Leif

............So I'm the only one who sees him going to Juve or Bayern; even possibly Dortmund with the possible sale of Lewandowski; ahead of Madrid? Madrid didn't want Mourinho because he was troublesome so why would they want Suarez?

When we're 'linked' with the likes of Cavani, Mangala, Moutinho, Di Maria, Papadopoulos etc. with 0 quotes, barely any credible sources and hardly anything to suggest such a transfer would happen, the get shoved into all the fantasy XI's on here and people talk about what they're going to bring to the squad etc. But when it comes to De Rossi which is being reported by many reputable sources and the club have been trying to get rid of him all year; even restricting his playing time; - "It won't happen." Why? Then there's the "We don't need him, we could do better and get [insert name of a player we've never been linked to before]" line by the same people who say that the exact position De Rossi would fill should be our priority who then say the money should be invested elsewhere like a striker or partner for Luiz. People. Confuse. Me.

Why the fuck can't we just sign Muller instead? Not even joking. If you people want work rate Muller is your guy. He has the work rate and absolutely everything else. "Bayern wouldn't sell" - well every club has their price, as do the players. Hazard - Mata - Muller. Wow. I'd jizz myself every game. I'd rather go find the next Muller who actually plays on the right than sign Schurrle. Or chuck £40m at Bayern and sign Muller himself. I used to be completely up for this move but I am firmly against it now.

You don't pay £20m for a 'work rate' lol. May as well just sign a free-agent who likes to run loads if that's the argument now for signing him.

lol. we still aren't being properly linked with someone who can play on the right wing lol. we're gonna end up playing Hazard there lol he's not gonna be as good there lol Schurrle will be hated by fans lol

"What if De Bruyne gets attached to German football and wants to stay? :/" then we tell him to come the fuck back because we own him.

Let's say Liverpool get £40m for Suarez, who could we see them spending that cash on? A central defender is a given. Knowing them they'll spend £20m on someone who doesn't fit their system - Papodopoulos. The remaining £20m? Well around £8m or so on Aspas to try and fill Suarez's void. Now the remaining £12m - probably Ashley Williams or someone Rodgers has links with. Liverpool aren't very good with their money are they.

So sorry for sounding like an over-emotional lying prick, but genuinely right now - I will literally cry if we sign De Rossi. Like cry absolute shit loads. He's in my top 10 players of all time and was the first player I ever properly met (well, aside from some crap player for Livingston in Scotland.) I know we wouldn't exactly be signing an in-prime Totti, but a still very good De Rossi is just as good to me. For some reason though I just can't see us getting him. I think these stories are just journalists putting 2 and 2 to together (is that the saying?). I hope i'm wrong. Rarely have I seen such a passionate and committed player. Players like himself, Del Piero, Totti (if you're not Choulo ) etc. are the sort of players that are dying out fast but are still needed in the game in my opinion. There's something special about Italian players. I want him here so bad. I'd take him even if both his legs got cut off.

I think this will be like the Marin deal. Buying a player who had loads of potential 2 seasons ago and failed to fulfil it, leaving regular Bundesliga followers to have a chuckle at us once he arrives.

We need Suarez to leave Liverpool. Yes, they have Sturridge and he is very good, but he's not the player to transform a mid-table team into one competing in the top 4 places like Suarez would do with some reinforcements. If you take away the cuntishness, Suarez is one of the greatest strikers to ever grace the Premier League despite his at times wasteful and woeful finishing. He's incredible. Hopefully he leaves for Espana.

Why exactly wouldn't he be revealed as Chelsea manager before the league in Spain ends? That'd make a lot of sense if Real Madrid hadn't actually confirmed he's leaving; but with Chelsea confirming Benitez has left and Madrid confirming Mourinho will not continue, what exactly would prevent it from happening?

Going from Torres to Cavani is like going from one of those eco-friendly cars which require a special fuel which is so rare and expensive for them to perform properly to a petrol-guzzling Ferrari which looks intimidating & has high performance in every aspect.

People are acting like we've just sold him for a slice of pie. Please stop. We're (potentially) loaning out a 21 year old player who'll be getting more games as a starter at a CL team than him being a bench option here, likely growing frustrated after a previously successful campaign where he was pivotal to a team's success, which could then cause some problems here. At Bayer he'll be used in a completely different role as to how he would be deployed here and even Werder, meaning when he comes back we'll see if he's that good and able to play wherever he's put or if he does need to specifically be put in 'his' position. It's not even a done deal. This could all hit a snag if the 2 clubs can't agree a price for Schurrle.

When I first started watching him I thought he was like Baggio but not as good of a finisher. I thought he was best as a 2nd-striker, making little dribbles and getting the ball to a main finisher. This season he's changed my mind. Now he's more like a Batistuta who can dribble really well. He's grown into a really consistent and excellent finisher. I've no idea if he'd work as a poacher-type player in our 4-2-3-1 however as despite his decent height he's not all that strong at all and offers nothing in terms of defence when needed.

But we played 30+ year olds this season. Terry, Lampard, Cech, Cole, Ferreira; and last season you could have added the likes of Drogba, Malouda etc. to that list. The argument people use is "we no longer sign 30+ year olds" - and we wouldn't be if we signed De Rossi before his 30th birthday. I don't think there's ever been a suggestion that we won't play with 30+ year olds if they're good enough, but some people seem to have this impression.

He's not even 30 like people keep saying lol. Still in his 20's. Obviously not for much longer, but if we signed him soon enough, that "we don't buy 30+ year old players" point is irrelevant.

