junkhead

Worrying.

There were spells in the two friendlies when ASM played on the right and Almiron on the left. I'd like Howe to persist with that. Imo both players' dynamic style of play would benefit from a simpler winger role on their strong side - less dwelling on the ball facing the whole defence, less crap shooting, less lack of vision and composure - just dribble like mad to the byline (as narrow as possible, cause they are shite at crossing) fire a low cross/shot or try a cut back, that's it. ASM's absurd defensive 'output' complicates things of course, as placing him on the right would expose Trippier.. so yeah, don't particularly want to spread negativity - I still believe some quality competition on the wings will raise his game / free him up more on the pitch but tbh I don't expect much improvement from ASM.

Yeah creased at that.. he also labeled it a 3-4 star hotel. Aren't all Hilton hotels famously 5-star? That's the first video of Adam P I've watched, he's full of unintentional little moments of brilliance. Good luck to the lad!

I love how he declared that the whole Eiffel Tower complex is closed because it's "a crime scene".. thoughtfully agreeing "safety first" and that What kind of a crime would require to block a huge open tourist area like that? 14 July is the National day of France - Bastille Day, there's a usually a huge military parade on Champs-Elysees, fireworks and stuff at the Eiffel Tower. So some streets might have been blocked for the preparations but it's surely not the whole area. I don't think the Eiffel Tower has ever been closed for tourists even during huge maintenance works.

Sounds great. At just 15 lad has an 8 minute highlight video full of Ben Arfa skillz. Looks a very big talent. Glad we're targeting players who have that left-footed magic for the Academy. The youth sides have lacked that for as long as I can remember..

It's a totally unrealistic transfer target, because the player seemingly doesn't care about life outside of Serie A.. but even on a very high signing fee, Paulo Fucking Dybala could turn out to be a great deal for a CL club, relatively to prices of similar quality players. Napoli and Roma are rumoured to be offering him circa £100k a week..

Seems like a respectable chap that will be welcomed into the big club's cartel. I was a little fearful that PIF might want their own man (someone with saudi business links / non-football background etc..) just to keep the managing minority holders in check so to speak.. I'm glad that's not the case. That's a good sign as far as PIF's involvement goes. Amanda, Mehrdad and Jamie got this!

I don't think Howe cares for tiki-taka possession as such. It's more about the experience and composure to control crucial periods of games and the fitness required for high tempo attacks, fast counters and episodes of aggressive pressing.

He's left footed though. Unlike many other lefties he has a decent cross and shot with his right too. I like him but not more than 30 million.

Despite the lack of any genuine rumours and Waugh's opinion, I think that logic dictates that we're interested and most likely in pole position to land Paqueta. It was widely reported in January that he had rejected an approach from us, so he's a player that Howe likes. Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas commented at the time on the identity of the bidder: “It's a club with a lot of money but it is confidential” “He will stay with us this transfer window. He wants out (to leave) in the medium term.” “As I always say, if an offer of 80 million euros comes, we'll consider it” 6 months later, I'd like to think his best mate's success has changed his view on our project. There's no doubt that he'd entertain a move to us but he might still prefer a more reputable team like Arsenal. Apparently the player's performance has dropped off massively this calendar year. He has mostly been playing as a 10 and at RW but most OL fans think that his best position is further back as a more disciplined creative CM, the role he played the previous season.On their forums, apart from his creative ability, most list his work rate and tenacity as his main strengths - some even claim he's better defensively than Bruno. Their fans consider him a complete midfielder but there's some criticism of his decisions and overconfidence on the pitch and generally with his mentality and loyalty this season. Apparently his body language since Juninho and Bruno left is a clear signal he's not happy at Lyon anymore and Aulas has admitted several times that he's open to selling him for the right amount. Not a lot of teams can afford players in this bracket. There's a lot of talk about Arsenal, apparently Edu likes him but afaik no genuine reports from reputable sources. They probably hold some interest but I doubt they have another £50 million for a position which is not really a priority. As for us, we DO have a lot of FFP room to manoeuvre. It's absurd that we'd cap ourselves to £70-80 million or whatever the local reporters claim. It's one of our few advantages over other clubs and we'll play the card this transfer window, I have no doubt. The negotiations with Aulas will be tricky, so I think this will go all the way towards the end of the window but we'll get him.

Manquillo doesn't seem to be on the Austria tour, maybe we've instructed him to look for a club too?

