Yorkie

This is all so utterly bizarre. Has the agent got his kids, or something? It's all so ridiculously disproportionate. Not sure about the club releasing a statement and essentially engaging in a Twitter spat with its own player. Anyone with a brain cell knows the player is being a dickhead here.

If we're not signing a striker (unlikely) I don't see why we wouldn't use our available funds on another target area, i.e. Targett/Willock/Lascelles upgrades.

I think it's just cos it looked like he hurt himself going down a bouncy castle slide...

It'll be a really complicated one if he does stay and re-enters the team. He deserves hostility from the crowd because he's disrespected everyone associated with the club, but I don't really see how that would help us. The best outcome has always been that we pretend like the whole thing never happened and the world class striker we have continues scoring shit-loads of goals.

There's no way we won't sign someone else. If it's not a 'proper' striker it'll be another Osula-type or a different position altogether, with Gordon officially second choice CF.

You were joking with the Brentford stuff though yeah? Surely There was some discretionary tribal spice in my post, but I do care very little for Brentford. I think they are a very good identifier of what the PL is in danger of becoming these days, i.e. a 17-team league with three guests from the EFL on an annual rotation. I'm not convinced they have aspirations beyond just existing here; I think their approach to our game in the cup summed it up. You can't blame them really; they're historically a tiny club - in League 2 as recently as 2009 - but through sound business decisions have landed here just in time for the drawbridge closing. I just think that's a bit shit and hope they go down. It's not cool that Wissa is showing them quite as much disdain, obviously. They've clearly done wonders for his career.

Yeah but they're wrong.

There's also the small matter of "who gives a fuck about Brentford." I wouldn't even put my employment with them on my LinkedIn, let alone pics on me Insta. Mike Ashley FC but with spreadsheets.

Yeah, been waiting for this link to re-emerge.

My punt's on us getting him on deadline day. If Wissa arrives beforehand, it'll be a loan with obligation. Bought outright if no Wissa.

Is it plausible that, in Jackson's case (and unlike Isak and Wissa), his price falls the closer we get to the deadline? They already have their replacements.

I assume he thinks our recruitment team don't know we need a striker. We're back to assuming everyone's just braindead after the thrill of Thiaw and Ramsey has now subsided.

Really disappointing if we can't get this one sorted but it seems unlikely that they can really expect a fee like that. I wonder if they're just trying to get us up to £45m from ~35. I'd be surprised if they're not willing sellers given his precarious contract situation and their modus operandi being to sell at big profits.

Is Bodo's success gonna be ruinous in terms of any other Norwegian teams doing anything in Europe?

@Kaizero / @Conjo / other Norwegians; I assume not but does Fredrikstad have a prayer against Palace?

Well if it was in the context of our own recruitment issues ("even the Mackems are making more progress than us!"), the responding argument was that the likes of him are easier to sign because there's less competition for his signature; meanwhile they've no choice but to throw as much shit as possible in the hope that some of it sticks. We can't operate like that if we're trying to improve on 5th. If there's been people saying outright that he's shit because he's signed for Sunderland then fair enough.

that's not been the argument at all, like.

Thanks for sharing that crucial tidbit.

Fans kept going to Newcastle games when they let Rafa go and appointed Bruce. You really don't have to do much at all to settle the fans down. He could come out and be utterly hostile... as long as he scores, he'd get away with it. The problem is convincing his teammates imo.

Ramsey isn't confirmed but everyone knows it is, pending the formal announcement, so it'll definitely be that. He wouldn't be cute about us signing someone else.

I've understood the point of view of keeping him and there's a big part of me which wants that outcome, because he's an exceptional striker and I don't think it takes particularly long for us (as fans) to put the summer out of sight and mind. However, the worry about the 'reintegration' scenario is around how the rest of the squad would react, because the success of the squad has been built on the amazing team spirit they've forged. I think the vibes from the team today reinforce that concern. He has to go; Liverpool for mega money or we need to work overtime to find an Osimhen-style solution, like what Shak suggested. I just can't picture the reintegration thing working. Incredible that it's come to this. Still cannot get over the scale of backstabbery.

Sometimes you just gotta say fair enough. Looked an incredible day at the SoS and that Ballard goal was a belter. Hopefully that's the peak.

Missed the game. Logged on for the @Kid Icarus ratings. Disappointing.

Don't feel particularly confident, gonna go a 0-2 defeat. Just feels inevitable that the striker situation delivers an immediate blank. Big week to follow and hopefully we can take it to Liverpool next weekend. I've not been as down on the transfer window as some but it's undeniable that we're not ready.