7 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

The championship is probably a better standard of football than Portugal. 

Portuguese league's reptuation is being propped by Portugal having a bit of a golden generation for talent right now. Take away the Portuguese players, and it is hard to find a player from that league that has been reasonably successful. 

I'd have more confidence in a signing from the Championship than a signing from Serie A, Ligue Un or outside the top 3 in the Bundesliga. The Championship is just way better quality.

 

I still haven't seen this guy play so I'm only going by what you guys post and media. Tbh, the idea of him coming has been growing on me but as above I'm worried its just a different league for him. 

Cup games I don't count as much in rgds to new players as anything can happen and that includes euros and World Cup. How many flops have we seen coming from the basis they were amazing at the euros or WC!

about these though

11 hours ago, BS66 said:

There’s a reason no Prem team bought him when he was at Coventry (43 in 116 games) and if he’s really as good as people now think all the scouts should be fired for not seeing the potential. 

 

10 hours ago, 19seventyone said:

Think that’s a bit unfair.

He was still developing at Coventry and probably wasn’t ready. He is now.

So scouts shot on sight or was it an anomaly like salah and kdb (anomaly to Jose (and a few others). I was soo upset when we sold them. Not lukaku, couldn't stand him)

 

 

3 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I'd have more confidence in a signing from the Championship than a signing from Serie A, Ligue Un or outside the top 3 in the Bundesliga. The Championship is just way better quality.

Like kdh?

 

Honestly, not taking digs at anyone. But apart from the media which is up this guys arse, I really don't know.

 

Edited November 21, 20241 yr by Simplymo

17 hours ago, BS66 said:

Hard to get too excited about a hat-trick that includes 2 penalties and 4 against a team, outside the top 100, with lower than Championship level defenders. Perspective - Azerbaijan doesn’t have a defender valued at over 1m and the whole squad is worth less than Badiashile. 

There’s a reason no Prem team bought him when he was at Coventry (43 in 116 games) and if he’s really as good as people now think all the scouts should be fired for not seeing the potential. 

He rejected quite a few teams in prem and other top leagues to join Sporting as he felt it was better for his career, seems like he was right. Scouts saw the potential, they just couldn't force him to sign. 

9 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Portuguese league's reptuation is being propped by Portugal having a bit of a golden generation for talent right now. Take away the Portuguese players, and it is hard to find a player from that league that has been reasonably successful. 

I'd have more confidence in a signing from the Championship than a signing from Serie A, Ligue Un or outside the top 3 in the Bundesliga. The Championship is just way better quality.

These level of talents coming from Portugal is nothing different from what we've seen in the past, it's a remarkable consistent league in terms of generating talent. Still can't develop a striker though. 

I'm not quite sure what your point is about taking away Portuguese players, the players who leave for the big money moves have almost always been Portuguese. It's not a recent thing. So yes if you take away the main players they develop you may struggle to find others that have been as good but you still have the likes of Di Maria, Diaz, etc.

From watching both leagues I do not believe the Championship is better quality, it's just, usually, more competitive in terms of who can actually get promoted. A team like Santa Clara plays better football than 90% of the teams in the Championship. 

Edited November 21, 20241 yr by Remodez

1 hour ago, Remodez said:

These level of talents coming from Portugal is nothing different from what we've seen in the past, it's a remarkable consistent league in terms of generating talent. Still can't develop a striker though. 

I'm not quite sure what your point is about taking away Portuguese players, the players who leave for the big money moves have almost always been Portuguese. It's not a recent thing. So yes if you take away the main players they develop you may struggle to find others that have been as good but you still have the likes of Di Maria, Diaz, etc.

From watching both leagues I do not believe the Championship is better quality, it's just, usually, more competitive in terms of who can actually get promoted. A team like Santa Clara plays better football than 90% of the teams in the Championship. 

And at the same time a team like Santa Clara would be fighting for their life in the Championship. The quality and intensity of the league is poor so players are likely to get more game time at a younger age and help their development. 

Same reason Estevao looks amazing in the Brazilian league and looked like a child on international duty the other day. 

33 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

And at the same time a team like Santa Clara would be fighting for their life in the Championship. The quality and intensity of the league is poor so players are likely to get more game time at a younger age and help their development. 

Same reason Estevao looks amazing in the Brazilian league and looked like a child on international duty the other day. 

I can agree on intensity but quality is not any better, especially this season so far, bottom championship teams are just as bad as the bottom teams in Portugal. The reason young players get more chances isn't to do with the league being of poor quality, it's simply cause their development and eventual sale is only way teams make any money.

I wouldn't compare Brazil league to Portugal's, it's a completely different level due to them playing state games v barely professional teams.  

As for the likes of Estevao and Gyokeres by extension, I wouldn't look down on players cause of the league they play in. From what I've seen they both have very clear talent and will succeed, whether they adapt to the league or our system isn't really league specific. Many players have come from other top leagues and failed in the prem and many have come from so called lesser leagues and succeeded in prem, it's why you need the right scouts to identify strengths and weaknesses in players to ensure they fit your team. If you just waited for them to perform in the top leagues only you would constantly be playing catch up and overpaying.

3 hours ago, Remodez said:

If you just waited for them to perform in the top leagues only you would constantly be playing catch up and overpaying.

Or follow the Chelsea model and wait for them to perform in the sh*t leagues and still overpay. Ala Enzo. 

