Sheva and Pizarro

[mad_mac]

Both of these strikers are still ours, and both of their loan deals are set to end.

I have heard that Roma are interested in getting Sheva, all that I ask is that if he is to return to Italy then he does so full time - not on another loan move where were are paying half his wages.

Pizarro has obviously found a league in the Bundesliga where he feels comfortable, and I have read he is interested to stay in Germany. Again, I think if Werder are interested in keeping him, we let him move there full time.

Selling both of these players is a must for Chelsea. I doubt Sheva features in Carlo's plans, but you never know what Roman has in mind, and that worries me. I fear Roman could see Ancelotti as the man to bring the best out of his "prized posession" and will ask him to play Sheva next season. The last thing we need is another old set of legs in our team.

So, it's that point in the off season where we seem to be talking about getting rid of the deadwood. Seriously, doesn't that topic seem to come up every summer?

I still think that Drogba will be off in the summer, and the Di Santo might be sent on loan. If Drogba does go, I hope Di Santo stays as back up. Ballack has signed a 1 year extension and I think that is to provide cover when Mikel and Essien take off for the African Cup of Nations. So who else do we trim in order to reduce the age of the squad?

It seems likely that Carvalho will leave to Inter, and Deco (who is obviously out of favour with the club) will hopefully go with him. The two of them leaving will reduce the age of the squad. With Carvalho leaving, I hope all other talk of signing any other CB is nonsense and we promote Mancienne to 4th choice; this in turn will reduce the age of teh squad also.

Mancienne's promotion would mean that we have both he and Ivanovic as potential back up out in the RB position; therefore, I think Paulo may be offered up to anyone interested. Didn't Paulo sign a new contract not that long ago? But he has been injured a lot, and I am sure he'd relish a fresh chance if given one elsewhere.

Miniero has gone, so that's one in the midfield that we don't need to worry about. Along with Scolari's other signing, Deco, leaving I think that trims the central mids enough to promote a couple of youth prospects to the bench without jeopardizing the integrity of the team in anyway.

Wide players are an area we need to strengthen. Sure joey is coming back, but I think we'll see him in a more supporting role rather than out wide. Ribery is an amazing option, but if he does stay at Bayern (which it looks like, or if he leaves I think it could be to Spain) then I think Sjneider from Real could be an option. I think Sjneider is only 27, so that's not going to affect the age of the squad too much. Zhirkov is another great addition, as he'll challenge Malouda, and provide cover for Ashley (something Sjneider couldn't offer) Then we will have, Malouda, Cole and a new summer signing with the likes of Stoch, Sincliar and Kakuta all possibilities.

Strikers..... I can't help but feel we will sell Kalou and Drogba so we need to reinforce up front. If we sell Pizarro, Sheva and one of Drogba or Kalou then we are only left with Anelka and Di Santo and the other of whomever stays between Drogba and Kalou. Sturridge is a good, young addition but he's merely a prospect slightly more experienced than Di Santo so I doubt he'll be playing regularly.

To me the strike force/attacking mid is the main area we need to focus on. the rest of the squad is fine other than some trimming that is needed. Of the names being thrown around, I really hope we go for Aguerro. However, if Drogba were to leave then that is an area (the main striker) that we would desperately need to sign for. With Villa saying that he's staying in Spain I'm not sure who else is out there that could replace Drogs if her were to leave? Benzema, possible but Man United are seemingly front runners to land him. Huntelaar, out of favour at Real but being linked with a move to Tottenham even though his agent is claiming no approach has been made for him.

And then I can't think of too many others out there! I just hope it is not Sheva

Thoughts

Scott

[Ruh Buh Juh]

I think that is to provide cover when Mikel and Essien take off for the African Cup of Nations.

See, I disagree on the fact that Drogba's going to leave this summer. His proposed move has seemed to slip under the radar which seems like to me that he's staying, and with Sheva, Pizarro and probably Kalou going, we only have 4 strikers, 2 of them being under 20 years old. So a 5th striker is a must, Aguero/Pato hopefully, but I think we need a target man considering everything.

Drogba's not getting any younger, and say we sign one of Aguero/Pato, in the ACN, we'll be playing a front 2 of Anelka and Aguero/Pato. And none of them will be able to do what Drogba does. That's the issue we have, we have the greatest centre forward for our type of play in the business, and I have no clue who could replace him in however many years he has left with us. If he leaves next year, and we do well in the window this year (Zhirkov + Aguero + Dzageov), then next season will be a scout around for a big target man. And I don't know who that could be, but someone like Gomis springs to mind...what are your thoughts on him?

