OneMoSalah

You must of not watched Kepa or any of our games last season then.... hes had a bad half a season but last season he was pretty good which nobody seems to mention. Hes hardly too average at everything, hes regressed but theres been talk of new GK coaches for a while now and when Sarri left the one on his staff also left. If we sign a new GK but the GK coaching behind the scenes isnt pushing or improving the GK then it will be same again. Onana, although a pretty decent GK, seems to be flavour of the month but I really have my doubts whether he is a major improvement on Kepa or not.

But his last season here there were lots on here saying he was average and costing us matches...... particularly in the CL. Thats why I compared him to Kepa right now. Courtois is a world class keeper though and he has shown again this season after a difficult start at Madrid how good he really is. It just shows how fickle fanbases are and thats what I meant regarding Kepa who was ranked as better than Courtois by fans here last season....

Has been very much outstanding this season for Real. Back to his best.

Again, just seems like over complication to me. If we are that desperate for 20 or 30m okay, but we are hardly skint I mean it seems like a lot of fucking about. Hes a half decent player but hes hardly an improvement on anything we have so I dont see what the big fuss is about. I mean I doubt Barcelona were genuienly interested in him and I doubt he would play here regularly if we signed him as well. I mean he strikes me as someone like Andre Schurrle, a lot of hype st a smaller club but in reality, average.

While I dont quite think we should go for Boga, who I always feel has been slightly overrated from his time here as a youth player even to now with all the so called experts acting as if they watch Sassuolo every week and as if he is head and shoulders above a lot of guys in the same position (there are much better players) in Serie A and anything we currently have, it strikes me as a waste of time and just a huge over complication signing him to sell on again. Firstly, moves can fall through for whatever reasons. Then ultimately your left with a player youve signed only as a money making scheme on the wage bill. If we want him to play, okay use the clause, that makes sense but if he wont play, just let Sassuolo sell him if he is going to be an asset to another club. For the sake of a club of our size and financial stability trying to go through buy back loopholes to gain an addition 10m or 20m, it seems like overkill. Even more so if he did come to be resold, the move ended up collapsing or not happening as this reported interest from Napoli is just bullshit like a lot of rumors then we probably add another player to the scrapheap of loan players with no immediate or long term future at the club. Even then, the player might not want to come here, he might not want to be fucked about, coming here being resold etc. Or even if he was to play, as weve seen with Lukaku (who I know wasnt a buy back clause but similar case in my view) and might yet see with Nathan Ake, he might rather go somewhere else, having already been at Chelsea and didnt quite happen so theres that to consider too. Think it would be hugely arrogant to just assume that he will be willing to return here at all, yet alone only to be sold on. I think the only real case of that I have seen is with Morata going from Madrid to Juventus to Madrid again because there was a lot of rumors they would sell him after resigning him? But even then he ended up being played at Real afterwards before moving here because he wasnt their first choice but at least he played and wasnt just a quick cash gain move (although they did make a profit when they sold him to us, like 25m at least excluding add ons but that was because their buyback clause was 30m euros).

Doubt he will want to play in League 2 anyway.

Not just Kante, Emerson and Rudiger also. Hopefully win this game but our record in big games and against United in particular has been very poor recently.

If they dont get in the CL next season because of this and we somehow fuck it up, serious questions will have to be asked. Even with the whole FL we are underdogs for top 4 finish comment because before that we looked reasonably secure before we dropped silly points in silly games. Thats the harsh reality. Because I would think that it means 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th would then get the CL spots it City dont get it, right?

Like Zidane at Real, Sarri is lucky he can count on Ronaldo when they play poorly. Juventus are a top team with a good squad but the likes of Pjanic, Costa, Ronaldo, Higuain, Matuidi, Khedira, Bonucci, Chiellini, Cuadrado are older and cannot play every game every week like Sarri seems to prefer doing with his preferred 11 at every club. Not using Can (loaned out to Dortmund now so not an option), Manduzkic (gone now as well), Rugani, Ramsey more frequently earlier/in the run to the finish of the season could go against him. I think theyll turn it round even under Allegri they had spells where they scraped games after running out of steam. Be interesting to see what he does in the market in the summer if he stays on. Because other than Bernadesci, Dybala, Deminal Rabiot, de Ligt and Bentancur they have an older squad that regardless of manager, needs some refreshing eventually.

