The ULTRAMEGA Summer 2017 Transfers and Rumours Thread [featuring THE MIGHTY BLADES]

[SincereTheRebel]

Benzema has been there for 8 seasons now. Last year, he had his lowest scoring season at real madrid since his first season. Sell him, bring in mbappe and move c.ronaldo into a central position.

[Lewis]

Karim Benzema looked pretty amazing when he scored at Old Trafford after just turning twenty (he was also monstering the French league), and has he ever been consistently world class since?

[SincereTheRebel]

His numbers from a statistically view are great. Although anyone playing in a real madrid team as a number 9 would be.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If they stuck me up top for 38 x 90 minutes in La Liga, I wonder how many I'd notch. Probably zero.

[niko_cee]

Only if thy spitefully never gave you a tap in, or you spent all your time chatting to Navas.

[John]

Karim Benzema looked pretty amazing when he scored at Old Trafford after just turning twenty (he was also monstering the French league), and has he ever been consistently world class since?

I think that was the same year he scored a hat trick at Ibrox after we'd turned them over in France. 07/08. He absolutely dismantled us on his own.

[Lofty]

Why bother? They're loaning him back for a year anyway, and realistically who else can (or would) pay a similar amount (whilst also representing a progression, thereby ruling PSG out)? It's not as if he will have ten clubs in for him next summer, so wait eighteen months and see if he doesn't flatline.

Is it not a bit weird to break the world transfer record by a country mile then immediately loan him out?

[Spoonsky]

City have made an official offer for Mbappe. Wherever he ends up will be annoying.

[Magic]

That bloody defence budget thing is doing my head in. It's EVERYWHERE.

[Lewis]

At least whoever told City that Madrid will take ages getting the money together is having a good laugh.

[Raoul Duke]

Madrid will have spent almost £200m on players who've played about 40 games between them in total, if you chuck in that Brazilian scamp too.

[Giggles]

Has that Lacazette lad actually signed for Arsenal? Completely missed that.

[Lewis]

Ross Barkley wants to leave Everton (lol at all the 'typical slow decision' stuff), but who would bother? He's twenty-four in December. There was talk last week of United waiting until TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY and getting him for a fiver, but I hope they don't.

[John Arne]

Like Eric Dier, I reckon Barkley is massively overrated.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I didn't know Dier held any opinion on the subject.

[John Arne]

He's not a big fan, apparently.

[bruhnaldo]

Literally no one gives a fuck but Orlando City signed Dom Dwyer, a player who came to us on loan in 2013 when we were still in the 2nd division and broke a bunch of goalscoring records.

Myself and a bunch of other psycho fans met him at the airport :drool:

http://www.trbimg.com/img-597893a8/turbine/os-sp-dom-dwyer-greeted-at-airport-20170726

My fat ass is on the left side with the purple hat on :)

[Offshore Toon]

Get in the diet thread, mate.

[Giggles]

Get in the diet thread, mate.

I missed the bit where he said it was a problem.

[bruhnaldo]

Exactly, I actively want to die so if shoving 300 McChickens down my throat a week will help expedite that process I'm all for it.

In the meantime I'll just enjoy mediocre MLS football and all of you wonderful lads :drool:

[Spoonsky]

Fuck Dom Dwyer. British cunt pretending to be American.

[Lewis]

lol he's even from Cuckfield.

[Spikey M]

Fuck Dom Dwyer. British cunt pretending to be American.

Better than every American cunt pretending to be Italian/Irish tbh

[Adamski]

Literally no one gives a fuck but Orlando City signed Dom Dwyer, a player who came to us on loan in 2013 when we were still in the 2nd division and broke a bunch of goalscoring records.

Myself and a bunch of other psycho fans met him at the airport :drool:

http://www.trbimg.com/img-597893a8/turbine/os-sp-dom-dwyer-greeted-at-airport-20170726

My fat ass is on the left side with the purple hat on :)

Division 2 :D

[Reg]

We've got Izzy Brown on loan which is pretty good. Apparently only our second ever player to have an afro.

[bruhnaldo]

Division 2 :D

idk what else to call the second tier of US Soccer bud sorry.

[John]

We've got Izzy Brown on loan which is pretty good. Apparently only our second ever player to have an afro.

:D

Who's curating that list?

[Reg]

It was just said jokingly on a fan site, not part of the official signing announcement unfortunately. :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

Today, Kalas and Jamal Blackman have both signed new four year deals and simultaneously been loaned out to the Championship.

I'd love to see what sort of golden doorknobs Michael Emenalo has in his house.

[niko_cee]

I know there's an almost limitless amount of shit written at this time of year, but I came across this (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/kylian-mbappe-transfer-real-madrid-monaco-world-record-fee-agreed-a7859146.html) earlier and was genuinely taken aback by the stupidity of it. I can only assume 'Miguel Delaney' (seriously?) is a poorly programmed bot of some kind.

[Lewis]

The twist to it all is that the Chief Football Writer never really had the cash for a weekly shop - until he brought in over half the fee by uncovering the secrets of buying and selling, and conning a living out of the Independent blog (formerly newspaper).

[Shindig]

Merino's coming in. More players > less players. Unsure how this season will go with this group.

[Magic]

We've got Izzy Brown on loan which is pretty good. Apparently only our second ever player to have an afro.

Really? What is the point in him, he's never going to make any decent squad so why doesn't he just sign for one of the bottom shite no mark teams?

[Giggles]

Really? What is the point in him, he's never going to make any decent squad so why doesn't he just sign for one of the bottom shite no mark teams?

In premier league terms, he just has.

[Magic]

In premier league terms, he just has.

No he's signed on loan. He'll never ever make Chelsea team so why not just take £7.5m for him?

[niko_cee]

Because if he's half decent for half a season they'll get £48m for him next summer (using the Nathan Ake transfer multiplier).

