bellion

Why are you so defensive of the Board? Are you s board member or are they your family members? The silly thing is to follow what you preach - refuse to pay the market fees that are being demanded today and the result will be total failure to land any players that improves the first team.

Seems like you are. And cease preaching to me how I should support the club.

The board has failed with the first of Conte's targets. I can see this being repeated throughout the summer and Conte should be rightfully worried if the Board can't even support their new coach with any of his first choice transfer targets.

That's a big IF. if the club is deluded and still thinks this is 2008 like some fans here and pretend that inflation hasn't at least doubled transfer fees since then, there will be a few more Papys and Patos joining at the end of August.

What do you define as a reasonable fee for a player like Koulibaly? 15 million pounds? Why would Napoli be bothered about your reasonable fee and playing hardball when they can just do business with the Manchester clubs and even a mid table club like Everton who are willing to outbid what low ball fees bids that Chelsea is giving?

With the market being what it is, you can preach all about the virtues of not overpaying and he fees being too high but the end result is the same - the clubs that pay the fees get the players they want while Chelsea gets the likes of Papy and Falcao. And why stop at players? Is the club over paying for hiring an expensive coach and his team as well? Walk away all you want and sulk at the so-called high transfer fees - the club ain't gonna get the players they want if they refuse the pay what the selling clubs demand. And what self discipline crap are you posting? This is a Football forum, not some pulpit for you to preach regarding the morals of a Football fan. Get high off your high horse !

I have had my share of cheap and so-called low risk buys since last summer. And what's the bullsh&te about Conte wanting this character? It's all agent talk, the only player that Conte wants and we know it is Nainggolan and look how that has ended. Chelsea aren't Leicester and no sane Football fan expects Leicester to repeat a title win or even be close to it.

Those offers were widely quoted but it doesn't matter anymore. Nainggolan is staying put at the Stadio Olimpico and if the Club doesn't have a viable plan B as well, I don't know whether to sob or snigger. Why should you or I care how much the club pays? Or how brilliant they are in making bids? I only care about the end result which is buy the players that Conte wants for his team. One can make all the excuses in the world about being smart in negotiations etc but the end result remains the same - the Board screwed up

That remains to be seen regarding the moving out of said players. However, I am alarmed by the club's obsession with the bottom line in recent years and thus I do not expect to see he Board making moves like they did in the past. The TOP priority is to buy first team players for central defense, central midfield and centre forward positions. This emanuele fellow can go blazes for all I care, it's just his agent drumming up support fora quick sale. I would rather a youth player make the step up for squad roles.

Giaccherini is mere agent talk and I sincerely hope it remains that way. Which are the players you believe aren't good enough for Conte's squad? Unlike you, I have serious doubts regarding the Board in addressing said gaps this summer. What gives you that faith and hope that the Board will pull off anything worthwhile?

Don't you think there current squad already has enough so-called "squadies" in place? Let's address the absolute huge gaps in the first team before we worry about squadies eh?

You are barking up the wrong tree. Let's get some first team quality in before we talk about squadies which can already be fulfilled by the current squad and youth players.

Look at the difference between the first and second offer - a mere two million pounds and you call that smart negotiation? It doesn't matter now, Nainggolan will sign a contract extension and the end result is as expected - FAILURE in signing Conte's prime transfer target.

It's just agent talk. Take it as empty chatter and nothing more.

How the mighty has fallen. From the likes of Vidal to meek acceptance and approval of a Sunderland reject. Were you celebrating when Djilobdoji, Hector and Pato were signed?

Regarding the Nainggolan deal pursuit, the Board initially offered 23 million pounds and only increased that by less than 10% with a 25 million pound offer plus some small add-ons. Face facts - Roma won't budge from its 35 million pound asking price and the risk is that another club will swoop in and pay the asking price while the Board tries to nickel and dime it. The nightmare scenario for the fans and Conte would be for Nainggolan, Kante, Morata and Koulibally to be missed out and has-been squad fillers like Kwando Asamoah signed with no first team improvements done. I am going to refrain from making my annual wager on where the club finishes in the league until Sept 1.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if neither were bought but we'll see if that pans out or not at transfer deadline date and if the club had other quality options lined up.

So? City still does that. Either pay up or settle for the Patos and Papys.

Huh?

Learn to differentiate between low balling and negotiating. Ultimately, it's the results. Either get Nainggolan or fail to get.

What's your faith in the Board getting both deals over the line?

Typical of the Board to low ball every single transfer deal. Pay whatever the fuck Roma wants and be done with it. People accuse me of being a pessimist but if you witness what the bloody board is doing now and the previous windows, there is a clear basis why any objective fan would have little faith in the Board getting any decent transfers done. Fuck 'em if they screw this and the Kante transfers up!!!

The only evidence I see of the Board trying is Nainggolan and this is where I remain skeptical of it's moves in the transfer market - the club is haggling over a few million pounds and has failed with two bids which to me is low-balling. This only serves to risk pissing off potential selling clubs as it did with Everton last summer. If Man Utd or some other club swoops in and makes a bid that Roma will accept, then it's game over. The spending limit which you wrote about should be in the nine figures net, more so since the club has spent less than the likes of Bournemouth over the past 2-3 windows. Anything less and we will see a repeat of no-names and over-the-hill players being bought and loaned which will very unfairly set Conte up for failure and create yet another manager merry-go-round. The other transfer rumours should be treated as such unless the players or the clubs involved state otherwise. I withhold my opinion on those until they become fact. Weak spots in the first team must be filled with quality purchases if the club has any ambition, competitive market or not. Failure to do so will doom the club to a downward spiral regardless of excuses.

Can't control whom the Manchester clubs will spend on. The club can only sort its transfer targets out this summer and nothing more. For the club's future and to avoid betraying Conte and the fans, I can only hope the Board will fund quality purchases for the most problematic areas.

From the Nainggolan negotiations, I get the feeling that the Board is nickel-and-diming every single transfer deal. Push it too much and you will see all preferred targets being missed out and more falcaos and miazgas coming in. The Nainggolan negotiation and possibly the rumoured Morata deal will set the tone for the rest of the summer transfer window - success or failure of these deals will determine how the Board priorities club success or the bank balance.