I remember when we signed Papy, Mourinho said something along the lines of "The same person who gave me Zouma reccomended me this player so I trust his judgment". I took that at the time to mean that he wanted a CB, the Club couldnt get the one he preferred (Stones) but they had an alternate that Mourinho signed off on. Doesnt seem like it will work out, but thats the risk you take With players like Papy. It clearly wasnt a case of the Club wanting Papy over Stones, they clearly went all out for him but Everton dug their heels in

Mourinho said: 'It was not my choice. It was the choice of someone I trust completely. Which is the same. I don’t know every player. My job doesn’t allow me to travel and spend hours watching players.

That doesn't sound to me like he was a Jose signing but rather the club brought him in to beef us up. I think the fact Jose never played the guy and punted him to the bench shows he was more of a recommendation than anything else

Edited July 22, 20169 yr by Chelsbear

Happy with Batshuayi. Better than Lukaku. No point wasting money.

This could very easily be a bargaining tool against a player we do want to sign, clubs use the media like this all the time.

Mourinho said: 'It was not my choice. It was the choice of someone I trust completely. Which is the same. I don’t know every player. My job doesn’t allow me to travel and spend hours watching players.

That doesn't sound to me like he was a Jose signing but rather the club brought him in to beef us up. I think the fact Jose never played the guy and punted him to the bench shows he was more of a recommendation than anything else

So pretty much exactly what I said. Like Mourinho said he cant know every player, if a club cant buy players the managers hast scouted you would severly limit the player pool. No club can operate like that. I dont know how you can read that and come to the conclusion that this was a player forced on Mourinho and that he wasnt apart of the decision to bring him in

No point bringing in Lukaku who is a striker in the mold of Diego and Batshuayi anyway.  It would be far more beneficial to the team to bring in someone who is more technical to pair up with either of the two.  

No point bringing in Lukaku who is a striker in the mold of Diego and Batshuayi anyway.  It would be far more beneficial to the team to bring in someone who is more technical to pair up with either of the two.  

Batshuayi is a much more technical striker than either of Diego or Lukaku. 

Batshuayi is a much more technical striker than either of Diego or Lukaku. 

I have not seen anything to suggest that.  Not saying you are incorrect but every highlight vid I have seen has shown him to be about the same technically as Diego.  I agree though, Lukaku is just a brute who runs around and is very stiff.  

I have not seen anything to suggest that. Not saying you are incorrect but every highlight vid I have seen has shown him to be about the same technically as Diego. I agree though, Lukaku is just a brute who runs around and is very stiff.

He's much more technical than either Diego or Lukaku.

His footwork is night and day from those 2 players.

Ok I will shutup then and trust others.  Gonna have to wait until the season starts to be 100% convinced though. 

Ok I will shutup then and trust others. Gonna have to wait until the season starts to be 100% convinced though.

He's good with the ball at his feet which isn't really a strength of the other two but the other 2 are better finishers while Costa being the obvious better all rounder.

I see loads of potential in Michy though, hope he continues to improve under Conte.

Ok I will shutup then and trust others.  Gonna have to wait until the season starts to be 100% convinced though. 

It does seem to be a misconception that every striker who's big and black is a player in the mould of Lukaku/Benteke/Bony though, i'll admit 

I don't see the problem in wanting to buy another striker especially if we are going to play 2 up top. Remy will most likely leave, i didn't hear City fans complaining 2 years ago when they won the league with a strike force such as Aguero, Dzeko, Negredo and Jovetic.

Thing is Romelu doesn't really offer much In the build up of play just a brute force striker like Costa don't see how they would work well together, Batshuyi looks a different kind of player more technical.

Thanks, but no, thanks. Unjustifiably expensive and not reliable. We have another Belgian with a larger potential on our hands.

I don't see the problem in wanting to buy another striker especially if we are going to play 2 up top. Remy will most likely leave, i didn't hear City fans complaining 2 years ago when they won the league with a strike force such as Aguero, Dzeko, Negredo and Jovetic.

 

If the new striker doesn't cost more than 50mils then it still can make sense..

Does anyone really think Chelsea are going to sign another forward for 50m plus and then have 3 big forwards for big money with no European football?

Does anyone really think Chelsea are going to sign another forward for 50m plus and then have 3 big forwards for big money with no European football?

