Chelsea Transfer Banter

04 Mar 2026 22:46:12
Great comeback and some of the best we've played over 90.mins this season. albeit still some individual errors though not as badly punished as in. many other games.

05 Mar 2026 09:00:02
We were superb, JBS. Pedro is the answer to our striker issue, possibly the best signing of the summer, and a proper 20-goal-a-season forward. Enzo just gets better and better, and you can see why Real Madrid want him, but we will not sell him for less than quarter of billion.

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I also think young Hato is looking very good, and Garnacho deserves to be given a run in the side after last night's performance. It just goes to show that these young players are very high quality, and patience is needed as they settle into life at the home of the Champions of The World.

05 Mar 2026 09:55:53
Some very positive signs last night of quality in our squad, Greenaway, and let's just hope we/they can now find greater consistency in intensity, better discipline and accuracy of execution. And for the full 90 mins.

I do think there's quite a player in young Hato, though he had a shaky start last night and made a couple of errors.

But no doubt that the lad has skill. Thought TC was excellent again and better than Fofana last night. TC was really in the role of leading by example and saved us numerous times.

05 Mar 2026 10:32:46
Pedro is quality. Second half, Enzo was great, though it was his poor pass when in a good position, after an interception, that led to their early goal, and he still seems unable to play longer-range passes accurately or with power (his short passing is often great, as shown by the clever assist for Pedro's second). He picked up a stupid booking for applauding the ref (stupid in both the sense that the ref carded him, thinking it was sarcastic, but also, as with so many of these bookings, there is just absolutely no need to do it). I'm still on the fence as to whether I see him as the truly world-class player we need in there. He's no Modric, I'll say that - very few players are, but that's the level we need to be aiming at.

Is anyone else a bit worried about Palmer? If Estevao is fit, he takes Palmer's place in the team immediately at the moment, in my view. He took his goal well, but that shouldn't paper over what was, by his standards, a really poor performance (and not the first since his return from injury).

Clearly suffering from a loss of confidence, and for his sake as much as the team's, I hope he gets it back sooner rather than later. He is an otherworldly player when he's on form.

Question also - Gusto? When he first arrived, he looked tidy and technical, but to my eyes is going backwards rather than forwards. I'm hoping it's a case of form, because he's looked below the level we need defensively and, for the most part, in an attacking sense for a good while now. He is too often trying something fancy rather than getting the basics right, and goes down too easily, looking for a foul for minimal contact. Dangerous. I'd put Reece back there immediately as soon as any of our other midfielders are consistently fit (if they ever are!).

05 Mar 2026 13:20:09
JBS, I agree with you, TC is having a good season and is much valued by me as a squad player, and Hato is going to be a top player.
EdW, Gusto put in a great cross for the goal, but Reece is better suited in that position. Palmer will be fine when he gets more minutes in his legs, but great to have competition in Estevao.

I honestly think if Levi had been available all season, or if the SD's had backed Maresca when he called for a top CH, we would now be close to Set Piece Wrestler FC leading the table.

05 Mar 2026 15:05:41
Like your 'Set Piece Wrestler FC' way of referring to that north London club!

05 Mar 2026 17:00:45
I have been surprised by some of the criticisms of Liam & the comparisons with EM. I accept that there have been some hellish results at SB, but imo Chelsea are as good a watch as they have been in a couple of seasons.

There is a purpose and a cleverness to Chelsea's play that we have not witnessed for quite a few years, and, for me, all the lads need now is a wee bit of "devilment" in their play. & a GK.. ?

04 Mar 2026 22:13:22
I have done nothing but slate the sporting directors for sacking Maresca and appointing Liam recently so will tonight hold my hands up and praise them for some of their quite incredible signings starting with Joao Pedro, what a player, what a striker, what a signing. Already on 17 goals for the season. Striker situation well and truly sorted and well done to Liam for realising he is a proper no.9.

Hats off to you Liam for seeing that. Me, what do I know, but who cares, get in boys. P. S I stayed at home tonight while the boys travelled up on the train and it is so more stressy watching on TV I nearly hid behind the sofa!

