Mazzy

Just had a thought, what if Todibo has always been our first choice CB signing and that's why OGC Nice were one of the teams invited to play at the Sela Cup. And the real reason we didn't play against Nice is so Howe/Tindall could scout him effectively without distraction.

I could absolutely see us making a loan signing in the last few days of the window and of the exact calibre you mentioned. A player is wanting to leave but hasn't found a club willing to buy him yet is desperate to continue playing UCL football. Chiesa would be the obvious fit, I suppose it would depend on the wages through. Felix is the wrong type of player for us I think, however brilliant technically he is.

Richard Keys will be watching Arteta like a hawk even more so now. It's a shame we won't get those same photos/videos like last season with Howe and Tindall celebrating on the touchline but if like others have said it's consistent for all teams then so be it.

Best shave my beard off and get my fake ID out then.

Howe noticeably shifting around in his seat when talking about how we weren't close to signing anyone. I'm not an expert in body language but that usually means someone is not telling the truth. A new signing by the end of next week doesn't seem so farfetched.

This was my thinking behind why I would start Gordon over Barnes on the left. You start Gordon because he's had a great pre season with us and England, he's full of confidence and he deserve the chance. Then at 60 mins you can bring on Barnes, regardless of how well Gordon is doing.

How posh? In the new Rooftop place? Make sure you drink all that free Champagne.

Unless FSG also secretly somehow own Brighton, then probably not.

Schar been in full training since Tuesday so there's no way he does not start. Same backline as last season. Makes absolute sense.

They went much further into the season than I was expecting in this first episode. So I'm assuming either the next episodes are much shorter (30/35mins) rather than 55mins or they go much more in depth into the last 3 months of the season.

Everything about Tapsoba looks great, all the defensive and ball playing stats are superb. He's exactly the right age and can play in multiple formations. One thing that's slightly disappointing is he's only scored 3 goals in 90 apps for Leverkusen. Not going to do much for our low set piece goal count.

Not sure why, but I feel weirdly proud of Harry Kane actually. He's made a difficult decision to leave Spurs and I really hope it works out well for him. Definitely don't want Bayern in our UCL group now.

Buendia looks like he'll be out for a while. Massive boost for us a couple of days before this game. Edit: my bad, didn't see it on the previous page.

Archer on his way out possibly, so makes sense they are looking for another striker. Watkins and Zanioli would be a very good front 2 or rotational pair.

He's quicker than Andersen and Either of Botman/Schar but he's not at the level of the City or Arenal backline. Was surprised at his age actually, I had previously thought he was 22/23 but he's 26 now so certainly at the age he needs to make a big move if he wants to really progress his career.

Yes, more Left Wingers is what we need! Eddie Howes Left Wing Mags. In all seriousness though, yes I would take him on loan for sure. He can play at RW as well to be fair to him, the same way Gordon could and Murphy could play Left. Plenty of adaptability.

Final adjustments made. Feel like I'm making a big mistake having Anderson in there but he's cheap at 4.5M considering he could well start the first 2/3 games. Maddison will probably be the first to be transferred out if Spurs are awful in their first game.

Kilman was big in the rumour mill in the early in the window for a couple of clubs, I think Napoli wanted him to replace Min-Jae and West Ham wanted him more recently, could just be agent stuff as usual. He's left footed though, so that would leave us with a weirdly left foot heavy backline. He's fantastic no doubt and would probably cost the same as Andersen so maybe its a straight choice between the two.

We don't talk about THAT one.

Was worried about this difficult start of ours when the fixtures first came out but I'm warming up to it now. Our worst performances last season came against teams fighting relegation/down towards the bottom of the table. Our best performances/results were against other teams around us in the top 8. Both teams will want to start fast and the first 20 minutes could be chaotic if there's an early goal. Lascelles coming in wouldn't bother me too much as Villa are dangerous from set pieces so his aerial dominance is vital and he's also got more chance of keeping up with Watkins than Schar does.

3 weeks of the window left and there seems to be only one definite name (Andersen) floating about. Some tenious rumours about Solet, Amrabat and Zaniolo but I don't see any of them happening. Solet is young and quick but he seems so raw, not sure how ready he would be for Premier League. The other two is just nonsense I think.

Schars injury is perhaps a blessing in disguise, similar to how Wilsons was last summer. We've always needed another CB since this time last year but now it's far more urgent. I'd be happy with Andersen, assuming the price is fair, but if its not then the club won't pay it anyway. There's a handful of other younger CBs in Europe we could get but atleast with Andersen he fits in the void almost perfectly left by Schar without the need for much moulding or settling in.

Only in a scenario where Aresnal are guaranteed to finish above us. Wouldn't seem so smart if they strengthen us with a loan player and we finish above them. Unlikely I know but its possible.

Philips, Mount, Eze, Trent, Maddison. They are all ahead of Anderson right now and Anderson hasn't even had a full season of Premier League football yet.

"Head Of Coach Development" . Am I reading that right. Sounds like he's here to develop the coaching staff? Is he Tindalls new personal trainer?