The Skipper

None of those are actually done, you're overreacting.

He's not. Do you seriously think if CFC came in with an offer that he'd chose Monaco over us? Obviously we just haven't made an offer for him.

LOL at your depiction of KDBs season!

Ah I see. Problem with Isco is is that we've got too many attacking midfielders, don't forget KDB is coming back as well. He'll never accept being a squad player basically.

Can anyone explain to me what happened to that Ronaldo fella? Why's he banned?

Don't see the logic in this when we can perfectly rotate Hazard or Oscar for Mata if we get a winger in. Isco needs to be starting weekly. He won't come here just to rotate with Mata.

Fair enough. If we're going to spunk £20m on Khedira though, I'd rather have Fellaini who can do the same but also brings plenty more to the team.

My bad, I was including his Belgium assists (which overall stands at 21 even)! Yeah, 19 is correct.

He has 22.

Well it looked like you were insinuating that that was the starting XI to me so I assumed you meant that. Romeu is tidy in possession but he isn't a Xabi Alonso. I honestly see no need in signing Khedira when you've got everything he does in players like Ramires, Romeu and Mikel. He doesn't add anything new to the squad.

Are we really going to primarily be a counter attacking team when we have someone like Mata in our team? We need to utilise the strengths of our team which are Hazard and Mata, not Ramires and Khedira if he came. Real Madrid are a counter attacking team according to you, so why don't they have 2 Khedira's in midfield? Why is Xabi Alonso, who's not your archetypical counter attacking player, playing next to Khedira? If you want us to be a counter attacking team, why do you have KDB as our right winger? Do you really think against the majority in the premiership we'll play on the counter? Of course we won't. Yeah, it'd be good to have players who can carry the ball on the counter, but you're having those players in the wrong area of the team. I'd rather bring in a player for the right side of the three, e.g. a Di Maria, who'd be far more devastating on the counter than Khedira would. You don't want a scenario where both Khedira and Ramires are running up the pitch because of a counter, which if failed, would completely leave our back four exposed. Mourinho's teams don't just consist of counter attacking either - you just have to look at their match up against United (both legs) in the CL this season to see that. They dominated in both games and ultimately won through good intricate play and not counter attacking. We need a link between our defence and attack, and having Khedira and Ramires in your pivot does not provide you that. Even Mourinho knows that, and that's why he played Khedira with Xabi Alonso. You're just asking to surrender possession if you don't have a player of that ilk in your squad, as you should've seen with us this season, which is why we had to move Luiz to temporarily midfield because he has the ability. Just because you have a Moutinho or Modric in your team doesn't mean your side automatically becomes completely possession based. You need variety in the way your team plays - I don't like being a 1 trick pony. Look at Bayern Munich or Borussia, everyone's favourite teams at the moment. Both are quite possession based but they're also lethal on the counter despite having a player in the ilk of a Modric or Moutinho in the likes of Schweinsteiger or Gundogan (previously Sahin even). We need a Moutinho/Modric/Alonso type of midfielder more than we need Khedira. We get what Khedira offers mostly through Ramires. I wouldn't buy him.

No link from defence to midfield. I wouldn't play Ramires and Khedira together. Wouldn't even buy Khedira to begin with. Don't think he offers our team much.

Possibly the best. Nat will definitely make it. If not here, then somewhere else.

Thread should be renamed as "who's been the best player out in loan?" as the poll asks.

21 or 22. I think that figure's incorrect.

And that is why bushman's on my ignore list .

Have you been living under a rock?

Hazard is Hazard.

So wait, you're lambasting people for getting excited about the potential Lukaku is showing? Who in here is saying he's the perfect player? You're being too bitter about it. No one's saying that Lukaku doesn't have his weaknesses (or that he still has quite a far way to fulfil his potential) but there's nothing wrong about getting excited over a 20 year old who's scored 17 goals in his first proper season in the PL. I don't understand the cynicism in here sometimes. Are we now not allowed to praise our players who are obviously showing some frightening potential? Even United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham fans etc. are excited over his potential. Are you going to go shoot them down too?

If we can mould him to play for the pivot he'd be brilliant (not sure how good he is defensively) - we tried to get him a few seasons ago I remember. Fantastic little player, underused by Barcelona.

Luiz 4 ordered.

Lol! Lucky guy. Nevermind, at least I'm part of the 'exams done' crew now!