hulk----Mata-----Ramires and Romeu-----KdB Sturridge----Meireles----Marin That is 2 players for each position, good quality of depth and that is assuming Essien and Flo Mo join Kalou in going through the exit door. It also leaves questions over Josh, Kakuta and Piazon imo.

Reports in the Portuguese press for tomorrow say that we are in talks with Porto in a deal that would be worth around 50 million Euros, so 40 million pounds roughly.

To be fair though do we expect more defensive coverage from Hazard (at any club not just us) than we get from Mata? I do not believe so, but FB of the quality of Brana and Ash will need to cope with it possibly in the future. Maybe it is because Hazard is most likely off to United but were I to have my pick of the 3 options I'd go with Hulk. He always has struck me as a guy that has the cut of a Chelsea player, like I thought with the Drog. Hazard has the cut of a United player, while Lucas will end up in either Italian or Spanish football imo.

Looks like a 2 horse race for the managers seat to me from the reading about I have done (so probably wrong but anyways lol) Robbie or Capello, either on a short term deal as Roman is determined to get Pep when he wants to return to management. Though Roman really wanted Carlo and that relationship lasted only 2 years so...

Settles it then, think the recent rumours are right and he will go to United. With Lucas set to stay in Brazil according to his agent then that leaves Hulk as our main option, or will it be Willan?

Sky have a different view to the Beeb though: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/7774675/Kalou-and-Bosingwa-face-exit Believe the other 3 lads will leave. Marin will take Kalou's squad place, maybe KdB would take Essien's, Lukaku might get more first team chances with the Drog leaving, but still leaves question marks over a new RB and another wide player (Hazard or more likely Hulk?)

That BBC link confirms what Ron briefed the press about. Paulo, Flo Mo and Essien have 1 year deals and are set to be offered new terms. They offered nothing this year, makes no sense how they get new deals where guys who actually did some useful things in our CL campaign, Kalou and Bos, are released. Should be all of them going imo.

His latest comments go against his agents ones that there would be no more talks and Hazard would make a choice. Seems to be is asking for more money/better offers of places in the first team to be put on the table.

Well that is him out then, next!

Say it aint so... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2148978/Frank-Lampard-sign-new-Chelsea-contract.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Says both Malouda and Essien to be given new, long term deals...why they have been dross whenever they have played this season... Why give Lamps a wage rise as well at 33? We expect him to be a 175k player at 36/37?

4 will get new deals then? I believe Lamps has a deal that runs out next summer, so he could be one though his wages might make that tricky. Bertrand is now a first team squad regular so would expect him to get a new deal. Mata might be due a new deal and wage rise based on our success. So will guess him and maybe Brana?

Something tells me Romans thinking with the club has altered these past few months. He will have been unhappy at how things went with AVB, and will have seen our current squad cannot deliver the style he wants while also winning. He may have been making plans around the FFP rules, hence the big offers for Hazard and Lucas. If he wants the best out of Torres we may yet see him push it all in to get 2 from the 3 of Lucas, Hulk and Hazard. If not we may end up using: Mikel----Lamps Ramires----Mata---Marin Not bad either mind you. Interesting summer coming up me thinks.

One minute it is City, then it is us, now it is United. Bottom line is no one seems to know where he will end up at the mo. If his agent is right then all 3 of us have made good enough offers for him to consider. Now if he picks City or United over us, then we do not want him at the Bridge. We can move on to other targets, like Lucas, or Hulk, etc.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfers/9283661/Belgian-wonderkid-Eden-Hazard-mulling-over-offers-from-Manchester-City-Manchester-United-and-Chelsea.html All 3 sides have made offers that he finds acceptable. So who does that put in poll position?

You know no one has wanted/dared to take the number 25 since Franco left, might just be the same happens with the number 11.

What a few days it has been. Great sadness but also pride that this man wore our shirt with such pride. Gone but never forgotten. La la la, Didier Drogba, la la la, Dider Drogba!

Cannot blame the man, I think most of us would do the same. His last goal kept us in with a chance at winning the CL for the first time in our history. His last kick won it for us. That off the back of his goal winning the FA cup for us, what he has done time and time again in that competitions final. Why not go out at the top? Either leaving to go for a huge salary for his charity, going for an amazing last challenge at Barca; or returning to his beloved France? Is the end to his Chelsea career the big man deserves. Now, like with Zola, we have to adapt our game. Took us a while to change without the wee man, how will we do without this giant of a man?

