Tiresias

I don't get some of the negativity here, i am concerned about injury record but other than that i trust in Howe in developing him as a player, he will bring him to a new level like he has done for so many of ours

Whatever happens this almost gurantees the league's best striker doesnt play against them. If they win the league by 3 points job done right?

Imagine finally fixing one basket case of a club and rather than sitting around winning everything for a bit deciding to fix the unfixable

By the way I suspect Liverpool will bid again closer to our evaluation late in window and we will accept it just to get him out the club. A lot will be furious and rightly so as it will show their ridiculous entitlement will have worked but I am dubious we can reintegrate. Maybe just pessimistic.

I get that in some sense, but also shows how ridiculous all this money is, like £40m is HUUUUGE amount of money...

To lose out due to bureaucracy is a sickener. Ridiculous all round, the only thing is, maybe as a side effect may cause a bit of a rethink in some places about this ridiculous multi club ownership model that basically means historic clubs becoming mere feeders for others as if their only point is to be a reserves squad. Personally think should never have been allowed.

The widely reported price is £150m isn't it, and they came in £40m short. Imagine bidding £10m on a player worth £50m and then complaining about getting short shrift

I mean arguably Parish didn't fuck up, he helped them win the cup last season. However that was always the gamble that he may now choose to run down his contract.

I agree but we are where we are, it's holding us back in recruitment certainly but not on the pitch. When howe leaves for pastures new we can sort it out properly, until then let's not disrupt things like how Mitchell managed

Howe got on fine with ashworth before his ridiculous defection by all accounts? While yes current set up is probably suboptimal in long term we just have to let howe get on with it until the backroom staff are sorted out. Quite frankly if that means telling howe himself to go and get someone he can work with himself lined up for it I'm fine with it. Howe quite frankly is irreplaceable and after i foolishly wobbled after West ham last season i now think it's stick with him if we got relegated. He also seems the type to walk if he felt he's taken us as far a he can anyway. Why pretend to a new dof he's got more authority? Just get someone to say your job is to get Howe his team.

I have a suspicion if we don't sign a midfielder we will see a lot of the 3-4-3 so one of our midfield can be tested a lot so may play with them anyway

The whole thing stinks of terrible self serving advise from his agent. Clearly assumed that there was no way we wouldnt accept bid liverpool were assuring was coming, didn't anticipate Liverpool low balling it, whom had assumed they were in a strong enough position to do so. Liverpool may be sweet talking him all the time but they will do that to a lot of players and they naively assumed that they would meet our valuation. Now I suspect Liverpool will bid again, they will be counting on it being our last chance to get over £120m for him. They may have also assumed we would be able to sign a replacement making the whole thing easier, not counting on our total lack of competence in bringing players in and that we are apparently as appealing as a radioactive colonoscopy to incoming players. A responsible agent would have advised that with 3 years left on deal there is no guarantee of a sale and instead milk us with a contract with release clause for a larger salary. This has still been mentioned as a way out, except how are we supposed to reward him for imploding our summer preparation for a champions league campaign by giving him a payrise? What message does that give to the rest of the squad who must hate his guts at this point. I suspect if Liverpool come close to our evaluation in the next week we will sell and make a big deal about how reluctant we are to do so. I think this would be foolish and would weaken our position in future but I suspect Howe would rather it was all just behind us. The best thing would be sale to Barca or someone next season, and if Isak wants to play to prove to the rest of the football world he's the slightest bit a professional he needs to fire his agent publically and apologize to his team mates.

Unfortunately he has stripped some value off, we can't ask so much because everyone knows he's toxic to our dressing room now, but also he is a worse player than thought, he is a cunt, which is a bit of a downside for a player.

For the record I'm absolutely fine with forcing him to stay, just realistically we should recoup some money at some point not to fucking Liverpool tho

I think it would impact the team if he's getting booed a lot tbh

Realistically i find it hard to see him playing again if he has pissed off the squad and considering the crowd reaction. We have to sell and probably not for as much as we hoped but we absolutely shouldn't sell to a rival in league. Can't be strengthening rivals to encourage this shit.

I'd rather we pulled out regardless, don't want a player who clearly doesnt particularly want to play for us.

Absolutely. How many times can you let someone down?

I wouldn't mind Jackson but the price for a fairly goal shy player whom collects red cards for fun is ludicrous

What are we doing as a club, wasting time over and over again. Failing to read writing on the wall.

bigger the transfer more money the agent pockets. The agent and the club probably trade favours, help me make more money i'll talk more of my stable to come to you. The player listens to the agent who has got him well paid moves in the past.

This this this and this.

I doubt it yes, but he's got to be frustrated. Yet another season stymied by off the pitch nonsense.

Honestly wonder if he's going to resign and wait for a competent club to hire him

Doubt it. We got them to bid 15m more than they wanted earlier regardless. We've just been played all window by everyone.