Chelsea 2024/25

He accepted both a one year cut where he was paid something like €3m and a lower base wage for the remainder of his deal. He's been trying desperately to get out of Atletico Madrid; the lower wage he took was to make it easier for a team to buy him given Atleti were demanding €75-80m.

Not remotely believable.

It's only really the wage structure that has changed to be honest which is fair enough but it kind of limits the profile of players we can actually go after. On one hand I'm happy we aren't forking out £300k/£200k+ for players like Sterling & Koulibaly anymore but then again I'd have loved them to extend their stupidity if it meant we could've secured Michael Olise.

And I'm not comparing what we've done in the market to United, just the fact that both clubs have had new owners coming in and have hired people under them who know what they're doing (or should know) in a football sense. The strategy is obviously very different.

How much do you think players like Nkunku, Fofana, and Reece James are making who are key parts of the project going forward?
 
Not remotely believable.



How much do you think players like Nkunku, Fofana, and Reece James are making who are key parts of the project going forward?

All more than they should. Nkunku and Fofana were both signed before the sporting directors were in place and the wage structure was changed. Look at Enzo and Caicedo for the baseline on what they want the bigger signings to be earning.

James was our best player and one of the best right backs in the world when he signed a new contract.
 
A sneaky bid for Chukwuemeka? He looked good at Villa thought admittedly I didn’t see him play much at Chelsea.
 
A sneaky bid for Chukwuemeka? He looked good at Villa thought admittedly I didn’t see him play much at Chelsea.

He was injured for almost all of last season so in that regard he'd fit your lot well I think.
 
More the degree of certainty in his post.

Touching distance? That’s being awfully generous. You were around midtable for the majority of the season, and were never at any point in contention for 4th, or even close to it, despite your strong finish to the season.

Personally, i think Maresca just sets you back. He’ll be another manager out the door before long. If you had kept Poch I’d feel a lot more confident about your chances.
We looked good and saw some good patterns. Players looked confident on the ball and not afraid to hold the ball against a very technical side city. Not afraid to take on players. Speed of our passing game was really impressive.
Those were technical things visible to see. Will see after ten games where we are and your opinion about us changed or not.
 
All more than they should. Nkunku and Fofana were both signed before the sporting directors were in place and the wage structure was changed. Look at Enzo and Caicedo for the baseline on what they want the bigger signings to be earning.

James was our best player and one of the best right backs in the world when he signed a new contract.

I believe Stewart and Winstanley were hired in fall 2022 and Nkunku signed in summer 2023 (with a deal agreed the previous winter). In any case, from what I can see, Enzo, Nkunku, and Fofana are all reported to be on £180-200k per week, perhaps more with bonuses. That seems like a reasonable range for Joao Felix, and a much more realistic one than the 100k per week some people are trying to claim.
 
Seriously, what is going on over at that club? They just signed Neto for some reason, why would they need Felix too considering they already have 21 wingers? The whole situation ever since that american guy took over is just bizarre.
 

The Transfers Podcast​

Scott McLachlan exclusive: Football's recruitment revolution​

Season 1, Ep. 14

Friday, August 16, 2024
Former Chelsea head of scouting Scott McLachlan joins Duncan Castles for
a Transfers Podcast special.

+ Professionalising scouting at Chelsea

+ Transfers: 'We're putting a human being from one tribe into our tribe.'

+ Forecasting is the hardest skill

+ Scouting coaches to scout players

+ The arms race for talent

+ Building Chelsea's loan army

+ Moneyball at Fulham: Rejects, Rehabs + Reinvents

+ Evolution of player analysis

+ Deep thinking + disruption

 
Does FFP and PSR not apply to Chelsea, or have I missed something.

They haven't breached ffp until in a couple of years time when it turns out they can't sell anyone to recoup the money because every single person on earth has already signed for Chelsea FC.
 
They are getting a ban and a points deduction, they're just trying to stockpile. Hope it goes up in flames.
 
Seriously, what is going on over at that club? They just signed Neto for some reason, why would they need Felix too considering they already have 21 wingers? The whole situation ever since that american guy took over is just bizarre.
I'm thinking they're signing him as a CF, no?
 
It does, Chelsea seem to be spreading their costs across multiple seasons and hoping they will always be able to sell for a lot of money. Risky in 3/4 years.

Unless they figure out a different way to increase income other than gutting the academy, then it will almost certainly end in us breaching the rules and being slapped with a ban and potentially points deduction too. Without CL football, everything else basically irrelevant. Secure that, and I’m sure the sponsors and all the associated revenues will help clean up the finances. Without it, we’re looking down the barrel of a transfer ban. I don’t see how else this story ends.
 
Chelsea to become the first club whose fans will celebrate a transfer ban like a CL victory
 
Maatsen
Guehi
Tomori
Ake
Liveramento

Hudson-Odoi
Gilmour
Gallagher
Olise
Mount
Rice

Solanke
Abraham
Nketiah

All from the academy and all no longer at the club.

Is the above much worse than they’ve spent billions replacing them with?!

The academy has produced some really good players but there’s so much incompetence in terms of integrating and identifying them for the first team.
 
Maatsen
Guehi
Tomori
Ake
Liveramento

Hudson-Odoi
Gilmour
Gallagher
Olise
Mount
Rice

Solanke
Abraham
Nketiah

All from the academy and all no longer at the club.

Is the above much worse than they’ve spent billions replacing them with?!

The academy has produced some really good players but there’s so much incompetence in terms of integrating and identifying them for the first team.
When in the feck was Nketiah on Chelsea’s books?
 
Maatsen
Guehi
Tomori
Ake
Liveramento

Hudson-Odoi
Gilmour
Gallagher
Olise
Mount
Rice

Solanke
Abraham
Nketiah

All from the academy and all no longer at the club.

