Summer Mercato Thread 2018 (116 Viewers)
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There are some things i don't get about all these Chelsea rumours...
We know (almost) for certain that:
1) Conte did not feel he had any say in transfers, and complained in the media he couldn't influence the transfer strategy the way he wanted, and complained about a lack of investment into the squad.
2) Sarri claimed several times, that he do not feel the need to be overly involved in transfer dealings, and see it as his job to get the most out of the squad he is provided.
So why is it, that all these rumours, that the italian newspapers pull out their bottoms, state that Chelsea will go on a spending spree to satisfy specific player demands from Sarri? Why didn't they do it last summer for Conte?
My flatmate is a huge Chelsea supporter, and he believes both Hazard and Willian are on their way out (Real and Barca respectively). If that has any truth to it, they will be loaded with cash. But they weren't exactly a poor club to begin with and if selling the two, they also have a lot of more pressing needs in their squad.
Therefore, i am really surprised if they would go for Higuain. They might be interested if Juve/he is looking for way out, but could it be that newspapers just spin the story from the arrival of Ronaldo plus the relationship between Higuain and Sarri, without actually knowing whether there is concrete interest / offers on the table? Sarri will probably play his beloved 4-3-3, and assuming Hazard and/or Willian leaves, they will need to aquire:
- one or two wingers (they should aim for more depth there even if not selling anyone)
- probably a central midfielder to complement Jorhingo and Kante (with Fabregas and Bakayoko possible as the third man or as rotational options, Drinkwater prolly as their 6th choice unless Loftus-Cheek will play more of role this season)
- maybe a full back? Assuming Moses can't play in a four man defense, and that Zappacosta has been a huge dissapointment (no one saw that coming i guess...), they have Azpilicueta. Is he fit for a full back position? Will they be satisfied with him as a starter and Zappacosta as the back up? At the same time, Emerson is out for god knows how long, so they only really have Marcos Alonso for the left side. Could they be aiming at adding some full back or at least versatile defensive player to their squad?
I know there are a lot of assumptions, and there is still a lot of unknowns, but thinking about it, i just struggle to see why Chelsea would focus on getting Higuain and Rugani. As for Rugani, they are stacked in the central defense. Someone will probably go (pretty sure Luiz is out?), but they have Rudiger, who they bought only last summer, Cahill, AC and Zuoma. Maybe the latter will leave? They could do with an extra guy, but will they want to channel so many funds into a position where they already are enough numerically and have two talented younger players (AC and Zuoma) with room to improve. If their management believe they need an upgrade here, would Rugani really be their choice? I mean, with Milans financial trouble they could probably try for the more experienced Bonucci or Romagnoli if they really wanted to look towards Italy. Or in case they wanna spend 60 million €, Manolas or the like.
When it comes to Higuain, they currently have three strikers - Morata, Giroud and Bats (not counting the young Abraham, who should be very talented though). Sarri employs one, and i really struggle to see him fit Morata as a winger in his system. So someone needs to go. Now, they may want to ship Bats or loan him out again, but wouldn't Higuain, Morata and Giroud be too much for one position anyway? Will they really sell Morata shortly after investing pretty heavily in him?
I just have the impression they would put their focus elsewhere, so i would be surprised if they wanted to spend over 100 million € on Higuain and Rugani, even if they can afford it. And i really don't believe they will exchange half the squad at once just to exchange a current player for a former Sarri player in each position.
But hey, so many unknowns. What will happen to Pedro? Will Ross Barkley show up next season instead of just twiddling thumbs and picking fluff out his navel?
As far as out mercato is concerned, i would like it if we didn't have to change a lot each summer. Allegri basically has to start over every year, and it results in some dips during the fall that could probably be avoided. If a position can really be upgraded, sure, go for it. But we already departed ways with Buffon and Lichtsteiner, who even if properly replaced already, are assumedly prominent in the locker room, a part of the squads backbone. Getting Ronaldo up front is huge, and with Can, the midfield have a welcome addition as well. Cancelo means the right back looks ok (hopefully De Sciglio can stay healthy during a large part of the season, but even if not, i guess Cuadrado and Barzagli can shift in depending on the preference for offensive versus defensive contribution), and Perin is quality for a second keeper. Look what keeping the core of the squad did to Napoli last summer, would be awesome to see that happen here, Allegri could probably get the best out of our players when they all gel and are accustomed to the club, each other and him as a manager.
We know (almost) for certain that:
1) Conte did not feel he had any say in transfers, and complained in the media he couldn't influence the transfer strategy the way he wanted, and complained about a lack of investment into the squad.
2) Sarri claimed several times, that he do not feel the need to be overly involved in transfer dealings, and see it as his job to get the most out of the squad he is provided.
