What happens to the multitude of players that aren’t getting a game? Do they go out on loan?
If young players aren’t getting regular football they are going to stagnate.
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And he’s been on the chopping block all summer.
Said in another thread, can see Palace going in for him
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I hate to admit it, but questionable finance aside, I really like what they are doing. That was an aging side with a few problematic contracts bogging down an aging squad gone stale. With the considerable help of Saudi money, they have completely refreshed the side with young players in depth to work with Pochettino. It may or may not see them in the top 4 this season, but over the next couple of years they are never going to need more than a player or two per window.
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Unless some of those players flop, which they will (Mudryk?) and they’re stuck with players on silly long-term contracts earning vast money no-one else will match.
You already have someone like Fofana, contracted to 2029, whose knee appears to be absolutely knackered already: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wesley-fofana/verletzungen/spieler/475411
Good luck shifting him, Todd.
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I suspect fewer of their players are on those big money deals than we probably realise (hence why deals for Adams and Olise broke down). Their squad is still big enough to absorb failures from players like Mudryk, and give them a year or two, a sizeable chunk of that initial cost will have come off the books.
They are doing interesting (and annoying) things.
If they get into Europe next year (CL, EL, ECL) their long player contracts will be compressed to 5 years for the purposes of UEFA FFP rules. That will severely limit their spending power, which as you say, shouldn’t need to be much anyway given the depth and quality of players they’ve signed.
The risks however are pretty high too - players on massive contracts not being played, and refusing to leave. Key players picking up injuries and them not being replaceable. Poch not being able to gel the squad and it fractures.
I imagine the target in Boehly’s mind is win the PL. So a failure to top 4 likely see’s Poch out. A lot of pressure on this young team to perform. They’ve already lost their captain to another injury.
If it works - they will be super strong for years to come - but competition is better at the top end of the table, than there being none.
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Yeh, bullshit written for him by his agent.
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they may not need to. I saw someone say that the owners have set up a system to insure the players - that might give them flexibility to pay out sooner than the 3rd party insurers would usually, if true?
I suspect Fofana is now mostly paid by insurance.
A Maguire will sit on your payroll and kill you. A Fofana is a risk that can be covered.
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I doubt it would be the target for this season, may not even be Top 4. You don’t stock the side with young talent and expect instant gratification. Much as we may enjoy making fun of Boehly’s oddities, he is an experienced sports owner who has been part of a group that has taken the Dodgers from bankruptcy in 2012 to a perennial contender. It may or may not work, but we are seeing a footy version of a classic baseball rebuild around youth. The Saudis have allowed Chelsea to do the equivalent of trading for draft picks.
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No doubt about his Baseball smarts. But he did (supposedly) also think Chelsea got CL football every year regardless of where they finished in the PL. This after he bought the club.
I think he’s ambitious hence my suggestion of Top 4 might be bare minimum for the gaffer.
But the club is more than Todd - so what Todd wants likely doesn’t mean those are the targets.
That is pretty fucking funny 
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The CL every year claim strikes me as utter nonsense. The first time he took a run at Chelsea was 2019, he has clearly been eyeing the club for quite some time. It beggars belief that he would be mulling over the purchase for years without watching the occasional game, particularly with a CL spot on the line. The ‘top 4’ idea is really not that different than baseball’s playoff spots, except less complicated.
The Dodgers have had the same manager since 2016, I just don’t think he comes out of the impatient/firing sports culture that is so characteristic of English fans. Once the Dodgers had what they thought was a good fit, they have been patient. I think it is far more likely that Pochettino will be given time to develop his side, the objective this season is improvement - probably not that different from what FSG wanted from Klopp. My guess is the Chelsea fans will turn on Pochettino before management will.
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Lavia: “I think the project and the ambitions of the club were key factors but also the history behind it so these were the three factors determining my decision.
‘It’s a very exciting time and I’ve played against a lot of the players we’ve signed and know how good they are. To join them here is a great feeling.“
History? Ambition? Good players? There’s hardly anybody left in that lineup you’ve played against son. Go fuck off and collect your fat pay packet you prick.
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“I’ve played against a lot of the players we’ve signed”
Bitch, please. You havent even seen half of these on football manager, let alone played against in real life.
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This is what jumped at me too. History??? Forest has history. Chelsea has as much history as Manchester Cheaty.
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Chelsea have as much history as one of those bands in the 70s that had one hit and now tour with about one remaining band member who was the replacement bass player after their hit.
And then suddenly someone’s remixed said hit and they are back.
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Yeah, getting to tour with Right Said Fred has always been my dream.
Chelsea’s supermarket dash continues …
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1692625610982506811?s=20
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