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Bruno was to upgrade on Shelvey. Botman, Lascelles. Isak, Gayle. Now we're trying to upgrade on significantly better players meaning the pool is a lot smaller, meanwhile our own targets have changed beyond survival/consolidation, again reducing the pool of players who can help achieve our new targets. Then you've got the inflation of prices which has changed even in just the last three years, plus the risks of PSR are far more established and emphasise the need to invest with as much guarantee as possible. = Targeting PL players in the first instance.

I do wonder whether we might go for a younger player or two. Someone like Dibling makes alot of sense to me. The issue again is cost. If hes going to cost the same as Pedro then its mental that some clubs can hold out at such a high fee. Also, I do wonder at what point Madueke becomes available at Chelsea.

I think any transfer strategy was abandoned the last two years because of PSR concerns. This summer should be the reset; I’d not be averse to that decent blend again of PL shopping meets continental diamonds. Antonio Silva and Ederson are the ones I’d like to see come in. Think they’d be brilliant for us. Up front / RW - can’t say I’m as aware of who’d do the job on the continent.

Exactly

Losing out on top targets, regularly, is going to damage to our appeal as a club to both current and prospective players. This cannot carry on.

I’d love to know the story behind the Bruno/Botman/Isak signings. Whatever that strategy was it’s been long abandoned.

More like we were beaten on price rather than timing.

To me it seems fairly simple this summer; the top targets are here and that's where we'll try first. If it doesn't happen, move onto the theoretically more attainable targets; players on the continent or those less-coveted PL players.

We'll be mint come kick off of the new season. HTL

Did well for a couple of years but now the big fat cunts have latched on to when the Asda Whoopsies get stuck on and are hovering around the bloke with the pricing gun.

Just seen this on villa talk,they have to Tuesday

I’d love pif or Howe or whoever is making the decisions to get so royally annoyed by playing nicey nicey and getting players that they can grow like Pedro to think screw it let’s just get Osimhen. Similar to Ekitike to Isak

If everyone stopped wetting the bed about business, maybe we could do it all behind closed doors, not require 24/7 updates from journalists and then have pleasant surprises when signings are made. This is all getting undressed in fenwicks window and it’s so annoying. I hope our real targets are completely unknown. Love a surprise signing out of the blue. The club are doing their best, every single one of them. We have a great club and we should be proud as punch and stop all this criticism.

Aye, find the pointing of fingers odd when we have access to such tiny amounts of info. I do agree though that we’re largely going to struggle buying from the PL market if we’re only looking at buying established quality players. We got Tino from a relegated side after an ACL, we got Hall as an 18 year old prospect, we got Pope from a relegated side and Barnes too. Looking back it’s impressive that we landed Gordon given there was interest from other clubs. My concern is less about “how fast we move” and more about “where we target players from and what stage of development”. If we target players who are slightly earlier in the development then sure, there’s more risk and they’re not likely to come in and make an immediate impact but theyll be younger and have a higher ceiling most likely

You'd expect our alternatives to be on the continent.

Bring Ayoze home!

Think the club needs to understand the reality that if we want to sign established players, we will have to pay huge fees to do so. So either we suck it up and pay up or we look elsewhere for value. We're currently rummaging around in the back of the yellow stickers fridge hoping to find a fillet steak that nobody else fancied for tea.

Well there certainly is a list of players and Pedro was one of them.

If the transfer team and scouting network are doing their job they’ll have any number of alternates to come in as a second striker. It’s a case of taking more of a punt now than buying an EPL tried and tested option.

Won’t make a jot of difference if said players have their eye on: 1/ A particular club 2/ Mo money Nothing to do with the speed of the deal. If we aren’t that club and can’t compete on salary we move on.

Who do we realistically sign now as an alternative to Isak?

With the squad they have, they genuinely need a good 6-7 players to go straight in to the starting 11, and that's being generous. Even then, those new players have to really hit the ground running. Of course things could click with the right recruitment and good coaching, but they were so far off Leeds and Burnley last season, I just think it'll be an almighty task for them to stay up, irrespective of them making massive waves in the footballing world.