On 20/11/2024 at 23:35, SydneyChelsea said:

Portuguese league's reptuation is being propped by Portugal having a bit of a golden generation for talent right now. Take away the Portuguese players, and it is hard to find a player from that league that has been reasonably successful. 

I'd have more confidence in a signing from the Championship than a signing from Serie A, Ligue Un or outside the top 3 in the Bundesliga. The Championship is just way better quality.

Absolutely disagree.

When people say the EPL is the best in the world I think people get carried away a tad.

The EPL is the most exciting league with the best depth. Only certain players from abroad can handle the intensity of the EPL and the amount of foreign players who do well here far exceeds players from the Chsmpionship. Similarly, only certain English players can adapt to the football in European leagues.

We signed the best player from the deepest squad in the Championship in the summer and he looks a fair distance from being the quality required at Chelsea.

 

 

Although not getting on the scoresheet, he was a real handful last night. In a game dominated by Arsenal, when he received the ball, he held it up well, outpaced the Arsenal defenders a few times and had a shot which hit the post which was a good effort. Really explosive and looked the real deal with his overall play.

I'm just going to bump this because this is the calibre of forward we should be looking to sign this window.

Priority signing.

1 hour ago, Luca Vialli said:

I'm just going to bump this because this is the calibre of forward we should be looking to sign this window.

Priority signing.

Daydreaming mate, what happened with Osimhen should tell you that.

This other Victor knows his value, and it does not fit in our pay structure.

Plus we are PSR broke hence no signings yet because we cannot make sales.

Another point.

Even if we could afford him and offered him the type of wages he was looking for, why would he come here?

Seriously. There is supposedly several European clubs, that have CL football, who are keen on him for the summer.

So why come to Chelsea when we are falling like a stone and cannot be sure of CL football next season, and this whole project is a long term scam to make our owners more money?

Enzo, Caicedo, Lavia, Cucu, and the many other signings show the owners aren’t afraid to spend. Look at the Dodgers - Boehly wants marquee players. 

PSR complicates things but I don’t think we can question owners willingness to spend! Now, spend well is a different conversation! 

And total clickbait bumping this thread! I came here fully expecting “it’s happening”! I’ll be back in 48 hours to check. 

Edited January 17, 20251 yr by PhilH930

51 minutes ago, PhilH930 said:

Enzo, Caicedo, Lavia, Cucu, and the many other signings show the owners aren’t afraid to spend. Look at the Dodgers - Boehly wants marquee players. 

PSR complicates things but I don’t think we can question owners willingness to spend! Now, spend well is a different conversation! 

And total clickbait bumping this thread! I came here fully expecting “it’s happening”! I’ll be back in 48 hours to check. 

He is the obvious choice for anyone looking for a quality striker at the moment. Yet our sporting directors will spunk more money on someone like Durhan or Ferguson or some random kid from brazil, than they will for proven players.

5 minutes ago, Zeta said:

He is the obvious choice for anyone looking for a quality striker at the moment. Yet our sporting directors will spunk more money on someone like Durhan or Ferguson or some random kid from brazil, than they will for proven players.

Should have bought him on Day 1 of the Transfer Window. Last summer ... 

33 minutes ago, Zeta said:

He is the obvious choice for anyone looking for a quality striker at the moment. Yet our sporting directors will spunk more money on someone like Durhan or Ferguson or some random kid from brazil, than they will for proven players.

Sporting will want the release clause paid at once, don’t think our books can take that hit. I reckon any incoming will be a “swap” disguised as separate deals.

Yeah I think it’s the outlay that put us off.

We may buy Tel for 60m but we certainly won’t be spending all of that at once, spread over a few years I imagine.

See if Joao Felix or Nkunku want to go to Sporting, Get some money off.

Come on Chels, Get this done.

On 29/01/2025 at 10:35, Zeta said:

He is the obvious choice for anyone looking for a quality striker at the moment. Yet our sporting directors will spunk more money on someone like Durhan or Ferguson or some random kid from brazil, than they will for proven players.

\

Nice graphic by Seb here on Duran, he would compliment Jackson pretty well, basically good at the stuff the other isn’t and vice versa.

A damn shame Saudi came in for him really. 

That Seb is a real plonker to be honest. 

Said Palmer isn't a creative player and with one of the most wildest takes ever (he is willing to die on this hill by the way), Sterling > Hazard. 

I see this thread pop up and I wonder, just for a moment, we couldn't, could we?

Then reality comes in...

 

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

That Seb is a real plonker to be honest. 

Said Palmer isn't a creative player and with one of the most wildest takes ever (he is willing to die on this hill by the way), Sterling > Hazard. 

His reasoning was that he personally classifies him as a ‘problem solver’, so it’s more a case of loose definitions I’d say. 

He said Sterling over Hazard? Must have missed that one 😅 he does tend to like putting out controversy and ‘baiting’, especially post-roman, but I’d say 60/70% of his takes are solid, and as a scout, he definitely shows more nous than a lot of these more famous Chelsea accounts with no credentials. 

On 30/01/2025 at 10:50, Term_X said:

 

 

He said Sterling over Hazard? Must have missed that one 😅 he does tend to like putting out controversy and ‘baiting’, especially post-roman, but I’d say 60/70% of his takes are solid, and as a scout, he definitely shows more nous than a lot of these more famous Chelsea accounts with no credentials. 

Yup, and he blocked me and several others for bantering him about it. 

Hasn't he denied on social media to become a Chelsea player already. Someone posted "Gyokeres to Chelsea who says no" and he replied "Me"...