"No owner in the world would do such a thing. "

Oh please. Roman would do it for a joke. ;p

And yes, Chelsea were interested in him two years ago... when AVB was in charge. Remember? I bet you anything that it was AVB who ignited Tottenham's interest this time, too. AVB is a personal friend of ol Wills, and has wanted him for ages.

You think Mourinho wouldn't know that?

"You see this as a transfer to just rob Tottenham of a better chance to challenge for the title"

Yes, I do actually. ;) And you even state later on in the sentence exactly why that assumption makes sense. When were Chelsea involved? Who spoke up about being interested in him? Why didn't Chelsea give a crap about him when it was Liverpool who were trying to get him? And why wait until Tottenham had gone to the trouble to fly him in and conduct a medical, before making their move? And why did Mourinho laugh about it, and make fun of Tottenham, when asked about it in a press conference?

Of COURSE they did this to piss off/weaken Spurs. They have zero need for him in that star-studded squad. Do you really think that a ruthless business tycoon who made his money through dodgy deals during the fall of the USSR, and a manager who openly admits that part of his strategy is to piss off his competition, are above this sort of thing?

^_^

Seriously ? i thought Man Utd need an attacking midfield badly, since when they bid for their backup plan ? Willian is their choice to sign too.

@Lodatz: In the beginning I thought you weren't angry about this transfer but to make such assumptions makes it seem that you really are angry.

1) We were interested in Willian before AVB even joined Chelsea.

2) "Oh please, Roman would do it for a joke. ;p" Really, Lod? Really? Do people not know Roman has a brain?

3) Every single Russian billionaire business tycoon got his money through dodgy deals during the USSR. I in no way support it but why are people on picking on Roman? Roman is a much better and charitable person than the media puts him out to be.

4) Well lets look at this way. We need only one extra player to actually have a huge chance in winning the EPL, that is a striker. Let's say Rooney fails to join Chelsea. Who can we look to as our plan B? Andre Schurrle. But thats where Willian comes in. We're missing an extra midfielder now because Schurrle might be used as striker. Giving us the opportunity to snatch him from Tottenham. It's called last-minute ditches.

5) Mourinho laughed at it because the whole situation was hilarious. Everyone knew Willian was closer to Chelsea now and Mourinho knew lying wouldn't help. Also, show me a source where Mourinho openly admits he likes to piss off his opponents as strategy?

Lodatz, I understand why you'd be annoyed by this, so I'll just roll with this phase of yours until this transfer saga dies out.

"it seem that you really are angry."

Not really. I just can't believe you can't see this for what it actually is. ;)

1) I don't believe you. Can you find any articles in internet posterity which back this up? And even if you were, what does that actually change? If you wanted him.... why didn't you buy him? It's not like Chelsea lacked the money, now, is it? The simple answer is: no-one big bought him, because he wasn't good enough to be bought by anyone big.

2) Do YOU know know that Roman has MONEY TO BURN, and a track record of shady deals, and also is very close friends with the Anzhi boss?

3) " Roman is a much better and charitable person than the media puts him out to be." See, this is some bullshit, right here. You really believe that, don't you? You really, truly believe that because he pumped millions of pounds into the club you like, that means he's actually an 'okay guy', and not someone stashing his capital in a media-friendly, culturally important asset such as a football club?

He's a crook, mate. The fact that his riches have had beneficial effects upon Chelsea and the PL doesn't change how he got them, and it absolutely doesn't indicate that he's somehow above the very thing I'm suggesting. In fact, it's extremely strong evidence FOR what I'm suggesting. ;)

Seriously, he's not a 'cool guy'. He's a cold-blooded oligarch with ties to the mafia. Chelsea fans appear to be under the same delusion about him that many Madristas are about Perez, whereas the rest of the world sees them for exactly what they are.

4) What on earth are you talking about? Missing a midfielder, now? You have the most stacked midfield roster in the Premier league, and nearly everyone on that roster is BETTER than WIllian in the place. Who do you see Willian starting for? Oscar? Hazard? Mata? KdB? Ramires? Lampard? That's SIX PLAYERS in the pecking order ahead of him? You're suggesting that Roman paid more than he paid for ANY of them, for a player who is just going to deputize for them as part of rotation???

