OneMoSalah

I tend to agree. I would doubt many people here actually have watched Sosa or even had heard of him outside of say FM or the recent links. Or there may be the dreaded good old Youtube highlight reel which shows the good things such as skills or dribbles or whatever and nothing bad usually at about 1.5/2 x the speed of a normal game 😂 Never know, he could be a very good signing but again I think it’s definitely one to wait and see how it plays out in the summer. Wouldn’t say Sancho was a flavour of the month, good player with huge potential just vastly overpriced and overhyped a bit too soon. What boxes does he tick exactly though, I mean have you watched him play? And not just the YouTube compilations which make everybody look good? What sort of player is he exactly? I mean I’ve never watched a Stuttgart game in all my life and he only has 5 caps for Croatia at 24 years old. Ironically he is my starting LB for Roma on Football Manager 22 but had no real clue who he was prior to the links to potentially coming here last week 😂

Tbf on Mata, as confused as many were when we sold him at the time, he would never have played regularly in Conte’s or Sarri’s teams either after Mourinho, which again he didn’t really fit the team at all. Technically a great player but just never had the athleticism to play in those sort of teams in those wider attacking positions. Obviously he could unlock the door in tight moments in games from the bench but I couldn’t see him playing as well as the likes of Pedro or Hazard in those managers systems or starting anywhere near as often. Plus Eden was always going to start usurping him as the most important player in that team when Mourinho came in, either 1st season or 2nd and the team was always going to be much better off geared around Eden’s game than Juan’s in my opinion. Roma had a option to buy him included (probably became an obligation after a certain amount of matches played like most Italian teams tend to do) in the loan, so ultimately whoever decided to make such an agreement cost us the opportunity to see Salah as a Chelsea player at a much higher level we seen before. He was originally meant to spend the 18 months on loan at Fiorentina as part of Cuadrado deal (they also had a buy option which Salah rejected) but only spent 6 months and Roma agreed a loan with purchase similarly to what Fiorentina did the winter window beforehand. I’m sure Fiorentina tried to report us and Mo to FIFA at the time.

I’ve seen it reaches £40m with performance related incentives, £20m of it upfront and then another that it was just £40m. But again, could be anything. Nothings ever really a free transfer these days because even if it was, I’d imagine his wages probably be a good scoop, he’s on 100k a week apparently which is top 3/4 earners in their squad. And I don’t ever see him being the player he was before so it seems a risk. Actually excited to see VdB play because at Ajax he was a very interesting player. Patterson interesting move for Everton, talented clearly but wasn’t even a regular at Rangers who’s captain is their RB (albeit he’s like 30) and still performing well. Long term investment for Everton if I am honest, Coleman is god knows how old now and a shadow of the player he was.

Jesus christ, I know you dislike Alonso something hellish but Matt Targett is pish 😂

Yeah don’t see why he will be a ‘big miss’ in and around the first team as he's only been involved with the first team for about 2 and a half seasons since Frank promoted him. Clearly part of a hugely successful academy set up but again it was a huge collective effort and its not as if it were a one man job. All in all, the likelihood of this situation just frees up space for Tuchel to take one more coach in that he’s worked with previously at either Mainz, Dortmund or Paris or, potentially, what about if he tries to tempt JT to take a position? So again, will he really be a big miss? Or is he really a ‘top class coach’ because in all likelihood I doubt Simon Phillips is any wiser than the rest of us regarding whether he is or isn’t …. No idea…. I mean I’d imagine he did something specific but what that was, who knows.

How the fuck have Spurs got 40m for Dele Alli? Forty fucking million for a player who is utter dogshite. Jesus. Lampard’s good transfer record out the window already 🤣

Exactly. No point signing someone the same level as Alonso for the sakes of 3 or 4 months…. hence why we probably tried to recall Emerson instead of going and spending an extravagant sum of money in the worst possible time to ever buy. If the right players aren’t available, don’t panic buy. Dembele is a really interesting move, a really interesting profile of player who plays both sides, extremely quick, very good in 1 v 1s and the final pass. Just needs to get his career going again properly after he had those very 2 promising and productive seasons at Rennes and Dortmund. No doubt he’s showed flashes at Barca despite the consensus ‘he’s done nothing in Spain’ or ‘always been injured’ but it is still potentially a calculated risk. Tuchel did say he was one of the most naturally talented footballers he has ever seen so probably this, the fact it won’t be an absolute fortune as Barca want shot of him and most importantly the fact our attack is well whatever it is, its not necessarily move. I mean can he really he any worse than what these mob are doing for us just now in the final third?

