[FOOTBALL] 2018 January Transfer Window Thread

[Jimmy Floyd]

One of my favourite things in football, when I actually go to games, is watching the goalkeepers warm up. There's always some gnarled old cunt who volleys balls at them and knocks floated crosses in for them to catch, and then the 2nd and 3rd keepers step in doing exercises and finally launching clearances at each other, at which point there's always some awkward banter between the one on halfway and the opposition team's 2nd/3rd keeper doing the same thing. I like to think that is basically all that the 3rd keeper ever does for his job.

Then the fancy dan outfielders run out to muted applause and I go back to reading the programme.

[John Arne]

The life of a third-string goalkeeper.

Fourth choice for us. Mingolet > Karius > Ward > Bogdan.

What a life.

[phonics]

Lol at the papers saying Alexis Sanchez should go to Liverpool. A man who's leaving because he's sick of not winning anything but FA Cups going to a club that hasn't won anything this decade.

[Waffdon]

If Vidal does sign for Chelsea, him and Kante would be monstrous together.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I know he's a good player, but I can't be arsed looking at those tattoos. Same goes for Radja the badger.

[John]

Vidal looks more like Stripe from Gremlins every time I see him.

[Lofty]

Lol at the papers saying Alexis Sanchez should go to Liverpool. A man who's leaving because he's sick of not winning anything but FA Cups going to a club that hasn't won anything this decade.

Also a team like Liverpool that has no problem scoring goals doesn’t need a player like Sanchez who turns over possession 30 times a game for their defence to get caught out. Risk outweighs reward.

[Ian]

Fourth choice for us. Mingolet > Karius > Ward > Bogdan.

What a life.

Two websites that probably are both just making it up as they go along have him on £15k p/w.

He's won. He's only gone and fucking won. He's earning a good amount to not have to play behind Dejan Lovren unless there are two injuries and it's a cup game.

[Reg]

If Vidal does sign for Chelsea, him and Kante would be monstrous together.

I know he's a good player, but I can't be arsed looking at those tattoos. Same goes for Radja the badger.

Put all three of them in Chelsea's midfield and you could have the other seven outfielders blindfolded and playing banjos and the same distance would be covered.

I like that Nainggolan has stayed at Roma until now, but if he doesn't win a league and have a decent crack at the Champions League it will be a waste of a potentially great career.

[Lewis]

It's not a very Chelsea financial plate-spinning transfer. Bayern will want loads of gold teeth, and he can't have many decent years left in him.

[Waffdon]

Bayern are buying that Goretzka bloke apparently to shift Vidal on.

[Lewis]

For about a fiver. They will rinse any English club who wants one of their players.

[Baz]

PSG are apparently selling everyone. Should be a fun transfer window.

Oh and they’re bringing in Lassana Diarra on a free.

[John Arne]

Diego Forlan has signed for Hong Kong giants Kitchee FC.

[Mazuuurk]

Put all three of them in Chelsea's midfield and you could have the other seven outfielders blindfolded and playing banjos and the same distance would be covered.

I like that Nainggolan has stayed at Roma until now, but if he doesn't win a league and have a decent crack at the Champions League it will be a waste of a potentially great career.

I'm not sure about this. I think sometimes when you put too many industrious players together like that, they are running around so much they can't find any good synergy as part of what they do is cover for others, so instead they sort of end up covering the same spaces as each other and one or two of them ends up having to take on a more offensive responsibility, one which they are not as good at as a more advanced player they would have otherwise been the one covering for.

So to speak.

Then again, if they are smart enough it could also work out great.

[John]

All he said is that they'd cover the same distance a full team normally would, not that they'd make a cohesive midfield three.

[Ian]

Everton paying nearly £30m for some striker from the Turkish league?

Alright.

[Magic]

Have it on good authority THE RANGERS are about to enter admin again.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Can someone find me an example of someone who's been signed from Turkey (directly, not like Anelka having a chill there in between English spells) and done well in England?

[John]

Emre was alright, but I suppose he came via Italy.

[SvN]

Tugay was alright, but that was via Rangers.

[Pen]

Can someone find me an example of someone who's been signed from Turkey (directly, not like Anelka having a chill there in between English spells) and done well in England?

Nihat is the first possible name that comes to mind if you accept other leagues. Emre too I guess. Apart from Osman and Izzet I’m struggling to think of any players who have played in the Prem and are at least half Turkish.

Edit: Tugay was immense. Nice call SvN.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I would have said 'Turkish players' but then you could include Izzet and that kebab van bloke called Colin.