04 Mar 2026 23:07:34
Not bad from the 'muppets', 'clowns', 'PE teachers' and 'donkeys' hey. ?

04 Mar 2026 23:28:55
PE teacher, definitely. It was a great win, and we played well in parts of the game. Let's get something right: it was a poor Villa side with their best 3 out of the squad, but a great performance by a handful of players. Pedro and Enzo were my standouts.

05 Mar 2026 09:58:47
Good post, Greenaway, and I reckon there have been quite a few times for most of us when we've been overly quick to judgment, so well done for putting hand up on this. But, of course, it's still early days for LR - though I've generally liked much about our performances under him, and it's largely been individual player errors that have cost us.

Let's just hope we can go on a good run now.

05 Mar 2026 12:33:54
How come, when we beat a team, it's always that they are a poor team and/or missing their best players.

05 Mar 2026 13:27:08
Thanks, JBS. Always best to put your hands up, mate, if you make a mistake or call something wrongly.

04 Mar 2026 21:40:15
I really enjoyed that performance.

Players made same stupid mistakes that in other games we have been punished for but tonight is all about looking at the positives.

Pedro obviously MOM but Garnacho had a good game as did Enzo and CP. Hato is young but he is going to be some player if he can keep his concentration for 90mins.

04 Mar 2026 22:43:07
I thought Trevoh C was also superb tonight and considerably better than Fofana.

Yes, Garnacho was much better tonight, and Palmer was better too.

But Pedro and Enzo were outstanding.

Pedro was my pre-season pick as best summer signing when a poster on here asked us to choose one, but he, as most others, has had his dips, and it was just great to see him at the top of his game tonight.

Great skills on display, and not just in the goals scored and the assist for Cole Palmer's goal.

Glad for LR too tonight, and glad for the whole team after individual errors cost us v Arsenal.

Such an important win tonight.

05 Mar 2026 10:01:39
I think you may well be right about Hato Tom, though understandably he is taking time to adjust to the greater pace, physicality and quality of the EPL players he is facing. But some good signs there.

I will hope that Garnacho, if trusted to start again, can build on an improved performance, not least in terms of decision making in the final third - last night, even if there were still quite a few errors, he had one blatant miss of a glorious chance.

04 Mar 2026 21:38:43
As a viewer the football is just so much more exciting than under Maresca. We'll know next season whether some of that is Maresca's organisation being given more of a 'handbrake off' by the new manager, but it's so much more pleasurable to watch games at the moment.

Even at 1-0 down we were the better team. Genuinely don't think we'd have come back in that game under the other Enzo.

04 Mar 2026 22:43:27
Agreed EdW.

05 Mar 2026 06:26:05
Guys, we played a team that semi wanted to play. We will always look ok against those few Premiership teams. The problems haven't gone away when we play teams who sit deep at The Bridge.

05 Mar 2026 09:44:40
Sobering words, Tom, but vast evidence from past performances confirms the truth in them. Villa were pretty hopeless defensively, and, of course, came out to play attacking football at their home venue.

We just have to continue to hope, I suppose, that our young squad can gradually become cleverer at breaking low blocks, and more consistent in intensity and accuracy of performance, and in good self-discipline.

05 Mar 2026 10:17:02
I agree with you, Tom - Villa were poor, and are on terrible form. On another day, Watkins gives them the lead, and maybe things pan out differently. But you can only play what's in front of you, and, as I said, I don't think we'd have created so many chances or come back from that 1-0 deficit under Maresca.

05 Mar 2026 10:18:10
Also, the point was more about the quality of the viewing experience, and whether we win, lose, or draw, we're infinitely more pleasing to watch now that we actually attack.

05 Mar 2026 12:35:12
I agree, EdW. Much more pleasing on the eye in an attacking sense.

04 Mar 2026 20:42:50
But we have got better though a tad lucky that their goal ruled offside by a fraction and ours to take the lead onside by a fractipn.

