4 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Also no, no solid or even small links to a midfielder.

I believe that is in part due to Lukaku being the priority and thar our main target, Rice, we are jsut about ready to give up on.

Yes, but Rice in addition to Lukaku and Kounde would be quite a lot of money spent. Also I don't think we need a player of that calibre. With Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho to compete with, whichever player we get is going to have a hard time seeing a lot of playing time.

On RLC: I'd be very sad to see him go as he's been my favorite player since he was playing for our Reserves, but you're probably right. And who knows, maybe we buy him back for 115 million in a couple years 😂

7 hours ago, True Blue23 said:

Yes, but Rice in addition to Lukaku and Kounde would be quite a lot of money spent. Also I don't think we need a player of that calibre. With Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho to compete with, whichever player we get is going to have a hard time seeing a lot of playing time.

On RLC: I'd be very sad to see him go as he's been my favorite player since he was playing for our Reserves, but you're probably right. And who knows, maybe we buy him back for 115 million in a couple years 😂

Franck Kessie. AC Milan

This has surfaced a couple of times in the last few days. 

3 hours ago, evissy said:

This has surfaced a couple of times in the last few days. 

He is highly rated at Barca and already made 14 appearances in La Liga, won’t be surprised if we fast track him into the first team as we are reported to be offering him £80k/pw to lure him.

Possibly the weirdest rumour I've ever seen:

"Chelsea are now looking to offload Chelsea for the upcoming season and Valencia are understood to have registered their interest in a loan deal."

https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/09/thomas-tuchel-orders-chelsea-board-not-to-sell-academy-star-at-any-cost-15061284/amp/

 

 

3 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

Possibly the weirdest rumour I've ever seen:

"Chelsea are now looking to offload Chelsea for the upcoming season and Valencia are understood to have registered their interest in a loan deal."

https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/09/thomas-tuchel-orders-chelsea-board-not-to-sell-academy-star-at-any-cost-15061284/amp/

 

 

I wonder if we are using this situation to make Sevilla think we aren't desperate for Kounde?

Might be worth a look? Left-footed CB available at a reasonable price.

49 minutes ago, PraetorianGuard said:

Might be worth a look? Left-footed CB available at a reasonable price.

City were rumored to be after him as well.

Same thing happened with Kounde. Spurs had offered accepted, he turned them down, we came in but price shot up.

Same could happen  here. Torres and Kounde could make a good back 2 or part of a back 3 with many years on their sides though. Worth considering.

4 hours ago, PraetorianGuard said:

Might be worth a look? Left-footed CB available at a reasonable price.

I like Torres. Has the height advantage over kounde. But he’s quite a classy methodical player who reads game well. Kounde seems more of the get stuck in type. Pros and cons of each

Batsman will join besiktas soon 

Maybe we could give Trev Chalobah a shot and focus our attention to a midfielder that can give us that solidity if Kova/Kante is injured or out of form

[Joris Crolbois/RMC Sport - On Pape Sarr] - First discussions between Metz and English clubs. Bernard Serin met with representatives of both Manchester clubs and Chelsea . No Real Madrid in the race. Beginning of negotiations around 30M not 40M and loan in the wake to Metz for the season.

Not really a rumor but Rennes just bought a 14m defensive midfielder - I wonder if Camavinga will transfer this season already; quite likely imho. I doubt we're after him but that could lead to quite some shifting around in the DM market.

 

oh..just noticed that Bakayoko is linked to Rennes as well.

Edited August 17, 20214 yr by weetee

It seems we are being linked with Saul Niguez again and sincerely I will really like it. I really want to see more from us offensively. It feels that we just play at the back, and we don't go forward much. And when we want to go forward, it's like we use our wingbacks, and I don't think crosses are effective everytime to score goals.

Personally, I will like see more from our wingers like Havertz, Pulisic and Ziyech. I feel football has witnessed great wingers in the past. The way we have seen players like Hazard and Willian play for us in the past. The way Robben and Joe Cole have played for us in the past, the way we are seeing Neymar and Mbappe at PSG now, the way we are seeing Mahrez and Sterling at City, the way we saw Ronaldo and Giggs at Man Utd, the way we are going to see Rashford and Sancho for them, and the way we saw Lorenzo Insigne for Italy at Euro 2020. I like the wonder goal he scored and i like to see such wonder goals at Chelsea.

