The more I think about this signing, the more I’m warming to it.

could be an interesting window this.

14 hours ago, Kentonio said:

I'm not sure where this recent love affair with Fekir came from (not just you, but seemingly half of English football fans). Last year I watched most Lyon games due to living here, and while he's their star man and can produce some moments of brilliance, he also regularly disappears in games, has bad discipline and of course he's playing against Ligue 1 defences which are a serious step down from the PL.

It was noticable that in the world cup, France didn't start him once. He played 6 times, got a grand total of 69 minutes and got no assists or goals.

Fekir is an easy player to love when he plays for you, he's flamboyant, hugely passionate and more than a little crazy, but he's also had some bad injuries and is a definite risk in many ways.

This is the guy who when Lyon beat their local rivals St Etiene 5-0, ran up to the StE fans, took off his shirt and held it up to them causing a riot which delayed the end of the game for about 15 minutes. It was glorious to watch, extremely funny, and yet I definitely don't want to see a Chelsea player doing that and ending up banned for half a season. 

I've followed Fekir since before he busted his knees so it's not a recent thing (for me anyway). Lyon I think are a great team to watch and I'd take Ndombele in a heartbeat too. 

My interest is based in a few things:

1. Ever since Mata left we've missed a left footed attacking player who opens up different angles and has genuine goalscoring output.

2. He has a similar build to Hazard. He's short but has a strong core, for that reason he is very good at shielding the ball and progressing it up the field.

3. He's a genuine match winner. Capable of a moment of brilliance to break down a team. He has that X Factor that you need against a packed defence. He also seems to have a habit of doing it in big games. City in the CL earlier in the year is an example but you would also remember the night Lyon beat PSG last season.

Now of course there are downsides, notably the knees which took a long time to recover from. First season he came back he was a bit tubby and didn't seem to be focused. As you say he is set up as the main man at Lyon and it would be harder here, he can also drift out of games (although I think his work off the ball has improved under Genesio, who press high in a similar way how we should press).

The France thing doesn't bother me as much. Griezmann is one of the best 5 attacking players in the world so I'm not worried that he didn't start. When he did play he showed good chemistry with Giroud.

He's a guy who would improve our team immediately for a similar price. We were apparently close to doing a deal in the summer and we'd have been smarter to have pursued that deal rather than this one. I only have hope we still do pursue it. It'll annoy me enormously if Liverpool beat us to a third target in three windows that would have improved our squad (Van Dijk, Alisson were the first two).

Edited January 5, 20197 yr by Spiller86

I'm not as annoyed by this signing as I was when it broke. It was just a crazy amount of money to spend. He's still very young and he could work well in Sarri's system, so let's see how he does next season.

We do defintely need reinforcements elsewhere though. We'll struggle to maintain a top 4 challenge without a striker who can win us games.

16 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I'm not as annoyed by this signing as I was when it broke. It was just a crazy amount of money to spend. He's still very young and he could work well in Sarri's system, so let's see how he does next season.

We do defintely need reinforcements elsewhere though. We'll struggle to maintain a top 4 challenge without a striker who can win us games.

A Championship standard striker has just gone for ny on £19m, the reality of the market these days is these type of signings are around the £40-60m bracket minimum.

3 minutes ago, Argo said:

A Championship standard striker has just gone for ny on £19m, the reality of the market these days is these type of signings are around the £40-60m bracket minimum.

He only had 1 year left on his deal though I believe.

54 minutes ago, Zeta said:

We do defintely need reinforcements elsewhere though

I think there is going to be massive turnover in the next 8 months. Let's out some hypothetical numbers next to their names, and I'll be conservative, and the wages some of these guys are on can't be discounted either

Out

Drinkwater (15M)

Batshuayi (25M)

Morata (35M)

Moses (10M)

Bakayoko (30M)

Zappacosta (10M)

Cahill (7M)

Fabergas (10M)

Pedro or Willian? (20M)

That's about 140M not counting Pedro/Willian

Even if you apply Pulisic, you're still looking at 80M

If Hazard leaves, you're talking about another 100M.

