blizeH Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11668_4997391,00.html Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has warned there will be big changes at the club next season."We'd like to use internally generated cash to buy new players - and by that I mean sell players and buy new players. "But of course if an appropriate player comes then money would be made available from the owner to buy him." Okay, what I thought would be interesting would be to have a list of what you think realistically would happen, and also a semi-ambitious-yet-realistic list too Realistic: Malouda, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Deco, Mineiro OUT. Zhirkov, Dzagoev IN. Not sure who else we'd go for. Optimistic: Malouda, Alex, Ballack, Deco, Mineiro OUT. Zhirkov, Dzagoev, Ribery, Aguero, Benzema IN. Edited March 3, 2009 by blizeH
Tim Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 For me, although obviously I'd be excited about the Agueros of this world coming in, as long as the players in question are chosen by the manager and fill the positional gaps in our squad, I'll be happy. What concerns me more is the outgoing list. If, say, 5 people are to leave, then I would much rather we made some brave decisions and got rid of a few big names, rather than just getting rid of some peripheral players. so, for example, I would like to see Ballack, Deco, Malouda included in the outgoing list, alongside the obvious ones like Mineiro, whereas I fear it could be more of a case of the likes of Sinclair and Ivanovic being cut loose.
Gem Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 I was just about to post this, oooh how exciting!! Malouda needs to go, I can't see Ivanovic staying which is a shame, they might let Ballack's contract expire, Kalou may go... Then of course there is the drama that is Drogba to consider. Zhirkov or Ribery would be good buys, or maybe even Van Der Vaart if he isn't getting into the Real team (but I doubt it). That said, I'd like to see more of Stoch. Its fun to buy big names, but I hope we don't alienate the youngsters even more.
Tim Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Good point Gem. I think this summer may be make or break for Sinclair (who I think is gone anyway), Stoch and Di Santo. If we bring in expensive competition for their positions, they would be justified in looking for a move elsewhere. If we have any faith that they will make it, then this freshening up of the squad should demonstrate this, with a clear role for them to play, if only as regular off the bench players.
midlandblue Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 With Joe Cole back I can see either Kalou, Malouda or Deco leaving.
evissy Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 It is good news although something like this was expected. I expect to leave: Malouda 8-10mill to France or Italy Deco 7mill to Spain or Portugal Ballack ? Germany Paolo or Belletti or both 3-5mill a piece Alex 5mill, anywhere really Anyone we try to get should be young and hungry to fight for their place... Feels a bit early to start thinking about these names though..
dkw Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 if we do get rid of the 5 mentioned then we will certainly need at least one striker, one defender, one creative mid and one winger. my choices would be not to go for established top end and do what we did when roman first arrived, go for hungry young players. the lies fo aguero, benzema, VDV etc are exactly what we need but im not sure thats the road roman wants to go down as that would mean a massive outlay. in the ressies we have 4 or 5 who could make the step up but only 1 or 2 who look capable of being definte starters to me. kakuta certainly looks something special and a few others like stoch, bridcutt, mellis etc could certainly be squad players and mancienne does look very comfortable at that level though wether he could play at centre half is still something im to be convinced about.
BLUENUT Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 I don't care who comes and goes (Ballack/Malouda apart) but just want it to be the manager calling the shots, not the chairman, Buck, Kenyon, or Arnesen - the manager.
gatesy Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 It seems we all see the same names as likely to go but will the management? Could they shock us all by ditching JT, Lamps and Joey Cole and keep Ballack, Deco, Malouda etc? The red banner rags have been stirring about JT and CIty already. Let's all hope not. Losing Ballack and Deco from CM will be OK with Essien coming back, could even avoid tricky team selections going forward where Essien has to play RB just to accomodate Ballack, Lamps, Mikel and the CMs. It's up front that continues to worry me, if Drogs is getting back to his best then all well and good but otherwise we really need to strengthen. Di Santo has not really shone in his admittedly few appearances and it's only with Drog back that Lamps has the confidence that the ball is actually going to stick up front and so makes more runs into the box. Interesting few months coming up, what with the managerial situation too! Come on you blues. G
Nibs Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 It seems we all see the same names as likely to go but will the management? Could they shock us all by ditching JT, Lamps and Joey Cole and keep Ballack, Deco, Malouda etc? The red banner rags have been stirring about JT and CIty already. Let's all hope not. Not a Chance.