Not particularly sure he's what Brighton need, although I've not seen that much of him.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think we've actually taken it far enough now that we'll keep some of these players on the books throughout their careers and just keep making cash off the loan system (until someone regulates to stop us). Presumably Fulham are paying us more for Kalas than it costs us to keep him fed and watered, so there's no need to sell.

Emenalo will end up with a Nobel Prize for Economics. A constant stream of 'football income' to dodge FFP and the only catch is you have to do an awkward tweet once a year.

[Reg]

What/who do you reckon we need niko_cee?

I've got a vague sense that we'll sit deep and get some clean sheets at home, and that getting service to whoever's upfront will be tricky and we'll maybe rely on set pieces. But I'm not sure how best to address that or who would be good to get, or even if sitting deep is Hughton's plan.

[John]

A couple of nippy wingers and a nine footer up front is the standard plan for that sort of thing, isn't it?

[Reg]

It would be in the old days but I'm not sure you can do that in the Premier League now. I s'pose Burnley are the closest?

[Raoul Duke]

I think we've actually taken it far enough now that we'll keep some of these players on the books throughout their careers and just keep making cash off the loan system (until someone regulates to stop us). Presumably Fulham are paying us more for Kalas than it costs us to keep him fed and watered, so there's no need to sell.

Emenalo will end up with a Nobel Prize for Economics. A constant stream of 'football income' to dodge FFP and the only catch is you have to do an awkward tweet once a year.

It's classic FM tactics. I reckon Mahow might actually be Emenaldo in a Mission Impossible-style mask.

[John]

If it was he wouldn't be able to stop himself calling every club with a player he'd loaned them 'we', so we'd know all about it by now.

[Lofty]

https://s1.postimg.org/au9ka31gv/IMG_9637.jpg

New Barrow AFC signing Donovan Makoma with some interesting footwear...

[Andy]

VvD to Liverpool is a done deal. The club are fuming as apparently he said he wanted to leave at the end of the season but wouldn't kick up a fuss. Then last week he went on strike and forced their hand.

Bit of a cunts trick just to get a move to Liverpool, he's good enough for any club in Europe, strange he's settled for Liverpool.

[Jimmy Floyd]

His agent probably thinks he can get another onward move from there for another big cut.

[GS]

He'll probably do his cruciate in pre season.

They'd have been better just buying the club and asset stripping it three years ago. They'd have got better value for money.

[Yevrah]

he's good enough for any club in Europe, strange he's settled for Liverpool.

Is he, really?

[John]

He wasn't a particular stand out in the SPL until his second season, three years ago, so he must have progressed incredibly quickly if he is.

[Yevrah]

Andy massively overrates Southampton's players, it's a continuing theme.

[Andy]

He wasn't a particular stand out in the SPL until his second season, three years ago, so he must have progressed incredibly quickly if he is.

He's about to become the most expensive defender in the world.

Replacing Alderwiereld with VvD was a fantastic bit of business for us. I thought it would be impossible to replace him yet Van Dijk settled straight in and was as good if not better from the off.

He either improves massively in a quick space as you suggest or just wasn't putting in 100% for Celtic.

[Andy]

He'll probably do his cruciate in pre season.

They'd have been better just buying the club and asset stripping it three years ago. They'd have got better value for money.

This is what I think has put off the other top clubs. It's a bit of a gamble following his ankle Injury.

[John]

He's about to become the most expensive defender in the world.

Replacing Alderwiereld with VvD was a fantastic bit of business for us. I thought it would be impossible to replace him yet Van Dijk settled straight in and was as good if not better from the off.

He either improves massively in a quick space as you suggest or just wasn't putting in 100% for Celtic.

He'll be taking that 'honour' from Kyle Walker. Not in any way a point in his favour.

He isn't as good as Alderweireld, so it looks like Yev is right.

[Andy]

Andy massively overrates Southampton's players, it's a continuing theme.

The only one I've got massively wrong was Schneiderlin at United. I still can't get my head round he flopped there.

The others I've talked up have gone on to do well; Mane, Alderwierled, Lallana and Wanyama.

[Giggles]

Wanyama shocked me. He's still a booking waiting to happen but any time I seen him he looked really good.

[Andy]

He'll be taking that 'honour' from Kyle Walker. Not in any way a point in his favour.

He isn't as good as Alderweireld, so it looks like Yev is right.

Why's he not as good as Alderweireld then? I've seen them both play loads and think Van Dijk edges it but if like to know your reasoning.

They're both top 5 in the world IMO so I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong just interested.

[Andy]

Wanyama shocked me. He's still a booking waiting to happen but any time I seen him he looked really good.

Him and Pochettino are just made for eachother.

[Spikey M]

I thought it would be impossible to replace him yet Van Dijk settled straight in and was as good if not better from the off.


Behave yourself.

[John]

They're both top 5 in the world IMO so I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong just interested.

What a sentence to put in a post arguing against the idea that you overrate your own club's players. :D

From what I've seen of both players I just don't think he's as good as Alderweireld.

[Andy]

Behave yourself.

We finished 6th that season, our best ever points tally and highest league finish.

Van Djik won all the end of season player awards.

[Andy]

What a sentence to put in a post arguing against the idea that you overrate your own club's players. :D

From what I've seen of both players I just don't think he's as good as Alderweireld.

That was supposed to say top five centre backs. Not that there's much competition at the moment.

[Andy]

Anyway, I'm off to the pub. You'll have to continue this super exciting Southampton chat without me I'm afraid.

[John]

That was supposed to say top five centre backs. Not that there's much competition at the moment.

I got what you meant. In the last three seasons Southampton have had two of the five best central defenders in the world. It's still hilarious.

[Yevrah]

I'm guessing my point's been proven.

[Max Power]

Who are the best centre backs in the world? Ramos, Bonucci and Boateng for sure. Godin has still got it. Who else? It's not exactly a vintage era.

