OneMoSalah

But also a lot of press saying they would only sell if we received an excellent proposal too but yes I get where your coming from. I also think thats been half the battle with Cucurella particularly on here too. The narrative coming from the spreadsheet warriors who were wanking themselves silly over Clearlakes 7 & 8 year deal policies on reduced and incentive based wages were saying we overpaid for him - which yes we did - but they seem to forget we also severely overpaid for players such as Mudryk, Lavia, Caicedo and Fernandez, who seem to escape this narrative because they “could be great players” for us without having delivered on a regular basis yet. I get theres an age difference with some of them and Marc but I still think people are far too quick to jump the gun. I think if Cucurella carries his Euros form into the season for us and Maresca is going to use him as predicted then he could have a huge role to play. I don’t even think he played that badly at times under Poch last season, was definitely worse performers. Particularly in defence with Disasi and Levi struggling for large portions of the first half of the season.

Will see how Maresca gets on but I am not confident at all. Totally different philosophy again and even then, a very small sample size to judge him from. I think a second season for Poch maybe would have allowed him to build on what was improvement in the last wee period of the season but agree he is definitely not the guy who would’ve taken us to competing for trophies and leagues. I think before his appointment several people felt this. Although the squad still isn’t particularly great and still offers more questions than answers for me irrespective of the manager also. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we have appointed another manager by this time next year. Seems to be the pattern.

Precisely we’ve changed manager again and it will be a supposed radical change in playing style, with a young and inconsistent squad lacking leaders and proven quality in key areas. And the manager is someone who has managed one full season in the Championship with a PL level squad - not a Jose Mourinho-esque manager when he first arrived from Porto or Antonio Conte when he came here. A lack of continuity, particularly after a reasonably strong finish to the season, undoes some of the work from last year. @Pizy Mentioning not finishing far off of Spurs & Villa last season isn’t a good barometer to go on for this upcoming season though. They still have the same managers so that continuity as well as adding players to their group to suit their managers philosophies will allow them to build on what they achieved last season. That’s what happens when you have an actual plan/structure in place and aren’t chopping and changing because you don’t have the right people in place to make sensible and well calculated footballing decisions. We’ve gone from the football Tuchel played to Graham Potter to Lampard to Pochettino and now to Maresca. Not one of these footballing philosophies are even remotely similar. The squad is also littered with inconsistent young development players and no real senior pros or leaders of the top bracket who can carry the burden.

Think Maresca will play him as first choice if I am honest. Not sure why anyone would want him to leave after how he has done for Spain at the Euros and the bit of progress he made at the end of last season 🤷‍♂️ Was always a better option than Maatsen would be and well, if anyone has to look over the shoulder this summer at LB, it should be Chilly given his fitness and poor performances.

Yea funnily you’ve mentioned United. We’ve basically done what United did after Sir Alex retired, by spending over £1bn on player transfers. Only in a much shorter time. If you’re happy with that because we’ve tried to “go big” then I don’t know, it is just not the sort of mindset I can get onboard with. You can’t just throw money at something and hope it sticks. You need more than that - ultimately personnel with knowledge of what you need to do to run an elite football club from top to bottom in all different aspects. In the past 2 years I would argue we have literally got next to fuck all of that. Now we are also reportedly trying to be more efficient in the market so that shows how much faith and sense of accomplishment the owners and footballing people feel about their £1bn+ splurge. They’re revisiting their strategy after what 1 year because of PSR/FFP? Or because it hasn’t necessarily improved things? Ok they’ve signed a handful of good players but 6 or 7 out of the 25-30 odd players isn’t a good record at all. Its laughable. And even some of the players, the fees involved for Fernandez and Caicedo and then Mudryk, who is awful, is incredibly laughable given what they’ve done. Folk can’t keep making such poor excuses for them. It was even more funny because they made digs about the previous regime and how their model was unsustainable in many aspects. Yet we are having to sell off academy players for pure profit to get round PSR/FFP and have had 5 or 6 different coaches in 2 and a half years. Typical.

