All Activity

Not massively bothered about missing out on him to be honest, but my bigger concern is what form of due diligence the club performed on a prospective deal. Was he always hanging on for Chelsea? If we had any inclination of that, we should have moved on weeks ago.

Agree, but we still have the rest of the window to see how this plays out. After last summer expectations are high this time round when we've got decent money to spend. We have to be creative in the market. We might not be a cartel club but we are still in a better position than all the rest of the clubs to spend big.

Last time I looked we qualified for the champions league and villa didn’t. Keep doubling down on your crazy argument though.

I still think his future is at right back, but strangely again in this tournament he was much better in the opening 2 games where he played left back. Was much quieter when he was moved to right back for the rest of the games.

A good season in spite of the window. Howe performed miracles last season. He can't be expected to keep doing so.

It's just the way the PL is set up for the cartel clubs. Not really a lot PIF or any other owner can do about it. Doesn't matter who the owner is, PSR is going to stop them from spending money to make up ground on the cartel clubs by ploughing their own money in. Can't really blame PIF for putting their money where it can benefit them outside of the PL. This is a PL policy which is there to protect the interests of the big clubs already at the top.

And Lloyd Kelly, who's the best piece of business we've done this century.

It stinks of a move to weaken the opposition. Pedro will follow the cash / longterm contract.

I’ve thought that about the Saudi’s and the super league for a couple of years, the situation stinks to me, and the latter seems to make sense to me given my observations of how the club has been run. I also don’t know who is running the club right now given Eales illness. It’s just opinions, I’m not urinating anywhere I shouldn’t.

Bit disrespectful to our Greek international goalkeeper saying we signed nobody.

It's June. Why aren't some still not understanding why we didn't sign anyone in the previous 3 windows? WE HAD NO FUCKING MONEY. It bares no relationship to what's happening this summer.

Aye, my daughter lives in a street just outside the old Benwell training ground and I'm sure it's still got the same perimeter fence up. I always think it's amazing to think KK, Beardsley, Gazza Used to be over that fence most days. Used to walk up a lot when I lived in West Denton as a kid.

It's reported targets, I know you believe everything in the press but not me. For example, I dont think for a second we want to sign Jack Grealish. Clubs have multiple targets for a reason and there's actually no shame in having ambition to sign the best players we can. So what if bigger clubs gazump us on wages and fees? As far as i can tell there's absolutely nothing the club can do about it, other than not targeting good players, in which we'd have certain erudite posters criticising them for. Also, the timeline you have in your head, isnt the same as what reality is. For example, sure we likely put out hat into the ring for Cunha, Delap, Mbuemo but how far down the line were they ever at? I suspect not very far. We put out hat in the ring for Declan Rice and what? We didn't get him? So fuck. Move on. I dont understand what's going on here, we'd rather we went for worse players, so long as we actually sign them?

Doesn’t look like it does it? This time last year most of the panic deals were done an and just a few were being concluded like ours. ‘Villa’s gambled backfired’, ‘they are taking crazy risks’ If there’s a will there’s a way. Except at Newcastle. Then there’s no way.

Then do ex Man City youth. It’s laughable how much is spent on just two sides, because they have people upstairs who come from those two sides

All I see is a sense of drift at the top, and yet another window of nothing happening.

Amazing to think that anyone could just wander into the training ground and watch the full session, practice games, set pieces etc

Valid concern, but I don't think it necessarily follows we haven't done our homework. It wouldn't be the first time that we've tried (and failed) in the Premier League market first, before moving onto other targets. Or it might just be the club has struggled to identify value abroad. It just feels that they might face less competition and hold more bargaining power. We can only speculate, but it'll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few weeks.

I think it’s 50/50 whether they stay up they won’t be as outmatched as some think and I think their recruitment is smart, think Mayenda will be a handful and the new lad has pace and physicality. Think Wolves and Brentford could join promoted sides in peril this season.

His wages at least. Which is a major factor in the overall cost of the transfer.

The bedwetting because we haven't bought one player is hilarious.

Should Pedro end up going to Chelsea it’ll be interesting to see how we pivot and whether someone like Xavi Simons becomes a more realistic option now. We’ve been linked with Simons in both 2023 and 2024, so he’s clearly someone the club has followed closely. Young, technical, versatile, and able to play that link role between midfield and attack that Pedro seemed targeted for. He’s not a direct striker option, but he ticks a lot of the same boxes: comfortable as a 10, wide forward, or drifting centrally. High work rate, great in transition, and very much the type Howe could develop into something special. What Pedro offered that Simons doesn’t is cover for Isak. And with clear budget constraints, if we can’t stretch to both an attacking mid and a striker, then the right-sided forward we bring in might need to be able to cover centrally, even if that’s not their ideal role. That could limit our options unless a smart deal emerges. If we do go for someone like Simons and a specialist wide player, then we might still need to roll the dice on a low-cost or free striker. Forum favourite DCL just entered the chat…😬

Increasingly I’m agreeing with this. I’ve said this in another thread. ‘Whose baby is this?’ Who is staying up at night with NUFC top of their thoughts? Yasir to me is like the other geezer at Spurs. He’s the main money man. But it’s Levy’s baby. Levy drives it. Chelsea was always Romans baby. But Marina was his underboss/consigliere. Atm it does feel like a rudderless ship.

Doesn't seem to have driven up his asking price mind, been 60 million all summer.