The Transfer Rumours Thread

[RuneEdge]

Brilliant. The more midfielders we shift out the better. It just means we definately bring others in.
We should go for Ever Banega imo.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Ever Banega is a quality passer of the ball, but isn't he also batshit mental?

[RuneEdge]

Ever Banega is a quality passer of the ball, but isn't he also batshit mental?

Is he? I dunno. I rarely watch him but when I do, he looks like he's one that's gonna grow into a major player. And he's a proper central midfielder that attacks and defends so he seems like the kind of thing we need right now.

[Simon]

Banega got caught wanking on the internet like Ashley Young I think.

Who is this Alvarez you're going on about KMH.

[RuneEdge]

There's an Alvarez at Deportivo. Doesnt sound promising.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Simon, it's Ricardo Alvarez. 23 year old Argentinian winger

YouTube - ‪Ricardo Alvarez 2011- Ricky the Wonderful‬‏

[Chris Scott]

Liverpool favourites to sign Downing, Adam and Barton. That could be the dullest, most unexciting batch of midfield signings ever made.

I doubt we will get any.

[Bad Collin]

I love the fact that we are linked to every midfielder out of the top six.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

United in talks with Independiente about signing this lad. Look at the first dribble in this clip, he's like a regen of Cristiano Ronaldo

YouTube - ‪Patricio 'Patito' Rodriguez vs Newell's‬‏

watch this goal

YouTube - ‪Golazo de Patricio Rodriguez a Olimpo Clausura 2011 (Relato Martin Roldan ).wmv‬‏

very exciting. get him signed, Fergie.

[RuneEdge]

Shit, I'd have thought that was a young Ronaldo in that first video if I hadnt been told beforehand. What's Patito mean? Little duck or something?

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Potato. It's a marketing scheme to appease the vast number of Irish supporters the club has.

[Bad Collin]

Fucking hell, not another one

[Mik]

He's 20 years old, has come through their youth system, has shown flashes of excellence and they have few midfielders. Who gives a monkeys about the cash?

He may well be inconsistent but accepting £13mil for a young midfielder with a lot of Premier League experience, who plays across the midfield and has international recognition is not for me.

SkySports are reporting that they rejected a 13mil bid.


Yes he has, he's often involved in some of their best play, I remember Welbeck finishing off a lovely move that Henderson was a focal point of. He's scored some good goals too, he scored one very good goal in the Premier League this season, I forget against who and scored a nice volley against Romania for the U21s. He's very athletic and imposes himself well for his age too.

He's a regular in the side so the price goes up immediately. Sunderland can't afford to lose anymore players because they have a small squad so the price goes up again. Personally I would do anything to keep the local lad in the side, his goal celebrations show just how much he cares about playing for the club.


He was noticeably terrible on a number of occasions, you can't point to one game and claim it as proof. He was so poor the fans were booing him at one point, were they not? He also looked completely out of his depth on his England debut. Which are both completely fine for a 20 year old making his way in the game, you wouldn't expect any different - but, to me, it would mean massive warning signs against signing him for big money unless he was really EXCELLENT at his best, which I don't think he has been. If Spurs went in for him at £15m or whatever it would cost to get him I'd be reet fucked off.


Gibson to Sunderland :D :yes:

EDIT: As well as Henderson, Cattermole is also now being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool. I've always rated him, and if he can hold back from trying to get himself a suspension every second week he could be a great player for them. Looks like Dalglish is trying to create a predominantly English squad- good work from the cunt.


Cant believe that I missed this whole exchange. Simon is partially right and HUGELY wrong. Henderson was massively overhyped this season, he was NEVER exceptional. He had a few good games and a good spell, but nothing to justify the hype that he got. He played well consistently for a while. He actually didnt excel during Sunderland's slump either. But nor was he terrible during that time. He clearly fatigued and needed resting. He was pretty average during that period. Simon's right to say that he was overhyped but incredibly foolishly wrong to say that he's got no particular potential to him. He is big, strong, fast, can run with the ball, can pick a pass, had very strong goalscoring instincts as a younger player and is very fit. In short he's a typical England centre half. Thats why we'd be foolish to sell him at this moment. He's not actually any better than a couple of other midfielders we have (David Meyler or even Jack Colback) but he's got potential to be a LOT better. He's got everything you'd want in a young player. I certainly wouldnt sell him in a deal that involves bringing Darren Gibson on the basis that he's already better than that useless cunt.

As for Cattermole, at the moment I'd probably take a profit for him. He's a hugely irritating player. Gets himself a yellow far too easily time and time again and then spends the rest of the game all full of bluster with his hands on his hips shouting at other people to fight and play hard when he's absolutely toothless because he's had his wings clipped. He does the exact same turn everytime he receives the ball, isnt great running with the ball, isnt a great passer, isnt as tough tackling as everyone makes out and regularly shoots from distance when he doesnt look for another option and doesnt get it anywhere near goal. The problem is that he also has the tools to be just what we need, he's got a lot of potential but this season he was shite. For the type of money he'd go for, you could get someone who already has fulfilled their promise rather than keeping him, but then he is still very young too.

The transfer talks are irritating me already so far. Henderson and Cattermole looking to go and talking about bringing Gibson and Wes Brown in. Thats not the kind of ambition I'm expecting over the summer.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Wes Brown would be a very good signing. He's better than anything you have.

I'd have Cattermole at United. He lacks discipline, but it's something that could be sorted out fairly easily.

[Mik]

Its not just discipline.

I agree that Wes Brown is a good player, but we KNOW that we've got defensive problems. Why arent we looking for a good young defender, or an experienced defender who is at least playing regularly?

[da_man]

Papers reporting that Birmingham are after £14m for Roger Johnson from Sunderland :spit:

Double that price for Samba and Phil Jones then.

[McBain]

I've always been impressed with Roger Johnson. Considering Anton Ferdinand went for £8m it doesn't seem all that ridiculous (knowing the English player market).

[da_man]

Roger Johnson's form went to shit when he didn't have Scott Dann there to hold his hand.

[1_Pablo_Angel]

Nah he's still class. Not 14m good, but good. Sunderland need to be patient, blues cAnt afford not to sell him. In a month they'll take 8.

[1_Pablo_Angel]

Haha great stuff downing

[Keano's Magic Hat]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394360/I-Manchester-says-Citys-Argentine-star-Carlos-Tevez-286-000-week.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

i really wish he would quit moaning and finally fuck off. fucking bastard

[Keano's Magic Hat]

also, nobody is going to say that manchester is the greatest place on earth, but this cunt was born and raised in a shitty, little argentinian slum.. why is he moaning? that's really annoyed me. why can't he just leave if he hates it here so much? go away

[RuneEdge]

Sneijder's apparantly flown to California to decide on a £30m move to either us or City.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/06/05/2518588/liverpool-midfielder-joe-cole-set-for-tottenham-medical-ahead-3m-?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

[MMH]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394360/I-Manchester-says-Citys-Argentine-star-Carlos-Tevez-286-000-week.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

i really wish he would quit moaning and finally fuck off. fucking bastard

Agreed, he seems like a total weirdo.

Im sure many people dont like his pock filled face but you dont hear people moaning about it.