Hopefully the key here for that money is to buy quality, and let the quantity come from the youth/loan army. 

 

He doesn't seem too comfortable. Christian Pulisic sits on the shady veranda of the hotel "Gran Melia Don Pepe", crosses his arms firmly in front of his body, only his toes touch the ground, he bends slightly forwards. It's also complicated, he's somehow sitting between two chairs. Actually, he has left Borussia Dortmund. He has been a Chelsea FC player since 2 January. But he's still in Dortmund, or currently in training camp in Marbella, Spain. And he will explain to journalists for the first time why he is turning his back on Dortmund after four years. Why he is drawn to the Premier League. And why he believes that it will help him to have clarified the situation.

Exorbitant transfer fee

"I wanted clarity," says the 20-year-old, "so that I could concentrate 100 percent on Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season." It was important to him, he emphasises, "that we clarify this with the BVB in a good way". He finds the solution found, with the sale for an exorbitant 64 million euros including a six-month return loan, "great. It's great for me that I can finish this season with the BVB and my team-mates". Nobody should believe that he doesn't want to give any reason for not being Borusse with all his heart. So far, the season has been running super, the black and yellow drivers are the leaders of the standings, "we have big goals". And there is "such a special feeling in the club that we can achieve something this year".

A farewell with a title would be for "Captain America" the crowning of his first big and decisive station in his career. He doesn't say it explicitly, he chooses his words with too much thought, but it's written all over his face. To take another trophy in the air after championships with the U17 and U19 as well as the DFB Cup victory in 2017 would be the perfect final point. "Without Borussia Dortmund I wouldn't be who I am today," says Pulisic. "When I got here, I was insecure, shy and didn't know what was going to happen. But it went perfectly and I am very grateful for everything I experienced in the club, with the fans, in the city". He says he hopes that the people in Dortmund will understand his decision. And he will see, with as much playing time as possible, with victories and strong scenes, that he wants to give everything for his club. That's the BVB. Still.

Great attraction

From July 1st Pulisic finally changes from black yellow to the "blues". The Premier League, England, the motherland of football. "It was always a great dream of mine to play in the Premier League," says the American, not for the first time. And certainly not for the last time. Even as a young boy he went to the stadiums there with his father when his mother taught at an English school for a year. At home in Hershey, Pennsylvania, he also followed the Premier League closely. The appeal of what is currently the most popular and perhaps most spectacular league in the world has not diminished with him, on the contrary. "I always wanted to go there," he says.

For Chelsea, who had to make the change clear as early as the winter due to the threat of a transfer ban by FIFA in the summer, he had enthused early, "I always liked the style of play". That's where he sees himself in the future. And he also suspects that, despite his great experience, he still has a lot to learn at a young age. As rocket-like as his promotion to the BVB was, where he made his debut in January 2016 at the age of 17 and broke several age records, his performances stagnated last year. His playing style is very risky, too often he got stuck with his dribblings, too unproductive were his solo runs on the right wing, too one-dimensional were his advances.

Sancho has outstripped Pulisic.

There are "many areas" in which he wants and needs to improve, says Pulisic. "I want to prepare and score more goals, understand the game better and become more "clinical", especially in the last third. He literally says "clinical", i.e. more precise and determined. In these categories, Jadon Sancho (18) has overtaken him in the BVB and the starting eleven nomination that was still certain at the beginning of this season. Now he has to work even harder, for playing time and further development. "I have to fight for my position like any other player in the world," he says.

For Pulisic, it's not a platitude that he wants to "give everything". He must do it. To push himself further forward at BVB and do his part for a hoped-for title in May. Of course this won't be easy, but the team has shown what it is capable of in the first half of the season. "Mentality and consistency are especially important in the tight games. That will be the key to a successful season," he thinks. And he also senses that after the decision on his future he has lost pressure. Pressure that has burdened him in recent weeks and months? "I think my head is clearer now.

