Chez

Lots of white sounds good to me. Badge in the middle with brand underneath looks shite...

they've not announced it yet, but it has to be.

Blimey. It actually happened. Perisic joins a Prem side. He's been linked with various Jose managed teams every window for god knows how many years. Is he still good or has he passed his best? I thought Sessegnon had that left side sewn up for next season, but good competition now.

its seems a long time ago since the Manageress aired on Channel 4 in 1989.

tell me the Saints badge and Hummel logo are not stacked like in that terrible mocked up kit above.

discussed in brief on bottom half of page 45 of this thread. Unusual link considering he hasn't played very much. You wonder why Forest would be considering him, but equally, with two years left on is contract doesn't feel like an agent placed story either.

We know all too well how hard it is to shift deadwood. I see no reason why we don't offer the likes of Spurs and others buttons for their unwanted players, should we want them. It's a buyers market. I am sure Winks is on a massive wage and thus had to shift to anyone but a desperate Prem side. If we were to want him, and I don't have a clue if we do or not, why not just offer £0? Who else is actually rivalling for his signature? I don't understand the need to pay a fee. The big clubs sign these players. They flop and yet they still seem to get a big transfer fee. Fuck that.

Good old Forest. First they give us a million quid for McGoldrick, effectively funding Sir Ricky's transfer, then they take Fox off our hands and now Smallbone. I will believe it when I see it though.

What's everyone's take on the game then. Want Real to win, as its Liverpool, but don't really as no one likes Madrid? Liverpool favourites, but injury to Sala and slowish return takes the edge off them a little? Lots of goals, or anther 0-0?

what position does he play? Free ain't free of course. If we are paying him ages, it means we ain't paying someone else....like the guy that we need to do set up and score goals. The money will always be spent. The risk is spending it on a waste of space.

Strange team. Blew us away, went toe to toe with Liverpool, but also lost a batch of games you thought they'd be favourite for.

Do any 29 year old Prem free transfers sign one year deals with new clubs?

We signed 6 players last summer. Sold five, let three go and loaned a few too. The outcome might not have been what we wanted, but I guess that is activity and a fair bit more than the season before. What you expecting this summer in terms of numbers in/out?

This. Obviously he got paid here too and we were offering first team football, but it was a significant signing for us, along with Lallana. those two, Ricky and signing Fonte from the Championship really created some momentum, shaped the side and utlimately got us back to the top flight.

Just OK? He did brilliantly for us in the lower leagues. Anyone know how many penalties he saved during the two promotion seasons?

Is today the day that we announce the retained list and confirm that the five out of contract senior players are departing (or at least out of contract) and that Stephens/McCarthy did indeed get new contracts some time ago? Question: If we are still negotiating a potential contract, say for Long/Cabellero, would that player be on that retained list or be announced as going with Forster and Lewis?

not a clue. Maybe it suggests that nothing is off the table. Tarkowski on a free on a big wage, rather than just the same type of deal we have focused on in the recent past? I'm guessing they will be doing everything possible to shift the `deadwood', including low or no fees and paying players off or a percentage of their wages. `Bold' in other words. Whether that happens though...

What is the wage structure at SFC? We have been paying £95k a week to Forster to sit on the bench and play for Celtic over the last few years, wouldn't every play at the club during that time have this been entitled to have his agent ask for £95k a week too seeing as they are actually playing for the first team? Did they? JWP has just got a massive new contract - £100k a week and the rest. Why shouldn't Romeu expect that or KWP? There will always be players on more money, especially if they have let contracts wind down, or signed new ones to avoid them walking, or maybe getting a rise because other clubs bid for them. All those elements create unevenness. Its not as though talent and performance is rewarded with a higher wage evenly. Shane Long earning a she load more than KWP will tell you that. If Tarkowski comes in and get £120k a week, that's to his gain. The rest can see their contracts out and test the market too. Nothing to stop them. Doesn't mean they can all walk in the managers office the next day and ask for parity. Do players even discuss how much they get paid with each other?

that is a very strong argument for signing free transfers. The only issue is when they don't work out and there is even less chance of offloading them. However, as we often sign dirge and then struggle to shift those guys on £48k a week, what difference does it make? Plus, the chances of the free transfer high wage guy working out are maybe higher than the cheaper wage £15m transfer types. I don't know if Tarkowski is the answer, but it seems a decent option. The question is, why would he join us ahead of Newcastle?

Johnstone talk has gone very quiet. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/sam-johnstone-transfer-spurs-southampton-24042292 Linked with Man United as Henderson expected to go to Newcastle.

Quality is what matters. If they are good enough, they are old enough, If they are shit hot, who cares if they have 300 or 3 games of experience? However, I guess the concern with signing untried and tested young players like Livramento or Delap, is will they shine in the senior game, straight away? Livramento did, but others just don't make that step up, especially in the Prem. Maybe there are experienced Prem players that we could sign, but not sure there are too many that are actually good, available on a free and want to come here. Realistically, why would Tarwkowski come to us when he has a better offer? Or should we make our offer better than the rest and spend maybe £120k a week on him? I don't think that is gonna happen, but maybe every once in a while we ought to go big like that - assuming the funds are there. Not sure they are.

couple of reflex saves early on that would get high praise for in a match day situation, but lots of `so what stuff', like you said. Looks agile. He cleans up quite well. Not convinced by the kicking clips. Not sure he looks the part coming for crosses either - but there are not a lot of clips to be fair. Very hard to make a judgement though. I don't get Boruc (invincible type) vibes.

he certainly did. He's absolutely despised by Leicester fans from what I have seen on their forums/twitter.

Wonder how he is valued outside of our `four walls'. If we could get that kind of money it would be very handy in reshaping the back four. The problem sides like us have is selling middling or `poor' performing players to sides below us in the pyramid. The gap between Championship and Prem is so large when it comes to wages. It leaves players like that with no where to go - or at least no way for us to offload without paying a huge chunk of wages.

Rice for say £100m, JWP offer will be £50m. Not sure that's enough for us to sell. I think we'll want £65m. Not sure we'll get an offer that big though.