👆🏿These two will be part of a detailed FireSide analysis next.. look at them

FireSide

The Tittle Winning Pairing

It calls for clear head with this

There is no doubt the two together will make the midfield fluid and transition better and fast. There is also no question that Caicedo Enzo pairing will be much better and a little more defensively stable than Enzo Kova..especially against average and lower teams. Going forward, Caicedo would still offer almost same dribbling abilities as Kova. Better passing speeds and precision as well as better defensive instincts too.

When Enzo deal was almost collapsing last transfer window, it should be remembered that I pointed out better option than Rice at that time was Caicedo... Because our midfield at that time lacked somebody who could hold and pass and also offer some level of attacking threat. Its because if you look keenly, Enzo and Caicedo are almost similar players in passing and attacking slightly varying on primary attributes.

But if looking for an outright and more solid defensive midfielder since Enzo is already there with more deep lying play making instincts, Rice Would be a better option.

Am never a stats guy as Parse. Stats alone don't define a players peromance potential. During matches, there are other crucial supplementary attributes that determine perfomance in all positions that cannot be quantified to stats. For instance Movement, ball reading, positioning, Space actualization or even Pressing quality. Ask Lukaku and his Intermilan numbers before Chelsea.

For example better pass interception in these stats could imply better ball reading or positioning. Same could also be said of blockings and challenges won. Those who have played competitive football atttest that People tend to also commit plenty of fouls after being either dribbled past or having been poorly positioned.. in desperation to recover the ball, you commit plenty of fouls.

with right traps set ahead of him however, there is no better player than Caicedo in terms of ball recovery. His aggression in going in for balls compensates Rice superior ball reading, With how Poch sets up the traps through smart midfield pressing, the prospects of Caicedo being a hit is more than guaranteed and may be even better option than Rice could have been under Pochs style of play

However, With Mount leaving, having another ball winning , real defensive midfielder alongside Caicedo would allow Enzo played in a slightly more advanced role where he could be more effective. This would also give both Caicedo and the flying fullbacks stability and confidence to provide width and numbers in attack... The dream pairing would be Rice, Caicedo and Enzo but the cost implication for this makes it quite impossible.... but that does not mean a cheaper alternative to Rice cannot be found. A player with primary ball winning abilities. Check out Enzo defensive stats to understand why are leaving ourselves vulnerable to attacks and also under utilizing his abilities in the final third.

The team as it is is only 3 signing away from winning the tittle next season. Caicedo, Another Pure cheap ball winning midfielder as supplementary and a striker

Next we are doing fireside draft on sales and buys and how this can easily be achieved

@ChelseaAnalysis

FireSide


The Draft- Defence & Goal

600M spent the last two windows, Unbalanced squad in need of tweeks, Sale but maintain Squad quality and depth, need to generate at least 200M in sales... And above all have a squad that will be able to play to Pochs demanding tough Running and Pressing style... Without forgeting the Financial Fairplay

Pochetino keepers play from the back. They are expected to spray passes and provide passing outlet when the defenders are pressed. They are also sometimes required to play as sweepers.

All the defenders are also required to have confidence to bring the ball from the back through half wing for fullbacks and into midfield for CB. This calls for some level of technical elegance and self confidence.

The CB also play a rather risky high line to facilitate the pressing and compression of spaces in opponents half. For The fullbacks it is clear they have to fly. These traits require pace and atheletism to execute and still track back.

Goalkeeping

Mendy should certainly be moved solely because of his ball playing skills. But its difficult getting a good goal keeper at a cheap or even selling Kepa at a premium. An exchange program for Kepa + 10M could have been a great exchange for Onana, but they have acquired a GoalKeeper from Empoli already. I find it impossible that any team would cough straight 30M cash for him. Inter got Onana for free but since it's chelsea interested we will be quoted 100M. 30-40M for Onana would be a good deal. Especially if you can get Mendy out for 15M and Kepa for 20-30M. The only question is who can buy Kepa?

Kepa's greatest weakness is his positioning to take on long range shots. Seasons before, it was his inability to come out for crosses but he worked on this. His passing precision is not also entirely satisfactory. But if he can work on this like he did with his challenges before, then he can still be called on. Especially if Inter keep on insisting on stupid figures for Onana

CentreBacks

Fofana and Badiashile are definate stay. Silva could also still be relied for his experience. Next choice will be between Kouly and Colwil as fourth choice... Kouly can fetch 15-20M from Saudi and still offload his high wage. Colwil can get you 30-40M but longetivity and low wages without loosing alot on quality.