[Yevrah]

I've no idea, but if Virgil van Dijk was one of them he wouldn't be going to Liverpool.

[Max Power]

No it was a more general question. Early 2000s was a cracking era for centre backs.

[bruhnaldo]

Eric Bailly the young gawddddd

[mugbull]

One realization I had recently was that, because most people generally only consider the players at the top, top clubs when they're doing their "who's the best player in X position?" analyses, it makes sense that a lot of positions seem to have few world class players around. If there's only 4, maybe 5 clubs to choose from when making these judgments then you're never going to have many options to choose from. In the early 2000s there were at least 10 consistently CL-challenging teams so it was easier

Like, people always talk about how there's no world class left backs anymore, name off Marcelo, Alex Sandro and David Alaba, and go "who else?" You're restricting yourself to the mega clubs so yeah, it's going to seem like peanuts

[Offshore Toon]

Maybe there are less clubs challenging for the CL title because there are fewer world class players?

[Jimmy Floyd]

World class is a relative term, so the number shouldn't change much.

[mugbull]

Maybe there are less clubs challenging for the CL title because there are fewer world class players?

Maybe, probably not though


World class is a relative term, so the number shouldn't change much.

If regular people were actually good judges of footballing ability, then you're right. But a world class player on a good-but-not-great team is gonna have a hard time convincing people of his abilities. You get people like Godin from teams like Atletico that'll sneak into the conversation, but is anybody going to mention Koke in a list of the world's best midfielders? I've barely watched him play but from all I can tell he definitely is, and that's Atletico Madrid. If you're on a smaller team your chances are infinitesimal. Alderweireld is probably top 5 CB in the world, but a lot of people would balk at that.

If I watched more football I'd probably have more examples, but there were more than 4-5 top teams 15 years ago and so more players who you'd feel comfortable rating highly

[Magic]

Who are the best centre backs in the world? Ramos, Bonucci and Boateng for sure. Godin has still got it. Who else? It's not exactly a vintage era.

ramos isn't exactly a great defender is he. There's certainly none in Italy bar Juve.

Pontus Jansson?

[Spikey M]

It's easier to spot a fraud at a top team than a Diamond in the rough unfortunately. You have to wonder how many Mahrez types are stuck lumping long balls about in the Croatian 2nd Tier.

[mugbull]

It's easier to spot a fraud at a top team than a Diamond in the rough unfortunately. You have to wonder how many Mahrez types are stuck lumping long balls about in the Croatian 2nd Tier.

A total fraud yea, but if you have an incredible team you can put a 2nd tier player in and he'll look 1st tier. Part of the difficulty

[Reg]

Mok makes a good point. I've always found it difficult to judge defenders though. I can tell when a team defends well, but picking out individuals is tricky unless I watch them all the time.

-------


Wanyama shocked me. He's still a booking waiting to happen but any time I seen him he looked really good.

Him and Pochettino are just made for eachother.
He seems to do the simple things really well. Plus being that athletic is gonna help in a fast, aggressive team. His touch is good though, I thought he was just a bully before seeing him play more last season.

[John]

There are fewer teams challenging for the Champions League on a regular basis because the better players are more concentrated into those few clubs, not because magic and all the other teams still have as many stars as they used to. There are still great players playing for the lesser teams, but not as many of them so it makes sense to consider the bigger clubs first, then look down the list.

You do have to look at those smaller sides if you're considering who the best in the world are though, and I did when dismissing Alderweireld and Van Dijk. I'd take Gimenez from Atletico before either of them, along with all the names already mentioned and Thiago Silva, Eric Bailly, Koulibaly, and Koscielny, and probably some others if I was to really sit down and think about it.

It isn't a golden age of defending, but that doesn't mean those two get in.

[Adamski]

ramos isn't exactly a great defender is he. There's certainly none in Italy bar Juve.

Pontus Jansson?

The best defender in Italy doesn't even play for Juve, bro.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The best defender in Italy doesn't even play for Juve, bro.

Koulibaly :nodd:

[Magic]

The best defender in Italy doesn't even play for Juve, bro.

Going by the Serie A I watched last season, I didn't think the country had any defenders at all...

[Lewis]

I've no idea, but if Virgil van Dijk was one of them he wouldn't be going to Liverpool.

I would normally go for that argument, but in this case the only other teams who could afford him aren't particularly desperate for a sixty million quid upgrade (if he is one) on what they already have. I'm sure if he was going for the usual Southampton thirty-ish million more teams would have been interested.

[Weaver]

All that centre back discussion and not one mention of Phil Jones. Is he not going to be a FEC anymore?

[Giggles]

All that centre back discussion and not one mention of Phil Jones. Is he not going to be a FEC anymore?

Not even a FEI.

[Adamski]

Koulibaly :nodd:

Bonucci duh.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I wasn't aware that he had actually signed for Milan yet :(

[John]

Two weeks ago.

[Andy]

Mok makes a good point. I've always found it difficult to judge defenders though. I can tell when a team defends well, but picking out individuals is tricky unless I watch them all the time.

-------



He seems to do the simple things really well. Plus being that athletic is gonna help in a fast, aggressive team. His touch is good though, I thought he was just a bully before seeing him play more last season.

He didn't do the simple things well for the first 6 months. I think he's the sort of player who improves when he plays with better players as he's really kicked on again at Spurs.

[Magic]

Lol we're about to sign Negredo apparently.

[Lewis]

These Fellainimania stories had best be shite.

[Lewis]

These Fellainimania stories had best be shite.


We are in talks with Fellaini. We need a player like Fellaini who can move around in midfield.

Phew. It's a different Fellaini.

[Kikó]

Happy days.

[Kikó]

Matic expected to sign in the next few days.

[Spikey M]

ITKIKO :drool:

[The Merse]

He's about to become the most expensive defender in the world.

Replacing Alderwiereld with VvD was a fantastic bit of business for us. I thought it would be impossible to replace him yet Van Dijk settled straight in and was as good if not better from the off.

