OneMoSalah

I would tend to agree re keeping him, he offers a different profile in midfield. Our central midfield options are probably more defensively minded now with guys like Lavia, Caicedo, Ugochukwu - who yes they aren’t just defensive midfielders but they aren’t hugely creative or offensively minded. Enzo is carrying that burden, having Connor around who can kind of do that role but with less quality, it makes sense. Yes as you keep mentioning but there was a lot of people very excited by his signing. A lot of people. And tbf, you could see why as a back up/competition, it made sense. Just the fee that was excessive but thats been us under Boehly since day 1. To completely give up on him after 12 months is crazy. He is a decent enough player but never a £60 odd million player. But Caicedo was never a £115m player - yet we paid it. Enzo was never a £105m player - yet we paid it. Mudryk was never a £70 odd m player - again we paid it. There is a pattern here, we sign players for vastly OTT fees. That doesn’t help them necessarily and it doesn’t help us if they underperform but thats what happens when you throw money at everything.

Not overly bothered about Maatsen in all honesty. Decent player, from the academy yes but it is obvious Chilwell is first choice and theres no way he’s displacing him when he’s fully fit. Cucurella was the best thing since sliced bread when we signed him, like Mudryk was, like Ziyech was, like Cole Palmer is etc etc so to see the contempt after a bad season (he was far from the only one) shows how fickle football really is. Fully expect him to be much better this season but Maatsen is maybe more profitable as of now and doesn’t seem keen on staying so whats the issue? I would say a deal be it a loan with a £31.5m obligation and sell on fee or straight up £31.5m is outstanding for us.

Santos going there on loan looking stupider and stupider by the day.

Surprised Liverpool didnt go for Palhinha, exactly what they needed. I know they got Endo but if he gets injured their light again.

Good luck to him but think there is really one winner from this deal. And thats City. £45m for a player who was never going to be a regular. Also means we don’t look for a more established offensive player, which we should of been doing to compliment what we already have in attack. Another project. Don’t see any huge positives looking at this signing on paper and in terms of against the make up of our attacking players as it is but maybe he surprises me and does very well. But quite disappointed in all honesty. Not going to pretend and say I’ve seen him play barring the 2 games he played for City (Community Shield & Super Cup) this season. Looked alright v Sevilla and scored those goals in both games but don’t think he is what we needed in all honesty. As I said before in another thread, if we had tried to sign him before those 2 matches there would of been huge backlash on here so don’t know whats changed…. but lets see what he offers.

There was never any evidence we were in the running for Haaland ever barring the links under Lampard before he went to Dortmund in 2019. That was the only concrete links we’ve ever had to him and Frank even said in his second spell last season, he pushed the club to sign him but doesn’t know how close we were to doing a deal. After Erling went to Dortmund it was pretty damn obvious he was never moving here, ever. Well, I thought so anyway, I don’t know about you. Blaming Marina for penny pinching over a deal for Haaland is just typical outrage over something that never happened if I’m honest, its quite laughable. Be like slating Boehly for not signing Jude Bellingham although we were never going to get him. Or even made a bid. 😂

Yeah can’t see Sporting going for that. Overly ambitious for us to try such a deal. Unless their seeing the $$$ signs based off of Boehly & Clearlakes first year in charge here and think fuck it free money but that would be a bad move for us if so. A smaller club in the mould of Strasbourg would be the ideal. The likes of a Rio Ave, Vitoria, Boavista, Estoril etc. Much more beneficial that way, guys have more likelihood of playing, guys do well there then the likes of Porto/Sporting/Benfica maybe take notice and try get them on a loan following season. After that season, they come back, compete for places/are moved on for huge profit. That would be a pretty sound plan. Going in and buying a huge stake in Sporting would be insane I think, plus they are competitive and usually involved in the CL so wouldn’t that not cause issues also with the multi club model when we get back in to the CL? If we get back in 😂

Palmer & Kudus both hugely overpriced and overrated I would say. Maddison would of been worth a go but he was always going to go to Spurs or Newcastle as he’d be guaranteed to start although I think he is good enough to do so here. Certainly more so than the other 2. Palmer maybe played 2 games for City which most people may have seen, in arguably one of the best club teams of the past 10-15 years but £45m for him is now a good deal and to use your words he has a higher ceiling than player X/Y/Z. Lets be honest, if we had tried to sign Cole Palmer prior to the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup, there would of been absolute outrage on here. Pitchforks would of been out “who the fuck is this kid?” Etc etc. 100%. It seems quite incredible how the tables have turned now after 2 games which one you could class as a dead rubber but if the kid comes in, good luck to him but its a hugely disappointing signing if I am honest. We needed someone who is a bit more proven in that area, as we are a bit light without Nkunku as of right now. An injury to Sterling and we would have no senior attackers. For Kudus, his only concrete options were Brighton (which he talked himself out of) and West Ham. I don’t think an outstanding player of the calibre he is made out to be only has Brighton - maybe unfair as they have had a few impressive seasons - or West Ham as their only concrete suitors. And in a time where we are severely overpaying and buying anybody who looks like they could be a half decent player, the fact we didn’t sign him says everything. Or Arsenal, who chose to instead prioritise a deal for Kai Havertz over him.