coco Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Romans behind this spending spree, Buck is trying to diguise where the money is really coming from, sought of like money laundering. I bet you all these players that were going to be selling are sold for 'undisclosed fees'. Hopefully the plan will work, especially as citeh will be in the market place and the vultures will be following them.
sergeyMS Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11668_4997391,00.html It`s a question to believe him on not.... We all understand that partly it is said to make guys more concentrated on their job. And, for the Club`s sake, the decisions whom to sell and whom to buy are better to be made by Hiddink`s successor. Optimistic:Malouda, Alex, Ballack, Deco, Mineiro OUT. Zhirkov, Dzagoev, Ribery, Aguero, Benzema IN. Oh! Benzema! An excellent idea! I like that guy very much. Can adapt easily at England I believe. Strong! Fast! Could become true Drogba`s replacement. Dzagoev? Leave it to press for the boy`s sake. He`s so young, do you want him to sit on the bench at the Bridge and then move on a loan to Sunderland, get injured and return to Russia as a biggest Russian dissapointment of decade?
Ruh Buh Juh Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 It is good news although something like this was expected.I expect to leave: Malouda 8-10mill to France or Italy Deco 7mill to Spain or Portugal Ballack ? Germany Paolo or Belletti or both 3-5mill a piece Alex 5mill, anywhere really Anyone we try to get should be young and hungry to fight for their place... Feels a bit early to start thinking about these names though.. I can't see us getting half of what you've predicted for Malouda and Deco. Deco will probably go for £2 million due to his contract, and we got Malouda for £13.5 million, so I'd say he'll go for about £6 million. Alex I think we could get a lot more than 5 million for. He's 26 and a great defender. I'd say he's more the £8-10 million.
Orangutan Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 I think the most important thing is to add some depth to the squad. We are quite thin right now, especially as compared to Man U. I don't have particular names I'd like to see in. I just want to see us end up with more substantial and useful players than we have now.
Scott Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 As long as Ballack and Malouda are on the out list that's a must!
TheWestwayWonder Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 if we do get rid of the 5 mentioned then we will certainly need at least one striker, one defender, one creative mid and one winger. my choices would be not to go for established top end and do what we did when roman first arrived, go for hungry young players. the lies fo aguero, benzema, VDV etc are exactly what we need but im not sure thats the road roman wants to go down as that would mean a massive outlay. in the ressies we have 4 or 5 who could make the step up but only 1 or 2 who look capable of being definte starters to me. kakuta certainly looks something special and a few others like stoch, bridcutt, mellis etc could certainly be squad players and mancienne does look very comfortable at that level though wether he could play at centre half is still something im to be convinced about. exactly my thoughts. If we ditch four to five players, we should be buying that number AT LEAST because, imo, our squad is already too thin up front. I greet this news with alot of happiness because at least the management realizes/cares the current squad is not contending material, but I dearly hope they can keep Ivanovic, even at the expense of Alex.