[Andy]

Looks like Nasri has turned down a contract offer and has been talking up Man United on French radio. :cry:

[RuneEdge]

We dont want him. He's not the type of player we need.
I blame Evra. :mad:

[JIJ]

He's exactly the sort of player you need :wtf:

[El Capitano Gatisto]

He's pretty much exactly the same sort of player as Sneijder, except cheaper, younger, quicker and has played in England. Indeed Nasri has more experienced of playing slightly deeper as a central midfielder.

All these people getting fucking boners over Sneijder forget that at Inter he has Cambiasso and usually one other holding midfielder out of Zanetti/Chivu/Stankovic etc., for Holland he has de Jong and Van Bommel in midfield. I don't think Sneijder is worth the outlay United would have to spend to get him especially since accomodating him would mean a tactical change or displacing Rooney from the position he has settled into this season. It doesn't make sense for City to get him either as they have Silva who takes up much the same role.

Further, Sneijder signed a massive new 5 year contract last year, he has said numerous times he'll be staying at Inter next season, so whoever signs him will be spending a very large amount of money to persuade club and player to go for the move. He's a very, very good player but anyone thinking he is a Scholes replacement or a player capable of playing in a 4-4-2 system has clearly never actually watched him play.

[RuneEdge]

He's exactly the sort of player you need :wtf:
We need a defensive midfielder, and we've needed one for the last 4 years.

[RFF Champ]

We look like signing a third Taylor. This one Neil Taylor from Swansea for £1mil.

I'm happy to be signing young players, I just hope he isn't Enrique's replacement.

[RuneEdge]

The Nasri rumours are gathering pace. All whilst still being linked with Modric. :hyper:
we'll probably get neither of 'em. :(

[son_of_foley]

If Arsenal lost Nasri to United they will have been absolutely put in their place. If they sold Fabregas I think Nasri is the right replacement for now.

Then they can actually buy a winger who can score fucking goals and have some pace. Actually they should probably sign 2-3 out and out wingers/wing forwards if they are sticking with 4-5-1 as they need cover for Walcott and Arshavin is a cunt

Wenger needs to stop playing central midfielders on the fucking wing.

[Lagom]

You might get Jenas though, if you're lucky.

I'd say £5m + Wes Brown would be enough to bag him

[Alf]

You are not getting Modric. United are using the media to drum it up. But he won't be going anywhere.

[Simon]

I would laugh myself to death if United got Nasri instead of Super Lovely Luka.

[Lagom]

News stories about us and Henderson/Wickham just won't go away. I think if that's the direction we're taking, with youth and home-grown status as a platform, complemented by foreign quality, then I'm fairly pleased. I don't buy all this talk from the players about being ready to challenge for the title next year, i just want us to build on our squad, sift out the shite like Jovanovic, Poulsen, Konchesky, and concentrate on securing a European place.

If i had an ideal shopping list, it would have Phil Jones, Leighton Baines (unrealistic, yes, but he'd be a great signing for us in a problematic position), Connor Wickham and probably Stewart Downing on it.

[Simon]

Is that Wickham actually any good? I've not seen a huge amount of him but from what I have seen it seems like he doesn't score all that often, but when he does it's usually a quality strike that gets him hyped up more. His record for Ipswich is one in five which hardly leaps out at you.

Phil Jones looks like an absolutely fantastic talent to me. Solid enough at the back but surprisingly good on the ball and quick for such a big guy, I wonder whether he might be pushed further forward one day. He played in midfield against us around Christmas and was superb...then again if Samba goes they'll probably need him more at the back.

Samba would be a great buy for someone I think. He's exactly what Arsenal need, hopefully they steer well clear.

[Lagom]

From what I've seen of Wickham, he's definitely got something about him, he's decent with the ball at his feet, and nice and strong. His strike rate obviously isn't outstanding, but he's very young still. I think we'd be quite a good option for him, since youth seems to be Dalglish/Clarke/Lee's priority.

If we got Jones, and I really hope we will, I'd like to see him sat in front of our defence. If Wilson and Kelly fulfill their potentia, they'll be pushing hard for our centre-back spots, and someone as solid and composed as Jones sat in front of them would be very promising.

[son_of_foley]

I dont think this hiring thing is Daglish's idea to be honest but more to do with Comolli. He did the same thing at Spurs. It's a high yield investment strategy

[Simon]

Comolli's record with us wasn't actually that good in terms of hit ratio to misses. But then again it only requires one or two big hits to justify the misses when you're talking about bringing in youngsters for (relatively) small fees.

[RFF Champ]

I dont think this hiring thing is Daglish's idea to be honest but more to do with Comolli. He did the same thing at Spurs. It's a high yield investment strategy

If they do sign players like Wickham and Jones I don't think they'd ever see a profit on their purchases. They set the bar very high with the price they paid for Carroll and they'll never sell him for more than £35mil. As has been the case for a long time domestic transfers of English players always have over-inflated fees.

I think if they were looking to sign cheap youngsters with experience then they'd follow Ashley's model of buying them abroad and selling them on. Like the profits he's about to make on Enrique. Isn't that more like what Commolli did at Spurs?

[son_of_foley]

Was he not involved with Sterling and Shelvey?

[Lagom]

I dont think this hiring thing is Daglish's idea to be honest but more to do with Comolli. He did the same thing at Spurs. It's a high yield investment strategy

I'd say it's a joint effort, with the foreign side being dealt with solely by Comolli, and Dalglish casting an eye over home-grown talent. Dalglish is fortunate in that he's had a behind the scenes role for a couple of years, and is familiar with our entire set-up, from the youngest youth players all the way to the first team, so he's got the knowledge of where the talent is likely to come through, and where he'd need Comolli's help in strenghtening.

As for Alex's point, i think the idea must be that what we lose on transfer fees in these next couple of seasons, we'll make back on the lower wages because they're youth players, and making fewer transfers in the seasons to come as they cement their places in the first team.

[son_of_foley]

Was he not involved with Sterling and Shelvey?

apparently not

[Bad Collin]

Liverpool have made a new £18.5m bid for Sunderland's 20-year-old midfielder Jordan Henderson - £5m more than last week's opening offer.

:wtf: This better not be true

[Simon]

We've sold Jamie O'Hara to Wolves for £5m. Great move for all concerned IMO, he was their best player last year, we have no need for him at all and at £5m both teams are getting a good deal. Hopefully this is the start of a good run of getting shot of players we don't need. If we can get another £5m for Keane and maybe £6-8m for Bentley, that's money raised for a top new player coming in without losing anyone who was playing a part for us this year. Possibly £5m or so for Giovani as well although ideally I'd like us to keep the stupid fat pisshead talented prick if we could get him motivated.

[Alf]

Except we haven't though (yet).

[RFF Champ]

Wolves have done well to get that all wrapped up so smoothly and without any interference from other clubs. His early impact was fantastic, he was well out of form come the end of the season but he scored some crucial goals and looks like he's willing to settle there.

It'll be interesting to see how they accommodate O'Hara in the long run and who misses out from Milijas/Edwards/Henry/Guedioura.

[RFF Champ]

Trazbonspor have claimed to have signed Didier Zokora 4 days after he said this:

"[Trabzonspor] are interested in me but I don't want to go to Turkey. I want to play in a high level, competitive league."

Zokora is denying that he has signed for them. All very strange.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

so, who is this 'mystery' striker Arsenal have signed?

