Thumbheed

Think what I like about our chances of this is we play a brand of football that upsets the bigger sides who we'd need to take points off to achieve that. Other sides try and just play the same brand of football better vs the top sides whereas our style and identity is uniquely different. There are teams I dread to play because theyre bogey sides, but not one single team now that I don't think we can beat, and not because it's an 'on our day' job, because we're good enough to go toe to toe with anyone now.

This is one of those signings that the smaller clubs buy, develop and sell for £60m in a years time. I know nothing about him tbh but if we've cast our eye on him im pretty certain he'll have a lot about him

Explains our preference for dynamic players over the technically sharp ones.

I'd have Semenyo here. He's a slightly less refined Nico Williams.

This is the kind of content I live for

I'd love Kudus, mind

What does Howe demand of a right winger that he can't do?

I get the sense it's just journos tapping into the unrest. Not doubt we're interested, but I would be massively surprised if we aren't engaging numerous targets all at once.

Anyone a bit suss that this has come out sooo early? The 2 players that have come out into the public just so happen to be the 2 players we know we've bid for in the past. Not saying we're not interested they're about the safest story any journo could go with.

I don't know of a more versatile player out there tbh barring maybe Cuhna? This would be a sensational signing.

How much do we have to spend over the next 3 year cycle?

Agree with your first point to be fair, but it's not necessarily the goals scored column I'm bothered about. From what I saw, our wingers would more often than not give the ball away, leading to those counters you talk of. Possession was often won and recycled to them only for them to lose it a bit too comfortably leaving us prone to counter and/or losing territory. Also, I don't think many teams pressed us that high too often, it was in the centre of the field vs Bournemouth and West Ham was pure low block and counter, so I don't think having quick wingers negates that too much as it was very much possession lost further up the field that led to those breaks. My view is having better players who are more press proof and who play the intelligent pass will make more of a difference to our game by virtue of the fact they retain possession better in the final third, thus improving on those aforementioned stats.

I don't ever wanna hear the club talk about PSR again. Would be a fantastic signing though.

Kind of goes hand in hand doesn't it? Players who are more adept on the ball are able to both keep possession better and find the best pass when needed.

Surely the point is we can and should aim to be higher?

Well yeh, Botman's been injured for an entire season.

So we've moved on from was Howe interested to did he sign? Christ. Have a day off.

Well outside of the actual emails, if you don't pay attention to anything that's reported then how else exactly am I to prove the pointless point you're trying to make me prove? Trying to get my head round the idea of someone taking no notice of reports whilst actively commenting on the content of those very reports ffs.

You want me to forward you the emails between the clubs? It was literally reported everywhere. You know, it's OK being wrong. It's that not deep. Let's see how this plays out.

*£35m before he had his best ever season. So slight amendment. But not sure how it changes the fact Howe wants him?

Well yeh, he does? We put in a £50m bid in for him last year.

Howe does.

He's more proven than Gordon was before we signed him. And yeh, he's proven in the sense he has shown he can play at a high level.

Elanga definitely has more physical quality about him, but Akliouche has more up top from what I've seen. I'd always go for the intelligent players over the physically imposing players given the choice.

It's his ability as a playmaker that sets him apart. You can't teach that quality and not many players are capable of it but it's invaluable to a team. Just need to look at thr impact Trippier has from RB to see the value of someone who sees things others don't.