Summer Transfers 2020 - Sponsored by Corona™

[Josh]

Sarr is brilliant but I would be surprised if he ever gets to Mane levels. He looked good for us despite having to wait for Troy 'I'm a big boy' Deeney to get in the box for any of his crosses. If we had a decent striker, he would have got far more goals and assists and kept us up.

Will Hughes is also great. They're the only 2 Watford players that didn't embarrass themselves and the club after the restart.

Comparing the two is absolutely pointless.

[SincereTheRebel]

Some embittered Chelsea webthing has a story about Thiago basically asking for 50%+ more wages off anyone other than Liverpool (lol) although the same I'm sure immaculately sourced piece has him as being Liverpool's top paid player now, on a par with Salah I think at £200k-a-week (hmmmm).

Liverpool are one of the few elite clubs who dont throw crazy wages at players. Another club like that is bayern munich. Its not surprising. Man Utds two goalkeepers probably earn more combined than the Liverpool front three.

[Gray Fox]

Ozan Kabak is next. :eyemouth:

[Waffdon]

What’s with all the ITK mafia these days. Kiko is our one and only king.

[niko_cee]

Liverpool's switch to splash the cash mode (relatively speaking) is fascinating. I wonder if it has always been in the pipeline or if it coming immediately after the league agreed a new broadcast deal with China isn't entirely coincidental. I reckon the latter may have something to do with it. Klopp has nuanced his money moaning a bit recently to try and cover off some of the hypocrisy.

[Baz]

Ozan Kabak is next. :eyemouth:

Conceded 8 yesterday. :nono:

And was rated the worst outfield player on the pitch by Sofascore, awarding him a rarely seen 5.3 rating.

[phonics]

Bbc reporting 45 million for Jota. Lol.

That's Jordan Ibe, Solanke to Bournmouth levels of shit.

[Baz]

Still better than Arsenal’s never ending yet nonexistent deal for Auoar.

[phonics]

If you’re competing with Arsenals transfer policy we might as well give City the title.

‘We’re better than the team in 8th’ is tres small time Baz

[Baz]

Was more a pop at you. :rosebud:

[phonics]

I'm not in control of the transfer policy of Arsenal tbh.

[niko_cee]

It's alright because it's £45m spread over 100 years.

[niko_cee]

£41m, rising to £45m with the add-ons.

£9m for Hoever, rising to £13.5m potentially and a 15% sell-on clause.

I gave up trying to make any sense of these things a long time ago. Is Jota some sort of [hitherto unknown?] stats/metrics monster?

[Manc]

Good business imo. Does make you wonder why the plug was pulled on the Werner deal though.

[niko_cee]

Probably a combo of wages and him wanting guarantees as to a starting role, and also experience of previously being courted only to be let down (by Bayern).

Liverpool really need to trim their squad a bit now as it's (suddenly) a bit absurd in the midfield and attacking departments.

[SincereTheRebel]

Not including any youngsters, it looks like they may have a midfielder and a forwardd too much

Firmino
Thiago
Wij
Henderson
Milner
Keita
Ox

Salah
Mane
Firmino
Shaqiri
Origi
Minamino
Brewster

[niko_cee]

Wilson and Grujic probably need to go if anyone will stump up for them, probably Div and Brewster too (the latter should be loaned), you've also got Jones and Elliot who will be looking for B-team game time.

You missed Jota out of the forwards.

[Raoul Duke]

You're double-counting Firmino, and the first choice three (Thiago, Wijnaldun, Henderson) are clear.

[Manc]

Presume he meant Fabinho.

The more the merrier. It'll be the deepest squads that come out on top this season.

[Waffdon]

Good business imo. Does make you wonder why the plug was pulled on the Werner deal though.

Frank Lampard’s pulling power.

That and it having to be paid upfront and Liverpool are poor.

[randomlegend]

That statement from Woodward :sick:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Very early signs are that Werner is the business and would have been perfect for a Klopp side.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I would like to officially declare that I am on "Team Flop" in regards to Werner.

[SincereTheRebel]

If Giroud stays, Giroud scores more goals across all competitions.

[Gray Fox]

Twitter Journos reckon the key to the 2 deals done is the ability to spread the payments out a lot.

Thiago for example is costing £5m a season for 4 years, with some win bonuses included. Jota has a similar spread, but the sale of Heover has essentially covered the first year or two worth of payments. I imagine the following will also probably leave:

Karius - Free to whoever is daft enough.
Grujic - £10m to a German team
Wilson - £10-15m. If Bournemouth were still up we could have doubled that.
Origi - £10-15m. Get the statue built with the proceeds.
Brewster £10-20m.

Wijnaldum may get sold, but I see him riding off into the sunset at the end of the season. I'd also include Shaqiri but I don't see anyone buying a guy who hasn't been fit for a year.

[Waffdon]

If Giroud stays, Giroud scores more goals across all competitions.

