Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[Fernando 6,376]

Ben White: Leeds make third bid for Brighton defender

 

Leeds United have made a third bid for Brighton defender Ben White, believed to be £25m.

 

What do you guys think? I think 30 million for him would be the selling price. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Looks like they are going to sell Dembele & Aouar in this window.

[Vesper 27,310]

Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe cost more than Bayern Munich’s entire 23-man squad against Lyon

[Special Juan 27,103]

SKY mentioned last night that Munich's most expensive starting player from last night was Manuel Neuer at 20 odd million, the rest cheaper and also academy prospects.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Special Juan 27,103]

Aouar is outstanding, hope to fuck he doesn't go to Arsenal.

[DDA 9,570]

No way Aouar will end up at Arsenal. Absolutely no chance. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

13 minutes ago, DDA said:

No way Aouar will end up at Arsenal. Absolutely no chance. 

Never say never

 

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

Lille president Gerard Lopez has revealed that the club have reached the same agreement with Arsenal and Napoli over the future of Gabriel Magalhaes, leaving it up to the player to decide. 

Lopez told talkSPORT: "I think he has narrowed it down. I think it is fair to say that Arsenal are high interest to him. Napoli is high interest to him. I don't think I am giving up too much if I tell you that choice is going to be made probably between today or tomorrow.

"We've told him where we think he should go."

 

-Sky Sports

[Vesper 27,310]

Fulham sign Antonee Robinson, left-back nicknamed ‘Jedi’ who nearly joined Milan

https://theathletic.co.uk/1991795/2020/08/20/fulham-sign-antonee-robinson-left-back-nicknamed-jedi-who-nearly-joined-milan/

AC Milan, the San Siro and Paolo Maldini. As Antonee Robinson prepared to fly to Italy on transfer deadline day in January, there was much to be excited about.

Wigan Athletic had accepted an initial £6 million bid for the United States international that could rise by a further £4 million, meaning there were just the formalities of his dream move to complete. Or so it seemed.

An irregular heartbeat detected during the medical immediately put the switch to Italy on hold. Further tests were requested but the looming 7pm cut-off point for all Serie A deals to be finalised meant there just wasn’t time.

A deal that would have seen Robinson swap a Championship relegation scrap for one of the most glamorous names in European football was off. More worryingly for the former Everton academy graduate and his tight-knit family, the extent of those heart problems was a huge unknown.

Once back in England and with his Wigan career placed on ice, Robinson underwent tests at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. March was pencilled in for a possible operation only for the irregularity to have happily corrected itself before that date.

An all-clear to resume playing followed and the left-back was able to return to action with Wigan in a season extended by the pandemic. He started the final nine games as Paul Cook’s side battled to overcome a 12-point deduction imposed for going into administration.

“How Antonee dealt with everything thrown at him earlier this year said a lot about him as a character,” says Chris Brass, Wigan’s head of recruitment until being made redundant last month. “Nothing fazed him at all.

“Often, you don’t see the full character of a man until he suffers disappointment. How Antonee dealt with what happened with Milan was a testament to his strength of character. He’s always been a mature lad but probably even more so now after what happened.

“AC Milan and (the club’s technical director) Maldini, the greatest left-back of certainly my era, wanted to sign him. That is such a big thing, so to have it snatched away must have been so tough to take.

“But, no sooner had it happened, he was back at the club and supporting the boys. Not feeling sorry for himself or anything like that. That is when I knew this kid was someone who deserved to go to the top.”

Following his switch to Fulham, Robinson has now arrived at that elite level at the age of 23. Sheffield United and Fulham both triggered a £1.9 million relegation release clause in his contract late last week, but the 23-year-old opted for the newly-promoted London club. There was also interest from Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Werder Bremen and former club Everton.

Brass adds: “The AC Milan thing may have taken some people by surprise but, when you stop and think about where Antonee can reach, it did make sense. Had he signed for them, Antonee would have been a force in Italy. He could have helped Milan back up to where they belong in the Champions League.

