What a timely start to our offseason. No news of a manager, no news of any new players, Roman is not welcome in the country, stadium plans on hold and still no director of football. We will scrap the bottom of the barrel again. 

8 minutes ago, evissy said:

What a timely start to our offseason. No news of a manager, no news of any new players, Roman is not welcome in the country, stadium plans on hold and still no director of football. We will scrap the bottom of the barrel again. 

The alleged transfer targets have deeply underwhelming so far! We should be staying well clear of the likes Higuain, and those looking for their last big pay day. One rumour said we'd sell Dave for £17 million, which has to be the biggest joke of the year so far.

Whilst the main squad are still away at the World Cup, Antonio Conte's last group of signings from the 2017/2018 campaign arrive at Cobham for the first day of pre season.

 

22 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

Whilst the main squad are still away at the World Cup, Antonio Conte's last group of signings from the 2017/2018 campaign arrive at Cobham for the first day of pre season.

Loftus-Cheek is still at the World Cup? @RIP Mourinho 

Edited July 4, 20188 yr by the special one

Eduardo loaned to Vitesse haha, our oldest loanee ever, I’m not kidding. I guess someone must have a good reason why. 

 

7 hours ago, Floyd25 said:

Eduardo loaned to Vitesse haha, our oldest loanee ever, I’m not kidding. I guess someone must have a good reason why. 

 

Probably with a recall clause so our third choice keeper can be fit and ready if we need him. 

I'll say it again... a massive big no to signing Golovin!  The guy just screams being  very average (at best) at everything he does.

3 hours ago, Dixon said:

I'll say it again... a massive big no to signing Golovin!  The guy just screams being  very average (at best) at everything he does.

In fact the RB Mario Fernades was much better (except for penalties) and could be a big improvement on Moses

On 03/07/2018 at 14:39, WhiteWall said:

Whilst the main squad are still away at the World Cup, Antonio Conte's last group of signings from the 2017/2018 campaign arrive at Cobham for the first day of pre season.

 

Sorry but this kind of sh*t pisses me off. If you're a Chelsea fan then support the f**king players, no matter how much you might think we could have signed better ones. Unless a player lets us down completely in some way through not being bothered or by slating the club, they deserve our backing. We're not f**king Real Madrid fans.

Just now, Kentonio said:

Sorry but this kind of sh*t pisses me off. If you're a Chelsea fan then support the f**king players, no matter how much you might think we could have signed better ones. Unless a player lets us down completely in some way through not being bothered or by slating the club, they deserve our backing. We're not f**king Real Madrid fans.

It was actually a joke. But hey ho, have a nice day

3 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

It was actually a joke. But hey ho, have a nice day

There's been a bit too much 'joking' about how supposedly sh*t half our team is recently.

9 hours ago, Kentonio said:

Sorry but this kind of sh*t pisses me off. If you're a Chelsea fan then support the f**king players, no matter how much you might think we could have signed better ones. Unless a player lets us down completely in some way through not being bothered or by slating the club, they deserve our backing. We're not f**king Real Madrid fans.

Sorry, but you need to take a chill-pill. For me, one of the great things about football is the banter. Taking the piss out of our rivals and yes, from time to time ourselves and our own team. Its only a game after all!

Jorginho rumour taking flight and Courtois leaving with Sarri coming. Starting 11 like this?

Allisson

Azpi    Christensen    Rudiger    Emerson

Jorginho

Kante              RLC

?             Batshuayi         Hazard

Think Willian has to go for his petulance but not seen many links to new RW's.

Does tickle me when posters get called up about posting ridiculously over-the-top negative sh*t about the club or specific players or whatever, they come back with "chill  out, dude,  it's just banta, innit?"

3 hours ago, yorkleyblue said:

Does tickle me when posters get called up about posting ridiculously over-the-top negative sh*t about the club or specific players or whatever, they come back with "chill  out, dude,  it's just banta, innit?"

It's a sort of terrible get out clause for being a cock Richard Keys being the best example. I'm sure there's going to be a court case soon where the accused will say '' Can I apologise for my actions M'lud but I wasn't under the influence of drink or drugs I was just bringing the bantz''.

Golovin-Jorginho-Kante is a fantastic midfied and solves most of the midfield problems we had last year (only thing missing is goals from midfield but Golovin has a bit of that)

Between Golovin, Jorginho, Rugani and Higuain, that's almost 190m spent on new players. Surely this means we're selling?

We need to sell Willian to Barca quick before Madrid go for a Neymar (or god forbid Hazard) and Barca feel the need to rethink the Willian signing in favour of some other marquee signing.

