gjohnson

This is what I was banging on about last night and being shot down all over the place. Either they really haven't got a clue what they're doing, or there's some master plan that isn't obvious yet....I think the latter and it is to make KSA the football overlords above FiFA, the various continental associations, and ultimately everyone including me, you, the CEO invited on hospitality, and the fan that scapes all year for a ticket to a single match. It is starting to look like we were just the 'in' to get access to better players that would never have even considered their league even with the vast sums being offered as salaries. Either way, we are still being ran infinitely better than we have been since about 2004, so might as well just enjoy the journey and hope we can continue to compete and be the best we can

If this goes ahead it reminds me a bit of when Gary Speed signed....everyone knew objectively he was a good player, but he wasn't fancy, continental, or an 'elite' player so most were a underwhelmed, especially after a relatively poor season having been stuck at left wing, but was a fairly integral part of a team that went from also-rans to almost title challengers

I get that, but don't understand why they would want to risk making one of their own investments relatively weaker to said investments competition....it's like them having their Disney stake then pouring money to Netflix to take viewers away from Disney. Maybe they just want the lot ?

They are paying fees for Chelsea reserves that Chelsea would never get from teams in Europe

Sort of my point....totally different culture and the main reason real football (not NFL) will never get a real foothold

We'd be lucky to get 6m for the lot

Then why put us front and centre?

Well yes that's obvious, I just don't understand the strategy of funnelling millions to our rivals to let them get ahead while we are their main representative in the EPL and we are supposedly hamstrung by FFP.

So are PIF/ Saudi actively avoiding buying our dead wood to avoid scrutiny while chucking stupid amounts at our rivals to let them strengthen and more than likely overtake us next year.....I'll get the tin-foil...

I heard there's a scout in one the basements in St James still chasing up Morten Gaamst Pedersen....they let him out only during lunar eclipses on leap years

Football will always be 5th choice in North America behind NFL, Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey. Even 'college' football over there gets bigger crowds than most of our games...over here that would be like Northumbria Uni drawing Nufc sized crowds. Different culture plain and simple

And that's worked so well for the Chinese football profile. The MLS has been trying for as long as I can remember (25 odd years) and it's still seen as a retirement home or backwater for the best players. Until they can produce teams that regularly take on and can compete with the traditional heavyweight teams (either by name or success) they'll never be able to catch up. I've seen kids all over here wearing PSG/Barcelona/Real Madrid tops, but doubt a single one of them could identify a shirt from a Chinese or Saudi team without them being on TV here or playing teams they know regularly

Indeed....more likely use Saudi Clubs as a method of funnelling good players to us for cheap ?

Perfectly feasible with a good scouting network. How much did Mahrez cost Leicester initially? About half a million I recall, and is now a 60m plus player in a team that won champions league and the premiership. Find gems like him and we can laugh at FFP

More than likely not. We'll end up with someone from outside the PL who is cheaper, probably better and virtually unheard of till they're in the ground at which point the self declared itks will claim to have known all along, but weren't allowed to say to protect their sauce ?

This thread is pretty much redundant as we only seem to leak any information when the player is pretty much signed. The plane spotter thread is probably better for any ideas of incoming now

Whether he plays or not, the name alone will raise our profile, especially in Italy. Plus it can't hurt to have another proper leader in the dressing room

Chopper from Newcastle to East Midlands left about 45 mins ago. Clearly going to pick up Barnes ?

City supposedly after Botman...£86m

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/61f3c62b-32ad-416b-b7a9-5a5e9a07b02f

More likely some 15yr old from a "deprived" area that already has three kids from four( yes I know) different females and thinks he's the town stud because of it

Well for anyone who recognises where this comes from.... "I've got a bad feeling about this" Hope I'm wrong but this guy stinks of Aquilani

Oh my lord ?

Debatable...it's kind of like comparing Shearer to Aguero. Both excellent but one far more important to a team than the other. Man City would still win games without Haaland, as they did without Aguero, but Spurs struggle without Kane as we did without Shearer