Posted January 27, 201213 yr http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2092520/Chelsea-target-Ajaxs-Gregory-van-der-Wiel.html Could happen this month...
January 27, 201213 yr Only 4 days of the transfer window left... will be interesting to see what happens with the VdW transfer, although I have to say I'm perfectly happy with Ivanovic at right back and would prefer if we bought some young, promising, inexpensive (basically, it'd be nice to find a right sided version of the Gareth Bale that joined Tottenham!) as backup. Otherwise assuming we sign this guy for a hefty fee, he'll be a regular starter, meaning Ivanovic will be fighting it out with Luiz, Cahill and Terry for a CB start.
January 27, 201213 yr Reckon Valencia were set to sign him for €12m which for a 21yr old established Dutch nationa is good value. Hearing we might be renewing Bosingwa's contract for an extra year; makes zero sense except we intend to sell him.
January 27, 201213 yr Author AVB said Bosingwa is going to get a contract extension If true I simply don't get it....
January 27, 201213 yr Reckon Valencia were set to sign him for €12m which for a 21yr old established Dutch nationa is good value. He'll be 24 in a few days.
January 27, 201213 yr Bosingwa's extension is probably so we don't lose him on a free. I think we'll sell him in the summer. Where that leaves a VdW deal I don't know. But I like him as an option. As avb would say, he's 'interesting'
January 27, 201213 yr Heard mostly bad things about him, so would be very hesitant to us signing him.
January 27, 201213 yr I wouldn't be completely against it, but Azpilicueta excites me more. That's how I see it.
January 27, 201213 yr Both are of questionable ability in my book. They are really no better defenders than Bosingwa is. We should have learned our lesson for pursuing mediocre options at right back and stump out and go for one of the best. If we're really trying to put together a championship winning team before Ash and JT are gone, then Srna or Maicon are really the only options. Both would cost no more than the arm and a leg that Ajax want for VDW.
January 28, 201213 yr Buying 30 year old right backs isn't the right way to build for the future, which is the club's mission right now. This is not a squad that's just one or two players away.
January 28, 201213 yr I always think of Bertrand when I see this thread and think why is he not playing. Ash is great but as I've said before right and left back positions are not that crucial in football, not as important as CB. He'd do just fine. Not sure if VDW would play that much either. He'd be a younger version of Bossy. Ivan is the defensive option and then we'd have two attacking options...We'd need a sure starter there. Is VDW that good?
January 28, 201213 yr 30 yr old right backs who are quality for 4 years are a better option than 20 yr old right backs who are overpriced and not an improvement from the start. Honestly Im getting the feeling that people think if you're beyond 25 then you're too old. A good team requires the best players. If your good enough you're old enough works both ways. Edited January 28, 201213 yr by Spiller86
January 28, 201213 yr Fullbacks need pace. 30 year old men are slowing down. It's a sad fact of life that the first thing to go are the legs. There's no future in buying a 30 year old for a position that demands a fast runner. Well, maybe in Italy. But not in England.
January 28, 201213 yr Fullbacks need pace. 30 year old men are slowing down. It's a sad fact of life that the first thing to go are the legs. There's no future in buying a 30 year old for a position that demands a fast runner. Well, maybe in Italy. But not in England. That a rather weeping generalisation isnt it, all 30 year olds down slow down at all. Plus, the experience of a 30 year old can usually negate the slowing down anyway.
January 28, 201213 yr That a rather weeping generalisation isnt it, all 30 year olds down slow down at all. Plus, the experience of a 30 year old can usually negate the slowing down anyway. It's almost always true. The legs start going at around 30. Some players later than others, of course. But that's when the physical decline begins. (Ryan Giggs is a remarkable exception. He still has acceleration.) Yes, a fullback can survive on guile and experience. But now you're compromising. And why compromise when you're planning for the future? To reiterate, Chelsea are rebuilding. You don't buy 30 year olds when you're rebuilding. You buy them when you need one player to put you over the top. It just doesn't make sense to bring an aging player into Chelsea's situation. Edited January 28, 201213 yr by wxwax
January 28, 201213 yr No it isnt true at all, Lampard was still one of the fittest players around at 30, Zola didnt do badly, Ash Cole isnt slow etc.....
January 28, 201213 yr No it isnt true at all, Lampard was still one of the fittest players around at 30, Zola didnt do badly, Ash Cole isnt slow etc..... The reason Lampard isn't the player he once was is because he's significantly slower than he used to be. His speed was never an asset, but now it's a liability. It was shocking to see how much slower he was after coming back from his series of injuries last season. I'd hoped he'd be a bit quicker after a full off-season, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. You'll find no shortage of people on this site who believe that Ashley Cole has lost a step and is less effective this season. The point is that these are men nearer the end of the careers than the beginning. When you're rebuilding your team, that's not the kind of player you bring onboard. You find players who have a long future ahead of them. Surely that's self evident?
January 28, 201213 yr Im not arguing that point, of course bringing in younger players is the right way to go. But that doesnt mean we should bin anyone over 30. And Lampard has slowed this season, but at 30/31 he was no slower than he ever was, Cole is the same, Zola never slowed, Dessaily never slowed at 30 etc. ITs just plain wrong to say all 30 year olds slow down.
January 28, 201213 yr Fair enough Spiller, although I do agree with you regarding Srna. I wish we would have made a move for him instead of Zhirkov a couple years ago. Versatile player, great leader (Shaktar and Croatia captain), and a dead ball specialist.
January 28, 201213 yr Pace is something i don't count as key in fullbacks. Endurance yes but pace no, not the way we play. Only reason you'd need pace is if you get caught out of position on the counter, something that doesn't happen do much to these two. The key asset really is being able to deliver a pinpoint cross after the ball shuffles out that way. Bosingwa is speedy no doubt but his final product is awful.
January 28, 201213 yr Im not arguing that point, of course bringing in younger players is the right way to go. But that doesnt mean we should bin anyone over 30. And Lampard has slowed this season, but at 30/31 he was no slower than he ever was, Cole is the same, Zola never slowed, Dessaily never slowed at 30 etc. ITs just plain wrong to say all 30 year olds slow down. I'm not talking about binning players, dkw. I'm talking about not buying aging players.