Would be delighted if we made a move for him. Top player. But would mean that surely someone’s leaving in attack?

he shouldn’t be near a professional football club again*** Anyone convicted of rape and domestic abuse/assault shouldn’t have any sort of career in elite sports. Has to rot in a jail cell for a period of time. And ironically, the number 11 shirt at Man United has been donned by another massive cunt again.

Was he that bad? Maybe I’ve got the games mixed up but thought he did not bad v Juve…

He did well v Juventus in a false 9/central position did he not? He can’t have it both ways.

Top signing for Liverpool if it goes through. Fuck.

This is spot on. I am sorry but any other manager under the same circumstances, we would of been expected to get top 4. I think your lying to yourself thinking otherwise! We got rid of Conte for finishing 5th and effectively pushed Sarri out the door for finishing 3rd yet people really believe the club would of sat down at the beginning of pre-season and thought something along the lines of ‘you know what, Frank, we aren’t expected to get top 4, so if we don’t, we don’t and if we do, we do’. Bullshit. Eden and Luiz there or not, that squad was still capable of getting top 4 for sure and the youngsters only strengthened the squad IMO, James despite having some ups and downs was clearly better than Zappacosta, Mount was clearly better then Barkley, Tammy better than Batshuayi and you could easily argue Tomori did much better than David Luiz, who looked absolutely pathetic in the pre season. Even if by some minor miracle, blowing a 12 point lead from midway through the season and only managing to scrape top 4 on the final day of the season, I don’t care what anyones expectations were, that is not good enough (or it wouldn’t be for any other manager). Once in such a position, to blow a 12 point lead due to tactical naivety and poor performances, very disappointing. So if we didn’t finish 4th that season having been in that position, it would of been a disaster. How anyone calls it a major achievement is beyond me. It was purely because it was Frank Lampard that it was an achievement and I’m still sticking to my guns that Sarri would of done a better job from prior to Frank’s appointment because at least he had an actual style and you could see what it was. Barring 2 good runs here, Frank’s team didn’t have anything of the sort.

He was a very average manager here and that is that. If you wanted to be a bit more picky the terms out of his depth could be used to describe it also, as there were huge underlying issues. This finishing top 4 “achievement” people come with really gets me going though because people seem to forget we nearly blew the top 4 finish from what a 12 point lead mid season to us having to win against Wolves on the final day of the season to confirm it as United leapfrogged us under Ole. This comes a year after people were severely unhappy with Sarri, who had us 3rd with a slightly lower GF, better GA and ultimately a better GD. Yet Frank getting top 4 was a ‘miracle’ or ‘’major achievement’ if you’d listen to pundits or certain fans. We all know deep down Sarri, Allegri or whoever else we would of gone for would of got top 4 with that squad also. I am 95% certain of it. The giving youngsters a proper chance is the only thing he deserves real credit for, it was brave (although Reece and Mase would of made it here under any manager IMO) but the January in season one and then the summer at the beginning of the second season also showed that he would definitely have spent money if he had the opportunity when he first came in. That's a given based on how he spoke the whole of that January. My only concern for him going to Everton is, he has never experienced anything like the situation they are in. They’ve got good players but his ultimate downfall here was his team being able to be solid and organised. They need to be like that to stay up before even thinking about pushing on and becoming a better team with higher aspirations. I also find it laughable Everton fans are basically trying to strongarm their owners into not appointing Vitor Pereira, only months after Everton’s owner and board blatantly ignored them anyway and appointed Rafa Benitez. I mean obviously football is for the fans but they really don’t get it, do they? History repeats itself far too often in football and if Pereira was appointed, came in and got the results, they’d soon stop complaining. If he does poor, they’ll keep complaining. Its become an endless cycle for Everton since Martinez.

I wouldn’t say so. The whole Declan Rice coming here links is ultimately a huge part of what started the tensions between the board and Frank on the transfer front. I think in that January and then the summer. I think that under Frank the club had huge reservations about buying him for the huge price tag they’d set, considering he was an academy player here originally. Unless Tuchel pushes for it and Rice himself plays about to get the move for a cheaper fee, I still think its extremely difficult.

