Stottie

I think this is too negative. What we have is a joke of a squad with no forwards. Well, a great but brittle one, an unfavoured (or anyone's guess) one, and one who's playing as a box-to-box midfielder. We need two, possibly three forwards, Wood is one of them, and he'll feature in our first league game in January. So mission #1 accomplished. I hope we get a big name forward, on loan would do, but it's much more likely when the pressure of the window closing starts to bite. Our position relative to sellers will dramatically strengthen then.

Just on the issue of whether Wood's been poor this season, his xG (5) is similar to Gabriel Jesus off the same appearances and a similar minutes played. Jesus has scored 2, Wood 3. Calvert Lewin, a 40M?? striker, has three goals off 4.11 xG. Wilson has three more goals off just over 5xG, but from less time on the pitch. Wilson has scored from a single chance a few times this season, e.g. Spurs home. I have many doubts about xG, but its a rough guide as to whether players are getting into goalscoring positions. Over the long term, top strikers will score more than xG, maybe 20% above, decent ones the same, and poor ones less. With the squad we have, no fit striker means losing our best wide player and door opener, or losing recently our best box-to-box midfielder, just to have someone inferior playing up top. If Wood plays against Watford and Leeds, expect those other two to contribute much more effectively. I know losing to Cambridge was embarrassing, but Joelinton had two free attempts from corners. Score one of them, as you'd expect a striker to, and we are not in the headlines.

For Wood himself, I think he's better than Barnes, who was heavily linked with Chelsea a few years ago. Wood's goal stats will compare with Peter Crouch, who played for Liverpool and Tottenham, much more freescoring teams than Burnley.

Just on Burnley, Cornet hardly scored in France, but has 6 goals from 1.5 xG of shots this season. That's better than even Willock last season (8 from 4.85). It sounds like Papiss Cisse during his first 10 games. It won't continue. If we have been struggling to get a striker in with bigger wages, a bigger budget, and a search which started last month, I'd expect Burnley to struggle to get one in for the money we're giving them here with their wages, their proximity to London, their playstyle (for young players), their "project". Wood will be an upgrade on Gayle and that's all that matters for the time being. We need another striker and a better one would be good, but have three weeks to find one.

If Brighton and Brentford are involved, it at least sounds like he's for sale! Brentford are big on data processing, so they must have found some good metrics for him. I had a look at the squad on .com the other day when Gayle did not appear for the Cambridge game, and our forwards are listed as Wilson : injured (and injury prone) Gayle : unfavoured/injured/feck knows ...... and Joelinton: starting in midfield That's it, three players. There is ASM of course, but he is wasted there. We need him as a door opener. I thought there'd be a youngster or two waiting in the background but no. If there is, he didn't make the list. Since we need more than one striker, I'm perfectly happy for anyone who'd normally be a #2 or #3 to come in now. We can worry about a new #1 striker later in the window. At this point, we just need bodies for the big games we have to play.

Get Wood in now for Gayle and go for the WIlson replacement later. As the window closes, new options, like a Martial/PEA loan, not available now may become possible.

Full marks to Villa's owners if they are paying the fee and wages here. Digne will be big big bucks. Of course, the more other teams throw 120k plus a week at fullbacks, the less their fans can accuse us of buying our way up the league. I say 120k because that's what Digne is supposed to be on at Everton.

Not at 17 million, he isn't. I think Wood is better than Orcball makes him look. His scoring record in the PL is better than Rondon, and everyone loved him. The risk is that Burnley might, that's might not will, get someone good in for 17 million, but its January when transfers are difficult and they're Burnley with Burnley's wage structure. It may well be a risk worth taking. I thnk Burnley will be second bottom, they looked effing awful against Leeds, so we need to finish above Watford. Watford have some good players and look half decent in spells.

Wood has 3 from 5 xG this year, so he's getting into positions but may have missed a couple. Reassuringly, Cornet has 6 goals from 1.5 xG, and that scoring rate won't continue. Based on this, taking away Wood may hurt Burnley more than their fans currently realize. That all said, I suspect the club we need to finish above is Watford, not Burnley. 17 million is too much, and I would rather take a punt on Diaz.

Wilson out has created a huge hole, which remained unfilled yesterday. I didn't realise Gayle was out until HT. No-one has mentioned it, but Joelinton had two efforts from about eight yards out from corners. Both were saved, but they were high quality chances and more often than not you'll score one and get a paper-over-the-other-cracks goal. At the same time, their first (only?) corner sailed over to the back post where our makeshift LB was AWOL and they got a free header. The same LB was lucky to not concede a penalty. So there was the odd good thing in there, but lots of lingering bad we've all seen before.

