41 minutes ago, Nibs said:

I want us to look forward, get a striker yet to hit his peak, not sign yet another striker who's best years are behind him and the only reason he would be joining us is the massive £££££££

Really hope he doesn't come - would be yet more short-sightedness by the club

Look, before we can attract a long term top striker we need to qualify for the Champions League first. A short term gain will boost us for the season and our objective to finish in the top four.

2 hours ago, Nibs said:

I want us to look forward, get a striker yet to hit his peak, not sign yet another striker who's best years are behind him and the only reason he would be joining us is the massive £££££££

Really hope he doesn't come - would be yet more short-sightedness by the club

The worry I have is that we will end up with lakaku in the summer, he will become surplus to requirements at United and we aren't as a club in the market these days for the top strikers, so will end up with lakaku, hope I'm wrong.

I don't see him coming back, mid table team for him I think If United will take the hit in a lower fee or a loan to Europe.

It's so frustrating and confusing. Some times, the club makes these purchases which seems in line with what the club tries to do. Pulisic is an example of that; young, pacey and can be formed into a better player. Yes, we did probably overpay, but we overpayed for the correct type of player.

The club must've known that our striker situation was uncertain last summer. We gave Morata one more chance, which was probably the correct one given the investment and the toxity Conte brought in his last 3-4 months at the club. I don't really want to talk about Giroud, he's in my opinion awful, and we sacked probably the only coach who will work with that sort of player.

Safe to say that our gamble didn't pay off. But that's okay, not every gamble pays off. However, the club should have had every scout on the look out for a new striker since August, week in and week out, so that we could get someone in in January if all things went tits up. 

So, here we are, in January, and the names we are linked to are seemingly Callum Wilson, Gonzalo Higuain and Jamie Vardy. The former will cost a fortune, barely has any knees left and hasn't played a full season in years. Higuain is declining, and will have to move to a faster league. He's also old and a wage drain. Jamie Vardy is a 31 year old striker who lives on the shoulder and running in behind, however we don't get space in behind.

How come these are the alternatives we end up looking at, when the club fully knew that we made a gamble on Morata this season? I just don't understand what the club does at times, it makes no sense to me how we try to hardballl sometimes. You have legends like Lampard and Terry, who only got 1 year deals, but then you run the club into such a state of panic that you give out a 1,5 year contract for Giroud? And we're definitely looking at the same for Higuain, Juventus wants him off their books so we'll have to keep him for at least 1,5 years.

Edited January 13, 20197 yr by opinionsarelike

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/11606400/8216chelsea-recruitment-policy-confusing8217

Dom Fifield hitting nails on the head on Sunday Supplement.

Our transfer policy is a mess and we desperately need a technical director and a plan for what we want the squad to look like long term, not for the eccentricities of a particular tactical approach.

 

On ?12?/?01?/?2019 at 00:23, icecoolguy22 said:

Just one misfiring striker for the other, give it a few months people will hate him more than Morata. Given how we got ourself into this dilemma in the first place, either recall strikers on loan, or try to get what's left in the strikers and Hazard, adjust formation ( won't happen), just ride out the rest of the season some how, and do proper business during summer ( hope more than anything). This kind of short term 'fix' doesn't fix anything, just another name on payroll.

Lack of vision and insight tend to do this....... Anything other than a loan and we are back where we started. He is not the striker he was, a new League etc....he might bang in a few welcoming goals, but summer time we must address this asap. And for those saying Eto did well so will Higuian......Jose used a system that suited the team and his abilities. Take that Eto and put him here and he will struggle.

We don't have much choice, but to rely on Higuain. The jokers on the board apparently wanting Callum f**king Wilson over a proven, elite striker like Higuain is illogical if true. We need a striker, the board need to support Sarri in the market.

Higuain has played under Sarri and still has goals left in him. Let's not forget Drogba had his best season with us at the same age as Higuain is now. Higuain is certainly not over the hill, and the boards reluctance to sign him in favour of a striker of Wilson's calibre is dumb. 

I am surprised Roman trusts these people tbh. These are supposed to be business people, business people! Considering the money he board has wasted on average talent, you wouldn't think they were intelligent business people. 

