Hazard Warning Signs - The Chelsea Transfer Thread

Lampard would signal an end to chasing external foreign exports brought in to try and instill something that is simply not us. I would imagine his appointment would not fall under the category of “hype” like almost every other guy we’ve brought in has been.

None of the drama of Jose, Conte or Sarri but a measured understanding from someone who knows how we function and was a mainstay in our team thru out the managerial go around.

Again, I would HOPE. It also leans toward the idea that it is the club controls things versus the managerial power the other guys wanted or were given.

I like the idea of Lamps. I think this team has proven it is our talent that supercedes any managerial appointment and with someone decent in charge we will usually do well.

The caveat here is we are going into next season more vulnerable squad wise than we ever have since the pre-Roman era imo. It hurts that RLC and CHO both have long term injuries but I think with a simple style of play, this team is still top four capable even without Eden (still so.. so sad about this).

 

Tiemoue Bakayoko, 24, wants to stay with the Blues next season after spending last season on loan at AC Milan. Could that be the closest we get to a new signing? Can he play as a false nine?

 

I find this sentiment utterly bizarre. For the past twenty years we have been about foreign exports. Most of our best and most beloved players have been foreign exports. All of our managers have been foreign exports. We are, I believe, the first club to have started a lineup composed entirely of foreigners. We’re a cosmopolitan club in one of London’s poshest areas. That IS us.

Lampard, if he’s brought in should be no different than any other manager. He’s had one year and has done well, but it’s not as if Derby played incredibly well last year or he showed himself to be a brilliant tactician. He had a good season in the championship with decent talent. Is he any better in resume than, say, David Wagner, who took Huddersfield up and somehow kept them up for a season with no talent? Yet no one is desperately calling for his hiring.
The ONLY thing that makes him remotely qualified to manage Chelsea is that he’s a club legend. Which is extremely dangerous, because it’s a completely “old boy” appointment, and those have continuously proved disastrous in the English game over the past 20 years when compared to professional appointments made by other clubs. This has a very strong whiff of David Moyes to United about it. Because if we play poorly, firing Lampard will play poorly, and will make the fan base angry. Except what if he’s a bad manager? How long are we supposed to give him until we pull the cord? Appointing club legends has real potential downsides, as does running the club from a sentimental perspective. Compare United (who’re looking to bring in some old boys to judge transfers) vs Liverpool who are using data analysis to dispassionately make their club stronger.

If we hire Lampard, I hope the club and the fans go into the experience with eyes wide open and measure things objectively, rather than by some kind of “he’s a real Chelsea man” nonsense. Michigan have been running their football program for 20 years by hiring “Michigan men”. That’s been mediocre for them at best and hilariously awful at worst. I don’t want that experience for Chelsea for some kind of “culture” reasons which I don’t even think the club remotely has.

 

As a Chelsea fan for less than that 20 years. This is the only “us” I’ve known. And as a Michigan Man myself (for a lot longer), I wish I could give a different assessment than Nice of that approach and culture. There is an incestuous elitism about it that folds in on itself and eventually collapses.

 

I should say, I went to Ohio State for undergrad, so I thoroughly enjoyed the clown tire fire that was the RichRod/Brady Hoke years.

 

At least we had Shoelace.

 

We are! Vialli as manager, and the XI being:

De Goey, Ferrer, Petresceu, Babayaro, Thome, Lebouef, Deschamps, Di Matteo*, Poyet, Ambrosetti, and Tore Andre Flo!

*: we already tried appointing a club legend in Di Matteo and it did not go well. I can only think of no more than five players who were club legends that had successful careers as managers at their clubs. Zidane, Dalglish, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, and Pep. It’s a short list.

 

There are more, but it tends to go especially badly in England.

 

In Di Matteo's 8 months,:
Our one and only Champions League, an FA Cup, 3rd place only 4 points off 1st place City when fired (with 3 points absolutely robbed by a ref), with 7 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss on an 83 point season pace

Please let us fail like that some more.

It was mad idiocy to fire him and exponentially stupider to hire that overrated clown to replace him, thanks U-13 girls coach.

But Sarri is worth defending

 

That is a remarkably tinted view of DiMatteo’s time at Chelsea, especially as he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire elsewhere.

 

Is he still here? Is he going?

I am just going to bring up the fact [again] that Sarri did not and does not use a squad of players properly and that is something that you need to do in the Premiership. You need to rotate players more in the league and in all the other tournaments and Sarri really failed to do that. Ethan Ampadu? The kid really need some games - some minutes - and he spent the entire season just sitting there - he could have been given some minutes every now and then and Sarri didn't do that and that sucked. Giroud and Christensen could have had more games/minutes in the league. CHO and RLC could have had some more minutes/games earlier in the season. Sarri needs to rotate players more. Fact. He failed to do that and his stubbornness was not endearing. On the other hand, he changed tactics sensationally in the Europa League final and he was great and that pic of him and all his staff smoking was hilarious. Sarri was trying to get us to play more attacking and creative football and the intent was there and I respect him for that. He could have done with a striker and he really didn't have options - but Hazard in the false 9 was making me nauseous. for me, the jury is still out on Sarri. Maybe he paved the way for Allegri?

So, here we are. No news is good news?

 

Chelsea have revived their interest in Bayer Leverkusen and Jamaica winger Leon Bailey, 21, but must wait to see if their transfer ban is overturned before making a move.

 

So the question of Sarri's tenure at the bridge is somewhat moot as it now looks like that he is off to Juventus. The potential candidates for his replacement include Lampard, Allegri and Erik Ten hag.

Erik Ten Hag could be an interesting choice non?

 

I've made my opinion of youth development known. Ten Hag is really intriguing. All that said. The last few Dutch managers have really failed to impress in England. That definitely makes me nervous.

 

Other than Lampard, who else is being legitimately linked with us?

 

Higuin supposedly/reportedly agreed to personal terms to join Roma but Clubs have not agreed

 

Isn't his philosophy basically Ajax's philosophy, which most of those kids have been playing since they were 8? If it's time that's needed to implement his philosophy, he's not getting it at Chelsea.

 

Well, he won't give Ampadu or Reece games and people would want him fired.

 

Torino president Urbano Cairo has confirmed that Ola Aina has left Chelsea after his £8.9m (€10m) option was exercised.

 

Ola Aina joins Torino for 10m euro option.

 

Chelsea will not take up the option to buy Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid. The 25-year-old is instead set for a return move to Inter Milan.

Matthijs de Ligt's agent Mino Raiola has met PSG reaching an agreement of around 75m euros (£66.6m). 666

 

Real is basically spending crazy money and rebuilding their entire squad in one summer

 

Yes, yes they are. All the advantages of being a non-profit organisation

Mendy for £47.1m
Hazard for £150m
Jovic for £53m
Eder Militao for £42.7m
Rodrygo from Santos for £40m in June 2018 but he will now join the squad