Think Werner will play off the left of him every now and then. Maybe this weekend since Pulisic is still out

[Jimmy Floyd]

I would like to officially declare that I am on "Team Flop" in regards to Werner.

I'm on Ziyech (pronounced 'Zee-yesh', morons) for the flop.

[Manc]

Origi - £10-15m.

Have a word.

[phonics]

He’s worth 150 in the world they sold Ibe for 15. They’re spoilt.

[niko_cee]

Sold Ings and Solanke for about the same. :D/:cab:

[SincereTheRebel]

Barca have failed to bring in Max Aarons on loan because there isnt an option to make the deal permanent.

[Gray Fox]

He’s worth 150 in the world they sold Ibe for 15. They’re spoilt.

We're not really in that same world though.

[Mellberg]

Bertrand Traore any good? Signed for 17m yesterday.

[Trancemeister]

Bale and Reguilon are official to Spurs.

[SincereTheRebel]

Wolves are linked heavily with a Portuguese right-back for £35m.

Yeah.

[Shindig]

Surely the Home Office need to look into this?

[Yevrah]

Surely the Home Office need to look into this?

:lol:

dots.

[randomlegend]

Tottenham are looking to sell Dele Alli and buy Lingard :lol:

There were a couple of tier 2s on it but I was still thinking it must be bollocks, but Romano has just thrown his hat in the ring.

[Lewis]

By AMAZING coincidence I saw the footage of Jose Mourinho telling him he's wasting his potential earlier, and the way he was sitting with a stupid look on his face made me think none of it was sinking in. I suppose that confirms it.

[Kikó]

It would be quite something if the person Mourinho says "Ferguson said I should sign you" was bombed out for JLINGZ.

[Giggles]

Why would anyone outside the championship buy Lingard?

[randomlegend]

Ducker saying we want Upamecano if we can shift some of our deadwood CBs :drool:

It won't happen but still.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Woodward probably thinks Upacemano is the crisp Chilean red he had with yesterday's long lunch.

[Ian]

I suspect he might have gone off the Chileans.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He got 50 cases as part of the separation clause and it goes well with the 100kg of cheese he got for Ander Herrera, so all in all he's a happy man.

[randomlegend]

Suarez to Atletico on a free

[Waffdon]

I see Morata is going back to juventus apparently. Another money laundering scheme

[Don]

The corruption is so rife top clubs like Barca and Juve have sacrificed sporting success for it. You love to see.it.

[randomlegend]

1308091980673622016

Get it done. This and a right winger and we'll have suddenly had a very good transfer window.

[niko_cee]

Even if the winger is [also] a useless tranny?

[Giggles]

Could it be good without a centre back?

[randomlegend]

It'd obviously be nice but not every hole is getting filled (oo er) this window.

[Lewis]

It was awfully good of Luke Shaw to call for his own replacement yesterday. He's well on his way to Top Red status if it works out.

[Kikó]

If we sign this Telles chap, then we're doing 3-5-2 all season.

[Lewis]

Alex Tellesbian; or, 'Teh Lez' for short.

[Luca]

The scenes if him and Rojo (RIP) play together - United’s lefty lesbians :cool:

[randomlegend]

If we sign this Telles chap, then we're doing 3-5-2 all season.

3-5-2 would be a disaster. I love AWB to bits but he is not even close to being good enough going forward to be a wing-back in that formation.

That 4-2-2-2 which Neville said Ole likes might be worth a go if we pathetically fail to sign a winger.

[Yevrah]

Is this literally the best dirt they could get on Abramovich from those dull and boring leaks?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54229269

Jeez.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Quotes from Lord Triesman too, dynamite stuff, I could have sworn he had a short illness a while ago.

[Yevrah]

Just clocked this bit too on Roman:


Reportedly sold dolls before making his fortune in oil and gas after the collapse of the former Soviet Union

Of course he did...

[Ian]

3-5-2 would be a disaster. I love AWB to bits but he is not even close to being good enough going forward to be a wing-back in that formation.

That 4-2-2-2 which Neville said Ole likes might be worth a go if we pathetically fail to sign a winger.

If we went 3-5-2 Wan-Bissaka probably immediately becomes first choice as the right side of the three given he's capable of positioning AND tackling which we're lucky if any of our other 28 centre-halves does one of them right on a given day. And you know, we might then never have to see him attack again.

[Lewis]

Wouldn't a 4-2-2-2/diamond depend on him even more for attacking width? There is no getting around needing a right-sided forward. They have been lacking since 'LvG' wanted Pedro and the negotiating legends ballsed it up.

[SincereTheRebel]

Cant greenwood play from the right side? Isnt he first choice down that side?

[Reg]

If they sign a left back before a right winger/forward they are nuts. Even if it's just a short term option, a loan or something.

[randomlegend]

Wouldn't a 4-2-2-2/diamond depend on him even more for attacking width? There is no getting around needing a right-sided forward. They have been lacking since 'LvG' wanted Pedro and the negotiating legends ballsed it up.

