LAM09

Unless there's some world where Lukaku could be involved in a deal for Osimhen, we should get this deal done ASAP.

In all honesty, I don't expect the top sides to view him as starting quality, so any offer we put on the table (if rumours are to be believed) will more than likely give him a great chance of doing so here, and don't forget, "the project."

It seems like wages are seen as more of a problem with our board than transfer fees. Isak is supposedly earning £120k~, up that to £150k~ with bonuses, & he'd still be behind our top earners. Newcastle need to sell due to FFP (they still haven't paid for Hall, IIRC), so this sort of deal probably has a much higher chance of happening than most think. I still believe David is the best option available right now at £20-25 million

Let's stop doing favours for Italian sides. If they want someone, all deals have to include obligatory buy clauses. Enough of these loan spells.

There seems to be ups & downs with this one. I guess we'll find out the truth soon enough.

It feels like Guiu could very well be using us to get a contract more to his liking at Barca (which probably includes guaranteed playing time).

There's no disputing that. I just feel we need more of a presence upfront to switch roles with Jackson (if Enzo persists in using him as a CF as well). There is no guarantee Palmer gets anywhere close to the same numbers next season, and Nkunku's fitness is a mystery at this point. We, as a club, can't afford to gamble at that end of the pitch. The standard of player we are after is drastically declining should someone like Summerville end up here.

Their profiles are very different. Also, I don't see the sense in comparing stats since David hasn't been putting up crazy numbers and plays in a worse league.

I'd imagine a move for any LM/LWF would be dependent on Sterling being shipped off. Doué's name has been doing the rounds. You know the age limit our squad seems to have now. 😄

There was speculation about us being interested in Roque, so I'm surprised we haven't made a play for him, tbh.

I just don't get this rumour based on what the player himself recently said. He signed a new contract recently & was puzzled by questions regarding transfer speculation. If one of the top clubs isn't going for him (RM, Barca - best friends with Yamal, PSG, City, etc.), I'd presume it's a non-starter.

It feels like we've been linked with these Brazilian wonderkids for several seasons but never closed a deal until yesterday. I truly hope he's as fantastic as everyone says. It's one thing to shine in your teens; it's quite another to completely grow and perform at the highest level on a constant basis.

It's been one season. He did fantastically, but I'd hold out final judgement for another year or two to see if he can repeat such numbers (a small dip would be understandable).

I've been saying for over a season that we are becoming Dortmund or teams comparable to them. If we do not obtain CL football this season, we will have to adjust to this fact much sooner. Given the club's current course, I'm not sure how anyone could dispute with that line of thought.

It's evident at this point that the club's approach is just that. Use Football Manager as their basis and hope to strike gold with one of their many purchases.

Aside from two or three clubs, others will always slip up (which is why a CL spot was attainable with only a few games remaining). It's just hard to see how this current crop, along with a manager who hasn't managed a complete season in a prominent European league, will pull it off. As has been the case over the past few seasons, I hope they make me eat my words come May 2025.

It just goes to show how inept they are. If one of the really stumbling blocks was no CL football, why on earth even go after him?

I remember Bayern being a well run club not so long ago. That's clearly a thing of the past.

I feel like our board have played a large part in the failed negotiations.

A flashback of Canada's opening game at the WC. An encouraging performance only to be outdone by a slice of luck for the opposing team.

Is Russell-Rowe any good?

Just like Emenalo did during his time. We bought some of the best young talent at reasonable prices; we don't need to talk about what transpired after that. It isn't smart business when we're talking about record fees for teenagers who could potentially turn out to be busts. As of right now, Paez seems like the one piece of smart business, even at his tender age. I recently read quotes from Ratcliffe talking about using RM as an example, and I wouldn't be surprised if our owners weren't thinking something similar; however, RM has a core of experience pros to gel things together. If we were to finally get rid of Sterling, Chilwell (27) would be our oldest outfield player.

Ayala was quite good.

I just don't understand what goes through their minds. We have supposedly made a third bid for Omorodion for over £42m, but comments like that are coming out. Does it all come down to wages at this point or what? If so, how on EARTH are they not doing everything in their power to get Sterling out of the door?

This is something we'll have to get accustomed to. The majority of our present and future transfers will be for the future. "Time will tell" if they are excellent or terrible.