Has to mean Kounde is in. 

So we say goodbye to 2 Chelsea legends who have won everything for the club today, cheers for ever Dave, possibly the best value signing weve ever made.

2 minutes ago, dkw said:

So we say goodbye to 2 Chelsea legends who have won everything for the club today, cheers for ever Dave, possibly the best value signing weve ever made.

Yep, goodbye to Dave and Danny Drinkwater. What a sad window. 

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

If that is what he wants then let's let him go.

He's earned his transfer back to his home country, I'd say.

5 hours ago, Valerie said:

He's earned his transfer back to his home country, I'd say.

Agreed, and before he goes full Brana on us too.

It's for the best imo, losing Azpil, Andreas, Rudi and Alonso all in one window suggests surely a move away from a back 5.

All of them suit that system and style and have looked shaky in a back 4. Shame the only one we'll get any real money from would be Alonso, I assume if Azpil signed a new contract we would get a few million quid for him like with Oli last summer. 

We will need two defensive midfielders for me if we go four at the back. 

I don't include Gallager in that as he will likely be supporting the front men. 

Dave's done. The heart's still there but the legs are long gone. If he leaves, it's the best outcome for both parties. Will always remember him as a battler who gave everything. We will miss his character and experience but all good things come to an end at some point. He has been on a steady decline for at least a couple of years now.

1 hour ago, strider6004 said:

We will need two defensive midfielders for me if we go four at the back. 

I don't include Gallager in that as he will likely be supporting the front men. 

I'd say a DM and a CM comfortable playing alone in front of the def or in a double pivot

45 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

I'd say a DM and a CM comfortable playing alone in front of the def or in a double pivot

Yet the CM needs to be comfortable to fall back to make a barrier in front of the CBs  alongside the DM, especially if the left or right back are advanced.

If not the CBs have no protection against a 1-2 move.

 

One of our best signings ever, I just wish he could leave under better circumstances instead of leaving under a time of uncertainty.

I'm both excited and terrified at what our plans are for next season. If we haven't got targets already lined up, then we have really f**ked up. We can't let all of these players go without being confident of getting them replaced. But I am excited about the prospect of moving on and rejuvenating the squad with new players and hopefully a new identity.

With Azpi, Christensen and Rudiger leaving, that means we must find a CB (expected to be Kounde) and a RB. I don't want us to go and buy another crap full back that is expected to fill in now and again like Emerson and Zappacosta, we need somebody who is highly capable of being good competition for James. There are also rumours of Alonso leaving, but I think we need to keep him because of other positions that we need to sort out. If the defence isn't sorted out by the start of July, then I will seriously start to question what Marina has been doing over the past few months.

Midfield needs work. Kante isn't the same player anymore and Jorginho's form shows no sign of improving. Then there are the issues with our attackers, most of them don't seem to be consistently good enough and none of them seem a good fit for us, so I don't know what plans we have in that area. Maybe a few changes in midfield is the answer, I don't know, but there is a lot of work to be done, probably too much work for one transfer window.

On 07/05/2022 at 09:58, dkw said:

So we say goodbye to 2 Chelsea legends who have won everything for the club today, cheers for ever Dave, possibly the best value signing weve ever made.

Been a great asset over the years but has hung around in the team like a bad smell putting in some real stinkers over the last year or so.  Legs went a couple of seasons ago.  Was never my first choice as captain TBH..but he did a decent job.

4 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

One of our best signings ever, I just wish he could leave under better circumstances instead of leaving under a time of uncertainty.

I'm both excited and terrified at what our plans are for next season. If we haven't got targets already lined up, then we have really f**ked up. We can't let all of these players go without being confident of getting them replaced. But I am excited about the prospect of moving on and rejuvenating the squad with new players and hopefully a new identity.

With Azpi, Christensen and Rudiger leaving, that means we must find a CB (expected to be Kounde) and a RB. I don't want us to go and buy another crap full back that is expected to fill in now and again like Emerson and Zappacosta, we need somebody who is highly capable of being good competition for James. There are also rumours of Alonso leaving, but I think we need to keep him because of other positions that we need to sort out. If the defence isn't sorted out by the start of July, then I will seriously start to question what Marina has been doing over the past few months.

Midfield needs work. Kante isn't the same player anymore and Jorginho's form shows no sign of improving. Then there are the issues with our attackers, most of them don't seem to be consistently good enough and none of them seem a good fit for us, so I don't know what plans we have in that area. Maybe a few changes in midfield is the answer, I don't know, but there is a lot of work to be done, probably too much work for one transfer window.