Is the above much worse than they’ve spent billions replacing them with?!

The academy has produced some really good players but there’s so much incompetence in terms of integrating and identifying them for the first team.
There are definitely a few clangers there but I don't think it's reasonable to assume that all of these players would have reached the ability they're at now if they hadn't left Chelsea when they did.

Their academy is stellar though. Ironically, this may actually be hurting them now, as they seem to think that all this spending is possible because their homegrown talent is sellable, but in actual fact they've grossly overestimated the value they can get from their scholars
 
Are they getting rid of 4 English players from their books in one summer - Sterling, Chilwell, Gallagher and Chalobah?
 
There are definitely a few clangers there but I don't think it's reasonable to assume that all of these players would have reached the ability they're at now if they hadn't left Chelsea when they did.

Their academy is stellar though. Ironically, this may actually be hurting them now, as they seem to think that all this spending is possible because their homegrown talent is sellable, but in actual fact they've grossly overestimated the value they can get from their scholars
Some huge clangers, especially defensively.

Maatsen, Guehi, Tomori, Ake are better than what they have.

It’s also crazy they are desperate for a CF when they had Solanke. That said Abraham did well for them and they got rid for Werner.
 
Maatsen
Guehi
Tomori
Ake
Liveramento

Hudson-Odoi
Gilmour
Gallagher
Olise
Mount
Rice

Solanke
Abraham
Nketiah

All from the academy and all no longer at the club.

Is the above much worse than they’ve spent billions replacing them with?!

The academy has produced some really good players but there’s so much incompetence in terms of integrating and identifying them for the first team.
Surprised you didn't add Musiala if you included Olise and Rice.

Problem with that list is the best players left early. Rice when he was 13, Olise 14, Musiala 16.

Maatsen is probably the most obvious one in a long time. Signing Cucurella for 63m when you had Maatsen is just a brain dead decision.
 
Surprised you didn't add Musiala if you included Olise and Rice.

Problem with that list is the best players left early. Rice when he was 13, Olise 14, Musiala 16.

Maatsen is probably the most obvious one in a long time. Signing Cucurella for 63m when you had Maatsen is just a brain dead decision.
I think Guehi, Tomori and Ake are as good if not better than what they have now too.
 
Some dodgy shit going in isn’t there. They paid 20m to loan him and he flopped and they sent him back. He then flopped at Barcelona yet there paying £46m and giving him a 6 year deal on 250k a week

Nobody is that stupid
 
Some huge clangers, especially defensively.

Maatsen, Guehi, Tomori, Ake are better than what they have.

It’s also crazy they are desperate for a CF when they had Solanke. That said Abraham did well for them and they got rid for Werner.

Solanke took years to develop. He’s almost 27 and had his breakout season last season. Letting him go
was not a mistake. Also you have differentiate between those that wanted to leave and those that were just sold because they weren’t rated or trusted.

Solanke was different from Olise, Rice, Nketiah etc who all left Chelsea around 14 years old, and moved to another academy and they’re different from Tomori, Tammy, etc who got chances but were eventually let go because the coach at the time didn’t rate them enough, and they’re different from Mount, Hall, Gallagher etc who were forced out for PSR reasons.
 
Are they getting rid of 4 English players from their books in one summer - Sterling, Chilwell, Gallagher and Chalobah?
Stirling on massive wages .... will be difficult to move... Shades of Rashford !!!
 
Not remotely believable.
Believe whatever you like mate, it's no secret Mendes has been doing everything to get Felix out of Atleti basically ever since Griezmann came back. There's every possibility one of Mendes' dodgy companies is paying Felix's family under the table but on paper he's signed to lower wages than he was initially.
 
just received this pm:
toddyB:

Hey rimaldo,

Big fan of the numbers you’ve been putting up on here. All the guys at Clearlake are super excited to see what you’d be able to do on The Shed End. We don’t know what you’re on at RedCafe, though we assume it’s not enough. Want to swing by here tomorrow and meet with some of the big wigs and thrash out a 30 year contract? It’s about time you posted somewhere where your racism was appreciated. Enzo’s keen to discuss nose measurements with you.
probably time to spread my wings.
 
Some huge clangers, especially defensively.

Maatsen, Guehi, Tomori, Ake are better than what they have.

It’s also crazy they are desperate for a CF when they had Solanke. That said Abraham did well for them and they got rid for Werner.

Solanke, really? As good as he is today at age 26-27 he was also a bit shite for about 5-6 years between leaving Chelsea and since he actually started being a decent PL level player. Klopp binned him after just one season and for years people kept banging on about how Liverpool absolutely robbed Bournemouth when they got £19M for him. Whether we're talking about Chelsea or just in general, there's just absolutely no way any club with even an ounce of ambition would have gone through as much shit with Solanke as Bournemouth did. Fair play to them for sticking with him and taking the time to develop him into a top player but I suppose it's a bit easier to do that when you're a club of Bournemouth's level.

As for the others you mentioned, I definitely agree that we could use some of those players now. Then again all those three CBs left when we still had the likes of Rüdiger and Christensen in our squad and it very much looked like the pathway would be blocked for the foreseeable. Guehi, Tomori and Ake all left at a time when playing time was crucial for their development and at the time we simply had better players ahead of them. And had Marina not fecked up the contract extensions for the Rüdiger/Christensen following the UCL win in 2021, chances are that would still be the case even today.
 


Apparently it's a loan that becomes an obligate purchase for £30m if they stay up...let's fecking go Ipswich I say


Probably one of their strategies. Loan out players for fees and/or guaranteed buy clauses. Like a football blockbusters.