“It would have been up to him, of course. But he’s a grounded lad and I’d have expected him to do exactly what he had once done at Wigan — worked hard to make a first-team place his own.

“Just look at what happened at Wigan last month. After all that had gone on and the time out he’d had to take, Antonee still came back for the final few weeks and finished the season very, very strongly. Again, that said a lot about him.”

---

Bramall Lane, Sheffield. The final Saturday of 2017. Chris Wilder’s promotion-chasing United are hosting a Bolton Wanderers side who sit second bottom of the Championship.

The home team are strongly fancied to win but Bolton start strongly. As the game approaches the midway point of the first half, Antonee Robinson is causing plenty of problems down the left flank.

So, when the ball reaches the loanee from Everton 10 or so yards inside the United half, there is a tangible sense of excitement among the travelling Bolton fans.

Billy Sharp and Chris Basham move to close down the left-back, who darts forward for a couple of seconds before quickly slipping a pass inside to team-mate Adam Le Fondre.

Robinson keeps going, meaning when the return pass comes, he is yards clear of the United defence. A perfectly-weighted cross follows to allow Gary Madine to tap in what proves to be the only goal of the game.

“Antonee came to us as quite a raw player,” recalls Phil Parkinson, Bolton manager at the time but now in charge of Sunderland. “But there was this incredible athletic ability there along with a very strong mentality. That stood out straight away.

“Learning your trade in the Championship — which is one of the toughest leagues in European football — is not easy. It is a big ask, and especially for someone like Antonee. who’d had a couple of injuries the previous year. But he took it in his stride and learned from any mistakes.

“He is everything you expect in a modern-day full-back. Powerful, so quick, with great hunger and desire to be a player.”

Robinson opting to move to Craven Cottage came as a disappointment to Wilder. The United manager is understood to have been informed of the US international’s decision by the player himself on Wednesday morning.

Enda Stevens starting every game for United last season is believed to have been a factor in Robinson choosing Fulham. However, the transfer will still thrust Robinson into a straight scrap for a starting place with Fulham’s Wembley hero Joe Bryan. Wolves also made a late play for Robinson but his mind was made up.

Parker will work with a very different Robinson to the one who first arrived at Bolton as a teenager a little over three years ago. His only previous senior experience had come via three appearances for Everton under-23s in the EFL Trophy. He went on to play 30 times as Parkinson’s side won their fight with relegation.

“I was looking for a full-back during the summer after we won promotion and couldn’t find one,” says Parkinson. “We looked everywhere, had a couple in on trial. But nothing seemed right.

“It was our under-23s scout, Chris Johnson, who came up with the suggestion. He rang me up and said, ‘You need to look at Antonee Robinson — he’s been out injured a while but could be just what you’re after’.

“After 10 minutes watching him on video, I knew Chris was right. We had to get him. I knew he’d be perfectly suited to us and bring the balance that we wanted.

“We already had Andy Taylor, which in many ways was the perfect balance with Antonee. Andy had the experience. He was probably coming to the end of his career but we said to Andy, ‘Can you help Antonee?’ He did that really well.”

Asked if there is any particular game that stands out from that one season together, Parkinson replies: “Funnily enough, considering their attempts to sign him, Sheffield United was probably one of those games when he played especially well.

“Chris Wilder had a few injuries that day so he played Chris Basham at wing-back. He (Robinson) burst straight past him and put this great cross in for Madine to finish in the middle. A lovely bit of football. I am sure Chris remembered Antonee’s pace and power from that day.”

Before moving on loan to Bolton, Robinson had signed a new two-year contract at Everton. He had joined the Merseyside club’s youth set-up at the age of 11 and later became an integral part of the under-23s side that won the Premier League 2 title under David Unsworth in 2016-17.

Nicknamed “Jedi” at Goodison Park due to his love of the Star Wars films, Robinson’s return after a maiden season in the Championship meant a chance to take stock, an opportunity to see just how far he had come since those days far, far away when first on trial.