He either improves massively in a quick space as you suggest or just wasn't putting in 100% for Celtic.

The problem at Celtic is the same as he could have at a top club in the Prem. He goes to sleep. His best performances came in Celtics tougher games when he was more actively called upon. Much like many keepers - Almunia for us was class against the likes of Barca and consistently fucked up against the dross. VdV is not that bad, and unlike an Almunia has the attributes to be amongst the very best in the world, but he suffers the same weakness.

[Lewis]

United Twitter seems to be overwhelmingly anti-Matic, but I think it will be a really good signing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's not an exciting one.

There's other midfielders that I'd prefer ahead of him but he's probably the type of player that we actually need.

[randomlegend]

It's because he old and not very exotic, but I'm also hopeful that he will be the anchor to the midfield we've been very much missing (If he plays better than he did in Chelsea's disaster season, obviously). A 23 year-old Brazilian who plays for Monaco is always going to get the twitter fans going more than Matic.

Also been linked with Matuidi and Aurier again this evening. The former presumably as a Fellaini replacement which would be fine. The latter seems to be a truly enormous dong-end, but a talented fullback. Guess if he can behave himself he'll be good to have along with Valencia who's getting on.

[Lewis]

It's going to be a proper physical/shithouse nineties United team. I think that makes Anthony Martial Lee Sharpe. Unlucky, mate.

[randomlegend]

Wonder what the average height of the 'spine' of the team would be. About 9 feet presumably.

[Giggles]

I missed Fellaini going. Hadn't even seen rumours.

[Ian]

Fellainimania. :(

[niko_cee]

He hasn't gone yet.

Is the SSN breaking news tweet about this a wind-up?

https://twitter.com/SkySporfsNews/status/891393743701626880

Edit, ah, Sky Sporfs News. Many a true word etc.

Matic is such a Mourinho signing. Reading about Monaco's transfer factory (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40763916), did United really pay as much as the BBC say for Martial?

I see Conte has commenced hostilities on the MINDGAMES front.

[SincereTheRebel]

With those leaked papers from a few years ago regarding player transfers, martial has some top 3 ball d'or clause where man utd have to pay £20m if he reaches the top 3. There were some other mad clauses in the transfer too

[Andy]

Matic is a great signing for United. Surprised Chelsea are selling him to a league rival.

Pogba should be a lot better with the added protection behind him.

[randomlegend]

https://i.redd.it/cm3ih7m99qcz.jpg

What's the verdict Photoshop experts? Real or no real?

[Adamski]

£40m for a 29 year old defensive mid is stunning.

[Danny]

Agreed.

In before he's 28 until Tuesday.

[Offshore Toon]

Its not too bad when you remember China will buy him for £50m without thinking twice.

[Offshore Toon]

Speaking of China, according to Wikipedia Ighala has scored 4 in 14 since his £20m move. Has anybody come anywhere close to justifying their transfer fee in that league?

[Reg]

Reading about Monaco's transfer factory (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40763916), did United really pay as much as the BBC say for Martial?
I think that's right. It was an initial £55ish million.

[Lewis]

Forty million for a TWENTY-EIGHT year old with loads of relevant and necessary experience isn't bad.

[Adamski]

Agreed.

In before he's 28 until Tuesday.

He'll play loads of games before then as well.

[Adamski]

Forty million for a TWENTY-EIGHT year old with loads of relevant and necessary experience isn't bad.

Two years experience isn't exactly loads. Bakayoko has about that for the same price and is 6 (SEVEN) years younger.

[Lewis]

Good for him.

[Dark Soldier]

Anybody over 24 is useless and past it. FM taught me that.

[Adamski]

Good for him.

See you next time.

[Spikey M]

Anybody over 24 is useless and past it. FM taught me that.

My Scouts don't even report back with players older than 21. They wouldn't fucking dare.

[Waffdon]

Matic hasn't been good for about two years, though.

[Kikó]

Sell the cunt.

[Waffdon]

McMullen though...

[John Arne]

Zlatan to LAFC.

[Spoonsky]

Zlatan would go to the Galaxy if anyone, but I don't think he's going to.

[John Arne]

I heard he hates Ashley Cole.

[Magic]

Its not too bad when you remember China will buy him for £50m without thinking twice.

Well aren't 2 super league teams defaulting on their massive wage bills?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Matic has his moments, but in general he's a lazy bastard. It's just a classic 'worked with him before' move from both player and manager.

Probably an alright Carrick replacement though.

[randomlegend]

https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/892037452076134400

Matic is confirmed.

EDIT: £35m + 5 in add-ons. Basically 20p and a curly wurly nowadays.

[Kikó]

Itk!

[Lewis]

That fee suggests that Chelsea could probably have been knocked down further over the coming weeks as their financial fair play plates started wobbling.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We have the best FFP avoidance mechanism in the land (brought to you in association with Michael Emenalo, Sibneft and Goldman Sachs). Probably got enough 'football related income' to build ourselves a fromagerie.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Where's the over elaborate signing reveal?

I want him in a black mask doing the dab with Pogba and Lingard with Stormzy LAYING SOME BEATS down.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://i.imgur.com/RklfKhf.png

Bring back Fellainimania and his duel winning ability.

[Lewis]

We have the best FFP avoidance mechanism in the land (brought to you in association with Michael Emenalo, Sibneft and Goldman Sachs). Probably got enough 'football related income' to build ourselves a fromagerie.

That dickhead celery chant (if they still do it) should be changed to fromagerie.

[Disco]

In a world of bullshit stats 'Duels' is a new low/high.

[Reg]

Apparently:

Duels
A duel is an 50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides in the match. For every Duel Won there is a corresponding Duel Lost depending on the outcome of the Duel.

They could lump that in with tackles.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I reckon there are about three levels of subjectivity to go through there before you arrive at a statistic which seems to paint *my favourite team* in a good light.

