24 Jan 2025 20:01:42
RBD has written an article entitled, Have Chelsea FC Improved From Last Season?
24 Jan 2025 21:45:46
RBD, I enjoyed your article and I agree with a lot of your observations.
Nkunku was the player I was most looking forward to seeing last season but his injury denied me that pleasure for the majority of that season. I will be gutted to see him leave but as things stand I cannot see the manager changing our shape to accommodate him in the team and from what I’ve seen he can’t do what Jackson can do and that’s collect the ball and drive at defenders with pace. Sadly I think he will be leaving.
I’m not a massive fan of the so called inverted FB and don’t believe Gusto is suited to that role. I’m just a fickle supporter who say it’s tactical genius when it works but very risky when it doesn’t. For me it’s a risk v reward tactic.
The role and influence of our SD’s is an interesting topic. I hope this will make sense but I look at the SD role and think they are looking at players that will work well within the managers preferred playing system. The problem with that notion is it allows for no flexibility or manager changes and therefore a potential change in tactics.
I agree about the very poor treatment of Chalaboa. Disasi was one our poorest signings but I’m happy enough that we signed Tosin who is not only good in the air but has a nice touch and is willing to take a risk with a forward pass.
We have players who are still developing and a manager who is having his first season as a premiership manager. So far I’m happy with the progress of both the team and a manager who represents the club and himself well.
25 Jan 2025 01:06:35
thanks for the essay RBD you put much of my concern over what has happened since the end of last season far better than I have! Particularly the suspicion that the SDs wanted a manager who would be a good coach but also a yes man to their plans.
Those plans may have included etting Nkunku off the books as one of the sellable five highest salaried players at club. Of the 4 of the other five Chilwell, Fofana, and Reece James have of course had long and well. publicised battles with injury that could hamper possibility of selling them and Reece when fit is superb and rightly a fan favourite fo could spark protest if done when he's fit and firing. though that didn't stop the sale of Gallagher who was fit, pkaying v well and been acting captain for many matches last season. Chilweell now fit is now sidelined as now sellable? Rumours of Enzo to Real Madrid if true may aldo be about getting another high earner out of the Bridge but althpugh i may be overdoing this suspicion and clearly he has been much in EM plans at least.
If there has been a pattern to transfer business it seems of course to have been overall about lowering squad wage bill by buying youngsters on long contracts and usually lower wages with good sell on potential rather than older more experienced players on higher wages.
25 Jan 2025 09:16:25
JBS, according to Ed002 CG was offered a contract.
I would agree that your last paragraph about sums up how I see a significant part of the new owners PB.
25 Jan 2025 10:25:46
Yes Tom I remember Ed02 saying CG had been offered a contract but presumably he didn't think it accepytable and onviously hard for us to judge as we don't know the details. But I think we can assume it was nowhere near the level of Fofana, Chilly, (both 200, 000 a week) James (250, 000 a week) - all serially injured - or Enzo (injured for fair part of last season (c 190, 000 a week) and our midfield looked a lot better when CG alongside Caivedo though to be fair EF has improved considereably this season - or Nkunku (c 190,000 a week) who was out for almost all of last season too.
I get the desire to bring down the wage bill but we seem to spending and losing fair amount on players who are serially injured and/ or not wanted and disproportionate number of recent purchases seemingly not wanted/ not making it in first team either and may well be resold at a loss. So I expect CG wanted to get nearer to the wage levels of those five but the SDs didn't want that . but we don't know for certain what the issue was and could I guess have been about length of contract say.
Last window I do think Neto seemed like a good buy though he has been a biyt hit and miss this season and stats not great. Tosin on a free was a minimal risk and probably a good buy if only for cup games but given chance now he may well have what it takes to be part of 4 CBs on our books. Sancho some nice cameos with gteat feet if needs to add more goals but may also prove to be worth the gamble on taking him from UNited on relatively low fee and I've been pleasantly surprised thus far.
25 Jan 2025 12:19:38
JBS, like you I’m guessing about the details of the contract offer to CG.
I also understand CG wanting parity with certain players. I guess it’s about how you/ we look at the situation. The club had players in very high base salaries and then decided to change direction and offer longer term contracts with a bias towards PRP. Again let me stress I’m only guessing but I think the biggest problem for the club/ owners was the bigger earners. I’m not explaining myself very well on this subject but I just think they realised they had f@cked up by paying some players a far too high base salary.