Gonzalo Higuain

[MoSe]

Sarri: "Higuain will keep scoring goals until the day he dies. He is a goal machine, a systematic and automatic jackpot."

Apart from the 2 month goal drought he had from October to December 2018..... Happy to be proven wrong on him but I'm not sure he's the slam dunk many think he is. What is encouraging though is his underrated link up play, which should hopefully improve the whole attacking unit. Would be nice to see Hazard back amongst the goals.

He might haven't been explosive at Juve as he had been in Napoli (where he became Serie A highest scorer ever for a season with 36 in 35 games)
Napoli proved later they weren't devoid either of talent and good players, but of course at Juve he wasn't the main and lone terminal as in Napoli.
Then CR7 came, and it was silently obvious that he'd have got even less room and attention in the team.
The Milan move was a wishful attempt to be the star again in a team not half his level, maybe he hoped to get the merit as the team star to refurbish our past glory. But he didn't realise how chickenshitpoor we actually were.
He was decent till we hosted Juve in S.Siro on 11/11
Against the club where he played two seasons and was hoisted out by CR7, he missed the equalising penalty (post IIRC), then later on he lost jhis temper for having been whistled a foul, got angry with the ref letting himself get sent out and banned 2 matches. He's never been the same since.
He had scored 5 in 7 in the league and 2 in 3 in EL, then 0 in 7 including Juve, scored again in his last Serie A match in 2018 vs a tablefoot team.
We hoped he had brushed off the jinx, it was instead his last goal for us.

I don't know about consistency and volumes, he's still one who toils and puts in a good workrate.

If you want to think of what he can do, think of how he and Dybala together scored two clinical goals to overturn the Spurs CL leg and tie.
If you want to figure what he WILL do, I think Sarri might be able to motivate him again. He might score 10 in the remaining 16 (provided he plays). But he might also get depressed, suffer little niggles, and only score 3 or 4.

I feel a bit let down as a Milan fan, but I don't wish him bad, I'd be happy for him if he finds some form again

[Zimmerman]

We only had Crespo for a year I think, but yeah Drogba did take a while to adapt and was even considering going back to France at one stage.

I think Torres is easy to see in hindsight but not many said it at the time, Shevchenko was a long term target we didn't take off the list when we should have done and Falcao had to have been a dodgy deal imo

I think Torres had shown a marked decline in output for Liverpool after his bad hamstring injury of 2010, but it was difficult to spot amongst the general malaise of Roy Hogeson's management. He had lost that crucial half a yard, much like Owen had done in 1999. I think Chelsea were entitled to expect more out of him than what they received, however.

Memory might be playing tricks on me... but seem to recall Torres had had a fantastic game against Chelsea earlier that season (possibly scoring two). I’m sure some due diligence will have been done, but maybe scarred/impressed by that performance helped hoodwink Roman in to parting with that amount of cash!

[Ruth_NZ]

I’m sure some due diligence will have been done, but maybe scarred/impressed by that performance helped hoodwink Roman in to parting with that amount of cash!

It wasn't. Liverpool had rushed Torres back the previous season after a knee injury and had made the issue worse; it had become a chronic problem that would affect him for the rest of his career and Liverpool knew it; that's why they sold him. But they were very clever; they knew Abramovich was mad keen to get him and refused all his offers until the very last day of the transfer window. They then accepted the offer so close to deadline that there wouldn't be time for a full and thorough medical, which would have shown up the issue and caused Chelsea to pull out.

It was Abramovich's personal decision to make the deal without a full medical and it was actually that transfer that finally taught him his lesson: no more 'galactico' fantasy football and big names that were perhaps past their best. Since then Chelsea have been on a self-sustaining path and haven't spent a penny of Abramovich's money; all transfers and wages have been covered from revenues. The advantage that Chelsea have over some others (United are the most obvious example) is that Abramovich doesn't take money out of the club. But he doesn't put money in either and hasn't done for around 7 years now as far as I know.

Sarri: "Higuain will keep scoring goals until the day he dies. He is a goal machine, a systematic and automatic jackpot."

Apart from the 2 month goal drought he had from October to December 2018..... Happy to be proven wrong on him but I'm not sure he's the slam dunk many think he is.

He might haven't been explosive at Juve as he had been in Napoli (where he became Serie A highest scorer ever for a season with 36 in 35 games)
Napoli proved later they weren't devoid either of talent and good players, but of course at Juve he wasn't the main and lone terminal as in Napoli.
Then CR7 came, and it was silently obvious that he'd have got even less room and attention in the team.
He was decent till we hosted Juve in S.Siro on 11/11. He had scored 5 in 7 in the league and 2 in 3 in EL, then 0 in 7 including Juve, scored again in his last Serie A match in 2018 vs a tablefoot team. We hoped he had brushed off the jinx, it was instead his last goal for us. I don't know about consistency and volumes, he's still one who toils and puts in a good workrate.

Thanks MoSe for the summary, very helpful.

The FPL community is very strident sometimes. I posted the same quote on FFS and some guy said "Sarri said the same about Morata, so what?". Which is blatantly untrue, of course, but people seem to think that winning an argument on social media actually achieves something.

I don't know Higuain well enough to have an idea yet whether he will do well at Chelsea, though I expect he probably will. But Sarri does know him well and I don't think it is common for a manager to talk of a potential signing in such glowing terms. The Chelsea board take some persuading to sign a player over 30 nowadays and I guess that's what Sarri will have told them. So I guess it all comes down to how good you think Sarri's judgement is.

[Zimmerman]

Just checked... he did indeed score 2 (in a 2-0 win at Anfield against Chelsea at the start of November).

He was a delight to watch in his pomp. A top top player.

[gio]

Higuain might score a goal here and there, but he is definitively not a clinical finisher.