I think the idea with the 4-2-2-2 is that the two advanced midfielders drift wide. Pogba likes to do that on the left, maybe Fernandes on the right.

And yes AWB would be good on the right side of the 3 at the back, but who plays as the wing back? Dalot would be the only relatively natural fit but Ole hates him.

[Ian]

Cant greenwood play from the right side? Isnt he first choice down that side?

Greenwood plays on the right but cuts in leaving Wan Bissaka as the only attacking option and he's crap at it so we effectively don't have a right flank. And even in games we could afford.to be more attacking in Dalot has clearly pissed in Ole's shoes or something so he doesn't get in.

[randomlegend]

Cant greenwood play from the right side? Isnt he first choice down that side?

He's too young to be relied on as the out and out starter and he'll also end up a striker. He IS first choice at the moment, because there is nobody else.

[Reg]

Dan James to be the new Victor Moses and become a standout wingback.

[Don]

Lads, no one cares what reshuffle of bang average players in a system-less team goes ahead so do us a favour andcleanse this page of your shit chat.

[SincereTheRebel]

Man Utd fans scrambling like two eggs on Sunday morning

[Jimmy Floyd]

At this point I basically live for Sincey's similes.

[Kikó]

Is this literally the best dirt they could get on Abramovich from those dull and boring leaks?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54229269

Jeez.

Suspicious Activity Reports aren't generally that interesting.

[Don]

Was in news yesterday that he funded an Israeli settler group to tune of £100m or something. Jews gonna jew.

[phonics]

Lol, the Suarez deal might me off because they’ve got him on wiretaps getting the answers after paying off the university to give him the answers to his Italian test.

[randomlegend]

Duncan Castles back with the Ousmane Dembele rumours.

If we could somehow convince Barca to agree to a loan with option to buy I'd be all over that.

[Don]

What tier is he?

[randomlegend]

Dogshit tier unless it's Mourinho related

[phonics]

So now you're bringing us low tier sources?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

So now you're bringing us low tier sources?

What's new?

[Kikó]

TIER 4 NONSENSE.

Telles is in the pattern of haggling. We should be ready to pay the proper price soon.

[Ian]

People aren't coming to this thread for credible rumours, surely?

Sky Sports News / BBC live text deadline day, "just saw ronaldo buying some chewits in a brighton cornershop"-level rumours or I'll just get it from an actual news site when something's starting to happen.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mark Kerr any closer to joining Spurs?

[Shindig]

Hatem Trabelsi to Arsenal ON.

[Kikó]

Gaitan apparently spotted in Bridgewater having a medical.

[Offshore Toon]

Joe Kinnear seen alive and well at the angel of the north.

[randomlegend]

Max Aarons to Barca looks to be happening.

[Don]

The joke stopped being funny RL, no need to drag it out.

[SvN]

:D

[Raoul Duke]

Was in news yesterday that he funded an Israeli settler group to tune of £100m or something. Jews gonna jew.

Got a passport out of it, so must've been legit

[phonics]

Him being Jewish probably helped the Israeli passport issue.

[Lewis]

I was working on a persistent United transfer bollocks XI (back four Bixente Lizarazu, Kevin Hofland, Philippe Mexes, Julien Escude's dog) and I realised that you could field a team each for the glory years and the recent years. I think the winning years would have it. Rivaldo and peak Wesley Sneijder feeding Gabriele Batistuta. Let's see Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels live with that the pair of frauds.

[phonics]

I was working on a persistent United transfer bollocks XI (back four Bixente Lizarazu, Kevin Hofland, Philippe Mexes, Julien Escude's dog) and I realised that you could field a team each for the glory years and the recent years. I think the winning years would have it. Rivaldo and peak Wesley Sneijder feeding Gabriele Batistuta. Let's see Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels live with that the pair of frauds.

The Arsenal one would be unbeaten. Yeah you might have Hatem Trablisi and Sebastien Frey at the back but you have a front line of Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe.

edit: I take it back, look at this team.

Cech

Pique
Kompany
Varane

Makele
Y Toure
Pogba

Ronaldo
Messi
Lukaku
Zlatan

https://www.football365.com/news/oh-look-its-an-arsene-wenger-i-almost-signed-xi

[Lewis]

This is about serious, long-term transfer interest sourced from the finest tier one/two sources. Not some Arsene Wenger watched them play once fantasy rubbish.

[Shindig]

Would a transfer bollocks XI include trialists? It shouldn't but I want us to field Sami Hyppia and Olof Mellberg.

[Lewis]

It's about people who get/got linked every year based on nothing. For example, the Arsenal goalkeeper would be Sebastien Frey.

[Luca]

I was working on a persistent United transfer bollocks XI (back four Bixente Lizarazu, Kevin Hofland, Philippe Mexes, Julien Escude's dog) and I realised that you could field a team each for the glory years and the recent years. I think the winning years would have it. Rivaldo and peak Wesley Sneijder feeding Gabriele Batistuta. Let's see Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels live with that the pair of frauds.

Ronaldinho too :drool:

[Manc]

Gaitan on both wings.

