We should have bought a left-back but oh well. According to an ITK guy on reddit who definitely had a real source, Bale was looking like happening until Ronaldo went to Juve.
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I suppose one would have been nice if a shit hot one was available, but otherwise give Big Fat Luke Shaw six weeks to prove he hasn't changed. They could do not to be loaning Fosu-Mensah out though.
Fosu-Mensah would maybe get a few minutes at RB until Valencia and Dalot are back from injury, but not after that. He's best going on loan I think.
What we looking at tomorrow?
De Gea; Darmian, Bailly, A gimp, Shaw; Fred, McTominay, Pereira; Sanchez, Rashford, Mata?
Pereira will play the holding role in midfield, but yeah pretty much that probably.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lukaku starts. Him and Mourinho are bezzie mates, and he can use it to shame the rest of them.
Was the deadline today?
5pm, but loans can still go through.
Southampton just got Ings, loan initially, then obligation to be permanent in 2019.
So could United and Tottenham cook up one of those scam loans over the weekend?
Can you really loan a player for a year when his option is only a year?
Oh i guess a 6 month loan with option to buy in January now wouldn't that be fucking exquisite.
Six month loan, thirty million quid in January. Jew know it makes sense.
I thought it was only loans outside of the Premiership that were allowed?
Premier League clubs can't do any loans, it's only Football League clubs that can.
Ah I see it only went through because the DEAL SHEET, went through on time and got them an extension.
Who thought this was a good idea?
It makes total sense for all the non-ELITE Premier League clubs. The only clubs it doesn't suit is your Uniteds, your Chelseas and your Tottenhams who want to get involved in last gasp brinkmanship with continental sides.
How does it make sense though? Because they don't have to worry about their top players being poached by top English clubs?
The thought is it stops players refusing to play to force through a move after the season has started, the problem is unless it's a global or at the least continental agreement, it means nothing.
Now Real Madrid have to the end of the month to try and get Hazard and Chelsea can do nothing about it, nor replace him if he does go now.
I much prefer the window closing before the league starts.
Correct, they now don't start the season with Virgil van Dijk or whoever going on strike for a move. If you are the sort of club that buys from the Championship and random foreign teams like Levante and Werder Bremen (who can't afford not to sell), then it suits you perfectly.
If you have to buy elite players for huge money, all while elite clubs are trying to buy your existing elite players, it's a nightmare.
Taking off my Chelsea fan hat, as we've made an absolute horlicks of it, I think it's great. Much better for the league.
What's the point in being able to complete deals once the window has shut. If a club has left it to late to finish the deal then tuff shit, you've had three months to sort it out.
Thanks Fox and Jimmy for taking the time xx
The Glazers.
It's not that easy if the player really wants to go and is prepared to kick up a fuss though is it.
If that were the case they'd have sold him already, as with Courtois.
Doesn't sound like the Glazers are the issue. Mourinho wanted to spend big money on short-term fixes and Woodward/the board were only willing to sanction that kind of spending for younger players because they have more of an eye on the future. We were apparently willing to pay £100m for Varane, but not £50m on 29 year old Alderweireld or £40m for Boateng.
Varane would have been amazing.
Any word on Martial?
Mourinho was willing to let him go and Spurs were after him, but the board refused to sell him.
Honestly I think if this is all true (and I can well believe it) I'm glad Mourinho isn't getting his way. I'd much rather see us buying younger players and developing them (which is actually what City have done to get where they are) than spend a bomb on a load of 29 year olds and be back in the same position in a few years.
Mourinho seemingly isn't on board with that strategy so probably needs to go.
That sounds promising, hopefully continental teams don't test the waters.
Hopefully when Ronaldo wins the Champions' League again matey at Juventus will fancy a change of scenery, since you shudder to think who they would appoint if they actually had to put some thought into it. Probably 'AVB' (as if he is only forty).
This is the modern way at almost every club. Coaches want ready made players now as they know they will be blamed and fired instantly if the team doesn't do well, whereas the clubs are all now run by American style 'front offices' with people more concerned about long term value than anything else.
You can sympathise with both points of view, or at least I can. Where the front office model hasn't fully arrived is that unlike in the USA, the executives don't seem to have inherited any form of accountability.
I understand the need to look long term but we're talking about signing an experienced player at centre back to play with two inexperienced players who have already been signed. Ed the red fancies himself as the DoF and thinks the targets aren't right. Ed Fucking Woodward knows better than a multi trophy winning football manager.
There again is your issue, unless it's very clear who has responsibility for what it's going to be a mess. Even worse at Chelsea post-Emenalo.
Mourinho wants to drop ~£75m on near 30 year olds. Only an idiot would sanction it.
You can say that, but if United finish 7th this year they will fire him and not Woodward.
The United stuff is so funny.
'We tried to get Varane' yeah I can totally see him leaving his starting position at the club who've won the Champions League 3 years in a row so he can get mind gamed by Mourinho. That's Wenger 'we nearly signed Messi' nonsense.
http://www.sportbible.com/football/n...thing-20180809
What a way to unveil your signings.
Has a player been revealed in a Fifa Ultimate Team type ceremony yet?
Wolves not getting in another left back is bonkers. Selling Barry Douglas was an awful idea when it happened four weeks ago. This new guy, Jonny has lots of experience with Celta Vigo, but considering Douglas was a critial part of the wing back system. It was foolish to chop him out. Funny business.
The purpose of Wolves is to get Mendes players into the lucrative English market, winning is only somewhat important as a facilitator to that. When he sells Neves to a top club for £75 million them everyone eats caviar regardless of whether Wolves are 6th or 15th.
This logic is how I fell out of love with club football.
I can't imagine how much cognitive dissonance it requires for a supporter to believe that their club is anything more than a tool to spin money when the veneer of sport is so badly perforated.
At least with ice hockey in North America, you can't buy players and flip them for a profit.
I thought I'd posted it last night, but we need to give Angers whatever they want for Lassana Coulibaly right now. The kid is a machine.
Tiemoue Bakayoko has joiend Milan on loan
Ola Aina has joined Torino on loan
Steven N’Zonzi has joined Roma
Keita Baldé has left Monaco and joined Inter on loan
Kévin Gameiro has left A.Madrid and joined Valencia for 15m
Nice manager Vieira (never knew) has confirmed Mario Balotelli is going to be sold
Samuel Eto'o is off to Qatar
Patrick Vieira, Nice Manager. One hell of a book title waiting to be written.
He hasn't got a club. He's just a lovely chap.