Strike

In my mother tongue in India, Kounde means ass

When so many teams are pressing high up and hardly any top team plays a CB like Zouma regularly. For the longest time, we have been trying to do away with hoofball too. Sarri's 4-3-3 and Tuchel's 3-4-3 play out of the back and the latter won the Champions League without really breaking a sweat. I don't see Zouma getting minutes under Tuchel other than being thrown on when closing out games. Firmly the 5th choice CB under him at the moment.

On course for 10 updates from Fab before there's anything new or concrete.

Conveniently ignoring how bad Zouma was under Tuchel and how uncomfortable he looked in a ball-playing role. Zouma's set-piece goals last year - Brighton, Palace, Burnley, Leeds, Palace - Just one of them in a tight game vs Leeds.

Gallagher in the pivot is interesting.

Lol. Pep's CB signings - Stones 2016, Laporte 2017, Ake and Dias 2021. None of them have flopped actually. He won the title playing 3 of them at CB and Ake maybe a backup but hardly a flop when he's competing with the other 3 for a spot in the team.

Fabrizio hasn't mentioned the price for Kounde. Man City bid 55m euros last year and it was rejected, contract is till 2024. This is 50m on a position we don't necessarily need to strengthen.

Someone check on @Vesper

Reports about Chelsea signing Bettinelli as third choice keeper

Not the way to approach negotiations - leaving it till late in the window. The club has its targets - Rice for DMF and Haaland for ST. The only thing that explains this window is that the club is looking for the ideal moment to strike a deal - Rice was with England NT and is now coming back from holiday. There should be a bid soon.

Has to be said Ole has done okay since taking over. There is a semblance of a system and a team forming over there - only Fred and AWB need upgrading. They have serious pace and trickery up front at the moment too. Thankfully he is not an elite coach in the Klopp, Pep, Tuchel category but United have spent and built a good squad.

Marquinhos is a potential replacement for T Silva next year. He is still 27 and is a level better than Varane, Sule, Kounde who are supposedly on our list of CBs. Slim chance with a contract till 2024 but hoping Tuchel in-charge swings him here.

and the entertainment reporter who heard Kane's elder sibling get smashed at his wedding and share the news to family and friends 😀

The Sun, Mail are all at it with this story. 160m move to go ahead.

When they have a ready-made replacement in Haaland for 75mil

Ah stand corrected

For all the talk of Jorginho as a Ballon D'Or candidate, he was not even a lock in the XI under Tuchel. Didn't Kovacic and Kante start a bunch of games?

There is a squad good enough now even if it doesn't work. Its not a 2013 situation when we ended up signing Eto'o late in the window after trying to sign Rooney. Apart from a top striker like Haaland, Kane, Lukaku, who is even on the market and is a striker the club could sign?

3 good options but would still like one more player who can bolt the midfield defensively.

Zero chance of 25mil. Lucky to get an offer at this point

Have a bloated squad already. I'm fine with no signings if the top talent are unavailable.

Athletic discontinued its Chelsea podcast?

United XI with Varane is worryingly good. Only a DM left to complete a starting XI with mostly technically accomplished players. Only AWB and Fred at the moment need major upgrading.