And then to the bolded bit, I've discovered an issue with that. If (when) Deco leaves, and then Mikel, Essien, Drogba go off to the ACN, what the hell is our attack going to be? Do we revert to a 4-4-2 playing Lampard and Ballack in the centre, with Zhirkov/Malouda on the left and then Joey on the right, with Anelka and Aguero (hopefully) up front? So on that basis, this talk of the fact we don't need another central player is ridiculous. When Deco leaves, we have 4 midfielders. If needs be, we could bring up Mellis, but that's unlikely. So the signing of Pirlo and/or (the more promising) Dzageov would be the right thing to do.

And then we have to consider the Kalou/Joey position. Kalou never was a right sided player anyway, and Joey isn't a right sided player either, so the likes of Stoch + Sinclair + Kakuta should be put right up into the squad, with Stoch and Kakuta (Sinclair has 16) given real squad numbers rather than this 43 for Stoch and god knows what for Kakuta. Stoch has the biggest chance at the moment, with Sinclair seemingly off to Bristol, and then Kakuta broke his leg. But, for the ressies, Stoch down the right and Sinclair down the left proved to be a very effective attack, with Nouble through the middle, and at the beginning, Kakuta and Stoch were the wide men, and they were outstanding. So one of these should be a regular member of the 18, with a high number of 15mins+ sub appearances, and CC and early FA Cup starts.

[mad_mac]

I think in the ACN times, we could still play a midfield 3 that looks like this:

.....................Ballack

....Joey............................Lampard

This is why someone like Zhirkov would be great as he and Malouda could play out wide, changing flanks as the game progresses. Similar in the way we did with Robben and Duff; both were left sided players, but could change about easily and offer different options on each side.

Scott

[ducavis]

Loans, Deadwood & Chelsea seem to go hand in hand; every summer we seem to be in this situation couple this with 'Ageing' & you have a recipe for disaster. I reckon we might sell Pizarro (I might be wrong as seems to have all gone quiet) but Sheva will probably go on another loan spell as I can't come up with any team that might want to be saddled with his astronomical wages.

I reckon Drogba's future might be linked to the appeal in a way but also if Inter put in a silly bid for him (don't see it happening as I reckon Zlatan would stay) but hey if Malouda could get a new contract (which he never deserved!!) well Droba might get a new two-year. Talking of contracts, it still baffles me that we don't offer players a wage-reduced contract once they reach 29 though they are on stupid amounts already.

I am with you in praying that we don't get a new defender as Mancienne's growth has been somehow stunted this past season, I hope Carlo gives him 15 minutes here & there and also plays him in the Cups (IMO he is better than Onuoha).

The UEFA 15+4+4 and the impending 6+5 rule will definitely have a major impact in our new singings, I am however curious about Mancienne & Stoch's contract situations as I think the latters' contract has run out.

Whenever I think of our Midfield, I only remember both Champions League games against Barca which revealed a lot about our squad especially how inept our Midfield was against the best. Don't get me wrong our Midfield can be described as EFFICIENT but technically inferior when we come against very mobile teams. Mikel, Lampard, Essien & Ballack just don't bring that extra creativity to the squad & I am still quite baffled Ballack contract (though Understandably the ACN is coming up). I would have expected us to have released him under normal circumstances and bring in that Technically Creative player. I think we cocked up by not putting in a bid for Alonso as soon as the season ended (say £20m) and allowed Liverpool to buy Barry, at that time it would have been an indecent proposal. We are probably still in the market for one but I hope it is not Pirlo! Players like Mata, David Silva, Giovinco, Michel Bastos, Modric, Schweingsteiger, Diego Costa, Sanchez, Danny (well he is injured & according to him almost a Blue) & Hamsik are players that would give us more in the extra.

I really don't like getting into how very Average our Wingers seem compared to the years of Duff & Robben (who I would have back in a heartbeat just to have players on their toes). Kalou as bad as he was notched more goals and assists than Malouda & well Malouda got a new contract! My point is Kalou is not a winger but when played on the wings was more efficient than Malouda. With Joe Cole you are never sure what you are going to get & with his injury record, who is to say we would ever get back the same 'inconsistent-Joe'. IMO we need two wingers but where would these leave Stoch (Malouda should have been sold!)

