Transfer Talk Topic

[Mark Kelly]

8 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

Ward-Prowse and Maddison, two players we really should have been looking at this summer. Barnes a third. 

 

6 minutes ago, Rob B said:

Absolutely.  

Three very under-rated players who wouldn’t have cost the earth and all possess a much-needed goal threat. 

How on earth can you get brownie points if the players are well known?

You have to find unknown players and hope they come good in eight years time. 

No gold stars for you two. 

[paulw66]

On 25/08/2023 at 19:22, Sleeping Dave said:

Sure we would. 

They got the same points as Dortmund and we were miles better than them over two legs, even though we were god awful last season 

[Sleeping Dave]

26 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

They got the same points as Dortmund and we were miles better than them over two legs, even though we were god awful last season 

You just have to have a peak on their squad and their results over the last decade to understand that you simply can’t use the logic of “we won against x with y therefore we are better than z”. 

If Bayern Munich isn’t one of the three best club team in the world right now I sure as hell would like to hear who’d be better? Arsenal? Barcelona? 

[paulw66]

1 minute ago, Sleeping Dave said:

You just have to have a peak on their squad and their results over the last decade to understand that you simply can’t use the logic of “we won against x with y therefore we are better than z”. 

If Bayern Munich isn’t one of the three best club team in the world right now I sure as hell would like to hear who’d be better? Arsenal? Barcelona? 

It's difficult to say but I don't understand the argument that because of the titles won 8,9,10 years ago somehow proves how good they are now. 

71 points in a terrible league is a poor return. 

Bayern of last season, we're certainly inferior to the Bayern teams of a few years ago. If they are buying Chalobah, that probably speaks volumes. He's a decent player, that's it. 

 

 

[Sleeping Dave]

25 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

It's difficult to say but I don't understand the argument that because of the titles won 8,9,10 years ago somehow proves how good they are now. 

71 points in a terrible league is a poor return. 

Bayern of last season, we're certainly inferior to the Bayern teams of a few years ago. If they are buying Chalobah, that probably speaks volumes. He's a decent player, that's it. 

 

 

So who would you put in the top three? Man C, Real Madrid and..?

Edit: also, 71 isn’t as bad as it sounds. That’s roughly 80 points in 38 games (they only play 34 in Germany). 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Sleeping Dave

[Original 21]

[boratsbrother]

24 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

You just have to have a peak on their squad and their results over the last decade to understand that you simply can’t use the logic of “we won against x with y therefore we are better than z”. 

If Bayern Munich isn’t one of the three best club team in the world right now I sure as hell would like to hear who’d be better? Arsenal? Barcelona? 

In terms of strength in depth, the quality across Europe is the poorest I can remember!

City are the only great team and a couple of levels above RM with the rest of the  clubs  being a big mass of medicority. Think back to the  2000's when the EPL alone had Chelsea, UTD,  Liverpool and Arsenal as top teams who were serious CL contenders as proof of the lack of strength in depth around today.

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

55 minutes ago, boratsbrother said:

In terms of strength in depth, the quality across Europe is the poorest I can remember!

City are the only great team and a couple of levels above RM with the rest of the  clubs  being a big mass of medicority. Think back to the  2000's when the EPL alone had Chelsea, UTD,  Liverpool and Arsenal as top teams who were serious CL contenders as proof of the lack of strength in depth around today.

 

I’m not getting into your Bayern debate, but I very much agree with this. It feels like the average player quality has improved across the game, but that the elite pools have got a lot smaller than they once were, if that makes sense?

Try and list out elite players in each position now and it’s a hell of a lot harder than it was 10/15 years or so ago.

Maybe it’s just that my knowledge of the game isn’t as broad as it used to be, but it definitely feels like the depth at the very top end of players is smaller than it once was.

[Backbiter]

1 hour ago, Original 21 said:

Pulling a United player's hair is officially a red card offence. As Huth found out with Fellaini .

[chara]

23 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

Pulling a United player's hair is officially a red card offence. As Huth found out with Fellaini .

Sigh,,to repeat myself only a red against a RED player...ex Chelsea player in Blue was a red rag to the referee....inevitable.

[Floyd25]

2 hours ago, Original 21 said:

They’ve taken Mount who looks over the hill at 24 and now pursuing Cucurella, that’s so nice of them. United and Arsenal love helping us out, might have to stop hating them at this point. 

[Original 21]

Lukaku shenanigans latest…

[Ham]

Please God we ship him off to Al-Murray for a proper transfer fee.

NO MORE LOANS!!!!

[johnnybozo]

27 minutes ago, Ham said:

Please God we ship him off to Al-Murray for a proper transfer fee.

NO MORE LOANS!!!!

Agreed. And if the rat refuses then bar his access to Cobham forever. Enough bowing to this donkey. Lukaku just needs to f off to the bush leagues where he belongs.

