Jackie Broon

Relegation will at very least substantially delay it.

It makes absolutely sense, another club potentially competing for a Champions League place will cost them a hell of a lot more.

I said all along that they were just deliberately wasting our time.

I'm sure that's true, but that is tapping up according to the rules. No approach can be made to an under contract player, either directly or through an agent, without the club's permission. If reports are true it sounds like we might have been particularly blatant about it, with loads of reports of us actually agreeing personal terms with players before a fee has been agreed.

Whilst I'm sure that's true, technically that would be tapping up if we don't have permission from the club to talk to their player. I do worry about how close we've potentially been skirting to breaking the rules on tapping up, if reports of all of these agreements of personal terms before a fee has been agreed are true, and whether it'll come back to bite us.

We could conceivably price Milan out of the deal if we make the same offer again in the summer.

Sorry, that was meant to be a reply to Stan's post.

@Happinesstan That's some Jordan Peterson level bullshit there.

I mean as someone who is pretty much guaranteed to settle in and instantly improve us. There's always a risk of players from another league flopping, even if they looked great in that league. We've had a few examples of that, from Spain in particular (Marcelino, Luque).

Great signing, probably better in many ways than Diego Carlos for where we are right now.

Dummett, Manquillo and Lewis will all play ahead of Ritchie.

We're signing a current Brazilian full international player, they lose 6-0 to Bolton wearing fake Brazilian kits

Although he's obviously not quick, Wood does make those runs. If you watch the video of his goals for Burnley a lot of them came from him running behind the defence onto a through ball. A Burnley fan I know was going on about him not being able to stay onside, but that's possibly just a sign of him making those runs and not having the players to spot them.

Or a sign that it's going to be like a nightmare house move chain.

He is exactly the player we need he will transform our team

As I said last week, we've been played. Man U were deliberately wasting our time, there is absolutely no chance of any PL club (other than possibly Man City) agreeing to loan us players. They desperately want us to be relegated.

This knicker pissing craic is uncomfortably rtg-esque.

Because there are 6 days left in the window and it seems we've pissed away the past 25 going after players who were never available.

I was hoping those were just signs of them taking their time to get things right, but it's looking increasingly like they have a lot to learn about running a football club and they are learning the hard way.

Is this the same PIF that has spunked £25m on Chris Wood?

Other than Trippier this window has been an omnishambles, I have no faith in them turning it around in the remaining 6 days.

Yes there is, the agent is acting for the player, making an approach to an agent is no different to making one directly to a player. PL Handbook Rule T.3. Any Club which by itself, by any of its Officials, by any of its Players, by its Intermediary, by any other Person on its behalf or by any other means whatsoever makes an approach either directly or indirectly to a Contract Player except as permitted by either Rule T.1.2 or Rule T.2 shall be in breach of these Rules and may be dealt with under the provisions of Section W of these Rules (Disciplinary). I understand that probably happens all the time behind closed doors but it is still tapping-up and against the rules.

Although it might be a problem if one of those clubs complains about tapping-up.

But, because the clubs we're trying to buy from don't really want to sell / won't sell without replacements, our position gets weaker every day closer to the end of the window.

The issue is that our bid of £40-50m is probably 'only' £20m-ish up front and the rest in add-ons, which might never happen.