Let’s play: Imagine Chelsea next summer:

[UnitedSofa]

THE GUARDIAN: Arsenal are in talks to purchase PSG’s Hakimi for €65M

2 days pass

The Athletic: Chelsea have €120M Hakimi bid accepted

Would not be surprised if clubs use Chelsea’s itchy trigger finger to their advantage next summer and leak that they’re in talks with someone just to get Chelsea to swoop in

 

[WeePat]

The game is the game.

 

[Rozay]

‘Blue target Jordan Rhodes to spearhead promotion charge’.

 

[Sylar]

Feels like Chelsea with that bald fool, kenyon

 

[Messier1994]

They will sell Reece James to City to save their FFP license

 

[horsechoker]

Could we come full circle and have Ken Bates buy Chelsea for a pound after Boehly is done?

 

[Bwuk]

It’s impossible to even predict what their side will be come the summer.

 

[2 man midfield]

Call me cynical but maybe that’s what those Maguire to Villa rumours were about.

 

[Houdini]

Football Manager 2023: Chelsea edition

 

[TwoSheds]

Who in their right mind would sell Hakimi for €65m though? He's worth 100m+ tbf, arguably the best player in his position in the world and still relatively young.

 

[Oranges038]

Could we come full circle and have Ken Bates buy Chelsea for a pound after Boehly is done?

And bring in Gullit as player manager?

 

[Freak]

Can we report that we are in for Lindelof so that Chelsea can swoop in and get him off our books?

 

[SirReginald]

Football Manager 2023: Chelsea edition

Club Football (PS2/Xbox) beat you to that.

Perhaps they’ll remaster it with the Todd Boehly DLC for PS5

 

[Mainoldo]

I think they’ll look a threat on paper at the start of next season. But can’t see the structure helping them progress. Definitely a hard 3 seasons coming for Chelsea.

I can’t wait

 

[GoonerBear]

In June - Chelsea sign Declan Rice for £100M

In August after losing first game or 2 - Chelsea to bid over release clause to sign Enzo to replace Declan Rice

 

[Pintu]

How do we make them buy Maguire and AWB?

 

[horsechoker]

How do we make them buy Maguire and AWB?

Add bacon and cheese to them

 

[Bastian]

Call me cynical but maybe that’s what those Maguire to Villa rumours were about.

 

[Madridista2000]

What is their strategy. They seem to be buying everyone.

 

[ForeverRed1]

They’re obviously trying to sign players now to give them a head start come the summer. Get them in in jan, get them playing so that in the summer they’ve already had half a season. Next season it should give them a slight advantage.

or maybe they will go out and spend another 500million. Who actually knows with this club.

 

[Red in STL]

They’re obviously trying to sign players now to give them a head start come the summer. Get them in in jan, get them playing so that in the summer they’ve already had half a season. Next season it should give them a slight advantage.

or maybe they will go out and spend another 500million. Who actually knows with this club.

They're getting it done before the rules get changed to stop them doing what they're doing

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Quick tot up and if they buy Enzo, they'd of spend 650m in one season, across two windows and their teams is worse than it was 18 months ago.

 

[Orc]

Quick tot up and if they buy Enzo, they'd of spend 650m in one season, across two windows and their teams is worse than it was 18 months ago.

Our squad will be MILES better than it was last season. When we get everyone fit we will enter next season with comfortably our best squad since Mourinho came back and won us the league during that Fábregas/Diego Costa period.

 

[talking robot]

Quick tot up and if they buy Enzo, they'd of spend 650m in one season, across two windows and their teams is worse than it was 18 months ago.

yep. they may end up not being able to buy in the summer because of the rule
change.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are playing a different game. Only time will tell if that's chess or checkers.

 

[Uniquim]

What would be fun is if they end up not being able to spend much for several years because of amortisation on the new contracts.
They're also losing £60m in shirt sponsorships for next season (Three, and WhaleFin) that they've yet to find a replacement for.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

Our squad will be MILES better than it was last season. When we get everyone fit we will enter next season with comfortably our best squad since Mourinho came back and won us the league during that Fábregas/Diego Costa period.