Yes.

Makes no sense spending £50m on a "big" forward without European football if we assume Costa starts every game. Gomez is available on a cheap, Icardi is going for around the £30m mark. Can't just wrap my head around a £50m signing if we aren't going for a Suarez/Aguero type player.

It does if we want to play with two strikers. 50 million wouldnt even be close to get Suarez/Aguerro

If Conte wants to play two forwards then I can see it happening. I can't see Costa playing with anyone though, he likes to be the main man.

Personally if Chelsea do sign a forward I think it's to replace Costa than to play with him. You wouldn't let Costa go unless a replacement is in place first. Just my opinion anyway. Chelsea might not even sign another forward but have been linked with everyone.

Does anyone really think Chelsea are going to sign another forward for 50m plus and then have 3 big forwards for big money with no European football?

 

No, I don't think that's what's going to happen at all. 

 

I think Chelsea are in the market for a striker and that's why there are so many persistent rumours, particularly concerning Morata, but I think the reason is because Costa wants to go back to Madrid and I think Conte, despite his utterances, is quite willing to accept that.

 

Obviously we'll need a replacement first, and it will have to be someone of equal stature.

 

That's my reading of the situation.

 

Having Costa, Batshuayi and one of Morata/Lukaku etc would be ridiculous, not to mention the fact we already have two other strikers, which would make five.

 

Even if Remy were to be sold in such a scenario, we would be blocking Traore's progress and that would be criminal, because he's a major talent, it's obvious to anybody with a pair of eyes. The boy is going to be something special. For once you'd hope Chelsea actually allow a youngster to develop by giving him games, and this boy has undoubtedly shown he deserves a chance.

 

Costa has never really settled in England in my opinion. I'm not saying he's unhappy but he was far happier in Spain, and he'd like to return. That's the reason we keep hearing about it. I'm not saying he'd slap in a transfer request, or rock the boat, but he'd like it to happen if possible and I think he's told the relevant people. Could be wrong of course but that's how I read it.

 

I mean, do we really think Atletico haven't had any encouragement?

 

Personally, I'd be happy if he left and we brought somebody else in, so long as they were of the requisite quality. I'm not as fond of Diego as many of you and I certainly don't rate him as highly. I hear people describing him as world-class. Really? Suarez is world-class, Aguero is world-class, Costa is easily a rung below them. Costa is a good striker when his head's right, don't get me wrong, I rate him as a striker, but there are issues with him, issues which won't go away in my opinion. Firstly, he's made a rod for his own back with referees. He can feel sorry for himself all he wants but he only has himself to blame. Secondly, you just can't rely on his temperament, which you need to at the highest level. If he wants to hurt the opposition he should concentrate on scoring goals, instead he often gets involved in needless spats, to the detriment of himself and the team. We lose focus and it all gets a bit too fraught. Thirdly, his attitude towards the manager, sweetness and light when things are going well. Last season he was wretched for Jose until Jose finally dropped him at White Hart Lane, albeit belatedly. First time Costa's been dropped at Chelsea and his reaction? Did anybody see him warming up on the touchline? It was embarrassing and it was exacerbated when he threw his bib. We needed our big players to step up and get us out of a hole. Costa proved he wasn't a big player, at least to me. He tries too hard to prove he's a hard man but when push came to shove he was nowhere to be seen. I don't think he intimidates anybody, apart from perhaps Arsenal defenders. Ask yourself this, would Moussa Dembele try and gouge the eyes of a real hard man? I don't think so. Costa has lost a lot of credibility in opponents' eyes and I don't think he's getting that back. He’s become almost a figure of fun, the way he carries on, and he’s way too easy to wind up. If he were to concentrate on performing we’d have a top striker on our hands, but you just can’t trust him, and while he's good, he's not worth the aggravation, because he's not that good.

 

A top, top striker can turn a game on its head, even when his team aren't performing. When you need somebody to get you out of trouble, when you need a goal out of nothing, you look towards your striker. Top, top strikers do that. Your Drogba’s for example. When it all looks bleak, they produce the goods. That's why they command the big fees and the big wages. They scare the opposition. Costa is simply not in that category. I'm not saying Morata is, I'm not saying Lukaku is, I'm just saying Costa isn't as indispensable as people think.