5) " Also, show me a source where Mourinho openly admits he likes to piss off his opponents as strategy?" Um, try every interview with him about mind-games, ever. Sure it's hilarious -- TO MOURINHO. I bet he laughed his arse off the moment he and Roman agreed to do it.

I really don't care about 'losing Willian'. I'm not even mad at Roman, because he is what he is and we all know that already. I'm not even mad at Mourinho. I love Mou, and if this had happened to, say, Arsenal, I'd have cracked up. I am even now cracking a smile at him being so wily.

I just can't believe that you, and so many Chelsea fans out there, really, truly cannot see this for what it is. Mourinho is not a saint, and Roman is a flat-out crook. They've done this to fu.ck with Spurs, just as SAF used to do it to other rivals early on in his career.

But please don't pretend that it's on the level. That's just insulting to one's intelligence.

It's just.. you guys have this idea in your head that Roman is just some misunderstood nice guy, who wouldn't do anything so brazen to undercut a business rival because, like, he's too much a of a good person, or some crap, and that Mourinho is just this dude that the media love to hate, and you don't care because he loves Chelsea oh-so-much, and....

Dude. It was just a way to weaken a potential rival. It was smart business, in fact, even if a touch dishonourable.

1) The second comment: http://www.chelseafcforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=6850&p=93516

2) Exactly. Roman probably knows more about Willian than Levy or AVB. The Anzhi owner, his friend, most likely told him how good Willian is.

3) Abramovich was the governor of Chukotka from 2000 to 2008. It has been estimated that he spent over US$1.3 billion (€925 million) of his own money on the region,[27] which now has one of the highest birth rates in Russia.[28]

Under Abramovich, living standards improved, schools and housing were restored and new investors were being drawn to the region.[29]

Abramovich said that he would not run for governor again after his term of office expired in 2005, as it is "too expensive", and he rarely visits the region. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the law to abolish elections for regional governors, and on 21 October 2005 Abramovich was reappointed governor for another term.

In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Abramovich was awarded the Order of Honour for his "huge contribution to the economic development of the autonomous district [of Chukotka]", by a decree signed by the President of Russia.[30]

In early July 2008 it was announced that President Dmitri Medvedev had accepted Abramovich's latest request to resign as governor of Chukotka, although his various charitable activities in the region would continue. In the period 2000–2006 the average salaries in Chukotka increased from about US$165 (€117/£100) per month in 2000 to US$826 (€588/£500) per month in 2006

Also, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-23/most-charitable-russian-abramovich-leads-billionaires.html

4) Clearly you have no knowledge on Chelsea's band of three. For the band of three we have Hazard, De Bruyne, Mata, Oscar, Schurrle and now Willian. It's now clear that Moses will go on loan and Marin is going to be sold in the future. Willian also adds a different style to Chelsea's attack. Something Mourinho can use against teams that are prone to Willian's style. Also, people are heavily underrating Willian. Have you forgotten how good he was on the European stage and for Shakhtar?

5) Mind games doesn't mean he OPENLY admitted he likes to piss off his opponents! Mourinho uses mind games, but almost every manager does. Mourinho isn't some sort of c*nt.

I can understand Roman has had corruption with the USSR, but please, tell me which Russian billionaire hasn't during the USSR? Even Arsena'ls Russian shareholder has corruption connections. Once again, I don't support it, but Roman is supposed to be the last Russian owner to pick on. But the media has turned him into the largest menace in football.

Every single person who has met with Roman says he is a nice guy. And he really is. I can literally make a thread with a list of Roman doing good-guy things. I literally can if it's just to show that the media has brainwashed you into thinking Roman is such a horrible person.

Not to mention, Putin had this quest to take out every corrupt Russian. But what about Roman? He and Putin are very close friends, proving that despite his past corrption connections, he repays his country back with multiple donations with his OWN money. Barely any Russian billionare does that.

1) Okay, fair enough. Notice the price tag, perchance? Notice that NO-ONE bought him, even though he cost less than half of what Anzhi bought him for? Again, I ask you: why didn't Chelsea buy him? They've had 5 windows to do so, if they wanted him so much, and curiously ONLY did so when Tottenham had all but confirmed a deal themselves.