I don’t think Mourinho will get much out of him either again, or even Conte another time round. For instance, I think he would of struggled in our team under Conte in the PL compared to the Inter Milan team he played for in Italy. Does nobody else think its alarming that only Italian clubs are really interested in him? No other big teams from European league had any concrete links - was rumblings about Barca & PSG but knew that would only happen if it was as good as free for either because why else would they sign him? Tuchel should of said no but he pushed particularly for Rom - why? Fuck knows. Was a big mistake. Wanted it to work at first but think that blinded some to how bad he was, although was plenty on here who warned about him coming back too. And even on the likes of Werner & Pulisic, I don’t think it matters how they were or weren’t treated, they are soft mentally. I mean Pulisic sat bitching like an entitled kid about not playing, he was living off of maybe 7 games in a Chelsea shirt. Yet he wrote a autobiography (at what age 22) and made comments about not playing in it. Clearly a little bit soft. Then again Werner, Lukaku… comments about Tuchel’s tactics, how they didn’t suit them to cover up for bad performances also. I think the likes of Tuchel, Mourinho, Conte, Pep, Klopp etc, all these guys will not hesitate to tear somebody to shreds if they have to. Its elite level sport, its about how they bounce back from it. The elite mentality guys do whilst the weaker don’t. Tuchel may be difficult but I don’t think at Bayern for instance or even at PSG it made a huge difference because he works/worked with guys who are of an elite mentality. Even here he had some of these.

Johnson got 8 PL goals in his debut PL season. That and his age are always going to give Forest the chance to ask for £45-50m and above. Plus the way the market is, £40-50m is the standard starting price considering the money PL clubs have from the TV deals. Wouldn’t say we’ve paid value for money for a lot of players under Boehly so Cole Palmer, if the deal was to be done for £40-45m, would probably fall into the same category as well. Not so worried about the prices as much now as I doubt we will pay value for money often with this ownership now but am a lot more concerned about the profile. Palmer is not proven enough and also doesn’t strike me as the missing piece despite some decent showings for City but again, would they have signed Doku if Palmer was that good and ready to go? But I’ve seen Chelsea people making youtube videos and saying he’s great or whatever already. So I guess he is….

£45m for Cole Palmer is madness but yeah, we will pay it. If people are expecting him to come in and waltz in to the first team and light it up though, don’t. Has talent but again, has a very very small amount of games in senior football - personally if the plan was always going to be another young kid, we would of may as well have kept one of Angelo or Washington.

If they offer £100m or above - I’d be leaning towards selling. Won’t get that much for a fullback again. Yes hes great but he’s rarely been fit for the past 2 seasons and if it continues this season, will be a real conundrum for the club.

Depends. Can’t see this summer to PSG being a good move for him at all. I mean Lee is there also and Asensio, throw in Mbappe and Dembele nailed on starters too with Ramos an option centrally. Looks very congested and daft for him to go to Paris. But think Campos behind the move

Not necessarily. Would say the club’s vision of drastically reducing the average age of the squad and signing u21s at will is perhaps blinding them or hindering the search. But again, it may he someone more random yes as options maybe limited. Even somebody like Moussa Diaby who went to Villa earlier in the window would of been good. Could have been a smart move as he can play that inverted right side role, more centrally as a 10 or off the left too. I mean he is still young enough to have fitted the clubs vision too whilst also having a good pedigree, got 10 caps for France, good amount of games in a competitive European league and has shown already he knows where the net is over last 3 or 4 seasons for Leverkusen & now for Villa. I think he will not remain at Villa for too long either.

Would take ESR out of the three of them personally because was a large period under Arteta where he and Saka were their best players by a country mile, carrying the team. But again is he going to get back to that? Would say he’s more a creator than a finisher too. Needing to find a finisher to take burden off Raheem and Nkunku when back as they will be the heavy hitters for us goals wise this season I’d think. From what I’ve seen of Barcola I don’t see him making the sort of impact we need in attack. Not immediately, another one for few years down the line. I don’t even see him getting a sniff at PSG, just seems an odd move all round for him to come here or go to PSG when he could potentially play every week at Lyon and kick on. Then would rather shit in my hands and clap than see us sign Sancho - was overrated in Germany. I remember the outrage we didn’t sign him on here but look how thats went, he's been that bad to the point EtH reportedly wants to let him go and rely on guys like Pellestri instead - who by no means is a great footballer but at least he can run. The guy looks severely out of shape, I mean he was famed for his ability in 1 v 1s but he doesn’t look like he could run the length of himself yet alone take people on.

So much for £10m then 😂 But if hes out the door, ok but 90% likelihood thst we will be in the same situation again next summer. Roma won’t buy him - theres no option\obligation to buy in the deal - and they won’t be able to afford him in all likeliness so don’t get your hopes up for any £30-35m deal. Will be extremely cut price or the circus around his future again. 100% Inter & Juventus wont be interested next year too.