 

For my money, Traore will be a top, top striker, but he needs games, or he won't progress. If we were to sign Morata or Lukaku for example, and keep Costa, I'd be truly dismayed. When would the kid get a game? 

 

We’re hardly going to struggle with fixture congestion.

 

After White Hart Lane we lost to Bournemouth, at home. Costa came on as a substitute. The experiment was over. He started the next game, against Leicester, which we lost. We were in crisis. How did Costa respond? He had a pop at Zouma, on the pitch, remember? Accused him of falling asleep. Zouma, one of our only players who was showing up, and even worse, a kid at that. I don't know if any of you noticed but he was at it again the other night, in our friendly, having a pop at Traore, who was playing much better than him. Talk about killing a kid's confidence. He was right in his face, obviously displeased. I don't want to make too big a deal out of it. Maybe it was nothing. Traore scored so it obviously didn't affect him too much. He seemed happy enough. I just think Costa needs to keep it down a little bit and focus on playing. There's a line and he frequently goes over it.

 

If he stays he stays, I won't be too displeased, he'll be our best striker, until further notice, and he's capable of scoring goals. He's also very good in the lone striker role which we might need, that's when he's not injured, or suspended. Costa gives you great movement, he gives you knowhow, he gives you a physical presence and he gives you goals. He doesn't give you great mobility or pace, he's limited technically, often losing the ball.

 

If he stays I'll be very surprised if we buy another big-name striker and I'll be very disheartened, because it will smack again of short-term thinking, and I'd like to see us change our approach.

 

Lukaku of course is technically deficient as well, far more so than Diego. He doesn’t share Diego’s intelligence, nor his link-up play. He gives you a lot of things Diego doesn’t however, not least the fact I imagine he’d love to play for Chelsea. People can say he had his chance but I blame Jose wholly for his departure. The kid wanted to play regular football in order to develop and boy has he been vindicated. Broken all sorts of scoring records, for someone so young. He’s only four months older than Patrick Bamford.

 

If we were to buy a big-name striker, and keep Costa, I wouldn’t blame Traore for wanting to go, it’s the only way he’ll flourish. It would be Sturridge and Lukaku all over again, only with a better prospect.

 

Lukaku gives you genuine pace and genuine power. He’s great in the air and gives you guaranteed goals. He’s the sort of striker that can intimidate opponents, and he’s only going to get better.

 

I’m not saying I want him, I’m not saying he’s better than Diego, I’m just countering some of the arguments made against him. I think Conte’s got his heart set on Morata, but what do I know, I’m only guessing as we all are. 

 

Anyway that's my thoughts on the subject. I hope you're all well and roll on the new season.

 

Forza Conte.

^ Maybe a swap with Atlético for Torres?

 

 

 

;)

Makes no sense spending £50m on a "big" forward without European football if we assume Costa starts every game. Gomez is available on a cheap, Icardi is going for around the £30m mark. Can't just wrap my head around a £50m signing if we aren't going for a Suarez/Aguero type player.

 

I would spend the money on our left side instead and move Hazard up as a second striker alongside either Costa or Batshuayi. I'm sure we could buy both Draxler and J.Hector for less money then Lukaku/Morata. 4-2-4/4-4-2 requires alot of running for our wingers, it's more suited for players like Willian who has both pace and stamina. Hazard with his insane burst of pace would do alot better linking up with a target striker and getting past big central defenders, that need some momentum to catch up.

No, I don't think that's what's going to happen at all. 

 

I think Chelsea are in the market for a striker and that's why there are so many persistent rumours, particularly concerning Morata, but I think the reason is because Costa wants to go back to Madrid and I think Conte, despite his utterances, is quite willing to accept that.

 

Obviously we'll need a replacement first, and it will have to be someone of equal stature.

 

That's my reading of the situation.

 

Having Costa, Batshuayi and one of Morata/Lukaku etc would be ridiculous, not to mention the fact we already have two other strikers, which would make five.

 

Even if Remy were to be sold in such a scenario, we would be blocking Traore's progress and that would be criminal, because he's a major talent, it's obvious to anybody with a pair of eyes. The boy is going to be something special. For once you'd hope Chelsea actually allow a youngster to develop by giving him games, and this boy has undoubtedly shown he deserves a chance.

