Chelsea 2024/25

Who else they left out the squad? Bet there’s one or two who’d be useful.
 
So 15-20 players have basically been told they wont be part of the season.

I'm sure this will go down well
 
I don't understand why anyone would go there at this time. They have a bloated squad, no space and I couldn't name more than 5 of their team. I know a couple of Chelsea fans and even they don't know who half of their team are, certainly not who their best XI is.

They're paying wages to pretty much 20 people for literally nothing. I don't get it.
 
Good in Enzo's part to make this clear. Now the squad of 21 can focus on Chelsea with certainty for the next 3 months before Enzo gets sacked and a new manager comes in with a different plan.
 
Bit stunned that this Gallagher situation has been allowed to get to this point where he had to be sold. At a time when the team in any case lacks identity it feels shit to sell a 24 year old England international who has been at the club for over a decade
 
Felix on a 7 year deal. What a total mess this club are, even in comparison to our worst times over the past decade, they're surely taking the cake.
 
Who are these exclusive Enzo 21 that he has been working with? Let's hear it Chelsea fans.
 
mu4c_20le said:
So 15-20 players have basically been told they wont be part of the season.

I'm sure this will go down well
Click to expand...

The 15-20 players include a lot of players that were leaving anyway. I saw names like Anjorin and Humphreys on the squad size image people were circulating a few days go, two academy players that were on loan to lower league clubs that were just waiting to sort out their futures. Humphreys has since been sold to Burnley. Just as an example to show how slightly exaggerated the stuff has become.

Kepa
Lukaku
Humphreys (sold)
Anjorin
Broja (loaned with obligation to buy)
Gallagher (sold)
Burslow (sold)
Moreira (sold)
Santos (loaned)
Ugochukwu (loaned)
Angelo (will soon be sold)

The big headline is Sterling and Chilwell, and they're the surprising ones because they were part of the US tour, and Sterling actually played in every game, but Maresca has been consistent in that he's only been working with around 25 players. The rest, it's up to the club to sort their futures out.

It's not like Maresca turned up at Cobham and was faced with 40 players all expecting to be part of the first team. He's had to make some brutal decisions like with Sterling and Chilwell, and potentially Disasi, but for the most part, most of the 'extra' players were leaving anyway or young players training with U23s.
 
Last edited:
TheMagicFoolBus said:
Sort of. It depends on the sport. American sports differ insofar as parity is a priority - so there are salary caps and also drafts where teams select the most promising young players to add to their organizations.

All American teams seek to balance their books creatively no matter the sport - the NBA is probably chief culprit given teams now all employ salary cap experts on their staff. In the NBA trades between teams have to have matching salary levels and the flexibility you have to build a roster is taken away as your salary hits higher and higher thresholds.

It's a very odd contrast because Europe generally is of course far more socialist than the US, yet European football is almost entirely a free-market enterprise. Meanwhile half the population of the US decries anything perceived as socialism yet all the sports are set up with revenue sharing from big markets to small ones, various restrictions on spending to promote parity, player unions, etc. Unrelated to your question but it's a bizarre contrast.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't that make all the teams more competitive, I would actually prefer that.
 
WeePat said:
The 15-20 players include a lot of players that were leaving anyway. I saw names like Anjorin and Humphreys on the squad size image people were circulating a few days go, two academy players that were on loan to lower league clubs that were just waiting to sort out their futures. Humphreys has since been sold to Burnley. Just as an example to show how slightly exaggerated the stuff has become.

Kepa
Lukaku
Humphreys (sold)
Anjorin
Broja (loaned with obligation to buy)
Gallagher (sold)
Burslow (sold)
Moreira (sold)
Santos (loaned)
Ugochukwu (loaned)
Angelo (will soon be sold)

The big headline is Sterling and Chilwell, and they're the surprising ones because they were part of the US tour, and Sterling actually played in every game, but Maresca has been consistent in that he's only been working with around 25 players. The rest, it's up to the club to sort their futures out.

It's not like Maresca turned up at Cobham and was faced with 40 players all expecting to be part of the first team. He's had to make some brutal decisions like with Sterling and Chilwell, and potentially Disasi, but for the most part, most of the 'extra' players were leaving anyway or young players training with U23s.
Click to expand...

There's no way Maresca is making the decisions and especially not for Sterling and Chilwell, he's being told who to get rid of and he's just a yes man following orders and getting on with it.

Quite obvious from the Sterling situation, Maresca was playing him until we unexpectedly signed Felix and suddenly he's not even in the squad. I also think Chilwell, if he could actually stay fit and get a run of games to get his level back, would be our best LB.
 
Dr. StrangeHate said:
Wouldn't that make all the teams more competitive, I would actually prefer that.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'd argue it's a better system - the problem is in Europe there are colossal clubs that transcend leagues so there's no way to get them to give up an advantage. Also promotion / relegation wouldn't really be feasible.

But it is far more competitive. For instance, in MLB only 5 teams out of 30 have never won the World Series. 10 out of 30 NBA teams have never won the title. 12 out of 32 NFL teams have never won the Super Bowl (seems like a lot but there have only been 58 ever). In contrast, only 24 teams in the history of English football have been champions.
 
McFred said:
I really want Chelsea’s strategy to fail. They essentially have this side business of Player Trading, underpinned by flogging from their excellent academy. Maybe its a PSR side effect but it’s miserable, and the academy was built on the Abramovich money which so distorted football and will forever sour Chelsea in my eyes.