Don't expect a crap load of money to be poured into this team in the off season. Although I would be quite happy literally binning a majority of this team.  Werner / Lukaku (unless TT decides to play to his strengths), Jorghino, Ziyech, Alonso, Kepa, to name but a few, plus many of the older players out on loan to be sold even if at a loss.  Build the team around Havertz and Mount.  Have to buy at least 2 or 3 midfielders one with some idea what forward pass looks like and one that knows how to put in a tackle and take the game by the scruff of the neck now and then.  I'd go back to a 433 as the preferred system with 3 at the back as Plan B.  We were always successful playing 433. While Conte and now TT have used 3 at the back with relative short term success in the long term I think 433 is the best option.   And FFS stop paying stupid amounts of money for absolute tossers, if Liverpool, Southampton and others can find players as good as ours for half the price what the f**k are our scouts doing?

I thought I'd seen that his contract extension had been automatically applied or something? I thought he was here for next season.

8 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I thought I'd seen that his contract extension had been automatically applied or something? I thought he was here for next season.

It has been, so was Girouds last season. Is the same situation is that. Olli did not want it to be extend but was in the contract based on apprences, just like what happened to Dave.

I will be sad to see him go but he deserves to if he chooses to. He’ll be a legend for me and has given his all to Chelsea. I’m sure he’s Chelsea inside no matter where he goes. I’m just annoyed that he’s going to those Barcelona tossers, they don’t deserve a gentleman like him.

I think Dave was just about our best right back that I have seen.

1. Dave Azpi

2. Paulo Ferriera

3. Stevie Clarke

4. Gary Locke

5. Mario Melchiot

 

ETA I don't consider Reece James or Super Dan to be true right backs though they both played there.

Dave is a legend at the club - no denying that.  But, it is probably time to move on.

One of the best right backs for sure.  I always liked Gallas at RB as well, although that was short lived.  Ivanovic might be the best of the lot for me, although he moved central as well.  What a tank Ivanovic was - brings a thought to mind.  I recall Chelsea vs. Swansea at the Bridge, and leaving the game could not believe how hard Ivanovic and Mikel went in for every tackle.  I'm not raving about Mikel here, but my goodness we need a bit of that determination right now that these two showed (and it really showed in person).

 

Hope we don't do Barca any favours and give them our captain for free. Need to get a few for him, even if only nominal.

5 hours ago, Scott said:

I think Dave was just about our best right back that I have seen.

1. Dave Azpi

2. Paulo Ferriera

3. Stevie Clarke

4. Gary Locke

5. Mario Melchiot

 

ETA I don't consider Reece James or Super Dan to be true right backs though they both played there.

8 hours ago, Scott said:

I think Dave was just about our best right back that I have seen.

1. Dave Azpi

2. Paulo Ferriera

3. Stevie Clarke

4. Gary Locke

5. Mario Melchiot

 

ETA I don't consider Reece James or Super Dan to be true right backs though they both played there.

Ivanovic?

Apparently Barca have approached Marina in an effort to set up a deal when the takeover is compelted.

They want to avoid fees for Alonso and Dave and are hoping using USA international Sergio Dest along with backup Keeper Neto not only will help with that but shift two players not good enough to start for them.

Sounds a terrible deal to me

8 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Apparently Barca have approached Marina in an effort to set up a deal when the takeover is compelted.

They want to avoid fees for Alonso and Dave and are hoping using USA international Sergio Dest along with backup Keeper Neto not only will help with that but shift two players not good enough to start for them.

Sounds a terrible deal to me

Yep, awful deal. One thing Marina is good at is getting the best deal for Chelsea when players leave, so I'm confident that this won't happen.

Neto is actually a very good keeper. Dest im not too sure about. Either way we dont require either of them so its a pointless trade. They can give us Gavi or Frankie de Jong instead. 

16 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Apparently Barca have approached Marina in an effort to set up a deal when the takeover is compelted.

They want to avoid fees for Alonso and Dave and are hoping using USA international Sergio Dest along with backup Keeper Neto not only will help with that but shift two players not good enough to start for them.

Sounds a terrible deal to me

I can see some appeal for Dest, in that he plays in a position we need cover for, is the right age profile that we like to sign, plus his nationality might appeal to new owners seeking to market us heavily in their own country.

But is he actually any good LOL ?

And if Neto is no improvement on Bettinelli, Baxter or Cumming then what is the point of that one ?