Matt Law is reporting it is Camara + a Premier League midfielder to come in.

The optimist in me says it's Zubimendi. The pessimist in me says it's Bergval.

13 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Matt Law is reporting it is Camara + a Premier League midfielder to come in.

The optimist in me says it's Zubimendi. The pessimist in me says it's Bergval.

Zubimendi might well fancy being a starter for us rather than a bench option for Arsenal. Alonso would be keen to ...

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Just send him to Strasbourg there's a loan slot left.

I don't think he will go for that.

Zubimendi would be my choice and a cb. Regardless of Arsenal being up their own arse, there seems to be a pretty decent relationship between us and them in terms of transfers🤷‍♂️

22 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Matt Law is reporting it is Camara + a Premier League midfielder to come in.

The optimist in me says it's Zubimendi. The pessimist in me says it's Bergval.

I don’t want Zubimendi. Or Bergvall obviously.

I want Wharton or Scott. Alongside Camara.

I also welcome any news relating to Gibbs White but we definitely need to prioritise a centre midfielder first

https://www.givemesport.com/chelsea-late-moves-arsenal-tottenham-stars-zubimendi-bergvall-transfer-news/

17 minutes ago, dansubrosa said:

I don’t want Zubimendi. Or Bergvall obviously.

I want Wharton or Scott. Alongside Camara.

I also welcome any news relating to Gibbs White but we definitely need to prioritise a centre midfielder first

Defo my choice would be Wharton or Scott but i just dont see much chance of that happening. Arsenal already have enough quality midfielders if they were to lose Zubimendi they would be covered, Bournemouth and Palace not so much.

Edited yesterday at 12:541 day by Roland The Bruin

14 minutes ago, Roland The Bruin said:

Defo my choice would be Wharton or Scott but i just dont see much chance of that happening. Arsenal already have enough quality midfielders if they were to lose Zubimendi they would be covered, Bournemouth and Palace not so much.

I agree with you, it’s not looking likely. But with Disasi and Honest going to Palace on loan, gives me a glimmer of hope. Maybe we’ll get it out of the blue later tonight.

We already made offers for Scott. So we may well come back in for him today with a mega offer.

Unlikely, I agree. Impossible? I don’t think so.

1 minute ago, dansubrosa said:

I agree with you, it’s not looking likely. But with Disasi and Honest going to Palace on loan, gives me a glimmer of hope. Maybe we’ll get it out of the blue later tonight.

We already made offers for Scott. So we may well come back in for him today with a mega offer.

Unlikely, I agree. Impossible? I don’t think so.

Fingers crossed mate🙂👍

Adam Wharton replacement boys

Feels like things are getting a little desperate.

1 hour ago, dansubrosa said:

Adam Wharton replacement boys

Just did a bit of a ChatGPT because I have been so removed from the Premier League outside of Chelsea for the last couple of seasons and had no clue about what Adam Wharton and Alex Scott offer and Wharton certainly seems the type of player I’d like to see come in if we lose Fernandes

From BBC Deadline Day feed ... looks like 75% of the City fans are dead against this transfer LOL

£125m fee for Fernandes agreed according the Sky Sports

4 minutes ago, Frawdulant said:

£125m fee for Fernandes agreed according the Sky Sports

equals the British transfer record set last year with the Isak signing.

To make a profit after what we paid on him is astounding

On 24/08/2026 at 11:54, The Boehly Babes said:

Final week of the window and where are we with outgoings?

Pedro Neto - Al Hilal now looking at Martinelli as we’ve priced him out of a move, our only hope lies with our annual Arsenal charity buy stepping up.

Enzo Fernandez - Aside from the same regurgitation by the Twatterati for ‘clicks’ there’s absolutely zero movement.

Malo Gusto - Deathly quiet. 0 bids.

Nicolas Jackson - Atletico on loan or this supposed super shadey pre-agreed FFP/PSR/KYS deal with Villa

Marc Guiu - 3 European clubs ‘circling’. 0 bids.

