Just wondering what people think the best thing to do in january is. Do we look to purchase what with players leaving for Africa, or do we wait until the summer when we will have a clearer picture of who is staying/going.( i think recent performances have shown we must do whatever we can to keep Lampard and Drogba) Players are not cup-tied in the summer and more quality etc is available. If we wait are we writing off this season?

Just going back to the point about keeping Drogba, i saw a letter in the paper from a scouser saying only a club without dignity like CFC would play a player like Drogba who has expressed his unhappiness at the club and that maybe his future could lay elsewhere....... Steven Gerrard anyone?

And dont get me started on a scouser using the word dignity.

I think(and wish) we are going to buy a good/great striker that is not CL cup tied. There has been no signs from Grant that Sheva or Pizza are going to get time on the pitch.

There are players that are not cup tied and who play regularly at the moment that are possible to lure to Chelsea. Sheva and Pizza just are not ready to carry the team with this system.

Possible choices:

1. Benni McCarthy - best choice IMO

2. Benjani from Portsmouth - I hope he is not the one. His pace is not enough for Chelsea.

3. Nicholas Anelka - good choice IMO

4. Obafemi Martins - not sure. has lot of pace.

5. someone from outside EPL

It'll be interesting to see who Grant goes in for with his first transfer budget.

Will he sign some unknown Isralli superstar with his vast experience, web of contacts and deep knowledge of the game?

If we go down the Ronaldinho/Galatico route then it'll be clear why the previous manager left and who's pulling the strings. Judging by the current two 'Ballack and Sheva,' I hope we never go down this route again and only sign players the manager wants, not someone who will sell loads of shirts, cost the earth and play like someone on their last big pay-day who already thinks they're semi-retired !

We're alright for midfielders and defenders, we need a forward to cover the gap Sheva was supposed to fill but looks ever more unlikely to. We need a pacey finisher up front. Also.... perhaps a decent winger, but this is hopefully where Sinclair will get his chance!

Jose was given very little to spend pre-season, will AG be given the 'war-chest' and will he be able to sign players he wants rather than the chairman's. Seeing as he got the job by being the chairmans mate I imagine they'll have very similar tastes

Seeing as we're signing someone to cover the 30m flop I'd ask Roman to take a back seat when looking at player, perhaps Grant can succeed where others failed.

From what I've seen I would be after a striker not to take over the Flops place but more Pizarro,

I know he's not getting games but still think he has got something left to offer especially as one of a front two, I think Drogba was a better player when Sheva was in the team (not because shev was so bad )

I have got nothing against Pizarro, I just rate Sheva higher and still think we need a striker, Anelka would be my choice, maybe Huntalaar as he could be the poacher we need on the end of the type of balls Drogs doesn't quite reach.

I have faith though in the Marva one as he doesn't say a lot but still waters run deep and he is thinking...all the time.

You gotta have faith faith faith

huntelaar is interesting player, but I think he is more of a summer signing since the player(s) we are going for should be experienced Premier League player(s). Also VanDerVaart is very interesting. He is not a pure striker but plays just behind strikers as shadow striker. That would make us change our formation and I'm not sure it would be a huge catasrophe.

But seriously thinking I think Anelka or Benni would be right choices. Not sure Benni is in our reach, but..

Do we need to buy?

The big problem that I see is that no-one who is any good will come to play for 5 or 6 weeks only to be back on the bench when Drogs, Essien and Mikel return.

Can we put out a decent team whilst our African players are away? I think so.

-----------------4-3-3--------------------------------------------4-4-2

-----------------Cech----------------------------------------------Cech

Ferreira-----Carvalho----JT----Bridge-----------------Ferreira-----Carvalho----JT----Bridge

-----------------Maka----------------------------Cole----Ballack---Lampard----Malouda

----Ballack-----------------Lampard--------------------------Sheva-----------------------

Cole---------------------------Malouda----------------------------Pizarro--------------

----------------Sheva---------------

That still leaves us with:

Carlo, Belletti, Cole, Alex, TBH, Sidwell, SWP, Sinclair, Pizarro

I reckon we ought to be able to make do with that - injuries aside.

If we found another striker that we wanted on a long term basis then fine - go ahead and get him.

Given that we are highly likely to be desperate for a replacement for Drogba by the summer, there's no harm in starting the hunt now, is there?

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar-24 years old and amazing. Good replacement for Drogba when he leaves for the ACON. Also agree with everyone else that Anelka would be good too. Another striker could be Karim Benzema from Lyon. He's 19 can play a lone stiker or on the wings

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar-24 years old and amazing. Good replacement for Drogba when he leaves for the ACON. Also agree with everyone else that Anelka would be good too. Another striker could be Karim Benzema from Lyon. He's 19 can play a lone stiker or on the wings

I agree. I don't know too much about Benzema but the little I've seen of him has been great. Also, Trezeguet says that Benzema reminds him of himself when he was young and that's not bad at all.

Do we need to buy?

The big problem that I see is that no-one who is any good will come to play for 5 or 6 weeks only to be back on the bench when Drogs, Essien and Mikel return.

Can we put out a decent team whilst our African players are away? I think so.

-----------------4-3-3--------------------------------------------4-4-2

-----------------Cech----------------------------------------------Cech

Ferreira-----Carvalho----JT----Bridge-----------------Ferreira-----Carvalho----JT----Bridge

-----------------Maka----------------------------Cole----Ballack---Lampard----Malouda

----Ballack-----------------Lampard--------------------------Sheva-----------------------

Cole---------------------------Malouda----------------------------Pizarro--------------

----------------Sheva---------------

That still leaves us with:

Carlo, Belletti, Cole, Alex, TBH, Sidwell, SWP, Sinclair, Pizarro

I reckon we ought to be able to make do with that - injuries aside.

If we found another striker that we wanted on a long term basis then fine - go ahead and get him.

I concur. I also think that Huntelaar is a possible choice

Scott

Don't see why Berbatov isn't worth a mention? Last season he was brilliant and i think a he would fit in more with the style that Avram Grant supposedly wants to play .. he's good with the ball at his feet, makes good runs and is very capable of bring others into play. IMO he is a far better option than Huntelaar as he has alot more to offer to the team and i think Huntelaar is more of a poacher and is not much of an all round player

I don't think we should by anymore African players, for obvious reasons. With that in mind, players like Anelka and Berbatov should become our new targets. I also like the look of that new German forward, Gomes, and I think he could make it here at Chelsea. But if pace, strength and experience is what we need, then I suppose Anelka is our best bet.

It seems like the only thing on the shopping list is a striker, in that case hav'nt Anelka and Beni Macarthy played in the UEFA cup this season leaving them cup tied for the CL?. Not sure if Drogba would miss any CL games anyway because of the ACON, does'nt the CL stop through January.

I like Berbatov too, but if Drogba does leave do we want to replace him with another striker with to much to say(Berbatov,Anelka)?

I think the best thing to do is wait now untill the summer, and build long term. Ethicalstrategy has put 2 more than capable teams out with plenty in reserve and not all the players will be gone for the full 5weeks(some might be gone for 10, they tend to go AWOL in Africa ).

I'm quoting myself:

Possible choices:

1. Benni McCarthy - best choice IMO

2. Benjani from Portsmouth - I hope he is not the one. His pace is not enough for Chelsea.

3. Nicholas Anelka - good choice IMO

4. Obafemi Martins - not sure. has lot of pace.

5. someone from outside EPL

I didn't think much, did I. Benni from south africa, Benjani from Zimbabwe, Martins from Nigeria all great choices to cover us during the, what was it again... oh, I remember: African Nations Cup...goddamn I'm an idiot, and I wasn't even drunk writing that...

I got Anelka right .

I still think Huntelaar isn't ready to cover us in such short notice. It is possible he adjusts to the english game immediately, but it's a gamble more or less.

I think we need an experienced player...

I read in last night's evening standard Grant is looking to strengthen the midfield and reckons we need a play-maker

No forward Avi?

Not one person on this thread so far reckons we need a playmaker. Do we? Right at this moment in time?

Midfield is one area I would not be looking to strenghten!!

A CREATIVE playmaker*...YES !!

*Creative playmaker: A football player that usually plays on the back of the Strikers/Forwards and that dictates moves, assists others and/or scores himself. Usually has less defensive worries then the box-to-box playmaker (see Frank Lampard) or even the deep lying playmaker (see Pilro). See Kaka, Ronaldinho, Messi or Deco.

(Manager, Sofa. manager, The wannabee, 2007, Mambo Jambo Publishing)

A CREATIVE playmaker*...YES !!

*Creative playmaker: A football player that usually plays on the back of the Strikers/Forwards and that dictates moves, assists others and/or scores himself. Usually has less defensive worries then the box-to-box playmaker (see Frank Lampard) or even the deep lying playmaker (see Pilro). See Kaka, Ronaldinho, Messi or Deco.

(Manager, Sofa. manager, The wannabee, 2007, Mambo Jambo Publishing)

But we don't play with this formation at present. Why bring someone in a build a side around them half way through the season? Why not try it our with Joe Cloe playing there? I really don't think we need to strengthen the midfield in January.

But we don't play with this formation at present. Why bring someone in a build a side around them half way through the season? Why not try it our with Joe Cloe playing there? I really don't think we need to strengthen the midfield in January.

Yes, you're right. A couple of us were screaming for that "creative playmaker" on the 442 diamond era, because - at the time - it was more of a 4132, wich meant, as you recall, having Lampard, Essien and Ballack with the backs covered by Maka on a line of 3 NotSoCreative "playmakers". At the same time a couple of us also sugested Joe Cole there as he's the most similar to that creative playmaker we have.

This formation we're playing (the hated/loved 433) doesn't use one, but our wingers aren't exactly setting the world on fire.

So all in all, should we:

1. Buy new wingers, and/or wait for SWP to deliver a decent cross, Joe Cole and Kalou to become wingers and Malouda to establish himself, while Shevchenko and Pizarro warm the bench ?

OR

2. Get ourselves a "Kaka" and add another option, wich includes using the Strikers we have and this playmaker. (probably reverting to some sort of 442) ?

Which means the prolific Sheva gets a game

I agree. I don't know too much about Benzema but the little I've seen of him has been great. Also, Trezeguet says that Benzema reminds him of himself when he was young and that's not bad at all.

Trezeguet was crap when he was young.

Drogba's arguably the best and most in form striker in world football.

So I agree with Avram Grant that its more creativity from midfield that we need at this point (i'm including the wide players in a 4-3-3 as midfielders in this arguement). That means either a central midfielder to play more advanced than Lampard or a wide attacker.

I agree. I don't know too much about Benzema but the little I've seen of him has been great. Also, Trezeguet says that Benzema reminds him of himself when he was young and that's not bad at all.

Trezeguet was crap when he was young.

Perhaps, but he's great now.

I read in last night's evening standard Grant is looking to strengthen the midfield and reckons we need a play-maker

No forward Avi?

Not one person on this thread so far reckons we need a playmaker. Do we? Right at this moment in time?

Midfield is one area I would not be looking to strenghten!!

He's smarter than I give him credit for.

We don't have a player, a single player in the squad that can run at defenders with pace. Joe Cole runs at defenders, but doesn't have pace. Malouda and Wright-Phillips have pace, but don't really run at defenders. Also, I don't know if anyone has noticed that Mikel and Makelele aside our midfield seems totally unable to move or trap the ball.

It would require a mega change of system. But I think Grant has noticed that we rarely create anything through the centre.

However I would like him to consider how he can develop the team to be more effective rather than buying a single player .

This is how I see our formation from midfield up at the moment.

................maka/mikel..................

..essien/sidwell....lampard/ballack

.....joey/creative mf.......................

........................malouda/kalou......

.........didier/sheva/pizza................

If we are in fact looking for a creative midfielder a.k.a. Zola, Diego, Kaka, VanDerVaart? etc he would fit to take joey's place as joey simply isn't effective enough for that job. I'd like to see joey succeed there, but just don't see it happen at the moment.

No, because Joe Cole is a superior wide player to anyone else we have. Joe would benefit from playing with a more dynamic player, because unlike SWP/Malouda/Duff/Robben he doesn't have the pace to simply latch onto Lampard and Essien's balls over the top.