Games Started Sub On Goals Prem. Goals Assists Premier Assists Sub before 45mins

Malouda 43 6 9 5 8 4 6

Kalou 31 4 10 6 10 4 4

My point is his performance was mediocre at best and if measured with the same stick as Kalou should be a gooner (oops!). I just don't think we have enough quality on the wings especially when the ones we have are either unable to beat an opponent or cross the ball.

Frank Ribery is class but I reckon we might have to throw in Bosingwa + a cool £30m to buy him which is quite steep. I would prefer using the funds to buy a Young, Lennon combo to give a zip to our frontline and also stem the ageing process. I actually like Ozil the German player. The logic behind this is a Ribery, Ronaldo, Kaka were not bought for 'stupid' prices by their clubs but given a CHANCE by a BIG Club. Wondering how much Arshavin would cost?

Up front well as much as I appreciate the contribution of the Top goal scorer in the Premiership and the So-So World Beater, I am confused as they are both ageing at the same time. I reckon if we get another Striker, one of them would be leaving, but WHO? With Sturridge in the bag, I think it depends on who we actually get. We are lacking a Fox in the box and also a goal poacher but is there one player with these attributes. Throwing names out there, I would take either an Aguero, Benzema, Rossi, Huntelaar. Each player however brilliant they are have their own downside and a subsequent sacrifice might have to be made with our current strikers.

Aguero: we would probably have to shell out £35m+ he would be my first choice but we might have to sacrifrice Anelka

Benzema: would probably cost £25m and we would have to sacrifice a Drogba as he is capable of holding the ball.

Huntelaar: Very Van Nistresque but contributes nothing else so delivery will be essential.

Rossi: I don't know why people don't rate him higher because he is very Tevesque but would actually score more goals.

In my opinion losing any one of our current strike force might not actually be a bad idea. Losing Drogba might make us more mobile as a team, we are eventually going to let him go and with his dodgy knee and Suspension it might be sensible to let him go for a sensible price. Anelka is quite inconsistent and you never know if Drogba leaves we might see the best of him or the other way round.

Generally, I hope we never see a Pirlo, Burdisso, Zlatan, Mexes, Bruno Alves in a Chelsea shirt but hope we conclude the Zhirkov deal & have an agreement in place for Dzagoev.

[jordanl5182]

All we need really is 2 players. A central midfielder and a winger.

Pirlo would be the obvious choice for the central midfielder as we've been linked to him so much. With the African Cup of Nations in 2010, we'll only have Ballack and Lampard in midfield, so another central player would be good. Pirlo is simply one of the world's best central midfielders...I do wonder whether he'd be able to cut it in the premier league, but even so he could possibly just turn us into the perfect team!

In terms of a wide player, we have Joey, Malouda, Kalou and at a stretch Anelka. None of them are real wingers so a Zhirkov or a Ribery would be good. However, if Ancelotti's previous formation is anything to go by, he likes to have two supporting strikers meaning that we could see Drogba being supported by Anelka and Malouda...something similar to the 4-3-3 we've played under Hiddink, which despite not being ideal, didn't let us down when it mattered. Kalou is a bit hit and miss, but he's scored us some crucial goals and I don't think he'll leave this season.

Now to Sheva and Pizzaro. Sheva may well just be in our team next season, there has not been a huge amount to say he'll be shipped off and quite frankly, who's gonna pay £100k a week for a player who's clearly past it. He provides us with an option and if we don't get the likes of Aguero, he'll be able to play in a 4-4-2 with Anelka when Drogba's off. I still hope he's off, or Roman buys out his contract...he has no proper future with us.

Pizzaro was never really given a chance at Chelsea. Everybody was creaming their pants over Dzeko when we have a striker who's performed almost equally well in the same league with an arguably worse team. Sure he didn't set the world alight here, but given a bit more time on the pitch, he could become a 20 goal a season striker...time isn't on his side though.

I really do think our 'big signings' will be the likes of Pirlo and Zhirkov. Aguero and Ribery are really still dream signings, but I very much hope the club proves me wrong.

The obsession with reducing squad age shouldn't be our main priority. Its very important, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to lose out on players who could really strengthen the squad and help us win the league, just because they're too old.

Bloody hell there's a lot of essays in this thread ;)

[Ruh Buh Juh]

All we need really is 2 players. A central midfielder and a winger.

