Transfer Tittle-Tattle

[braineclipse]

Liverpools position in the league defies logic. They are a charge and hoof side and their midfield is nothing to write home about. They are a very physical team, something that suits us given our lack of quality/coherence.

Emirates Marketing Project did similar, foregoing their usual game and adopting a more physical and defensive approach. All commentary since the game states this played into our hands.

Im not sure your examples say what you think they say.

We have cobbled together something that works, it is (sort of) effective, but it is far from optimal. As ever, very few things in football are absolute and binary. You can play poorly and win, well and lose.

Sissoko doesnt play the same game as Kante. Which immediately makes the whole comparison obsolete anyway. And as I already stated, I dont want to drag that whole Sissoko debate up again. The point was simple, even his greatest apologists recognise he is fundamentally a limited footballer, and yet this same player is being hailed - that is how poor our midfield has been.

We obviously see things very differently right now. Will just have to see for the rest of the season.

Personally I hope we keep the Winks, Sissoko partnership starting unless there's a need for rotation. I think we'll see that continue our return to defensive solidity we've seen recently. If you're right and Sissoko doesn't even play the same game as Kante we should likely be fairly dodgy defensively or Pochettino will bring in Wanyama or Dier as starters if they look close to match fitness at some point.

For me the main reason our midfield has been struggling this season has been the injury problems and lack of match fitness for Winks. Along with the lack of real options for the deep playmaker role other than Alli or Eriksen playing in a role that isn't their best.

Unless Pochettino thinks Skipp is likely to step up fairly quickly and play that role I hope that lack of options it's addressed in the summer window.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

We are fairly dodgy defensively. Most definitely by comparison to our general standards.

Sissoko is not like Kante, aside from stamina I simply do not see what it is you think here.

Kante is a DM (when he is played there) and he is outstanding. Reminds me of Parker when he played deep for us and broke into the ENgland squad. Marks territory in front of the defence and doesnt let a thing through. That is where he got POTY and fully deserved it, and that is what made Chelsea pay such big money for him.

Sissoko just doesnt play that game (though I genuinely believe he should). He is more a b2b player. And yes, does some fine defensive work, but that doesnt make him anything alike.

We will no doubt keep the Winks/Sissoko axis going the rest of the season, its found something resembling a partnership and is all we have right now while Wanyama and Dier are perma-crocked.

However, next season? I hope to have seen the MF get something of an overhaul so we actually have the balance and qualities we need there.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Real Madrid will ask for 130m euros (£112m) for Wales forward Gareth Bale, 29, this summer and believe English clubs will be willing to pay that fee. (AS)


Qatar Sports Investments, who own Ligue 1 champions PSG, are investigating the possibility of buying a Premier League club. (Telegraph)
[conspiracy ahoy - FWIW Id expect Chelsea more than us]


Everton boss Marco Silva says he may sign France defender Kurt Zouma, 24, and 25-year-old Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes, 25 - who are both on loan at Goodison Park - on permanent deals from Chelsea and Barcelona respectively. (Liverpool Echo)


Arsenal and Everton have both held talks with 22-year-old Ajax winger David Neres before a proposed £34.5m move to the Premier League. Borussia Dortmund had a bid rejected in January. (Telegraph)
[One we've been linked to?]


Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen has emerged as the new top transfer target for Real Madrid, with club president Florentino Perez preferring the 27-year-old to Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. (El Confidential, via Mirror)

 

[Benny_Lad]

Is Joao Felix going to be on the move anytime soon?

 

[P.D.]

Is Joao Felix going to be on the move anytime soon?

Loads of rumours that there will be bids in the summer, Portugese clubs generally sell but get good prices.

 

[r-u-s-x]

Qatar Sports Investments, who own Ligue 1 champions PSG, are investigating the possibility of buying a Premier League club. (Telegraph)
[conspiracy ahoy - FWIW Id expect Chelsea more than us]

Conspiracy ahoy - they were only interested in PSG when they had a new ground

Everton boss Marco Silva says he may sign France defender Kurt Zouma, 24, and 25-year-old Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes, 25 - who are both on loan at Goodison Park - on permanent deals from Chelsea and Barcelona respectively. (Liverpool Echo)

That's probably 60-70M before they have even improved the squad.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Conspiracy ahoy - they were only interested in PSG when they had a new ground

I was expecting the obvious join the dots to us, there are many convinced Levy has just been fattening us up for sale for (now) decades, but...

I think there is a definite air of Chelsea being in trouble. Abramovic losing interest, now having Israili passport, them tightening their belts and facing a possible ban etc - could be willing to sell IMO - and they would be a damn site cheaper than us! Having also got a better recent history of success and (I assume) higher profile.

