Leif

Robinho is set to sign for Flamengo. A huge slap in the face to his earlier club Santos. Pato's departure now looks slightly less likely, but still possible. (The move to Corinthians.)

XI: Cech; Azpi, Cahill, Ivanovic, Cole; Mikel, Luiz; Moses, Oscar, Mata; Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Ake, Ferreira, Lampard, Marin, Hazard, Piazon

If we fail to win today I may go outside and write "fuck Norwich" on a wall with my pee purely out of rage.

No one rape me for saying this please, but although not a good option for the long-term compared to Falcao, I actually believe that David Villa is the superior finisher.

Makes sense we'd be in for Villa. He's 'magically' not been selected for games since returning to fitness and the out-of-form Sanchez has kept on starting ahead of him!

Pretty much the king when it comes to Serie A-related transfer news: @tancredipalmeri

Shit, looks like I was right. Sneijder has agreed in theory to join Tottenham as they're interested (in loaning him) and he loves the look of London. Inter want him out on loan as they won't play him but also can't sell him until Summer (because the only teams who can afford him don't want him this January). Sneijder has apparently 'agreed a deal in principle' with Tottenham, but Tottenham and Inter are trying to negotiate something. Schalke apparently want to sign him in Summer, while PSG's interest has cooled. If the loan move at Tottenham goes well, Sneijder would be open to a permanent move and a pay-cut.

That's what I thought at first. I'm guessing that if this deal happens, they'll pay half the wages while Inter pay the other half, and then Inter will sell him off to PSG or someone in the Summer.

I think Sneijder's off to Tottenham on loan. (Don't laugh at me. I'll have the last laugh.)

After all this random talk of Sneijder, news will be released at around 1:45am UK time regarding which Premier League club he is in talks with...

I agree with the above actually ^^^ Sneijder would be on hideous wages, but if Lampard and Cole are to go we need an experienced player, and really, Sneijder is in his prime IMO. He's simply not getting to show it at Inter due to his contract dispute. I'm assuming he'll end up at PSG, but he'd be very welcome here in my opinion. Rotating Mata/Oscar/Hazard/Sneijder.... fuck. I just came.

Holt, Bennett and Whittaker are all doubtful. Surman and Ruddy are out.

Because they get to play every week at other teams...... Chalobah has 16 league appearances this season while McEachran has 22....would they have got those numbers if they stayed with us? No. So how would they develop? You don't just magically unlock your potential in training, regardless how many top players are around you. Kalas has over 40 league appearances for Vitesse, De Bruyne nearly 20 for Werder Bremen, Lukaku 16 for West Brom and van Aanholt 20 for Vitesse. Loans are essential for a top team.

I'm loving him at centre back. When he's played at right back for a few games and then centre back, he's looked shakey. But now they he's starting there regularly he's really filling his potential finally IMO.

1: Walcott is not a winger or an 'AM'. 2: We have only 1 winger if you count Moses. 2 if you count Malouda in the reserves. 3 if you count Hazard being played out of position as a 'winger'. 4 if you include Marin who doesn't really play for us at all. 3: We need more English/homegrown players in the squad. Name one better and available English player for us. Unless you think registering Saville for our senior team is better than buying Walcott, of course.

So - which clubs do we think would be suitable for a loan for him? I don't want him going to Vitesse or abroad at all; we need him to get used to the English game a bit more still. An npower Championship team who're lacking up-front would be ideal. Do any teams come to mind for anyone?

Has anyone thought that perhaps that little stunt Jose pulled vs. Malaga in dropping Casillas etc. was actually mind games for SaF and Man Utd? Y'know, lull them into a false sense of security etc. before their match? He seems to have already given up on the title; so perhaps he purposely wanted his team to look weak so that he can get a bit of an advantage in the Champions League which he's completely focussed on now. He's a smart man.

For the people who wanted him to be our starting striker - err, what role exactly did you want him to play? Target man/hold-up man? A poacher? He certainly never had the control to be a target man, and was out of position (yes, when played centrally) too often to be a poacher. So what role exactly? In a top team, you need specific roles. In a small team like Liverpool, you don't need specific roles - only positions. Which is probably why it'll look like he's flourishing there. Who cares how many goals he scored? Wasn't there some news recently that some African player (i think) scored more goals than Messi in a calendar year? So should he now go down as one of the greatest ahead of Messi?

What do you base your counter-opinion on?

If you're good enough, you succeed. He is good - not good enough. He will succeed - at a lower level.

Hoping this game has convinced the board to not be fucking idiots and to renew both Cole and Lampard's contracts.

We. Must. Have. Another. Clean. Sheet. (See my post in Cech's thread.)

3 more clean sheets and he'll hold the record of 'most clean sheets (currently 135) at a single Premier League club', surpassing David Seaman's record of 137 at Arsenal. This despite playing allot less games for us compared to Seaman at Arsenal.

Cannot believe how cheap we got Courtois. Surely going to be one of our clubs greatest bargains in history. Glad to see he won't be staying at Atletico Madrid on loan again after this season. I was getting afraid he'd become too attached to the club.

I'm actually under the impression that Sturridge will be sold, Torres retained, and then no major striker will come in. A back up striker is likely. I'm then believe it or not beginning to believe that in the Summer, we may move for Neymar again. He's not a powerful forward, but surely now that Roman has seen what our attacking trio can do, he'll want Neymar again!