Joe Cole played as an unorthodox winger in a 4-3-3 formation using his dribbling to get past players and deliver a cross. Juan Mata plays as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, dictating the tempo of the game when he can, relying on his swift movements to get past players. Joe Cole, being on the wing, was expected to contribute to defending a bit so the flank wasn't exposed. Juan Mata, playing in the hole behind a striker and being relied on for goals/assists, isn't, won't be and shouldn't be expected to put such an emphasis on defence, and should only need to close down players in his own area as he has 2 defensive midfielders behind him. Where is this comparison coming from? Joe Cole and Eden Hazard is a comparison. Joe Cole and Moses is a comparison. Ozil and Mata is a comparison. Sneijder and Mata is a comparison.

Liverpool fans on Twitter saying he's going to join them and become their new Gerrard

If all the transfers they want go through, I believe the XI Monaco are aiming for and would end up with is something like; Valdes; Sagna, Ivanovic, Sakho, A. Ekotto; Moutinho, Gonalons(?); Rodriguez, Boateng, Aubameyang; Falcao The rumours are that Tevez or Robinho are wanted as a rotation or back-up option to Falcao. If they can partner Moutinho with a Frenchman (it's not a certainty or anything that Gonalons would join Monaco but they are interested), that'd be 5 French-born (including Ekotto) players in their XI which is quite impressive for a team willing to splash the cash on any player! I actually believe that'd do incredibly well in the CL if they blend together quickly assuming they have good subs; Which they would in Ocampos, Ruffier (rumoured), Tevez/Robinho (rumoured) etc.

Good lord, Modric - Van Ginkel would be an amazing pairing. Neither of them are anchors in midfield, but the amount they'll bring to the attack despite not being actual attacking players should mean that in theory we retain the ball well enough meaning we rarely defend have to defend counter-attacks. Modric has one of the highest interceptions made in La Liga this season believe it or not and his agility means he can quickly get back and try to win the ball if it's lost. I think his tackling and recovering is underrated. Van Ginkel is one of the smartest footballers around when it comes to positioning and I'm sure he'd cover perfectly well for Modric if he was to stray forward at times. Juventus don't play with defensive midfielders, Man United never do nor really have, nor Arsenal; and it's no coincidence that those 3 teams play highly attractive and winning (aside from Arsenal cos they're shit) football.

@The only place to be, Now I remember why you're Member Of The Month That all makes a lot of sense.

This is my only and major worry when it comes to Courtois. These are considered some of his best 'saves' at Atletico but just look how many times he parries the ball away for a corner or to the opposition when he should actually hold it in his hands. He needs to work on that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFwMp2l1cK4

Apparently just passed his medical.

I genuinely believe it's rubbish when people say "Courtois isn't near Cech's level yet". You know what? I believe he's better than Cech.. on a few levels. Courtois has more agility, better ball distribution, the best reflexes of a keeper I've personally ever seen on a consistent basis, he dominates when it comes to the air (something Cech hasn't put his all into ever since his head accident, understandably) and he never just stands there and acts like he doesn't have to go for the ball in 'hope' that it just goes over the cross-bar or goes out wide - something Cech has done numerous times over the past 2 seasons which has lead to quite a few equalisers and even losing goals. His only real drawback is protecting his near post at times and punching the ball when he should catch. Cech has better penalty saving I believe - some of the best in the world actually, and he's a better shot-stopper, has 'experience' (Courtois has won what, 5 trophies at Atletico Madrid? But that's not 'experience' ) and is incredible at 'clutch' moments which is more about mentality than physical attributes. We can't keep holding onto sentiment. I genuinely believe some people on here would rather keep Cech as #1 for 2 more seasons and actually sell Courtois and then go searching for someone half as good as Courtois when Cech can no longer play at this level. Sometimes, even when a player is still very good and is a legend at a club, he has to be replaced or at least have someone else bled into his position. Raul was still good at Madrid - Moved on. Klose Was still good at Bayern - Moved on. Scholes was/is still an excellent player but United kept playing Cleverley and even Jones in his position instead because they understand the concept of preparing for the future. I don't see a problem in giving Cech the Cudicini role or even letting him join another non-rival club. He deserves to play somewhere like Milan (who're looking for a new #1) with some sunshine and still play at a top, but slightly less demanding, level. Courtois is the future but he is also the present. It can't be denied that he'll be one of, if not the very best goalkeeper in the world one day. Why limit the chances of that happening at our club to just squeeze the last bit out of Cech?

I actually think this is the perfect time to buy Hulk. At Porto he was absolutely incredible, so anything he'd do here would be a let down. No way could any player keep that level up when moving to the Premier League; so instantly we'd feel deflated and perhaps label him a 'flop'. He now has to prove himself again after really 'flopping' in Zenit. There'd be none of the incredibly high expectations. If anything, other fans of other clubs wouldn't even care that much about the transfer which is a complete opposite to when we were (apparently) close to signing him. But that could be good for us. Less pressure on his shoulders. Zenit are likely to play less of the hard-ball when it comes to a fee as I believe they want him out, he wants out, and they're not exactly Porto when it comes to ransoms. I was against him coming here originally last season. He was too much of the "cut in and shoot" sort of 'winger' for me especially for the fee he'd cost. But now I just do not care. We need a goalscorer. Mata's finishing is hit-and-miss, Hazard doesn't get in front of goal enough and Oscar doesn't get played enough. We rarely have a striker banging in goals, so why not get Hulk banging them in? It wouldn't be the first time a wide player has been relied on for the goals. Messi did it for a while at Barcelona, Cruyff at Ajax (I think), The Pharaoh at AC Milan and so-on. His goal record is still good. At Porto he averaged more than a goal a game, and at Zenit he's averaging a goal just about every 2 games. Decent stat when you're getting racially abused on artificial pitches every day! Personally, £30m or under and I'd take him. That's a £22m loss for Zenit but I think they'll cope!