The Chelsea F.C. Thread IV

Going to previous comments, the league is between city and manchester united. Only they have the squads to compete. Not only will you lot be miles behind, but you'll also be miles playing dire football

We should have taken our chances, reminds me of the bayern game although bayern did knock on the door at the end of the match, City didn't create anything in the first half, City just looked like they were playing better as they scored a goal from a weird angle and forced us out.

I'd like to say, with ronaldo, he actually had very good players with him. That 2004-06 team may not have been good as previous sides, but you still had giggs in his prime, Keane was still there around 04, Scholes was there, Van Nistelrooy was up top and you had the emerging Wayne Rooney. Their midfield was much better than it is currently, if they were solely relying on Ronaldo for the creative burden like they do with Januzaj, you would have seen similar performances from him.


Fergie's thinking 'chip off the old block'

Rumours that PSG are readying an €80m bid for Hazard


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LOL, I'll take that in the summer. Absurd amount of money

LOL, I'll take that in the summer. Absurd amount of money

I won't, Hazard has to break the world transfer record, I'll take 110m euros.

In January, it has to be around 90-100 million because we can't get a replacement. He won't go. Real Madrid don't really poach our players. We let Robben go there and we nicked Makelele off them 10 years ago.

Who's to say by 2015/16 we won't win the Champions League?

Players generally don't leave us to go to a bigger club. We're like the final stop for players at the top of their careers

Yeah, true.

This is the interesting thing though, since we bought many young players, I wonder how long Oscar and Hazard will stay for us? We're planning on building a squad for the next 10 years with those players in. I'm sure that people do sideways moves from time to time at the peak of their careers. Wonder who of our current squad will do that.

I don't think we'll be like Madrid and sell when we're bored though and buy some more players unless their needed.

Ugh saw Mata in a Manchester United shirt on one of those Facebook groups..must not happen!

Not worried about him going to United tbf, if KDB goes this window (seems to have one foot out the door already) we won't sell Mata too, and I don't think United will make top 4. No incentive for him to go to United without CL and I don't think Mourinho would let him stay in the premier league anyway.

I hope we do our best to accomodate Mata though, still think he has a role to play in our team. But if come summer this hasn't happen I do think he should be sold.

There's quite a few strikers who will be in the last year of their contracts come summer, including Benzema and Rooney. Apparently Atletico Madrid still need to sell their players because of debts, and their most prized assets are Koke and Costa, with the latter apparently on his way to England (what I heard from Revista de la Liga from Guillem Balague who seems to have good information).

Yeah, doubt we'll go for a striker this window and don't particularly want us to either considering the lack of options, Mourinho has been pretty adamant we won't too. Wasn't overly keen in the summer but I've warmed to the idea of Rooney, I think he'd almost certainly be available should United fail to make the CL (could be regardless) and we'd be amongst the forerunners to sign him. Rooney/Lukaku/Torres would be fantastic for next season, Rooney could always drop back to allow Lukaku more gametime if needed too.

Failing that I wouldn't mind Mandzukic, Benzema or Costa, although I think they'd be more expensive and less attainable than Rooney, if available at all, Benzema in particular would require a big name joining Real to be available, and even then he could stay. Bayern apparently want to keep Mandzukic too although seeing as Muller and Gotze have made appearances up top/as a false 9 this season I wouldn't be overly surprised if Pep feels Mandzukic surplus to requirements upon Lewandowski's arrival. With Costa having a release clause it would be more a question of whether he wants to leave I think.

http://www.vavel.com/en/football/premier-league/chelsea-fc/317403-official-kevin-de-bruyne-joins-vfl-wolfsburg.html

Apparently KdB has gone to Wolfsburg on loan. Prefer this tbh. You never know what can happen between now and next season in terms of injuries especially with the World cup as well. Also not completely sure about Schurrle, he needs to be more consistent.

Other rumours are that he's going to be sold for £18mil which is still a good profit for us, although I'd think he'd be worth around £25mil

Benezma's contract is up in 2015 and it doesn't look like he's signing a new one, so he'll cost 25-30 million at best. Suarez won't stick around too long with the season he's having and Real will definitely look at him over the summer. Mandzukic won't cost much if Bayern want to sell him.

Atletico have financial problems so will have to sell a few players. Guillem Balague always has inside info on Spanish football as he has good contacts. He knew about Alonso joining Madrid, Mourinho joining Madrid and Aguero leaving Atletico. I trust his info/

Meant more expensive as in costing 30-40m, whereas I think we could get Rooney for potentially 20-30m should United indeed fail to make CL and he forces a move, probably would be better off selling him than paying his £15m wages for another year and having him around sulking before he leaves for free anyway. Plenty of time for Benzema to be offered a new contract which he'd probably accept, and Real won't let him go anyway without a big name coming in; perhaps Falcao or Cavani but I'm not sure why Monaco/PSG would sell them (likewise for us still being linked to both every week). Suarez just signed a new contract, supposedly with a £80m buyout clause if Liverpool don't make the CL and a £100m one if they do. Think he'll push for a move if they don't make CL (in which case Liverpool can hold out for the buyout fee which could potentially stop him going anywhere if Real/whoever won't pay it) but I fancy them to tbh, and if they do I think he'll stick around for at least another season or two. Basically think if United miss out on 4th Rooney will be available, and if Liverpool do potentially Benzema through Suarez moving to Madrid, just need to ensure we're not pipped to the post by Arsenal.

When you said "on his way to England" did you mean literally this window or as in he'll probably come in the summer? Costa supposedly has a £32m buyout fee, would like to see him keep this form up for at least the rest of the season if we were to buy him, and even then I think he's a bit of a **** so wouldn't be too thrilled, although he could potentially be fantastic. Tbf with Balague he comes out with a lot of bull**** for every transfer story he gets right (Drogba was supposedly joining Barcelona a few weeks after joining Shanghai e.g.), guess you could say that for pretty much every pundit/ITK/journo though.

Costa and Koke are going nowhere in January, although Atletico need to sell some of their assets in the summer.

I honestly think there is no way in hell that Suarez is staying at Liverpool if they finish below 4th. And even if they do, Real Madrid always get who they want.