McCormick

It’s okay, he’s okay, the price is okay. Goalie box ticked on the cheap; now we can finally throw cash at the real problems.

Ah, so that player we were linked to? We’re aware of his existence. Hard to miss with that kind of coverage. Riveting stuff.

He’s also a lot worse at coming off his line to claim crosses etc.

It’ll be one or the other, judging by the fees they’d command. Likely neither

appreciate the dedication to the bit.

I imagine it’s the importance Howe places on attitude and how he’ll fit in with the dressing room. Top class foreign keepers aren’t cheap btw. That Chevallier went for 40m and Diogo costa would command upwards of 50m too.

Here we go again with the “not fit for purpose” nonsense. Seriously? Which of our actual signings do you think that applies to? We’re in a mess because the guy bailed in the middle of a crucial window, leaving a gaping void. That’s not just poor timing, it’s a total dereliction of responsibility. Of course it’s not looking great now; we have a head coach, his nephew and some Barry Manilow impersonator filling in as a stopgap.

Yet when Sunderland sign absolute neebodies the same people make fun? The players we targeted (not you, Ramsdale) have all been high quality; landing them has been the issue. We’ve tried to be ambitious but it just hasn’t paid off.

This is all rather exhausting. Let’s be real though, he’s absolutely shafted us. If you wanted to leave so badly, you should have told us way earlier so we could have gone harder and offered more wages to the players we missed out on. For example do you think Delap (who I prefer to Sesko, given the prices involved) would have opted for Chelsea if we offered him Isak wages, the number 9 and being our no 1 striker? I mean, possibly but it’s less likely.

Not as bullish as I’d want there, Eddie.

I don’t mind Jackson but he’s (undeservedly imo) become a bit of a meme this season; making him our record signing at 65m would just be stupidly bad optics if we sell Isak.

Get the transfer bath ready! And the toaster. Christ.

Issue is, Hilal can have an offer of 150m accepted but Isak ONLY wants #LFC 🚨

I’m still not at the stage where I want to sell Isak though

I see what you're getting at, but I’d still argue it’s less about strategic coordination and more about opportunism. Chelsea simply had more glamorous surplus players to move on, and when you have clubs like Al Hilal or Al Ahli with big budgets and a need to sign names, that’s where deals get done. The Clearlake connection might have made those conversations easier, but that doesn’t mean there’s a joined-up PIF strategy behind it. If anything, it shows how fragmented things are; different parts doing their own deals. NUFC don’t have big names they’re looking to sell, and our fringe players just don’t have the profile to attract that kind of interest.

It’s so condescending, man . Might as well pat us on the heads while they’re at it.

I’m not sure people always realise how broad and complex PIF actually is. It’s not a single strategy playing out across all its assets; it’s a vast investment portfolio made up of very different projects, each with its own leadership, goals, and priorities. Newcastle is one of those projects; so is the Saudi Pro League, but they’re not linked in any meaningful way beyond ownership. Even though they sit under the same umbrella, they’re run by different people with different objectives. The Saudi League is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030; it’s about developing local sport, building tourism, and shaping international perception. The clubs there operate with a national agenda in mind, and their spending reflects that. Newcastle, by contrast, is focused on competing in the Premier League. Imo PIF’s aim for the club is to build value through long term growth and commercial strength. While both projects might draw from the same overall pot, they aren’t chasing the same things and don’t share the same priorities. So when Saudi clubs sign cartel players we wouldn’t touch, it doesn’t mean Newcastle are being neglected; it just means the people running that league are working to a different brief. And really, would PIF-owned Lucid Motors lose their shit if Newcastle started buying Teslas? Probably not; they’re separate entities doing their own thing. That said, it’s fair for fans to feel uneasy. There’s no joined up football strategy across PIF’s holdings, and that lack of clarity makes it hard to know exactly where we stand. But it’s not about being less important imo; it’s about different paths. And in a portfolio this size, that’s often just how it works, even if it doesn’t always feel great from our side.

Of course Man Utd are interested. Can we just wait till all of these fuckers fill their boots and then go big on whoever’s left? Feels like déjà vu; linked, hyped, and then he vanishes to the usual cartel suspects. Had enough.

I mean they’re literally financing our losses year on year so probably.

Sorry, I meant our gross transfer spend this summer (including the existing headroom) but you’re right.

I worked out we’d bank 90 odd million from the sale.

An intellectual, like myself, calls it a cafetière.

Quick maffs suggests we’d have around £250m to spend if we sell Isak for £130m. If that happens, we really shouldn’t be low-balling for top targets; where it makes sense, we should go big.

Um, good for you? How’s the match going though?

I’m convinced we’re missing out on players because I’m watching these compilations too early. Never again.