I do wonder how we fit Christensen into this potential Rugani & Rudiger mix. 

I'm going to be optimistic for once and assume that some of the players we've been linked with, will actually come to us. So...

OUT

Courtois - I think this one is inevitable. Maybe £30-40m
Willian - Get what we can for him. £30-40m hopefully.
Drinkwater - Probably no more than about £15m
Bakayoko - Loan, sell, whatever, I don't care.
Zappacosta - Try and recoup a bit. Maybe £15m if we're lucky.
Luiz - I can't see a place left for him now.

IN

Golovin
Jorginho
Rugani
Bailey
Butland/Pickford

 

SQUAD (4-3-3)

GK: Butland/Pickford, Cabellero

LB: Emerson, Alonso
CB: Rudiger, Rugani
CB: Christensen, Cahill, Ampadu
RB: Azpilicueta, Moses

CM: Kante, Fabregas, Ampadu
CM: Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek
CM: Golovin, Barkley

LW: Hazard, Bailey
ST: Morata, Giroud
RW: Loftus-Cheek, Pedro

55 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I'm going to be optimistic for once and assume that some of the players we've been linked with, will actually come to us. So...

OUT

Courtois - I think this one is inevitable. Maybe £30-40m
Willian - Get what we can for him. £30-40m hopefully.
Drinkwater - Probably no more than about £15m
Bakayoko - Loan, sell, whatever, I don't care.
Zappacosta - Try and recoup a bit. Maybe £15m if we're lucky.
Luiz - I can't see a place left for him now.

IN

Golovin
Jorginho
Rugani
Bailey
Butland/Pickford

 

SQUAD (4-3-3)

GK: Butland/Pickford, Cabellero

LB: Emerson, Alonso
CB: Rudiger, Rugani
CB: Christensen, Cahill, Ampadu
RB: Azpilicueta, Moses

CM: Kante, Fabregas, Ampadu
CM: Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek
CM: Golovin, Barkley

LW: Hazard, Bailey
ST: Morata, Giroud
RW: Loftus-Cheek, Pedro

I like the team but worry about the RW position.

On 03/07/2018 at 05:39, WhiteWall said:

Whilst the main squad are still away at the World Cup, Antonio Conte's last group of signings from the 2017/2018 campaign arrive at Cobham for the first day of pre season.

 

I remember that movie from a long time ago, happy times as a kid...pretty sure the cheetah would be Hazard and Kante the wild boar.

4 hours ago, Gol15 said:

I remember that movie from a long time ago, happy times as a kid...pretty sure the cheetah would be Hazard and Kante the wild boar.

Yes, one of my favourite childhood movies as well, I always loved the football scene.

If Rugani does come in, it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of Luiz and Cahill, you’d think one of them would leave. I was looking back at that Aguero foul on Luiz recently and it still angers me, how he escaped with a four game ban, when his tackle still effects Luiz now is beyond me, but that’s the FA.

Edited July 11, 20188 yr by Floyd25

This post has been a month in waiting and finally following Sarri's announcement I can hit submit, and personally I am very exciting for what the season can bring.

When we were initially linked with Sarri there was a lot of talk about whether our squad was suited to his style of play and the amount of our players that would not be suited to his style.

So given at the time I was on holiday and had some time to kill I decided to see how true that held and decided to assess each member of the squad and how well they would slot into Sarri's Napoli side of the 2017-18 season. 

I know this post won't be a lot of peoples cup of tea and it will likely be way too long for anyone to consider reading but I personally find it useful and enjoyable and it helps me gauge my expectations, decide on what I think the club needs and build excitement for the season ahead.

