SNSUN

The sort of signing that would be the last line of a Beeb article had we signed someone permanently on the same day! Still I think he’ll surprise a few people, I just hope we don’t get to summer and regret not getting the option after he comes good for us. Hopefully whatever happens he’ll still be surplus to requirements at Spurs and the option won’t matter if we want to buy him.

It depends how long he's out for. If he stays and only plays another 8 or so games then it would be wiser to sell him, especially if KWP is on board and Valery is close to returning from illness. £6 million is a whole Bednarek or close to a whole Armstrong, we seem to do OK for players in that cost bracket. (Semi-similarly, Tottenham sold Erikson for effectively 'peanuts' when they could have kept him and used him for the rest of the season to finish higher.) If it were Ings or JWP or even Bertrand we were talking about, it would be different, but not Cedric, who has already stated he's definitely leaving. For £6 million I'd be selling him. But would be want to be second choice behind a newly fit Bellerin?

My wife wanted to keep her maiden name as the first part of a double-barrelled name with mine, but my surname is one of my only legacies in life so she agreed to take it. In the end she was just glad to stop being Miss Cock and become Mrs Sucker. Anyway is KWP going to happen soon or do I have to refresh all day?

That does solve the issue of not having a right back, and puts JWP slightly further forward. Yes I can see this, although changing the formation that has done us proud of late is risky. No Mané is definitely a plus for us, but they’ll still have enough quality. I’d love for us to give them a good game though. I think a loss, but not a bad one, maybe 3-2 to keep it exciting. Hojbjerg with a 30 yard screamer to open the scoring. Ings with our other. McCarthy, Stephens, Bednarek, Yoshida, JWP, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Bertrand, Redmond, Long, Ings. Subs: Gunn, Danso, Smallbone, Djenepo, Boufal, Adams, Obafemi.

Possibly their best chance of a trophy this season gone. FA Cup or bust though of course they'll be happy with CL. Kudos to Villa but they're in a relegation battle. They could do what their neighbours and rivals did 9 years ago...

£5 million for player that's out of contract in the summer and already said he's going to leave is a no brainer for a team where seemingly every penny counts, especially as with KWP coming in we'd still have two right backs (granted at diminished quality but that shouldn't be too much of an issue for a team virtually safe. And yes, we should be looking up the table not down but I get the feeling survival is our primary objective this season). I can see the board sanctioning this. I wonder if that would make for an interesting deadline day with some money in the bank...

So No Option to Buy included? I didn't think we were the sort of team to loan bigger club's players and develop them then send them back? And he has a hamstring injury... I started off liking this transfer, but I grow less and less sure about it. Aren't there any fit right backs we can sign in the whole wide world on a permanent or a loan with an option to buy? I suppose it means we can get to the summer and reassess, but we will have only Valery on the books by then. We'd also need a left back, centre back, central midfielder, and probably another striker. That's lot of transfer business for a team that doesn't like doing transfer business. I wouldn't want Ralph's job!

Just like us to sign someone ready for the first team. Well he'll keep Cedric and Yan company then in the treatment room as we struggle on at right back with Danso.

Apparently West Ham have bid for an unnamed right back. I wonder if their late interest is hampering things...

When do we have to sign players by for them to be eligible for this? Is it lunch time on the 31st? I would assume KWP would be done by then, but whether they'd risk him without training is another question. I'd rather play with a specialist right back in this rather than a square peg, even if he hasn't trained with the team much (as long as he's fully fit).

Pleased about Johnson - looked to have real pace when he got a few appearances last season.

If it comes down to KWP or no KWP, as our full back positions need strengthening, I would absolutely go with KWP. I'm sure Ralph wouldn't have sanctioned it unless he could do a job for us and he seems to have the attributes to be a good right back, let's just hope we can coach the bad stuff out of him and are left with the good stuff. Cedric injured, Valery ill, KWP for Danso strengthens right back IMO.

Saka looking like some player. They have a good youth team Arsenal, at least in attacking positions.

Well if I'm going to get sacked for telling a colleague I want to go balls deep in her, they will bloody well listen to me ramble on about Berkovic's right foot during the 6-3 while I'm being carted out the building. :-) (SNSUN does not condone sexual harassment in the workplace. However, thinking of results such as the United 6-3 or the Skates 4-0 could bring about orgasm, which could be deemed as sexual harassment if it occurs at the wrong time.)

Get in! Another chance to beat the wife’s team. Yes we were close to Skates but they’d no doubt rub it in if we failed to beat Spurs. Let them bask in their 4 nil defeat a little longer.

Two posts down from the original...

Answers my suspicions...

Tottenham loaning us him before our replay is sus... Seriously though he burst on to the scene and did well, quick, can cover both full back positions, and as it’s a loan (unless it’s with an obligation to buy) then it’s risk free. Yes he’s been overlooked lately but Spurs still wanted £15 million to buy him so that says something. I remain open minded about this one, we certainly needed a specialist full back and he could turn out to be a master stroke. Yes I’m sure people would have wanted a first choice right back but this means we have until summer to properly scout one. Palace are in for Norwich’s Jamal Lewis at left back. I’d be all over that as a long term successor to Bertrand.

Our three non-Ings strikers have scored a combined two league goals all season. I definitely think there’s room for a fifth striker, or let’s rephrase that and say a ‘new’ striker. Yes we have won a couple of games without Ings recently but I’d be very worried if we lost him long term. We’re lucky we have midfielders than can score if needed. Augustien’s scoring record is hardly amazing, but he’s worked with Ralph before so maybe he can get the best out of him. An Ings injury (and yes we’re all thinking it despite his ability to stay fit this season so far) means we have Long, Adams and Obafemi for the rest of the season as our three strikers which doesn’t fill me with confidence.

For a team that plays 2 up front, I’d be looking to hijack the Augustien deal to give us some strength in depth for the rest of the season. (And annoy Leeds twice in one window...) As for KWP, yes but for nowhere near £15 million that article quotes. If Maehle has been priced at £7.5 million by Genk, I can’t see us not paying that then going for KWP at double the price. Because he’s English? Then for similar money go for Matty Cash who is more versatile and has more experience at the same age.

Now we'll see if we're interested. Reading the Forest forums they don't need to sell but think 15-18 million could do it. Typical West Ham going in low though.

Me too! (Although i captained him but still...)

Confidence is key. After getting spanked 3 nil to Burnley first day of the season, we couldn’t have started the season any worse and it took a while to get going, but the side has so much confidence now that they can go out and win games, and more importantly confidence is so high knocks like Wolves can be overcome. A few injuries to the wrong personnel and we could suffer but Hasenhuttl is working miracles right now. God I hope we can back him in the summer and hold on to him long term, but if he keeps us playing like this, heads will turn.

That’s the win for me that has virtually seen us safe (at the very least, obvs should be looking higher now). Three wins away from the 40 point mark (which will be close to the safety mark this year IMO (maybe 38/39), playing as we have been doing, 3 wins from 14 is a no brainer. Even if we resort to an average of a point a game, that’d put us on 45 points and well clear, but we should be looking at 50+ points this season.

SSN saying we’re interested in Matty Cash. Anyone know much about him? AC Milan also interested.