Stottie

Fifth hardest fixtures according to Opta. Surprisingly Bayern got the hardest. Other English clubs got relatively easy draws. https://theanalyst.com/articles/champions-league-2025-26-fixture-difficulty-league-phase

Bargain at that price. Still a possible disaster, due to Chelsea talent graveyard, but that talent and potential at that price is a bargain. Garnacho may succeed but it will cost someone else a chance to develop.

Add Harvey Elliot and we might start to think about it (if Eddie likes him).

Yep, pay what we want or no deal. It was the lack of one striker that was effing us up. If we don't sell, there is a high chance of Woltemade (and/or another striker) scoring a shitload while Isak sits on his arse watching his appeal to other clubs evaporate. He will have to beg us to let him play. Only one of Wolves and Brentford is getting a big payday, so we have more leverage there too.

In a coming season, Bayern will have to replace one of the greatest #9/#10 hybrids of all time. They will not be looking to replace him with a one-trick-pony.

Brentford and Wolves now seeing receding hope of grabbing the overpay they thought they'd get for their strikers. Expect them to accept any further bid from now.

Here you go folks, here is your STATEMENT SIGNING. Looked great at the U21 Euros. Dunno anything else. Seems decent value with Bayern sniffing, and has better numbers than/seems less risky than Ekitike.

It may be a case of big overpay or brinksmanship on deadline day, choose your poison.

The fact that Jackson is wanted by Bayern in some shape or form means he could be brought in and then easily moved on, albeit at a loss. We cannot throw away a season in the Champions League. It is more important than future financial difficulties that would likely be solvable by one undesirable sale of a player. Become uncompetitive and many will start wanting to leave.

Probably true if we buy two and keep Isak sitting on his arse.

Yes, it is a fallacy to think that Isak scored 19 from open play, the same as Wissa at Brentford, due entirely to Isak.

Just on the subject of previous player strikes, but did any of them happen at a non-top tier club with PSR pressure? For a team with little PSR headroom, I think it makes "get rid" a more attractive option than it was before PSR. This is probably welcome by those who benefit from PSR.

His stats are good but not evidence to dismiss it as a hot streak. You cannot say that from slight xG overperformance. If anyone Cunha looked like a hot streak, whacking em in from long distance, but everyone is convinced Cunha is quality, again based on one season. He may prove to be brilliant, and was at CWC, but the biggest stats red flag was Pedro, who mainly scored pens.

Secret Footballer was Dave Nugent or heavily rumoured to be? That predates PSR. There will be more accounting bods sticking their oar in now.

We are showing like only one of Brentford and Wolves is getting an NUFC overpay. This may get one of them to accept the money we are offering, maybe it won't and we'll be screwed. Having two on the go, makes our position slightly weaker than it is though.

I'm past caring whether Isak stays or goes. Baldwards baiting the eScousers is great entertainment though and I'm glad he's doing it. They all sound completely unhinged.

Jones or Elliot would be more likely now if Tonali and Joelinton are injured. Elliot in particular is underrated. I think we should call Isak's bluff and issue a statement saying that we're prepared to negotiate with a buyer if he submits a transfer request. No request, no sale.

Its a downgrade on 22-23 Wilson and 24-25 Isak. Its an upgrade on (24-25=last season) Isak and Wilson, and maybe an upgrade on (23-24) Isak and Wilson too. Wissa and Larsen have done it in weaker teams with no Eddie. Larsen got those goals in a team with fifth fewest shots, not many more than the relegated teams. Cunha also did great for Wolves but noone doubts his quality. Remember folks, we can always sell them and get someone better if the chance emerges, such as if City's lawyers blow away the APT rules. We are not going to be stuck with any player forever. The real danger is having insufficient strikers and going backwards. We need that CL revenue otherwise its goodbye Tonali goodbye Tino etc., undoing all the good work done so far.

I don't see why we couldn't get two in and a trade one away before next season. We got our money back on Chris Wood no? Big signing fee but low wages might get them through the door but prevent wages from rejecting any future moves. We need to have a good season to attract any top "Isak replacement" you might actually want next season. The best way to do this is to have two functioning strikers this season and finish as high as we can.

Fleet Street will be abuzz if we take a Chance on Strand. Will Geordies be back to Trafalgar Square?

They'd have come closer than Gordon with the headers in our two games. I don't trust him to stay on the pitch either, but Big Willy would have done better too.

Chelsea's and Villa's womens teams were sold on projected future value assuming women's football gets more and more popular. What matters is the Chelsea and Aston Villa brands, not how much (actually little) money such womens' teams currently make. Aston Villa women's average attendance is 3,400. They were valued at 245M, not far off what PIF spent on buying us (!!!)

Given the situation we're in, I'm all for the Forest approach, which is buy more than we need and trade away the ones that don't work out to meet PSR. Our PSR problems were just as much from not selling as they were from buying too much. If the worst comes to the worst, sell a chunk of the women's team. A double precedent has been set for doing so to create income.

Just some stats from last season but.... Larsen doesn't shoot much, but most of em hit the target and over one in four is a goal. As a concern, shot volume is low, but not low enough to make the above data untrustworthy. His all-round game sounds limited, but we've been there before with Callum Wilson.

One thing for certain now, in a summer of craptastic rumours and hearsay, is that Isak's antics are not hitting the other players' morale to the point where it is obvious from a lack of effort on the pitch. It is hurting us not having a striker, but the lads are giving it 100%. Any eScouser suggesting we must sell due to Isak stinking the place out is blind as well as stupid.