Wait? To further slander Clearlake? Why wait to the end of the window, their level of signings this window alone are arguably some of the most questionable of the lot so far. And that says a lot when you look at some of the guys like Mudryk, Sanchez, Disasi, Ugochuwku, Washington etc. How many more years of mediocrity do you want to let them get away with 😂 I mean people are repeatedly saying on here now what a mess the club is in. It has been in free fall from the first full season these cunts took over basically - everyones late to the party on that front. I have been saying it since the Tuchel summer squabble and sacking/Potter appointment, these idiots were bluffing their way through everything then finally appointed 2 footballing people with 0 knowledge's of working at a top top club and its just getting worse and worse.

Another proven and fully working part of the club that is going to be ripped apart by these fucking morons. Amicable or not, I believe that Bath & Fraser leaving will definitely be partly due to the likes of academy players being auctioned off/sold on for pure profit as a loop hole to do with PSR & FFP. Imagine building an academy capable of producing players that you know will be sold on to produce huge profits and continually be overlooked to sign young foreign players… probably who the club think they can gain more money from by marketing.

I think if he had a track record of doing what he did last season in the PL folk would be less skeptical. The championship isn’t a great standard to use when talking about players who are in that 24-27 years old bracket, particularly at a team like Leicester where it was still a PL level squad when you look at their team and bench. This is another reason why I don’t think the Maresca appointment is quite as solid as believed either. But have to see how it goes. Ok maybe KDH would of went to Brighton and done well there but I also don’t necessarily think that either. Lets see though, maybe his profile is a little different but there are bound to be lots of players in that mould of a much much better quality all around Europe. For sure.

Think Arsenal may have a bargaining chip with Kiwior. Not seen anything official with him being discussed in a deal but he is a player who is a left footed CB who also plays left back… Would be surprised if they don’t try using him as a makeweight or offer them to Bologna in a separate deal to replace Calafiori, particularly given he’s played in Italy before at Spezia.

4 LBSs on paper but widely suspected that at least 2 of Tierney, Kiwior & Tavares will all be available and leave. If not all 3. Particularly given Tierney and Tavares both spent time out on loan last season. Also huge links with Italian teams for Kiwior who was repeatedly in and out the Arsenal team too.

Not expecting a lot. £30m not the worst price in the world these days though for a HG player but don’t see him as an upgrade. Lets see how he does but I can’t see him radically transforming our team. Which is what any midfield signing should of been. Also assuming he starts, I am guessing that means we will see Enzo as a 6 (similarly to how Winks played for Leicester) with Caicedo and KDH on the right and left hand sides of a 3. If thats the case, Fernandez needs to improve his positional play off the ball A LOT.

I’m not so sure. Look at how the squad is geared up and how they absolutely believe in a huge % of the signings they’ve made are champions league players/a champions league squad. Going by that logic regarding players looking mediocre and struggling, you’d hope that other players like Mudryk also be under the same spotlight. No doubt, Robert Sanchez will fall into that category also. Putting trust in this hierarchy is a dangerous game. And ok Sanchez wasn’t quite as comfortable or confident playing out under de Zebri whose teams typically entice other teams to press them but he played a lot under Potter who also had him playing out. That would of been part of the criteria when the club identified him.

I don’t see the Anthony Gordon move as a particularly good one for us or Liverpool. Actually very surprised. Don’t get me wrong he isn’t a bad player per say, done well last season for Newcastle but he is just not the calibre I’d expect either us or Liverpool to want. Particularly the level he is as a technical player. But I suppose we did sign Mudryk who may as well be Stevie Wonder trying to navigate around an ice rink by himself, so who knows?

And Colwill did the same at Brighton and people were losing their mind also. Its an endless cycle. And the exact same situation barring the player in question isn’t on our books. Calafiori does look a potentially brilliant CB in the making, seen enough Bologna games whilst keeping an eye on how Lewis Ferguson was getting on there. If we could shift Badiashile, I think it would be a very clever move. Very mobile, comfortable on the ball, reads the game well. Juventus have appointed Thiago Motta who managed him at Bologna and apparently, he has already said yes to personal terms over a move there so I would say his future will be decided quickly either way, particularly with Italy out of the Euros now. I know there is questions over how Juventus approached Motta and the relationships a bit patchy but if they have the money and the player wants to make that move specifically, then it’ll happen.

De Ligt available for £42.5m apparently. Should be all over that.

Good business to get £37.5m, honestly didn’t expect us to get that.

