Do we really need to buy anyone ?

Or

Should we just get rid of a few and bring through the likes of Stoch, Mancienne, Bruma, Kakuta etc etc

I think we need to buy however the number we buy should definitely be less than the number we sell/release so as to make some space for youth players to make a break through.

I think we need to buy however the number we buy should definitely be less than the number we sell/release so as to make some space for youth players to make a break through.

Absolutely spot on. If we buy more than we sell, what's the point or having the youth players then? They'll never get the chance to develop or show management what they have if they aren't given the chance. That certainly won't happen if the club sells less then we buy.

I think being that its obvious the main competition in the Prem are going to strengthen and the fact that the CL is again going to be a main objective next year we just have to buy one or two players.

Unless Kakuta is far nearer to being a regular than he has looked on his odd run outs we need a player who can give us that something different..I hate to say it but I just can't see Joey being that player and would love us to bring in a tricky playmaker that would liven up even the dullest games as well as opening up those solid defenses in tight games.

I would also like to see a player to compete with Drogba and Anelka for the main striker role and one that should he play well makes whoever he replaces have to train hard and take any chance hes given well to get his place back, competition for that role I always believe keeps players at their best and hopefully leads to more chances taken.

Sturridge and Kalou are both good back up if they are here next season but true quality competition would be great.

I think we have quality in defense across the back four and back up to be confident in, If Ashley is not tempted away then he and Zhirkov with Van Aanholt getting more games is a confidence boosting LB 3, RB is easy with Bosingwa, and Hutchinson and obviously Ivanovich who will double up as CB back up as well..CB we have Alex and JT with Ivan and I'm not expecting Carvalho (great though he has been) to be here next season so hopefully Bruma can step up.

Midfield could see the last season here for Ballack and Deco, age and wage demands making them likely to make way, I still think Mikel has a future here and if Matic can step up we may still need one signing here but obviously if we got a new strker and playmaker it would not be a huge name signing so its dependent on where the manager wants to spend any funds made available.

I have my doubts as to if Stoch will come back but if he does that could be interesting and I would like to see a bit more of the youngsters maybe in the Carling Cup as I,ve liked the look of Hutchinson and Van Aaanholt when they have got a chance as I have Borini.

Edited May 3, 201016 yr by Chippy

No more than one or two good signings...and maybe a few younger players who we can bring through the youth ranks as the nexxt wave.

But we definately need to give our current crop of young lads a chance.

i thing we need just one strike and one midle

one to replace anelka and one to replace deco and ballack

I would also like to see a player to compete with Drogba and Anelka for the main striker role and one that should he play well makes whoever he replaces have to train hard and take any chance hes given well to get his place back, competition for that role I always believe keeps players at their best and hopefully leads to more chances taken.

Sturridge and Kalou are both good back up if they are here next season but true quality competition would be great.

I think that entires on whether Ancelotti is looking to play one or two strikers. If he is going to go with one then having three centre forwards who want to be regular starters will probably be counter productive. If we are going to go with two up top as our normal tactic then I agree there is a need for a third quality striker.

It could be that we look to bring in a player to play in the position Anelka is often pushed out into as he, for all his efforts, is not suited to playing it week in week out.

Aguero would be ideal to play anywhere in the attack in 4-3-3 as well as 4-4-2.

I think that entires on whether Ancelotti is looking to play one or two strikers. If he is going to go with one then having three centre forwards who want to be regular starters will probably be counter productive. If we are going to go with two up top as our normal tactic then I agree there is a need for a third quality striker.

It could be that we look to bring in a player to play in the position Anelka is often pushed out into as he, for all his efforts, is not suited to playing it week in week out.

You're probobly right Loz and its strange after a full season that we still really don't know what the Managers ideal formation will be..It'll be an interesting summer with all the players we will likely be linked to it would be nice to know the ones Carlo is actually concidering.

If Ashley is not tempted away then he and Zhirkov with Van Aanholt getting more games is a confidence boosting LB 3

Bertrand must surely be higher in the pecking order than both Zhirkov and Van Aanholt (I consider Zhirkov to be an emergency option at LB and far suited to LM/LW)

Bertrand must surely be higher in the pecking order than both Zhirkov and Van Aanholt (I consider Zhirkov to be an emergency option at LB and far suited to LM/LW)

I thought Zhirkov improved a lot defensively while Ash was out..he scared me at first but I was quite happy to see him there after a couple of games, I thought as Van Aanholt had been given some first team action that he was in front of Ryan, I might be wrong.

