Consortium of one

I think SL could learn a bit from watching Hendrick. Hendrick does a good job finding space between the lines and that would serve Longstaff well. I just don't see him as a regular 10. Pair him with Hayden in a holding role but let him get forward a little bit and then arrive at the box for a longshot option.

Maybe Joelinton was the favor and this is payback... I wish.

Big Joe does all the little things so well that no one even notices.

There is no comparison between Rafa and Bruce, none. Credit to Bruce for a good window and a good opener. Let's see where are in November. I want the club to do well and I want Ashley gone.

More suited to 3 at the back rather than 2? Injuries haven't helped either.

Glad he wants to stay!

This was a surprise. 5 Years?

Starting to seem like Mandy is the only one trying to push this along. Maybe she's asking RB and PIF if she can get it close will they be willing to jump back in? She's telling GC its edging closer, closer...then PL says, "eh not close enough, sorry Mandy..."

Same here. They also moved the goalposts re: arbitration. If PL had rejected the bid outright, PIF could have taken that to arb. However, PL said, in effect, "well if you don't like this decision, take to arb". PIF saw this as part of the delaying tactics where each individual decision gets reviewed piecemeal rather than in total. This is the point where PIF said they're out. Just speculation on my part.

Wow what a fun and interesting turn of events. I still have no clue if this will amount to anything other than some added jocularity.

Dagrosa's deal was 125M up front and then 175M over the next 3 years. During the 3 years MA gets free advertising. Doesn't sound like that group is flush with cash unless the plan is to take the 175M and invest it infrastructure and players immediately.

Yedlin, Saivet, Muto, Aarons, Ritchie and Murphy should be moved on. Lejuene probably doesn't have a spot either. Way too much deadwood.

You can't even make this kind of stuff up.

Play a strikerless formation, and let em all just run around until they get fouled. Play a back four of centerbacks and let them score all the goals off set pieces. Done and dusted.

Kill this thread. If PCP/PIF/RB make another bid then start a new thread then. We're picking over a fetid, decaying carcass at this point. We're looking at weeks old entrails trying to find some new clue. Some are arguing over some minuscule kink or the makeup of the contents that reside within it. This take over is dead. Skewer it, roast it over a fire until it is charcoal. Take the charcoal, grind in a pestle and climb a high mountain and cast it into the breeze.

Oh c'mon. Abeid is probably on 1/5 the wages of Bentaleb, to boot.

A regular starter for Nantes with almost 40 Int'l appearances wouldn't be able to help us?

They tried their best to stall the bid until PIF decided to walk away. Mission accomplished.

And look at the talent we let go or give away: Abeid, Mbabu, etc. Not world beaters any of them but very solid squad players at least.

Why should journos do hard, investigative reporting when the can do shoddy, click bait opinion pieces with recycled "news"?

So maybe...George and Mandy are away for a fortnight on holiday together? That may be the reason for the radio silence. Imagine the pillow talk.

GC is great, IMO. He's a fan but doesn't allow that to blind him. Clearly, mandy was feeding him positive intel in part, perhaps, because she personally wanted the deal to go through. How fun would it have been to have (at least) one partial owner who was emotionally invested into the club as she would have been? That brings me to the point of asking: after her plea to the fans why hasn't she said anything at all. Is that due to her realizing the deal is dead or is it possible that a new NDA is in effect while there is some form of negotiation going on. For the sake of sanity, while I still check this thread often, I feel better on the assumption that it is dead, dead, dead.

we don't need midfielders, we need a striker and some fullbacks.

Let them work on it in silence. I'm just going on the assumption that it is dead. If anything happens I'm sure we'll hear about it.

We have to load up on goal scoring defenders. Play for set pieces, lads!