Liam Delap - 3 Premier League clubs ‘circling’. 0 bids.

Jamie Gittens - Fenerbahce releasing statements in disgust at even being linked. 0 bids.

Misha - 2 PL loans on the table, trying to force him to Strasbourg for the season.

Our incomings this year seem more in line with what we’d expect for a club of this stature. Our outgoings are once again laughable. How Winstanley & Stewart continue to remain employed is an absolute mystery.

You've gotta admit, this has aged quite badly 😄

2 minutes ago, timetowaste said:

You've gotta admit, this has aged quite badly 😄

So so glad to have been proved wrong here. We’re a Gusto exit from having one of the transfer windows of all time.

2 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

So so glad to have been proved wrong here. We’re a Gusto exit from having one of the transfer windows of all time.

Fofana gone would make me happier but we’d need a replacement.

1 minute ago, DarkMata said:

Fofana gone would make me happier but we’d need a replacement.

He’s gone. To Servette. At a loss.

Not even going to bring in a replacement are we.. incompetent bastards

21 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

He’s gone. To Servette. At a loss.

Weasley ‘canonball run‘ Fofana

This’ll be a long post but I’ve been chatting with ChatGPT about the 4 players we’re linked with as a replacement and I thought the response was interesting so I’m sharing.

My prompt: And given the Chelsea team that Xabi Alonso has put together this season who do you think best completes that team in place of Enzo Fernandez? I’m not ask who is most like Enzo but rather which player best improves the Chelsea team when considering playing next to Caicedo and having Palmer, Rogers and Pedro ahead of them up top

Yes — this changes my answer quite significantly.

If the question is no longer “who is the best midfielder?” but:

“Who makes this specific Chelsea team better alongside Caicedo, with Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro ahead of them?”

then I would take Manu Koné.

And I think it’s a fairly clear choice.

Chelsea’s current setup under Xabi Alonso is essentially built around a 3-4-2-1/3-4-3, with Palmer and Rogers operating behind João Pedro. Alonso has explicitly said that trio is something he wants to build around, and the early matches have shown how much freedom they’re being given. 

That means I don’t think Chelsea need another midfielder whose primary job is to create.

They need someone who makes it possible for those three to create without worrying about what’s behind them.

My answer: Manu Koné

I’d rank the four specifically for this Chelsea team:

🥇 Manu Koné

🥈 Lamine Camara

🥉 Adam Wharton

4️⃣ Alex Scott

And the reasons are quite different from my previous ceiling ranking.

The key is Caicedo

This is the crucial bit.

If you already have Caicedo, I don’t think you want to duplicate what he does.

Caicedo is an outstanding defensive midfielder: covering ground, winning the ball, defending transitions, pressing, tackling and recovering possession.

So I’d want his partner to answer:

“What does Chelsea need when Caicedo has won the ball?”

And that’s where Koné becomes extremely attractive.

He can receive under pressure, turn, carry through midfield and physically advance the team.

So imagine:

CB → Caicedo wins it → Koné carries → Palmer/Rogers receive

That’s an extremely powerful transition.

Why I wouldn’t choose Wharton

This is the really interesting one.

If Chelsea didn’t have Caicedo, I’d be very tempted by Wharton.

But alongside Caicedo?

I’m less convinced.

Wharton would give you:

Caicedo + elite distribution

which is fantastic.

But you’d still have a midfield that relies quite heavily on passing to progress the ball.

And then look at what’s ahead of them:

Palmer — Rogers
João Pedro

You don’t need to add another primary creator.

Those three already have absurd amounts of technical quality and imagination. Alonso’s whole idea is to give them freedom and responsibility. 

What you need behind them is someone who says:

“Don’t worry. I’ve got the physical side of this.”

That’s Koné.

Why Koné + Caicedo is so interesting

This is the partnership I’d want to see.

Caicedo

Defensive intelligence
↓
wins/recycles possession
↓
covers space

Koné

receives
↓
resists pressure
↓
carries 15–30 yards
↓
releases Palmer/Rogers

They’re complementary rather than duplicative.