[Simon]

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/nechronical/mar2010/2/6/jonas-gutierrez-dons-his-spiderman-mask-307001645.jpg

[Andy]

Gervinho or Odemwingie probably :(

[Gangers]

Kanu

[Keano's Magic Hat]

rodallega, robbie keane or davor suker

[Gangers]

I reckon Davor Suker could still do a job.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

still undoubtedly a better player than bendtner

[Gangers]

And probably Chamakh.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

agreed.

[Winkle van Tinkle]

Gervinho.

[RFF Champ]

Suker played in that Madrid legends team yesterday. Very much overweight but still scored a lovely chipped penalty.

[McBain]

Fat fucker loves his chips.

[RFF Champ]

I really, really want to and slightly do believe that Gervinho will sign for Newcastle.

[Simon]

No chance. Come on. If he goes, which there's no guarantee of, he will go to a better team than Newcastle. Then again I think the idea of anyone leaving the French champions to play for Newcastle is nuts and someone did just that last week so :dunno:

[RFF Champ]

We'll see. My post deserves to be in the unrealistic fans thread but I just..believe. I didn't think Ben Arfa would come.

The French press have reported that we're in 'final stages of negotiations' but I think they've also said the same of Arsenal.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

I love how the going rate for Modric has dropped, seemingly overnight, from £40m to £20m. Would be a real bargain at that price.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Not that United will sign him, mind. We're going to do what we've done the last few transfer windows and pretend we're interested in these costly players, and end up signing budget latinos who can part time as ground staff

[Keano's Magic Hat]

De Gea isn't signing, either. They're just waiting for a big excuse before going for a goalie who'll cost a quarter of the amount. Just watch.

Glazer cunts

[McBain]

Yeah, what were they thinking with Hernandez?

[Lazurus]

I love how the going rate for Modric has dropped, seemingly overnight, from £40m to £20m. Would be a real bargain at that price.

He'd be a bargain at either of those prices.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Yeah, what were they thinking with Hernandez?


You know what I mean. It's all a gamble isn't it? Our recent transfer policy has seen us sign Smalling and Hernandez, but also seen us bring in the likes of Obertan, Bebe and Manucho.

We can't really gamble on our midfield considering the state it's in. We need proven, or near on guaranteed, quality.

[Simon]

The price for Modric hasn't changed KMH, the papers just seem to pull figures from their hoops.

Like I said before, you won't get him this summer, he will stay where he is. But barring a miracle (I'm talking about not just CL qualification but showing real potential to consistently challenge for the title) he will go next summer IMO.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Are you doubting the Sun's sources, Simon? :shifty:

[RFF Champ]

The 'mystery' striker thing aside, the Gervinho to Arsenal hype today seems to have come from some guy on twitter called Marco Silva who claims to be a freelance journo but I can't find anything on him anywhere. The Northern Echo claim that we're closing in on Gervinho. They aren't particularly informed but I trust them more than this other joker.

[Andy]

Marco Silva is full of shit. He said Gervinho would definitely be signing today. Same with Jamie Dalton. For some reason they have a big following but I've never seen them get anything right. @YoungGunsBlog is the only reliable Arsenal guy on Twitter.

[Simon]

Guardian and a few others reckon Liverpool are closing in on Henderson for £10m plus add-ons. That makes a bit more sense after the £18m+ rumours.

[BBF]

Admittedly I only saw the headline but didn't the guardian say £20m?

[Simon]

Dunno mate I'm just going by a few Twitter links that were saying £10m plus bonuses pushing it up. Just had a look at the Guardian article and it says they have bid £16m so it's all a bit confusing now.

[Simon]

Also APPAZ our deal for Leandro is now a formality. I'll believe it when I see it. And even then I won't know what to think as I've barely seen the cunt play. Hopefully in Sandro is anything to go by it'll prove to be another masterstroke.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

this reminds of how the press handle transfers that flop. if they flop then for the rest of eternity they will ALWAYS quote the absolute max the club could have paid for the player (incl. bonuses, add-ons etc) regardless of whether or not the selling club were ever entitled to those add ons. If the players is a success then it's the initial fee and fuck all mention of add ons etc

[Keano's Magic Hat]

terrible paragraph

[Simon]

Yeah I swear when you signed Tevez the fee that was quoted was the absolute maximum you could pay based on you winning every competition every year until his contract ran out.

[Bad Collin]

Dunno mate I'm just going by a few Twitter links that were saying £10m plus bonuses pushing it up. Just had a look at the Guardian article and it says they have bid £16m so it's all a bit confusing now.

Yeah, if they are right we will end up paying £18 million for the lad. Someone at the club must see something pretty special in him, we could get an established top level footballer for that money.

I'm worried about the lack of left back news too, that is the position we need to fill most urgently.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

The Fenway group want to take a new pragmatic view to player recruitment, it has been well-publicised. A big part of that is paying money for players who are young and represent strong prospects for the future because the club can get many good years of service out of them and there is re-sale value should they look to move them on. They specifically want to avoid transfers like Joe Cole and Jovanovic, older players who are in obvious decline and who cost a premium in wages for very little possible return.

The proof will be in the pudding whether it works or not, but they are definitely backing Comolli and Dalglish with big fees when they have identified players who fit the profile the club are looking for. I personally like the idea of it. They paid way over the odds for Carroll, in my opinion as much to do with his attitude as his ability, but Henderson could well be worth that money if he fulfills his potential. The new Liverpool owners want targeted signings of established young stars, it's better than the haphazard approach of signing mouldy old pros who can't do it any longer, on big contracts that they'll never shift from the squad. All reports seem to suggest that Dalglish has final say on any targets Commolli identifies, also.

[Bad Collin]

I like the fact that we are following the Lyon approach but £18 million still seems a lot for Henderson.

The theory is that these players will provide 5-10 years then sell them on while their reputation is high but ability is dwindling. It is an excellent long term approach and I am delighted that Fenway are showing how invested in the club they are. The issue here is whether investment in Henderson is worth that much.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Well, I'd say a teenage English midfielder with his ability and established in the Premier League at a club with no need to sell is going to cost about that much. If they were able to sign him for less, I am sure they would but I suppose the point is that he fits the profile exactly of what Liverpool are going for so to them he is value for money. It's sometimes better spending big on an established player with obvious potential than taking the fairly rubbish scattergun approach that Benitez seemed to go for of bringing in a load of nondescript young foreigners who would end up failing to establish themselves and leaving the place down the line at a loss.

[RFF Champ]

I'm very surprised that it seems to be happening this quickly. I guess Liverpool are trying to wrap it up before he goes to the U21 tournament.

I'm a little bit disappointed for the Sunderland fans. I know some of them don't like him but his attitude and commitment seems first class and he looks like a young player who will go on to have a great career. His pass for the U21s first goal on Sunday was quality.

Kenny seems to be trying to regenerate the north-east economy by himself.

[Gary J]

Must feel he owes the north-east after the way he fucked up at Newcastle.

[Mik]

I'm very surprised that it seems to be happening this quickly. I guess Liverpool are trying to wrap it up before he goes to the U21 tournament.

I'm a little bit disappointed for the Sunderland fans. I know some of them don't like him but his attitude and commitment seems first class and he looks like a young player who will go on to have a great career. His pass for the U21s first goal on Sunday was quality.

Kenny seems to be trying to regenerate the north-east economy by himself.

