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Summer 2018 transfer thread

I'd like us to get in a new striker to lighten the load on Kane. Martial would be fantastic as he can play in other positions across the front line.
If that doesn't happen then maybe use Sonny as Kane's stand-in and go in large for Pulisic.
 
If we didn’t have windows we’d have ‘Kane and Alli to leave’ stories every single day. I’m no fan of the current system (Id further shorten the windows) but it’s better than the alternative, which is constantly unsettled players.

You misunderstand. I'm saying I'm content with a short summer window, and I'd get rid of the January one altogether, not that I think transfers should be allowed at any point in the season.
 

Might as well keep him now and give him a year or two extension on his contract.

Players like Gomes and the like just won't cut it as a dembele replacement.

Until the club is prepared to pay 50m plus for his replacement and pay out 180k pw and more then we will not get the calibre of player needed to replace him.

Either that or put Eriksen in his role.

I see west hame are spending a brick load at the minute - have the owners shat themselves from all the protests and decided it best to spend the proceeds from the sale of Upton Park, rather than pocket it themselves?

Their certainly not making any money at that dump they are renting whilst selling tickets for a fiver.
 
I'd like us to get in a new striker to lighten the load on Kane. Martial would be fantastic as he can play in other positions across the front line.
If that doesn't happen then maybe use Sonny as Kane's stand-in and go in large for Pulisic.

I think we are approaching an imminent, and massive, issue with Sonny. Loads of football -too much- he is off to a tournament in late August in a bid to win the medal which exempts him from national service. I fear we will not have him at anywhere near his best until Xmas.
 
I think we are approaching an imminent, and massive, issue with Sonny. Loads of football -too much- he is off to a tournament in late August in a bid to win the medal which exempts him from national service. I fear we will not have him at anywhere near his best until Xmas.

That's essentially guaranteed. And if he fails to win the Asian Games, he'll have national service hanging over him as well - which means he may not be at his best all season.

After which, he'll be in Korea, likely playing for one of the lower-league teams in between doing social service for two years.

So, one way or another, we need a new wing forward *now*. Preferably Martial, possibly Pulisic, but *someone*, to lessen our reliance on Sonny this coming season.
 
I think we are approaching an imminent, and massive, issue with Sonny. Loads of football -too much- he is off to a tournament in late August in a bid to win the medal which exempts him from national service. I fear we will not have him at anywhere near his best until Xmas.
Yes. That will be a problem.

Maybe Martial would solve more problems than Pulisic considering this.
 
I'm torn between hoping Dembele sticks around for one final year and thinking he's going to milk Levy dry by claiming circa 100k a week and only playing a handful of games.
 
Well for GHod's sake get googling and come on here spouting barely informed 'expert' views like the rest of us.

I judge players on what I've seen rather than what I'm told by "experts" in the media or you tube clips, and even then I get it wrong, but I'm always prepared to give a player the chance to improve/fit in before I get out my pitchfork and blazing torch.
 
we have been linked with the same players over the entire summer. its getting rather boring. We obviously aren't able to sign our first choices. I would be happy with Zaha, a centre mid of high calibre and Grelish. Don't sell anyone apart from the dead wood like Jansen.
 
How is that obvious?

What if our first choices have been at the WC this whole time and not able to sort out a move?

What if their clubs need to secure replacements before they can release them?

What if they are good enough we are having to play something of a waiting game to see what competition there is for them?

What if, right now, we are in the middle of negotiations for all of Pochs wishlist?

What is obvious, is three things, IMO.
1) Players good enough, available and affordable are actually few and far between for us. Very hard to find and actually aquire.
2) We dont have a clue whats going on. The club is a very tight ship when it comes to info, VERY little ever gets out.
3) A lot of fans are getting their knickers in a twist because 1 & 2 leaves them feeling like nothing is happening and they get all desperate
 
We are being linked with a lot of sub standard players at the moment.

We should be targeting players that will cost 50m plus and take wages of around 150k and more a week.

Hopefully a lot of this is unfounded rumours, as we should be competing for the top tier players in the world.
 
We are always used in the press and by agents to get players profile and interest.

Look at Plea last week, reportedly we were about to sign him, and then he goes to Stuttgart (I think?).

Obviously, if we really were in for him, we would have got him.

Obviously, then, we werent.

I think this happens for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we dont give the press anything, and we dont argue either - they can just report what they like without recourse. Secondly, we are well positioned to be linked with almost any player. We are wealthy enough and attractive enough to be linked to top players, and yet have a policy of developing bargains - it works both ways. Agents use us to get profile for their players, its too easy for them.
 
We are being linked with a lot of sub standard players at the moment.

We should be targeting players that will cost 50m plus and take wages of around 150k and more a week.

Hopefully a lot of this is unfounded rumours, as we should be competing for the top tier players in the world.
Which sub-standard players are we linked with? And who is linking them with us?

From what I can make out so far this summer the main links would seem to be:

1. Grealish.
2. Gomes.
3. De Ligt.
4. Martial.

I'm not sure that any of the above could be considered as 'sub-standard' players. Looking at each in turn:

1. Grealish is Villa's most valuable player and they need to sell due to their precarious financial situation. They will be looking for a large up-front/guaranteed transfer fee whereas we will be looking to do a deal that is heavily instalment based. The deal is therefore likely one that will take a lot of negotiation.

2. Gomes was a fantastic player for Valencia, but has struggled with Barcelona's tika-taka since going there for a big fee. Barcelona will want to recoup what they paid for him, but the player's wages mean that it would be a big total deal for any club. Again I would imagine that there would be a lot of negotiation on the deal with Barcelona probably wanting upwards of £30 million and us looking at the fact that he has only 1 year left on his deal. There is also added complexity where the player's agent knows his client can sign a pre-contract deal for a Bosman in 6 month's time and therefore the wage ask is likely to be high.

3. De Ligt is likely to cost upwards of £50 million. I think we can only spend that amount on a new centre back if Alderweireld is sold. There is probably also added complexity of interest from other big clubs (Emirates Marketing Project for example). If they are going to lose him then Ajax will want to create an auction for the player.

4. Martial is a player that Man Utd do not want to sell.... Or more pertinently a player that Man Utd do not want to sell to us. That means we either need to pay massively over the odds for him or be patient and play the waiting game and use the fact that Mourinho seemingly wants Alderweireld to try to do a deal that involves the players swapping clubs.

IMO both of the last two players are worth waiting for, as opposed to going out and buying alternatives - who are actually likely to be "sub-standard".

The four players above would likely cost around £140 million in total. Clearly we can only bring those players in if we can shift some players for decent fees.
 
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