TheBrownBottle

Hahaha fucking hell😂

Perfect Wilson replacement, we know the lad knows where the net is I’m not at all keen on how this all came about, but modern football is grim like that

I wouldn’t rate Miley that highly either. We have numbers in midfield but not quality in depth. Ramsey is a good signing, could’ve done with another tbh.

I think the players he’s brought in I have full confidence in. Just the window itself has been a fucking nightmare. Players signed: 8.5/10, squad significantly improved. Window itself: 1/10. Like being wound up continuously for three months.

5/10.

That would be the third highest fee in the history of the game - it’s not a bargain price at all. How many players if they were sold would fetch that? Haaland is the only other PL player I can think of who’d likely see a club pay it.

I don’t think any of those signings other than Tonali were a ‘coup’ tbh - Isak had a shite season for Sociedad and wasn’t batting away other clubs with a shitty stick (do you really think after all this he’d have turned a big club down for ‘the project’?), Hall was bought for a LOT of cash from Chelsea’s reserves when they needed it for PSR, and Livramento was bought from a second division club. We weren’t competing with bigger clubs for those signings - and even with Tonali, there wasn’t anyone else in for him, and I still have my suspicions that Milan let him go simply because they had an inkling of what was coming.

Not sure that c.£80m net ‘profit’ from the Isak sale does remove PSR limitations for three years tbh.

True - then there’s something else to it. Zero chance these clubs don’t find the money if he’s the man they desperately want. Ultimately, we may have wanted £150m but it looks to me like no-one wanted him for £125-ish million.

I still think she had far too big a gob and she’s out for a reason.

Any of them could’ve sold to cover it between now and the 30th June next year. His conduct has been dogshit and perhaps they’ve seen elements of what we’ve seen - i.e. the poor one-on-ones and volleys. We create a fuckton of chances.

All of the good decisions including telling Isak that he’d get a nice new contract so don’t worry about that six year one? Not sure was the talent spotter for previous signings, either.

PIF and the Saudi govt’s MO has always been ‘big talk’, before what they promised doesn’t happen (usually with huge sums wasted in the meantime). Football fans tend to have longer memories than the average punter, though - and can be openly critical, something not encouraged in KSA

I don’t think we’re title challengers tbf and wouldn’t be with a half-arsed Isak still in the building.

I don’t think there is any way that it can be spun that the owners haven’t made a hash of this from start to finish - the player has acted out very publicly and successfully managed to undercut the club’s valuation. The club also issued a statement re ‘conditions’ where it seemed to have briefed the press that the price was £150m. We don’t know if the valuation was the real one, but if we don’t have another striker in by this time tomorrow then they’ll get all the opprobrium that they deserve. If we’ve made a big signing (or two) by that time then my view would be that we’ve done what we need to protect and improve the club and onwards we fuck.

I don’t think PIF are master negotiators nor master business people, but they’ll have made a call based on the risk to their asset. I can see it from a footballing perspective tbh - just get the rotten apple out and use the money to get players who want to be here in.

Logically I’m not sure what could be done if the meeting between PIF and Isak resulted in Isak standing his ground and refusing to play. I doubt that Howe is unhappy with this character leaving his changing room regardless of undoubted talent

Not sure I expected him to be here forever in fairness. I never expected any of the squad signed from the takeover to the present to be here long term ‘project’ or not. We signed young players who would likely be able to be flipped for a profit - PSR demands it in order to grow. I expected Isak to be off next summer and have done for some time - I just didn’t know that he was this type of mercenary. Now it’s happening I’m actually far less annoyed than I thought I’d be - reminds me of selling Andy Cole.

It’s also sometimes the personality type that gets people to the top of a sport - we called him the ice man for a reason. Completely self-absorbed and unsentimental.

Wouldn’t be massively upset if Gordon did go tbh if the money is right

We’ve got to have, that was the line re the conditions for Isak’s sale. I’m not as upset as others re selling to Liverpool, but if we’ve cut our own feet off to get him out then that’s on us.

It is on the ownership too tbf - this has been handled poorly from day one

I’m far more concerned about getting another CF in than I am by that cunt going. If the window closes and we’re still clutching the Isak cash I’ll be unimpressed.

Talking big and not delivering would be precisely what might be expected. Hope I’m wrong.

Which inevitably they will if we’ve said we’re prepared to deal - they’re going to low ball us. I would if I was them, too.