Kaka has a point on Cornet. It might seem like a lazy relegation clause signing at first glance but he can provide good quality depth in multiple areas for a fair price. I kept an eye on Ligue 1 in previous years so I remember Cornet since breaking through as a typical attacking winger under Bruno Genesio. He played regularly at a young age but I think most Lyon fans expected more mercurial quality from the attacking positions so he was held to a high standard that he couldn't quite lived up to. He continued to feature often on the wings of a front three under Rudy Garcia but with relatively low end product. In his last season at Lyon, Garcia switched him to LB in a 4-man defence and surprisingly Cornet made the position his own, although they didn't have any other reputable LBs at the time. I was very surprised when Dyche started playing him as a support striker right away, that was a good move for a PFM.. I don't think that Cornet has much potential to improve, he is one of those players who have suffered from being played all over the pitch. But he has shown that he's very adaptable and has featured heavily under some very tactically demanding managers and has always performed to a good level. This suggests strong character and professionalism. He also doesn't seem to have any fitness issues, has very good English and would see us a step up, so should be motivated to impress.

Personally, with the risk of being disappointed, I continue to believe that we will spend another £80-100 million this summer. The only question is who can we attract. Can we convince Diaby to come here? Is there genuine interest in Paqueta from Arsenal?

He's 100% leaving imo. Bruno and Paqueta were Juninho's main signings during his unsuccessful (for Lyon standards) DoF stint. He was the main reason they chose OL and I'm sure Aulas saw the pound signs the second he terminated Juninho's contract.. I still believe we want Paqueta and we'll get him but it would likely take tiresome negotiations upto the end of the window.

Far from it. He's very outspoken and doesn't shy from controversial statements but he'll remain in history as one of the best football club owners in France. I think Lyon have been struggling for years in League 2 during the 80s when he bought them, so he has presided over an amazing transformation on every level for the club. Also one of the first to incorporate a women's team under the club's badge in the early 00s. I think they're the most successful women team in the world now. He has reputation in France as a bit of a visionary and the guy that always makes English clubs overpay. I still choose to believe that we have a rough provisional agreement re: Paqueta with him..

Gawd.. that detestable diver Gordon.. For a creative player, he's remarkably uncreative. Good at holding the ball, dribbling towards nowhere at full pace and throwing himself to the ground. Unless we plan to transform him into a pacey striker which at least partially suits his modus operandi, I don't see the point.. ASM has better vision and awareness than this guy..

If we have a chance to get Diaby we will pay what it takes no problem. I doubt he's genuinely interested to come here though. PSG and Bayern will match our offer the second we bid. You never know though, might fancy the premier league.. he plays as if he's a fan of Ben Arfa These are his quotes from last month: “Paris is my training club, the club that taught me everything. I do not rule out a return. If the PSG is brought to contact me, I will think about it as for any other club. Yes inevitably the upcoming World Cup will be a factor for the transfer window. It will be a difficult choice but for the moment I am focused on the France team and I will settle down afterwards with my family and my agents. “ “It's true that in my thinking I would like to join a club that plays the Champions League and the big games. I'm going to think about it but I'm focused on the France team and we'll see later. “

I think Lascelles himself might be ok to pass the armband on. It must be hard to be a captain when you're not starting for weeks.

Mehhh, don't see the fuss about this guy. Especially as an option for the wide positions.. Powerful runner but his touch seems poor and his work rate and finishing hasn't been that impressive. Fully trust Howe and the gang of course..

Yeah, not a big fan of Richarlison but he should slot in very well in Conte's front three. Although Sterling and Raphinha seem suited to Tuchel's system I have a strange feeling about Boehly's consortium and Chelsea. They seem happy to continue the policy of throwing big money without any consideration to squad balance and togetherness. It will be a slow process but I think standards will drop off in the next few years there - similarly to Man Utd after Ferguson.

Interesting how Zirkzee develops, was always touted as a huge talent at Bayern II and looked to be breaking through around COVID but seemingly stagnated a bit until this loan spell. I'd still prefer Ekitike's versatility of the two, Zirkzee seems more like a pure poacher. Madueke and M. Edwards are very Ben Arfa-like. Edwards is very small and more of a central player iirc, not sure he's suitable for the Premier League but Madueke looks very promising.

Now that we are filthy rich, would it make any difference to FFP if we simply pay off their contracts and release the surplus players?

Agree. Initially I thought we needed a primarily defensive player in there but lately I've been thinking that another cultured (but still mobile, physical and capable in defence) midfielder could be very transformative to the way we retain the ball. Especially if teams begin to play deeper at SJP.. Somebody like Fabian from Napoli (but not him, he's not that good for the money they'd want imo)

Could deploy an iron dome against any pigeons thinking they can just come and die on the roof. Might actually magnify the problem but when has that stopped an arms deal?

https://fbref.com/tiny/j4rSQ Here's a comparison with Aguerd, Kimpembe and Badiashile - similar (top) ball playing defenders from Ligue 1 - plus Schar and Burn for the last two seasons. Of course it's not a very valid comparison with our CBs as it's a different league.. Botman seems an aggressive "fighter" CB who excels in duels - he's leading the tackling, heading and blocking stats but also has very decent passing and ball carrying stats. He's not as elegant on the eye as the other 3 players, but he seems remarkably composed with the ball at his feet for his physique.. and age - at 22 years, £30 million seems like a decent deal for a player of that calibre.