Just announced, done deal.

Welcome Marco, a lot of great and muched loved Italians have written their name into the history of this club. I hope you can be another.

The first of many new signings we hope.

Good luck.

Welcome to Chelsea, Marco.

Time to move this thread to the main board.

Time to move the thread over. Hopefully means Gusto is on his way out.

1 hour ago, C3blue said:

Just announced, done deal.

Welcome Marco, a lot of great and muched loved Italians have written their name into the history of this club. I hope you can be another.

The first of many new signings we hope.

Good luck.

Born in Buccinasco, a comune on the SW outskirts of Milan. Home of the 'Ndrangheta - the Calabrian version of the Mafia - in the Lombardy region. Screw him over and a horse will wake up with your head in its stall.

Welcome back Conor Gallagher

55 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Welcome back Conor Gallagher

😀 same thing i thought when I saw that picture, hes a Gallagher regen

Welcome!!! Become a legend

I like his curtains. Very 1990’s britpop.

7 hours ago, GarnachoCheese said:

Hopefully means Gusto is on his way out.

Rumours are we want £75m for Gusto and he’s in the new kit promos.

I’m starting to lose any hope of selling him, it seems there are some board members that really like him amazingly.

11 minutes ago, 2211 said:

It seems there are some board members that really like him amazingly.

Probably don't want to sell to City now as a continuation of the pissing contest with Maresca

36 minutes ago, 2211 said:

Rumours are we want £75m for Gusto and he’s in the new kit promos.

I’m starting to lose any hope of selling him, it seems there are some board members that really like him amazingly.

Not the end of the world if we keep him now that we have Palestra.

If we qualify for Champions League next season and if Gusto is still Gusto, I'd love to sell him and replace him with Doue.

8 hours ago, GarnachoCheese said:

If he flops, then Serie A really is complete sh*t league these days.

6 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

If he flops, then Serie A really is complete sh*t league these days.

And if he doesn’t flop?

2 hours ago, dermott said:

And if he doesn’t flop?

A miracle

On 01/07/2026 at 14:06, C3blue said:

Just announced, done deal.

Welcome Marco, a lot of great and muched loved Italians have written their name into the history of this club. I hope you can be another.

The first of many new signings we hope.

Good luck.

We sign " many new signings" every transfer window. . The problem is we sign loads of sh*te every transfer window

Edited July 2Jul 2 by The Rising Sun
Information

I know that one shouldn't look at YouTube highlights as they make the player seem way better than they really are, but Palestra's Youtube highlights are...truly mediocre. A lot of his 'dribbles' just aren't going to come off against Premier League defenders, and a lot of his fouls won't fly either. He runs like Marcos Alonso, not particularly quick off the mark but big, strong and powerful making him hard to catch when in motion.

He is a good defender and at 6' 1" he's going to add much-needed height to the back line and crucially, the back post. Even if he isn't as successful as his Serie A stats suggest, any player who can carry the ball is sorely needed.

Edited July 2Jul 2 by SydneyChelsea

3 hours ago, dermott said:

And if he doesn’t flop?

Then there is hope for that league after all

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

We sign " many new signings" every transfer window. . The problem is we sign loads of sh*te every transfer window

This, I feel like we are more of entertainment club than a serious football club. We sell and buy many players every window which let's be honest excite a lot of people.

You have fans talking this player is sh!te, thst player is sh!te. New players coming, lots of argument about this and that and nothing really change. 😂😂

Edited July 3Jul 3 by Bob stark

5 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

Then there is hope for that league after all

Italian football is suffering from a long period of short term-ism. The plight of the national team is only a reflection of the issue. For too long it was easier and cheaper to buy in foreign players of variable quality than to invest in youth development. For a time, clubs were even given tax incentives to import players. Now done away with. Some clubs - eg, Atalanta - do invest in youth but nowhere near enough.

Which is madness. Everywhere you look around here every available space is filled with kids - boys and girls - playing football. The raw materials are available, it's a matter of time and patience - never an Italian priority - and targeted investment.

7 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I know that one shouldn't look at YouTube highlights as they make the player seem way better than they really are, but Palestra's Youtube highlights are...truly mediocre. A lot of his 'dribbles' just aren't going to come off against Premier League defenders, and a lot of his fouls won't fly either. He runs like Marcos Alonso, not particularly quick off the mark but big, strong and powerful making him hard to catch when in motion.

He is a good defender and at 6' 1" he's going to add much-needed height to the back line and crucially, the back post. Even if he isn't as successful as his Serie A stats suggest, any player who can carry the ball is sorely needed.

Do you want your defender (well most WBs are failed wingers) carrying the ball into the final third or a winger? It’s one thing getting up the field, the issue with WBs is what happens when they get there.

Personally feel if you want to play a 3-4-3 formation, you have to play in transition and not worry about controlling possession. Will be interesting to see how it pans out with most teams using a low block against us.

5 hours ago, markpitts said:

Do you want your defender (well most WBs are failed wingers) carrying the ball into the final third or a winger? It’s one thing getting up the field, the issue with WBs is what happens when they get there.

Personally feel if you want to play a 3-4-3 formation, you have to play in transition and not worry about controlling possession. Will be interesting to see how it pans out with most teams using a low block against us.

Balance wise its something we've lacked. Having fullbacks that can carry the ball and take players on will help create more chances against sides that sit back and will help transition the ball against sides that will press us.

Once they get to the final third however its anyone's guess but there is no reality where Palestra is as brain dead as Gusto in the final third.