Tomo

This argument is ridiculous. Ofcourse he would have been criticised more than Mendy for the reason that he makes those type's of errors a lot more regularly, for the same reason Cech got a free pass for errors while Turnbull got deserved pelters when he did the same. It's not double standards, it's credit in the bank.

Wasn't word of the grapevine re Kepa that Sarri picked him via a recommendation by Pepe Reina (initially as the latters succesor at Naples but then targeted him again here)? I'd like to think we haven't deffered to Reina for this one.

If on Amber (as Italy is) then yes. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-fully-vaccinated-travellers-from-us-and-eu-can-come-to-england-scotland-and-wales-without-isolation-12370421

Won't he be able to do the same thing Tuchel did? Ala quarentine apart from when working. Unless he's fully vaccinated which makes him exempt.

This is why I was confident even if we signed no one. We look unbelievably well coached.

I really hope so, because that will mean the club has benefitted. A lot of my skepticism is for two reasons, his rage quits at us before and United (compare that to how the guy in your profile picture embraced and beat his competition, night and day) and his big game record. He has a chance to somewhat silence me on the latter critic with our early games, fingers crossed he does.

Agreed. I don't want Lukaku here one bit but people are starting to go well too far with this now.

CBA with this back and forth. Time to try and convince myself I'm wrong and hope I actually am.

But like I said, If we really want to go down the route of signing someone we think can guarantee goals fine, I'll happily compromise at sourcing a Mane/Salah/Jota type (even if I think Werner, Mount and especially Havertz will score a lot more next season). But like Jas said the reason we create so many chances to waste is because our players are all heavily involved in the build up, since we've moved Kai to false 9 (from the Everton game) the majority of our performances have been very good, when teams are playing shit but get undeserved results for a while because one player keeps coming up clutch eventually it catches up (ala Arsenal with Aubameyang, Spurs with Kane and us with Hazard under Mourinho) so why can't that also work in reverse? Fox in the box strikers have a habit of making their teams worse overall even if they offer a good goal record, even great ones like RVN (United only won 1 title in 5 years with him and 3 in a row either side of him). The game has long moved on from them in consistent winning teams.

As much as I don't want Lukaku he will never be that bad. Our version of Torres was league 1 standard at best, he did not have one single positive attribute to fall back on.

My main frustration is that we are tearing apart a hugely promising system to accommodate him. If we really wanted to go down the rabbit hole of buying a player who we think will guarantee us goals then we should absolutely be going for a wide forward in the Salah/Mane/Jota/Sterling mould. He has to score atleast 30 until he even begins to justify the compromises to our overall style that's going to be made.

Yep and when it looked like it was going to be no one we were apparently standing still and throwing under Tuchel under a bus. Tbh I'm half glad I can now express my stance from a position of strength without it potentially appearing like I'm blindly defending the club decision making, which is I am that sure of Havertz as a f9 i'm indifferent to signing Haaland let alone anyone else.

I don't know what I find more frustrating, the fact that we're trying to sign Lukaku or that people are suddenly agreeing with me (that we shouldn't sign for the sake of it) purely because we are about to do it. "Sign someone anyone" Ok "No not him"

I'm fully against Lukaku but even I am laughing at the theory he will be worst than Torres. Rom will have some uses, our version of Torres was the worst striker in the league.

Lukaku last season scored less goals then Werner the year before he joined us. Lukaku last season in the PL scored less goals than Havertz the year before he joined us.

@Mana somethings just cropped up in my head that's made me so curious I can't resist asking. If you think our squad is so shit, why did you want Lampard sacked?

And that alone should make this a deal breaker.

A bit extreme, even if Rom was here for 5 years Jude would be 22 at that point. If anything a striker of Lukaku's age gives him a better chance as a potential opening will arise at the perfect age.

The problem is with Lukaku in i just don't see where else his minutes (that will satisfy him) will come from. Whether people like it or not Werner and Mount are crucial to TT's system, Kai is the golden boy and Rom whether i like it or not isn't coming to ride the bench. Those 4 between them will be hogging the largest parts of the minutes. That combined with our clear willingness to let Marcos and Emerson go with no substantial LB link makes me wonder, tbh as @NikkiCFC said i think it could actually work against certain opposition, especially with how conservative our CM's are.

Thinking back to my post yesterday about Lukaku's arrival forcing us to a back 4, thinking about it properly, could it actually be that Puli's appearance at wingback at The Emirates won't be a one off?

Has much changed? He pulled exactly the same thing at United as soon as Ole came in and told him to fight for his place (who have been much better since), and I mean literally the same thing (pissed off to train with Anderlect until he got his way). Regarding the bolded bit i will hold my hands up that he has done much better in Italy than I thought and as I pointed out in my previous post I don't deny he has his plus points but I really am not sure he fits the way Tuchel wants us to play certainly not for almost every match situation, if he came in as a horses for courses option who was used when his skillset would help in a game then I wouldn't actually be against him returning, but at that price he will be playing every single minute of any game of note and I really don't think he is that good. Also what has to he noted when it comes to me is I am that sure of Havertz as the striker I'm even relatively indifferent to the prospect of Haaland.

Even as someone who desperately doesn't want him that is far too much, the Torres we had was the worst striker in the league. As much as I am not in favour in Rom here he will have his uses.

The most frustrating thing will be when he gets injured or suspended and Kai has an absolute screamer at false 9 in his absence and we look like such a better all round team as a result only to shoehorn Rom back in next game. Would be even more infuriating than when Lampard did likewise with an out of sorts Kante.

-