Good lord

 

[Orc]

I think the move here, based on the fact that they’ve literally bought a new XI of FM wonder kids, is they won’t be spending in upcoming windows unless it’s to either fill a hole or another mega prospect. Part of my reasoning is also that we’ve been told the £300m in transfer payments we have is why we’re potentially in an FFP mess, and I think we can safely assume of the total ends up at £650m, £300m of that will be ongoing payments, plus what they already have leftover from previous liabilities, it just won’t be feasible to do regardless of FFP.

What would be fun is if they end up not being able to spend much for several years because of amortisation on the new contracts.
They're also losing £60m in shirt sponsorships for next season (Three, and WhaleFin) that they've yet to find a replacement for.

I wouldn’t expect us to do ANY significant business this summer. There’s talk that Potter wants a new #1 keeper since he doesn’t fancy either Kepa or Mendy, so I can see that being our only incoming business.

Summer 2023 is all about outgoings.

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

Our squad will be MILES better than it was last season. When we get everyone fit we will enter next season with comfortably our best squad since Mourinho came back and won us the league during that Fábregas/Diego Costa period.

You seem very confident, which is strange considering there are question marks surrounding every single one of your signings (not to mention your manager) so far. They might turn out well, but they might also turn out shit.

 

[Zaphod2319]

You seem very confident, which is strange considering there are question marks surrounding every single one of your signings (not to mention your manager) so far. They might turn out well, but they might also turn out shit.

I was pretty stoked about K2 coming....you just never know until they have had time in the PL.

 

[NYAS]

It’s €685m if they get Enzo.

 

[Orc]

You seem very confident, which is strange considering there are question marks surrounding every single one of your signings (not to mention your manager) so far. They might turn out well, but they might also turn out shit.

I’m very confident about next season. Literally every signing anyone makes has question marks surrounding them.

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

I’m very confident about next season. Literally every signing anyone makes has question marks surrounding them.

Exactly. And you're making loads of them in a very short time frame instead of building (and adjusting) slowly over time. So there's every chance this 'project' goes tits up quickly.

 

[SmashedHombre]

I genuinely have no idea how Chelsea will line up next season. What is their likely first choice 11 if everyone is fit?

 

[mu4c_20le]

Our squad will be MILES better than it was last season. When we get everyone fit we will enter next season with comfortably our best squad since Mourinho came back and won us the league during that Fábregas/Diego Costa period.

It's a newly assembled squad with zero identity. The only optimism I can see is that it cannot get any worse than this season.

 

[galcianuk]

Mudryk - Nkunku - Sterling
Havertz
Enzo - Kante
Chilwell - Silva - Fofana - James
Kepa

Or

Mudryk - Nkunku - Sterling
Kovacic - Enzo - Kante
Chilwell - Silva - Fofana - James
Kepa

Assuming Enzo is signed and Kante stays.

 

[UweBein]

It’s €685m if they get Enzo.

Who *** **** is Enzo?
I am getting old. It's my club but I find it hard to care which player will be bought.

 

[Orc]

I think you’ll buy a 9 and a GK this summer the sit out until 2025, barring a hole patch loan or mega prospect. Unsure about this methodology, we all know development isn’t linear but you do need playing time. How are academy kids taking it? I do wonder if seeing how new management runs the place kinda puts a damper on your talent factory if an academy and causes them to leave earlier.

Don’t think we’ll be after another striker any time soon. Nkunku will play as the most advanced attacker and if Havertz stays we’ll continue to use him there as a rotation option. We’ve also now got David Fofana and still have Broja.

 

[Shinjch]

If they still rely too much on injury prone players, a 38 year old centre back and have no centre forward then they will still be shit.

 

[Orc]

If they still rely too much on injury prone players, a 38 year old centre back and have no centre forward then they will still be shit.

Arsenal are about to walk the League without using a traditional CF. City and Liverpool have been doing it for years now.

I think we’re going to try to do the same thing next season. Lots of quick, skillful, versatile forwards who can interchange positions.