Butch Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 I doubt we'd make much money for the players we NEED to let go, although there is the issue of their huge salaries to get off the pay-roll. The bottom line, as many have said, is that I hope whoever the manager is in the off-season is allowed to pick and choose his own players, and that he is given the support by Roman. But if I had any say in this, which of course I don't, this would be what I would do: These are the players who, for various reasons, I feel don't offer us anything special and should be moved on to make way for additions - 1. Malouda - for obvious reasons 2. Ballack - for me, he has done nothing of note to merit his place in the side. Works hard, covers a lot of ground, but as someone has said somewhere, "so does my dog and he doesn't deserve to play for Chelsea". Bit harsh but totally overshadowed by Lampard and would probably get back to some semblance of his former self at another club where he was the dominant midfielder. 3. Mineiro - for obvious reasons. 4. Deco - this one is not so obvious, BUT depending on how the manager wants the team to play, I am not certain Deco would fit in and he is not one we can build on for the future. We already have many other midfielders that are hitting their limelights and we need some freshness in this area for the EPL. Having said that, he may be of some use in certain situations so not a total loss. 5. Drogba - his situation needs to be sorted. Does he want to stay and fight for his place and for the good of the team, or is he just doing this in the short term to attract suitors? If it's the former, we keep him. If that is in any question, he should go. The rest, I would keep and build upon. As for comings in, I believe we need a good number two goalie, one or two good wingers, one or two midfielders to replace Ballack and Deco, and, if needed, a striker to replace Drogba. I haven't a clue who I want as back up keeper to Cech. For the winger(s), the first one on my list is Ribery as I believe other better options are not available. For this option, maybe a part swap deal taking Ballack back to Bayern could be arranged. This would actually be my priority signing. For the midfielders, I am as yet uncertain. If Deco stays, we may not need anyone. For a forward, I still like the look of Villa the most, even though he'd be more likely to go to Liverpool (maybe) or Bacelona. Huntelaar, as always, is also an attractive option. Cheers, Butch
ozboy Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 I'd like to see Ballack stay, but Deco can go. Betting on Essien is very risky in that he may not be the same after his injury as before. Its the forwards we have to sort. Drogba has to go, too old. Benzema and Aguerro are the replacements. We need one more midfield, as alternative to Ballack, Franky, Essien. Even franky is going to start slowing down in the next year or two and will start to miss matches due to niggles. Defence is mostly ok even though we only have the one left footed full back.
evissy Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 After watching the game against Portsmouth last night I am more convinced Ballack isn't fast enough for this league. Maybe his injuries have slowed him down since last season his pace was okay. He should go to Italy or Germany. I have always liked Ballack as a player. He is a true leader. Now he has aged and slowed so we can't keep playing with him as I think he dramiatically slows down our tries to counter-attack or attacking in general. Hope we see a half-time substitution in next game Ballack-->Essien.
magoo Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 This is one of the many reasons why football is sh*t these days!!! For Christ's sake the manager in the summer (whoever that may be) should be the one who buys and sells players. It is not up to Buck, Kenyon, Roman, etc What is the point of Buck opening his mouth now anyway?? It could just demotivate certain players. It also alerts other clubs that we may be fairly desperate to offload certain players which to my m,ind would lower their value. Rant over
