Date: 26th June 2015 at 5:15pm
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Our favourite Chelsea FanCast columnist Clayton Beerman ruminates on the frustrations of the transfer rumour mill…

The very existence of this article is a lie to the fact that during the closed season break I don’t really want to get involved with football. I love my cricket. The Ashes is nearly upon us and I know I will be grumbling like mad when the community shield appears and we are in the middle of a test match. I grew up in an era when football stopped and cricket started. Cricket stopped and football started. We had Wimbledon in the middle somewhere but everything was in its place.

As we know, things have moved on. Whilst England were stumbling out of yet another tournament, I read some club has proudly announced they are the first back in preseason training. Our very own CFC is proudly announcing the USA tour is only a month away! Oh please.

When we won the Champions League in 2012, I didn’t want the following season to start , basking in the glory was the best ever and I knew when the season started the gloss would fade even a small amount. Little was I to know within 6 months from that glorious night the most obnoxious little/large man would be at the helm. Anyway I digress; personally I could go football free for another couple of months.

Thing is I do not. Social media pulls you in as do the TV channels. The hype never goes away and that bloody transfer window. The rumours, the fact we are linked with everyone just does my head in. I try to ignore it but fail miserably. The summer so far has been quiet apart from THAT transfer, more of which below.

People are saying we did our business early last year , forgetting that the small matter of the world cup was going on and so had to be done before players joined up with their squads. With the exception of Liverpool, no one else has made many signings yet

Radamel FalcaoSo if I must talk about our beloved Chelsea I will. So what do we know? Well virtually nothing. It appears that we may be buying another knackered striker. I can not for the life of me see what this is all about. There have to be better options than a player who “may” just pull it off because he’s got  a year of premiership  bench warming behind him. I have not seen any of the Copa America but even in surroundings familiar to him his performances have been described in similar terms to an ex Liverpool striker now plying his trade in Madrid.

Is this deal a sweetener for something else? Are we lowering Monaco’s wage bill in return for one of their young prospects who ripped the Gunners apart at the Emirates? The Mendes factor looms large in this and whilst in Jose I implicitly trust I am going to take a huge amount of convincing.

One of the stars of the Columbian team apparently is Juan Cuadrado. Really, as say I have not watched a minute of the Copa but I would be very happy for him to move on. I did not see anything in what he did last year to convince me that, if heaven forbid Eden or Willian got injured he could step in. Ours is a very competitive league and indeed squad and I can not see the guy ever competing at that level. I think the Traore work permit may also indicate the departure of Cuadrado.

So the papers are full of us joining the race for Pogba. He looks a potentially stunning player but personally I would not be happy if Oscar was part of any deal. He is a player with so much skill and potential. There appears from a distance to be a great bond in our squad including Oscar and perhaps I am being naïve in my observation but I hope he stays. A midfield with Pogba and Matic though…. I am so fickle.

With the installation the TFSW at Madrid the hope of getting the wonderful Varane has all but disappeared (you’d sell him to Liverpool though wouldn’t you Rafa?). We do however need quality cover at centre half which I am not convinced would be serviced by shifting Brana over. Lots of talk about pushing for John Stones. I would like us to try for him if for nothing else we need to introduce some English guys back in to the team. I know it’s a global game but we’ve lost Frank, Ash and we can not expect another full season from JT. Hopefully the introduction of RLC to become a more regular member of the squaJohn Obi Mikeld will assist on that front.

There is certainly a will to introduce the youngsters but I suspect nothing much will change. Just looking from the outside it doesn’t look good for a return for Bamford. I suspect we will not know whether he was actually offered to Newcastle but good for him if he wants to remain.

One player who does appear on his way out is John Obi. I love the guy but as we know he is probably the player that divides the fans like no other. The bloke in my opinion is class but as I have said before he suffers from playing in too many games as a holding midfield player when we do not need one. I never understand when we play with 2 at home or even any on some occasions. That being said managers are paid to manage and I am…..

There may also be another departure of a guy who doesn’t divide opinion. A man who in simple terms is a club legend and the best goalkeeper the club has had in its history. All this is true but there is just one small problem isn’t there and it is where he looks like he is going.

I think there are a couple of things which bother the fans generally. One is that Arsene couldn’t spot a decent keeper if he fell on him. He has continually picked awful keepers and here is one who is being offered to him on a plate. It just doesn’t feel right that we as a club are doing him a favour.

The second thing is the perception if not the reality that we are strengthening a rival. When I watched the Man Utd v Arsenal game at the end of the season I was comforted by the fact I thought both teams were at least 4 players short of where we are. So by getting Petr AFC will improve but in my opinion it will take a lot more for them to challenge and perhaps even a change in manager.

So , Petr goes with my blessing especially as it looks like a family driven decision. Ultimately the club are being unbelievably classy, a fact which will undoubtedly be completely overlooked. I just hope and pray that Thibaut stays fit because the biggest “told you so” will come from Jose if he doesn’t and we know what the inevitable conclusion from that will be.

Who would I ideally like to come in? As I say., John Stones would be good if we can not get Verane. I do not think we will get Pogba but ideally I would like Veratti or someone like him. I think we need a little terrier. I sometimes think when a game is drifting , someone to stir things up is required. I think that Cesc has that in him but not sure he wants to get involved.

One player who I have always wanted is Tevez, another guy who puts himself about. He looked very good for Juve last season and has that “all important Premier League experience”. Finally we will need a back up keeper. People moan about Robert Green and yes he has a howler in him but all keepers do. He would be fine as a backup, sadly I do not think that either Blackman or Beeney, from what I have seen are good enough. There’s always Hilarious though who still bizarrely seems to be at the club.

Enjoy what’s left of the summer break.

Clayton Beerman

Follow Clayton on twitter: @goalie59

 

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