Pirlo would be the obvious choice for the central midfielder as we've been linked to him so much. With the African Cup of Nations in 2010, we'll only have Ballack and Lampard in midfield, so another central player would be good. Pirlo is simply one of the world's best central midfielders...I do wonder whether he'd be able to cut it in the premier league, but even so he could possibly just turn us into the perfect team!

In terms of a wide player, we have Joey, Malouda, Kalou and at a stretch Anelka. None of them are real wingers so a Zhirkov or a Ribery would be good. However, if Ancelotti's previous formation is anything to go by, he likes to have two supporting strikers meaning that we could see Drogba being supported by Anelka and Malouda...something similar to the 4-3-3 we've played under Hiddink, which despite not being ideal, didn't let us down when it mattered. Kalou is a bit hit and miss, but he's scored us some crucial goals and I don't think he'll leave this season.

Now to Sheva and Pizzaro. Sheva may well just be in our team next season, there has not been a huge amount to say he'll be shipped off and quite frankly, who's gonna pay £100k a week for a player who's clearly past it. He provides us with an option and if we don't get the likes of Aguero, he'll be able to play in a 4-4-2 with Anelka when Drogba's off. I still hope he's off, or Roman buys out his contract...he has no proper future with us.

Pizzaro was never really given a chance at Chelsea. Everybody was creaming their pants over Dzeko when we have a striker who's performed almost equally well in the same league with an arguably worse team. Sure he didn't set the world alight here, but given a bit more time on the pitch, he could become a 20 goal a season striker...time isn't on his side though.

I really do think our 'big signings' will be the likes of Pirlo and Zhirkov. Aguero and Ribery are really still dream signings, but I very much hope the club proves me wrong.

The obsession with reducing squad age shouldn't be our main priority. Its very important, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to lose out on players who could really strengthen the squad and help us win the league, just because they're too old.

Bloody hell there's a lot of essays in this thread :lol:

Was just about to say the exact same thing :P

[geezer]

Was just about to say the exact same thing :lol:

I agree

[sdsdsdsd]

All we need really is 2 players. A central midfielder and a winger.

Pirlo would be the obvious choice for the central midfielder as we've been linked to him so much. With the African Cup of Nations in 2010, we'll only have Ballack and Lampard in midfield, so another central player would be good. Pirlo is simply one of the world's best central midfielders...I do wonder whether he'd be able to cut it in the premier league, but even so he could possibly just turn us into the perfect team!

In terms of a wide player, we have Joey, Malouda, Kalou and at a stretch Anelka. None of them are real wingers so a Zhirkov or a Ribery would be good. However, if Ancelotti's previous formation is anything to go by, he likes to have two supporting strikers meaning that we could see Drogba being supported by Anelka and Malouda...something similar to the 4-3-3 we've played under Hiddink, which despite not being ideal, didn't let us down when it mattered. Kalou is a bit hit and miss, but he's scored us some crucial goals and I don't think he'll leave this season.

Now to Sheva and Pizzaro. Sheva may well just be in our team next season, there has not been a huge amount to say he'll be shipped off and quite frankly, who's gonna pay £100k a week for a player who's clearly past it. He provides us with an option and if we don't get the likes of Aguero, he'll be able to play in a 4-4-2 with Anelka when Drogba's off. I still hope he's off, or Roman buys out his contract...he has no proper future with us.

Pizzaro was never really given a chance at Chelsea. Everybody was creaming their pants over Dzeko when we have a striker who's performed almost equally well in the same league with an arguably worse team. Sure he didn't set the world alight here, but given a bit more time on the pitch, he could become a 20 goal a season striker...time isn't on his side though.

I really do think our 'big signings' will be the likes of Pirlo and Zhirkov. Aguero and Ribery are really still dream signings, but I very much hope the club proves me wrong.

The obsession with reducing squad age shouldn't be our main priority. Its very important, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to lose out on players who could really strengthen the squad and help us win the league, just because they're too old.

Bloody hell there's a lot of essays in this thread ;)

I thought Romans main aim of this transfer window was to make a team that will play more attractive football.

[evissy]

A bit offtopic but didn't bother to start a new thread.

What do you think will happen on wednesday (1st of July) apart from the fact Carlo is properly introduced to everyone?

I think we will see maybe two new signings and probably that carvo and deco are off to Inter. The signings are probably Zhirkov and Sturridge. Other moves we have to wait to near future...

On the topic..If we are planning on keeping Sheva I have lost my faith in everything about Chelsea..Pizza and Sheva need to move on.