Mhsc

Utd might not be offering out fat contracts under new ownership. Doubt Arsenal or Liverpool will go crazy on salary. If City go in for him obviously it should just all be over, he'd be amazing for them and they would happily chuck him £250k pw.

I do think the scouts should get a BIT more trust than we're giving them, after picking up Cole Palmer, Gusto, and Nicolas Jackson as little known and affordable options that turned out to be really quite promising players (to say the least). Most of our horror signings really predate the current setup. They have obviously not excelled at CB or GK so far but otherwise most of the signings they have brought in with the intention they would actually be in the squad as serious options for the year are looking very promising and ended the season strongly. If they (especially Joe Shields) have a hard on for Duran then I would get behind the lad and see what he can do when he's in. May well surprise a lot of people.

I would throw up a little in my mouth if we spent money to re-sign Solanke

Yeah, I don't disagree, although I still have some sort of hope that the clubs massive expensive scouting department can find a gem like Alvarez without buying him for £70m+ from City by grabbing them a step earlier. So I'm not totally against us going after a little known player, but I would want them to have a very good technical all round game that shows us a basis to think this is a good investment and not just speculating on someone that's gone on a goal scoring run recently but is useless when they're not scoring.

Sounds like he will sign a new contract without a buy out clause and a gentlemen agreement instead, ala Harry Kane. They'll want a fortune for him in the future now, which will limit his options massively I would think. Personally think it is a terrible decision, fine if CL is his priority (I'd get that) then maybe don't join us or Man Utd but the opportunity to take Arsenal's no.9 spot is right there for the taking.

Bit lacking in ambition this. Must not think he could nail down a spot at any of the PL clubs after him.

I would say he's proven he's good enough to play a LB role where he tucks into CB to form 3 ATB in Maresca's system, in a similar way to how Poch used him. Not convinced he's done enough to prove he's the default starting CB option vs the rest though, he like all of the CBs should have a clean slate under Maresca to compete and see who can come out on top in the new system. I would have thought he'd have a good chance to nail down a spot there.

Surely not. We just can't possibly fit this many players in, I'd have thought he really has to go out on loan again. Already struggle to imagine how we get Enzo, Caicedo and Lavia regular minutes - unless Palmer is playing out wide. Then we've got Gallagher too. And Carney.

Yes, its one of the very interesting puzzles. Going to be interesting to see it play out. One argument is for Palmer to play as an 8, and Nkunku out of position sort of awkwardly on LW. Or Nkunku up top, and Jackson on the LW (perhaps also a bit awkwardly). Also, an experiment with Palmer as a false 9 would not surprise me either.

Only signed a contract last year. He did make some noise then as well about whether he'd stay so not sure we can expect much loyalty tbh. Hopefully its all nonsense and he stays. Would be painful to watch another one of our very promising defenders develop at another club while we get stuck conceding a record number of goals. I would have thought our new manager would really want Colwill though, can play CB and a LB role where he tucks into 3 to make 3 ATB too. Has high potential in his passing game. And he's only 21.

A goal scoring tally we did get by playing unbelievably open football that cost us a record number of goals conceded though.

Olise is unquestionably an upgrade on Madueke. If he's available at ~£60m as rumoured and wants to join Chelsea we should immediately buy him and figure everything else out later. He's a total baller and we'd find a good spot for him in the XI inevitably. Icing on the cake is he's a set-piece specialist. Big question is whether he actually wants to be here though, given he didn't join last summer despite us apparently trying hard for him (even though I wanted him badly all summer, who knows if we end up buying Cole Palmer if we had got him? so maybe should be thankful for that...) If we can get Olise at ~£60m and Sesko ~£55m as rumoured then imo that is a great all around upgrade to our attack and that is a pretty unbelievable attacking line up going into the season, albeit still with some questions around our situation at the back.

Yeah they are basically where we were 1-2 years ago. Admittedly its possible some players there could be good enough and just underperforming, they've certainly spent plenty of money, but it seems most likely they have spent big on duds due to how badly run it is as a club. Surely worst run club in the country (or maybe the world?).

If someone is willing to buy Broja for £30m then they are absolutely mad but it is Everton so it might be true. Sell sell sell.

This is how it should be and what should have happened with quite a few of the young players we've gone for imo. No point in having a multi club model if you hoard them all at Chelsea.

What we gonna do with Pedro Lima if that rumour is true? I mean, as soon as Reece James is in his next 10 month injury career break we'll probably be glad to have him as an option at RB, but can he play another position like RW?

I would be happy with Alvarez personally but equally top players are being unearthed all the time and City picked him up for like £15m not long ago, the club should absolutely be able to do likewise without going after a big name signing from the PL winners. Happy if it happens and feel like people here are really underselling how good he is, but you just know there is some guy available for <£30m who none of us really know anything about right now but the club with everything they've invested in scouting absolutely should. Joe Shields has already proven he can do it.

Certainly an interesting signing. I think with Thiago leaving we will surely now move to playing a pretty high line, and he should suit that very well. I'm a bit concerned about his ability at short/medium passing and playing out from the press, but lets see - he will obviously be drilled hard on it.

I'm assuming Jan 2025 is BEST case for him to really be match fit. Can't imagine even if suddenly is no longer injured he can play for a long time. He's basically not played or had a chance to maintain his fitness since joining. Its hard to not write him off but there is still a real chance he could have a proper career here. Gundogan was considered perma wrecked for a while too and then ended up being a vital player for Pep and had a real career.

If he played for Dortmund and had a £21m release clause we'd be buying him right now to sell in a couple of years time, would be pointless to sell at that price £35m very fair / good price for him, someone will bite on him sooner or later, keep him for a year at Chels as a LB option and give him minutes and he'll be gone for £35m-£45m in a years time to another PL team, no doubt in my mind. They can get lost. Thanks for developing him for us and making him famous, we'll have him back now thanks.

Alvarez for the right money / salary no brainer imo. Hard to say what the right price is though. I think it is pretty normal that when you're stuck playing second fiddle to Haaland your form / confidence / motivation drops off. I'd go after him or Sesko to compete with NJ and open up the option to play one of them as a LW in a 4-3-3, similar to how we had Malouda or Anelka playing out there when really they were more of a forward and a clinical finisher. Those were the golden days...

I do hope we don't fuck about this summer, get all buying done in time for everyone to have a full and proper preseason and spend the rest of summer just working on flogging players. Look at how much Caicedo struggled arriving so late in the window... Lets not fuck about this time. Much less business to do as well, and the club have had all year to think about specific targets. The only difference now is to focus in on ones suitable for the new manager maybe.

I don't really think we need a left winger tbh. Might be more tempted to look at Sesko and then have both NJ and Nkunku as wide options all of a sudden in the mix. Good choices at GK, CB and ST would be an amazing window and all we need (maybe more than we need). I just want some stability. Least number of changes we can that will drive the team forward.

Edit: nvm parody account lol

Today twitter has simultaneously told us that Sanchez is transfer listed and also that he's viewed as Enzo's no.1 choice Lets see what actually happens. I'll honestly be very surprised if they don't move for a GK, it is our only glaring weakness for the new setup, aside from maybe CB. The squad otherwise is basically good to go to play the system.