Martin Waldron, Everton’s former head of academy recruitment, tells The Athletic: “The great thing with Antonee is he has got better every year. He matured later, getting better the longer he was with us.

“It often happens with lads born later in the school year. From memory, Antonee was born in early August (the 8th). Not all coaches make allowances but I always did. In fact, we played a game at Everton that I asked all the scouts to play.

“When watching a player, I got them to try and guess his date of birth. I could always spot a lad with a late birthday. I felt it was important you considered that because being the young boy in a group does make a difference.

“Everyone now seems to expect the player to be ready straight away at 17. But it doesn’t happen like that. The average age to make your Premier League debut is around 22 to 23. Give them that bit of time and they will get there. Antonee’s move from Wigan shows that.

“One of my scouts phoned me one day and said, ‘I’ve got one’. When someone you respect says that, then you get excited. We brought Antonee in and had a quick look at him in the development centre.

“Then, we put him into the group. Obviously, he wasn’t up to pace at first. It is so hard at that level. But there was something there. Antonee got better over his trial period and then we signed him. He played left midfield at first.

“Antonee had ability, the big thing we needed to do was harness it. In time, he got better and better. We moved him deeper to left-back over time. We thought the role would suit him better.

“He was in a decent group with Joe Williams, Harry Charsley, Ryan Ledson. With Antonee, that’s not a bad midfield, eh? Jonjoe Kenny was another in that group.

“I am pleased for him. A lovely kid and a lovely family, and his dad is sound. Can’t speak highly enough of his family. Antonee was a good honest kid who worked hard and took everything on board.”

---

London, November 2018. Robinson ambles through reception at the United States’ national team hotel on crutches, an ankle injury meaning he won’t face England in the upcoming friendly at Wembley.

It is the latest setback in what has been an inauspicious start to his international career. Robinson had made his debut for the US six months earlier in a 3-0 win over Bolivia, registering an assist, but then struggled in starts against Brazil and Colombia.

Neither, admittedly, was an easy assignment, with Robinson up against Atletico Madrid’s Santiago Arias and star playmaker James Rodriguez in the 4-2 defeat to Colombia. Against Brazil, it was Douglas Costa.

“When you struggle like that, you want to turn it around and take what you’ve learned to the next game,” Robinson told reporters after the 2-0 loss to Brazil. “It is all about growing each time.

“Costa is a Champions League-quality player. I’m not playing against people like him every week. But that’s a level that I want to get to.”

The injury before the England friendly denied Robinson the opportunity to impress in front of friends and family. Another difficult outing the following summer against Jamaica in Washington didn’t further his case to play under new coach Gregg Berhalter in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Daniel Lovitz, then at Montreal Impact, and new Fulham team-mate Tim Ream were selected ahead of Robinson, who was born in Milton Keynes but qualifies for the US through his father.

Nevertheless, left-back remains a weak spot for the USMNT and Robinson fits the bill in terms of Berhalter’s preferred attributes.

“If Christian Pulisic comes inside and is an aggressive attacker,” Berhalter says, “we want a left-footed player to get around him. Who is that person?

“If it’s (Ajax’s) Sergino Dest, he’s right-footed. I’ve been telling Sergino to work on his left-footed crossing. There are options. You can set it up in a way that could work. But all those issues would be solved if you had an attacking left-footed left-back, and, unfortunately, we don’t have that right now.”

Berhalter has been monitoring Fulham’s new signing. “He has been doing a great job,” adds the national team coach. “He’s playing every week, he’s got a great physical profile and he fits the profile of a guy who can overlap if you’re tucking your winger in.

“There are a lot of good things to his game and he is going to continue to develop. We are watching him closely and are in contact.”

As for the move to Craven Cottage, he adds: “For the national team, it is great news. When you think about that left-back spot being open and contested, it is a good opportunity for Antonee playing at a high level to prove that he wants to be and is capable of being the left-back for the national team.”

