09 Mar 2020 10:36:15
chelsea are going to be very strong next season when they add quality too the brilliant youth, also man united will be very strong with the signing of bruno Fernandes and more quality next season they will be a lot closer too us and city, can't help feeling for us too keep on top of things the squad is going to need freshening up in certain areas with world class talent I hope we are already on top of this .

1.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 10:48:15
Last summer everyone was saying "we need to spend money to stay competitive" and look at us now.

I am sure that the club are planning things for the summer, and if the right players come along to improve the squad there is almost certainly money available to spend on them.

But I trust the club and manager to have a vision of what they want and if it's not available they won't just spend for the sake of it.

We don't want to be like City and spend £200mill on fullbacks and end up playing a midfielder at CB for half the season.

2.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 11:37:17
Not whole sale changes, players will be moving on eg lallana, shaq, lovren, possibly origi, maybe one of the front 3, why not replace with 2 or 3 world class players an cover for left back an centre back, is it too much too ask for one of or if not the best team in the world.

3.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 12:02:21
Chelsea have all this ‘young talent’ supposedly, yet are still very reliant on the likes of Willian and Giroud to do things in games. Whilst Mount could be good, and Gilmour certainly looks a prospect, I’ve seen nothing from their other hyped youngsters (James, Abraham, Tomori, Pulisic) that suggests they will be competitive at all.
They are also 34 points behind the would-be champions and just got utterly stuffed by a less than stellar Bayern side (relatively speaking) .

I do agree with your main point, however, that we need to freshen up, just to add competition if nothing else.

4.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 12:30:07
I agree with you here hailstones, and I hope this is what our management (both Klopp and others) are planning.

For me, Lallana, Shaq, Lovren and Origi are likely departures. I would hope we are also brave on Naby and look for a decent departure price for him too and cut our losses. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he's not right for us.

I am totally in the Werner camp, and I would also be keen to tie up a deal for Havertz if Naby goes. Hendo, Milly and Gini are all either into or approaching their 30s and the Ox still has a suspect injury record. Jones is an exciting prospect, but I wouldn't want to rely on him being a 40-50 game person next season. Havertz is the real deal and we can have 8-10 season from him if we invest now.

Werner, at £50m or so, is also a great prospect and will provide proper competition for our front 3 as well as rotation support to cover injuries/ fatigue and/ or loss of form.

I'd like to see a young CB to come in to provide competition and support to Gomez, VVD and Matip. Makes sense for someone homegrown and Ed001 mentioned Ben White who could be a decent prospect. Although we have Sepp VDB and Hoever, I think they are still a couple of seasons off being first team ready, from what I have seen in the cup games.

Given our full backs are pretty resilient, and the likes of Larouci, Lewis and especially Williams look very decent backups, I wouldn't be as stressed about FBs as we were last season. If a decent option comes up, especially if they are homegrown, then great. If not, I wouldn't worry.

I think we should replace Adrian if he leaves (which I hope he doesn't) . Kelleher doesn't look ready to me, and Alisson has unfortunately had some time out this season so we need a decent backup just to be on the safe side.

So, in summary, I'd love us to get a couple of top, top class signings in Werner and Havertz, a couple of very decent backups in someone like Ben White and a FB, and possibly a keeper if Adrian goes (the Turkish chap who was linked for £25m-ish? )

As long as we keep the rest of our players, that is where I would spend this season - total outlay of around £150m-£200m with fees back of maybe £50-£75m from the outgoings (Shaq, Lovren, Origi commanding fees) .

In this market, and given we kept our powder relatively dry last couple of windows, I think that is reasonable to ensure we stay on top.

5.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 13:21:34
Lfclowe you missed out Mason mount, gilmour who looks brilliant plus they have others also and will get better an better plus money will be spent, chelsea will b very strong .

6.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 13:38:14
ed002 I agree with hailstones about Chelsea and utd but if city's ban is upheld with the money they would be down would you see them having much of a transfer budget or would they need to get rid of some players to keep in FFP with such a massive wage bill.

{Ed002's Note - FFP is not going to be an issue for Manchester City - and they won't be working to a fixed budget. They have transfer plans with a bunch leaving and some arriving. The wage bill is not of any consequence. And they have a Plan B for an alternate money stream should they not be in the CL.}

7.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 20:08:16
It's the same point of the last 20 years but tempered because we are winning trophies.

Just bring in the right players without disrupting the chemistry and rhythm we have already.

8.) 09 Mar 2020
09 Mar 2020 18:00:22
Ed can you please expand on city’s plan b for an alternative money stream if banned?
Many thanks.

{Ed002's Note - It has been coming as I explained previously. FIFA and to some extent UEFA want to hurt the English sides. The issue Manchester City has is questionable as it relates to third party sponsorship. For some years UEFA have been trying to deflect a legal challenge but want agreement with the the capping of television income and sponsorship. UEFA has spoken to a number of clubs but have generally not found them supportive – all three English sides in the "elite" group have been spoken to are against the plans to introduce the investment cap but others are of course fighting for it to lower the advantage that English sides have. UEFA turned to the association of European clubs and they are keen to have some input. They are traditionally ignored but they have been actively discussing this issue with UEFA. However, they are excluded from the discussions that UEFA and specific clubs have with each other – and it is that forum that will eventually settle on the more critical television revenue and commercial sponsorship caps. The charge relates to overstating sponsorship to even out FFP and have been expected for a long time - The FA have already made similar charges against other clubs and have more in their sights. It will eventually go to appeal - UEFA won't in all probability oppose the appeal process meaning it will likely not impact next season - this however could result in an issue with FIFA and another side. Manchester City have known about this for a number of years. There will be at least two more concerned English sides. If the worst happens and restictions are made with involvement in the Champions League, discussions have been held to hold very lucrative friendlies on the European dates - they can be planned will in advance - be held across the globe and television rights can be sold. Manchester City see this as a better option than going down certain other routes that are potentially available to them - such as the breakaway the "elite" clubs are considering, the first team pre-season first team competition being supported by Liverpool as the owners look to monetorise the club or the further expanded Club World Cup. Discussion with teams from around the world have already taken place.}