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I presume we are getting very little news until closer to July 1. My guess would be we'll want to book costs for new signings in the next financial year, allowing the current financial year to end in a profit (or at least low level loss).

If it is (a smokescreen), I'm trying to imagine a player of the calibre of Tonali we'd bring in... can't think beyond Nico Williams (if he'd come here, but then I thought Tonali would never come).

Can Pedro not play in the left AM role in our system?

They're signing Trafford?

I wonder if City are activating that Trafford clause, even just to sell him on for a few quid.

Scott Carson hasn't contributed by making over 150 appearances for the most successful side in the league over the last 10 years.

Surely there are some type of players that are better against it than others though. Im thinking players with tricky feets in small spaces and a killer pass/shot. Messi being a pretty good example

Boro getting Castore

Badly need a new name to discuss - howay Hope, Edwards or preferably Ornstein. A new name out of the blue please 🙏

Bet it's the UB40 version they're singing as well

Last game against Everton was a pretty good example wasn't it? Other than that I haven't been keeping notes. Just a general memory of us looking kinda clueless against it.

Could be. Nico Paz going to us with Baturina to Como?. (AMC). Seriously though. I imagine he goes back to RM or stays.

Barella-style smokescreen?

It’s so dry I’d even welcome a Luke Edwards nonsense tweet.

I also just think ultra defensive tactics are just fundamentally difficult to play through. That’s why crap teams use them. There’s not a signing or two that’s going to let us slice and dice low blocks. Even Man City struggle with them.

We could sign Maguire. Cover at CB and CF.

Elanga has better output overall apart from goals, and he has played a lot more minutes. I’m not gonna disagree and say that Madueke is better finisher, probably not atm. I just think Madueke would flourish under Eddie in a more settled environment where he’s allowed to find consistent instead of tossed around the pitch and the bench here and there and with Chelsea’s possession for the sake of it at times. Imo you cannot underestimate what that settled environment can do to you on the whole. Madueke often creates chances as well as getting himself into good chances. Just need Eddie to fine tune things and allow him to get proper momentum. Also not sure how many chances I’ve seen Jackson miss, created by Madueke.

Its not that i dont want a bigger squad and a player who can open up a low block. Its just that there must be better options out there. Him not thriving at City tells me that he is not that great against a low block anyways. He also has a contract of £15m a year. We can all imagine that City will cover a big chunk of this and/or he will accept a lower wage, but nothing suggests that tbh. If we are ever going to compete with the top 6 long term we need to be financially smart in everything we do. That generally means buying younger players with their better days ahead of them. I know that Trippier and Burn were exceptions to this rule and that it turned out to be great business for us. But both were cheap and we were at a different stage. Can't see Graelish sharing their story.

I'm going to have to go on a Youtube hunt for a "how to beat a low block" tactics video. As an old man, I hope its "put a big man up front and stick it in the mixer"

Going back before the Madueke/Elanga talk, but if its loans or loans to buy, I'd like Nkunku or Douglas Luiz, not Sancho or Grealish. Someone now persona non gratia but whose big output at their previous club was the season or two seasons before maximum, not effectively ancient history of seasons long gone. Youngish players who've gone to Saudi prematurely and are now bored and want to get back to proper football would also qualify as damaged but interesting goods. In this case, its bargain hunting and getting what's out there worth a punt, rather than zeroing in on any profile, as you would do with a regular buy like Madueke/Elanga. With wages, my concern is that we probably don't want to sign anyone pricey until we tie up Isak on a new deal that will make him our highest earner. I presume we are working on this actively already to get it done and that we're going to do whatever it takes to keep him, smashing our current wage ceiling in the process. On the plus side, doing so will probably create more scope/mental resolution for paying more than we'd currently like to secure the services of other new purples. As it stands before he signs, its understandable if there are "we can't pay Mbeumo that because Isak will want that times 1.5" fears.

Except we've been in for both previously.

When I say big I mean Tonali & Isak particularly, although Botman and Bruno happened very quickly to iirc. As you say though, easier to keep it quiet when they come from outside the PL. I know what you’re saying, the way we’ve seen Elanga and Pedro come out just isn’t our style really. They could well both be smokescreens of some description.

There's no way Isak only starts 30 games out of 60. He's probably top 5 in his position in the world, he's playing most games if he's fit and so he should, obviously with exceptions in certain cup games. Equally, if we are paying £60m for Pedro, he also would be starting more than 30 games. He won't be happy playing at home to Burton in the League Cup and warming the bench against Liverpool on the Saturday. I think a change in system is the most likely reason we are linked

And Bruno, Tonali, Joe Linton... hell, nobody gets rotated unless they're injured or we're playing a League 1 side.