12 Aug 2014 10:56:49
I think the Benatia signing, if as rumoured he does sign, will be a very good move.

Cahill and Terry were excellent last season but the longevity of Terry has to come under question now and I have concerns about Cahill.

Cahill is very good when sitting deep and defending the edge of his box however if we are going to play with a higher line this season I fear he will be caught out.

I'd arguably rather we sign a new centre back than a striker!

1.) 12 Aug 2014
I remember reading an article on WAGNH a while back, and with us having played quite a high line and pressing game in pre-season, I can see us doing so this season, this I believe is the reason why defensively, we have been poor (as well as other reasons) this pre-season, none of our Cb really suit a high line, however the article stated how Varane suits playing a high line.

I think he'd be a better signing than Benatia due to cost, potential etc.

Just wanted to throw Varane in there :D

2.) 12 Aug 2014
Why? We have so many young CBs, Zouma and Andreas Christensen with the first team squad atm, Chalobah (possibly) Omeruo, and Kalas on loan. Any one of these (with the exception of Chalobah who may do better at CM) could be a great CB.

3.) 12 Aug 2014
12 Aug 2014 13:21:52
If Mourinho wants to play a high line then we probably do need to sign a new centre back but a new striker must be a priority. We cannot afford to risk Costa getting injured and then relying on Drogba and Torres.

4.) 12 Aug 2014
I agree that we have a lot of young promising cb's. But the key word there is 'promising'. We don't know for sure how they will pan out. Perhaps they'll develop into stars (we'd be lucky if one of them became world class), but there's also a good chance that they just become solid squad players.

Varane is already a star defender. He's shown he's capable of playing at the highest level. So if the club can get him, they should definitely do it even if the price is steep. He's a fantastic player and indeed he would allow us to play a high line more often, which in turn would help us against teams that sit back.

I'm not sold on Benatia as he's already 27, he would go to AFCON every other year and apparently Roma are asking for a ton of money.

Varane and Pogba all the way for me.

5.) 12 Aug 2014
Would prefer Varane to Benatia

6.) 12 Aug 2014
Jackson, with that attitude what is the point in developing talent at all? Might as well just scrap the youth development and buy in players instead.
As it stands we have Terry, Cahill, Zouma and Brana capable of playing CB, that is perfectly sufficient for the season ahead. If Terry leaves the club then an assessment will be made of the options but as far as I am concerned the 4 senior options we have now are enough, any more is simply to much.

7.) 12 Aug 2014
I agree with you AfroMoose about developing players, but I reckon Zouma would benefit more from a loan to a premier league team to build experience than he would from being a reserve with a few games for us.

8.) 12 Aug 2014
12 Aug 2014 18:55:43
We do have decent youth coming through but the club have to think of the present too and there are issues at centre back.

Zouma, for me the best young CB at the club, needs a loan and Christensen isn't near the first team yet.

Football is a harsher world than ever and these kids need to be world class to break through at a club like Chelsea.

For the record I'd also prefer Varane but have been hearing that's a no go as Madrid won't sell.

9.) 12 Aug 2014
We clearly need striker cover more than cb cover -- it's obvious. Without another really good out and out striker (Schurrle not a success when tried there, far better when cutting in from wing etc) we may just repeat last season if Costa gets a knock/suspensions/over used. But hey, I am ever hopeful and will get to as many games as possible!

10.) 13 Aug 2014
13 Aug 2014 04:37:19
Benatia makes no sense to me with his age (we have two guys that are two years older and many youngsters). I disagree with it undermining our youth structure. He's clearly going to be a top 3 centrehalf in the world barring catastrophe and you don't pass on that.