And Koné’s physical profile is exactly what I’d want behind Chelsea’s attacking four.

He’s powerful enough to defend transitions but technically good enough that Chelsea aren’t sacrificing possession to get that physicality.

His recent international data illustrates the combination: UEFA has him at 96.25% passing accuracy across his current European-qualifying appearances, alongside 10 tackles and 15 recoveries. 

Camara is the fascinating alternative

Actually, Camara is probably the player I’d choose if I wanted the most technically balanced midfield.

You could have:

Caicedo — Camara

and Camara gives you a little bit of everything:

• progressive passing

• ball carrying

• defensive work

• pressing

• creativity

• ability to play deeper or higher

And unlike Wharton, he doesn’t need the game to be organised around him.

That’s a really important quality when you’ve already got Palmer and Rogers demanding creative responsibility.

But I still prefer Koné.

Why?

Because I think Chelsea’s biggest potential weakness with that front three is transition defence.

Palmer and Rogers are going to take risks.

João Pedro is going to roam.

The wing-backs are going to push forward.

Suddenly you’ve got:

Palmer
Rogers
João Pedro
wing-back
wing-back

ahead of your midfield.

You need somebody who can put out fires.

Koné is built for that.

And Scott?

Scott is actually the player I’d be least interested in for Chelsea.

Not because he’s worse than the others.

It’s because Chelsea already have Caicedo’s running and defensive intensity.

Scott would give you another excellent athlete, but he doesn’t add enough of something that Chelsea desperately lack.

Koné gives you the ability to break pressure by carrying.

Camara gives you technical versatility.

Wharton gives you elite distribution.

Scott gives you more running.

Of those four, that’s the least valuable addition to this particular XI.

Here’s how I see the four partnerships

Caicedo + Wharton

The controller partnership

🟢 Excellent possession
🟢 Excellent defensive reading
🟢 Brilliant passing
🟢 Controls games

🔴 Less physically imposing
🔴 Less dynamic ball carrying
🔴 Potentially too conservative behind Palmer/Rogers

This would be fantastic against a team sitting deep.

Caicedo + Camara

The complete partnership

🟢 Very balanced
🟢 Excellent defensively
🟢 Good carrying
🟢 Good passing
🟢 Lots of tactical flexibility

🔴 Doesn’t have one truly elite complementary speciality

This might actually be the safest pairing.

Caicedo + Koné

The f**king nightmare partnership

🟢 Physical
🟢 Press resistant
🟢 Ball winning
🟢 Ball carrying
🟢 Transition protection
🟢 Can defend huge spaces
🟢 Can progress the ball himself

And crucially:

neither needs to be the team’s chief creator.

That’s what I love about it.

You could basically tell them:

“Win the midfield. Get the ball to the three monsters in front of you.”

And let Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro cook.

Caicedo + Scott

The engine-room partnership

🟢 Relentless
🟢 Excellent pressing
🟢 Great physical coverage
🟢 Good transition defence

🔴 Less creativity
🔴 Less press resistance
🔴 Less progressive passing
🔴 Less ability to break a press through individual quality

I think Chelsea would become extremely energetic but potentially a little blunt.

And there’s another reason I love Koné here

Look at what Alonso is trying to create.

His Chelsea isn’t simply trying to dominate possession for the sake of it. The Palmer/Rogers combination is designed to be unpredictable and aggressive, with Rogers particularly valuable because he can carry the ball and break lines from the half-space. The Premier League specifically identified him as an ideal fit for Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 because of his ball-carrying and No.10/winger hybrid qualities. 

So I’d want the midfield to be functional rather than ornamental.

1 hour ago, The Boehly Babes said:

So so glad to have been proved wrong here. We’re a Gusto exit from having one of the transfer windows of all time.

We're not out of the woods yet.

Having said that we won't let Fernandez go without be able to strengthen it looks like we have done exactly that and are currently coming up short on replacements with no likely candidates. And then, if our midfield wasn't thin enough we have now moved Essugo out to Strasbourg on loan because of no other takers.