Deuce

Calm down

I’m right there with you on the need for it (and you’re not the first with similarly fanciful thinking) but how often do teams completely overhaul a starting backline in a single go? I think Tripper + a new CB is the most we’re likely to get.

Shades of Giovinco, who was younger at the time than Insigne is now (albeit not as accomplished a player). He’ll get paid a truckload of money, laugh his way through MLS, and is probably consequential enough to the national team that it won’t seriously affect his chances of being selected.

To the 49ers owners?

Fucking hell. What a force. Absolutely love a soul-crushing box-to-box midfielder.

Could just be that wor Don was a bit of a slut.

Be great if we could hop into a time machine and grab the other Mousa Dembele from 5 years ago. Exactly what we need in midfield.

League winners + domestic cup winners. A true “Champions” League.

Have to say, I agree with both WBCP and TCD. It’s perfectly fine to look at this guy’s CV and be underwhelmed, particularly when stacked against the names that’ve been mentioned previously. At the same time, we’re probably not in a position to land a top tier candidate. So we have to take a flyer on a guy who may be underrated and looking for his first big break.

get him and Tosin. Proper big lad, short lad CB combo.

That’d be so fucking typical.

so true

I’ve always admired Rooney. I don’t think he gets enough love considering just how outstanding of a footballer he really was in his prime. Seems he’s done well with a hopeless situation at Derby, though I’m skeptical he’d be able to get anything more out of that Everton side than Rafa.

Seems fitting that Harry Maguire is the median. Also highlights how good Matip has been, though that could be a function of playing next to VVD.

Cook will be a solid addition ahead of next season in the Champo.

Think it was sly commentary on how shit of a CB he is, and also how shit of a keeper Darlow is. edit: or just that handball.

De Jong the Jong-er and Rivs were comfortably worse, imo. Though I recognize the bar is very low.

Torreira definitely made a lot of sense when we thought Emery was our guy. Still does. No nonsense CM who can come in and lock things doon.

He’s a 1-in-3 goalscorer since joining Alaves.

Better players, a coherent system already in place, and just a better-run club overall. Not to say that Gerrard hasn’t been really good so far, because he clearly has. I think Howe probably would’ve done really well at Villa, too.

All this hand-wringing about potentially paying too much (though I disagree that £25m is too much in this case) is perplexing to me. Under Ashley it was never an issue (we were perpetually frustrated with the cunt for not spending enough, to be fair). The club knows how much it can spend! There are people paid to worry about the money. We as fans can certainly worry about the quality of transfers they make…but you’d be hard pressed to argue that Trippier would not be a quality addition. We’re not skint, we’re not gonna do a Leeds, Trippier at £25m is not a stretch.

If the club’s priority is to stay up at all costs, £25m for a PL-quality fullback (of any age and with any length of time left in his legs) is a no-brainer. We don’t need 2 years out of Trippier: we need 6 months. Though I think he’s got at least 2 good years left in him at a high level. He’s only 31 ffs.

1. Trippier would be a terrific addition. 2. £25m is nothing, particularly for an England international still playing at a high level. 3. You’re not paying it anyway, so stop whining.

They needed software to tell them this? They should dispense with the draw rules anyway. Just fucking draw them seeded vs. unseeded. Who cares if they played in the same group or belong to the same association.