2) ...which must be why not a thing happened until Tottenham had all but signed him. You're still not answering the most crucial question here.

3) Oh dear lord, seriously? It's like you're in a cult, mate. Yes, the person whose opinion we should totally look to is Vladimir Putin. Russia is one of the most corrupt nations on earth, and you're citing business accolades from there as a defense of Roman's shady acquisitions of the wealth of the Russian people?

I cant even be bothered to argue that with you. Send him some flowers, or something.

4) Clearly you have decided not to answer my question. Who is he going to start over? I named SIX PLAYERS that can be expected to start ahead of him, and he is going to cost more than ANY of them. I don't believe you even know what Willian's 'style' is, because up until this sudden swoop on Tottenham's deal, Chelsea had virtually no interest in this player WHATSOEVER.

5) "Mind games doesn't mean he OPENLY admitted he likes to piss off his opponents!" It does when you actually state that is what you are doing, which Mourinho has.

Look, V, I'm going to spell it out for you as simply as possibnle:

Everything I am telling you, is not new knowledge. Everything I have said revolves around some pretty solid facts, and let's list them:

a) Chelsea have money to burn.
b) Roman Abramovic is known for shady business practices.
c) Mourinho likes to screw with his opposition.
d) Chelsea have the most over-stacked, talented midfield in the league, and one of the best in the world, already.
e) Willian would have significantly strengthened Spurs, even if I think he's overrated and overpriced.
f) Chelsea exhibited zero interest in this player, until his transfer to Spurs was virtually complete.

These are not 'guesses'. These are statements which any reasonable person would agree upon. These are not controversial things to point out. ALl one has to do, for my case, is connect some pretty obvious dots.

Now consider YOUR argument.

You are having to speculate, heavily, with zero indications, information or prompts from anyone you are speaking for, as to why this makes sense for 'footballing reasons'. You are having to perform strenuous mental gymnastics for this argument to even be coherent, let alone make sense. I mean, really: moving Schurrle, who isn't a striker, into a striker's position, and buying a 30m midfielder you don't need...

...instead of just buying an actual fricking striker? Hell, throw 30m at Aston Villa and offer Benteke Champions League football, see what happens. Try prizing away Manzukic or Muller for 30m and a fat wage packet. I somehow think these are better options, BY FAR, than shifting a midfielder into a striker's roles (bearing in mind that you already have 3 out-and-out strikers).

Instead, you are seriously making the case that buying a player of lower quality than 80% of your midfield, for a price that is higher than ANY of that midfield, just so you can shunt a midfielder into a striker's roles... makes sense.

It doesn't, dude, and nor did the claptrap that the author of that article you quoted. It's just something he pulled from out of his backside, to try and 'explain' what is fairly blatantly a move to undercut and weaken a team who might given them something to worry about.

Do you really, honestly think you NEED Rooney, too? Trust me, you don't, but it would sure as hell weaken Man United if you bought him, wouldn't it? ;)

It's just crafty business, V. I think the reason you're reacting to the suggestion so much, is because you don't want to believe that the oligarch you see as Bill Gates, and the wind-up merchant you see as CHelsea's SAF, could be guilty of doing something like this.

You wouldn't be doubting it if you hadn't let yourself build up such an unrealistic view of them in your own head in the first place. ;)

ANyhow, off to bed, to get some sleep before the games tomorrow. Peace, and enjoy Willian.

Oh, also, don't forget: if this does harm, hinder or even screw up the Bale transfer....

...that screws over BOTH Spurs and Madrid, at least according to what those clubs' owners seem to want. ;)

Mourinho is a crafty bugger, mate. He knows exactly what he's doing, and who he's doing it to.

1) For the Summer of 2011, we chose Mata over Willian. For the winter transfer window of 2012, they asked too much for him, for the summer 2012 we chose Hazard and Oscar, for the winter 2013 we needed a striker and couldn't spend too much money because of all the money we spent on the summer of 2012.

2) Well I don't think anyone has an idea on why Chelsea are so late, but I do know it wasn't to to stop Tottenham from growing.

3) Exactly. Russia is one of the most corrupt nations on Earth. Leading to the queston, why Roman? In a country full of corruption, Roman still gives out over a billion dollars to his country from his own wealth.

