8 hours ago, big blue said:

Exactly mate. Unnessarily negative hyperbole.

Yeah you're right, sorry it was unnecessarily negative. If we let Hazard go and fail to replace him with the likes of Isco or James Rodriguez maybe we are f**ked but until then I'll try to stay positive, I just don't see where the goals are coming from without Hazard and don't have the confidence in our defence to keep them out at the other end. Liverpool and Spurs have proved that with intelligence in the transfer market we can stay at the top but we really do need to get it right, potentially replacing Hazard with Pulisic just doesn't give me that confidence.

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by the special one

9 minutes ago, the special one said:

Yeah you're right, sorry it was unnecessarily negative. If we let Hazard go and fail to replace him with the likes of Isco or James Rodriguez maybe we are f**ked but until then I'll try to stay positive, I just don't see where the goals are coming from without Hazard and don't have the confidence in our defence to keep them out at the other end. Liverpool and Spurs have proved that with intelligence in the transfer market we can stay at the top but we really do need to get it right, potentially replacing Hazard with Pulisic just doesn't give me that confidence.

I would just wait and see what happens. No point worrying about a hypothetical situation, I think it's highly unlikely Pulisic is a replacement for hazard. 

Right wing needs freshening up. The price is decent for Pulisic, he may not be everyone's first choice, but he is still an excellent prospect, and if he was a chelsea graduate, you can be sure he would be treated as the second coming in here. 

I still think there will be another left footed attacker brought in aswell. So I'm being positive. Hazard/CHO, Fekir/Pulisic, good options to have.

Napoli didn't need Hazard to score goals. Neither have Liverpool or Spurs, or City. I don't understand the big fear IF Hazard goes. Of course we want to keep him, but it's natural for a player to consider moving on to a massive club like Real Madrid. I am not sure he will leave personally. I think there's a project at Real Madrid and Hazard will think "is it worth it?" to be part of a project that's going to take at least two seasons for them to win the major trophies again, if not longer. We don't need Hazard to score goals, we just need a potent striker and a good attack. We have no idea who the club has been looking at to bring in to bolster the attack in the summer. 

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by enigma

10 hours ago, mwblue10 said:

Maybe I should be excited, he’s easily the best US player of this generation

He's the best field player the US has ever produced. I know it's a short list. 

When I'd talk to my friends about him who didnt pay that close attention to football, we'd talk Pulisic, and two years ago his ceiling reminded me of Eden Hazard. Hazard had taken it up a notch since then. But what Pulisic brings that has always been so rare for Americans is his ability to walk by guys one v one. Mahrez might be a better comparison now. 

He's terrific in space, very calm on the ball, has terrific instincts. The US moves him around all over the place and he likes being a 10. Obviously he's comfortable on the wing too, but he's versatile enough to play 4 different positions for Chelsea. 

He's the only player I've ever watched for the US capable if creating on his own, yet he can excel in a Sarri system with quick passing and good movement off the ball. 

He began this season with an injury and contract doubts, so I'm not surprised he's seen playing time a little harder to come by this season considering the fast start Dortmund had. 

I think at RW he immediately improves the team and is a good long term replacement for the aging Willian/Pedro

I don't see this move as having any effect on CHO/Hazard, but I can see this move offering quality on the right side of the attack. 

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by Skinnedy
Teo = Two

As for Pulisic, I'm not entirely against it if the price is reasonable. There's been talk of £45 million, which is pretty good price for a player who only turned 20 in October and has potential to be a great winger. He definitely garners mixed opinions, but you have to think about his age too. At just 20 he has years to improve, and under the tutelage of Sarri, there's very few better coaches to help him achieve that. With Willian and Pedro both the wrong side of 30 and approaching the latter end of their careers, I would be fine with this. We have to remember how many players have been world beaters at 20? I remember Sterling at Liverpool at 20, he wasn't close to what he is now since he's been at City under Pep. I think people need to be a bit more open minded.

Just now, Skinnedy said:

He's the best field player the US has ever produced. I know it's a short list. 

When I'd talk to my friends about him who didnt pay that close attention to football, we'd talk Pulisic, and teo years ago his ceiling reminded me of Eden Hazard. Hazard had taken it up a notch since then. But what Pulisic brings that has always been so rare for Americans is his ability to walk by guys one v one. Mahrez might be a better comparison now. 

He's terrific in space, very calm on the ball, has terrific instincts. The US moves him around all over the place and he likes being a 10. Obviously he's comfortable on the wing too, but he's versatile enough to play 4 different positions for Chelsea. 

He's the only player I've ever watched for the US capable if creating on his own, yet he can excel in a Sarri system with quick passing and good movement off the ball. 

He began this season with an injury and contract doubts, so I'm not surprised he's seen playing time a little harder to come by this season considering the fast start Dortmund had. 

I think at RW he immediately improves the team and is a good long term replacement for the aging Willian/Pedro

I don't see this move as having any effect on CHO/Hazard, but I can see this move offering quality on the right side of the attack. 

10 years ago? Pulisic would have been 10 lol

1 minute ago, enigma said:

10 years ago? Pulisic would have been 10 lol

Yeah... replace the E not the O in that typo...  I'll fix. 

3 minutes ago, enigma said:

Napoli didn't need Hazard to score goals. Neither have Liverpool or Spurs, or City. 

Yeah but Napoli had Higuain banging in twenty a season. Have Mertens and have creativity and goals in Hamsik and Insigne.

Liverpool’s attacking midfielders of Mane, Salah and to an extent even Shaquri all out score most of our team.

Spurs have Harry Kane arguably the best centre forward in the world right now.

City have quality stacked through their front line, their reserves would get in our first XI.

