tajjuk

The centre-back guy hasn't but we have 4 centre-backs anyway, he was signed to start in the B team, think it even said that in his announcement. He's basically swapped reserve teams, but to one where there is a more likely and sooner path to the first team. Tino though I can only presume has been signed to be back up to KWP, I mean whether he is good enough to step straight into a PL I don't know, but I reckon the club must think he is able to and I think that has been pitched to him and why he signed for us. But considering we had no back up right back for the 2nd half of the season really, and the only option now is Valery who seems to have regressed and didn't do great on loan in the championship, I would say Chelsea's young player of the year, considering the size of the club, how many talented youngsters they have and who has won that award before (Mount, Tomori, James as examples) then I would have to say that has immediately made us a better side. Because well we played Ramsey last year, and I am pretty certain the best player in Chelsea's U23s is going to be a lot better than him, and I also think he likely to better than Valery as well. Certainly maybe not as an immediate improvement as signing a proven PL right back or like an international from another league maybe, but then why would such a player come be back up for us anyway and why would we waste our limited funds on a back up to a position where we have one of our best players. I think out of the potential options the club took the best one, they signed an unproven, but highly rated young player, possibly it seems the best right back in all the U23 teams, for a cheap fee who can hopefully develop into a very good player. Our other options were spend more on a more proven player taking wages and transfer fees we need elsewhere, getting a loan of some like Williams who is probably more PL proven but would take a lot of wages and we'd be basically developing someone elses player or getting an unproven young player from abroad who is probably an even bigger risk.

Except you weren't, which is pretty common for you, I mean you ironically call him 'Mr Wrong', which shows quite a lack of self awareness.

That one wasn't though, it was just an opinion based on very little fact or logic. Saying JWP is already sold, and for a fee that low, is just pure speculation with nothing to support it and actual evidence to the contrary. MLG was of course right, but it seems the little gang can't handle that.

Also all those who continue to mention 'Kick it out', Kick it out' support and align with BLM, because well they are not dumb and don't ignorantly believe all the right wing scaremongering about BLM. AND I am sure someone 'enlightened' person will be along in a minute to further mention defund the police and hilariously communism just to prove the point. I read quote from someone that saying booing an anti-racist protest is an inherently racist act itself, and something I full agree with.

Based on this statement you very clearly don't have single 'degree of sense'. You do have to question the mentality of people who believe they know better what someone is doing something for, than apparently the people themselves. I mean can you imagine how actually insulting and pathetic that is to someone, when they literally tell you why they are doing something and your in your ignorant arrogance completely ignore them and say they are doing it for something else.

Cos you know the England players doing it put the whole racism thing to bed..... oh wait. It's a peaceful protest to highlight what is clearly an ongoing racism issue that is impacting many players pretty much daily, I don't really see why it is surprise it is still going.

Truth hurts, I mean it's going well so far....... 😄

Loftus Cheek is also on like £150k a week IIRC.

Agree he has developed into our best ball carrier imo, seems fast on the ball, rather than just off it like someone like Redmond might be, is a very strong runner, is able to dribble/shoot well with both feet, and is probably our best shooter around the edge of the box bar maybe Ings. For what Ralph wants them to do in those spots, he does it very well imo, breaks the line, runs at people and shoots well from the 'red area' as he likes to call it, plus has much better composure/decision making than any of the other options.

I doubt we have the money for the transfer, which you'd reckon would be in the £20-25 million mark, on a position we have quite a lot of options in.

Yeh let's hope so, maybe £30 - 35 million clear profit if they use it, but also means a fair chump of change to Chelsea to find in a transfer window where they might have other priorities. I mean they have a very good right back who is just 21.

I find that very odd, not only do I think Grealish is over rated and nowhere near worth that price, but he also plays a position they don't need. They have excellent attacking mids in De Bruyne, Sterling, Mahrez and Bernardo Silva, all of whom IMO are better than Grealish as well, but literally only have one out and striker in Jesus who is not very clinical. IIRC pretty much all their dropped points last year was largely down to them not finishing off their chances. Whereas Harry Kane is yes a bit older than Grealish, but a clearly a better player who is extremely clinical and often out performs his XG, and clearly already works well with Sterling. Baffling to me that they would prioritise Grealish over Kane, I just can't see Grealish helping them win the Champions league or really improving their team that much, whereas Kane very clearly does. Maybe it's all a carefully orchestrated stunt to get Spurs to do a better deal, pretend they are going full ahead for Grealish, Kane then basically doesn't turn up to training and makes it very clear he wants out and thinks he has an agreement to leave, then Spurs suddenly have an unhappy star player on their hands and the main suitors for him are looking elsewhere, leaving them a little screwed.