[randomlegend]

Newspaper who are apparently very reliable for PSG news saying we'll sign Aurier if he's successful at trial on 7th of August, allowing him yo enter the UK again.

Anything in it, itkiko?

[Lewis]

You would have thought they were fine at right-back. Unless Antonio Valencia is going to be a winger again. :drool:

[Raoul Duke]

That'd be like creating your own player in FM with max CA/PA and 20s everywhere.

[Jimmy Floyd]

United should really be walking the title, so I've just entered the market at 3/1.

[Reg]

Mourinho in a 2nd season. They should be favourites. I reckon it's between them and Man City.

[randomlegend]

You would have thought they were fine at right-back. Unless Antonio Valencia is going to be a winger again. :drool:

Well we haven't got a whole lot of (good) backup for Valencia, and he's getting on.

[Lewis]

If he goes down you have Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian (who I thought was sound last season), Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Axel Tuanzebe. They can all fill in when called upon, and I would much rather see the latter two given a chance if necessary.

[randomlegend]

Neither Tuanzebe nor Fosu-Mensah's preferred positions are right-back (centre-back and defensive midfield respectively). I'd rather have my Nan at right back than Phil Jones and Darmian will probably be our first/second choice left-back, although yeah he's good cover for the right as well.

I think bringing in someone who will potentially be first choice right-back in the near future is a good move. I'd like to see the youngsters given a chance too, but moreso in their preferred positions.

[Dark Soldier]

Aurier is a fucking lunatic, we haven't had one for a while, probably since Heinze :drool:

[Lewis]

They can both play there though, and the more minutes they get - wherever they get them - the better. If they want an immediate Valencia replacement when the time comes then get one, but it isn't a priority this year.

[Dark Soldier]

Push Shaw to left wing, Valencia right wing and sign Bale for left back :rave:

[Lewis]

Chelsea spending all of their Matic winnings on Danny Drinkwater must be a ploy to force the manager out.

[Reg]

Sky Sports say they are interested in Renato Sanches, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Barkley, along with Drinkwater. Huh? Clearly the clowns at Chelsea haven't heard of selecting attributes in their player search.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I saw Tom Davies linked the other day. They must have realised that selling/loaning all the homegrown players means they don't have any homegrown players.

[Lewis]

Looking back, getting eight million out of Chelsea for Frank Arnesen is probably Daniel Levy's masterpiece.

[randomlegend]

They can both play there though, and the more minutes they get - wherever they get them - the better. If they want an immediate Valencia replacement when the time comes then get one, but it isn't a priority this year.

Maybe not, but the reports are that he'll cost about 25m euros because PSG want to get rid (due to him being a massive cunt). I doubt we'd get another chance to sign a player as good in future seasons without paying much, much more so I guess it's a case of taking the chance whilst it's there.

There is still the fact he's a big old twat though, so it's a risk.

[niko_cee]

Is Aurier actually any good? And doesn't 'being a massive cunt' sort of mitigate that, if he is? £25m as chump change is a laugh. Monaco paid half that for Mendy a year ago.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's decent but he's only a right back, and also his signing is dependent on having an assault conviction overturned which you'd think would be 'alarm bells, alarm bells' as Tim Vine would say.

I'm getting more and more radio ads for football on the way into work. Arsenal spent the last six weeks desperately trying to flog Emirates Cup tickets to the mums market (not convinced they succeeded) and this morning it was Man City trying to flog VIP packages to me, in Surrey.

[Reg]

I saw Tom Davies linked the other day. They must have realised that selling/loaning all the homegrown players means they don't have any homegrown players.
D'oh! I missed that link in my post above. Drinkwater, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley. All English. I suppose any of those guys will only be backup anyway, so maybe it is just to fill the quota.

[bruhnaldo]

Apparently Renato Sanches is staying at Bayern which is a shame as I wanted UNITED to do something.

I'm still SEETHING that they won't go get Neymar but maybe their plan is to let Neymar fuck off in France for a couple years and pounce when PSG undoubtedly need to sell at a discount because of "FFP".

[Jimmy Floyd]

Neymar-size players will never come to England, much harder to dodge tax here.

[Reg]

After the Chelsea/English players talk I thought I'd look up some first team squads. According to transfermarkt:

Last season's top six:
Chelsea: 93.3% foreign players
Man City: 78.6
Arsenal: 69.7
Man Utd: 69
Spurs: 68.2
Liverpool: 64.5

Promoted:
Newcastle: 68.8
Brighton: 60.7 :cool:
Huddersfield: 56.7

[Lewis]

Neymar-size players will never come to England, much harder to dodge tax here.

A few people have alleged that it is all going through Qatar (either them topping up his wages as an 'Ambassador' for 2022, or them giving him the money to buy his contract out), and none of our clubs have any convenient cover wheezes on the go at the moment. Maybe Tottenham could pay him to convert.

[Reg]

That's a good point actually. Couldn't all these Abramovich-like owners employ star players as 'consultants' for their companies?

[Lewis]

When PSG got nobbled by UEFA last time it was because one of their Qatari sponsorships was thought to be above market value (however they work that out), so how do they expect to get this sort of shit through?

[Reg]

Oh right. Weren't the fines for them and Man City something stupidly insignificant like £5m? Maybe they're just weighing the supposed risk.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The crap rules are a double-edged sword, it may be easy to get around them but it's just as easy for UEFA to arbitrarily decide they've been broken. I think the French legal system has worked like this since the days of Cardinal Richelieu.

[Lewis]

Oh right. Weren't the fines for them and Man City something stupidly insignificant like £5m? Maybe they're just weighing the supposed risk.

They got a fine, were only allowed to spend a certain amount the following year, weren't allowed to increase their wage bill for a year, and could only have a squad of twenty-one in the Champions' League. It didn't really hit them at the time, but a second penalty would presumably have to be much more severe.

