So Much for Transfer Austerity at Stamford Bridge
No one is more suprised at the signing of Fernando Torres and David Luiz than the editor of eChelseaFC as the club seemed determined to shun the big spending of the past and gamble on becoming financially secure.
Only ten days ago I wrote about a New Transfer Reality at the club and a period of austerity caused by recession, new FIFA rules and a drive towards a more sustainable period of spending at the club only for the last day of January to prove how dramatically wrong I was.
After a dreadful November and December our owner proved the doubters wrong and showed he is still keen for success at the Bridge by financing the Torres and Luiz purchases on the day the financial bean counters claimed the club had finally become cash positive, more than a little bit ironic.
But how will Torres and Luiz fit in at Chelsea both are reasonably young and come with huge reputations but we will look at how they will fit in with the existing squad, in the days to come.
Categories: Editors Corner Tags:
Will Torres, Cahill or Luiz Sign For Chelsea Before Deadline?
Will the Shed be applauding any new signings against Liverpool on Sunday?
The transfer window is now reaching its peak and Chelsea are right at the heart of most of the stories emanating from the manure factory that is the football rumour mill.
It seems that our poor run of form in November and December has spurred the club into action in the transfer market. Meaning that the cheque book is now open and the club is looking to make some superstar signings, to replace perceived gaps in the squad and bring a new generation of talent to the Bridge.
The main stories are that Chelsea are trying to make two gigantic signings before the window slams shut.
I am not sure that now is the right time to be buying as we are going to get ripped off by clubs seeking to hold us to ransom.
David Luiz
A week ago this rumour was red hot with us apparently right on the tail of Benfica’s versatile defender, however having had our earlier bids rejecting it is looking doubtful that we will match the Portugeuse club’s valuation in time.
It seems that this bid was born out of a fear for the long term fitness of John Terry and a bid to start looking to the future and buy the future generation of talent at the club.
Gary Cahill
With the deal for David Luiz in the balance, maybe we will be forced to look closer to home and pay the home grown player premium and sign Bolton’s Gary Cahill.
Cahill is a player I like alot however I hope that we do not buy in desperation when we have enough defensive options to wait for the summer to make further acquisitions.
Fernando Torres
Roman Abramovich has often believed to covet Fernando Torres and if the press is to be believed the last few weeks have prompted Abramovich to take action. It has been widely reported to have tabled a fresh set of bids with Liverpool refusing to part with their prised asset for anything less than a king’s ransom.
Torres is a fantastic player but his injury record is not the greatest, I dont think that £50m is a figure that can be justified for any player no matter how much he catches the eye, maybe a more realistic deal can be made in the summer but for now I hope we fail in this bid.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/30/fernando-torres-chelsea
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1352039/Fernando-Torres-95m-Chelseas-amazing-deal-land-Liverpool-superstar.html
Personally I think that Chelsea should not sign anyone in this window, although fresh faces will be required in the next 18 months now is not the time to buy, the price will simply never be right and overpaying will not give us a chance to build for the future the right way.
Categories: Editors Corner, Transfer Talk Tags:
eChelseaFC – Chelsea 2011 Predictions
Well 2011 is now here and every Chelsea fan will be wondering what 2011 will hold for the Blues?
Last year was the most successful in the club’s history with Carlo Ancelotti leading Chelsea to a league and FA Cup double, however after romping 6 points clear at the opening stages of the 2010/2011 season the last two months of 2010 were turbulent at Stamford Bridge.
Ray Wilkins was sacked as assistant manager on November 11th and little seems to have gone right for us since with defeats to Sunderland, Birmingham and Arsenal and a sequence of draws has left us seven points behind leaders Manchester United on New Years Day.
So what does 2011 hold for Chelsea FC, here are my predictions.
Top Three Finish?
I like to be optimistic but given our position and lack of confidence I think that the title is probably going to be out of reach this season, however I do think we will rally and a least get ourselves in the frame come the final few months of the season.
I think we will finish the season competing with Manchester United and Arsenal for the pick of the top three positions with Manchester City and Tottenham fighting it out for the final Champions League place.
FA Cup Run
Having won the competition for the last two years I would hope that we will not give up our trophy without a fight, winning this silverware would not meet Roman Abramovich’s high expectations but with Ipswich at home first up I would hope that Chelsea will get to the fourth round and beyond.
Champions League Glory?
After a chequered history with this competition featuring mostly heartache it would be a storybook ending shouldto the season should Chelsea win the competition for the first time at our second home Wembley.
This ending possible with our current squad and manager, however as with any knockout competition we will need the luck we have lacked recently to overcome the strong Spanish sides which apart from our domestic rivals are the most likely threat to our progress in the Champions League.
Your Predictions?
How do you think Chelsea will fare in 2011?
Categories: Editors Corner Tags:
Why Chelsea FC Should Back Carlo Ancelotti
After more than a month of poor results and our worst run in over ten years some impatience fans have started to question about Carlo Ancelotti and his suitability as manager of the club.
If you are in one of those people here are some points that should be considered.
But prior to all that I have some key points to make in case you have forgotten, Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most successful and experienced managers in the game.
Last season he led us to
- He led Chelsea to the league and cup double for the first time in our history.
- Our biggest ever top flight victory
- To scoring the most goals ever scored by any club in one season
- Only second overseas manager to win the league in his first season (after Jose Mourinho)
Football is a team game.
Its the normal fan tendency to blame the manager when result are not in the favor of the team you support. But by doing so people forget that football is team game and players, manager and all the technical staff is jointly responsible for the performance of the club.
Let it be a win, lose or a draw, managers do not get the appreciation they deserve when the team is winning as the plaudits fall to the key players.
I am not blaming the fans for this but they should also remember that when team wins it wins with the same players as when it loses. So pointing your finger only to the manager is not the sign of a balanced fan (if you ask me)
Every team suffers poor form.
No great team in the world will always be having the good time after time, every now and then bad time comes. I agree that this time our bad run has prolonged but it also happens. Its part and parcel of the game. You will never stay on top nor you will always hit the bottom. and that’s why this game is interesting.
Editors Note: This was written before Chelsea beat Bolton hopefully this will put us back on the right track
Categories: CFC Opinion, Editors Corner Tags: Carlo Ancelotti
Five Reasons For A Chelsea Fan To Smile In This Slump
Ok so the last few weeks have been pretty difficult to watch for Chelsea fans , particularly for those who have become overly used to our success in the last ten years. The form may be relegation form but I do have five reasons why CFC fans should still have a smile on their face this morning.
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