The Man Utd 9-0 was massively helped by the incompetence and huge bias of Mike Dean, who basically gave Utd 3 goals and poorly ruled one of ours off, and you can't underestimate the impact that has on players, already being a man down, with inexperienced kids in the team who are struggling and then the ref piles in on top and gives them pretty much everything. I do also like the people clamouring on against being stats and then blabber on show they have a huge ignorance of them and have no clue what they are talking about. Seems this is the world we live in these days, people just dismiss things when they haven't got the foggiest clue and just get swayed by nonsense emotional arguments. I mean it's basically how we got Brexit.

If we get the two Chelsea youngsters, in addition to Perraud, and then get someone like Delaney in, plus Armstrong, AND get rid of Long, in addition to having already got rid off Lemina, Hoedt, Gunn, then yeh that could be an amazing window. But there is still the big question of Ings and Vestergaard. I feel like we are moving pieces round the edges pretty well but the biggest moves are still yet undecided.

£23 million is a lot for any Championship player IMO, but even more so one in the last year of his contract. But to be honest if we 'paid' with Obafemi making up 30-40% of the deal and actually paid out only around £10 million up front then I think we would have basically bought him for not a huge amount because Obafemi has not really played much role in the first team.

Yeh buy back is disappointing, but as others have said it may have an expiry date, plus the player has to want to actually go back, which is not a given. I mean he's leaving for lack of first team football opportunities, the same still could be a problem ins 3-4 years, especially as Reece James is likely to be their mainstay full back for many years to come so he might not want to go back to being an understudy, there are so many variables. Plus I am not sure of that many examples of where buy back clauses have been exercised, the player has top improve to the right level, the buying club has to have the available funds and not need them elsewhere, needs space in the team, the player has to want to go back. Seems a well hyped player, lots of talk of his speed and power which hopefully means he should be able to compete straight away in the league in the first team squad. Seems Chelsea have effed up a bit here, obviously they hoover up a lot of young talent, but with Lampard gone and the transfer ban gone the pathway for it just isn't there, more keen on signing a 36 year old centre-back on massive wages than giving more time to young centre-backs like Tomori or Simeu etc. and now the youngsters are seeing that and want to move for more football chances. I'd imagine Sancho has set quite the precedent, in youth team of a super club, doesn't see a route the first team, forces a move to somewhere where he will get football, improves and proves himself and then moves to a huge club with likely massive wages 3-4 years down the line. Looks like they all want a piece of that. Good strategy by us to potentially set ourselves up as the PL destination for young players to do that, probably able to point to the likes of Tella (who iirc is ex Arsenal youth) and Smallbone breaking through for us in recent years. Plus we are not too far away from London for these players to still be pretty close to their mates and family.

The Sun says apparently we want £6 million for Obafemi and Blackburn are interested, surely a deal can be done there with Blackburn regarding Armstrong? Especially as it would basically reduce the sell on clause they have to give Newcastle? £9-10 million up front, £4-5 million for performance based add ons, plus Obafemi, that would be pushing nearer their £23 million valuation.

Villa don't pay much more for us anyway, Grealish is their top earner and IIRC he was on like £100k a week, which is likely to be around the amount we have offered Ings, and JWP is going to be one of our other highest earners most likely. Hardly like they are going to double his wages. Also IMO no money is not the ultimate factor in job choice. I could get more money doing my job elsewhere but would increase my workload, have less flexible working and less benefits. Le Tiss was offered more money and decided he was better off at Saints because the team was basically built around him. Footballers are also influenced by trophies, game time, champions league football, location, family reasons. I would imagine a lot of those factors don't tick a lot of boxes for Villa in their favour, they are not a champions league club and likely won't be one for a long while, they haven't won anything for ages, is he going to be as integral to their game and have as good a relationship with the manager as he does here? the area is hardly of great appeal and he'd be moving away from his family as well. All for what? maybe £20k a week more? money isn't everything, even in modern football. Plus agents angling for more money, what a shock, doesn't mean the player wants it.