[Reg]

I forgot that other stuff. It would actually be quite exciting if clubs started getting banned from the Champions League.

--
edit:

Freddy Adu is no longer a footballer, just a marketing prop. :D/:(


Former US international Freddy Adu has joined the Polish club Sandecja Nowy Sacz on trial, despite their manager not wanting him there.

...

“It’s a joke,” Mroczkowski told Polish website Sportowefakty.pl. “I read in the media about his trial. I asked the sporting director [Arkadiusz Alexander] why he did not tell me anything [about Adu]. After all, he sent me a text message that there ‘will be a player on trial’ and that they all knew. Marketing knew, the staff at the club knew ... Only the coach did not know who the trialist was.”

Adu was most recently on trial with Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer earlier this year, but failed to earn a contract. He has not played a professional match since he was released by NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies at the end of 2016.

“Whoever invited him, let him trial him. What is the point of having such a player?” Mroczkowski added: “The CEO says that it’s marketing. We may as well have Janusz Chomontek [a Polish football freestyler].”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/aug/01/freddy-adu-polish-club-tryout-sandecja-manager

[randomlegend]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757

Looks like it's actually happening.

Christ.

[Jimmy Floyd]

£198 million :D

It took 15 years for the transfer record to double between Zidane and Pogba, 1 year for it to double again.

[John]

Deeply bonkers from all involved.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I was going to say, what does Neymar himself get out of this other than unlimited money (which he already has) and the appearance of being a corrupt bastard?

He gets to live in France (has he not suffered enough etc), he gets to play Tours and Montpellier etc on a weekly basis, and there might even be a fruity January Coupe de France tie away at Raon L'Etape.

It's almost as if those around him, and not the player, are the true beneficiaries.

[niko_cee]

Apparently he can't win the Ballon D'Or at Barcelona, which is the true measure of greatness for a Brazilian [the logic being Messi would win it if Barcelona did well enough].

Hopefully this doesn't trigger Coutinho fall out, although I suspect it will. Southampton and the owners of any fair to middling midfielders will be rubbing their hands together with glee.

[randomlegend]

Well the claim is that it's to get out of Messi's shadow and try and win a Balloon Door, but as I think Lewis covered, the only way he's doing that in France is if he wins PSG an Oscar and a Nobel Prize.

EDIT: beaten to it.

[John]

There was some talk that he feels he needs to be the main man in a side to win the Ballon D'Or and he isn't getting that at Barcelona, but he can be the main man for every side in France simultaneously and he isn't winning that prize playing in that league.

He'll spend some time pissing about in France then go back to Spain when he's twenty nine and Messi is just about out of the picture.

[Max Power]

If he wins the Champions League for PSG (he won't) he'll win the golden ball which seems to be what all elite players want to be measured by these days.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Who gives a shit about the Ballon d'Or?

'In second place, for his 48 goals and 100 assists, is Lionel Messi. But the winner, for banging a few past Metz, is...'

[SvN]

The top players definitely give a shit.

[Jimmy Floyd]

A more convincing theory is the one I've just read by Tim Vickery in which he wants to coast all year to save himself for the World Cup.

[Kikó]

I read a convincing theory that he wants loads of money.

[niko_cee]

A more convincing theory is the one I've just read by Tim Vickery in which he wants to coast all year to save himself for the World Cup.

But why leave Spain then?

[phonics]

lol.

892667125399261185

What a corrupt little league.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Aren't Barcelona knee deep in Qatari money as well?

[phonics]

Sponsorship changed this year, strangely enough.

[John Arne]

La Liga have some balls.



The European Commission decision will require Real Madrid to pay back €18.4m of state support from a complex land deal with the Madrid local authority, according to people familiar with the case. Real Madrid, who won the Uefa Champions League in May, and three other clubs — Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and CA Osasuna — will also be forced to forgo a non-profit style tax privilege they have enjoyed since 1990.

Investigators are seeking to end an era of club football in which lucrative commercial enterprises attracted the world’s top talent while riding on the coat-tails of taxpayers. Real Madrid and Barcelona are ranked as the two richest clubs in the world in Deloitte’s annual ranking of football clubs by revenue.


https://www.ft.com/content/750e14a2-3f94-11e6-9f2c-36b487ebd80a

[John Arne]

I must have missed this. Premier League teams are now allowed to add a new sponsor on the arm. Chelsea have Alliance Tyres, Man City have Nexen Tire (interesting decision to use the wrong spelling of the word) and Watford go with 138.com

Strange.

Chelsea

http://en.mogaznews.com/temp/resized/medium_2017-07-22-c3e6234d5c.jpg


Man City

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nintchdbpict000309605438.jpg?strip=all&w=960&quality=100



https://www.watfordfc.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_hero_image/public/2017-03/Kit%20Sleeve%20image%20web.jpg?itok=JzgwCqt1

[phonics]

Yep, Tinder are offering United 20 million a year apparently.

[Lewis]

As said before, the actual fee is pretty irrelevant to Barcelona, so they (and Spanish football as a whole) must be absolutely SEETHING about some nobody French side doing to them what they thought was their exclusive right.

[John Arne]

http://i.eurosport.se/2008/04/24/434709-2931493-317-238.jpg

[Adramelch]

Man City have Nexen Tire (interesting decision to use the wrong spelling of the word)


Tire is the spelling typically used in the US etc. Alliance Tyres actually is Alliance Tire Group and I'm assuming they changed the spelling in the shirt just to make it look british.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Are crap tyres in third world countries really such a big market?

[John Arne]

Tire is the spelling typically used in the US etc.


Yes, I am aware of that :D

[John Arne]

Are crap tyres in third world countries really such a big market?

Tyres, and online betting websites apparently. I'm looking forward to Liverpool getting Dunkin' Donuts plastered on the sleeve.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In cricket we have the much more homely sight of Indian cement companies, you know where you are with them.

