Summer 2017 Transfer Thread

[cloggypop]

To be fair, Brodge wanted Bertrand and Van Dijk but the committee said "nein".

This is either true or an example of Brendan's neuro-linguistic programming.

 

Either way, it can fuck off to the former managers forum.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Can Abramovich make his money laundering anymore blatant?

 

It does make an absolute mockery of the whole FFP thing, doesn't it?

 

It's almost comical how open Chelsea and City have been about it, really.  City went the route of having their own companies sponsor the shirt, which I thought was about as ridiculous as you could get, but Chelsea are giving them a right go with the whole China thing.

 

I mean, it's obviously clear that China would have to pay huge wages to get even half-decent players to come, but why would they have to pay huge fees?  Chelsea won't care if the highest bid is from China or from Italy/Spain/Germany/France.  It's a ploy a reasonably bright 8-year old could see through.

[Mark M]

VVD is worth £15 mil and that's it. I don't think he's any better than Matip and even though Lovren is a gonk, VVD isn't streets ahead of him.

Mad if we spend £50 mil on him.

 

He's certainly worth more than what we got for Jordan Ibe. 

 

Transfer fees over the last while have gone crazy. Look at Stones going to City for £50 mil he's a talented player but the most important element of his game defending he's not very good at.

 

If VVD was down to the last year of his contract the transfer fee would more likely be in and around the £15-£20 mil area i'd have thought. 

 

Once a player has a few years left on his contract and the selling club doesn't really need to sell and there's a couple of other clubs interested in buying that player there's just no chance he goes for a reasonable fee unless the selling club are run by gobshites.

[G Richards]

Regarding not signing defenders from lesser teams, it's not like we'd ever sign a decent centre back from the likes of Coventry, Partick Thistle, Willem II, Brighton, Brondby or Blackburn now, is it?

 

#TeamMaguire

 

 

I like the point, repped. 

 

Help me with my memory... I've got Hansen, Hyypia, Lawrenson, Agger and Henchoz. 

 

Who did we sign from Coventry? Are you putting Phil Babb in this list? Or is there some other accomplished defender we signed from Coventry that I'm overlooking? 

[Anubis]

We might get Keita, he looks good, but not out of our league. Brandt is reportedly Bayern bound, but happy to take whoever he's replacing there. Van Dijk is a tough one, we need to lock the deal in early. If Chelsea and Man City shows interest, with their financial power, it'd be unlikely (and typical) for us to miss out again.

You're forgetting Everton's interest in VVD...

[ZonkoVille77]

Still don't think VVD is worth £87 mil

[Boss]

We might get Keita, he looks good, but not out of our league. Brandt is reportedly Bayern bound, but happy to take whoever he's replacing there. Van Dijk is a tough one, we need to lock the deal in early. If Chelsea and Man City shows interest, with their financial power, it'd be unlikely (and typical) for us to miss out again.

 

Douglas Costa looks certain to leave Bayern in the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a 'too good to refuse' offer from China. He'd be the missing piece of the puzzle for us though. Bayern are also interested in Leon Goretzka.

[magicrat]

Why don't we just hire the cunt who works for Southampton? Or better still, their entire scouting department?

 

If we blew our entire budget on that, it would save us millions in the long run.

Been said many times. I don't have a good answer really but I reckon we should be looking at how many cheap imports Southampton have to trawl through before they get a few diamonds, Top clubs can't afford to ship in unproven players and hope they make the grade, That I suppose is Southampton's job and it keeps them solvent. It's probably why young potential talent wants to go to clubs like them first because they do get a chance to make the grade and not get binned off after a few shit games or loaned out after a season bench warming

[aRdja]

Douglas Costa looks certain to leave Bayern in the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a 'too good to refuse' offer from China. He'd be the missing piece of the puzzle for us though. Bayern are also interested in Leon Goretzka.

How would they fit him in with Kimmich, Renato Sanches and Thiago around?

[Gym Beglin]

I think he's the best defender in the league myself. There aren't many 6'4 defenders who could match Mane for pace, and he is one of them.

 

What if you take his pace away, does he drop from a £50m defender to a £10m defender?

 

Big gamble on a player injured since January, who only started doing shit like this last month:  https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRLW5BFQ-t/

 

£50m says he's still brilliant.  Or, as brilliant as it's possible to be with only 52 PL games under your belt.  

 

Schneiderlin, Lovren, Shaw, Chambers, Clyne, Fonte all looked fantastic defensive players for Southampton in seasons past.  That's the Southampton secret.  Move them on quick, cash in, they were never that good anyway.  The only time they've ever really brought someone in and let them go who turned out to be brilliant was Mane.  Not a bad failure rate.

 

Fonte signed for £1.2m, sold to West Ham for £8m (age 33).

Clyne bought for £3m from Palace, sold to us for £12.5m

Chambers was homegrown, sold to Arsenal for £16m.

Shaw was homegrown, sold to United for £30m.

Lovren was signed for £8.5m from Lyon, sold to us for £20m.

Schneiderlin signed for £1.2 from Strasbourg, sold to United for £25m.

 

6 very average defensive players, cost them £13.9m in total, and they sold them on for £111m.

 

Van Dijk is odds on to be another.

 

Attacking wise, Southampton have fucked up in many respects.  The likes of Lallana, Bale, Walcott, they let them go too early and lost out on lots more money.  Even the likes of Puncheon and Oxlade Chamberlain.

[Winston Wolf]

I like the point, repped. 

 

Help me with my memory... I've got Hansen, Hyypia, Lawrenson, Agger and Henchoz. 

 

Who did we sign from Coventry? Are you putting Phil Babb in this list? Or is there some other accomplished defender we signed from Coventry that I'm overlooking? 

Gary Gillespie, Padre.

