S-Clarke

Without a doubt - Gaston Ramirez. Just promoted, signed a young South American talent being tracked by numerous top clubs - starred in the 2012 Olympics etc. It was exciting, it was a big statement at the time that we meant business. But it just never happened. Apart from that game against Villa. 😅 Other than that in recent times....could probably say Osvaldo as well, we'd just signed a Roma first team player....Italian international. Clearly had all the talent but nothing up top.

To be fair this is a rumour that just won't go away. There must be something in it. I wonder if there's a potential for a loan deal there as the window creeps to the end?

Good signing for Eastleigh that, but a bit of a comedown. Thought he'd end up at a better level than that.

From what I read, he didn't see a pathway. His nervousness around committing there was confounded when Chelsea started looking at another right back, Hakimi. I think he just wants a pathway and he probably see's that here. Obviously KWP is first choice, clear starter - so it's not going to be easy, but he probably see's it as more dooable than Chelsea.

Wonder what this means for Valery? There could be a couple of mill in there if a French club get desperate enough in the next few weeks. Then we can get a natural left back to fill Valerys spot. Sounds like Tino sees himself as a right back, not really a left back. So I'd say potentially a space still open for a left back if we are really going to go all out to fix the depth issue.

Not proclaiming to know he ever was to be honest. For me, I don't see us signing another striker unless Ings goes. I don't think we have the money for that.

I dunno, I don't think he's ever going to cut it. If we can use Obafemi in a deal to get someone I regard as a far more complete player (Armstrong) then we should be all over it.

I can't say I've ever seen him play, I've heard the reports of his reputation...but none of that is based on first team football yet, so I'm not going to proclaim he's the next superstar! He seems to have the tools from what I read though, but U23 > PL is a big jump - and he hasn't done that yet. From what I've read he can play LB/RB - but is more of a wing back than an out and out full back, so in that sense he fits us perfectly and fills the spot we needed filling. Question mark over experience, but on the face of it a smart and creative bit of business which I didn't think we had it in us to do.

Isn't he the guy who was going to Brighton...? Interesting if we've snared him, he's the pick of the bunch of that Chelsea youth lot.

That's exactly it. What worries me is the talk that Moussa is an option at left back, that is already screaming alarms bells to me - setting the ground for ''well, we tried - but Moussa has shown he can play there'' bollocks come 1st Sept. Hey, maybe we have actually agreed a deal with that Doig fella and we see that as better value - who knows. I just feel pretty flat about it all at the moment.

Not at all what I was saying. But if we've baulked at paying £2m for Williams, then I'm not sure who else is out there that could be considered as decent value. I just want us to compete, that's all.

It's a good deal if it provides us the cover which stops us going down. That £2m would have been seen as a snip then. Let's see if he helps one of our direct rivals stay up instead of ourselves, then we'll see what the good deal was. As it stands we are in a worse position at full back than last year, given that Perrud is an untested quantity and our only senior LB. The talk from Ralph about Moussa being an 'option' scares the absolute shit out of me, it shouldn't even be being considered.

He would have cost us legit money, so that rules us out immediately tbf.

Oh dear. That is a bit of a shower from our point of view. 18 months we've chased him. Not a pot to piss in.

Young left back from Hibs #itkwatch

One of our former targets, Olivier Ntcham, is available on a freebie. His Celtic contract has come to an end and Marseille didn't take up the chance to sign him. Wonder if we're still interested?

Will probably be somewhere in the £40m region I reckon.

But isn't he forgetting the primary role of a LB? Defending. And he can't defend. And to be fair to him that shouldn't be expected of him either, he's an attacker. If he's effective offensively then we play him as a winger, which is what he is. Would be suicide to have him as a LB in the PL.

Really? Bailey is a superstar, he'll rip it up. Cantwell has improved massively since his season in the Prem. Watkins is much better than Pukki. If they don't finish top 6 with or without Grealish then Dean Smith needs binning. We'll be nowhere near them sadly. They've gone up a couple of levels since promotion and have overtaken us in the process.

The mass subs have done the usual tbh. Killed the flow.

I know it's only a friendly etc, but I've seen him in these last two games and he's still as limited as he was when we loaned him out. Like you say, slow physically and slow to the thought as well. Really not suited to our game at all.

Love Armstrong.

Fairly sure Benduia will come out of that fee as well.

Neither of our keepers can play that 'sweeper keeper' role, so it baffles me as to why they both keep trying it. Must be coaching encouragement. Which is equally as baffling.

Tella looks like he's going to be one of the first names on the team sheet this season. His progress in the last 12 months has been extraordinary. McCarthy trying to play football again, which he can't. Wish he'd just cut that shit out and do the basics.