Chelsea 2022/2023 | THIS IS LAST YEARS THREAD YOU NUMPTIES

[TheReligion]

Yes, and without any other new quality midfielders coming in that is all very much true IMO.



Well then your impression is just wrong.

I'm pretty sure anyone who said that only meant the 'squad player' bit as something related to the injury problems and not about his quality as a player, no? If a player is injured for around half of the games, he can't exactly be relied upon over the course of a full season, wouldn't you agree? That doesn't mean he's still not one of the first names on the team sheet whenever he is fit.

You asked me where I got that impression from and I’ve just explained.

The vibe from your fans seemed to be that he could be let go in the summer and was past his best.

That didn’t feel like one of the first names on the team sheet to me which is why I asked.

 

[Rnd898]

The vibe from your fans seemed to be that he could be let go in the summer and was past his best.

That didn’t feel like one of the first names on the team sheet to me which is why I asked.

Now I think you're just intentionally misinterpreting what others have said and what they meant by it.

Every Chelsea fan has been worried about Kante's injury record for the last few years and every Chelsea fan has recognized for a while that he's past his best. I mean, one would have to be pretty damn thick not to recognize it they had watched our games on a regular basis since Kante joined. However, none of that means he's still not been one of our best performers and one of our most important players when fit.

Going into the season even a Kante past his best was still a hell of a lot better than most, if not all, of the other midfielders we have but that's only because Kante's peak level was so absurdly good.

The fitness issue has been a growing problem for a couple of seasons at least, which coupled with Kante's age and contract situation has lead to people realizing we need to start thinking of a continuation plan for the future.

I'm pretty sure I speak for almost every Chelsea fan out there in the world when I say that within the boundaries of our current midfield composition (Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Zakaria) nobody in their right mind would reduce a fit Kante to be a squad player or a bench warmer. Any idea of selling him or reducing his role came with the built-in assumption that another high quality midfielder, only younger and fitter, would come in to replace him and not that we'd just keep relying on the others from the current bunch even more. Now that the continuation plan hasn't happened yet, Kante is by default still a very important player to us and one of the first names you'd want to put on the team sheet for an important game. Now whether that will still continue to be the case once he returns from his current 6 month injury lay off is anyone's guess but at least going into the current season he most certainly was.

Which brings me back to my earlier post about whether to extend Kante's deal or not. Assuming at least 2-3 players out of Jorginho/Zakaria/RLC/Gallagher will be gone by next season and a minimum couple of new high quality DM/CM are brought in to rebuild the midfield around, I'd happily still keep Kante as a luxury squad player to contribute whenever his fitness allows him to but if the idea is that by extending Kante we can postpone the rebuild and still rely on Kante being a key player for a couple more years then in that case I'd just pass on the extension and use his salary to get someone whose fitness is more reliable, even if their peak level wasn't that of current Kante's.

 

[TheReligion]

Now I think you're just intentionally misinterpreting what others have said and what they meant by it.

Every Chelsea fan has been worried about Kante's injury record for the last few years and every Chelsea fan has recognized for a while that he's past his best. I mean, one would have to be pretty damn thick not to recognize it they had watched our games on a regular basis since Kante joined. However, none of that means he's still not been one of our best performers and one of our most important players when fit.

Going into the season even a Kante past his best was still a hell of a lot better than most, if not all, of the other midfielders we have but that's only because Kante's peak level was so absurdly good.

The fitness issue has been a growing problem for a couple of seasons at least, which coupled with Kante's age and contract situation has lead to people realizing we need to start thinking of a continuation plan for the future.

I'm pretty sure I speak for almost every Chelsea fan out there in the world when I say that within the boundaries of our current midfield composition (Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Zakaria) nobody in their right mind would reduce a fit Kante to be a squad player or a bench warmer. Any idea of selling him or reducing his role came with the built-in assumption that another high quality midfielder, only younger and fitter, would come in to replace him and not that we'd just keep relying on the others from the current bunch even more. Now that the continuation plan hasn't happened yet, Kante is by default still a very important player to us and one of the first names you'd want to put on the team sheet for an important game. Now whether that will still continue to be the case once he returns from his current 6 month injury lay off is anyone's guess but at least going into the current season he most certainly was.