[G Richards]

Bayern can't buy all the players, surely? If they buy Brandt and sell Costa, we should be all over that. And if they are after Goretzka, we should be all over Keita, or vice vera. 

[G Richards]

Gary Gillespie padre.

 

Ah, of course. Repped. Good defender him. 

[aRdja]

What if you take his pace away, does he drop from a £50m defender to a £10m defender?

 

Big gamble on a player injured since January, who only started doing shit like this last month: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRLW5BFQ-t/

 

£50m says he's still brilliant. Or, as brilliant as it's possible to be with only 52 PL games under your belt.

 

Schneiderlin, Lovren, Shaw, Chambers, Clyne, Fonte all looked fantastic defensive players for Southampton in seasons past. That's the Southampton secret. Move them on quick, cash in, they were never that good anyway. The only time they've ever really brought someone in and let them go who turned out to be brilliant was Mane. Not a bad failure rate.

 

Fonte signed for £1.2m, sold to West Ham for £8m (age 33).

Clyne bought for £3m from Palace, sold to us for £12.5m

Chambers was homegrown, sold to Arsenal for £16m.

Shaw was homegrown, sold to United for £30m.

Lovren was signed for £8.5m from Lyon, sold to us for £20m.

Schneiderlin signed for £1.2 from Strasbourg, sold to United for £25m.

 

6 very average defensive players, cost them £13.9m in total, and they sold them on for £111m.

 

Van Dijk is odds on to be another.

 

Attacking wise, Southampton have fucked up in many respects. The likes of Lallana, Bale, Walcott, they let them go too early and lost out on lots more money. Even the likes of Puncheon and Oxlade Chamberlain.

The unique combination of pace, strength and height is the reason why he's so highly rated. It's like asking what if Mane was slow...

[cuppatea]

I think he's the best defender in the league myself. There aren't many 6'4 defenders who could match Mane for pace, and he is one of them.

 

He's not got any taller or faster in the last 2 years. He has all the same attributes as when he was a 24 year old no-mark available for around £10m but rather than identify those attributes and sign him based upon them, we wait until he's in the form of his life (a form far higher than his career average) and try to buy him for five times as much. It's fucking brainless.

[aRdja]

He's not got any taller or faster in the last 2 years. He has all the same attributes as when he was a 24 year old no-mark available for around £10m but rather than identify those attributes and sign him based upon them, we wait until he's in the form of his life (a form far higher than his career average) and try to buy him for five times as much. It's fucking brainless.

Blame the committee for that.

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/10766702/liverpool-passed-up-chance-to-sign-virgil-van-dijk-says-brendan-rodgers

[Lee909]

I smell alot of bullshit from Rogers to be honest

 

He wanted to sign loads of playees who turned out to be good but seems to have had all the flops forced on him

[Boss]

How would they fit him in with Kimmich, Renato Sanches and Thiago around?

 

That's a good point. I think they've been rocked a few times in the recent past with De Bruyne and Sane moving to the Premier League that they don't want to take any chances on the likes of Brandt, Gnabry and Goretzka moving here as well.

[G Richards]

If we can persuade VVD to come here, as there are other top teams who are interested, then we should do it, even at 50M. He looks to have the lot - pace, aerial presence, composure, strength, good reading of the game, not bad on the ball. 50M is ridiculous money, of course, but if that's what it costs, and we have the money, get stuck in! 

 

I'm hoping for a big summer in the transfer market, especially if we qualify for CL, as we appear to have been saving up a bit. Time will tell on that. 

 

The strategy of signing too many average players in the hope that someone makes the grade is flawed. Once things are up to snuff with the team and squad, and I'd say we are 5 players short, then I'd be happy to change strategy with signings as we move forward.

 

At that point I'd be happy with one or two top signings - clear 'first team' players, like Mane, every summer. The displaced players are bumped down to strengthen the squad, and the displaced squad players are sold. There should be 17-18 of a very good quality and the rest of the squad can be padded out by the best from the academy, or the best youngsters we can sign from elsewhere. 

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Yep, it was Gary Gillespie from Coventry.

 

Been watching a bit of Serie A and the weekly goals montages on YouTube. That's where Balde Keita jumped out.

 

Obviously it's easy to get a false impression from just goals, so I recently watched one of those montage videos of him, the ones that usually have a really shit song playing in the background. Anyway, to the point. He looks a great little player. Can use both feet. Creates. Scores. Works hard without the ball. Can play centrally or wide, cutting inside. And, he's absolutely rapid. But skilful with it too.

 

He's jumped to the top of my want list.

[Red House]

How would they fit him in with Kimmich, Renato Sanches and Thiago around?

 

They've also already signed Sebastian Rudy as well, which I suggested we should try to sign on a free last year a la Matip. Shame, will probably be their like-for-like replacement for Xabi.

[G Richards]

And Brendan Rodgers wanted Balde Keita too, but the transfer committee blocked it!

 

(I have no idea if that is true, just tying to join in with the Rodgers/transfer committee stuff). 

[Harry Squatter]

We must have some loyalty points now with Southampton. At least enough points for a £15m player.

[Paco]

How much will we have to pay for Bertrand now?

[an tha]

How will VVD look when he is spending most of his time on the halfway line and the rest of it well inside the opposition half?

 

We can sign all the best defenders in the world but until we stop being so open and easy to counter they would all look shite at times as a long ball is hoofed into the channels that our full backs have vacated as they are stuck 25 yards from the opposition goal after their latest cross has hit the first man....and then those centre halves have to chase back and one try and cover the three men who have burst into our box after running unchallenged into the box and the other goes out wide to try and get to the man who has run unchallenged into the channel to put the ball in - all this of course from a starting position further forward than most central midfielders usually occupy.