Please no Sancho/ESR/Barcola. A smart signing as opposed to a extravagant or stupid one. I mean the amount of times I’ve posted it - an experienced player who can do a few attacking roles and provide something now and not in 2026-2030 has to be essential. But its all u23s/21s still we are linked with. So not very convinced that this is the best path for now as we have far too many who aren’t established players. Barcola is made out to be the second coming of Christ on here when he’s looking increasingly likely to becoming PSGs 5th choice in attacking positions behind Mbappe, Ramos, Dembele & Asensio.

Good player. Left footed, plays on the right. Poch knows him for Spurs. Wouldn’t touch Sancho if he was available for £10m. Said it first time round and will say it again, overrated.

Eze could be shout. He is still youngish (25) but also experienced enough although Palace is one thing, Chelsea is another. Whether or not he can do what he did for Palace last year for us is the question but his age, experience in terms of games played and profile is what we should be looking for.

Disagree re Tuchel’s tactics. His tactics brought huge turn arounds in say 75% of the players who played regularly. A lot of the attackers we had with him have all been moved on, so says it all. Lukaku is a one dimensional footballer thats why it didn’t work. You don’t completely restructure a CL winning team to suit a one dimensional footballer. Same with him at United and again there at Inter under Inzaghi, who preferred Dzeko in all the big games.

Has to work on some of his link up as a few simpler passes at times didn’t find intended targets - although did show some nice touches, in particular for Chilly’s chance where he tries squaring it - v Luton and other games but actually so refreshing to see a CF who is willing to mix it up. Stretches the game with penetrating runs in behind and in the channels which gives us an option to take 3 or 4 players out of the game at once as opposed to trying to play through a press or through compact set ups. Also offers a physical presence too without being purely one dimensional and still being mobile. I know theres a lot of talk of Drogba and seen Anelka’s name too in here with him but I honestly think he is more like Diego Costa. Again, not saying he will be the next or is at his level or whatever and again, its a small sample size but he just looks very similar in some aspects of his game. Positive signs so far.

Dont rush the guys coming back from injuries/on individual plans. If they need another week or two to get up to speed, take the time to do it, simple as that. Or put them in 15-20 at the end if safe to do so. Squad depth is reasonable enough to not take risks with likes of Broja or Badiashile if they aren’t 100% ready. Lavia also. Plus would like to see Levi and Jackson in particular keep their places as I think Jackson could get a few more goals and another physically challenging game would be a good experience for Levi IMO. He is going to find teams with big guys up front trying to pin him, so against lower quality, keep him in to learn. Also torn about keeping Sterling in, do we play him again for same reasons as Nico to get some goals or rest him and potentially disrupt his rhythm?

So far in the 3 games, mixed performances. I think in terms of physical battles he might be targeted and struggle a bit but he is very quick across the ground and looks like he backs himself in 1 v 1s. Good and progressive on the ball. Plenty scope for improvement still but also good signs.

Aye we have enough inconsistencies and unknown quality in attack without resigning somebody who blew hot and cold for 6 months on huge wages and a huge loan fee. Also the links to Barcelona, they aren’t even concrete. He said he wants to go there but financially, it is going to be impossible. And even then, the links mainly come from Cancelo and Ansu Fati having the same agent, one player who Barca are trying to sign and one they're trying to shift. Plus Atletico and Simeone don’t want Felix. So considering Mendes has a good relationship with Deco, the sporting director, Felix needs a move, its easy to see where these links come from. Not actually been anything on Barca’s end saying they want him or are going to make an offer. Villa have made an offer for him though apparently.

This is why folk want rid of him though. As soon as he did that interview he effectively alienated himself from the manager, the upper management, his teammates and the fans. Its not just shooting himself in the foot, its being disrespectful to the team, manager, fans etc. You only do that interview if you don’t want to be there, same with Ronaldo & Piers Morgan. Its the same. You don’t do something like that if you have any intentions of remaining at a club. I mean the fact Tuchel and several of the senior players had a meeting to discuss what to do with him says it all. Everything else you’ve said about the club having to take accountability is so so wrong its a joke, I’m sorry but it is. No other way to say it. And Tuchel did tailor his tactics and approach to suit Rom a bit more, thats arguably why after the first 6 or 7 games, when things started to get a bit tougher, performances faltered and our “apparent title challenge” evaporated. We changed a more flexible, aggressive, hard working (altho inconsistent output) frontline that had been key to winning the CL to playing with a more fixed, passive way because Rom is different from Havertz. What Tuchel said happened well after Lukaku’s interview so the damage was already done. So again, to blame Tuchel for a quip which happened when the relationship was already hugely strained from Lukaku’s own actions again is just stupidity. I mean you would be on edge and prickly with somebody, who had made it incredibly clear to Inter 6 or 7 months before that he wanted to move here, done an interview unannounced, wishing he didn’t leave Inter because the manager didn’t want to completely reshape his team for a more limited, one dimensional footballer. Everything that has transpired for his second spell here is from self sabotage. Same with this summer. Ok maybe he phoned an Anderlecht player or whatever but fucking hell, the way he was here 2nd time round, that doesn’t have any correlation to what he did with that interview. Saying otherwise is just incredibly naive and looking the other way.