Getting that much money for a player who hasn't made it into the EPL is a steal. He may turn out to be a great player in a few years, and we get a good bite at buying him back. Most likely he will be a good player, which we will have players just as good and better.

On 16/07/2021 at 01:18, Sindre said:

That's what they quoted as his market value but that this sale was a "very good deal for Chelsea" they said.

I'd be surprised if we got less than £25 million.

If you told me ten years ago that five of our youth products would win the Champions League, and that we'd be receiving £25 million each for two of them that couldn't make our side, I'd have you scheduled.

I'm sad to lose Guehi but £20 million+, even with inflated fees these days, is utterly incomprehensible for me.

Edited July 19, 20214 yr by SydneyChelsea

Our academy continues to improve and improve. Roman invested well. We have excellent coaches and we have seen 2 youth products win the CL while 1 earned himself a move to AC Milan and now Marc goes for a good fee to Palace having not played a single PL game yet.

Fans cried when we sold Nathan Ake and we used the money to buy a better defender in Rudiger. Like people have mentioned as long as we get a sell on clause and first option i dont see the big issue, everyone wins really. It seemed as though he turned down a new contract too so we didnt have much option but to sell.

Guehi is a good young player who did really well in his loan at Swansea. I fully expect him to do very well for Palace. If he fulfills his potential there I hope he returns rather than gets snaps up by one of our rivals.

On 18/07/2021 at 19:27, Drogba1 said:

What's the new loan rule? I actually think the loan army strategy works really well for us (apart from selling the players that come good like KDB/Salah)

UEFA only allowing a club to have 8 players out on loan that are 22 or older from 2022/23 season.

last season we had 15 players in that category out on loan for reference.

With Lewis bate also moving .. I don’t understand how a 18 year old is moving for first team Opportunities? I also feel that somewhere they could have been more loyal to the club and given it two years.. I am sure even in Leeds he will start with under 19s .. I am sure Chelsea could have arranged plying time for him.. but I find 18 year olds not signing for Chelsea very strange.. if you are aiming to play at the top level then they are giving up a great opportunity.. 

16 minutes ago, Jangz said:

With Lewis bate also moving .. I don’t understand how a 18 year old is moving for first team Opportunities? I also feel that somewhere they could have been more loyal to the club and given it two years.. I am sure even in Leeds he will start with under 19s .. I am sure Chelsea could have arranged plying time for him.. but I find 18 year olds not signing for Chelsea very strange.. if you are aiming to play at the top level then they are giving up a great opportunity.. 

Agreed, seems a strange move for them at 18/19 before you have even tried out a single loan move. I get that we need to start selling them (if they are not ready for team) when they reach 22years due to the upcoming new loan rules.

I have heard lots of good things about Bate, but he clearly doesn't believe he will get passed Billy in the coming years I guess! Getting right to the top is as much about mentality as it is talent. If Bate has refused to sign a generous contract offer, then not much the club can do other than ship him out with a sell-on clause and pray it's not the next Sancho/Pogba.

At the end of the day, looks like we are going to make £50m + this summer from our academy players, so it's a solid business model.

Livramento would be a big disappointment for me, because he does look the business and there is clearly a route into the first team now we are playing wingbacks. If you want to play at the top level you will always be competing with players like Reece James. Heck, do a good enough job and he'd force James into the RCB position some games. So I feel it would be a really strange move for him personally and I hope he can be persuaded to stay.          

Or a player like Guehi decided - perhaps looked at guys like Izzy Brown, who at 24 has had at least 5 different loan clubs - that the route he's taking is better for him. With the stability of a 5 year contract he can get PL experience, with every chance of playing more than at Chelsea or at a club he would be loaned to for one season. If he goes on to be the best defender since JT or Thiago Silva, he'll move on to a bigger team, getting to play in the CL, selected for the England squad...hell, give him the Ballon d'Or now we're at it. 

And you bet the academy players are discussing this among themselves, and with the lads who have gone on loan after loan. Some will decide to stay on and go on loan or potter about at Cobham hoping for a domestic cup match or a nasty wave of injuries, and some will assertively chose a different path. The fact that supporters want them to be good enough (or better than the likes of Zappacosta and Drinkwater) doesn't mean that they are or will be.

But I suppose we'll have the same discussion every time a youngster leaves and a few supporters decide they know all the ins and outs and therefore can heap criticism on the player or the club. 

Livramento probably saw us try and sign another one for huge money and realised his chances of game time here were done.

15 minutes ago, dkw said:

Livramento probably saw us try and sign another one for huge money and realised his chances of game time here were done.

Question is were we trying to sign a other one, or were Inter using us to get PSG to cough up?

Marc and Big Fik I totally get going, Bate and co lack patience here to give it a few more years. I mean look at Lamptey

 He started being involved and played for the first team and still wanted out lol.

19 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

I mean look at Lamptey

 He started being involved and played for the first team and still wanted out lol.

Probably because he wasn't given a chance when James was injured and even Azpi was preferred as wingback.

Guehi looks so good. Brilliant on the ball, fast, good in the air and looks a real player. If Palace had not put that bid in, I am pretty sure he would be starting a lot of games this season.

54 minutes ago, STATS said:

Guehi looks so good. Brilliant on the ball, fast, good in the air and looks a real player. If Palace had not put that bid in, I am pretty sure he would be starting a lot of games this season.

We have a buyback so if toni goes...

On 18/10/2021 at 21:50, axman2526 said:

We have a buyback so if toni goes...

No we dont, we have a first option like we did with Ake.

2 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

No we dont, we have a first option like we did with Ake.

Ah he got threw without a buyback eh? Thought we made sure all the youth leaving had them like Tammy, Livramento etc.

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

Ah he got threw without a buyback eh? Thought we made sure all the youth leaving had them like Tammy, Livramento etc.

The board probably tried, first option is better than nothing at all.

Seems like a monumental balls up letting this kid leave 

Just now, Gordon Bennett said:

Seems like a monumental balls up letting this kid leave 

It was. But they were different times.

He's nothing particularly special.

Odd this is in the general section 

Big fan of the lad was when he was with us and think he's been absolutely brilliant for England at the euros. Had he stuck around we probably wouldnt have needed to sign three centre backs costing 180 million or so. 

 

 to think he wouldnt go on to play as a senior for England or make the grade as a top footballer.... was criminal to let him go so cheaply. He would improve us defensively right now. 

 

From watching England I'm not sure he is that special either, seems to have been involved negatively in the goals we have conceded.

Liked his knock-on from the throw in for Bellingham's goal.

14 minutes ago, bluetrooper said:

Big fan of the lad was when he was with us and think he's been absolutely brilliant for England at the euros. Had he stuck around we probably wouldnt have needed to sign three centre backs costing 180 million or so. 

 

 to think he wouldnt go on to play as a senior for England or make the grade as a top footballer.... was criminal to let him go so cheaply. He would improve us defensively right now. 

 

Couldn't have put it better myself. Been impressed by the kid and he's still only 23. Looks like a Rolls Royce compared to some of our signings.

£18m we got for him - same as we paid for Deivid Washington and myriad other wonder kids.

1 hour ago, Gordon Bennett said:

Couldn't have put it better myself. Been impressed by the kid and he's still only 23. Looks like a Rolls Royce compared to some of our signings.

£18m we got for him - same as we paid for Deivid Washington and myriad other wonder kids.

£18m for a kid with 2 starts in the EFL Cup and a season on loan at Swansea was good money 3 years ago. That said, on promise alone I wouldn't have sold him.