Mid-Season Signing Ratings

[TomCFC85]

I thought it'd be interesting to rate our signings of the Summer, please submit your own too.
Cabellero - 5/10 - Not much you can say, back up keeper but he's done alright in cup matches
Ampadu - 7/10 - One for the future but Conte clearly trusts him, put in some good performances
Rudiger - 9/10 - Barely puts a foot wrong and strengthens out defense significantly, don't really know why he doesn't play more often.
Bakayoko - 5/10 - Very inconsistent, will bully Matic one week but get spun around by Wes Morgan the next, he's got the ability, he just needs to focus, I feel.
Morata - 7/10 - Missed some absolute sitters but he's shown some attacking intelligence and has scored some vital goals. 
Zappacosta - 4/10 - Had the odd decent game but he's yet to really make a name for himself, has put in way more bad performances than good but I feel he's improving.
Drinkwater - 7/10 - Difficult to say, he hasn't had much game time but he's been great when he has been playing. Hope he plays more in matches to come. 

 

[Slojo]

You can't give Rudiger a higher rating than Morata, he hasn't played or contributed nearly enough, also his mistake against Roma was an absolute schoolboy error. 

 

[TomCFC85]

You can't give Rudiger a higher rating than Morata, he hasn't played or contributed nearly enough, also his mistake against Roma was an absolute schoolboy error. 

Rudiger has played a fair few games, enough for me to know he's a more consistent performer than Morata.
Plus one mistake is hardly enough for me to slate him.

 

[sonic90]

I would take into account future potential and longevity, also how much impact they can make for us this season.

Willy Cabellero: Solid backup GK, we've seen how good he's been for City, it's like having Schwarzer again, if Tibo got injured it wouldn't be a disaster. But he is 36 and you wonder how long he has, hopefully like Schwarzer and other GKs he can go into his 40s. 7/10

Ethan Ampadu: Had a shocker for his first cameo but then impressed in his full debut, not seen enough from him but the fact that he is a full international shows there is promise. He'll probably be loaned out and hopefully come back a few years later as another Christensen. Doubt he will be much use to us beyond using him in easy cup matches. 6/10

Antonio Rudiger: Pretty decent aerial threat in the box, he's taken over from Cahill as the odd goal scoring CB, he's got pace and power which is useful to drive forward or chase attackers. But seems to be a hot head and at times looked a hair away from a red card. He might improve more but could also be the finished article. 8/10

Timmy Bakayoko: Had just one excellent game against United which gave me so much hope, but every other game he is average or below average in all areas of his game. He only has one USP and that is he has strength and pace to drive forward under pressure, but this is done so few and far between it might as well not be a feature of his game. He has "TIME" to improve and make that performance against United the norm, but if he doesn't then we have overpaid by £30m. 5/10

Alvie Momo - He has a pretty good base to develop into a world class striker, so far he is that level when it comes to heading goals but of course needs to improve on holding up the ball without falling over like it's La Liga. Also those friggin' one on ones... But overall pretty happy with him as our striker and have faith he will cut out the BS with falling over and hitting it straight at the GK. Next season I expect him to score 30 goals. 8/10

Davide Zappacosta - Was decent in the few few games, then had a few shocking ones, now that Moses had a couple poor ones he's stepped in and performed. He's got a lot of straight line pace and is a willing runner, he makes forward runs sometimes more often than all our other attackers, crossing and defending ability isn't great though. He will be useful this season when Moses is off it but I can imagine he can be replaced quite easily. 6/10

Danny Drinkwater - Hasn't featured a ton yet but from what I've seen from him he hasn't put a foot wrong yet. He is a classic all round midfielder that provides balance in midfield. Never mind Baka, for me DW is the replacement for Matic and so far an upgrade on him too. Hopefully we will see an extended run with him and Kante, in a 3 with Cesc and back to last seasons 3-4-3 as well, we can return to winning ways and stand a far better chance against Barca. I'm giving him the highest score because of how crucial it is to have him and not any mixture of a Kante/Cesc/Baka midfield. 9/10

 

[Ernie_blue]

Baka - 5​

Zappa - 5​

Morata - 7​

Rudiger - 7 ​

Drinkwater - 6​

 

[Munkunku]

I know he was our player anyway but after being away for two years & never being a proper member of the first team Christensen feels like a new signing too!

