DYC.

He was hilarious .

Ridiculous.

This ladies and gentleman, is why you need a plan B and C .

Borini's signed for Roma. A great move for him though he'll face some heavy competition.

You guys are crazy, comparing him to Kalou. He's a lot more talented than him, he's just 'stupid' and he lacks discipline. He can become a good winger with the right mind-set and good guidance, he has the pace, flair and skill for it. That or he can end up like Quaresma, waste of talent (though Quaresma's a lot more talented).

Nahh don't think so, not complete enoguh. A 10 is also expected to score goals, have the ability to dribble, move into dangerous attacking positions constantly and support the striker. Xavi doesn't possess those qualities and we don't know how Xavi would do in a advanced position where he doesn't have the same amount space and time on the ball to play his game. He was supposed to be Spain's most advanced central midfielder during the World Cup but kept moving into deep positions and didn't offer a lot/enough offensively. Pure CM for me.

Xavi's not a 10 though, he was seen as Guardiola's successor wasn't he? Don't know about Iniesta but Iniesta's not a 10 too if you ask me, more of a attacking CM. He starts from the centre of the pitch a lot and then moves into advanced positions most of the time. I still think Ancelotti was trying to convert Josh into a deep-lying playmaker.

True, his philosophy is perfect for a player like Josh and for us fans. Let's hope he gets the time to make it happen as it's gonna take a while. I really am starting to think the Modric deal won't happen though..

That's what I always believed at first but our system and the English game doesn't supoort it. He'll probably end up as a CM, I hope an attacking one like Lampard (of course not playing the same way).

It's gonna be pretty hard for him to make it as a 10 since he's played the DM role more than the 10 role at the highest level..

Kick and Rush, frentic pace of the game.. all things which don't support the use of a 10. But like Spike said, England has Rooney and in his current form he's brililant. He plays the same role as Messi but he's focused on linking midfield and attack more than him so he deserves a mention.

The work permit thing is a rule set up by the FA, not the same here and in many other countries.

Nahh they used to be but they bought a lot of players and replaced Ferrer, who was a joke of manager sorry, by a good manager, now they have a solid team. Plus Vitesse obviously belongs to Roman (indirectly).

- Playing regularly at Vitesse means he could make the NT and play the neccessary amount of games (think Alex) - At Vitesse he can show whether he falls under the 'exceptional talent' category

:lol:

Haha don't let the tattoos fool you, Mereiles isn't strong at all. I wouldn't mind Mereiles joining us for 12 mil at all, as long as it doesn't mean we're not getting Modric or a player of his type. @nadavtkl He can't play DM (unless you like DMs who are weak defensively ).

Villarreal lost so much quality with the departure of Cazorla. Borja is a great central playmaker (wish we'd go for him) but Santi was the one of great importance in the final third. Nilmar is inconsistent which leaves everything up to Rossi most of the time, which of course is impossible. Also Garrido went for Marchena, he's so poor. Can't understand how he picked him over Senna. And Zapata obviously isn't a RB. Some bad choices by Garrido which made Villarreal even more vulnerable. Painful loss but then again, this Barcelona side is of a different class. That Alcantara is gonna be huge star, just has to happen.

Nahh the only thing I was hoping for was a creative midfielder and a winger (maybe two). I wouldn't mind Perreira coming in but not for that price. If we're willing to spend that much money on a player we should get someone of a higher class. 30 mil for Perreira is a rip-off, even in today's market.

'Unknown talent' for f*cking €30 mil? The point behind buying unknown talent is the fact that they come cheap. You can get so much better for that much money, Santi Cazorla for instance was bought for €22 mil by Malaga.

Definitely, he bullied players with his tackling and chasing. You call Mikel a destroyer? Mikel hardly bullies anyone around. Standing in the way and intercepting is his game.

My bad, I thought you meant Barca and Madrid when you said the best midfields in the world. But I wouldn't compare us to them. They have mastered the high pressure game and have Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi in their team which means nobody can retain the ball better than them.

Barca can afford to play without a destroyer because they average 96% possession per game. And Busquets might not be a destroyer but he's a great interceptor. Real Madrid do play with a destroyer, Mourinho always plays with either Khedira or Lass. Utd's destroyer is Fletcher, who always plays when fit but he's been out for months. But I agree that we only need one defensive-minded midfielder.

Our suicidal high line.

Yeah the guy really disappears from games, it's so weird..

Very true. That's why I was hoping for Torres-Anelka partnership with Mata and Malouda/Benayoun in free roles from the sides.