ducavis Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 Chelsea are too old to win title, says Ferguson (July 23, 2008) & was he right; our current 1st team squad when every one is fit is; Cech 26 ; Bosingwa 25; Terry 27; Carvalho 30; A. Cole 27; Essien 25; Lampard 30; Ballack 31; Deco 30; Drogba 30; Cole 26 <> Average Age: 28 I hope Bruce Buck is right because when you compare this with other competitve teams we need a major overhaul. Looking at our bench most times you find old war horses on the bench most of whom are defenders (please why have 3 defenders on the subs bench it really bothers me). Teams like man utd have found ways of putting Scholes, Giggs & Neville on the bench and if not for the inclusion of Van der Saar (who is in the form of his life and has a strong defensive unit in front of him), their Average age would be in the mid-20's. who do I want to leave? Well I would like to see the back of Ferreira <£5m>(who at 50k a week must be the new Winston Bogarde); Alex or Ivanovic <£10m>( I would prefer Alex to leave but I believe it will be Ivanovic); Carvalho <£10m>(I would throw him in the mix only because of his recent injuries because on form he is our best defender. however considering his age I would let him leave and keep both Alex and Ivanovic to fight for the seconde defensive slot leaving Mancienne as our 2nd choice right back); Minerio <free>(I still wonder why we haven't release him and paying him to train! Essien is back for Pete's sake); Hilario <free>(he has to go for me even though he has been OK when called upon; he however doesnt inspire confidence in me when I see him on the team sheet.why not promote Rhys Taylor? or get a younger decent back up); Ballack <£4m>(is last decent game was in Avram Grant's Era, thank God his contract is expiring); Deco <£5m> (he just hasnt done it and he is over the hill now so he can go to Italy for his last pay check); Malouda <£8m> (well I reckon he knows he has to leave because he has been crap); Drogba or Anelka <£12m>(one has to leave but the jury is still out on both); Belletti <£3m> & I also want 4-4-3 to leave!! Well that is 9 players who I want out but I only see 5 or six been sold or released. I actually see this happening as I only just noticed that many of our players contract talks (i.e. Drogba, Ballack, Kalou, Joe Cole) have been suspended till the summer. I find it weird that players like Stoch, R. Taylor, Mikel and Mancienne haven't signed new contracts yet. inflow <£40m-£45m> Kameni in place of Hilario & his contract runs out in the summer <£3M> Zhirkov as a LWB (a decent competition for Ashley Cole and we can employ him on the left wing) <£12m> Marounae Felliani (might not be everyone's cup of tea but I have been impressed with him and he gets about the pitch like Ballack is meant to , is 21 and would provide competition for Mikel) <£15m> Modric/Hamsik/Diego/Van Der Vaart/Sneijder (Any of this will do as they all have youth on their side and will all be capable replacement for Ballack though they all won't come cheap <£17m> Robinho (we might as well revisit him in the summer though I suspect he won't come cheap, we can throw in an exchange + cash for him. I know he disappears in matches but he can make a difference in matches and we don't have to take him away)/Young (he is overrate IMO but deadly at set pieces)/ Walcott (i doubt we will get him but worth a go, considering Arsenal might be playing in Europa)/Silva/Robben (dare i say but he is in the form of his life and if we keep Hiddink who knows)/Ribery <whoever we get bar Walcott whose contract runs out in the summer will probably be our most expensive acquisition but Arsenal and Man Utd all wingers at their disposal which we don't have <£25m> Sturridge (we need options up front and with his contract running out in the summer, I think he will be a decent option and we can offer Champions league which Man City can only dream of. I know we have Di Santo but to be vey competitive we need four decent strikers). Tevez (we he is worth a punt and Man Utd don't intend to keep him so he is worth a punt)/ David Villa (whoever we keep of Drogba/Anelka would find him a joy to work with and he is not too expensive/ Guilherme/Kerrison (these two Brazilians all have bags of potential) <£20m> We just need six or seven players to come in <£60m-£80m> the £20m-£40 difference can be funded by Abramovich as a special player. So 2009/2010 squad will look something like this: 4-4-2 flexible 4-3-3 GK: Cech, Kameni, Taylor RB: Bosingwa, Mancienne CB: Terry, Alex, Ivanovic/ Terry, Alex, Carvalho/ Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic LB: Cole, Zhirkov Mid: Lampard, Essien. Mikel, Modric/Diego/Hamsik/Sneijder Wingers: Cole, Kalou, Stoch, Van der Vaart/Robinho/Silva/Ribery Forward: Anelka/Drogba, Di Santo, Sturridge, Tevez/David Villa/Kierrison/Guilherme
