Unbelievable

A 3 year older and indeed slightly more injury prone, but also more proven and more first team ready version of Minteh. I would say though what he did at PSV at a similar age was more impressive than what Minteh did at Feyenoord last season. I've wanted us to sign him before Chelsea did and would be delighted if we got him now, especially at that price.

He did aye. Don't think it's been a problem last year though, unless I've missed something?

We should be all over that if true. If it means not getting Guehi I'd revert to a cheaper, more unproven CB option with the potential to become a first teamer with time and coaching. Edit: TBR Football have been told that Chelsea are happy to sell the £50,000-a-week winger for £30m, which is the same fee the Blues spent to sign the 22-year-old from PSV Eindhoven back in January 2023. Sources believe the Londoner is willing to join Newcastle after Chelsea signed Neto, and an approach is expected to be made by the Magpies shortly.

Joelinton wouldn't fetch what he's worth to us imo. Willock and Barnes I doubt we'd turn a significant profit on, and hence wouldn't allow for the hypothetical scenario I presented of splashing over 100m this window to strengthen the first XI in RCB and RW. Of course I'd also rather sell a Barnes or a Willock than a Gordon or a Bruno, but the numbers would need to work.

I think it's either not getting that upgrade in both CB and RW you mentioned, or sell to buy. For me in order of who I'd loath to lose most of the big three it would be 1) Isak, 2) Bruno, 3) Gordon. If Liverpool came in and offered >100m for the latter I'd accept knowing it will be re-invested into the first team and the some.

I think Trippier would start if he was fully fit, but he's returned late from international duty and holidays, so would expect Tino to get the nod based on that.

What if the plan would be to bring in both Guehi and someone like Madueke but expecting to then sell a Bruno or Gordon later in the season (June after the season ends or January is a bid too good to refuse comes in) to remain PSR compliant whilst creating some headroom for a replacement and further strengthening next summer? That would be something I could get behind if it means we'd have a realistic shot at CL for the season after. We can't be too precious about selling players when their stock is high if we want to progress.

Fully expect the below based on fitness and easing in new players: Pope Tino Schar Burn Hall Longstaff Bruno Joelinton Murphy Isak Gordon Bench: Dubravka, Trippier, Kelly, Krafth, Willock, J. Miley, Almiron, Barnes, Osula

That post was a pisstake right..? Surely nobody would suggest "Odysseas Vlachodimos - Greek international and Champions League player, we managed to get rid of Elliott in the process of signing this lad so win-win." and be serious?

We had Lyon and Brighton offering upwards of 30m, with Dortmund interested too if rumours are to be believed, but you don't think Howe and the coaching staff would have had a look to see if he could be the answer to our weakest XI position before shipping him out for another loan? Which club in our position even considers loaning out >30m rated assets? I think the lad is already better than many on here think. It's going to be very interesting to see how he develops at Brighton. Edit: Brighton have just posted a "Minteh cam" video of his game against Villareal. He's made for the PL.

Wow, so what happens next with him? Made to train with the U21's again?

Yeah sorry, I don't agree with that at all. As I've often said, I don't dislike Almiron and Murphy nearly as much as most on here, but with good coaching Minteh has all the tools to be a massive upgrade on them. He'd perhaps have been brought slowly as is customary under Howe, but by the end of the season he would have been our starting RW and we'd feel we'd be settled in that position for years to come, similar to what happened last year with Hall.

We paid his previous club for the right to call him ours, and we paid his wages. He was a Newcastle player and if we didn't have to sell due to PSR there would be every chance we'd be feeling pretty comfortable with our RW options after pre-season. People are happily pointing to the emergence of Jamie Miley and Sanusi as strengthening us. Neither has played a competitive game for us either. Can't have it both ways. I understand selling Minteh was a good deal we had to do and it's easier to accept for fans as there was no emotional attachment yet, but to suggest we didn't lose a player in Minteh is simply wrong. Compared to last season you could say no difference, but then you'd have to say we bought a talented young RW who looked like he could displace our current RW options this transfer window and then proceeded to immediately to sell them for a profit, so far not looking to bring in another RW player to strengthen our weakest position in the starting XI.

If you count Tonali as a new player yes, but that would be odd. Might as well say we're no stronger in CB and CF because Botman and Wilson start the season out injured. Players will not be available all the time. Tonali was a squad member last season only unavailable for the majority of it. That might happen again this season with a key player.

If we're stronger in CF (Osula) we're also weaker in CM (Andersen), because both those players are squad players who can be developed, as opposed to ready made first XI players. As for Minteh, he could have feasibly been our first XI right winger. Brighton seem to consider him theirs.

They will need to plug gaps next year too, agreed, but their more urgent issue will be the massive gap they have to plug this year.

Funny all those pointing out to incomings adding depth without pointing at outgoings weakening us in other positions (notably Andersen in central midfield and Minteh who would have been a RW option). All in all I'd say we've not moved the needle one way or another significantly yet. As long as our important players stay fit this season, and taking into account no Europe, we should already do better though.

Because they probably need the income for PSR this year instead of next year. They’ve already brought in for 70m more than their outgoings and they’re still looking at a main striker apparently. Also you’d like to think they’re under scrutiny for the hotel and Chelsea women team sales already, so surely their bean counters will tell them to sell rather than loan with option/obligation.

He absolutely wouldn’t. He’s not a right winger for starters

WTF

Was laughably bad at PSV too. Or perhaps we have higher standards for defensive footballers

I think Madueke would be great for us, but I genuinely can't see Chelsea loaning us him with an option to buy and thereby helping a direct rival for European football with a PSR friendly deal. I know they did with Hall, but surely they wouldn't want to do it again? Especially as they have PSR problems of their own (unless they really can just keep selling themselves assets). I can see Madueke being available, but they'd probably want a sale in this PSR period.

I'm in full agreement that we need a new RCB, but I'd have been looking at a promising understudy kind of player, someone capable of filling in now and with the potential to be a first team player in the near future. I see Schar, Botman and Kelly as first team players (3 for 2 positions), Burn as more than capable back up and arguably a good enough starting LCB as well, and Lascelles plus Krafth as "break glass in case of emergency" players. I also think Schar defends through intelligent positioning and takes such good care of himself he could easily be a Sergio Ramos, a Pepe or a Thiago Silva and have another five years at this level in the tank. I think we need a little more depth and a little more (age related) squad planning at CB, but we're not short of quality or quantity. All the above in context of us looking at spending pretty much our entire remaining kitty on Guehi, while once again potentially neglecting the RW position. And I don't even think as badly as most about Almiron and Murphy, but RW is clearly the one position where any one purple could have the biggest impact on our fortunes - just imagine what a right sided Gordon could do for this team. Instead we may stick with Almiron while (when everyone is fit) our bench has two first team center backs.

People say Schar turns 33 as if his legs will fall off this season. He's the type of defender who can easily play at this level under his mid to late 30's.