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Serious question, what would it really achieve? Any player wanting to go will do a virgil regardless of whether we dig our heels in this time. Any vultures will prey regardless. The clubs posturing has helped drive up drive up the price, at the expense of p:ssing the fans off and giving them false hope.

Any idea who they have, forward or midfield wise, who could be available?

Is it so hard to understand that the club is a business and that it buys low and sells high where possible. Forget the rhetoric you've heard from the club. VVD has always been going, was always going to Liverpool and will go there for a huge fee. He's already been replaced by Hoedt.

Do people really think that we will sign another cb when VVD goes? We won't we've signed Hoedt to replace VVD. Stephens is the great academy hope and will play. Yoshida just signed a 3 year deal. We bought Bednarek. We have Gardos (unfortunately). We have a 25 man squad limit. VVD will go and has already been replaced.

What difference does the timing make? We've signed his replacement. Any club who we've dealt with already will have thought it likely that he would be going and will have pulled our pants down as much as possible on fees. It's obvious he was going and he will.

Would be a very good addition but struggling to see Liverpool doing us any favours at the moment.

I hope that's the case. If he was dignified and went with the clubs blessing to Barc, Real Madrid or PSG for a fat fee most of us wouldn't mind. This whole saga has been soured by the apparent illegal approach, but the club haven't helped by the posturing of "he's not for sale" which understandably some take at face value. Assuming Tom28 is correct though, Liverpool are the only bidder and unless that changes I think he'll go there. If I didn't think it's damage morale and/pr his value I'd prefer that we kept him, didn't allocate him a number, made him train with the kids and move him on Jan when they'll doubtless be clubs desperately needing cb's.

I agree to an extent, but my point is that the club see him as Fonte's replacement. Hoedt is vVd's and Bednarek long term/cover. it's unrealistic to expect the club to sign yet another cb when vvd goes next week, we'll make do with what we have. People seem to think that we can just stockpile pro's cos they think that someone is sh:t - that's not how it works.

Feck me, so if he goes you want another (6th) cb? That's not gonna happen. Stephens has stepped into Fonte's boots, and we've also signed Bednarek. We can't just keep signing cb's because previous signings (under contract) haven't made the grade.

He seems Kosher to me, just something about his tone and content. Personally I don't think anyone but Liverpool would bid. Chelsea have plenty of defensive options and would have bid if they wanted him. City ditto and are about to sign Evans. Plus, if he's (for reasons I cannot fathom) got his heart set on Liverpool why would others bid if his agent has made it clear he's not interested in joining them. Like it or not, he'll go to Liverpool.

Why, Hoedt is his replacement. The fact that Bednarek isn't good enough to be 4th pick doesn't mean that the club will bring in another CB. We have Stephens, Yoshida, Hoedt, Bednarek, Gardos (yeah I know) possibly all taking 5 of our 25 squad places and won't add to that. If we play a back 3 then Bertrand can play left side. In the very unlikely event VVD stays the question is whether he gets a squad place in place of say Gardos or whether he's left to nurse some vague injury without a squad number til jan.

Err Chelsea haven't bid. Perhaps Christensen won't want to come. We can't just nominate a buyer, a price and a part ex player. This isn't fantasy football.

Behave. The sale of a want away player, after 3 seasons in the top 8 and two signings of international players, is a teenie but different to the farce that was the latter stages of the lowe era.

Absolutely. The club ain't stupid. Saying that he wasn't for sale doesn't mean that he was never going to be sold, and the long contract works to our advantage. It's brinkmanship and tactics, pure and simple.

See above. Perhaps try to separate what you would like to see happen from what is likely to happen.

Pretty much it, except there's a bid in from Liverpool. Unless there's a higher bid than that we either take the money or leave him till Jan. My guess is that we'll take their money and move on.

I suspect we've had at least one and it was always inevitable that's where he'll end up if they're the highest bidder. We're a business, end of.

Of course he will. Who else? VVD was always going. The fact that he wasn't (apparently) for sale and that we (apparently) didn't want / need to sell him never meant he wouldn't be sold.

Amazing business for us. What's more amazing though is the number of keepers who keep getting pay days but rarely play competitive football. Gazza will retire rich but fresh as a daisy.

That's sad for the lad, he seemed to be on the way back. Fingers crossed he can make it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 at the back, with either 2 up top and 1 behind, or 1 up top with 2 supporting like Chelsea. If we use 2 up top Redmond gives us another option. Either way, a good signing.

That's not what I've said. A 5 year contract does not come with the expectation that a player stays for 5 years. Be sensible.

I'm not worried. They will have signed having asked about the VVD situation and their position should a big move be possible. To have signed they will have been given certain answers to their liking. Those answers will not have been that 'we're letting VVD rot' or that 'we'll hold you to the last day of your contract'. However, if we now act in a way with VVD that concern potential future players we will not sign them. Jeez, I'm gonna watch the telly, this is like pulling teeth.

Do you think that the VVD situation was not discussed with their agents? Do you think that they didn't seek assurances about what may happen if a CL club came in? If you think the answer to one or both is no then you are daft.

None of us know what the side deal was re his exit. Obviously there was one, there always is (even if informal) and he was always going to leave. If (and I don't know the position) it's felt by team VVD that we haven't honoured what was apparently agreed (seemingly not the first time) that will make us less attractive. Even if we had no agreement/handshake that we would let him go this window, potential signings will see a club holding back a player who's apparently been offered triple his wages. You may think that won't harm our ability to sign future players (as a stepping stone) but I do.