Dorset Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 (edited) Ferguson says what he likes, when he likes, to whom he likes and it‘s all self-serving in content. Benitez says very little, tells you even less and treats interviewers with disdain. Hiddink, on the other hand, is obliging, interesting and enlightening. So much so that the following recent quotes by him, relating to transfer policy, lodged in my thoughts whilst no doubt passing clean over the heads of a Media throng brainwashed by a staple diet of Fergie fodder and Rafa rhubarb… “You have to ask the board of directors if the club knows what it will do, but if I can be of any help whatsoever - from my position on the sidelines - I will not say no.†“It’s important to get the best players, maybe young English players as well. That’s an aim for big clubs and it is always good for the fans to see home grown players.†Put into perspective, alongside Bruce Buck’s assessment that there may be as many as five in and five out in the close season, and you have a vast area of transfer conjecture suddenly narrowed down to only the very best imports blended with young, home grown talent. Still a big pool to fish in, but, reading between the Hiddink lines it is clear that, if asked, he’d advise throwing back any mediocre overseas players offered in return for the ’best players’ that leave [either by our design or their own] whilst replacing the ‘ordinary’ included amongst those that are let go with some young recruits from good British stock. The 6 plus 5 FIFA initiative is obviously being taken very seriously in the Chelsea camp these days and it is yet another influence to consider, along with the ’yes, we are always in the market when the very best players become available’ mantra that is churned out by Buck when the size of any transfer war chest is discussed. However, above and beyond this type of one off purchase, these two quotes from Guus give us an opportunity to set out some guidelines in terms of Big Five recruitment and all that is needed now is to guess correctly regarding those about to leave. The criteria here is simpler and involves looking at the last regime, gauging its impact on the players in terms of what I would call a clique rating before measuring this against player expendability. For instance, Miniero seems a nice enough guy and the last time I saw him he played very well for the Reserves, but that’s as far as it goes and, as he was a Scolari stopgap signing with a clique rating on a par with that of Deco (get the idea?) you have to say he’s a Big Five certainty. My guesses regarding the others are incorporated in the transfer appraisal given below in which I’ve also set out the reasoning behind putting forward certain names as possible transfer targets. I might as well warn those of you who haven’t lost interest already that it does ramble on a bit, but nevertheless here goes… The Defence The situation is a good one for any new coach to take on and I would anticipate only one of the current crop of defenders leaving from a possible four (Ivanovic, Alex, Riccy and Paulo). The goalkeepers are all likely to stay unless doubts are raised over Hilario. Clique rating:- pure speculation, but if the Portugeezers are seen as part of any Scolari faction, or Jose is prepared to fork out for Riccy, the waters will be muddied. In short, Riccy has been indispensable, but if he wants to go we could cope as, ironically, Ivanovic is the sort of import we would be looking at to replace him if he were not already in our ranks. Home Grown Talent:- a serious loss would be two going from the four bracketed, as Carl Magnay isn’t ready yet, but even then I wouldn’t go for Citeh’s Richards and would prefer Phil Jagielka any day of the week. Should there be a possibility that we will be dealing with the Abu Dhabi boys in the summer (see below) I’d prefer Joe Hart as any makeweight. The Midfield Once again we are well stocked, perhaps overly so, and for that reason I think Miniero and Deco will both leave, the former being easily covered by the emergence of Liam Bridcutt and Michael Woods and the latter, by my reckoning, heading for Italy. The one big signing could come as a replacement, but I doubt it because the Bison’s return alleviates the immediate problem and Ballack is going nowhere. CR:- Already mentioned as an instance to which Belletti could be added, although Hiddink’s continual use of him is recognition of the cult following he’s gained. HGT:- No need to look further a field, just add the names of Lee Sawyer, Jack Cork and the versatile Jacob Mellis to those two already mentioned and you can see that we have some good cards to play in this area. The Wide and Front Men Width first and topics galore on these guys, ranging from Malouda out to Stoch in and does Guus rate Quaresma, but the bottom line is that we have lacked width for so long now we’ve started to get paranoid, clamouring for Ribery at any price and even giving house room to thoughts of a Robben return. Admittedly, a coerced Joe Cole apart, we haven’t had much to cheer about in this department and