Leaving Dortmund strengthened

At the end of the conversation Pulisic seems more relaxed. He is now sitting relaxed in his chair, and in his eyes it flashes when he talks about his zest for action and that he loves to win. Ideally the German Championship with the BVB. Then he could leave Dortmund strengthened. And he would have an even better entry in England.

Edited January 5, 20197 yr by DidierDrogbalala

Best part of that is he knows he has to fight for a spot. Looking forward to a motivated young player who is under no illusion he'll be in the team based off reputation or money. 

6 hours ago, DidierDrogbalala said:

He doesn't seem too comfortable. Christian Pulisic sits on the shady veranda of the hotel "Gran Melia Don Pepe", crosses his arms firmly in front of his body, only his toes touch the ground, he bends slightly forwards. It's also complicated, he's somehow sitting between two chairs. Actually, he has left Borussia Dortmund. He has been a Chelsea FC player since 2 January. But he's still in Dortmund, or currently in training camp in Marbella, Spain. And he will explain to journalists for the first time why he is turning his back on Dortmund after four years. Why he is drawn to the Premier League. And why he believes that it will help him to have clarified the situation.

Exorbitant transfer fee

"I wanted clarity," says the 20-year-old, "so that I could concentrate 100 percent on Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season." It was important to him, he emphasises, "that we clarify this with the BVB in a good way". He finds the solution found, with the sale for an exorbitant 64 million euros including a six-month return loan, "great. It's great for me that I can finish this season with the BVB and my team-mates". Nobody should believe that he doesn't want to give any reason for not being Borusse with all his heart. So far, the season has been running super, the black and yellow drivers are the leaders of the standings, "we have big goals". And there is "such a special feeling in the club that we can achieve something this year".

A farewell with a title would be for "Captain America" the crowning of his first big and decisive station in his career. He doesn't say it explicitly, he chooses his words with too much thought, but it's written all over his face. To take another trophy in the air after championships with the U17 and U19 as well as the DFB Cup victory in 2017 would be the perfect final point. "Without Borussia Dortmund I wouldn't be who I am today," says Pulisic. "When I got here, I was insecure, shy and didn't know what was going to happen. But it went perfectly and I am very grateful for everything I experienced in the club, with the fans, in the city". He says he hopes that the people in Dortmund will understand his decision. And he will see, with as much playing time as possible, with victories and strong scenes, that he wants to give everything for his club. That's the BVB. Still.

Great attraction

From July 1st Pulisic finally changes from black yellow to the "blues". The Premier League, England, the motherland of football. "It was always a great dream of mine to play in the Premier League," says the American, not for the first time. And certainly not for the last time. Even as a young boy he went to the stadiums there with his father when his mother taught at an English school for a year. At home in Hershey, Pennsylvania, he also followed the Premier League closely. The appeal of what is currently the most popular and perhaps most spectacular league in the world has not diminished with him, on the contrary. "I always wanted to go there," he says.

For Chelsea, who had to make the change clear as early as the winter due to the threat of a transfer ban by FIFA in the summer, he had enthused early, "I always liked the style of play". That's where he sees himself in the future. And he also suspects that, despite his great experience, he still has a lot to learn at a young age. As rocket-like as his promotion to the BVB was, where he made his debut in January 2016 at the age of 17 and broke several age records, his performances stagnated last year. His playing style is very risky, too often he got stuck with his dribblings, too unproductive were his solo runs on the right wing, too one-dimensional were his advances.

Sancho has outstripped Pulisic.

There are "many areas" in which he wants and needs to improve, says Pulisic. "I want to prepare and score more goals, understand the game better and become more "clinical", especially in the last third. He literally says "clinical", i.e. more precise and determined. In these categories, Jadon Sancho (18) has overtaken him in the BVB and the starting eleven nomination that was still certain at the beginning of this season. Now he has to work even harder, for playing time and further development. "I have to fight for my position like any other player in the world," he says.