Every game for Scotland u21s Ive seen him in live or on the tele he has been hands down our best player (which may not seem much to some folk) so I dont see how he looked ordinary to anybody. If he were English or Spanish or French or whatever theyd be raving about him 10 times more. I honestly think he will be just as good as Mount if not better. Mount is just ahead of him in his development because he had the 2 loan moves before playing regularly. Different players but Billy's technique and footballing intelligence is probably better as well.

Good young English GK. I think hes actually better than Pickford but no way United sell him to us. Hes made a few mistakes this season though and I am unsure if he would be an improvement on Kepa, probably not, Kepa having a bad season but think he will still be here in the long run as he is a good GK with huge potential.

more if he was called James Maddison.

Unless Klopp goes and plays Firmino as a 10 in a 4231, I doubt Werner will start at Liverpool evert week in my opinion. But the biggest issue is Firmino can easily play as a 10 and Klopp has also been a big fan of 4231 in the past. Firmino has also been linked with Bayern and Barca too so if he were to leave I think Werner would find it hard to go anywhere but Liverpool.

There will undoubtedly be a bidding war though. United being in the mix means they will throw whatever they have to at Dortmund to get him as well because they are desperate for high level signings. Hence why they offered over Haalands release clause to Salzburg. Clubs will go over 100m to get him ahead of others, like other clubs do for other players the whole time. Dortmund will sell for more than 100m too undoubtedly, look at when they sold Dembele to Barca for a fee that could reach 145m euros... after one season. Sancho will have done 2 good seasons, IIRC he definitely renewed his contract last season and will have more suitors. If anyone thinks he will just go for 100m when us, Liverpool, United, Barca and Real are all interested then I think they will be shocked come the summer. Dortmund will want as much as somebodies willing to pay. It would be bad business if they did it any other way and based on how theyve operated before with Dembele and Aubamayang, who only wanted one specific club, they will make the club he wants to go to pay their fee, which I would imagine wont just be 100m.

Inconsistent? In like the last 160 games hes scored like 50 goals and assisted around 60-70 or more (was a vague stat off twitter). Another one saying in 113 games for Ajax hes been involved in 92 goals in the league. Has created over 400 chances since moving there in 2016. What the fuck is consistent if that isnt? You mentioned Sancho, who in the first half of the season for Dortmund, was very inconsistent as well..... so I dint know. Seems to be because he isnt Sancho he isnt going to cut it here, which is ridiculous. Like Pulisic because he wasnt Hazard.... some people need to take their heads out of the sand. Inconsistent, fuck me, madness.

Do you think that teams are just lining up to buy Barkley, Zouma, Christensen, Alonso, Bakayoko, Drinkwater, even the likes of Kenedy etc? Also for the money they will want to pay and what we want, it won't be straight forward as the club doesn't like to take losses on players. Hence why Bakayoko, Drinkwater and Kenedy are all away on loan, why Barkley and Christensen were both linked with a loan move and why only Everton were linked with Zouma in the summer when Marco Silva was there after he spent a year there on loan beforehand.... Its not a given we will be able to shift them easy. Plus losing Giroud, Pedro and potentially Willian on frees already means we will have to replace them. So using the majority of our reported budget on one player, if that budget rumours are true, seems highly irresponsible. Think we should be priorisiting a CF and LB before another winger now that it looks likely that Ziyech will arrive in the summer. Playing 2 RBs (when he has 2 LBs) and having no other trusted CF in our squad to rely on as he refuses to use Giroud, is killing us in some games.

