I’m getting sick to death of writing this, but my faith is being completely drained out of me yet again by the decision makers at this club.
I keep trying to keep myself calm and waiting to see if it actually happens, and I will still refrain from fully going all in on this one. But if Chelsea sign Jhon Duran as our new number 9 even for £30m, Chelsea fans are going to be absolutely furious.
The pressure the club are under even after hiring an underwhelming and unproven new head coach is huge. Fans are literally going to be waiting for pitchforks for the owners and sporting directors if this fails. And now you’re telling me we want to sign Duran as our new striker to lead the line for £40m?? PLEASE make it stop.
I’m so tired of writing that we need PROVEN quality added to this squad. Why on earth would we even think about adding another young and raw striker to compete with the young and raw striker we already have at the club? You know, the one who we fully threw in the deep end to lead our line alone last season when he is clearly raw? Whoever thought, ‘I know, lets add another raw young striker with Jackson’ is an absolute clown.
This squad is full of young, raw, and inexperienced players. Yet we are completely ignoring the glaringly obvious need that this squad is missing – QUALITY EXPERIENCE. Many pundits and former Chelsea players who I really respect have also been saying this all season, as have pretty much the entire fan base. But Chelsea’s SD’s know better, right?
I’m not here to slate Duran. I don’t think he’s a bad player at all and has bags of potential. But signing him for the fees being quoted would be absolutely ABSURD. This squad is crying out for a proven striker to lead the line. Why on earth we are even thinking about signing Duran for that role is beyond belief.
Durán is apparently not in Unai Emery’s long-term plans, and he has started only three league games since joining Aston Villa in January 2023. Who’s looking at that and thinking he is the answer to our need for a new number 9? They should be sacked on the spot. Not in Emery’s long-term plans but in Chelsea’s? OK.
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Duran has played for Envigado, Chicago Fire, and then Aston Villa. He’s scored just 8 goals in 49 appearances at Villa, and 26 in 130 appearances in his whole career so far. Chelsea need a PROVEN goalscorer, he is not that yet and that is just a FACT. There’s also doubts about his attitude, I’ve heard this too myself. It’s part of the reason Emery isn’t keen on him apparently. That doesn’t bode well for me either.
Yes, he might come good. Yes, it might prove to be a decent signing. Yes, it might be another Cole Palmer. But the risk is too big. The need for someone to come in and bang NOW is far greater than the allowance to take another risk. This lot want Champions League qualification next season and a trophy, at the very least. Yet they instill an inexperienced and unproven manager, and apparently want to sign an inexperienced and unproven striker. Make it make sense.
They could sign any top up and coming young player and try and say he might come good and might be another Palmer. I don’t care about that. I don’t care about who may or may not be good. We need players who are good NOW. And please, let’s not start saying that any young player we sign could be another Cole Palmer, because it could also just be another Cesare Casadei who we are apparently now open to selling this summer, or another David Datro Fofana too, who is in the same position as well.
If Duran comes in, I’ll back him and be fully behind him, as I will be for any player we sign. He will have my full support and I will be willing him to succeed here. It’s not his fault Chelsea are allegedly prepared to take yet another MASSIVE risk with the future of our club.
How am I supposed to back a board and decision makers who move like that? I literally can’t. Sorry.
Let’s just hope they see some sense here and back out of this apparent move for Duran and bring in at least a proven option. I’m taking Dom Solanke over Duran (maybe not for the £60m release clause and I’m sure we can negotiate lower if he wants to leave). I’m taking Julian Alvarez maybe even for £70m over Duran. I mean, we might as well drop the extra £30m for him right? If we are willing to spend £40m on Duran, we might as well drop the extra bag and bring in a more proven striker, no? That’s too sensible I guess.
Let’s see how this plays out. We might not even get Duran. And if we do, we might pay much less than £40m. But as you can tell, this news has really got to me, and I know it has to many of you too. We simply have to voice our views on this and make them hear us. It’s all we can do. I don’t like over reacting at rumours alone, but if we don’t voice our opinions on these rumours and then they end up happening, getting our view across will then come too late.
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