Unbelievable

Exactly. I think Miggy works really well with Trippier down that side and truth be told for Tripper to be able to play his game (overlapping) he needs protection. It's easy enough to upgrade Almiron in an attacking sense, but for team balance any new player coming in on that side will have their work cut out, a bit like the transformation we are seeing with ASM at the moment.

So glad he's managed to score in a competitive game. I know people will still see his place in the team as a weak spot that needs to be addressed urgently, but I think Howe probably sees it differently. Like Joelinton he will just keep running and pressing all game long, and that is invaluable in our system. If he can continue to contribute a bit of end product, as he has throughout pre-season and now the start of the season proper, I think he'll be an integral part of the (first) team.

In isolation maybe not, but there’s a bit more going on financially at Leicester, isn’t there? We saw an opportunity to get a great player for good money and had a go. Maybe for the price quoted we think we can do better. Why in that case should we just agree what the other club want?

Urgh, just read that Wijnaldum has broken his shin and is most probably out for the WC

Another decent set of results for us today

Pickford at fault

Everton

he’s got two years left on his deal hasn’t he?

Strange. I read earlier in the week he was Anderlecht bound (permanent deal this time).

Exactly. To add, these new owners are spending vast amounts of their own money, whereas Ashley was not even prepared to have the club spend the money it could generate itself with the least possible amount of TLC. If they don't manage to bring in attacking players they actually want, and if Howe and co are happy to do so, I would rather we go a few months without than them resorting more panic buying. There is no need to panic; progress is being made on all fronts simultaneously and this first summer transfer window will hardly determine if the long term project will ultimately be successful or not.

Fantastic article that

Great news. Can't praise enough what she and Merhdad have done over the past couple of years. Convincing the Reubens and PIF of the project, persisting despite strong opposition from the PL/so-called "big clubs", concluding the takeover and completely transforming the club in a matter of months.

IMHO Donny van der Beek was never that good and the Ajax system carried him. Similar case to Davy Klaassen who also failed at Everton but looked a good player at Ajax before and after.

Tidy finish

Our man has just scored

Great read that. Thanks for posting!

Pretty sure he isn't

That really sounds like an oversimplification to me. It is true of course that many clubs in other leagues and other countries are spending significantly less than PL clubs, but only the very best of those competitions (Championship, League One, Eredivisie, etc.) are good enough to cut it at PL level nowadays. Exceptions exist of course, but there really aren't many players in that price bracket that are guaranteed to do a better job than the likes of Murphy is doing for us.

Besides from the fact we are linked to more attacking players what good is it even us knowing? If we know other clubs know and that's partly how we lost Ekitike to PSG and may lose Ramos to Wolves. The club are doing the right thing by targeting high quality players/talents (as evidenced by many of them subsequently moving to clubs of more renown) and operating as quietly as possible in the hope of landing their targets. To suggest that to get in two first team players (RW, CM) and one talented stand-in (ST), probably costing at least another 80m or so combined, would make this window (in which we already spent 67m on three first team players) "solid" rather than mindblowingly fantastic is laughable. How many clubs will bring in half a new first team and spend around 150m do you think, after already spending 88m in January? If that is the expectation level you have for "solid" I wonder what you would classify as "good" or even "excellent" and I would suggest that maybe your expectation level is the problem here rather than the ambition level of the club's new owners.

Do you think we could have done any more to get Eikitike in? We outbid PSG, who got him on loan with an option to buy for less than we offered. He just highlights the difficulty we have: we don't have much to offer yet to elite players or elite talents. We're a midtable PL team with a low profile manager, and for the forward position we can't even guarantee them a place in the first XI.

I don't think so. We look at what they have actually done, which is (amongst others) to bring in a competent manager, DoF, CEO, back five (you casually forgot Botman btw) and central midfielder investing their own (not the club's) money. Perhaps they have deserved a bit of trust and patience?

It's almost like a football club restricted by FFP needs to ensure it gets bang for buck on transfers instead of throwing around hundreds of millions like in the good old days of Chelsea and City buying their way to the top.

Any manager will be showing that to their defenders in the buildup to playing Liverpool. If just a little roughing up like that makes Darwin loose his marbles and lash out like that he'll not become a success in this league.

I mentioned Mbappe and Haaland in the context where you said the owners had spoken of their lofty ambitions and I responded by saying the press made such suggestions that we would go in for such elite players, but the owners never did. I didn’t say you personally, or many (sensible) NUFC fans in general were expecting such a radical transition. You once again confirm you will be disappointed if they don’t manage to bring attacking players. I maintain that disappointment and suggestions of a lack of progress would be an overreaction considering where we’ve come from and what they’ve already achieved in such a short time. Just show a little faith and patience is all I’m saying.

Great goal