Chelsea 2023-2024 Thread

11,171 Views | 105 Replies | Last: 3 mo ago by deadbq03
byfLuger41
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Well that last campaign was dismal at best. Here's to hoping things can turn around at the Bridge.

I partially place blame on Diego for starting last seasons club thread AND using the incorrect emoticon. Maybe I can bring us better luck and less misfortune.

KTBFFH!


byfLuger41
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Live look at our oppostion this Summer...which is well deseved.

Diego
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byfLuger41 said:

Well that last campaign was dismal at best. Here's to hoping things can turn around at the Bridge.

I partially place blame on Diego for starting last seasons club thread AND using the incorrect emoticon. Maybe I can bring us better luck and less misfortune.

KTBFFH!





Ha!
JJxvi
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Kante officially leaving following his contract expiration.



Kovacic to Man City if clubs can agree on the fee



Chelsea and Inter to talk regarding the future of three players



Other things happening, Mount, Havertz potentially could go in deals to United and Real Madrid but neither club has agreed to Chelsea fee demands. Pulisic looking around at permanent move options. Chelse should officially announce acquisition of Nkunku from Leipzig this month.
Ziggy Sobotka
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I see a ton of departures…. Any word on additions?
akm91
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Signed Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
"And liberals, being liberals, will double down on failure." - dedgod
bchil03
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Havertz to Arsenal stings.
Max Power
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Personally I think it's good they're selling off tons of guys, the team is bloated, makes a lot of sense to move on from a lot of them. Other teams in contention going heavy on experience, Chelsea is flipping experience for youth. Chelsea will not contend for top 4 next year because they'll be playing so many young guys.

I decided to summarize some of the recent moves for simplicity sake. I could have missed a couple but these are all the confirmations and rumors I've heard as of late. Feel free to add on if I'm missing something.

Outgoing news/rumors
-Kovacic to Man City
-Havertz to Arsenal
-RL-C deal to AC Milan, they are interested in Pulisic as well.
-Lyon also interested in Pulisic.
-Mendy & Koulibaly to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia
-Ziyech to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia
-Kante to Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia
-Rumors are kicking around they have a deal in principal to send Mount to Man U for $55MM in cash plus $5MM in add ons.
-Inter has interest in retaining Lukaku, not the only suiter in play.
-Sarr transfer to Strasbourg.
-Azpilicueta could be released, has agreed to personal terms with Inter

Incoming news/rumors
-Signed Christopher Nkunku from RB Leigzig
-Signed Nicolas Jackson from Villareal for $37MM
-They are interested in Caicedo from Brighton but Brighton wants around $100MM, this price would be a big deviation from what they've been buying so far this summer.
$15MM transfer fee agreed upon for Brazilian F Angelo Gabriel.
Signed Jamaican Dujuan 'Whisper' Richards
Juventus to consider a swap of Lukaku for Dusan Vlahovic
Kampfers
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Hell of a window so far. Cleared out the squad, got off of a lot of dross, and the fees paid for Mount and Havertz are pretty incredible given their respective contract situations and poor form.

Caicedo has to be the top priority now, hopefully wrap that up ASAP for no more than 80m. On the plus side we shouldn't be facing a ton of competition for his signature. Arsenal likely priced themselves out after Havertz + Rice, City has Rodri, Liverpool not interested, United's interest was a smoke-screen to apply pressure on the Mount deal (plus they can't afford him anyways now).

Gabri Veiga looks like he might be the Mount replacement, we will definitely need cover at AM/RW now. Has a release clause so the price shouldn't get out of hand but City are sniffing around now (potential Gundogan replacement after missing out on Rice) so there might be competition for his signature.

Still need to identify a starting #9 unless we are just all-in on Jackson.

We will probably sign a backup keeper in the range of 15-30m to push Kepa. Slonina shouldn't be relied on for that yet and he'd benefit from regular starts on loan.

Might need to get another midfielder as well - we're really thin after the departures there so we might need a rotational option even after securing Caicedo. Cause right now it's basically only Enzo that you can rely on.

Then hopefully we can finalize a permanent move or obligation to buy for Lukaku and this summer would be just about as good as we could have hoped for. I love how quickly we have been getting our deals wrapped up. Hopefully we can get Caicedo in before preseason starts.
bchil03
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Thanks for all the insight. Any word on CP10?
Max Power
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Kampfers said:

Still need to identify a starting #9 unless we are just all-in on Jackson.

