January Transfer Thread - it couldn't open and close any quicker

[JerusalemMan]

Conte's press conference isn't exactly encouraging in terms of incoming transfers. He pretty much says it straight out that we're not going to bring in anyone, and he has to focus on getting the most out of what we already got.

Did he? His words were:
"Now the situation is very clear and I had this meeting, I was satisfied to have this conversation with the owner and now it’s ok for me. Now I have only one way. It’s on the pitch and the training sessions every day. My only way to improve the situation is to improve the level of my players and this way the level of the team is going to rise. Then, the club know the situation and if they want to help me another way I appreciate it. Otherwise, I continue to work the way I am working. I think that it’s not only for me but for every coach."

I took that to be Conte giving a fairly straight bat answer that the only thing he can do is coach and improve the players in his team. The club, however, can do something else (bring in new players). Didn't seem the same as him saying that was not going to happen.

 

[markysimmo]

Borussia Dortmund are set to meet Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland's representatives next week as they try to find out what the 21-year-old's plans are regarding his future. (Marca)

Sevilla's interest in France striker Anthony Martial has cooled as they cannot afford to meet Manchester United's demands to sign the 26-year-old on loan. (Marca)

Paris St-Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has been linked with Saudi Sportswashing Machine but the 31-year-old Dutch international is not interested in a return to his former club. (Football Insider)

Former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has contacted Spurs midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in an effort to convince the 25-year-old France midfielder to join him at Roma, with the Italian club wanting a loan deal with an option to buy. (Telefoot, via Mail)

England striker Marcus Rashford, 24, is expected to hold talks with Manchester United over a new contract, with negotiations set to start before the end of the season. (Mail)

AC Milan are trying to sign a centre-back and Manchester United's Eric Bailly, 27, is on their list while Paris St-Germain's Senegal defender Abdou Diallo, 25, is an option on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)

Mohamed Salah 'not asking for crazy stuff' in new contract

Crystal Palace are in talks to sign English striker Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal, with the 22-year-old's contract running out in the summer. (Times - subscription required)

Arsenal's England youth international forward Folarin Balogun, 20, is set to join Championship side Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the season. (Sky Sports)

Brighton and Saudi Sportswashing Machine are planning on trying to sign Argentine defender Marcos Senesi, 24, from Dutch club Feyenoord. (Football Insider)

Brentford and Brighton have made bids for 19-year-old Reims striker Hugo Ekitike but Saudi Sportswashing Machine remain favourites to sign the Frenchman. (90 Min)

Bournemouth plan to price any potential suitors out of a move for English defender Lloyd Kelly, with Everton and West Ham interested in the 23-year-old. (Football League World)

Tottenham want to sign a right-back, midfielder and attacker during the January transfer window after a meeting between manager Antonio Conte, chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici. (Telegraph - subscription required)

France winger Kingsley Coman, 25, is close to signing a contract extension with German champions Bayern Munich.(Goal)

Chelsea are considering recalling English right-back Dujon Sterling, 22, from his season-long loan at Blackpool but only have until 14 January to do so. (Football League World)

Middlesbrough have launched a last-ditch move to beat Celtic to the signing of Australia midfielder Riley McGree, 23, from MLS side Charlotte FC. (Mail)

 

[Benny_Lad]

I know I shouldn’t get het up based on newspaper conjecture but Lingard and Traoré would be a pair of signings that Redknapp would have asked for, not an experienced DoF.
I’m not even sure where the former would play positionally in our set up that can’t find a place for Dele, let alone why he’d be available now, why we’d wait for the summer for him and why he wouldn’t go to West Ham where he’s be starting from a trusted base.

Agree with the part about where he would fit in the system. The only slot I could think of is back up from the left of the front 3 which he has done and did a bit at West Ham too. He would also be ideal if we did need to change system in games and need a central AM behind Kane.

But that is what squad football is all about. We’ve shown we have very little offer aside of Kane, Son, and Moura. Son has been massively overplayed which has led to injury. So you could argue there is space for a homegrown squad player (is his age ok for that?) that could hit the ground running and that Kane would definitely enjoy playing with.

I agree it does not fit with the DOF sizzle but if I said Bergwijn out for £25m, Lingard in for free that also adds a homegrown, it’s probably better than it looks on face value.

And in comparisons to Dele….Conte seems unlikely to amend the system to get the best out of Dele so that ship looks to have sailed for now.

 

[Gazza]

Agree with the part about where he would fit in the system. The only slot I could think of is back up from the left of the front 3 which he has done and did a bit at West Ham too. He would also be ideal if we did need to change system in games and need a central AM behind Kane.

But that is what squad football is all about. We’ve shown we have very little offer aside of Kane, Son, and Moura. Son has been massively overplayed which has led to injury. So you could argue there is space for a homegrown squad player (is his age ok for that?) that could hit the ground running and that Kane would definitely enjoy playing with.

I agree it does not fit with the DOF sizzle but if I said Bergwijn out for £25m, Lingard in for free that also adds a homegrown, it’s probably better than it looks on face value.

And in comparisons to Dele….Conte seems unlikely to amend the system to get the best out of Dele so that ship looks to have sailed for now.

Cant blame him, no manager in their right frame of mind would build their team around Dele currently. I watched some highlights of Spurs when Dele was a beast ... he looks so much off the boil its not even funny. He looks so much chunkier now and slow, where before he had adequate desire and bursts of speed.

 

[MKSpur]

Agree with the part about where he would fit in the system. The only slot I could think of is back up from the left of the front 3 which he has done and did a bit at West Ham too. He would also be ideal if we did need to change system in games and need a central AM behind Kane.

But that is what squad football is all about. We’ve shown we have very little offer aside of Kane, Son, and Moura. Son has been massively overplayed which has led to injury. So you could argue there is space for a homegrown squad player (is his age ok for that?) that could hit the ground running and that Kane would definitely enjoy playing with.

I agree it does not fit with the DOF sizzle but if I said Bergwijn out for £25m, Lingard in for free that also adds a homegrown, it’s probably better than it looks on face value.

And in comparisons to Dele….Conte seems unlikely to amend the system to get the best out of Dele so that ship looks to have sailed for now.

It’s certainly an area of the pitch we have little in the way of backup or competition, I think on a free and being ex Man U he will want quite lumpy wages, which at 29 and having never really proved himself to be a top player doesn’t feel the right fit for me. I’d like to think having spent a large part of his career as a squad player he might set his sights on becoming a regular player rather than potentially bigger wages and profile to be a benchwarmer in his last big contract. If anything a loan in Jan to try before we buy but also potentially have an impact on this season would be better for us.


I was comparing him to Dele in terms of player type, but there’s no doubt for me that ship has sailed too. He needs a move too, I just can’t see a position for him where he can contribute the goals he used to, which leaves him as a technically sound but limited midfielder. I hope I’m wrong as I’ve loved him as a player but other than someone buying him to play off a striker it’s going to take a lot of work to reinvent himself as a CM and he could end up disappearing from the top level completely.

 

[AjaxDeSuperYids]

Cant blame him, no manager in their right frame of mind would build their team around Dele currently. I watched some highlights of Spurs when Dele was a hunk of burning love ... he looks so much off the boil its not even funny. He looks so much chunkier now and slow, where before he had adequate desire and bursts of speed.

Its an extraordinary fall from grace isn’t in. So strange as he once had so much desire and now he has so little.

He should either go back to mk dons (which is his level now) or retire.

 

[Daisuk]

Cant blame him, no manager in their right frame of mind would build their team around Dele currently. I watched some highlights of Spurs when Dele was a hunk of burning love ... he looks so much off the boil its not even funny. He looks so much chunkier now and slow, where before he had adequate desire and bursts of speed.

It's quite baffling, really. I can't think of anyone as naturally talented as him that have had such a swift fall from grace at such a young age.

He might still come good again some day, but it's looking more and more likely that he won't be doing that with us.

 

[AdamB]

It's quite baffling, really. I can't think of anyone as naturally talented as him that have had such a swift fall from grace at such a young age.

He might still come good again some day, but it's looking more and more likely that he won't be doing that with us.

Wheelchair?

 

[Daisuk]

Wheelchair?

True. He was never quite as good as Dele though, and ruined by constant injuries? Dele just seems to have gotten bad.

