LAM09

Not a fan of Danjuma?

That would be a statement. I don't think you spend that much on a player on a whim. Anyone who watched him on a regular basis last season would be familiar with all his qualities. As I mentioned before the window opened, he's the best winger in that age bracket and could be amongst the elite should he continue on the same trajectory.

The player possibly wants some stability? It isn't the first time something like this has happened. I hope this turns out to just be smoke & mirrors, though.

I'm pleased we've all but signed the best defender that was available this summer.

Great talent. However, Milan aren't going to sell for much less than his release clause -https://www.getfootballnewsitaly.com/2022/milan-leao-150m-release-clause/

We aren't going to go big for a CF after last season, so we either stick with what we have with the addition of Broja (maybe even Michy) or make a late move (still mixed about the prospect) for Ronaldo. I still can't get over the fact that we actually signed Lukaku and there were a few around here that believed it would work out. 🙄 This might be an outlandish thought, but going after someone like Muriel as a stopgap could be a shrewd piece of business.

I've seen a number of different rumours stating anywhere between €15-20m per year. If it's near the latter, he'd be among our top earners. It is hard to go off of something that is far from concrete, though.

It's something we're going to have to deal with, unfortunately. We just have to be very careful about not causing a disparity between those that came from the academy (CHO being the exception) & top-quality signings. I'm already against the idea of making Sterling the highest-paid player, with Werner not far behind. Neither warrant such wages if we're going off ability, but that's another story.

I agree. We can only hope this will slowly become a thing of the past going forward. We have enough regrets with a number of players in the USA. Same deal as Ake (matching clause). I had forgotten about that.

Abraham (next season IIRC) & Ake had a matching clause, which we decided against taking up.

It's hard to say we haven't learnt our lesson when a number of players we've sold recently have buy-back clauses. I guess it just comes down to how much potential the club sees in each player.

Ah, I thought as much. I remember coming across some of the drivel months ago.

I was wondering what words of wisdom @guddy69 had, as you can't delete posts yourself last I checked.

A fresh start from the get go was probably the only option. I couldn't see getting rid of them midseason or a year from now being practical.

Did we want those behind the Lukaku deal to remain & cause more damage?

I was shocked to come across the reasoning behind their exclusions. Anyone with this stance should have to deal with repercussions of some sort. RLC's future should be decided now, as you alluded to.

I think it was to be expected this year with everything that has gone on & our new owner with little to no football knowledge trying to broker deals. I'd normally say the winter window won't be a big deal, but with a WC happening just before it, it could turn out to be more packed than this window, so we have to have a DoF in place as soon as possible.

I have no idea how big of a bearing HG quota plays nowadays, but aside from that aspect, it seems like we're almost buying him for the sake of it. It's highly unlikely he'll improve, so we have to be content with the player he is now. Koulibaly should have always been our number one CB target when assessing the available options this summer. I guess there's still time for things to change, though. De Bruyne cost €76.00m

Whoever they get will be an upgrade on Ake.

I can take Ake for a number of reasons if the price is at least reasonable (less than City paid). The other two shouldn't even be mentioned.

Precisely. If Tuchel's main targets aren't available, just wait. We're still dealing with a massive amount of deadwood as a result of doing the exact opposite for far too long.

Not sure how he'd fair at CB in the Prem, but it's nice to have options. This window's dealings shouldn't be as hard as we're making it; Koulibaly, FDJ, Dembele (or Sterling, as things are looking) & someone like Cornet would be a solid window in all fairness. If Leipzig's duo continue to perform, go after them next year & we'd only really be short of a DMF.

I could see the possibility of De Jong being sold to us to make way for Raphinha to join them. It would be better business for us IMO.

It's going to be funny or sad, depending which way you look at it, when we see who we end up with come September, having been linked with every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Sterling going to earn as much as Salah. The world we live in 😄 Bastoni