Nihat and Arda Turan done well in Spain and many have done well in Italy, but that's slower tempo football, which I think is where the struggle comes for them.

[Pen]

Hakan Sükur in Big Sams Bolton would have been a good fit.

[John]

Tosun sort of doesn't fit into your caveats either, he spent his entire youth career in Germany and only moved to Turkey in his twenties.

[Pen]

Have there even been (m)any Turkish players in the Prem coming from the Turkish league?

[SincereTheRebel]

Aston villa had a fat turkish defender once. He was fat and rubbish

[Jimmy Floyd]

Have there even been (m)any Turkish players in the Prem coming from the Turkish league?

A few shit ones. I have my answer though, this legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tugay_Kerimo%C4%9Flu

[Magic]

Tuncay, he did relatively well did he not?

[John]

Have it on good authority THE RANGERS are about to enter admin again.

Between you and Waff you've had that 'on good authority' about once a quarter for the last five years.

Where's it from this time? Your postman used to do Barry Ferguson's route?

[Waffdon]

£4m loan in November to fund the Working Capital. Deed by May.

[Disco]

So what, some other bunch of crooks will turn up to to wear the skin of Rangers for a little while.

[John]

The loan was interest free and came from major shareholders to cover a shortfall caused by having to shell out millions to cut Ashley out of the club. As a result we're in better shape on the merchandising side of things.

I don't trust the current board at all, but we're not in imminent danger of going into administration.

[Magic]

What major shareholders (everyone except King)?

HMRC sniffing about big time apparently.

[Adamski]

You better tell that to Jamie Murphy.

Signed today for £1m.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Arsenal have signed Konstantinos Mavropanos.

http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...m-pas-giannina

Title is guaranteed next year.

[Spikey M]

Sanchez is quality, but he’s only going to show it for a top club. He gives the ball away too much for any team that can’t afford to do so. He’s the definition of a luxury player.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You have to wonder who is out there watching PAS Giannina and after 16 games (if they've even watched all 16, which I doubt) says to Arsene Wenger 'this defender they've got is the nuts'.

[-james-]

You have to wonder who is out there watching PAS Giannina and after 16 games (if they've even watched all 16, which I doubt) says to Arsene Wenger 'this defender they've got is the nuts'.

I doubt anyone has seen him in person. It'll all be wyscout and "metrics".

[Jimmy Floyd]

Does that explain why shit like Djilobodji happens?

[Magic]

I want to know how many goals he's expected to score per game.

[Shindig]

Have there even been (m)any Turkish players in the Prem coming from the Turkish league?

Emre scored against the mackems. Quality assured.

[-james-]

Does that explain why shit like Djilobodji happens?

The last two Arsenal defensive recruits that come to mind are Holding and Chambers, so for our lad's sake I hope they've been refining their strategy.

[John]

Mustafi for thirty five million.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The last two Arsenal defensive recruits that come to mind are Holding and Chambers, so for our lad's sake I hope they've been refining their strategy.

They need some long term homegrown slots, so both probably understandable punts.

I'm half expecting us to buy Lewis Cook or someone for the same reason.

[Reg]

I feel a bit for Murphy. He played and contributed a lot last season but is a victim of a certain number of starting positions needing to be improved for this season. Nobody would say he was that much worse than the rest of our players that he couldn't have possibly played in the Premier League.

[John]

I'm quite happy to be getting him for that money. Windass does a lot of running down that side but both his passing and finishing are absolutely maddening. It'll be nice to have a bit of craft there.

[Adamski]

I feel a bit for Murphy. He played and contributed a lot last season but is a victim of a certain number of starting positions needing to be improved for this season. Nobody would say he was that much worse than the rest of our players that he couldn't have possibly played in the Premier League.

Really happy with it on the face of it. Goes straight into the team and the fee of circa 800k is more than decent.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd go further and say great bargain.

[The Merse]

You have to wonder who is out there watching PAS Giannina and after 16 games (if they've even watched all 16, which I doubt) says to Arsene Wenger 'this defender they've got is the nuts'.

Sven Mislintat - the chap who headed up recruitment at Dortmund for the past decade.

https://www.theguardian.com/football...ad-recruitment

I doubt anyone has seen him in person. It'll all be wyscout and "metrics".

Not so sure of that. Wenger has always relied on the eyeballing of recruits (by Steve Rowley), even down to the Alberto Mendez Rodriguez and Stefan Malz's of this world.