qwertyell

Unless we had a deal lined up for, say, Loftus-Cheek for a similar amount, what would be the point in even considering that? Not sure £25m gets you a decent Championship midfielder today. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

You'd think he'd wait for the match to be over. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think he asked to return to City early. With the signing of Mahrez, he probably knows his place in the pecking order is under serious threat. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

If his song isn't to the tune of La Bamba, I don't know what's happening to the world. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

A combination of Stoke wanting a lot of money for him and Butland's stock having dropped after a pretty mediocre season. He hasn't looked the same keeper since he broke his ankle. A lot more hesitant coming out/dominating his area. Something's not quite right. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

According to the Telegraph, £20m plus add-ons for Ings is the price. Comical. Hopefully that counts us out of the running. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Roll the dice on Marcus Edwards? Huge potential, just needs a bit of guidance to get his attitude in check. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Leipzig have agreed a fee for Lookman, last I heard. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

3-3, 3-2, 0-3 - whatever work Hughes is doing on the defence is going decidedly Stoke-y. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Would be depressingly crappy end to what has been a relatively positive transfer window thus far. Danny Ings? Fudge that. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

It's going to be bloody Ings, isn't it? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Morocco were weak garbage at the world cup yet still weren't interested in taking Boufal with them, even as an "impact substitute". Which kind of suggests it's not just us who think he's a waste of space in spite of his obvious talent. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He scored 6 in 12 under Puel. It was his injury lay off after the Spurs game that killed all momentum - by the time he'd returned, the team were phoning in performances with nothing to play for and no desire to go the extra mile for a manager they didn't believe in. By all means, connect Gabbiadini's struggles with Pellegrino's reign of total ineptitude, but I don't think Puel carries much blame at all. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think Sims is still young enough that he's exempt from having to be named in the 25. But your suggested list - whether right or wrong - does emphasise how bloated our squad is and how the second half of this transfer window is probably going to focus almost entirely on shipping players out. I'd be surprised if McQueen was retained over Targett. More than happy to lose Clasie and Davis - if Reed's going be part of the squad and Slattery (who wouldn't count towards the 25) the next youth to be given a taste, the midfield is well stocked. I doubt Hesketh has a future at our level as well. If we can shift Long too, that frees up a few spaces should there be any money left to bring in some new less crap blood. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Seems like Hughes is wedded to wing backs from all pre season evidence thus far. Valery is promising, Reed CDAJ, and I think I'm right in saying Armstrong played a few games at right back for Celtic with distinction - good engine, lots of pace getting up and down the wing. And as others have said, we could bung up the right side with a plodding tortoise like Prowse or Stephens if things got desperate. It'd be nice to have a clear back up option, but it wouldn't be a surprise if we settled for what we've got. We were linked to some Croatian bloke a few weeks ago. They seem to produce half decent players... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Don't think it's realistic, unless it's a loan because we're skint. He's a brilliant prospect (in spite of what some have concluded from one difficult season for an appalling team) who will be playing right at the top in a few years. Pace, power, technical ability, strong in the air, and intelligent, proactive off the ball movement that a seasoned striker would be proud of - he's got it all. An by all accounts is a very level headed, bright young man with no ego. I'd be over the moon if we signed him. But we won't. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

How about we don't spaff money up the wall on a has been while simultaneously stunting the development of one of our own by farming him out again? Just a thought. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Oh, and Sessegnon. I knew I forgot one of our future star wide attackers. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Personally don't think Southgate has much of a clue tactically. His obsession with 3-5-2, having qualified comfortably playing a back four, hasn't improved us at all. In qualifying we conceded 3 in 10 games. We've conceded 8 in 7 at this WC (one clean sheet). Defensively, the formation change has made us worse. So, to justify the change in approach, surely it must have improved our attacking play - right? Only Iran, of all the teams at the WC had less shots on target from open play. We managed to nullify our star striker, Kane, who likes to play up on his own, and our best winger, Sterling, who is not a number 10. Our success in reaching the semis was almost exclusively down to set pieces. Much like Indiana Jones was completely irrelevant to the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark (the Nazis would've still found the Ark, opened it, and had their faces melted off if Indy had just stayed home and watched the snooker), our formation really had no bearing on our set piece strength. The best young players coming through are all wide attackers: Sterling, Rashford, Sancho, Foden, Lookman, Nelson, Hudson-Odoi. Yet the manager has seemingly convinced himself that wide attackers have no part of his England vision. Even 2-0 down, he couldn't bring himself to take off a defender for one last push to get something from the game. We finished with five defenders and a holding midfielder, FFS. This Word Cup will be won by a team playing a variant on 4-3-3. Just like the last World Cup was. And the one before that. And every Champions League winner as far back as I can remember. And all the England age groups who have been beating everyone across the board. I've enjoyed our run through the tournament, but not the way we've played. Watching five defenders, a holding midfielder and the keeper slowly pass the ball between themselves for long periods until someone puts them under pressure and they lump it 60 yards back to the opposition is pretty turgid stuff. I certainly hope it's not the future. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

It's pie in the sky stuff. Austin hasn't made more than 14 starts in a season for 4 years. The idea that we can rely on his decrepit body to hold up under the burden of being our main striker is not based in reality. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

It just stopped him getting injured earlier. It only took the heavy workload of a whole five starts for his hamstring to explode. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Are we still, after three years, deluding ourselves that we'll be fine with Austin as our main striker, "if he can stay clear of injuries"? Jesus, it's like West Ham levels of denial with and perma-crock Andy Carroll. Yeah, maybe this year will be different... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I agree with him. Been saying it all tournament: games are won and lost in midfield and we barely had one. Two guys who constantly run away from the ball and Jordan effing Henderson. You can't beat a proper team by giving them both the ball and the freedom of the midfield to play in. It's madness. We lost tonight once Croatia established dominance in the middle of the park after half time. And Southgate did nothing at all to try and address it - a like for like substitution, Dier for Henderson, when the Liverpool headless chicken ran out of gas predictably made no difference. Lingard and Alli stayed on, in spite of neither creating chances, retaining possession nor shielding the defence. Even just one of those things would've been nice. But they're not really midfielders. Alli's entire game is stupid flicks, trying to draw fouls and ghosting late into the box to finish off other people's creative work. As a central midfielder, he's very poor - not a patch on his unfortunately injured teammate Harry Winks, who can actually play the role properly. England can take some positives from the tournament, of course, but the entire midfield was dysfunctional from the get go and needs a total overhaul. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No midfield. Southgate's tactical naivety coming to the fore. Should've had Alli or Lingard off ages ago for someone who can actually retain possession. We've got too many players in the middle of the park obsessed with flicks. Croatia favourites from here. We look clueless. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Our passing is terrible. Henderson's hoofed about four through balls straight out of play. If we had a midfield, we'd be far more comfortable out there. If anyone could pick a pass, Croatia's defence is wobbling all over the shop. Rebic is too quick, too strong and too aggressive for Young - there's trouble afoot there. Mandzukic has won pretty much every header contested outside the box. Only a matter of time before he hurts us from a cross or set piece. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk