Anelka and Di Santo ....

[Star]

Chelsea have tabled a bid for Anelka around the 8 million mark as reported in the papers and are trying to agree terms for Di Santo.

Huntelaar WILL be at the bridge next season for certain as for the Drog it remains to be seen !

Scouts are STILL watching Jones at Sunderland but no bid has been made.

[Maksimov]

Good news about Huntelaar if it's true. I seem to remember you being right about these before.

[sweet waffle]

Sounds good, I just hope we don't mess it up.

[Alan]

Sounds good, thanks for the info Star.

[Chippy]

just saw this onCaught offside site,

Blues sign Argentine teenager–McCarthy, Anelka next?

December 19, 2007

Chelsea has signed 18 year-old Argentine forward Franco Matias di Santo from Chilean first division side Audax Italiano and is eying Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy and Bolton’s Nicolas Anelka as further reinforcements for its depleted front line.

Di Santo will move to Stamford Bridge for GBP3.4 million when the transfer window opens next month, according to Sky Sports. McCarthy and Anelka, meanwhile, are at the top of Avram Grant’s Christmas wish list, according to the Guardian. The bidding for di Santo was reportedly intense, with Blues managing to beat out no fewer than nine Premiership clubs alone–including the three other Big Four teams.

Di Santo is a product of Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba, a local club side in Argentina’s Mendoza province. He switched to the Chilean club last year, where he has scored 13 goals in 35 starts. Di Santo has an Italian passport that allows him to circumvent working paper headaches once he joins the squad.

Now the question is, how long should Grant wait before starting the youngster? How badly are McCarthy and/or Anelka needed at Stamford Bridge? The West London side will be without key striker Didier Drogba until at least the end of January but does that warrant bringing on multiple veteran forwards?

[Barn]

So our potential foward line will go from Drog's and a couple of deadbeats, to Drogs(fingers crossed), Di Santo, Anelka, Huuntela, Kenwyn Jones and a couple of deadbeats.

That'll be a new problem to this years!

Good news though certainly on the bid for Anelka if we get him in January. We need to offload some of those that aren't up to the job though (Sheva, Pizzaro, Kalou) rather than just keep paying their wages.

[Elliott]

Fantastic news about Huntelaar. Let's hope Didier has a change of heart and stays with us for the remainder of his contract.

Oh well, £8 million? Let's see if Bolton let Anelka go?

I believe he has a contract clause allowing him to go to any of the big four teams?

[Tim]

I'm all for Huntelaar, but I have to admit that I am being a massive hypocrite, in that I laughed and laughed at the L*verpool fans who said with 'authority' that Kuyt was a great signing, despite not exactly being aficionados of Dutch football, and so were essentially talking out of their arses, but I will be doing exactly the same about him.

Still, I was right about Dirk 'he's quality and will be our 20 goal a season man' Kuyt, so to all of them.

[Gem]

I'm in the Huntelaar camp.

My track record is poor though... Del Horno was going to be the greatest LB and Shevchenko was going to create world peace.

[High Street Ken]

My real name is Kenwyn (without the "e" on the end), so I'll be chuffed if we one day sign Jones and he scores bucketloads...then the crowd will be singing my name!

But seriously, he's hardly prolific and certainly not of the quality we expect at The Bridge.

[just]

I'm pleased about the Anelka link. A few years back, (in fact when CR was still manager), myself and Butch regularly put his name forward as player we should be going after.

Of course we all know he is a big french tit with the attitude and arrogance that go with that, but, when viewed from a purely footballing perspective, there is not alot to dislike. Pace, strength, aerial ability, vision, finishing and a wonderful touch. Wish he were a couple of years younger but at 28 years old he still has some left in the tank and I feel he really wants another chance on a big stage. He knows it would be his last shot, he'd be a prat not to make the most of it.

[barak81]

Put me in the anelka camp.

Would like to see huntelar over here as well but he's a gamble in terms of adapting, anelka IMO is a sure thing, every attribute a world class striker needs and the only thing that ruined it for him on the big stage was him self.

One more shot at the big time and a bit of preshure of the sholdures of the the drog father!!

[BlueBeard]

Of course we all know he is a big french tit

That is my only concern regarding his possible transfer to Chelsea

[mad_mac]

I can't say that I have been the biggest fan of anelka's and I really hope we are not signing him "just becasue>" Hte young Di Santos kid sounds promising, but not being an oficionado of Chellean soccer, I can't speak to much about him. ONly I hope that he gets a run of games and doesn't just warm the bench then mess off to Italy!

However, Huntelaar I am excited about. He has said that one of the main things he works on is his physical fitness because he wants to be able to run and give it his all for 90 minutes, from the first whistle to the final one! That is a great attribute to have in a player, and very remniscent of Essien.

He is the leading U21's scorer with something like 18 goals in 24 matches. Not a bad rate at all. he is an out and out striker though, so I am hoping that this di santos kid is somewhat of a flair player a la gudjohnsen so they would link up nicely together. It also means that he could be a great target man with players like joey, kalou, or malouda serving him up through balls!

Either way, I really am looking forward to the summer if it means we go for Jans "the hunter" Huntelaar

Scott

[Guest]

We need to offload some of those that aren't up to the job though (Sheva, Pizzaro, Kalou) rather than just keep paying their wages.

Sheva and Pizzaro maybe, but I beleive Kalou is still young and has a future at the club.

[mad_mac]

I agree, no way should we get rid of Kalou. Also, anyone sold should not be sold until the summer. for once we lack any real depth!

[Dorset]

Like Scott, I can’t say I’m the biggest Anelka fan either - there is more than an element of wasted talent due to poor temperament where this guy is concerned - but it would be a trip to the last chance saloon for him, in terms of gaining major honours, which should (emphasis on the word) be a big enough incentive.

Huntelaar seems to be earmarked as the worker in any striking partnership, if the rumours of his training and general approach to the game are anything to go by - will we see a resemblance to Ian Hutchinson, if we’re lucky?

Di Santo must still be placed in the ’prospect’ category, but anybody who is chased by a whole host Premiership clubs, as he has been, must have something special and, if he’s 6ft 4 ins and still bears comparison with Maradona then that’s got to be something VERY special.

Sadly, from what Star says, it looks as though Didier’s days with us may be numbered, hence a continued monitoring of Kenwyne Jones. Perhaps it also means that the futures of Sheva and Pizarro have already been decided and by the summer they will both be gone, leaving Di Santo, Kalou and possibly Jones as back up for a Huntelaar/Anelka partnership.

[BLUENUT]

but it would be a trip to the last chance saloon for him, in terms of gaining major honours, which should (emphasis on the word) be a big enough incentive.

Anelka's only incentive is a pound note and this will be his last BIG payday.

[mad_mac]

So, that's me, Bluenut and possibly butch all in the NO TO ANELKA camp!

Anyone else

[Guest]

I beleive Butch is in the pro-Anelka camp. He was before (a season or two ago), I know his come back a bit from that strong opinion he had before, but I still beleive he'd like to see Anelka at the club.

[Peeking Duck?]

Anelka's only incentive is a pound note and this will be his last BIG payday.

Maybe he's coming to play for one of the top managers in the world?

[Scott]

So, that's me, Bluenut and possibly butch all in the NO TO ANELKA camp!

Anyone else

As a short term replace for the ANC he'll be fine, but I don't think Anelka can be a long term replacement for Didi.

[mad_mac]

I beleive Butch is in the pro-Anelka camp. He was before (a season or two ago), I know his come back a bit from that strong opinion he had before, but I still beleive he'd like to see Anelka at the club.

Sory for my mistake, that was meant to be Me Bluenut DORSET and now it looks like Scott. I think he will bring goals, but really, I only see this as us paying 8 Mill for a half season out of a player. This to me, is due to Roman and Jose not getting on. Roman tightened the purse strings and therefore all we got was Pizarro (along with Sheva who we definitely should have tightened the purse strings for)...so now that neither of them are looking too encouraging for us heading into the ACN, we are going for Anelka as a stop-gap signing. I would prefer we just give this Santos kid a run, along with some of our youngers for a coupld of months!

Scott

[yogic]

Cant believe some want Kalou out - he's a fantastic player and is still improving ... he can have a big future with us.

I'm all for Sheva and Pizza to get the outski - and for Anelka and Hunt to come in.

[mad_mac]

The Hunt of whom you speak?! I hope you don't mean that Cantona from Reading?