The way we stand at the moment £18m spent wisely (which I'm not entirely sure of) is worth much more than Henderson to the club. The likes of Meyler and Colback are genuinely at quite a similar standard to Henderson and with that money would could put almost an entire backline or a top drawer striker and his wages for a season or two. At the moment we need that moreso than we need Henderson. We've got a good youth set-up and I doubt that Jordan is the best player we're going to produce during this period of prosperity. For £10m I'd rather keep onto him. For £18 we'd be foolish not to let him go. He has talked about his love of players like Giggs and Scholes who stay loyal throughout their career, so its not going to be a case of him cutting and running, but that is a deal that would be mutually beneficial.

[son_of_foley]

Seen a bit of Colback at Ipswich and wasn't massively convinced by him

[Mik]

You wouldnt have been of Henderson if you'd seen him a couple of years ago. Colback has been pretty good during his performances in the second half of the season. Colback was by far the better player coming up through the youth ranks. He might not fulfil his potential, but at the moment neither might Henderson. £18m might not be a lot for one of the top clubs to pay for potential, but its a lot for a team like Sunderland to turn down for potential.

[RFF Champ]

I see your point. When he's fit Meyler looks impressive. You guys have such a small squad as it stands, it's quite startling. With this money and the Bent money you are in a good position to spend the cash on the right players but you need a few players. A lot of it depends on how much faith Bruce will put in Colback and Meyler.

[Mik]

Oh you're damn right we need a few players. By my reckoning we need at least two GOOD strikers, four good defenders and a couple of midfielders.

[Simon]

Hi Mik,

Can we have Asamoah Gyan please? £20m?

Thanks

Simon

[son_of_foley]

http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-transfer-list?name=FullName&page=7

People love this site over the summer right?

Didn't know Tom Cruise had been let go. Might be worth a year in the championship. Get him on the blower NIGE SON

[RFF Champ]

I was looking at your squad the other day, Mik. If you take into account Henderson leaving, Campbell being out forever, Riveros not being played because Bruce is a racist and Kilgallon and Nosworthy not counting, you have something like just 13 first team players. That's a real turnaround needed.

How would you feel if N'Gog was included in the Henderson deal as has been suggested?

[son_of_foley]

N'Gog could come good but he would need a partner. If he played off Gyan he could be quite decent but currently he would have to be seen as backup for Gyan right and a new partner would be needed

[Mik]

Hi Mik,

Can we have Asamoah Gyan please? £20m?

Thanks

Simon

We'll probably swap him for Crouch and end up worse off. I hate us dealing with Tottenham, you're absolute mercenaries. You will still be wanting £10m for Crouch, even though thats all you paid for him, you dont want him and he hasnt covered himself in glory for you. You've probably increased your price for Alan Hutton.


I was looking at your squad the other day, Mik. If you take into account Henderson leaving, Campbell being out forever, Riveros not being played because Bruce is a racist and Kilgallon and Nosworthy not counting, you have something like just 13 first team players. That's a real turnaround needed.

How would you feel if N'Gog was included in the Henderson deal as has been suggested?

Depends how much you value N'Gog at.

[RFF Champ]

http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-transfer-list?name=FullName&page=7

People love this site over the summer right?

Didn't know Tom Cruise had been let go. Might be worth a year in the championship. Get him on the blower NIGE SON

Daniel De Ridder has finally been released. Another young Dutch player signed off the back of that U21 championship winning side that has flopped.

I didn't realise that Bradley Johnson was available on a free.

[son_of_foley]

Daniel De Ridder has finally been released. Another young Dutch player signed off the back of that U21 championship winning side that has flopped.

I didn't realise that Bradley Johnson was available on a free.

Yeah he's going to Norwich isn't he (Johnson that is)

Davey Jones isnt listed there. Bit odd. Wonder if he's got his deal extended.

Didn't realise you lot had let Paddy McLaughlin go. Bit dissapointed by that. Might try and see if I could bandwagon him a trial with us

[RFF Champ]

Yeah, that is strange. I never read anything on him extending his deal. I think if Hughton had stayed then we would have signed him. Good player.

There are some great old-timers on that list like Christian Dailly, Steve Guinan, Scott Mcgleish.

[RFF Champ]

Courtney Herbert is on that list. One of the fastest footballers I have ever seen play. I think he scored twice in his first couple of games and got a massive reputation but seems to have gone to shit. I guess he'll end up in the conference.

[Simon]

We'll probably swap him for Crouch and end up worse off. I hate us dealing with Tottenham, you're absolute mercenaries. You will still be wanting £10m for Crouch, even though thats all you paid for him, you dont want him and he hasnt covered himself in glory for you. You've probably increased your price for Alan Hutton.

The downside of this is that we often end up lumbered with players for a long time because no one will meet our asking price. We've been stuck with Keane, O'Hara, Bentley, Giovani and even a few first-teamers like Pav and Hutton for ages because Levy won't budge on the prices. And on incoming transfers, we tend to get decent deals (Bent and Bentley notwithstanding) but miss out on a lot of targets because again we won't budge on our valuation.

[Beefy]

I think we're in for Scott McGleish if we can't get Neil Harris.

[Beefy]

The downside of this is that we often end up lumbered with players for a long time because no one will meet our asking price. We've been stuck with Keane, O'Hara, Bentley, Giovani and even a few first-teamers like Pav and Hutton for ages because Levy won't budge on the prices. And on incoming transfers, we tend to get decent deals (Bent and Bentley notwithstanding) but miss out on a lot of targets because again we won't budge on our valuation.

It's hard to argue that you didn't get Bent for a good price considering the goals he'd scored both before and after. You just didn't use him right.

[Simon]

True but at the time it was definitely overpayment. Don't forget Charlton had just got relegated, £17m was ridiculous. Again though we don't know how much of it was add-ons.

[son_of_foley]

West Ham had brought the price up to that level. You had to fall in line with the market

[Simon]

Not really, Bent had no interest in going to West Ham.

[son_of_foley]

He would have soon enough if you hadnt had the offer accepted. He was never going to the championship level

[Alf]

It's hard to argue that you didn't get Bent for a good price considering the goals he'd scored both before and after. You just didn't use him right.

To be fair to Bent, he scored a fair few for us... but he just didn't fit the way we play. So he had to go rather than us tailoring ourselves to him. Plus I hate his massive lolloping face.

[Andy]

City have made a last minute bid for Gervinho and will be offering him double he wages anyone else is apparently.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

here we go again.... a repeat of the Ronaldo saga is on the cards

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1394963/Javier-Hernandez-going-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-rebuff-Jose-Mourinhos-advances.html

[Simon]

Apparently Bruce is interesting in spending the Bent/Henderson money on Crouch and Pavlyuchenko :hyper: please Mr. Bruce pretty please. Hopefully he's never seen them play together or he'll definitely only go for one of them. I think I would honestly swap the pair of them for Asamoah Gyan and still feel like we got the better deal.

[son_of_foley]

Papers think he wants Gibson, Brown and Wellbeck

[Simon]

Cast-offs United.

[Andy]

Pavlyuchenko is a decent player.

[Simon]

Yeah apart from being slow, lazy, weak and thick, he's pretty good. He bangs in a few delicious goals every now and thento trick people who don't see him very often into thinking he's good.

[son_of_foley]

He's a retard. If Progrebnyak hadnt had that injury before Euro 2008 god knows where Russia would have got

[Alf]

Pavlyuchenko is a decent player.