Keeping hold of him was definitely our best bit of business of the summer 10/10 

 

[didierforever]

Baka - 6 (underwhelming but improving so thats a positive)

Zappa - 6 (underwhelming but improving so thats a positive)

Morata - 5 (needs to work on his finishing, he is a striker and he is judged on the number of goals scored. 8% conversion from his feet is torresy bad)

Rudiger - 7 (Looks solid)

Drinkwater - 9 (Has been brilliant)

 

[All Barco no bite]

Cabellero - 6.5/10 - Pretty much the perfect back up keeper. Cost us nothing and felt very comfortable when he's played. Also seems like a likeable guy.Ampadu - 6/10 - Good start for his age and think he's going to be one for the future. Not been as impressed as others by his performances and people have overhyped what he has done just because he is young.Rudiger - 8/10 - For me he should be a starter. Young, quick, strong and can pass a ball. Imagine he'll be a nailed on starter by the end of the season. Bakayoko - 5.5/10 - Tough one. With his recent performance fresh in my memory i was tempted to mark him much lower.Having said that, i then remember his perofrmances against the big teams like Utd, Spurs and Atletico. Luckily age is on his side and he can only get better.Morata - 6.5/10 - Was very impressed at the start but some major worries have come to show. His finishing on the ground is beyond bad and he seems quite weak mentally (Buffon comments). Cracking head on him though and links up play elsewhere nicely. Once again age is on his side but i had to knock him a point as for £60m you expect the finished article. Zappacosta - 5.2/10 - He's done what he was signed to do, and that's to take the workload off Moses. Doesn't look bad but doesn't set the world alight. Scored some great goals but for the price tag, once again expected more. Also, disappointed with his crossing as this was supposed to be his main strength from Torino.Drinkwater - 7.5/10 - Grown to really like this signing. Over the summer i wasn't convinced but now i think he should be starting. A proper workhorse with no real weaknesses in his game. Jack of all trades and just what we needed in the middle of the park. Also helps with the English quota.

Overall - 6/10. 

I don't think we added enough finished articles to strengthen the squad after letting Matic and Costa leave. Lots of potential there for the future though.

 

[Nibs]

I thought it'd be interesting to rate our signings of the Summer, please submit your own too.
Cabellero - 5/10 - Not much you can say, back up keeper but he's done alright in cup matches
Ampadu - 7/10 - One for the future but Conte clearly trusts him, put in some good performances
Rudiger - 9/10 - Barely puts a foot wrong and strengthens out defense significantly, don't really know why he doesn't play more often.
Bakayoko - 5/10 - Very inconsistent, will bully Matic one week but get spun around by Wes Morgan the next, he's got the ability, he just needs to focus, I feel.
Morata - 7/10 - Missed some absolute sitters but he's shown some attacking intelligence and has scored some vital goals. 
Zappacosta - 4/10 - Had the odd decent game but he's yet to really make a name for himself, has put in way more bad performances than good but I feel he's improving.
Drinkwater - 7/10 - Difficult to say, he hasn't had much game time but he's been great when he has been playing. Hope he plays more in matches to come. 

Pretty much spot on I would say. I too would give Rudiger a high mark - always feel a lot happier when I see his name in the starting line-up and bar that one Roma mistake he has been very good.

And at this stage it would be hard to give Morata any higher than a 7 when he has been so hit & miss (or in the case of the Arsenal game, miss, miss, miss..........!)

 

[jack_super_class]

Baka - 6 (underwhelming but improving so thats a positive)

Zappa - 6 (underwhelming but improving so thats a positive)

Morata - 5 (needs to work on his finishing, he is a striker and he is judged on the number of goals scored. 8% conversion from his feet is torresy bad)

Rudiger - 7 (Looks solid)

Drinkwater - 9 (Has been brilliant)

Bit harsh on Morata, giving him a lesser rating than Zappacosta and Bakayako.

