McCreadie

Actually just checked his PL stats and a goal every 4 games is not really what we need… and 30 to boot…

Lots of links to Zaha today. Never been able to decide about him, but can’t help thinking this would be about 5 years too late.

Genius isn’t it? The perfect way to tie up players in years of legal shenanigans, meaning they end up obliged to re-negotiate or stagnate not being allowed to leave or not playing.

Yes me too. I think it is actually really important with the amount of new players arriving that there is a tangible link in the dressing room to someone that has literally won it all with us.

I seem to remember we were in for him right before he signed for Brighton. Was under the impression that he actually turned us down for them, assuming he would not play much here. I like the fact that he makes his decisions early and at speed and his first instinct is maximum energy to close down the threat, whilst he has already decided about the pass he needs to make. Good out-swinging crosses from the left. Bit concerned about his height.

I haven’t bothered looking it up but always assumed Cucurella was about 5ft 2”

You ONLY get the plan B direct and over the top option with Vardy. We just don’t play like that except for about 4 or 5 games a season. I totally accept that he is a great finisher, just doubt he would get the types of chances he would need in this team.

I totally get your point and definitely agree, but he hasn’t really made his career out of intelligent movement, working in tight spaces. That’s what we need. That’s why I think TT will likely need to persevere with Havertz this year. I don’t see an available option. There are so few of these players around and they are all a) old or b) VERY expensive and/or c) all already playing for teams better than us (except Ronaldo). It’s also why Haaland might not find the PL as easy as the Bundesliga (he said clutching at straws!)

Not sure how Vardy fits us at all - he’s the quintessential counter attacking striker. We are the wrong team for him.

Well if you had bothered to read the article you liked to, it would be literally impossible to come to that conclusion.

I am. We have bought 2 very good players. We have not wasted money on anyone. We probably need a minimum of one more very good defender and one more very good attacking player for the coming season. All of the squad issues were never going to be solved in one window, it will take 3 or 4. To think otherwise is just unrealistic. We have just changed owners and they will need to implement their data-based recruitment over the next year. We need to be as sure as we can be, to avoid wasting any more money on poor transfers. We have what we need to get through the first few games and I would like to think we will get the minimum of what we need for the season, before the window shuts. I don’t expect more than a solid top 4 from this year and am totally ok with that. The “dearth of quality” in this squad has been hugely exaggerated in these parts, borne out by the fact that we won the CL 13 short months ago and are the current Champions of the World. Of course we are not the best team in the world right now, but we are In transition - squad and owners.

I bet Sevilla are absolutely delighted to have turned £55m into £42m, brilliant bit of business by them. Trying to squeeze more out of us in the deal last summer worked out great for them. I think the whole Kounde shambles is more their fault than Barcas.

So its a 75 points max squad but if TT gets 72 he's out and deserves it? Righty-ho.

Thing about this is that the whole thing is made up from start to finish. None of us actually knows what has happened or what the sequence of events has been. There might be all manner of reasons why we have not got this across the line yet. The cluster*** might be of our making. Or Kounde’s. Or Seville’s. Personally, I expect it is actually not us (or Barca) that has made a horlicks of this.

Bit conflicted about our own possible hijack of de Jong now. Think he would do well for us, and would provide transition with Kante and Jorginho in their last years with us, but would also be mighty reluctant to give Barca any serious money…