sushimonster85

I'm not even talking about this season. I'm talking about the next 2-3 seasons. Miley aside it doesn't seem like we have many homegrown lads coming through. Until we do Longstaff pretty much has to stay.

I thought I was pessimistic! You have to imagine we will be back in European competition again soon. We couldn't register a full 25 man squad for the CL this year as we missed the quota for homegrown players.

People still saying Longstaff will be sold in the Summer clearly haven't looked at UEFA registration regulations. We're not going to sell one of the only homegrown players we have that's good enough to make the squad. Longstaff will be here for at least 2 more seasons after this one.

Bit of a grim Friday morning. That being said, still think Phillips gets done on loan towards the end of the window.

Could argue it this way. Could also see it as he offers an actual plan B/option to change styles mid-match.

I suspect the Adidas deal has built in incentives for European qualification and performance. 40m per season is likely the base amount. Tends to be the case when teams are selling themselves as being ambitious/wanting to push on. The deal after this will likely be the one with (fingers crossed) more parity to the established 'big 6' out the gate.

I do feel like we're getting close to a tipping point of it being ammended. Us being the richest club in the world yet unable to spend has really shone a spotlight, but there are others as well. Villa, West Ham etc all with owners happy to spend, but unable to. It's becoming clearer and clearer that a big part of it is actually in place to protect established clubs. I think a good way to enforce it would be to clubs to break FFP, but with the proviso that whatever amount they break it by, the same amount must be placed into a holding trust for a designated period of time, say 10 years. The money in said trust gets released back to the club if it changes hands. Meaning owners can prove they're happy to offer some assurance that they're either not going to leave a club high and dry, or if they do they have been made to put aside money themselves to help with the running of the club after they leave.

I love Bruno, like he's one of my favourite players of all time. But if he left in the Summer we'd have another 100m to spend on top of what the budget was already. And have a fully fit and up to speed Tonali ready to go.

True, though there was no real secret. They each sold their best player for 100m.

This isn't the case or Chelsea wouldn't have been handing out daft 8 year contracts like they were before the loophole was closed.

What do you feel Hall offers that Miley and Longstaff don't?

I don't know. Hall's worst game for us was that first half v City in the league cup and he was playing as a CM then.

Last game I was at was the Fulham game & Tindall was constantly trying to get Dubravka to get higher with his starting position.

How long before the inevitable 'cash + Ramsdale' articles start. Despite the fact cash + player deals never actually happen in this day an age.

Totally agree with this. And (assuming most of the lads are back for Feb) I'd say thats the case even if we don't sign anyone in January. Barnes and Willock especially could be game changing in the last 2/3 months of the season

Don't think we've done this only to sell him in the Summer. Think we probably do sign a CB in the Summer, but it will be Lascelles who leaves. The new CB will probably be signed with an eye to be phased in as Schars replacement over the course of a year or so.

Longstaff isn't going anywhere as long as we continue to have issues not having enough home-grown players to register a full squad for European competitions.

I love Steve Howey as much as the next guy, but you can't be serious?

Initially sounds crazy, but when I think about it certainly think he's the best I can remember (born 85, so going back to early 90's). Woodgate would probably be up there, but wasn't here long and was always injure. Think if he progresses as people hope/expect Botman could pass him eventually.

If Longstaff had a bit more composure with his finishing he'd be a 50m+ player. Swear he seems to have 2 or 3 nailed on chances every game. Great at making that late run into the box, or hanging back for a chance on the edge of the area. Hardly ever converts them.

This lad is homegrown at the club, and good enough to start/be in the squad next season. There's no way he is being sold. In terms of the UEFA rules on homegrown players he is invaluable to us at the moment. And given he is 26, and how long it could take to see the fruits of a revamped academy, he likely will be for a chunk of the rest of his career.

His wages would make this a no go.

Feel like they're are a couple mitigating circumstances with Bruno. The main one being it was a freak transfer. He had been tracked by Juve and Arsenal at least, and within a couple games for us it was apparent that he was clearly one of the best CMs in the league. We had no right to get him when we did. The second, and I mentioned this in a earlier post, it's easy to think of Bruno as a kid because of his nature. He turns 27 this year, he can only wait so long for us to get back in the CL. Say next season he stays, we invest and improve, but with City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, Spurs, Chelsea, Villa etc our improvement is only good enough for 5th/6th. He then would face not playing in the CL (forget realistically competing for it for now) till the season he turns 29. I don't doubt how genuine he is being when he talks about how much he has fallen in love with the club & the area, but the lad will have personal ambition to, and has the ability to reach it. But it's a small window, and it's closing all the time.

Been saying for a while now that no European football next season will likely mean Bruno is off in the Summer. Because of his nature it's easy to think of him as a young player, but he turns 27 this year. Even with a lot of work in the Summer there's no guarantee we make CL next season. He isn't going to hang around into his late 20's to see if we get back in. He likely needs to move in the Summer, and so long as we get the 100m release I think it's not as dire a happening as it seems on the surface. Yes, he is the talisman of the team. But there's plenty even at the club now who could take up that mantle. In Tonali we have an elite CM ready to step up next season, and we will have 100m on top of what the budget would've been in the Summer. With smart scouting/recruitment the summber budget could go a long way. (Just to clarify in case it's not clear. I fucking love Bruno.)

Willock, Barnes, Anderson, & Wilson should all be back by the end of the transfer window, or in other words they're all unavavailable for another 2 league games at most. Likely having some impact on what we do.