Chelsea Banter Archive July 30 2015

30 Jul 2015 23:06:38
Just got this feeling inside that thinks we will get imbrahimovic

Just a feeling lads don't shoot me down

{Ed018's Note - that's quite the feeling}

30 Jul 2015 23:20:23
I don't think so when u see Dzeko heading for Roma and vp leaving United I would be sure one of the 2 Manchester clubs will take a punt on him

30 Jul 2015 19:43:41
If the paper-talk is true and we are considering paying £34mill for Stones, wouldn't it be better to offer the same for Varane? I'm sure Madrid would consider an offer of that amount.

30 Jul 2015 21:46:08
I'm of the same opinion. Even if they reject, it'd be worth it to put in an extra 10 million to make it 40+ million. Varane is so much better right now than Stones and he'd actually be worth it.
Even if Varane is truly unavailable at any price, then instead of spending so much on Stones, why not go after Laporte who has more experience at the highest level and has ridiculous upside? Not too mention that Laporte plays on the left side of the defense, so he'd be a natural successor to Terry. I'm pretty sure 35 million would make Bilbao think about it.

30 Jul 2015 21:57:50
Personally I think John Stones is the best young CB in the EPL, I think he ticks just as many boxes as Varane as well as the additional home grown one. I'd rather we sign Stones and know 95% of you will disagree.

31 Jul 2015 07:44:51
J. I think you are correct. Stones is not the finished article by any means but playing alongside our defence will bring him on quickly especially in an environment where he has to perform because of the competition. I do not think Varane has progressed at all in the last eighteen months and although a favourite of Mourinho at one time I think that may have diminished. A choice between the two similar players in Stones and Laporte, I would take Stones everyday not least because of his Premier League experience.

30 Jul 2015 14:14:32
Aranguiz, Callejon, Costa, Koke, Pedro, Rahman, Rudiger, Sterling, Stones, Telles, Turan and Witsel are all players we have been associated with in recent months via the press with only Stones where we have made an actual offer, certainly one the Club have owned up to and of course the contributors all have differing thoughts on whether they are good, bad or just plain ugly signings; other than Stones who I think we will get, does anyone still believe we will make an offer for those still available OR bid for someone outside this group? Personally I think we need one more player urgently of a Pogba type (he would do nicely) and we will try outside the above group.

30 Jul 2015 16:48:00
We'll most likely sign Stones and Rahman (Or Perhaps Telles). After that I think it'll depend whether any players we want come available at the right price. If they don't, we'll stick to what we have.
Id like another signing but not just for the sake of it. Our squad is probably big enough already. None of the first team are really looking like leaving atm except possibly Cuadrado who's place may be taken by Kenedy.
It looked like we'd sign Arranguiz but I think that is off the cards now as there are a few other teams pushing hard for him atm. i'd guess that Witsel might be the most likely to come in. He obviously wants to move on from Zenit and the Italian teams that were interested seem to have gone with other options. Ed002 or Ed018 can correct me on that if i'm wrong.

30 Jul 2015 16:55:30
Would be nice to know who the club really are interested in as opposed to all this paper talk and gossip.

30 Jul 2015 18:14:06
Certainly need another world class DM to cover matic,other than Stones and a left back, I assume that will be it. Bit worried again about the centre forward situation, two are injury prone and the other is a concern, but hopefully they will all be ok.

31 Jul 2015 08:10:37
I really hope we get Stones, I'd be absolutely gutted if one of the Manc teams got him after we've messed around with bids that never looked like being accepted. Don't know enough about Rahman or Telles to have any opinion on which one would be better - but who ever comes in would have to be the second coming to displace Azpilicueta.

I can't see us signing another CM unless either Mikel or Ramires leaves. Matic, Fabregas, Mikel, Ramires & RLC will all be fighting it out for spots in the middle; plus Oscar and Zouma can move back and forward respectively. Not saying there aren't better players than Mikel or Ramires but we have the numbers there at the moment.

Probably going to see another winger come in, Pedro looks United now after the Spanish Super Cup (whatever it's called) against Seville - one last hurrah I suppose. I can see us making one last push for Griezmann - although that's just wishful thinking.

Strikers we're set with Costa, Falcao & Remy - Solanke appears 4th choice and you'd hope he'd see time in the early cup rounds.

Major changes to our squad aren't needed, I think a bit of quality here and there would be nice.

31 Jul 2015 16:38:38
I look at that list of players that we've been linked with and largely they don't provide solutions to any of our holes (Rahman, Witsel, and Koke excluded). Some might view the club as "missing out" on certain individuals but I'm pretty happy we haven't brought them in as I feel they wouldn't add anything substantial to what we already have. I've said this before and I'll say it again but look at our spending and Liverpool's last summer. While we spent pretty similar numbers we brought in significantly fewer players and those fewer players made a vastly bigger differences than Liverpool's. I'd much rather blow 70m on Pogba than 70m on Witsel, Pedro, and Stones.

31 Jul 2015 21:01:12
t.k. Agree totally. Newspapers and Agents are linking Chelsea with anyone and everyone and in virtually all instances I do not think we are/were interested. Unfortunately as each one appears then it is human nature to think of them in the team and how it might play out but none of those listed apart from Stones I think add any value. I have no idea what the outcome will be but I still feel the club have a surprise up their sleeve and with Pogba looking to go to court to free himself from Juventus, maybe, just maybe that one is not dead.