verlaine1979

His strike rate is comparable to Neymar's during his time in Brazil (83 in 149 games for LD vs 136 in 225 games for N). Neymar is clearly a far superior player, but that's reflected in the asking price. Brazil is no longer a struggling economy and there's now plenty of money swilling around the league unlike a decade ago when Kaka went to Milan for about 6m. Moura went to PSG for about 39m with only 33 career goals to his name; Bernard is being linked with a 20m+ move to Europe with only 36 career goals. The price quoted for LD is entirely in line with the market.

It's the Campeonato Gaucho (regional league) that is the crap Brazilian league he plays in, and in which his scoring record is 40 goals in 52 appearances. The Brasileirao is the national league, and is of a standard equivalent in many ways to the Premier League - it is this league in which he has scored 29 goals in 74 games. Frankly, neither record should be sniffed at, particularly when you add 11 in 19 in the Copa Libertadores.

Aside from smacking one in from 20 yards, how did Mayuka actually do?

No idea how good Hooper will prove to be, but scoring more than 15 in a season would generally make you one of the league's top handful of strikers (over previous seasons 16+ would generally place you somewhere between 4th and 7th best in the league). Outside players from the top four clubs, those who get into that sort of territory usually seem more the unexpected purple patch type, than ones you'd put your house on.

Possible combination of club's desire to get rid and lack of interest from top-level wealthy clubs?

Piazon available on loan from Chelsea.

Ah ha! But the first one cost twice as much, so obviously he should've had 66 appearances and 12 goals!

Depends if the club organise a formal unveiling, surely? Doesn't seem to be the done thing in the UK, but happens a lot elsewhere if the player is high profile enough, in which case I suppose behaviour would be pretty much the same.

Of the English clubs who do okay in Europe, how many of their best players are English? When United, City, Chelsea & Arsenal play in the CL, it's generally not their home-grown players that the opposition fear most.

Definitely - Norwich have added two young players of genuine international quality in Fer and RVW, and in Redmond have added to their stable of useful wingers. Far from being a scatter-gun recruitment campaign, I'd say they've strengthened their squad a fair bit, in pretty much exactly the areas they were lacking.

That's the most likely outcome, but I'd guess it's what Spurs tried and failed to do during the last two windows, so it sounds like his club are pretty stubborn about getting their valuation.

In 18 seasons since the switch to a 20 team league, only 5 golden boot winners have got 30 goals or more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League_Golden_Boot

Averages better than a goal every other game in the Copa Libertadores.

I was simply contesting that he was "the dog's" in Holland. To me that suggests he had the reputation of someone who'd torn up the league, rather than done pretty well for a bottom-dwelling team. The price we paid for him tells you he can't have been *that* highly thought of...

What gave you that impression? He played for a team that flipped back and forth between the Dutch first and second divisions and he managed a goal roughly every 8 games...

I'm pretty sure Cardiff have only actually signed one player, who they didn't sign until today, and who cost a fair bit less than we've already spent on Lovren?

If Shaw were a CB, I'd be more inclined to agree with you. However, I think it's hard to build a team around a fullback, however good they are, as the position inherently limits how influential they can be. Also, thinking back, I'd guess I've seen a single world class attacker destroy an average defence more times than I've seen one world-class defender dominate an average attack.

Brilliant as I think Shaw already is, and great as he will eventually become, I'd make that swap. I don't see Shaw turning into another Bale - more likely to be the next Ashley Cole, i.e. a completely dominant left back who chips in with the occasional goal and assist. I think £28m is the highest fee ever paid for a full-back (Dani Alves), whereas Lukaku has the potential to be one of the top 10 strikers in the world, all of whom these days seem to command fees of upwards of £50m once they enter their prime.

I think Lukaku cost Chelsea £17m before he'd even kicked a ball in the premier league. I suspect he wouldn't be sold for anything less than £25m now.

In his first full season at Wigan, Victor Moses played 21 games and scored 1 goal at basically the same age as Altidore when he was at Hull. From what I've seen, their playing styles are pretty similar, based on pace and power. Frankly, I think it's a ludicrous argument to write him off based on his play several years ago, as a teenager in a rubbish side. You might as well have written off Drogba for scoring none in the 2000-2001 season at Le Mans...

He was 19/20 at the time and only made 16 starts, the rest as a sub, playing in a poor Hull team. Nothing like enough to judge him on with any degree of accuracy.

Largely unrelated as I absolutely want him to stay, but I do object to the grovelling insistence of calling him 'Mr. Cortese' whenever some posters write about him. Unless of course this heralds a wider return of good manners and we start talking about having Messrs Lambert and Rodriguez up front.

Could be about both investment and control. If Cortese wants to spend money but has been told that no more will be coming from the family, he might have indicated that he intends to take out further external loans, which the trust might in turn have argued that he cannot do on his own authority.

Good player. Tim Vickery always seems to have positive things to say about him too.

Why, thank you. He always looked great athlete in terms of strength and pace, but now looks like he has improved his finishing. Not surprising since he was only 20/21 first time round with Hull, and is 23 now.