Hazard is one of our two world class players along with Kante... players like him don’t grow on trees and aren’t easily replaced. I’d argue the last world class winger we had before Hazard was Robben, so you think how long it took us to truly replace him.

if we get another good winger like  Richarlson or Depay, then I'd be happy. But  Pulisic is not enough; others are necessary.  

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by MANoWAR

8 minutes ago, MANoWAR said:

if we get another good winger like  Richarlson or Depay, then I'd be happy. But  Pulisic is not enough; others are necessary.  

It's really amazing how much a world class striker solves in this team. 

Hazard/CHO

Icardi/Abraham

Pulisic/Pedro

I could live with that next season without bringing in another winger. 

If Hazard goes, at least TWO new players are a must. 

Double post

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by Skinnedy
Double post

3 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

It's really amazing how much a world class striker solves in this team. 

Hazard/CHO

Icardi/Abraham

Pulisic/Pedro

I could live with that next season without bringing in another winger. 

If Hazard goes, at least TWO new players are a must. 

 

Icardi is a pipe-dream. I would rather go for somebody like Maxi Gomez who has a clause of 50m and would work well here.  This would mean that getting stronger wingers to compensate not having a top class strker. However, I would agree with your sentiment. 

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by MANoWAR

Just now, MANoWAR said:

Icardi is a pipe-dream

I'm not picky.. I'm desperate 

I'd take Fekir too (I just didnt want to refer to him as world class)

22 minutes ago, MANoWAR said:

This is an even worse move if we're shifting him to RW. He's been benched by Sancho on the leftside

 

Having said that, if we get another good winger like  Richarilson or Lozano, then I'd be happy

Pretty sure he'll play at RW, I can see Willian shifting over to the left if Hazard leaves.

Don't get me wrong I'm not against signing Pulisic, if Willian shifts over to the left we do need a new RW (arguably we need fresh blood at RW anyway). HOWEVER, if Hazard does leave we'll need to bring in a roaming playmaker imho, someone who will drift into the centre and link up play with the wingers (and I don't care what anyone says Pulisic IS a winger not a #10). Without someone like Isco or James Rodriguez pulling the strings we'll be dead easy to play against imho (arguably we already are), it will be like watching Jose's 04/05 team grinding out wins all over again (just without a solid defence and the talent of Crespo, Drogs, Robben). Kovacic can play as a roaming playmaker but he doesn't have the goals/assists, and I like Barkley/RLC but they don't have the craft.

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by the special one

 

 

45 minutes ago, the special one said:

HOWEVER, if Hazard does leave we'll need to bring in a roaming playmaker imho

Isco might be best suited for this. Was watching a video by Alex Goldberg, and he was talking about why he might not want Isco, he said because he wasn't a pure wing, and wouldn't have an ideal spot.. that his best position would be a 10... or in our case... that roaming playmaker. It's going to be an interesting first half of 2019 for sure.

I am unconvinced by this guy, he seems to lack end product.

If he is a replacement for Willian, fine, but if we get rid of CHO for him, I will be fuming.

32 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I am unconvinced by this guy, he seems to lack end product.

If he is a replacement for Willian, fine, but if we get rid of CHO for him, I will be fuming.

Willian and Pedro are both over 30, and Hazard may want to go to RM.  RLC would rather play midfield.  With Willian, Pedro, and Hazard all expiring after 2020, I think the plan would be for Pulisic and CHO to be the back ups next year and the starters the following year ideally.  It'd be nice if Hazard came back after 2020, but he has an unsigned contract on the table, so there must be a plan without him.

So we get Pulisic and Dortmund will get Thorgan Hazard.........Dortmund will be delighted with that if this is true. I would much rather have Thorgan Hazard than Pulisic. I don't care if Pulisic is only 20, I haven't seen anything that makes me think he is going to go on and be great. He can't even get regular starts for Dortmund.

 

Never seen this guy play in my life to be honest and if he has appeared in the extremely few Dortmund matches I've seen then he's obviously not stood out enough for me to notice.

I have however seen Thorgan Hazard who seems to have developed quite well and we still have a buy back clause on him I believe. Dortmund are reportedly looking to sign him to replace Pulisic, I'm guessing they know something we don't. 

I've said before that I think he is massively overrated by the majority of the football blogging community because he is American same as them.

But if he is a long term replacement for either Pedro or Willian, I'm fine with that. Both are the wrong side of 30. He is a genuinely right sided player which CHO is not. His output is similar to Willian at the moment and you would expect that it would improve over time.

There is also the associated boost in American support and the money associated with that. The price is therefore more reasonable than that quoted in the summer.

However, it should be acknowledged that Fekir is the guy who can take us to another level by improving the squad now. If this is an either or, then the money would be better spent on Fekir.

Edited December 29, 20187 yr by Spiller86

Hope the lad doesn't get burdened with ill-feeling over the possible CH-O departure. They're naturally on opposite flanks for starters, and if CH-O leaves it will be down to what happened in the 6-months prior to us perhaps getting Pulisic.

Quote

 

"My understanding is that Chelsea are the only team that have made a firm offer at the moment.

"Dortmund are looking to see if there are other offers coming in as you would, but it is kind of agreed that the player will move in the summer definitely because he still has a year to run on his contract.

"Unless someone matches Chelsea's offer or exceeds it, he'll go there.

"There was some interest from Manchester United, I understand, but they've gone a little bit quiet now because they've got other stuff to deal with. They don't know if whoever the next guy is will want to pay that amount of money on Christian Pulisic."

 

 

*Honigstein on Sunday Supplement

I keep reading that Arsenal and Liverpool are in for him also.......seems to be more of a squad player than a first team option; we've got plenty of them, as Sarri only seems to use about 14 players