The College Dropout

Didn’t play the game that mattered most. Through being an idiot. He’s accomplished. But I’m talking compared to the others. He’s not actually played consistently well for us. The year Cabaye left he was on fire. Demba was on fire. List goes on.

He’s a player that thrives with space in behind and against slow fullbacks. Most PL teams play a mid to low block against us and have defended first fullbacks. Gordon struggled against y that. European teams come to play and have that failed winger bad defending fullback archetype that isn’t common in the PL anymore. Gordon eats against that.

For the buying club aye. Doesn’t feel like a Newcastle player that has excelled and then moved on. For all that Isak is awful - he deserved a big move and top wages. As did the others

When Cabaye, Ba, Remy, Carroll, Isak etc. left - they all left after great form or a superb season. This doesn't have that feel at all so it's weird..

He wanted to leave.

Imagine selling Alvarez and replacing him with Woltemade

I may get it if there's no shirt sponsor by the time it drops

Spurs apart - it's only really Barca/Real. Liverpool sold Diaz because they wanted too - they've not lost a key player they want to keep to anyone bar Real/Barca since..... Torres to Chelsea? Arsenal haven't sold up since latter day Wenger era I think.

Why is speed important? If we know we are selling him we know. We can replace him before he goes.

Yeh because Staveley/Howe gave Joelinton the mega bucks new contract. They closed the door on that sale. You’re not a Director of Football. Their job is to look after the medium/long term health of the playing squad. I said at the time, I wasn’t against selling Joelinton because he was probably the highest value asset that we could replace and his value would only decrease. It’s the DOF job to move players on at the right time and ensure high potential youth have a pathway to the first team. I love Eddie but he’s all about now now now like most managers. So he gave his senior player a massive new contract and sold the high potential youth. A good DOF stops that from happening. Ashworths Plan A was selling Bruno mind. Probably sell both and rebuild the midfield with 1 or 2 signings and promoting Anderson and Miley. Tonali the new senior man. I hope Wilson brings some vision and planning to our squad. Last couple of years has been awful.

And PSR requires a constant flip of players for all but a few.

Widely reported Ashworth was open to selling big Joelinton which is why he didn't give him a new contract.

Florentino Perez has decided to distract everyone from football and launched into an incredible tirade against all Real Madrid enemies

Yep. To stay up a promoted side has to spend £100m + big wages and hope 90% of it clicks. Or spend £200m like Forest and hope half clicks.

Still hard to get relegated these days. One West Ham/spurs will have been an established Pl team to get relegated this has been semi decent. Wolves aren’t an awful team imo but they didn’t even try.

Someone has to ruin it

Think Howe wants a substitute bench of Harvey Barnes's. We don't have the FFP wriggle room for that. 1 or 2 is fine but we can't have a full bench of them. We need younger, cheaper, high ceiling possible high sell-on value players in the squad. Harvey Barnes himself is a bit of a PSR nightmare. Unlikely to generate masses of FFP/PSR headroom but a valued squad member and not easily replaced and that's best case scenario for Ramsey. We get 3-4 good years out of him, get our money back and get like £20-30m additional headroom - AT BEST.

Of course. If you're a bagsman being a badboy kind of goes without saying 95% of the time. Whenever I see Lautaro Martinez, evidently, he's a bagsman but hard to call him a badboy. Papiss Cisse maybe a lower rung bagsman, no badboy. Ballers are always badboys.

Think badboy is a precursor to a more solid football shout. Kroupi jr. is definitely a bagsman. He has the eye and the hunger. Need to see more to decide if he’s a baller. Early days for Rayan. So just a badboy for now.

Sold Semenyo and signed a badboy in the same window - Rayan. Kroupi? He's a bad boy. Recruitment is so critical.

Just to rotate him in midfield.

Honestly..... it's not ideal but i'm not tremendously angry

Such a Villa transfer. Good technician. Good not great player. Useful rotation option for a side in Europe. Replaces Sancho. Who across all comps has played a lot for them and seemingly just ticked by.

No sponsor tops look great but is an indictment on the club. Chelsea have done it for a few years now - go most of the year without a sponsor.

Woltemade had a really great 6 months. I’m not convinced he goes on to become a top player. He has talent but plays like he’s 19.