Which brings me back to my earlier post about whether to extend Kante's deal or not. Assuming at least 2-3 players out of Jorginho/Zakaria/RLC/Gallagher will be gone by next season and a minimum couple of new high quality DM/CM are brought in to rebuild the midfield around, I'd happily still keep Kante as a luxury squad player to contribute whenever his fitness allows him to but if the idea is that by extending Kante we can postpone the rebuild and still rely on Kante being a key player for a couple more years then in that case I'd just pass on the extension and use his salary to get someone whose fitness is more reliable, even if their peak level wasn't that of current Kante's.

I’m not deliberately misinterpreting anything, I simply asked a question and explained why I’d asked it.

The issue with replacing Kante is his top level has been so high, and arguably unique, I don’t think there’s anyone you could slot in easily.

The other dilemma is he’s on big money and in any new deal I’m sure he’ll want some security in terms of contract length. These are the tough decisions that need making when rebuilding though as we as United fans know all too well. Given how Kante relies on his physical attributes it would be risky to extend him with a lengthy deal. If he was a more of a technician like Modric or Scholes then I think it would be a no brainier.

That said your midfield needs plenty of work by the sounds of it and keeping Kante short term to bridge the gap would be the perfect solution for you, just not for him. I imagine his next contract will be his last so he’ll want decent terms that offer him some protection.

There seems to be a mismanagement of contracts at the club, with Christensen and Rudiger going for free this summer and the possibility of both Kante and Jorginho doing the same in a few months.

 

[SirReginald]

There seems to be a mismanagement of contracts at the club, with Christensen and Rudiger going for free this summer and the possibility of both Kante and Jorginho doing the same in a few months.

Rudiger for sure was messed about. They low balled him a new contract so they broke it off for a while then the ban came and he made up his mind to leave.

Christensen on the other hand, nothing of the sort, he was given a contract offer and kept saying he would sign but never did. He messed the club about. But by the end the fans had enough of him because he was never available for the big games and even Tuchel called him out on it.

Jorginho seems to be heading in the same direction as Christensen. His agent continues, to this day, to say Chelsea renewal is priority but is flirting with other teams. His performances don’t justify a pay rise but an extension, at this time, is better for the club than him leaving.

Kante sadly needs to go. Big wages. Taking up a position in the first team and not even being able to play regularly. On top of that clearly our medical dept is incompetent given the amount of players out. There’s just more benefit for everyone for him to leave and find a club with less pressure and expectation. He is no longer the player he was and there’s no room for nostalgia in a sinking ship.

 

[TheReligion]

Couldn’t get Enzo Fernandez done after low balling Benfica, move on to hijack Mudryk but can’t do that so latch on to Felix accepting the ridiculous lopsided demands of Atletico.

Three different players. No plan. No strategy. Exactly like the summer.

Very worrying.

 

[Judas]

They. Are. Worrying.

 

[Rnd898]

Couldn’t get Enzo Fernandez done after low balling Benfica, move on to hijack Mudryk but can’t do that so latch on to Felix accepting the ridiculous lopsided demands of Atletico.

Three different players. No plan. No strategy. Exactly like the summer.

Very worrying.

Matt Law did just say in his article from an hour ago (the one about Boehly stepping down as interim DOF) that the club are still hoping to get a right back, a midfielder and a wide forward this window so it's not like the signings are mutually exclusive.

We're also reportedly after Marcus Thuram btw.

 

[TheReligion]

Matt Law did just say in his article from an hour ago (the one about Boehly stepping down as interim DOF) that the club are still hoping to get a right back, a midfielder and a wide forward this window so it's not like the signings are mutually exclusive.

We're also reportedly after Marcus Thuram btw.

I’m really surprised you guys are happy with all this.

