Not saying for a second he is not but to go as far as offering two players plus cash for him?

Very expensive and not sure if its a great bit of business

Yep, just like Hazard and Courtois it's still too soon to write him off already. If they want to stay at the club then let's see if they can turn things around next season.

The likes of Mikel and Oscar are a different case, we should know they're not good / consistent enough by now.

Still like Matic. Yes its been a bad season but its not like he was to only one.

You don't tear apart a successful team just because of a poor season even as poor as this has been. Of course its different if players want to leave and we get top offers for them and can attract decent replacements at decent prices but otherwise its more working with what we have and see what Conte can do with them

Meanwhile, over at UTD, who are chasing a CL place and still in the FA Cup, they have Rashford in their team.
Over at Chelsea, our Euro Champ kids can't get a look in even in meaningless games.

I think you're forgetting how good Matic was from when we signed him half way through season 2013/14 up until near the end of last season. He was often man of the match for us, we were drooling at the way he commanded the midfield.
For some unknown reason, his sending off (forget who it was against) for retaliation seemed to affect him. His level dropped and then this season he has suffered the same strange loss of form as practically everyone else in the team.
I'd wait and see how he shapes up with Conte.

and again did he get the chance because he was good enough or because of injuries?

Very good player but would be no where near the first team otherwise.

You keep ignoring this question for some reason as have asked it before but how much of our youth team games have you watched?

Whether it would be good business would depend on what price tag you'd put on the three players.
Kante will probably have a £50 + million tag put him.
Would we get much more than £30 million for Matic &Mikel?

Just because that's his price tag doesn't mean we should pay it.

Very good player but 50m? Not sure he is worth that at the moment.

Doesn't matter he got his chance due to injury. Terry was given his chance because of injuries.

Only Youth Cup games on TV.
The point is, for many years now we've been producing top youth teams and none of them are making it at Chelsea. Something is not quite right about that. What it is, i do not know.

w

Would be a steal when compared to some of the prices I've seen for players over 30 years old.

Just because bad business is done in the past is not a reason to do so again

JT is irrelevant most of the current youth team would have walked into that squad. The bar has been raised to utterly different levels then those days.

Where are all these players now? Only a couple of really made it.

There needs to be a buffer between youth teams and the squad, It's why I think B teams would make a massive difference. A B team in the lower leagues will be a massive step for them.

The youth team set up is ok and yes teams will get a odd player though but you are going to get more if they have somewhere decent to go between the youth set up and working with the first team.

I guess it's early days for RLC. I've heard pundits/commentators comparing him in style to Ballack, which is praise indeed. But Ballack's reading of the game was exceptional, he covered a tremendous amount of ground and made it look easy. Right now, I'm still puzzled as to what his best position might be.

It has been a puzzle since he was part of the youth team and again this is where I think B teams would help us.

It would help us see what he can and cannot do while not putting pressure on him in the first team and turning him to something he is not. At the moment he could be any number type of player. He has the raw talent to be something pretty good and while under the current systems available to us the first team squad is the best place for him (and due to the lack of control why a loan would prob not be ideal) I not sure if it will help or hinder him to reach his full potential

I know you would love to have Kante, but do you really think he would leave a team that is in the Champions league for a team that wont be playing in Europe

Of course because Chelsea can offer not only more wages but better opportunities etc.

Looking at "next season" is only looking at a very small part of a far bigger picture

I think he'll probably leave Leicester, but it's unlikely he'll join Chelsea.

Well we ruined Liverpool's title party a couple of years back and the players owe us the same with Spurs.
If Jose was still there he would not allow it and stop Spurs in whatever way is required.
Guus better do the same. Park the bus, whatever. Don't let Spurs win.

The bus would prob get lost

Funny line on Twitter from Times journo....

Chelsea have won Uefa Youth League again -- and are on course for fifth FA Youth Cup in seven years. Exciting times ahead for Vitesse Arnhem

I look at it this way.

He's at the perfect age - I am not against us hanging on to players over 30. but I'm never keen on signing players over that age, especially for a lot of money.
We desperately need some pacy, very mobile defensive quality in front of the back four. Someone who is a significant improvement on what we already have.
Someone who can not only do his defensive juty, but then have the ability to run with the ball into the other half of the pitch.
That man is Kante!

These days, any half decent team that has a go at us can run through our midfield like a hot knife through butter. We have to start with that problem before we even think of the other areas that need improving.

Sadly true though.

For once we agree.

As much as i want Leicester to win it, i do have a couple of Nephews who are Spurs fans, so I would be happy for them to have their moment of sheer joy.
I think they'll win their last four games and that will just be enough.

If Jose is at UTD next season, I can see him going there.
Kante is Jose's wet dream of a footballer.

But you are only looking at it from a playing point of view.

We have to look at any transfer from a business side as well

If his transfer fee is 50m you have to add on the agents signing on fee you have to add on his signing on fee you have to add on wages and he will want an awful lot more then he is currently. You are prob looking at a total investment of something that will not be far off 80m (maybe more)

If someone asked you to possibly spend the best part of 100m quid would you be happy to write the cheque?