But he’s talking about not being played in the right position more or less which hardly looks good for TT if another player comes out and makes comments about either the managers system or the position that he’s being utilised in as if its crippling his chance to perform. Thats the point. Not as if he’s talking about not playing full stop. I did read the interview you know even if he does mention its good to be versatile as if that is to soften his initial comments. Ultimately as I said, if he could walk the walk and play at a reasonable level for more than 70 minutes in one match every however often then maybe TT wouldn’t move him around positionally so much. Maybe he wouldn’t only really play if we are short, have injuries or coming from the bench. But he doesn’t so him not having a regular run in a settled position here, as frustrating as it may be for him, is ultimately what it is. Its the same for the other attackers at times too but bar Lukaku and Puli, do you hear them giving interviews saying they’re playing in the wrong position or systems? I think you know the answer to that. It also doesn’t help the fact the US media moronically seem to think he’s the second coming of christ either but you would think he would just say he’s happy to play wherever for the team, like 90% of other footballers would say because it means playing. And at his age, considering the in and out nature of his Chelsea career the last 18 months, maybe he should focus on just playing regularly in whatever position he’s put in instead of giving interviews which, regardless of if the comments were intentional or unintentional to come across that way when theres been murmurings of discontent amongst some attacking players, seem to indicate he’s not happy at where he’s being used. Maybe he should just skip the long journey and go become a designated player in the MLS where he can be played wherever he wants to be played if he’s not happy here? No? 😂

Think he plays in like Serie C now doesnt he 🤣

Either way seems like finger pointing at Tuchel which is unjust considering Christian’s done next to fuck all over the last 18 months bar the odd flash or moment here or there. If he played well enough in his favoured or a more familiar position when he gets the chance, maybe it would make it harder for TT to drop or move him. Ultimately, another one like Lukaku who seems to be able to talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.

Pietro Pellegri (aka the most overrated/overhyped young footballer of the last 4 or 5 years) joins Torino on loan with an option to buy from Monaco after cutting his loan spell short at AC Milan. Still only 20 and played for Monaco, AC Milan, Italy and now has chance to grt going for Torino, without actually having done anything of note. Mental.

I think when he’s played this season with Bruno Lage, predominantly he has played in attacking positions. Makes sense rejecting Spurs to go back to Barcelona anyway, he never got an opportunity there as a kid and probably won’t get much of a chance of this move again. He will probably be an impact player coming off the bench you’d think. Plus the deal works better for Wolves, a loan fee and then €35m euros to make it permanent.

Said smaller clubs, not top 10 or bottom 10 clubs. Our record v the big sides (Liverpool, City, United, Arsenal, Spurs) since TT took over has significantly improved from before. We’ve still dropped points v the Evertons, Brightons, Wolves etc.

I find the whole Everton situation a bit weird. Everton fans wanting Lampard in? Really? Some of the points Matt Law made, I am a but skeptical. On transfer decisions lets be honest, they may have been ‘good decisions’ on paper but he was utterly fucking clueless at making them play together or finding roles in the team for them. Track record and getting ideas across quickly points are also slightly debatable as he ultimately looked out of his depth here after the first half of the first season as we seemed to be so inconsistent or tactically outmanoeuvred on a regular basis. Not to mention blowing up a 12 point lead in the top 4 to finish 4th on the final day of the season. And are Evertons young players that good? Or as good as the boys Frank took through here? The Everton job is another one, like the Newcastle and Norwich jobs, which if he were to go in and get it wrong, it could be the nail in the coffin for him getting another PL chance for a long time IMO. I mean when do you really see young manager being appointed and going into a relegation battle, barring Pochettino at Southampton and Marco Silva at Hull, and doing well? Even Hull still got relegated with Silva.

Probably looking back on it, he should have.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/football-italia.net/roma-legend-explains-where-abraham-needs-to-improve/amp/ Still mentions a lack of physicality and tendency to fall over under next to no contact but happy to see he is doing well goal wise. Roma have had a lot of losses so far this season, 9, which is incredible considering they are sitting 6th.

To put it bluntly, although mathematically it wasn’t (and still isn’t) quite over, since City went 6 points clear of us in December, it was as good as over in all likelihood. Or so I felt. I mean City now are what 13 clear again, if they win the game they’ve got on us? They aren’t dropping that many points in that position. No way. If you look at our draws v United, Burnley and Everton especially around that period when City went 6 clear and then the other draws since, it is going to be nearly impossible to win the title, even if we win 90% of those games. We need to just focus on our own games too and take care of them as they come ws opposed to thinking City play team X or Y lets hope they do us a favour. I mean if City drop a lot of points, they drop a lot of points but thats a massive if and it isn’t as if we are exactly flying just now either so wouldn’t get overly excited. Also never mind City, Liverpool have 2 games in hand on us and can go up to 54 points if they take all 6 points from them. We need to really not lose sight of them as opposed to City right now because we can maybe catch them if we get our shit together. Obviously most of our remaining fixtures are favourable which maybe does give people optimism and a chance to get a lot of points but in our current 8 league draws we have 2 v Brighton, 1 v Everton, 1 v Wolves and 1 v Burnley. Thats 5 points taken from 15 which we all would of been expected to get. 100%. So nothing is a given. Again, smaller teams have caused us more of an issue than bigger teams this season.