Cronky

Zip-e-dee-doo-dah! At least if we get hammered, we'll be able to see him in action.

I'm talking about the no doubt unrealistic scenario whereby someone is able to fix his mind and/or body to get him to play to the potential that he showed when a youngster. If so, he'd not just be better than Bruno, he'd be better than practically every other midfield player in the Premiership. This lad had the lot, and he was widely tipped by many in the game to be an all-time great. He was playing for Everton at 17, he was the best player in their side at 21, and he's won 33 England caps. He may be the midfield equivalent of Micah Richards as a defender - someone with so much talent that they didn't need to apply themselves properly, and then got found out. Too much too soon, perhaps.

I've not seen any link. I think it's all speculation based on him being a free agent.

Barkley is a major talent and if somehow someone could get him to play to his best, he'd be our best midfielder by far. That's such a big if though. Something has gone seriously wrong with his career, but if anyone can, Eddie can. (new catchphrase, possibly)

I'd give this guy as free a role as possible ie behind a main striker either in a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2. Main reason is he's so good on the ball, lets give it to him as much as possible. Out and out strikers are often feeding on scraps and deprived of space.

I'm well satisfied with this window already. We've got a good, balanced squad and an excellent manager. Enough incomings to move us forward, but not too many that the unity of the squad gets upset. The opposite end of the spectrum is Chelsea, who seem to be spending wildly without getting anywhere. The club seems to be out of control, whereas we have a plan. My only concern has been that we lack a defensive midfield player, but somehow Eddie is able to organise things so we manage without.

Interesting. The article also seems to hint that he's a bit of a prima donna, and that may have put Eddie off. There's only room for one at the club. Just to confirm, I mean ASM.

That is the biggest exaggeration in the history of the Universe.

He might be better than other options for that anchor position, but not a whole lot better? We also need to give Anderson and Longstaff the experience they need. And yes, I know Longstaff is nearly 24, but this club has been in a poor state until Howe and the Saudis came. He's still a work in progress.

Yes I was

His team awareness has improved a lot. He's releasing the ball earlier and not trying to get past every opponent that's in front of him. Still a work on progress, but overall he's making a much better contribution.

He's not going to last much longer. He's blaming the ref, our so-called long ball game and our dirty defending, when his team didn't play with enough spirit to match the talent at their disposal. He needs to put his own house in order.

Whether he has the pace to be part of our long-term development is a moot point, but he was decent enough today in that anchor position. A lot of the comments on here and in the match thread seem to be based on his past performances, or only focusing on his mistakes, rather than his positive contributions. He took responsibility and did not hide. Do the likes of Bruno or Joelinton never lose the ball? I'm not sure what some of you are expecting. One thing he does need to work on is his communication. There were a couple of times when he and a team mate seemed to get in each other's way. He seems a quiet, modest lad and he needs to assert himself more.

A thoroughly deserved point, and unlucky not to get all three. Some of the moaning on here at half time was a disgrace. I know expectations are now raised, but get a grip. Wolves lack spirit. They've got some good players there, but they seem to lack belief.

That's his reputation. Not how he's performed today.

I can only think you're judging the performance that you were expecting to see, not the one he's delivering. I can only think of one clear error. He's done fine in there.

Considering the absentees, I think we're doing fine. It's quite an even game. Our passing has improved so much. Longstaff is doing well. Willock often seems to lack aggression - he pulled out of a challenge which seems to be a bit of a habit. He could have charged down Nunez's shot with a bit more conviction but he was a bit unlucky for the ball to go through his legs. I thought there was a bit of a common-sense failure on the part of VAR. I can understand why they don't want to give penalties for shirt-pulls - there's so much of it going on - but that prevented a clear shot on goal. We're still in it.

Come on, Sean, we need you to step up.

Some interesting posts on the FFP situation. Given the fact that the club had spent very little over previous seasons, and FFP allows you to overspend one season if you're prepared to economise to keep within the three year rule later on, (I think that's right), then a lot of pundits were calculating that we could, in theory, spend a vast amount and still remain within FFP as time went on. As this window has unfolded, a far more conservative approach seemed to be the strategy, and I can see the wisdom of that. It's a bit of a myth that you can invest a large amount of money in a squad, reach a certain plateau of quality, and then cut the expenditure down to an amount that maintains your current level. In practice, it seems that you usually have to keep spending, in order just to stay still. So yes, I can see that with Izak, our owners have dipped into the riskier strategy. I don't think we're going to do a Man City ie keep spending and dare the football authorities to do their worst. So we'll either have to cut back at some stage, or Izak will actually prove to be an investment rather than a spend (ie one way or another the finanical benefits will exceed the cost) Daft though it may sound, I think this lad will prove to be a bargain. He's had an iffy season, the bigger clubs have been distracted on to other targets who have had more recent success, and we've swooped in. Sorry about the long post, and the repetition of points made elsewhere. 'I'm trying to clarify my own thinking.

He'd save on moving expenses if he signed with us. Got to be a factor.

I'm surprised that a player with that physique is able to get so much explosive power and pace into his movements. Superficially, he looks far more like a long-distance runner than a sprinter. Our best times have come when we had a Beardsley, then a Bellamy, in that withdrawn, roaming striker position. Despite his appearance, I can see him in that position and doing really well. I think other supporters who are laughing at this signing are going to be laughing on the other side of the faces pretty soon.

To be honest, I'm not totally sold on Paqueta. I've only seen him on YT, and he looks good, but there are others who I think would offer just as much. I don't think there's any need to bust the bank to get him. The issue of his being Bruno's mate and having an all-Brazilian midfield three could cut both ways. Eddie has generated a really good team spirit, and he wouldn't want things to get cliquey. I'm really happy with Isak. I'm hoping he can be our Bellamy / Beardsley - a real firecracker performer who can take us to a new level.

Really, this is the best possible signing in the situation we're in - someone who can play in any of the advanced positions. And we've swooped for a real talent after he's had an iffy season, and a lot of big clubs have switched their attention elsewhere. There seems to be a bit of an obsession about how many goals he's scored. In modern football, you can't judge strikers just on that stat. In the team context, some strikers are used to create chances for others, rather than hang around like an old style centre forward, waiting to convert chances.

I did wonder whether Wilson has been protecting his hamstring. I don't think he's been going at full pelt, and in my suspicious mind, I wondered if he was saving himself for the World Cup. It now looks like there's a longer term problem (surprise, surprise) Isak looks better in a withdrawn or wide role, so it wouldn't surprise me if we still went for Pedro.

Very pleased with this signing. Next to Osimhen, this is the striker that impressed me most of those we've been linked with - that includes Nunez. (From YT videos admittedly) For a tall man, he seems to have good pace, close control and quick feet.