I'm curious how much faith they have in Broja. He's supposedly doing well in rehab and they're targeting the friendly on 7/19 against Wrexham for him to play. Personally, if they can flip Lukaku for Vlahovic I'd love that move.
Woods Ag
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Predicted lineup/formations for next year?
Bachelor99
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Woods Ag said:

Predicted lineup/formations for next year?
Poch favored the 4-2-3-1 during his spurs days....your guess is as good as mine on the predicted line up....
Kampfers
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bchil03 said:

Thanks for all the insight. Any word on CP10?
Most likely on his way out. Has been linked to a few clubs. Reportedly has agreed to personal terms with Milan but Chelsea want ~28m and Milan have only offered ~18m.
Kampfers
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Woods Ag said:

Predicted lineup/formations for next year?
Definitely returning to a back 4, most likely a 4-2-3-1 as Bachelor99 mentioned. Hard to definitively state a lineup with so many transfers still swirling about, but this is essentially what you're looking at:

------------------------------------------- Jackson (Broja)

Sterling (Mudryk) ------ Nkunku (Chukwuemeka?) ------ Madueke (???)

--------------------- Caicedo (Santos?) - Fernandez (Gallagher? Hall?)

Chilwell (Cucurella) - Badishille (Colwill) - Silva (Fofana) - James (Gusto)

---------------------------------------------------- Kepa (???)


I included Caicedo as a starter because he's the most likely target, but even if we get priced out of Caicedo, that starter is not currently on our roster.

Veiga immediately slots in over Carney Chukwuemeka at CAM and RW if we sign him.

Casadei, Santos, and Slonina are likely all loaned.

Gallagher isn't creative enough to play at one of the attacking mid spots but he's not really reliable enough at DM. I wouldn't be shocked if he's sold for ~40m to find a player that suits the system better.

If we can pull off the Vlahovic swap (I'm doubtful) he would jump in over Jackson as the starting 9, and Broja would likely get sold or loaned.

Weakest positions are definitely RW, Striker, and midfield depth. There's a lot of talent on the backline if it can stay fit, and obviously we would have a standout midfield with Nkunku running free in front of Caicedo and Enzo. So I'm generally optimistic but more signings are necessary.

Reportedly we have been trying to finalize outgoings before July 1 (and signings after that date) for FFP purposes.
Max Power
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Kampfers said:

Woods Ag said:

Predicted lineup/formations for next year?
Definitely returning to a back 4, most likely a 4-2-3-1 as Bachelor99 mentioned. Hard to definitively state a lineup with so many transfers still swirling about, but this is essentially what you're looking at:

------------------------------------------- Jackson (Broja)

Sterling (Mudryk) ------ Nkunku (Chukwuemeka?) ------ Madueke (???)

--------------------- Caicedo (Santos?) - Fernandez (Gallagher? Hall?)

Chilwell (Cucurella) - Badishille (Colwill) - Silva (Fofana) - James (Gusto)

---------------------------------------------------- Kepa (???)


I included Caicedo as a starter because he's the most likely target, but even if we get priced out of Caicedo, that starter is not currently on our roster.

Veiga immediately slots in over Carney Chukwuemeka at CAM and RW if we sign him.

Casadei, Santos, and Slonina are likely all loaned.

Gallagher isn't creative enough to play at one of the attacking mid spots but he's not really reliable enough at DM. I wouldn't be shocked if he's sold for ~40m to find a player that suits the system better.

If we can pull off the Vlahovic swap (I'm doubtful) he would jump in over Jackson as the starting 9, and Broja would likely get sold or loaned.

Weakest positions are definitely RW, Striker, and midfield depth. There's a lot of talent on the backline if it can stay fit, and obviously we would have a standout midfield with Nkunku running free in front of Caicedo and Enzo. So I'm generally optimistic but more signings are necessary.

Reportedly we have been trying to finalize outgoings before July 1 (and signings after that date) for FFP purposes.

Caicedo and Fernandez next to each other would be awesome, 100%. I also love Sterling and Nkunku playing next to each other. Gallagher is a liability half the time he's on the field. For every nice play he seems to make 2 mistakes, he just plays careless IMO. Maybe Poch can fix that but I like Hall in that spot over Gallagher. David Fofana can play RW behind Madueke IIRC. I'd like to see Wesley Fofana on the field more this season too, I really like his game.

They have a lot of speed and youth to utilize up front and a talented/deep defense that they can do a lot of different things and be dangerous. The attack is what they needed to revamp and they sure as hell have during this window.
BigJim49 AustinNowDallas
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Why break up the World's best? Never understood that. Quit watching when Pulisic was jerked.

Is anybody left from that team? Colors shown when team didn't score in 7-8 games!
BigJim49AustinnowDallas
missinAggieland
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If anyone is interested, we have 4 tickets to the double header on July 26 in Atlanta. 2nd game is Chelsea v Newcastle.

Section 227, Row 4, Seats 3-6

Looking to simply get what we paid with tax $105 per seat, $420 for the four.

PM if interested.

Our plans changed - conflict with daughter's soccer tryouts for HS.
Max Power
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Really enjoyed the match vs Brighton. I know it's just a friendly but it felt like there was something at stake here, especially since Brighton has had our number recently.

