FrankLampard8

I think I agree with them. When we are this far behind the teams at the top, signing dedicated squad players makes no sense to me - that's how you end up with Zapacosta type players anyway. Sign top quality players and let the quality filter down the squad places. Any remaining gaps should be filled by academy players as happened with Chalobah last season.

If you watch enough football to categorically state all these players aren't good enough, surely you've seen enough to come up with some sort of viable suggestion though even if it's with a caveat? e.g. "He might be a bit expensive but..." Because this is a really long post that doesn't really actually say or add anything to the conversation.

The only potentially obtainable PL striker of any worth I can think of would be Ivan Toney but I'm not sure he's up to it and I'm sure the fee would be pretty sizeable.

It's a pass from me.

Who is coming up with a new chant then? The one from the weekend was horrendous and can't be allowed to stick.

That is enough reason not to sign him. Case closed. I just can't really get on board with northerners at Chelsea. Gary Cahill was great but I'm struggling for anyone else - am I missing someone?

Completely different ways of working but it's interesting that football works in this way. I'm reminded of Scottie Pippen who signed a very long term contract on relatively low wages with the Chicago Bulls to secure his families future. Everyone including the Bulls advised him against it because he was going to be a superstar and could have made vast sums of money in the very near future. He signed anyway because he felt he couldn't take the risk of getting injured and losing it all because I believe some of his family had huge medical bills to pay and they'd grown up very poor. He went on to fulfil that potential and I think he became quite resentful towards the Bulls at the latter stages of that contract because he was made to honour it at the money that was agreed. I suppose most footballers would just put in a transfer request and refuse to play if faced with this scenario in this day and age.

Such a shame, I was so excited when he signed. I couldn't believe we had pulled it off! He has shown flashes of the player that he was in Germany but ultimately it just hasn't worked out at all. I don't think we have always put him in the best situations to succeed but equally you can't make excuses for the lack of composure and terrible touch that he has exhibited for most of his tenure here. He played his part in our CL win, was nearly the hero in the Bernabeau last season and until very recently kept his head up and worked his socks off so I can only wish him well. Do do do dodo do do Timo Werner!

Fofana might not be as sexy a signing as Haaland but I would suggest he is pretty near to being his centre half equivalent, no? There's an argument for him being one of the very best U21 centre halves in the world and already one of the better centre halves in the best league in the world. It makes perfect sense to go and add some quality youth to a backline comprising of Silva, Koulibaly and Azpilicueta otherwise we could end up in a similar predicament again in 2 or 3 seasons time.

I was sure he would play but now feel like more than anything they won't risk him having a stinker rather than because of the risk of him getting injured. I can't imagine him being very committed at this point. Mendy Chalobah - Silva - Koulibaly James - Kante - Jorginho - Chilwell Mount- Havertz- Sterling I'm saying 2-0 Chelsea with with Chalobah and Sterling on the scoresheet (although if I could pick I'd go Sterling and Havertz).

Stats can't prove or disprove whether someone is high-profile. Whether or not he is elite is another question. I would say he isn't but he is very, very good and at a young age. He's a great dribbler (93rd percentile for carries, 98th for total carry distance, 99th for progressive carry distance and 94th for dribble completion) A very good passer (90th percentile for passes attempted, 90th for passes completed, 90th for pass distance, 81st for key passes) And a pretty mobile 1 v 1 defender (99th percentile for % of dribblers tackled, 87th for dribblers tackled, 82nd for successful pressures and 83rd for ball recoveries).

No argument here.

I think we will get Fofana in the end. *Cue debate over whether he is high-profile or not*

Where does one find the strikers world rating table? An ok player from an average Leicester team is very strong in my opinion. He has maybe been the outstanding young centre half in the league since he joined them and that's with a leg break in the middle. Leicester haven't been at their previous levels but I seem to remember them being very unlucky with injuries and losing a key player pretty much every summer for year now. With all of that, they still been getting European football and a won a cup which was huge for them. Have we overpaid on Cucurella and Koulibaly? Possibly. However, we were in desperate need of reinforcements under unprecedented circumstances and we are almost definitely better now than last season with Sterling, Gallagher, Koulibaly, Cucurella and seemingly another high-profile centre half in.

What strange and potentially inappropriate turn of phrase