It’s absolute chaos and very worrying in terms of how the club is being run.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I’m really surprised you guys are happy with all this.

It’s absolute chaos and very worrying in terms of how the club is being run.

They won't care while the new signings keep rolling in, it's fantasy football.

Eventually though that'll run out and the hard truth of poor planning will settle in.

 

[TheReligion]

They won't care while the new signings keep rolling in, it's fantasy football.

Eventually though that'll run out and the hard truth of poor planning will settle in.

Yep

 

[Rnd898]

I’m really surprised you guys are happy with all this.

It’s absolute chaos and very worrying in terms of how the club is being run.

Where have you got the idea that I'm happy? More than anything I find it absurd what's going on right now, hence the laughing emoji, but maybe the meaning was lost in translation.

The one rumored signing I was on board with despite the outrageous price was Enzo, and they botched it. Was never convinced by the Mudryk links and have for a few times expressed my dislike for Joao Felix with hopes that we stay as far away from him as possible. With the Marcus Thuram links my only line of thinking is 'he can't possibly be worse than Aubameyang' and at least he'd be cheap due to the contract expiring in the summer but I doubt neither of those are good enough reasons to actually sign him and I haven't seen enough of him to make up my mind.

That said, we are in need of a squad overhaul in many positions sooner rather than later but just need to identify the right players instead of going for just about anyone who's a marginal improvement on what we currently have.

 

[unplayable]

Now linked with Madueke. Probably worried their medical department won't have enough work once Pulisic leaves.

 

[TheReligion]

Where have you got the idea that I'm happy? More than anything I find it absurd what's going on right now, hence the laughing emoji, but maybe the meaning was lost in translation.

The one rumored signing I was on board with despite the outrageous price was Enzo, and they botched it. Was never convinced by the Mudryk links and have for a few times expressed my dislike for Joao Felix with hopes that we stay as far away from him as possible. With the Marcus Thuram links my only line of thinking is 'he can't possibly be worse than Aubameyang' and at least he'd be cheap due to the contract expiring in the summer but I doubt neither of those are good enough reasons to actually sign him and I haven't seen enough of him to make up my mind.

That said, we are in need of a squad overhaul in many positions sooner rather than later but just need to identify the right players instead of going for just about anyone who's a marginal improvement on what we currently have.

Ahh okay that explains it! Misunderstood

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

Hopefully this is the death knell for Chelsea and they disappear back into obscurity.

Twenty years of dodgy blood money gave them much more success than they were ever destined for, more than happy for them to go back to the mid table with the occasional cup run.

As they say, couldn't happen to a nicer club

 

[TheReligion]

Hopefully this is the death knell for Chelsea and they disappear back into obscurity.

Twenty years of dodgy blood money gave them much more success than they were ever destined for, more than happy for them to go back to the mid table with the occasional cup run.

As they say, couldn't happen to a nicer club

It is looking ominous. Signing players on 7+ year deals when there’s no sporting director or cohesion behind the scenes, bringing lots of expensive random players in that don’t fit what they need and burning through the investment like wildfire.

 

[Jazz]

As crazy as the new owner seems, Chelsea will still land on their feet. They always seem to be ok imho. In the meantime, it's interesting to see another club pull the scatter gun approach we've hopefully left far behind!

 

[WeePat]

Hopefully this is the death knell for Chelsea and they disappear back into obscurity.

Twenty years of dodgy blood money gave them much more success than they were ever destined for, more than happy for them to go back to the mid table with the occasional cup run.

As they say, couldn't happen to a nicer club

We’ll be fine. Obviously rivals are enjoying the show at the moment but we’ll be okay eventually. As a fan I just have take my medicine and accept the banter in the meantime.

 

[Tony247]

We’ll be fine. Obviously rivals are enjoying the show at the moment but we’ll be okay eventually. As a fan I just have take my medicine and accept the banter in the meantime.

At the minimum you guys need couple of strikers, in the sense who can score goals, and then a damn good manager who can make sense out of this chaos. Potter is a good manager but I think this is beyond him.