Clearly a lot of people who don't watch Sancho, he's a lot better than Grealish IMO and has the pedigree to back that up, just look at the numbers, performing regularly at the highest level, whereas Grealish has had one good PL season basically. Grealish is good but has to be the most over rated player in the league right now, I don't get the fuss. But also extremely weird that on one hand people will accept the Grealish fee and then at the same time think expecting over £50 million for JWP is far too much, shows how stupidly our fans under rated players. Grealish simply is not that much better than JWP and honestly I think he'll flop at City, he's not better than Sterling, Mahrez and personally I think Bernardo Silva will come good as well. As for people using Varane as a comparison, not a valid comparison. Varane only had a year on his deal, Real are struggling financially (and Varane had HUGE wages) plus Varane has injury issues.

The things said on here, Villa are not a Leicester and Grealish is not worth £65 million more than what JWP is. Grealish is nowhere nowhere nowhere near what City are reportedly paying, Sancho is a better player than Grealish AND is four years younger, and for some weird reason City are paying like £30 million more than what Utd paid. IF it's actually true and goes through then IMO it will be the most baffling transfer in history and one of the most gross overpays ever. This is a guy who can't get a start for England and was playing Championship football 2 years ago where the only people vaguely interested were Spurs who put in half hearted bids for him. £100 million is what you pay for ballon dor winners, not a good winger from a mid table PL club. Also still waiting for someone to show me proof we have spent the loan that people are claiming we need to pay back.

An important point I think, from what I can see he seemingly has a very good relationship with Ralph, a lot of trust on both sides I think. He's playing probably his best football since Ralph arrived and is integral to the team, that is not necessarily going to be the case anywhere else. He also looked pretty happy in that golfing commentary vid that came out on the saints youtube. I cannot see him agitating for a move, I am not even sure he would agree to the move to Villa anyway and I can't see us accepting anything less than silly money for him. BUT the Mail says this morning Villa will go back in with another bid.

Grealish isn't a £100 million player either, values and what clubs might sell for are completely different. Also JWP is irreplaceable IMO, he's the best set piece taker in probably Europe's top 5 league bar maybe a waning Messi, that alone makes him very valuable. Add in the guy is a leader, has amazing work rate, consistency and has just played every minute of a shortened season, barely picking up a knock, is another hugely valuable asset for a modern footballer. You aren't just going to find those qualities to drop into our team, his set pieces alone create like 30-40% of the chances we create and his fitness/work rate means we'd likely need to have even more cover in centre-mid as no replacement is likely to be able to keep up his levels of consistency and fitness, plus we'd need a new captain in a team that already IMO lacks leadership. We'd also likely be selling one of our best players, when another one of our best players in Ings is already likely to leave and the club needs to cash in on him, whereas JWP has 4 years left on his contract so there is zero pressure to sell. It would be dumb to sell him full stop IMO but If he goes for less than £50 million when Grealish is likely to go for a 100 and White has just gone for £50 million then the club have been very stupid IMO.

He's very quick and direct is Bailey, looked good a few times I have seen him but I think consistency and injuries are an issue. 34 goals and 22 assists in near 150 games for Leverkusen. Just as a comparison Sancho in the same league has 43 goals and 52 assists from about 10 less games. Bailey was 14th in the league for goals and 16th for assists last year, Ihlas Bebou for Hoffenhiem pretty much had the same record, who you say? Yeh exactly. If Bailey was a superstar honestly he would have been plucked from Leverkusen earlier by bigger clubs, I mean Leverkusen are a selling club they generally sell most of their talent on and clubs like Bayern and Dortmund also tend to pluck out the best talent in the rest of the league, and if they don't big PL clubs come knocking. Who Bailey has been linked with for a long time but no one seemed to go for him, so their must be a reason for that. Like I say he might suit the league and be a really good signing, but I think he's a good player rather than a top top one. It's also difficult to judge players coming out of the Bundesliga, I mean Lookman managed 5 goals and 3 assists in just 7 starts for Leipzig on loan but then ended up at Fulham where he did decently but not near the same level. Werner has banged in the goals but struggled at Chelsea, arguably a better club creating more chances than probably Leipzig do.

The accounts show we have spent the loan do they? The accounts for a period impacted by Covid? Yeh it's pretty irrelevant because it's already been said that the accounting period will be extended over a longer period anyway, so we won't get a true picture for a while. Are the accounts covering the wages now saved with the expensive flops of the books? Nope. But as someone above said, are you an accountant? do you have in depth knowledge of football finances and accounting? No, but you seem to think you can make blanket and final statements on very little.

I mean it's possible England could line up in the near future with a centre-back pairing of two released Saints youth players in White and Mings But I reckon all clubs must have stories like this of ones that got away or players who in hindsight were mistakenly sold, I mean Chelsea fans must wince that Salah and De Bruyne have carried their teams to titles, when both were on their books and could be playing in the same Chelsea team.