So why is it, that all these rumours, that the italian newspapers pull out their bottoms, state that Chelsea will go on a spending spree to satisfy specific player demands from Sarri? Why didn't they do it last summer for Conte?
My flatmate is a huge Chelsea supporter, and he believes both Hazard and Willian are on their way out (Real and Barca respectively). If that has any truth to it, they will be loaded with cash. But they weren't exactly a poor club to begin with and if selling the two, they also have a lot of more pressing needs in their squad.
Therefore, i am really surprised if they would go for Higuain. They might be interested if Juve/he is looking for way out, but could it be that newspapers just spin the story from the arrival of Ronaldo plus the relationship between Higuain and Sarri, without actually knowing whether there is concrete interest / offers on the table? Sarri will probably play his beloved 4-3-3, and assuming Hazard and/or Willian leaves, they will need to aquire:
- one or two wingers (they should aim for more depth there even if not selling anyone)
- probably a central midfielder to complement Jorhingo and Kante (with Fabregas and Bakayoko possible as the third man or as rotational options, Drinkwater prolly as their 6th choice unless Loftus-Cheek will play more of role this season)
- maybe a full back? Assuming Moses can't play in a four man defense, and that Zappacosta has been a huge dissapointment (no one saw that coming i guess...), they have Azpilicueta. Is he fit for a full back position? Will they be satisfied with him as a starter and Zappacosta as the back up? At the same time, Emerson is out for god knows how long, so they only really have Marcos Alonso for the left side. Could they be aiming at adding some full back or at least versatile defensive player to their squad?
I know there are a lot of assumptions, and there is still a lot of unknowns, but thinking about it, i just struggle to see why Chelsea would focus on getting Higuain and Rugani. As for Rugani, they are stacked in the central defense. Someone will probably go (pretty sure Luiz is out?), but they have Rudiger, who they bought only last summer, Cahill, AC and Zuoma. Maybe the latter will leave? They could do with an extra guy, but will they want to channel so many funds into a position where they already are enough numerically and have two talented younger players (AC and Zuoma) with room to improve. If their management believe they need an upgrade here, would Rugani really be their choice? I mean, with Milans financial trouble they could probably try for the more experienced Bonucci or Romagnoli if they really wanted to look towards Italy. Or in case they wanna spend 60 million €, Manolas or the like.
When it comes to Higuain, they currently have three strikers - Morata, Giroud and Bats (not counting the young Abraham, who should be very talented though). Sarri employs one, and i really struggle to see him fit Morata as a winger in his system. So someone needs to go. Now, they may want to ship Bats or loan him out again, but wouldn't Higuain, Morata and Giroud be too much for one position anyway? Will they really sell Morata shortly after investing pretty heavily in him?
I just have the impression they would put their focus elsewhere, so i would be surprised if they wanted to spend over 100 million € on Higuain and Rugani, even if they can afford it. And i really don't believe they will exchange half the squad at once just to exchange a current player for a former Sarri player in each position.
But hey, so many unknowns. What will happen to Pedro? Will Ross Barkley show up next season instead of just twiddling thumbs and picking fluff out his navel?
As far as out mercato is concerned, i would like it if we didn't have to change a lot each summer. Allegri basically has to start over every year, and it results in some dips during the fall that could probably be avoided. If a position can really be upgraded, sure, go for it. But we already departed ways with Buffon and Lichtsteiner, who even if properly replaced already, are assumedly prominent in the locker room, a part of the squads backbone. Getting Ronaldo up front is huge, and with Can, the midfield have a welcome addition as well. Cancelo means the right back looks ok (hopefully De Sciglio can stay healthy during a large part of the season, but even if not, i guess Cuadrado and Barzagli can shift in depending on the preference for offensive versus defensive contribution), and Perin is quality for a second keeper. Look what keeping the core of the squad did to Napoli last summer, would be awesome to see that happen here, Allegri could probably get the best out of our players when they all gel and are accustomed to the club, each other and him as a manager.
I can answer.
Italian papers are full of shit. Probably in overdrive after riding a high on Ronaldo rumors now under pressure to keep producing news even though nothing will be as big as what has already happened.
They might sell half our team to Chelsea before the window is over, doesn't mean any of it will actually happen.
Higuain links though could be real, Ronaldo transfer makes him irrelevant for Juventus and he is a lot better than anything Chelsea currently have.
Italian papers are full of shit. Probably in overdrive after riding a high on Ronaldo rumors now under pressure to keep producing news even though nothing will be as big as what has already happened.
They might sell half our team to Chelsea before the window is over, doesn't mean any of it will actually happen.
Higuain links though could be real, Ronaldo transfer makes him irrelevant for Juventus and he is a lot better than anything Chelsea currently have.
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