Nine

Barca collapsing again

Absolutely it frees up some FFP, and management will have weighed it up. Next few days will be interesting, think he stays for now though.

This isn’t a fact, please look at the data and you’ll change your mind. We are consistently progressive down the right side, +8 assists from Trippier alone. Of course some of them are from set pieces.

The biggest loss with selling Trippier is not only the mentality in the dressing room, but we’d lose so much going forward down our right side which has been our favoured attacking move since January 2022. Not just his assists alone, look his progressive pass data as well.. him and Miggy on that side just benefit each other so well.

If Nunez had that killer edge mentally in front of goal he’d literally have it all, literally a drop of composure away from being one of the best strikers in the world imo. Almost everything else about his game is elite.

Not a chance did we fancy Calvert Lewin in this system over a player like Isak, doesn’t make sense at all. His legs would have fallen off in this press

I’d say finishing in any European spot in back to back seasons is pretty linear success, considering 4 windows ago we were on the edge of relegation.. you need to zoom out and see the bigger picture here. The point remains there is absolutely no guarantee that you finish top 7 with our current squad and as has been shown - an increased schedule, injuries and lack of depth can derail your season. They would have calculated the risks in far more detail than is available to the likes of us, and I just can’t see that this management would play it that way. That’s just a mad assumption, gambling on bringing in funds during the winter window to balance the books just doesn’t make sense. I know this is cliche and I hate saying it, but I can’t help but feel you are making this out to be far more football managery than it needs to be. Sorry like

Because they have the sense to not gamble our financial restrictions in a sport where success rarely moves linearly, especially having just qualified for Europe once in the last 10 years. These guys are seriously invested long term, not some chancers that risk point deductions for short term gain.

No way we let any winger go this window imo, Gordon and Miggy especially. The amount of minutes they’ve put in over the last 2 months is ridiculous especially in our system.

On paper maybe, but this is football and our management know enough to know that success is not linear and things can change quickly. I just cannot see them gambling like that, as it happened we were an injury crisis away from it being a big ask. We just don’t move that short term, no evidence of that attitude at all. Everything is geared towards a steady build with long term success.

This is a good point, but Id really like to think that management would not take a risk as silly as we must qualify for Europe again to be FFP compliant. They don’t strike me as incompetent, but we defo stretched our limits as far as we could.

It absolutely is important in the mid/long term, but it is not essential in the short imo. We had no trouble attracting Trippier, Bruno, Botman and Isak with no European football on offer. The trouble is keeping these players when you’ve had a taste of Europe with them and then won’t again for at least a season, make no mistake all these guys want to play for a CL club. Financially of course it is a nice bonus to have.

I think it’s partly down to where we find ourselves currently, established CL clubs will make contact and try their luck to turn a players head mid season. Had we been in the CL still and closer to the top of the table I’m not sure we’d be seeing these links. The upside is we can use this season as a mini rebuild as we arnt realistically chasing top 4 anymore and Europe is not essential to the project yet anyway. Trippier and Wilson are both big players for us in their own right, but they are aging and at the end of the day any and every player is an expendable asset. The project is long term and patience is a must.

And that’s why we wouldn’t be selling him voluntarily, if he leaves it’s because he wanted the move. We lose far more than we likely gain for a £10-15m fee. The evidence shown by our business so far doesn’t suggest we’d be so ruthless to do this deal, it just doesn’t add up. I can see one of our more valuable assets leaving in the summer for sure, but this move doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the pitch, in the dressing room or FFP wise. Still, Trippier or any player moving on is never the end of the world and it is all cash that can be reinvested. This is a long term project and plenty more players will come and go.

Logging off here for the night

Of course this could be a factor, let’s not kid ourselves.. if a club like Bayern come in for any of players with a serious offer they will be off. Again, at this point this is nothing more than rumours and links. Let’s not feed into the media until we know of something substantial.

That’s what I’m getting at, but let’s slow down. It’s all rumours and these links could just be the press taking advantage and pouring some fuel on the fire to make the most of what’s largely been a dead window so far.

Really, really can’t see how he leaves this season BUT if there is weight to those rumours that could be a game changer.

James Rodriguez, a good season or two and then mentally caved in

I don’t often look on RTG, but tonight I do and it’s funny as fuck.

Crazy to think he must have been our 4th or 5th longest serving squad member by now, 2017 was a long time ago. Good luck to him, always solid enough.

Can’t see us selling Lascelles mid season, especially this season. Hes played a large percentage of minutes and has generally done well, his presence and leadership adds value to.. not really something you can replace easily. I’m 90% sure he’ll sign an extension also. A bit of grit and determination probably goes along way in an injury crisis, more so in a physical system and from an experienced pro.

Players that are technically gifted and physically able to press to the demands of Howe ball don’t grow on trees though, and you’re talking big money for the like. We brute forced results with the press last season, depth in physical ability is never a bad thing for a system like ours.. its literally the bread and butter of what we do.

Never been convinced of his character either, huge ego there I think.