1 hour ago, Scott said:

Renato Veiga can play LB and he's a unit. I wonder if Big Enzo is looking at that?

Veiga looked promising in the brief YouTube highlights against inter. 

Chilwell had participated in 43 of 118 PL games over the last 3 years. We can no longer afford to carry Chilwell and James. Was good on his day, but wonder if he’s lost a little pace also. Have to think the injury issues last year, followed by playing for England then disappearing again was the straw that broke the camels back. 

It's time to move on. Hasn’t done enough the last 3 years and can’t live off last glory forever. Nice guy and wish him the best should he leave. 

17 hours ago, Victor90 said:

I agree with Marseca on this one, have to have an honest conversation about Chilwell, he's not been good for years. He's also terribly injury-prone which makes him extremely unreliable. 

Not a big Cucu fan either that's why I think the LB position has to be addressed but Chilwell needs to go. 

Veiga was tested there by maresca and he did a good job during that brief period imo.

Also when Cucurella plays he inverts which gives gusto a chance to run up the right flank overlapping palmer as we saw in preseason, he doesn't hang back in a 3 (it's just 2 left at the back) as gusto has the speed to get back "most times".

When James and gusto are both playing then gusto still runs forward as a LB but he isn't that effective in attack and James inverts.

Which leads to...

10 hours ago, Snedger said:

A lot of the arguments I’ve read for getting rid of Chilwell, mainly around his injuries and lack of availability very much apply to James too. Yet you don’t read so much about getting shot of him due to his clogging up the physio room.

As stated there has already been posts on James and tbh I agree with a lot of them too. Chilwell and James are very injury prone and unfortunately they are not the same as before. Also yes, James manages to hit his brilliant heights quicker but that's if he's actually playing instead of injured. I hope, i really hope he can go a season without injury but I very much doubt it!

 

6 hours ago, Scott said:

Renato Veiga can play LB and he's a unit. I wonder if Big Enzo is looking at that?

I think he is...he played him there and seemed OK. Also I remember he had to fill in at RB too when gusto and James came off. He does seem like a good purchase in preseason...I hope he can do it in the proper games.

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by Simplymo

16 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

Almost like people have different opinions. 

Tbf a manager having their say on the players they keep in the squad is a pretty universal opinion, although some have that opinion until it's a player they like.

I'm afraid Maresca is 100% right on this one. 

He has plenty of options for the LB/inverted LB role.

Chilly is a very good player, but given his injury record, there is no manager that can trust him with a starting role. 

Plus, I feel that the club is trying to offload the huge earners. If they can manage to get rid of Chilwell, Lukaku and, pray to God, Sterling's wages, it will only leave Reece James and Fofana as the only two players with a contract of 200k per week or above. Which in today's inflated transfer amounts and contracts being offered, it truly is remarcable.

What's his remaining book value?

 

17 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

What's his remaining book value?

 

Said he was purchased for circa £45 million on a 5 year deal. So amortisation would be circa £9 million Pa. He signed a new deal after 2 and 3/4 years so at that point his value would have been around £22 million and on just over a 4 year deal so amortised sum Pa dropped to circa £ 5.2 million with just over a year gone of that contract it’s going to be close to but probably under£16 million.

But two major things

1) It’s possible that due to accounting transactions in 20/21 &21/22 his residual value was reduced through impairment. That’s simply an unknown . 

2) We need to now really focus on player costs ie Amorstiation + Wages .  That’s key because every month just he will cost in the case of Ben C around £1.3 million 
 

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by terraloon

10 hours ago, just said:

And Cucurella by comparison has only looked good for an extremely short period of time in a system that totally negates the need to defend properly by actually being calm enough at holding a set position under pressure and marking an opponent.

Okay, but the "extremely short period of time" was this year, the Chilwell we know and love hasn't been seen for years and very likely doesn't exist anymore (the same way City's Sterling is long gone).

But either way, two wrongs don't make a right. If Maresca comes to the conclusion they're both not at the level then play Viega or Gusto.

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by Argo

18 hours ago, PloKoon13 said:

All he needs is to be is better than Cucurella. Basic competence is all I ask for.

Okay and what about the fact he misses 80% of the season from injuries? 

And is he even better than Cucu lately? I would say no. And I don't rate Cucu at all, but Chilwell's last performances have been mediocre, for Chelsea and England. 