 

[GoonerBear]

Right Chelsea fans, anyone have an idea how Boehly sees this Chelsea team / squad? With the signings he's trying to make, what do we think how he sees the team / squad and in what formation (obviously in conjunction with Potter)?

 

[Adam-Utd]

As crazy as the new owner seems, Chelsea will still land on their feet. They always seem to be ok imho. In the meantime, it's interesting to see another club pull the scatter gun approach we've hopefully left far behind!

they did under abramovich as they were a well ran club from head to toe. Now? none of that board exist, right now it sounds like monkeys and a dartboard.

1 of them is bound to stick eventually.

 

[lysglimt]

Of course things will work out nicely, but I am still trying to understand how they will avoid FFP when United are worried about themselves after spending less than half of what Chelsea is doing

 

[Dancfc]

Hopefully this is the death knell for Chelsea and they disappear back into obscurity.

Twenty years of dodgy blood money gave them much more success than they were ever destined for, more than happy for them to go back to the mid table with the occasional cup run.

As they say, couldn't happen to a nicer club

Going to look forward with interest to see if you stick to your "moral stance" if/when you get similar type of ownership this year.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

We’ll be fine. Obviously rivals are enjoying the show at the moment but we’ll be okay eventually. As a fan I just have take my medicine and accept the banter in the meantime.

Hmmm with Abramovich now gone it's much less certain that's true.

It won't be endless money with these new owners, eventually it will dry up and the way they're spending it must be a worry for you.

 

[Mr. Robot]

We’ll be fine.

Keep telling yourself that. I did with the Glazers, for many years. American owners have proved time and time again that they’re bad at running football (soccer) clubs.

The Glazers and FSG needed the genius of Fergie & Klopp respectively, otherwise their eras would have been disasters.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Chelsea feel like a team that lacks both creativity and dynamism, especially without James. None of the forwards they have strike you as dangerous either as players that will run past you or create a bit of magic. It's like watching a bad Spanish team that passes it around without actually picking the lock or having a true danger man. Likewise, that midfield even at it's best was never particularly creative with Jorginho, Kovacic, and Kante; They were just relentless at winning and retaining possession and in that Tuchel system it made Chelsea an absolute pain to play against. Now the system is gone, the players are a bit older/worn, and they don't have a fall back of being dangerous in the final third even if they don't control games as well.

I really don't think you can judge Potter as a manager based on what he's doing right now, because watching Chelsea it feels like a personnel problem more than a coaching problem at the moment. They need to clean house with the forwards they currently have, and freshen up that midfield more than anything.

 

[InspiRED]

You love to see it happening to other teams . Now imagine how much people have laughed at UTD thanks to woody .

Yeah what Chelsea are doing is exactly like what that lunatic Woody was up to. It’s pretty fun to watch when it’s not your club. ‘What’s the fecker gonna do next?!’ Just any half big name player who might be available and the cnuts on the phone trying to sign him up. I see it’s joao felix now, he’s been touted around Europe for a while, what’s that all about? I remember him being good must be a reason Atletico want rid…

 

[Bluelion7]

Hmmm with Abramovich now gone it's much less certain that's true.

It won't be endless money with these new owners, eventually it will dry up and the way they're spending it must be a worry for you.

Clearlake is MUCH wealthier than Roman. The only thing about their visit to try and buy Enzo that surprised me was that they didn’t offer to buy Benfica outright. At least that we know of…

They are famous for spending more than … everybody really… on sports.

They received similar ridicule the first 2 or 3 years they owned the Dodgers. “The contracts they’re offering are too big” “they have no idea how a minor league system works” “they are ruining the sport”…

7 years later the Dodgers have a talent progression system that dominates baseball and are threats (depending on injuries) to win the World series every year.

They may make a hash of it, but they will spend money.

 

[WeePat]

Keep telling yourself that. I did with the Glazers, for many years. American owners have proved time and time again that they’re bad at running football (soccer) clubs.

The Glazers and FSG needed the genius of Fergie & Klopp respectively, otherwise their eras would have been disasters.

