Cronky

A major talent, but I fear that injury has robbed him of what little pace he had. I seem to remember he aggravated an ankle injury when he was rushed back to the first team too soon. I don't think he's recovered yet. A number of the young Arsenal players - Oxlade, Ramsey, Walcott, Wilshere - seem to have suffered long-term problems.

I suspect the town won't be big enough for the both of them.

Needs to kept away from microphones for his own good. However, he looks in better shape than I've ever seen him before. There's always been a certain amount of hype in the game around Shelvey which I've never quite understood, but if there have been fitness issues that have blocked his potential, then that explains it. If he's feeling better about himself, it'll hopefully make him less inclined to give away the petulant fouls, which seem to be borne of frustration.

That's interesting, and suggests he might not be just cover for Yedlin. However good he may be going forward, Yedlin needs to work at his defending. He was especially poor at stopping crosses coming in, and that appears to be one of Manquillo's strengths.

I seem to remember there was a record-breaking 1000 page debate on this issue once. He had one very good season and then defenders sussed him out IMO.

How much do you reckon he would cost? £30m or more? Everton want 50m. Last year of his contract... Good luck with that. Can see him signing a pre contract for some foreign team in January and sold back to a premiership team a week later for less than half that. I just found it intriguing that Rafa in his quotes asked MA did he have to spread the budget on several players or could it be used for just one. Kind of implies he has one big signing in mind if still available at the end of the window. Interesting. I'm not sure that the players we've bought so far are that much better than the ones we've already got. Concentrating on one player who would represent a big improvement in one position makes sense to me, given our situation. Barkley would be a great buy for us. For some reason, the bigger clubs don't seem all that keen. He has the talent, but it seems there may be question marks against his application. Not risk free, but we're not going to break out of our current situation without one or two gambles.

Maverick individuals aren't Rafa's cup of tea, and the adage about never going back also applies here, I think.

Not really simple though. Clubs are under a lot of pressure to ensure they stay in the Premiership. Once one club starts paying, that pressure ramps up.

£50m for Sigurdsson is the craziest of the lot.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/two-chinese-groups-expressed-interest-13199522 Video is worth watching, FWIW. Yeah, that was interesting. The Chinese plan has the feel of trying to run before you can walk. I think football is a game which has to grow at its own pace, from the roots upwards, but they are trying to activate a master plan from the top. The group of elite footballing nations (Brazil, Germany etc) hasn't changed really over the last 60 years. Teams from outside Europe and South America have improved a lot, but not broken into the top group. I'm also unsure of the connection between businessmen buying into top European clubs and growing your own footballing talent at home in order to win a World Cup. That's all about players and coaches and I don't know how much of that gets learned in Boardrooms.

If he's been brought in with a specific task in mind, like finding other investors, then fine. If he has a wider, less clear role, then it's a worry. It could complicate the decision-making process within the club, and Ashley has a bit of a history of that.

With all the money in football these days it might not be a bad investment. Lets say and presume they buy 1/4 of the club for 100m, and promise to invest another 50m in transfers on top of that. If the next TV deal is even better than today, and the club have had some success and build a stronger brand reputation. Its not unlikely that they can sell the stake with profit down the road. Ashley bought for £160m or something right, now he wants £400m with dept, and look how he have run this club and brand. I'm still not convinced that it's possible to run a Premiership football club at a profit long-term. In the past, any increase in income from TV has just got swallowed up in transfer fees and wages, with clubs competing for the best players. It's possible to make a profit through the transfer market, but then you put success at risk. The main reason for buying a football club seems to be the prestige and the attention, but if you're only taking on part ownership that wouldn't really apply.

:'(

He's a great talent whose progress has stalled for some reason. I'm pretty sure one of the bigger clubs will fancy their chances of getting more out of him.

