Hazard Warning Signs - The Chelsea Transfer Thread

In my opinion, Kovacic is not any better than any of those players - and that includes Drinkwater. I saw nothing from him last season that convinced me he should be in the Chelsea XI. In fact, I witnessed the opposite week in, week out.

Maybe he does all the little things most people "can't see."

(He doesn't.)

And those are all very different types of midfielders. Given the ban is in place (which is very likely is now), I figure we go in with Kante, Jorg, RLC, Barkley, Baka, and Mount.

 

Kovacic's best game for Chelsea was the Europa League Final when we stuffed Arsenal 4-1. Before that game I would have been happy to move on and let him go. Now, that we have the transfer ban, we really don't have too many options in the middle. Kante,Jorginho and Barkley. . . maybe Mount, certainly RLC when he has returned from injury. Baka? Sure, maybe. Which means we don't really have a lot of options in the middle right now. What will Frank do?

Real Madrid wanted to include Kovacic in the Hazard deal. The Chelsea deal makers avoided that. Now Real want 44 million quid for Kovacic. Do we pay that because of the transfer ban or do we extend the loan or do we just let the lad return to Real Non-Profit-Madrid ?

 

Perhaps. But all players have their heads turned when something potentially better comes along. Recently Kovacic said he only wanted Inter. Meh. Gotta take all that with a grain of salt.

Lots of crap articles and deep analysis about our "loan army" finally taking center stage next season. I don't doubt that the players currently on loan will give us some depth, but it's a very high probability that our opening day starting XI will be Kepa, Az, Christensen, Luiz, Emerson, Kante, Jorg, Barkley, Willian, Pedro, Morata.

RLC, CHO are injured. Pulisic is new. Mount is unproven at this level, as is Abraham and Tomori. Moses is not great. Rudiger is injured. Baka flashes between not good and terrible. Then there's Alonso, Michy and the rest.

 

I think Moratas on loan for 1 more year and they can trigger a buy whenever. Giroud will likely start.

 

You're right. Loan ends June 2020.

So we're essentially stuck with Giroud, Michy, Abraham as our striker depth.

Grim?

 

Yes grim but talk is the only requirement for Frank is not get relegated year 1.

 

We comfortably finished third was a near useless Higuain and non-present Morata.

Assuming Frank’s system is even slightly better than Sarri’s, we may just win the league (ok not at all but I don’t think we’re any worse situated striker wise than we already were)

 

Kovacic signed apparently. Considering he participated in a dysfunctional ass team, I’ll cut him some serious slack. Excited to see him play with Kante holding properly

 

50m euros for Kovacic apparently. That's an awful lot of money for a future bench warmer

 

Kovacic is better than he showed in his first season with you guys, I wouldn't be so quick to deem him a future bench warmer.

Really, he should've been in the Kante role, with a more creative/offensive player (not Barkley) playing the 8. But with Sarri's insistence on Jorginho being the DM, it kinda made everyone play outta position.

Not to mention he was adjusting to a new league/country/club. Just give him some time, he's a class player you'll come to enjoy.

 

He is staying.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48782683
Mateo Kovacic for £40m.
Kovacic made 51 appearances across all competitions under Sarri, but did not manage to score a single goal and registered just two Premier League assists.
The Kovacic sale means Real have recouped some much-needed cash after their Hazard purchase. It really does suck to give Real Madrid money. Ho-Hum.

To be fair Kovacic played well in the Europa League Final when we slaughtered Arsenal.

Why not Kante in the Kante role?

Jorghino, Kante and Kovacic - we don't really need all 3 of them? Jorghino to Juventus maybe? But you don't really need 3 of them and Kovacic would be the weakest of the 3.

 

Way too much. 30 would have high but I could have wrapped my head around it. So this has to mean we’re letting jorgy go with Sarri to Juve right?

 

Not so fast. Sarri does not want Jorghino at Juventus apparently. He is happy with Pjanic at Juve.

Also, Juve's money is going elsewhere with Matthijs de Ligt in a £70m deal.

 

That’s all chatter I’ll believe once I see it. Sarri likely wants him but Juve doesn’t like to spend big and that’s likely why. Guess we will find out.

 

Well, it is all chatter and gossip and rumour until it happens [apparently]. Nobody likes to spend money, but Juventus do spend money on occasion. Ronaldo and Higuain were big purchases.

 

Both of which they’ve been burned by so far. Ronaldo less so but he hasn’t put them over the top like they expected.

 

Kurt Zouma to Everton for £30m apparently.

 

A little low but I’m good with it.

Rudy
AC
Luiz

Can all start

Ampadu and Tremori are young and can rotate

Azpi can cover

We’re good at CB

 

Seems too much, 20-25 perhaps, but transfer beggars who can't be choosers and all...
RLC may not be truly ready to winter, Baka still who knows, Mount way too early to pencil him in as starter at this level, though I hope he gets plenty of chances, Barkley a bit inconsistent with questions of being an everyday starter, Jorginho higher up may be of good use but open questions, I think Drinwater has his use if Lamp gets him back on side, so all in all likely the right move and it is refreshing to have a player from Madrid really want to be here of late.

With Kante behind them, or the deeper along side, I think all the mid-fielders will show better, along with a better more flexible approach and system and the guy above makes good points about it being Kov's first year and not the best system or positioning for him last season, first few matches thought he looked alright.

We are in CL, so plenty of matches and Lamp at Derby by most accounts was geared around the central midfield so the more the merrier, until it settles out or we can buy.

 

Things can get reactionary in here without much care for circumstance/reality surrounding how a player was utilized/the general function of the team. I remember when everyone thought most of our team should be shipped off during Jose v2 or any one of a number of players not being good enough when they were simply mishandled.

Excited to see Kante play in his normal position where he is an absolute world beater, which will give the likes of RLC, Kovacic and even Barkley free reign to do cool shit

 

40mm for Kovacic seems fine based on our current situation, especially since RLC is going to be out most of the year.

 

I think it’s a waste but only because we have much larger areas of concern.

Kante Jorgy RLC Barkley Mount Bako Drinkwater

We need to find out what we have in Mount and potentially even Bako and unload Drinkwater. Even with RLCs injury that’s a crowded midfield.