For Pulisic, it's not a platitude that he wants to "give everything". He must do it. To push himself further forward at BVB and do his part for a hoped-for title in May. Of course this won't be easy, but the team has shown what it is capable of in the first half of the season. "Mentality and consistency are especially important in the tight games. That will be the key to a successful season," he thinks. And he also senses that after the decision on his future he has lost pressure. Pressure that has burdened him in recent weeks and months? "I think my head is clearer now.

Leaving Dortmund strengthened

At the end of the conversation Pulisic seems more relaxed. He is now sitting relaxed in his chair, and in his eyes it flashes when he talks about his zest for action and that he loves to win. Ideally the German Championship with the BVB. Then he could leave Dortmund strengthened. And he would have an even better entry in England.

Here are some key points that were missing from this interview - I got this tidbit from ESPN:

"I've seen their style of play," Pulisic told reporters at Borussia Dortmund's warm weather training camp in Marbella, Spain on Saturday. "I've always appreciated how they've played football, and it's really nice how they play now, with their new coach. It fits me very well."

On the possibility of playing w/ LOLpool:

"It's not something I want to talk about, I'm very happy with my decision to join Chelsea," Pulisic said, adding that he was "excited and grateful" to be able to see out the season at Signal Iduna Park before his "big dream" of playing in the Premier League. "I went through a few tough injuries at the beginning of the season. Players came in and did extremely well. But I think [going to Chelsea] would have been my decision either way, as I've wanted this for a long time," Pulisic said.

 

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/11599538/christian-pulisics-chelsea-transfer-all-you-need-to-know

You get really excited reading this... 

4 hours ago, evissy said:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/11599538/christian-pulisics-chelsea-transfer-all-you-need-to-know

You get really excited reading this... 

Agreed, however, he talked about Pulisic's best position being at left wing or left forward.  He really doesn't every play there, he is normally on the right.  I'll concede that he does play centrally for USMNT, so that part he is correct about.  Who knows, maybe he will develop into a left sided player but I only see that happening if CHO leaves.

I think this is a prudent buy considering Liverpool and Arsenal were interested and when you consider the ages of Pedro and Willian along with Hazard potentially moving on.

Commercially the US market could prove beneficial as I imagine if their fans get interested they will spend more on merchandise than fans in other parts of the world.

 

Good article on Pulisic and the transfer

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/sports/christian-pulisic-dortmund-chelsea.html

keys

- this is Sarri's first year speaking English. It could very well be that he meant he didn't know the transfer was official. Because unless Christian's dad is a flat out liar, Sarri played a big part in Christian's decision

- at least one other EPL team met Dortmund's asking price according to their sporting director. 

3 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

- this is Sarri's first year speaking English. It could very well be that he meant he didn't know the transfer was official.

I’m very sure that’s what he meant and the media just twist it to fit their agenda. 

I’m also very sure it’s not his first year speaking English although he might not have been as well versed as he used to be. 

2 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

Good article on Pulisic and the transfer

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/sports/christian-pulisic-dortmund-chelsea.html

keys

- this is Sarri's first year speaking English. It could very well be that he meant he didn't know the transfer was official. Because unless Christian's dad is a flat out liar, Sarri played a big part in Christian's decision

- at least one other EPL team met Dortmund's asking price according to their sporting director. 

 

I don't think that's true because he worked in London in his previous life as a banker. I do think he was aware of our intention to sign Pulicic and may have met with him but I can also believe he might not have been kept in the loop regarding its progress.

21 minutes ago, bluedave said:

28 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

 

I don't think that's true because he worked in London in his previous life as a banker

Yeah that makes sense. I thought I remembered reading things like "he's preparing for his move to England by learning english"

Could have been written. Doesn't make it true. Lol. 

Either way. I believe Sarri was involved in the decision and part of the recruitment. And I also believe he's not directly involved in negotiations. 

Trying to put it out there that this was done with no knowledge of Sarri is just intellectually dishonest. 