4) It's called rotation. Our starters are Hazard, Oscar and Mata. Given how many games Oscar played, now it can be cut in half for De Bruyne. Hazard can rotate with either Schurrle or Willian, and in the RW Mata can also rotate with either Schurrle and Willian. Willian style by the way, is he prefers to dribble past players than actually wait for a run. But if he does see a run, he can also use his creativity and good vision to cross or pass the ball. Not to mention his pace can be very lethal for counter attacks. By the way, Ramires and Lampard are not part of the band of three.

5) In which you have shown me no source yet of where he has said that.

"Everything I am telling you, is not new knowledge. Everything I have said revolves around some pretty solid facts, and let's list them:

a) Chelsea have money to burn.
b) Roman Abramovic is known for shady business practices.
c) Mourinho likes to screw with his opposition.
d) Chelsea have the most over-stacked, talented midfield in the league, and one of the best in the world, already.
e) Willian would have significantly strengthened Spurs, even if I think he's overrated and overpriced.
f) Chelsea exhibited zero interest in this player, until his transfer to Spurs was virtually complete."

I can also do this and it sounds just as true:

a) Chelsea have money to burn
b) Chelsea need to buy a striker
c) Rooney is not going to Chelsea
d) Mourinho needs to use Schurrle as striker now
e) We're missing a back up for the RW spot now
f) Tottenham make Willian's medical public allowing Chelsea to take notice and pounce
g) Chelsea have been showing interest in Willian since 2 years ago and the only time they weren't focused on Willian was January 2013 when they couldn't spend too much money

All you are saying are not facts, they are assumptions based on a last minute-ditch from Chelsea to strengthen their midfield in light of Schurrle possibly moving to the striker position

And we're back to the numbers...

1) Schurrle CAN play as striker and Mourinho has revealed he has a plan B. Knowing United, they probably wont sell Rooney unless its a lot of money. That leaves with not too many good strikers open for free. Eto'o will remain with Anzhi as the manager has said he is keeping Eto'o for the season. Who does that leave us? An overrated Yilmaz? Of course, not. We'll use Schurrle who can play as striker and then buy Willian to compensate for his position shift. We already have a Benteke type player in Lukaku and Mandzukic doesn't fit the striker Mourinho is looking for. Bayern wont sell Muller either.

2) Oh dear lord, now you think we'll get Rooney to just weaken ManUtd too? I guess ManUtd bought RVP to weaken Arsenal and Liverpool bought Mingolet to weaken Sunderland?

3) That oilgarch I see is not Bill Gates, but he is a charitable and good person and you ignore the sources I gave you above. And that wind-up merchant we see as SAF is one of the greatest, if not the greatest manager currently and has what it takes to be Chelsea's SAF. He has talked about longterm, done everything he can in Europe, and now can just sit in one club for a long time.

Just wait and see, Willian will succeed at Chelsea. We definitely will enjoy Willian.

And for those who think this is an immoral and disgusting move by Chelsea:

There is no moral high ground to be taken in such an industry. Certainly not Tottenham when they are willing to accept an obscene £93 million offer from Real Madrid for Gareth Bale. There is only signing players, and failing to sign players. There are only winners, and losers. Anything else is irrelevant. Liverpool felt they had concluded a £27.5m transfer for Willian last weekend before Tottenham planted their financial foot on the landscape. Spurs can hardly turn around in anguish when Chelsea do likewise.

@Vendetta, no offense mate but you need to be educated on who Abramovich really is and what his true intentions are for buying Chelsea. What @Lodatz mentioned about him is spot on. Just watch this video:

^I'm sorry mate but I call this video a total rubbish with no evidence whatsoever. I'm not trying to defend Roman Abramobich, but all big clubs owners are in the same boat and corrupted somehow that we don't know, but no government will do anything about it. Someone posted this video before and got removed because it will start a rather political argument while this is a football website. let's keep it this way.

@TheGame: Haha that video is such BS. First of all, there is no evidence like Alex said. Second, he doesn't know what he is saying. His assumption is that Putin was after the corrupt Russians like Abramovich so Abramovich bought Chelsea as a way to hide behind the club. Now that's where the bullshit comes in. Putin and Abramovich are extremely close friends. In fact, Putin gave Roman an award for his charitable work in Russia (note: the most charitable Russian billionaire in the world. Not so evil now, huh?). This guy doesn't know jack sh*t.