Enzo F, Jaoa Pedro, Caicedo and TC outstanding in comeback.

Now to keep a lead for once!

04 Mar 2026 22:47:20
And we not only kept but extended that lead.

04 Mar 2026 07:39:17
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Rangers and the Youth Pathway Bottleneck

03 Mar 2026 22:17:53
Thanks Wolves, this prem season is not the greatest quality the top 2 a bit ahead of the rest on consistency more than anything else.

04 Mar 2026 10:08:09
Yes, thanks, Wolves - as our rivals would have been thanking Leeds and Burnley for last night.

Our game tonight v Villa is of huge importance, as it would not only allow us to nudge back into 5th place on GD, but also get within 3 points of Villa.

It would also help to prevent the many teams below us by only a few points from catching us.

04 Mar 2026 12:39:02
Agree, Jbs, for CL qualifying, most important game of the season so far at Villa tonight.

03 Mar 2026 15:13:03
I find it hard to believe that a squad containing Reece James, Wes Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia, Andre Santos, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Jaoa Pedro in it along with some of the most talented young players in Europe in their positions in Estevao, Acheampong, Hato, Penders, Sarr, Essugo, Quenda etc will not at some point click! We have to address some positions, CB and LW to me are the main areas of weakness at the moment but I just don't think we are that far off being a top 3 team! Keeping the above together is key for me.

03 Mar 2026 18:01:39
Greenaway, some of the players you mention will have to stay fit and be able to play two consecutive games. As for Fofana, I don't really rate him that highly; he had more points on his driving licence than appearances for the team.

I agree that Estavou and Achepong have huge potential, as for the rest, they still have a lot to prove. Individual players don't click: that's what you have a top class coach for. I hope our ambitions go further than being a top 3 team.

03 Mar 2026 18:53:10
I agree with you, Jimbo, that is what a top class coach is for.

03 Mar 2026 19:36:59
Greenaway, I agree. He will be very good in time. When Colwill is fit, we will have a strong team.

Need a top keeper, an experienced head for game management, and we need to keep a manager in place for years, not months.

04 Mar 2026 06:37:19
The problem this season is that most of the players you mentioned have had, or still have, injuries. Added to that, we nearly have a full 12 red cards, and straight away we can see where the issue lies.



I think we need a really good GK and ST. People who can stop the ball going into the net and put the ball into the net at the other end. Then we are good to go.

04 Mar 2026 19:17:21
I agree on Colwill. However, it would be brave to assume he'll be straight back to the same level and higher. I think he needs patience, as it can take a while after an injury like the one he had.

03 Mar 2026 08:47:49
I looked again last night at the Arsenal game and I think we should have had a least two pens and overall we didn't perform badly in what was generally a bit of a boring game. Arteta has fully employed the pep tactic of tag team fouls as a way of breaking up play.

Of course we end up with another stupid red card to I shouldn't throw to many stones.

For sixty mins Villa were the worst team I've seen at the Bridge this season. There manager made some midfield changes and EM got caught in the headlights.

I fancy us to get a result at there place and hopefully it will be the start of a long winning run.

Anyway, COME ON MY MIGHTY BLUES.

02 Mar 2026 08:35:18
A top manager plays to the strengths of his team, Maresca saw the weakness of Sanchez playing out from the back and turned him from an accident waiting to happen with match day fans on his back into a very competent and confident member of the team who was allowed to go a little longer. Is Sanchez the answer long term? probably not but carry on playing that way this season and change things in the summer. What does Liam do? turns Sanchez back to what he was before by asking him to play tippy tappy short passes into areas which are being pressed! it is school boy stuff and further proof of Liam being out of his depth, he has destroyed Sanchez confidence.

Surely, as an incoming manager with little time to work with players mid season you keep the things which are working rather than going back to a style the previous manager had found was not working and had corrected? This bloke so reminds me of AVB and the way he calls out the players in his post match interviews (without actually naming them) will have the dressing room switching off very quickly.

02 Mar 2026 10:52:54
No goals were conceded by tippy tappy football. It was from being weak at corners. This won't change with him in goal.

