qwertyell

Wouldn't have thought a right back was on the priority list, with Walker-Peters, Livramento, Bree and Payne on the books. "He released a rap single in early 2022, and followed this up with an EP later the same year, under the name Cho$en." Well, okay then...

What makes him notably pea hearted? Seemed like he tried as much as anyone else last season, for whatever that's worth. Not his fault that he picked up a freak injury when an opposition player pulled his shoulder out of its socket. Nor when his hamstring went chasing back after Brennan Johnson against Forest. Or is he another one of these guys like Salisu who internet people have decided are only ever pretending to be injured?

Footballers love money. It's like when China were throwing around huge contracts - it'll mostly be over-the-hill players getting a nice final pay day, but there'll be the odd mercenary still in their prime that'll sign up for a few years and probably never be heard of again. It was Oscar from Chelsea back then.

Spurs had already agreed the fee 18 months ago as part of his loan - agreed when he was a reserve player at Juve.

That sell on clause would probably also be subtracted from the alleged £40m buy back clause should City activate it. So more like £32m (if the clause is 20%). Either way, we're not making the advertised price for Lavia once it's all been divvied out.

Goalkeeper.

No great surprises, I suppose. I think Babic was very highly rated at one time, but he's had a lot of injuries.

We got Bree because his contract was running down and he would have left on a free (a freebree?) in the summer. Piroe's contract is also running down. He can leave for nowt next summer. If we want him, there's a deal to be made.

The Italian Brentford have too much aggression for City. They can't handle it.

It was responding to a post that claimed "by all accounts" he'd had a good season at Stoke by providing some dissenting opinions for context. I assumed that was obvious and didn't need spelling out.

Not by the accounts on Stoke forums. "I assume Southampton have just watched him prove that he can't play to the required standard in the championship over 46 games. Very sensible decision for them to offload him before other people notice he couldn't do it regularly in the championship and lose value." "I know he’s young and that was his first proper season in professional football but he’d have to improve at a remarkable rate to warrant any sort of money being thrown at Southampton to buy him." "I really hope we don't, offers very little apart from a couple of games where he suddenly looked like a footballer." "This would be a massive gamble. He had 40 odd games to make an impression. He did not improve the team in any way, in fact, there is a strong argument to suggest he made us worse, and he only was effective in a handful of those games. He showed he is capable but doing that in half a dozen games in a season is not going to help us at all. He would have to improve dramatically. Not surprised at all if Southampton want get rid. We gave them the opportunity to gauge his capability at this level. We put way too much faith in him last season which was contributed to our failings." "My main issue with this, is how much Neil loved him, despite him being generally just ordinary. He'd be fine as a squad option, but you know Neil would have him as one of his first picks, and he just isn't that good. That wouldn't bode well for a good season, in my opinion. We need someone with running power or proper creativity to play in that position and he has neither. " "William Smallbone, he just ambles about the pitch, yes he can pick the odd pass but he's a football player, it's the least he can do. I just always seem to be screaming for him to get fucking stuck in, and he shirks the big tackles, ducks out of fucking headers, and he always seems just a bit too late to get a foot in.... most underwhelming if it happens."

He's broken into the Belgian senior squad. There's not a chance in hell he slums it for a season in the championship when there's an international tournament next summer.

Maybe they can throw in a couple of their youngsters to sweeten the deal. I hear Jimmy Jay Morgan is quite promising.

The championship might turn out to be his level. Good dribbler, but lacks acceleration and body strength - and literally has no end product. Not sure his raw attributes are all that special, to be honest.

He stopped getting away with it. In his heyday at Chelsea, they always said Hazard was by far the worst trainer, never looked after himself with his diet or lifestyle, and was basically coasting through his career purely on his incredible talent. It's kind of remarkable how good he was able to become given his total lack of drive. But he wasn't a young man anymore when he joined Madrid. The body was starting to creak with all the accumulated injuries over the years, and he just couldn't be motivated to get properly fit. He was on a huge contract, in a place he always wanted to live, and pretty much checked out.

Tielemans is leaving on a free, as is Soyuncu. Castagne, Perreira, Ndidi, Justin, Daka, Dewsbury-Hall, Amartey, Souttar, and Faes will all find decent new clubs pretty easily if they want to. Leicester might have to subsidise part of their wages, but they'll be moved on without too much fuss. That Leicester squad should've never been in the relegation fight. They're a top 10 team. (I'd wouldn't mind Hamza Choudhury coming here. Think he's out of contract. 25 year old holding midfielder who likes a tackle/assault. We've lacked some nastiness for a long time. He can play a bit too.)

Not named in the Ghana squad for the upcoming African Nations qualifiers. Got to admire everyone's commitment to the cover up.

Well, he definitely left the Ghana squad after being called up at the last international break (March), and injury was cited as the reason. Chris Hughton, the Ghana manager, said he'd "suffered some recent injuries at his club". In mid-April, Ruben Selles talked about Salisu: "He went with the national team and had some problems in the past with us like in the game against Chelsea." "Then when he went with the national team, he felt it again. So when he came back we needed to put him into the injury process. He was expected to play today with the B team to try and get the problem solved, but he didn't feel great so he is not available. The injury is related with his hip abductor, there's been problems there during the season but it's got worse." What else is there to say? His two managers have confirmed he's injured. Unless you think they're both lying as part of some unspecified wider conspiracy which everyone is apparently in on except internet lemons.

Stoke forums I've read were thoroughly underwhelmed with Smallbone. The consensus was that he had barely a handful of good games and was otherwise an anonymous backwards and sideways passer who drifts through long runs of fixtures without making any impression at all. Apparently took all their free kicks and corners - and they were nothing special either. Maybe a decent squad option for us, but shouldn't be starting. Seems like he at least wants to play for us, though. Which is something unique, I guess.

I can certainly believe there'll be walking involved.

Unbeaten against Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. Yet barely anything against the absolute dregs. A very strange few months.

Come on, Bournemouth. Everton'll shithouse a goal from somewhere, unfortunately. Bournemouth are putting in an honest shift, but they've not got a threat going forward. Everton are diving and rolling around every time they get in the box. They'll wear the ref down eventually.

If this is the standard of the top six in the championship, I think we'll do all right. Probably confirm survival with a couple of games to spare...

Is Nathan Wood worth a punt?

Swap deals never happen, but he's actually a decent young player. Not like for like with Lavia, but has what I consider the "modern" midfielder requires, which is to be comfortable taking the ball under pressure and move it progressively. He can twist and carry the ball well. I can see him appealing to Martin's supposed ethos. I'd like someone with a bit more physicality alongside him, though. Not that any of this is happening.