 

 

Edited January 9, 20197 yr by Skinnedy

First year after a long layoff of speaking English

I remember David Amoyal, who covers Italian football, saying during the saga last summer that Sarri “doesn’t speak a lick of English”. Shows how much they actually pay attention.

Edited January 9, 20197 yr by mwblue10

19 minutes ago, Skinnedy said:

Good article on Pulisic and the transfer

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/sports/christian-pulisic-dortmund-chelsea.html

keys

- this is Sarri's first year speaking English. It could very well be that he meant he didn't know the transfer was official. Because unless Christian's dad is a flat out liar, Sarri played a big part in Christian's decision

- at least one other EPL team met Dortmund's asking price according to their sporting director. 

Good article and hopefully that helps put to bed the narrative about Sarri not knowing about the transfer.

De Jong signing for Barca for £65m.

21 years old having only played in Holland.

Maybe puts into perspective how much we paid for Pulisic? 

9 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

De Jong signing for Barca for £65m.

21 years old having only played in Holland.

Maybe puts into perspective how much we paid for Pulisic? 

The worry is yes, he's only played in Holland, but I think whenever he has played, he's always excelled and been a standout performer, which has not often been the case for   Pulisic, so I think people are less motivated to gawk at this price. 

 Barcelona also faced a fair bit of competition from PSG and we know how well they can outbid others (City to a lesser    extent as well). 

Edited January 23, 20197 yr by MANoWAR

Pulisic has been on the scene for a few years already and still only 21.

He’s got a lot of experience for someone his age and is more proven than De Jong in terms of games played, the standard of the league he’s played in European and international football played.

Yes £60m is a lot for any player but after seeing this De Jong deal I’m more assured about the Pulisic signing as it’s looking like we’ve paid the current market price for talented  young players in Europe.

I agree with that, but it is not just "in terms of games" or "being on the scene", it is influenced by

other factors. In Pulisic's case, he wouldn't have been anywhere near as well hyped as much he is if was just German like the rest of his teammates, instead of looking like USMNT's best prospect in years  (and hence being hyped up by ESPN and the like ad infinitum). Arguably, De  Jong has received a ridiculous amount of praise and more hype this season than Pulisic ever has (probably unrealistic, though). His performances in Europe, while less, where just as good on average as his Eredivisie so I would disagree that Pulisic is more proven in that regard. While they play in different positions,  De Jong has helped Ajax more than Pulisic has done for Dortmund. 

 

 

Not saying that we've been scammed and they've got a bargain, but I don't personally feel the same level of relaxation when I look at De Jong's transfer compared to Pulisic. Like I said, the competition for De Jong was stiffer, which would've definitely bumped up the price. Paredes for example, looked to be 30m, but since PSG stepped in, Zenit were willing to raise their price to 50m, so who knows how less De Jong would've been -- but there is a reason why 3 power- hungry spending clubs tried to go for him. 

I do think De Jong will be great and was delighted that  City didn't get him, mind, which would influence this post. Although, I'd still exercise caution if we paid 65m. 

Edited January 23, 20197 yr by MANoWAR

1 hour ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Pulisic has been on the scene for a few years already and still only 21.

He’s got a lot of experience for someone his age and is more proven than De Jong in terms of games played, the standard of the league he’s played in European and international football played.

Yes £60m is a lot for any player but after seeing this De Jong deal I’m more assured about the Pulisic signing as it’s looking like we’ve paid the current market price for talented  young players in Europe.

To further enhance your point, he won't turn 21 until this coming September.  Though, I do wonder if we somehow set the market for young talented players in Europe with the Pulisic signing?

42 minutes ago, mwblue10 said:

To further enhance your point, he won't turn 21 until this coming September.  Though, I do wonder if we somehow set the market for young talented players in Europe with the Pulisic signing?

PSG set the bar pretty high with the signing of Mbappe. 

42 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

PSG set the bar pretty high with the signing of Mbappe. 

True, I didn't even think of him because it was 2 years ago, but the ripple affect of that 2017 summer transfer window likely changed the market for years to come.