I think we need a couple of top class signings...another striker and maybe creative midfielder/winger...bruma should be given room to come through now, so if Ricky goes, he should become fourth in line behind JT, Alex, Ivan...may need another right back if belletti goes as expected, bosingwa's knee injury is dodgy and paulo showed against bale he is a liability...hutchinson looked good as a sub against stoke, but not sure he should be promoted to back-up to Ivan so soon

Ryan was voted into 3rd place by fans in Reading's player of the year and he made 51 appearances (top). I think if we are not interested there's a host of clubs waiting for the chance to sign him.

I also wonder about the "older" youngsters: Jack Cork, Scott Sinclair, di Santo and Mancienne.

I also wonder about the "older" youngsters: Jack Cork, Scott Sinclair, di Santo and Mancienne.

As far as I'm concerned, Cork is the only one who has a shot at actually making it here. Sinclair dominates reserves leagues, but he just can't quite make it on the big stage. di Santo is just...meh, can't believe how unlucky we were when we were in for Pato, Milan snatched him up and we get di Santo instead. Mancienne will never make it as a top quality centre back. Perhaps a decent full back or holding midfielder.

Aguero would be ideal to play anywhere in the attack in 4-3-3 as well as 4-4-2.

Agreed, 4-3-1-2 as well.

I'd take him and Pato

Add Stoch, Bruma, Hutchinson, Kakuta, Matic, Van Anholt, Borini, Jacopo Sala Sebek and the new keeper who's name escapes me to our ranks, suddenly our squad has a youthful look.

I'm both overjoyed and amazed at where we are today. I had all but written our chances off this season, even before Inter knocked us out of the Champions League. Now we have the chance, 30 years on from the year most of my age group started to support Chelsea during the days of Osgood, Cooke, Hudson, Harris and Bonetti to win the double and forever bury the ghost of Mourinho.

Ancelloti ( If I believed anything, it was to give him a chance to build something long term here in his own style and shape ) will sit down with Romam i'm sure and decide who goes and who gets a new contract.

I'd settle for Ballack, Deco, Hillario, Belletti and maybe Ferreira going, so the youth can flourish,

Eyes Down for the Youth Cup Final tonight !

Agreed, 4-3-1-2 as well.

I'd take him and Pato

Add Stoch, Bruma, Hutchinson, Kakuta, Matic, Van Anholt, Borini, Jacopo Sala Sebek and the new keeper who's name escapes me to our ranks, suddenly our squad has a youthful look.

I'm both overjoyed and amazed at where we are today. I had all but written our chances off this season, even before Inter knocked us out of the Champions League. Now we have the chance, 30 years on from the year most of my age group started to support Chelsea during the days of Osgood, Cooke, Hudson, Harris and Bonetti to win the double and forever bury the ghost of Mourinho.

Ancelloti ( If I believed anything, it was to give him a chance to build something long term here in his own style and shape ) will sit down with Romam i'm sure and decide who goes and who gets a new contract.

I'd settle for Ballack, Deco, Hillario, Belletti and maybe Ferreira going, so the youth can flourish,

Eyes Down for the Youth Cup Final tonight !

I again find myself nodding my head and although I never wrote off our chances I did have doubts at times,

Would be a brilliant season if we managed the Double and it certainly bodes well for the future that Carlo came in and done it without bringing any players in..surely now nobody could say he hasn't proved worth trusting with the funds to compliment the good players that will stay with Players he believes will push the team on in the style he wants.

There have been some great performances along the way and they should be remembered more than the shabby ones as they will if it all ends the way we hope.

Next season will be a difficult one with a few of the also rans starting to look like proper football teams and even the midtable teams being strong on their day (at home mostly) so lets hope City don't start throwing too much silly money around and make the Summer one where we get gazumped on every decent player we go after.

Agree with pretty much everything here. Ballack will get another year and I wouldn't be suprised if Joe got a new contract as well. Aguero is the one everyone's talking about, and I think we'll get him if the price is right.

In terms of additions in midfield I'd take Milner if we can beat Ferguson to him. I know he is the flavour of the month right now, but he's reasonably young, English which will help if the whole restriction on foreign players comes in.

Plus and this could be an Albatross around my neck, but I think he is the closest thing to a replacement for Frank we will find. Similar work rate, likes to get forward, takes a good pen. We've got the defensive side covered with Mikel and Essien who are still young, but get this guy in to learn from the best, he is versatile so he won't be a problem to fit in while Frank continues on and has the class to step up when Super Frank retires.

