Window Cleaner

Some would have you believe that the whole scenario is less clear cut than it is made out to be. Did the FA punish them ? Don't think so so there may be some sort of occult cicumstances. I believe someone actually claimed there were but perhaps it was just a WUM or even worse a Skate. I do seem to remember that the jist of it was that Virgil believed that he had permission to talk to them but that's probably false.

Keita is a CM, he's about 4ft tall and a featherweight to boot so no he isn't a CB. Think Ngolo Kanté'ish.

Pfff tapping up is all I hear, tapping up is part of football, always has been, always will be. Have you never seen the documentary about Clough and Taylor going round to Dave McKay's house to persuade him to sign for Derby County? The only thing they worried about was that it was of a Sunday and thus illegal. Players have agents now and clubs approach agents, or family members to put their ideas to potential recruits. There is absolutely no difference between that and a parlay in Blackpool.

Do they have jobs in Liverpool ?

Might get a few bob I suppose. Sold him for what about 12 million, so for a 23 million mark up (probably be more like 18 million though, the press tend to exaggerate) we might get 10 %'ish. Been a while though and he was a young player who had no obligation whatsover to resign for us. Arsenal gave us a good deal for the time and we may not expect much more.

Yes it does, he wants out to get to what any reasonable person can see is a bigger club. No doubt that club is prepared to offer more than reasonable compensation, which is what the transfer system is based upon, and yet we're stopping him from moving up the ladder just to save face because we've said nulle prosequi. He will eventually get his way, they always do and we'll look like a bunch of dîcks again.

Ah ambition, something that football fans do not seem to understand. Mind you if any of them were offered a job half a step up the ladder they'd be snapping it up and giving their notice.

Which is what we've been doing these last 3 seasons no? So the fans aren't being taken for a ride, Q.E.D

It's Watford at home, easy'ish win, well should be anyway.

Isn't that Azpilicueta's main position ? Though he was just filling in at CB because of Cahill's sending off against Burnley. I mean I like Azpi (well for an ex OM man anyway) but he's really not a CB of any great standing.

I don't think that fans are being taken for a ride, I do however think that there are some who think that we're a bigger club than we actually are. We just do not produce enough revenue to compete with the best, whether this will change at any time in the near future I just couldn't say.

Can't really see why Chelsea need him though. Perhaps the sole reason is to deprive Arsenal earlier of one of their better players who, I seem to remember, wants to leave anyway. Think Arsenal are going to have a really crappy season this time round, just a hunch, mind you I did predict them dropping out of the Top 4 last season..

Why would that be exactly. They're going to sell Coutinho to Barca, neither of those things changes their defensive situation.

Then he'd probably fail the obligatory medical and the deal would be off for the future immediate future anyway. The difference here being that Keita can afford to wait another season, much younger and I think Leipzig are in the ECL aren't they.

We won't so don't get too excited about it. He'll go to Monaco or be loaned out to another Spanish outfit.

None of them would sign for us anyway. They can all do better, well in their opinion anyway.

And West Ham and Crystal Palace are separated by what distance actually ? 8 miles something like that ?

Monaco have offered 18 million euros or so and are waiting for a reply. I could see him going there.

We'll see, I'd not be surprised if the career of Dembelé at Barca turns out to be short lived. Looks like a bit of a trouble maker in the making and could be bad news. He just stopped turning up at Dortmund once he heard of Barca's interest. Apparently he receives advice from his inner circle that isn't always the best. Still it got him what he wanted I suppose.

They don't need Coutinho anyway, they know that and have just been holding out to force up the price and payment terms. Borussia showed them the way to do it with Dembelé, cos frankly 100+ million euros for him is just a gift from a club desperate to sign someone after Neymar blew them out. Biggest winners there ? Rennes who will pocket somewhere around 30 milion euros for a player they sold for about 10a season ago.

Should never have been appointed in the first place. His trainwreck 3 months at Inter should have warned off any potential employer outside of a second rate micky mouse league like the Eredivisie.

Think it's an Austrian thing more than anything else. Wimmer isn't that good but he's Austrian and thus an Alpine hero figure. Hoedt is probably as good as Wimmer anyway.

Quite right, holding on to a stubborn knob like Van Dijk will do us no good whatsoever. What has he got to lose really, nothing is the answer. Hasn't played since February, isn't in the Dutch National side just now, they won't qualify for the WC anyway and there is only a certain amount of fines we can inflict on him in what is a fairly narrow corridor of action. As long as he turns up for training as requested he can be dire as you like and we can't do anything at all about it. If he doesn't train hard he'll not be selected anyway and so the only losers will be SFC. I tell you, we should take the money and be rid of him.

About sums it up. Happens every summer now and the eventual result is always the same. We might hold on to a unsettlerd player for a season or half of a season but they always leave and usually for less than we could have got in the first place. Any seriously unsettled player should be sold to the highest bidder before at least mid-window and the proceeds invested illico.