Memphis

Exactly this. If X is the transfer budget, then a certain percentage of X (10-20, somewhere in there, most likely) is allocated to buying for the future. Thankfully the people in charge of the club now realize that we have to build a strong youth setup asap. It's a priority and especially so since Ashworth was appointed. It seems that we're understandably taking a lot from Brighton's youth setup, which would be excellent considering how much bigger and how much more well-funded we will be. I am impressed with the plans that seem to be in place.

I'd be absolutely shocked if we didn't have a separate budget for youth prospects. It's a huge priority for the club, we've hired a lot of scouts and analysts to unearth them, and we've enhanced our coaching staff and training staff to develop them once they get into the club proper. I expect we'll be doing even more this summer.

It's long been known he was going to leave this summer, we have apparently been monitoring him as have all the usual big clubs. It's a 30m Euro release clause and they've been pressuring him to sign a new contract with a bigger clause, but he has refused to. He's ready to move.

He's a box-to-box type but has played a more forward role in the last few months for Celta. Just turned 21. He's almost 6 feet tall, so another one with some size. Highly rated. Can take on defenders with a dribble. He's not a great passer yet but has potential to be, plenty of energy though. Feels like he would be a versatile type, I think he could play as a 10, 8, or a 6. Probably start as a 6, I'd guess.

https://www.marca.com/futbol/celta/2023/05/31/6477657346163f06898b45f6.html here's the story, the article reads a little less definitive but certainly promising

Love this view of the assist, he looks like some prospect man https://twitter.com/karuusuh/status/1663609455257239555?s=20

That assist is like an ASM/Willock combo platter. The little feint before the assist is filthy.

Szoboszlai just feels like one of our signings. Physically, tactically, age, seems to check every box. It seems inevitable. From what I've seen, I'd prefer him to Maddison although I will absolutely support whatever the club's decision ends up being.

I feel so good for him, he must be overjoyed! What a player he has become and yes - between he and Bruno, this can only help our profile in Brazil and beyond.

I don't think that it's necessarily forbidden for a larger club owner to have another subsidiary as a sponsor, but the deal has to be for a fair market price - which might be why it's slightly under the price of other CL clubs, just to be absolutely certain that it will pass muster.

I never thought after Sir Bobby, Keegan, and even Rafa that I'd fall in love with another manager but here we are. And I think he's the best of the bunch, as crazy as that sounds. With the greatest respect to the other three, they were each very rigid in their philosophies of football and each struggled to adjust as times and tactics changed around them. All brilliant, of course, but perhaps too stuck to their own way of thinking to be a long-term success. With Eddie, he's already shown enormous adaptability, changing his system from Bournemouth to us, and then changing his system again this season as teams adjusted to our high press. He is remarkably humble, incredibly driven, and seems to have a deep passion for learning and improving. The players all seem to love him, even a "maverick" like ASM, who has bought in to a system that doesn't often feature him. I wouldn't trade Howe at this stage for anyone. He has earned enormous credit and regardless of what happens from here, he should be given all the time and patience in the world.

It's finally starting to sink in and I'm getting a little emotional. I've gotten married, had two kids, and built a whole professional career in the time since I last watched us in the Champions League. It's incredible to be back and it feels euphoric.

LET'S FUCKING HAVE SOME INSANE RUMOURS NOW IT'S TIME

I don't know what to do!! I thought this might happen, felt like it could happen, eventually felt like it logically was going to happen, but now that it's happened, I don't know what to do. It's like the takeover, I'm so staggered by the achievement that I can't even react yet. What a fucking season!!!!

What a performance. Stepped up and fought like warriors in the biggest game of the year.

One thing I wonder about - while there's no doubt that our guys want to finish as high in the league as possible, in the back of their minds they'll know, some of them, that if we end up in the CL, they're very likely not part of the future of the club. Has to be a weird mix of emotions for the mid-tier players.

Agree that Trippier is becoming a liability defensively. Burn too. Leeds only attacked wide. We don't have cover for them when our midfielders are leggy, as they were today. Need a DM and need younger and better fullbacks.

We need a true DM in the worst way.

Seeing how Brighton are getting their business done early is very impressive. Identifying targets, going after them aggressively, knowing exactly what they want to do. Given Dan Ashworth's influence on proceedings there, I suspect we'll be doing similar, though I think we've identified several really top-level candidates. We're going to have to wait a bit on them until we know where we're going to play next year. Once we know for sure about next season, I'd expect a couple of "out of the blue" signings to be announced very quickly - we would have been lining them up for months, mind you.

Some of our fans are starting to remind me of our players out there today. One setback knocked them completely off their game and we're seeing the same in here. In actual fact, little has changed. If we do what we are more than capable of doing, we will be in the Champions League next year. On the other hand, if the team loses the mental edge and starts to play scared, we won't. But there's nothing to indicate that will happen against sides like Leeds, Leicester, Chelsea, or even Brighton. If we want the players to be calm, we need to do the same as supporters.

Just a bit worried about our mentality now. Troubling that we have underperformed in two of our biggest games. We lack a bit of composure and we could absolutely do with an experienced pro in the #6 position to calm us. Jorginho and Casemiro have run the shop against us in those huge games. We need someone similar.

Thought we were mentally stronger than this, honestly. Kind of disappointed.

Good indication of how far we have to go to be a consistent elite team. Not there yet.

Need Eddie to sort out the mentality a bit too. We're unusually frantic. We're missing a bit of composure in the midfield. That's one of the few downsides with Joe and Bruno, both guys are easily riled up. Need a Jorginho type to just settle us down. We've got goals in us but we're second best so far.