That's not on the manager. Sanchez just doesn't cope with anxiety when faced with chaos. General shot stopping is ok. But the rest isn't great.

02 Mar 2026 11:51:38
I am reluctant to attribute blame for the Sanchez drop in form, but he is now being asked to do things he is not good at, and just maybe that is a contributing factor in his lack of general confidence.

He was showing improvement, but he is now looking shaky again.

I always take the view that when a player or the team is performing poorly, you support them more. That is certainly the case with our home supporters at the moment. I guess, with some justification.

02 Mar 2026 10:01:19
I completely agree with you about EM and how he improved RS Greenaway.

EM also did well tactically in many of our games against toughest opposition. Yet in the 21 EPL games he was in charge this season he only accumulated 31 points or about 1.5 points on average per game. If continued over the season this would only have got us to 57 points - though I would still have stuck with EM until the end of the season if this had been possible

Yet as Ed001 pointed out he had seemed to lose focus on CFC when bad run began and talk of him wanting to leave to City or Juventus.I would still have liked him to havce seen out the season if that had been possible.

As it is, we change manager mid-season yet again and LR chosen as within BlueCo system and had done reasonably well with Strasbourg and knew some of the CFC players.

In LR's first seven EPL games he has accumulated 14 points or an average of 2 per game. So he is still ahead of EM average at this stage. The problem is that we have a tough run in and we blew those 4 points v Leeds and Burnley.

But hard to know how to distribute blame there between players - Caicedo rash challenge for Leeds first goal, Sanchez/JoshA muddle for second one; with Burnley, Fofana getting stupidly sent off - and LR.

I do think LR could have protected RS better v Arsenal yesterday -with EM borrowed tactics which in fact LR had used in the Caraboa cup game at Emirates to good effect. But then Neto brain freeze second tackle and getting sent off a disease that both managers seem to have had and not dealt with and any manager must do.

LR will surely be given until the end of the season and if he could average 2 points a game from here on we would finish on 68 points and might make 5th place and Champions Leage qualification.

If we don't make that qualification blame has to lie between the two head coaches - I won't call them managers as they no longer are in old sense of the term - the players, and last but not least the owners/SDs.

Weaknesses in squad apparent at start of season. Partly why my prediction was for us to finish between 3rd and 7th (prediction now 4th to 6th but teetering towards 5th to 6th) for not fixing weakness in squads eg left attack - and possibly need for more experiened left back or wing back cover for Cucurella whose injury coincided with those dropped points v Leeds and Burnley and way we were wide open down our left v Arsenal esp. first half; also quality experienced CB to cover for known LC injury; better striker assistance for Jaoa Pedro given Jackson loaned and Delap injured. Guiu brought back from Sunderland loan but seemingly not trusted though given v few minutes.

I still hope LR can be a success. We don't know how much time he will be given, perhaps at least fair chunk of next season when (worryingly injury prone) Emegha arrives from Strasbourg plus perhaps squad perhaps strengthened with one or tow more additions plus will be some outgoings.

If LR is not a success - but would getting us UEFA Cup qualification not Champions League be enough? - the 'manager' merryground continues.

02 Mar 2026 12:06:22
JBS, very well balanced post, mate. I found myself agreeing with the vast majority of its content.

02 Mar 2026 13:43:24
Sounds like you like Rosenior Greenaway.

02 Mar 2026 14:28:09
I think it's a confidence thing, Finchy. Bob has gone back to being a bag of nerves playing out from the back, and that, in my opinion, is affecting his overall game. Maybe Liam will give Jorgi a game against Wrexham and see how he does.

02 Mar 2026 16:03:16
Finchy, I agree with your post re chaos.

Arsenal at set pieces, Leeds, Brentford to a lesser extent, Fulham; I regard all as teams who enjoy chaos, and we have not coped well with any of them.

02 Mar 2026 16:06:45
As far as managers go, I would give them time. I would give Rosenior all of next season, but I wouldn't have sacked Maresca or Poch.