4 hours ago, Simplymo said:

 

As stated there has already been posts on James and tbh I agree with a lot of them too. Chilwell and James are very injury prone and unfortunately they are not the same as before. Also yes, James manages to hit his brilliant heights quicker but that's if he's actually playing instead of injured. I hope, i really hope he can go a season without injury but I very much doubt it!

 

James is already injured. He’s suspended for 3 Prem games but the injury is going to keep him, out for a month so he’ll miss the Conf League games. 

Cucurella pulled up with a hamstring injury at the end of the game. Chilwell will still be forced out though.

8 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

Cucurella pulled up with a hamstring injury at the end of the game. Chilwell will still be forced out though.

Seen reports it was crap. However if Marc did get injured is further proof, along with Palmers poor display, as to why Pep is not rushing Walker and co back quickly, cause it could mess up their whole season.

On 18/08/2024 at 12:46, Victor90 said:

Okay and what about the fact he misses 80% of the season from injuries? 

And is he even better than Cucu lately? I would say no. And I don't rate Cucu at all, but Chilwell's last performances have been mediocre, for Chelsea and England. 

Yes, that is bad. The academy has produced several footballers over the past few years who could have served as understudies.

Yes, he has been. International football is not real football. I would have hoped that Spain's performances would have conned one of the more idiotic sides into signing Cucurella.

On 18/08/2024 at 09:45, petre ispirescu said:

I'm afraid Maresca is 100% right on this one. 

He has plenty of options for the LB/inverted LB role.

Chilly is a very good player, but given his injury record, there is no manager that can trust him with a starting role. 

Plus, I feel that the club is trying to offload the huge earners. If they can manage to get rid of Chilwell, Lukaku and, pray to God, Sterling's wages, it will only leave Reece James and Fofana as the only two players with a contract of 200k per week or above. Which in today's inflated transfer amounts and contracts being offered, it truly is remarcable.

I’m a big Chilwell fan, but I think the injuries have taken their toll on him as a player and it’s maybe the right time for him to move on. I still think he has a role to play though. James is probably another one we need to think about in the future if he simply cannot stay fit.

 

The bit in bold though… I’m not sure that’s such a wonderful achievement when we’re banging about mid-table the last two years and scrapping for the conference league at best. Let’s see if we can ever challenge for titles again… then it’ll be an achievement but we’re 3 years into a project with nothing to show for it other than a lower wage bill? Not really ringing endorsement given we were champions of Europe a year before they took over.

On 18/08/2024 at 13:03, BS66 said:

James is already injured. He’s suspended for 3 Prem games but the injury is going to keep him, out for a month so he’ll miss the Conf League games. 

They’d sell him too if he were fit. You better believe it. 

So say rumours, offered to united, not content with selling our best players, we now want to offload them to direct league rivals. Bonkers. Granted he has to find a club, but things must be getting desperate behind the scenes to offload players to consider this as an option. 

 

11 hours ago, SimonH said:

They’d sell him too if he were fit. You better believe it. 

When talking about the captaincy yesterday Maresca said "James is the captain, in this moment ... " and then bigged up Enzo and Levi's potential in leadership roles. 

Made me think James might be next in line for the chopping block, especially if he has another injury hit season, and that Enzo and Levi are being positioned as the new captain and vice.  Hopefully I'm reading WAY too much into it LOL, but Maresca's choice of language has seemed well thought out and deliberate up to now.

Edited August 22, 20241 yr by Sexyfootball

49 minutes ago, bluetrooper said:

So say rumours, offered to united, not content with selling our best players, we now want to offload them to direct league rivals. Bonkers. Granted he has to find a club, but things must be getting desperate behind the scenes to offload players to consider this as an option. 

 

I like chilly - and still think he is our best LB when fit....

 

....but this narrative around selling to rivals is wrong. Tell me from the past 5 years, how many players we have sold to rivals that we genuinely regret?

Mount to utd has flopped

Jorgi/kai to arsenal - don't regret selling jorgi, a little sad about kai.

kova to city hasn't set the world alight.

In truth - there are not many we have sold who have gone on to light the world on fire....and i expect that if we sell chilly, the same will be true.

37 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

When talking about the captaincy yesterday Maresca said "James is the captain, in this moment ... " and then bigged up Enzo and Levi's potential in leadership roles. 

Made me think James might be next in line for the chopping block, especially if he has another injury hit season, and that Enzo and Levi are being positioned as the new captain and vice.  Hopefully I'm reading WAY too much into it LOL, but Maresca's choice of language has seemed well thought out and deliberate up to now.

