McCormick

Yeah but we absolutely do that nowadays though .

Was really excited to see what he could do this season.

20m is a good price for him tbf; always looked good for Leeds who crumbled when he got injured. I’m just getting a bit tired of workhorse players now though, give me someone exciting and creative please.

Anything north of 30 odd million is a bit ridiculous for Livramento, mind. Especially as he won’t improve our first xi in the short-term.

Few times in the match where he could have taken a turn and then looked up. Seems married to releasing the ball as quickly as possible in the direction he’s facing; need to see more from him if he’s being touted as a box-to-box option for us. Were some promising signs there as well though.

Hope no Saudi League teams give this oaf another chance to get one of his patented hit and run pay-offs. Then again, bacon is a lot harder to come by over here so that might put paid to that.

“Generational talent”, “kid will be world-class” etc. is putting a lot of hype and pressure on a young lad who’s just had some promising run-outs tbh. I hope he’s insulated from all of that as the minute he has a bad game you’ll hear “not ready”, “next Bigirimana”- which isn’t very helpful for him. He does look like he has the athleticism and poise so far to go far though. Excited for his development!

Used to be affectionately known as “Askal” , which is a bit insulting but, hey.

We’ve just become a Champions League club, man. Our deadwood have been mostly ghastly PL fodder for years; no scouts are going to be fooled by us calling Ryan Fraser a top 4 player .

Just clutched my chest hearing Eddie swear for the first time. This looks like it’s going to be amazing.

I dunno, besides Porro, I’d somewhat agree with that combined xi (maybe slightly harsh on Joelinton and you could easily shoehorn Isak in that team as well though). We can all agree that a lot of our squad options aren’t great either.

Dogs (from abroad) are tricky to get into KSA. You have to prove they’re either hunting dogs or guard dogs to get them visas*. It’s an archaic law that hasn’t been updated; it’s strange because pet shops and breeders here will legally sell you any breed you want. *It’s usually just a formality but certain dog breeds are banned so it can sometimes be a bit of a faff.

Can’t tell if he’s quick or not. Feel like it’s been a while since our academy brought through someone genuinely athletic. Looks classy though, no reason why he can’t at least have a similar career path as S. Longstaff.

The fact that we got Isak instead makes it a lot more tolerable though.

I can almost guarantee that no-one at Al-Ahli (or any Saudi club) cares about inflating transfer fees to help Newcastle. As with all companies under PIF, you’re essentially competing against one another for a bigger slice of the proverbial pie.

Pedro is so so good. Once he adds goals to his game he’ll be a 75m pound player. Wish we got him.

Frimpong won’t come cheap and isn’t fantastic defensively. I’m sure they’d ask for closer to 40m and more, as well. I’d prefer Livramento tbh.

I’d happily keep ASM and they can take their sold players back and refund the Saudis their money. Deal?

Wrong thread but any news on where Garang is off to?

No way Chelsea sell without ridiculous buy-back or sell-on clauses, unfortunately.

Probably Man Utd. One of the most supported and successful clubs in the League - historically- but have had a rough time of it lately, getting relegated in the 21-22 season. Pretty sure they’ve won promotion to top league for the next season though. Fierce rivals to my team Al-Ittihad.

Plus it’s not ASM vs. Barnes, due to FFP shenanigans it’s ASM vs. Barnes + Livramento + maybe 1 other (?). Love Maxi to bits but -through gritted teeth- you have to say the 2nd option is a no-brainer.

He’s not that bad tbh; I mean, I definitely wouldn’t want him starting too many games for us but he’s a perfectly serviceable back-up keeper for teams in the bottom half of the PL. He’s a solid shot stopper with good agility and won’t kick up a fuss if not starting. A couple of poor pre-season games have led to some knee-jerk reactions from some.

I think both Howe and Ashworth are proponents of giving youth players opportunities. In theory (though teams like Chelsea seem to get around this somehow) you don’t get potentially world-class youth prospects without providing evidence of a pathway into the first team. Also helps with “farming” young players to sell off for FFP purposes.

I’m not sure we’re getting an rw, think Gordon will be deployed there.