I've watched him for years at Real Madrid, good work rate, running here and there, but when it comes to finishing more of a Mitrovic type than a Van Nistelrooy. He lives of volumes of chances, that's how he got decent numbers during his career.

So I am not buying him, but hoping with him at number 9, Hazard goes back to his good old self.

[tarkens]

Just checked... he did indeed score 2 (in a 2-0 win at Anfield against Chelsea at the start of November).

He was a delight to watch in his pomp. A top top player.

apart from El Nino's great performance, I remember one more thing from that match, Martin Kelly had a boss game, Kalou and Drogba didn't have a sniff and everyone thought that we have a fullback for years

[raoul]

well I need a differentiator, and Higuan looks like an opportunity. A risk of course, but he looks to me a player who feels like he has something to prove, Sarri will know how to use him.

I am interested in the Hazard situation. Giroud is perfect for Hazard in my opinion, a bit like a blocking basketball frees space for others. Higuaín is not Giroud, and will be more likely to take points away from Hazard because he will want goals for himself, no?

[Magic]

For the last few years Chelsea have made a lot of poor buys, with only Rudiger, Kepa and Jorginho establishing themselves as starters and Gonzo is not coming at the best moment in his career to say the least. I highly doubt that he will be the world class striker we saw at Juve or Napoli, but certainly he can't be worse than Morata, surely???

[Zimmerman]

Bit unfair... they only signed two players this year (and both you listed as successes).

Last year a bit different:

Caballero - squad player
Rudiger - success
Bakayoko £40m flop
Morata £60m flop
Zappacosta £23m
Drinkwater £35m - was he really that much?!!!!
Barkley £15m
Giroud £18m
Palmeri £20m

Some of those are just squad players despite the seeming ridiculous fees (but it’s just the way it is now).

For context Liverpool sold Solanke for £20m
Chelsea sold Ake for £20m
They even manage to get £10m for Begovic

[mmikkeelee]

Will be interesting what price he comes in at for sure

After watching highlights from Chelsea especially the last game vs arsenal

Higuain to me personally is just what chelsea need
Every time Chelsea push forward there is no body to cross too
So many times players like willian and alonso will look up only to an empty box of blue shirts

Says a lot when alonso at times is the one player that makes runs into the box waiting for the cross

As there’s obvious question marks over wether higuain can make any sort of impact in the premier league
Holding hazard for now is definitely a must and for those that still own alonso id be licking my lips

Hopefully we will get a look tonight in the cup vs tottenham

[murf]

Don't think he signed in time to play tonight

[raoul]

correct he cannot play tonight

[Spreadsheet]

Added to the game at 9.5m.

[raoul]

Added to the game at 9.5m.

A price set to tempt.

[MoSe]

currently, according to FPL
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/a/sta ... event/te_6
4 (FOUR) Transfers IN

[raoul]

currently, according to FPL
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/a/sta ... event/te_6
4 (FOUR) Transfers IN

2,561!!

[raoul]

and 16 have transferred him out, which was a rather short lived romance

[eastcentral1]

and 16 have transferred him out, which was a rather short lived romance

[TheRumourMill]

A great read here for those considering Higuain, or Chelsea assets in general:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the- ... -t8wpvtfv9

[Striker]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the- ... -t8wpvtfv9

You can read about 7 lines, but if you want to read the meat of the article you have to subscribe. Are you a Times Subscription salesman?

[Jameselaprendi]

You can read a couple of articles a week for free if you register and login

[RomynPG]

You can read a couple of articles a week for free if you register and login

nothanks.jpg

[TheRumourMill]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the- ... -t8wpvtfv9

You can read about 7 lines, but if you want to read the meat of the article you have to subscribe. Are you a Times Subscription salesman?

Haha no, 2 articles a week are free. I try not to pay Rupert Murdoch a penny wherever possible!

[Tacalabala]

Added to the game at 9.5m.

If he kicks in quickly, that's attractive. If....

[White Tiger]

Tweaking my squad to free up enough cash to bring him in, if he gets off to a flier.

[Nabs Kebabs]

Higuain is an incredible CF who I expect to adapt to the PL with relative ease. He has never been reliant on pace so his age isn't much of an issue. He has the physical presence to hold the ball up, the technical ability to create and score goals, a footballing brain and the type of mentality that Sarri says the squad is lacking (leadership and determination). Looks an absolute snip at 9.5m to me.

[murf]

Higuain is an incredible CF who I expect to adapt to the PL with relative ease. He has never been reliant on pace so his age isn't much of an issue. He has the physical presence to hold the ball up, the technical ability to create and score goals, a footballing brain and the type of mentality that Sarri says the squad is lacking (leadership and determination). Looks an absolute snip at 9.5m to me.

He may not rely on pace but modern premiership football (especially at the top end) does. He'll be a relative flop IMO. May do OK but he is a Chelsea striker so even a half decent one should get a few goals. He'll be no Drogba (who wasn't that prolific) but outdoing Morata won't be hard.

[Nabs Kebabs]

He may not rely on pace but modern premiership football (especially at the top end) does. He'll be a relative flop IMO. May do OK but he is a Chelsea striker so even a half decent one should get a few goals. He'll be no Drogba (who wasn't that prolific) but outdoing Morata won't be hard.

Does Harry Kane rely on pace?

[math!]

9.5m with good fixtures in a system that finally suits him (even Ronaldo seems to disappear for Juventus sometimes despite his goals, check out the Chievo match for an example or the super copa against Milan), in a team that can dominate a game yet has no focal point up top. This season is a write off for me and has been for ages so I might as well bring him in.

[Oxford NZ]

^ Are you dropping Aguero or Aubameyang for him Math?
I was thinking Aguero to Higuain in a couple of weeks but not yet.