January Window Speculation
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Tah i still have high hopes for
I expect Brandt to sign a new contract with higher clause, but if not, surely a no brainer for us?
And it's rumoured that he wants a 30M signing on fee.
How many trophies have we won lately? Where can you see our next one coming from?
1l Not many
2) The FA cup, one season.
But my point is that we dont ever buy already established world class players; and rarely did even in our heyday.
And these days we can't afford the wages, even if we could afford the fee in the case, say, of Sanchez.
We always nicked other teams best players. Maybe you missed it.
As an aside, how much are we paying ex Soton and Scottish League player VVD?
As an aside, how much are we paying ex Soton and Scottish League player VVD?
I think it is broken. Thought I read you saying that we just get ‘Just middlers that we hope come off’. Hopefully broken yeah.
That's not what you said, though.
So true ... all that sad noise just serves to hide the truth from The Firm
It's far more complicated than that, even if you put to one side the tedious, tortured 'what constitutes world class' discussion.
Liverpool are less likely to pay astronomical wages like the £300,000 or whatever that Sanchez and Ozil and their ilk want.
The players like Griezmann, or Kane or whoever would be looking to move from a (relatively) successful team, to *guaranteed* trophies, PLUS gigantic wages, so what the fuck would they join Liverpool for?
As for the younger, less well-known up and coming talent (like Sane or whoever), again, we would have to hope that Real, Barca, City, United, Chelsea, PSG don't want them, and that we can grab them before Spurs, Arsenal, AM do, because again, when they're ready to move on from that stage, we aren't a team that are a big enough step up.
So yes, we are wealthy, we have a very attractive wage structure and a manager who players want to play for, but let's not pretend it's still dead easy for us, or that we can compete readily with richer, more successful clubs.
We have to pay more for players in that middle bracket, we have to work harder and take more chances and risks, and we have to accept that we will always, ALWAYS, lose our best players to other clubs, once every few years.
And before that makes it seem all fucking doom and gloom, let's not forget that when I listed all of the clubs that *could* take players from us - and that would be more obviously attractive because of current squad quality, rich owners, likely current and future success and whatever - that is still only, what, 8 or so clubs? In the entire *world*?
Boo hoo
Boo hoo
Why would Sanchez be any more open to the idea of a move here now than he was when we went in for him before? Barca wanted to sell him to us then too, 'coz ours was the highest offer, and he still wouldn't have it. Great player an' all, but it would have been a monumental waste of time going after him again.
That's not the story I heard. I heard (from a decent Arsenal source) that Arsenal had it sewn up before the season had ended. We we never in the running at all.
Who knows, though.
You have the advantage of me then, as I don't have inside sources. The reports were so numerous and persistent at the time that I was going by "no smoke without fire" but, as you say, who knows.
Indeed.
So why would we pay a large sum for a 29 yo in his last 6 months if a contract, who would want a large signing on fee & massive wages, who has already turned down a move to us and is likely to want to move again if we aren't immediately successful.
Good player - but not at the price & costs being quoted.
Why are we hearing about this joker Gelson Martins again? Agent inspired shite I'm thinking.
Hmm, so Naby Keita is staying with Leipzig until the summer because we wouldn't stump up the extra £17m and we are refusing to pay the fee for Lemar which is anywhere between £60-90m according to which paper you read. Goretzka looks nailed on for Bayern. We have apparently denied any interest in Mahrez or Sanchez. The mystery player is just click-bait.
So that's the Firm outed. Any more targets for this window or will we sit on the cash pile from Coutinho (and maybe Sturridge)?
There must be some activity going on in the background...and results like yesterday make us a prime destination again, so will we stick or twist?
So that's the Firm outed. Any more targets for this window or will we sit on the cash pile from Coutinho (and maybe Sturridge)?
There must be some activity going on in the background...and results like yesterday make us a prime destination again, so will we stick or twist?
he's 38 years old
The African age jokes never get old.
It's dawning on me that we're not actually going to buy anyone. This is annoying when we so clearly need re-inforcements.
It's dawning on me that we're not actually going to buy anyone. This is annoying when we so clearly need re-inforcements.
Personally I am really glad we're not.
For starters, I think he's trouble. He seems to be causing trouble at Dortmund wanting out. Sure other players do that, as we've seen with Coutinho / Suarez etc, but it doesn't endear me to a player.
Then, I'd worry about changing the attack to fit him in. Mainly because Firmino would need to go from being the main central striker / false 9 etc. To more of a number 10 and I don't see why we'd break that up given he's thriving in that role and so key to us.
Then you factor in his age. He's 28 & will be 29 in June. That just doesn't fit our transfer policy. Which is why we're not going for Sanchez (as well as the ridiculous wages in that case). We're having so much success buying younger players who can still have an impact now and can appreciate in value & performance. Salah, Mane, Ox types. Aubameyang will be expensive and little developing to do as a player and they'll be little to no sell on value given his age.
Also the decline, especially to players where pace is a big part of their game. That occurs around 28 year of age and that is another worry.
So factoring in all the above, I think we're right to be swerving a player who might affect the balance of the team and doesn't fit our transfer policy.
Clearly... as we showed against City.
It could be worse lads:
Carroll could be Chelsea’s unlikely transfer target
Chelsea have endured three successive goalless draws for the first time and it is inconceivable the scouting department is not exploring forward options. Something has clearly put them off the pursuit of Alexis Sánchez, whom they courted in the summer. Perhaps they believe he is set upon a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Maybe they feel they cannot compete with the financial package Manchester United could offer. Possibly they deem the costs excessive. Yet, if that avenue is blocked, and with Crystal Palace unlikely to entertain offers for Christian Benteke, there remains the possibility Chelsea will explore Andy Carroll’s availability. Antonio Conte had hoped to secure a targetman over the summer and is apparently an admirer of Carroll, for all the 29-year-old’s patchy injury record. Such a move would once have seemed outlandish. Yet times may have changed. Dominic Fifield
Carroll could be Chelsea’s unlikely transfer target
Chelsea have endured three successive goalless draws for the first time and it is inconceivable the scouting department is not exploring forward options. Something has clearly put them off the pursuit of Alexis Sánchez, whom they courted in the summer. Perhaps they believe he is set upon a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Maybe they feel they cannot compete with the financial package Manchester United could offer. Possibly they deem the costs excessive. Yet, if that avenue is blocked, and with Crystal Palace unlikely to entertain offers for Christian Benteke, there remains the possibility Chelsea will explore Andy Carroll’s availability. Antonio Conte had hoped to secure a targetman over the summer and is apparently an admirer of Carroll, for all the 29-year-old’s patchy injury record. Such a move would once have seemed outlandish. Yet times may have changed. Dominic Fifield
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