I really love wing plays, and I feel wingers will perform better if they have midfielders who can give them the ball. I have not been completely convinced by Kovacic. Yes, I think he does some  things but I need a player who can supply our attackers better and who  will be a threat going forward too. A player who can play shots and score long range shots. Personally, I don't like Jorginho, so I won't talk about him. 

So, I feel we need another central midfielder to play with Kante. And the midfielder must be able to assist the defense and also, must be good going forward. He must be able to score from the midfield, be able to join the attack when we are going forward, and be able to give passes to the attackers for us to score goals.

If Saul Niguez can do all these, then why not? We can get him. Or we can get any player who can do all these, then we will be ok.

I like to see a lot of turning defense into attack from us. Going from defense and using our central midfielders to start attack and giving the attackers the ball to score goals. I feel that is the quality of a great team and it is when we have the right player in the Midfield that we can do that.

I like to see a lot of transitions from us. We need to be able to start an attack from the back and score goals. I don't think we've been doing that. And I feel when we start doing that, it will really be easy for our attackers to score goals, it will really be easy for them to score more goals.

Edited August 17, 20214 yr by hephzibah

Attackers depend on the defense and the midfield to perform well. So the team must have a good defense and a good midfield. When you give the attackers the ball very well, then they will be able to score very well.

The defenders should not be afraid to go forward, to give the ball to the midfielders, and the midfielders should not be afraid to go forward to give the ball to the attackers so that the attackers can score goals. By so doing, we will be able to give better assists to the attackers to score goals.

We have to improve on playing from the back, giving the ball to the attackers to score goals.

15 hours ago, weetee said:

Not really a rumor but Rennes just bought a 14m defensive midfielder - I wonder if Camavinga will transfer this season already; quite likely imho. I doubt we're after him but that could lead to quite some shifting around in the DM market.

 

oh..just noticed that Bakayoko is linked to Rennes as well.

I hear a lot about camavinga as being a very hot prospect. 

But haven't seen him play a lot. 

What kind of a play is he? 

He doesn't look like a physical monster. So

Is he more a vaccuum cleaner with a crazy engine that you see everywhere like Kanté?

Is he more of an anklebiter or more the footballing type from the back, ... 

Edited August 18, 20214 yr by Night-T

1 hour ago, Night-T said:

I hear a lot about camavinga as being a very hot prospect. 

But haven't seen him play a lot. 

What kind of a play is he? 

He doesn't look like a physical monster. So

Is he more a vaccuum cleaner with a crazy engine that you see everywhere like Kanté?

Is he more of an anklebiter or more the footballing type from the back, ... 

 

Haven't seen him much myself - but what I gathered was some kind of "disciplined" version of Pogba. Great passing range and good technique paired with a very good football IQ while being highly dynamic. I imagine some kind of mix of Jorgi/Kanté - very interesting player for sure but I don't know if he's a good sole #6 in front of a back four (Busquets style) since what I saw from him is more of a box-to-box player. Maybe someone else here knows him better though.

Fab Romano tweeted today that Rennes will look to sell Carnavinga for 35 million Euro by August 31. Get it done Marina. 

1 hour ago, TheGreatestGame said:

Fab Romano tweeted today that Rennes will look to sell Carnavinga for 35 million Euro by August 31. Get it done Marina. 

Matt Law reported we won’t sign a midfielder unless something changes in the last few days of the window. Maybe Camavinga for that price will get us involved.

6 hours ago, mwblue10 said:

Matt Law reported we won’t sign a midfielder unless something changes in the last few days of the window. Maybe Camavinga for that price will get us involved.

That would be a huge mistake by Chelsea, with Kante's injury history and inconsistent play with Jorghinio and Kovacic. Camavinga could compete for a starting position as a box to box midfielder 

1 hour ago, TheGreatestGame said:

That would be a huge mistake by Chelsea, with Kante's injury history and inconsistent play with Jorghinio and Kovacic. Camavinga could compete for a starting position as a box to box midfielder 

Have to agree with u 100% mate.