 

Costa has never really settled in England in my opinion. I'm not saying he's unhappy but he was far happier in Spain, and he'd like to return. That's the reason we keep hearing about it. I'm not saying he'd slap in a transfer request, or rock the boat, but he'd like it to happen if possible and I think he's told the relevant people. Could be wrong of course but that's how I read it.

 

I mean, do we really think Atletico haven't had any encouragement?

 

Personally, I'd be happy if he left and we brought somebody else in, so long as they were of the requisite quality. I'm not as fond of Diego as many of you and I certainly don't rate him as highly. I hear people describing him as world-class. Really? Suarez is world-class, Aguero is world-class, Costa is easily a rung below them. Costa is a good striker when his head's right, don't get me wrong, I rate him as a striker, but there are issues with him, issues which won't go away in my opinion. Firstly, he's made a rod for his own back with referees. He can feel sorry for himself all he wants but he only has himself to blame. Secondly, you just can't rely on his temperament, which you need to at the highest level. If he wants to hurt the opposition he should concentrate on scoring goals, instead he often gets involved in needless spats, to the detriment of himself and the team. We lose focus and it all gets a bit too fraught. Thirdly, his attitude towards the manager, sweetness and light when things are going well. Last season he was wretched for Jose until Jose finally dropped him at White Hart Lane, albeit belatedly. First time Costa's been dropped at Chelsea and his reaction? Did anybody see him warming up on the touchline? It was embarrassing and it was exacerbated when he threw his bib. We needed our big players to step up and get us out of a hole. Costa proved he wasn't a big player, at least to me. He tries too hard to prove he's a hard man but when push came to shove he was nowhere to be seen. I don't think he intimidates anybody, apart from perhaps Arsenal defenders. Ask yourself this, would Moussa Dembele try and gouge the eyes of a real hard man? I don't think so. Costa has lost a lot of credibility in opponents' eyes and I don't think he's getting that back. He’s become almost a figure of fun, the way he carries on, and he’s way too easy to wind up. If he were to concentrate on performing we’d have a top striker on our hands, but you just can’t trust him, and while he's good, he's not worth the aggravation, because he's not that good.

 

A top, top striker can turn a game on its head, even when his team aren't performing. When you need somebody to get you out of trouble, when you need a goal out of nothing, you look towards your striker. Top, top strikers do that. Your Drogba’s for example. When it all looks bleak, they produce the goods. That's why they command the big fees and the big wages. They scare the opposition. Costa is simply not in that category. I'm not saying Morata is, I'm not saying Lukaku is, I'm just saying Costa isn't as indispensable as people think.

 

For my money, Traore will be a top, top striker, but he needs games, or he won't progress. If we were to sign Morata or Lukaku for example, and keep Costa, I'd be truly dismayed. When would the kid get a game? 

 

We’re hardly going to struggle with fixture congestion.

 

After White Hart Lane we lost to Bournemouth, at home. Costa came on as a substitute. The experiment was over. He started the next game, against Leicester, which we lost. We were in crisis. How did Costa respond? He had a pop at Zouma, on the pitch, remember? Accused him of falling asleep. Zouma, one of our only players who was showing up, and even worse, a kid at that. I don't know if any of you noticed but he was at it again the other night, in our friendly, having a pop at Traore, who was playing much better than him. Talk about killing a kid's confidence. He was right in his face, obviously displeased. I don't want to make too big a deal out of it. Maybe it was nothing. Traore scored so it obviously didn't affect him too much. He seemed happy enough. I just think Costa needs to keep it down a little bit and focus on playing. There's a line and he frequently goes over it.

 

If he stays he stays, I won't be too displeased, he'll be our best striker, until further notice, and he's capable of scoring goals. He's also very good in the lone striker role which we might need, that's when he's not injured, or suspended. Costa gives you great movement, he gives you knowhow, he gives you a physical presence and he gives you goals. He doesn't give you great mobility or pace, he's limited technically, often losing the ball.

 

If he stays I'll be very surprised if we buy another big-name striker and I'll be very disheartened, because it will smack again of short-term thinking, and I'd like to see us change our approach.

 

Lukaku of course is technically deficient as well, far more so than Diego. He doesn’t share Diego’s intelligence, nor his link-up play. He gives you a lot of things Diego doesn’t however, not least the fact I imagine he’d love to play for Chelsea. People can say he had his chance but I blame Jose wholly for his departure. The kid wanted to play regular football in order to develop and boy has he been vindicated. Broken all sorts of scoring records, for someone so young. He’s only four months older than Patrick Bamford.

