KaKa

4 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

I'm slowly coming round to this prem proven idealogy that the club seems to prefer. We'll go for prem unproven this window but I suspect they will all have pedigree that players like Minteh don't. 

 

Next season is arguably our most important season and ensuring we're getting CL, it's finances and the profile associated with being CL club is probably our most important factor for the growth of this club.

 

We can of course find a million and one players who might be better and more exciting but pushing for that CL target will be much more difficult with a squd of 5-6 gambles. 

 

 

 

This is a big part of these kinds of moves, trying to ensure we can consolidate a position in the top 4 or at least the European places consistently, by building up the squad with a number of players that can do the business in the league. 

Thanks to the Mike Ashley years we have very little room for error. Any major busts in the market and we are screwed big time, because they won't be easy to rectify by just going and buying someone else.

3 minutes ago, Paulinho said:

How are people going to justify a fee north of £20m to themselves? Looking forward to the mental gymnastics. 

We paid £25 million for a 30 year old Chris Wood, that is not as good a player.

Talk of £20 million for any Premier League striker that has had any kind of previous success in the league is fanciful, never mind one that is still just 27 years old and has also previously featured for the national team, and so prepare to be disappointed.

Best case scenario, even in the last year of his contract is likely to be £25 - £30 million I'd imagine.

Let that poor woman out of that cupboard.

Trossard is thick.

About time!

Pitiful finish there by the Romanian.

Ooof that bit of skill by DeBruyne. Rinsed him.

Love the first time finish.

He's offside?! Oh my God ....

Beautiful goal. 

About time they played him in behind.

Get Doku off man. That's ridiculous.

I'm almost certain Belgium are going to blow this. So impossibly wasteful.

1 minute ago, gbandit said:

Onana’s passing has been way better than I’m used to seeing at Everton. Maybe that’s the best indicator of why his game has looked poor at times, because the players around him usually are awful 

He looks breathtaking at times in that midfield.

I can kind of see why Arsenal have been linked with him as a replacement for Partey.

A few years of refinement at a better club, and he could be scary.

15 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

Weird how he never played for Watford and now he's starting for Belgium in a major tournament

Not going to lie didn't even remember him being at Watford. Wow.

10 minutes ago, AJ9 said:

I think you’re right re: value. When we’ve bought from these shores, we’ve extracted good prices (Wood aside). Not sure how they would stack up against similarly rated players from other leagues, but we haven’t been take to the cleaners for players from the U.K.

Yes, this is the thing. We mostly do our key business in that £30 million to £40 million range, whether at home or abroad, and we've been very good at it.

We've then gone bigger twice, and both times it was for players we thought were exceptional and they were both from abroad, in Isak and Tonali.

I don't think many clubs have bettered us in the transfer market since the new owners came in, and so it's difficult to understand some of the negativity and scepticism. 

Lukebakio looking good on that right side.

If you're dribbling the ball and tread on someone's foot accidentally, is that really a foul? 

Belgium good start, but faffing about now at the back.

Just now, GeordieDazzler said:

 

He clearly knew

Oh my God 

That is so typical man. He definitely knew 

14 minutes ago, Dandy Man said:

Have we actually made a definitively bad signing since the takeover? Genuine question (sort of)

Chris Wood was rough, but then we got a decent chunk of the money back.

And then you also see what he did at Forest, and you kind of see what could have been.

1 minute ago, Weezertron said:

Honestly, it's was probably you dropping condescending solitary smilies left and right on the forum today to any comment you disagreed with. 

 

It's fine though. I took the bait. 

We haven't even signed any of these guys and there's talk of how they are holding us back etc.

I'm sorry but it's a bit laughable. Especially because I still remember quite clearly the uproar about the Gordon signing on here.

Now he's everyone's favourite. 

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

To be fair, I don't think it's necessarily about under or overpaying, it's about finding value for money.

 

Now I think there's quite a lot of snobbery towards Premier League players (look no further than the reaction to Kilman), but there's no doubting you pay a premium.

 

The Premium is the guarantee of being Premier League ready, but given our limited budget there is a fair argument we should br taking more risks. 

 

Nickson clearly has an eye for a player and we could be utilising that in cheaper, foreign markets. The percentage of duds may increase, but the budget would go further.

 

In terms of recruitment, the club have earned our trust, but there's no doubt they value Premier League experience and are willing to pay for it. The question is, is it sustainable?

The thing is though we don't sign English players at a premium. We always look for good deals.

Looking back the English players we do sign often outplay the foreign signings a lot of people preferred.

Burn has been better than Diego Carlos, Gordon has been better than Moussa Diaby, Targett ended up doing better than that Brazilian that ended up at Forest at the time, Renan Lodi. Just as a few examples.

A good signing is a good signing no matter where from. 

Let's see who comes in and what happens once the games come around. I suspect it will be the same old story.

Just now, Weezertron said:

This isn't my argument, and I'm not really interested in it.

 

I was just irked by your reluctance to see any other point of view other than your own. 

How am I not seeing Anyone else's view?

We do not only avoid signing foreign players, and we do not spend significantly more on the English players that we do sign, and in fact typically only sign them when there is decent value to be had.

And so what exactly are you irked by? The fact that I don't agree with what people are saying because it is inaccurate?

Just now, Weezertron said:

 

It's not really about overpaying. It's about filling the required holes in the squad with a specific budget. If we need 5 players with 80mil, you might only get 2 english players for that. 

How do you know the club is not taking all this into consideration?

5 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

I have no trust if any of these rumours are true.  They are as grim as it comes and totally cement us as a 7-9 team

 

1 minute ago, Weezertron said:

Probably more so about shopping abroad to make the most out of our limited budget?

Who have we overpaid for so far from these shores?