Ahahahahahaaaaaa

[son_of_foley]

Thats weird I thought you were a fan alf

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Have Spurs' fans finally got over their boner for Jermain Defoe yet? I think he has to be one of the most consistently overrated players going. He has one good top flight season in his entire career.

[Simon]

It's not about getting over anything, he's just lost the bit of pace he had and isn't as good now. I'd still keep him personally.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

When was he ever good? Seriously, point this out to me. He has had ONE good season in the Premier League and that was 09/10, and even then his record was bloated by 5 goals in one game vs. Wigan. He was never exceptionally quick, has never been a reliable finisher, offers very little to the team. I have for years been informed he is a good striker, yet there is absolutely nothing in way of proof of this. One of life's big mysteries to me why Spurs fans always had such a boner for him.

[Andy]

I don't think he's a top striker or anything, wouldn't mind him if I was a Sunderland fan though.

Where's Robbie Keane going then? He'd be a good signing for one of the promoted teams or the likes or Wolves.

[RFF Champ]

Wolves fans love him. He's been back to Molineux a couple of times this season for events related to Matt Murray's testimonial and got a big reception. Problem would be that they already have 3 good strikers and I doubt they'd match his wages.

[Simon]

Keane has been dreadful ever since he first left us. Three years of getting worse and worse. He was so bad at West Ham it was a bit sad.

[Alf]

When was he ever good? Seriously, point this out to me. He has had ONE good season in the Premier League and that was 09/10, and even then his record was bloated by 5 goals in one game vs. Wigan. He was never exceptionally quick, has never been a reliable finisher, offers very little to the team. I have for years been informed he is a good striker, yet there is absolutely nothing in way of proof of this. One of life's big mysteries to me why Spurs fans always had such a boner for him.

I don't know any Spurs fans that wank over him.

He had a good scoring run when he first joined us, and his first half of last season was superb. Apart from that he's been averagy average.

I wouldn't be arsed to see him go.

[Chris Scott]

Just been collecting my thought on the whole Henderson transfer. I think we're spending too much money, I dont think he's better than what we have in the center or on the right at the moment, and while he may have potential to be, we're in need of players who can make a difference as soon as possible.

I dont see Henderson being anything other than a squad player for a while. We have Spearing for Cover who will save us £20m on Henderson.

Personally, Im not sold on this signing(if happens) nor on the buying young domestic talent policy. Thats not going to change any time soon, unless I happily get my words stuffed back into my mouth next season by Henderson and co.

[Bad Collin]

Maybe this means we are cashing in on Lucas :hyper:

[Chris Scott]

Wake up BC, you're dreaming.

[Mik]

Apparently Bruce is interesting in spending the Bent/Henderson money on Crouch and Pavlyuchenko :hyper: please Mr. Bruce pretty please. Hopefully he's never seen them play together or he'll definitely only go for one of them. I think I would honestly swap the pair of them for Asamoah Gyan and still feel like we got the better deal.

Rumours are that we're looking to get those two and N'Zogbia out of the Henderson money. Clearly won't happen, but I would take it.

[Simon]

N'Zogbia will cost you at least half the Henderson money won't he? In any case getting him plus any spare change for Henderson would be a great move, N'Zogbia is a real class act even if he is a tosser. Our two strikers, well to be fair they will probably do alright, I just got the hump with their collective input this season along with Defoe.

[Mik]

I reckon N'Zogbia will force a transfer and they'll have to around 6-7m for him. Dunno how much Pacino and Crouch would go for realistically if your lot genuinely want a clear out. We are quite a lightweight team, so any players up top with a physical presence to allow Gyan and perhaps Campbell depending on how he finally comes back would be a benefit. The figure widely quoted for Henderson now is £20m.

[Andy]

Arsenal going head to head with Liverpool for Scott Dann and Phil Jones apparently. I'd be happy to varying degrees with both but it's hardly a statement of intent.

[Bad Collin]

Same as, you can have Dann and we'll take Jones.

[Andy]

I'd rather have Jones too. I wish we'd just sign Samba and be done with it, we obviously won't sign a big name defender.

[Bad Collin]

Realistically, which big name defender would you want?

[Andy]

I'd love someone like Chiellini or Subotic but neither are realistic. I guess from what seems more plausible I'd take Samba or Cahill.

[Hlebsfall]

Knowing Arsenal, they will probably try and tempt Lilian Thuram out of retirement.

[Gary J]

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa APPAZ

[Bad Collin]

I really think Samba would be great for Arsenal, they also need someone like Spearing who can get stuck in to release Wilshire.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Can people start sourcing their rumours from now on by any chance please? Keep seeing people post stuff in here without saying where they have got it from and I'd like to know if it's some bellend of an internet forum or a crap tabloid in order to know whether to just dismiss it.

[Hlebsfall]

Sunderland accept 16.5m for Henderson.

FAO CAPITANO WANKER: Source - Internet.

[Gary J]

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa APPAZ

Just guesswork on my part as he ticks the boxes that please Wenger.

He's black , plays for a french team and has a stupid name.

The only requirement that he fails on is being a defender which is something Arsenal clearly need so he probably won't sign.

[Bad Collin]

Here's a new game. Go to this page: http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_6964766,00.html

Look up who has been rumoured to join you and you are allowed to have two of them.

I'd go for Jose Enrique and Ashley Young. I would love to see a front three of Young-Carroll-Suarez and we badly need a quality left back.

[McBain]

Shit rumours for us, so out of the choices...Benitez and Foster.

Why?

We need a manager and a keeper.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Sunderland accept 16.5m for Henderson.

FAO CAPITANO WANKER: Source - Internet.

Some knob on Twitter said it I bet.

[Simon]

Here's a new game. Go to this page: http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_6964766,00.html

Look up who has been rumoured to join you and you are allowed to have two of them.

I'd go for Jose Enrique and Ashley Young. I would love to see a front three of Young-Carroll-Suarez and we badly need a quality left back.

Our one is a bit of a cheat as we're linked with players we have no hope of getting. So bear that in mind when I choose Aguero and Cavani :D

[da_man]

Turns out Phil Jones has a release clause of £16m in his contract. Hopefully he'll decide to stick around for another year. Couldn't afford to lose him AND Samba this summer.

[Andy]

http://www.le10sport.com/Mercato/Les-Bleus-retardent-le-transfert-de-Gervinho-a-Arsenal-070647940.html

[Bad Collin]

I take it that says he is joining the Arse?

[Andy]

I assume so. It was posted along with some blurb about confirmation.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Phil-Jones-Manchester-United-beating-Liverpool-Arsenal-Manchester-City-and-Tottenham-to-16million-Blackburn-defender-EXCLUSIVE-article745338.html

£80m spending spree :lol: where do they come up with this shit?

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Also, £20m fee appears to have been agreed for Henderson with Ngog possibly being included in the deal

Ngog :D

[Bad Collin]

Ngog is infuriating. He has skill and can finish but he lacks the vision and determination to be a top striker, I hope he does well at Sunderland but I'm glad he is going if this is true.

I wonder how much of the deal he makes up?

[Keano's Magic Hat]

47 pence

[Mik]

Better be no more than £6m.

[turdpower]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Phil-Jones-Manchester-United-beating-Liverpool-Arsenal-Manchester-City-and-Tottenham-to-16million-Blackburn-defender-EXCLUSIVE-article745338.html

£80m spending spree :lol: where do they come up with this shit?