@AlexBatak, OK mate, You can go ahead and delete my comment as a courtesy to prevent political debates. @Vendetta, while I can concede the point that Abramovich is a shrewd and clever business man, I don't think based on the guys history you can characterize him as a saint like you are doing. Considering how much has been spent on the club and how little ROI has been obtained for Chelsea, it is hard to absolutely believe that him buying the club was for purely business/football reasons. Perhaps the journalist in the video was exaggerating. But like AlexBatak said, there are many corrupt owners in the game, and it is not like they reveal what goes on in their private lives, so Journalists have very little to base what they report. Haha how did we start from Willian signing for Chelsea to this?? "Football, Bloody hell".

@TheGame: I definitely understand that Roman is corrupt. I definitely take away nothing from it, but my point is I think the media portray him as the worst owner possible because of his corruption and his money (which he can do whatever the hell he wants with it). The likes of Rossell come to mind but nobody speaks of his corruption. To add more to it, Roman's corruption has toned down much more than other corrupt owners. So I definitely understand what you mean by his corruptions. You're right about it, but I just think despite his corruptions, he still does some good deeds. Also, I definitely believe that he bought the club just for his love of football. In fact, I believe it was a Barcelona game in the Champions League that got him interested into football. He himself wanted Chelsea as his own toy at the start, not to hide. But gradually over time he has fell in love with the club just like the fans and cares for it more than people think. For example, we had over 800 million pounds in debt. Abramovich literally used his own money to remove all the debts. And there was nothing in it for him, he just loves the club.

Also, yeah, FootyRoom can be messed up when it comes to discussions sometimes hehe :P

" The likes of Rossell come to mind but nobody speaks of his corruption."

YES. They DO.

They also complain about Perez, too. And, predictably, it's only the Madristas who defend Perez, and it's only blind cules who defend Rossell.

And it's only blind Chelsea fans that defend Roman.

"Also, I definitely believe that he bought the club just for his love of football. In fact, I believe it was a Barcelona game in the Champions League that got him interested into football. "

You can believe in the Tooth Fairy, too, then.

Seriously, there is no point even discussing this with you, because when it comes to Chelsea, you believe in unicorns, mate. That video posted is spot on, and NO-ONE disagrees with it. Except Chelsea fans.

I wonder why that is. :p

I mean, look at you trying to hinge your defense of this poaching on the argument of: "Well, maybe Tottenham shouldn't have made their medical public..." As if the standard business practice of EVERY CLUB IN THE WORLD is now somehow a green light to scupper their deals.

As for your 'counter-facts', no, it doesn't sound 'just as true', because: B is not true, D is not true, E is not true, F is not true, and G is bullshit, when you consider that in every single window... they bought a player for LESS MONEY that is BETTER than this player. You don't have a leg to stand on. :P

Just fuck.ing admit it dude. This was done to piss off and weaken Spurs. End of story.

I mean, seriously. "Chelsea need to buy a striker". Noo, they don't, and even if they did.... why not buy an actual fricking striker???

Instead of shunting Schurrle forward, which, by the way, you have ZERO reason to believe is going to happen other than that stupid article which made it up.

Don't you get it yet? Jesus.

This is, honestly, a large part of why your club is so disliked. I know you lot like to pretend it's just 'haters', but it's not. It's because when you pull this crap, even though other clubs have pulled this crap too, YOU ACT AS THOUGH YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG. You act as though the same rules which apply to everyone else should not apply to you. You act as though Roman Abramovic is this saintly figure instead of the international crook that the rest of the world knows him to be.

And then, to make matters worse, you act as though it's everyone ELSE who is biased, or everyone ELSE who is blindly believing propaganda against your beloved Roman, instead of, you know, you being the ones who are lapping up obvious bullshit in order to salvage your pride.

THAT's why Chelsea are so disliked. It's not even because of Roman, or your riches, or the titles you bought. It's because when your club does something shady, your fans act as though no-one should care, or that everyone is against you, or that everyone is jealous, or come up with really, really BAD theories about Schurrle being used as a striker... all to avoid simply facing the fact that your beloved club, run by a quasi-mafioso, did something some people might wag their finger about.

