Forget the Villa / Pato talk ....

[Star]

It's pointless discussing these type of transfers to Chelsea. Peter Kenyon as i've said in the past has no creditability in the Top Level of football.

As a club we are seen as a threat in Europe, our record in the Champions League has seen to that. More than a threat of any team in Italy and apart from Barcelona any club and that includes Real Madrid!

Kaka was never on our agenda, had he been, he would have still gone to Real Madrid because of their history and standing in the world of football and the fact we are Chelsea.

AC Milan know Kenyon is a mug, the majority know he is sneaky and cannot keep his gob shut. Shevchenko past the sell by date yes, Pato in his teens and approaching world acclaim not a chance! Lets not forget Milan beat us to his signature in the first place!!

As you know Kenyon told my fiance' that we were going to buy Zhircov and his mate, it's a safe bet in my opinion because they play in Russia and even he cannot £f**k that one up!!

Villa for me 27 or 28 ? Nailed on for Madrid and only three or four years left at the very top. As a premiership type player i'm not sure anyway.

While Madrid are weighing up a bid for Ronaldo, Kenyon should be negotiating for Ribery and Benzema and tying up the Russians.

Still had we signed Tevez and not Sheva when we had the chance we wouldn't be debating transfers, probably would have been kings of europe, and not had four more managers in that time.

[rahul]

Villa for me 27 or 28 ? Nailed on for Madrid and only three or four years left at the very top. As a premiership type player i'm not sure anyway.

Exactly my opinion.

By the way, is Aguero a possibility?

[dkw]

so what your saying is its all kenyons fault? even though the person actually involved in the supposed signings of villa and kaka is arneson.

[Iceman]

Benzema will either go to Barcelona or Man Utd IMHO. I'd imagine Chelsea are low down on his list of preferred clubs.

[bjd]

so what your saying is its all kenyons fault? even though the person actually involved in the supposed signings of villa and kaka is arneson.

Just what i was thinking.

[BLUENUT]

For a club that didn't want an open top bus parade after the FA cup final win, becuase of the cost, I'm not really holding out for much in the transfer market this summer. So far we've picked up a free signing from Man City.

Roman failed to back Jose in his last pre-season (the free-signings summer), didn't fully back Scolari last pre-season with the signing of Robinho, but then again Kenyion did have a hand in that aswell.

He's gone all out for Anchelotti, but his (CA) so called targets, Adebayour and Glen Johnson have been mentioned, fill me with dread.

I'm not sure we're gonaa see wholesale changes, if we do it's because we've got to sell and cut the wage bill before we can buy.

[sexelk]

For a club that didn't want an open top bus parade after the FA cup final win, becuase of the cost, I'm not really holding out for much in the transfer market this summer. So far we've picked up a free signing from Man City.

is that sturridge? has he been confirmed?

[BLUENUT]

is that sturridge? has he been confirmed?

I thought it had - but not sure.

[Dorset]

We can but hope you are wrong on almost every count, Star, although nobody can deny that Kenyon’s record on the transfer front in recent years has been pretty abysmal. Personally, nothing rings truer than your last sentence, but I would say that, wouldn’t I, and I’m sure there are many who will follow up our posts with well substantiated arguments along the lines that Tevez was a) not suited to our formation in those interim seasons b] not good enough in the goal scoring department or c) too ugly and carrying too much baggage.

Admittedly, Kenyon cannot be held responsible for the failure to bring to the club, and eventually the first team, young players of quality because that is not within his remit [the difference between him and Arnesen], but when these players are already recognised talents, have a high price tag and are on the market, that is when he supposedly comes into his own with his contacts and negotiation skills. Right now we have Aguerro and Pato in that bracket, the former seemingly out of reach due, quite possibly, to our lack of credibility to either see a major deal through these days or be the highest bidder anymore. Pato, on the other hand, gives us a crumb of comfort by singing our praises and mentioning a meeting with Ancelotti, yet the added ‘why hurry, let’s wait until the end of the month’ brings back horrible memories of the Robinho fiasco and you just know that Kenyon could be suckered again, and will probably continue to be so on an annual basis, if we aren’t seen to be acting quickly this time.

Whilst I agree that we should be tying up the Russians, for me neither of them are in priority positions as far as our immediate requirements are concerned. To my mind the real need is for two quality strikers and, as Villa will not leave Spain and Benzema only arrives if either Anelka or Drogba departs (plus we’d pay through the nose for him anyway) one of these is more likely to be a youngster with potential (Sturridge) with the other being in the big name category. However, if we have only ever been interested in one striker, and are also in for Ribery, we can kiss goodbye to £40/50m should we get him and Sturridge would have to do as the only addition up front. This brings us full circle to Tevez because, for damn near half that inflated price, we’d get a player proven in the Premiership in the position Ancelotti must want to strengthen first and foremost. I wont hold my breath, but, subject to Kenyon also doing his job properly with those two Russians, if all three deals went through, we would go some way to resolving the wide player issue and have a longer term quality midfield option as well.

