1 minute ago, just said:

The only option is Ivan Toney.

I agree with you but why in the world would he come?

1 minute ago, OriginalS said:

I agree with you but why in the world would he come?

Good question. Ollie McBurnie might be willing.

 

 

As it turns out @just and Giorgio Chiellini, the best centre-back in Serie A for the last decade, both have the same opinions about the quality of Italian football:

Quote

No, I don’t think so. It would have been the same if Scamacca went to Juventus or Inter or Milan, he needed time. Probably in Italy, it’s easier because he knows the league, but West Ham are on the same level as the best team in Serie A. Have you seen (Chris) Smalling or (Fikayo) Tomori or (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek? Physically they are three times better than most players in Italy. Physically they have a supremacy that can permit them to destroy the opponents. That’s not something that is easy to figure out. 

 

In saying that Osimhen's ability to score ~75% of his goals in scrappy circumstances is IMO what makes him well-suited to the EPL. It is the hallmark of all the great strikers in the EPL (with the exception of maybe Drogba and Henry).

A loan with an option to buy ?  

13 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

A loan with an option to buy ?  

Even better, a swap deal for Lukaku?

40 minutes ago, just said:

Even better, a swap deal for Lukaku?

Even Noel Edmonds couldn't get that over the line.

12 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

 

As it turns out @just and Giorgio Chiellini, the best centre-back in Serie A for the last decade, both have the same opinions about the quality of Italian football:

 

In saying that Osimhen's ability to score ~75% of his goals in scrappy circumstances is IMO what makes him well-suited to the EPL. It is the hallmark of all the great strikers in the EPL (with the exception of maybe Drogba and Henry).

Fiorentina had 68% possession against West Ham, they only lost to them due to a last minute goal, that's just edging out the 8th best team of Serie A so it doesn't really look like West Ham is equal to the best Italian team. Inter also narrowly lost to Man City as well in the CL final.

 

Makes a January signing possible now. 
 

 

On 12/12/2023 at 21:52, Gol15 said:

Fiorentina had 68% possession against West Ham, they only lost to them due to a last minute goal, that's just edging out the 8th best team of Serie A so it doesn't really look like West Ham is equal to the best Italian team. Inter also narrowly lost to Man City as well in the CL final.

That's an n=1 sample size. Anything can happen in a single game. It's a bit like arguing that Luton are one of the best teams in the Premier League as they only narrowly lost to Man City.

Chiellini's comments were based on what he has observed and played over more than a decade in the league, as a defender to boot. He is a player that has seen the decline of Serie A from its peak to its trough and now to its current, slightly rejuvinated state. 

2 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

That's an n=1 sample size. Anything can happen in a single game. It's a bit like arguing that Luton are one of the best teams in the Premier League as they only narrowly lost to Man City.

Chiellini's comments were based on what he has observed and played over more than a decade in the league, as a defender to boot. He is a player that has seen the decline of Serie A from its peak to its trough and now to its current, slightly rejuvinated state. 

You're extrapolating from what he said to something of your own view, what he actually pointed out is just the physicality being this key factor as to why it's much more harder in the PL in comparison to Italy and he even mentions RLC being so physically superior that he destroys his opponents just because of that which I doubt but that's one argument for itself and how much does that alone contribute to everything else is also a big question.

Anyway just because the player in question was in West Ham at some point Chiellini says that West Ham is as good as the best team in Italy but if that were to be the truth it would have been as clear as day which it really isn't. Man City can win against any team but not West Ham, just because they are in the PL it doesn't automatically make them better than the best teams from other leagues as it simply doesn't work that way.

Nico couldn't control a ball like that for a million quid

There isn't a defender in the league that would let him juggle the ball like that unchallenged.

Drogba is also liking it.

 

 

Bring him home

Must be a whole generation of African footballers that "feel" Chelsea thanks to Didier Drogba.

I'd imagine Osimhen is one of them.

It's not the worst idea to bring him in, albeit you can absolutely guarantee that Napoli will rinse us on the fee (which would happen regardless of who our owner is)

2 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

Must be a whole generation of African footballers that "feel" Chelsea thanks to Didier Drogba.

I'd imagine Osimhen is one of them.

It's not the worst idea to bring him in, albeit you can absolutely guarantee that Napoli will rinse us on the fee (which would happen regardless of who our owner is)

He has a release clause so that will be it, pay it or go away.

Gut feeling is he would not workout here.

A release clause simply starts the process, it allows talks to take place. It is not a set price, it is the absolute minimum.

Well, it is a set price, unless the club particularly want to spend more than the release clause for some reason. It's a "if a club offers x we will accept the offer" clause. Of course the player can refuse to go if they don't want to.

Could just be saying thank you for the birthday wishes. 

As far as who should be our striker I don't know the answer. This generation the market is thin when it comes to top strikers and centrebacks. 

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Could just be saying thank you for the birthday wishes. 

As far as who should be our striker I don't know the answer. This generation the market is thin when it comes to top strikers and centrebacks. 

I was thinking about this the other day when reminiscing about the earliest football manager version I played (2005).

The quality and volume of strikers around then compared to now is simply startling - Adriano, Henry, Eto'o, Shevchenko, Ronaldo (original), Drogba, Raul, van Nistelrooy, Villa, Torres, Ibrahimovic, Rooney... probably plenty of others that I'm forgetting.

Asides from Kane and Haaland, is there anyone nowadays who'd be able to hold a candle to the 2005 cohort?

1 minute ago, Fatty_Speeding said:

I was thinking about this the other day when reminiscing about the earliest football manager version I played (2005).

The quality and volume of strikers around then compared to now is simply startling - Adriano, Henry, Eto'o, Shevchenko, Ronaldo (original), Drogba, Raul, van Nistelrooy, Villa, Torres, Ibrahimovic, Rooney... probably plenty of others that I'm forgetting.

Asides from Kane and Haaland, is there anyone nowadays who'd be able to hold a candle to the 2005 cohort?

Yeah during the 2003-2009 period. 

Drogba

Anelka

Van Persie

Henry

Eto'o

Villa

Torres

Raul

Klose

Adriano

Forlan

Van Nistelrooy

Huntelaar

Dzeko

Ibrahoimovic

Berbatov

Rooney

Tevez

Defoe

 

It's why I have a higher respect for defenders in that era, as normally teams would play with 2 strikers. 

 

On 29/12/2023 at 11:50, Sexyfootball said:

Must be a whole generation of African footballers that "feel" Chelsea thanks to Didier Drogba.

I'd imagine Osimhen is one of them.

It's not the worst idea to bring him in, albeit you can absolutely guarantee that Napoli will rinse us on the fee (which would happen regardless of who our owner is)

He has a release clause, how will they rinse us on the fee?