That's probably 60-70M before they have even improved the squad.

Absolutely. Two decent players, but not game changers. And clearly no improvement...

 

[r-u-s-x]

I was expecting the obvious join the dots to us, there are many convinced Levy has just been fattening us up for sale for (now) decades, but...

I think there is a definite air of Chelsea being in trouble. Abramovic losing interest, now having Israili passport, them tightening their belts and facing a possible ban etc - could be willing to sell IMO - and they would be a damn site cheaper than us! Having also got a better recent history of success and (I assume) higher profile.




Absolutely. Two decent players, but not game changers. And clearly no improvement...

They owe Roman £1.1Bn he will want back before the cost of the club on top of it. Any stadium improvement will cost £1bn minimum and they are desperate for it. With this in mind I wouldn't say its cheaper than us.

I am not selling our club here but if I were to believe they are investing in the PL (I don't) then we are the club they would go for IMO.

*Even with the purse tightening Roman is still funding £70M - £100M p/a on transfers.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

I thought they were more self funding these days? Hence moves like Barkley and Drinkwater?

I know they owe Abramovic loans, though didnt think it was that much!

 

[r-u-s-x]

I thought they were more self funding these days? Hence moves like Barkley and Drinkwater?

I know they owe Abramovic loans, though didnt think it was that much!

I meant they spend that net per year- how self funded they are who knows (inflated deals etc.)

 

[Benny_Lad]

Looking forward to having a good look at Tielemans and Maddison tonight. Assume Saudi Sportswashing Machine will sit in so could provide a similar test to what we experience a lot.

 

[StephenH]

Looking forward to having a good look at Tielemans and Maddison tonight. Assume Saudi Sportswashing Machine will sit in so could provide a similar test to what we experience a lot.

Rogers has got Leicester looking better imo
He will do a good job there.

 

[StephenH]

I was expecting the obvious join the dots to us, there are many convinced Levy has just been fattening us up for sale for (now) decades, but...

I think there is a definite air of Chelsea being in trouble. Abramovic losing interest, now having Israili passport, them tightening their belts and facing a possible ban etc - could be willing to sell IMO - and they would be a damn site cheaper than us! Having also got a better recent history of success and (I assume) higher profile.

I don’t see Qatar going head to head with City (Abu Dhabi)?
Qatar might look at Spain or Italy, not sure.

 

[Benny_Lad]

Rogers has got Leicester looking better imo
He will do a good job there.

I don’t disagree, but his takeover coincided with a lovely run of fixtures.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I thought they were more self funding these days? Hence moves like Barkley and Drinkwater?

I know they owe Abramovic loans, though didnt think it was that much!

Their about as self funded as my wife...
Make up stories and then take form the bank of Roman (or me in my case)

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Their about as self funded as my wife...
Make up stories and then take form the bank of Roman (or me in my case)

haha funny because it is probably fudging true, same here pal. And mine is a feminist.

 

[Gazza]

haha funny because it is probably fudging true, same here pal. And mine is a feminist.

Mine is just a c*nt ... Hence being seperated

 

[Moby]

haha funny because it is probably fudging true, same here pal. And mine is a feminist.

Mines a rampant feminist nowadays.

And while I do actually of course agree with equality, I do find it fudging hilarious to keep dropping 70s style sexist comments in - just to get a reaction.

Yesterday I said ‘you bet your sweet ass, sugar tits’ That one went nuclear for about ten minutes. Great fun.

I also really enjoyed showing her that clip on sky news of the guy triggering the feminist about always being easily offended.....Then watched the wife wrestle with trying not to prove the point by being massively offended. Before she then predictably completely capitulated and became more offended by it than anything she’d ever been in her life. That was an epic result.

 

[monkeybarry]

They owe Roman £1.1Bn he will want back before the cost of the club on top of it. Any stadium improvement will cost £1bn minimum and they are desperate for it. With this in mind I wouldn't say its cheaper than us.

I am not selling our club here but if I were to believe they are investing in the PL (I don't) then we are the club they would go for IMO.

*Even with the purse tightening Roman is still funding £70M - £100M p/a on transfers.

He may want £1bn - but that's isn't going to be cash.
I'm sure Qatar can come up with a suitable arrangement for now and the (political) future.
Chelsea are far more of the profile and culture for a Qatar investment than us.

 

[AdamB]

They owe Roman £1.1Bn he will want back before the cost of the club on top of it

Whether they technically owe him the money or not, its irrelevant really if he 100% owns the club. He'll logically still want to make a return on his investment, or even just have a return OF his investment, but whether it went in as debt or equity mainly just comes down to tax efficiency