for this reason alone Malouda’s taxi awaits. CR:- Self-induced in the main, with Kalou being the latest Ivorian to extol the virtues of going elsewhere, there is still talk of Robinho wanting to pitch up at the Bridge despite the clique compatriot not being around anymore. If ever the clues in Hiddink’s quotes were clearest it is on the question of being the best compared to being the best of British and never is the twain more likely to meet than when we go into the marketplace for this type of player. HGT:- Only one young man makes the grade for me and, if Kalou wants to go to the Emirates, I would want a swap deal involving Theo Walcott, the rest in the HGT category simply do not compare. Forget Ashley Young because O’Neill will not let him go and he is not as good anyway. No, the only problem I foresee is a mixture of Wenger reluctance (failing with English talent) and the cash differential. Having said that, Arshavin is now playing where David Bentley might have been, so there is some previous, and, after shelling out big time for the Russian, a recoup might be required. Add to this the fact that Wenger is undoubtedly in denial over a 6 plus 5 implementation and a deal suddenly becomes a possibility. Finally the front men and my reluctant tip for the big transfer fee payout should we avoid an over-the-odds hit on getting a winger. This would, of course, mean that a sixth player was on his way - a defender, Miniero, Deco, Malouda and Kalou being the others - yet Hiddink’s words, ’getting the best players’, were, by implication, to replace the best and that would mean someone like Drogba or Anelka moving on. CR:- Another choice between disillusioned Frenchman playing out of position or unsettled Ivorian looking for something that isn’t broken and either way you could make an argument for one or the other going. Recent events such as arm-pumping, shirt-throwing and finger-pointing at the Stamford Bridge turf suggests that Didier wants to be part of our future and Anelka tops the scoring charts, so someone pays their money and makes their choice, I suppose. A striker combining the attributes of both, but costing a small fortune, would be Karim Benzema, although it goes against the grain to negotiate with Aulas once more. The popular alternative is Sergio Aguero and heaven only knows how much he would cost. This leads me very quickly to … HGT:- There are two standout candidates, the first being Daniel Sturridge at Citeh and the second Nathan Delfouneso at Villa. It goes without saying that, with the exception of Franco Di Santo, they are better than what we have at the moment, although Frank Nouble could well end up being better than both of them given time. Sturridge anticipates oblivion in the rush to buy all and sundry in the summer, whilst Delfouneso ploughs a Reserve team furrow at a time when his boss continues to favour a target man in the massive mould of a Heskey or Carew. A realistic bid for either rattles cages and would satisfy the home grown purists, but a quartet of Drogba/Anelka, Di Santo, Sturridge/Delfouneso would be regarded as too lightweight compared to the ManU four if we didn’t get a really big name in to complete the picture. Edited March 4, 2009 by Dorset
icecoolguy22 Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 I agree with Magoo, the timing of this announcement could be a lot better. We all know players are going and coming, no need to make a headline right now, unless this is a last warning to the likes of Ballack, Malouda.. I can see us losing Carvalho in the summer to Inter, he's been injured all season, not sure if he still has the pace to catch up in EPL, slowed paced Serie A and a friendly Portugesse Manager is just what he need. He is the most likely one to get a good price. Enough has been said about Ballack, Malouda, Maniero, Paulo.. I do think Deco deserve another year, sell him now we get peanuts, so why not give him another chance. We can't rely on Lampard every match, Deco still has the vision and the passing game to unlock defence.
octville Posted March 6, 2009 Posted March 6, 2009 My thoughts : Mineiro, Malouda, Deco, Ballack, Alex - OUT Vagner Love,Zhirkov, Luis Fabiano, Demy De Zeeuw ( Alkmaar), Bruno Alves (FC Porto) Okay, what I thought would be interesting would be to have a list of what you think realistically would happen, and also a semi-ambitious-yet-realistic list too :D Realistic: Malouda, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Deco, Mineiro OUT. Zhirkov, Dzagoev IN. Not sure who else we'd go for. Optimistic: Malouda, Alex, Ballack, Deco, Mineiro OUT. Zhirkov, Dzagoev, Ribery, Aguero, Benzema IN.
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