Cicero

Bakayoko off to Milan for €20m

Think we need a proper DM.

What's that mean for Terry? Nothing reported on his next destination.

Pretty sure some Arsenal fans will correct me, but I think it is down to a change in policy. Instead of a scouting network, they are going the 'super agent' route. Kia Joorabchian being at the helm of it for Arsenal. Very, very bad idea imo.

Ozil's actions during this time come at no surprise really. This is the same man that left Kolasinac for dead when both were getting mugged.

I think their release of scouts was down to a change in policy vs Covid. Least that's what I'm reading.

How terrifying. What happened?

Looks like Pulisic may be fit for the start of the 2020/21 season according to some outlets.

Bring Rudiger to a false sense of security to close the Havertz deal and then bin him. Worst CB at the club.

Oh yeah, forgot Robert Downey Jr. did blackface in that film

So if our squad was so talented why did you consider these circumstances to be a difficult one 12 months ago?

I'm not speaking of the 98%, I'm speaking about you and what you said. So you're telling me right now, when you posted the bold you weren't in fact factoring the transfer ban and losing Hazard? Sorry, not having any of that. Expectations and standards were not dropped solely because of who our manger is, they were dropped because of the circumstances we found ourselves in, as you clearly stated 12 months ago. It's very convenient how in the space of 12 months, you've gone from potentially difficult to this was no feat at all.

If our squad is better than any club that finished below us, then why did practically 98% of people not have us make Top 4? Was it because of the circumstances and factors we found ourselves in prior to the start of the season? Something twelve months ago you even said would be difficult, not to mention the possibility of us finishing mid table? Your argument wouldn't scream hindsight bias if 12 months ago you were saying the exact thing you are now.

This post simply shows your contradiction. You claimed the job would be difficult given the circumstances, which can only be assumed you took the transfer ban and losing Hazard into consideration. We finished Top 4, remained in the top 4 since October, beat everyone in the Top 6 at least once, and are 1 victory away from winning the FA Cup. How is this not, as you call it, pushing us onto good things? Especially when you even labeled the difficulty of this job? Conte was hounded out of the club because he threw his toys out the pram and constantly blamed the board for poor recruitment when it was later found out he actually wanted those players. WE LOST HAZARD FFS Of course expectations will be lowered when you lose your best player and arguably the best player in the league. We just finished off a season, barely making Top 4, where yet again we were entirely dependent on Hazard up top. Our closest rivals being Spurs, Arsenal, and United strengthened, whereas we lost our best player and had a transfer ban. We brought in academy players who had zero experience in the premier league, bar a poor showing from Tammy with Swansea, and you genuinely expect us to keep the same standards? This conversation is done mate

What's my perception of Mount have to do with people writing us off? Again, the majority of people didn't think the likes of Mount, Abraham, or Pulisic would have the impact they've had. 12 months ago you had people claiming Chelsea won't make top 4 because they lost Hazard and are relying on youth products and a Dortmund player which many considered a reject and laughed at the price. 12 months later, these same people are now saying Chelsea should of made Top 4 given their squad quality and the fact they spent 60 million on Pulisic. It's sheer hindsight bias and I'm not having any of that.

Interesting. Well, not only did you claim Lampard wouldn't do better than Sarri, (IE make top 4) you actually stated the potential difficulty Lampard had in taking the Chelsea job given the circumstances. So it's a bit amusing you now prefer to discredit Lampard's accomplishment in what you previously called as a 'difficult and risky circumstance'. What's wrong with Welbeck? He was an impact player when he came off the bench? Giroud isn't getting any younger either. We have the worse defence out of the top 10 clubs in the league, statistically the worse GK out of the top 5 European leagues, yet have finished in the Top 4 and also stayed in the Top 4 since October with a striker you deem not good enough. On top of that, an FA Cup final. Right. You would now rather discredit the accomplishments of a manager that was in a situation you yourself claimed to be a difficult one. Beyond a tune change.

Except it is hindsight. Those two have essentially led our attack all season and we've been in the Top 4 since October as a result. A position 99% of people claimed wouldn't happen. So yes, I would say they've had an impact. And before you claim we benefited from having the likes of United, Spurs, and Arsenal being shit, it's still hindsight bias given your position is being defended only after events have happened. Tammy's scored 17 goals all competition and Mount has been the most important element in our build up play.Tammy has outscored Drogba at that age and Mount has had a better debut season with us than Lampard as a player, and 2 years younger. It's more than evident to those who've watched us regularly that they've been a success this season when the majority written them off. Tammy is more than good enough to be a backup ala Welbeck. Nobody expected Pulisic to have the impact he had, especially when you consider there's an actual thread that predicted Pulisic would be a flop. Now there are some saying he will be better than Hazard. And Lampard can't take any credit for his development? it's apparently easier for members to try and save face by using hindsight bias to defend their previous predictions instead of actually giving Lampard credit for filling Hazard's void in three players many wrote off at the start of the season.

This hindsight is 20/20 responses are sheer malarkey. No offence. As if the majority of people didn't write off the likes of Mount and Abraham making as big as an impact as they have, and then the same people calling Pulisic to be a flop. Then in turn, state Chelsea now apparently should of finished where they are now and conveniently claiming the other top 6 clubs, who had transfer windows, were shit. It's a shoddy use of hindsight-bias to completely discredit Lampard and his achievement.

Lampard's task was to fill the void of Hazard's influence among our academy players and Pulisic. A lot of people wrote Tammy off given his past experience in the Premier League. Mount was going to be a hit or miss for some and many predicted Pulisic to be a flop. Lampard undoubtedly deserves the praise this season for what he's accomplished.

Arsenal are trying to cut the wage bill, not inflate it even more. Which is what both Coutinho and Willian will 100% do.

Well, we didn’t have a transfer window. Sold Hazard and Morata, and have a lot of other players looking to sell. I’m more interested to see what our net spend will be come September.

Apparently, the deal was finished Friday. Havertz then told his closest mates, Sane being one of them. Told Rudiger as well and apparently all the players now know.

His decline was rapid but can't fault his professionalism. Was absolutely class that 2017 season.