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Summer 2018 transfer thread

GOMES EMPTIES HIS LOCKER

Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes has emptied out his locker at the club’s training ground, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Gomes, who joined Barca for an initial fee of €35m from Valencia in 2016, has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular over the course of two seasons at the Camp Nou.

He has been tipped to leave the club this summer and Mundo Deportivo believes the fact he has cleared out his locker at the club’s training facility suggests he is already preparing for his exit.

The Portugal international wants to move the Premier League and Barca are willing to cash in on him if they receive a worthy offer.

It's generally a good idea to take your dirty washing home over the summer
 
The actual numbers weren't the key pars of my post. Bale would surely have to take a pay cut to come back to the prem, if not then why is he even being discussed, and Mahrez is possible if unlikely.

The main point being that if we really really want to go up a level and improve then I think there are better targets than Martial, they will just cost more.
There is costing ‘more’ and then there is costing 3+ times as much.
 
There's something about the Bale links that make me think they're so crazy that it might just happen. I can totally see Madrid even paying off a good portion of his contract so he's comfortable with the drop on the next one he signs. I can see Levy wanting to make an absolute statement signing for the new stadium, probably because of how it will improve our chances of getting a bumper naming rights deal. I'm not even saying it's in any way Levy's previous MO...I just think there's something in it. And it would be amazing.

Of course, would be beyond gutted if he ended up going to United.
 
There's something about the Bale links that make me think they're so crazy that it might just happen. I can totally see Madrid even paying off a good portion of his contract so he's comfortable with the drop on the next one he signs. I can see Levy wanting to make an absolute statement signing for the new stadium, probably because of how it will improve our chances of getting a bumper naming rights deal. I'm not even saying it's in any way Levy's previous MO...I just think there's something in it. And it would be amazing.

Of course, would be beyond gutted if he ended up going to United.

Possibly. .....Levy likes the previous club paying a portion of the players wages (Ade, Emirates Marketing Project....Woodgate, Mboro..... and Keane, Leeds)

Levy is still good mates with one of Bale's agents Johnathan Barnett

Plus we of course have a special relationship with Real Madrid.....they buy our best players and very rarely give us a sniff of any of theirs:(......well we did snap up VDV I guess. Maybe we will give them first refusal for Kane, Dele and Eriksen:rolleyes:

Actually potentialy signing Bale reminds me of the VDV signing.
 
There's something about the Bale links that make me think they're so crazy that it might just happen. I can totally see Madrid even paying off a good portion of his contract so he's comfortable with the drop on the next one he signs. I can see Levy wanting to make an absolute statement signing for the new stadium, probably because of how it will improve our chances of getting a bumper naming rights deal. I'm not even saying it's in any way Levy's previous MO...I just think there's something in it. And it would be amazing.

Of course, would be beyond gutted if he ended up going to United.
You on the game changer too?
 
I'd love Bale but I'm not sure he is the same player that left us. Yep great to get him but if it is not to be then I wouldn't be crying about it.

Pulisic ticks more boxes for me.

Bale has been in and out of the Real team but I’m not sure the games he missed were all due to injury.
I think Real is not an easy club to play for they are a tough crowd to please.
 
No they weren't. His form is not great.

They have had a dreadful season in the league not sure any one player is responsible for that.
They need some fresh blood but still have some wonderful youngsters that are in and out.
Bale turned the clock back the other night I watched them.
But not sure he could play in our team now.
 
On the subject of Martial, going back a couple of pages.
On the (excellent) Graham Hunter podcast with Ander Herrera*, Herrera explains how he isn't the strongest or fastest so he has to use other tricks to win such as thinking one step ahead and diving and whining and acting like an utter dingdonghead as he wasn't born with the extreme talent of someone like Martial

Interesting he would single out Martial, rather than any of the other great players he has played with.

It is an interesting listen, worth Googling. Goes back to his youth days, Zaragoza etc. Explains how he picked up the 'dark arts' of being an utter dingdongwad to win games.

Explains how playing under Bielsa was great for a while, they were flying, they got to the cup finals and 5th in the league, then they hit the wall and couldn't run and lost all of their remaining games as nobody can press like Bielsa asks. After that season, players (including him) needed surgery to recover from what he had put them through. Message for Poch there about rotation and game management.
 
I'd love Bale but I'm not sure he is the same player that left us. Yep great to get him but if it is not to be then I wouldn't be crying about it.

Pulisic ticks more boxes for me.
Couldn't agree more. Pulisic has the potential to become a Bale, will be on a significantly lower salary, will cost about the same and in 5-6 years' time would fetch everything we spent on him, were we to end up selling him. It's really a no-brainer.
 
Here's how I would spend our transfer money this summer:

Pulisic - £70m
De Ligt - £50m
Kondogbia - £25m

And that's it. Sales should recoup at least half of the above. We strengthen each area of the pitch and a couple of them with stars of the future. Next summer we get a creative midfielder. I think we can manage one more season without one.
 
Couldn't agree more. Pulisic has the potential to become a Bale, will be on a significantly lower salary, will cost about the same and in 5-6 years' time would fetch everything we spent on him, were we to end up selling him. It's really a no-brainer.

On the other hand, Bale has won 3 CL trophies and has been a part of arguably the greatest team of the modern era, playing with the kind of expectation and the kind of talent that would entail. He would potentially raise the game of the entire squad as well as the profile of the club. I imagine it’s the sort of thing where we earn a lot of money back from the increased commercial exposure a Bale brings. Levy would know the sums.

I’m saying this more in hope than expectation, but Fergie sprinkled some experienced star dust on his best United sides, combining it with the spirit and youth that he had put together.

I love a high potential player as much as everyone else here, but I’d be giddy as fudge if we signed Bale.
 
On the other hand, Bale has won 3 CL trophies and has been a part of arguably the greatest team of the modern era, playing with the kind of expectation and the kind of talent that would entail. He would potentially raise the game of the entire squad as well as the profile of the club. I imagine it’s the sort of thing where we earn a lot of money back from the increased commercial exposure a Bale brings. Levy would know the sums.

I’m saying this more in hope than expectation, but Fergie sprinkled some experienced star dust on his best United sides, combining it with the spirit and youth that he had put together.

I love a high potential player as much as everyone else here, but I’d be giddy as fudge if we signed Bale.
Get Modric, then. Same pedigree, cheaper, and fills the CM slot nicely (at least for a year). And still leaves you money to get the stars of tomorrow.
 
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