How Napoli Lined up
The 2017-18 Napoli side played a high intensity and offensive 4-3-3; Defensively they deployed a high line with a strong counter press, and in attack they focused on shifting the oppositions defensive structure with lots of quick 1-2 touch short passes, whilst exploiting any space and blind spots with constant off the ball movement.
This meant that all players needed to proficient on the ball and be able to play at a high intensity whilst being very positionally aware both offensively and defensively. 
Goalkeeper:  Sarri had Reina play as a sweeper keeper, comfortable receiving the ball even under pressure, with the confidence to thread a pass through an onrushing press.
Centre Backs: Koulibaly and Albiol are the building blocks for Napoli's attack, inviting the opposing team to press them to produce more space in midfield, both players are suitable composed and technically able on the ball to enable this to work. Defensively they play with a high line and therefore communication and either acceleration or outstanding positional awareness are needed.
It should be noted that prior to Sarri Koulibaly was especially raw and was too capable technically but under his tutor-ledge he has become one of the highest rated defenders in the world, sp technical ability isn't necessarily a pre-requisite and he will likely want at least one powerhouse in defence. 
Right Back: Hysaj performed a very functional role, pressing in defence and working hard off the ball to make him self available for a pass, the possession based style meant he needed good ball control and passing ability, with a strong defensive positional awareness and ability needed for the position. 
Left Back: Ghoulam was a lot more involved in Napoli's attack and therefore required more ability going forward than Hysaj but perhaps less defensive responsibility.
Centre Defensive Mid: Jorginho was the ticking heart of the team in a similar role to that of a mature Pirlo he picks the ball up from the defence and works it with other midfielders to the final third he has an assurance on the ball, great vision and is brilliant at finding space to pick up the ball along with good defensive positioning and work rate.
Right Centre Midfield - Allan provided the steel in an extremely hardworking midfield, constantly moving without the ball both in defence and attack either to find a pocket of space or press a manin the process getting through a lot of the midfield dirty work. (sound like anyone)
Left Centre Midfield:  Hamsik played as a roaming playmaker as with most of the team constantly moving off the ball but playing with a bounty of technique and flair along with some high energy pressing
Right Wing: Callejon provided width, pace and plenty of runs in behind, he didn't need to be as technically gifted as Insigne as isn't needed or used in the majority of the build up play.
Left Wing: Insigne was the main creative force in the side and played a very similar role as Hazard did in the 3-4-3 of 2016-17
Striker - Mertens played a very mobile false nice getting into pockets between the lines and linking play whilst also pulling the defence around by making countless runs in behind. Although I do think that Sarri will adopt a more conventional striker similar to when Higuain was Napoli's main man 

How do our players fit
The ratings provided are all relative to ability, the order each position shows indicates my current ranking of their ability
GK:
Courtois - 6.5/10 - He undoubtedly is a great keeper but for me he but he currently lacks the ball distribution to perform this role to an elite level (although this is improving) - First XI if we have to sell he will be hard to replace
Cabellero - 5/10 - good shot stopper but that's about it - Bench
Blackman - 5/10  - Homegrown had a decent season last year - 3rd choice keeper
Potential Signings - Alison (7.5/10) for Courtois - downgrade but still a very capable replacement

CB:
Rudiger - 8/10 - decent enough on the ball, strong quick and suitable for a high line, his composure sometimes could be better - First XI
Christensen - 9/10 - good on the ball and extremely composed, could do with bulking out a little but if it wasn't for a poor month we would all be signing his praises - First XI or rotation    
Luiz - 8/10 - good on the ball, brilliant passing range although after his 'injury' issues is he still physically able to play a high line - Rotation or Sold
Cahill - 5/10 - ok in pretty much all departments although he is a good leader and presence to have around the club - Backup 
Zouma - 4/10 - love the man and think he is/was an extremely exciting defender although he is technically below par and would need a Koulibaly type transformation to fit into this side - Sold(with a buy back or sell on clause)  
Hector and Miazga - 7/10 - both wildcards for a squad place imo as they are both good on the ball and physically, Sarri might just see something workable there - Backup or Sold
Ampadu - 8/10 - very promising and seems good in all areas - Backup  
Kalas and Omerou - 5/10 - ok defenders but not up to scratch - Sold 
JCS, Chalobah and Tomori - 8/10 - already or to be loaned
Potential Signings: Rugani (9/10)

RB:
Azpi - 10/10 - Azpi is simply fantastic enough said - First XI
Moses - 5/10 - Has the work rate and stamina to perform the role but his passing and defensive awareness are below par - Bench or sold
Zappacosta - 6/10 - more suited to the role than Moses but has struggled to adapt to the BPL and doesn't look up to scratch - Sold
Aina - 4/10 - lots of pace and energy bit like Moses in that he is technically and defensively not perfect for the role - Loan or Backup
(James 8/10 Sterling 4/10 both already on loan)
Dabo - 6/10 - versatile had a decent season in the Eredivise - Loan, sell or backup

LB:
Alonso - 6/10 - technically brilliant but lacks the physical and defensive attributes to really make this role his own - Rotation or Sold
Emerson - 7/10 - saw glimpses of his dynamism last season, looked good going forward although unsure about him defensively - Rotation
Baba - 5/10 - had the athleticism before his injury but looks out at see defensively would need a lot of coaching to be up to standard - Sold
Dasilva - 8/10 - has had a good loan experience at Charlton technically very good with a good engine only down side is his height - Backup 