I've seen that exact figure banded about for several months in various different papers. Seems strange.

[Bad Collin]

Better be no more than £6m.

I don't think it will be more than five

[Keano's Magic Hat]

It's the money Gill keeps talking up.. the money we got for Ronaldo but were reluctant to use in such a 'narrow' market, with such little value. I do actually agree with both points, btw, especially in regards to it being a 'narrow' market. how many of the top clubs are after the exact same players? There appears to be a real lack of quality around

anyway, back to the £80m figure. we're not spending that.

[turdpower]

WE ARE MATE. BELIEVE.

[Mik]

£20m for Henderson is nuts. This summer transfer window is going to be crazy now.

[RFF Champ]

The Times are saying 11mil plus Ngog is the current offer.

[Bad Collin]

That I could deal with.

[RFF Champ]

Will you still be able to afford Enrique? I hope not.

[DeathInc]

Looks like Kuyt will be playing more upfront now??

[Mik]

The Times are saying 11mil plus Ngog is the current offer.

£13m plus N'Gog at £7m is what is being widely reported. I wouldnt rate him that highly. But I would've taken anything over £15m for him, so its good business getting most of that plus a young striker with potential too.

[The Rosk]

Jesus Christ.

[Bad Collin]

Will you still be able to afford Enrique? I hope not.

I have faith that we haven't just spent all of our transfer money. I wonder if someone is moving on, we should get £10 million + for Aquilani. I know I bang on about this but we should cash in on Lucas after he has had a decent season. We should be able to get £15 million for him from someone.


Looks like Kuyt will be playing more upfront now??

Not if we are playing 4-4-2, we still don't have any wide players so he will stay on the right.

[son_of_foley]

Ngog is infuriating. He has skill and can finish but he lacks the vision and determination to be a top striker, I hope he does well at Sunderland but I'm glad he is going if this is true.

I wonder how much of the deal he makes up?

I think he was a victim as much of the STEVIE GERRARD system than anything. For a young striker his movement seems quite good I don't think he'll set the world alight right now but he could be a decent strike partner over the next few years I think it was unfortunate a lot of his time was spent playing as a lone striker for liverpool wasnt it?

[Chris Scott]

I don't think it will be more than five

Yep I would say £5m plus £15m cash.

[RFF Champ]

Ngog was doing quite well at the start of the season under Woy. I remember he had a good game and scored a good goal against Arsenal on the opening weekend. I think he'll provide good competition at Sunderland with any other strikers they sign.

[Chris Scott]

I remember a game at Anfield 2 years ago, some random bloke sat next to me said Ngog will become the new Henry, he's having a slow start in English football just like Henry.

10 minutes later he comes out with he looks like him too.

[Bad Collin]

I think he was a victim as much of the STEVIE GERRARD system than anything. For a young striker his movement seems quite good I don't think he'll set the world alight right now but he could be a decent strike partner over the next few years I think it was unfortunate a lot of his time was spent playing as a lone striker for liverpool wasnt it?

Yeah, he doesn't have the ability to play as a target man but that is how Kenny always tried to play him.

He should do well for Sunderland.

[Simon]

Norwich have signed Steve Morison and are on the verge of signing Elliott Bennett from Brighton. Also Sunderland are signing Kieren Westwood on a free, surely that must mean Gordon or Mignolet will be off?

[RFF Champ]

We bid £1mil for Neil Taylor which supposedly triggers a release clause but the Swansea chairman has said they're considering the bid and now Taylor himself has asked for permission to speak to us. Am I misunderstanding release clauses or is it that the clause doesn't exist?

[son_of_foley]

Huw Jenkins is a fucking clown. Really hate the bastard. It genuinely wouldn't suprise me if he was doing something a bit dodgy here. I want to punch his face in

[Beefy]

I see a few of the papers have Kane Ferdinand to West Ham for £750,000.

[RuneEdge]

Love that name.

[Lagom]

Not sold on such an inflated fee for Henderson, but hopefully it's been throroughly researched and represents a decent long-term investment.

If these are the prices being quoted now for young British players, then i think we're best to bite the bullet immediately on Phil Jones' release clause, and get in before Arsenal. Although i think that he'd probably rather join us, due to our close proximity and having a much nicer manager, I still don't want to risk not signing him, just for the sake of a couple of million quid saved. I think he'd be a great partner for Lucas/Meireles next season, with Gerrard pushed a bit further on. He'd be so valuable to us in terms of versatility, being able to step forward or backward from a defensive midfield postion, that he's effectively two signings in places we need strengthening. If we sign him, I'd be quite happy bringing in just a striker and back-up goalkeeper and then closing the chequebook. That would leave us looking something like this, i'd imagine.


Reina

Kelly -- Carragher -- Skrtel -- Johnson

Jones -- Lucas

Kuyt ---- Gerrard ---- Suarez

Carroll

Bench:
Doni?
Agger
Aurelio
Mereiles
Henderson/Spearing
Cole/Maxi
New striker: Wickham maybe?

All in all, I'd be pretty happy with that. As I've said before, i think given how far behind we put ourselves last season, it's unrealistic to put ourselves as Title contenders, but i do think that there's the quality there to mount a decent challenge for a Champion's League place.

[son_of_foley]

Carragher is a shit bastard

[Mik]

If you think about it though, Liverpool got Henderson and Andy Carroll from the money they got for Torres. So maybe its not all that bad business.

[Bad Collin]

We need a proper left back Lagom. Ngog going makes Wickham more likely I think.

[son_of_foley]

Possibly soon they will have got Carroll,Suarez and Henderson for Torres, NGog and Aquilani

[Simon]

If you think about it though, Liverpool got Henderson and Andy Carroll from the money they got for Torres. So maybe its not all that bad business.

The Carroll deal is already balanced out by the Suarez deal IMO, £55m for the pair of them is about right. Henderson is vastly overpriced of course but if it's £13m plus an unwanted player rather than £20m that's something I guess. The emphasis on British youth is laudable in theory but if you're looking at the best part of £50m for Henderson, Jones and Wickham it's a bit of a joke.

[Bad Collin]

If you think about it though, Liverpool got Henderson and Andy Carroll from the money they got for Torres. So maybe its not all that bad business.

The idea is to get ten years out of them then sell them on when their rep is high and ability is dwindling.

[Lagom]

It is fairly outrageous that Henderson, Jones and Wickhan would see us part with almost £50m, but as Mik said, in context, we've managed to offload a player who looked uninterested, was making noises about leaving us, struggled consistently with injuries, wasn't scoring, and who has by most accounts, lost a yard of pace that was key to his early success with us. His price was massively inflated, given all those factors, in addition to it being late on in the transfer window, and it covered the Carroll transfer, with a bit left over to begin the season with.

As it stands now, we can potentially get another 10 years from all of our projected signings, and they're mostly offset by sales of unwanted and unneeded players.

[Beefy]

Plus they'll likely be on relatively low wages. If those three are on £20k a week each less than whoever they replace in the squad then that's a saving of more than £15m over five years. It was the same story with Carroll replacing Torres.

[Lagom]

Another good point that makes me feel much better.

[Bad Collin]

It is going to be very exciting to see how all these young players get on.

[Beefy]

You have to sign them first.