De Ligt and Ugarte are hardly flops though. De Ligt was excellent at Ajax and Juventus but has mainly struggled with fitness at Bayern. Ugarte was popular here when we were linked also but just hasn’t worked out at Paris. This happens though, just like with Enzo and Moises here so far, hasn’t particularly worked out but doesn’t mean we’ve given up on them. Does that make them bad players? No. Would take both in a heartbeat if the deals were favourable. Ugarte was a big opportunity last summer and was disappointed we didn’t get him particularly. Way your making them out as if they are second rate players, they are far far from it.

He’d be better than KDH thats for sure. This is a sign that the ownership and football crowd are just here to turn a profit without being competitive. He isn’t an upgrade on anyone we have in midfield though so it really is a pointless move. Even Gallagher, who splits fan opinions. I mean can someone explain why we are signing him? Or at least give a footballing reason bar the fact he worked with the manager last season? I mean for a supposed elite level club this cannot be the only criteria or reason. If him and Tosin are the standard of players we are going after now for improvements to the first 11 then Maresca is doomed from the beginning. And thats without considering that his appointment still leaves a lot more questions than answers. We need 4 top established players in key positions to strengthen this team, GK, CB, LW, CF. Not squad players. These sporting directors have literally got no idea. At all. Plus after the wank fest around signing the likes of Casadei, Santos, Lavia, Ugochuwku as well… plus Carney who looks like he can contribute. KDH seems an absolute waste of money based on numbers in midfield positions alone. Not dame players but still lot of bodies on the books. Clear some of these guys out first be it loans/sales and prioritise the other positions 👍

Tend to remember him looking very ordinary in the PL with Leicester though. Being decisive in the final third in the championship isn’t much of a barometer. Last season was his careers highest goal return with 12 after scoring 2 & 3 goals in the 2 previous seasons whilst a PL player. Doesn’t bode well. There is no huge upward trend in his returns before that or even a pattern to indicate that last season, in a lower standard. Would take Gallagher all day long. Probably a PSR/FFP move - a stupid one at that - but nothing surprises me anymore.

Only signing we’ve made/will make this window that actually is exciting. Hopefully he is ready to go when he joins up.

Another signing that is the complete opposite of what we need. These co-sporting clowns love a young player. May turn good, may not. Definitely not a number 1 CF though. Probably Jacksons understudy. And he is somebody who should be an understudy.

No but all it was talked about, particularly with Nkunku. Before he arrived everyone had him shoehorned into their first 11s playing him as a CF…. Suppose doesn’t mean much but if this Guiu isn’t an actual CF and is another flexible attacking player who doesn’t particularly excel in one set position, who cares if he could play CF? Be another needless signing in that case. And KDH? Are people really seeing this as a good move? Fuck sake. He is much much much lower level than Gallagher. In all honesty, similar sort of signing to Steve Sidwell back in the day to me, pointless. But again people will get excited because he had a good season in the Championship, aged 26. We are in for an absolute horrendous season if this is the calibre of players we are going after. Cannot wait.

Who we getting in return? Milner? 🤣

Same was said of Havertz and then also Nkunku. Why don’t we just sign an actual CF who is proven at a respectable level? Just kill 2 birds with 1 stones. We already have Jackson as a younger player who needs to learn, no point having 2. These idiots running football recruitment will never learn. Now we are also after Dewsbury-Hall and likely to get it done. This window is fucked already. Another average player who wouldn’t start at a top top team to go along with Tosin Adarabioyo. Why are we signing squad players when we need quality for the first 11? Fucking joke.

Not a pure centre forward? Wtf is he then 🤣? If he is another multifunctional attacker who isn’t an actual striker or have a proper position, whats the point? Might as well go back to Sterling upfront like under Tuchel or go with Nkunku etc. Swear people are creaming themselves over every potential signing we make but have seem to forgotten most of the signings these 2 idiot sporting directors have made have flattered to deceive. Or because some ex Barca coach, who is 90% going to be bias towards a Barca academy player, says he presses like an animal. Things like fighting for every ball and presses aren’t rare skills, its basics of modern day football. Just another signing that is the complete opposite of what we actually need: a ready made striker who will elevate our side from day 1. We will never learn.