 

If we were to buy a big-name striker, and keep Costa, I wouldn’t blame Traore for wanting to go, it’s the only way he’ll flourish. It would be Sturridge and Lukaku all over again, only with a better prospect.

 

Lukaku gives you genuine pace and genuine power. He’s great in the air and gives you guaranteed goals. He’s the sort of striker that can intimidate opponents, and he’s only going to get better.

 

I’m not saying I want him, I’m not saying he’s better than Diego, I’m just countering some of the arguments made against him. I think Conte’s got his heart set on Morata, but what do I know, I’m only guessing as we all are. 

 

Anyway that's my thoughts on the subject. I hope you're all well and roll on the new season.

 

Forza Conte.

 

Great post Davey. But has it ocurred to you that maybe Conte wants to play with two strikers? Morata doesn't strike me as someone who's capable of playing upfront on his own, he's probably better off paired up with someone like Costa. We saw glimpses of it in the last friendly where Conte had Costa and Traore playing off each other.

 

I'm not a fan of Costa either for all the reasons you've mentioned in your post. But as much as I hate his theatrics on the pitch and am aware of his limitations as a footballer what's the point of selling him unless we can get someone better? Look at how much we're apparently offering for Morata. Juve are paying an astronomical fee, most of their Pogba money, for a 29-year old Higuain. That's how hard to obtain a quality striker nowadays and that's why Atletico are still trying to get Costa back by any means neccessary. If we could get Suarez, Lewandowski or Aguero, I'd ship Diego out asap but we know it's not realistic.

 

 I'd hate the idea of replacing him with Lukaku. I just don't rate the lad at all. I keep reading how he's going to progress and only get better but in my heart of hearts I just know it's all rubbish. He'll always be a big lump with a touch of a rapist. It's scandalous to waste superstar kind of a money on a player who is so bad at controlling the ball. It's just criminal.

 

As for Morata, clearly he's someone Conte desperately wants at CFC. Same as with Roma and Naingollan, Madrid are not in a hurry to sell and they can sense our desperation.

Edited July 23, 20169 yr by abramovich

Great post Davey. But has it ocurred to you that maybe Conte wants to play with two strikers? Morata doesn't strike me as someone who's capable of playing upfront on his own, he's probably better off paired up with someone like Costa. We saw glimpses of it in the last friendly where Conte had Costa and Traore playing off each other.

 

I'm not a fan of Costa either for all the reasons you've mentioned in your post. But as much as I hate his theatrics on the pitch and am aware of his limitations as a footballer what's the point of selling him unless we can get someone better? Look at how much we're apparently offering for Morata. Juve are paying an astronomical fee, most of their Pogba money, for a 29-year old Higuain. That's how hard to obtain a quality striker nowadays and that's why Atletico are still trying to get Costa back by any means neccessary. If we could get Suarez, Lewandowski or Aguero, I'd ship Diego out asap but we know it's not realistic.

 

 I'd hate the idea of replacing him with Lukaku. I just don't rate the lad at all. I keep reading how he's going to progress and only get better but in my heart of hearts I just know it's all rubbish. He'll always be a big lump with a touch of a rapist. It's scandalous to waste superstar kind of a money on a player who is so bad at controlling the ball. It's just criminal.

 

As for Morata, clearly he's someone Conte desperately wants at CFC. Same as with Roma and Naingollan, Madrid are not in a hurry to sell and they can sense our desperation.

 

From what I could see the other night, Traore wants to play the same position as Costa, I don't think they worked well as a pair, which might explain Costa's frustration.

 

We buy Morata for silly money, he has to play, he will play, because he'll be Conte's man. We keep Costa and good luck with dropping him. Then there's Batshuayi, thirty million quid and an attitude on him by all accounts, he'll want to play. It would be typical Chelsea if it happened and it wouldn't altogether surprise me but it leaves Traore somewhat in the lurch, and that would be a real waste. He has to see a pathway for him and I don't see one in that scenario.

 

Still, at least we'd have real depth, and we shouldn't have problems scoring goals. I'd just like to see the kid get a break.