[randomlegend]

Ronaldinho was just one year and almost happened. Went to Barca at the last minute and we signed Ronaldo instead.

[Max Power]

Blackburn could have had Lewandowski if it wasn’t for that Icelandic volcano and Zidane if they didn’t already have Tim Sherwood (or so the tale goes)

Ours has generally been the reverse (Johan Cruyff aside). Were constantly scouting Ryan Mendes and saw Riyad Mahrez by accident and signed him instead. Missed out on Jordan Veretout and Charles Aranguiz and had to settle for Ngolo Kante.

[phonics]

Wasn't 'Shevchenko was too short for Sheffield United' the tale from back in the day?

[Pen]

If you’d field players Arsenal have ’tried’ to sign against players linked to United since Ferguson, I think that would make about 98% of all professional football players as eligible. It would obviously just be the current teams against each other as neither would still be able to bring in anyone they’re linked with.

[Luca]

I was thinking of a post-Fergie United rejects XI the other day. 4-2-4. Valdes, Darmian, Jonny Evans, Blackett (Academy lad, but I'm struggling. Buttner?), Varela, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Mkhi, Di Maria, Memphis, Lukaku.

[Reg]

Semedo from Barcelona to Wolves for £29m. Interesting one. Traore further forward again then.

[Shindig]

Oh, he's Portuguese as well. Fuck sake. :D

[Max Power]

Didn’t realise Doherty was a Mendes client as well :D

[niko_cee]

Samedo was absolute dross for Barcelona but might be alright for Wolves as long as they don't expect him to do any actual defending, I suppose being a wingback will suit him.

[Don]

He's not big but he's very quick and reasonably black so he should be a fantastic success. That Wolves right wing up there with Bayern's left as one of the fastest ever assembled.

[Mellberg]

Fucking reasonably black :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Semedo from Barcelona to Wolves for £29m. Interesting one. Traore further forward again then.

BBC have it as £27m rising to £37m.

[Giggles]

He won 3 Ballon Dors for me the last time I played FM properly so I will predict him to be a roaring success.

[Reg]

Oh yeah. The Athletic say "an initial £27.5 million, rising to £29 million, and have the option to extend the contract by a further two years. There could also be future add-ons worth up to a total of £37 million depending on Wolves achieving European success or finishing in the top four."

Barca are getting rid of everyone. Vidal's gone to Inter for £900k.

[niko_cee]

Suarez to 'Atleti' for €4m as well.

So only negative a lot when you consider they probably had to pay him off for the last year of his contract.

They're quite lucky Real are relatively rubbish as well at the moment.

[Manc]

Mario Gotze is a free agent and seemingly no one is getting involved. What a fall from grace.

[niko_cee]

Hasn't he got some sort of degenerative muscle wasting disorder or something?

[randomlegend]

Hasn't he got some sort of degenerative muscle wasting disorder or something?

The media reports all just say "myopathy", which is a descriptive term rather than a proper diagnosis.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mario Gotze is a free agent and seemingly no one is getting involved. What a fall from grace.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8763097/Bayern-Munich-consider-bringing-Mario-Gotze-club.html

I'm guessing they want him to be their new mascot.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He looks muscular enough in photos. Problem for someone like him is once you've scored the winning goal in a World Cup final, where (other than fulfilling your contract to earn the money) is the motivation? It's not like he's Gerd Müller and has goal records or whatever to motivate him.

[Kikó]

Samedo is a pretty solid full back (well was at Benfica) so should be fine in the Premier League. They need to resolve the lack of Portuguese players in their reserve team rapid though. I think there are a few english players still knocking about.

[Waffdon]

Lampard getting rid of Rudiger after using him to sign Werner/Havertz is ice cold.

[Jimmy Floyd]

And probably foolhardy, he's putting a lot of beans on Christensen/Tomori there.

[Waffdon]

Rudiger is absolutely dreadful. Zouma has actually looked quite competent and you’d assume Silva starts the majority of league games alongside him. Both Zouma and Tomori are rapid so make up for Silva’s pace.

Hudson Odoi potentially leaving seems a bit stupid.

[Don]

I'd say flip every opinion in that post 180 and I'd agree.

[Waffdon]

Rudiger is one of many players who folk seem to think is a good but hasn’t been for years. Definitely can’t play in a two at the back which is probably what made him look even more exposed last year.

[Kikó]

Medium post on Sancho and why it's a shit show:
https://medium.com/football-bureau-of-investigation/jadon-sancho-the-circus-strategy-2904b788999e

[niko_cee]

I'd say flip every opinion in that post 180 and I'd agree.

:D

I always thought Rudiger was their defensive talisman, or did he just get that status while being out injured for ages under Sarri?

All of the others, Silva included, are fucking hopeless.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He was before his injury. He was error-prone last year when he came back but I personally put that down to rustiness. He's the closest thing we have to an on-pitch vocal leader which is sorely needed in our sort of setup. Think letting him go is a big mistake, though it sounds like he has had some classic German/Dutch 'differences of opinion' with Frank Lampard OBE which sounds the death knell for anyone.