Elite striker, he is struggling to cope with the pace in Serie A this season, and has a worse record than Morata. This isnt let Sarri hire his favourites FC. We are being linked with players like Wilson and Higuain, when even teams like Arsenal bought two quality strikers. It has been a while now since we have known we need a top quality striker for us to compete for the league again. Last January we were in a mess and signed Arsenals 4th choice striker, and it seems like no lessons have been learnt.

If Sarri is intent on not playing Morata or Giroud anymore, so we have no choice but to sign Higuain, then i pray its just a temp loan. Otherwise this circus will continue for another 2 years.

5 hours ago, atomis said:

Lack of vision and insight tend to do this....... Anything other than a loan and we are back where we started. He is not the striker he was, a new League etc....he might bang in a few welcoming goals, but summer time we must address this asap. And for those saying Eto did well so will Higuian......Jose used a system that suited the team and his abilities. Take that Eto and put him here and he will struggle.

On the contary, Eto'o's link up and movement for us was top class, he just lost the pace and power that made him so good at Mallorca, Barcelona and Inter. 

If we had even that Eto'o in this team we would be in next seasons CL already.

6 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/11606400/8216chelsea-recruitment-policy-confusing8217

Dom Fifield hitting nails on the head on Sunday Supplement.

Our transfer policy is a mess and we desperately need a technical director and a plan for what we want the squad to look like long term, not for the eccentricities of a particular tactical approach.

 

Exactly. If the club has one priority now it is not to sign any more players but to hire a technical director of football. Managers will come and go but we need a football person to make decisions over hiring of players and coaches, and to make sure we follow a consistent strategy. Over the last few years most of the hiring decisions have been made by business people and it shows.

Absolutely. We've 

46 minutes ago, forbzy said:

Exactly. If the club has one priority now it is not to sign any more players but to hire a technical director of football. Managers will come and go but we need a football person to make decisions over hiring of players and coaches, and to make sure we follow a consistent strategy. Over the last few years most of the hiring decisions have been made by business people and it shows.

Absolutely we're making profits on player sales which is helping the bottom line but our squad is a shadow of what it was in Jose MK II's first year.

10 hours ago, enigma said:

We don't have much choice, but to rely on Higuain. The jokers on the board apparently wanting Callum f**king Wilson over a proven, elite striker like Higuain is illogical if true. We need a striker, the board need to support Sarri in the market.

Higuain has played under Sarri and still has goals left in him. Let's not forget Drogba had his best season with us at the same age as Higuain is now. Higuain is certainly not over the hill, and the boards reluctance to sign him in favour of a striker of Wilson's calibre is dumb. 

I am surprised Roman trusts these people tbh. These are supposed to be business people, business people! Considering the money he board has wasted on average talent, you wouldn't think they were intelligent business people. 

I don't think it's a case of Higuain or Wilson. 

They're two very different profiles of player and we'd be signing them for very different reasons. 

We're short on homegrown players with the departure of Fabregas and with Luiz and Cahill also likely to leave too. So we're going to be looking to sign one or two homegrown players where we can. 

Sarri clearly isn't sold on Giroud, he's very reluctant to give him minutes so we're probably looking to replace him as well as Morata. 

Not sure we'd bring in both Wilson and Higuain in the same window but if we signed Wilson for arguments sake, I think we'll still be in the market for a first choice striker in the summer. 

Same if Higuain does sign, I think we're likely to sign another forward in the summer too, even if we don't go for Wilson. 

Get Higuain on loan then go all out in the summer when players are available. That’s our best option.

Admittedly, Higuain will look like a bargain next to "£75m man" Callum Wilson.

I’ve got a feeling it will be Higuain and Paredes, since Sarri said need two signings.

I’ll definitely take that, can Higuain really be any worse than Morata?

Jorginho desperately needs a back up, he can’t play every game.

13 hours ago, enigma said:

We don't have much choice, but to rely on Higuain. The jokers on the board apparently wanting Callum f**king Wilson over a proven, elite striker like Higuain is illogical if true. We need a striker, the board need to support Sarri in the market.

Higuain has played under Sarri and still has goals left in him. Let's not forget Drogba had his best season with us at the same age as Higuain is now. Higuain is certainly not over the hill, and the boards reluctance to sign him in favour of a striker of Wilson's calibre is dumb. 