Because you're perfect, and stuff, and you don't do naughty things. Ever.

Just like Ivanovic. :p

^ Lodatz on a rage!!!! This day has finally come!!!

"And it's only blind Chelsea fans that defend Roman."

Well, nice to know you see me as the blind Chelsea fan here. I don't defend Roman. I know he is corrupt and I don't support it or see through it, but people make it seem as Roman is the worst of all owners. He is not this mindless Russian that doesn't know sh*t.

"You can believe in the Tooth Fairy, too, then.

Seriously, there is no point even discussing this with you, because when it comes to Chelsea, you believe in unicorns, mate. That video posted is spot on, and NO-ONE disagrees with it. Except Chelsea fans."

Spot on? That video could have came from my ass. Who is he to freaking know what one of t he richest people in the world does with buying. Why not let Kim Kardashian teach Bill Gates on the finer points of programming while we're at it now? That's what Syed is doing, he thinks he knows what Roman's doing with the club but its all coming out from his ass and I'm sure non-Chelsea fans would see it this way to if they knew more about Roman and not only that dumb-ass assumption from Syed.

A lot of this stemmed from that Matthew Syed interview on SSN which is now held as some definitive moment in the public understanding of football ownership by less than Heavenly figures. Bollucks. It just shows how freaking clueless people are if they will happily regurgitate the claims of one man as fact. This argument is always conflated by the defenders in to "Well he's right about the way Roman amassed his fortune" as if that is valid justification. Everybody knows this, you could not make a fortune during the Cowboy Capitalism days of neonatal free-markets in the former USSR without being a combination of ruthless, quick, decisive and canny. It's such a vapid argument that because Syed correctly repeated this well-known fact, everything else he says must be true also. The idea that being an owner of a Football Club would protect you from the long hand of Putin is without basis too, yet it's now repeated by many as fact. The brazen way in which the Russian leadership deals with it's enemies means nobody is safe, anybody with any sort of background knowledge of the numerous incidents involving 'Russia's enemies' would laugh at the notion that owning Chelsea is protection

Which leads me to another issue. When did Roman become Putin's enemy? Because clearly, Syed says Roman bought the club just to hide from Putin. Roman was lauded for his immense charitable efforts and the pumping of funds back in to Russia via Chukotka, the Russian Football team (he paid Hiddink's wages personally) and large sponsorships of Russian sports teams along with endowments to museums, art galleries and other artistic endeavours. When he wanted to resign from his post as Governor, Putin refused and demanded he stay, not only as a shining light to other Ogligarchs but because of the good he was doing. It's part of an approach that publicly shames those who have hoarded wealth and run away, while showering praise on those who are seen to be giving it back to the people. The fact that Roman still works in Russia is enough proof that he is not on unfriendly terms with Putin, if he were that would be the last place on Earth he would ever set foot. It's also enough proof to show Syed doesn't know what he is talking about. The part about the Manchester City owners is bollocks too.

"As for your 'counter-facts', no, it doesn't sound 'just as true', because: B is not true, D is not true, E is not true, F is not true, and G is bullshit, when you consider that in every single window... they bought a player for LESS MONEY that is BETTER than this player. You don't have a leg to stand on. :P"

-B is true. Mourinho has said it multiple times in a press conference and that's why he has been after Rooney for a month and a half. I'm sure as a Chelsea fan, I know what is true and what isn't.
-D is obviously true because Mourinho has a plan B and C and the only other player we have that can also play as striker aside from Torres, Lukaku and Ba is Schurrle. Even if Schurrle is not Plan B, he is Plan C. It's common sense.
-E connects to D.
-F is true. Once again, Mourinho hints that Spurs made it public causing Chelsea to pounce. See the ManUtd pre-game conference from the 10th to 12th minute. He directly brings up that medicals should be made secret, obviously meant to be for Tottenham.
-G is not better. Just because we bought a player for less doesn't mean we're not after him anymore. Willian is an upgrade over Moses and its smart business to buy an upgrade.

I won't admit it as we only bought him so we can get an upgrade over Moses, not so we weaken Tottenham. And by the way, Moses started 31 games last season. Willian will get game time contrary to popular belief.