Chris_R

I can't imagine for one moment that this hasn't already been done. And that he's not listened to a word of it. Sometimes you have to just draw a line and accept that someone's not going to change.

Delighted at the contract length and that it's heavily incentivised based on goals / appearances. Seems we're finally going about things the right way. Excited about who the number 9 will be, guessing Erdinc.

He won me over not so much by the statistics of 6 in 9, but his overall play. I think he looks like a decent centre forward, has good feet, works his bollocks off, gets into good positions and makes a nuiscance of himself. Things that can't be said for any of the rest of our current rabble.

He's won me over, so I'd be happy to keep him as backup. I think he's the best striker we've currently got. Of course I'd rather see Lovenkrands or Shola go, but in reality we're never going to shift those 2 until their contracts run out. Best seems to be for sale for 2 reasons: 1) We're going to have too many strikers next season 2) He's the only one we can sell Shame for the lad. Could have done OK next season, grabbing a few from the bench or covering for inevitable injuries. Instead it looks like we'll have to rely on Ameobi and Lovenkrands as cover again...

Is his ankle sorted? Was still on crutches 3 weeks ago. Can't see how this would massively change his time over a mile.

This medical's lasting ages. Guessing they've asked Nolan to run a mile.

But we don't have Craig Gardner. And until we do, we shouldn't think of selling Nolan. We've already had our hopes dashed by Gervinho and Gameiro, let's not start putting yet another player who isn't coming here into lineups and claiming we've improved our squad when we've done no such thing.

Don't have a massive problem with us improving our squad and getting better players in than those we already have, but I'd prefer to see a few in before we let anyone else out. With this and the shenannigans with Barton and Enriqu it's beginning to smack of asset stripping.

Hmm, torn on this one. If you asked me to list who our best players were last season I'd have said, in no particular order: Coloccini Enrique Nolan Barton Carroll Caroll's gone, Enrique's widely believed to be going, Barton's been told he's not getting a new contract and now this news about Nolan. OK, we've signed Cabaye. But we've got a fucking lot more work to do in the next 2 months if we're to come out of this transfer window ahead of where we went into it, and given that we've got £35m in our pockets we're not looking to be making it easy for ourselves.

I'm happy for him to remain under the radar. I think he's an exceptional player. Only got 2 years on his contract, so I guess we'll hear more about his situation next summer, a la Enrique this summer. Despite his talent, I'd be amazed if we offered him terms similar to what he's on now. Another one that will need to take a cut or leave. Probably end up being the latter.

8 in 22 in the league, according to Wiki. That's Ok.

Whatever a player's age, it's bonkers to spend £35m just on potential. To justify that kind of fee, you've got to have enough about you in the here and now to make people think you're worth it. 8th highest fee of all time. I don't have the list to hand so could be wrong, but I doubt any of the 7 bigger ones were on anything other than players who were proven at the very top level for a number of seasons and probably for their national teams too.

I signed Gameiro on Friday on FM. Feel dirty now.

Tbh I'm not sure how Man U could ask for more than £8m for a 30 year old striker. Strikers don't normally play well for much past 32-33 at the latest (Or 26 if you're Michael Owen). Well, of course they could ask for more than £8m, but I'm not sure how many clubs would pay it. I'll put it this way, for £8m I'd think we'd gotten a decent deal. If we payed £12m for him I'd be thinking it was too much. Plus this is surely just a first bid? No point going in high, go in quite low and see what the response is.

Didn't douglas say he was around the same age as Gameiro? (ie 25ish) No idea. I've been away all weekend (Ironically in Newcastle visiting family, as Newcastle now counts as being away since being exiled to Bournemouth for 2 years!) and have not read any papers or the internet, so just picking up scraps in the last hour or so since I've gotten in. All I've picked up so far is something about a £6-8m mega deal.

Berbatov. He's the only player that I can think of that would cost £6-£8m, is rumoured to be available, is attracting a lot of interest and would be classed as a "mega deal".

If only Alan Pardew had agreed with you, we might have finished 9th.

Still, no matter who they got rid of it's all copmounded by the fact that they kept Owen.

'If' being the most important word there. I'd not sell anyone until we're absolutely sure that we WILL get in replacements who are of a better quality. Nolan's proven as a Premiership midfielder, whatever else people might think of him. I think we can do better, but he's decent and I'd not want to end up in the situation where Nolan and Barton leave but then Gervinho et al tell us to sod ff and we have to sign Billy Bloggs from Droylsdon 3rd XI over 40s team as he's the only bugger left who'll come on August 31st.

Seems irrelevant, as the manager has already categorically said "no".

So you agree with everyone else: £5m.

After this season, £5m. After Henderson's proposed move, £15m.

I'd keep Nolan, he gets a lot of goals despite his lack of an overall contribution. After all, games aren't won by overall contributions, they're won by goals. Not suggesting he's a great player, but I'd definitely keep him. And there's no way on Earth I'd sell him for £3m. He's had a couple of good seasons, especially goals-wise, and would expect at least twice that.

I don't use Twitter or read newspapers: Is this "cwarr07" a journalist of any kind, or just some spacker with a keyboard and an internet connection? (I realise the two statements are not mutually exclusive)

Would laugh my tits off if N'Gog decided there was no way in hell he was going to the village of the damned, thus scuppering the whole deal.