[Waffdon]

Not that it’s a barometer for anything, but if you type Rudiger into Twitter you won’t see a single person not happy Rudiger is getting punted. He’s as error prone as ‘Kepa’.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Chelsea twitter is a load of utter berks though (as every club's twitter no doubt is). Two bad games and they want you dead. Two games out of the side and they want you in the side. They want signings and lots of them, not to improve the team, but just for the sake of making signings. They're like children looking at shiny objects.

If Caballero and Mendy chuck a couple in each they'll be calling for Kepa's return.

[Lofty]

Supposedly Ryan Reynolds wants to buy Wrexham :D

[Lewis]

Chelsea twitter is a load of utter berks though (as every club's twitter no doubt is). Two bad games and they want you dead. Two games out of the side and they want you in the side. They want signings and lots of them, not to improve the team, but just for the sake of making signings. They're like children looking at shiny objects.

If Caballero and Mendy chuck a couple in each they'll be calling for Kepa's return.

Hatred of Chelsea Twitter seems to be the only thing that unites all of the other fanbases, possibly because nobody is having any fun on Chelsea Twitter. All they have is seventeen year old gimps thinking it all helps.

[Waffdon]

From what I’ve seen, Chelsea and Man Utd run football twitter. Arsenal and Liverpool just get ‘ratio’d’ every other viral tweet.

A fascinating world

[randomlegend]

Apparently the Telles deal is held up because we're trying to include a player swap :face:

[Ian]

"Don't suppose we can interest you in five shit centre-halves?"

[niko_cee]

And, with Rojo included in the deal you actually owe us . . .

*dial tone*

Hello?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I thought Rojo had gone back to the Argentine, but it appears this was just a trick of the light.

[Ian]

Lindelof, Bailly, Jones, Maguire, Smalling, Rojo.

We really have cornered the market.

Not sure in what.

[Kikó]

Apparently the Telles deal is held up because we're trying to include a player swap :face:

Got to be Dalot.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We've got our keeper. Any sentence that starts with 'The 28-year-old Senegal international' has my backing.

[Ian]

As soon as I saw the signing I thought you'd be happy.

[Waffdon]

We've got our keeper. Any sentence that starts with 'The 28-year-old Senegal international' has my backing.

I thought he was young. What’s a keeper doing only making 140 odd appearances at that age at a lower level. Suppose Allison was 2nd choice and only had one good season before moving.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Keepers peak at like 33 so shouldn't be a problem. Drogba had a similar start to his career also.

[Manc]

Frank is spending himself out of a job.

[Waffdon]

Declan Rice next for £70m.

[Baz]

Still better than Arsenal’s never ending yet nonexistent deal for Auoar.Jinxed it. It’s done. He’s Arsenals. #ITK

[Lofty]

Frank is spending himself out of a job.

Is it his spending? Kai Havertz doesn't seem like his choice.

[Jimmy Floyd]

With Havertz I think it was a case where he wanted out of Leverkusen, Bayern weren't stumping up and we were there with the cash - an opportunistic raid, if you like. Early signs suggest he is, or will be, quite some way better than anyone else we have. You have to grab a player like that while you can.

If we pick up a midfielder who can defend it'll be promising stuff and then it's up to Frank to mould it into a side, something he did very well last year from the other direction (players coming in from below).

[Lofty]

He replaces Frank's favourite Mason Mount for all intensive purposes doesn't he?

The bigger threat to Frank is surely that his tactical system massively exposes his goalkeepers and short of bringing in Zoff's clone I don't think changing up will alleviate that issue in a major way.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He does but Mount is never going to be the main spearhead of a top 3 side, he can be pretty versatile I think as he gets older and learns more stuff.

The biggest problem we have is that everyone walks over our midfield when we don't have the ball which as you say exposes the soft underbelly behind (which is why even now I think Kepa's critiics have been extremely harsh pinning it all on him). Kovacic is a nice player but not good off the ball, Jorginho might as well just lie down and curl up in a ball, and Kanté is the only one who can defend and we're asking far too much of him, especially as he hasn't been properly fit for 18 months.

I kind of don't mind the ostensibly mad rumours about Guendouzi, for that reason, even though he's a total shithead.

What I'd give for peak Essien in this system, or Makelele and Essien, or even Mikel and Essien.

[Ian]

Dennis Wise, obviously.

[Lewis]

With Havertz I think it was a case where he wanted out of Leverkusen, Bayern weren't stumping up and we were there with the cash - an opportunistic raid, if you like. Early signs suggest he is, or will be, quite some way better than anyone else we have. You have to grab a player like that while you can.

If we pick up a midfielder who can defend it'll be promising stuff and then it's up to Frank to mould it into a side, something he did very well last year from the other direction (players coming in from below).

Just a heads up mate.

