Summer Transfer Window 2017

[blueblue]

With better players around him here this season he'd have got 30 goals.

He is screaming most of the time and pointing where the ball should go and he gets it 1 in 3 times.

He will win Chelsea the PL again next season...that's why we'll get £85/90M

But, next season he will be playing in a different way and taking up different positions. A lot of the time his job will be to pull players out of position to make chances for Hazard, Willian, Pedro et al.
How many free kicks will he get the chance to take?
This is not a negative viewpoint of his role at Chelsea, quite the opposite.
I think this is where we want and need to go.

 

[blueblue]

I hope that Galloway is at least given a chance to cover for Baines at lb.

 

[Lanolin]

Why are you writing off DCL after his first season in the PL at 20 years old? Sandro I reckon can get closer to 15 goals, he is very talented, plus if we bring in a Striker like Dembele he can also add more goals.

Lukakus departure isn't as big as your making it out to be, we would have finished 7th without his goals.

Do you ever stop fuming?

No. No we wouldn't.

 

[Goat]

I hope that Galloway is at least given a chance to cover for Baines at lb.

I think the problem Galloway and Holgate are going to get is that neither have the frame to play CB as yet and neither are good enough offensively to play full back.

 

[davek]

We currently have Barry, McCarthy, Besic, Gana, Davies, Morgan, Barkley, Klaassen for the 3 slots.

Everybody is assuming Besic isnt fit, hes currently fit and able, everybodys assuming Barry is finished, hes not, everybody is assuming McCarthy is gone, I think thats fair, everybody is assuming Barkley is gone, who knows, if Barkley or McCarthy are sold, they will be replaced. Currently, numbers and quality wise we are fine in midfield.

It's overkill in that position atm. Money is required to be spent elsewhere. And I go back to my earlier point of Davies being crowded out. It will happen.

No you dont, thats why I placed them as 1-2, 1 sitter and 2 box to box midfielders, like Klaassen and somebody else, maybe Davies, Gana, drive at teams, employ the press from the front 3, the 2 in midfield press.

Nine of them have the required skills to make killer final passes that unlock defences. They can press, yes. But what they do after winning the ball high up the pitch is the next thing they have to think about. None of this lot are consistently cute enough for the position...but "the Ronk" dont do playmakers.

 

[rochdaleblue]

But, next season he will be playing in a different way and taking up different positions. A lot of the time his job will be to pull players out of position to make chances for Hazard, Willian, Pedro et al.
How many free kicks will he get the chance to take?
This is not a negative viewpoint of his role at Chelsea, quite the opposite.
I think this is where we want and need to go.

Lukaku has scored one free kick this season if my memory serves me right (palace - home).
Yes he will have to adapt to a new style of play at Chelsea, but he managed it here under koeman.
There is no doubt in my mind he will score 30+ goals for Chelsea with the creativity they possess in their side and comparing it to Barkley last season- our sole creative outlet after the injury to bolasie.

 

[davek]

But, next season he will be playing in a different way and taking up different positions. A lot of the time his job will be to pull players out of position to make chances for Hazard, Willian, Pedro et al.
How many free kicks will he get the chance to take?
This is not a negative viewpoint of his role at Chelsea, quite the opposite.
I think this is where we want and need to go.

Yes, he'll learn that type of movement. But he'll weigh in with a ton of goals and Conte knows Costa is done there.

 

[banno]

No. No we wouldn't.

Yes we would. It's a fact.

 

[windymiller]

We're nowhere near being a club that can have massive strength in depth all over the team so hoarding 5 players for two positions looks like overkill and a poor use of resources.

I believe we'll struggle upfront this coming season, not just because we'll be Lukaku-less but because Koeman doesn't seem to be able to land an out and out forward who leads the line - not a decent one anyway.

We need a LB and a CB. It all costs and signing more players for pretty much a couple of positions makes no sense.

He's fixated with CMs. All managers have their fixations in a position, this one is Koeman's.

I don't disagree with your anxiety regarding forwards (if you look at my prior posts you'll see that I am very worried about replacing Lukaku's goals) but I think we play with a lot of CMs relatively speaking and 5 players for 3 positions doesn't seem like overkill. I'm also concerned about what our resources really are but things are in such a state of flux that I'm not sure where we are in that regard. I suspect we will bring in some cheaper squad players (both in terms of wages and fees) compared with the players we are getting linked with currently towards the end of the window when prices decline for the less glamorous players and we know our EL fate.

 

[Goat]

It's overkill in that position atm. Money is required to be spent elsewhere. And I go back to my earlier point of Davies being crowded out. It will happen.




Nine of them have the required skills to make killer final passes that unlock defences. They can press, yes. But what they do after winning the ball high up the pitch is the next thing they have to think about. None of this lot are consistently cute enough for the position...but "the Ronk" dont do playmakers.

I watched an Everton team with Heitinga and Neville at CM David, if it means I never have to see such a thing again, buy ALL the CMs Ronny lad.

 

[Stephenlloyd]

Schneiderlin/Klaassen/Davies/Gueye. That is quite enough to hold that position all season with enough quality. We can draft in from Unsworth's team if need be (assuming Besic isn't fit).

I cant stress enough the chasm that will be left by Lukaku. His departure will take years to recover from. He is an exceptional talent and we'll struggle badly to make that gulf up in terms of class and finishing. Sandro? Hmm. Maybe chip in with 10 or so IMO. Calvert-Lewin is garbage IMO...just not buying that kid at all.

We need a massive statement signing for upfront.

I disagree about lukaku. While we will struggle to replace his 25 goals with one striker. His hold up play and work rate can easily be improved on.

 

[Lanolin]

Yes we would. It's a fact.

No it isn't though. It's a fact that if you removed Lukaku's goals but we were in some parallel unverse where everything else stayed exactly the same then we had enough of a cushion for it not to matter. It is absolutely not a fact that we would have finished 7th if he wasn't actually scoring those goals though, and in my opinion we wouldn't even have got close.

 

[windymiller]

Yes we would. It's a fact.

It's not. Nobody has any idea how we would have played and, indeed, how the opposition would have played against us if we hadn't played with Lukaku. The idea that games would have gone the exact same way, just without the goals, with A.N. Other up front is fanciful.

 

[windymiller]

No it isn't though. It's a fact that if you removed Lukaku's goals but we were in some parallel unverse where everything else stayed exactly the same then we had enough of a cushion for it not to matter. It is absolutely not a fact that we would have finished 7th if he wasn't actually scoring those goals though, and in my opinion we wouldn't even have got close.

Beat me to the exact same point by seconds!

 

[banno]

It's not. Nobody has any idea how we would have played and, indeed, how the opposition would have played against us if we hadn't played with Lukaku. The idea that games would have gone the exact same way, just without the goals, with A.N. Other up front is fanciful.

and then again Moyes last 4 seasons averaged 54 goals per season and with Lukaku last 4 seasons averaged 57.5 goals. Not a significant difference.
I understand you saying we would have played differently but that is basically like playing a goaless lukaku and we still would have finished 7th.