Chez

I was going to post something similar. Started OK, but was very poor last season and most West Ham fans subsequently don't rate him. Not sure if he is better than Bree. Hopefully.

I thought it would pan out just like it has. We'd sell all our good players and because the squad size was massive, we'd bring very few in. I expected a lot of deals to happen at the end of the window, they always do, making it very hard for us to plan and reset. Did you really think it would be different to that? I certainly didn't think we'd do as well as replacing Lavia and JWP with Downes and Charles. The proof will be in the pudding, but on paper, that's about as good as it get in the championship. I must admit, I did think Che would have gone by now and Piroe would have signed for us by now. Scoring only five goals last season obviously hasn't helped.

Liverpool never offered £60m, if the incredibly long and detailed account in The Athletic is anything to go by https://theathletic.com/4771295/2023/08/23/chelsea-liverpool-caicedo-lavia/

Everton being linked to Beto again. No idea if there is anything in that. I would guess Udinese would want actual money for their striker like we do.

No it doesn't. It seems logical. I can't be bothered to argue about the finances again.

if the club were in a position to do that (get Piroe), they would. But quite clearly, they don't want to add another massive wage in case the Che move doesn't happen.

Genk are definitely in touch with Saints to try and get Onuachu. Their manager said, and I am massively paraphrasing here "we are friends, so I text him a fair bit, but while the club [Genk] are getting in touch with Saints about a possible move, I have stopped texting him, but once the window closes will resume, whether he comes back or not." Well, that's what I took away from this article anyway: https://soccernet.ng/2023/08/he-and-his-team-could-vranckens-regular-talks-with-southamptons-onuachu-bring-him-back-to-genk.html

You keep going on about offering him a new deal, but fail to acknowledge that we tried that already and failed, not to mention any offer we can make now we are in the championship is likely to be blown out the water by Everton, in the prem. There is no reason for him to sign a new contract now when he knows a Prem side wants him. He can walk on a free and get a huge signing on fee next summer. You don't give that possibility up.

From a financial point if view, there is very little downside to a move to a Prem side.

no income tax there still? If we have turned down €25m, and I am never sure about these reports, just how much do we want for him? Are we adding €10m to his price tag?

Man, I know everyone wants to see a couple more new signings, but if he stayed AND played, that would genuinely feel like anew signing to me. No idea why I am suddenly getting my hopes up. "All of em will leave".

I would imagine the player would really fancy that move. If he wants it maybe he'll have to pay the agent out of his share of the transfer fee instead of ours. Old skool.

Wasn't that what we paid for him? Saints obviously want more money than they paid for him, maybe a fair bit more. I also thought he'd be sold II'm surpised he's even shown up for training), but fair play to the club. If they think they can get more and not end up with an unhappy player doing nothing for our promotion hopes, then that's great. He's a talent and you can't have too much pace and trickery in my book.

Has all interest in Sulemana faded too, so he has decided to be fit?

forgot about him.

I can see Larios is too. Competition at left back. McCarthy also training, so his knock wasn't too bad either. A fully fit squad.

a million quid for every yard run last season.

we shipped 73, but someone bought our defensive midfielder for £58m. Potentially having two of their defenders and the manager is a little disconcerting, but in the end, what really matters is how good he is and can be. He looks like he has some decent attributes. We'll have to see if he can become a star.

Any news about Sulemana? Has his homer care sorted his `injury' out yet?

I think Everton must have spent the day counting the coppers they found after hunting down the back of their sofa. Their need seems quite urgent. You'd think they'd have tried to get the deal done on Monday so there was half a chance Che could be on their bench at least at the weekend.

did a customary google and there is a Lessinel Napoleon who plays football in Haiti, or at least he did in 2018. I wonder if Mobrey's scouting travel plans extends that far?

Cheers. That makes sense (sort of). I forgot about FFP and also the EFL's own rules about maximum losses over 3 year periods. I really hope we can do a deal with Genk. I am sure Onuachu does too. Must be a bloody nightmare thinking you have achieved your dream only for it to turn out like this.

Is it a joke? I honestly thought that in days gone by a lot of transfers between English clubs was pay half up front and the remaining half within the next 12 months. In contrast, transfers between foreign clubs I thought the fee was spread across the length of the contract - another reason why buying foreigners was so attractive. I might be wrong on both scores, and things no doubt have moved on a lot since then for both types of transfer, but for a £15m transfer, is half up front really out of the ordinary? Or have I misunderstood, and the joke remark was more about a Prem side should be expected to have the funds to pay it all up front?

wish they had killed him off in Ronin. Proper shite cameo in that film IMO. The less said about `When Saturday Comes' the better.

Likewise, but missing out on Gapko last summer is still on my mind. To be honest, I've never really worried about `missing out' on players before. What will be will be. I tend to worry more about those we have signed. Why have they joined us rather than someone else better/bigger? The Adam Armstrong move once one such incident. Why didn't anyone else fancy him? I guess this is another reason why I like the `out of the blue, leftfield foreigner', signed due to some brilliant scouting, inside knowledge or contact etc. A Pahars, Schneiderlin, Mane...maybe this Kerber fella? Less chance everyone has looked at them and said, nah, not good enough, and more chance that they have missed him and we have got ourselves a gem.