[niko_cee]

Jorginho might as well just lie down and curl up in a ball

There was a point towards the end of the Liverpool game where someone skinned him (to use a 90s term, is that still a thing?) something rotten with a relatively obvious drop of the shoulder. He might have even ended up on his arse. Could have been Robertson to rub salt in the wound.

[phonics]

It was Robertson. I was barely watching the game and then I saw a man get murdered out the corner of my eye. I'd have retired.

[Don]

He does but Mount is never going to be the main spearhead of a top 3 side, he can be pretty versatile I think as he gets older and learns more stuff.

The biggest problem we have is that everyone walks over our midfield when we don't have the ball which as you say exposes the soft underbelly behind (which is why even now I think Kepa's critiics have been extremely harsh pinning it all on him). Kovacic is a nice player but not good off the ball, Jorginho might as well just lie down and curl up in a ball, and Kanté is the only one who can defend and we're asking far too much of him, especially as he hasn't been properly fit for 18 months.

I kind of don't mind the ostensibly mad rumours about Guendouzi, for that reason, even though he's a total shithead.

What I'd give for peak Essien in this system, or Makelele and Essien, or even Mikel and Essien.

What the sweet fuck is this pure poison? I expected better from you of all people and I feared it with your defence of Mount in times gone by but you really have been on the Frankie KoolAid.

You have a peak Essien and a peak Makelele in one. Don't give me fitness bollocks, he's operated at usual levels and still you're a shambles. He singlehandedly walked the league with an alcoholic lad from the pub next to him and a pizzeria owner giving him instructions. Don't do this.

[Waffdon]

He was constantly injured last year because they were rushing him back every time. Bog standard 4231 with Kante alongside free agent Khedira dons most teams this year before they sign future Balon d’or winner Declan Rice.

[niko_cee]

Meanwhile, on planet earth . . .

[Baz]

He replaces Frank's favourite Mason Mount for all intensive purposes doesn't he?
:henn0rz:

[randomlegend]

1309697195231391744

ITKiko in shambles

[Jimmy Floyd]

How many times can Parma go out of business and come back before someone plants a tree on the grave? It's not even a big club/town, just some milk salesman in the 90s bought them all those players.

Edit: the answer is six times. They've gone bankrupt and restarted six times.

[randomlegend]

The ITKs are saying Telles early next week and then we will actually make a formal bid for Sancho. We are "confident" they'll accept and will do a load of media bitching about Dortmund being unreasonable if/when they don't.

Probably sign Sarr for £80m on deadline day.

[Kikó]

1309697195231391744

ITKiko in shambles

Oh right.

[Spikey M]

This window has put the whole of team ITK in the shade.

[Kikó]

Wait until they're on the pitch holding a scarf above their head.

[randomlegend]

The Reddit ITKs are wildly variable in their reliability. There was one who was pretty good, then he posted a few weeks ago saying his source got caught and almost sacked so he doesn't get anything any more.

[Shindig]

I'm just reading all your posts in Trump's voice from now on.

[Don]

It sounds like horse tipsters but minus any value whatsoever to the audience. Fucking get a brass and stop this shit, you virgins.

[randomlegend]

Lazio in for Pereira according to Romano

[randomlegend]

1310207391242354688?s=19

[niko_cee]

Frustration on whose part?

[Baz]

Mine.

[Giggles]

I’m more leaning towards boredom.

[Manc]

Forever desperate to remain relevant.

[Lofty]

:henn0rz:

I was on my 6th can by then to be fair.

[randomlegend]

1310691549609693187

27m :D

[Lewis]

They must know they're never going to pay it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Sadly it''s only an option not an obligation.

He's coming back to us at the end of it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'll make a cheese omelette tomorrow night, with the option to stab myself in the throat.

[Luca]

Shared salary, too. Pretty shit deal in the end. I’d have rather got him and his salary out the door for half of that €27M figure and be done with the Andreas ‘Like A New Signing Mate’ Pereira Experiment.

[Lofty]

Bayern want Lamptey apparently.

[Luca]

Lamptey and Davies bombing down the wings :drool:

[niko_cee]

They can fuck right off if they're thinking they're having him (I speak mainly from a FPL perspective here).

[randomlegend]

Sancho not travelled with Dortmund due to a "respiratory infection".

It's happening.

[Don]

Yes, the pandemic is happening, you anti-vaxxing tit.

Order the Cavani poster and be gone.

[Kikó]

Sancho dying of covid as the fax machine with the €140m is faxed through. :drool:

[Luca]

Hey man, we heard you like fax machines, so we put a fax machine in your fax machine, so you can fax a fax machine.

[Luca]

Fahcts.

[Shindig]

Sancho dying of covid as the fax machine with the €140m is faxed through. :drool:

Unfortunately they sent the fax over in a Piper Malibu. It got wet.

[Waffdon]

Man Utd signing Dembele for 70m to play 15 games a season but refusing 18m for their left back is lol

[Luca]

There's no way on earth we sign Dembele on anything other than a loan if the Sancho stuff is FAKE NEWS. Or maybe there is. Who knows. Edward Woodward disasterclass incoming.

[Danny]

Unfortunately they sent the fax over in a Piper Malibu. It got wet.

Is it too soon to make Sala jokes?

[Manc]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/29/leicester-agree-deal-to-sign-wesley-fofana-from-st-etienne

Nailing it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Ethnic France is the new Brazil isn't it? They seem to churn out about 50 top class talents every year.

[Lewis]

Meanwhile, we're losing all of our promising footballers to stabbings.

[Don]

It's their africans' exposure to the footwork of Arabs, a dynamite mix. It could have been the same here if I wasn't faced with institutional racism throughout my youth.

[Giggles]

There’s a joke in there but I’m too tired.

[Don]

Aren't we all.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54331554

Manchester City have signed 23-year-old defender Ruben Dias from Benfica on a six-year deal for about £65m. Otamendi has gone to Benfica in exchange for around £13.7m.

Jesus.

[-james-]

He's shit apparently.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That is what I've heard.

[John Arne]

1310282427600900096

[Kikó]

Dias isn't shit but Benfica have been struggling to defend for the past two seasons. Good ball player who should be a step up compared to Ottamendi.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Pep is too much of a purist to properly sort out a defence. His teams have always defended by having the ball. He just wants players with ability on the ball, can't abide or understand anything else. His greatest strength and weakness.

[niko_cee]

So they've basically just signed the Portuguese John Stones? What could possibly go wrong.

[Baz]

Surprised Wolves weren’t in for him.

[Lofty]

Ainsley Maitland Niles to United doing the rounds :moop:

[Waffdon]

Ross Barkley signed for Villa on loan straight out of nowhere.

[Ian]

Did Villa think their midfield had too much intelligence?

[Don]

I was thinking Dele for Villa seems a good fit, they will probs look to start buying crap English big names like them, Loftus-Cheek, etc now that they don't need to fish in the Championship.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No more Jody Morris shouting 'Ross! Ross! Ross! Ross!' throughout the game when I turn the fake crowd noise off. A sad day.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Surprised Wolves weren’t in for him.
He's from Benfica not Porto.

Did Villa think their midfield had too much intelligence?
:D

[phonics]

Guendouzi to Marseille. An absolute match made in heaven that, an absolute knob with an oversized ego moving to a city that produces them by the boatload.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Marseille is their Manchester isn't it? Just with more violent crime. Maybe a Liverpool/Manchester hybrid.

[phonics]

Much more downmarket but much prettier. It’s more Naples than Manchester.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I kind of meant in the national whingeing hierarchy although I know what you mean. I have Lyon down as Birmingham (also prettier, but then so is gangrene), and those weirdos in the south west as Yorkshire.

[phonics]

Oh yeah, they spend their entire lives rotating between two conversations; how little time they spend thinking about parisiens and how much better they are than parisiens.

Leverkusen using that Havertz money to buy Kolasinac. Thanks Frank.

[Foe]

Marseille is an absolute hole.

Bordeaux much nicer, and Nice the winner of the lot from what I’ve seen.

The less said about about Lille the better.

[Giggles]

Being ‘more Naples’ wins shithole top trumps.

[niko_cee]

Anyone bad mouthing Lille has obviously just accidentally wandered around the international train bit. It's a cracker of a city, which took me aback as I imagined it was going to be some industrial wasteland.

[John Arne]

Have I missed something on Dembele? Everytime I've seen him, he has looked absolute dog turd.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I know he's had injuries and that, but the career path to date is horrible - Dortmund completely profiteered on him and he hasn't been able to settle at an appropriate level for any period of time. In an ideal world he should have had three or four years in Germany and only be making the huge move now.

[Baz]

Have I missed something on Dembele? Everytime I've seen him, he has looked absolute dog turd.

As are United nowadays. Perfect match.

[Don]

Does seem like a proper FIFA player, only rated by those who are too busy opening 'packs' to actually watch football.

[niko_cee]

Back in his Dortmund days he looked good for France once against England iirc.

But yeah, seems to be a player who has suffered under unreasonable expectations brought on by being sold for an exorbitantly high fee. I'm sure he's decent enough, but does that type of player ever really flourish on loan to the extent that you'd hope as a fan? He's probably going to be Nicolas Pepe good at best.

[Ian]

What is he, an inside forward/winger type? Our backups on that front are James and Lingard so he can't be offering less than them if he manages to keep fit.

[randomlegend]

I don't think it'd be a bad signing on a season long loan. By all accounts he's desperate to succeed at Barca so he'd want to prove himself. A good right winger even just for a year would be amazing for us. The plan presumably would be to fail to sign Sancho again next summer.

[randomlegend]

What is he, an inside forward/winger type? Our backups on that front are James and Lingard so he can't be offering less than them if he manages to keep fit.

He's an actual right winger Ian. Like, a real one. Do you remember those? We had them in the 90s.

