30 Aug 2016 15:22:48
All of this post is gleaned from Editor info on other pages, various transfer sources and historical data.
Basically, the summary is keep the faith. I have all confidence in the club that we will see at least two signings, possibly 3, maybe even four with one being a truly established star.
We'll start off by discussing James Rodriguez. Clearly, Real Madrid (or rather Perez) does not see a long term future for him, and as Ed002 confirmed, they have made a significant offer for Bernardo Silva of Monaco, presumably as a replacement. This should in theory be a relatively simple domino effect- Silva to Real=James to us, however, another variable comes into play. Isco also fears for his spot in the squad and has attracted interest from Milan, Juventus and Spurs, with other clubs undoubtedly keeping a watching brief. What I think may help us in this scenario is that Zidane previously seems more keen to keep Isco (who is also a fan favourite) and use him in rotation with Asensio and also Silva if they sign him. This is still the most unlikely of all our transfers, however.
Next, we come to Marcos Alonso, which is relatively short and sweet. Deal is nearly done, around £25m and will sign tomorrow. A solid LB with potential to improve and appparently someone who Conte rates very highly, was very good for the Viola last season.
Brozovic is a more interesting one. With Inter needing to sell to balance out the signings of Joao Mario and Gabriel Barbosa, Chelsea see a good chance to sign Brozovic for a reduced fee compared to what was previously quoted, with a fee around £21-25m being muted. The problem with this deal may be that Brozovic is very keen to see a large pay rise as part of the prospective Chelsea contract and as such is playing the game in negotiations. While I still think a deal will be done, I think we still might need to wait till the deadline for this one. And also, it raises questions certainly about Mikel, who is today being linked with Galatasaray after Tiote failed his medical.
Finally, the CB. Arguably the most frustrating element of our transfer endeavours this summer, it is now clear we are in a race against time. I use this point to remind people to ignore all Zouma rumours. Absolute nonsense and he couldn't even pass a medical right now. Not sure why a club short on centre backs would loan anyone who is clearly in first team plans either. De Vrij, Romagnoli, Koulibaly, Garay, Marquinhos, Bonucci, Maksimovic and Lindelof were among names which have been tossed around this summer, and I think we will still sign at least one of them. Right now, it is looking like De Vrij, but Lindelof has been prominently linked again today, and Koulibaly's situation may yet change- let's not forget the David Luiz deal was dead coming up to 4pm on Jan 31st 2011 and by 11pm he was in our shirt. If Napoli can get Maksimovic through the door, then wait and see, as Koulibaly has again made it clear he wants Chelsea, and is stalling on the contract again because of this.
Will it go down to the wire? I think so. We have to face facts this year- we have no CL football and that has reduced our revenue, plus we need to be aware of FFP. Despite what many people are saying on here, I think we have had a relatively good window by signing a world class DM and a top young CF, plus a decent Keeper cover, and most importantly Conte appears keen to give Aina, RLC, Chalobah, Solanke a chance if he can. We'd all love Griezmann, Morata etc., but we'd all be the first to moan if they did a Torres, or it blocked our youth players progressing. Still a long long way to go, and I am sure before tomorrow's deadline a lot will have changed.
Keep the faith.
30 Aug 2016 15:57:25
Thanks for the post CFC, well laid out discussion and I think at least 1 of those will sign, probably Alonso, who can also cover at CB, particuarly in a back 3.
30 Aug 2016 15:30:28
Awesome work, from an old poster. I still have a lot of faith.
30 Aug 2016 16:10:43
Nice summary CFCForever. We are much better in terms of numbers and qualities than last season, and it could get much more better as we expect one or 2 more signings. Moral is high and our best players are playing well too. Let us keep the faith, hoping all our players return fit from international matches.
30 Aug 2016 18:43:54
Good stuff and 100% balanced mate. For me, Koulibaly is dead and can't help thinking that if Alonso signs then Ivan can cover as a CB with Azpi RB and Zouma up an running in a couple months are we desperate for a CB?