Edited June 9, 2009 by Dorset

[Blue_Boy]

We can but hope you are wrong on almost every count, Star, although nobody can deny that Kenyon’s record on the transfer front in recent years has been pretty abysmal. Personally, nothing rings truer than your last sentence, but I would say that, wouldn’t I, and I’m sure there are many who will follow up our posts with well substantiated arguments along the lines that Tevez was a) not suited to our formation in those interim seasons b] not good enough in the goal scoring department or c) too ugly and carrying too much baggage.

well I have always rated Tevez as a player and signing him or/and Aguero should be our priority.

[Bridgeboy]

We can always hope.

Edited June 9, 2009 by Bridgeboy

[bjd]

A month or so ago, i wouldve agreed with everything Star says but i just cant help but feel things may be different now.

Firstly we had the declaration from Buck that Roman would put his hands in his pocket if the right player came on the market and we could get him. Now why would he come out and say that if we were simply going to sell to buy ?

Secondly we had the recent comments from the club admitting the breakeven target of 2010 was not going to happen. Something we knew anyway but im sure i wasnt alone in being surprised the the club admitted it so publicly.

Because of these i think there will be investment and i think we will not just fund signings by sales. No point in getting in a debate about how much and who etc but i think the timing of these statements are not coincidence. Worth remembering we owe Roman half of what we did 6 months ago too.

Who knows ? All i will say is that if the club have specific targets then they are doing the right thing in keeping them under wraps even if it is keeping fans guesing. Lessons were learned on August 31 2008, no doubt about that.

[midlandblue]

there is one single issue that makes me worry about ANY incomming transfers.

if we are to reshape/restructure our team, why did the club offer Ballack a one year extension?

surley if we are to bring in players, expensive in both cost and salary, we would be looking at trimming the exsisting wage bill and to offer a player who offered very little over a season another contract on, I assume, a high wage. that single agreement signals, to me, a team not overly ambitious in recruiting new "star" players.

[BLUENUT]

there is one single issue that makes me worry about ANY incomming transfers.

if we are to reshape/restructure our team, why did the club offer Ballack a one year extension?

surley if we are to bring in players, expensive in both cost and salary, we would be looking at trimming the exsisting wage bill and to offer a player who offered very little over a season another contract on, I assume, a high wage. that single agreement signals, to me, a team not overly ambitious in recruiting new "star" players.

Agree Midland, I don't think there' ll be sweeping changes

[Bez]

Kenyon has to go but i don't really agree with some of your points the fact is who wouldn't want to play for Chelsea? a club that is now constantly reaching at least the semi finals of the CL and always a challenge for the premiership title obviously we don't have such a huge history but we are making it step by step. Aguero said he was flattered with the chelsea interest.. pato said : "It's an honour to be liked by a club like Chelsea," Pato said. "With respect to my future, nothing has been decided yet. "At the end of June, after the Confederations Cup in South Africa, I will meet with the Rossoneri executives and speak about my future. But before that happens, I will speak to Ancelotti. All of these players know if they head to Chelsea they are bound to up playing football at a world class stage. So.. my point being just because Kenyon is a nob doesn't mean players are thinking they'd hate to play for chelsea. Chances are of us signing at least 2 big players this summer are very likely Ribery is still a chance all these players we have heard about the last couple of days could actually come to Chelsea we don't know because the newspaper half the time just publish bullsh*t but we can hope .. i really don't see us this summer beginning the season with no less than 3 new people at stamford bridge.

[VanBlue]

Agree Midland, I don't think there' ll be sweeping changes

Good. I am just fine with that as I never saw any need for sweeping changes

Now, I do think we should make a few signings but all I thought we needed is some young guys here or there and maybe 1 big scorer.

But, besides those....why make big changes? We have elite players at several spots and no real bad holes

[jordanl5182]

Worth remembering we owe Roman half of what we did 6 months ago too..

how?

[sexelk]

there is one single issue that makes me worry about ANY incomming transfers.

if we are to reshape/restructure our team, why did the club offer Ballack a one year extension?

surley if we are to bring in players, expensive in both cost and salary, we would be looking at trimming the exsisting wage bill and to offer a player who offered very little over a season another contract on, I assume, a high wage. that single agreement signals, to me, a team not overly ambitious in recruiting new "star" players.

i think ballack was offered a one year extension because the club didn't want to admit their mistake in signing him

i believe we'll bring 2 or 3 players in totalling around the 100 million mark

[bjd]

how?

