Martinez expects 'three or four' new signings in the coming days

I wouldn’t be particularly happy. We wouldn’t struggle but neither would we challenge. The Europa League would be a distraction or we’d be dumped out early. So, no. I wouldn’t be overly happy unless we signed a few more of quality.

Why would it matter to Chelski how good last season’s loan deal was for the players development unless we are looking at the possibility of another loan deal this season?

We need a goalscorer. We have 1 striker on the books that’s been out for a year. I don’t class Naismith or Mirallas as strikers, we have Kone, thats it. That has to change drastically by the Leicester game,

You’d have your fingers and toes crossed the fourth would be Lukaku or another marquee striker like Bony.

I do have the distinct pin in the balloon feeling though that it’s going to be confirmation of Traore’s year long loan return.

Whatever happens in "the coming days" we will eventually have to sign that elusive proven Premier League striker.

Roberto moves quick for someone who wasted valuable time at the World Cup,I’ll give him that.

Surely not here, though ?

Frankly, in my opinion, getting Lukaku back for another loan wouldn’t be a bad piece of business providing he doesn’t sign a contract extension. We’d have him with two years remaining on his contract I believe? We would be able to play him in every fixture except the Chelsea matches (so we would need a plan B for those games), so that means Europa League along with all of the domestic competitions. At the end of the season, he has one year left on his deal and provided he doesn’t score 30+ goals; it should reduce his price a little more which might make it a tad more manageable for us. It could also make for a bidding war, but that might be a bridge we would cross when got there. Maybe we can even negotiate a loan with an option to buy situation with performance based add-ons such as for goals scored, or if we get to the Europa League Final, etc. I don’t know. Something to consider.

Henen, who knows. I think he will be somewhere between U21 and the main squad, in a similar vein to McAleny. Not a replacement for Deulofeu though really.

Lukaku- Really hope so and the fourth will prob be Galloway.

I think we need another striker or another midfielder, depending on where RM expects Kone to play. I heard that he has the potential to play on the right like Lukaku did in parts last year. If Kone can’t fill this role then an Atsu figure?

Overall, would like 5 but 4 would do I suppose. I hate to use the term, but on last year Gibson and Kone are new players essentially.

One down...

Chris, agree with you but it doesn’t fit in with the ’Jose wants shut as quick as possible’ theory does it. It can only be a possibility if they are at least open-minded about how much he can improve, otherwise selling him this summer would be the sensible thing to do. I guess you do have to consider that they have enough money that they don’t have to be as sensible as other clubs, and that three successive loan fees may have covered enough of their initial outlay that they can sell him ’cheaply’ next summer without undue worries.

We have already signed Barry, so that’s one. Besic looks nailed on, as does Henen. I think we’ll get Lukaku either permenantly or on loan, and if we get him permenantly then we may get Atsu on loan, that would be five. I think Troare looks like a goer, which would be six.

If all of that did come off, then I think we’d have a cracking squad!

Martinez has plenty of time for the young players so I think a few will definitely get game time.
Lundstram looks a handy lad to me also.

Its shaping up well and we will not be a push over, whoever we play.

Raymond. Agree with all your comments above except your belief that Kone is our salvation. If we go into the season relying on him, we're doomed. He's bought a new meaning to fast off the mark !

Francis. Thanks mate. The game on the 30th is probably the reason why Roberto feels so sure about things going on till the end of Deadline Day.

Who invented this Atsu business?

I don't think Jose cares one way or the other with regards to Romelu. Sell him and get a player he wants, or unleash him upon the PL with a loan and not have to face the consequences. When you think about it, JM has never really been one to look at developing younger players because he doesn't stay anywhere long enough to reap the benefit of them. He likes players in their peak years; that's what has won him titles. From what I've read though is that the Chelsea board DO like Romelu. Thus the rumors that they want him to extend his contract, then go out on loan again, because Chelsea know as well as anybody that JM will not be there forever (I'd be surprised if he stayed two more seasons).

And Gareth (29), I totally understand your point about only borrowing a player like a Lukaku whom we would ask to generate a lot of our firepower. I guess it depends on individual preference (in this case, Roberto's). I felt that if we got Lukaku on loan again, he would be our player for 99% of the season (sans Chelsea games), he would already be familiar with the coaching, the players, the facilities, the city, etc. It would give us an extra season to "recruit" him as he entered the final year of his contract, and we could use our money (How much we have I don't know, but I'm fine with that because it gives us a little leverage in negotiations) to strengthen our squad all around, or buy young talent for the future. If Lukaku couldn't stay with us after the season, then we already have a stronger, deeper squad due to our summer deals, and so we can take our cash and seek out our star striker next summer. You know, it was just an idea to try an stretch the money that we have.

I would have hoped for more incoming players, having made a £15 million profit last year on player trading. And that's not including the TV deal, which everyone keeps saying is megabucks. Having got high earners like Neville, Cahill, Arteta and Fellaini off the books, surely Kenwright and his cronies can't have many more excuses left regarding why we are skint?

Bill does I am sure, but he will never tell us because in doing so it weakens our hand in any negotiations. He has made mistakes in the past, but that is no reason to use it against every single piece of business we do.
Patience is what we need to show. It aint easy but it will, I hope be worth it!!

Great!

This was the very season we needed a marquee signing to convince ourselves, the players, the media and especially the clubs circling our young stars, that we were serious about Champions League.

£20 million spent that’s basically what’s left of the Fellaini and Anichebe fee?? I can see the big announcement of Lukaku signing next week, that’s us standing still, not moving anywhere but our usual position outside of the top four!!

From Chelsea's perspective I doubt they would loan him out unless he did sign a contract extension because his selling price will start to decline once his contract is down to 12 months or less i.e. at the end of the loan period.

As Mourinho just doesn't fancy Romelu – and if he can't loan him out for the above reasons, then I think it is highly likely that Romelu will be leaving Chelsea. If it's to us then it will be on deadline day for the simple reason that we are playing Chelsea on 30 August. Mourinho sold Mata to Man Utd in January after Chelsea had played them for the second time... it's the way he thinks. If it pans out that way, then I would accept it as an outcome.

They will play for the Under-21s this season if we sign them, and Martinez is looking to strengthen the first team. They may count as the 3 or 4 in the next few days but they won’t represent the end of our dealings. He wants to sign four more first team players, Besic, Lukaku, Traore and probably another winger/attacking midfielder on loan. The 18-year-olds are part of planning for the future, not this season.

A couple more points: If Mourinho’s dastardly plan was to wait til after we’d played them, we could arrange a loan move right now so we’ve got our man and finalise the deal on 31st August. We get our man, and Chelsea get to play us without him (it’s okay, Naismith and Traore will tear them apart).

On contracts, with young players, you sell them with two years to go if you want full price. Most players, including many of our own, sign new contracts long before it gets to two years left, off the top of my head I think Coleman and one other did so last season.

Kone does play wide by the way, he has done for Ivory Coast for most of his career, and did so a lot for Wigan under Martinez as well.

Harold the ’Atsu business’ was in the rumour mill a few days ago.

And Andrew, I disagree that the permanent signing of Lukaku is us ’standing still’, I’d see it as a huge step forward. Actually owning a player, as opposed to borrowing him off somebody else is quite different.

A quick, aggressive striker suits our style, in my opinion. The lad from Monaco looks a bit too tall and would probably be more suited to games when Plan A isn't working.

A good winger to gradually phase out Pienaar... and maybe another defender? Probably a youngster would be willing to have limited game time but would learn from Distin et al.

I don't see Koné as like a new signing who is going to score goals. I don't really see him as any use to us at all. I don't like his attitude.