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Transfer speculation

Simple question - we're down one first-team player and have signed no replacements with 70m burning a hole in our pockets.

If we finish the window with the squad as it stands, would you expect us to get 86 points again? Second place, challengers, all that stuff? And I mean actually expect us to do so - with the attendant disappointment if we don't reach that total.

If not, the 'internal bickering' is justified, because the club will have regressed of its own accord (which is why you've lowered your expectations accordingly), and that's something worth pointing out.
Obviously I have lower (rational) expectations than most, we don't have the large squads that others have and I believe it will be a challenge for us to do as well as last year. I don't think signing unproven players will increase our chances other than on paper, all these other "super" clubs have spent big time does that guarantee them the league? It's easy to sit on the sidelines and say we should sign this and that one in the safe knowledge you will not be held responsible for any failings and the luxury of knowing you will be able to say "I told you so"
 
we are being linked with a few 28 yr old midfielders - first i thought was garbage but as they keep coming wondering if Poch thinks we need a bit of experience to help bring through Josh and Winks

It would certainly be interesting to see what happened if he brought an older player or 2 in. Been so widely reported that he prefers younger players as they are easier to get to work his way etc.
 
He's 28 ffs, there is no upside to this transfer, its insane, he may be outstanding for a year or 2 but its only ever going to be about minimising the amount they lose when they sell him.

If his signing secured, guaranteed the likelihood of CL football to recoup some of the cash then fair enough but its very very slim chance of happening, its a barmy barmy fee for a better than average player.

I agree totally. Nice gig for Gylfi mind......good luck to him!
 
You imagine what it must be like 'having' to buy in this silly market.
I would just watch and wait till the last days of the window.
Everton must be batbrickcrazy thinking £50m, as much as Gylfi is a good player....

Would laugh my arse off if no one bid for Barkley and they were stuck with him while he ran out his contract. Would kind of suit them right and with any luck they would break the FFP rules(do they even exist anymore)
 
Would laugh my arse off if no one bid for Barkley and they were stuck with him while he ran out his contract. Would kind of suit them right and with any luck they would break the FFP rules(do they even exist anymore)


FFP was the one biggest chance missed IMHO by FIFA to improve the club game.
They will still have to sort out the mega money teams at some point along the line.

TV money will shrink and some big names will once again panic and attempt a super league breakaway.

Chelsea and the like as we heard today are scared brickless (my words not Conte's;)) they may fail, the only advantage they have is money to make themselves slightly better.
 
FFP was the one biggest chance missed IMHO by FIFA to improve the club game.
They will still have to sort out the mega money teams at some point along the line.

TV money will shrink and some big names will once again panic and attempt a super league breakaway.

Chelsea and the like as we heard today are scared brickless (my words not Conte's;)) they may fail, the only advantage they have is money to make themselves slightly better.

Getting very off topic but I'm sceptical about whether a breakaway European Super League would raise TV revenue. I think if you have Bayern v Barca every other week it detracts from the special nature of those games and people would start to become bored of them; meanwhile, there's a lot of local derbies that are actually very watchable and which would be lost. For example, us going to the spammers is never a game which I expect to be easy but would be lost if we were in a Super league
 
Getting very off topic but I'm sceptical about whether a breakaway European Super League would raise TV revenue. I think if you have Bayern v Barca every other week it detracts from the special nature of those games and people would start to become bored of them; meanwhile, there's a lot of local derbies that are actually very watchable and which would be lost. For example, us going to the spammers is never a game which I expect to be easy but would be lost if we were in a Super league
Yea it simply wouldn't work, I'm already bored of the same fixtures every QF stage and the usual group stage fixtures. You need the domestic rivalries to keep the interest.
 
Getting very off topic but I'm sceptical about whether a breakaway European Super League would raise TV revenue. I think if you have Bayern v Barca every other week it detracts from the special nature of those games and people would start to become bored of them; meanwhile, there's a lot of local derbies that are actually very watchable and which would be lost. For example, us going to the spammers is never a game which I expect to be easy but would be lost if we were in a Super league

I agree, but when these clubs feel vulnerability they don't always make good decisions. They would use it as a threat to maintain thier financial superiority, just making a mess of the European leagues. These big clubs cannot cope with a competitive competition, it cattleftrucks thier only edge, thier wealth!
 
FFP was the one biggest chance missed IMHO by FIFA to improve the club game.
They will still have to sort out the mega money teams at some point along the line.

TV money will shrink and some big names will once again panic and attempt a super league breakaway.

Chelsea and the like as we heard today are scared brickless (my words not Conte's;)) they may fail, the only advantage they have is money to make themselves slightly better.

There is nothing new in that though is they, one of the reasons the European Cup was changed to the boring Champions Lge was to stop the talk of the bigger clubs ( around Europe) breaking away and forming a super lge. It is pure greed by the bigger clubs and at the end of the day (if it ever happens) it will turn into as big a snooze fest as the CL is now.
 
Conte is a top class coach and winner, they may start slowly but he will find a way to succeed. A very very driven bloke.

Forget us, Conte is in a direct scrap with Manchester and Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs there taking advantage of any slacking. Everton, West Ham and possibly Southampton might shock at give a better account of themselves this season, stranger things have happened. In Italy in the past he has had it so much easier.
 
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