The Latest Gossip

by Dlewis on Dec 30, 2011 5:59 PM GMT

As the winter transfer window approaches, the rumors continue to pile in. Let's get into it.

Marco Motta: Very interesting rumor here for the Juventus right back. The 25 year old is currently stuck behind in-form Stephen Lichsteiner at Juve. Would only cost about six million and could be involved in a switch with Alex. Despite the money side of the deal working out nicely Motta himself isn't somehow who I rate that highly. Would rather just keep defensively sound (kinda) Branislav Ivanovic at Right back.

Kaka: Daily Mail insists that Real Madrid would be willing to part with the Brazilian for 22 million. Cheap, but I'm not sure Real Madrid is quite willing to waive the white flag on Kaka just yet. Selling him would be admitting defeat in the entire experiment, while they may may sense financially, Real do have a lot of pride. The same applies for Torres, 25-30 million would be a great offer to get but would Chelsea be willing to give up on Torres? Tough to say. I'm not even going to get into the massive wages he would surely command.

Alvaro Pereira: When I first saw, "Chelsea to submit bid for Porto defender..." I exulted thinking we finally came around to our senses and bid for Rolando. However the article was referring to Pereira. How about both?

Marek Hamsik/Edison Cavani: The Sun says we will have 150 Million to spend on these two among others. Unlikely, but dreamy.

Neymar: I guess we've been given a "boost" in our "chase" for Neymar by Santos denying a deal is in place for him to go to Barcelona. I don't think it matters much because he's practically destined for either staying at Santos or moving to Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Sam Hutchinson: Fantastic news that he'll be returning to our first team. Can't wait to see him.

Josh McEachran: Latest reports say that he'll be going to Bolton as part of our famed Gary Cahill deal. Which would lower the price by about a million. I'm fine with that, maybe Kakuta was just an special case and Owen Coyle can get back to nurturing our future stars.

Gael Kakuta: More and more evidence is pointing to him joining Dijon on loan. JUST PLAY HIM.

Cheik Tiote: Latest quotes from him suggest that he has no intention of moving on from Newcastle. Fair enough, great player but not in a position that we needs strengthening at the moment.

Edison Cavani: His agent said in a radio interview this week that the Chelsea rumors are pleasing but that the decision ultimateley lies in the hands of Napoli, which it should. That's the problem, Napoli will command too much money for Cavani and will have to break the bank again. We should be focusing our effort on players who aren't cup tied and are versatile.

Hulk: His agent said that the burly right winger would love to team up again with Andre Villas-Boas. Please be true, if he starts to clamor about leaving Porto we might be able to get him for less than his astronomical 87.5 million release clause.

Question of the week: When will Neymar leave Santos?

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Comments

So many needs...

Defense, please. Lots of defense.

And some creativity in midfield. It’s clear that Meireles has skill but doesn’t have the creative spirit to open up space and provide service.

by ChelseaDC on Dec 31, 2011 6:51 PM GMT reply actions

A very realistic prospect is Gaston Ramirez. He’s not cup tied, brings some creativity and skill at set pieces (how badly do we need that…) and Bologna are in the bottom 5 of Serie A. We might make a move for De Bruyne as well, but that would be the extent to our purchases I would think, considering everyone good is cup tied and their clubs will try to extort $50m+ from us

by Dochinzo on Dec 31, 2011 11:29 PM GMT reply actions

Great post

You forgot to talk about Greg VDW!!! Is his move to Valencia almost complete? LAst time I checked Valencia submitted a derisory 5mil offer, rejected by Ajax of course

by theRamster on Jan 1, 2012 11:18 AM GMT reply actions

RB, CB, CAM, ST

It’s wishful and greedy for me to want all of these positions improved in January but I really think that we need players in all of these places if we are to mount a challenge for any trophy. I’m ok with just adding one or two if the thought process is just to finish top 4.

I’d love Cavani or Higuain. Gary Cahill would be nice if it goes through. Hulk would be awesome and potentially allow us to play a 4 2 3 1 with Hulk, Mata and Sturridge behind Torres….that sounds nice to me.

by Footy in the USA on Jan 2, 2012 8:02 PM GMT reply actions

versatility

One of the things I like most about Mata is his versatility. He’s both a winger and an attacking midfielder. I like the idea of a guy like Hazard who can play in multiple positions and can find open space/make moves to generate things, similar to Mata.

I don’t know nearly enough about Cavani’s style – does he play best facing the goal or back to the goal, is he a quick shooter or someone who will make moves, etc.

by ChelseaDC on Jan 2, 2012 10:46 PM GMT up reply actions