sushimonster85

Can tell a transfer window is coming up when Barca start trying to use their favourite media outlets to flog all the players they don't want.

As well as being a proven PL player capable of goals and assists, Bowen's also English. There's no way West Ham would accept anything less than 75m.

Barcelona link is the daftest one of all. Club who has to sell various parts of their future earnings just to pay existing wages is suddenly going to find 100m+ for Bruno? 

Only sides I'm really scared of have always been Man City, PSG, and maybe Real Madrid.

Surely free kicks will be Schar? 

Wasn't the word always late December/Jan? Imagine if he'd had a setback we'd have heard by now. I'm betting he makes the bench for the Sunderland game. 

53 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Unless we can get one of our top targets, I’d leave the business till the summer window. No need for stop gap signings now imo, once January comes, the schedule eases significantly.

Think this all depends on how realistically doable they see top 4. With the current lads (assuming no more mental runs with injury) we should be good for at least 6th once we get into the new year and have most of them back.

If they want top 4 (and it is looking like it needs to be 4th with us and Man U going out at the group stage this year), we will likely need at least a couple, ideally 3. CM, forward who can play across the line, GK. 

Don't get me wrong, it's ok to be excited about Miley's potential. But theres no way of really telling how talented he will be at the moment. He has shown remarable composure for someone his age, but he clearly has the remit of make the easy pass when he has the ball at the moment. Was watching the PSG highlights agains the other night and forgot that, even when not at his best, Tonali was everywhere. 

Think it all depends who is available in Jan. Club have shown in previous windows that, if they feel a long term target is available, they will make it happen somehow. I have a feeling Howe's number 1 target is Ramsdale, which I don't see happening in Jan. No way Arsenal will want to do us any favours in terms of structured payments etc. 

It's actually a good time to bring in someone to really push Pope/potentially take over. He gets a four month run to establish himself, potentially then stays in till the end of the season. Then they battle it out fair & square over pre-season. 

33 minutes ago, Fezzle said:

i remember the bookies had us about 1/20 to sign Scott Sinclair one January. Clearly they no fuck all except what mugs are putting on it

In the first Summer window under the new owners we were 1/20 to sign Dean Henderson at one point. Then Pope came in from out of nowhere. 

Where I struggle with Phillips is his fitness. Howe is notorious for introducing people gradually at the best times. Phillips has barely played for 18 months. It's going to be March before Howe will consider him fit enough to play a large part. 

15 minutes ago, RS said:

You’d think they’d have to factor in a large portion of season ticket holders are Ashley apologists and were a significant part of the issues of the last regime.

I think this kind of thinking is pretty unfair. And I say that as someone who did have a season ticket but gave it up during the Ashley run. Survivng on the final day v West Ham was my last season. There will be some Ashley apologists. But I still feel they're massively outnumbered by the people who felt like they couldn't turn their back on the club fully/couldn't bring themselves to stop going. I'm not going to dig out people with that mindset. 

7 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

The name of every man over 50 at the HMRC

Feel like I probably worked with 17 of them during my time at Benton Park.

I can see Ramsdale being more likely in the Summer rather than Jan. That being said, I'm sure I read something about Howe not liking his lack of professionalism back when he had Ramsdale at Bournemouth.

3 hours ago, PauloGeordio said:

Gordon to the left of me and Mahrez to the right. Yes please 

Mahrez has been my dream signing since the idea of loaning from PIF clubs came up. Imagine a front 3 of Gordon, Isak, and Mahrez. Electric. 

15 minutes ago, Stifler said:

Possibly Brighton?

Bournemouth?

Also surprisingly it maybe Everton, as they may want to keep the option open if they get taken over by 777.

Everton will absolutely be one. Their potential new owners also own clubs that would have some very interesting options for them in Jan. 

16 hours ago, MrRaspberryJam said:

the away one is just a modernised version of the 95 one obviously and it’s hard to get excited about yet another reboot of that shirt. 

I'm happy for Adidas to do it one more time. The first reboot was alright, just had to deal with it being a Puma top. 

Assuming this new loans rule doesn't come in, it should be Ruben Neves over Phillips. 

3 hours ago, TheGuv said:

Currently in NCL airport 

Imagine all the lads not on international duty have been given some time to get away and recharge the batteries. Obviously he has had much/any physical exertion, but mentally he probably needs some time away from everything. Just for fuck sake someone make sure there are no betting apps on his phone.

Actually think he needs to be left in Holland. It's way better for his long term development to play on a fairly consistent basis there than coming here and getting a few 10 minute cameo's between now and the end of the season. 

Fully expect him to be in the squad next season.

10 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

A lot of people are missing the point here. The change is temporary with the sole purpose to prevent us from loaning players from Saudi. 
 

it will pass and we will accept it like we have with all the other bullshit the league has pulled. 

If the rule change does go through what exactly do suggest we do. Any legal appeal would go on way past Jan anyway. Already mentioned it on the previous page, the most effective way of killing this is PIF making it clear that, if this passes, they won't be chucking anymore huge sums at clubs for the aging players they want off the books.

This would fuck over Man U especially, as Saudi is the only hope they have of getting a big fee for Casemiro. Or potentially even Sancho. 

Easy way to stop this is the PIF letting it be known that, if this goes through, they'll no long be interested in picking up players from the PL. Might make the likes of Man Utd & Liverpool reconsider when they suddenly lose the ability get 40+m for players who are well past it/they need to shift. 

I ultimately don't think much action will be taken in terms of us getting players from/selling players too Saudi, so long as we don't blatantly take the piss. Like getting Neves of Milenkovic-Savic for under 10m. 

The other side, especially the top 6 ones can't afford to lose the ability of moving high earners who are past it/not wanted over there. Piss off the PIF and the could lose that outlet.

Seems to me rather than Philips it's Neves that's the one that's so obvious it should be nailed on, at least on loan. He wants to come back to the PL, and always seemed like a grafter as well as being technically sound. And happens to be owned by the same people that own us...