Summer 2023 Transfer Thread

[Evelyn Tentions]

1 hour ago, Mathewbet1 said:

Is he  big in Japan?

No. He's still 5 ft 8.

[3 Stacks]

2 hours ago, Lee909 said:

I dint normally moan about not wanting a player. But 15ml on a guy who turns 31 in February. How many players move to the Premier league at that age and don't struggle with the pace. Apparently the deal was pushed by Jorge. That fucker has been a mid table sporting director his whole career. They fucked up having him anywhere near the club

Though I would have just spent the money on Doucoure because I like him and I happen to think he is worth it, the premise of signing this guy is not bad, especially that he seems by all accounts to be a top professional. He seems like someone we will get away with putting in the 11 for a bit and he won't be a terrible weakness.

 

We are in a situation where midfielders and specifically holding midfielders have been bought for incredible fees this summer, and it started last summer as well. If the club's argument is that they missed the boat and they don't think it's a good idea to invest massive money on the 6th or 7th best holding midfielder that would have been on the market, I think that's a fine argument, and I think a move like this is an admission of that.

 

As long as there's a big investment somewhere else. Centre back, right back. Something like that. And that they are planning another midfielder in January.

[Ne Moe Imya]

I actually think this is a pretty astute signing, given the situation we've put ourselves in.

It's obviously not a good signing when you consider where we should have been this window, but once you miss out on Caicedo, then your options are:

• overpay for a young player who isn't any better than Bajcetic right now (though he might be a world-beater in 3-4 years)
• INSANELY overpay for someone like Doucoure or Paulinha (remember, Doucoure at this point is being talked about as a club record signing, more than we paid for van Dijk/Allisson/Nunez)
• buy someone for 15-25m who will probably be more or less as good for us as Henderson would have been had he stayed but who is on 1/3 the wages

So given those three options, I'd say the third one is the best of a bad lot. Give Endo a 3-year contract and hope that he's a decent backup. His defensive numbers are pretty good (not great, but pretty good), his passing is ... meh, but not terrible, and he never gets injured.

Worst case, he's another Klavan/Minamino (cheap player, did OK but not great, never really affected much). Best case, he's another Matip/Kuyt (cheap player, played a small but important role on some good teams).

We still haven't replaced Fabinho but I think it's obvious at this point that we're going to have to depend on some combination of Thiago/Endo/Jones/Bajcetic to do that. We'll have to just get through at least until January, given that absolutely no one of the quality we really need is available this summer. And that means that whatever tiny dreams we may have had of pipping City to the title this season are probably snuffed out, but we should be reasonably confident of top 4 and who knows, maybe we can get a bit of luck and win a cup?

[Strontium]

Current thinking is that defensive midfield is the most important position on the pitch, on that basis the rapidly escalating prices for the very best exponents makes sense.

[CapeRed]

4 hours ago, MilanJovanovic said:

 

I understand that sentiment, but the cynical slander and the ironic stereotypical jokes is hard to take.

People should go read on Stuttgart forums what their fans think about loosing their captain who recently saved them from relegation, a player who their fans refer to as LegEndo, before behaving like spoilt Chelsea brats.

This Fifa fan chatter makes the club look even more like shit.

It’s the norm for a lot of chat rooms these days . Not worth getting upset about it.

[CapeRed]

4 hours ago, Moo said:

 

We weren't throwing around 110m quid though, we were making an offer for a player who we knew was not going to come here. Didn't you say this yourself? (I might be getting you mixed up with another poster, if so, apologies).

Nope , you really think the club offers a British Record fee that was accepted just for shits and giggles ? Behave.

[Jose Jones]

1 hour ago, Strontium said:

Current thinking is that defensive midfield is the most important position on the pitch, on that basis the rapidly escalating prices for the very best exponents makes sense.

I reckon defensive midfield is the easiest position to play.

 

[Doc Pheezin]

Looks like we are signing Doucoure, Amrabat and Gravenberch. 
tha rebuild is onnnn 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Yeah right

[razor]

This signing gives the midfield balance.

 

When a midfield has a more advanced two, you need a water hari-carrier.

 

 

 

 

(all the good ones had already been taken)

[Fallen Angel]

49 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

I reckon defensive midfield is the easiest position to play.

 

That’s all kinds of wrong. 

[johnsusername]

10 hours ago, Leyton388 said:

FSG lowering expectations is a sucess where people seem happy to be signing some absolute no mark. 

 

 

 

Nobody has ever heard of him, but he's just what we're looking for, it seems. 

 

Who knows maybe he'll fit right in. Or maybe he'll play a handful of games and will be sold next summer. 

[Anubis]

Quote

 

• INSANELY overpay for someone like Doucoure or Paulinha (remember, Doucoure at this point is being talked about as a club record signing, more than we paid for van Dijk/Allisson/Nunez)

 

Sorry, but that ship has sailed. Chelsea’s purchases, Arsenal for Rice, the Saudi’s, and Brighton, Saints and West Ham showing smaller clubs the way.

 

Clubs will now seek to put their best talents on slightly higher pay for a release clause. Players like Doucoure may not be worth the money asked, but neither were Rice or Caicedo and we bid an insane amount for the latte so people know we’ll do it.