I am surprised Roman trusts these people tbh. These are supposed to be business people, business people! Considering the money he board has wasted on average talent, you wouldn't think they were intelligent business people. 

Thats because the likes of Marina is indeed a business people......we need footballing people with the experience and knowledge to plan ahead, to see when is it time to sell/buy and all that comes with it. A good DOF badly needed.

9 hours ago, Argo said:

On the contary, Eto'o's link up and movement for us was top class, he just lost the pace and power that made him so good at Mallorca, Barcelona and Inter. 

If we had even that Eto'o in this team we would be in next seasons CL already.

He could do that cuz we played with rapid pace and movements.....we didnt stop like a truck in the final third looking to pass the ball in the net. But yes I even take that Eto above the ones we have now........cuz we aint got a strike force.

According to the Evening Standard Juve have rejected our offer to take Higuain on loan. They are only interested in a permanent deal.

1 minute ago, forbzy said:

According to the Evening Standard Juve have rejected our offer to take Higuain on loan. They are only interested in a permanent deal.

.........then they can f**k off.

 

32 minutes ago, forbzy said:

According to the Evening Standard Juve have rejected our offer to take Higuain on loan. They are only interested in a permanent deal.

Let them keep paying his obnoxiously high wages then 

2 hours ago, atomis said:

Thats because the likes of Marina is indeed a business people......we need footballing people with the experience and knowledge to plan ahead, to see when is it time to sell/buy and all that comes with it. A good DOF badly needed.

He could do that cuz we played with rapid pace and movements.....we didnt stop like a truck in the final third looking to pass the ball in the net. But yes I even take that Eto above the ones we have now........cuz we aint got a strike force.

Did we? We were dropping numerous points to sh*t opponents that season, the only time we were fully consistent was when Eto'o was fully fit and up to speed.

Any half decent version of Eto'o would do well in this team, his type of tactical intelligence and link up is what we are missing up top.

2 hours ago, Argo said:

Did we? We were dropping numerous points to sh*t opponents that season, the only time we were fully consistent was when Eto'o was fully fit and up to speed.

Any half decent version of Eto'o would do well in this team, his type of tactical intelligence and link up is what we are missing up top.

and playing at stamford bridge.

4 hours ago, forbzy said:

According to the Evening Standard Juve have rejected our offer to take Higuain on loan. They are only interested in a permanent deal.

That's honestly a shame. I was one of those in support of a loan move, but if they want us to break his buy out clause then I guess its best we ride out the season with what we have.

4 hours ago, Argo said:

Did we? We were dropping numerous points to sh*t opponents that season, the only time we were fully consistent was when Eto'o was fully fit and up to speed.

Any half decent version of Eto'o would do well in this team, his type of tactical intelligence and link up is what we are missing up top.

Yeah but many of them were due to the refs f**king us over......who could forget the Villa game but yes we did drop silly pts otherwise cahmpions we would have been. I agree a decent Eto would do us good, far superior to what we have, cuz we aint got any. And yes imo we did play fast rapid footy with a iron-fist defence.......remember how we utterly dismantled Arsenal at the Bridge? Fast direct and devastating footy.

8 hours ago, Nibs said:

.........then they can f**k off.

 

I hope that is what the board are saying too, those exact words 

No-one including Higuain thinks he would be a long term solution. 18 months is the most so the value will have to reflect that. Equally we clearly need a few more goals to make sure of a champions league spot . Making the the last 16 of the champions league is worth 20 m euro.  If he helped win a cup or two that is also worth money. So that for me sets the minimum he could be worth on an 18 month deal. He will have no significant value after that. Wages are what they are and will be high for anyone.

We have to have someone or the team is at risk of falling apart if, as is likely, either Willian or Pedro get injuries in the back half of the season. Never mind Hazard. So this is the cost of a bad decision on Morata. Just have to live with it. 

No long term striker around who you can build your front line for a team that wants to regularly make the champions league quarters is available today. So there is no point whinging about it.

Higuain is not the greatest, goes missing in the biggest matches but is a proven goal scorer used to playing at a high level. Vardy is similar situation,  might be as good but is less available.