John P

Didn't Rafa specifically say the other day that the budget and new arrivals weren't dependent upon shifting players first?

Rafa isn't exactly the man to suffer fools, so surely if he was a major issue he'd have gone by now?

Let's hope that is true, the squad is still in desperate need of some proven top-level players.

Seems like a good lad from that interview and genuinely looks delighted to be here. Good stuff.

Did anyone else hear John Barnes at half time? He was trying to remember the name of Trent Alexander-Arnold and said "Terence Trent..... Arnold."

I read somewhere that Hull have lost 12 first teamers since relegation. So they've gone from having very few players to having absolutely no players.

They all seem to rate him on that Liverpool forum, so I've now changed my mind on him. Well done Rafa.

To be fair to my Sunderland-supporting friend, he said last year that he liked Yedlin and was a decent buy.

Sunderland supporting friend's opinion - "plays both left and right back but right footed so predominantly right back. Yedlin is better but almost all our players were shit last year.... can't underestimate the Moyes factor."

His goals from last season on YouTube all look like he's playing as the most advanced central striker.

Won't mean much if they have Glenn Whelan shielding in front of them though.

It's as if Graham never left.

Does Manquillo also play left back?

Rafa likes a big squad to rotate. Do I remember right that Ritchie sometimes played as a number 10 for Bournemouth? With our interest in seemingly wanting to sign more than one winger, maybe that is something Rafa is considering?

Decent price that.

How the fuck can you justify a £25m price tag for someone who clearly isn't first choice, having played 12 games last season. Bloody mental.

Didn't Spurs have a similar away kit to this recently? Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

I know what you're saying, but TBH if Rafa has assessed him I'm happy to accept it. Obviously a few more proven players would be great, but they're not exactly easy to come by. If we bought someone proven in Ligue Un or La Liga there would be just as many doubts probably. Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to get anyone in who Rafa wants. I just thought we'd be aiming our sights for a winger a little higher and someone more established than Jacob Murphy.

Surely the fact that he is so good from set pieces is exactly why he's worth a lot of money (ok £50m is a bit much, but this transfer window is mental). It sets him apart from most of the other players in the league, as he is able to consistently score or assist from set pieces. A goal is a goal, who cares if half of them come from corners?

Even if we get him, at this stage in his career he's just a talented young player with zero top level experience. Admittedly he looks quite promising, but that isn't really what we need at this point in time. Couple that with Gayle (never a regular starter in the Premier League) and Ritchie (one season in the Premier League but only 4 goals) and we're still sorely lacking any proven performers at the top end of the pitch. I was hoping Rafa would be getting some players in from the Spanish and Italian leagues with top level experience who didn't cost the ridiculous fees that English based players do.

New player thread

It's just inexplicable. We have the best manager we could ever dream of having, willing to work under certain financial restrictions judging by his comments the other day, and he's still being messed around. It's not like Rafa has been unreasonable and is asking for £40m to spend on a single player, he wanted Tammy fucking Abraham on loan and we quibbled over a £1m payment and lost him to another club (who may well end up being a relegation rival). Rafa has delivered promotion whilst making a large transfer profit and he still isn't being backed. It's complete and utter madness.

Yeah if Rafa goes it's over like. Near certain relegation and not coming back any time soon.

Didn't the local journos seem fairly convinced that 2 deals were on the cards this week, something about a midfielder/winger from Spain and someone else? Unless the club is somehow managing to keep them really quiet, it doesn't seem like anything is even remotely close to happening, apart from us putting in a pathetic bid for Murphy. What the fuck is going on? Darlow aside, there aren't even any strong rumours about outgoing deals despite the squad being bloated with players surplus to requirements. It just seems that everything has ground to a complete halt when we should have already had about 3 in with the prospect of a few more to come by now.

McFadden.