 

Add in potentially more Saudi influence at Utd, Newcastle and Chelsea becoming increasingly emboldened at the PL’s inaction/complicity, and the continued threat of PIF money from Saudi, and I’m afraid beggars can’t be choosers. If we want Doucoure now is the time to go for it.

[Remmie]

3 minutes ago, Anubis said:

 

Sorry, but that ship has sailed. Chelsea’s purchases, Arsenal for Rice, the Saudi’s, and Brighton, Saints and West Ham showing smaller clubs the way.

 

Clubs will now seek to put their best talents on slightly higher pay for a release clause. Players like Doucoure may not be worth the money asked, but neither were Rice or Caicedo and we bid an insane amount for the latte so people know we’ll do it.

 

Add in potentially more Saudi influence at Utd, Newcastle and Chelsea becoming increasingly emboldened at the PL’s inaction/complicity, and the continued threat of PIF money from Saudi, and I’m afraid beggars can’t be choosers. If we want Doucoure now is the time to go for it.

Yes Latte's are more expensive nowadays, get yourself an aeropress 

[Lee909]

Probably normal twitter shite but apparently we interested in Johan Bakayoko from PSV. In a shocking turn of events he's actually a right winger. 

[Remmie]

2 minutes ago, Lee909 said:

Probably normal twitter shite but apparently we interested in Johan Bakayoko from PSV. In a shocking turn of events he's actually a right winger. 

Just think of the hilarious Four tops based comedy songs

[littletedwest]

Really hope this lad does well. But given his stats are similar to Fabinho last year when Fabinho played like he'd overdosed on mogadons I'm not massively hopeful 

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, Fallen Angel said:

That’s all kinds of wrong. 

 

Which position in the our team is easier that DM? We ask an awful lot of just about every position in the team, cheating all over the place. The straight #6 role is probably the most conventional and because of the talent around the pitch, we probably expect very little in terms of creativity, get the ball and give it - and looking at this lads profile, that seems to be pretty much him.

 

I would say going with the midfielders we have this summer makes life easier than the role we expected of fab. Previously there was very little creativity, goal scoring and assist capability from the midfield, so there was an onus on fab needing to join attacks or play those little dink balls he used to play to try and break the lines. We now have lads who have goals and assists in them (and from Trent to the side too), but Dom and Mac also have the work rate for the press of those players before. 

 

For me, if there's one position in this team where you can get away with a good, honest pro, it's our #6 position. 

[Jose Jones]

1 hour ago, Fallen Angel said:

That’s all kinds of wrong. 

Why?
Maybe it depends on your skill set but I always found it the easiest spot to read the play, other than central defence.

But you obviously don’t have the last line of defence responsibility. 

[Mook]

1 minute ago, littletedwest said:

Really hope this lad does well. But given his stats are similar to Fabinho last year when Fabinho played like he'd overdosed on mogadons I'm not massively hopeful 

 

I never pay attention to stats (unless it's goals), fucking nerdy bollocks & they're becoming more Americanised all the time.

 

Best to judge the lad on what you see with your eyes when he starts playing for us.

[manwiththestick]

1 minute ago, littletedwest said:

Really hope this lad does well. But given his stats are similar to Fabinho last year when Fabinho played like he'd overdosed on mogadons I'm not massively hopeful 

He cannot be any worse than Fab was last season so in that small sample size he's a willing upgrade.

 

In isolation it's a massively meh transfer on a steady Eddie player but if we add a couple of others before the window closes then I'm okay with it.

[Anubis]

The “Doucoure is very expensive and Palace want to keep him’ shouts are in.

 

I thought Endo was going to be our plus one. He’s not, is he?

[Manny]

What to make of this signing depends massively on what else happens, I suppose. I don't have a problem at all with signing low-end fee players - some of our best signings recently have been for relative peanuts and bought from relative obscurity (Robbo and Gini the obvious ones, £33m for the pair from relegated sides) and, call me weird but I quite like seeing creative thinking like this rather than indulge in the same "activate cheat code and go out and blow a record fee on a dead cert" that we see from the likes of City and Chelsea. 

 

But his age and fee make him a pretty underwhelming pivot from Moises Caicedo: if the club is going from a 21 year old outstanding first team ready prospect for a club record fee to a 30 year old workhorse for a modest fee then it doesn't scream a coherent strategy. Basically, there are a lot of options in between Moises Caicedo for £110m and Wataru Endo for £15m.

 

But then he might be a complete alternative, I guess. Maybe we were targeting him at the same time as a ~£40m Lavia so we could have a bit of experience in midfield while Lavia and Bajcetic develop. Maybe we're now buying this Brazilian lad but he can't come til January. Maybe - and this is the wildest one - given he's played a lot of games at CB but he's a capable midfielder, he's an alternative for Robbo and an alternative for a younger DM we're planning on going for now.

 

I guess the point is working out whether he's the Caicedo alternative on his own, or if he's a smaller part of a wider change of plans. I'll reserve judgement but I can't shake the feeling that this is yet more evidence of a confused strategy that's being made up on the hoof whilst we get through our 4th DoF in 2 years.

[Guest]

 

[Lee909]

2 minutes ago, Anubis said:

The “Doucoure is very expensive and Palace want to keep him’ shouts are in.

 

I thought Endo was going to be our plus one. He’s not, is he?

 

Reckon him and Andre in January. Earlier if they get knocked out Copa this round as it gives us a day to get the deal done