54 suggested it in the match thread, but maybe the injuries have done him in. He doesn't seem the same, much more hesitant/weak now. He was player of the season in Bruce's first year and pretty much kept us up on his own.

I came on here to speculate about long Covid, but the above would make sense too. He was far more dynamic last season. It would be typical Ashley to spend the entire budget on an injury talisman.

Shite result. Their keeper played a blinder but you've got to score at home against a bottom half League 1 club. We conceded a pretty shit goal too, from us and possibly the officials too. Some blame to Howe, because I couldn't see who was playing up the middle after we went behind. It wasn't ASM. There was no focus to our play. It's next week that matters. We're lucky in that we have not been cast adrift with our meagre points total, but I can't say I have any confidence after watching that today.

Haha nowhere near!

Some nice approach play, let down by a Wilson-shaped hole up top. Full credit to their keeper too, who's been great. I know Gayle's not there, but is there a striker on the bench? Because I'd be tempted to play him instead of Longstaff. ASM is the falsest of false nines, but you can't blame him because its not his game.

Both looked like modern pens to me. Ritchie ffs.

He did so well at Liverpool that what he managed here before that in trying circumstances surrounded by clowns like Steven Taylor is irrelevant. Isn't he Dutch captain now as well? Liverpool are an interesting one because their classic playing style is two all-time wide forwards, a pretty good linkman in the middle at CF, and two world-class wing backs supplying lots of ammo. Their actual midfield doesn't do much traditional attacking and cannot be judged on traditional metrics. Whatever it is doing, it helps win them lots and lots of games.

With any transfer, the cheap way would be to wait till the end of the window and hope there are no new suitors in the meantime due to sudden injuries. In Botman's case, very few clubs can afford him, so that is unlikely. Trying to get the player in early will weaken your bargaining hand and usually cost more. Given that Milan are only after a loan, perhaps another bid for Carlos might convince Lille to take the bid on the table. Focusing on us alone though, the Watford game is coming up fast, and if three points in it are worth say five million pounds, it might be worth just giving that money to Lille and getting him on the pitch for us. The same goes for a striker.

The plot thickens. Firstly, it sounds like Trippier might have taken a pay cut or at least not shaken us down, so effing good on him. If reports are to be believed, Digne is on 120k already at Everton. Chelsea have Chilwell on 190k, and other full backs in Alonso and Az.....cueta on 100k each. They only need Digne till summer and Everton want/need a big transfer fee. It all points to Digne being stuck at Everton. His best hope of crazy money, Man U, already have Luke Shaw on 150k.

They're doing this the right way. A reported bid for Carlos, if somewhat derisory, then back in for target #1. With Covid, it should be a buyers' market out there, so it's good to show sellers we'll go somewhere else if they try to push us around. I think the first bid suggested it, but great to hear more explicitly that Botman is up for coming as well.

Nice team effort from Sevilla there. They've all got a tasty foul in them. That sandwiched body check at the start is quality, a great marker to put down early doors.

And having to bounce between multiple threads about a player who's about to be unveiled, two or three separate ones about bids made, and then this one about rumours, most of which sound as if there is something in them, not space-filling clickbait from SSN or the Ronny Gill.

I don't watch La Liga, but regarding Carlos, Sevilla are second top and have the stingiest defence in the league. It is mindblowing that we are even talking about this, but those two facts do not add up to a low price for someone with plenty of time on his contract.

That didn't take long. Digne may be lucky in that we need bodies in quick and have Monopoly money to pay big wages. Otherwise we'd be well placed to string him along and sign him on less than his demanded wages as the window closed. Normally out-of-favour players get deals that treat them as damaged goods.

All speculation, but him saying he prefers London sounds like a hopeful "come and get me" to clubs that probably can't afford him. He could make it happen by lowering his wage demands, and may have to if he messes about and misses the NUFC train, which presumably will have departed Leftback Station comfortably before the window closes. Most players won't take a pay cut, and his Mr 10% will probably be talking him out of it. Alternatively, "I prefer London" could of course equal "please pay me more NUFC". Chelsea would probably have to move on Alonso, who is also on 100k. If they sign Digne, Reece James becomes the fifth best paid Chelsea full back. He may be sixth behind Emerson. Lots of potential for an Ashley Cole "I nearly crashed my car!" there.