[Bad Collin]

Well we have Carroll, Henderson, Spearing, Shelvey, Flanaghan, Robinson, Sterling, Wilson, Coady and Wisdom plus whoever else comes in.

[Bad Collin]

Arsenal sign young defender shock: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13695799.stm

[Bad Collin]

11.26: Oooh, Sky Bet have suspended betting on the possibility of Blackburn defender Phil Jones joining Liverpool.

Reports have emerged to suggest the centre-back is set to undergo a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground on the same day as Jordan Henderson.

Sky Bet have stopped taking money on homegrown Jones as a result and have revealed that they saw a lot of money placed on the teenager on Wednesday morning.

Football Trader Sandro Di Michele said: "A flurry of early morning bets on Phil Jones saw us go from 3/1 into evens and then into 1/3.

"With the weight of money and rumours coming from Merseyside that Jones is having a medical with the club today, we took the decision to suspend betting."

Very interesting if true...

[Chris Scott]

Very indeed.

Like I said in a previous post yesterday, I hope these youngsters make me eat my words if they play regularly in the upcoming season.

[left_wing_miller]

Very interesting if true...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,11670_6970750,00.html

He's definitely having a medical in the North-West....

[Alf]

Yet they are reporting...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_6970750,00.html

Jones to Utd.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Very interesting if true...

ahahahhaha great stuff from Sky Bet.

[The Rosk]

Honestly I have no idea how Henderson is going for £20 million. Fuck me. People were in outrage over Bent going for £18m for God's sake.

[Lagom]

Yet they are reporting...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_6970750,00.html

Jones to Utd.

If that's true, i'm going to shit :(

As if I don't hate Ferguson enough

[Red Dog]

ahahahhaha great stuff from Sky Bet.
Sky bet had Nigel Clough at 20/1 for the Forest job last week.

They are ridiculous.

[RFF Champ]

Didn't Man Utd just sign that young French centre back for about 10mil as well?

Him, Evans, Smalling and Jones is a bit much.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

How good is this Phil Jones, then? I've seen him have some great games, but haven't seen enough of him. What's his best position? I've heard he can also play central midfield, as well as centre back?

I assume that this means Evans is off to Sunderland. A real shame as he has a lot of potential.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Didn't Man Utd just sign that young French centre back for about 10mil as well?

Him, Evans, Smalling and Jones is a bit much.

Varane. We haven't signed him.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

also, WHAT THE FUCK are we doing spending £16m on a central defender when our midfield is so shit?

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Varane supposedly can play midfield as well. I wonder if they've offered to loan Jones back to Blackburn, can Premier League teams do that? It does seem to suggest Evans must be out on his ear.

[Bad Collin]

It will be disapointing if he goes to United but you can see why he would go there over us. We can spend the money on a left back instead.

[son_of_foley]

If Jonny Evans goes I wish death upon Man United

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Evans has been filling in at left back recently. Wouldn't be at all surprised if Evra leaves the club, Fabio in the first 11 with Evans in the Wes Brown/O'Shea role of back up centre back/fullback

[Lagom]

Fuck off and give us Phil Jones, you shit :(

[Keano's Magic Hat]

We've been interested in him for a couple of years apparently, with Sir Alex wanting Jones to have another year as a first team regular at Blackburn before making the move. Liverpool's interest has forced our hand.

We're not loaning him back for a year after (reportedly) spending £16m on him, surely?

[Lagom]

I hope he fails his medical :(

[Alf]

Man U do need CBs though. How old is Vidic? How old is Fedi?

[son_of_foley]

No they don't Alf you nonce

[son_of_foley]

Skysports was suggesting spanish radio station is claiming Fabgreas to Barcelona preliminary agreement reached

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Next season could be Ferdinand's last season as a top centre-back, not so much because of his age but because of his injuries. He's not been reliably fit for going on 3 seasons now. I suppose the Jones deal does make sense in that regard if Brown is gone now and Ferdinand will most likely be eased out soon.

[son_of_foley]

Wonder if O'Shea is nervous?

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Skysports was suggesting spanish radio station is claiming Fabgreas to Barcelona preliminary agreement reached

That would be weird, I know they seem to have an obsession with getting him back but there are much more glaring weaknesses in that squad than in central midfield. Two new centre-backs and a new left-back seem an absolute must, given Milito is going and Puyol looks to be on the way down. Supposedly they are also leading the race for signing Alexis Sanchez according to Udinese. Maybe the money from winning the CL has given them the muscle to buy a few players this season.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Man U do need CBs though. How old is Vidic? How old is Fedi?

Allardyce called him a natural 'midfielder'. I genuinely think he's coming in as Hargreaves' replacement. He's only as tall as Gary Neville, and Sir Alex basically molded him into a fullback because he thought he was too short to play as a central defender.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Wonder if O'Shea is nervous?

I think he'd be worried only if they were signing full-backs. O'Shea covers at both sides, along with the twins and Evra they have 4 players covering there and the twins can't finish a game for getting injured.

[son_of_foley]

The Gk siging is really important because VDS was a great organizer of a defense and Ferdinand is good at it too if you get the siutation that Rio is out for a period next year and VDS retired will the defense which has been incredible over the past few years suddenly seem shaky. Dont hold too much trust in Vidic's ability to marshal a defense but maybe I'm being naive. Jonny and Chris are probably too young and Jones would be the same

[El Capitano Gatisto]

De Gea is a quality goalkeeper. Obviously very young but he's a better shot-stopper than Van der Sar has ever been. He'll be a good guy to have around for a few years until Barca or Real Madrid need him and pay big bucks.

[RuneEdge]

That would be weird, I know they seem to have an obsession with getting him back but there are much more glaring weaknesses in that squad than in central midfield. Two new centre-backs and a new left-back seem an absolute must, given Milito is going and Puyol looks to be on the way down. Supposedly they are also leading the race for signing Alexis Sanchez according to Udinese. Maybe the money from winning the CL has given them the muscle to buy a few players this season.
A couple of Barca fans on another forum were saying that they're being impatient because they want to develop him into a "Barca player" and mould him into the next Xavi. The longer they wait, the harder that becomes.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

De Gea yesterday

"Until the Euros are finished and things calm down a bit, I don't know anything.
"I don't know what goalkeepers Alex Ferguson likes. I'm just a normal goalkeeper, a discrete one.
"Being Atletico's goalkeeper is completely different to being United's and I'm not quite sure what he's looking for."

----

this is all very, very odd.

[son_of_foley]

De Gea is a quality goalkeeper. Obviously very young but he's a better shot-stopper than Van der Sar has ever been. He'll be a good guy to have around for a few years until Barca or Real Madrid need him and pay big bucks.

I've seen fuck all of him but what's he like organizing and at set-pieces. Did anyone see the stats of the number of shots United had against them last year? Astoundingly small

[son_of_foley]

I've seen fuck all of him but what's he like organizing and at set-pieces. Did anyone see the stats of the number of shots United had against them last year? Astoundingly small

OptaJoe Opta Sports
125 - Manchester United allowed their opponents just 125 shots on target against them, fewer than any other team. Stranglehold.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I've seen fuck all of him but what's he like organizing and at set-pieces. Did anyone see the stats of the number of shots United had against them last year? Astoundingly small

It's hard to say since Atletico's defence has been fairly bad for a number of seasons, since before de Gea came into the team. Van der Sar was steady, but some of his shot-stopping was suspect, for example the CL final he let himself down a bit for a couple of Barca's goals. Any young goalkeeper will have a degree of trouble with the finer details, for example Joe Hart looks world class on shot-stopping but a bit of a mess when it comes to set-pieces, however, Man City's defence still looked extremely solid with him in there, you can see he has the balls to be a good goalkeeper and I think de Gea is the same. Defensive organisation starts on the training ground.