Fellow international — and new club-mate — Tim Ream also believes the transfer can only be good news for the US side.

“He is a flying full-back,” said the 32-year-old via a US Soccer conference call as the final touches were being put to the deal. “He is technical, but he’s got pace to burn, energy to burn and he gets up and down.

“Both times we played him (with Wigan) this year, our guys have come off the field saying, ‘What a player.’ As long as he continues to develop in that same vein, it can only mean big things for him.

“Obviously, a move to Milan falling through would have been huge but things happen. Another American at the club, and someone who can attack out of that left full-back role. And that can only translate into his role with the national team and being that attacking left full-back for the US.”

“The modern-day full-back is almost like a winger and Antonee ticks every box,” says Brass, who played such a pivotal role in bringing Robinson to the DW Stadium in 2018. “He is an elite athlete, I thought I’d been fit as a player until I saw Antonee.

“We had him on loan first and then paid what was quite a substantial fee for a youngster. And certainly for ourselves. But we felt there was more growth in him. I still believe that. Antonee can run the length of the field early on, but the big thing is he can continue doing that throughout the game. He was still doing those same runs in the 95th minute.

“That underlined what a phenomenal athlete he is. Antonee is now at the top level and his new club can now take on that mantle of challenging him, ensuring that full potential is reached.

“He can still get better and better to become a key player in the elite leagues for many years to come.”

[Vesper 27,310]

TRANSFER NEWS: MANCHESTER UNITED PLOT PLAYER PLUS CASH DEAL TO SIGN JACK GREALISH

http://www.thehardtackle.com/news/2020/08/21/transfer-news-manchester-united-plot-player-plus-cash-deal-to-sign-jack-grealish/

Manchester United are willing to offer Sergio Romero in a player plus cash deal to secure the services of Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish this summer.

According to Daily Mail, Manchester United have come up with a plan to sign Jack Grealish. They are plotting a player plus cash deal to sign the Aston Villa midfielder, with Sergio Romero likely to be used as a sweetener.

The Red Devils are keen on offloading the Argentine goalkeeper this summer, following the return of Dean Henderson, who will compete with David de Gea for the number one spot next season.

The Villans had expressed the desire to sign Henderson on loan, in an attempt to provide more competition to Tom Heaton in between the sticks. But instead, Manchester United are willing to offer them the chance to sign Romero as well as make a considerable amount of cash, with the hope of getting Grealish, who is valued around £70 million, in return.

Desperate for a move away from Old Trafford, Romero has been linked with a quite a few clubs already, including Chelsea and newly promoted Leeds United. But, a move to Aston Villa might make sense as he seeks to become a first-choice ‘keeper in the Premier League next season.

For Manchester United, Grealish could be an important signing as the Englishman fits the criteria of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s footballing identity, with the Red Devils revolving their game around talented British players.

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

 

[Valdo 583]

12 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

Where would he go? lol, he wouldn't survive in any other league in the world besides japan/china maybe. Let alone paying the silly wages, he probably wants a new contract again.

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

1 hour ago, Valdo said:

Where would he go? lol, he wouldn't survive in any other league in the world besides japan/china maybe. Let alone paying the silly wages, he probably wants a new contract again.

I really do not know who can afford him now? And Barca would have to accept low offer like 100m just like Real did with Ronaldo.

[Vesper 27,310]

8 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

I really do not know who can afford him now?

 

Jeff Bezos Ends Wednesday, August 19th With An All-Time High Net Worth Of $201.84 Billion

https://playback.fm/jeff-bezos-net-worth

[Blues Forever 1,232]

5 hours ago, Valdo said:

Where would he go? lol, he wouldn't survive in any other league in the world besides japan/china maybe. Let alone paying the silly wages, he probably wants a new contract again.

City, PSG, and United only these three could afford him.

[Jase 43,479]

8 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

Messi is such a drama queen...

[killer1257 3,282]

Messi is such a drama queen...

I would leave too if I was him. It will take time til Barca get back to their best.
Messi does not have much time left.

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