If we’re like this years from now I’ll believe you but I have no reason to stress myself when they have only been around for less than a year. You as rival fan will of course see things from a particular perspective and it’s not a very rosy outlook. I understand it and that’s fine. For me though, I’m just gonna sit back and see where the chips fall.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Clearlake is MUCH wealthier than Roman. The only thing about their visit to try and buy Enzo that surprised me was that they didn’t offer to buy Benfica outright. At least that we know of…

They are famous for spending more than … everybody really… on sports.

They received similar ridicule the first 2 or 3 years they owned the Dodgers. “The contracts they’re offering are too big” “they have no idea how a minor league system works” “they are ruining the sport”…

7 years later the Dodgers have a talent progression system that dominates baseball and are threats (depending on injuries) to win the World series every year.

They may make a hash of it, but they will spend money.

You can't really compare different sports though.

The Glazers NFL team won the Superbowl recently didn't they? And yet we've been a shambles for years, only recently looking like we might be on the right track because of Ten Hag.

I still think it'll need to be more balanced than Abramovich.

Abramovich bought you as a kind of sportwashing enterprise, to legitimise his dirty money and raise his profile around the World so he could never "disappear" or "fall out of a window" the way so many people close to Putin seem to do. It was endless money and you didn't have to worry whatsoever about balancing the books or value or anything like that. This new lot are a consortium , I just don't see them spending like this for 20 years season after season the way he did.

 

[WeePat]

Yeah what Chelsea are doing is exactly like what that lunatic Woody was up to. It’s pretty fun to watch when it’s not your club. ‘What’s the fecker gonna do next?!’ Just any half big name player who might be available and the cnuts on the phone trying to sign him up. I see it’s joao felix now, he’s been touted around Europe for a while, what’s that all about? I remember him being good must be a reason Atletico want rid…

That might be true but at the same time Chelsea have also signed:

Chuku
Casadei
Andrey Santos
David Fofana
Badiashile
Omari Hutchinson

 

[Vapor trail]

We’ll be fine. Obviously rivals are enjoying the show at the moment but we’ll be okay eventually. As a fan I just have take my medicine and accept the banter in the meantime.

There's nothing to guarantee it. Abrahamovic seemed to have a good basis of judgement when it came to football matters. Reminds me to some extent when United lost Gill. You can throw money at many things but real success comes from the structural influence in the hierarchy. Until Chelsea have some consistency with key individuals behind closed doors success will be hard to come by. The only way around it is similar to what Liverpool had with Klopp and that's a world class manager to paper over the cracks, which at present Potter is not.

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

Going to look forward with interest to see if you stick to your "moral stance" if/when you get similar type of ownership this year.

Moral stance? How does this make sense?

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

We'll have to wait and see but I have a theory that a lot of the Chelsea fans saying "We'll be fine" are very similar to a lot of Utd fans saying the same thing about us in about 2014 or 2015.

Under Fergie we always were fine no matter what and so we were just used to things basically turning out ok and it took a while for it to really sink in that Fergie was gone and we were fecked. Chelsea may be going through a similar thing with Abramovich gone.

Fergie was our most important figure and Abramovich was yours, they're very tough to replace. I think Liverpool will be the same whenever Klopp goes.

 

[Bluelion7]

We'll have to wait and see but I have a theory that a lot of the Chelsea fans saying "We'll be fine" are very similar to a lot of Utd fans saying the same thing about us in about 2014 or 2015.

Under Fergie we always were fine no matter what and so we were just used to things basically turning out ok and it took a while for it to really sink in that Fergie was gone and we were fecked. Chelsea may be going through a similar thing with Abramovich gone.

Fergie was our most important figure and Abramovich was yours, they're very tough to replace. I think Liverpool will be the same whenever Klopp goes.

The Glazers went full vampire on your club. They are cash poor and always have been. They had no business owning a team like United, and are generally considered one of the worst owner groups in American sports as well.

They are happy to be at the party, and happier to be collecting checks.

