Bellars

Love how there are players on Chelsea's UCL team whose names I barely recognize. Marc Guiu? Jorrel Hato? Sure why not

I thought he looked a little bit rusty (not surprising), but offered something a bit different than Joelinton. More pace, more mobility, and better with the ball at his feet. Will certainly be more of a goalscoring threat. It's nice to finally have a bit of depth now with Bruno, J7, Tonali, Willock, Miley, and Ramsey. Being able to drop players for a break without a massive drop off (Bruno is going to need a rest at some point, however!)

Played with a lot more freedom tonight and seemed like he was enjoying himself. Showing up inside, finding space, etc. Not as tense as he has seemed in prior outings. hope it continues !

Agree 100%. I think you can see his potential - given time, it will come together. There will be some games where he tears the other team apart.

We were far from our best, but still easily won. Thought Elanga was OK, still needs to settle down a little. That should come with time, because you can see all the tools are there. Tonali was superb. Insane engine on him.

Miley, aside from the mistake at the end when the game was already settled, was superb.

Woltemade looks class

Feels like a freaking preseason match

If we were a little sharper with the ball, we could be 4 or 5 up.

Gordon can be such a frustrating player. It's just not quite working for him right now.

Osula faster than I remember

Hopefully with that lineup we can be comfortably up by halftime and make some changes around 60 minutes: Bruno, Joe, Elanga, etc

He's been playing in the Thai league the last two years. Only 32.

Agree. Having watched him play, it's clear the fire in him has dimmed.

Love Miggy, but he's been a big disappointment for Atlanta United since the move, especially given the price tag. It was a good deal for NUFC

Going to be 18 minutes of extra time

That's fair. Although $12M at the time perhaps seemed more expensive than it does today (1/3 of Bruno).

Pretty impressive list below. Is Targett the only signing there that would be considered a flop (Vlachodimos aside given the PSR drama last summer)?? [From .com] NUFC under Howe - major incoming deals: Jan 2022 Kieran Trippier Atletico Madrid (£12m) Jan 2022 Chris Wood Burnley (£25m) Jan 2022 Bruno Guimaraes Olympique Lyonnais (£35m) Jan 2022 Dan Burn Brighton and Hove Albion (£13m) Jun 2022 Matt Targett Aston Villa (£12m) Jun 2022 Nick Pope Burnley (£10m) Jul 2022 Sven Botman Lille (£35m) Aug 2022 Alexander Isak Real Sociedad (£60m) Jan 2023 Anthony Gordon Everton (£45m) Jul 2023 Sandro Tonali AC Milan (£60m) Jul 2023 Harvey Barnes Leicester City (£38m) Aug 2023 Valentino Livramento Southampton (£31m) Jun 2024 Lloyd Kelly unattached (Free) Jul 2024 Odysseas Vlachodimos Nottingham Forest (£20m) Jul 2024 Lewis Hall Chelsea (£28m) Aug 2024 William Osula Sheffield United (£15m)

is that an eight year deal ?!?!?!?!

As far as transfer window strategy, is there any value to waiting until clubs that can spend more make their major moves? Especially with PSR constraints Liverpool signs Wirtz; City sign Cherki; MU signs Mbuemo... they are much less likely to bid for another AM / winger that we might pursue, especially if we are seeking value

Or a prime Bellamy

IF Cuhna to MU is true, then it at least means that one of our transfer rivals is partially handcuffed for the rest of the window.

LOL Arjen Robben in his prime

Maybe he's just over-excited to get a few minutes? Hopefully, he will calm down as he gets more match time.

Player salaries are massively higher than they were previously, largely negating the increases in revenue. As a result, the “floor” of the current squad is somewhere around a mid table finish. 5 years ago, the floor was relegation.