STM

TBF, we have just hired lawyers, almost certainly for this purpose.

Ah didn't know that. Interesting.

Yeah that's why I'm not getting worked up. The eyes of the league are on our spending right now. They would love nothing better than preventing us from spending by us getting in trouble with FFP. Let's go under the radar and let Eales work his magic for the next 12 months. Next summer will be a different game. In 12 months we will have a set of squad players who will look remotely attractive to other clubs. Resigning Schar and Longstaff might look a masterstroke when we add x amount to our kitty.

Everton are fucked and are having to sell their best players in order to make a few shite signings. Chelsea got caught up and prevented from signing players 2 seasons ago. I haven't looked closely at Man City's spending this window but it looks as though they haven't spent much; sold Sterling, Zinchenko and Phillips. I'm not trying to be argumentative, it just seems as though the "big six" spend alot of money because they have huge commercial income, combined with regular champions league football. They aren't playing the same FFP game as us. Meanwhile the likes of Villa and Leeds are spending money because they sold players. We've spent 150m and are likely to spend more and we have neither the commercial deals or the players to sell at this stage.

Out of interest, which clubs aren't sticking to FFP?

We should be knocking on Chelseas door for a decent loan deal for Broja.

We were never signing Sesko IMO.

I've watched/listened to 2 podcast this week and both of them said that Dummett had a good performance against Bilbao. Can someone clear this up because I thought he was awful in the second half. Was getting rinsed by their number 9?

Yeah I'm still quietly confident of us getting him. It's say around 60%. If you take away Ekitike (who we basically had until PSG came in), we've found a way of signing the players we want. Arguably Harrison is another who we seem keen on and have kept edging up our bids. If reports were correct we have probably bid somewhere around the 45m mark at this stage. The Leicester end have suggested that 60m is what they want but you would have to assume that their 60m is their top end figure. That's why I asked the question of a compromise around 52/54m? If we can reach that figure, with add ons etc, I think we could be in business.

@Foxedup, if our bid reaches lets say 52/54m do you think that will be enough?

I think CHO is a nice fit and wouldn't cost alot, if we could get him on loan with an obligation. They can piss off with a buy back clause like. It would be a smart move and would free up other areas.

He was our biggest signing of the summer.

What Hope was really saying was that the club could do with being reminded what life is like with an injured Wilson. He doesn't really want him injured, he just wants another striker.

Virtually the same panic set in during January. The difference here is that we have been working on deals for weeks AND still have a month left. We ended up with Burn, Targett and Bruno. I'd be happy with the equivalent of those 3 in the attacking areas.

Sky get their info from journalists anyway. I don't even think they are bothered in breaking news anymore. Although Kaveh and Darmesh like to think they are Andy "two phones" Burton.

If it had add ons and clauses, I doubt anyone knows the exact figure. I said earlier Leicester and Newcastle are briefing different numbers.

Even though I'm not sure if we will get Maddison, I'm still 100% convinced we will sign the players we need.

I refer to my previous posts on this thread on seeing transfers over 40m lacking in value for where we are at. Man City spent quite a while signing numerous 30m transfers if I remember correctly, then it went a bit silly. Fwiw, we should pay for Maddison but devil's advocate.

Yeah that's why I think we aren't getting all the information. I think it's Maddison plus a wide player/forward or Maddison was considered an exception that they couldn't pass by.

Especially since we supposedly bid again for Harrison the other day and we're sounding out Werner and Cornet. We've either got more than 40m or we have a scatter gun approach to our bids.

Yeah something doesn't add up. Fog of war and all that.

In my eyes, it would be us vs West Ham. 2 more players and I fancy. We will see I suppose.

Yeah, it did sound like he doesn't understand how financial fair play works.

Hope actually talked alot of sense. Said that Maddison doesn't fit our formation so either we change formation or play him RW, which isn't his best position. He also said it would effectively rule out us signing a striker, although I suspect he was second guessing about that.

2 more yes.