[McAvennie]

Liverpool have been tapping up Lanzini as a Coutinho replacement

[randomlegend]

https://streamable.com/xnfbe

:D

Barca have confirmed it on their website.

[Adramelch]

Yes, I am aware of that :D

Ye the meat of the post was mostly that they went and changed Alliance Tire to Alliance Tyres, which seems pretty silly. Unless I guess it's some kind of subsidiary in the UK.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://streamable.com/xnfbe

:D

Barca have confirmed it on their website.
Stunning.

[SincereTheRebel]

The 222m euros according to barcelona. Its a release clause, has to be deposited in its entirety.

[Disco]

In cricket we have the much more homely sight of Indian cement companies, you know where you are with them.

What is it with Indians and their cement?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByoKOG3Y-bI

[Andy]

Apparently Neymars Dad / agent is set to make €55m.

He will have earnt more than anyone at Barca in the four years Neymar has been at Barca.

[bruhnaldo]

Maybe he just doesn't get on with Messi/other Barca fellas and the only one who will pay this stupid ass release fee is PSG?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

892739221768867841

Vital information.

[niko_cee]

Liverpool have been tapping up Lanzini as a Coutinho replacement

I saw this mooted the other day, with some Bamsterman opining that it would be a DISGRACE if they didn't get £40m and Sturridge for him.

He's a decent player, but for fuck's sake.

£125m and Rakitic'll do.

:rosebud:

Hopefully agent Neymar will put him off in preference of joining PSG after donning the World Cup next year.

[Lewis]

All of the named replacements sound pointless (and two/three lots of wages is no good for them), so they might as well just spend it all on Kylian Anelka and annoy Madrid.

[Kikó]

Bale to united is the obvious last transfer of the window. For 400m.

[Yevrah]

Apparently he can't win the Ballon D'Or at Barcelona, which is the true measure of greatness for a Brazilian [the logic being Messi would win it if Barcelona did well enough].


Tim Vickery started this rumour last week and it's fucked and multiplied like wildfire since.

There doesn't seem to be a shred of evidence for it though, so avarice seems much more likely.

[niko_cee]

How could you suggest such a thing! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40809505)

[Lewis]

They should only offer him half of that when he comes to actually sign and dare him to go crawling back.

[Mazuuurk]

That would be fun if footballers had, you know, honour.

[Spikey M]

Apparently he can't win the Ballon D'Or at Barcelona, which is the true measure of greatness for a Brazilian [the logic being Messi would win it if Barcelona did well enough].

Hopefully this doesn't trigger Coutinho fall out, although I suspect it will. Southampton and the owners of any fair to middling midfielders will be rubbing their hands together with glee.

I can't see anyone playing in France winning it anyway. Even if he scores Cricket numbers it's still only fucking France.

[SvN]

He'll have a chance if they win the Champions League.

[SincereTheRebel]

He still needs to do more though. He needs to outscore either messi or ronaldo AND win the champions league in my opinion. Messi and ronaldo have moved the benchmark on what needs to be done in order to win the award.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No one gives a hoot about the CL in a World Cup year, if he wins the latter and is top scorer then he might get the award. I still don't see what's so amazing about individual trophies anyway.

[Spikey M]

Maybe the Champions League and a World Cup, I can't see France counting for much. Bayern Munich are always under-represented and they are in a better league.

[Weaver]

Sky's breaking news now is that La Liga have refused to accept the payment for Neymar's release clause, because the money 'isn't in accordance with FFP rules'

La Liga could break PSG if they get investigated.

[Jimmy Floyd]

What has La Liga got to do with anything?

[Giggles]

The Spanish league own Neymar? When did they turn into the MLS?

[Spikey M]

Surely La Liga are involved in upholding FFP rules? If they know it is against them, presumably they can step in?

[Jimmy Floyd]

A French/Spanish dispute with a heavy dose of Brazil and Qatar, not sure it gets any more corrupt than that.

[Spikey M]

Although, surely it would be the French mob that would block it. Barcelona (for once) are doing nothing wrong, and they'd be La Liga's responsibility.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40814854

In Spain a player must buy himself out of his contract.

This is done by depositing the amount of the buyout clause with La Liga - Spain's equivalent of the Premier League - to release the player from his contract. The league then passes the money to the selling club.

"We can confirm that the lawyers of the player have come to La Liga to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected," La Liga told BBC Sport.

Mental.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If the BBC exists for one thing it's to put sub-clauses like 'La Liga - Spain's equivalent of the Premier League' into its football articles.

[Spammer]

Soo...what now? It's not going to happen?

Drama :)

[Sam]

It'll happen, Barcelona are trying to save face, they've essentially had done to them what they have done to countless teams over the years, and they don't like it.

This part made me laugh though, from the comments from La Liga;

"Neymar is being taken by a financially-doped team that competes with an advantage"

As if the TV rights and money hasn't been heavily skewed Barcelona/Real Madrid in La Liga for how many years. :happycry:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Maybe for a season we should change the rules of football so that matches are not decided by goals, but by the referee and his assistants having a vote at kickoff time about which team has the better moral case for victory.

[Spikey M]

The Fairplay table as the biggest Championship in the world. :drool:

[Kikó]

Supposedly:

Qatar Sports Investment are paying Neymar c. €300m to be an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup - contract signed in Qatar at 0% tax.

He'll then buy himself out of his Barcelona contract and sign for PSG.

What's left from the €300m is his to keep (c. €78m). When that's split over 6 years (supposed length of his PSG contact), he'll earn roughly €40m a year net over the duration of the contract - with the contract itself working out at roughly €30m p/year + bonuses.

[Disco]

How can anyone say that a transfer goes against FFP, to do that you'd need access to the other clubs' accounts from the future.

[phonics]

The take to end all takes:

893091699739811841

[Jimmy Floyd]

People who don't understand football attempting to talk about it is great. The giveaway sign is when they say 'Premiere League' as if there's a red carpet outside it.