No. Look getting Sancho is all well and good but if we lose Giroud, Pedro, Willian and Alonso in the summer, we will definitely need to keep some of the other experienced players. Frank talked about adding experience to this group because it is young. Ziyech fits the bill. Likes of Azpi, Rudiger, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic have all played lots of games in their careers and we need to have a good balance of experience and youth in the squad. For me, as I mentioned before about the year we lost Cole, Ballack, Deco, Belletti and Carvalho in the same summer, we cant afford to be too rash and just think okay replace everyone with youngsters who are taleneted and we will get guaranteed success because when has that ever worked? Especially considering Frank is still a young manager too. Okay they are different types of characters or were bigger leaders than what we have now but still think it would be incredibly naive to sell Kante at any costs even to get Sancho. Still not entirely convinced Sancho would transform our fortunes to the point where signing him would have the same effect as the summer we signed Costa and Cesc for instance under Jose. He would improve us undoubtedbly but he still isnt worth getting rid of arguably our best player on paper despite the teething issues trying to get him into the side. I would hope Frank would want to keep Kante as involved and pivotal to whatever his plans are here because he is a top player. Better than most still even if he has been off his level. I still think that spending 120m or more on Sancho isnt a guarantee of anything. He is a very good talent and is an improvement on what we have but if the club is smart, like we are being with Ziyech, they can also prioritise strengthening other areas in the team first such as CB, LB and CF as well for 150m if they look hard enough. I think having a very good collective with 3 or 4 good signings as opposed to spunking the whole kitty on 1 player is the better thing to do. Plus Ruben will be back and Pulisic can still improve tenfold. Its a double ended sword putting all our eggs in the Sancho basket.

Even then if he does, as a squad player, not the worst idea in the world. His problems consistency and end product, probably wont change at his age now but if hes playing sporadically and can impact games, why not? Suppose its all hypothetical still. I do think he maybe is/should look at moving because the clubs trying to refresh and he might only get one more big move in his career but if he stays and plays as a sub or squad player I am not completely against it. Pedro looks as if he is off for definites and so is Giroud but keeping Willian with all his experience around and the influence he has on the youngsters isnt neccessarily the worst thing. But if FL decides to play him every game, people will kick up a fuss, yes. Cant see FL and the board allowing all of Giroud, Pedro, Alonso and Willian all to leave in the same summer to rely solely on younger players and potential signings that arent guaranteed. Frank was also there as a player when we let Deco, Ballack, Carvalho, Belletti and Joe Cole all leave in the same summer too and that didnt exactly go well.

Exactly. Better players than Billy have gone there and looked well out of their depth. Sheffield United are having an excellent season as well and if we, Spurs and United arent careful, could find ourselves behind them because they are very organised and seem to be able to get goals in key moments in games. Think Chris Wilder deserves the same respect, if not more than what Nuno got last season considering the fact hes kept the core of his championship first 11 in that team and hasnt spent anywhere near what Wolves did in the previous 2 or 3 seasons since they had the new owners and links with Jorge Mendes. Id go as far as saying if they finish in the top 6 or 8 Wilder would be a massive contender for manager of the year. In favt I would say if they finish where they are now he should 100% win it ahead of Klopp.

I dont see what the hassle is. I was slightly apprehensive after the links based one that one season last year but he has like over 20 assists this sesson and like 8 goals already. Hes shown he can do it again. As I said before, I think he lacks that geniune pace you'd want in a wide player and for me it feels like if he plays outwide it would be like Mourinho shunting Mata there. I do think centrally he could be a lot more influential and have lots more touches of the ball. His final pass, shooting and dribbling are great qualities as well as his deliveries from set pieces and freekicks as we have seen this season. For 38m, he is as good as it gets at that price range in the modern market imo. Hopefully if the deal is done, he does play as a 10 in contention for a place with Mount or as a more advanced option in a 3. If hes shunted wide in the PL, I think he may struggle to have the same influence he has at Ajax, here. Although maybe not. I dont think FL will necessarily see him as an out and out winger. I know he plays there for Ajax but he floats infield a lot more than he would perhaps get to do here as they are a lot more fluid with their line up. For 38m, at 27 years old, it seems logical because we lack a bit of that x factor in the final third. Technically he is probably just as good as anybody out there I would say bar the Messis, Neymars, Ronaldos etc and I am geniunely surprised that Spurs didn't go for him on Van der Vaarts recommendation in the summer because he is probably just as good as Eriksen and more adaptable.

Hopefully he will be deployed as a 10 when he comes here, he can play wide but he does lack that pace that Willian, Pulisic and CHO have. Great final pass and dribbler though.