Another goal for Nkunku, two in two games, very nice to see early on. I was so juiced when Mudryk scored, he needed that. Nice goal and also he can just flat out fly down the field. I thought he basically kicked the ball out beyond the defender but he somehow got to his own pass. I really think Jackson might be special, he sees the field and the guys around him. I'm so optimistic for what he can bring. Of the veterans I thought Chilwell looked great and I like what I saw from Gallagher as well.

I really like how they play under Pochettino vs Potter, and I think it fits the young lineup of the team. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of what the team looks like under his direction. It just felt like the team was alive for a change when so many times last year they looked uninspired.

I do think the defense is a bit concerning, especially with Fofana being out thanks to as ACL injury. I'm curious what kind of lineups they play with in the back.
JJxvi
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JJxvi
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byfLuger41
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Moiss Caicedo to Chelsea on 115m deal - British record fee:

Agreement reached and medical tests booked.
Caicedo will sign his Chelsea contract until 2031.
Deal will also include an option until June 2032.
Brighton to receive 115m fixed fee from #CFC.

There will be also a sell-on clause included.
Despite Liverpool agreed 110m deal with Brighton on Thursday, Moises was clear and wanted Chelsea
Kampfers
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Also...


jeffk
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Greedy *******s
Max Power
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Big last 24 hours, Caicedo and Lavia coming in and Kepa going on loan to Real Madrid. They could have gotten Caicedo cheaper had they agreed to terms before Liverpool got the price up, oh well it's not my money. Having him and Enzo in the midfield should be a great fit.

Still gotta figure out what they're doing with Lukaku. Looks like they won't agree to terms with Juventus to swap Lukaku and Vlahovic because Juventus also wants $40MM to do the deal. After Kane was sold to Bayern Munich there was a rumor about Tottenham being interested but I think they shot that down. I don't know who they have to take over for him. Another possibility I'd think would now might be PSG since they just sold Neymar to the Saudi league. If they can't move him might as well see if he can work in Poch's system.
JJxvi
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Yay! Spent the most money...
DuncanField91
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JJxvi said:

Yay! Spent the most money...
Chelsea's gonna ruin football.
byfLuger41
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DuncanField91 said:

JJxvi said:

Yay! Spent the most money...
Chelsea's gonna ruin football.


We achieved that 20 years ago and it's nice we're continuing that legacy!

KTBFFH!!!
Kampfers
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I think in 10 years this Chelsea squad is going to be an incredibly interesting case study.

Boehly basically came into a club in crisis and tried to throw a bunch of money around in the first window to put out the fires. That's where we see the vast amount of missteps - Koulibaly, Cucu's fee, Auba, Fofana's massive wages.

Once the structure got put into place, however, the vision crystallized and everything since that first window (and the Potter calamity) has been building towards that vision. We've basically been playing FM in real life. Where most squads get turned over along the course of a few seasons, Boehly has basically done the same in two transfer windows. The incomings are insane sure, but the outgoings are equally impressive. We've essentially wiped the slate clean from 2 years ago and have an entirely new squad.

Lets talk about that new squad. We've cut our wage bill massively, by something like 50m pounds, and that's before shifting on Lukaku. All of our new signings (bar Fofana and Cucu) are on relatively low base wages, with heavy incentive driven contracts. We have the youngest squad age in the PL by almost a full year - despite rostering one of the oldest players in the league in Thiago Silva. That average age will only get younger when we finalize the Lavia and Washington signings. All of those young players are signed for between 6-9 years. Their low base wages means that they shouldn't be impossible to move (like Ross Barkley's wages were) if they don't reach their full potential down the road. We've basically bought only young, high potential players that fit our tactical profiles - like I said, FM in real life. We've locked them up through the extent of their prime years - ideally they grow alongside the club. This meshes well with the multi-club model (a scourge on the sport but likely a necessary evil to maintain competitiveness in the long run - hell even Brighton and Palace own other clubs).

Financially we are in a healthy position, despite the naysayers. At the moment I think we're actually still in the black for this window - but we will likely end somewhere between 40-80m in the red. Ultimately it's not a problem. Even under FFP, we're allowed to take on losses of up to 90m a year if the club is financially healthy - and we are.

The downside to this aggressive spending is that we are looking at ~150m pounds in amortized costs for the next 5 years, and roughly ~100m pounds after that. That may impede our ability to spend as aggressively in the future. CL qualification isn't required to avoid administration or anything so severe - but it is crucial to be able to continue positioning ourselves aggressively in the market. Ultimately, the CL benefits will also be partly offset by the salary inflation/achieved contract incentives. Will we be able to spend like this in years going forward? No, obviously not. But our spending in years going forward will likely look a lot more like our Casadei/Santos type signings, and not Caicedo/Lavia signings. That's not to say we won't sprinkle in big signings here and there - but that there won't be as much of a need for them now that the core of the squad is complete. Also, any future signings will get amortized over 5 years as well, so it hardly prevents future spending - it just means we can't completely brute force the market again.