But that's Wenger's policy, not individual decisions made by their defenders. It's an unusual strategy, but not necessarily an incorrect one. How many times do you see a team concentrate on just defending a lead in the last 10 minutes, but end up surrendering all the initiative and conceding through too much fear and passivity? This is when they're getting pumped 3-0 after 20 minutes and the other team is still dominating. 15m and 70k+ a week - there's got to be better value on the market than an injury prone fullback. He's made less professional appearances than Sturridge at the same age. I'm all for gambling on young English players. Or a top class PL player like Sturridge. But i'm unsure of how good this lad is, it's a massive fee, massive wages and he's injury prone. With the huge amount of new money coming in, it's hard to say what you'd be able to get for £15M. The market has gone haywire. Providing he's fit, at least we'll know that Gibbs will be better than our current options. He's shown he can handle the Premiership, and if we're going to survive, let alone prosper, we need to add a bit more to our attacking armoury. Gibbs is good going forward.

But that's Wenger's policy, not individual decisions made by their defenders. It's an unusual strategy, but not necessarily an incorrect one. How many times do you see a team concentrate on just defending a lead in the last 10 minutes, but end up surrendering all the initiative and conceding through too much fear and passivity?

Rafa only ever plays one striker so how will this work? Could be an issue, but he has played Perez in a more withdrawn role with a striker. I think that both Abraham and Gayle could be okay with playing in a deeper role, or perhaps alternate in the way that Yorke and Cole did. Abraham looks very promising, and it's a chance that I think we should take.

Re Abraham, just watched that video. There's nothing spectacular about the goals, but now and then there are glimpses of a decent touch on the ball. He and Gayle could work well together.

He looks rather good.

they signed Pogba and Ibra without CL football ffs. Well it's not impossible, but I think there are some players, who have all sorts of options, for whom CL football will tip the decision. There's a gap now between Man U and the best sides, which will be difficult to bridge. Mourinho needs all the help he can get. Griezmann won't join Man Utd because they have a better chance of winning the CL than Atleti. They're Man Utd and they're one of the richest clubs in the world. They'll spend their way back to competitiveness. Again I reiterate this summer their top signings left clubs who would expect to run deep in the CL. Europa League winners don't sign the best player from CL semi finalists unless other non football related factors are th major cause. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Griezmann, because Chelsea are supposed to be interested in him now. I do think if they hadn't won last night, Griezmann would definitely be opting for Chelsea, and even now I don't think he'd have been much encouraged by watching Man U's performance. The alternative of overcoming a player's reluctance to join by throwing money at them doesn't always work out. There's always pressure on a big money signing, and if things go wrong the player's morale can easily suffer. Looking at Pogba, whilst he seemed to be keen to re-join Man U, he looks like a player under pressure. He tries to do something brilliant nearly every time he gets the ball - even on his own goal line, last night. Despite his talent, there's a lack of coherence in that midfield. That Man U side needs a lot of work, and the best players in the world can suffer if they're in a difficult environment.

they signed Pogba and Ibra without CL football ffs. Well it's not impossible, but I think there are some players, who have all sorts of options, for whom CL football will tip the decision. There's a gap now between Man U and the best sides, which will be difficult to bridge. Mourinho needs all the help he can get. They will spend £200m and challenge for the title next year. Get Griezemann, one midfielder and one defender and they'll be right there. Well we'll see, but they won't be the only club spending big. What struck me last night was how poor a lot of their football was. They have some good individuals, but looked anything but a team. There were a lot of long balls, flat and over-hit, which went nowhere. Like his immediate predecessors, Mourinho is looking for the right blend and a coherent style, and that's not easy when the team is under pressure to succeed right away.

they signed Pogba and Ibra without CL football ffs. Well it's not impossible, but I think there are some players, who have all sorts of options, for whom CL football will tip the decision. There's a gap now between Man U and the best sides, which will be difficult to bridge. Mourinho needs all the help he can get.

From what I've seen, Man U have been dull for some time now. They seem to be so much less than the sum of their parts. But this may be a crucial win in terms of attracting the players that want CL football.

Agreed. He might develop into Drogba Mk 2, but he's nowhere near that yet.

I think Huddersfield will have a bit of belief and momentum now. Coming from a goal down away from home will give them a real boost. Bannan looked a class apart and has Premiership experience. He'd add some creativity to our midfield and has a good burst of pace.