So said Roman to the players and staff after our CL win in Munich I read. And while most of us are still on cloud 9, living off our own memoires of that truly amazing game; the club are now in that beginning, the beginning that was promised at the start of the season, reemphasized when AVB was sacked. The beginning of evolution for this truly epic squad. They have done it all, won it all. Premier League, FA cup, League cup and now, finally; the Champions League. In that we have had a League and League cup double, FA cup and League cup double, The double and last but certainly not least, FA cup and Champions League double. After all this those that do leave will be welcomed back in future years, able to talk over their fond times and great achievement, receiving the heroes reception they deserve for climaxing the hard work began all those years ago by Claudio’s vision and Zola’s goodbye present. Harnessed by Roman’s and Jose’s greatness, coaxed on by lucky Guus; reinvigorated by Carlo and thrust over that final hurdle by Di Matteo. While we bask in this the club are likely already putting together the pieces for next season. Hopefully sooner rather than later we have a permanent manager. I would like to see Robbie given a full season, allowed to make his own signings. He deserves the chance. Though if it is not to be for him what an incredible 4 or so months it has been, he can probably walk in to a decent few jobs now. We have Marin signed already but, for now, I want to focus on who is likely to (or should) leave the club. Drogba can make his own choice. Zola left after a great achievement and Didi deserves to leave when he wants, and I get the feeling leaving after his last outfield play goal saved us and last kick won us the CL is the perfect time for him. Will be very sad to see him go but, like Franco, can accept it and let the last memories of him be truly great. I believe I am right in saying the other two lads out of contract now are Kalou and Boswinga. Both of who I would allow to leave. Kalou has already mentioned a desire to return to Holland with his former side and Bos, well Bos has done well of late but we have to consider the home-grown quota. When you look through the rest of the squad you have those who you do not expect to go, nor want to go. Mine would go from Cech, Cole, Bertrand, Terry, Luiz, Cahill, Brana, Mikel, Romeu, Lampard, and Mata. Missing from that list are Hilario, Turnbull, Paulo, Essien, Meireles, Malouda, Josh, Kakuta, Lukaku and Torres. (Unless I forgot someone...) I do not expect all of those players to leave. To begin here I do not want Josh, Kakuta or Lukaku to be sold, however if they are not to be given first team chances next season I would want them loaned to clubs that will play them (unlike what poor Josh had this season...). Paulo, Essien and Malouda have not offered enough this season for me to remain for the next. When we saved our “first team†and gave these guys games in fixtures they could prove their metal in, we usually lost, showing our back up guys are not good enough and could be trimmed. Our backup keepers we cannot expect to be as good as Cech, but Hilario wastes a home grown spot and Ross is...well Ross is not good enough imo. Lastly Meireles and Torres. The former made it clear he was not happy to see AVB go and I have a suspicion he pushed on this year being told he could leave the club in the summer. Torres is making noises, and I doubt if he is the man to fill the Drogs shoes. He could leave or stay, but am not banking on either. More a wait and see. So my views on our squad there. What do my fellow blues expect to see and want to see in terms of ins and outs?

Still hard to believe, amazing scenes we have had these past few days guys. Champions of Europe!

There were regrets when Franco left. But in his own way he helped push us on to this. He scored a lot of goals that final season, helped us reach the top 4 status that got us CL football, and brought Roman to the club. Then he said goodbye, could have played on but left the club in the new hands, and ended his career playing for his boyhood club. In the same way I will regret seeing the Drog go, but once again can understand it and look at it for what it is. A great player who, like Franco, could offer more for another season or two; saying goodbye at the perfect time, passing the torch to the next guy. Who that guy is, is another question. Thank you Didi the best CF in my 18 odd years of following the Blues!

Jose, (and Carlo for me), will always be remembered well for what they achieved. As does Claudio from bringing the likes of Lamps to us who have done so much. Jose brought us our first title in 50 years, Carlo our first ever double. They are legends, truly great managers who will be remembered both for their time at Chelsea and what they have done at other football clubs as well. However they had time to build, mold their own sides and were not able to (by one means or another) take us to the top of the European tree. Robbie did, with a squad put on their knees and overcame sides that dumped out the new English Champions, the former English Champions, the back to back CL champions and last but not least followed it all by beating Bayern on their own turf.

Agreed we do not need to pay over the odds in wages or fees to achieve. If hazard wants the move then fine, but in line with how the club have done business of late. Smarter fees, smarter wages.