Vidic's problem is that he can't cope with pace at all and Ferdinand's reading of the game helps him out, while Vidic helps Ferdinand out with him tending to get lost under a high ball.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

A couple of Barca fans on another forum were saying that they're being impatient because they want to develop him into a "Barca player" and mould him into the next Xavi. The longer they wait, the harder that becomes.

I don't really buy that, he's better off playing first team football and gaining responsibility as a midfielder, rather than going to be someone's understudy. I don't see how Barca have the money to sign Fabregas and Sanchez while still looking at their pretty feeble defence.

[Andy]

Shit day.

Liverpool spunk 15m+ on an English talent, United spunk 25m in two years on what could be England's next centre back partnership, Arsenal spend 1m on a Finnish defender from League 1. Jones going also presumably rules out Samba, or at least for anything less than 10m. We'll sign Scott Dann probably. Shite.

With regards to De Gea, I think Ferguson announced he was signing purely to take the heat off Giggs (I see the papers today say he's been bonking the mother-in-law as well?!). There may well have been some sort of agreement with the club but the noises coming from De Gea and his agent suggest he doesn't seem too impressed about the whole thing.

Oh and that dickhead who claimed Arsenal would be announcing a big signing today has deleted his account.

[Alf]

Who is the Finnish defender?

[Andy]

Fuck knows what is going on with Fabregas. Reports all over Spain claim an agreement has been reached (as they all reported last year), Arshavin claims Fabregas gave all the players presents on the last day of training...but on the other hand there are reports saying Barca think they can get him for less than they bid last year...in a world where Jordan Henderson is valued at £20m or something. Load of shite. Let's just get him, Nasri and Clichy sorted then buy some fucking players.

[Andy]

Carl Jenkinson the Finnish defender from Charlton.

[Simon]

Surprised at all the movement early in the window. Should keep things interesting.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

United beat Arsenal to Phil Jones, NOT Liverpool. He met up with Arsene Wenger last night but opted for the champions :cool:

Fee is £15m, so Arsenal clearly do have some money and are looking to spend a fair bit on a defender.

[Simon]

He was never going to go to Arsenal, apparently he still lives at home in Chorley and wants to stay there.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

With regards to De Gea, I think Ferguson announced he was signing purely to take the heat off Giggs (I see the papers today say he's been bonking the mother-in-law as well?!). There may well have been some sort of agreement with the club but the noises coming from De Gea and his agent suggest he doesn't seem too impressed about the whole thing.



Ferguson probably did announce it early to take the heat off Giggs, but I would guess de Gea is just batting away any questions from the press in the build up to the U21 Euros and trying not to piss off Atletico fans, rather than being particularly upset about it. Atletico's sporting director admitted last week that they felt he had already reached an agreement with United. Sky Sports also quoted de Gea as saying this:


And speaking from Spain's training camp, he said: "I will only speak about my future after the end of the Euro Under-21s.


"Right now my challenge is to help the Spain team, but generally my desire is to play at the top and to improve day to day."

So we'll see I suppose.

[Simon]

This all has a hint of Ferguson preparing his legacy I think. It's fair to say that whoever comes in will struggle to match Ferguson's history - even Mourinho and Guardiola, for all their achievements, haven't built an empire the way Ferguson did.

These signings IMO point to the possibility of him trying to make the transition when he leaves as smooth as possible by stockpiling superb young players. If De Gea and Jones come in, United's entire back four could be set for the next ten years, with the likes of Rooney, Fletcher, Nani and Valencia stepping up as the senior players to whom the youngsters can learn from.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I think it's as much about the attitude Liverpool are also taking to recruitment i.e. spend on youth, get the best years out of them and move them on at a profit (or substantial fee) if possible. I don't see de Gea being a United player for 10 years if they sign him. I'd be surprised if he even made 5 years before going to replace either Casillas or Valdes.

[Andy]

United beat Arsenal to Phil Jones, NOT Liverpool. He met up with Arsene Wenger last night but opted for the champions :cool:

Fee is £15m, so Arsenal clearly do have some money and are looking to spend a fair bit on a defender.


He was never going to go to Arsenal, apparently he still lives at home in Chorley and wants to stay there.

Did we have a bid accepted though? If we're willing to spend £16m on a defender maybe it's a blessing in disguise that we didn't get Jones. I think he's going to be a superb player but he's available at the wrong time for Arsenal. Having said that I would've been shocked if we'd paid that much.

No shame in him choosing the closer club who also happen to be champions though.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Great thing about this signing is that, if he fulfills his potential, he won't be looking to accomplish his 'dream' of playing in Spain :rolleyes: Probably why I'm not so keen on De Gea, to be honest.

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones for £25m could be an absolutely beautiful bit of business

[RuneEdge]

I don't really buy that, he's better off playing first team football and gaining responsibility as a midfielder, rather than going to be someone's understudy. I don't see how Barca have the money to sign Fabregas and Sanchez while still looking at their pretty feeble defence.

Hey, I'm with you. But there's no denying that Barca really want Cesc even though there's no way he's gonna start ahead of Xavi, Iniesta, over Masc or Busquets in the CDM role, or any of the front three. They want to be able to rotate the team more often next season without having too much of a dip in quality. With Cesc they can switch between a midfield of Busquets/Xavi/Iniesta and Masc/Fabregas/Afellay.
IMO that shouldnt be a priority over their defence, but that's their call.

[Bad Collin]

The more I think about this the more I think we should be putting our faith in Kelly rather than buying someone in.

[son_of_foley]

I hope Charles Puyol is burnt in a chip pan fire

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Strange vendetta you have for Puyol. Did he shit on a Glentoran shirt at Windsor Park or something?

[son_of_foley]

I find him to be a grotesque human being, him and Pique.

[Gary J]

We'll sign Scott Dann probably.

I think Scott Dann would be a good signing for Arsenal. However i'm sure i read somewhere he was a huge Liverpool fan so i would have thought if Liverpool were in for him (as i think you posted yesterday) he'd go there.

Wenger should just sign Cahill instead. As i'm sure you are aware Jack Wilshere on his twitter was saying he wanted Cahill to join Arsenal.

[RFF Champ]

Last week Willian of Shakhtar's agent came out and said they were in discussions with Barca. I would guess with the intention of giving him a central role, if they are after Sanchez.

That seems to have gone quiet in the past few days though.

[Andy]

Cahill for 17m when he has a year left on his contract won't happen.

[Keano's Magic Hat]

Spurs also put in a bid for Jones. Is there a player on earth that 'Arry hasn't 'tried' to sign?

[Mik]

Honestly I have no idea how Henderson is going for £20 million. Fuck me. People were in outrage over Bent going for £18m for God's sake.

£24m.



How good is this Phil Jones, then? I've seen him have some great games, but haven't seen enough of him. What's his best position? I've heard he can also play central midfield, as well as centre back?

I assume that this means Evans is off to Sunderland. A real shame as he has a lot of potential.

I hope so, but doubt it.