I can’t guarantee the level of Clearlake’s success, but I can say they have a MUCH different profile and ownership track record.

 

[cyberman]

The Glazers went full vampire on your club. They are cash poor and always have been. They had no business owning a team like United, and are generally considered one of the worst owner groups in American sports as well.

They are happy to be at the party, and happier to be collecting checks.

I can’t guarantee the level of Clearlake’s success, but I can say they have a MUCH different profile and ownership track record.

The Glazers won the Super Bowl not that long ago. Multiple leagues with us, multiple CL finals and a CL win

 

[Member 125398]

Surely the thread title should be changed to 'the new error'.

 

[Bluelion7]

You can't really compare different sports though.

The Glazers NFL team won the Superbowl recently didn't they? And yet we've been a shambles for years, only recently looking like we might be on the right track because of Ten Hag.

I still think it'll need to be more balanced than Abramovich.

Abramovich bought you as a kind of sportwashing enterprise, to legitimise his dirty money and raise his profile around the World so he could never "disappear" or "fall out of a window" the way so many people close to Putin seem to do. It was endless money and you didn't have to worry whatsoever about balancing the books or value or anything like that. This new lot are a consortium , I just don't see them spending like this for 20 years season after season the way he did.

They got Tom Brady and Gronk to visit their team and got really lucky on that front. They are back to being very average, and getting worse. They are the losingest franchise in NFL history after all. American sports ARE different: a one year run at a trophy doesn’t make a franchise good. Every team has an equivalent “shot”.

The question was on investment though. Clearlake loses … yes, loses… 500 million a year running the Dodgers. Now, that’s because they. An just pay the luxury tax and live on. If they had to hide that to stay with the plan they could. How? Well not by creating fake businesses to advertise. They own telecom: TV stations, streaming services, content creation and manipulation. They believe the PL is under leveraged in that area by 80%. Clearlake could sign a deal with the people that own the Dodgers (because technically hey are different entities *sly smile*), and provide non match Chelsea content on the channel and share revenue equally with the Dodgers and Lakers. That’s just thinking out loud though. There are a TON of options.

The sports may be different, but a determination to invest whatever money is necessary stays the same.

 

[Jim Beam]

They got Tom Brady and Gronk to visit their team and got really lucky on that front. They are back to being very average, and getting worse. They are the losingest franchise in NFL history after all. American sports ARE different: a one year run at a trophy doesn’t make a franchise good. Every team has an equivalent “shot”.

The question was on investment though. Clearlake loses … yes, loses… 500 million a year running the Dodgers. Now, that’s because they. An just pay the luxury tax and live on. If they had to hide that to stay with the plan they could. How? Well not by creating fake businesses to advertise. They own telecom: TV stations, streaming services, content creation and manipulation. They believe the PL is under leveraged in that area by 80%. Clearlake could sign a deal with the people that own the Dodgers (because technically hey are different entities *sly smile*), and provide non match Chelsea content on the channel and share revenue equally with the Dodgers and Lakers. That’s just thinking out loud though. There are a TON of options.

The sports may be different, but a determination to invest whatever money is necessary stays the same.

This is the whole new game for them with Mason Mount trying to seize control from the inside though.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

This is the whole new game for them with Mason Mount trying to seize control from the inside though.

Eh not sure about that. They were pretty ruthless in dealing with Trevor Bauer, for instance - a baseball pitcher who was accused of sexual misconduct. The Dodgers actually advocated against him when he was trying to be reinstated from his suspension - and they've chosen to cut all ties with him now despite it being damaging for themselves financially.

 

[Jim Beam]

Eh not sure about that. They were pretty ruthless in dealing with Trevor Bauer, for instance - a baseball pitcher who was accused of sexual misconduct. The Dodgers actually advocated against him when he was trying to be reinstated from his suspension - and they've chosen to cut all ties with him now despite it being damaging for themselves financially.

Was joking based on his posts today. Don't think they will have problems with whatever Mason Mount (of all people) is up to.