I agree ^ in some degree. However we are talking about improving the team. Not maintaining a level. Well I am anyway. Not sure what the reality is with Chelsea. Do we have a 10 year plan to be the next Bayern Munich or something else?

I expect us to aim high. I want us to aim high. I don't want us to regress or stay put. Sometimes the reality is you need to stay put. We are not told what is going behind the scenes. If the books say we can't spend then we can't. No one is going out on public to make these statements to deflate the hype.

I trust Conte but I don't trust he is here past next 2 seasons. Hope I'm wrong.

15 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Apparently said today he would be very happy if there are no further arrivals and this is the squad he works with this season, according to sky sports. 

He's lying.

He made his opinion clear at the end of last season and when we returned for pre season. He wants and believes we need more bodies and better quality. 

He's changed his tune in the last couple of weeks probably to either avoid conflict with the board and/or not to undermine the squad seeing as there's a realistic chance he won't be getting the players he wants.

8 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

He's lying.

He made his opinion clear at the end of last season and when we returned for pre season. He wants and believes we need more bodies and better quality. 

He's changed his tune in the last couple of weeks probably to either avoid conflict with the board and/or not to undermine the squad seeing as there's a realistic chance he won't be getting the players he wants.

This.

hes made his feeling crystal clear on more than one occasion. It doesn't take a genius to work out we will struggle with a squad this size. He's trying to not make a huge deal out of it now knowing the board have left him high and dry. 

Fair play to him, a shame the club have dismantled and not replaced his title winning side. 

Btw Ake was pretty horrible against City today.

"I'm totally committed to the club," Conte said. "I'm a coach, I'm not a manager. The best of my work is on the pitch, to try to improve my players, to try to improve my team.

"Then when you want to strengthen your squad you have to give your opinion and speak with your club.

"But then the club go to the transfer market and try to solve the situation, try to help us. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not possible. I must be focused on the pitch."

--------------------

I agree the board should have words on transfers and to say this player is important to us, we won`t sell promising players like Lukaku, De Bruyne and so on, but the manager should choice his players, he knows what tactics he will use, what formation, how much rotation he will need, and what kind of players.

Okay the board may have recommendations, about the price and age, but Conte should be more then just a coach.

It`s bad when he said that. Atleast to me. He is trying to put the stress down, but so far he was pushing and telling on the media we need this and this and this. We need more then just a few players, Matic is not my sale, ask the board and so on.

He obviously are not happy. He leave Juventus for something like that. I don`t see him stay more then the end of the season, if our club continue to work like that.

 

So thursday it shuts. Have to say I'm worried. We need at least 3.

We won't sign anyone

The Ox is a good signing in the sense he can play so many different positions. Unless Kennedy or Baba is being used as backup Chelsea clearly need another LWB.

Need another cm aswell.

 

What do people think of our bench? We have Cahill & Hazard to come back, starting 11 looks strong. But the depth of the team? Is it really enough to compete with City & United, that's what we want right? We are title winners but what will it take to win titles in the new Premier League era? Just want to pick peoples brain a bit here, what are all your thoughts? 

^^ beaten to death. We all want players but the club in all their wisdom think it is unnecessary. We will probably sign a mid-table player like Drinkwater and Barkley and call it a day.

Barkley & Drinkwater would be mediocre signings, at least sign someone like Ox who would bring something to the team rather than just a nationality. 

I mean, truthfully at full strength we could do far worse than having squad options such as Willian, Batshuayi, Fabregas/Bakayoko, Christensen, Rudiger/Cahill.  Suppose we regularly line up like this:

                            Courtois

               Azpi          Luiz             Cahill

Moses             Kante         Bakayoko             Alonso

        Pedro                                       Hazard

                              Morata

 

Bench: Rudiger, Christensen, Batshuayi, Willian, Caballero, Fabregas, Kennedy (?)

 

That's a pretty strong bench if you ask me.  If we sign a few players this week: Ox, Drinkwater, Llorente... we will have true depth.  But that means at full strength you've got quality players not even dressing...

I'm not so sure, could we rely on Kennedy should Moses or Alonso be injured? Is it suitable to put Azpi there if Moses is injured? We will be playing two games a week from now on so it won't be like last season. Moses kind of dropped off the second half of the season he seemed tired. I'm actually not sold at all on Cahill being a starter so I would like to see Rudiger & Chirstensen play more games at Cahill's expense, but again I think the main issue we have here is depth in width. Azpi as good as he is wouldn't be up to attacking standard out wide that we would want/need. Moses runs at players, brilliant at 1v1's always looking to get the ball into the box. Would be good if we could add some depth there with a player who is willing to do the same.

 

A Central midfield with Bako & Kante we lack creativity but we can always rotate there with Cesc, but I think another midfielder could be ideal for rotation purposes, it'll be a long season. Other than that I'm fine with the team, 1-2 signings needed. 

My post was not meant as a desired first team post.  It's just how I think we line up.  My personal view is Rudiger is better than Cahill but I think Conte will still pick Cahill, at least early on.  Azpi can play anywhere on the back five, so that's cover.  Luiz can play in midfield so that's cover.  Rudiger can play rwb, that's more cover.  These are not ideal situations, but they are plausible.  I think Baba is still around injured and may come back to provide depth.  I am thinking, even if we sign no one else we've got options.  

I want a few more signings of course.  But if healthy, our bench will still consist of a mix of versatile options (both premier league winners and summer signings).  

 

Aye plausible, but it's not up to standard, you could see us dropping points if we had to use those rotations. And by standard I mean by top tier standard, the top sides have better options than we do and I think that's where we will come up short. We are bound to get hit by injuries, tiredness & suspensions. 

I guess Baba is back as we have him and no one coming in. Maybe Ox coming in the deadline day. A midfielder and our squad would just about hold water.

Wonder what will happen to Remy?

 

Apparently fee for Ox has been agreed

Only the Daily man u but-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4830412/Chelsea-agree-35m-fee-Alex-Oxlade-Chamberlain.html

On ‎14‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 02:45, Slojo said:

How so? We have one of the richest owners in the world. 

What rock have you been living under since 2010? There are about 20 football club owners richer than Abrahmovic.

On 8/28/2017 at 19:18, Ernie_blue said:

The Ox is a good signing in the sense he can play so many different positions. Unless Kennedy or Baba is being used as backup Chelsea clearly need another LWB.

Need another cm aswell.

OX has signed with Liverpool

21 minutes ago, Orpington_Blue said:

What rock have you been living under since 2010? There are about 20 football club owners richer than Abrahmovic.

It's easy to know that Chelsea's no longer one of the richeste. We weren't even in the conversation for Neymar. AFAIK

14 minutes ago, Tibbers said:

OX has signed with Liverpool

I didn't know that 

18 minutes ago, Tibbers said:

It's easy to know that Chelsea's no longer one of the richeste. We weren't even in the conversation for Neymar. AFAIK

TBF that's fine. PSG are just crazy and so are Real.

What irks me though is that we are never in the discussion for the likes of Dybala, Dembele, Bernardo Silva and the likes.

On 28/08/2017 at 12:12, Brutos said:

We won't sign anyone

I think this needs to be a pinned message until Friday morning. Prophetic words perhaps.