CDM: 
Jorginho - 10/10 - was an outstanding and vital cog in the Sarri system pulling all the strings as a deep lying playmaker - First XI  
Fabregas - 6/10 - a lot might argue that if he should be utilised further forward, however, for me this position suits his strengths and hides his weaknesses, - Rotation/Bench also a 6/10 at LCM
MVG - 7/10 - out for season so irrelevant
Scott - 8/10 - similar style of play to Jorginho and could be a great understudy for him, however it does currently seem a step to far a strong preseason with Sarri though and you never know - Backup or loan 
Colkett - 6.5/10 - similar style to Jorginho although defensively a bit weak not up to standard though - Reserves or loan 

RCM:
Kante - 10/10 - as with Azpi the man is mustard - First XI
Bakayoko - 6/10 - technically would need to improve but I like his drive and physicality - Bench
Drinkwater - 7/10 - decent hardworking midfielder although doesn't add anything special and seemingly wants to leave - Sold 
Pasalic - 7/10 - decent all rounder would be nice for him to get a shot - Backup or sold  also a 7/10 at CDM

LCM:
RLC - 6.5/10 - Technically and physically able but may lack the stamina to match the intensity needed and would need to improve his production in the final third - Rotation
Barkley - 7.5/10 - Would be a decent option but needs to prove his fitness - Rotation or Loan
Mount - 9/10 - has everything you could want for a player in this position currently lacking a little physically but that will only get better with age - Backup
Palmer - 6/10 - can produce brilliance in the final third but needs to learn how to take control of games more often - Loan
Potential Signing - Golovin (8/10)

RW:
Willian - 8/10 - would need to work on his movement off the ball but he is a much better player than Callejon so I'm sure he would be able to perform will in this position, it does seem as if he is off though and at 29 approaching 3 its hard to say no to £60m odd - Sold
Pedro - 8.5/10 - great off the ball movement and has enough pace to cause the defences problems with it, the role looks suited for him but an upgrade would be preferable - Bench
Boga - 7.5/10 - bags off pace and dribbling ability, I think Sarri could really improve him if he were to stay - Backup/Bench

LW:
Hazard - 10/10 - I expect him to have his best season in a Chelsea the formation and role suit him down to a tee - First XI
Musonda - 6/10 - he has not improved over the last few season a player who showed a lot of potentially has failed to make the cut in the adults game so far - Loan
Hudson-Odoi - 7/10 - he like to get involved with play where he can but doesn't quite have the ability to spot or sometime even look where the space is likely to develop - Backup

ST:
Morata - 7/10 - I like his movement and link up play but his finishing last season lacked a lot of confidence and he doesn't seem to have the minerals to want to play in this league - First XI or Sold dependant on Morata's willingness to fight
Bats - 6.5/10 - he is a finisher and a character, he has the pace and movement in around the box to make me think he can do it further out but he needs to improve his ability on the ball - Bench or Sold
Giroud - 4/10 - Giroud isn't mobile enough to play this role a good striker and a very good plan B and will be difficult to sell - Back up or Sold
Abraham- 7/10 - still a work in progress but has a brilliant work ethic, energy around the pitch and is decent in all areas - Back up 
        

Summary:
I think the above shows that our squad already has players that can fit into place if Sarri were to adopt the same formation as he had in his Last season with Napoli and that with Jorginho now in the side we have strengthened the position that we were weakest Napoli's formation and that we really shouldn't need to much to become a force again, with Right Wing and Striker the areas that look the most likely for movement.

GK: Courtois/? , Cabellero
RB: Azpi, Moses
LCB: Rudger, Cahill, Ampadu
RCB: Christensen, Luiz/Rugani, Ampadu
LB: Emerson, Alonso
CDM: Jorginho, Fabregas, Pasalic
RCM: Kante, Bakayoko, Pasalic
LCM: RLC, Barkley, Mount
RW: Willian/(?), Pedro
LW: Hazard, Hudson-Odoi
ST: Morata/(?), Bats/Giroud, Abraham
 

 

Hopefully Mason mount gets a chance to impress. 

@PedroMendez 

Great summary mate.

Agree with a lot of that. I think if we add Rugani, and Golovin then we will be sorted in both defence and midfield, although neither are a necessity. 

Obviously the Courtois situation will be resolved, and we will come out of it with a top goalkeeper either way. 

The biggest area of concern would the right wing spot, there hasnt really been any strong links to right wingers yet, I'm sure pedro could do a job for a season there, but I would love to see us bring in someone to give us some fresh ideas.

So Assuming Courtois and willian leave.

Allisson, Rugani, Golovin, a new right winger, and we will have had a fantastic summer.

I don't see either Hazard or Willian moving.

I do foresee changes in defence and hope for changes in midfield beyond Jorginho.