1 hour ago, TheGreatestGame said:

That would be a huge mistake by Chelsea, with Kante's injury history and inconsistent play with Jorghinio and Kovacic. Camavinga could compete for a starting position as a box to box midfielder 

What are we gonna do with a box to box midfielder though? I'd bet no one at the club is currently looking at players whose main trait is running towards the opponent's box. In Tuchel's mind we are a double pivot team now and that is definitive. Even if we were to switch to back 4 our middle of the park would be double pivot behind Mount.

Can you really picture Tuchel fielding Kanté-Camavinga or Kovacic-Camavinga (e.g. a double pivot of 2 transitional box to box players) in a PL game? His idea is to control the midfield through passing and positional play rather than sheer athleticism, that's why Jorgi is so undroppable (it has taken Kanté and Kovacic until last season to make up for that and form a decent CM pairing). And I agree with him, with one of the double pivots mentioned above I'd be very worried about leaving our back line exposed. We'd immediately drop one or two levels as a title contender. I could only picture Camavinga playing with Jorginho as a third option behind the more well-rounded and PL-proven Kanté or Kovacic, still leaving us without cover for Jorginho other than the Kanté-Kovacic combo and putting obstacles in the way of Billy's future at the club.

I do agree that I'd like to see more attacking threat (in terms of distribution and direct attempts on goal) from CM, but through individidual qualities and not through a completely different type of midfielder. That applies to Jorginho himself, who has shown signs of becoming a bit more daring at the start of this season, and any potential back up. Any midfielder we sign this summer needs to at least be capable of positional discipline.

Saul Niguez, particularly if available on loan, simply ticks all the boxes. No brainer

4 hours ago, TheGreatestGame said:

That would be a huge mistake by Chelsea, with Kante's injury history and inconsistent play with Jorghinio and Kovacic. Camavinga could compete for a starting position as a box to box midfielder 

I tend to agree with your sentiment, the only thing I can think of is that Tuchel did say he is willing to put Chalobah in midfield.

23 hours ago, Luiz4Chelsea said:

What are we gonna do with a box to box midfielder though? I'd bet no one at the club is currently looking at players whose main trait is running towards the opponent's box. In Tuchel's mind we are a double pivot team now and that is definitive. Even if we were to switch to back 4 our middle of the park would be double pivot behind Mount.

Can you really picture Tuchel fielding Kanté-Camavinga or Kovacic-Camavinga (e.g. a double pivot of 2 transitional box to box players) in a PL game? His idea is to control the midfield through passing and positional play rather than sheer athleticism, that's why Jorgi is so undroppable (it has taken Kanté and Kovacic until last season to make up for that and form a decent CM pairing). And I agree with him, with one of the double pivots mentioned above I'd be very worried about leaving our back line exposed. We'd immediately drop one or two levels as a title contender. I could only picture Camavinga playing with Jorginho as a third option behind the more well-rounded and PL-proven Kanté or Kovacic, still leaving us without cover for Jorginho other than the Kanté-Kovacic combo and putting obstacles in the way of Billy's future at the club.

I do agree that I'd like to see more attacking threat (in terms of distribution and direct attempts on goal) from CM, but through individidual qualities and not through a completely different type of midfielder. That applies to Jorginho himself, who has shown signs of becoming a bit more daring at the start of this season, and any potential back up. Any midfielder we sign this summer needs to at least be capable of positional discipline.

Saul Niguez, particularly if available on loan, simply ticks all the boxes. No brainer

Disagree. Niquez is nothing more than a backup at this stage of his career. If Chelsea wants to win the PL they need to improve their starting midfielders. I don't see how spending 60 to 70 million pounds for Kounde makes this team better. It seems that they are prioritizing that acquisition which is also tied to selling Zouma. They can acquire either Camavinga or Tchouameni for half that price and they will compete for a starting position. Tchouamnei could also be a very valuable backup for Kante given his injury history. 

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by TheGreatestGame