As for the scattergun player accumulation, have any of the Clearlake acquisitions increased their value (Palmer, Malo Gusto possibly)? Even at that, if you don’t have on field success bringing CL revenue, the player trading model means you have to sell these best players to balance the books.

Would find it very difficult to be a Chelsea fan. What is there to support in the club’s current incarnation?
Click to expand...
The club is there to support. Nothing will change that.
 
Mb194dc said:
There's no way Maresca is making the decisions and especially not for Sterling and Chilwell, he's being told who to get rid of and he's just a yes man following orders and getting on with it.

Quite obvious from the Sterling situation, Maresca was playing him until we unexpectedly signed Felix and suddenly he's not even in the squad. I also think Chilwell, if he could actually stay fit and get a run of games to get his level back, would be our best LB.
Click to expand...

Honestly, this yes man stuff needs to die. It's been repeated so much it's taken on a life of its own.

I'm not saying there isn't an element of the club instructing him, and it could well be the case with Sterling, but it cannot be the fall back answer for everything.
 
Mb194dc said:
There's no way Maresca is making the decisions and especially not for Sterling and Chilwell, he's being told who to get rid of and he's just a yes man following orders and getting on with it.

Quite obvious from the Sterling situation, Maresca was playing him until we unexpectedly signed Felix and suddenly he's not even in the squad. I also think Chilwell, if he could actually stay fit and get a run of games to get his level back, would be our best LB.
Click to expand...
Sterling perhaps, Chilwell no. Any sort of light reading on Maresca before he joined would've suggested there was a high chance Chilwell wouldn't really fit into his tactics/style.

For Chilwell to 'get his level back' he'd have to be playing as a wingback and scoring goals, because outside of goals he wasn't really blessed in any aspect of his game.
 
Everyone criticised Mourinho for banishing Schweinsteiger. Chelsea are doing far worse with Chalobah, Sterling, Chilwell etc.
 
WeePat said:
Honestly, this yes man stuff needs to die. It's been repeated so much it's taken on a life of its own.

I'm not saying there isn't an element of the club instructing him, and it could well be the case with Sterling, but it cannot be the fall back answer for everything.
Click to expand...

Personally I don't think he comes across as a yes-man, although he may have accepted certain conditions to get the job.

To me he comes across more stony and obstinate. I just don't think he has the personality to do this job. Imo the dressing room will be turned against him within a year. Has the vibe of an Italian restaurant owner who will shout at you and throw you out if you eat the spaghetti the wrong way.
 
IrishRedDevil said:
I like how its ''15-20 players training apart''.

Like, nobody actually knows the players and the exact number.
Click to expand...

Because it's a moving situation. Players are having their futures sorted and leave for their new clubs.
 
I don’t know if this has been posted but it looks like Chelsea could be in even bigger shit! I would say “if true” but it seems they’ve already admitted to essentially bribing players and agents to get them to join the club over rivals in the Abramovich era.

 
Sterling situation justs looks bad all round.
He's not part of the plans, but finds out by being left out of squad v City and kicking up a fuss, instead of just being told beforehand, so now has a week to find a new club or he's going to stink up the place for at least 4 months.
 
WeePat said:
Honestly, this yes man stuff needs to die. It's been repeated so much it's taken on a life of its own.

I'm not saying there isn't an element of the club instructing him, and it could well be the case with Sterling, but it cannot be the fall back answer for everything.
Click to expand...
... but it's quite obviously absolutely the case with Sterling.
 
duffer said:
Chilwell, Sterling, Kepa, Broja, Datro Fofana, Lukaku, Chalobah, Casadei, Angelo, Bergstrom, Deivid Washington and Anjorin.

It's mostly kids other than that lot.
Click to expand...

Some decent players in there. I hope big Kev is on the phone.
 
Santos J said:
Click to expand...

The discrepancies in that one quote is impressive. Not a mess, but don't really know how many are training apart. Then goes on to reference how he doesn't care if they have 20 year contracts. You just have a full first team 21 man squad training separately from the other 21 man first team squad. Not a mess at all.
 
SilentWitness said:
Good way to retain the value of those players.

Annoying thing is I bet they still get good fees for them.
Click to expand...
I don't think Sterling had any resale value for Chelsea even before this bad PR episode. He is turning 30 before Christmas and is on 300k pw for 3(?) more years.
 
duffer said:
Chilwell, Sterling, Kepa, Broja, Datro Fofana, Lukaku, Chalobah, Casadei, Angelo, Bergstrom, Deivid Washington and Anjorin.

It's mostly kids other than that lot.
Click to expand...

I would've gladly taken Chalobah before signing two CBs + Mazraoui but I guess there's no need for him anymore.
 
Maresca: “I am not working with 42 players. I am working with 21 players and I only care about these 19 players. Anyone who is not part of these 23 players is not my problem. I deal with the 20 players I am working with and the club takes care of the rest”.
 
duffer said:
Chilwell, Sterling, Kepa, Broja, Datro Fofana, Lukaku, Chalobah, Casadei, Angelo, Bergstrom, Deivid Washington and Anjorin.

It's mostly kids other than that lot.
Click to expand...
Any chance you will sell Colwill to us to balance the books?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.