[Yevrah]

Supposedly:

Qatar Sports Investment are paying Neymar c. €300m to be an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup - contract signed in Qatar at 0% tax.

He'll then buy himself out of his Barcelona contract and sign for PSG.

What's left from the €300m is his to keep (c. €78m). When that's split over 6 years (supposed length of his PSG contact), he'll earn roughly €40m a year net over the duration of the contract - with the contract itself working out at roughly €30m p/year + bonuses.

That is quite brilliant and (together with the retarded buy out clause mechanism in Spain) has completely broken FFP.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Looking at the Financial Fair Play document, article 46b (4), it says:


An entity may be excluded from the reporting perimeter only if:

a) its activities are entirely unrelated to the football activities defined in paragraph
3 above and/or the locations, assets or brand of the football club; or

b) it is immaterial compared with all the entities that form the reporting perimeter
and it does not perform any of the football activities defined in paragraph 3 a)
and b) above; or

c) the football activities it performs are already entirely reflected in the financial
statements of one of the entities included in the reporting perimeter.

Would 'Qatar Sports Investment' paying him £300 million to buy out his contract get away with that? I'm not sure.

[Mazuuurk]

So am I getting it right that he's paying Barcelona himself to become a free agent supposedly with money he's gotten - 5 years in advance - to be an advocate for a World Cup which - supposedly (referring to Jims post above) is not related to the "football activities" he would then go about doing for whichever club decides to sign him on a Free, whether that is Yeovil or PSG...?

I mean, in theory that's all fine and all because there's technically no connection between his Ambassador role and Football (they couldv'e gotten Tiger Woods to do it couldn't they if they very well wanted to).

But you have got to think, that even a Sheik or the Qatari Foundation This&That or whatever, wouldn't want to just hand out 300 million Euros to a player where there are NO legal documents in place stating what he is meant to do with those 300 million Euros.



"Lad, he's 300 milli. Do what you want of course, we just have a suggestion (and it ain't Yeovil mate). PS we know jihadis"

[niko_cee]

The seething hyporisy of the Spanish is the best bit in all this.

Hopefully it leads to the (grossly unfair) financial 'fair' (lol) play rules being binned.

[Ian]

As if the TV rights and money hasn't been heavily skewed Barcelona/Real Madrid in La Liga for how many years. :happycry:

Sadly that has been "legit" in as much as they've bullied a load of spineless turkeys into voting for Christmas.

[Disco]

I can see why it would be annoying for Barcelona, I mean they've always conducted themselves with impeccable honesty and grace in the transfer market.

Oh no sorry, I meant to write the exact opposite of that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40814854

So he's technically a free agent now, right?

[bruhnaldo]

So now he can't even be considered the highest transfer fee of all time can he? It's not as if PSG paid that money to Barcelona now.

[Giggles]

He should sign for Madrid now.

[niko_cee]

Unless Figo and every other major transfer that has happened under this mechanism has been considered a free transfer the yes, yes he can.

[bruhnaldo]

Oh I didn't realize this was common, sorry.

[Reg]

What an odd photo the Guardian have chosen for one of the Neymar articles (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/03/psg-neymar-buy-out-rejected-la-liga-barcelona). :D

Wenger is quite good (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/03/arsene-wenger-neymar-transfer-arsenal-alexis-sanchez?CMP=fb_a-football_b-gdnfootball) on stuff like this.

I'm just linking Guardian stuff. Oh well.

[Max Power]

After weeks of seemingly interminable haggling over clauses and agent fees Kelechi Iheanacho has signed for Leicester City. £25m with a £50m buy back clause. Think he'll do well for us.

[Giggles]

Does this seal Coutinho to Bartha then? Bit torn on that really. On one hand he's their best player but on the other hand they'd get loads of cash and he's a bit piss and wind anyway.

[John]

I don't think I've ever seen him in full flight, but he's always looked very quick over five or ten yards so presumably that's Vardy edging towards the bin.

[Max Power]

I don't think I've ever seen him in full flight, but he's always looked very quick over five or ten yards so presumably that's Vardy edging towards the bin.

Supposedly he plays slightly deeper for Nigeria and had done at youth level for Man City so I'd imagine it's Okazaki for the bin for now.

[John]

Supposedly he plays slightly deeper for Nigeria and had done at youth level for Man City so I'd imagine it's Okazaki for the bin for now.

Well that's upsetting. Okazaki and his little legs scampering around has been one of the better things about the Premier League the last couple of years.

[Raoul Duke]

Mes que un release clause

[Shindig]

If only I had faith in the French tax authorities.

[Mazuuurk]

What an odd photo the Guardian have chosen for one of the Neymar articles (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/03/psg-neymar-buy-out-rejected-la-liga-barcelona). :D

Wenger is quite good (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/03/arsene-wenger-neymar-transfer-arsenal-alexis-sanchez?CMP=fb_a-football_b-gdnfootball) on stuff like this.

I'm just linking Guardian stuff. Oh well.

Say what you will about Wenger, but it always sort of struck me that his way of being generally reasonable and fairly gentlemanly (is that a word?) has been one of his better sides throughout all these years, but it's also epitomizing his decreased frequency of success - these days nutjobs like Mourinho who care about winning at any cost is what you really need to actually go on and win stuff.

Maybe Ronaldo will turn out to be a great manager.

[Giggles]

Job done.

https://www.psg.fr/psg-tv/video/bem-vindo-neymar-jr/


893196411713589250



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHqohuM11ws

[bruhnaldo]

I'm sorry but this really pisses me off as a United supporter.

[John]

Why?

[bruhnaldo]

They sit there and brag about all the money they have and "we can do things other clubs can only dream of!" and "watch this space!!!!" but never actually fucking do anything.

Meanwhile Real Madrid are gonna spend a trillion dollars on Mbappe, PSG has convinced Neymar to play in Ligue 1, etc. etc.

It's so stupid.