Abramovich digs deep again to cover Chelsea losses

Roman Abramovich spent a further £100m last year to fund his ambitions for ­Chelsea, taking the Russian oligarch's personal spending on the club since he took over in 2003 to almost £700m. Chelsea's accounts, released on the club's website to conclude a week of turmoil at Stamford Bridge, showed that Abramovich's subsidy of Chelsea increased from £578m in 2007 to £679.6m by June last year.

The extra £100m absorbed another thumping annual loss the club made last year, of £65.7m, following £74.8m the previous year. Chelsea's wage bill was £148.5m and the loss also included £23.1m paid in compensation to the departing managers Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant and five members of the coaching staff. Abramovich's sacking of Grant's successor, Luiz Felipe Scolari, on Monday, means a further £7.3m will be paid in compensation this year. That instability, along with rising players' wages, shows that Chelsea accept they are highly unlikely to meet their target of being free by this July from reliance on Abramovich's fortune.

Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, nevertheless reiterated that aim , pointing to a 96% increase in Chelsea's annual earnings since 2003, to £213m last year, the fifth highest of any club in the world. Kenyon said this "aim of self-sufficiency" means that whoever is Chelsea's manager this summer will be able to fund signings only by selling first.

"Chelsea is building a strong business base in what will be challenging times," said Kenyon, who has repeatedly warned that Premier League football is not immune from recession. "We have consistently reduced our net transfer spend over the last five years and will attempt to continue this trend."

Chelsea had promised that the accounts would contain proof of Abramovich's commitment to the club, to contradict speculation that his interest has been waning. Those rumours were shattered anyway by Abramovich's brutal personal sacking of Scolari this week but the accounts are notable for a permanence in Abramovich's financial contribution.

Previously all the owner's £578m funding was in the form of an interest-free loan, which attracted questions, and also criticism from the Uefa president, Michel Platini, and the FA chairman, Lord Triesman, who both expressed concern about top Premier League clubs' levels of debt. Last year Abramovich converted half of his £679.6m contribution into Chelsea shares, leaving a reduced £339.8m as a loan. Putting the money in as shares is a genuine financial investment in Chelsea, not repayable, as loans are, unless he sells the club. It is by far the largest equity contribution ever made to a football club.

"There should now be no doubt as to the owner's commitment to the club," said Bruce Buck, Chelsea's chairman and Abramovich's lawyer.

Edited June 9, 2009 by bjd

[TheWestwayWonder]

Wow. I had not heard about that. Great news, and should put all those "cant wait till he gets bored" feckers back into the shadows

As far as Sturridge goes, I dont think that is official at all. If it happens, though, i will be very happy

[Ruh Buh Juh]

Wow. I had not heard about that. Great news, and should put all those "cant wait till he gets bored" feckers back into the shadows

As far as Sturridge goes, I dont think that is official at all. If it happens, though, i will be very happy

Me too, does look a very promising youngster, and it'll up our English quota too ;)

As far as Star's original post goes, I feel times have changed and bjd (I think) hit the nail on the head saying how Roman has gone all out with Ancelotti compared to LFS and Jose in his last season. I can see one big name signing this summer, who, I'm not sure...

[geezer]

so what your saying is its all kenyons fault? even though the person actually involved in the supposed signings of villa and kaka is arneson.

Exactly. I think we're seeing just the beginning of Arnesen probably taking over from Dr Evil

[g3.7]

He's gone all out for Anchelotti, but his (CA) so called targets, Adebayour and Glen Johnson have been mentioned, fill me with dread.

quick point- apart from the fact you're obviously unconvinced by ancelotti, why mention these players? his so called targets? come on... we've been linked with plenty of players (some even good ones!), and in fact the only players ancelotti has mentioned in reference to chelsea, and this supposedly months ago, are alonso and ribery.

does every transfer story in the press you don't like fill you with dread?

[Elliott]

I have a feeling that we will miss out on Pato, but manage to sign Aguero, with Sturridge arriving on a free at the end of the month.

That way, we will have 4 strikers, with the perfect blend of youth, experience, skill, power, and pace.

Those 4 will frighten everyone.

[bjd]

I have a feeling that we will miss out on Pato, but manage to sign Aguero, with Sturridge arriving on a free at the end of the month.

That way, we will have 4 strikers, with the perfect blend of youth, experience, skill, power, and pace.

Those 4 will frighten everyone.

So what happens to Di Santo ?