 

[Gutter Boy]

It's quite baffling, really. I can't think of anyone as naturally talented as him that have had such a swift fall from grace at such a young age.

He might still come good again some day, but it's looking more and more likely that he won't be doing that with us.

Lee Sharpe comes to mind - he seemed to have the world at his feet for a year or two in the early 90s. Norman Whiteside too, but that was injuries.

Spurs-wise, ex-pros often talk about Neil McNab, but that's too early for me.

 

[Gazza]

Lee Sharpe comes to mind - he seemed to have the world at his feet for a year or two in the early 90s. Norman Whiteside too, but that was injuries.

Spurs-wise, ex-pros often talk about Neil McNab, but that's too early for me.

John Bostock?

 

[JerusalemMan]

It's quite baffling, really. I can't think of anyone as naturally talented as him that have had such a swift fall from grace at such a young age.

He might still come good again some day, but it's looking more and more likely that he won't be doing that with us.

Was Michael Johnson the young lad at Emirates Marketing Project a few years back who seemed prodigiously talented but then a combination of injuries and mental ill-health (I think I heard) destroyed his career before it properly began?

I do remember years ago that Freddy Adu was the name that was being spoken of as about to break through in a big way. Never happened.

 

[RunTMC]

I remember waiting and waiting and waiting for Francis Jeffers to kick on but he sort of just kept getting worse and worse. Made his Everton debut at 16 and for a while looked like a prodigy with the world at his feet. But then sort of just disappeared

 

[Finney Is Back]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1480884332835311620

I said he would be a good option for us a year ago before West Ham got him. Would provide good cover for Son and can also play more centrally if we want to go 3-5-2 instead of 3-4-3. Sensible in that he would command no transfer fee, doesn't take up an overseas player spot, is proven in the PL and covers a position where we lack decent cover. In theory we could sell Bergwijn or Dele, cover the position in the squad and bring in some transfer funds that can be used elsewhere (i.e. for a striker, central mdifielder, central defender or a right wing back).

 

[Finney Is Back]

Who is this Corona that you mention?

RWB at Porto (though nice and two footed so equally comfortable playing as a LWB as well). Fast, agile, lots of skill, creative, two good feet, great in one on one situations, good delivery, makes lots of sprints and equally as important he is out of contract this summer. I think he is better attacking than defending, which is probably the balance that we want from a new RWB. However while his attack is stronger than his defence he is still a natural wingback who can do both.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I know I shouldn’t get het up based on newspaper conjecture but Lingard and Traoré would be a pair of signings that Redknapp would have asked for, not an experienced DoF.
I’m not even sure where the former would play positionally in our set up that can’t find a place for Dele, let alone why he’d be available now, why we’d wait for the summer for him and why he wouldn’t go to West Ham where he’s be starting from a trusted base.

Redknapp who finished in a league position above our comparable first team budget in all of his full seasons at the club you mean?

 

[Finney Is Back]

Burnley fans are rejoicing. They can't believe the money they're getting for someone who's been crap all season, has turned 30 and only has 18 months left on his contract.

Doubt they'll be rejoicing when they get relegated at the end of the season at the expense of Saudi Sportswashing Machine.

 

[IulianSteaua]

În a perfect window:
Sell: Ndombele 30 mil, Doherty 10 mil
- GLC+20 mil for Griezmann(Simeone rumored to be interested în GLC, they have plenty of strikers)
- Tanganga+20 mil for Kessie and Romagnoli(rumored to be interested în Tanganga, both out of contract în 6 months)
- Money from Bergwijn = Adama.

Lloris
Romero Dier Romagnoli
Traore Skipp Kessie Reguilon
Griezmann Kane Son

 

[MKSpur]

Redknapp who finished in a league position above our comparable first team budget in all of his full seasons at the club you mean?

Yes. The one who’s wife was better than Darren Bent

The comparison was not a slight chance on his results for us, just the type of transfer target he would usually like (Prem experienced, less likely to improve with age)

 

[Jordinho]

Doubt they'll be rejoicing when they get relegated at the end of the season at the expense of Saudi Sportswashing Machine.

They know their club is a shambles, but are hopeful that they can find a couple of gems with the money they get for Wood and just maybe that will give them a chance.