 

[Zeta]

Cabellero - 5/10 - Impossible to tell, only used in cup games
Ampadu - 7/10 - Looks promising, though I prefer him in CM than defence
Rudiger - 7/10 - Slow start with some mistakes, but been looking more assured of late. I'd expect him to overtake Cahill for the LCB position by the end of the season.
Bakayoko - 3/10 - Awful, can't even do the basics. Offers nothing positive. Hopefully we'll get rid in the summer, but I know we'll be stuck with him for years, blocking other players coming through.
Morata - 6/10 - Great control and passing, so much better than watching the ball bounce off Costa every time it went up top, but seriously lacking in finishing ability, needs to improve.
Zappacosta - 5/10 - Very hit and miss. 1 good cross all season, but he's fast and energetic. I don't know. He doesn't look good enough most of the time, but he'll do for now.
Drinkwater - 6/10 - Deserves more game time ahead of Bakayoko.​

 

[bluedave]

Cabellero - ?

Ampadu - ?

Rudiger - 8

Zappacosta - 6

Bakayoko - 5

Drinkwater - 7

Morata - 7 (would have been an 8 before December)

 

[big blue]

Cabellero 6. done nothing wrong, hasn't featured much. 

rudiger 7. played well on the whole, his speed gets him out of a lot trouble. unlucky to not start more.

zappacosta 5. steady but not really done enough to convince me he was worth signing. 

bakayoko 4. Hasn't been good. Sloppy on the ball, positionally all over the place. Looks better in a 2 than a 3.

drinkwater 7. Been quite impressed, neat and tidy, should play more. 

Morata 8. Bad couple of games, and his finishing needs work, but he is still on course to score over 20 in his 1st season, and his link up play has been great. 

 

[Sun zhi]

Bakayoko - 5.5 - promising start. Thought he'd really boss the midfield in games once full fit. Anything but. For a 40m player he adds very little imo. Still not calling for him to be discarded. Clearly no way near the finished article and there might be a very useful player in there with the right kind of work on him.

Zappacosta - 6 - Lots of pace and good stamina. Has been decent defensively. Just doesn't inspire much confidence in making anything out if the bags of possession he gets on that flank. Other than his last match, he's not shown what a wingback should be doing.

Morata - 7.5 - He's a class player. Having problems with his finishing and maybe mentally a bit soft. Still scored quite consistently and in big games - albeit mostly with his head. Goals are goals, though, and heading is a big part of goalscoring. Good link up play and movement. Plus refreshing to have no Costa Madness every game.

Rudiger - 7.5 - he's been good. I like his attitude and his pace and athleticism. Also seems to have a good pass and a threat at set pieces. Over-commits sometimes and gets himself in positions where he's having to use his pace to get out of trouble. Had a couple of dodgy games, too, but mostly good.

Drinkwater - 6.5 - Injury has meant we've seen little of him, really. He's been solid when played with a a few very good performances. Reliable, with a decent all-round midfield game I'd say. Confident of better things to come, though.

 

[Scott Harris]

Rudiger has played a fair few games, enough for me to know he's a more consistent performer than Morata.
Plus one mistake is hardly enough for me to slate him.

I agree. Rudiger has been our best signing so far in my opinion. He's been excellent in all but one or two games. I'm hoping it's only a matter of time before he is a regular.

 

[didierforever]

Bit harsh on Morata, giving him a lesser rating than Zappacosta and Bakayako.

He was our marquee signing. Zappa was nothing more than a squad signing so judging him on that. Bakayoko, has blown hot and cold. Lets not forget his performances against spurs and ATM. Also, this is his 2nd proper season. Maybe my expectations off him was a bit lower and i expected a learning curve. 

As for Morata, a striker's job is to score goals. He can do all the other things perfectly. The link up play, hold up play (is getting better compared to start of the season), headers, movement off the ball. But if you cant finish 1v1 and sitters, then all of those other things are meaningless. And while I see improvement in his gameplay (specially the physicality part), the finishing aspect leaves so much to be desired. 