Now that might be slightly off topic, but apart from those areas we will be fine as long as some of our players eg, Kalou find some consistancy. Kakuta, Matic, Bruma, Hutch will all be first team next year, I'd suggest Cork will go out on loan again, Van Aanholt as well but only as we have options at left back and it's not fair to hold him back in the reserves, Stoch is tearing them apart in Holland so he is another interesting one. If all goes well the next two weekends (touch wood), everything is coming up Chelsea as far as I can see. But then again if it all goes tits up then I'll probably be in here along with the rest of the chorus clamouring for the signing of everyone decent going around, and the sacking of half the squad, but hey that's the nature of the forum I suppose.

Edited May 4, 201016 yr by Spiller86

The Corriere dello Sport, an Italian daily newspaper, claims Ancelotti is planning to make a swoop for Milan's 20 year old striker, Pato, and 25 year old central defender, Thiago Silva. both Brazilians. The figure quoted is 80 million quid!!

I'd take him and Pato

I'd settle for Ballack, Deco, Hillario, Belletti and maybe Ferreira going, so the youth can flourish,

I agree with a lot of what you say Star but how can we let the youth flourish if we were to sign BOTH Aguero AND Pato and yet still keep Drogba & Anelka? When would the likes of Sturridge, Borini, Sala, Stoch etc get a run out with four big name players ahead of them?

This season will hopefully end up being the best in the club’s history. We could have the domestic double AND the Youth Cup. And yet the summer will be a big crossroads for us with a lot of important decisions to be made. Management will know that in football you cannot afford to stand still and take too much time in admiring your good work. You have to be continually looking at what comes next and unfortunately for us a number of key players are nearing the stage where you have to consider replacing them. So how many of the old guard do we keep and how many of the “youngsters†will get a chance? Who stays as part of the squad and who gets sent out on loan?

With the success of the under 18’s last night, it’s easy to almost forget some of our older youngsters. Tough decisions to be made on how many of these we think are worth persevering with and which ones to let go. We won’t be able to keep all of the younger players happy anyway if they don’t get much playing time and I’ll be gutted if we lose a gem because we thought it was worth giving a Ballack or a Deco one more season.

That’s why there is no way I would sign more than one “big player†this season and out of the two I would go for Aguero, but then I would also consider letting more go than those you have mentioned.

Bright times ahead, but only if the powers that be get some big decisions right.

YES

Juliano Belletti

DECO

FERRIRA

KALUO ( LOAN )

BRING GOOD STRIKER AND GOOD MEDFIELDER

ALSO,

DI SANTOS BACK FROM BLACKBURN AND GIVE STURRIDGE AND SOME YOUTH

PLAYER A CHANCE TO BUILD CONFIDENCE

KALUO ( LOAN )

ALSO,

DI SANTOS BACK FROM BLACKBURN AND GIVE STURRIDGE AND SOME YOUTH

PLAYER A CHANCE TO BUILD CONFIDENCE

You'd loan out Kalou, but give Di Santo a chance in the first team? I'd do just the opposite. Loan out Di Santo and let Kalou prove himself in the first team. He's had a few good matches now that he's been starting some matches, so I'd love to see what he can do if he's able to build up some confidence.

I'd sell Di Santo if there's an offer...if not, yeah, loan him out....I feel less and less positive about him doing anything here.

Sturridge is our best young striker by some way. Mitrovic and Borini have good potential.

Kalou has turned a corner hopefully, because his latest performances have been surprisingly good. He's not a bad wide forward.

Anelka agreeing terms on a new contract. Seems well chuffed and complimentary about Chelsea. Due to sign next Monday.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/...-prolonger.html

Kalou is an excellent player, even though he appears to no be sometimes.

Di Santo is not a Chelsea-quality player (at least not yet), nor is Scott Sinclair or Michael Mancienne.

I like Joe Cole's ability to play on both flanks, and as a second striker, but he values himself too highly.

If, as expected, Deco, Belletti, Ferreira, Ballack and possibly Carvalho leave, I think Chelsea would only need to sign two players to replace: a central/attacking midfielder and a defensive generalist.

For the midfielder, someone like van der Vaart would work well, and a defensive player like... I don't know!

My oppinion in short:

1. Buy players to replace those who leave.

2. Buy one player that'll strengthen out squad up front (someone like Aguero).

3. Buy 2-3 young talents like Dzagoev and Kroos.