How else will we make up that shortfall? Reduced wages for a start will mean the club generates a greater profit. Player sales, in part, and the academy's role in this will continue to be important. Increased commercial revenue is a big aspect, however. New sponsor for this season is rumored at 50m, a small increase over our last deal and on relative par with most of our commercial rivals. I expect, however, that our next long term deal will shoot for a figure closer to City's 67m. We'll likely seek to sign that after securing CL qualification. Ownership is committed to redeveloping the Bridge and, once complete, that will significantly increase revenues as well. We have by far the smallest stadium of our peer clubs. We've been making several steps to acquire land surrounding the bridge in preparation for this.

The financial picture is messy and complicated. But as someone that works on the legal side of private equity, I'm not worried about FFP or PL sustainability rules in the slightest. There are a lot of people, getting paid a lot of money, who are incredibly intelligent getting paid to answer these questions that have far more information than I do. I trust their judgment.

What are the next steps?
Incomings: Finalize Lavia (DM), Washington (ST). Sign Olise (CAM/RW). Sign a GK (Mamardashvili?). That would likely complete the squad.
Outgoings: Lukaku, Ziyech, Gallagher, Chalobah(?)
Loans: Casadei to Leicester, Ugochukwa(?), one of Washington or Broja (?), Maatsen?

Kepa will be sold next year after his loan to Madrid ends. I think it's a case of getting off his wages and Kepa not really being much better than much cheaper alternatives that led to this. I'd wager RM is also paying a ~10m pound loan fee for Kepa.

I know we were thinking about keeping Maatsen but he looked incredibly overmatched against Liverpool. I'm hesitant to draw too many conclusions from one appearance but with Olise potentially coming in, that might have been Maatsen's only chance to impress. I'd still keep him long-term unless we got a similar sliding sell-on as with Tino Livramento.

Gallagher definitely gets sold now, although Poch reportedly doesn't want to sell to Tottenham. He's surplus to requirements and doesn't really fit any of the roles of Poch's system. He's a quality player though, and we will likely get 40-60m for him, which counts as pure profit. Chalobah is 5th choice CB and 3rd choice RB so may also find himself on the move.

And in the meantime?
I'm incredibly excited. The squad is exceptionally young and chock-full of high potential talents. The Caicedo-Enzo partnership is arguably already the best midfield pair in the league and I think will develop into the best midfield in the world for at least 4-5 years. Talking about profiles, Jackson looks like everything we could possibly want out of a #9 - if the goals come, he will be an incredible bargain. I'm really optimistic about him. My biggest concern will remain health - Nkunku's injury was a huge blow and I'm concerned about goals until he gets back. James and Chilwell are incredible fullbacks but both hugely injury prone. My only other concern is leadership related - we've struggled for leadership in recent years and last year's catastrophe is the best example of that. On the plus side, we've sold or banished all of the problematic egos. However, we are incredibly young and inexperienced - how will we handle a tough stretch? I hope that Silva, James, and Chilwell is enough of a veteran presence alongside Poch to guide us through. Our next 4 games are against relegation candidates - we absolutely need to chalk up max points and put ourselves on the right track for CL qualification.
Kampfers
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and there's Olise.

So now just really expecting a GK to finish the window.
bchil03
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This was super helpful, thanks for sharing! I'm having to
Relearn our whole roster. Excited about the future! COYB!
byfLuger41
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Hold me
byfLuger41
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Lucas Paquet is a king size bag.
BBRex
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There were signs of life, but not near enough. Maybe some more time together will help them gel.
Kampfers
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I'm trying hard not to be overly pessimistic. But I'm worried that after last season, we really need to find our form ASAP or else the squad could lose its mentality if things look to be headed south again.

First half was generally very good minus the dodgy set piece defending early on. We actually succeeded in breaking down their low block multiple times, which was encouraging after watching us dither away in front of parked buses for years. Our final ball needs to improve. Sterling's dribbling was fantastic - but better passing could have seen him end with at least 2-3 assists. Still, I think he proved a little of the trust Poch has shown in him early on today. Jackson really put himself around the pitch in the first half, wasn't as noticeable in the second. Carney had an awesome goal - fingers crossed he isn't out too long. Enzo played a solid game but should have done better with his pen. Take nothing away from the save though.

But we were toothless in the second half and especially after the red card. Mudryk has all the physical tools but I'm not sure how well he reads the game at times. Also seems spent of confidence.

Caicedo was awful, but he barely had a preaseason and hasn't really trained with the squad. That isn't his level.
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