[niko_cee]

I'm sure back in the bad old days it took Liverpool about 10 years to sign an actual winger (after being liked with Simao every summer forever) and when they eventually did it was Albert Riera. Heyday stuff. It's wierd how teams go through whole footballing epochs being unable to staff certain positions.

[Ian]

What, a winger who runs down the outside?

I thought Tony V was the last one of those and all the rest had been consigned to a miserable existence of being moved to the opposite wing so they can run inside and try to curl one inside the far post every time they have the ball.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Wingers favouring the outside foot haven't been in fashion for about 15 years, have they? Maybe more. We didn't really have them post Duff and Robben.

[niko_cee]

Malouda? Wright-Phillips? Willian?

Essentially every 'winger' Liverpool were ever linked with ended up at Chelsea through that period.

[randomlegend]

What, a winger who runs down the outside?

I thought Tony V was the last one of those and all the rest had been consigned to a miserable existence of being moved to the opposite wing so they can run inside and try to curl one inside the far post every time they have the ball.

He's very two-footed like Greenwood, but his preferred position is RW, unlike all the other players we've put there for about the last 10 years.

[Ian]

Greenwood may be two-footed but his main interest is in cutting inside.

[randomlegend]

Greenwood may be two-footed but his main interest is in cutting inside.

I have no issue with a left-rooted right winger who wants to cut inside. The problem is we've been playing right-footed left-wingers who want to cut inside on the right wing for ten years.

[Ian]

I'd have less of an issue with it if we had a right back who could kick the ball.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Malouda? Wright-Phillips? Willian?

Essentially every 'winger' Liverpool were ever linked with ended up at Chelsea through that period.

Wright-Phillips I guess, but the others weren't straight wingers in the sense of perma-width and sticking to their side. Trying to think of a few knocking around at the moment. For some reason Oliver Burke has popped into my head.

I'm sure the stats would show that cutting inside leads to 34% more goals than going on the outside does, which is why it is how it is.

[Raoul Duke]

We need a RW who will actually track back and help out AWB so he doesn't get molested like against Brighton again

[randomlegend]

I'd have less of an issue with it if we had a right back who could kick the ball.

Yes, that does make an out-and-out winger a more ideal option at the moment. Although AWB is improving going forward.

[Don]

I have a more effective idea to improving your deficiencies at RB than signing an RW. PM me for the DL. KK

[niko_cee]

Wright-Phillips I guess, but the others weren't straight wingers in the sense of perma-width and sticking to their side. Trying to think of a few knocking around at the moment. For some reason Oliver Burke has popped into my head.

I'm sure the stats would show that cutting inside leads to 34% more goals than going on the outside does, which is why it is how it is.

Wasn't Stuart Ripley the last actual out-and-out get to the bi-line and cross it winger? Maybe Keith Gillespie if he lasted longer.


We need a RW who will actually track back and help out AWB so he doesn't get molested like against Brighton again

Dembele is not your man.

[Waffdon]

Yeah, Dembele will do just exactly as Greenwood would. he’s clearly talented, the issue is he’s injured 60% of the year. No idea why you would go near him.

Obviously something wrong with wide players in Spain. Hazard had one bad injury at Chelsea (even then it was pre season so hardly missed anything) but has already been out longer in one year at Madrid than seven at Chelsea

[niko_cee]

Hazard hibernated every other year through the winter for Chelsea (during their being shit seasons) so it's hard to get a handle on his injury record.

It seems once you blow a knee out, even with the best of modern medical endeavours, you remain at risk or repeated injury forever thereafter. Is that what Dembele did or did he wreck his achilles?

[randomlegend]

Hazard hibernated every other year through the winter for Chelsea (during their being shit seasons) so it's hard to get a handle on his injury record.

It seems once you blow a knee out, even with the best of modern medical endeavours, you remain at risk or repeated injury forever thereafter. Is that what Dembele did or did he wreck his achilles?

Hamstrings

[niko_cee]

Another tricky one for a speedster

[John Arne]

Steve Guppy was a proper winger, or at least, a proper left midfielder.

[Lewis]

If United are actually paying for a 'Plan B' then they should go for that Watford lad purely on the basis that Liverpool thought he was good.

[Don]

Pope

Lamptey
Konsa
White
Bryan

Szoboszlai

Sarr
Azmoun
Daka

We're two midfielders short in what would be the mother of all moneyball teams.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Why has no one (not even in the Bundesliga etc) signed Szoboszlai? He is clearly an absolute beast.

[randomlegend]

Pereira to Lazio had been made official and we've apparently accepted Roma's latest bid for Smalling. TFM may follow him to Rome on loan.

The clearout slowly but surely continues on

[Don]

Pope

Lamptey
Konsa
White
Bryan

Szoboszlai
Grujic

Sarr
Azmoun
Daka

[Don]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54378303

Don't care for the transfer, just pretty great that National League North side York are getting £2.5m :cool:

To be the geezer responsible for inserting that clause into their original sale.

[niko_cee]

Brewster to Sheff Utd for £23.5m and clauses.