Fullbacks
James, Chilwel, Malo Gusto definate stays.

Choice on the left will be between Cucurella, Hall and Maatsen. Maatsen should be loaned back to burnley so that he can be tested in a better league and also not hinder his development progress. Chilwel is Injury prone so you need a dependable substitute. I see both of Cucurella and Hall staying. But if a shove comes to push I'd let Cucu go since there are no plenty of matches to compete in next season.. for him, you can get 30M and still have hall to develop as back up to Chilwell. Its also good to consider that Poch pressing Would mask Halls defensive inefficiencies. But if not financially pressed you'd definately want to keep Cucu as he could be quite good with pochs traps and pressings. Also the times he will be switching to a back three he could be a real help.


Conclusion:

Keep: James, Chilwell, Gusto, Hall, Cucurella, Fofana, Badiashile, Silva, Colwil

Loan: Maatsen, Slonina

Sell: Azpi (1M), Koulibaly(15M) Chaloba (20M), Mendy (15M), Kepa (20M)

Incoming Onana (40M)

Total generated -- 51M
Total Net +11M

Next- Midfield

@ChelseaAnalysis

🚨 🇪🇨 Caicedo Personal terms are on final details, 90-95% done.

(Fabrizio romano)

ℹ️@ChelseaAnalysis

FireSide

The Draft- Midfield

Cutting passing lanes through compact definite shapes and intense pressing. That's what Pochettino demands of his midfield.

The central midfielders are required to be able to generate short bursts in both press and counter press. Poch demands Tactical and shapes discipline from his players. 

Catwalks like RLC and lazy  fellas like Ziyech could find this type of playing stressing. Kovacic is known for one thing.. being anti-press himself. His defensive and attacking contributions are always negligable.

Kante has spent more time in the dispensary than the field. With his high pay his move to saudi should be fully embraced. For Enzo, his performance has masked his other weaknesses. But any major question on his determination and commitment cannot be raised

Unless Connor Gallagher can fully adapt his game to utilize his pace and aggression as a defensive midfielder as I had pointed out before, his desire to be an attacking player will be his demise at chelsea

Mount could have been a fit with Poch had he decided to stay. Poch always asks his attacking midfielders to push out wide in attack to bring in another midfielder from deep areas to offer attacking width but come in while defending to also have numbers for over loads. Mount work ethics and pace could have been greatly utilised.  Now we only need to squeeze out as much money as possible from our rivals

While defending Pochs team shift to 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-2 shapes. Questions should be raised on work rate suitability of both Pulisic and Ziyech. Lazy players would often suffer from the demands of this style of play. Chukuemeka however is also a certain fit. His ablitiey to play comfortably in both central and wide areas makes him a great prospect as mount replacement.

Midfield however is one area that will need real strenghtening as all these quick fire sales would leave the team with little depth especially in central areas. Any Injury or need to change shape would leave this area alarmingly exposed Hall could also be called to fill in numbers here it should be noted.

Casadei is the future of chelsea midfield and he will be having his special analysis later. . Casadei has shown level of maturity and composure like Hall that could propel his growth in the first team much faster than your normal kids. Santos has shown promise but still very raw. He  could do with a much needed Championship loan.

Once I was tempted to try and keep Ampadu as the alternate defensive midfielder. While his aggresion ,timing and Passing are outstanding, he may find his lack of Speed in movement and transition detremental to his chelsea chance

Do you guys remember the man I once Bad mouthed here? Yeah that one... Marcus Thuram... His contract is expiring and those obsessed with him can sweet talk Winstay to put in a good word for him to Todd.

Conclusion:

Keep: Enzo, Chukuemeka, Casadei

Loan: Santos

Sell: Kante (0M), Kovacic (35M), Gallagher(25M), RLC(25M), Mount (50M), Pulisic (25M), Ziyech (20M)

Incoming Caicedo (70M), Palninha (40M)** - This can also be substituted by cheaply going for Lavia instead( the video posted here on Lavia did him a disservice dont use that to analyse him. That kid has potential )

Total Income- 180M
Total Expenditure- 110M

Total Net 11+70= +81M

Next- Offense

@ChelseaAnalysis

Ziyech and Pulisic in their respective countries...

Premier League Set Piece Analysis: 2022/23 | zicoball.