 

[dynamite]

Drinkwater 8 - Has slotted in nicely beside kante in our midfield. Should replace Baka permanently soon.

Rudiger 8 - Also been impressed with him, apart from the shocker against Roma he's been very solid.

Morata 6.5 - I had to give this some thought. Up until November I would've given him a 9, but he's gone off the boil a bit lately.

Zappa 6 - Was expecting a bit more from him, started well for him after that goal against Quarabag, but to me hasn't done enough to displace Moses in our team.

Baka 5 - Again I expected better really, i was really happy about this signing at first. i really thought he was a massive improvement to Matic after what I've saw from him for Monaco, but he looks like a passenger in some games with Kante sometimes doing the work of 2 guys. Needs to improve quickly or he'll find himself permanently on the bench.

 

[EdinburghBlue]

Bit harsh on Morata, giving him a lesser rating than Zappacosta and Bakayako.

IMO no one should be lower than Bakayoko, as it stands it appears Monaco have pulled our pants down on this transfer.

Cabellero - He’s been exactly was he was signed to be, a backup keeper. He’s a good back up and if Tibo does miss a game or two it won’t be th end of the world. 7/10

Ampadu - He’s just a kid, too soon to tell in my opinion, has looked good in what I’ve seen of him but I’m not going to overhype him, has great potential though. I feel a Christensen type loan move would do him wonders, we just need to make sure it’s the right club. 6/10

Rudiger - I’m a big fan of his, strong, tall, athletic and decent on the back, exactly what you want for a ball playing CB in a 3. I always feel a bit happier with his name on the teamsheet, still room for improvement but I’m not going to let the mistake against Roma negativity impact my views on him as everyone makes mistakes. He’s part of our best back three for me of Rudiger - Christensen - Azpilicueta. 8/10

Zappacosta - Similar to Cabellero in all honesty, he was signed to be a backup RWB to Moses and he’s done that well, is he world class or going to pull up any trees? No, of course not, but he’s a pretty solid back up to have, scored a couple of goals which is always nice. He’ll be needed when Moses is burnt out or off form. 7/10

Bakayoko - I was never one to get on the hype train with Bakayoko, yes he looked quite dominant in a Ligue 1 midfield but he was found wanting last year when he came up against the big boys (Juve I think it was) and since he’s been here, he’s been shocking. This two main contributions to the team are giving the ball away and giving away fouls trying to get it back. I feel Monaco have done us big time with this transfer, he’s still young enough and hasn’t had a full pre season while with us so there’s certainly still hope for him I think but I do really worry. There’s certain things you just can’t teach such as a first touch, similar to Lukaku, not sure it’ll ever be something he develops. 4/10

Drinkwater - I wasn’t a huge fan of this transfer when it happened, but a very good squad player for us and helps the English quota so it’s a win-win, hasn’t really put a foot wrong when playing in the first team. Personally, I would have him starting games ahead of Bakayoko at the moment. 7/10

Morata - Now this one I was a big fan of, I can still remember where I was when I found out, I just opened Facebook and it was the official Chelsea page that had posted it, came out of the blue for me. I always wanted us to sign him over Lukaku and still think it was the right decision. He’s absolutely lethal with his head, his form with his feet does concern me though, he’s missed some really basic chances badly (the first against Arsenal) but it’s his first year with us, first time leading a big teams forward line, he has room to improve and if he sorts that finishing out will be one of the best in the world. He still goes to ground a bit too easily for me but so did Drogba for a good couple of years. His ability with the ball at his feet is evident for everyone to see, streets ahead of Diego in that regard but as I say still room to improve and at his age, most importantly, he has time to do it. 7.5/10

Summary - Overall when it comes to improving squad depth I think we done ok, I still think we need to go after more AAA signings to compliment Hazard. For example a Sanchez or if an Asensio etc becomes available we need to be in on it irrelevant of the price. 

I’ve mentioned this a couple of times lately but I think it still has merit, it’s like the Pogba stuff, £90m seems like nothing now. We’ve paid not a kick in the pants off that for Bats & Bakayoko, that’s scary. I would take Pogba for those two every single day of the week.