Fully justified as well.....if he can't stay fit, then it is pointless keeping him around. 

I am the greatest lover in the world....but can't have some slap and tickle. So it's all for nothing. 

Arsenal aren't rivals who have finished above us a couple of seasons? Cant believe Kai's return last season, probably more the same this from him. Whats being done so differently at Arsenal that he couldnt do with us? 

Kova just hit a game-winning goal against us for the League Champions? 

Agree so far with Mount, he took his injury record with him but we have sold to teams ahead of us in the league table. 

38 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

I like chilly - and still think he is our best LB when fit....

 

....but this narrative around selling to rivals is wrong. Tell me from the past 5 years, how many players we have sold to rivals that we genuinely regret?

Mount to utd has flopped

Jorgi/kai to arsenal - don't regret selling jorgi, a little sad about kai.

kova to city hasn't set the world alight.

In truth - there are not many we have sold who have gone on to light the world on fire....and i expect that if we sell chilly, the same will be true.

Sadly to illustrate how far we have fallen Emerson to WHU and Willian to Fulham come into the equation now as well!

Edit - Although we didn't sell Willian to Fulham but i wanted to include him for the sake of the pun.

Edited August 22, 20241 yr by WhiteWall

6 minutes ago, bluetrooper said:

Arsenal aren't rivals who have finished above us a couple of seasons? Cant believe Kai's return last season, probably more the same this from him. Whats being done so differently at Arsenal that he couldnt do with us? 

Kova just hit a game-winning goal against us for the League Champions? 

Agree so far with Mount, he took his injury record with him but we have sold to teams ahead of us in the league table. 

In the absence of a striker we mainly parked him in the 6 yard box. He struggled to adjust to the speed and muscle of the PL in his first season with us and was written off by many because of it. He's now playing to what were his strengths in the BL: floating, finding space, ghosting into the box. He's better off now with PL experience and Arteta's encouragement. 

Fantastic left wing back, when fit.

Unfortunately we no longer play with wingbacks and this guy's a walking sick note.

This is a story of what could have been. If Chilly and Reece hadn't have gotten so many injuries we'd have a far more successful recent record.

Lovely bloke but injuries and the new Maresca system coupled with his wages make offloading him too logical. 

6 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

When talking about the captaincy yesterday Maresca said "James is the captain, in this moment ... " and then bigged up Enzo and Levi's potential in leadership roles. 

Made me think James might be next in line for the chopping block, especially if he has another injury hit season, and that Enzo and Levi are being positioned as the new captain and vice.  Hopefully I'm reading WAY too much into it LOL, but Maresca's choice of language has seemed well thought out and deliberate up to now.

 

Tbh imo, I took it more that there might be a different captain each game depending on the setup. He stated he hasn't got a fixed 11. The starting eleven will change depending on who they play. He also said there's 3 or 4 more than can be made captain's but I think it's the language barrier as he corrected himself later and said James is the captain but he will have many vice captain's.

Also It's his way of telling them to step up, he kept on saying extra step to take, etc. He wants lots of vocal leaders on the pitch and the 3 or 4 more vice captains need to make that extra step up.

 

Honestly I really liked his interview and lots of info there if you also read in between the lines. And I agree the way he answers the media is well thought out but I also think it's quite honest. 

12 minutes ago, Simplymo said:

 

Tbh imo, I took it more that there might be a different captain each game depending on the setup. He stated he hasn't got a fixed 11. The starting eleven will change depending on who they play. He also said there's 3 or 4 more than can be made captain's but I think it's the language barrier as he corrected himself later and said James is the captain but he will have many vice captain's.

Also It's his way of telling them to step up, he kept on saying extra step to take, etc. He wants lots of vocal leaders on the pitch and the 3 or 4 more vice captains need to make that extra step up.

 

Honestly I really liked his interview and lots of info there if you also read in between the lines. And I agree the way he answers the media is well thought out but I also think it's quite honest. 

Without doubt we need a lot more leaders all over the pitch. We are a country mile behind where we used to be, when we had about 7 national team captains in our starting XI. 

If Maresca can make a difference and coax some leadership qualities out of all these relative youngsters then he'll have done very well. Encouraging that he thinks he has a few candidates in mind to work with on that, as they don't obviously present themselves to the casual observer.

I still think Reece James is on dodgy ground though 🙂