Tap “instant view” to read

via zicoball.com

FireSide

The Draft- Attack

Pochetino demands a lot from his attacking players.

They are the first line of defence for directing pressing traps. They are required to not only press but also run back into shape that would facilitate ball recovery in midfield using numbers and overloads.

This therefore requires lots of energy and unquestionable  athletism.

After winning possession they burst in transition while maintaining possession. On the box they are encouraged to be fluid with the ability to fast interchange both passes and positions.

It should be noted that Pochs Tottenham still holds the record for distance covered by a  team in a single match in premier league history. This simply implies that under poch the luxurious sit and wait attackers cannot survive. Selfless minus selfishness is the mantra. Perharps could explain the ish ish sorrounding Felix stay.

For Aubemayang, football and financial politics couldn't let us decide by ourselves whether he flopped or not. He should surely be moved along.

Havertz to Arsenal... No brainer. It may come to bite us but its clear majority of the Chelsea fan base has seen enough of him.

Datro Fofana showed some level of brilliance . Perharps not enough to warrant a  clear call on his fate. The same can also be said of Broja. Ziyech and Pulisic were covered under the midfield draft so it's clear.

For Felix, I know much has been said already about his staying. For a 10 poch wants a player that drifts out wide too. This could be an issue with felix. Also his selfishness at times may be working against him... However, I still feel there is time and Poch should extend him an olive branch. Discuss with him what he will demand with him and if he agrees give him a loan that can be terminated mid season. The boy fights, drops deep, has pace and the technical elegance to succeed if Poch can get in his head... Or maybe a burnt child dreads fire proverb may have taught Poch a tough lesson from the hot minded, spoiled PSG egocentric superstars...

Nkunku technical skills and finishing offer both wide, central and mid attack options so its well with him

Mudryk and Noni should benefit from Pochs development abilities. On normal circumstances i'd also sell sterling but because of depth, I'd give him benefit of doubt

The new kid Jackson, well, thats a story for another FireSide.

Conclusions

Keep: Nkunku, Sterling, Madueke, Mudryk, Felix

Loan: Broja, Datro

Sell Aubemayang (5M), Havertz (50M), Lukaku (40M), Odoi (20M), Malang Sarr (10M) * had left him out sorry


Incoming Lautaro Martinez (60M)
                          Felix Loan (10M)

Total income (125M)
Total Expenditure (80M)

Total Net profit 81 + 45=  126M

Even with slight over charge in prices we can still assemble a great team and still make profits. Clearing a number of players in the academy should also help add on the income. We have also cleared most highly paid contracts like Lukaku, Koulibaly, Kante and others.

The only risk to derailment of out transfer train is the greed for more money. By selling the dead weights at a cheap, we will be both gaining income and writing off some wages off the books while still also strenghtening the team, enhance perfomance and attract better sponsorship deals all at once. This also descalates risk of running out obscene contracts for needless players

@ChelseaAnalysis

Announcement is coming. N’Golo Kanté and Chelsea, end of an era. 🟡⚫️🇸🇦

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Negotiations started on June 6 — Saudi emissaries were in London to open talks and convince Kanté.

It took 13 days for contracts and medical tests.

Kanté was very close to extending his contract at Chelsea in March then new injury, Saudi bid… and he’s Al Ittihad player now 🤝🏻

[via Fabrizio Romano]

ℹ️MORE:@ChelseaAnalysis

Al Nassr and Hakim Ziyech are now on the verge of reaching an agreement over personal terms. Final details of contract are being sealed. 🚨🟡🔵🇸🇦 CFC

Chelsea will receive a fee also for Ziyech as for Kalidou Koulibaly who’s close to joining Al Hilal.

To be completed next week.

ℹ️@ChelseaAnalysis

Growing confidence tonight at Chelsea for Kalidou Koulibaly to accept Al Hilal contract proposal valid until 2026. It’s about key details now. 🔵🇸🇦 #CFC

Both Koulibaly to Al Hilal and Ziyech to Al Nassr deals are advancing well and fast.

[via Fabrizio Romano]

ℹ️MORE:@ChelseaAnalysis

Nathan Baxter's move to Bolton is now official. At times, it looked like he might make it but don't be surprised if he rapidly rises up the leagues. A credit to Chelsea since he joined at U9s level.

[via Nizaar Kinsella]

Sometimes it’s just not meant to be…😢 All the best in the future Nath. Once a Blue, Always a Blue. 💙

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