TheBrownBottle

I think that’s exactly it tbh. This is the ‘going rate’. And Ashley wouldn’t buy defenders - so we’ve got used to not stumping up big money. In all honesty, I wish Keegan or Robson had spent big money on top centre backs - we’d have won trophies. (Woodgate is the only one that came in during that period who was at that level). A spine of Pope; Botman & Guehi; Bruno; Isak looks pretty damn good to me

A lot of people think we’re ‘overpaying’ - Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea have all paid this sort of money for a centre back at least once (sometimes significantly more). £65m is not overpaying for a first choice England international centre back.

More Shepherd being a dodgy fucker than stupidity I suspect

Dubravka was a nightmare, but the lack of anything resembling pace at centre half was a massive problem - I think a Botman/Guehi partnership is immediately one of the best in the division. And we’re not getting anywhere if we’re shipping the number of goals we did last season. The defence needed fixing.

You can add me to that minority. I think CB is more pressing than RW - though RW is the other obvious weak point.

Our defence was poor for long spells last season - not helped by having Dubravka behind them, admittedly - but I think Guehi would be a transformative signing. He is head and shoulders above all the other centre half options we have fit at the moment, and him and Botman could be solid pairing for many years to come

Same - and I’d chuck him on our right wing

What was originally said?

Holy shit, just woke up to this? Fuck me this would be an unbelievable signing

Fucking hell there’s some right weirdos in our support. It’s not just tacky, but always seems to be actively in bad taste

£81m I saw - but that doesn’t mean that’s his price of course

Tapsoda is a superb centre half, but I can’t us signing him in our present form - would love to be wrong, of course. I would’ve thought if he left, he’d be gobbled up by an elite club

EDGAR Tapsoba

10/11 hours is a lot of time on deadline day. Let’s wait and see would be my take tbh

Can you imagine what this thread would be like if Minteh had scored four goals in pre-season like Jacob Murphy did? The meltdown would be of Chernobyl proportions

You're right. Nothing stopping them having concept design drawings, specs and a detailed scope of works without planning permission - if they come out and say 'we're moving' with nothing else behind it then it isn't a good look on any level. I'd expect a client to have a budget, reasonable site information, a program etc before the need to seek permissions for a project of this size and scale. You don't buy the land and then determine what to do.

It is possible to get the ban overturned, however Schar can get an extra one-game ban if the appeal fails having been deemed as 'frivolous'. Howe has already came out and said that Schar shouldn't have done it. You also have to appeal within two days - and usually the club appealing suggest as much post-match.

'The Blaydon Races' should be played pre-match and at HT for me - but that fucking awful one with the drums get to fuck. My preference would be a proper brass band doing it

Not sure about the ‘ceiling’ stuff - feels a bit like playing too much Champ Man. Some players develop far beyond what might have originally been anticipated - if we look at our own legends, I wonder what Keegan’s ‘ceiling’ was at 18 - a man who basically became a great player through willpower and work.

I thought it was a red (allowing for Diaz being an overreacting, cheating cunt), and also thought Pawson was absolutely shite and lost all control over the game generally

Lost as to why that’s a joke tbh. They’re accused of fraud

We also don’t know what the size of the ‘add-one’ are, nor the terms of them. What if it is £10m add-ons based on Guehi winning the CL and PL with us? I wouldn’t take that bet if I was Palace. We’re being made to look a bit daft here to me. It is clear that Palace have their value and aren’t going to budge. It feels like they’re doing the Bernie Mac negotiation in ‘Bad Santa’ - and we’re doing no better in the Tony Cox role

If our owners won’t stump up the cash then that is notable - I’d imagine it is the terms of the add-ons that are not selling the deal to Palace

His teeth are the most British thing about him

That's some 4D chess there, mind. Not sure Palace are that Machiavellian - why would a player need proof of a bid to decide what the release clause in their contract should be? The noises from the player's camp suggests he wants the move, we're onto our fourth bid, and Palace have basically stated their asking price so that we should try and meet it.