[paulw66]

12 hours ago, Sleeping Dave said:

So who would you put in the top three? Man C, Real Madrid and..?

Edit: also, 71 isn’t as bad as it sounds. That’s roughly 80 points in 38 games (they only play 34 in Germany). 

To be honest, I'd forgotten they got Kane, but either way, I think the PL top 6 would give them a good game, when a few years ago they would have stuffed most. 

Either way, we're drifting a bit off topic. If you want to argue, and you have, that we should keep Chalobah as he is a decent squad player, capable of playing a few positions, then I fully understand that argument. 

Do I think he's a world class cente back, absolutely not. If he was playing for someone else, would I want us to buy him, with a view to being a choice player, again, no. 

If Bayern (or anyone else) have any aspirations of winning the CL, then someone like Chalobah is going to be no more than a squad player at best

 

Edit - to use your argument that Bayern buying Chalobah proves we're making a mistake, does that mean selling Kovacic to City was pure folly? Or Havertz to Arsenal? 

Edited August 27, 2023 by paulw66

[Sciatika]

I'd jump at that, but as Matt says "Optimism"

[Original 21]

3 hours ago, Sciatika said:

I'd jump at that, but as Matt says "Optimism"

Loan fee is closer to 5m euros apparently. Cheap at half the price! 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Original 21

[asvaberg]

33 minutes ago, Original 21 said:

Loan fee is closer to 5m euros apparently. Cheap at half the price! 

.........."bonuses" ?

Here's one for you, Romelu. Goodbye.

[Chelsea_Matt]

16 minutes ago, asvaberg said:

.........."bonuses" ?

Here's one for you, Romelu. Goodbye.

Never gets old 🤣🤣🤣 🇳🇴 

[Sleeping Dave]

4 hours ago, paulw66 said:

To be honest, I'd forgotten they got Kane, but either way, I think the PL top 6 would give them a good game, when a few years ago they would have stuffed most. 

Either way, we're drifting a bit off topic. If you want to argue, and you have, that we should keep Chalobah as he is a decent squad player, capable of playing a few positions, then I fully understand that argument. 

Do I think he's a world class cente back, absolutely not. If he was playing for someone else, would I want us to buy him, with a view to being a choice player, again, no. 

If Bayern (or anyone else) have any aspirations of winning the CL, then someone like Chalobah is going to be no more than a squad player at best

 

Edit - to use your argument that Bayern buying Chalobah proves we're making a mistake, does that mean selling Kovacic to City was pure folly? Or Havertz to Arsenal? 

I agree Chalobah isn’t a world class defender. Do I think he is any worse than Disasi or Fofana that we bought for rather big money? No, absolutely not. 

He is still young and likely to improve. He’s a local boy that understands the club and what the fans wants. He is reliable and doesn’t kick up a fuss if he doesn’t play every game. Exactly the kind of player we need in the squad. I’d have played him more and saved our money for one exceptional CB instead of a bunch of CBs who aren’t any better than the ones we’ve got already. 

[paulw66]

27 minutes ago, Sleeping Dave said:

I agree Chalobah isn’t a world class defender. Do I think he is any worse than Disasi or Fofana that we bought for rather big money? No, absolutely not. 

He is still young and likely to improve. He’s a local boy that understands the club and what the fans wants. He is reliable and doesn’t kick up a fuss if he doesn’t play every game. Exactly the kind of player we need in the squad. I’d have played him more and saved our money for one exceptional CB instead of a bunch of CBs who aren’t any better than the ones we’ve got already. 

That's fair. 

But now we have those players, what to do next? I am just not sure I see a space for him. 

[Sleeping Dave]

1 hour ago, paulw66 said:

That's fair. 

But now we have those players, what to do next? I am just not sure I see a space for him. 

We seem to lose players by the week. Poch seem to want to play a back 3. The defenders we have right now who aren’t on the treatment table is Silva, Disasi and Colwill. Badiashile and Chalobah injured and Fofana will probably never be a top PL defender given his injuries. Colwill has also never gone through a full PL season as a first choice so who knows how he’ll cope. 

I have no problem seeing how Chalobah needs to stay. 

[Original 21]

1 hour ago, paulw66 said:

That's fair. 

But now we have those players, what to do next? I am just not sure I see a space for him. 

Chalobah has a hamstring injury, hasn’t he? Don’t know how long he’s out for, but I think that was a reason why Inter lost interest in a deal for him. 

[Original 21]

Would we really be strengthening a rival if we allowed Cucurella to go to United? 

[Ham]

38 minutes ago, Original 21 said:

Would we really be strengthening a rival if we allowed Cucurella to go to United? 

Only in so much as they need a left back desperately. I hear they're also after Marcos Alonso.