If I am following correctly, we are on about last season. I think the majority of the results in the first half of the season gave us as good a chance of getting 4th minimum, we went on like an 18 match unbeaten run although there was obvious weaknesses and signs we could struggle when the goals dried up, which they did. Yes results tailored off but I dont think top 4 was ever ever truely in doubt. Tottenham and Arsenal didnt help themselved either as they had the chances but again I doubted we would of finished outside the top 4. Even with the radical change in style and set up. Plus throw in Hazard on top of that. Re Tammy, again if I am following correctly, I think Conte had he been around to this season may have used Tammy. I do think the previous 2 years he did on loan was absolutely nevvessary for his development and the right thing to do. Tammy kinda seems like he could of been an ideal CF for Antonio if you ask me, tall, decent aerial ability and pace. Yes his hold up isnt amazing but you can work with it. Look at what Antonio has done to Lukaku's game at Inter. Hes brought out a huge improvement in his movements, combination and hold up play. Lukaku predominantly has always preferred running in behind teams and not being overly involved in the build up. Maybe Conte wouldnt have fancied him but I have a feeling that it isnt necessarily as straight forward as that. He seemed to take a shining to Ruben (injuries and the fact Conte couldnt seem to piece him in one fixed position was maybe a reason why he didnt feature as much) and Nate in his first season. Okay they didnt play every game but Nate especially became a trusted member of the squad although the whole decision to try loan him out to accomodate Drinkwater baffles me, even more so having lost Matic and signed Baka who I never truely expected to be the 'midfield general' many seemed to have him pegged to be. Ruben he tried in various positions in pre season amd I think he played him as a CF in cup games but again, at that stage after his first season, a loan move seemed more logical than being a cup game player and Nate maybe felt the same after the additions so moved to Watford. I dont think Conte would of neccessarily just went and promoted the likes of Tomori or Mount like Lampard has but again, the whole giving Moses a permanent place in the team and also used Andreas a lot in the 2nd season and Nate in his first, I dont think he would of neccessarily shunned them completely. Maybe I could be wrong but I feel that his trust in Andreas over David who played the best football of his career the previous season was a big sign that if the player was good enough, he would of used them. Conte also promoted and gave Callum his debut which everyone forgets. I think winning the title in his first season, I doubt he expected that to happen, he would of wanted us to compete but we were like 9th the previous season. He worked miracles with half of that team if you ask me. You would probably never have thought Moses, Alonso, Luiz, Cahill, Pedro in those moments would perform as they did. I mean forget Kante and Matic for a minute in MF, the back 3 was unbelievably solid with 2 of the most average CBs out of the top 4 teams at the time. Moses and Alonso were key parts but arent exactly amazing footballers either, both have huge limitations but they gave that team in that set up a lot and it freed the likes of Pedro and Hazard up in more central areas. Some of the matches that first season the football was great, Everton, City and United games for instance. Winning the league and again failing to build on that team with top quality, like with under Jose, was just as major a factor as him becoming disinterested and kicking up a fuss. This is a guy who left Juve because he felt he couldnt progress them any further due to limitations in the market (although Allegri did and it was a welcomed change for them undoubtedbly as he and Conte are polar opposites in terms of their styles and demeanors) so the club knew whst they were getting when they hired him, just like rehiring Jose.

Think thats harsh. Having watched him from his time at Rangers, with Scotlan and here I think he can be a really good player with some fine tuning in certain areas. PL isnt going to be easy for him just now as he had never played first team football at any other level before this season and that Sheffield game as youve said was tough for him but better players than Billy have went and struggled in matches against them so I wouldnt sweat it. Hes shown in cup games he can play well in this team and I dont think his inclusion as a first team squad member is rash or unwarranted as he has huge potential. A loan to the Championship would have maybe been better so he could get regular minutes and adjust to the physical demands of the league but technically he is very good and I think once he gets to grips with the standard in the PL through playing more youll change your mind. He is capable of playing in the deeper 2 or as a 10 so if Lamps trusts him he might have plenty opportuinities if Mason and Barkley continue to struggle. I really dont think Mason is that much ahead of Billy in terms of talent but he has more match experience and is slightly better physically due to that and being older. They are different players too but in terms of their ceilings I dont think Mason will be a much much better footballer in the long run if I am honest.

Conte wont go for a draw v Lazio. Just like Inter didnt settle for a draw tonight. They have to win every big game to have any chance of pipping Juventus who just dropped points to Hellas Verona. Theirs only 1 point separating them all but hes won titles before, he knows what it takes.

Wait and see Inter go and win their next 3 games.