Abacus

Around £15m probably is more what he's worth, with a year left. I remember when there was interest in Almiron the first time and we turned it down. We still got decent money in the end, so I'm quite happy to stick with something closer to our valuation or just barter and get the best we can. Just like all clubs do.

Just seems like normal bargaining to me.

I'm not believing Guehi's reps are on the way till our resident plane spotters confirm it. Besides I'm quite sold on Scalvini now instead. Unless of course you reach the surely obvious conclusion that instead of all of these being clickbait rumours they are both in fact smokescreens for each other

I suppose the one thing about Dubravka is that he does have better distribution with his feet. If that's the thing about Trafford that attracts us, then the only thing there is maybe it's an easier transition to make from one to the other in terms of team shape. But despite saying that, still reckon Pope and Trafford has to be the way to go as Pope is an all round better keeper than Dubravka and his sweeping skills also allow the defence to get forward in a different way.

I agree, but I don't think they would need to be sold the role of back up because they wouldn't even be one. If we're playing two games a week they need to be part of a squad that rotates, like anyone signing for a European team that also aspires to be one year on year. It has to be part of the trade off of joining one, I'd say, although true I'm not sure how many players would see that. It's kind of part of the growing pains of being in a competitive team where it can't just all be about the first 11. The same probably also applies to our current players who will have to know they'll be dropped from time to time as needs must and the opposition change.

I think it's already been said better by others but he's been excellent for us at times when fully fit and getting plenty of game time. That hasn't happened recently with injuries and in particular last year when our midfield 3 clicked. He needs that game time and fitness and he'll do well at Leeds. Really hope he does, unless it's against us. But yes squad wise we'd be light, hopefully Miley kicks on as he has some real talent but we could do with someone else in ideally, as MF wise relying on Willock's fitness is a bit of a gamble.

That's interesting if true. I suppose it could be a reason for a delay. I do wonder who gets the agent's cut of the deal if there's a change just before a transfer as presumably the previous agent will have done much of the work for it. All pure speculation obviously, could well be just us and Forest still haggling.

Unless we sign DCL instead, of course. Then he'll be mint.

Too right if that's the case, we'll need them both.

Really excited about Elanga now assuming we get this done. I think he'll be excellent for us, can't wait to have two flying wingers. Yes we'll need a bigger squad overall but I wouldn't fancy playing against us with that first 11.

Given how close the squad seems to be, I don't think it's a bad question. You'd also have insights into their character. I realise there's a school of thought that all players are just mercenaries, but when push comes to shove, they're young men as well and you'll tend to want to play better for your mates, see Bruno/Joelinton.

Now lads, we've all had a coffee. But I simply have to agree that this all is an unnecessarily complicated Wile E Coyote style plan by PIF to get rid of Eddie Howe for some reason by backing him and leaving him in charge of everything. On the other hand, I did recently have a bump on the head.

He used the stadium to sponsor his brands because that had value to him. He didn't use the training ground because it didn't. You'd need to demonstrate a record of consistent success to someone external in developing talent in order to maximise the value is all I'm saying, like Arsenal or Man U could. That may be better for us with a new training ground, even if I think the whole idea of sponsoring a training ground is a bit daft. I do think we all wished that new training ground had moved on faster. Anyway, this is circular so I'm away.

I don't know about you, but I think even a third would be an almighty stretch. For now at least we're operating under APT rules and would have to demonstrate third party interest. I can't believe Ashley would have left even a few hundred grand on the table if there was interest. I'm guessing of course. A new training ground yes, and particularly something tied up with developing local talent like I jokingly suggested.

A quick Google says Man Utd get about £15m per year for Carrington. I'm guessing that's towards the top end. But that's also the place that produced Scholes, Giggs etc, so you'd want to be associated with it. No idea what you'd get for a ground associated with ice batch wheelie bins. As a laugh, we should probably just buy Wallsend boys club and sponsor that instead, because what a hell of a lot of brilliant footballers have come through from there.

Surely training ground sponsor is relative chicken feed? A flashy new training ground maybe yes. Yes, maybe a few million would be helpful before we get one in the meantime, if it was even that much. And do I get the concerns about slow movement on a new ground, but that's the worst I'd say about it. But if you're going to have a training ground sponsor of even a few million, you surely need a history of developing talent there that would appeal to a sponsor, something our previous shell club didn't have. So these are longer term things, I think, once we have more success and it's a credible sponsorship as we have to work on the basis that some version of ATP will exist for now at least, even if modified. We don't have assets to flip. We don't have a new stadium yet, and naming rights to our current one are all but worthless given it was actively damaging to Sports Direct, such that the next sponsor changed the name back. I wished they were faster with the stadium move / redevelopment and the training ground, but I also get why these things might not be fast. I'm as impatient as anyone else but it's crucial to get these right and not just do them for one summer window. Plus Gordon is shit on the right.

We should definitely employ the Steve Bruce of club executives and then be allowed to speculate on his mistakes. Any candidates from NO?

Surely it's now 4-D chess if time is introduced into the equation? But we probably should have been planning for 5-D chess, Mitchell.

Meh. I'm a bit disappointed with this one, thought he'd bring us something a bit different. But not too disappointed, if he chose Chelsea then fine, and I suppose we're at least looking at exciting players who might give us different options. And well done to Chelsea for hoarding every player they can buy and to the players who choose them for wanting to be treated like transfer cattle.

Wouldn't be a fan of bringing in DCL, I just don't think he's all that good from what I've seen. But, I could be OK with it if the club sees something that I don't but more importantly because he plays like a striker, even a not particularly good one. To explain, before Wood came in, the team shape was all over the place without having someone properly up front. Even though he didn't work for us in terms of goals etc, he was pivotal in terms of changing the team shape allowing goals to come from other areas and in that way pretty critical to our upturn in form. Similarly then, if Isak is out for a while or needs a rest, maybe DCL could fill that role. Like I say, I wouldn't want him personally but if we strengthen elsewhere then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Which is, and I know you know this, another legacy for us of having been run on a shoestring for so long and having few saleable assets when PIF came in.

In fact, why not just buy a load of completely shit players and stick it all on our best manager in decades to fix it. It'll at least be a test as to whether Howe is any good after all and I'm all up for that kind of prankster window.

Plus, everyone will shut up for a bit and moan about that instead

No idea why I watched that. Two dipsticks pretending to negotiate for a player purely in their own minds for someone they aren't getting anyway.

Sunderland Category C would be an amusing thread title.